Ask Me
a collaborative Primeval fanfic by the Humanoid Hyenas
...
Jess frowned as she looked into the dryer, trying to rack her brains as to what item in her closet was that particular shade of green. But as she reached in and grabbed the bright kelly garment, she realised why it didn't look familiar - it wasn't hers! Connor's t-shirt must've gotten mixed in with her laundry and she'd washed it by mistake. It struck her as a bit odd, since he and Abby were no longer her flatmates, having recently moved into a place of their own, but she didn't dwell on it.
However, as she started to set it aside, planning to simply return it to Connor at work tomorrow later, she recognised which particular shirt it was and couldn't help but laugh. The front read simply "Ask me about my T-Rex", but the punchline was only revealed when the bottom of the shirt was pulled up above Connor's head, revealing an illustration of a roaring T-Rex on the inside. Jess instantly remembered Becker's annoyed response to having been begrudgingly goaded into asking - she'd worried he'd injured his eyes, he'd rolled them so far up in his head. It had been a priceless response...which was probably why Connor had been wearing the shirt so often lately!
Now that she thought about it, perhaps she'd be doing Becker a favour if she didn't give it back straightaway.
But then another thought struck her - a wicked little thought - and she carefully placed the folded shirt back in the pile with her own clothes!
Connor would just have to wait a bit before he got it back!
...
When the knock came at his door, less than an hour after getting home from what had been a very long day at the ARC, Becker was tempted to just ignore it. He hadn't ordered his takeaway yet, so he knew it wasn't someone bearing the gift of food, and all he was interested in at that moment in time was a hot shower and a hot meal.
After another five minutes of knocking, however, he realised his unexpected caller was persistent and wasn't going to go away any time soon. A scowl arranged his features as he stood and headed for the door, tossing the menu he'd been half-heartedly browsing (he already had his favourites committed to memory and found his mind wandered whenever he thought about Chinese takeaway, usually in the direction of a certain Field Co-ordinator...)
... Who was standing on his doormat, brown paper bag balanced precariously on one hip as she held a hand raised as if to knock again.
A bright smile broke out across her face when she saw him and, despite his best efforts, he felt the scowl on his face begin to fade.
"Making house calls, Jess?"
She'd apparently had time to both change clothes and pop to a takeaway - Chinese, predictably, if he'd correctly identified the smell coming from the bag in her hands - before coming to his flat. She was wearing jeans - rare, but not entirely unheard of - and a smart black jacket zipped up almost to her chin.
"Just making sure you don't forget dinner. I know you skipped lunch, what with the anomaly and all." She gave him an expectant look. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"What? Oh, sorry." Realising he had been blocking the door during his study of her, Becker stepped aside to let her pass. "Kitchen's just through there. But seriously, Jess, you didn't need to do this."
The smile she threw him over her shoulder was mysterious, the glint in her eye mischievous. "Oh, I know. But there's something I wanted to talk to you about..."
Yet she would say no more on the subject, evading his quizzical looks as they filled their plates. After pouring them both glasses of water, Becker led the way back into the front room, his kitchen table still covered in rags and oil from his latest gun cleaning. As they sat down on the sofa, he noticed she was still clad in her jacket, so he quickly stood back up, politely offering, "Let me take your coat."
But her hands instantly reached for her collar, pulling the coat tighter about herself. "No, thanks. I'm...cold."
Becker frowned. His flat was no cooler than the ARC, and she was currently wearing far more clothes - covering much more of her skin - than she typically wore at work all day (a fact that he was rather disappointed in, even though her jeans were rather nicely tight-fitting). Was she getting sick, perhaps? He was tempted to feel her forehead but stopped himself, offering instead, "I can turn up the thermostat, if you'd like."
Jess shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm fine."
Becker somehow doubted the truthfulness of her statement but warily sat back down and began eating. Jess always seemed to order all his favourites (although it never occurred to him to wonder how she knew them), so he was quite happy to wordlessly enjoy his food as Jess babbled on about mindless work matters.
Finally, as Becker took his last bite, Jess stood, taking his plate and stacking it atop hers. "Time for dessert," she announced, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Becker started to stand as well, but Jess insisted, "I've got it. I'll be right out."
As she headed for the kitchen, Becker remembered what she'd said when she'd arrived and called after her, "So what did you want to talk to me about?" but she made no reply.
A few minutes later, Becker's eyebrows shot up when he saw Jess return. The coat that had been frustrating him had finally been slung, and he now got to see what lay beneath. Which, unfortunately, wasn't much, since Jess was now holding two bowls, a pot of ice cream, and some chocolate sauce close to her chest. What he could see, however, was a looser fitting top than would normally be considered 'Jess.'
With a coy smile, she slipped behind the sofa and handed him the bowls and ice cream over his shoulder. "Can you serve up?" she asked.
Becker frowned, wondering what had happened to 'I've got it," and still suspicious at her lack of an answer to her earlier question. "Sure," he answered anyway.
He dug into the softening ice cream with a spoon and listened as Jess stepped back around from the sofa. His eyes wandered from the ice cream to watch her legs out of the corner of his eyes, a habit he had fallen into. His disappointment in the jeans heightened as he realised that she had opted for sensible shoes to match (or at least what Jess would call sensible), for he was used to being able to see her slim ankles as she walked, shown off by heels.
Still spooning out the ice-cream as he watched her, his divided attention meant it took Becker a little longer than it should have to realise that Jess was stood still in front of him, her hands on her hips, chocolate sauce having been deposited on the table.
Becker looked up, and the ice cream that he had been serving fell on the floor. He ignored it. Jess, it seemed, had found Connor's T-Rex t-shirt. The very same one that had been annoying him for weeks. Not only had Connor taken to wearing it all the time, but the techies, the soldiers, and even Lester had realised how much Becker hated it and did, in fact, ask Connor about his T-Rex whenever they were in the same room with the soldier.
As the ice cream melted into his carpet, Becker stared. Closing his jaw, his eyes flickered up to Jess' face to find a gleam in her eye that he hadn't really seen before. Sure, he had caught it when she made cheeky remarks, but never with the intensity that he saw before him now. His breath caught and he swallowed thickly. He tried desperately to pull his mind from the gutter while begging his body not to react to his thoughts. Surely it was innocent. Surely it was just a joke. Jess must be wearing another shirt underneath or something. She couldn't really…
Becker jumped to his feet and clasped his hands behind his back, his posture rigid. Jess' lips pulled back into what could only be described as a sultry smile. Becker licked his own suddenly-parched lips, as he noticed Jess' hands move on her waist. His heart beat wildly in his chest as Jess slipped her thumbs up the hem of the shirt, showing a small fraction of skin, before dipping them into the waist of her jeans. The shirt began to ride up.
Taking a deep breath and holding it, Becker tore his eyes from the skin at her midsection and back up to her face. Jess cocked her head to the side as if to ask "yes?"
Needlessly rightening his shoulders, Becker opened his mouth to ask the question that now needed to be asked. His mouth was dry. He swallowed and opened it again. "Um," his voice cracked.
When had he turned into a nervous teenager? It was only Jess! Pull yourself together, man, he told himself.
"So," this time he praised himself for having a steady voice, "I hear you-"
Becker's words were cut short by a crash outside his door. Both of their heads spun around, and Jess squeaked in surprise.
"Arrgh!" someone cried from outside. "Somebody! Help!"
Becker swore under his breath, garnering a surprised look from Jess. In truth, he surprised himself; he normally had a clean mouth (unless his night had been heading the way… he snapped his mind out of it.) Jess had really messed with his nerves.
"Mrs. Phillips," Becker said. "She lives the floor above me; she's a widow." He had already moved to the door. "I should help her," he said, looking back at Jess. He couldn't believe that he was walking away from her, but Mrs. Phillips had osteoporosis and no one to care for her. "Um..." What could he say? Wait here? Make yourself comfortable? The moment was lost so he just nodded and left through the front door.
...
Three hours later, Becker was back at home.
Mrs. Phillips had fallen while carrying her shopping up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I should listen to you, Hilary dear, and take the lift," she had told him as he'd called the emergency services. It was a common argument between them; Becker always told her it was safest, but she valued what independence she could have.
"It's okay, Mrs. Phillips," he had replied, trying not to think that if she had taken the lift, he might be doing something quite different than kneeling on the cold hard floor of his hallway. Or sitting next to her in the ambulance. Or standing by her bedside at the hospital.
Becker now sat on the sofa where he had hours earlier. Jess had been stood right there! he thought to himself, so close, so real, so nearly his. He shuddered at how close they had been. How all they had needed was a few more minutes, a few more seconds, and he would have at least had something to take with him.
Closing his eyes, Becker looked to the ground, noticing that, while Jess had cleaned up the bowls, she hadn't spotted the ice cream which was staining his carpet. He had texted her while he sat in the ambulance with Mrs. Phillips, who had been reluctant to be without him. Jess had replied that she understood and would go home, but there was something lacking. It wasn't just the emptiness he felt from what could have been; it was awkwardness and uncertainty that neither of them had spoken a word to each other (outside of that quick explanation). There had been no resolution, no goodbye. They had been… and then they weren't.
Becker rested his elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He was too awake, his mind was too muddled, and despite the long day and the tiresomeness of the hospital, he wasn't going to sleep any time soon.
Well, he thought to himself, he was going to be up all night, he may as well have something for dessert. Pushing himself up with a sigh, Becker made his way to his kitchen and opened the freezer door. Looking in, he noticed Jess had put the one bowl of ice cream he had managed to serve in there. He smiled to himself, unsure as to why, but knowing it was something completely Jess. He pulled out the bowl while turning for a spoon, kicking the door shut behind him. It was only when he was leaning against the counter, his spoon already in the ice cream, that he looked down into the bowl. Once again, the ice cream he held slipped silently from his spoon.
Jess had placed a sticky note on the edge of the bowl.
'Ask me any time.
p.s. I kept the sauce.'
Becker sucked in a breath between his teeth and shut his eyes. He was seeing things. He had to be seeing things. Knowing his luck, he had been injured earlier that day and all that had happened since was a hallucination. He opened his eyes, fixing them on the opposite wall of the room. Very slowly, Becker lowered them back to the bowl and, sure enough, the sticker filled with Jess' neat handwriting was still there.
He groaned and placed the bowl on the counter to his side. If there had been even the smallest chance of him getting sleep that night, it was most certainly gone now. At least the moment hadn't really passed, Becker thought, only delayed. Rubbing his cheek, Becker glanced back at the note. A grin spread across his face as he re-read the post script. 'I kept the sauce.' He could only imagine what Jess had meant by that, and imagine his brain certainly did.
With another groan pushing its way from the back of his throat, Becker decided to act. He wouldn't allow himself to be tortured like this. Grabbing his keys from a bowl on the table, he left his flat and raced down the stairs to his car.
...
Jess sat at home, an empty mug of what had been hot chocolate in her hands. What had she done? she thought to herself, horrified. Yes, it had been going well; brilliantly, in fact. Jess had never seen Becker so out of sorts, and the knowledge that it been all because of her had caused a knotting sensation in her stomach and pride to fill her heart. But it had finished, just like that. She mentally heard a click of fingers to reiterate her point. She should have just accepted it. She should have tidied up and left, without a word, without a note. Or helped the old lady with Becker.
Why had she just let him walk out like that? Jess shook her head; she knew the answer. From the moment that Becker had opened his front door, she had been committed. It had been a certainty what would happen. Or at least it had been certain that she would show him the shirt and see what happened, she would find out how Becker felt, she would know more than she did before about where they stood. But no, she had shown him the shirt, her heart pounding in her chest. She had smiled at his initial reaction, noticing something that had looked suspiciously like lust in his eyes.
He had licked his lips, Jess remembered. As before, she felt a tightening in her stomach, a rush of excitement at the small gesture like she had never experienced. What a reaction from something so small, she wondered. It had made her feel bold, wanted. She had slipped her thumb up and in a circle on her own skin, leaving goosebumps just from the knowledge that he was watching, watching with that look in his eyes. Jess bit her lip, frustrated. Not about anything in particular, just frustrated.
She sighed and made herself another cup of orange hot chocolate. As much as she normally detested orange chocolate, when it was hot, it was something completely different. Jess stirred at the liquid absently as she wondered further over what could have happened.
No, she shook her head. She had no way to know how he would have reacted. She didn't know if he would have acted upon those looks in his eyes.
"Urgh!" she groaned, flopping her head down onto the table in a highly unladylike manner. "Why didn't I just leave?" she lamented, thinking about her note. Why had she left that sticky note? She didn't know what had taken hold of her when she had picked up that pen and written those words. She looked up in remembrance, and despite herself, her eyes fell on the bottle of chocolate sauce which sat innocently as anything on her counter. All thought left her mind, she just looked at the bottle thinking about what could…
He had made her feel so attractive with just a look, without saying a word or making much movement. The look in his eyes - she could almost see his thoughts as he momentarily wondered if she had been joking. And then the moment they heard his neighbour on the stairs, his thoughts seemed to just… end.
His thoughts!
What Becker must think of her!
How was she going to face him at work?
Well… she could always keep the shirt a little bit longer and slip it on after work tomorrow. The thought was dismissed as soon as it came. The workplace was not a suitable environment for what she had in mind.
She was getting nowhere. Jess pushed all of the what-if's and possibilities from her mind and tried to think of more pleasant things. A small smile crept along her lips as she thought of the way Becker's eyes had darkened as he had watched her thumbs brush past the shirt. She had been able to see his chest rise and fall with his breathing as it sped. Warmth spread through her body from head to toe as she remembered his reactions, and she curled back up on the sofa. She wrapped her hands around the hot mug and rested it to warm her stomach further as she remembered how his voice had broken when he tried to speak. The deep broken sound dried Jess' mouth, and she bit her lip, trying to repress her feelings.
Jess wasn't going to sleep any time soon, no matter how much warm milk she put into her chocolate. She looked into the mug and found she had drunk most of it. Jess swirled the liquid to gather up any dregs of chocolate and quickly swigged the rest. She lowered the mug quickly, hearing a sound at her door. She glanced at her clock - she had been back for about three hours. No one would be there. She was imagining things.
Wouldn't it be lovely if it were Becker there? she wondered absently. If Becker had returned to her flat to ask about her T-Rex and… Jess shook her head. Then she heard the noise again. Frowning, Jess stood and walked to her door, opening it cautiously.
Becker stood in her doorway, breathing hard. Her own breath caught in her throat as Becker trailed his eyes over her. She saw a flicker of disappointment as he realised she had changed into her pyjamas, and that almost gave her some hope.
"I-" Becker's voice broke but he continued through it, "I hear that you have a T-Rex?"
Jess looked at him, momentarily stunned. Then she flustered, unsure how to answer - she had planned on not being in her pyjamas when they had this conversation. "Yes, I do. But… I…" A small smile lit her face as she found herself an answer. "I seem to have lost it. Can't find it anywhere." She coyly played with the hem of the vest shirt she wore to bed.
One of Becker's eyebrows quirked in humour. "Well, as head of security, I should probably help you look for it." He stepped through her doorway and kicked it shut behind him Jess' breath caught again as the door slammed loudly before he went on, "Where did you last see it?"
She bit her lip, slowly backing away from him, her heart racing and his sudden presence muddling her thoughts. "I- It- I-" She swallowed. "I was-" She met his gaze, and her almost blush of embarrassment was halted. His eyes were dark, his mouth slightly open, and the distance between them was closing again. Her courage rose to the situation. Stepping forward, Jess looked down at herself, sure that Becker's eyes would follow. She folded half of the top up, showing her upper hips and a generous amount of stomach. "Well," she said, "it was around here somewhere."
Becker kicked into action. Before Jess knew it, she had been grabbed and pushed until she was wedged between Becker and her kitchen counter. And then he kissed her.
The kiss was nothing like anything she had experienced. It wasn't tentative, shy, or merely pleasant, as many kisses she had shared had been. No, this was fire. Her heart, her body, every sense was heightened. Jess clung to him, wanting something more than she had been given before. Their lips met, parted, met again. Jess felt his breath, his chest rising to meet hers as they panted.
"Chocolate," he growled into her mouth, his hands slipping up and under her shirt. "Orange?" she heard him whisper in confusion, and then he pulled away. "No T-Rex so far," he smirked before grabbing her top and pulling up so suddenly, Jess barely had time to raise her arms.
Becker barely glanced down before he grabbed Jess' hips, running his thumbs over the same area she had earlier that night. As he started to pull her away from the counter, a wild thought popped back into Jess' head, and her hands left his hair just long enough to grab the chocolate sauce.
Somehow they made their way across the flat, fondling and groping and kissing - oh, the kissing! - as Becker seemed to push her determinedly along. Before she knew it, the back of her legs hit the edge of her sofa, and suddenly she was falling, helplessly falling backwards, with Becker's arms still wrapped about her as he fell as well. Her back landed with a jolt upon the sofa, nearly knocking the breath out of her, followed almost immediately by Becker landing atop her, pressing out her remaining air. Even as she struggled to catch her breath, her hand that still clung to the plastic bottle of chocolate came crashing down, striking him on the back of the head.
"What the...?" Becker frowned, removing his arm from underneath her to rub his injury.
"Sorry!" Jess cringed, feeling a fool as Becker yanked the blunt-force weapon from her hand.
But as his head turned back around, she could tell that he was not upset. He grinned at the bottle now in his hands before returning his gaze to Jess, who was now lying sprawled out below him.
His grin, however, slowly faded as he stared down at her. She started to feel extremely exposed, extremely vulnerable, lying there topless beneath his intense gaze. She slowly realised, however, that nothing was wrong; his smile had faded only because he was taking her all in with his eyes, studying every inch of her bare chest. It was not with disgust or abhorrence that he looked upon her, it was with sheer, unadulterated lust, sending a chill down her spine, thrilled to be causing such a reaction in him,
She pulled her legs up onto the sofa, his instantly following, entwining with hers, Their hips met, and Jess automatically arched her back, lifting to meet his, wanting to feel him against her. His breath caught, and his eyes grew even hungrier as they roved back to hers, their gazes locking for a second. He grinned - a sexy, carnal grin - as his attention returned to the bottle in his hands. He removed the plastic cap, tossing it impatiently over his shoulder, and popped open the nozzle, making it ready to pour. He leaned over her, tilting the bottle, and she held her breath in anticipation.
But suddenly he pulled up short. He righted the bottle with a jerk and quickly sat back on his haunches, frowning and shaking his head as he murmurred under his breath, "This isn't right."
He might as well have punched her in the stomach; Jess instantly felt queasy, realising she'd overplayed her hand. It was one thing to play the silly seductress, to show up at Becker's flat wearing Connor's tantalising shirt - it was quite another to force a chocolate sauce encounter when they'd never even kissed before tonight. Becker had gotten caught up in the moment, but now he'd come to his senses, seeing this for the bad idea it was. They were coworkers, after all - what had she been thinking?!
Yet here she still lay, half-naked below him, and she could only imagine what he was thinking of her. She felt foolish and ashamed and wanted a hole to open up in the sofa so she could simply fall through and never have to face him again. Why didn't he just leave? she wondered. Why was he continuing to sit there over her for what seemed like an etermity, staring down at her with his contempt and loathing. All she wanted was for this awkward moment to end, yet it seemed to go on and on and on.
And then, out of nowhere, Becker seemed to smile. He looked her in the eyes as he stated, "You're the one who loves chocolate."
And before she realised what was happening, Becker had stripped off his own tee, flinging it across the room, and awkwardly began to roll them both, their legs still entwined. The shame of just a few seconds ago melted away as Jess soon found their positions reversed. She now lay atop him, eagerly taking in his bare chest. She didn't even notice when he attempted to hand her the chocolate for she was too busy enjoying the view. She'd seen him without his shirt once before, in the ARC, but this was different...and not just because she was now on top, absently grinding her hips into his simply to feel his reaction. When she'd seen him before, walking in on him as he'd changed clothes, it had been a private moment she'd stumbled upon, but she'd most assuredly been invited to this moment.
And she was eager to accept the invitation!
...
Becker took in the sight in front and above him. Wearing only a pair of short pyjama bottoms, Jess' long and slender legs pressed against his thighs tightly. Her auburn hair fell loosely over her cream white shoulders and framed her delicate neck. Her smooth, velvety skin was shimmering under the dimmed lights of the living room.
He watched the tip of her tongue flick out and lick her upper lip. Becker longed to reach up and touch her soft curves. Jess' gaze wandered over his face and chest and her hand holding the chocolate sauce moved forward, but then she abruptly stopped, and a light frown appeared on her face.
Was there something wrong? Becker wondered. Was it something he had done or said? Had he spoiled her mood somehow? He noticed her eyes wandering over his chest. What if she didn't like his chest hair? He was aware that he was rather hairy there. A while ago, he had overheard Connor mentioning that he had read in a magazine about young women being turned off by male body hair.
What the hell would Temple know about that? Becker scolded himself and looked back up at Jess. Her frown had deepened.
Becker thought back to when Jess had walked in on him getting changed all those months ago. He vividly remembered her flustered reaction. But perhaps her nervousness then didn't stem from her being attracted to him. Maybe she had just noticed all the hair on his chest for the first time and was rather turned off by it. And didn't she just have the very same reaction right now? What if she found it too repulsive to continue?
Jess remained motionless for a little longer on top of Becker, then moved off him and put the chocolate sauce gently down on the nearby coffee table.
So that was it then, he thought, and moved his hand to cover his eyes in a frustrated gesture. When he reopened them, Jess was smiling down at him, her blue eyes bright and merry.
"Don't move, Becker, I'll be right back!" She quickly crossed the living room and disappeared through her bedroom door, where her could hear her rummaging around. Seconds later, Jess reappeared with a wry smile on her face...and a big, white bed sheet in her arms.
"I just thought that maybe we should put this," she lifted the sheet in her hands, "over the sofa. I know it is really silly and all, but it's white leather and stains are really hard to get out and...now you must think I'm a complete weirdo and that I ..."
The rest of her rambling was stopped and replaced by a pleased sigh when Becker grabbed her with one arm around her hips and pulled her back on top of him for a long, deep kiss. They wiggled and rolled around until the sheet was spread out underneath them, covering the creamy suede fabric of the ample sofa.
Becker felt a warm knot forming down in his groin when Jess finally reached for the sauce and started pouring it out over him, zig-zagging the liquid chocolate across his chest and stomach. Hairy or not, she seemed to be rather fond of his body!
His fingers tightened into fists, grabbing the sheet underneath him when he felt Jess' tongue delving into his navel, tasting the chocolate.
Jess gave him an impish grin, droplets of chocolate sauce covering her lips. She dipped her index finger into a small pool of sauce forming near his clavicle and smeared the liquid all over his parted lips.
She leaned down for another delicious kiss...when suddenly both their phones started ringing at the same time!
"Bugger!"
Becker didn't even need to answer his, for he instantly recognised the ringtone. It was usually a sound he looked forward to, for it meant he would be spending the next few hours with Jess' voice in his ear. But the way things had been going just now, it seemed likely he would've had much more of Jess in many more places, so to say that the interruption was not particularly welcomed by Becker at this time would be a drastic understatement.
Jess, of course, had instantly crawled off of him the moment the mobiles rang, and the expression on her face, even from across the room, only confirmed his worst suspicions.
"We'll be right there," she said before hanging up.
"Incursion?" he asked. There was no need to ask if there was an anomaly, for that answer was clear by her expression, which looked as if someone had just killed her puppy.
Jess shrugged dejectedly. "They're not certain. But we need to go. The ARC's not far, so we should probably carpool." As she'd spoken, she'd picked up his shirt from off the floor and walked it back to him, self-consciously covering her own bare chest. But as she handed the shirt over, Becker grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, giving her a quick but passionate kiss. When they parted (far too soon for his liking, but, after all, they had a job to do), he whispered in her ear, "Raincheck?"
A broad grin spread across Jess' face as she nodded excitedly. But then her glance dropped to his bare chest, and her face fell once again. Becker followed her gaze, only to find his chest still drizzled in chocolate.
"There are flannels in the toilet," Jess offered helpfully as she hurried towards her bedroom to get dressed. Becker sighed and rolled off the sofa - he had certainly been hoping to have the chocolate removed by something other than a wet flannel, but it simply wasn't to be.
At least not tonight!
...
The short ride to the ARC was made in relative silence. Jess was trying hard to run the memories of Becker's touch over and over in her mind, just in case he'd only been being kind about taking a raincheck.
When the lift doors finally opened, Jess scurried down the stairs and across Ops towards the hub. Ordinarily she got a thrill at times like these, a rush of adrenaline from knowing she was potentially about to save people's lives, but tonight she'd been hoping for a far different kind of thrill.
Sliding into her seat and automatically lowering the armrest before launching into the keyboards in front of her, she heard a voice behind her ask, "How's the T-Rex?"
Cretaceous! Those were the worst! A chill went down her spine as she remembered the last time they'd dealt with the killer dinos, and she frantically tried to find some CCTV coverage of the anomaly site.
However, Becker's sudden, "What the...?!" made Jess jump and twirl around in her chair, anxious to see what had prompted such an outburst.
There, obviously responding to the earlier inquiry, was Connor, approaching the hub with his green T-Rex shirt pulled up above his head. Jess' jaw dropped as she stared at him, her mind struggling to make sense of it. After all, hadn't SHE just been wearing that exact shirt only a few hours ago?
Suddenly Abby's whispered voice was in her ear, asking, "And how's YOUR T-Rex?" her eyes a-twinkle with mischief.
Twice in as many seconds, Jess' jaw dropped. Was Abby implying what Jess thought she was implying?
She must be, Jess realised, for a moment later Connor, his shirt properly pulled down once more, gave her a friendly pat on her shoulders, whispering sympathetically, "Next time, yeah?" before asking aloud to the assembled group, "So, we gonna do this or what?"
Becker, as if suddenly awaking from a daze, scrambled to toss out the blackboxes, shooting Jess a confused look. She grinned and nodded her head towards her former flatmates, saying simply, "I'll explain later."
And as the team ran out, Jess continued to grin. True, none of tonight had gone quite as she'd planned. But there was always that raincheck...
...and now she could wear her new shirt over to Becker's any time she wanted!
THE END