A/N: Set in my Lester/Becker 'verse beginning with "Promise Not to Try" again. Henry Lester was introduced in "Complications".

Answers

"Shit," Becker swore and lowered his EMD as the Lesothosaurus moved just before he could get a shot off. He resumed his chase, dodging confused bystanders as he ran.

The anomaly had opened up in the early evening in Westminster near Leicester Square, which meant too many people getting in the way. The anomaly itself was located in an alley that they'd subsequently blocked off, but unfortunately the creatures hadn't been contained so easily. They were only about the size of a small dog and according to Connor, they were herbivorous and basically harmless, but they were also bloody fast.

The lesothosaurus weaved its way through the crowd of people on the pavement, going around a group of teenage boys. Becker lengthened his stride and edged to the right, but at the last second the kid closest to him moved, causing Becker to stumble into him. Cursing, he muttered a quick, "Sorry," regaining his balance so he could try to catch up to the dinosaur before he lost it.

"Yeah, try watching where you're- Becker?"

Becker stopped in his tracks. "What? Oh, shit." This was not happening. Staring incredulously at him was Henry, Lester's teenaged son. Lester was going to be furious.

"What are you doing? What was that thing that just ran past us?"

"I'm really sorry, but I'm kind of in a rush, so you'll have to excuse me-" Becker made his inelegant retreat, continuing in the direction he'd been running and looking from side-to-side. "Jess, I've lost it. Have you got eyes on it?"

"Hang on, let me pull up the traffic cameras," Jess said over the comms. "Yeah, I've got it. It's just north of your location, turning east... Becker, I think it's-"

"Heading back to the anomaly," Becker realised and turned down a side street, hoping he could cut it off and make sure it ended up where he wanted it to. "Tell me if it changes direction."

"On it."

He heard Jess say something to Matt but he wasn't paying too much attention, instead focusing his energy on where he was going, watching for any sign of the lesothosaurus, hoping it would stay away from traffic- beyond the hassle of explaining away a dead dinosaur to the onlookers, he didn't fancy having to tell Abby.

Becker rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the lesothosaurus as it turned onto the same street, from the opposite direction. It paused, staring, and Becker raised his EMD. "There you are," he said, and shot, catching the dinosaur full in its chest. It skidded backwards and then collapsed. Becker jogged forward and said, "Hey, Matt, I've got the last one. I'll bring it through now."

"Okay, great, Becker, I'll meet you there," Matt replied, sounding as though he'd just been running.

Becker went to his knees, gathering the lesothosaurus into his arms. He grunted more out of surprise than effort- the thing was actually a fair bit lighter than he'd expected, though the tail was aggravating.

"It's got hollow bones," Connor said helpfully, as he approached with Abby. "Want any help?"

"No, I've got it," Becker said as he got to his feet and adjusted his grip. It couldn't have weighed more than maybe eight kilos, but its length made the creature awkward to carry and his EMD kept getting in the way.

Abby pressed her lips together as she fought back a grin. "Aren't you the big strong man, Becker."

"Shut up," Becker said and pushed past them, back towards where the anomaly was located. He heard Connor and Abby stop to give a concerned group of old ladies some story about lizards escaped from the zoo, Abby assuring them that Becker hadn't harmed the 'poor creature'.

Becker dumped the dinosaur through the anomaly and then stretched, giving his shoulders a pop. Matt nodded at him from by the anomaly locking device. Becker turned away and then heard someone addressing him over the comms. Davies, one of the guys he'd left to keep the bystanders away from the anomaly site.

"Sir! There's a kid who won't leave, says he knows you. He keeps going on about how we're obstructing his rights as a citizen."

Damn. He should have expected that. Becker took a calming breath. "All right, I'll deal with it. Let him through."

Moments later, Henry came hurrying over, gaze focusing immediately on Becker. "Becker, finally. What the hell is going on here? I thought Dad said you were security, so why-" His eyes widened as he caught sight of the anomaly. "What the fuck is that?"

It was times like this that Becker really missed Jenny. "Atmospheric conditions that caused, uh..." He bit his lip and glanced at the now-closed anomaly for inspiration. He normally never had to deal with this shit. "An unusual light display?" Damn it. David Lester wouldn't believe that, and he was eight.

Henry crossed his arms over his chest, his expression conveying exactly how unimpressed he was. "That pathetic explanation may fool everyone else, but unfortunately for you, I'm not a moron."

Fuck Lester's genes. "I'm sorry, Henry, but I'm really not at liberty to give you any more details."

"Oh, brilliant, you're a good little soldier boy, aren't you?" Henry scoffed. "Except you're not even a real soldier any more, you just act like one. I have to admit I'd expected better from someone my dad seems to hold in such high regard, but I guess he's not fucking you for your brains."

Becker gritted his teeth and tried not to react. Henry was just trying to get a rise out of him, like always. It didn't mean anything.

"Becker?" Jess' curious voice sounded through his earpiece. "Who are you talking to?"

"Jess, keep this quiet, all right? I'm with Lester's son, Henry. Whatever you do, don't tell Lester-"

Before Becker could finish, he heard the sound of upraised voices in a clear argument and Becker's heart sank. So much for keeping this from Lester. What a nightmare. When Becker was addressed again, it was Lester's voice on the comms rather than Jess'. "Becker, you had better tell me what the hell is going on there right now. Is that Henry?"

Becker winced and adjusted his earpiece. "Christ, James, there's no need to shout. I can hear you perfectly well."

"Are you talking to my dad?" Henry asked.

"Becker, answer me," Lester demanded.

Becker raised his eyes skyward. Why did he always end up caught in the middle? What had he done to deserve this crap? He noticed Abby, Connor, and Matt all standing just off to the side trying to look as though they weren't paying attention, with varying levels of success. When he saw Becker looking at them, Connor pointed at Henry and gleefully mouthed, Lester's son? Becker rolled his eyes and turned back to Henry. "Yes, to both of you," he said.

Lester and Henry both started talking at once and damned if Becker could make any of it out. "Stop!" he yelled, and somewhat to his surprise, they listened. "This is ridiculous; I'm not going to act as your go-between while you shout at each other. Connor!" Becker held out his hand.

Connor gazed blankly at Becker's hand for a few seconds before he said, "Oh! Right." He took out his earpiece and gave it to Becker.

Unceremoniously, Becker affixed the earpiece to Henry's ear. "Okay, can everyone hear each other now?"

"Henry?"

"Dad?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Does your mother know where you are? Are you hurt?"

"Calm down, Dad! I'm out with my friends, that's all. It's not my fault I stumbled onto your sorry excuse for a covert operation." Henry paused a moment before saying, "Why would I be hurt? Why would you ask that?"

"How should I know what sort of things you kids get up to? Is it a crime for me to be concerned for your safety?"

Even to Becker's ears Lester's response sounded feeble and he knew Henry was not going to be fooled.

"Tell me what's going on, Dad," Henry said in a firm voice that demanded attention. "I saw that thing Becker was chasing. There are soldiers all over and some sort of... flashing ball thing. I know you're involved, so just tell me. I'm not a kid and I'm not stupid."

"No one is saying that," Lester said, in a clear bid to stall, grabbing onto the one thread of conversation that made him feel as though he was still in control. "This is much bigger than you realise; I'm not at liberty to-"

"Fuck that, Dad."

"Language, Henry."

Henry spoke over him. "Don't give me that shit; that's just what your toy soldier said."

"Don't call me that," Becker said just as Lester said, "Don't call him that."

Becker heard someone snicker.

"Just tell me what's going on! I'm your son. What do you think I'm going to do?"

Lester was silent for so long that Becker almost thought the comms had gone down. When he spoke, it was slowly, as though every word was spoken with great reluctance and against his better judgment. "They're called anomalies. They lead to other times in history and sometimes things come through. I run the operation that attempts to control them. Are you satisfied now? I hope you understand how many rules I've broken in order to feed your curiosity."

"So that thing was a dinosaur?" Henry's question was directed at Becker.

"Yeah," Becker answered.

"What did you do with it?"

"Put it back where it belongs."

"But it was running through Westminster. What about all those people who saw it?"

"You'd be surprised at the lengths people will go to in order to deny what they see with their own eyes," Lester broke in. "When they ask, we give them a story. It doesn't take much."

Henry arched one eyebrow. "So basically your plan to deal with exposure is to trust in humanity's stupidity? Yeah, I guess I can see that. But this is really what you do, Dad? Chase dinosaurs?"

"Generally I leave the actual chasing to Becker and his colleagues."

"Okay, let me make sure I've got this straight. You are involved in a huge government conspiracy designed to keep the people of England in the dark as to the fact that there are dangerous prehistoric creatures popping in through giant flashing holes in time and space?"

"Essentially, yes. But it's for their protection-"

Henry's face split into a grin. "That's brilliant! And I just thought your job was boring."

"I'm so glad to have your approval, Henry. I'd felt empty and unfulfilled without it," Lester said dryly, but Becker could hear the undercurrent of relief that accompanied the words. Lester was pleased that Henry was impressed, whether he wanted anyone else to realise it or not. "Do you think you can manage to be on your way now? The adults have work to do."

"Right. But couldn't I-"

"No," Becker and Lester said at the same time.

"Okay, fine, I get it," Henry said with a slightly disturbed glance at Becker.

Becker sighed and wondered how he had got to be so old. All he had wanted was to shag Lester and somehow he'd ended up feeling responsible for bitter teenagers.

"You do understand the importance of secrecy in this, don't you, Henry? You've been given privileged information that you must keep to yourself," Lester said.

"I understand, Dad."

"Good. I'll- I'll talk to you later, then. Becker, see that he's on his way," Lester said and then Jess was back in control of the comms.

"Give that here," Becker said and held out his hand for Connor's equipment.

Henry took out the earpiece and handed it over. "I can't believe this is what you actually do," he said, half to himself.

"Your dad works very hard on this project, Henry. I think you can understand that it's not easy but that it's incredibly important. Maybe you might try cutting him some slack."

"You would make excuses for him," Henry said but then he shrugged. "Whatever. I suppose I'd rather know that when he skips out on my games it might be because there's a T rex running loose in Hyde Park. Have you had a T rex yet?"

"Not yet," Becker said with a grin. "We had a Giganotosaurus in an airport once, though."

"Cool. Maybe you could tell me about it sometime, if my dad lets you. Well, see you later, I guess." As Henry turned around, he took his mobile out of his pocket.

"Who the hell do you think you're ringing?" Becker said.

Henry gave him a look as though Becker was the stupid one. "Julia, obviously."

"Exactly what part of 'you can't tell anyone' did you not understand?"

"You're not serious, are you? She's my sister! Do you think I could keep this from her? It's not as though we're going to go around telling everyone to be on guard for big, shiny rips in time in their kitchens because dinosaurs might come through."

"Yeah, I see your point, but I don't think I should make an exception, not even for your sister."

Henry settled into that stubborn posture Becker had grown quite familiar with from dealings with Lester. "Fine, then I'll tell Dad- I'll tell Dad that I heard you guys when we stayed at his flat. I was only going for a piss and then I heard you. I'll tell him I've been scarred for life and he's got to pay for therapy now. I may never recover."

Hurriedly, Becker removed his earpiece and gripped it tightly. He didn't particularly care for Jess- or anyone else- to listen in on this. "What? What are you talking about?" They hadn't even- oh, shit. Lester wouldn't touch him for a month if Henry said anything.

"Remember now? I thought Special Forces soldiers were supposed to be trained in stealth. If that's you trying to be quiet, I'd hate to hear you normally."

Becker blushed. What was it about the Lesters that made them able to provoke him so much? "All right, whatever, go tell Julia if you want, but I had nothing to do with it, right?"

"Yeah, of course. You're all right, Becker," Henry said, but his sly smile made Becker think Henry was appreciative only of the fact that Becker was showing himself to be easily blackmailed.

When Becker replaced his earpiece, Jess immediately started apologising. "Becker, I'm so sorry, but Lester came through just at the wrong moment, and there was no way-"

"It's fine, Jess, it's not your fault. It all worked out in the end anyway." Becker headed over to where Matt, Connor, and Abby were packing the gear back into one of the SUVs and gave Connor back his comm equipment. "Thanks, Connor. Sorry if I was a bit of an arse."

Connor waved him off. "Don't mention it. Stressful situation and all."

"Yeah, bad luck, mate," Matt added. "I'm glad it was you who had to deal with it and not me."

"What a wonderful show of support, Matt, thank you. It's nice to know you've always got my back," Becker said.

Matt clapped him on the shoulder. "You can always count on me."

"So," Connor said, rocking on the balls of his feet. "That's Lester's son. I've seen the pictures, but it's weird, seeing him in person. He's so much like his dad, right? When he did the eyebrow raise, I couldn't believe it."

"What, you mean like this?" Becker raised an eyebrow of his own.

"Okay, that's just creepy. Mini-Lester is bad enough; I really never wanted to see any of Lester's mannerisms rub off on you. Stop it."

Abby started laughing. "Do you do impressions now, Becker? Can you do anything else?"

Becker thought for a moment and then pictured the way Lester looked when Connor started babbling about something geeky.

"Oh, God, stop it!" Connor said and tried to ward off Becker with his hands. "One Lester is more than enough, really." He looked mournfully at Abby. "Do you remember when he used to just stand around holding big guns and looking pretty? I miss those days."

Becker laughed and let his face slide back into a more natural expression. He wondered if he might be able to put all that time he was spending with Lester to good use- Lester had some excellent facial expressions and Becker did love tormenting Connor.

Becker was standing in front of his open locker having just removed his shirt when he became aware that someone was watching him. Without turning, he said, "Are you going to say anything, sweetheart, or are you just going to stand there staring like a pervert?"

"I'm simply admiring the view, darling. I know how much you enjoy showing off."

Becker grinned and rested his back against the cold metal of the lockers. "It is nice to be appreciated."

Crossing the floor steadily, Lester said, "Would you like me to demonstrate exactly how appreciative I am?"

"As if you even have to ask, James."

Lester slid his fingers into the waistband of Becker's trousers and started to walk backward. Becker allowed himself to be led, having a good feeling about the single-minded determination he saw in Lester's eyes. They moved further into the locker room, out of sight of the door, and then Lester pushed Becker up against the wall, crushing their mouths together. Becker uttered a tiny moan as Lester's tongue swept into his mouth. Lester was running his hands up and down Becker's sides, scratching the skin with his blunt nails, grinding their hips together.

When Lester eventually pulled away, there was a slight flush to his cheeks and his mouth looked wet and well-kissed. He left his hands where they were and his hips pressed close enough that Becker could tell he wasn't the only one interested.

"What was that for?" Becker asked. Not that he would ever object to unexpected snogging, but he felt like there had been something behind it.

"That was for Henry."

Becker's surprise must have shown on his face because Lester continued, "He's my son, Hils. I can't imagine he was terribly polite, especially when you wouldn't give him the answers he wanted."

"Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. I didn't bring him up him to be rude."

"You don't have to constantly blame yourself for your son's actions."

"And you don't have to pretend you're not bothered when you clearly are," Lester countered sharply, his hands squeezing Becker's waist.

It was strange to recall that there had been a time Lester hadn't known Becker at all, when now it seemed Becker couldn't hide anything from his lover. "I just want him to like me," Becker admitted, feeling unfortunately like a teenage girl. Or perhaps like a step-parent, which was closer to the truth and somehow even more alarming.

"It isn't about you, not really. He's just... resentful. He likes to push, to see how far he can get."

"He's pretty good at it."

"Well, it's a talent he comes by honestly."

"That's true enough," Becker said and rubbed his thumb over the small bit of skin bared above Lester's collar. "But you don't think... you don't think he's bothered by the fact that I'm a guy? That we... that we sleep together?" Even though Becker knew that Henry had probably just said the first thing that came to mind in an effort to get what he wanted, he couldn't get the way Henry had said it out of his mind.

Lester frowned. "Why would you ask that? It never seemed to worry you before- I thought it was only me who was concerned about that. What did he say to you?"

"Nothing. Honestly, nothing. I just wondered, that's all."

Lester reached up and swept his hand through Becker's hair. "You're a fucking awful liar, did you know that? Tell me what he said to you."

Realising Lester wasn't going to let it go, Becker said, "It's not a big deal. He just said that it was clear you're not fucking me for my brains." It wasn't what Lester was driving at, but Henry had said it.

To Becker's astonishment, Lester laughed. "He said that? Well, he's always been a smart boy. Obviously it's true."

Becker felt his lips twitch into a smile. Lester's easy acceptance of it made Becker feel silly for having paid any mind to Henry's comments. "Yeah, okay, I guess it is. I know what my strengths are."

"But if he hurt your feelings, dearest," Lester said as he feathered kisses down the curve of Becker's neck, "I promise to make it up to you."

"You do, do you? I may need quite a lot of comforting. I have a very sensitive disposition, you know."

"I'd better get started right away, then." Keeping his eyes on Becker's face, Lester slipped one hand down the front of Becker's trousers, lowering the zip with his other hand. When Lester dropped down to his knees, Becker let his head fall back.

Apology very much accepted.

End