A/N: I'm back! Well, it's taken a few weeks, but I wanted to get a few things taken care of before I published something totally new. For my own sanity, I needed to get the plot completely laid out (I'd had a rough outline for ages, but was stuck on some transitions) and the first few chapters written before offering it up to you all. I'm also hoping to get a fair chunk written out over the Christmas Break (4 more sleeps!). Just as a heads-up, I have taken a few liberties with our characters, most of which will be outlined in this chapter. Anyway, here we go again! :)
********** 1 **********
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Jess and Abby! Happy birthday to you!"
The two girls in question giggled as their friends and co-workers serenaded them at the pub on the day they turned 23. When they had first found out that they shared a birthday, many jokes had been made at their expense. Matt had laughed about them being kindred spirits, Lester had commented about their astrological signs indicating they were crazy, and Connor had joked about them being separated at birth. And Becker had just shaken his head good-naturedly and smirked.
Abby and Jess were surprisingly similar, as they'd discovered over the course of living together for a year with Connor. While Jess' skills were more similar to Connor's, her tastes were much more in tune with her blond friend's. The girls had spent a lot of time bonding over films, music and general interests.
So when Emily had suggested going out for a drink on their birthday, neither woman had hesitated to agree with the idea. The plan grew far more than expected, with half of the ARC joining in for the festivities. But secretly, (something they'd only confessed to each other earlier that day), both Abby and Jess were looking more forward to the following night.
Connor had taken it upon himself to organize a very small gathering for the core team of 6 to celebrate the girls' birthdays, including a quiet dinner at their favourite restaurant, a night of bowling, billiards and laser tag, and finally gifts back at Becker's flat where they would all more likely end up staying.
So when Jess arrived home later that night to find the plain, large brown envelope lying on the floor inside her door, she was immediately curious and suspicious. The others were coming by as soon as they were done for a post-pub drink, so she'd slipped out a few minutes early to make sure her flat was presentable (something that had been made much easier since Connor had moved out). Now, twenty minutes later, she stood staring at the envelope on the counter, a feeling of dread pooling for no apparent reason in her stomach as she gazed at the cursive writing on the front.
'Isabella' & Grace'
She hoped that it was just paranoia from working with Matt and Becker for the last two years; they were suspicious about everything. But something in her heart told her that there was trouble brewing. Luckily, she didn't have any more time to think on it.
"Jess?" Abby's voice rang out clearly in the flat as she came in without knocking. She and Connor had moved out months ago, but Jess had insisted that they keep a copy of the flat key for emergencies. While there hadn't been an emergency to use it for, it was still well broken-in. Abby walked into the main living space and found Jess looking at the counter. "You ok?"
Jess said nothing, and waited for Abby to join her. When she did, and saw what Jess was looking at, her expression changed to match. "What's this?" she asked.
"It was on the floor when I came in," Jess answered, hoping that Abby would catch on to what she actually wasn't saying.
Abby turned to her with a narrowed gaze that Jess knew wasn't actually directed at her. "Just like that?"
"Just like that."
Abby carefully lifted the envelope up and tilted it to examine it. After a few seconds of thoughtful glances, she put it back on the counter. "We need Becker," she commented.
"We need Becker," Jess repeated.
"He'll be here soon. They were just parking a minute ago."
True to her word, the rest of the team entered the flat a few minutes later, with Connor leading the way and Becker bringing up the rear. He closed the door behind him and turned to the kitchen. One look at the matching expressions on the girls' faces had him striding over to gently touch Jess' shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Abby quickly explained about the envelope, but he had it in his hands and was turning it over before she finished. He raised it to look at it under the kitchen light, laid it back on the counter to gently and carefully test its thickness with his fingers, and raised it to his ear to see if there were any sounds coming from it.
After a good five minutes had passed, he turned to his blue-eyed friends. "It's clean," he stated, watching as Abby let out a relieved breath. "I think there's a few pieces of paper in there, but that's it."
Abby shot him a grateful smile as Connor and the others moved closer. Emily saw the subject of discussion and spoke.
"Who are Isabella and Grace?"
Abby turned to her. "They're mine and Jess' middle names."
"But why would someone send you both a letter with that on the front?" Matt asked, his protective instincts kicking in the way Becker's already had. Abby shrugged her shoulders in response.
Jess had been uncharacteristically quiet since the others had entered the flat. Now, as questions without answers arose, she turned away from them all and walked into her room. She could hear the group still speaking in soft tones and assumed that they hadn't noticed her leave. Jess sat down on the edge of her bed, facing the window, and let out a deep sigh.
"Hey." She turned to see Becker leaning into her room, concern all over his face. "You ok?"
Jess shook her head slightly after a moment and he took that as his cue to come in and sit next to her. He always hated when she seemed quiet and lost, so unlike the Jess they all knew and loved. But he had learned that when she was upset, it was better to just wait until she was ready to talk. So that's what he did. Becker reached out and took her small hand in his large, calloused one, and gently smoothed his thumb over the back of it as he waited for her to speak.
"Something doesn't feel right," she whispered eventually. He looked at her quizzically and waited for her to continue. "I just have a really bad feeling about what we're going to find in that envelope. I know you said it's fine, physically, but there are other kinds of danger," she confessed. "And I'm really scared of what's in there."
Becker squeezed her hand reassuringly as she raised her gaze to his. He still wasn't very adept when it came to emotions (which was the only reason Jess didn't already know he was in love with her) but he'd gotten much better at offering comfort in his two years of knowing her. Especially when she was directly involved.
"I can't imagine what you're thinking right now," he started. "But I promise you that everything will turn out ok. It may take a while, but it will." He gently reached up with his free hand and stroked her cheek. "And whatever it is, you won't have to do it alone. We'll be there every step of the way." He paused. "I'll be there every step of the way," he vowed.
The smile she gave him wasn't up to her usual brilliance, but under the circumstances, he was just glad to see her do it. She nodded and squeezed his hand back as he pulled her into his embrace and softly pressed a kiss to her forehead. Jess indulged in letting him hold her for a little bit longer before pulling back as he helped her stand. Keeping her hand grasped firmly in his, he led her back out to where their friends were waiting.
Everyone looked up when they entered the room again, and Jess immediately met Abby's eyes to give her a quick nod. The girls moved to stand next to each other at the counter, with Matt and Emily on the opposite side. Connor stood, as expected, close to Abby's other side, while Becker released Jess' hand and stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder and the other resting at the small of her back.
Jess took a deep breath, reached out and tore open the envelope. Tilting it to dump the contents onto the counter, they all watched as a folded piece of paper and several other documents floated facedown to the marble surface.
Abby reached for the folded piece and opened it up. She looked up at Jess before doing anything else. Feeling Becker's hand warm on her shoulder, Jess met Abby's eyes and nodded again. Abby took a deep breath and began to read.
