Becker hadn't slept well that night, his thoughts kept drifting back to Jess and how excited she was to see Fred (and Marc) again. To his surprise, Becker didn't mind much about Marc, but he definitely did about Fred. The light in her eyes whenever she mentioned this ominous guy couldn't mean anything good, at least not from Becker's viewpoint.
He finished his shopping task quickly, excused himself from lunch and pretended to not notice the knowing wink of Mr. Thompson when he mentioned Jess' name.
At half one he arrived at Jess' flat and as he rang the bell, his heartbeat sped up, unsure of what to expect on the other side of the door.
Within seconds he was greeted by the flashing smile of Jess. He took her appearance in, the young girl was dressed in a light blue jean hot-pants and a bright red top with a big smiley face on the front. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and dashes of orange paint were covering her face and hair.
Becker reached out and wiped a paint-splatter from her nose. A shiver ran down Jess' spine and the Captain seemed surprised by his own movement, for a moment they could only stare at each other.
"Hey," he broke the silence, in a husky voice. It took Jess a moment longer to compose herself, but then she stepped aside and motioned Becker to come in.
"Hi! I'm glad you could make it!" He could tell Jess was about to ramble on as he followed her into the living room. "Fred and Abby have gone to get us all pizza; they should be back soon, though! But meet Marc for a start!"
Becker was slightly surprised as he spotted Marc. Marc was about the same height as himself, had dirty blonde hair which stuck out in every possible direction. Marc approached him with a welcoming smile, reached out to take Becker's hand and pulled him into a brotherly hug, before the soldier even had time to react.
"It's so good to meet you! I'm Marc, Fred's..."
"Colleague!" Connor jumped into the conversation just in time as Abby and Fred appeared behind Becker.
Abby gave Marc a sign not to give away that they had arrived already.
Fred and Marc had been filled in about the constant flirting between Jess and Becker during the morning hours and what had happened in the pub after Fred called. Both of them were just too glad to help letting Becker suffer a little.
"Yep, we are both dancers on the same Musical tour at the moment. We have a week long break and Fred way dying to see Jess again. Jess has been the main topic for the past few weeks. Seeing the two of them together is just too funny. I know that Freddy is dying to meet you!" the blonde man grinned at Becker.
Jess watched the scene from the side and suddenly it hit her, she had never mentioned Fred in a conversation with Becker and she could only assume who he thought he'd be meeting today, by the look on his face. But before she could save her crush, Fred decided it was time for an introduction.
Becker nearly jumped as someone grabbed his hand from behind, twirling around under his arm and coming to a stop in front of him. "Hey, I'm Fred!" A girl just as small in physique as Jess smiled at him widely.
"My name is actually Frederica, but everyone calls me either Fred or Freddy. I'm Jess sister. We are twins, really, but I'm the older one."
"Only by two minutes!" Jess moved over to her sister and hit her gently on the arm.
Fred rolled her eyes at her twin before turning back to Becker. "But still, I'm older. Jess is the brains of the family, but since you work with her, I take it you know that already." The girl looked at the soldier with big eyes, waiting for a response.
Becker wasn't able say a word; he gave Frederica a closer look. She wore dark green baggy Capri trousers, a black top and her hair, which was a few shades lighter then Jess', was pulled back into a messy bun and covered by a red bandana.
Her whole appearance reminded Becker more of Abby, when he first met her, but her expressions made it obvious that she and Jess were twins. They had the same twinkle in their eyes as they smiled and the pout of their lips was identical.
"Becker, are you alright?" Connor piped up from behind, causing the captain to snap out of his daze.
"You're a girl!" the words were out before Becker could stop them, and only Jess saw him blush slightly. The others were way too busy to hide their giggles from the head of security to notice the color on his cheeks.
"Yep, last time I checked!" Fred winked at him, "And from what I last heard, it's nearly impossible to change from a girl to a boy overnight unless plastic surgery is involved in any way. And trust me; that is out of question for me!" Becker coughed, shocked at the unexpected answer. Everyone in the room except Becker burst out laughing.
"I see the rambling is a Parker-Thing." Becker winked at Jess.
"No, we aren't rambling; we are just giving useless information away." Fred retorted right back, her whole body language giving away how much amused she was by the conversation.
It was Jess who suddenly felt bad for Becker. To save him, she pulled him out of the room by the arm.
"Are you alright?" she asked when they were in the hallway, away from the others. Her eyes were filled with concern. "I should have told you about Fred earlier I guess. I'm sorry! It's just that…" Jess was stopped in her words by Becker's finger on her lips.
His eyes lit up and a small smile appeared around his lips. Jess let go a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Yes, Jess, absolutely. I'm just a little surprised. I thought…" he trailed of as he realized that he had to make a move now, or he would end up in a similar situation again, but then maybe with a real guy. "I actually thought Fred was a guy." He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, "I have to admit I was jealous that some other guy would make you as happy as you had been after the call yesterday."
With a blush creeping up her cheeks caused by the sudden closeness to the captain, Jess backed away from Becker to get a better look at his face, "So you are not mad at me, or Fred?"
Becker gently brushed a strand behind Jess' ear that had fallen loose. "No Jess, I'm not mad! There is just one thing," he smirked at the younger girl in front of him, "You have to make it up to me!"
Jess' eyes went wide, worried about what was coming now. "Okay," her voice was shaking audibly.
"Tonight, after we finished your room, you have to go out with me for dinner. But only you and me! Maybe even to the movies later."
"Like a date?" Jess was clearly flustered; she couldn't believe Becker would finally ask her out.
"Yes, like a date!" Becker pecked her nose, "but now we should finish your room first!" He took her hand and led her back into the living room where the others quickly got back to work. It was obvious they had been eavesdropping, but neither Jess nor Becker could care less.