About two hours had passed and he was starting to feel the day catch up with him. He was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. The clean-up crew was on site within ten minutes and he was directing and instructing them, making sure every last beetle was dead. He had gone over their reports repeatedly and had them double and triple checking every room. He was now making one last sweep as the tech crews worked to repair the extensive structural damage. It would take weeks before everything was fully functional and it was going to be a security nightmare, all these people coming and going constantly, but he was just too tired to care right now. He would finish this sweep, go check on Jess and then sleep for a few hours on the cot in the armory.

He turned the corner into the medical bay and looked around for her. He could see the end of a gurney sticking out from behind a privacy curtain and he saw her feet resting on the gurney, ankles crossed demurely. He assumed they were her feet, since the toenails were painted a shocking shade of pink.

He peeked his head around the curtain the see her lying back, slightly propped up with her hands folded across her stomach. Her shoe had been lost age ago and Becker made a mental note to get them replaced for her. Her eyes were closed and he took a moment to savor her.

Her skin was getting back to its rosy glow and her breathing was slow and even. Her hair was slightly mussed and most of her make-up was rubber off.

She looked absolutely gorgeous.

He didn't want to wake her, but he was starting to feel anxious from his lack of time with her. He stepped closer and gently called her name, laying his hand on hers, careful to not startle her.

"Jess, you awake?"

She smiled and opened her eyes. They connected with his immediately and he was relieved to see they were back to their true vibrant blue, only slightly rimmed with the pale red of exhaustion.

"Becker. I was just wondering if I was going to see you again tonight. You ran off so quickly, I wasn't sure. Is everything alright?"

He smiled back at her, taking her hand into both of his.

"Yeah, everything's fine now. I'm sorry I left like that, I just… had some things to take care of, you know. Sort of… got a bit overwhelmed with everything. Needed a breather."

Her smile grew at his awkward explanation, knowing that it was difficult for him to express himself. She decided to go easy on him instead of teasing him relentlessly like she normally would.

"I completely understand. There's no need to apologize. IN fact, I may owe you an apology of my own. Everything after the medical bay is a bit hazy. Did I do or say anything I shouldn't have? Only I know I can get a bit strange when I'm going into shock." She said the last with a small smile, inviting him to share in the joke at her expense.

Becker knew exactly what she was doing; taking the attention off of him and turning it on herself, willing to be embarrassed for his sake. He appreciated it and decided to play along for the moment, looking for just about any reason to stay a while longer.

"No, nothing to apologize for. In fact, you told me I have lovely hair."

She gasped in surprise and laughed, flushing slightly from her embarrassment. His hair was lovely, even now when it was dirty and disheveled, and it was a thought she had often.

He felt a grin spread across his face at her reaction. He was glad he could make her laugh and he thought she'd never looked sweeter or prettier than she did when she blushed. As her laughter died down he slid onto the edge of the gurney, his hip touching hers. He took her other hand and looked down at their intertwined fingers. Hers were so much smaller than his and quite a bit paler. He was

reminded of how pale she had become while unconscious and felt panic rising at the thought that he had almost lost her today. He didn't even really have her (yet), but he'd almost lost her. He wanted to tell her how terrified he'd been and still was. He felt her tug slightly on his hand and heard a gentle "Hey."

He slowly lifted his eyes to hers and found he couldn't hold it back anymore. He leaned in closer to her and brought his hands up to grab her shoulders, making sure he had her full attention. He wasn't sure he'd be able to say these words a second time, so he needed to make sure she heard it all the first time.

"Jess, don't ever scare me like that again. You have no idea… I can't… I need you to be careful. I can't let anything happen to you. I don't know what I would… just, please. Please don't do that again."

As he spoke he had maintained eye contact, an almost panicked look in his eyes, but soon became overwhelmed with the enormity of what he was trying to convey to her and had to shift his attention away from her inquisitive blue eyes. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers. He let his hands slide from her shoulders back to her hands, unwilling to break away from her.

Jess sighed contentedly, enjoying the private moment and the feel of his hands on hers, their breath mingling in the small space between them. Things had changed lately for them, become more comfortable and less awkward. He wasn't as guarded around her as he'd once been and she wasn't as nervous, so she was finally able to control her never ending ramblings. After the events of today, she was shocked and delighted that he had just made such a bold move and she refused to let another opportunity to express her feelings pass her by. She gently extracted her hands and brought them up to his face, tilting his head up so she could clearly see him. Then she waited.

She wanted to see his eyes, but she wasn't going to push him. She could wait patiently until he was ready. She'd already waited over a year, it's not as though a few more minutes would kill her. He opened his eyes slowly, looking exhausted and apprehensive. She smiled at him and he smiled back, every bit as slowly as he'd opened his eyes. Then, she simply leaned forward and kissed him.