Rating: T
Prompt: Drinks


Date four was not going to plan. She'd caught up with him on Thursday afternoon, somehow managing to find the only moment of the day he'd been alone in the armoury – Becker suspected the security feeds might have been used but didn't say anything to her about it. She'd looked nervous, shy, and incredibly sweet as she'd asked if he wanted to go the cinema with her on Friday night. It was the first of their dates she'd initiated and, given it was the all-important fourth date, he understood her nerves completely.

He felt a little nervous, too, but thought – hoped- that he was doing a better job than she was at hiding it.

He hadn't hesitated to say yes, amused that she'd obviously been relieved at his answer. It wasn't as if he hadn't made it obvious how much he wanted them to work but then given the doubts that crept into his own mind at times, he supposed it was, again, understandable.

Friday morning had passed in a haze of heady anticipation. Becker had purposely avoided the hub, not trusting himself not to give it away when he saw her. They hadn't discussed it outright but both he and Jess seemed to be on the page with regards to keeping their relationship under wraps for the time being. It was theirs, and only theirs, for now and he had to admit he liked it that way.

God alone knew how much flack he'd get from the others if they knew he and Jess were a small step away from crossing the final line between friends and lovers. His men would tease him, as would Matt and Connor, though he suspected the latter two would do so in between warning him what would happen if he messed things up and Jess got hurt.

Both Matt and Connor were protective of her – almost as protective as he himself was – and they, coupled with Abby and Emily, could be downright terrifying when they wanted to be. Not that he'd ever let them know he thought that, of course.

Mid-afternoon, his plan to avoid seeing Jess in a professional setting when his head was so full of thoughts of her in a very unprofessional way was thwarted. The klaxons blared and the lights flashed red as the ADD alarm went off and he found himself joining the others at the hub as Jess reeled off the coordinates and closed in on the anomaly using the nearest CCTV feeds.

"No creature incursion yet," she reported calmly, fingers flying over the keyboards in front of her as she hacked into the emergency services hotlines and checked the traffic levels on the best routes from the ARC to the anomaly. Multi-tasking was one of her specialities and he let himself admire her efficiently as he handed out black boxes to the other members of the team. "Oh no. The anomaly is on a popular school route." She bit her lip. "School finishes in forty minutes so the parents will start using it soon."

"We'll get there before then," Matt promised her. "Keep an eye on the anomaly and let us know if anything comes through."

"I will. Stay safe." She addressed all of them but Becker saw her shoot a quick glance in his direction.

That had been an hour ago. On the way to the anomaly site, Jess reported an incursion though she'd sounded less alarmed and more excited by it.

Rabbits. Prehistoric rabbits. Palaeolagus to be exact, according to Connor. They were the same size as their modern day counterparts, thankfully herbivores, and just as cute if Jess was to be believed. Unfortunately, the palaeolagus had disappeared before the team had got there. Jess told them she'd seen three of the creatures come through the anomaly and Abby had insisted they needed to be found.

The ARC's animal expert conferred with her fiancé and told the team that the prehistoric rabbits would be easy to tell apart from their descendants because the ancient rabbits couldn't hop due to their shorter hind legs. Instead, they resembled squirrels in their scurrying movements but they were still bloody fast as far as Becker was concerned.

By six thirty, he knew he wasn't going to make it back to the ARC in time for him and Jess to catch the seven-thirty showing they'd planned to see. Only two of the rabbits had been successfully caught and, since the anomaly had closed, the furry animals were on their way back to the ARC.

The third was caught just after seven but by the time the bunny-chasing team navigated the Friday night traffic, it was gone quarter to eight and the film had already begun.

Disappointed and frustrated in equal measures, Becker took his time in storing the EMD's in the armoury before heading to the locker room. He hadn't expected Jess to wait for him so when he turned away from his locker to find her leaning against her own watching him, he was momentarily taken aback.

He told himself the sudden racing of his pulse was to do with the shock and not her proximity but when it only increased when she smiled, he knew he was deluding himself.

"I know we've missed the film but I was wondering if you'd like to come over and watch something at my place." She straightened and clasped her hands behind her back, watching him guardedly. "I promise I've got more than sci-fi and rom-coms. And there's a great Chinese takeaway that delivers..."

"Are you sure, Jess?" Even though they were alone in the locker room, Becker was careful to keep his voice down. "If this is moving too fast..."

She smiled at him and shook her head. Although she still looked nervous, the overriding emotional on her face was one that made him swallow hard and have to rein in the impulse to pin her against the lockers and kiss her the way he'd been thinking about all day.

"It's dinner and a DVD," Jess murmured, her cheeks pink as she stepped towards him. "No pressure on either of us for more. Agreed?"

"Agreed." He marched her smile with one of his own and pushed away from his locker. He'd be content just sitting close to her on her couch for a few hours, he knew, as spending time with her without anyone else around had become one of his favourite pastimes over the last week.

And if something did happen... Well, he doubted he would have any complaints.


Though he'd been in her flat before, on the night of their first date and also once for a Chinese takeaway to celebrate Connor and Abby's return over a year ago, he hadn't had much time to explore it. As Jess searched for a takeaway menu, Becker wandered through the flat, taking in the little things that made it undeniably Jess's home.

And it did feel like a home, making his flat feel sterile and cold in comparison.

From the four retro-style dial telephones that spelt out her name to the colourful prints framed and hung on the wall, the flat felt like Jess. Warm and inviting and somewhere he could imagine seeking solace after a long day at work.

He moved to the bookcase, home to an assortment of books and DVDs but it wasn't her extensive collection that caught his eye. There were a couple of photo albums his fingers itched to open but he contented himself by studying the photographs openly on display instead.

In the first, Jess stood flanked by a man and a woman both a few years older than her, dressed in her graduation gown. Her brother and sister-in-law, Becker guessed, since her parents had died just after she'd started university. Next to it was a picture of a younger Jess laughing in the arms of an older woman who was unmistakably her mother, the same man from her graduation picture but a good deal younger sitting beside them while an older man, Jess's father, gazed at his wife and children with such open adoration that it made Becker promise himself he'd call his own parents soon.

The third picture was possibly his favourite, and he took it down from the shelf so he could study it closer. Her face flushed and her were bright, Jess smiled for the camera as two children, a boy and a girl, cuddled into either side of her. Her niece and nephew, Becker guessed from their resemblance to the couple in the graduation photograph.

"What would you like to drink?" Jess asked as she walked through to the living room from the kitchen. She'd taken her shoes off the moment they'd walked through the door and Becker found himself suddenly fixated on her bare feet and the pale, somehow shimmering nail varnished that adorned her toe nails. "I've got wine, both red and white. Vodka, tequila, gin and cider but no beer or lager, I'm afraid. I think my brother must've drunk the last of Connor's bottles and since I don't drink the stuff myself..."

"You have cider?" Pulling his gaze away from her feet, he looked at her questioningly. "I never had you pegged as a cider girl."

"It all depends on where I am and what mood I'm in." She shrugged under his sudden scrutiny. "Sometimes you just can't beat a cold cider and a bowl of hot, chunky chips."

The image of her tucking into both made his grin widen. He set the photo down carefully and moved towards her, easily towering over her without the added height of her heels. "I'll have whatever you're having," he told her quietly, stopping when he was less than a foot away from her.

Jess blinked up at him, obviously affected by his sudden proximity. "Um. Okay. I'll just go and... Becker."

"Yes?" His hands had moved to her hips, drawing her close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off her.

"If you want a drink, you're going to have to let me go." Though from the way she lifted her hands to his chest, fingers playing absent-mindedly with the buttons of his shirt, he didn't think she really wanted him to.

"I'm not really thirsty," Becker murmured, his voice low.

"Well, I could order Chinese... Or I'm sure I've got something I can defrost in the freezer." One of her hands slid up and around to the back of his head, fingers stroking idly through his hair as she closed the gap between them. "Or we could just eat later."

His heart was racing, his blood thrumming with the anticipation that hung thickly in the air around them. His lips were a hairsbreadth from hers, his eyes growing dark as he stared at her. "Are you sure, Jessica? If you have any doubts..."

"No doubts." The fingers running through his hair dropped to the back of his neck, fingernails tracing the sensitive skin there, causing his eyes to darken further. "Just a little nervous," she admitted softly. "But I want this. I want you."

"You have me." His lips brushed hers, once, twice, lingering on the third pass. "For as long as you want me, Jess."

"That's going to be a very long time, Captain." Jess wound her arms around his neck, parting her lips beneath his. "A very, very long time."


Due to popular consensus, the next chapter will be in a standalone upload as it'll be deserving of a 'M' rating. If I can get it written. I'm toying with the idea of abandoning it but we'll see.

Thank you, as always, for the support and reviews x