A/N: Seems I'm getting longer and longer, hope you don't mind ^^

Thanks to all, who added this story to their favourite story / story alert, please leave a review and let me know what you think :o)

A BIG thanks to lovingthis for beta-reading the chapter at nearly midnight. It's all thanks to you, that I upload this chapter that early. You are awesome!

All right. Enjoy!


Jess sat at the ADD, scanning CCTV's and anomaly related data when a voice sounded behind her ear.

"Hello Miss Parker." Newt greeted her.

The FCO shrieked and jumped in her seat, facing the chuckling Caleb she slapped him on his arm before she started to laugh, too.

"Why do always soldiers sneak up on me?" She questioned bewilderedly.

Newt smirked widely. "Army basic training: How to get women you like remembering you."

Jess flushed at his kind words. "How are you?" She changed the subject.

"Great. Um, I wanted to give you this", he took a bar of chocolate out of his pocket and placed it in her hands. "As a thanks. Sadly I couldn't drink a coffee with you, so I asked the soldiers yesterday and they told me you love chocolate, but you would hate orange, so I bought one without it. I hope I'm right?" He babbled.

The FCO flushed deeper, staring at the chocolate in her hands. "You're right."

Newt looked concerned at her. "Did I do something wrong, Miss Parker? You're smiling, but you look sad at the same time."

"No, nothing. I'm sorry, Newt. It's just the chocolate reminds me of somebody, that's all. And please call me Jess."

"Well, the Captain would kill me if I did so." Newt refused kindly.

"But he's not here. So you can call me Jess." She replied tenaciously, looking into his eyes.

Newt grinned like a Cheshire cat. "But only under one condition. You call me Caleb." He offered, holding his hand towards her.

Jess grabbed his hand and shook it, grinning widely. "Fine, Caleb."

/-/

Becker left his office, holding the mission report from the day before in his hands, heading to the ADD.

He stopped abruptly as he saw them, laughing and giggling around, not taking notice of anything or anyone.

Newt sat next to her, and although there was a visible gap between them, Becker felt anger rising up. He couldn't classify the feeling he had. Again, as he saw Jess with the new recruit, he felt shocked, numb and a flash rushing through his body, like a sharp knife cutting something inside of him into two pieces, and he felt deep anger, frustration and desperation.

He couldn't stand this feeling, he couldn't stand seeing them sitting together and laughing, and he absolutely couldn't act professional and just looking over this familiar acting. He wanted to punch the soldier, wanted to throw him against the wall, but he liked Newt, he knew he was a good soldier. And although, he couldn't …

Damn, he couldn't just stand there and do nothing.

Without noticing he speeded forward, heading directly to the Private. "What are you doing here?" He heard himself shouting at the young man and tried to gain his control back and to calm himself down.

Jess and Caleb jumped with fright at his sudden appearance. She looked bewildered at the Head of Security and he quickly got up, staying at attention.

"I just thanked her for yesterday." The recruit answered in a steady tone.

Jess tried to soothe Becker. "He only gave me some chocolate." Not knowing that her confession brought his blood to the boil.

"Yeah, nothing with orange in it." Newt added smirking, digging his own grave without realising.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Becker yelled, towering over the young man. "You're neither allowed to enter the hub or bring her chocolate! And stand up, when I'm talking to you!" His cheeks went deep red as his blood rushed inside his head, knocking his sanity completely out.

"I'm standing, Sir." Newton replied meekly, making a gaffe.

That was too much for his self control, his muscles stated to tense. He raised his arm and just wanted to smack his fist in the soldier's face.

Fortunately, the attentive Field Co-ordinator jumped up, positioning herself between the Captain and his soldier, laying her hands on his arms and calling him to order.

"Becker! What's got into you?" She questioned horrified.

Her little distraction, brought him back to reality and as quickly as his anger came it started to disappear, feeling her tiny hands on his skin, he calmed down. Jess was right between him and Newt, she could be hurt if he would lose his temper, and the least thing he wanted was to hurt Jess, he would never forgive himself if he did.

Turning his head to shirk from her wide eyes, filled with fear, he gasped, breathing deeply in and out and with every exhale his rage became fewer.

"Go, do your exercises." Becker ordered the soldier, his voice now steady and calm.

Newt looked puzzled at the Captain. "Already finished."

"Do them again!" He commanded, rising his voice again.

Caleb became upset. "All?" He questioned, feeling hard done by at the Captain's punishment.

"Just go!" Becker yelled, clenching his fists to bring himself back under control.

"Caleb, please. It's better when you go now." Jess pleaded him calmly and kindly.

The soldier nodded disappointedly and left the hub without any words.

Being alone, Becker pushed her slightly away, loosing the skin contact.

"So, you're calling him by his first name already, you're really fast at that." He alluded bitterly.

"Don't do that." She warned him.

"Doing what? You saw him for the first time and already you were on fire." He replied frustrated and regret his words as soon as they were spoken out loud.

Jess became really angry. How could he dare? "You have no right, Becker. We are just friends!"

"You're calling him by his first name! You never called any soldier by his first name. You NEVER called me by my first name!" He vindicated himself, sounding upset and disappointed.

"That's only because you NEVER offered me to!" She countered back. Lowering her voice she added. "I didn't knew what you would say, how you would react, if I did. That's all."

Becker sat down, clapping his hands over his face, hiding his shame. He didn't want to yell at her, he didn't want to, but he just did.

"What is wrong with you all of a sudden?" Jess asked, taking seat and looking at him full of worry.

Becker looked like he mentally talked this through, searching for the right words. He looked to the ground, turned his eyes to the equipment of the ADD and finally looked at her, lowering his head again as she replied his gaze. Blowing out his cheeks as he exhaled, he simply answered. "He brought you chocolate."

Jess was flabbergasted. She awaited every possible answer, but this one made her stumble. "You freaked out because he brought me chocolate?"

"Yeah." He stated as if this was the most reasonable cause of the world.

With her eyes wide open, she questioned again. "You are angry because he brought me chocolate? Why?"

"Because … this is our thing." Becker determined, still avoiding her gaze, fearing he would blush immediately if he would look into her eyes.

"We have a thing?" Jess couldn't belief her ears.

"Yeah. I bring you chocolate and you give me that gorgeous smile. This is something special between us. I'm the only one who is allowed to bring you chocolate. He has no right to take this away from me."

Jess was speechless, her shock quickly turned into a wide grinning smile. "Oh my god. Becker, are you jealous?" She still doubted her perception.

"I'm not." He denied vehemently, sounding like a little boy who was caught at a lie.

That was it, eliminating the last piece of her disbelief. "You are jealous!" Her smile went wider.

Becker looked up, glimpsing her bright eyes and her wide grin, blushing slightly. Without wasting any more words he stood up, leaving the room, digesting what just happened, what he just confessed, kind of.

Jess turned around, grinning like a Cheshire cat, soliloquising. "We have a thing." Beaming and smirking like a schoolgirl, she pronounced it again. "We have a thing."

/-/

Finally, work was done and Jess jumped out of her seat, beaming with joy. "Good night, Don." She said her farewell to the night shift, who wished her a nice evening in return, and left the hub.

In a light-footed walk, she went through the corridors, her thoughts centred around only one topic, which made her as light as a feather.

Jess cheerfulness was abruptly interrupted by a loud bang, coming out of the locker rooms. Worried about what it could be, she entered the room heading for the noises.

"Hey, everything OK with you?" She questioned as she recognised Newt, throwing his fists against his locker door.

Caleb look up at her, disappointed and frustrated. "He hates me."

"No, not at all. He likes you, he was just -" She looked for the right word to say. "- worried."

"He yelled at me, and let me do extra shifts: extra fight training, extra cleaning duty."

"He is only afraid that someone is getting hurt, he lost many friends. And yesterday you could have been killed."

"Yeah thanks to you, I wasn't. But why did he freak out, only because I was at the ADD and said thanks."

"Because, um -" Jess didn't know whether it was right to tell him, but if he knew why he would probably understand the Captain's behaviour so she decided to tell him. "He's protective over me because he is afraid of me getting hurt. The last recruit who was hired attacked me. Becker saved me, and since that time he is even more protective. He is scared that this could happen again."

"I understand." Newt answered with a quiet voice. "Jenkins and Donalds told me he likes you very much."

"They said he likes me?" Jess questioned disbelievingly, but she couldn't help smiling as little butterflies started to ran around inside her belly.

"Yeah, but they also said you were a boy so that might not be true, but the way he act around you I would put my hand into the fire for that."

Jess blushed immediately. Now that there was another person who noticed it, it could actually be true and not just her imagination, not just her little schoolgirl heart making it up to torture her feelings. The Head of Security could really like her more than just a colleague.

"Jess?" Newt pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yep?" Jess questioned, back into the here and now.

"Um, some years ago I led a self-defence class for women at their workplaces. And I showed them how to parry attacks off. Shall I show you some moves, too? So, you would be prepared if this would happen again. I mean, I absolutely don't want this to happen to you again, but just in case. Only if you want, of course."

Jess beamed. "I would love to."

"Great. Well, I prefer to do the training where the women are exposed to danger, and besides their ways to work and back home, the workplace is the place where most of them happened, according to the statistics. Not that I wanted to say that the workplace is a dangerous place, I absolutely didn't want to say that and women should always feel save there, but, well, let's skip that." Caleb stumbled and cut himself off. "OK, where did it happen?" He looked expectantly at the three years younger woman.

"Actually right here. I mean, it was in the women's locker room, but it was in the locker room." Jess admitted slightly nervous, her memories started to build up again and she had to swallow hard to suppress them.

Looking around, Newt turned his attention back to her. Realizing the change on her face, he smiled warmly to make her feel better. "Fine. Then let's start. If you want, you don't have to, but if you want, can you tell me what exactly he did? Then I tell you what you could do, to get out of it the next time and after that, we practice. You're fine with that?"

Jess nodded. It was an odd feeling inside her, she never told anybody about what happened. She didn't even had to during the trial. But as she started to tell him, she kind of felt better, like something was lifted up from her shoulders.

/-/

Becker still felt terrible for his behaviour, for yelling at Jess.

God, why the hell did he yelled at her, she didn't do anything wrong. They weren't a couple, they were just colleagues. He hadn't the right to do this. He should have act professional, focused. What was wrong with him?

And to top it all, he stormed out with the report still in his hand. He had to set it right. He had to apologise to her for his behaviour. And he had to do it now, hopefully she was still in the building.

Becker looked at his laptop, the security program recognized every leaving and arriving of the staff. He typed in Jess' ID and saw that she still was it the ARC. Playing his luck he quickly stood up, grabbing the report and spurted to the hub.

Having arrived, all he saw was the red curled hair of the night shift. In big steps he sprinted forward, stopping next to the man.

"Hey, Don. Where is Jess?" He questioned in a low voice, although he felt a little worried.

The Irishman turned around and answered. "Went home, thirty minutes ago."

"Can't be. According to her ID she's still in the building. Show me the CCTV's." He ordered, a queasy feeling creped up on him, running over his spine.

Don zapped through the channels, showing the break room, corridors, menagerie, rest room entry and the female locker room - nothing.

"Show me the men's locker room." Becker pleaded.

The man switched and as he looked at the image the Captain was shocked, seeing Newt who just attacked Jess.

"Not again." He cried horrified and ran out of the room.

/-/

Caleb held the body of the tiny Field Co-ordinator from behind, his hands around her wrists crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"All right. First, stay calm. And now, move your both arms down as quick as you can to get free from my grip." Newt declared.

"OK." Jess did as she was told to and quickly got free. With a big wide grin she turned around. "Yeah, I did it. I did it."

Just at that moment Becker appeared, moving to fast for the two to react. He rushed forward, shouting "You never hurt her again!" Making the Private turning his head and the Captain thrusted his fist right into the recruit's face, punching him with all his force to the ground.

Jess screamed with horror. Without thinking she grabbed his arm with both her hands, holding him back to prevent him from going any further, shouting at him. "Becker, no!"

Becker stopped his movement, panting with rage, and turned his attention to the woman.

"He didn't do anything wrong." She pleaded him to stop.

"He attacked you." He answered distraught, feeling the adrenalin and the worry rushing through his blood stream.

"No! He only showed me some self-defence moves." Jess defended the young soldier.

Becker was baffled, slowly he realized his bad mistake and lowered his gaze, looking to the soldier on the ground who held his bleeding nose.

/-/

'Treatment room 3.' The Captain read the sign on the door in the medical bay over and over again, feeling nothing but shame and guilt for hurting his soldier. He regretted to the fullest what he did to Newt.

Breaking the awkward silence, Jess, sitting right next to the Head of Security, piped up. "Well, for somebody outside it really must have look like he was attacking me." She tried to cheer him up.

"Even so, this is no excuse for my behaviour." The soldier spoke with a shaking voice. Feeling the urgency to justify his doing he continued. "Newt is a good man. I have a feeling for the people whether they are good or bad and I had a good feeling at Newt. But somehow he acted odd the last week. I didn't know why. Something … I don't know … I couldn't classify it. And then, the video … I just didn't think ... I couldn't."

Jess wondered about his stammered words, but then she remembered what Caleb told her during their talk and started to smile. "I think I know why." She replied encouragingly.

Becker looked questionably at her.

"Well. Jenkins told him I was a boy." Jess declared with a grin on her face.

Becker raised his eyebrow. "I know that. I was standing next to him as he found out the truth. Remember?"

Jess grinned wider. "I know, but Jenkins also told him that you liked me."

"And how shall this explain his acting?" The Captain was puzzled.

The FCO suppressed a chuckle, trying not to laugh she declared further. "He told him that you like me VERY much."

Jess didn't want to use the real vocabulary and hoped that he got the hint. Becker brooded over her words, looking to the ground and mentally repeating what she said, and finally, it sunk in.

He raised his head at a rush, his cheeks started to flush slightly. "What? How could he? I mean?" He stammered embarrassedly.

Jess couldn't keep it back any longer and started to giggle.

Becker clenched his fist. "Oh, Jenkins is getting cleaning duty for the rest of the year." He announced angrily. "What am I saying, he's getting cleaning duty for the rest of his life!"

Hearing that, the woman's giggle turned into a lustily laugh.

"Stop that. This isn't funny." The Captain called her to order, he couldn't help smirking at her noises.

"Yes, it is." The FCO roared with laughter.

Infecting the soldier by that he started to laugh, too. Giving her a slightly slap on the knee to rebuke her.

"Ouch." Jess cried laughingly.

"Sorry." Becker replied chuckling, stroking with his thumb over the spot where he caused her pain.

The opposite door went open and Newt stepped out of the room. Immediately both stopped their laughs and the Captain took his hand off her knee.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Is it broken?" Becker questioned worriedly.

Newt shook his head. "Nope, it isn't." He croaked. His nose was bandaged, leaving no space for air. "And thanks to the pain killers I'm feeling quite good." He added with a big grin.

Hearing the funny sound of his voice Jess started to giggle again, holding her belly she apologised for her laughing. "Sorry."

"Never mind." Newt excused her, raising the corners of his mouth to a smirk.

Still feeling awful, the commander apologised to the soldier. "I'm sorry, for the punch and all. You know?"

Caleb nodded, accepting the apology. He could understand why the Captain lost his temper.

"Can I give you a ride?" Becker offered, looking at the soldier who shrugged his shoulders and nodded nonchalantly. Turning his attention to the woman sitting next to him he added. "Both of you."

Jess smiled warmly. "That would be great."

The two stood up and the trio walked back down the corridor. Becker in the middle with Newt to his right and Jess to his left.

"Um, Captain?" Caleb started to ask.

"Yep?" He turned his head to face the soldier.

"Do I still have the cleaning duty at the weekend?" He questioned, pointing with his finger at his nose.

Becker grinned, patting the Private's back he affirmed. "Yes, Newton you do. Oh, and whenever Jenkins is telling you something again, don't believe him." He advised.

"I know that now. Thanks anyway, Sir." Newton replied.


A/N: Did you like the chapter? Please review :o)