Okay so my psychotic schedule has finally cleared up, yay to me for surviving 60hr work weeks, and I'll do my best to update regularly. I hope you enjoy this latest installment.

Jess' POV

Jess sat in her chair as still as she could, her face getting redder as the silence wore on. She could almost feel just how tense Becker was as he stood behind her. She didn't even know if he was aware he'd taken a step towards her when Lester had let the bomb drop. Oh God, she thought, I don't want this to be on his has too many things to worry about already.

"What?" Becker's voice was eerily calm, and Jess flinched at the sound. She never wanted this. She'd hoped the idiot who'd been calling her would simply go away and things could go back to normal. It was a silly thing to wish for, and she knew that, but it hadn't stopped her from snuck another look at Becker, who hadn't moved from his spot. She could see his hand were clenched into fists and winced in sympathy as she saw fresh blood start to seep through the white gauze.

"Some bloke's been bothering Jess," Connor said, for some reason think Becker had actually been asking for a repeat of information. He shut up quickly when Becker glared at him.

"How serious is it?" Becker asked Lester not bothering to look at Jess. Normally Jess would be a bit miffed that they were acting like she was invisible, but right now invisible was just what she wanted to be.

"Ms. Parker insists that there's no real danger, as the contact has been limited to phone calls and emails, but I'll let you decide." He stepped aside and motioned Becker towards the computer. Jess guessed that Connor had hacked into her email and sent all her messages to Lester. She tried not to watch as Becker's face grew colder as he read on, but she couldn't help it. It wasn't fair that he could still be so appealing when he was furious. Becker looked up from the screen and walked to stand directly in front of her. He looked directly at her and leaned his weight against the desk.

"Start from the beginning."

"I don't..." Jess began, but stopped when Becker raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Oh alright," she said.

"Wow, it took us an hour just to get that much outta her." Connor said, and then yelped when Abby dug an elbow into his ribs. Lester rolled his eyes at their antics.

"Right! Connor, Abby you two probably have some work to do seeing as you actually work here." He said.

"Not really," Connor said obviously not wanting to leave now that things were getting interesting. It was Abby's turn to roll her eyes and she pulled him out the door by his sleeve. Jess watched them leave already feeling a bit bad for Connor, even if she was supposed to be mad at him.

"How did this happen Jess?" Becker's voice was gentle, making her return her attention to the situation at hand.

"I honestly don't know," she said, "He just started calling me one day and hasn't stopped." Jess couldn't meet Becker's gaze so she just looked at his hands, which were gripping the desk on either side of sighed and crossed his arms over his chest causing her to lose focus for a moment. She looked up and met his gaze.

"Did he give you that bruise on your wrist Jess?" He asked, refusing to let her drop her gaze. Lester stood up a little straighter, his eyes darting away from the glass wall to her then to her wrist. Jess blushed under the intense scrutiny of the two men and fought the urge to rub the wrist they were both looking at.

"No. I really did just bump it in Ethan's flat." Jess glanced up just in time to see Becker flinch at the thought of what had happened yesterday. Jess could tell how much he hated being caught in Ethan's trap.

"Maybe she should stay at the company flat until we sort this all out." Becker said looking at Lester who began to nod in agreement before Jess jumped to her feet.

"I'm not letting him chase me from my home. He doesn't know where I live, so I should still be safe there." Jess wasn't actually positive about that last bit, but she wasn't going to tell them. It was bad enough the team knew now, there wasn't anywhere for her to hide anymore, and she still felt safe at home. She wasn't giving that up. Jess stood and held her head high, obviously surprising the two men with her outburst. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a job to do." With that she walked calmly out of Lester's office, leaving Becker and Lester staring after her.

Becker's POV

Becker stalked down the halls of the ARC searching for Jess. She'd been quiet since the meeting in Lester's office. It made him realized just how much he counted on her bubbly personality to bring light to what could often become a very dark 'd already had to make two notifications this week alone and he didn't care how many times you had to do it, telling someone their loved one is dead never gets easier. The memories pushed him to find Jess even faster, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was tell her family that she was dead because he'd failed to protect her. He stopped in the doorway of the op room when he saw Connor at the ADD. Becker growled his frustration, not sure where to look for her next. He'd heard Abby mention that Jess sometimes went to visit her with the creatures. He spun sharply on his heel and headed down towards the menagerie. He reached the menagerie door in record time and peered through the glass. Jess sat on one of the tables her face sad as she petted Rex who was sprawled across her lap like a contented cat. Becker felt his shoulders relax like they always did around her. Jess managed to get under his skin somehow and keep him sane. In just the first few weeks after they met, he'd found himself smiling more than he had in the entire year since they'd lost Sarah and thought they'd lost Connor and Abby as well. He swallowed hard as he watched her hug Rex to her chest gently, her mind wandering off to who knows where. He remembered her normally vibrant blue eyes brimming with tears and was shocked at how vulnerable she looked. Seeing her in danger was something he would never get used to. He figured she'd be safe once they got away from that bomb, but here she was facing a danger that he'd never even thought of. He frowned at the thought of this unknown threat hurting her. He stormed through the door before he could stop himself.

"Jess," he started, but was quickly interrupted by Jess' familiar ramblings.

"I know what you're going to say, and it's not going to happen. I feel safe at home, I won't let you or Lester tell me what to do in my personal life. Outside of the ARC I don't have to…" Becker put a hand over her mouth muffling the rest of the sentence.

"Technically we can't make you do anything, unless it becomes a threat to the ARC, so you can stay at your flat. On the condition that you use the company flat if things get worse." He said removing his hand. He resisted the urge to shake it out, his palm felt like it was buzzing where her lips had pressed against it. Jess started to protest and Becker put his hand against her mouth again.

"You either agree, or I restrain you and take you to the company flat." He said glaring at her. She tried to glare back, but she only managed to look adorable. Becker slowly took his hand away and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He could tell Jess was debating with herself and waited for her to make a decision, having a hard time resisting the urge to scoop her up and hide her away somewhere safe.

"Deal." She finally said.

Jess' POV

Jess stooped to pick up the post as she unlocked the door. She dropped her keys on the kitchen counter and let out a sigh of relief. She was happy to be home, and that Becker hadn't put up too big a fight about her staying. Though the idea of him tying her up was not entirely unappealing. She should have actually said that, or offered to return the favor. She hated that she could never come up with a great comeback until it was too late to use it. Shaking her head at her lack of brain function around the handsome captain she shoved aside the few envelopes and focused on the small package that she hoped contained the book on computer science she had ordered the other week. She ripped open the package and what looked like a piece of paper fell to the ground. When it landed Jess dropped the box, scattering chocolates on the kitchen tile. She scrambled for her phone and pulled up a familiar contact.

"Becker," she said as soon as he answered, "Please come and get me." She slid down the counter and stared at the picture of her standing at her front door. The words "I Love You" printed boldly in red across the glossy photo surface.