Title: Milestones 1: 6 Friends
Author: DrawnToDarkness
Rating: T
Characters: Becker, Jess, Abby, Connor
Pairing: Slight Jess/Becker, Abby/Connor
Prompt: Friends
Summary: Companion piece/missing scene for episode 4x02
He had a sinking suspicion that he was doomed.
And that Jess was laughing at him silently from across the table.
Teammates, he'd reasoned with himself, might occasionally eat lunch together and they might even stretch to sharing a quick pint down at the local pub after work on the odd occasion but not this.
Teammates didn't spend evenings eating takeout in their colleague's flats and they certainly didn't buy chocolate for each other for no real reason.
The former Becker thought he could explain away if needed: Abby and Connor had wanted to celebrate both of them being back on the team and, since they'd been away for over a year, it made sense that they'd invite him around for tea to catch up on what they'd missed.
And of course it made sense for Jess to be there, too - it was her flat, after all.
That was all fine, of course, and fitted in with his 'just colleagues' frame of mind - or at least that's what he told himself.
Just as he told himself that his scrutiny of Jess's flat - when no one was watching him - was purely out of concern one colleague had for another on the security of their personal surroundings outside of the ARC.
The chocolate, though, that was a sticking point.
He'd bought Jess chocolate - not orange - for no other reason than he'd wanted to. Well, that and because he'd heard her ask Matt and for some reason had decided it wasn't the team leader's job to see to the needs of the pretty Field Co-ordinator.
No. Not pretty. Well, she was - she was beau- no. She was just the Field Co-ordinator. No other adjectives allowed or needed.
He tried to tell himself he bought it because he owed her for realising something was going on with Matt and Abby or because he owed her an apology for hurting her feelings but, being honest with himself, he knew that wasn't why he'd bought it. It might have worked as an excuse if he'd thought of it before he'd put the chocolate bar on the desk of the ADD but, as it'd only come to him as he sat opposite her in her flat eating Chinese, Becker didn't think he could convince himself it was true.
Fortunately for the soldier, Connor was happy keeping the conversation going on his and Abby's end, telling story after story of their time in the Cretaceous and Jess seemed happy taking over from him and filling them in on what had happened in their absence. Abby, Becker noticed, was quiet, no doubt trying to take in everything and convince herself they really were back where they belonged.
As if hearing his thoughts, the blond woman looked up from the noodles she'd been pushing around on her plate. A smile curled the corners of her mouth as she glanced between him and Jess, an eyebrow arched in silent speculation.
Breaking eye contact, Becker reached for the last of the prawn crackers and missed the knowing smirk that appeared on Abby's face.
Oh, yes, Becker thought, crunching down on the cracker. He was pretty sure he was doomed.
Next up, Milestones I part 7, prompt "where"