Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter Ten
Becky pulled up in the car park exactly two weeks after the LEA visit, ready for the school's open day - today.
The History department - made up of four teachers - had decided in their last meeting to go all out and divide up the different periods of time and each take one. While one man had landed the Crusades, and was coming dressed as a knight, another ended up with Tudor times and would be dressing as King Henry VIII, the other had bagged the Norman Conquest and would be coming dressed as a medieval washerwoman, and Becky had been left with the 20th century.
She'd decided to go all out, and as her century would be focusing on covering the build up to world war one, world war one, the build up to world war two, the rise of Hitler, world war two, and the cold war, she chose to come dressed as a women around 1940.
She smoothed down her skirt as she got out of the car. She was wearing a smart navy blue pencil skirt, with a pale blue shirt and a navy blue blazer with only one button to fasten it at the front. She'd put on tanned tights and smart navy ballet pumps, and had pulled her hair into a bun, leaving some of her fringe around her face, and topping it off with a few little hair pins. She wore the brightest red lipstick, had powered her face paler and put on some pink blusher.
" Well, hello ma'am! " a voice from behind called to her.
Becky turned around and laughed when she saw Tom, and she waited for him to catch up to her.
He'd moved into his own flat three days earlier - something which was a moderate size and was across the other side of town.
" Looks like you've certainly made the effort," Tom laughed.
Becky shrugged, " That's what comes of being in the history department," she told him as they walked towards the school, " it's alright for you lot teaching english. You just get the kids to write some poems to show off. "
" Hey! " Tom protested, " I'll have you know we're working very hard! The kids are putting on a play - who do you think organises that? "
Becky rolled her eyes, " I don't know, but it's certainly not you. Everytime I see you, you're sitting on your backside in the staffroom, doing nothing. "
" Yeah, yeah, have a go," Tom said, shaking his head at her although he was smiling.
As they got to the main entrance of the school, they found that it was full of people. Many of the kids had come into school early to help with things - they had a full day off timetable to deal with the open day and help out.
There was one long table set out in the main hallway, behind which stood Jack and Andrew - the table was full of leaflets and programmes, and Kim was hurrying around the room with some of the kids, rearranging tables, setting out different sheets and information.
The open day hadn't started yet, but it soon would be, and everyone was getting ready.
Tom glanced at Jack, knowing his sister would go straight to Jack, and smiled at Becky, " I'll catch you later, right? "
Becky nodded in response and as Tom and she parted ways, she turned to the long table, stopping in front of it and smiling at Jack. " Morning Mr Rimmer," she smiled, flashing her the grin that was always so cheery.
Jack looked up from the programme he'd been looking at, and grinned when he saw Becky standing in front of him. His eye swept up and down her, and he nodded,
" Very nice," he said, " good to see you've made the effort. I'm impressed, Miss Clarkson. "
Becky laughed and Jack smiled at her, " Get over here," he said.
Becky was smiling too, and Jack always seemed to make her laugh - there was something about him which meant he always knew what to do and what to say. Becky came around the side of the table,
" Morning Andrew," she said, sparing him a smile, which he returned with the same greeting. As she got close enough to Jack he stretched out his arms and pulled her into a hug. It was brief but Becky appreciated it, especially as there were so many other people around, and lots of pupils.
He kissed her cheek and she smiled.
" How's it going? " she asked, looking between Jack and Andrew with her hands clasped together.
Jack nodded, " It should be a good day if we can get any of the parents to turn up. And if Ms Heather Davenport thinks we've got a good thing going here. "
" Ah course she will," Becky smiled, " you've done wonders here, Jack. And you, Andrew. She'll be impressed with this, you mark my words. "
" I wish I could be so optimistic all the time," Jack said, shaking his head.
There was a clip clop of heels and Steph was walking through the entrance of the school. She was wearing a short black skirt, a black and white striped jumper, and a beret. She looked a mess quite frankly.
" Bleeding hell Steph," Jack said, pulling a face, " who told you it was fancy dress? "
" Just doing my bit," Steph laughed, before heading off for the staff room - Becky didn't miss the looks Steph gave Jack and knew there was a danger that this could cause some problems.
" I'm wearing fancy dress, and you don't mind," Becky pointed out when Steph was gone.
Jack smirked and said quietly, " Yeah, but that's 'cause you look pretty damned sexy, isn't it? "
Andrew frowned and looked at Jack pointedly, " I thought you were dealing with Steph? Didn't Heather tell you that the LEA would look on us much more favourably if we got rid of teachers who can't teach? Teachers like Steph? "
" Oh believe me," sighed Jack, shaking his head, " I tried to deal with it. "
" Tried? " Andrew asked, " you're headmaster. "
Jack looked around and took hold of Andrew's arm, steering him away from the busy hallway. He looked over his shoulder at Becky and gestured with his head for her to follow them too. Becky wondered what was going on and followed curiously.
Jack looked stressed out and he looked between the pair of them before saying, " Look, between the three of us, and this goes no further, Steph's got a thing for me. "
Becky rolled her eyes, " We could have gathered that. Is that all you're worried about? "
" No, I think she's got it really bad," Jack continued.
Andrew was giving him the sort of look that told him he should have stopped Steph in her tracks, while Becky was just frowning at him.
" Don't give me that look," Jack said, rounding on Becky in annoyance, " what do you expect me to do about it? It's not my fault she can't resist me, is it? And now she's threatening to do me for sexual harrassment. "
" What? " both Andrew and Becky chorused.
" But I've never touched her," Jack told Becky, before looking at Andrew, " I never touched her. "
" We know," Becky said soothingly.
Jack sighed and looked at Andrew, " You've got to sort her out for me. "
" Me? " Andrew asked, suprised, " what do you expect me to do about it? I'm not headmaster, I can't sack her. "
" I'm not asking you to sack her," Jack said, " I want you to teach her how to teach. Give her a bit of coaching - you could mould her into a decent teacher. "
" But that's a full time job! " Andrew protested.
Jack shrugged, " Well you're either concerned about the children's education, or you're not. Your choice, isn't it? "
With that, he walked away from the pair of them, and Becky gave Andrew a little shrug before following after Jack. She followed Jack back to the big long table and smiled at him - he looked stressed out and Becky felt sorry for him, because she knew what a challenge they had on at Waterloo Road.
" Thanks for telling me, honey," Becky said as she came to stand beside Jack.
Jack nodded as he looked at her, " Well you might as well know, before the daft cow gets it in her head to tell you for herself or something. The last thing we need is her spreading her poison. "
" Leave Andrew to deal with it for now," Becky told him, " and just get through this open day, yeah? We need to all pull together for the school, don't we? "
Jack paused and then looked at her, smirking a little as he took the opportunity to look her up and down, " Yes ma'am," he said with a mock salute to her outfit.
" Good," Becky said, reaching up to kiss his cheek swiftly, before throwing her bag over her shoulder, " I'll see you in a bit. "
" See you," Jack smiled as she walked away.
Becky made her way to the staffroom and went into the kitchen area. Izzie and Tom were both already there - their relationship had been going for two weeks, and they stil hadn't gotten around to telling Lorna.
" Woo-hoo! Look at you! " Izzie laughed as Becky approached she and Tom.
Becky laughed and flicked the kettle on, " Thanks," she said as she turned around to talk to her friends, " Jack seemed to like it too. "
Tom rolled his eyes, " Becks," she said, " I love you, but I really don't want to know what dressing up your boyfriend is into. It's ... really too much information. "
Becky laughed, and she looked between the two of her friends. They seemed to be in some kind of tension, and Becky said, " What's going on with you two? Your usually both in better moods than this. "
Izzie and Tom exchanged a look, and Izzie said, " Tom's going to tell Lorna about me and him today. "
" Really? " Becky asked, " ooh rather you than me. "
" Don't start," Tom said, shaking his head, " I don't know how the hell we're going to break it to her. I mean, me and her have only just got back to friendship, and now I've got to tell her that not only have I been in love without another woman since before I married Lorna, but that woman was her best friend, and we're now dating. "
Becky looked at him sympathetically, " Lorna's a good person. Sure, it'll be a shock at first, but I'll bet she'll come around. She said, didn't she, when you split up, that nothing was going to interrupt all of our friendships. "
As Becky turned to make her drink, the door to the staffroom opened and she heard someone approaching them, before she heard Lorna's soft voice. " Morning. "
" Hi," Izzie, Tom and Becky all called to her.
" How's the new flat working out for you? " Lorna asked Tom as she leant back against the counter.
Tom nodded, " Yeah, it's good thanks. I'm don't really feel like it's my place yet, you know I'm not settled in, but it's going to shape up to be a good place. How are you liking having a place to yourself? "
Lorna shrugged, " It's not too bad. Strange being alone, and having all that space, but I could get used to it. "
The next person to come into the room was Jack. Becky smiled to herself as Jack stood at the front of the room and commanded everyone's attentions.
" Morning everyone," he said, eyes flickering all around the room, " I just want to thank you all for your co-operation today. I know I've sprung this open day on you all out of the blue - "
" That's you all over Jack," Steph called.
Jack cleared his throat and continued, " But we've got the LEA and representatives from the board of governers swarming all over us today, so the last thing we need is a major disaster. "
" This whole thing's a disaster if you ask me," Grantly muttered.
" Yeah, well our job's are on the line here," Jack pointed out, before saying, " this is our last chance to show that we've turned this place around, and we're too good to be given the chop. Ok, everyone is meeting downstairs in half an hour for the parents meet and greet. "
He left the room, and Andrew, who'd come in with Jack, started giving out programmes for the day and talking through the key points of the day - the day would be full of talks and displays and would end with a big play and showcase from students from several different departments.
In half an hour, Becky made her way down to the hall where the History department, amongst others, had set up their tables and exhibitions.
Becky spent a good proportion of the day shaking hands with parents and talking to them about how their kids were doing. She gave talks and displayed work from some of her best pupils and played a few games with groups of pupils and parents.
The whole thing was quite fun, and by the time they stopped for lunch, she found herself quite enjoying the whole thing.
After lunch Becky went back to the department - there was an hour to go before the showcase in the hall, and she made the most of it by trying to talk to as many people as possible and make everyone see the good points of the school.
At one point, Becky saw Jack walking around the room with Heather Davenport. They were deep in conversation, Jack was grinning and Heather was laughing at him.
Jack looked at Becky from across the room but turned his attention back to Heather. Becky was quiet right now and was rearranging her papers as she watched Jack and Heather with curiosity.
Jack left Heather with the head of history, and then made his way over to Becky.
" Hi," Becky said, looking at him as he reached her, " how's it all going? "
" Good, I think," Jack told her, " well, other than Rory Brears' being bullied by Lewis Seddon for being gay. Seddon tried to beat the crap out of him, so he's in the cooler now. Other than that, it's going well. Heather seems ... well, kind of impressed, but I'm not too sure. There was something I was going to ask you, actually. "
" Oh? " Becky asked.
" Well, tell you really," he said, " I was thinking I'd take Heather out for a drink after work, try and soften her up, see if I an really get her on side. Purely professional of course. "
Becky was somewhat suprised, but she wasn't overly bothered - she knew she could trust him, and they'd never actually said they were exclusive. " You don't need my permission Jack," she told him.
" Yeah," Jack said, a bit nervous now, which was rather cute, " but I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea ... think I was cheating, or anything. "
Becky laughed, " Jack, I know I can trust you. And besides ... we've never actually said that we're in an exclusive relationship, have we? If you want to go drink without someone else then ... "
" What do you mean "not exclusive"? " Jack asked, laughing a little, " course we are! I don't want anyone else, so unless you do ... "
" No! " Becky said, shaking her head, before cooling it down, " I mean, I don't want anyone else either. "
" Good," Jack said, " then we're agreed. I'm taking Heather out for a purely professional drink after work then. "
" Yeah," Becky nodded, " I think it's a good idea, so long as you don't get drunk and say anything stupid. " She was smirking as she teased him and he shook his head at her.
" Thanks, love," he said, winking at her before turning away.
Becky was late heading to the showcase in the assembaly hall, because she'd been clearing up the history department's stalls in the sports hall.
The corridors were practically deserted and she needed to get to the showcase because she was in charge of props for the play that the english department had set up.
As she hurried down the english corridor, she saw Kim. But something was wrong - she ran out of the cooler, slamming the door behind her, and hurried the other way down the corridor.
" Kim! " Becky shouted - Kim was clearly upset, but she didn't know why and she didn't really know what to do.
Kim looked over her shoulder at Becky and said, " I'm sorry, Becky, I ... I'll catch up with you later. "
Becky could hear exactly how upset she was and she thought it sounded like she was crying. Becky was absolutely bewildered and was about to start after her friend when she decided to investigate what had happened, first.
Kim had just run out of the cooler, so there had to be a serious problem in there. Hadn't Jack told her that Seddon was in there? Becky didn't even think about it as she pushed open the door of the cooler.
To her, it seemed obvious to find the source of the problem, which seemed to lie in the cooler, before going to find Kim and check on her. She had no idea what the hell had happened to her friend, but was definitley going to find out.
She pushed open the door of the cooler and stepped into the room.
She saw Lewis Seddon standing with his back to the door, over by the window, and when the door closed behind Becky, Lewis heard it and turned around.
" Why aren't you being supervised right now? " Becky asked lightly as she walked towards him.
" Dunno Miss," Lewis said, shrugging, " Miss Campbell went all weird and just ran off. "
" Did she now? " Becky asked, not believing it.
" Yeah," Lewis said, his voice low as he walked towards her. Becky was actually starting to feel quite worries and she backed off as he advanced slowly.
" And she gave no reason for leaving? " Becky asked suspiciously, though her voice gave her away and Lewis could tell that she was nervous.
Becky stared at him - he walked all the way around the room and come at her from the other side so she couldn't quite get to the door. He had a strange look in his eye - a sort of dark look, that she didn't like one bit.
" No," he replied.
In fact, as he took another step closer to her, Becky said, " Ok Lewis, just stop there. I think I should go find Miss Campbell. "
Lewis laughed and took another step closer.
" I mean it," Becky said, her voice trembling as he got even closer to her and was now stood right in front of her. He leaned in and was breathing against her neck. Becky cloed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall in complete fear.
She wished so hard that she hadn't come into here and she was starting to fear for her safety.
" Lewis," she said, as he brought a hand up to touch her waist, " Lewis, get off me! Now! "
" And what are you going to do about it? " Lewis asked, leaning in to her face and kissing her cheek, making her shiver in horror, " you can't do anything, can you, Miss? I can do whatever I want. Asking for it, you and Miss Campbell, aren't you? Coming in here, alone, you're after me, aren't you, Miss? "
" N-no," Becky stammered, breathing deeply.
She tried to push him away, but he grabbed one of her forearms and kept her pinned to the wall, using his weight too - this was where Becky's lack of height and weight came in as a major disadvantage - there was nothing she could do to stop him - he was far stronger than she was.
Lewis reached up with one hand and pulled out the clip which held up her hair and threw it to the floor so it all fell around her shoulders.
" Lewis," Becky said, barely able to get any words out. She was paralysed by fear and there was nothing she could do - no-one else was around, and he was too strong for her. " Lewis, did you try this with Miss Campbell too. "
" Didn't get this far," Lewis laughed, one hand keeping her pinned to the wall while the other reached for the button of her jacket.
Becky squealed and she tried to shove him away from her, but couldn't.
" Lewis! " she begged, " please, leave me alone. If you stop now, this doesn't have to go any further. I won't tell, just let me go. "
She had no idea what he was going to do and she didn't know how she was going to get out of this either. She was truly terrified that he was going to rape her.
Lewis actually had no such thing in mind - he wasn't going to go that far - but he was going to have some fun just because he could.
He ripped at the fabric of her jacket with such force that the button came off, and he tried to push it of her shoulder, as his other hand reached up to take a fistful of her hair.
He leaned in and tried to kiss her, but she screamed and finally found enough strength to get away. She took advantage of the fact that Lewis thought he'd already won, and although she was terrified and didn't think she'd be able to do it, she shoved him.
To her great relief, she managed to push him away and as he fell backwards, she fled from the room.
She was absolutely terrified and the first place she could think of going was her classroom - hiding away. She didn't want to see anyone, and tears welled up in her eyes as she ran.
She ran straight into someone, and stopped. She felt someone else's body against hers and panicked, backing up in horror, breathing more and more deeply.
" Becky! " a loud and clear voice said.
Becky couldn't focus on what was going on, and it took her a moment to look up at the person she'd ran into in a panic. When she looked up, she saw Andrew, whose eyes were wide and confused as he looked at her.
He quickly took in the state of her, and knew something was extremely wrong.
Becky's hair was messed up, like someone had grabbed at it or run their hand through it, and much more worryingly, her jacket was hanging open, the button ripped off, and hanging off one shoulder. And as for her face - she looked absolutely terrified and her breath was coming out ragged and edgy. It was clear that she wasn't far from crying and Andrew was absolutely shocked.
Becky found herself a little glad to see someone else, but didn't know how to tell him what was going on, and she was in such a state that there was nothing she could think to do.
" Becky," Andrew said very urgently, " what on earth's happened to you? " When she didn't immediately answer, he reached out to lay a gentle hand on her arm, and was completely bewildered at her reaction to him.
When Andrew touched her arm, all Becky could think about was Lewis Seddon, how he'd touched her, the little creep, and the way he made her feel so powerless and the way that anything could have happened to her. The way he completely violated her.
She let out a little whimper and took a step back, quickly pulling her arm from his reach with a deep breath.
Andrew suddenly guessed exactly what had happened - there was only one explanation for the dissaray of her jacket, the messing of her hair, and her withdrawal from his touch.
" Becky," Andrew said, giving her a moment to slow her breathing down, and using his most gentle voice, " look at me - " when she eventually did, he continued, " you're going to have to tell me what happened. I want to help you. "
Becky locked eyes with him and decided that this was Andrew - he was nice, she could trust him. She tried to speak, but tears started to fall, and she shook her head,
" A-Andrew," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked at him in a panic, shaking her head, " I shouldn't ... I shouldn't have g-gone in there. He - he's stronger than me, and he ... it was Seddon ... he tried to ... "
She couldn't finish her sentence, and she burst into tears. Andrew nodded and reached out to her more slowly this time. He touched her arm slowly and she allowed him to tuck his hand under her arm slowly and steer her in the opposite direction.
" Becky, we'll sort this," Andrew said, " how about I take you to Jack's office, you can get a drink, calm down a bit, and I'll get Jack and bring him to you. Then we can talk about it. "
Becky nodded silently.
Her thoughts were all over the place, and they got to Jack's office in silence. When Estelle saw them, she was shocked and didn't know what on earth to do or say - Andrew simply shook his head at her and asked her to make Miss Clarkson a warm drink.
Becky sat down in one of the chair's in her boyfriend's office but as Andrew turned to leave, called out, " Wait - Andrew! " When he turned back, she added, trying to contain tears, " K-kim. I think he ... and her. She ran away ... crying. I - that's - Seddon said he'd tried it on with her t-too. "
Andrew went very pale and quickly left the room.
Becky was completely numb as she sipped her drink and had no energy whatsoever. She was terrified and tried to erase all thoughts of it, but struggled.
A couple of moments later, Kim came in, looking equally terrified. Neither of the women smiled at each other, and Kim slowly sat down near Becky.
" Oh Becky," Kim said, shaking her head, voice full of fear, " not you too? "
Becky shook her head, " Yeah. Didn't get as far as he'd ... he'd have liked, I think but still ... he tried it on. W-what happened with you? "
Kim paused and bit her lip, " It's too hard to say. He made comments, tried to grab me. It was ... awful. "
Becky nodded, and the two women said nothing more than that - they didn't need to, and moreover, they couldn't say anything. While Kim sat there very composed on the outside, crumbling on the inside as she sipped her tea, Becky was a wreck. She couldn't bring herself to do anything, not even straightened her clothes. She felt cold and empty but didn't know what to do.
After what seemed like forever, the door burst open and Jack stood in the doorway. He looked at his two collegues - both friends, both of whom meant a lot to him, and both of whom were good teachers and popular with pupils.
" Jesus," he whispered to himself, looking from one woman to the other, and not knowing where to go first, " Becky ... Kim ... I ... oh my God. "
He came into the room, followed by Andrew who was wearing a sad expression on his face, not sure what he should do. Jack didn't know how to look after crying women really and he really didn't know how to deal with what he suspected to be sexual assault. He decided to leave Becky until last to give himself some more time to think about how to deal with her.
" Kim," Jack started, " I'm so sorry. I - are you alright? You're not ... you're not physically hurt? "
Kim held up a hand to him, cutting off his sentence, " I'm ... not fine ... but ... you know ..."
Jack nodded - Kim looked shaken but was in a fine physical condition. When he turned to Becky however, it was another story. The look on her face, her messed up hair, and the disturbing disarray of her jacket.
He knelt down in front of her and said, " Becky, oh my God, are you alright? Did he hurt you? "
Becky only let out a sob and Jack sighed. He was extremely concerned about her and furious - he wanted to know every detail, but it was pretty clear that Lewis Seddon had assaulted her.
When Becky said nothing, Jack continued, " Look at me, Becky. " She was breathing deeply and he said, " Ok, calm down, love. Look at me, Rebecca. Deep breaths, yeah? Good girl, yeah, that's it. Oh no - please don't cry. "
He was panicking about her and didn't really know how to deal with it.
He didn't want to see her crying and he reached out to wipe away her tears. To his suprise, she recoiled from his hand and swatted it away. He was suprised, but supposed it was only to be expected - he didn't like the rejection but knew she'd got bigger things to deal with.
" Sorry," he mumbled, looking at her, " let's just ... I'm not going to hurt you. Love, it's me, isn't it? Come on, take your jacket off - it's ... the bastard's ripped it, trying to get it off! I'm going to kill him! "
" Jack," Andrew said, shaking his head, " let's hear Kim and Becky out first, shall we? "
Jack nodded and backed away from Becky, and as he did so, she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and she looked at him with wide eyes. She started to slip her jacket off and Jack smiled encouragingly.
Becky slipped off her jacket and Jack took it from her and tossed it on her desk, handing her his own. Becky looked at it uncertainly before slipped it on - it was too big for her, which made it lovely and warm.
" Kim? " Andrew asked.
Kim nodded and tried to piece it together, " I ... I was in the cooler with Seddon. He said he would ... " She broke off, shaking her head, " I can't repeat the vile things he said to me. " She let out a sob, " I'm sorry, erm ... "
Anrew turned to Becky and said, " Can you tell us what happened to you? "
Becky took a moment to compose herself and she looked between the two men, " I was walking down the corridor and I saw Kim leave the cooler - she seemed upset. I went into the cooler, and Seddon was there. I tried to ask him where Kim had gone and why he wasn't being supervised, and he started coming towards me. He managed to pin me to the wall - "
" So he touched you? " Jack asked, struggling to keep a lid on his anger.
Becky nodded, " He ... " she took a deep breath, determined not to cry, which she didn't, " he kissed my cheek and he tried to pull my jacket it off me. He tried to kiss me properly, too. And that's when I shoved him away and ran off. "
" I'm going to kill him," Jack said as he stood up, " I really think we've heard enough. Andrew? "
Jack stormed out of the room and Andrew followed hot on his heels. Becky sighed and leant back in the seat, closing her eyes and trying to block everything out. Neither she nor Kim spoke, but they didn't need to.
When Jack and Andrew returned, Jack looked furious but somehow satisified with himself too, and Andrew looked equally satisified though quite grim.
Becky looked up as they entered the room.
" I've expelled the evil little get," Jack told them two women.
Becky was quite satified with that - Seddon deserved everything that he had coming to him, an she couldn't wait to see that back of him. The sooner he was gone the better. She pulled Jack's warm jacket tighter around her and fastened it up, hugging her torso.
Kim however, stood up and shook her head, " You can't! It's not that simple! You know the rules. "
" Rules were meant to be broken," Jack told her soothingly, " I won't go back on it," he vowed to both women.
" You should have discussed this with me first! " Kim told him angrily.
Jack exchanged a look with Andrew, both of them suprised by her reaction. Jack looked at Becky, " And what do you think about this? "
Becky shook her head, " He deserves everything he gets. I ... I don't ever want to see him again. "
" But it's going to have to go through the board, Becky," Kim told her, trying to make her come around to the same way of thinking, " we're going to have to testify. To repeat every vile little thing that he did and said, to strangers. "
Becky's eyes widened as she realised that and she stood up slowly, " I ... I didn't think about the board. No-one else say anything happen ... what if ... what if they don't believe us? "
" We'll be there to support you," Andrew said soothingly
" He's not getting away with this," Jack said quickly, " his next victim might not be so lucky. Kim, he tried to attack you and he threatened you, and Becky, he actually used force on you. "
" You think we were lucky? " Kim asked.
Jack desperately tried to backpedal, " You know I didn't mean it like that. "
Becky gathered up some courage and looked up at Jack, " I can't do this," she said, " I'm not strong enough to go through a board meeting and repeat it all to them. You don't understand how horrible it was, Jack. "
" No," Jack said, " I'm telling you, I'll protect you. I won't ever let anything happen to you. " He extended his word to Kim and said, " I'll look after both of you, and I'll talk to Heather and see where we go with this. "
When neither of the women replied, he said, " I've got to go close the show. Is it alright if I .. "
" Just go, Jack," Becky said, managing a smile for him.
Once Jack had gone, Kim had declared that she was going to her classroom. Becky didn't feel like going anywhere, and she walked around the office and wandered over to Jack's bookcasse.
Andrew sighed and looked from Becky to the direction that Kim had just left in.
" Go after her, if you want," Becky said, watching his reaction as she looked for something to keep herself occupied - Jack's bookcase held very few actual books, because most of the things on there were ringerbinders and folders
" What about you though? " Andrew asked, " I really don't feel like you should be on your own. "
Becky shrugged, turning to look at him, " I ... I'll be ok. "
Andrew frowned, " But after ... I really don't think you should be alone. I want to help you. "
There was something about Rebecca Clarkson that made Andrew feel strangely protective. He was 35 himself and knew she was only 7 or 8 years younger than him, but she had a strange vulnerability to her that was well hid, and rarely ever came to the surface like this.
" You've already helped," Becky told him, " I ... when I left the cooler ... I was such a mess, wasn't I? You were the one who found me and helped me calm down. You got Jack for me. "
" Anyone would have done that," Andrew said, " now, are you really sure I can leave you alone? This isn't one of those women things where you mean the opposite and I'm supposed to guess that? "
Becky laughed, " You've clearly got feelings for Kim - go check on her. Jack'll be back soon, for me, and in the meantime I ... " she swallowed, " I'll read a book. "
Andrew nodded and left her to it.
Becky actually felt far from fine, but she'd managed to calm down enough to examine Jack's minimal collection of books - he had about a dozen books and all of them were historical. Becky shrugged to herself and plucked one from the bookcase and sat in his desk chair - it paid to have a boyfriend who was hedmaster, and who had taught the same subject she taught.
She couldn't concentrate on the book and must have read the same paragraph on General Haigh five times, before she sighed and tossed the book onto the desk. She leant forward and rested her elbows on the desk, her head in her hands. She didn't know what to do and she closed her eyes.
She heard the bell signalling the end of the school day.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice said, " Hi. "
His voice wasn't loud and was actually quite soft, and Becky looked up sharply. She saw Jack leaning up in the doorway and he shook his head with a smile, " I'm sorry, Becky, I didn't mean to scare you. "
Becky shook her head, " Don't worry about it. How ... how did it go? With Heather, and the play? "
" I think it went well," Jack said, walking across the room and coming to sit on the edge of his desk, " you look rather comfortable there. Wearing my jacket, sitting in my chair, in my office, reading my book. "
Becky shook her head as she looked at the book, " Can't get into it. Can't think straight. "
Jack sighed sadly and tried to offer her a smile. He reached out slowly and mumbled, " Give me your hand. "
Becky didn't hesitate and held out her hand to him. Jack smiled and took it in his own, squeezing her hand lightly, " This'll get sorted out Becky, I promise. I won't have Seddon back in the school after this. I'm so sorry that this ever hapened - I'm going to look after you from now on. "
Becky raised a smile for him, " You don't have to fuss over me Jack, it's not like it's your fault this happened. "
" I do have to fuss over you," Jack said, as they looked at each other and spoke quietly, " what kind of man would I be if I didn't want to look after the woman I love? "
Jack didn't seem to realise what he'd said, but Becky did and she looked at him in suprise - she didn't think Jack did love and she stared at him,
" The woman you what? "
Jack realised what he'd said and didn't back down from it. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand, " It's probably not the best time to say this, but since I've let it out ... yeah, I think I love you. I know we've only been together two months, but ... I think I love you. "
Becky smiled, and she made every effort to forget all about Lewis Seddon, and for a few moments, she managed to forget about everything except she and Jack, and she nodded.
" I ... I .. I think I might love you too," she replied.
Jack smiled a genuine soft smile, " "Might"? " he asked, " well that's plenty good enough for me right now. Is it alright if I ... " he trailed off, though his eyes were on her lips.
" Please don't ask," Becky sighed, " I might be terrified of what Seddon'll do if he gets to me, but I know you won't hurt me. "
Jack smiled a little more and Becky closed her eyes. Jack leant in and laid one hand on her cheek everso gently, making her eyelids flutter a little. Becky relaxed against Jack's touch and smiled a little as she felt him close by her. He leaned in and she felt his lips brush against hers everso lightly. It was just what she needed to get rid of thoughts of Seddon and Jack tasted so delicious and perfect.
When she felt him pull away, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. She squeezed his hand and said, " Weren't you going to take Heather to the pub? "
Jack scoffed, " Davenport? Are you kidding? I was going to, but I changed my mind to be with you, love. "
" Yeah? " Becky asked, " that's really nice, honey. But I'm not going to be much company, you know. "
" That's ok," Jack said, " you take your space - do what you want. Do you want me to drop you off home? "
Becky raised her eyebrows, " I've got my own car, you know. "
" Yeah," jack said, " but you're still shaken up - you're not in much of a state to drive home, are you? I'll drive you home, leave your car here overnight, and I'll pick you up in the morning if you want? You do only live ten minutes away from me. "
Becky nodded and accepted it and Jack smiled. They both stood up in the office and Jack reached out and took hold of her hand protectively as he led her to the doorway of the office.
" Thank you Jack," Becky said, looking up at him.
" For what? " he asked as they started to walk to the main entrance.
" Being here," she replied.
They walked to Jack's car hand in hand, and it was only once Becky got into the passenger seat of Jack's car that she closed her eyes and leant her head back against the seat.
" Don't look like that," Jack said, " I hate seeing you sad. "
" I can't bloody help it," Becky sighed, " you don't know what it's like, Jack. The way he made me feel ... actually, will you take me to Tom's new place, please? I just need my big brother sometimes. "
Jack nodded at her, " Yeah, course I will. "
When Jack pulled up outside Tom's place, Becky ran a hand through her hair, stressed out and she started to feel panicked again as she thought about having to tell Tom what had happened to her today.
Jack saw the look on her face and smiled comfortingly, " Come on then," he said, " I'll come with you. It's ok, you're ok now. "
Becky got out of the car, as as Jack took her hand and they walked to the front door, she started breathing more deeply and was beginning to get panicked. She tried to keep calm as she knocked on Tom's door.
The door opened and Tom smiled as he looked at them both, " Oh, hi," he said, stepping back to let them in. " Becky, where did you get to during the play? Oh, and you won't believe what happened to me and Izzie today? Lorna only walked in on us kissing and ... hey, what's going on? "
He'd noticed the look on his sisters face and he knew there was something wrong. Her jacket was missing, replaced with Jack's oversized one.
" I had a tough day," Becky said with a shake of her head. She bit down on her lip and Tom could see how close she was to tear and he frowned.
Jack told Tom, " Becky had a run in with Lewis Seddon today, which is why she wasn't at the play. She wanted to come and see you, so I thought I might as well give her a lift here. "
As Becky let out a sob, Tom looked at her in confusion but reached out and pulled her into a hug. He was always good when she was upset, and he hugged her to his chest, where she clung to him.
" Thanks for bringing her here, mate," Tom told Jack, " and looking after her, I imagine. "
" No problem," Jack said, " I'll leave you to it. Becky? I'm going now. I'll see you later, love. "
Becky looked over from Tom to Jack and tried to say a goodbye though it didn't come out very well. Jack knew exactly what she meant, and he smiled at her before he left the siblings.
When they were left alone, Tom hugged his sister tightly.