A/N Hello everyone - I hope you're still with me.
Firstly, let me apologise for my lengthy absence. I've had an awful lot to deal with lately and haven't been on FF much (or had much time to write for that matter!). Thank you to everyone reading this for waiting so long for the update! :D
Secondly, I must apologise for the short length of this chapter - and the fact that very little actually happens! I was conscious of how long it had been since I'd updated and wanted to post what I had. Hopefully I will have another chapter uploaded by the weekend to make up for it! :D
This chapter is dedicated to my friend, SAndyLeePotts, whom I miss very much, in the hope that she will forgive me...
Connor sat in Matt and Emily's hotel room - their new temporary hub of operations - staring at the mysterious black holdall that Becker had not allowed to leave his possession since their escape from the ARC. Except, now, the bag was unattended because Becker was in the shower. Thankfully, Emily had packed the people carrier Matt had hired with clothes for each of them. Connor had showered and changed some time before; Becker was the last.
So, taking his chance, Connor had snuck into the room the soldier shared with Jess, while the others were discussing their situation, and retrieved the curious bag. Now, having risked a peek inside it, he sat on Matt's bed, staring at it nervously, thoroughly wishing he hadn't been so inquisitive. What was wrong with him? Why did he always have to put himself in mortal danger like this? He should just put the bag back, right now, so Becker was none the wiser. He could pretend he'd never seen it, act all innocent and -
"Connor?"
When her fiance didn't move, Abby tried again, gently touching his shoulder as she did so.
"Connor?"
The scientist jumped at her touch, as if a child caught up to no good. He lifted his head, a guilty expression on his face and, worried now, Abby sat down on the bed next to him. She inclined her head towards the bag that had been the focus of Connor's concentration.
"What's that?" she enquired, softly.
Connor's face changed from guilt to fear. "Something - you don't want to know."
"Connor," Abby pressed him in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Seriously, you really don't want to know!" exclaimed Connor, a little to loudly. Clapping his hand over his big mouth he mumbled, "He's going to kill me."
"Don't want to know what?" asked Matt, turning to the couple from his position at the table across the room and inviting himself into their conversation.
"Nothing!" squeaked Connor as Abby nudged him and rolled her eyes.
"What's that?" demanded Matt, echoing Abby's words as he, Emily and Jess joined them at the foot of the bed, staring at the innocuous black article.
"That. Is. My. Bag," stated a gruff, low voice from the doorway. They all jumped this time, except for Matt, and turned to face the angry soldier behind them.
Becker glared at them all and Jess noted how dishevelled he looked, like he'd just leapt out of the bathroom and hurriedly dressed, his hair still dripping from his shower. He looked rather fetching actually; his hair a little spiky with water droplets at its ends, a few escaping to trickle down his cheek; his face intense and furious.
Jess found herself becoming very distracted by the tension in his muscles, more than a little obvious under the tight black t-shirt he had thrown on, and even more so by the fact that he hadn't yet bothered to buckle the belt of his jeans, hanging loosely around his hips, the waistband of his boxers just visible. Jess blinked rapidly forcing herself to abandon any further mental meanderings as he began speaking; his voice even and calm - a sure sign that he was highly agitated.
"Would one of you mind telling me how it came to be in here?"
"Connor had it," piped up Emily suddenly, after a long silent pause, earning herself pointed stares from the others which she returned with defiance.
"Temple," muttered Becker. "I should have known."
He pushed himself into the room, striding quickly across it towards the holdall, his movement sending Connor leaping to his feet, holding himself in a shaky defensive stance, his eyes staring warily at Becker.
Becker raised an eyebrow at Connor's attempt to engage him in combat. As if the scientist posed any kind of threat! Connor wouldn't last five minutes! He stopped, feeling Abby's eyes boring into his back, as if daring him to make a move against her fiance. And Abby, he knew, could most definitely defend herself. He really didn't feel like getting into a confrontation with the small feisty blonde right now. Not that he couldn't take her; he could! He just didn't feel like it. Instead Becker brushed past Connor and reached for the bag just as Matt gripped his forearm.
"What's in the bag, Becker?" he asked quietly.
Becker stopped, his fingers closing around the soft handle of the bag and gripping until his knuckles went white, and met the Team Leader's hard stare with his own.
"Just - stuff," he mumbled, annoyed with how lame that sounded.
Matt wasn't buying it. "Becker -." His tone held a warning. "Don't force me to make it a direct order."
"It's money!" blurted out Connor, earning himself glares from both the other men. Sheepishly, Connor sat back down on the bed, ducking his head down behind Abby, seeking her protection.
"Money?" the girls' repeated, their gazes, now full of curiosity, locked on the black holdall.
Matt let go of Becker's arm in surprise. That was not what he had been expecting. Grenades? Yes. IEDs? Definitely. Even a bazooka would not have made him blink an eye. But money?
Two impassive but intense faces stared each other down whilst the others waited nervously, trading anxious glances. Jess chewed her lip furiously, her gaze darting from the holdall to Becker to Matt and back again.
Eventually, Becker sighed, loudly, exasperatedly and with much exaggeration, in the manner of a petulant teenager.
"It's all I could get a such short notice," he stated flatly. "I have a Trust Fund," he added for clarification and indicated the bag in his hand. "This is all the bank would allow me to withdraw."
Matt raised one eyebrow. Having seen Becker's family home those few short months ago, he was aware of the soldier's upper class status. However, "Trust Fund" was something he had not considered - although, with hindsight, perhaps it should have been more than obvious.
"How much money, Becker?" his soft voice only indicated it was a question by the rise in tone on the soldier's name.
Becker avoided his gaze and said nothing.
"Becker?" Matt insisted, his patience beginning to thin.
Jess watched as a slow flush crept up Becker's face from his jaw line to his temple. When he spoke, his voice was so low it was barely audible.
"A little under three mill," he admitted, squirming awkwardly at the group's collective gasp. It was incredible how many diverse inflections could be conveyed by that short, sharp intake of breath. Gasps of horror sounded different to gasps of joy or surprise. This gasp, however, he knew, was a gasp of awe, which he found unimaginably uncomfortable. He just wanted to squirrel the bag away and slink out of the spotlight. Unfortunately, Connor had other ideas.
"Three million quid!" he exclaimed rather too loudly, as he leapt off the bed, nearly knocking Abby onto the floor, his voice booming across the quiet room.
Becker winced and avoided everyone's gaze, his colour deepening.
Abby reached out her hand, resting it on Connor's arm to calm his enthusiasm, before turning incredulous eyes towards the soldier.
"Seriously, Becker?" she queried, softly.
Returning her gaze, Becker nodded once in reply to Abby's quiet question.
Matt whistled long and low, a measure of his surprise showing fleetingly in his expression.
Feeling her eyes on him, Becker turned towards Jess, meeting her wide blue eyes with a worried frown. She hadn't spoken yet - which was unusual for her. Did she disapprove? As he stared at her, her expression altered from one of shock to placation and concern. She rested a gentle hand on his, her fingers slowly caressing his skin.
"Becker, you can't finance this entire mission by yourself," she told him firmly, her voice a fierce whisper, her eyes never leaving his.
"I can, I have, it's done," he replied flatly, hefting the holdall twice to prove his point.
Stepping back, Becker addressed the group.
"Look," he stated quietly. "We need to cover living costs, transportation, any equipment we may require and heaven knows how much for Lester's legal expenses. That could easily run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. And we need it in cash. By now our bank accounts will either be frozen or monitored by MI6. Or both actually. If we try to use debit or credit cards they will be able to trace our location. Not our exact position, granted, but it will give them a head start. I did what I had to do to ensure our safety and our anonymity."
He paused in the face of their silence, his features blank, waiting for the back lash. He was not expecting the one person with whom he had the most fractious and strained relationship to become his champion. He was therefore completely taken aback when Emily expressed her opinion, her voice strident and confident in the quiet room.
"You are absolutely correct, Captain Becker," she announced. "And we are all very grateful for your foresight in this matter. I believe you have safeguarded our liberty and given us the means to complete our mission by reducing our risk of discovery. And at great personal cost." She paused to squeeze Becker's arm, bringing his eyes to hers. "Thank you," she said, simply and sincerely.
Matt took her lead, a small grin expressing his admiration for the woman beside him, and slapped Becker on the shoulder causing the soldier to wince.
"Nice one, mate. Now, can we please discuss more important issues - like our next move?" And, with that, any further discussion on the money was none too subtly dropped.
Feeling the attention of everyone shifting away from him, Becker sent Matt a small, grateful smile.
"I see three immediate needs," the soldier told the Team Leader, waiting for Matt to indicate he should proceed.
"Which are?" Matt prompted.
"A permanent base of operations, parts for Connor to re-engineer his equipment, and ensuring the safety of our families," continued Becker, without much inflection to indicate which need he considered to be the most pressing.
He felt Jess tense and squeak beside him.
"Becker - my mother!"
She hadn't really contemplated the implications of all this for her family until now. She hadn't understood that her mother could be in danger. She felt panic suddenly grip her, constricting her throat and reducing her exclamation to a squeak. Becker nodded to her and reassuringly squeezed her hand, his strength calming her slightly; but the tension remained.
"Right," agreed Matt. He took one short moment to make his decision, before barking out orders, his tone gruff and determined.
"Emily, Abby - visit some estate agents. Find a rental property big enough to accommodate all of us. We'll need something with good visibility - and a defendable escape route."
The girls nodded and moved towards each other.
"We'll need a location where we will blend in," interjected Becker. "Somewhere the neighbours won't bat an eyelid at our odd comings and goings. We need to be anonymous."
"Okay, got it!" Abby nodded.
"Connor and I will scout out the equipment," Matt continued, looking at the scientist. "Know where we can get the stuff we need?"
Connor's eyes lit up. "Yep. On it!" Abby smiled, pleased to see her fiance excited once more.
Becker cut in again. "Connor - I need you to set up a Youtube channel for me -"
"You've heard of Youtube?" Connor interrupted, astonished but was silenced by a glare from the soldier.
"Yes, Temple, I've heard of Youtube," Becker sighed. "And I need to you set up a channel under this name with this password." He handed Connor a folded piece of ARC letterhead.
Connor frowned, confused and more than a little curious, but he decided, wisely, not to question further.
"Youtube channel," he repeated. "Check."
Matt took the holdall from Becker and handed out cash to Abby and Becker, keeping some for himself and Connor, before stashing the bag under the bed moving towards the door.
"Wait!" cried Jess. "What about protecting our families?"
Everyone froze and stared at her.
Matt shrugged. "I don't have any. Neither does Emily." He paused, thoughtful for a moment. "Connor? Abby?"
Connor shook his head. "There's my mum but I have no way of contacting her," he said, a tinge of sadness in his tone. He found he was unable to clarify exactly why he had no contact with her and caught Abby's arm tightly in his hand, hoping to deflect any pertinent questions with one of his own. "What about Jack?"
Abby smiled gratefully at his concern for her baby brother but shook her head gently. "I have no idea where he is." She sighed heavily. "Not that he would listen to me even if I did."
Connor squeezed Abby's arm comfortingly, his brown eyes full of concern. She smiled ruefully.
"It's okay. He's always done his own thing. I'm used to it."
"Your mother, Becker?" asked Matt, suddenly, remembering the incredible, stoic old lady, so much like her son, that he and Carter had rescued a few months before.
At this, Becker smiled.
"Whisked away by an old friend of my father's - along with half the men from his old unit. Not that she knows that, of course. They'll stay on watch and keep well hidden. And Forsyth is a good man. He'll ensure she comes to no harm. He's always had a bit of a soft spot for my mother."
Matt raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The thought that Becker had sent his mother on what could ostensibly be called an "extended date" required him to fiercely resist the urge to laugh.
"So, just my mother then," Jess murmured, her voice small and fearful. She had seen what MI6 could do. Running from them, she had experienced what these people were capable of. And she was extremely afraid for her mother.
Becker gazed down at her, a soft, tender glow in his hazel eyes, and patted her hand.
"Whom we are going to visit right now."
He stopped momentarily, looking up to check he hadn't overstepped the chain of command. "Right, Matt?"
Matt smirked. "I was wondering what you two were still doing here, to be honest, mate," he quipped lightly, trying to remove the look of fear in Jess's eyes.
It worked and her face brightened. "Thank you." She managed a small smile for him, before pulling on Becker's arm, indicating her desire to leave urgently. She knew MI6 could be there already.
Matt nodded. "Return immediately back here once you're done." This time he addressed the whole team. "Keep away from CCTV cameras and keep your heads down. Remember, we have no phones - something that Connor and I will rectify shortly - so for now we have no means of communication. Stick together. And, whatever you do, don't get caught."
They all smiled grimly and nodded before splitting into pairs and heading out into the city.
A/N So, Becker can afford those shoes afterall! :D :D :D
Will MI6 get to Mrs Parker before Jess and Becker? :/
And why on earth does Becker need a Youtube channel?
So many questions! I'd love to hear your thoughts on them! :D
Next chapter we meet the Jess's mum - what will she be like...?