There was more to Becker's job than fighting prehistoric creatures that came out of anomaly's. As the ARC'S head of Security; he was responsible for ensuring the men and women under his command were fully trained for when they were in the field. And part of that was making sure they were all as fit as possible. Which meant every morning and evening, they'd be in the ARC's surprisingly extensive gym, doing exercises. Becker knew none of them really enjoyed this part of the job – especially the morning drills. But he also knew that none of them wanted to risk their lives due to not being able to run quick enough. And so this evening, like every other, the gym was filled with the ARC's soldiers as Becker too them through drills. He didn't stand there and bark orders at them. He did every single one himself. After all, he was assigned to the main team and went on the majority of missions. He needed to be in top form.

Other than the soldiers, no one else really used the gym much. Abby had used it once when hers was shut one week due to staff shortages and some of the lad techs had been seen in there on the odd occasion. But it was generally considered to be the soldiers domain, and so they completed their drills undisturbed. Which Becker preferred given he wasn't just responsible for the soldiers fitness. He was responsible for their lives. Even though Abby and Connor were back, and Danny had briefly turned up; he still couldn't shake that guilt he'd felt during that dark year. He doubted he ever would. But at least he could do his best to make sure he, or anyone else, never had to go through such a thing again.

"Alright!" He barked. "Fifty push ups and then you can go."

There was a bit of grumbling from the soldiers. Understandable given they were at the end of a very long day. But all of them got down and began doing their push-ups. Becker included.

"Ten. Eleven. Twelve."

The muttered counting around the room was suddenly accompanied by a familiar tapping sound coming from the corridor. Becker paused to glance at his watch. Jess would have finished her shift long ago by now. He must just be imagining the sound of her ridiculous heels. Or maybe it was another person. It's not as though Jess was the only person in the whole ARC to wear heels.

"Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen."

"Captain Becker? Sir?"

Becker glanced over to see the closest soldier had stopped and was staring at the door to the gym. He followed the mans gaze to see Jess standing awkwardly in the doorway. She tugged at the hem of her red mini-dress. Becker scrambled to his feet.

"Keep at it everyone."

He was aware the majority of the soldiers were now focused on him as he walked towards Jess. He was well aware of the rumours that had been circulating ever since the Beetle Incident, and Convergence. And most of the gossips all asked the same question: why hadn't he asked her out yet? Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Becker hurried over to Jess.

"Hey. Why are you still here? Your shift ended ages ago?"

"I know." She gave a small nod. "I um… I'm really sorry for interrupting but I've not had a spare chance all day and I really need to ask you something. A favour really."

"Of course." Becker wished he wasn't so sweaty as he really wanted to hug her. Jess was smiling, but it wasn't her usual smile. This one seemed more forced. Like she was doing it to play a part. And she kept shuffling her feet nervously. Something was bothering her, and Becker didn't like it.

"How can I help you Jess?"

"I…" She glanced over at the soldiers who – to their credit – were still finishing their push-ups. Becker just noticed they were moving a lot slower than normal.

"Could I speak with you in private?" Jess asked.

Becker didn't even hesitate. He turned round and cleared his throat at the room.

"Alright everyone. That's enough for tonight. Go home and I'll see you all tomorrow."

The soldiers all stopped and steadily got their feet. Becker raised his eyebrow at the disgruntled mutterings coming from most of them. No doubt they had hoped to overhear whatever Jess had wanted to say. Well Becker had no intention of that happening. He waited until the very last one had left the room, before ushering Jess in and shutting the door behind them.

"You didn't have to stop your drills." Jess said. "It could have waited."

"Somehow I doubt that." Becker shrugged. "Anyway they all wanted to go home. I figured they'd earned an early finish. How can I help you?"

"Oh!" Jess's cheeks flushed pink. "Well…. the thing is I…. that is I was wondering if…. I was hoping you would be able to teach me some self-defence moves?"

Becker stiffened. Why on earth would Jess need to know how to defend herself? She spent her days safe and sound in the hub. She didn't need to know how to defend herself because she would never need to be in that situation. Unless…? Becker felt sick. Unless something had happened to her outside of work?

"Becker?" Jess pulled him from his thoughts. "So, will you?"

"Why the sudden interest?" He forced himself to keep his voice calm. Jess meanwhile gave a small shrug.

"I know I spend my days at the ADD. But the Future Beetles and Convergence showed that even being in the ARC is dangerous. Some moves could be useful. I would have asked Abby but…. well she's…. I figured it would be better to practice against someone who was…. well, bigger."

Becker nodded slowly. She was right there at least. Even so, he knew Jess wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"You've been trained with the EMD's haven't you?"

"Yes." Jess said. "But what if they don't work? Or I don't have one to hand. I figured it would be a useful skill to have."

Becker searched her face; hoping to find some kind of answer there. Instead he just found himself gazing into her big blue eyes. Something he did often enough on a daily basis.

"Is that a no?" Jess asked.

"No." Becker shook his head. "No Jess if you want to learn some moves, I'm more than happy to show you. I can't promise they'll be useful against a Future Predator, but better safe than sorry."

"Excellent." A genuine smile suddenly appeared on her face. "When did you want to start?"

"Tomorrow morning?" Becker suggested. "You start at 9 so how about 8? That gives us time to go through some basics at least."

He couldn't help but smile at the look on Jess's face when he'd told her to be at work an hour earlier than normal. But she gave him a determined nod.

"8 works for me. Do I need to bring anything or…"

"Gym clothes if you have them. I know you aren't likely to be wearing them in a real scenario; but it's better to be comfy when you're learning the basics."

"Okay." Jess nodded again. "Thank you Becker. Honestly, I really appreciate it."

Becker opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, Jess hurried over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. When he glanced down at her, he knew his face was as red as hers. Before he could stop himself, Becker reached out and took her hand.

"Jess?"

She blinked up at him. "Yeah?"

"Would you…." The words died in his throat. "You do know you can tell me if anything's wrong, don't you? Anything at all Jess?"

Something flickered across her face before that fake smile was back.

"I know. But nothing's wrong Becker. Honestly."

She turned and walked out of the gym whilst Becker watched her go.

"So why is it I don't believe you?" He muttered.

When Becker arrived at the gym for 8, he wasn't expecting to see Jess already there. She was in the middle of the gym, doing some stretches. Becker couldn't help but smile at her choice of clothing. It was his requested gym gear; but he was still very Jess. Bright blue cameo leggings with a purple sports vest. Even her trainers were mostly purple and pink. Becker glanced down at his black shorts and vest. He suddenly felt very dull. Which was ridiculous considering his uniform was all black, and Jess wore bright colours every day.

"Becker!" Jess waved him over. "Morning."

"Someone's happy despite the early start." Becker grinned. Jess shrugged.

"I brought some chocolate bars to help keep me going. Now then, what do we start with?"

Becker moved so he was standing directly in front of Jess. She peered up at him and he suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea. Spending an hour in close proximity to Jess and taking her through self-defence moves which would require him touching her, was going to be a serious challenge. Not because he didn't want to touch her. But because he did. In much more intimate areas than he would be this morning. Jess was so small and slight, it would be easy to have her on the floor with him on top of her, allowing him to explore every inch of her body whilst she could do the same with his.

"Becker?"

"Yes." He forced his mind away from his fantasies. "Okay, we'll go through some basics today and see how we get on. Stand with your feet a little bit apart. Good. Okay I'm going to put my hands here."

He gently put his hands around her neck and Jess tensed.

"If anything makes you uncomfortable then just say and we'll stop." Becker said softly. Jess gave a small nod, but Becker knew that even if she did feel uncomfortable, she wouldn't say. He didn't know why she wanted these self-defence lessons, but it was clear it was more than just protection against incursions.

"Okay, now you're going to put your right elbow on top of my arms. Yes, like that. And then elbow me in the face. Not literally but just the motion."

Jess pretended to elbow him in the face; stopping just before she actually hit him. Becker then removed his hands from her neck.

"And you're free. Easy right?"

Jess gave a small nod. "And….and that would work if I did it on someone bigger than me?"

"The element of surprise is a huge advantage." Becker told her. "If your opponent is bigger than you, they will assume they have the upper hand. They will underestimate you and you can use that against them. So let's try that again, but this time I'm just going to try and strangle you, okay? No warning."

Jess smiled. "I bet you never thought you'd be saying that to me."

Becker laughed. "No. Now Matt on the other hand, is a different matter."

"Okay." Jess got into her stance. "Go on. Try and strangle me."

Becker lunged forward; hands aimed at her neck. He grabbed Jess's neck firmly but not tightly just as she turned slightly and elbowed at his face. Becker let her go with a smile.

"Very good."

Jess gave a small bounce. "What's next."

Over the next few days, Becker and Jess met up at 8 every morning before work to go through various moves. Jess was a quick learner and had soon mastered the basics. She still wouldn't tell Becker the real reason why she'd requested these lessons, and when he asked Abby and Emily, they both seemed as clueless as he was. Still, given it meant he was able to spend an hour in morning with Jess, Becker wasn't going to complain. He knew he was being ridiculous by not asking her out. It's not like he even had the excuse of fearing she'd say no to him.. Becker knew Jess would say yes. And yet if he did ask her out and she did say yes, it would all become real. And in a job where there was no guarantee you'd come home each night, Becker knew he couldn't put Jess through that.

And yet not being with her, was pure torture.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts; that he only noticed Jess had joined him when she was standing right next to him.

"You seem very pre-occupied."

Becker turned to face her. Jess had opted for green legging and a grey top today. She still had her purple and pink trainers; but now he was up close, Becker noticed she seemed to be shifting most of her weight onto her right leg.

"Jess you're hurt."

"Oh." She glanced down at her. "I just jarred it slightly. It's fine. Well it does ache a little bit and I suppose wearing heels all day won't help. But at least I'll be sitting down in my chair so that should take the weight off. I could maybe even prop my foot on the desk. As long as Lester doesn't see of course."

"You're hurt." Becker repeated. "We won't have a lesson this morning. Rest your ankle and we'll maybe do one tomorrow if you're up for it."

"Becker it's fine!" Jess protested. "Honestly, I feel completely fine. Please don't stop the lesson."

"Jess." Becker folded his arms over his chest. "I don't feel comfortable doing hand-to hand combat when you're injured."

"It's a small sprain and barely that." Jess placed a hand on his arm. "Becker please?"

He stared down at her. A mistake. Jessica Parker had him wrapped around her little finger and he wasn't that ashamed to admit it.

"Very well." Becker sighed and Jess gave a small squeal of delight. "But the moment your ankle hurts we stop. I mean it Jess."

"Yes." She nodded. "But it won't hurt so it won't be a problem."

Becker shook his head. He had a feeling he was going to regret this very quickly.

They'd been going only fifteen minutes when the inevitable happened.

Becker had been going through some very basic hand-to-hand combat moves with Jess. His main aim was teaching her how best to block a blow and land her own. Although she lacked strength, she was small and quick, and Becker was helping her use that to her advantage.

"Very good." He blocked one of her punches and when Jess went to hit him with her other hand and blocked that as well.

"There is one thing you must never forget Jess." He held both of her wrists tightly.

"Oh? What's that?"

"Always expect the unexpected."

He looped his leg behind Jess's and brought her legs out from under her. She fell backwards with Becker falling with her. They landed in a small heap and whereas Becker was only slightly winded, Jess gave a pained cry.

"Ow!"

"Jess?" Becker scrambled off her. "Jess what is it?"

"My ankle." Her breath came in short, sharp bursts. "Ow it really hurts now."

Becker helped her sit up before taking her ankle in his hands and gently examining it.

"I think it's a bad sprain. Jess I told you we should skip todays lesson."

"I'm sorry." Jess snapped. "It felt okay this morning."

Becker shook his head. "It's fine. It's my own fault. I should have insisted we skip. I'm so sorry Jess."

"Hey." She gently took his hand. "It's not your fault."

"It is." Becker sighed. "I can't refuse you anything Jess and it's landed you with a sprained ankle."

Jess's cheeks flushed pink. "I'm sure that's not entirely true."

"It is." Becker helped them to their feet. "You could tell me to jump off the roof of the ARC and I'd probably do it."

He let his hands rest on Jess's waist. She fit so perfectly and the idea of letting her go wasn't a pleasant one. Jess let her own hands rest on his chest and Becker allowed his head to dip slightly closer.

"Becker I…" Jess cleared her throat. "My ankle feels much better now. We can carry on now if you want."

Becker stepped away with a laugh. "No chance. Jess you are going to the medical bay to get that looked at."

"But I'm fine now." She insisted. "And what you're teaching me is really important."

"Not as important as you!" Becker snapped. "I refuse to take part in you injuring yourself even further. It doesn't matter if we skip a lesson today Jess. We can pick it up again tomorrow or in a few days' time and it will be fine."

"Yes but…" Jess faltered. "What If…." She shook her head, a steely resolve coming back.

"Becker I'm fine."

"No you're not Jess." Becker said softly. "You're not fine. You haven't been fine for ages. Please just tell me what has happened. I know this sudden need to learn self-defence has nothing to do with the creatures."

"I…" Jess shook her head. "Becker just leave it."

"No." He walked towards her and took her hands. "Talk to me Jess. Please?"

Jess shut her eyes and, to his horror, Becker saw tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Jess what happened?" He whispered.

"I um…" Jess opened her eyes at the tears filling them, Becker was filled with a sudden urge to punch something. Or someone.

"Last week I was out one night with some friends from out of work. We went to this club and we'd all had a fair bit to drink. Anyway, one of my friends went out for a smoke, but she was taking ages so I went outside to find her."

"Go on." A nauseating feeling was building in Becker's stomach as he knew there were a limited number of ways Jess's story would end. And none of them were good.

"She wasn't there. Turns out she'd gone back inside, and I'd just missed her. But anyway I was out there by myself when this guy came up to me. He was the same height as you, yet where you make me feel safe, he made me feel the opposite."

Without saying anything, Becker curled his arms around Jess and pulled her against him in a hug. Jess slipped her own arms around his waist.

"He began flirting with me. I said I'd only come out to find my friend. But when I tried to turn back to go inside he grabbed me and pushed me against the wall. I tried to push him away, but I could barely make him move! Then he…."

"What did he do Jess?" Becker was surprised he was staying so calm. All he wanted to do was find the bastard who had scared Jess and shoot him with the biggest EMD they had. But he knew that wouldn't help Jess now. Jess gave a small sob.

"He grabbed my bum and then kissed me. I kept pushing him away but he wouldn't move. Thankfully once of the bouncers arrived and threw him off. They kicked him out and made sure I wasn't badly hurt. I got my friends to take me home straight away."

"Oh Jess." Becker gently rubbed her back and pressed a light kiss on top of her hair.

"I just kept thinking; what would have happened if the bouncer hadn't arrived? I wouldn't have been able to stop him doing anything he wanted to me."

Becker tightened his hold on Jess. "So you asked me for self-defence lessons?"

"Yes. I figured if I had experience defending myself against someone bigger then me, I'd be okay if…. if it happened again."

Becker fought the urge to growl. Such a situation would never happen again. He would make sure of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Jess said. "I was just really ashamed about the whole thing. I haven't even told Abby or Emily."

"Hey." Becker looked down at her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong, and I don't want you thinking anything else okay?"

Jess gave a small nod, but Becker knew she wasn't convinced. Not yet anyway.

"Listen, when your ankle is better, I'll go through a few other things as well. Things that are designed especially for girls in these situations."

"I just felt so powerless." Jess whispered. "And I hated it. I hated that he could have done anything to me, and I wouldn't have been able to stop him."

"You aren't powerless Jess." Becker took her face in his hands. "Far from it. And whilst I would much rather hunt this bastard down and shoot him; I intend to spend every possible hour helping you prove that okay?"

Jess gave a weak smile. "I wonder how many blasts from an EMD it'd take to bring him down?"

"Oh I wasn't thinking of an EMD." Becker said darkly. "My Glock is still in perfect working order."

Jess's eyes widened. "Becker!"

"Anyone who scares you, or frightens you, or – God help them – hurts you, will regret it, Jess." Becker said. "I've done things I'm not proud of. But there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. Whether that's going half an hour out of my way to buy you your favourite chocolate, or shooting some piece of slime who tried to hurt you. For you I'll do anything."

Jess reached up to loop her arms around his neck.

"Becker, there's only one thing I really want you to do right now."

"Name it."

Jess reached up so she was on her toes and her lips brushed against his.

"Kiss me."

Becker didn't even think about it. He captured Jess's lips with his and hugged her close against his body. Jess fingers worked their way up into his hair whilst her own lips were exploring his with equal eagerness. Jess's legs parted and he slotted one of his legs in between hers whilst his own fingers began to clutch and grasp at her hair.

"Becker." Jess murmured against his lips. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."

"It's not." He broke away from her and smiled adoringly at her. "Or if it is, I hope it's one I never wake up from."

Jess reached up to kiss him again, but this time Becker had to force himself to make it a quick one.

"We should get you to the medical bay." He said. "And then afterwards…. how about dinner tonight?"

"Captain Becker." Jess beamed. "I thought you'd never ask."