For SveaR, who wanted a story based on or around two lines said in an episode of Primeval New World, which were: "If there is something you wanna do, do it. Not everything waits until tomorrow." Post-ep for 5x06, because that seemed to fit the prompt.
Merry Christmas, Svea! I hope you like it :) x
The investigation into the disappearance of the Kings Cross train – or the Hogwarts Express, as Connor was gleefully calling it – was thankfully resolved quite quickly. There were no fatalities and, other than a few people thinking they'd hallucinated seeing dinosaurs as a result of the concussions they'd gained when the train had been derailed, no one was seriously hurt.
The team returned to the ARC, jubilant but exhausted. Abby and Connor disappeared shortly afterwards, leaving for their flat as soon as they were able so they could celebrate the successful diversion of the end of the world. Becker had a sneaking suspicion there was something else going on, too, but decided not to mention it and wait until they were ready to share.
Matt, a little preoccupied, had been determined to stay for some reason but Emily had somehow convinced him to leave. Becker was positive he didn't want to know exactly how she'd managed to do that but he was quietly pleased the team leader had someone to take care of him in the aftermath of his mission's end.
Pleased, and a little jealous.
Becker chose to have a shower before taking his black box to the hub. He felt dusty and dirty from the long day he'd had. Besides, he was certain Jess would have already gone home so there was no need to hurry to the Ops room to check she was okay.
The memory of her blood stained face and terrified eyes came back to him as he stood underneath the spray of the hot water. Despite the steam swirling comforting around him, Becker had to stiffen his spine against a shudder.
Of all of the creatures he'd come up against in his time at the ARC, the future Predators were the worst. They featured more than any of the others in the nightmares, their snarls and clicks mingling with both his own screams and those he remembered from others on many a restless night. The thought of Jess being practically alone with them, with only an injured Lester and a failing EMD for back up…
Becker swallowed hard and gritted his teeth against the nausea that swept over him.
The fear.
He couldn't lose her like that. Couldn't add her name to the list of people he'd let down.
Not that she'd see it that way, of course. She'd told him more than once, both in words and in the little looks she gave him, that she thought it was stupid of him to hold himself responsible for every death, every failure.
"You're only one man," she told him once, after a few too many drinks on a rare team night out. "What makes you think you're capable of saving everyone even when they can't save themselves?"
It had surprised him at the time, as Jess wasn't known for being particularly bold or outspoken where he was concerned. She usually got tongue-tied and flustered, blushing prettily as she babbled on until someone took pity on her and stopped her. It hadn't escaped his attention that he was the only one who seemed to be able to make her react that way and he wasn't above admitting that he liked it – to himself, at least. To anyone else… no.
The fact that she'd been a little tipsy at the time seemed to have given her the courage to say what she was really thinking and Becker had always wondered what else she might have said if Abby hadn't chosen that moment to interrupt them because Connor had had far too much to drink and she needed Jess's help to get him home.
Shaking himself mentally as the water began to cool, Becker shut off the shower and hurriedly got dressed.
He'd take his black box to the hub and leave it there to charge, then go home and have a couple of beers – not enough to get drunk but hopefully enough to dull the effects of the nightmares he knew he was sure to have.
Not expecting there to be many people about, Becker was surprised when he left the locker room and almost immediately bumped into someone.
Even more so when that person turned out to be Lester.
Still in the blood stained shirt and braces he'd been wearing earlier, Lester looked tired and drawn. Becker could count on one hand the amount of times he'd seen his otherwise impeccable boss look so unkempt: when Professor Cutter had died, when Danny, Connor and Abby had been lost in the past, when Sarah had died and the old ARC had been disassembled.
"Becker." Lester's eyes, though, were still alert as they fixed on Becker's own. "I was hoping I'd see you before I left."
Squaring his shoulders, automatically preparing for the worst, Becker held himself almost at attention. "Is there something I can do for you, Sir?"
"No, no. Relax." Lester rolled his eyes and leaned a little more heavily on the cane he was holding. "It's not work related."
"It's not?" At the surprise he couldn't mask, Becker thought he saw a light flush stain Lester's otherwise pale cheeks but told himself he must be mistaken. "Then what's the problem…?"
"No problem, not exactly." For the first time in Becker's memory, Lester looked almost… embarrassed. "It's about Jess," Lester said after a long, awkward pause. "And you. Specifically, you and Jess."
"Jess?" His voice was pitched a little higher than he was used to hearing it but Lester thankfully chose not to comment. "What about her?"
"She could have died today," his boss said bluntly, his gaze hard and flat as he looked at Becker. There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, something that hinted at Lester's own feelings for the Field Co-ordinator. While Becker was certain they were entirely different to his own, there was no denying that Jess had somehow rapidly risen through the ranks of Lester's favourite people. "You both could have died today."
Becker fought the urge to run his hand through his hair uncomfortably and settled for shrugging a shoulder instead. "It's part and parcel of the job, Lester. We know the risks."
"You, maybe, but it's twice in as many weeks that we almost lost our Field Co-ordinator." It was a fact, pure and simple, and one neither man was at all pleased with.
"What are you saying, Lester? That you want Jess to leave?"
"Good God, no. Do you know how long it'd take to find someone else as capable as Jess?" Lester's horrified shudder was only partly exaggerated. "What I'm trying to say is… Oh, bugger it. There's a reason I don't interfere in these matters. It's hardly my place to say it..."
"Just say it." Becker's eyes narrowed. "If it involves Jess, I need to know. As Head of Security…"
"Of course. As "Head of Security"," Lester repeated, making inverted speech marks with the hand that wasn't holding his cane. "No one believes that's your only reason for being so concerned about her, Becker. Not even you." His boss took a deep breath, drawing himself up to his full height and met Becker's gaze once more. "I'm tired of watching you dance around one another. If the last few days has taught us anything, it's that not everything waits for tomorrow. For some people, tomorrow doesn't come. If there's something you want to do, Becker, now's the time to do it. Understand?"
He did, though he was too busy staring at Lester in surprise to acknowledge him.
"Well, I've tried. At least I can say that." Taking his silence as disagreement, Lester spun on heel and started walking down the corridor away from the soldier, muttering not-so-quietly to himself as he did. "And I thought waiting for Connor to make a move was bloody painful. Forget predators and dinosaurs, these people are going to be the death of me."
Unsure of how long he stood there staring after his boss, Becker shook his head and resumed his course for the hub.
Had Lester really just told him…? In the hallway of the ARC outside the locker rooms…?
Really?
It was flattering in a way, to know he had Lester's approval. Given how fond of Jess the man was, and how protective he could be of those he was fond of… Well, it was almost like having been given permission – blessing, even – from her actual father.
Deciding he had time to think about it – and hoping it'd make more sense after a couple of beers – Becker quickened his pace, eager to get home and put the day behind him.
He stopped short on entering Operations, his mouth growing dry and his heart rate kicking up a notch.
Jess was still there.
Sitting at her chair in front of the ADD, head bent as she either read the file in front of her or dozed in her seat, Jess was the last person he'd expected to see and, he realised with a small sigh as something settled in his chest, the one person he'd really needed to.
Keeping his steps light as he made his way across the room towards her, he noticed she was actually awake as he got closer, just staring blankly at the pieces of paper in front of her.
"Jess?" She jumped at the sound of his voice, her eyes round and impossibly blue against the pallor of her skin. Like Lester, the day had obviously taken its toll on her. "What are you still doing here?"
"I needed… I had to…" She fumbled for an excuse, her shoulders slumping when she couldn't think of one. "I don't want to go home to an empty flat," she admitted quietly, hanging her head almost as if she were ashamed of her confession. "I know it's not exactly busy here but there are people in the building and I can see them on the screens…"
Understanding all too well, Becker moved up to her and let his hand rest on her arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Jess seemed to think it was, as she lifted her head to look at him. "You need to get some rest. Have something to eat, get some sleep."
She opened her mouth as if to deny that she needed it but closed it again and bit her lip, glancing back at the screens. "I'll get something from the canteen later and I'm sure Lester won't mind if I use the guest quarters…"
Knowing that if he left her, she'd spend all night camped out in front of the ADD, Becker shook his head. He reached past her to put the ADD in stand-by mode, knowing that doing so automatically sent details of any anomaly alerts to the phones of the team on nightshift as well as to himself, Matt and Jess, ignoring her small cry of protest as he did so.
"Come on." Sliding the hand still resting on her arm down to her hand, he laced his fingers with hers, ignoring both the surprise on her face and the slight burning he could feel in his ears and gently pulled her to her feet. "I need a lift home anyway since my truck no longer exists," he added when she stared at him curiously. "I was thinking maybe a Chinese takeaway and a couple of drinks might make the day more bearable."
"You… You're asking me to join you?" Jess bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes confused but hopeful as they locked with his. "You don't have to… I mean, I'm sure you're tired and you just want to be alone and that's okay, I can drop you off then come back here or…"
"Jessica." Her full name was the only warning he gave her. Having thought for a while that there was a very effective way to silence her ramblings but never having had the confidence to put it into practise before, Becker tugged her hand, causing her to fall against him. Before she could do more than stare up at him with wide eyes, he leaned down and claimed her mouth with his own.
After only a few seconds, Jess all but melted against him, a sigh escaping her as she lifted the hand that wasn't been held by his up to rest against his chest above his heart.
The following morning, Lester watched from his office as his Head of Security and Field Co-ordinator arrived together, identical smiles on their faces as they stood by the ADD. He fought to keep a grin off his own face as Becker lingered in the hub, saying something to Jess that made her blush and hit his arm playfully before leaning in and kissing her cheek chastely.
As Becker left for the armoury, he caught Lester's eye through the glass, acknowledging him with a small nod of thanks.
"Good man," Lester muttered, sitting down at his desk. Even the daunting amount of paperwork to review on his desk didn't put a damper on the good mood he could feel beginning to descend. "Always knew he wasn't an idiot."
End.
It wasn't what I'd originally thought of when I read the prompt but I hope you're happy with it regardless :) Merry Christmas! x
