For PrawnCrackers, who wanted Jess and Becker needing to keep each other warm while stuck in a cold place. Merry Christmas! Xx


The panic room was certainly living up to its name.

Supposedly the safest room in the ARC, the place those trapped inside the building in case of escaped creatures and anomaly incursions, it was doing nothing but inspiring panic in its two occupants as the day turned into night and the temperature dropped even more.

Without even the electricity of the emergency generators to power it, the panic room was pitch black. Without a source of energy, the room was also freezing.

Captain Becker paced the small space, both to keep warm and to walk off the frustration he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault that Jess was stuck inside the room with him.

He'd thought they'd be safe. So had everyone else. Matt, Emily, Abby and Connor had managed to get out of the building after the alarms had gone off and before the lockdown protocol had kicked in, as had everyone else as far as he was aware. He and Jess, the only staff members to be in the control room when it had happened, had had no such luck.

Before the comms had gone down, Matt and Lester had ordered them to get to the panic room – as far away from the creatures currently roaming the hallways of the ARC as they could without leaving the building. Plans were already being put into motion to mount a rescue – both of the trapped pair and the building itself – but Becker couldn't help but think they were going to be too late.

"I'm s-s-sorry," Jess apologised, her teeth chattering as she sat on the bench in the room and tried to rub some warmth into her arms.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Jess." He gave her an incredulous look, running a hand through his hair as he stared at her. "You didn't do this."

No one had, and that was the most frustrating thing of all.

It was sods law that there would be a power cut in the city at the same time the engineers had taken the emergency generators offline for maintenance reasons. They'd had no reason to believe the storm the weather forecasters had predicted would be enough to knock out power to 80% of London – the ARC included.

The security systems in the building had kicked in and used the last of the reserve power to launch the lockdown procedure, supposedly a last-ditch failsafe to ensure that in such an event, the creatures being homed in the menagerie would be kept inside the building and away from the vulnerable public outside.

No one had thought that maybe the creatures would start escaping before the staff had had a chance to – and certainly not that two members of personnel might end up trapped in the building with them.

"But if you hadn't been h-helping me, you wouldn't b-be t-trapped, too." The guilt on her face coupled with the fact her lips were turning an alarming shade of blue made Becker move towards her.

He crouched down at her feet as Jess looked down at her hands. "Jess, it's not your fault we're in here. Really."

"But you..."

"... was helping you because it's my job." He covered her hands in her lap with his, frowning at how cold they felt. "Security issues fall under my responsibilities and upgrading the cameras was my idea, anyway. Besides," he lifted his other hand to her face, forcing her to tilt her head and look up at him. "I'd rather be in here with you than be outside and know you were in here alone."

She tried to smile but couldn't quite make it. Her blue eyes shimmered and filled with a fear he shared but wouldn't let her see. "What if t-they can't g-get to us? They d-don't know how c-cold it is. They'll think we're s-safe."

Giving in to the impulse he'd been fighting, Becker moved to sit on the bench beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her against him, rubbing a hand over the cool skin of her arms to try and get the blood circulating again. "We'll be fine," he told her firmly, hoping it wasn't a lie. "They'll come and get us out soon, I promise."

Jess nodded but didn't look convinced. He didn't protest when she leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder, only tightened his hold on her and sent up a silent prayer that a rescue would come sooner rather than later.


The one good thing about being so cold was knowing that the creatures roaming the rest of the facility would be feeling it, too. Yes, some of them wouldn't be affected by it – some would probably even benefit, though Becker's mind wasn't working at full capacity and he couldn't quite remember which ones those would be.

That said, the creatures weren't the ones currently trapped in the panic room, which currently resembled a refrigerator rather than the safe haven it was originally designed to be.

After thirty more minutes of feeling Jess tense every so often to try and keep a shiver from working its way down her spine, Becker decided they needed to do something. Being inactive was making him sleepy and he knew that that was a bad idea. As for the woman leaning against him, she was a lot smaller than he was, her body mass meaning that she would no doubt be feeling it far more than he was.

He moved her in his arms easily and the fact she only murmured a protest told him he was right to worry about her. Lifting her so she was sitting on his lap, her back to his chest, Becker wrapped both of his arms around her and shifted on the bench so his legs were either side of hers. There was one benefit to being cold, he thought to himself with a grimace; at least there'd be no awkward moments to deal with due to Jess's very close proximity and his feelings for her.

"Jess?" He tightened his arms and dropped his head, resting his chin on her shoulder as he tried to look at her face. "You've got to stay awake."

"Tired." Her head lolled, her hands covering his where they'd come to rest on her stomach. Her fingers were like blocks of ice and he bit back a curse. "Let me sleep."

"No, sweetheart." The term of endearment slipped out before he could think about it but Jess was thankfully too out of it to notice. "You can't sleep. You've got to stay awake till the others find us."

"You s-stay awake." Jess shifted on his lap, twisting so she could rest her head more comfortably on his shoulder and press the tip of her cold nose against the skin of his neck. "W-wake me when they g-get here."

"Jessica." Resorting to dirty tactics, he pinched her arm lightly and was relieved to be rewarded by a muttered grumble. "Ask me something. Anything. I promise I'll answer honestly."

"A-anything?" She opened her eyes but didn't move her head from his shoulder, staring at him as he gazed down at her. From the way her eyes widened slightly, he knew she hadn't realised how close they'd gotten but was strangely relieved when she made no attempt at changing it. "W-what if it-s c-classified?"

"Then I'll make something up. It'll probably be more interesting, anyway."

She huffed out a breath that tickled his neck and made him momentarily very, very pleased the cold kept his body from responding. "W-why did you join the m-military?"

Surprised that that was her first question, Becker answered without hesitation. "It's a family thing. My grandfather was in the army, so was my father. Made sense for me to follow suit."

"Did you really want to?"

The question, asked so innocently, made him pause. He couldn't remember if anyone – parents included – had ever asked if his decision to enlist had been out of choice or out of obligation. Everyone he'd known while growing up had just assumed it was what he would do and, once he'd gone to Sandhurst and proved he could live up to the Becker family name, everyone else just took it for granted that being a soldier was what he'd been born to do.

"I don't regret it now," he answered eventually, knowing that that, at least, was the truth. If he hadn't joined the army, he wouldn't have been seconded to the ARC and, tragedies and terrifying creatures aside, he couldn't bring himself to regret that decision. One reason was that he felt like he was finally doing something for the greater good and second, well, if he hadn't joined the ARC, he wouldn't have half of the people that mattered to him most in his life.

The woman cradled in his arms, for one.

The woman cradled in his arms, who'd lapsed into silence again while he'd been deliberating his answer.

"Jess. Jessica. Wake up!"

Jess groaned and tried to cuddle closer, seeking whatever warmth was available to her, her eyes slipping shut. "You're m-mean."

"You've said that before." His arms tightened reflexively around her as he remembered that he'd been worried about losing her then, too. "How about if I ask the questions? Will you stay awake long enough to answer them?"

"Depends." Her eyelids fluttered as though opening them was a struggle. "W-what do you w-want to k-know?"

What did he want to know? There were so many things he wondered about over the two years they'd known each other but none he could think of to ask. Some were simply things he'd have to do in order to learn the answers to – like how it felt to kiss her, touch her, cherish her the way he'd at some point decided she deserved... Others were questions he didn't feel he had the right to ask her, not as a colleague or friend.

"What did you want to be when you were younger?" It was a standard question, an easy fall back.

Jess was silent for a moment. He watched her face intently, almost waiting for the thoughtful expression to fade from her features and her eyes to slip shut again. He was pleased, then, when she stayed focused and answered. "A dancer. I took b-ballet lessons. I wanted to be a ballet d-dancer."

"Why didn't you?" It wasn't difficult for him to imagine her in the role, not with her being as small and dainty as she was. "What made you change your mind?"

"D-didn't have a c-choice. I broke my ankle when I was eleven. F-fell out of a t-tree trying to prove to my b-brother I could climb j-just as high as he could." The smile on her lips was both sad and affectionate; Becker guessed the affection was for brother and not the accident that ended her alternative career.

"I can't picture you climbing a tree," he said after a moment of trying to do just that, the short skirts and high heels she wore making it an impossible feat. "I can see you being stubborn and trying to prove your brother wrong, though."

"Am not s-stubborn." She pulled one of her hands free from his and tried to hit him but it lacked any real vigour. Her hand stayed where it landed though, against his chest. Becker lifted one of his own to cover it – to keep it warm, of course, not to keep it there. "You – you're stubborn. S-should've left me. Could've m-made it out."

Knowing she was talking about the moment the lockdown procedure had been initiated, he shook his head. He might have made it outside if he'd pushed himself but, fast as she could be, she wouldn't have made it with him and that was unacceptable. Physically, yes, he might've been able to beat the lockdown but in every other way, he never would have been able to.

"I could never leave you, Jess." The simple honesty in his voice was plain to hear. "I will never leave you willingly."

She lifted her head from his shoulder, her eyes suddenly far more alert than they had been. She searched his face, her brow slightly furrowed. After a long moment, she nodded slightly, as if answering a question he hadn't heard be asked.

"C-can I kiss you?" The question made him blink in surprise and he stared at her, unsure if he'd misheard in a cold-induced stupor. "You s-said I c-could ask a-anything," she reminded him when he was silent.

"Jess..." He waited for the little voice at the back of his mind that usually pointed out why getting involved with her was a bad idea. He wasn't sure if it was the cold or the thought that they might not be rescued in time or if he was simply tired of fighting what he was beginning to think might actually be inevitable that caused it to stay silent.

Lifting his hand from hers where it rested on his chest, he traced the line of her cheekbone with the tip of his finger almost reverently before moving his hand to tangle his fingers in her hair.

In the end, he wasn't sure which of them moved first. One moment they'd been staring at each other intently, the next they were kissing. Her lips were soft against his at first, almost hesitant. When he responded, she grew bolder and parted her lips on a sigh, silently inviting him to deepen the kiss.

It was an invite he was only too happy to accept and Becker lost himself to the moment, savouring it despite the circumstances, and wondered why the hell they'd waited so long.

So engrossed were they, they didn't notice the lights flicker on above their heads or hear the telltale beep as the locks were disengaged and the door was opened.

"Ahem." Matt cleared his throat, an eyebrow arching as the couple broke apart to stare at him in surprise. "If this is a bad time, I can come back later...?"

"She needs medical attention." Becker tightened his grip when Jess started to move away, a flush beginning to bring colour to her otherwise pale cheeks. He gritted his teeth against the ache in his limbs and stood up with her still in his arms.

"I didn't think that was medical attention you were giving her." Matt's tone was teasing but his eyes were concerned as he caught sight of Jess's pallor for the first time and the still slightly blue tinge to both of their mouths. "The power's on, the creatures are back in the menagerie. You can both warm up in the med bay. Didn't think it'd get so cold in here," he added, glancing back at the panic room as they made their way out of it.

"You and me both." Glancing down at her to check she was awake, Becker felt his cheeks grow warm when he noticed she was not only awake but watching him closely. "Was anyone hurt?" He asked Matt, reluctantly breaking eye contact with Jess to look where he was walking.

"Nope. Everyone else made it out." Moving ahead of them to press the button to call the lift, Matt hesitated when Becker stepped inside. "I'll make sure there's a medic waiting for you."

"You're not coming with us?" Becker was surprised but not disappointed.

"No. I should make sure everything's up and running. See to the security stuff," the team leader added with a slight smirk. "Since you've got your arms full."

The lift doors closed before Becker could think of an answer. Willing himself not to blush, he looked down at Jess to see the colour rising in her cheeks. "You okay?"

"I'm starting to f-feel better. Still cold." She bit her lip but maintained eye contact. "You can put me down. I can p-probably walk."

"I could." He didn't, though, reluctant to lose that contact with her. "We'll get you checked out, though. Just to be sure."

"Just to be sure," Jess repeated, a small, pleased smile beginning to play on her lips. They stood in silence for several moments as the lift made its way to the right floor. "Becker?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you another question?"

"You just did." He quirked an eyebrow at her, smirking when she only rolled her eyes. "Go for it."

Jess took a deep breath as if stealing herself before speaking again. "Are you going to kiss me again or was that a heat of the moment thing?" He stared at her so long that the lift doors opened before he could answer. He started walking along the corridor towards the medical bay. "It's okay," Jess continued, biting her lip as though it would keep the disappointment from showing in her voice. "It was cold and you weren't thinking straight..."

"Jessica." The exasperation in his voice silenced her. "You asked a question. It's only polite to give me a chance to answer it."

She looked up at him expectantly and he bit the inside of his mouth to keep himself from grinning. He was silent as he continued on his way to the medical bay, pleased that there was no one in sight as they made it to their destination. He sat her down on one of the empty gurneys without a word, resting his hands either side of her on the bed.

Holding her gaze, he leaned in and kissed her softly, pulling back after a few moments to look at her. "Does that answer your question?"

"I'm not sure." She smiled up at him, lifting a hand to grasp the front of his t-shirt. "Maybe you could answer it again?"

He did, briefly, breaking away at the sound of footsteps hurrying towards the room. "Ask me again later," he told her quietly, putting a respectable amount of distance between them as two medics entered the room. "I guarantee the answer will be the same."


End.

Hope it met your expectations, PC! :)