Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.
Little Known Facts
6.5 Raindrops on Roses
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They ran, laughing and giggling, from the tube station to the entrance of the big high rise where Jess lived. Becker held his black jacket over Jess's head as she fumbled with the keys to the door.
"I've heard rain at a wedding is good luck," said Jess with a smirk, "in some cultures it's considered a sign of fertility."
The key finally turned in the lock. She stepped inside the vestibule and turned around to face Becker. Jess's shoulders shook with merriment. The wet blue fabric of her dress clung to her curves. Raindrops clung to the pale blue roses in her hair and shone on her eyelashes.
"There's an Italian saying sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata," agreed Becker, "which supposedly means wet bride, lucky bride."
"Well I think Abby and Connor are both lucky to be married," said Jess. "And everyone at that reception got soaked, so maybe we're all lucky."
She looked at Becker. He was still standing on the stoop. The wet, white shirt clung to his chest, outlining every muscle. The best man's blue tie was loosened and dangling free on either side of the top three buttonholes. Buttonholes which were unbuttoned Jess was very glad to note. She reached her hand up, grabbed the blue fabric around his neck and pulled him inside.
"Come on in and let's get you dried off," said Jess with a smile.
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Jess set the fragrant bouquet of white baby's breath, blue forget-me-not's, and white honeysuckle down on the kitchen counter. Behind her Becker sneezed. She whirled around and faced him.
"Oh no you don't," said Jess.
Becker blinked to clear his eyes as Jess pointed towards the bathroom. The warm spring rain had started at the end of a beautiful day, but now they were inside and the damp clothes were beginning to feel chilly.
"Hot bath, now," ordered Jess.
"You sound like a platoon commander," grumbled Becker, but he was smiling.
He started unbuttoning the rest of his shirt as he walked towards the bathroom. Becker stopped and turned to look at Jess when he reached the door.
"Aren't you coming?"
"I'll be there in a few minutes," replied Jess.
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Jess put the flowers in a vase first. Then she grabbed a kitchen towel and put the kettle on. The sound of running water began from the bathroom as she walked over to the CD player. She stood there dripping for a moment as she searched the CDs. Finally, she put on some instrumental piano music. She pressed the play button and bent down to wipe the floor before she moved towards her room. Jess shivered out of her dress.
"Jess?" called Becker.
She hung the bright blue dress on the hook jutting out from the door of the seldom used walk-in closet and laid the kitchen towel beneath it. Other brightly colored bridesmaid dresses of different lengths and styles hung in the closet. She walked over to the smaller closet on the other side of the room and grabbed her robe. In the kitchen, the kettle started whistling.
"Just a minute Hil," replied Jess.
Jess handed Becker a cup of tea and then stepped carefully into the steaming water to join him. It wasn't until the third of Chopin's Ballades for piano started and his teacup was safely settled on the vanity that she thought to ask Becker about what he'd said earlier.
"Hil," asked Jess, "where did you ever hear about an Italian wedding saying?
"The last wedding I was at," chuckled Becker "the bride's grandmother was Italian."
Jess stirred the bubbles around in a slow circle. Becker reached for her hand and held it still in his much larger hand. With his other hand he picked up a scoop of bubbles and started dripping them down on her wrist.
"Abby looked so beautiful and happy," Jess said softly.
"Connor too," replied Becker. He started dribbling the soap bubbles further up Jess's arm.
"What?"
"Happy I mean," said Becker, "not beautiful. What I meant was…"
Becker's eyes opened wide. He was babbling. Becker flushed beneath Jess's continued scrutiny.
"Connor's been in love with Abby since before I first met him," explained Becker. "If someone had asked me three years ago if he had a chance with her, I'd have probably said no."
Jess stared at Becker. To her, it had been obvious from the first moment she met Abby and Connor that they were meant to be together.
"How long did it take for them to get together?" asked Jess.
Becker shrugged.
"I guess that's really for Abby and Connor to say," Becker replied, "but I think it's been over six years since they first met."
Jess swallowed.
"Six years," repeated Jess. "That's a long time."
Becker scooped a handful of water and poured it down the side of her arm, sluicing the suds off.
"Yeah," agreed Becker, "but he was willing to wait."
"Some things are worth waiting for," said Jess as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his mouth.
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Becker wrapped the warm fluffy towel around Jess and then scooped her up in his arms.
"I can walk perfectly fine," giggled Jess as he carried her through the bedroom door.
He turned his smoldering hazel eyes to gaze into hers.
"Your walk is more than fine," he reminded her with a husky tone in his voice.
Becker set Jess gently on the bed and then straightened up. The open closet with it's multitude of dresses caught his eyes. Jess turned to see what he was looking at.
"I've been a bridesmaid or a flower girl at most of my cousins weddings," confided Jess. "Weddings are some of my favorite things. My sisters and I used to plan dream weddings when we were girls."
"What do you mean?" asked Becker.
"Well we planned our dresses, bridesmaid dresses, music and flowers and cakes and, and," Jess stopped babbling and looked up at Becker. "Don't boys make wedding plans?"
Becker looked into Jess's eyes. He'd only ever thought about the bride he wanted at his wedding, but that wasn't something he felt he could say without a ring in hand.
"I don't know what other men think about weddings," said Becker, "but I can honestly say I've never thought about what kind of dress to wear at my wedding."
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