I'm on the fence with this chapter. It's just filler and I'm tried so I'm sorry if it's confusing and out of character. My muse has been jumping all around the place so iIhad a hard time writting this. I have ideas for the next chapter though so fingers crossed that one's better. My updates will be a bit slower since I start school again tomorrow (BOO!) but I'll try to update often :D :D :D Don't own anything except the plot and my OCs :D
Enjoy :D :D :D
Abby quirked an eyebrow at the young field co-ordinator who sat with her head resting on her arms against the table top, watching as Connor and Becker piled layers and layers of food onto their plates at the all-you-can-eat buffet. Her eyes were narrowed, making Abby both curious and suspicious as she watched her.
Jess blindly searched for her strawberry milkshake and sucked on the straw, her eyes never leaving the pair as they played paper scissors rock to determine who got the last chocolate muffin.
She smiled suddenly and Abby followed her gaze to find the pair making their way back over, Becker with a grin stretching from cheek to cheek and Connor sulking a step or two behind him.
Abby laughed at how painfully obvious the younger woman's affection for the emotionally enept Captain was. Jess lifted her head and found Abby watching her with a smirk. She frowned. "What?"
Abby shook her head, her smirk slowly transforming into a grin. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing when you continue to bloody grin like that!"
Abby quietly shushed her as she watched Connor and Becker approach the table balancing the plates in their hands. She couldn't help the smirk from returning as Becker sat down on the opposite side of Jess and saw her eyes dart towards the chocolate muffin sitting on the top of his pile of food.
Connor sat down next to Abby with his plate full of food and she frowned. "Where's mine?"
Connor opened his mouth to reply but quickly shut it and frowned down at the full plate in front of him. He could feel his stomach growl quietly and his mouth begun to water just looking at it all.
Abby leaned against the back of her chair and folded her arms across her chest, sticking out her stomach slightly to make it look larger, the small baby bump adding to the size. She gently stroked her stomach and frowned. "Do you want this baby to be malnourished Connor?"
His eyes widened at the thought just as a shiver ran down his spine. He definitely didn't want that! He pouted down at the plate of food, his stomach begging him not to give it up. Closing his eyes so he couldn't see it anymore, he pushed the plate away from himself and towards Abby who rewarded him with a sweet kiss on the cheek.
Jess' stomach growled too, rather loudly, and Becker looked away from the scrambled eggs he'd been eating and quickly noticed the hungery look on her face as she stared at the muffin on the side of his plate. He picked it up and saw her bite her lip as it inched closer and closer to his mouth.
His hand froze, the muffin just millimeters from his teeth when he heard her stomach growl again. He sighed, handing it over to her and watched her begin to glow at the sight of the chocolate muffin now in her hands.
"Thank you." she muttered quietly, glancing up at him quickly then looking back down at the chocolate devil in front of her.
"I know it's chocolate, but I'm not sure if there's orange in it." He replied with a tone loud enough that only she could hear.
She look a cautious bite and grinned. "Pure chocolate. It's perfect" Becker couldn't help but notice how the last word stood out amongst the rest. You're perfect Jess he thought before returning to his breakfast.
"Well look who finally decided to join us!" Connor exclaimed as he returned with two more plates of food after Abby told him to grab some for Jess since she was stuck in the corner of the booth between Becker and herself.
Matt and Emily both grimaced at his loud voice, their ears sensitive to the sound. They both sat down on the two single chairs in front of the table and Abby passed them both a cup of coffee. Emily groaned loudly while her fingers massaged her sore temples. Matt rested his head against his arms while groaning himself.
"I'm never drinking again..."
"That's what you said after Connor's stag do mate. You still got drunk." Becker grinned at the tortured look on the team leaders face before he buried it in his arms again.
"I only had a little." his reply was muffled by his arm.
"Why do I feel like I've just been hit over the head with a bat?" Emily asked suddenly, her voice cracking as she spoke.
Jess laughed. "You have a hangover."
"A what?" Emily stared at her with blank narrowed eyes, genuinely confused with what she was being told.
"You know, a hangover. When you drink too much and end up feeling like crap the next day." Jess explained lightly.
"Emily... have you never been drunk before?" Abby asked quietly.
She shook her head and the others all smiled sympathetically at her. Jess looked at Becker and sighed. "Scoot over so I can get out."
"Why?"
"Just move." She went to push him but once her hands came in contact with the exposed skin of his shoulder, she froze, mentally cursing why he'd chosen to wear a singlet.
She didn't know what she had felt just then – it felt like a jolt had been sent through her fingers and up her arm and into her chest – but whatever it was seemed to have affected Becker too.
As his eyes scanned up her arm from the spot where her hand was still on his, he saw the small goosebumps that had risen on her skin and her face flushed. She dropped her hand and looked away at her plate.
Relax Jess. You're imagining things! She took a shakey breath and smiled sweetly at him. Stay calm Jess, just stay calm. "I want to get something for Emily, can you move?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure."
Abby watched the two of them awkwardly getting out of the booth and smirked as Becker sat back down, his eyes trailing after Jess while she led Emily around the buffet tables. Something was definitely going on between those two and she was determined to find out.
"Connor go help Matt get his breakfast." she ordered, keeping her voice low so Becker didn't overhear.
Connor looked up from his plate of food and frowned. "Why? I'm sure he can get it all himself..."
Abby glared. "Go. Now." He sighed and slid out of the booth pulling an unwilling Matt to his feet and over to the food. When they were finally out of ear shot, she turned to Becker. "Okay, spill. What's going on between you and Jess?"
Becker choked on the toast he'd just taken a bite out of and he looked up at her, noticing the others had gotten up as well. He forcefully swallowed and frowned. "What?"
Abby's eyes narrowed. "Don't play stupid with me Becker. I know something going on. Spill!"
"Nothing's going on."
Abby sighed dramatically and slapped his arm. He winced. "Stop lying to me!"
"Are you pissed off we woke you and Connor up or something?" Her hand raised to slap him again and he cringed. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Just don't hit me again."
Abby sat back and watched Becker fiddle nervously with his fork, pushing bits of egg and bacon around on the plate before looking over towards the buffet tables and found Jess laughing at Connor while he used some of the noodles to make a fake mustache. He sighed. "I don't know what's going on Abby."
Abby followed his gaze and her expression softened. "You love her..."
He looked at her with wide eyes. "What? That's... I don't... I just... She's just so..." he pushed his plate away and buried his face in his arms. "I don't know..."
Abby laughed. "Just admit it Becker. You love her." His voice was muffled and quiet but she was sure she she could hear 'Love' and 'Jess' coming from his direction.
"What happened between you guys last night after you left? She looked nervous everytime you were near her when we were waking up Connor."
Becker made a noise, a mixture of a sigh and a groan, and looked up to frown at the quirky blonde. "What's with the twenty questions this morning?"
Abby grinned "My wedding's on Sunday so I'm playing cupid for the next two days. What happened last night?"
Becker sighed, looking over towards the others again and having his eyes center on Jess again. "It's impossible. It was probably just my imagination overexagerating things."
Abby's grin slowly vanished. "You dreamed about her, didn't you?"
"Yeah..."
Abby looked over to the others who seemed to be occupying themselves by playing around with some of the food. They should be safe to talk for a couple more minutes or so. She turned back to Becker and took a deep breath. "I might regret asking but what happened in this dream?"
Becker shook his head.
"I'll hit you again..." she threatened.
He sighed. "We were dancing and..."
Abby waited for him to continue but he just sat there staring at his hands. His eyes glazed over slightly. She wasn't sure if he had purposely zoned out or was having a flashback but she was sure she had to keep him talking. She needed to know more. "You were dancing and... what?"
He blinked at the sound of her voice, returning to reality. "I may have possibly, nearly kissed her. Well actually I did, sort of. I kissed her neck while we were slow-dancing."
Abby grinned. A confession! Connor owes me big time for this! "Is that it?"
Becker looked down at his hands again and shook his head. "She disappeared just as I was going to properly kiss her." he added quietly.
Abby quirked an eyebrow in curiousity. There was more to the story. She could sense it somehow. "So she disappeared... then what happened?"
"Sarah appeared."
Abby's eyes widened. "S-sarah was in your dream? Why was she in your dream?"
Becker checked to see what the others were doing and watched as they carried plates and drinks back over to them. He wanted to get it all out but he'd have to be quick. He took a deep breath "She said Jess and I were having the exact same dream and that Jess woke up but then she said Jess was in serious danger and then I woke up and Jess was up as well and now everything is all confusing." he said it all in such a rush that Abby's head was spinning.
"Jess is in danger?" she whispered as it all settled.
Becker shrugged. "I don't know. It's just what Sarah told me before I woke up."
The others returned then. Jess grinned away at the marks on Connor's face. "So what did we miss?" he asked, clearly oblivious to the smears of jam on his cheeks.
"Just asking Becker whether or not he was going to the hotel party tonight." Abby replied. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Becker let out a sigh of relief at the cover story.
Jess' eyes widened. "You guys are still going? I thought we all voted on not going last night!"
"I don't remember voting..." Emily frowned.
"That's because you were drunk." Matt whispered to her.
Connor's eyes narrowed as he looked between Becker and Jess. His mind was a little slow to put the pieces together but with the way they were sitting awkwardly beside each other was making him suspect something was up. He looked at Abby and right then he understood that the party wasn't what she'd been talking to Becker about. But the sudden glare she gave him had him playing along.
"I think we should go." he beamed. "A party is a party no matter who invited us."
"I'm not going." Becker replied quickly.
"No more parties!" Emily exclaimed then winced at the volume of her own voice.
"Okay, Connor's going. I'm going. Matt and Emily, you two are probably going to stay in your hotel rooms, yeah?" Abby asked. They both nodded and she turned towards the others. "Becker I don't know what you'll be doing but you're definitely not going, so that leaves Jess... You going or not?"
Jess glanced around at everyone and saw Connor begging her to go. She sighed. "Fine. I'll go. But if Andy shows up, I'm not staying there."
"Yey!" Connor exclaimed. Matt and Emily both covered their ears and he grinned "Sorry."
Abby looked at him properly then and laughed when she noticed the marks. "Conn, babe."
"Yeah?"
"You have crap on your face." She replied sweetly. Connor's hand raised to his cheek to wiped some of the jam off. Instead of wiping it off of his skin, however, he managed to smear it around his cheeks, making it worse.
Abby rolled her eyes and started laughing. Soon enough the whole table joined in while Connor stared at them all with a confused look on his pink face. "What so funny?"
Review if you want to see Andy get punched in the next chapter :D :D :D :D :D :D