Boss's Daughter

I would like to thank Lovingthis for her unwavering help with this chapter and also YouHaveLovelyHair, without whom this chapter would never have been possible.

Will Becker ever let Jess get close to him again?

Jess looked over to him. He couldn't have sat any further away from her and it broke her heart to see him act this way. In her sadness she looked over to the mantelpiece. Photographs jostled for space and a particular face stood out. A blonde haired girl. Jess closed her eyes in despair. He must already have a girlfriend!

So that's why Becker was acting so differently.

Becker opened his mouth to say something. But before he could utter a sound Jess spoke up.

"Is that your girlfriend... in the photographs?" She stood up and sauntered across to the mantel piece she picked up a framed photograph.

Becker gazed at her open mouthed. He wasn't expecting this. It took a few moments for him to gather his wits.

"No... She's not, not anymore that is." Becker impersonated a goldfish for a minute. He debated on getting up to stand next to her and then decided against it. He crossed his legs, planting one ankle firmly on the other knee. Jess looked across at him.

He looked so alluring; didn't he know what the sight of him did to her?

"She used to be my girlfriend..." Becker finished looking up into Jess's eyes. He waited for a reaction.

"If she's not your girlfriend anymore, why have you got her photographs all around your house?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"Because I loved her once... And..." Becker struggled with the painful memory, stumbling over his words. "She... she..." he closed his eyes and then blurted out. "She died!"

There he'd said it. He'd said it to Jess. He waited for a moment before opening his eyes. She walked across to where he was sitting on the armchair and sat across from him on the couch.

"I'm sorry, so very sorry," the look in her eyes was very sincere and he could tell that she really meant what she said. He took a deep breath.

"That was years ago... Before I joined the ARC. She was the reason I left the military." Becker stated calmly.

"Tell me, Please? I'd love to hear it" Jess said softly, as she took the sadness in his hazel eyes. The regret in them seemed all too fresh for an event that had happened years ago.

He started with a simple: - "She died... and I was blamed for her death." Jess's mouth fell open and she whispered.

"Go on..."

Becker was lost.

Lost in his memories of that night. He told Jess what had happened and didn't miss a single detail. Details of who Lisa was what she did and how she had been found... how he blamed himself. He even went into detail of how General Miller had arranged to have him incarcerated. He told her of how he had been released due to the lack of evidence.

Jess sat taking in everything. She noted the pained expression on his face as he relived the experience. She heard the regret in his voice, and wished she could do something to help. Something held her back, she wasn't sure what, and it just seemed the right thing to do.

She waited until he had finished. She sat thoughtfully quiet for a moment.

"This was before you started at the ARC? Right?"

Becker nodded.

"That was six years ago..." She couldn't believe that he was STILL grieving for her, after ALL this time?

"You don't understand... you never will..." Becker shifted his position on the armchair, but didn't attempt to move closer to her. He planted his elbows on his knees and brought his hands to his forehead.

"Help me to understand then!" Jess almost shouted. She couldn't understand what he was so afraid of? What he was holding back?

"It started with Lisa, all those people dying under my command... The WHOLE team nearly died today. Lester had become one of THOSE CREATURES! Completely! Until your blood brought him back. YOU NEARLY DIED! The explosives that Matt had me wire into the building... If Abby had been Five minutes earlier... We wouldn't be having this conversation!" Becker's voice raised several times through his outburst. He continued. "I've lost SO many people whilst working here... Cutter, Danny, Connor, Abby, Sarah," Becker rattled off only a few of the many names he would never forget "Andrews, Bradley, Byrnes, Fleming, Murray, Henshall. Those are just a few."

"Abby and Connor came back, so did Danny. Even if he did disappear again," Jess tried to reason with him. "NONE of them were your fault!"

Becker stood up facing away from her, fisted his hands in his hair. Anger showed in his voice "You STILL don't get it...! NEXT TIME IT. COULD. BE. ME!" Over the years Becker had somehow accepted this, but now all he could think about was Jess.

Jess.

The sweet, loveable, courageous Jess. The Boss's Daughter! It hit him, like a brick being thrown, in the chest again and he sighed heavily. He wondered what Lester would say if he could see them now. He had a feeling that Lester would not be happy at all. The fact that Jess had called him Uncle for all these years did not mean a thing. She was still a field Co-ordinator, and like it or not, Lester still cared for her.

"I don't care about that" Jess spoke gently. Becker heard the willpower in her voice, turned around and saw the determination in her eyes.

"And if tomorrow I was killed by a T-Rex... Then what?" Becker watched her as she replied with a straight face.

"I'd live with it."

"What about Lester...? What would he say if he knew you were...?" Becker paused for a moment struggling with the appropriate words "... Sleeping with me?"

"I don't CARE WHAT he thinks! He STILL hasn't admitted to me that I'm his DAUGHTER!" Becker heard the anger in Jess's words, saw the fury erupt on her face.

"Ah! ... So this is a way to get back at Lester... your father?" Becker waited, Could he stop Jess this way?

"NO!" Jess shouted, furiously. "Lester has nothing to do with how I feel about YOU!"

"How do you feel?" Becker sighed heavily; this was not going how he wanted. He would end up breaking her heart.

Jess paused before answering, calming down and lowering her tone she replied. "I love you Becker."

Becker blinked. She'd just confessed her love and he knew, no matter what, he was not allowed, by himself, his conscience, his boss. He was NOT allowed to return it. He would just end up breaking her heart.
"Jess." Becker leant out a deep sigh. "I... I want... We should." He looked down at his hands and couldn't find the words. "There are reasons. Many, many reasons."

She already had a heartbroken look in her eye. All Becker wanted to do was to close the distance between them and kiss it away. But he held onto his control.

"Am I not good enough?"

"I just said, Jess. I have reasons. I can't... I can't..."

"Love me?"

"It's not that!"

"So you DO love me?"

"Jess!" Becker was getting frustrated. She was chipping away at the careful wall he had tried to keep in place between their friendship and a possible romance.

"Well? Do you?" Jess was filled with confusion. He hadn't denied it; he was showing regret at the situation. He wanted it, she knew he wanted it. What she couldn't understand was why he was pushing her away. Jess felt the sting in her eyes.

Becker impersonated a goldfish once again, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out. He wasn't sure what to say. He was saved by the doorbell ringing.

Becker frowned, who could that be? He shrugged and went to open the door.

Jess followed him to see who it could be. She hoped that it was a salesperson that Becker would get rid of quickly. She noted Becker's warm smile as he opened the door wide.

"Hey, long time no see..." Becker grinned. Jess heard the happiness in Becker's voice as he greeted his guest. "Come in..."

Jess noted the woman who stood on the doorstep. She had long dark hair, and was tanned, more than Becker. She was dressed in Army fatigues, and had a holdall by her feet. She bent down to pick up her bag and plopped it in the hallway.

She hugged Becker warmly.

"Mmmmmm, So good to be back home." She moaned against Becker's chest, as he hugged her back.

Jess saw the woman wrap her arms around him; she looked away as she heard the young woman moan with pleasure.

Had they just kissed?

A tear rolled down Jess' face. She didn't want to wait and find out. Suddenly all she wanted to do was get out if here. She grabbed her bag, pushed past Becker and his... Bit of...

Jess rushed out of the door! Sobbing as she went.

Jess ran down the road, ignoring Becker's requests to come back. She glimpsed a taxi and hailed it quickly before Becker could stop her.

So, who is this mysterious woman who has turned up?

Does Becker have another Girlfriend that Jess doesn't know about?

Will Becker and Jess ever get together?

I wonder... Did you notice all the people that Becker has lost?