This chapter came out a little different than I had intended, but I think it's pretty awesome and I hope you enjoy it. The chapters seem to be flying now so I'm hoping the next one will be up pretty quickly. Now, on with the evening's entertainment.

Jess' POV

Jess typed on the keyboard of the ADD, carefully hacking her way into the CCTV system of the school.

"Having any flashbacks yet Becker?" Connor snickered over the head set. Jess could hear Becker growl at Connor and had a hard time laughing at the sound.

"Leave him alone Connor," she said still making her way through the complex components of the school's security system.

"Too soon?" Connor asked, sounding obviously confused. Jess smiled at the question and at the fact that she could now see the glare Becker was giving Connor.

"All right, I have a visual on you guys and I'm looking for the anomaly site." Jess flicked through the different camera channels as she spoke, looking for the familiar sight if an open anomaly.

"Just make sure it's not in the cantina." Becker grumbled. Jess giggled at the sulky tone and tried to forget the last time Becker was caught in a school cantina. At the moment everyone was safe and in a relatively good mood which she really didn't want to spoil.

"I'm not sure I have much control over that," she said still giggling slightly. Luckily she was able to give him some good news.

"You're in luck Becker. It looks like it's in the gym. Hold on," Jess looked closely at the screen in front of her as a shape emerged from the anomaly. She had to bite her lip to keep from emitting a squeal, though it didn't succeed completely.

"Jess? What is it?" Becker's concerned voice filled her ear.

"Creature incursion in the gym."

"Can you describe the creature Jess?" Matt's familiar Irish lilt came over the com.

"Ponies!" she said trying, and failing, to keep a smile off her face. She sagged back in her chair relieved that it looked like no one would be in any real danger today.

"Come again?" Connor asked, disbelief obvious in his voice.

"They look just like ponies. Only really small."

"That's a new one," Abby said wryly. Jess switched the image on screen to show the cameras following the team. Abby hadn't lowered her weapon despite how relaxed she had sounded over the coms. The team began moving forward down the hallways, clearing any room they walked past. Jess could feel her gaze being drawn to Becker, who was looking as serious as he'd been since they first got the alert even. She was beginning to wonder if he ever let his guard down. It was his voice in her ear that brought her to her senses.

"Jess?" he said, "You still with us?" Jess floundered as she tried to recall what he'd said before she'd let her mind wander. In the end her concern for the team overrode her ego.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I asked if we were heading in the right direction." Becker said.

"The door to the gym should be about ten feet in front of you," she said checking the read outs on the screen. A moment later the team pushed open the doors and walked into the gym.

Becker's POV

The sight that welcomed them when they walked into the gym was one of the strangest Becker had ever seen. And that was saying a lot! At least thirty horse like animals, the tallest of which only reached his hip, were wandering around the gym. Abby giggled with glee next to him and he could still hear Jess basically cooing in his ear. He rolled his eyes and leaned towards Matt.

"What is it with girls and horses?" Becker asked him. Matt shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine." he said, his face deadpan as usual. Connor walked towards them taking his eyes away from where Abby was carefully hidden, so she could observe the creatures without disturbing them.

"Merychippus." he said. Matt nodded and Becker just looked at him with a blank look on his face.

"What?" Becker asked. He'd finally lowered his rifle, but he refused to completely relax until the anomaly was locked, or better yet closed.

"The ponies. Merychippus Insignis. They lived nearly all over The States during the Miocene."

"They're adorable," Jess sighed in his ear. He shivered slightly, suddenly reminded of her breath against his ear when she'd held him in the ARC gym. Becker shook his head to erase the memory and at the fact that girls got so gooey eyed at the sight of something even remotely cute.

"Adorable or not we need to get them back through and lock that thing." he said pointing at the still unlocked anomaly. Connor seemed to notice the glowing lights for the first time.

"Right," he said pointing at it then looking around for the locking device. Becker smacked his palm against his forehead. He looked at the team leader who was smirking at the amusing sight of Connor picking his way through the herd of minuscule ponies.

"Any ideas on how-" Becker cut off with a yelp.

Jess' POV

Jess watched as the largest of the Merychippus wandered up behind Becker unseen and it seemed to look Becker up and down while he was busy talking to Matt. She was about to warn him when the little creature stretched out his neck and grabbed a mouthful of Becker's rear end. Jess broke down laughing as the taciturn Captain yelped and jumped out of reach.

"I don't think that's ever getting old." she heard Matt say. It was very difficult for Jess not to laugh when Becker was rubbing the sore spot and checking to see if the tiny horse had managed to tear a chunk of his pants away.

"Everything's still there Becker," Jess said unable to keep the mirth from her voice. Becker looked up at the camera and glared at her through the lens, which just made Jess laugh even more.

"Everyone wants a piece of you mate," Connor chirped from his position by the anomaly device. He hadn't noticed two of the smaller horses were at that moment chewing on the bag he'd left by his feet and Jess certainly wasn't going to tell him. He eventually found out when Abby couldn't hold her laughter in any more when one of the ponies pulled out the extra set of boxers Connor had packed that morning and forgotten to put in his locker.

"Hey," he shouted as he lunged for the creature, who nimbly side stepped him and trotted off to share her newfound toy causing another round of laughter from the team. Even Becker joined in, though his response was a little less enthusiastic than the others. Jess figured it was because his ass still hurt, not that he'd ever admit it. Connor sat on the ground looking a bit like a sulky child.

"Any one got any ideas how to get these things back through?" Becker asked over the fading laughter. Abby was the first to come to sober up, she walked over to where the guys were standing still wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Well, they seem to behave like a modern herd of horses, so if we can get the stallion through the mares should follow." She said.

"All right," Becker said scanning the room for any indication of which creature he should try to grab. "Which one is it?"

"I think it's the one who left teeth marks on your butt mate," Connor said from the safety of his position by the anomaly. Becker glared at him and could hear Jess doing her best not to laugh. He sighed. At least this has gotten her mind off her stalker, he thought. Becker refused to call him Dead Man Walking, or DMW as Connor had shortened the nickname to when he realized how much time it took to say. He didn't want silly names to distract from just how serious the situation really was.

"I can still shoot you from here Connor," Becker said warningly. Connor quickly ducked his head and went back to work calibrating the locking device.

"Enough bickering you two," Jess said like a mother scolding her children, "Get them through the anomaly and come home. " Becker didn't let himself think about what it would be like to come home to Jess every night, it would be too painful knowing it could never happen. He was going to die on the job, that much he knew, and there was no way he was going to subject anyone he cared about to that kind of pain. Shaking the morose thoughts from his head he turned his attention back to finding the stallion. Becker smiled when he saw him standing right in front of the anomaly and a slightly petty idea of revenge came to him. He reached over and picked up a red rubber ball that children used to play dodge ball and threw it as hard as he could. It hit the stallion right on the butt startling him enough to have him running back through the anomaly as fast as his little legs could carry him. The mares ran after him surprisingly fast for animals who only stood about two feet tall, though Connor did manage to retrieve his slightly mangled boxers at that particular Merychippus ran past him. Connor locked the anomaly as soon as the last one went through and Becker stationed two members of the containment team to guard it until it closed. He and the rest of the team headed for the cars parked at the school entrance, they were all smiling at the fact that Connor was still grumbling about his ruined boxers.

"Jess, the area's secured and we're on our way back," Matt told Jess over the coms.

"Copy that I'll…" Jess trailed off and Becker shared a quick look of concern with Connor and Abby.

"Jess? You okay?" Becker asked.

"He sent a picture to my phone," she said her voice shaking slightly. The mood of the entire team quickly grew serious.

"What's it of?" Connor asked before Abby could stop him. She smacked him upside the head and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's lack of tact.

"My bedroom," she said quietly. Becker felt the blood in his body begin to boil.

"He probably took it through a window. Leave the phone in Connor's office," he said as he wrenched the door to the car open. Jess' next words has his blood running cold.

"No, he was in the flat."

"Are you sure Jess?" Abby asked, the look on her face told Becker she didn't want to believe it. She wasn't the only one.

"It was taken from the bedroom door."