Jess stood by the cooker, stirring the gloriously colourful sauce currently bubbling on the hob. She had never expected family life to suit her so well, but she hadn't looked at her laptop once... Well, only a couple times, but just in complete emergencies.

Of course, she didn't expect to stay at home forever. Lester had told her she could come back at any time, or stay off if she preferred, but she knew eventually that she would want to return – the ARC was her second home, and she could never give it up.

But for now, she was quite content in the comfort of her true home, with Bella's soft murmurs intermittently resounding through the house with the aid of the baby monitor. It was like music to her ears, and Jess couldn't wait for the day when those murmurs would finally turn into words.

A strong arm snaked around her waist and pulled her backwards into the solid chest of her husband. She giggled, feeling like a teenager every time he touched her, and rested her head underneath his chin.

'I thought you said you were going to take it easy,' he mumbled into her hair, his hazel eyes gliding from the sauce to the pile of books on the kitchen table, and finally to the stairs which led to his daughter's bedroom.

Jess sighed and turned round to face him. 'I was bored.'

'Bored? You're a full-time mum, Jess. How can you possibly be bored?'

To prove her point, Jess took the monitor from the counter top and placed it in his hand. He stared at it for a moment, almost as though it was an alien object, and then returned his gaze to her expectant face.

'I think I'm going to need a little more in the way of explanation,' he said with a wry smile.

'She hasn't cried once. I mean, babies are supposed to cry. I was expecting it! But she hasn't. Not once. Not this whole morning. She just... sleeps.'

Becker refrained from chuckling, knowing now was not an appropriate time, and kissed the top of her head. She was so cute when she was exasperated.

'Just be thankful. I'm sure you'll be begging for some quiet time when she wakes us up at half two. Don't you remember what happened last week?'

Jess buried her head in his chest to hide her cheeks flushing red. Of course she remembered! They had come into the ARC for a day trip, simply to see how things were going, and both her and Becker had practically collapsed from exhaustion as soon as they sat down. Luckily, Emily and Matt were more than willing to babysit, and the couple had had almost five hours of sleep in the comfort of the large sofa occupying Lester's office.

'I remember,' she replied quietly, feeling much calmer once Becker had enveloped her in one of his bear hugs. He had become surprisingly perceptive as to when she needed him, and now was definitely one of those times.

'Right, well then. I want you to put your feet up, go and watch one of those girly rom-coms you're always wanting me to watch, and maybe get a bit of shut eye. I won't be long,' he said, and she moaned as he pealed her off him. She hated when he finally let go, even if that did sound unbelievably clingy and desperate to her ears.

'Do you have to? I'm sure the ARC-'

'Jess, you know they're struggling. I'm the head of security, and I didn't manage to train any of them enough to step into my shoes as and when they time came. They need me, and I can't just ignore that.'

His loyalty to his men should have been admirable to Jess, and she was so proud of him for wanting to be there for the team, but she just wished that he could stay at home for a little bit longer. She didn't want to admit the reason, even to herself, and so she nodded silently and watched him grab his leather jacket from the coat-stand.

'I'll be back for dinner. I promise,' came his usual parting 'goodbye', and Jess sighed, knowing it was a lie. He was never on time for dinner, even though she would text him when she had started cooking. It baffled her that he was so disciplined the rest of the time, but when it came to being on time for her, he could never seem to get his act together.

Jess sighed, realising how stupid and grumpy she was being, and turned back to the saucepan. But just as she was about to pick up the wooden spoon lying on the counter, she caught a glimpse of the books now neatly lined up on the desk. Had Becker arranged them before he left? She couldn't remember seeing him do it, but perhaps it was before she had known he was behind her...

A cold shiver ran up her spine, but again she ignored it. There was little point her being paranoid, especially considering there was nothing for her to feel paranoid about! It was probably just because she had Bella upstairs, so vulnerable and innocent and only Jess to protect her. That was the real reason why she didn't want Becker to leave – because at least then she wouldn't be alone if anything happened.

'Don't be ridiculous,' she told herself, picking up the baby monitor as she checked she could still hear Bella. She could, and with a relieved smile, Jess continued cooking and pushed aside the feeling of terror creeping its way inside her head.

xxx

Becker entered the ARC with a grin on his face, ready to show the team the latest pictures of his beautiful baby daughter. He loved the sense of glowing pride every time he saw the team, knowing he would get to share this new piece of his life with them. He relished the opportunity, and though he didn't like to even think it, he knew he was showing off just a bit.

As he made his way towards the hub, knowing that's where he'd find them, he pulled out the seven photographs in preparation. He heard the excited squeals before he had even opened the door, and Emily and Abby both rushed at him, hands held out expectantly.

'All right, all right, there here!' he laughed, handing them over without delay. He side-stepped the two woman, now 'ooing and aahing' at the the pictures, and went to speak to Matt and Connor who were talking by the ADD.

'Hello stranger,' Matt greeted him with a smile, and Becker gave a quick nod to them both.

'So... go on then, you know you're dying to tell us. How are they?' Connor asked, still stunned at the sight of their Action Man beaming with joy every single time anyone brought up his wife or child. It was a look Connor hoped to mirror one day...

'Jess is great – she's much better at the whole parenting thing than I am. Bella has me wrapped around her little finger! And yes, Bella is doing very well.'

They waited for Becker to continue, having once listened to him for over fifteen minutes talking about Bella's face and smile and tiny little fingers.

'And?'

'And what?' Becker replied, knowing exactly what they meant.

'And, what else?'

The proud father looked sheepishly at the pair of them, and then sighed. 'She's growing so fast – really, I can't believe how big she is now. I mean, you saw her when she was born, and now she's twice that size! It's incredible! And her hair is just the same colour as mine but more curly. And we think she has a cross between Jess and her mother's eyes. Their a sort of blue-green mix. Their beautiful. And-' Becker stopped abruptly, realising he'd gone on too long, and quickly gave them an apologetic smile.

Matt laughed. 'You know, Becker, you sound more like Jess every single day. She must be rubbing off on you.'

It was Connor's turn to laugh. 'I'm really happy for you, mate,' he said, patting Becker's shoulder before going to see the baby photos which Abby and Emily were still pouring over.

A companionable silence settled between the two remaining men as they watched the rest of the team conversing, and Becker watched the flicker of sadness pass across Matt's face before disappearing without a trace.

'Everything all right?' the soldier eventually asked, giving the Irishman a sideways glance before returning to looking straight ahead.

Matt nodded, his eyes never leaving Emily, who's eyes were filling up with happy tears. 'Yeah, 'course. Why wouldn't they be?'

Becker shrugged. 'Just... nothing. No, it's nothing.'

This had Matt's full attention, and he turned to face Becker who was now looking at the floor intently. 'OK. What is it?'

There was a moment of silence before Becker finally spoke. 'Jess has been speaking to Emily.'

'Right. I see. You don't need to say anything else.'

'I think I do, Matt. You're a close friend, and you saved my life once, so I think I owe you this, at least. If these past couple of months have taught me anything, it's that I would be nothing without Jess. Really, I mean that. She's everything to me, and as soon as I realised that, nothing else mattered. Do you see what I'm getting at?'

Matt nodded. 'We can't, Becker. Think of the risks-'

'But what if there aren't any risks, and you've wasted all this time worrying for nothing? You know how much Emily-'

'Of course I do!' Matt shouted, a little louder than he had meant. The whole team turned, including Emily, to see what the commotion was about, and were all equally shocked at Matt's sudden outburst.

Becker smiled reassuringly at them and reluctantly they resumed talking.

'Of course I do,' Matt repeated in a hushed tone,' but what can I do? It would hurt Emily far more if she became pregnant and then lost the child. Or if the baby was... deformed, in any way. I'm doing this for her, Becker, and don't think I haven't thought about the consequences of that decision.'

Becker sighed, knowing Matt was always going to be practical, even though it might cost him his relationship with the woman he so obviously adored.

'OK. Well, I've said my piece, and I'm not going to keep going on about it. I just thought you'd like to know, that's all.'

Matt thanked him hurriedly before giving a vague excuse about checking on the menagerie. Becker watched him leave, knowing he would never be able to let his friend to make the biggest mistake of his life.

xxx

Jess slotted the disk into the DVD machine and then shuffled back onto the couch, currently wrapped in her fluffy dressing-gown. As the credits began to roll, and the familiar music played, she smiled and settled back against the plush cushions littering almost every seat in the living room.

It was the first time she had actually sat down properly, just to relax, and she found she was actually enjoying herself as she began to watch the film, getting drawn into the story already and it was only three minutes in.

Half way through, however, Jess sat up abruptly, having dozed off as the comfort and warmth enveloping her became too much. Now, her head reeling from the dream which had been gripping her, and her heart slamming against her chest, she was sure she had heard something. A bang? A thud? She wasn't sure, but she was now certain that it had been something loud, and potentially dangerous.

Her first thought was for Bella, and with a gasp, Jess looked to the stairs as she realised her daughter was up there on her own. Jess kicked off the large, cuddly slippers now slowing her down, and raced up the stairs two at a time, all the while trying to tell herself that neither of them were in danger. As she came to the end of the hall, her hand shook slightly as it reached for the door handle, terrified of what she might find inside.

But before she could even open the door, a gloved hand came out of nowhere and silenced her piercing scream...

Too dramatic? I wanted to get the tension right, so please let me know if you enjoyed it! I said there would be no more fluffy bits, but I did try to add in something happy, and I always knew Becker would be such a proud husband and father :) OK, so you know the drill by now – please review as it always helps and I do appreciate the loyal readers who take the time to read: Thank You! xx