Oh God, I promised I would start writing quicker, and then I don't write anything for months! You all must hate me! Hopefully this will keep you going and I will be extra quick with the next chapter to make up for it – Promise! Please review as I would love to hear what you think, and thank you for reading :)

Emily watched silently as Becker entered the Hub, his eyes bloodshot and cold as he stared at Greg who was currently typing away at the desk. At Jess' desk.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Becker hissed venomously, shooting the poor boy a glare which would have made even the toughest man shake. He could feel his hand itching to smash something, but Emily's arm around his shoulder stopped him, and he let her guide him away and towards the corridor.

"No word, yet?" she asked gently, sitting him down on one of the wooden benches.

He shook his head, avoiding her gaze. "What makes you so sure she'll ever get in touch? It's been almost three months since- since- She isn't coming back, Emily!"

Emily sat down next to him and squeezed his arm. "I know Jess, and I know that she adores you and Bella more than anything in the world. There is no way she would leave you without good reason."

"Maybe, but if that's the case, it means she's in some kind of trouble, and that's almost worse than thinking she's stopped loving me. Because if she's left because she's scared, or because she's in danger, then she could be… hurt. Or worse. How can I live with myself knowing that I didn't protect her? That's my bloody job!"

"You're a soldier, Becker, not a mind-reader. You had no idea this was going to happen."

"I'm her husband, and that makes her safety my responsibility. This has nothing to do with my being a soldier – you don't need army training to protect your wife," he replied, his chest rising and falling quickly as he struggled to breathe normally. "I don't think I can take this much longer."

Just then, Matt rounded the corner and saw Emily and Becker deep in conversation. Over the past few weeks, Becker had slowly been retreating further and further into himself, and only Emily could get him to speak. It shouldn't have bothered him, but he could feel that spark of jealousy sizzling beneath the surface just like it always did when he saw him, or any man, with Emily. He hated himself for thinking it, but his over-protective nature wanted her all to himself.

"Everything all right?" he asked as he neared them, placing a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Fine, I think. Becker was just checking in to make sure everything was running smoothly," she replied, standing up and giving Matt a sad smile. He knew how badly Jess's sudden departure had affected her, especially when they had become so close, and he hated the thought that he could nothing about it.

"Where's Bella?" he asked, and Becker gave him a warning stare.

"None of your damn business," he spat back, straightening his shoulders and looking Matt straight in the eye.

"She's with Lester," Emily explained, and gently tugged Matt away. "Please, stop asking him questions. I don't think he can take another interrogation. Those government agents have done enough of that."

Matt nodded, remembering Becker's ashen face when he left Lester's office. "They think it was me. They think I've done something to her," he had whispered before breaking down completely. It had been one of the hardest days for the whole team – they had never seen Becker cry before, and that just added to the overall hurt and worry which seemed to be constantly plaguing them.

"I just think he needs to be focusing on his daughter right now. Bella has no idea what's going on – she's already lost her mum, I don't want her to lose her dad as well."

Emily regarded Matt for a moment, unsure why her boyfriend was being so unsympathetic considering everything Becker had been through. Bella was a constant reminder of Jess, and Emily knew it hurt him every time he looked at his daughter, knowing she could be the only piece of Jess he had left.

"I think he's been through a lot recently, and we need to respect the fact that he needs to deal with his grief in his own way. You can't force him to do something, Matt. Not right now. It wouldn't be fair on him."

"And what about Bella? Is it fair on her that she's gone from the comfort of having both her parents around her to now having none? Maybe Becker needs to start thinking about other people rather than just wallowing all the time."

Emily stood, stunned, as she watched him march off towards Lester's office where she was sure he would be going to find Bella. She hadn't failed to notice his sudden protectiveness over the little girl, but she had absolutely no idea what his motives were. As far as she could tell, he didn't want children, and barely even tolerated them, but it seemed he had some kind of special bond with Bella which even she couldn't comprehend.

xxx

"Jessica, I understand you are anxious, and I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it is being away from Bella, but you really must refrain from calling me every single day. If anything happened to her, you would be the first person I called. I can assure you of that," Lester said, before sighing as he heard Jess muffling a sob.

"I miss her, Lester. I miss them both so much," she whispered, desperately trying not to collapse in a heap on the floor. She had done enough of that over the past few weeks to last her a lifetime.

"I know, Jess. And they miss you, too, but for the moment, there really is nothing more we can do. We just have to wait-"

"I'm tired of waiting!" she yelled without thinking, and then quickly apologised to him. It wasn't his fault, she was just tired. She hadn't slept properly since she'd left, and even when she did manage to close her eyes, her dreams were plagued with Becker's distraught, crumpled face. How could she carry on doing this when she knew how much it was hurting him?

Lester rubbed his forehead and poured himself another tumbler of scotch. He had never been an avid fan of alcohol, but it seemed to be his only salvation at the present moment.

"I can't tell you anything that you don't already know, Jess. Bella is well, Becker is coping as best he can, and whoever is tracking you is still out there. We're doing everything we can… I'm afraid that's all we can do."

Jess nodded and wiped away the tears dripping from her chin. "Is she with you, now?"

"No," he said firmly, though she couldn't tell whether he was lying or not. "Matt took her to the park."

Her brows furrowed, and she sat down on the edge of the sofa. "Matt did?"

"Jess, I have to go, I'm sorry. The team have just come back and I need to make sure-"

"I understand, Lester. We both have our duties, and they need you just as much as I do. Goodnight, and if you can, give Bella a kiss from me."

"I will, I promise. Goodbye, Jessica. Try not to worry." And with that he put the phone down, gazing out of the glass walls surrounding his office at the empty Hub. Most people had gone out for lunch, Matt was at the park with Bella, Emily was trying to find Becker, and he hadn't even seen Abby and Connor today. He had lied, to Jess, the girl he had considered as his adopted daughter for many months now. She was flesh and blood to him, and he had simply put the phone down when she started asking difficult questions. Some father he was.

He pulled open his desk drawer and rifled through the piles of documents until he found the one he was looking for – the one Bella had drawn for him. He smiled as his fingers traced the vivid crayon spiralling and swirling over the Government paper. He remembered clearly the day she had done it, pretending to be annoyed that she had ruined yet another letter to the Minister, but secretly thrilled that she had drawn something specifically for him. Her Godfather. He smiled at the very thought of this new title, but felt unworthy of it at the moment. Since Jess had left, he had barely said two words to Becker, feeling constantly guilty whenever he saw him, and it pained him pretending to Jess that everything was all right. In truth, without her, the ARC had completely fallen apart.

Please R & R if you don't hate me and want to read more! I promise the next chapter will be up before the week is out :) x