Cherub lips. Auburn curls. Rosy cheeks.

Becker watched as his daughter curled into a ball beneath the yellow blanket they had bought when she was born, sucking on her thumb and furrowing her brow as she dreamt. She was beautiful. Everyone said so, and they all knew who she took after. Bella was a carbon copy of her mother.

Becker turned away, his heart contracting as he envisaged his daughter growing up without Jess. He couldn't stand to think about his wife for more than a second before the pain became too much, and he knew, eventually, he would do something stupid or reckless. He had to be strong for his baby, he knew that. But it was so hard…

Placing the scattered toys in a neat pile against the wall, ready for use in the morning, Becker shuffled downstairs and decided he needed to eat something. Since Jess had gone, his mealtimes had become erratic and his sleep patterns even more so. Being a single parent was difficult, but with his men and the team needing him more than ever, he found himself relying more and more on the charity of others where his daughter was concerned. He hated palming her off onto strangers, but what else could he do? The ARC was falling to pieces with the increasing anomalies, and he had been so distracted these past few months that his mind just hadn't been able to cope with even the simplest of tasks.

He shoved a meal-for-one in the microwave and sat down at the table. The silence was deafening and he hated it. When Jess was here, noise was a constant. Her voice rose and fell as she excitedly told him of the day's events, three pans bubbling, laptop whirring, radio buzzing in the background. Everything had been switched on, never mind the electricity bill, and each noise was interrupted occasionally by the gurgling of Bella through the monitor on the kitchen counter. But even Bella was silent these days, as though she didn't have the energy for her daddy. He knew she missed mummy, he could see it in her confused little eyes as she searched the room for her, and it broke his heart when she gazed at him questioningly.

"I don't have the answers, precious," he told her, but she didn't understand, and he didn't know how to make her see. Instead, he had phoned his mother who had picked her up and taken her to their house. He hated himself for doing it, but he couldn't cope. He knew it. His family knew it. The team knew it. God, maybe Jess knew it too. Maybe that's why she had left. Because he was such a useless husband and father.

He pressed a hand to his mouth to stop the sob desperate to escape. His heart hiccupped as he gasped for breath, frantic with fear and worry.

"Oh god, Jess…" he whispered before quickly grabbing his phone and texting Connor. Two minutes later, his phone began to buzz.

"What's up, mate? Bella OK?"

It took Becker a minute to gain control of his voice, and he cleared his throat to stall for time. "Fine. She's fine. I need a favour."

"Name it."

"I need you to open an anomaly for me. It's risky, but you have to do it anyway. No questions."

There was silence, and Becker prayed Connor was still clever enough to realise he was being serious.

"Where and when?"

Becker let out a relieved sigh. "29th of July 2011… The ARC."

"No."

"Please, Connor."

"How can I let you do this? You're going to see Jess, and God knows what you'll do when you see her. And how are you thinking of explaining this to your past self? Time could implode for all we know!"

"I'll take that risk."

"Well I won't. It's not just you I have to think about. My niece, your daughter, has already lost her mother, and I won't be responsible for leaving her an orphan."

It was like a slap to the face, and Becker leant back against the table for support. "I have to tell her what's going to happen, Connor. At least then, when it does happen, she'll be prepared. She'll have a plan in place. I won't… be on my own, and neither will Bella."

Connor sighed and Becker crossed his fingers in some ridiculous attempt at increasing his luck.

"One condition. If anything even seems remotely off when you go back, you get out of there. And if Jess doesn't want to see you-"

"She will."

"You think she's going to be happy about seeing the future you? Jess has never liked tampering with anomalies, you know that, and she liked the fact that you felt the same. And once you drop the bombshell that you're married, with a child, and that she left you, do you honestly think she's going to take it well?"

For once, Connor almost sounded like an adult, and Becker felt a flicker of pride at the transformation his friend had gone through since Connor had married Abby.

"I understand, but I cannot sit here for another minute knowing absolutely nothing about where she is or why she's gone. Lester is doing everything he can, but with all due respect, it just isn't enough," Becker said with ice in his tone. He didn't hate Lester, he was grateful to him actually, but where Jess was concerned, there was only man responsible for her welfare.

"If it was Abby, I know I would do the same, which is the only real reason I'm even considering this. And the fact that I know Jess would never have left you willingly. So I'll do it, but don't make me regret it, Becker."

Connor had hung up before Becker had a chance to thank him, but he could understand why he might be annoyed about being put into such a compromising position. They had only recently begun properly controlling the anomalies, and Connor was still in the early stages of research. They could still be temperamental and disappear without warning, and there was no guarantee that Becker would be able to return if the anomaly closed.

Slipping his mobile back into the pocket of his jeans, Becker sprung open the microwave door and began dishing out his dinner, desperately wishing he was serving for two…

I hope people are beginning to see a full circle approaching – Becker is about to go back in time to see Jess, which of course is when Bella was conceived! Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please R & R :) To all those who have been followers/readers from the start, a special thank you! I know I'm not the best updater, but I promise I am trying xx