Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or it's characters.

Secrets

Chapter 8 – Moving Day

Settling into their new life together was going better than Jess had thought it would. The girls seemed happy living with her and accepted that Jess was now essentially their parent. They still missed Becker—Jess didn't think that would ever completely fade away—and had moments when they'd withdraw to be alone with their grief. In those moments Jess would remind them that—as far as they knew—Becker was still alive, and could be found any day now. She made sure they didn't give up hope that he would return, Jess believed he would and she wanted Lily and Maddie to believe it too.

They quickly came up with a morning routine and fell into it easily. Each day they would wake up early, get ready, and have breakfast together before Jess and Lily would leave at 7:30, so Jess could drop the four-year-old off at childcare and still get to work by 8:30. Maddie had started taking the bus to school to avoid getting there too early, like she had been when Jess was driving her.

In the afternoons Jess would pick Lily up at 5:30, after her shift ended, and together they would stop by Becker's house and collect a few more of the girls' things. They would then return to Jess' flat, where they would put away what they brought over, before the three of them would set about making dinner together.

Yes, life together was going well. Though they still had to move the bulk of the girls' things, including their beds. As it was, they were using the one in Jess' guest bedroom—now Lily and Maddie's bedroom—and Jess was sure they were tired of having to share a bed.

That was why today she had set aside the entire day to move the remainder of their possessions. She had hired a moving truck, and Melissa was coming down from university to help move the lager objects.

They were about to leave when Jess' phone began to ring.

"Hello."

"Jess, it's Connor. I hate to ask but would you be able to come in to work?"

"Why?"

"There's a problem with the ADD, I was called in earlier to fix it but I'm not having any luck. I could really use your help."

Jess sighed. "I'm on my way."

Crap! What am I going to do with the girls?

Jess called Melissa, hoping that she'd be okay with babysitting instead of moving furniture.

"Hey Jess, I was just about to call you." Mel said as she answered the phone, her voice sounding croaky. "I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to be able to help with the move today. I've been feeling sick all week and today it's gotten worse, I don't even have the strength to get out of bed."

Jess sighed again, this was not going as she had hoped.

"That's okay Mel, you can't help getting sick. Feel better soon."

"Thanks Jess."

The two women hang up and Jess went back to trying to work out what to do with the girls.

Well, they're just going to have to come with me.

Jess explained to Lily and Maddie what had happened and after quickly packing some things to keep the girls entertained they left for the ARC.

At the ARC, Jess parked in her normal spot and then the three of them headed across the carpark to the entrance.

"Morning Miss Parker, who've you got here with you today?" The soldier on guard asked as they entered the building.

"Good morning Blake. These are my…nieces," Jess said, intending to keep Becker's secret. "I had agreed to look after them for the day when I was called in, I had no choice but to bring them with me. Lester won't mind."

"Very well Miss," he said, letting them through.

"Jess, why did you tell him we're your nieces? Maddie asked as soon as they were away from the door and walking through the mostly deserted hallways.

"So he would let you come in." She didn't want to tell them that Becker hadn't told anyone he worked with that he had two daughters, in case they got the wrong idea.

Maddie didn't say anything further but Jess could tell from the look on her face that she didn't believe the reason she had been given.

That girl is far too perceptive.

In the hub Jess set the girls up at one of the empty desks and told them they weren't to go wandering around, if they need anything to let her know.

"Who're the girls?" Connor asked as she joined him at the ADD.

"My nieces." Jess said giving him the same story she had the soldier on guard duty, her tone stopping any further questions.

They began work on the ADD, Connor explaining that he'd already checked all the external hardware and couldn't find a fault with any of it. Figuring that the problem must be the internal system they ran countless scans, hoping one of them would bring the issue into the light.

She was working so intently that Jess didn't notice when an hour later Lily and Maddie got up from the seats, deciding to explore the facility.

###

After hours of searching they found a virus in the system that was causing the problem. Once that was done, it was easy enough for Jess and Connor to clear it from the network and set up a stronger fire wall.

It was as Jess was doing a final check of the system that Matt came over to speak with her.

"Jess, I was just wondering why it is your nieces are introducing themselves as Beckers?"

Jess' body went rigid and she slowly turned her chair around to face Matt.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to keep the panic she felt out of her voice.

"I'll show you. Connor go over and introduce yourself to the younger one."

"Oh-kaaayyy." Connor said as went to do as he was asked.

Walking over to the table the girls were at, Connor sat in the empty seat next to Lily. Matt and Jess moved close enough to be able to hear what was said.

"Hey there, I'm Connor Temple, I'm a friend of Jess'. What's your name?"

"Lily Becker."

"And is that your big sister Lily?" Connor asked trying to hide his shock, he gestured to Maddie who was sitting across from them.

"Yep. Her name's Maddie Becker."

"Well, it was very nice to meet you both." Connor said as he got up and walked over to Jess and Matt.

"Yeah, you're going to have to explain that." He said as he reached them.

Jess groaned. So much for keeping Becker's secret.

"Okay fine, I'll explain. But not here, in your office," she said to Matt. "You may as well get Abby and Emily to meet us there."

###

As they waited for Abby and Emily to join them, Jess tried to come up with the best way to tell the team who Lily and Maddie were without them freaking out on her. But the two women appeared before she had a chance to come up with a decent plan.

"Okay Jess, explain," Matt said the moment they were all there. "And don't try to come up with some convoluted story to explain why your nieces have Becker as a last name, because I know you only have a brother, so any nieces of yours would be called Parker."

Jess didn't know what was worse; the fact that Matt thought she would do something like that, or that she didn't think of it first.

"The reason they introduced themselves that way is because…they're…Becker's daughters."

The team looked at her in silence, stunned expressions on their faces.

"Becker has kids? How?" Connor asked.

"It's kinda a long story. The short version is that Becker and his girlfriend had Maddie when they were 17 and then Lily was born five years later. Bianca—the girls' mother—left after Lily was born and Becker's been raising them by himself for the last four years."

"Why the hell didn't he tell us?" Abby asked sounding hurt.

"I don't know. Technically he didn't tell me either. I found out by accident and he was forced to explain."

Silence fell again. Jess could tell her friends were struggling with the information they had just received. Not that she blamed them, it was hard learning that someone you considered a close friend had another life you didn't know about.

"But why are they with you?" Matt asked, recovering first.

"Because Becker's parents are horrible people who refused to take in their orphan granddaughters and I refused to let them be put into foster care. I'm trying to be granted guardianship rights, and now that you guys know, I could really use your help."

"Of course Jess, we are your friends and will help you in whatever way we are able. Just tell us what it is you need."

"Lester's been helping me with the case, mainly by getting it pushed through faster than it normally would. But the judge won't make a decision until he receives character witnesses; Lester wrote one but it wasn't enough, he wants some that reflect my personal life. The only people who know me well enough to do that is you."

"Consider it done, anytime you need help we shall be there to provide it."

"Em's right Jess, you don't need to do this alone anymore. Becker was a part of this team and a close friend to all of us, it's only right that we all help look after his daughters."

"Thanks guys, and…well, now that you mention it…"

Jess explained that they were meant to be moving the girls' possessions today and before she had finished talking Matt, Abby, Connor, and Emily had agreed to help her with the move.

The five of them—plus Maddie, Lily, and a few soldiers that Matt had recruited—arrived at the girls house half an hour later. The soldiers had been just as shocked—if not more so—as the rest of the team at learning Becker's secret, but had jumped at the chance to help their missing captain.

Unlocking the door, Jess slipped into the role she was most comfortable in, and began coordinating everything that needed to be done.

"Matt, you and Becker's men begin loading the furniture into the moving truck. We're taking both the girls beds, their dressers and Lily's toy box. Once that's done, load whatever boxes are ready for transport."

Matt nodded, then he and the men headed in the direction Jess gestured to them.

"Lily, Maddie, go and start boxing up whatever's left in your rooms that we're taking with us. Emily could you go with Lily and help her. Maddie, I'll be in to help you in a moment."

The girls went off to their rooms, Lily taking Emily by the hand and talking to her animatedly as they went.

"Connor, Abby, could you go through the kitchen and living room and box up anything you think the girls my need or want."

"Sure thing Jess."

Satisfied that everyone knew what they had to be doing Jess went to help Maddie pack up her room.

###

Despite the fact that they were taking very little it still took them all afternoon to pack everything, load the truck, and then unpack everything back at Jess' flat.

The first thing they did once back at Jess' was get the spare bed out of her flat, which was later transported to Becker's house to be stored there for the time being. It was a short term solution to the problem, but they were all treating the man's disappearance as a short term problem as well.

The soldiers stayed to help move all the furniture, but left to go back to the ARC as soon as that was done, promising to return the moving van Jess had hired on their way.

Matt, Connor, Emily, and Abby stayed to help set up the new bedroom, and after that the group had dinner together. All of them wanting to make the most of this new connection they had found to the man currently lost in time. They spent the evening getting to know the girls and swapping stories about Becker. Lily and Maddie loved hearing about all the times their dad had been a hero, and the team more than enjoyed the stories of Becker's struggles while raising two girls. It was a fun night, Jess hadn't seen Lily or Maddie laugh so much since she told them Becker had gone missing, and she was grateful to the others for cheering them up so much.

The team stayed until Lily went to bed, deciding then that it was time they called it a night.

"I almost forgot," Abby said just as she was about to leave. "I took this off Becker's fridge. I thought you might want it."

Jess took the piece of paper and turned it over. It was the photo that was taken of her, Becker, Lily, and Maddie at the four-year-old's birthday party. They were seated on the couch in Becker's living room; Jess was sitting next to Becker with Lily on her lap, and Maddie seated on the floor in front of them. The three girls were looking up at the camera, a smile on each of their faces, and Jess' arms wrapped around Lily. Becker on the other hand was looking nowhere near the camera. He was looking to his left, down at Jess and had been caught in a moment of complete openness. There was no mistaking the look of utter love and adoration that was on his face as he gazed down at the woman next to him.

Jess smiled at the picture and hoped that they found a way to bring him back soon.

"Thanks Abby," she said as she hugged the other woman goodbye.