The anomally glowed ominously in front of her, daring her to face it. Jess Parker looked at it nervously. How the hell was she supposed to get out of Ops now? The dracorex was fast approaching after managing to get past one of its new handlers. Absently she wondered if they would get fired if she ended up through an anomally because of this. Her comm sparked to life as the sound of Matts voice filled her ear.
"Jess you need to get into Lesters office."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because an anomally just opened up in the middle of the room and it's blocking the way."
"Jess, do you still have the EMD under your desk?" Becker sounded worried, she noted as she turned back to rummage in the bottom drawer near her chair.
Pulling out the small weapon she checked the charge and found it depleted of energy. Fear threatened to strangle her but she kept a calm voice as she watched the hallway and the anomally. "It's dead."
Becker swore and she almost admonished him before she remembered she had more to worry about than his language. She could hear the dracorex now. It was coming into the room. Realizing she would have to make sure it didn't go through the anomally she took a deep breath and stepped in front of the gateway.
"We're on our way Jess hold tight." Matt again. She took another shaky breath and prayed they'd make it in time to stop anything bad happening.
Two minutes later Jess fell through. Landing on her rear in a grassy forest area she silently chastised herself for being a jinx. Looking up she watched in despair as the anomally surged and blinked out of existence. Tears sprang to her eyes.
"No." she whispered. Looking around frantically she tried to figure out where, or rather when, she had ended up. Nothing about the landscape looked prehistoric but she had the strangest feeling that she hadn't landed in a modern time.
A strange sound filled her ears as she looked around frantically. It sounded like hooves on the ground. Frowning Jess turned towards the direction of the sound and watched as six men on horseback rode towards her. She tensed, taking note of their apparel and guessed that she had arrived somewhere during the dark ages. They stopped before her and the one in the lead hoped down from his mount to approach her. She took a step back wary of the fact that she could end up in a lot of trouble if she wasn't careful.
"Be still my lady. We mean you no harm. Are you in need of assistance?"
"Who are you?"
Her eyes widened when the tall man answered. "We are but the knights of King Arthur. We serve the king. You seem to have been robbed. Can we assist?"
Realizing quickly that the truth would get her burned at the stake Jess resolved to telling the most vague story possible. "I, I don't know what happened. I hit my head and when I woke up I was like this."
He shook his head and removed his cape. Slowly he approached her and draped the cape over her form. "We will bring you to Camelot. You will be safe there. I am Lancelot. You will ride with me."
Her eyes widened. "But."
"It is not safe for a woman alone, especially in your state and night will fall soon. Come, you will be safe with us." His arm went around her shoulders and she resigned herself to having to go with them.
Without the anomally she really had no choice anyway and there was no guarantee that the next passersby would be as accommodating to her. Wordlessly she let Lancelot lift her onto his horse and mount behind her.
They rode for no more than a few minutes before a castle and township came into view. Camelot, she suspected. How surreal. She had read about the myth of king Arthur and his knights of the round table but never in a million years had she thought she would ever actually believe any of it let alone be there.
They took her to the tavern where an old woman and her husband opened their doors to her. Offering her clothes and a place to stay if she agreed to work for them. Immediately she agreed. As unsettling as it was to have to adjust to the new timeline she would not turn away good fortune. Lancelot advised her that he would return to check on her when he could before he left her in the tavern keepers hands.
The wife took her to the back fussing over her whilst making remarks about her strange undergarments and clothes. She made up a vague story about her clothes, explaining the lack of fabric whilst assuring the woman that she was not a whore. Quickly fabricating a story about being hit over the head and waking without her belongings or clothes had been easy enough. The woman took pity on her as she helped her into a corset and skirt get up. Jess thanked the universe that she had worn boots to work that day because it had been so wet lately.
They put her straight to work collecting and washing dishes in between serving the drinks they poured. It was only a few hours before her, literal, knights in shining armor returned to check on her. Lancelot seemed to be happy that she had decided to stay and very pleased that she had been given some clothes. Gawain, Lancelot's right hand man had quickly taken to her. Throwing on the charm and trying to make her laugh.
Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Every day they could her knights would come to see her. She quite enjoyed their company, even if Gawain had a tendency to start fights which Gaheris had to diffuse. It made her otherwise dire situation more tolerable. The only thing funnier than the antics of such chivalrous and sweet men was the way they seemed to adore her. Constantly coming to see her drew a lot of attention but also kept her safe from any unsavoury characters. They took the time to speak with her at length during her shifts and outside of them as well, going on walks with her through town and the forest, telling her stories of their travels. Some even asked for her hand. She took the attention with a grain of salt, always making it clear that she was of no social standing and that she was waiting for someone but graciously accepting the friendships they offered her.
They never asked her why she insisted on visiting the place she had been found so often. She was grateful for their easy going and trusting nature. She had no idea what she would do if the anomally ever opened again, especially if one of the knights were with her. She supposed she would have to knock them out or distract them long enough to go back through.
She was stood at the bar, wiping a goblet absently as her mind wandered when Gawain's voice spoke low into her ear.
"What ails you my sweet Jessica? Surely a lady so lovely as you has no reason to frown."
She turned to find Lancelot standing back with his arms crossed. "Leave the poor girl alone Gawain. How she hasn't assaulted you with the goblet she holds I'll never know."
She smiled in greeting and put the sorry excuse for a cup down. "Is it that time already?"
Gawain grinned. "Aye, the king has given us our leave for the day and so here we are."
"I will fetch your drinks."
"Many thanks." Lancelot nodded with a small smile as he turned towards the table in the back they always occupied.
Jess shook the melancholy thoughts from her head. She had no reason to have to come up with any ideas on how to get through an anomally without being followed because the likelyhood of it opening up again in her lifetime were slim to none. She had no way of knowing if it would open again and considering the time she was in she doubted she would be alive too long any way. The dark ages weren't kind to the life span of humans. Hygiene was lacking and viruses, diseases and infections often killed people quickly.
She heard a fight starting and sighed. Gaharis had not come along with his brother today which meant that there was no one to keep Gawain's temper in check. It looked as though she was going to be cleaning up a right mess in a few moments when the fight ended. Really, she wished that the man would behave more. If he wasn't flirting with her he was starting a fight.
She waited patiently for the fight to end before leaving the safety of the bar to serve the knights their drinks. As she approached she noticed a small gash on Gawain's cheek. Placing the drinks down she pulled a rag that she kept tucked into the top of her skirt and apron, dabbing the blood away.
"Why must you cause such a scene?"
"Why must you continue to deny me your hand?"
She sighed, keeping pressure on the gash and looked at Lancelot pleadingly. When he simply shrugged she returned her sad gaze to Gawain.
"I deny because my heart belongs to another."
"He is not here Jessica. How long will you wait for a man that never comes?"
"He will come, I know he will."
"He has yet to."
"Perhaps he is yet to find me."
"You show such faith in a man."
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because he will not give up, therefore I must not either. He will come for me Gawain."
The man eyed her suspiciously then threw her a flirtatious grin. "You are sure you do not wish to forget this man and spend the rest of your life with a knight instead?"
She smiled and pulled away. "I am sure, besides, Becker is a knight." In his own way.
A few more months passed before anything else happened. The knights were restless today. They had been without a mission for too long and it was making them antsy. Lancelot and Gawain had been in the tavern all day every day for a week. Lancelot was fine, he tended to be cheery and tell tales of their adventures to any who would listen but Gawain was looking for a fight. He was antagonizing people, waiting for someone to take the bait. So far she had had to clean up after three fights in the last four days and from her position across the room she could see another brewing.
As she thought it took only a minute or two for Gawain to prevoke the man in the corner into a fight which seemed to carry on for longer than the last three. Jess watched with shock and annoyance as chairs were broken, glasses were smashed and things were thrown. Eventually the tavern owner came out and yelled for Lancelot to break it up. When the stranger had been thrown out and Gawain had been calmed down Jess stomped over to the two men. Stopping short in front of the grinning men she scowled at them garnering their attention.
"What displeases you lovely Jessica?"
"Are you quite finished brawling Gawain?"
"Yes, I fell much better!"
She sighed. "Well so long as you feel better."
"Why so angry lass? It's just a small brawl."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Must you cause me such trouble?" when the man frowned in confusion she continued. "This mess only adds to my job list Gawain."
"We will help with the clean up, do not fret." Lancelot flashed her his most contrite and apologetic smile.
"Yes you will. I will not be cleaning all of this up on my own." They sheepishly grinned at her as she mumbled whilst looking for a broom. "You cause my head to ache, whatever will I do with the two of you?"
"Marry me."
She rolled her eyes. "How many times must I tell you that I wait for another. My knight." Her eyes narrowed at the man in front of her ."Your flirtations will not get you out of helping clean up Gawain."
"And to think I came to rescue you, looks like you've got the situation well handled."
The new voice rang in her ears as she froze. She noticed Gawain and Lancelot standing to attention and eyeing the new comer suspiciously. Whirling around she got her first good look at the man she had spent the last eight months waiting for.
She made to take a step forward but Gawain held his arm out in front of her. Becker frowned at the action and tensed. Before the tension could turn into another brawl she placed a hand on Gawain's arm.
"It's alright Gawain. He is no threat." Her eyes moved from Gawain to Becker, silently telling both men to stand down.
Becker relaxed minutely as Gawains arm lowered. "This is he? The man you have been waiting for? Your knight."
She nodded. "Yes. It is time for me to go home."
Gawain sighed. "So be it."
Lancelot cleared his throat. "You will be missed."
She smiled softly. "I will not forget you, all of you. I'm grateful for everything you have done for me."
Becker called her name and when she turned back to him he held out a hand. "We need to go."
She nodded and took his hand, letting him pull her into a bone crushing hug. He pulled away but kept her in his arms as he directed her to the door. Turning back he caught the knights gaze.
"Thank you."
"Treat her well." Gawain warned.
Becker simply nodded and guided Jess out of the tavern. When they were out of town she asked the burning question on her mind.
"How did you find me?"
"I asked the old couple at the farm over there." He pointed to a small hobby farm and she nodded. "I described you and they told me it sounded like the girl that lived in the tavern. Said that she had appeared out of nowhere some time ago and the knights had taken her to Camelot."
"I see. I guess it was pretty strange, me appearing all of a sudden."
"I'm sorry it took so long to find you. The anomally-"
"It's okay."
He shook his head and stopped, looking at her with serious eyes. "No, I need you to know that we never stopped checking every anomally for the right time. We never stopped trying to get you back."
"I know."
"You do?"
She nodded. "I knew you would keep looking and that eventually, if the anomally did open up while I was still alive, you would come for me."
He pulled her in for another hug. "I almost lost it when you went through that anomally and it snapped shut behind you."
Clutching his shirt she took a shaky breath hoping to stave off the tears. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want the dracoex to go through and-"
He shushed her, rubbing her back. "It's okay, you're okay." After a moment her breathing evened out again and he pulled back. "Are you ready to go home?"
She nodded. "Yes please." She wrinkled her nose. "I really need a shower, with soap. I stink."
Becker smirked. "Come on, let's get you back to the twenty first century." They walked another couple of minutes until the anomally was in view.
As soon as they could see it Jess started walking faster. They went through without an issue. On the other side one could hear a pin drop when the two fell through. After a moment Abby's voice shattered the silence.
"Jess?!"
Jess looked up to find Abby and Emily wiping away tears. Connor's eyes looked suspiciously wet and Matt and Lester looked more than a little relieved. Abby and Emily moved first. Crushing her in a hug and almost knocking her over. Next Connor squeezed her until she protested under a need to breathe. Matt was gentle with her as he quietly welcomed her back. She had to approach Lester herself.
"Welcome back Parker." She quickly flung her arms around him before he could protest. He stiffened a moment before awkwardly placing his arms around her.
She huffed a laugh as she stepped back. "Sorry, I'm just really glad to be back."
"Yes well, perhaps a shower is in order. You smell like a drunk sheep."
Rolling her eyes she turned back to the team. "Has anybody got a spare change of clothes?"
She was quickly rushed through to medical for a check up before being directed to the locker room so she could clean herself up. Abby and Emily went with her into the locker room to get some supplies and clothes while the boys (Becker reluctantly) stayed back in ops. When the girls were gone Matt sighed.
"She's okay."
Connor nodded. "Thank god."
"She's lost weight."
Matt and Connor turned at Beckers words. He was frowning.
"She's been stuck in the dark ages for eight months. She's more than likely malnourished."Matt replied.
"She'll be okay, she just needs to get some food into her." Connor encouraged. "I'm gonna go get her a snack from the kitchen."
"Don't forget her chocolate." Becker called after Connor who simply waved a hand above his head in acknowledgement as he disappeared into the break room.
When Jess was as clean as she could get she put on the borrowed clothes and was escorted into Lesters office for a debrief meeting.
"We don't have to go over this if you're not ready. You can go home and get some rest if you want." Abby squeezed her hand in encouragement.
She looked at the woman then around the room at her friends. "It's okay. I'm ready if you are. You can start the recording."
Lester reached across the desk and started the recording device. "Alright Jess, start from the beginning. When you're ready."
She took a deep breath before beginning. "When I fell through the anomally I didn't have time to get up before it snapped shut. I looked around and nothing looked prehistoric but nothing looked familiar either. I was trying to figure out what to do when I heard people coming."
She took them through her story. How the knights had found her and taken her back to Camelot. How the tavern owner and his wife had taken her in and how she kept coming back to the anomally site with Lancelot or Gawain, hoping the anomally would reopen. When she was finished everyone was silent for a moment until Connor spoke up.
"I can't believe you met the knights of the round table. That is so cool!"
Becker huffed. "Met? By the time I got there she was telling them off and getting a proposal."
Connors jaw dropped. "You told off King Arthurs knights?"
Abby smirked. "Who proposed to you?"
Jess ignored the blush that had crawled up her neck and crossed her arms. "They made a mess and I did not want to clean it up again. That was the fourth brawl this week." When no one said anything she shrugged.
Abby and Emily shared a quiet chuckle as Connor outright laughed and Matt smirked. Lester shook his head. "Alright, that's enough. Jess, go home. Captain, give her a lift will you. The rest of you, get back to work."
They all gave her another hug and promised to check on her before Becker escorted her to the garage where his truck was sitting. When they were on the road Jess found herself fidgeting in the silence.
"Becker, about the proposal."
"It's okay Jess you don't need to explain."
"No, it's just, Gawain is a massive flirt. He was never really all that serious. I mean he was but I always said no."
Becker parked the car and turned to her as they got out of the car, heading for her flat. "Always? Jess how many times did the guy propose?"
She looked down then back up at him hesitantly as they entered the building. "A couple of times a month." When Beckers brows raised she lifted her hands as they stepped onto the elevator. "But like I said I always said no. I even told him I was waiting for someone."
As they stepped off of the elevator and approached Jess's front door something clicked and pieces started to come together for him. He stopped in the entry way and watched her curiously. When she noticed he wasn't following her she turned around to see what was holding him up but didn't speak when she saw the confusion on his face. Then it turned to understanding.
"Jessica, am I your knight?"
Her cheeks immediately went rosy and she stammered. "What?"
"When I came to get you, you turned down his proposal and said you were waiting for someone. He called me your knight. The one you were waiting for."
She had frozen in place as he approached her slowly. His hand on the side of her face jolted her out of her shock. "I wanted you to come for me so badly."
"Jess." His eyes softened as he searched her face.
Tears welled in her eyes. "I wasn't sure if I would ever see you again but I couldn't do it. I couldn't marry someone because I couldn't let you go." It was silent for a moment and Jess was all of a sudden terrified that he was going to leave her. "Please don't leave me."
"What?"
"I know you have security stuff but please just-"
"No security stuff in the world is more important than you." Slowly he lent forward, placing a light kiss to her lips. "I tried to go after you but it closed so quickly I never had a chance. And when I finally got there I almost shot one of king Arthurs knights because he proposed to you."
She giggled. "If only you knew how many times I'd already told him my heart belonged to someone else. He never stood a chance."
"Good."