Fic - Watching Over Her
Title: Watching Over Her
Author: moviefreak4634
Rating: PG
Pairing: Jess/Becker
Summary: Jess doesn't want to be alone. It's a good thing Becker is there to accompany her.
Timeline: This fic takes place right after episode 5x06. There aren't really any explicit spoilers, but if you're trying to avoid them, I would tread lightly.
Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or its characters.
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Jess Parker sat in her chair, tapping a pencil against the stack of paper in front of her. There had to be a way to control for every eventuality, but she just couldn’t think of anything.
There was a noise behind her, and Jess spun. Nothing there. She took a few deep breaths, trying to tell herself there was nothing to worry about. It didn’t help. She’d been jumpy ever since the incident with Burton and the future predators last week.
She didn’t feel safe at the ARC anymore. Not that that feeling was solely restricted to the ARC. If it had been, she wouldn’t be here now, trying to fix the world when she should be at home in bed. At least she wasn’t alone here.
That sentiment was underscored by the footsteps she heard approaching. She was half turned around now anyway, unwilling to put her back to the room, so she could see Becker coming, but she appreciated that he’d made an effort at not startling her. He was usually so quiet.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Jess’s smiles had been few and far between lately, but she managed one for Becker.
“Nearly finished?”
She made a noncommittal noise in response, gaze dropping back to her papers. She had work to do here. There was no need for her to go home.
“Jess?”
“Hmm?” She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.
“Jessica, I’m taking you home.” His tone brooked no argument. It wasn’t fair.
“I don’t want to be any trouble,” she finally said. She couldn’t even consider it a small victory over Becker and his words that left her unable to protest.
“You’re not trouble. You were here before I was this morning. I’m not going to let you be here after I leave.”
Jess thought he was selling himself short. She hadn’t been here much before him. She was fairly certain their dear captain was trying to protect against eventualities as well. “Well, if you insist.”
“I do,” Becker drawled.
Jess frowned at him. He certainly wasn’t making her quest to stay away from home easy. “I’ll just get my things then,” she said.
He nodded at her.
She set about gathering her things as slowly as possible. She shuffled her papers around, ran multiple searches on the computer, lined up her pens, anything to stay just a little longer.
Becker stayed where he was, arms folded across his chest, watching her. Jess did her best not to acknowledge him. Maybe he would get fed up and leave, but Becker being Becker, he just waited.
By the third time Jess lined the stack of papers up with the edge of the desk, she was sensing that she couldn’t put this off much longer. She stole a glance at Becker. It turned out to be a mistake because of course he noticed.
“Ready?”
She snapped the papers back up. “No. It might take a bit. You can go on without me.”
Becker reached out and took the papers from her, setting them back down where she’d gotten them from. “Jess, I think the files will be fine without you.”
“I have other things-”
Becker interrupted, “I’m taking you home.” He moved closer to take hold of Jess’s upper arm and started leading her out of the room.
Jess let him. She could handle being home. It was only for a few hours after all. She would be fine. Everything would be fine.
Despite the reassurances, a dread had settled into Jess by the time the car pulled to a stop.
“Jess, we’re here,” Becker said when she didn’t move.
Jess kind of nodded, but she stayed where she was.
“Jess?”
She stayed silent. It was silly of her to be scared of being alone, but there it was.
“Jessica, you’re trembling.”
Jess made an effort to curb the trembling she hadn’t even known had started. How was she supposed to convince Becker she was all right if she couldn’t even convince herself?
She shook herself free of the fear that had her spellbound, reaching for the door handle. “It’s fine. Thank you for the lift. I’ll just go now, shall I?”
But she hadn’t quite managed to get the trembling under control, and her fingers fumbled with the handle. She wanted to curse at them, to curse her own ineptitude, but instead she just sank back into the seat.
“Something’s the matter,” Becker said. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing really,” Jess tried. Becker didn’t look like he believed her. She sighed. “You’ll think it’s silly.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Jess took a deep breath. “Ever since the incident with Burton,” she said. “I don’t like being alone.”
“That’s not silly,” Becker said. “You went through a trauma, Jess. It’s not surprising that you’re suffering repercussions.”
Jess finally managed to look at him, just as he reached for her arm. His hand fell on her forearm gently, and she shivered. She couldn’t blame that one on aftereffects of trauma.
They sat like that for several minutes, Becker’s thumb rubbing circles on her arm, before he seemed to come back to himself. He pulled his hand back, and Jess mourned its loss.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said.
A dull panic settled in her again, but before she could protest, Becker was at her door and gently pulling her out of the car. The trembling came back in full force, and Jess was fairly certain she would have fallen if not for Becker’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
When they got to the door, Jess couldn’t get the key to go in the lock. Her hands were shaking too hard. So Becker came to her rescue, tugging the keys from her grasp and inserting the correct one in the door. Jess felt like an idiot. She couldn’t even unlock her own front door. It was ridiculous.
Jess expected Becker to take his leave once she was inside the house, but to her surprise, he came with her, closing the door behind him.
“You know, I’m fine now,” Jess said. “Thank you for bringing me home.”
“Jess, you’re not fine,” Becker replied, “and I’m not leaving you alone. Not like this.”
Jess’s knees almost buckled in relief. She barely made it over to the couch, sinking down on it. Becker followed her. He sat a respectable distance away, but the look on his face spoke volumes. He was worried about her.
“I’m sorry,” Jess said. She wanted to distract herself - from the fear and from the fact that Becker was sitting next to her on her couch. “You must think this all rather silly.”
“I told you already that it’s not silly,” Becker said. His hand reached up to cup her cheek. “After what you went through, it’s okay to still be scared. That was never supposed to happen to you. You’re supposed to be safe at the ARC.”
Jess nodded and took a deep breath.
“You should have told me earlier.”
When she looked at him, Jess could see the guilt written across Becker’s face. Her hand automatically went up to cover his. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Jessica, if you’d been hurt…”
“I wasn’t. I’m fine. Just a little post-traumatic stress is all,” Jess rambled, hoping to distract the both of them from troubles of the past. Suddenly, she realized just how intimately they were sitting, and she sprang up off the sofa. “Do you want some tea?”
Becker chuckled lightly. “Jess, you’re tired. I’m fine.”
“I’m not tired,” Jess protested, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she yawned.
Becker chuckled again. “Sure you’re not.” He pulled her down on to the couch with him again. “You need to sleep. Lay down.”
“I - I have a bed,” Jess stuttered, but she curled up on the couch, head resting on Becker’s thigh. His hand settled in her hair, and she had to remind herself to breath.
“Go to sleep, Jess.”
She almost laughed. If he thought she could get to bed with him so close… She spoke instead. Maybe it would distract her from the fact that Becker was right there. “I feel terrible about making you stay here.”
“You didn’t make me stay. I wanted to stay.”
Jess sighed. “Still, if I wasn’t such an idiot about this, you wouldn’t have to look out for me.”
“Maybe I like looking out for you,” Becker said, “and you’re not an idiot. You’re brilliant.”
Jess didn’t have a reply to that. She was utterly speechless.
“Go to sleep, Jess,” Becker said again.
Obediently, Jess closed her eyes. She didn’t expect it, but with Becker’s hand stroking her hair, she fell asleep straight away. The creatures couldn’t get her with Becker watching over her.
Author: moviefreak4634
Rating: PG
Pairing: Jess/Becker
Summary: Jess doesn't want to be alone. It's a good thing Becker is there to accompany her.
Timeline: This fic takes place right after episode 5x06. There aren't really any explicit spoilers, but if you're trying to avoid them, I would tread lightly.
Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval or its characters.
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Jess Parker sat in her chair, tapping a pencil against the stack of paper in front of her. There had to be a way to control for every eventuality, but she just couldn’t think of anything.
There was a noise behind her, and Jess spun. Nothing there. She took a few deep breaths, trying to tell herself there was nothing to worry about. It didn’t help. She’d been jumpy ever since the incident with Burton and the future predators last week.
She didn’t feel safe at the ARC anymore. Not that that feeling was solely restricted to the ARC. If it had been, she wouldn’t be here now, trying to fix the world when she should be at home in bed. At least she wasn’t alone here.
That sentiment was underscored by the footsteps she heard approaching. She was half turned around now anyway, unwilling to put her back to the room, so she could see Becker coming, but she appreciated that he’d made an effort at not startling her. He was usually so quiet.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Jess’s smiles had been few and far between lately, but she managed one for Becker.
“Nearly finished?”
She made a noncommittal noise in response, gaze dropping back to her papers. She had work to do here. There was no need for her to go home.
“Jess?”
“Hmm?” She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.
“Jessica, I’m taking you home.” His tone brooked no argument. It wasn’t fair.
“I don’t want to be any trouble,” she finally said. She couldn’t even consider it a small victory over Becker and his words that left her unable to protest.
“You’re not trouble. You were here before I was this morning. I’m not going to let you be here after I leave.”
Jess thought he was selling himself short. She hadn’t been here much before him. She was fairly certain their dear captain was trying to protect against eventualities as well. “Well, if you insist.”
“I do,” Becker drawled.
Jess frowned at him. He certainly wasn’t making her quest to stay away from home easy. “I’ll just get my things then,” she said.
He nodded at her.
She set about gathering her things as slowly as possible. She shuffled her papers around, ran multiple searches on the computer, lined up her pens, anything to stay just a little longer.
Becker stayed where he was, arms folded across his chest, watching her. Jess did her best not to acknowledge him. Maybe he would get fed up and leave, but Becker being Becker, he just waited.
By the third time Jess lined the stack of papers up with the edge of the desk, she was sensing that she couldn’t put this off much longer. She stole a glance at Becker. It turned out to be a mistake because of course he noticed.
“Ready?”
She snapped the papers back up. “No. It might take a bit. You can go on without me.”
Becker reached out and took the papers from her, setting them back down where she’d gotten them from. “Jess, I think the files will be fine without you.”
“I have other things-”
Becker interrupted, “I’m taking you home.” He moved closer to take hold of Jess’s upper arm and started leading her out of the room.
Jess let him. She could handle being home. It was only for a few hours after all. She would be fine. Everything would be fine.
Despite the reassurances, a dread had settled into Jess by the time the car pulled to a stop.
“Jess, we’re here,” Becker said when she didn’t move.
Jess kind of nodded, but she stayed where she was.
“Jess?”
She stayed silent. It was silly of her to be scared of being alone, but there it was.
“Jessica, you’re trembling.”
Jess made an effort to curb the trembling she hadn’t even known had started. How was she supposed to convince Becker she was all right if she couldn’t even convince herself?
She shook herself free of the fear that had her spellbound, reaching for the door handle. “It’s fine. Thank you for the lift. I’ll just go now, shall I?”
But she hadn’t quite managed to get the trembling under control, and her fingers fumbled with the handle. She wanted to curse at them, to curse her own ineptitude, but instead she just sank back into the seat.
“Something’s the matter,” Becker said. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing really,” Jess tried. Becker didn’t look like he believed her. She sighed. “You’ll think it’s silly.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
Jess took a deep breath. “Ever since the incident with Burton,” she said. “I don’t like being alone.”
“That’s not silly,” Becker said. “You went through a trauma, Jess. It’s not surprising that you’re suffering repercussions.”
Jess finally managed to look at him, just as he reached for her arm. His hand fell on her forearm gently, and she shivered. She couldn’t blame that one on aftereffects of trauma.
They sat like that for several minutes, Becker’s thumb rubbing circles on her arm, before he seemed to come back to himself. He pulled his hand back, and Jess mourned its loss.
“Let’s get you inside,” he said.
A dull panic settled in her again, but before she could protest, Becker was at her door and gently pulling her out of the car. The trembling came back in full force, and Jess was fairly certain she would have fallen if not for Becker’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist.
When they got to the door, Jess couldn’t get the key to go in the lock. Her hands were shaking too hard. So Becker came to her rescue, tugging the keys from her grasp and inserting the correct one in the door. Jess felt like an idiot. She couldn’t even unlock her own front door. It was ridiculous.
Jess expected Becker to take his leave once she was inside the house, but to her surprise, he came with her, closing the door behind him.
“You know, I’m fine now,” Jess said. “Thank you for bringing me home.”
“Jess, you’re not fine,” Becker replied, “and I’m not leaving you alone. Not like this.”
Jess’s knees almost buckled in relief. She barely made it over to the couch, sinking down on it. Becker followed her. He sat a respectable distance away, but the look on his face spoke volumes. He was worried about her.
“I’m sorry,” Jess said. She wanted to distract herself - from the fear and from the fact that Becker was sitting next to her on her couch. “You must think this all rather silly.”
“I told you already that it’s not silly,” Becker said. His hand reached up to cup her cheek. “After what you went through, it’s okay to still be scared. That was never supposed to happen to you. You’re supposed to be safe at the ARC.”
Jess nodded and took a deep breath.
“You should have told me earlier.”
When she looked at him, Jess could see the guilt written across Becker’s face. Her hand automatically went up to cover his. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Jessica, if you’d been hurt…”
“I wasn’t. I’m fine. Just a little post-traumatic stress is all,” Jess rambled, hoping to distract the both of them from troubles of the past. Suddenly, she realized just how intimately they were sitting, and she sprang up off the sofa. “Do you want some tea?”
Becker chuckled lightly. “Jess, you’re tired. I’m fine.”
“I’m not tired,” Jess protested, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she yawned.
Becker chuckled again. “Sure you’re not.” He pulled her down on to the couch with him again. “You need to sleep. Lay down.”
“I - I have a bed,” Jess stuttered, but she curled up on the couch, head resting on Becker’s thigh. His hand settled in her hair, and she had to remind herself to breath.
“Go to sleep, Jess.”
She almost laughed. If he thought she could get to bed with him so close… She spoke instead. Maybe it would distract her from the fact that Becker was right there. “I feel terrible about making you stay here.”
“You didn’t make me stay. I wanted to stay.”
Jess sighed. “Still, if I wasn’t such an idiot about this, you wouldn’t have to look out for me.”
“Maybe I like looking out for you,” Becker said, “and you’re not an idiot. You’re brilliant.”
Jess didn’t have a reply to that. She was utterly speechless.
“Go to sleep, Jess,” Becker said again.
Obediently, Jess closed her eyes. She didn’t expect it, but with Becker’s hand stroking her hair, she fell asleep straight away. The creatures couldn’t get her with Becker watching over her.