Fandom: Primeval
Characters: Becker, Jess
Story: Gossip Girl
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Set in early scenes of 5x02, and spoilers up through there. Angsty.
Author's Note: This is part of my A/B/C universe, but it can be read as pre-Becker/Jess instead, if one's so inclined.
Summary: Abby, Connor and Matt are heading off to deal with a remote mission, but Becker has been held back, keeping his own team on the ready in case another anomaly comes up. Hovering near the hub, he watches the team leave: Connor, oblivious to everything else, has his phone stuck to his ear, begging Philip for understanding about the mission. And Abby and Matt hang back, whispering and glancing at Connor…
Gossip Girl
“There’s nothing going on there, you know.” Jess said, matter-of-factly.
Becker turned to stare at her.
“Matt and Abby,” she nodded toward the pair he’d been watching. They huddled close together as they ducked into the elevator.
He shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “Of course there isn’t. I know that.”
“Do you?” She raised an eyebrow.
He frowned. “Yes, I do.”
She smirked at him. “You mean, you do now,” she teased.
He gaped at her, incredulous. Then, he smiled. “Yes, Jess. I do, now.” He strode over to her station, chuckling a little. “Trust you to be up on all the gossip around here.”
“Well, information is my job, after all,” she chirped proudly.
“It is.” He put a hand on the back of her chair. “So if you say there’s nothing there, then I believe you.”
“You’re still worried, though.”
He said nothing, but set his jaw.
She sighed, and a furrow of concern crossed her brow. “I am, too, actually.” She seemed to catch the quick look of panic on his face. “Not about that. Matt’s besotted with Emily and probably always will be.”
“Yes, and Abby’s besotted with Connor...”
“Yes, I know.” Jess rolled her eyes. “It’s different with Matt, though. When you’re in love with someone you can’t have, it kind of… takes over your whole world.” She shifted nervously, and looked away.
“Right.”
“Anyway.” She shook her head. “No, she’s not cheating--hardly. But you’re right that she and Matt are set on something right now, and I don’t think it’s something good. They’re always off chatting in some corner or other looking quite cross. Not entirely sure why, though.”
“Well, on Abby’s side, it’s to do with Connor. She’s been miserable since he started working for Philip.” He set his jaw.
She wrinkled her nose. “After what Philip wanted to do with the menagerie, I don’t blame her. I mean, yeah, the creatures freak me out, but…”
“Connor’s kind of obsessed with him, though. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he blows me off. He just seems so… eager to please the man or something.” He huffed a little in exasperation.
“Yeah. I can see that. I think he likes the attention, maybe?” She cocked her head.
Becker thought for a moment. “That’s probably part of it, yeah. We’ve never talked about it in so many words, but I know he has some… issues about that sort of thing.”
Her face went a little dark. “Professor Cutter?”
He nodded. “Among other things, yes. He was an absolute wreck after that. One minute he was just being dorky, cheeky Connor—annoying the hell out of me as usual. The next, it was like he aged 10 years in an hour, and he’s never been the same since. I think the relationship stuff has helped him quite a bit, but that’s not what he’s missing.” He looked at the floor. “And I guess maybe Philip is.”
“You’re probably right, yeah,” Jess murmured quietly.
“I think the other part of the problem is that he’s also kind of stuck on this project he’s working on. I get it, mostly. The genius thing. He’s always been a little obsessive when he’s building something or solving a problem, but it’s way more intense with this one, now.” He paced a little, trying to walk off the frustration. “He hardly ever leaves the lab lately. I think he’s seen more of April than anyone else. He’s not been going out on missions. He’s even been sleeping here some nights.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. He’s taken over one of the bunks near the locker room. I’ve seen his code show up on the access logs for it.”
“Of course, it doesn’t help that I have absolutely no idea what he’s working on. Though I probably wouldn’t understand it even if he told me.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“I might,” Jess shrugged. “But if he’s not telling you, he wouldn’t tell me, that’s for sure. So I’m just as much in the dark as you are.”
“You have a CCTV feed from inside his lab though, don’t you?” Becker walked back over, gazing at her bank of monitors.
“I do, but the camera for the feed requires an in-person passcode to operate, or an override from senior staff. Best I can usually see is this.” She turned, and typed in a command. On the centre monitor, a feed of the corridor outside Connor’s lab came up. All that was visible through the door’s small window was a pile of papers on Connor’s work table.
“So no clue what he’s building in there.” Becker frowned.
She shook her head.
He sighed, and rubbed his chin. “I guess it doesn’t matter, really. He could be building a bomb or a magic carpet. Either way, the real problem is the fact that he’s doing this for Philip and it’s eating so much of his time. He’s like a ghost these days, and Abby’s just not handling it well at all. What Matt has to do with this, I don’t know. And I’m not sure I want to ask her. She’s upset enough as it is. I don’t want to risk making it worse by sounding like I’m… spying on her or something.”
Jess nodded. “Right. Same reason I haven’t asked her about it, either.” Then her face grew pensive. “Becker… I know it’s none of my business, but…”
“Hm?”
“Do you think this is going to work itself out? Like maybe once Connor finishes the project he’ll be OK again?”
He heaved a deep breath and stared off into space for a moment.
“Right. None of my business.” She turned back to her monitors.
He glanced over at her and smiled kindly. “No, it’s OK, Jess. It’s just…” He looked around the room, making sure they were absolutely alone. Only Lester was in view, and he was parked in his office, face going red as he argued on the phone with the minister. Becker took a breath and leaned over. “I love them. And watching this happen and not being able to do anything about it is killing me.”
She reached for his hand, squeezing it warmly. “I care about them, too. I mean, I don’t have the…connection…with them that you do, but still. They matter to me.” She shifted, drawing a shallow breath. “But I also care about you. And if you ever need anything—and I mean anything—all you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.”
He scanned her face. There was nothing there he wasn’t already familiar with: honesty, dedication, sincere friendship. But for a moment, the expression of all of these things deepened, and he saw more in her than he’d maybe ever seen. She was still the same flighty girl he’d met a year ago. She was brilliant at her job, and far smarter than she looked, but young, a smidge naïve and prone to frivolity. Yet she also had a pure, unblemished spirit—a rare thing to see in this line of work. He hoped she’d never go through anything that would break it.
Ignoring the potential of Lester seeing them, he leaned over, putting an arm around her shoulders, and dropped a gentle kiss atop her head. “Thank you, Jess,” he whispered into her hair. He felt her shiver a little, and he pulled back, afraid he’d upset her.
She looked up at him, big, blue eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “You’re welcome.” She smiled warmly, and for a moment, his recent frustrations melted away.
They turned at the sound of a door opening behind them.
“So much for that,” Lester muttered, striding toward them. “Lucky us. Company’s coming.”
Becker straightened, frowning a little. “Admiralty?”
Lester nodded, his jaw set. “They seem to think we can’t handle this on our own.”
“Great.” Jess made a noise of annoyance. She turned back to her monitors, and began pulling up lists of military information. “Back to work!” Her eyes flicked up to Becker one last time, and she flashed a small, sympathetic smile.
He looked at the screens. On the centre one was a map tracking a vehicle moving through the city toward the docks: Matt, Connor and Abby heading off to do their jobs. He’d never had any interest in joining the Navy. Yet at that moment, the only place he wanted to be was on that sub.
--End--
Characters: Becker, Jess
Story: Gossip Girl
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: Set in early scenes of 5x02, and spoilers up through there. Angsty.
Author's Note: This is part of my A/B/C universe, but it can be read as pre-Becker/Jess instead, if one's so inclined.
Summary: Abby, Connor and Matt are heading off to deal with a remote mission, but Becker has been held back, keeping his own team on the ready in case another anomaly comes up. Hovering near the hub, he watches the team leave: Connor, oblivious to everything else, has his phone stuck to his ear, begging Philip for understanding about the mission. And Abby and Matt hang back, whispering and glancing at Connor…
Gossip Girl
“There’s nothing going on there, you know.” Jess said, matter-of-factly.
Becker turned to stare at her.
“Matt and Abby,” she nodded toward the pair he’d been watching. They huddled close together as they ducked into the elevator.
He shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “Of course there isn’t. I know that.”
“Do you?” She raised an eyebrow.
He frowned. “Yes, I do.”
She smirked at him. “You mean, you do now,” she teased.
He gaped at her, incredulous. Then, he smiled. “Yes, Jess. I do, now.” He strode over to her station, chuckling a little. “Trust you to be up on all the gossip around here.”
“Well, information is my job, after all,” she chirped proudly.
“It is.” He put a hand on the back of her chair. “So if you say there’s nothing there, then I believe you.”
“You’re still worried, though.”
He said nothing, but set his jaw.
She sighed, and a furrow of concern crossed her brow. “I am, too, actually.” She seemed to catch the quick look of panic on his face. “Not about that. Matt’s besotted with Emily and probably always will be.”
“Yes, and Abby’s besotted with Connor...”
“Yes, I know.” Jess rolled her eyes. “It’s different with Matt, though. When you’re in love with someone you can’t have, it kind of… takes over your whole world.” She shifted nervously, and looked away.
“Right.”
“Anyway.” She shook her head. “No, she’s not cheating--hardly. But you’re right that she and Matt are set on something right now, and I don’t think it’s something good. They’re always off chatting in some corner or other looking quite cross. Not entirely sure why, though.”
“Well, on Abby’s side, it’s to do with Connor. She’s been miserable since he started working for Philip.” He set his jaw.
She wrinkled her nose. “After what Philip wanted to do with the menagerie, I don’t blame her. I mean, yeah, the creatures freak me out, but…”
“Connor’s kind of obsessed with him, though. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he blows me off. He just seems so… eager to please the man or something.” He huffed a little in exasperation.
“Yeah. I can see that. I think he likes the attention, maybe?” She cocked her head.
Becker thought for a moment. “That’s probably part of it, yeah. We’ve never talked about it in so many words, but I know he has some… issues about that sort of thing.”
Her face went a little dark. “Professor Cutter?”
He nodded. “Among other things, yes. He was an absolute wreck after that. One minute he was just being dorky, cheeky Connor—annoying the hell out of me as usual. The next, it was like he aged 10 years in an hour, and he’s never been the same since. I think the relationship stuff has helped him quite a bit, but that’s not what he’s missing.” He looked at the floor. “And I guess maybe Philip is.”
“You’re probably right, yeah,” Jess murmured quietly.
“I think the other part of the problem is that he’s also kind of stuck on this project he’s working on. I get it, mostly. The genius thing. He’s always been a little obsessive when he’s building something or solving a problem, but it’s way more intense with this one, now.” He paced a little, trying to walk off the frustration. “He hardly ever leaves the lab lately. I think he’s seen more of April than anyone else. He’s not been going out on missions. He’s even been sleeping here some nights.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. He’s taken over one of the bunks near the locker room. I’ve seen his code show up on the access logs for it.”
“Of course, it doesn’t help that I have absolutely no idea what he’s working on. Though I probably wouldn’t understand it even if he told me.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“I might,” Jess shrugged. “But if he’s not telling you, he wouldn’t tell me, that’s for sure. So I’m just as much in the dark as you are.”
“You have a CCTV feed from inside his lab though, don’t you?” Becker walked back over, gazing at her bank of monitors.
“I do, but the camera for the feed requires an in-person passcode to operate, or an override from senior staff. Best I can usually see is this.” She turned, and typed in a command. On the centre monitor, a feed of the corridor outside Connor’s lab came up. All that was visible through the door’s small window was a pile of papers on Connor’s work table.
“So no clue what he’s building in there.” Becker frowned.
She shook her head.
He sighed, and rubbed his chin. “I guess it doesn’t matter, really. He could be building a bomb or a magic carpet. Either way, the real problem is the fact that he’s doing this for Philip and it’s eating so much of his time. He’s like a ghost these days, and Abby’s just not handling it well at all. What Matt has to do with this, I don’t know. And I’m not sure I want to ask her. She’s upset enough as it is. I don’t want to risk making it worse by sounding like I’m… spying on her or something.”
Jess nodded. “Right. Same reason I haven’t asked her about it, either.” Then her face grew pensive. “Becker… I know it’s none of my business, but…”
“Hm?”
“Do you think this is going to work itself out? Like maybe once Connor finishes the project he’ll be OK again?”
He heaved a deep breath and stared off into space for a moment.
“Right. None of my business.” She turned back to her monitors.
He glanced over at her and smiled kindly. “No, it’s OK, Jess. It’s just…” He looked around the room, making sure they were absolutely alone. Only Lester was in view, and he was parked in his office, face going red as he argued on the phone with the minister. Becker took a breath and leaned over. “I love them. And watching this happen and not being able to do anything about it is killing me.”
She reached for his hand, squeezing it warmly. “I care about them, too. I mean, I don’t have the…connection…with them that you do, but still. They matter to me.” She shifted, drawing a shallow breath. “But I also care about you. And if you ever need anything—and I mean anything—all you have to do is ask, and it’s yours.”
He scanned her face. There was nothing there he wasn’t already familiar with: honesty, dedication, sincere friendship. But for a moment, the expression of all of these things deepened, and he saw more in her than he’d maybe ever seen. She was still the same flighty girl he’d met a year ago. She was brilliant at her job, and far smarter than she looked, but young, a smidge naïve and prone to frivolity. Yet she also had a pure, unblemished spirit—a rare thing to see in this line of work. He hoped she’d never go through anything that would break it.
Ignoring the potential of Lester seeing them, he leaned over, putting an arm around her shoulders, and dropped a gentle kiss atop her head. “Thank you, Jess,” he whispered into her hair. He felt her shiver a little, and he pulled back, afraid he’d upset her.
She looked up at him, big, blue eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “You’re welcome.” She smiled warmly, and for a moment, his recent frustrations melted away.
They turned at the sound of a door opening behind them.
“So much for that,” Lester muttered, striding toward them. “Lucky us. Company’s coming.”
Becker straightened, frowning a little. “Admiralty?”
Lester nodded, his jaw set. “They seem to think we can’t handle this on our own.”
“Great.” Jess made a noise of annoyance. She turned back to her monitors, and began pulling up lists of military information. “Back to work!” Her eyes flicked up to Becker one last time, and she flashed a small, sympathetic smile.
He looked at the screens. On the centre one was a map tracking a vehicle moving through the city toward the docks: Matt, Connor and Abby heading off to do their jobs. He’d never had any interest in joining the Navy. Yet at that moment, the only place he wanted to be was on that sub.
--End--