HANGING OVER THEIR HEADS

a silly holiday Primeval story by phoebenpiper

...

PROLOGUE

Lester grimaced the morning he first heard Christmas carols sounding from the hub. It wasn't so much that he was a Scrooge; he simply wished Christmas would go away. After all, the idea of people walking around cheerful for an entire month was simply unnatural - didn't they have work to do?

And then there were the gifts. He already owned more than his share of "World's Best Boss" paraphernalia and didn't fancy acquiring more, especially since he was well aware that many of the items had been given in jest. And in general, the chocolates, teas, and wines that his underlings could afford to get him were never quite up to his standards, yet he was forced to coo and pretend he was grateful.

Even worse than the getting of gifts, though, was the giving of them. As the head of the entire ARC operation, he was expected to acknowledge every last worker, even those whose contributions were well-nigh worthless. And people felt slighted if he spellt their names wrong (even if "ElizzaBet" was a ridiculous excuse for a proper name). He usually opted for large boxes of candy that could be shared amongst the staff; unfortunately he couldn't regift the waxy confectionary he received from others, even though he was certain they'd enjoy it far more than he.

And this year he felt he owed the senior staff something more - after all, they had averted the end of the world. A nice dinner out for all of them would be just the thing, but Lester simply didn't have the time nor the inclination to waste an entire December evening dining with them. Gift certificates, therefore, seemed the natural choice, but then came the difficulty of choosing an appropriate restaurant, as he had everyone's tastes and diets to consider.

And then there was the problem of what to get Jess. After their life-or-death encounter with the predators, they'd formed a unique bond, and he felt like he owed her something special for having risked her own life to stay by his side after he'd been hurt. But what could he get her that wouldn't seem inappropriate for the workplace...nor make his wife jealous? Buying Jess chocolates was more Becker's territory than his. And whilst Lester could afford the best Italian shoes money could buy, he doubted Jess would share his taste in footwear.

Thus Lester was left to fret, wishing Christmas would simply cease to exist so he could simply concentrate on work and not have to worry about such things.

Perhaps Scrooge was an appropriate epithet after all.

…

HANGING OVER THEIR HEADS

Jess arrived to work early because she was determined to have it hung before the others arrived. Not that everyone wouldn't know she was the one who'd done it, but she didn't want to appear desperate.

Correction: she didn't want BECKER to think she appeared desperate. Because everyone else already knew that she was. But Jess was painfully aware that Becker didn't like girls who schemed to trap a man, so she didn't want him to think that's what she was doing. Because she wasn't really trying to trap him. All she wanted was one simple kiss - was that so much to ask?

The ladder began to wobble as she started to descend, and Jess fought to keep her balance - the last thing she needed was to spend the entire Christmas season on crutches! Luckily Abby hurried into Ops and grabbed ahold of the ladder, steadying it till Jess's heels were safely on the ground.

"Thanks, Abby!" Jess said, quickly folding up the ladder, wanting to hide the evidence before anyone else arrived.

"No problem."

"I...uh...thought it would make Ops more festive," Jess quickly justified.

But Abby wasn't buying it. She glanced up at Jess's handiwork, smiling knowingly.

"Too desperate?" Jess asked sheepishly.

Abby shook her head. "Not at all, Jess. It's festive, like you said. And sweet."

"You sure?" Jess was starting to second-guess herself.

"He'll think it's sweet, Jess. Stop worrying."

Jess gave a sigh of relief and hoisted the heavy ladder against her hip to carry it out. But as she passed her flatmate, Abby gave her a quick peck on the cheek as she tossed a glance towards the mistletoe above them.

"Good luck," Abby said with a grin.

"Thanks!"

…

Connor was the first one to notice it.

"Mistletoe!" he cried out excitedly, staring up at the plant hanging above his head. "Super cool!"

Jess swung around in her chair, smiling. "It's festive, yes?"

"Absolutely! Exactly what we needed around here!" However, Connor's enthusiastic grin soon faded to a frown.

"What is it?" Jess asked, suddenly worried that she'd done something wrong.

"You're too far away over there in your chair," he said. "And if I move to you, I won't be under the mistletoe any more."

Jess looked up and saw he was right. She hadn't thought through this minor complication previously. She'd made an effort not to suspend it directly above her chair, for that would've been way too obvious as to what she was after, but now there was no way she could be subtle. She'd have to purposely get down from her chair in order to be under the mistletoe, and that defeated the whole casualness of the entire thing.

"Hey, don't just leave me hanging here, Jess," Connor teased. "Get over here so I can give you a kiss. I don't want people thinking I'm the sort of bloke who'll wait here all day, just hoping a pretty girl walks by."

"No, you definitely don't want people thinking that," Jess said with a weak smile.

She quickly hopped off her chair and took two short steps over to her flatmate, who put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek before whispering in her ear, "Becker seen this yet?"

Jess shook her head.

Connor gave her a smile. "Best of luck, then. If I see him, I'll send him this way."

"Connor, no! I-"

But Connor was already rushing off, asking folks as he ran by, "Anybody seen Abby around?"

…

The team ran up to the hub as the klaxons continued to sound.

"What've we got, Jess?" Becker asked, putting his arm around the back of the field coordinator's chair as he scanned the monitors.

But before she could answer, Emily shouted, "Connor! What are you doing?" as she swatted his hands away.

"I'm trying to give you a kiss," Connor explained. "You're standing under the mistletoe."

Becker and the others all looked up to see the aforementioned decoration hanging overhead.

"Did you hang that yourself, Mr. Grabby-Hands?" Becker asked drily.

"It weren't me, I swear!" Connor said defensively, raising his hands up in the air to show he wasn't doing anything untoward. "In fact, it was-"

"Where's the anomaly, Jess," Abby asked loudly before Connor could finish his sentence.

"It...uh...appears to be near Somersham, just past Ipswich," Jess said, zooming in on the map.

Becker turned back to the ADD, all thoughts of the mistletoe already forgotten as he focused on the anomaly.

…

Following the team's rather uneventful field trip to Somersham, Emily had returned her black box and then remained at the hub to catch up with Jess. Since her return to this time, Emily had grown quite fond of the field coordinator, despite the girl's odd taste in clothing and shoes. Jess always seemed cheerful and friendly - such a contrast from Henry and her parents. Jess's joy was practically infectious, and after all that Emily had been through, she could use a little joy in her life.

"So how'd it go?" Lester asked, ambling over to the two girls. "I take it there were no major disasters?"

"Everything went swimmingly," Jess answered. "No need to worry."

"'No need to worry,'" Lester quoted back at her sardonically. "How I wish!"

Emily noticed that Lester was standing directly under the mistletoe, so before he could turn to leave, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"And to what do I owe that unexpected display, Lady Emily?"

"Mistletoe," Emily replied, smiling and pointing upwards. As Lester looked up, she continued, "Back in my time, it was the man's task to steal a kiss under the mistletoe. But from what I understand, women in this century don't have to wait for the man to make the first move." One of the most significant advances of the last century, as far as Emily could tell. "Isn't that right, Jess?"

Lester shook his head with annoyance. "Let me guess, Ms. Parker - this was all you're doing?"

Jess laughed. "The mistletoe, yes. But Emily's newfound liberation is entirely her own doing."

"Lord help us all," Lester grumbled as he turned back towards his office. "As if we don't have enough to worry about at Christmastime."

Jess looked at Emily and they both shared a hearty laugh; in this case, Jess's joy WAS absolutely infectious.

And this mistletoe thing was going to be quite a bit of fun as well.

…

As Jess strode back towards the hub, she noticed Matt staring curiously up at the ceiling.

"Waiting for someone?" she teased. She'd been surprised yet delighted to see Emily getting into the whole spirit of the mistletoe and couldn't wait for her and Matt to meet under it.

"What?" Matt asked. "Oh, no. I was just thinking about what a strange custom this is. I mean, who decided one day it'd be a good idea to hang up a hemiparasitical plant and encourage people to kiss under it?"

"I think it was the Romans, actually," Jess said. "Something to do with Saturnalia and the winter solstice." She was a fount of holiday knowledge, as she loved the idea of traditions handed down through the centuries, of ancient peoples celebrating in the same ways as today.

Matt nodded. "Figures." Clearly he didn't share her same passion.

Jess leant over and gave him a peck on the cheek anyway. "But it's a nice tradition, yes?"

"Not bad at all.," Matt replied, smiling. "Definitely makes more sense than cutting down perfectly healthy evergreen trees, covering them with garish decorations, and then tossing them out into the streets a few weeks later."

"Hey!" Jess protested as Matt threw a disapproving glance at the Christmas tree. As he wandered off, she called after him, "And you can blame the Germans for that!"

…

"Connor, what are you doing?" Abby asked as her fiance dragged her by the hand through Ops. "I've got work to do."

"So do I," Connor said, "but this is really important."

"More important that cleaning out the mammoth's-?"

She never finished her sentence for Connor's lips were suddenly on hers. After the initial shock, she slowly began to realise where he'd brought her. She laughed, which quickly brought the kiss to an end.

"I kiss my fiance and she laughs," Connor said, sounding hurt. "That don't bode well for us, does it?"

Abby shook her head. "I wasn't laughing at your kiss, Connor. I was laughing at the fact that you feel you need mistletoe to kiss me." She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips before adding. "As far as I'm concerned...," peck, "...as my fiance...," peck, "...you can kiss me...," peck, "...anytime you'd like."

She moved in to give him one last peck, but this time he didn't let her pull away, turning the peck instead into a rather long, rather passionate kiss.

"And this is precisely what I was afraid of," Lester called out from the stairs near his office.

Connor and Abby quickly pulled away from each other as their guv'nor continued, "Mistletoe is a parasite, you know."

"Yes, Lester," Abby said with a sheepish smile. "It won't happen again."

Whilst Connor protested this final statement, she grabbed his hand and hurried them both out of Ops, off to someplace where they could privately enjoy a little self-made mistletoe action.

…

"...And I have no idea what to get Ian," Becker was saying as he stood near the hub the next morning. "His latest obsession is golf - says he wants to go pro or some rubbish - but I know it's just a phase, like the rock band and his painting and even Uni, it seems, so I'm not sure I..."

The soldier continued, but Jess wasn't really listening. All she could think about was the fact that he was standing under the mistletoe, and if she would only get up from her chair and take two short steps, she'd be standing under it with him, and then maybe, finally, he'd get around to-

"...do you think?"

Jess suddenly realised Becker had asked her a question, but she had no idea what it was. She knew he was looking for advice on what kind of present to buy his wayward brother, but she wasn't quite sure how to answer.

"Well...uh...I think...," Jess stammered, stalling for time as she frantically tried to remember what he'd been saying to her.

Luckily, Emily suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and came to Jess's rescue.

After her kiss, Becker merely stared down at the former Victorian, one eyebrow raised.

"Kissing someone under the mistletoe signifies either deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill," Emily explained to his inquiring look, as if he were unfamiliar with the tradition. "That kiss was obviously meant to signify the latter."

Becker nodded. "Good to know."

Emily smiled at Jess before walking away.

"So, I'm sorry," Jess said, turning back to Becker, "what were you asking, before we were interrupted?"

But Becker didn't answer immediately; his mind seemed to be miles away, although he was, curiously enough, staring at her. Jess started to feel uncomfortable under his intense gaze, so she finally prompted, "Becker?"

"What? Sorry," the soldier said, shaking his head as if to wake himself. "I...uh...what were you saying?"

Jess laughed to herself, grateful to be getting a second chance at this conversation. "Actually, YOU were saying something about your brother?"

"Oh right. Ian. So, I...uh...I don't know whether I should bother investing in..."

…

"False alarm, false alarm," Connor said, waving his hands as he crawled out from under the hub.

"You sure, Jess?" Matt asked, not wanting to just take Connor's word for it.

Jess was busy hitting buttons, and after another moment the klaxons went off. "Yes, Matt, there's no anomaly," she said, turning around in her chair to face the team. "Connor and I were just trying to update the ADD. Sorry to have bothered everyone."

Matt wasn't bothered; he was simply relieved to not have to leave the warmth of the ARC to go fight dinosaurs in the pouring rain. He was about to head back to work when he heard Emily ask, "Aren't you two going to kiss?"

Matt turned back to see Emily gesturing to Connor and Becker, who were sharing a confused and uncomfortable look.

"You're under the mistletoe," the former Victorian stated matter-of-factly. "And you're good friends. Therefore you should kiss. It's only proper."

"Um, Emily...," Matt began, but she cut him off.

"I've done my research, Matt," she said. "The twenty-first century isn't nearly as close-minded as the time I'm from; same-sex pairings are much more accepted now."

Matt noticed Becker clench his jaw before stating, "I'm not 'pairing' with Temple."

"I'm not suggesting you should 'pair'," Emily insisted. "I'm suggesting you should kiss. One simple kiss, a symbol of friendship - I don't understand what the fuss is about."

Matt noticed Abby chuckling nearby, clearly amused by Emily's bluntness. Emily must've noticed her as well for she suddenly grabbed Abby's hand, pulled her under the mistletoe, and gave her a sisterly kiss on the lips.

"See?" Emily said back to the boys. "It's not difficult."

Connor smiled. "I could stand to see a bit more."

Matt stifled his own amusement as Abby swatted her fiance, scolding, "Don't you have more work to do on the ADD?"

"Oh, right," Connor said, walking back around to the back of the detector as the rest of the team began to disperse.

Unfortunately by the time Matt turned around, Emily had disappeared as well. He realised he'd have to wait for another opportunity to catch her under the mistletoe.

If she didn't catch him there first.

…

"So the updates are all completed?" Matt asked the next morning.

"Yep," Connor answered. "I've installed a new processor, which should make the ADD run much faster." Connor was glad to finally have the time to concentrate on ARC projects once again, now that New Dawn was a thing of the past.

"I plan to run a full systems check after lunch to ensure it's all working properly," Jess confirmed.

"Good work, you two," Matt said. "Let me know how the systems check goes."

He turned to leave, but Jess stopped him with "Aren't you forgetting something?"

When Matt turned around with an inquiring look, Jess merely smiled and coyly glanced upward at the mistletoe. Connor and Matt both followed her gaze to where the plant was suspended about their heads before sharing a wary look.

After an uncomfortable moment, Connor suggested, "What say we get Emily to kiss Abby again and we'll call it even?"

Matt smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Connor and Matt then both turned on their heels and hurried off in opposite directions before Jess could protest.

. . .

"So THAT'S why Connor keeps dragging you in here," Jess said, laughing.

"Yeah," Abby replied, smiling warmly as she thought of her fiance's silly worries. "He said the Victorians ended up being right about a lot of things, so it's best not to risk it."

"Risk what?' Becker asked, obviously intrigued, as he ambled over to the two girls.

Abby noticed how Jess's posture totally changed upon the soldier's arrival, as if preparing to launch herself out of her chair at any moment if an opportunity happened to present itself.

Suppressing her amusement, Abby explained, "Per Emily, if a girl doesn't get kissed under the mistletoe, she can't get married during the upcoming year."

Becker nodded. "So Temple's afraid the wedding won't come off, yeah? Then here's my Christmas gift to him," Becker said, leaning down and giving Abby a quick kiss on the lips. "Merely doing my bit to ensure you two have a happy wedding," he justified with a smug grin.

"Somehow I'm not sure he'd see it that way," Abby laughed, amused by his antics despite sensing Jess tensing up behind her.

"Connor might challenge you to a duel if he saw you kissing his girl," Jess said, sounding a bit put out herself.

Becker shrugged. "I think I could take him," he said, leaning over to kiss Abby once again.

But Abby stopped him by taking a quick step back, away from the mistletoe. "I don't doubt that you could, but please don't - I'd really like my groom to stay in one piece."

And I'd really like to not have my eyes scratched out by Jess, Abby thought to herself as Becker chuckled and wandered off.

…

Nearly a week had passed, and Matt had yet to catch Emily under the mistletoe. Of course, that wasn't why he'd been hanging out at the hub every moment he could - there was simply lots of work that needed doing in Ops just now.

For instance, he and Becker were currently here discussing the weapons inventory. If "discussing" was the proper word. It seemed every discussion with Becker turned into a battle of wills, as if Becker had something to prove. Matt usually found the soldier's posturing mildly amusing, but today Becker seemed to be hitting all his buttons, so Matt wasn't about to give in to the soldier's requests, even though he was making valid points.

Just as the argument started to get heated, Jess made her escape, skirting around the two of them as she scurried out of Ops.

She returned, however, only a few minutes later, making Matt realise that perhaps she'd merely escaped to the loo. Truth was, he probably wouldn't even have noticed her return if Becker's attention hadn't immediately been drawn to her. Matt, too, turned and watched as Jess confidently strode towards them, her brightly-coloured holiday skirt swinging jauntily as she walked. Matt noticed Becker's eyes leave her only for a brief second, to absently glance up at the ceiling where the mistletoe hung above his head, before immediately returning to her.

But much to Matt's amusement, and no doubt Becker's disappointment, Jess walked past Matt and not the soldier as she returned to her seat at the hub. She gave them both a polite nod before sitting down and turning back to her work.

"You were saying?" Matt prompted Becker, as the soldier's comments had come to a complete stop the moment Jess had reappeared.

"Uh...yes...uh...I was saying..."

Becker paused to take a breath and clear his thoughts. His jaw clenched, and Matt was suddenly reminded of the soldier's reaction to Emily's suggestion that he and Connor kiss under the mistletoe. Seizing the opportunity to take the piss, Matt purposely glanced up at the mistletoe under which they now both stood and then looked pointedly at Becker.

The soldier's eyes narrowed, and Matt saw Becker's hand ever so subtly reach for his holster.

Feeling as if he'd somehow won this round, Matt decided to relent to Becker's requests. "Well, I do see your point. The larger EMDs have been eating power more than they should lately, though chucking them out isn't necessarily the answer. What say we meet in the armoury this afternoon to see what can be done?"

Matt then walked away, chuckling at Becker's pathetic behaviour...and absently wondering where Emily might've gotten to.

…

As Abby entered Ops, she could hear her fiance's voice from over near the hub.

"...The way you never gave up on us when we was stranded in the Cretaceous. And even the way you looked after Sid and Nancy when we was gone. Words simply can't express how much all that means to me and Abby."

While Abby agreed whole-heartedly with Connor's sentiments, she wondered what had prompted his sudden outpouring of gratitude.

Until she heard Lester respond.

"Butter me up all you like, Connor, you're STILL not getting a kiss."

"But you're standing under the mistletoe," Connor pointed out. "C'mon! Not even a wee peck on the cheek? No one's watching."

Abby knew what Lester's answer would be, so she made her own offer. "How about one from me instead?" she said, swooping in and giving her guv'nor an affectionate kiss on the cheek before he could protest. "Because I feel the same as Connor, and we both want you to know how much we appreciate everything you've done for us."

Lester sighed. "Well, I suppose that wasn't so bad," he reluctantly conceded.

"Good," Abby smiled. "Then here's another," she quickly gave him a second kiss, "to thank you for saving Rex's life. How can I ever repay you for that?"

"Simply keep your fiance from molesting me under the mistletoe," Lester said as he turned back towards his office, "and we'll call it even."

…

"Jess!"

The field coordinator stopped where she was and turned towards the sound of her friend's voice. "What is it, Emily?"

The former Victorian hurried over to Jess's side and gave her a sisterly kiss. "I've been trying for days to catch you under the mistletoe."

Jess laughed. "And that's all you wanted?"

Emily shrugged. "Your friendship means a great deal to me, and I just wanted you to be aware of that."

Jess smiled. "And yours means a lot to me, too, Emily. I'm so glad you came back."

"I am as well." Emily gestured at the festive decorations around Ops, saying, "This is so much more fun than the Christmases I am used to. Although we did have better wassail."

Jess laughed. She couldn't really see her straight-laced friend indulging much in wassail, but perhaps still waters ran deep.

"I've noticed how much you've been enjoying the mistletoe," Jess teased. "Though funny, I don't believe I've seen you kiss Matt yet."

Jess could've sworn her friend's face turned the palest shade of pink as she answered, "I guess I haven't yet seen him under the mistletoe."

"Really? Because he seems to be here quite a bit."

"Well, I just...I mean..." Emily took a breath before stating simply, "I'm not quite sure it would be proper."

"Oh? And why not?" Jess teased. "You don't seem to have a problem kissing anyone else who happens by."

"Matt's the team leader," Emily stated matter-of-factly.

"So? That didn't stop me. Nor Abby."

"You know, I believe Abby wanted me to assist her with something in the menagerie this afternoon." Emily was obviously uncomfortable with the conversation and looking for any excuse to flee.

As she headed off, Jess laughed, calling after her, "Coward!"

Emily stopped at the far end of Ops, calling back, "Do people still use the expression 'the pot calling the kettle black'?" before exiting.

Jess could feel her own face start to flush as she sat down and turned her attention back to the hub. Clearly Emily had her number, but she wasn't about to admit it. Deep down Jess knew she was being cowardly, but what choice did she have? She wasn't certain how Becker felt about her, and she didn't want to mess up their friendship by stepping over the line. The ball was definitely in Becker's court, and she'd just have to wait and see what he did. In the meantime, she had work to do.

Swinging her chair to the left to check the latest read-outs, she crashed directly into Becker.

"Sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you hurt?"

Becker shook his head. "No, I'm fine, Jess."

"Are you sure? I hit you rather hard."

"Really, I'm fine. Though I'm curious - what was Emily saying? Something about pots and kettles?"

"Refreshments," Jess answered without skipping a beat. "For the upcoming Christmas party."

Becker raised a skeptical eyebrow, so Jess continued, "Apparently Emily knows an amazing recipe for wassail."

He nodded. "Can't wait."

Jess smiled innocently at him whilst frantically making a mental note to ask Emily about the ingredients for making wassail!

…

"Hey, Abby," Matt said, jogging over to where Abby stood near the hub. "Becker's telling all the men that they need to give you a kiss under the mistletoe - something about a Christmas gift to Connor, to ensure a happy wedding or something."

"I'm gonna kill him," Abby grumbled, shaking her head. Leave it to Becker to pick on Connor in such a way.

Matt frowned. "So I shouldn't kiss you?"

"How about I kiss you instead?" Abby said, reaching over and giving Matt a peck on the cheek. "To thank you for saving the world long enough for me and Connor to get married."

Matt smiled. "I can't guarantee that, you know."

"I know. But you stopped Philip, and that's plenty good enough for me. Together we can sort out the rest as it comes."

Matt nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"And speaking of sorting out," Abby began, looking around, "any idea where I might find Becker?"

...

For the zillionth time that day, Becker found himself standing at the hub. He hadn't noticed before how much time he spent there each day, but these last few weeks had made him hyperaware of this fact. He justified to himself that the entire ARC operation centred around the hub and, as head of security, it was his duty to keep himself constantly apprised of what was going on. But deep down he knew that wasn't the real reason.

Neither was it mere curiosity at seeing the latest cheery holiday outfit Jess was wearing, nor the fact that Becker was fascinated as to exactly how many pairs of red shoes one girl could own!

No, somewhere along the line Jess had become his best friend, and he wasn't sure why or how. But now, whenever anything happened, Becker's first impulse was to go share it with Jess. Every decision he made, he wanted Jess's input first. Hell, he didn't even feel like he could adequately judge the weather without first checking in with Jess. How had he let himself get to this state?

And he might've never noticed just how bad it'd gotten had it not been for that damn mistletoe. But now, every time he approached her, he couldn't seem to focus on anything else, and he suddenly realised just how much of his time was spent feeling this way. He might be talking to her about the latest anomaly or his family's plans for Christmas or even morning traffic, yet every nerve in his body was screaming out the fact that he was standing under the mistletoe, and Jess was just out of its - and his - reach.

And this fact was made even more painfully obvious by the other staff members who kept hurrying over to steal a kiss from him. Becker had never before noticed how many people seemed to work in the shadows of Ops all day, and he seriously wondered if some of them were simply lying in wait for him to appear under the mistletoe each day.

Yet Jess hadn't once walked the two short steps from her chair to his side to offer him a holiday kiss, and this worried him. Perhaps she'd gotten over her silly schoolgirl crush. Perhaps instead the two of them had strayed too far into the "friend zone", and Jess now felt a kiss would be inappropriate. Becker desperately hoped this wasn't the case. Every time he looked at her, he couldn't help but think how kissable her lips looked and how much he wished she'd just get out of her chair and...

"...do you think, Becker?"

The soldier blinked, realising he hadn't heard a word of the entire conversation, thanks to the distraction of Jess and the mistletoe. And now four sets of eyes were boring into him, waiting for him to answer, and he had no idea what to say.

Amazingly, Jess came to his rescue. "I definitely think it's a good place to start. And once Connor does the initial research, we can discuss his findings and proceed from there, yeah?"

Becker nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

"Then let's do it," Matt said. "Connor, how soon can you get started testing the EMDs?"

Connor shrugged. "As soon as I can get the materials."

Becker and the others all turned to Lester.

"Ah yes, it always comes down to funds, doesn't it?" Lester grumbled. "Very well, I'll make some phone calls this afternoon, though it being the holidays, everyone might be off sipping eggnog."

By Lester's tone, Becker could tell his guv'nor was not much in the holiday spirit, which reminded him that he still needed to pick up Lester's gift from the chocolatiers.

The group was about to disperse when Jess cleared her throat and, once she had everyone's attention, looked pointedly up at the mistletoe. Becker noticed that the distracting plant was currently suspended directly over Lester's head. Matt must've noticed this fact as well for he gave the soldier an amused look.

"Any of you so much as lays a finger on me," Lester threatened, "and I guarantee you'll never get funds for special projects again."

"Well, it's not so much fingers as-" Connor began, but Lester's glare silenced him. "Right. No funds. Got it," Connor concluded, nodding vigorously.

As the team went off their separate ways, Connor called back to Jess, "How many today so far?"

"Only two, I'm afraid."

"Two?!" Connor looked disappointed as he wandered out of Ops.

"So what was that about?" Becker asked, walking over to Jess's side.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Fallout from what you started," she teasingly accused, jabbing a finger into his chest.

Becker had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't pursue it. Instead he began, "I just wanted to say thanks, Jess." He nodded his head as if to indicate the previous conversation. "For...you know...covering for me back there."

"You okay?" she asked, sounding worried. "You seemed miles away."

Becker nodded - how could he possibly admit that his mind had been not miles but mere feet away, thinking of her.

Damn that stupid mistletoe!

...

"Connor, is this really necessary?" Abby asked as her fiance dragged her through Ops. "I told Jack we'd meet him at half six, and I don't want to be late. Can't this wait till tomorrow?"

"Our future happiness may be on the line, Abby, and you wanna risk waiting?

Abby rolled her eyes. "I talked to Emily, and Victorians didn't have any traditions like this."

"None that she knows of," Connor corrected. "But remember, she led a sheltered life before the whole anomaly thing. And we don't wanna risk having our marriage turn out like hers, do we?"

Abby sighed. On days like today, the idea of committing Connor to Bedlam didn't seem quite so far-fetched.

As they neared the hub, Connor called out, "What's the final count today, Jess?"

The field coordinator consulted her screen before offering, "Ten. No wait - eleven."

Connor shook his head. "I never knew there were so many soldiers working for us, did you?"

"I think a few might be double-dipping," Jess commented.

Abby glared at her friend, worried about how Connor might take it.

However his grin only broadened. "All the more for me, then."

Abby breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been sure how Connor was going to take Becker's ribbing, but he was clearly using it to his own advantage.

As Connor pulled her under the mistletoe and began giving her the allotted number of kisses, Abby reflected that perhaps she should thank Becker sometime.

...

After nearly a fortnight, Jess was finally coming to the conclusion that the mistletoe simply wasn't going to work, at least not for her. If Becker had made no effort to kiss her thus far, he likely wasn't going to. He saw her as a friend, and nothing more, and that was simply going to have to be enough for her.

In the meantime, that was no excuse to let the mistletoe go to waste. Besides, playing matchmaker always made her feel better, knowing that at least someone was getting what she longed for. And so far, her matchmaking skills had been working wonders.

Not that Connor and Abby really needed any help, since they were already together for life. But Jess had been quick to grass on Becker's plan, and Connor had responded by deciding that, for every kiss Abby received from one of the soldiers, he owed her another, "just to ensure a smooth wedding," he'd insisted. So Jess faithfully kept a record each day of the number of pecks Abby received, and every evening Connor would play "catch up". Abby was a frightfully good sport and seemed to be enjoying all the attention, and Jess was thrilled to see them so happy together.

Matt and Emily, on the other hand, were not properly enjoying the mistletoe, and Jess decided it was her job to help them do so. Jess knew how much the two cared for each other, yet neither of them had made a move. Considering their backgrounds, Jess understood that they probably wouldn't be up for much in the way of public displays of affection, but Jess was worried that the two might never get around to private displays of affection if she didn't give them a friendly push in that direction. After all, Emily had been living at Matt's flat ever since she'd returned yet, as far as Jess knew, they'd never even shared a goodnight kiss.

When Emily had taken so readily to the festive spirit of the mistletoe, Jess had felt certain that a proper snogging with Matt wasn't far behind. Yet Emily was clearly not willing to make the first move towards Matt, despite her newfound liberation, and Jess knew that the girl's hesitancy only proved that her feelings ran much deeper than mere friendship. Jess had also seen the way Matt looked at Emily and felt certain that, given the opportunity, he'd be more than happy to oblige Emily with a kiss. Unfortunately, until now, their time under the mistletoe had mostly centred around the anomalies, which weren't exactly conducive to a cuddle.

Which was why Jess did what she did.

"What do you think of this one?" Jess asked, holding up the next dress. Of course, she'd NEVER wear a yellow outfit to a Christmas party, but Emily couldn't know that. Besides, since Jess had only come up with this scheme this morning, she'd had to make do with what clothes she'd had in the boot, waiting to be let off at the dry cleaners.

Emily frowned. "There's not much fabric to it." Of course, she'd said that about most of the dresses.

"Oh, but it's frightfully cute on," Jess insisted. "You'll see when I...uh...I mean..." She tried to think of a way to stall, fighting the urge to glance down at her watch so as not to have Emily suspect.

Luckily, Matt appeared at that very moment, and Jess sent a silent thanks to Becker for his brilliant timing.

"Sorry to make you wait, Emily," Matt called across Ops as he approached. "Becker had me reviewing the work Connor's done so far on the EMDs and..." He trailed off when he saw the pile of clothes heaped over Jess's chair. "What's going on?"

Jess smiled. "Since most everyone else has gone home, I recruited Emily to help me pick out a dress to wear to the party I'm going to later."

Matt raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the yellow dress currently in Jess's hand. "Not much skirt on that one, is there?"

Jess rolled her eyes - clearly the two of them were meant to be together.

"Just wait - I'll go try it on," Jess suggested casually, exactly according to plan, as she started to head out. Passing by Matt, she nodded ever so slightly towards the mistletoe suspended above Emily's head. The smile that instantly formed on the team leader's face made Jess certain he'd gotten the message.

"Uh, I might be awhile," Jess called back over her shoulder. "These buttons take forever to be done up."

Jess smiled smugly to herself as she strode out of Ops. She had no intention of changing into the dress, just as she had no party to attend. Instead, her scheme was to simply lie low for a sufficient amount of time and then, after they'd gone home, hand over the hub operations to Ravi for the night shift as she should've done at 6.

As she turned the corner, she almost crashed directly into Becker.

"Oh!" she gasped, startled. "I figured you'd gone home."

"Before you told me what you're up to? Not a chance."

"Up to?" Jess asked, trying to sound innocent. "Whatever do you mean?"

Becker gave her a look. "I kept Matt after for a full 30 minutes, Jess, just as you asked. Don't you think I deserve to know?"

Jess relented, confessing, "I simply wanted to get Matt and Emily in Ops together after hours."

Becker looked confused. "Why?"

"Because now the place is near empty," she said, as if it were obvious.

But he still didn't understand and merely stood there, waiting for an explanation. However, Jess suddenly felt embarrassed saying it aloud in front of him. She'd done her best to avoid mentioning the topic of mistletoe to him for she was afraid he'd somehow guess her true intentions for hanging it.

Eventually, however, she could no longer withstand his intense stare and blurted out, "I thought they could use some time alone under the mistletoe." She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I thought it'd be...nice."

Becker nodded. "It's very nice, Jess. Very...thoughtful." His voice sounded strange, almost disappointed, but Jess was too nervous about what he'd think of her scheme to analyse it.

"They're my friends," Jess continued. "I just...want to see them happy, you know?"

Becker nodded again and, for the first time, seemed to notice the dress in Jess's hand. "And what's with the dress? Not for Emily, surely - I can't imagine her wearing anything that...short."

He turned his attention to the red velvet dress Jess was currently donning which was, if anything, several inches shorter than the one in her hand.

Jess laughed, thinking about what Emily and Matt had both said. "I was having Emily help me pick out what dress to wear to a party," she explained.

Becker's eyebrows went up. "Party?"

Jess shook her head. "Not really. It was just a ruse to keep her in Ops until Matt arrived."

Becker nodded. "And till everyone else left," he concluded.

Jess smiled. "Exactly. And thanks, by the way - I do appreciate you stalling Matt for me."

Becker shrugged before asking, "So...uh...I keep forgetting to ask you - my family's having a big dinner together this Thursday, and I wondered if you'd like to come along. Gwen would love to see you."

Jess couldn't believe her bad luck. "Oh, I'd love to, but unfortunately I'm busy that evening. My nieces are in a pageant."

"And they'd never forgive Auntie Jess if she skipped," Becker teased.

Jess nodded. "Something like that!"

"No worries then," Becker said non-chalantly. "Just thought I'd ask." He glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I should probably..." He gestured vaguely down the corridor.

Jess nodded. "Yeah, and I should probably check up on Matt and Emily."

Becker raised an eyebrow. "Throwing them together and then playing chaperone? I never knew you were such a tease."

Jess laughed. "You know what I mean. The sooner they're gone, the sooner I can go home."

Becker nodded. "Well. See you tomorrow."

"Sounds good. G'night."

Jess fondly watched him go, trying to concentrate on how much she enjoyed his friendship...and not the way his backside looked in his soldier uniform.

...

Emily couldn't stop smiling.

And smiling was the last thing she wanted to be doing right now. She wanted to be serious, to look firm, to let Jess know, in no uncertain terms, that it was NOT acceptable to lie and manipulate one's friends simply for one's own amusement.

But the smile simply wouldn't go away.

And naturally Jess noticed it the moment Emily walked into Ops.

"So...?" Jess asked, grinning smugly herself.

"So," Emily replied as coolly as she could manage, "how was your...'party'?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Don't get all huffy on me. I can tell my white lies didn't exactly ruin your evening."

Before she could stop herself, Emily smiled from ear to ear, thinking of Matt and the evening they'd spent cuddling together.

Jess laughed. "So? Do tell!"

Emily shook her head, trying to regain some self-control. "Jess, a lady does not kiss and tell."

"Well, technically you're not a 'Lady' anymore," Jess pointed out.

Emily glared at her friend, but it seemed to have no effect.

"Please!" Jess begged. "I have to live vicariously through someone!"

Much as she wanted to appease her friend, Emily simply couldn't tell Jess about her and Matt. Not that they'd done anything scandalous, but she and Matt were both private people, and they were simply not the type go around publicly proclaiming their love for each other.

"Morning, Jess," Matt said, joining them at the hub. "You seen Becker or Connor yet this morning? I wanted to go over some ideas I had about the EMDs."

He had stopped directly under the mistletoe - what else was Emily to do?

When their lips finally parted, Emily reflected that perhaps she wasn't quite as private a person as she used to be.

...

"You look absolutely frozen," Jess commented as Connor and the others came to return their black boxes.

Frozen, however, was a mere understatement. Connor had seriously never felt so cold in his life. His clothes were soaked through to the skin, and his teeth wouldn't stop chattering.

"I already put the kettle on," Jess continued. "And I'm heating up some milk as well, for those who'd like hot chocolate instead."

"You think of everything, Jess," Becker said, giving a field coordinator a warm smile.

Connor didn't get it. How could Becker's hair still look so perfect after the morning they'd just spent? Connor was certain that he, by contrast, probably looked like a drowned rat.

Which Abby pretty much confirmed. "You're dripping all over the floor, Connor. Go change into some dry clothes, and I'll meet you in the canteen, yeah?"

"Wait," Connor said, grasping Abby's hand before she could go far. "The mistletoe."

"Connor, we're both drenched," Abby pointed out.

"Exactly," he said through his chattering teeth. "We need a little body heat to warm us up."

"Once our clothes are dry," Abby insisted, wresting her hand away from his and heading out towards the locker rooms.

Jess nodded. "You look miserable, Connor. You really should go change."

"I hate going out in this rain," Connor said with a sigh. "Don't the anomalies know it's Christmastime?"

Becker shrugged. "Perhaps it's time for Band Aid to record a new song."

"Who's 'Band Aid'?" Emily asked, handing Matt back his wool overcoat.

Connor shook his head. "They're a worse plight on Christmas than rain-soaked Xenosmilus," he answered before heading off to the locker rooms. The sooner he changed, the sooner he could have hot chocolate.

And the sooner he could get some much needed cuddles with Abby, mistletoe or no.

...

As Lester approached the hub, he took in the field coordinator's outfit. For weeks she'd worn nothing but red, green, and gold, but today she was decked out in a bright blue dress with a silver belt, silver headband, and matching silver high heels.

"So what's the occasion, Ms. Parker?" Lester asked. "Finally had enough of holiday cheer?"

Jess spun around in her chair to face him. "Not at all. This is my Hanukkah outfit," she said, gesturing to the small silver Star of David broach adorning her chest. "My holiday wardrobe is non-denominational."

Lester shook his head - leave it to Jess to try to make everyone feel festive and welcome. Yet despite her cheerful smile, Lester sensed that her dress wasn't the only thing that seemed blue.

"The holidays can...uh...sometimes be...difficult," Lester stammered awkwardly - he'd never been good at this sort of thing, but he somehow felt he should try to reach out and say something comforting to the girl.

Unfortunately Jess completely misunderstood. "Are you stressed? Do you need help with your shopping or wrapping or anything? I'd be happy to help in any way I can - just let me know."

Lester shook his head, frustrated that he was failing at this. "No, I'm fine. I'm just...how are your holidays shaping up?" He usually avoided such questions but thought it was the best thing for this situation.

"Lovely, thanks for asking. The decorations are up, my shopping's done, and I only have a few more gifts to wrap." Her eyes twinkled merrily, as if wrapping gifts weren't a tedious chore.

Yet something still seemed to be upsetting her, and Lester simply couldn't put his finger on it.

But before he could further inquire, Jess suddenly hopped out of her seat, walked over, and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Happy Christmas, Lester," Jess said with a warm smile.

It took a moment for Lester to remember the mistletoe and another to realise the implications of what had just happened. Lester hadn't noticed until now that, while Jess's seat was close to the infernal parasite, it wasn't close enough for her to remain seated whilst taking advantage of the holiday cheer. Which meant that all those times he'd looked out his office window to see Becker hanging about the hub, Jess had been in no danger of being kissed, unlike the handsome soldier himself, whose presence under the mistletoe had attracted the attention of practically every female - and a few of the males - in the ARC.

No wonder Jess was blue, since Lester imagined that Becker was the sole reason she'd hung the annoying plant in the first place.

"Uh...Happy Christmas to you as well, Ms. Parker," he stammered, his mind suddenly elsewhere. After all, Jess was the last person who should be blue during this festive season.

...

Jess laughed. "She actually said that?"

Becker nodded. "I told you - she's the bossiest girl on the planet. I swear she thinks I'm still seven."

"Just flash her your gun," Jess teased. "That should shut her up, yeah?"

"You forget, she's got one, too," Becker reminded. "That's the trouble with having a sister in the military. And a father. I guess I should be thankful Ian didn't make it through Basic or else there'd be even more chaos."

"Well, at least you had Gwen there to bring some sanity."

Becker rolled his eyes. "I'd hardly call Gwen 'sane', though she does usually stay out of the family arguments...if you call sitting on the sidelines making snarky comments 'staying out'."

"And how does your mum handle all this?"

"By being eternally cheerful." Becker frowned, as if suddenly making a connection. "A bit like you, actually. You know the type - trying to distract everyone into being happy so they won't notice their disagreements."

Jess rolled her eyes as she laughed self-consciously at his description. But in doing so, something caught her eye, and she immediately returned her focus up to the ceiling above Becker's head.

"It's gone!" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

As Becker, too, looked up, Jess started to blush. She didn't want him to think SHE'D been thinking of the mistletoe during their entire conversation, even though that was practically all she'd been able to think about since she'd hung up the plant.

Yet now it was gone, the ribbon and all. Who would've done that? Who would've taken it away? Not that it was going to do her any good, but others might've liked one last kiss under it. Connor would definitely be heart-broken. And Emily, too, no doubt.

"That's...weird," Becker said, pausing strangely before ambling closer to the ADD.

Jess shook her head. "Perhaps the caretaker took it down. It was starting to look a bit wilty, after all. Not that I spent a lot of time looking at it! It just...never mind." Jess decided to shut up before she dug her hole any deeper. "Next Christmas then," she mumbled to herself.

Becker nodded, and she noticed he was once again standing right next to her chair in his usual spot. Only it hadn't been his usual spot recently. It suddenly hit her that for the past few weeks he'd almost always stood behind her, directly under the mistletoe. No wonder she'd found it - and him - so distracting.

But now she no longer needed to worry about the festive plant, and that was okay, she told herself. So she hadn't gotten her kiss under the mistletoe - that didn't mean that Becker wasn't still one of her closest friends. Hell, he'd even invited her to his family dinner last night and had come to see her straightaway this morning to tell her all about it. And this from the man who a year ago wouldn't share any details of his personal life! No, it was truly amazing how close they'd grown...as friends, and she was fine with that.

Or at least that was what she was going to keep telling herself.

"So, about your mum," Jess began, hoping to start up the conversation again, as if the mistletoe didn't matter. "She sounds lovely."

"Jess."

She looked up to meet his eyes, only he wasn't looking at her - he was looking up at the ceiling. Her eyes followed his, and she was shocked to see the mistletoe suspended directly over her chair.

"How on earth did that get-"

But suddenly Becker's lips were on hers.

...

He made it a quick peck - a friendly peck - even though it took every ounce of his will power to pull away once their lips had met. It was clear that Jess hadn't been the one to move the mistletoe, so he was wary about going further, not sure if someone was setting him up. However, he was determined not to let such an opportunity pass him by. If she merely considered him a friend, he hadn't crossed any line with the quick peck. But if she seemed okay with it, perhaps he'd pursue more. Because MAN it'd felt good.

He stared at her, anxious to see her reaction. But she was still sat there, her eyes - her gorgeous, big, blue eyes - open wide and her lips still parted from where he'd caught her mid-word. He was starting to get nervous because she wasn't smiling - JESS wasn't smiling, which was always a bad sign. But she hadn't slapped him, either, so that was a good sign...or so he told himself.

After what seemed like ages, but was probably only a few milliseconds, she crinkled her eyebrows together and looked to the left, as if trying to remember something. Becker gulped nervously, wondering if she was perhaps trying to think of the definition of sexual harassment they'd been taught in their government training.

Finally, Becker couldn't wait any longer. "Jess?" he asked, just to get her to look at him again. When she did, he tried to read what she was thinking in her expressive eyes, but he still couldn't be certain what was going on in that lovely brain of hers. So he stammered uncomfortably, "Um...happy Christmas, Jess."

This seemed to break Jess out of her spell, and she smiled.

Now if someone had asked Becker if he was capable of categorising Jess's smiles, he would've dismissed them as being ridiculous - a smile was a smile. But now, looking at Jess smiling there in front of him, he was able to read exactly what that smile meant.

And he immediately took her up on that invitation.

...

Lester glanced out his office window and rolled his eyes at the sight. He couldn't imagine Scrooge ever having to deal with such displays from his staff.

"Happy Christmas, Jess," Lester mumbled under his breath, reminding himself that he needed to get someone to put the ladder back for him later.

...

THE END