It had taken them ten years to realise it. A decade of watching and waiting, admiring from afar, but never revealing their feelings. If only they'd acted sooner...

Jess lay still in her hospital bed, gazing up at the pale ceiling wistfully. It was so pure, white. So innocent. She could feel her strength oozing away, her eyes becoming heavier as she struggled to focus on the scene around her. "Becker?"

"I'm here. I'm here, baby," he sounded emotional as he reached out and took her hand in his own, squeezing gently. She couldn't see his expression, but she guessed he was crying. She was too.

It wasn't that she was scared. Dying wasn't something she'd ever feared – when your time came, you went, didn't you? Still, it was harder than she'd imagined, grasping that this was her last day in the world, that tomorrow she'd be gone. It was all so final.

"Don't cry," she pleaded.

Her request, hypocritical or not, fell on death ears as Becker gave a tearful sniff, stroking her hair back from her eyes and leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.

There was so much they could've done together. Walked along sunny beaches in the Mediterranean, cuddled up at home in front of faded movies. Had children. Why was life so cruel?

Jess struggled up onto one elbow, ignoring Becker's protests, and surveyed her other visitors serenely. Her parents sat on one side of the bed, biting their lips in anguish, while her colleagues were huddled together around Becker, their gazes fixed on her. "I...I'm going to miss you all. So much."

"We'll miss you too," Matt, in his familiar Irish tones, replied warmly, conveying everyone in the room's emotion, "Controlling all those maps, and buttons, and all of us... I mean, There'll be no-one to tease Becker when I shoot him with the EMD."

Abby smiled reminiscently, though the moment was bittersweet, "You've been a brilliant friend, Jess. So loyal, and sincere."

"I have to agree, you're unique, Miss Parker," Lester mumbled, speaking from somewhere behind Connor's head. For a second, Jess thought she'd caught sight of a red and yellow polka-dot handkerchief in his hand, but it must've been a trick of the light. James Lester upset? No. "I've no doubt you'll be missed at the ARC."

"Thank you." she whimpered. This was it. This was goodbye. "Thank you for everything. All of you."

"You too." Matt, again, answered for all of them. Abby gave a stifled sob, and Lester, seeing the pain of his team, indicated to the exit. They stood up, murmuring private messages to Jess as they headed out.

"See you, Jess," Connor was the last to go.

"See you." even his eyes were flooded with tears as he left – it must be bad, she decided miserably.

Becker, still clinging to her hand, now whispered into the silence the very words she'd dreamt of for ten whole years, "I love you."

"I love you too," she managed a weak smile, inwardly wondering how life would've turned out if they'd had this discussion beforehand. But there was no point dwelling on that now; it was hardly going to change, was it? And anyway, maybe it was better this way. Things happened for a reason.

Her mum reached out to hold her other hand, and her dad laid his arm protectively over her leg. Becker, now with silent tears pouring down his cheeks, averted his eyes as the family shared a final beloved conversation.

As he turned back, Jess's eyes flickered sleepily. He gulped back more emotion; he could grieve afterwards. Now, he had to let her go. She deserved that much. "It's okay, Jess. It's okay. You don't need to be scared now; the pain's over. And don't regret anything – you'll be happy, and safe, and that's all that matters. One day, we'll see each other again."

She nodded. She'd believe that. "We...we'd better; you still...you still owe me...for that coffee."

He didn't have the strength to smile any more, "Weak, right? Milk, but no sugar?"

"Yeah. Then again, w...with the...sugar."

"It's a deal," he gave her hand a final gentle clasp, then lay it on her stomach, laying his head on the bed beside her. Her eyes sparkled for a beat, and for a moment she just looked so content that it broke his heart. Then her eyes closed one final time - her breathing fell silent, and her chest still.

And, as her mother broke down by her bedside, sobbing as if her world had been torn apart, it took all of Becker's will, and more, to stay seated. He couldn't get angry about it. He couldn't blame people, or wonder about what could've happened.

For her sake, and for his, he needed to remember her as she was. As a sweet, loyal and sincere young girl, with a passion for her work, and a unique determination to save the world. Or he couldn't live with himself.

"Goodbye, Jess."

XxXxX

Thanks for reading :)

I still don't own Primeval...I'm working on it ;)

This was going to be a one-shot but I might do a second part with the funeral if anyone wants...

Please review and tell me what you thought! xx