Disclaimer: I only own Primeval and it's characters in my dreams. Also, I probably should have said with '…Mossberg' that I do not own, nor do I have any connection to, Mossberg & Sons, the manufacturers of the Mossberg 590 Cruiser. The use of recognizable products and properties is meant purely for entertainment purposes only. There might be one or two more mentioned here in this post.

A/N: I apologize for how long it has taken to complete and post this particular chapter. For some reason, this one has been especially hard for me to wrap my brain around despite knowing exactly what was in the box since before I wrote '…Good Intentions'.

A/N 2: There are a couple of names mentioned here in that are taken from the work of another author here. I'm not going to say who because I want it to be a surprise and I can only hope that she'll see the use of them as the tribute they are meant to be.

A/N 3: One more note and I'll hush. I just want to say thank you, as always, to my amazing beta, Sarcastic Bones. Thanks also to Shooting Tigers, who also gave this an early read when I was stumped and struggling to finish it. Both of you ladies have become wonderful friends and I'm so glad I've met you. The ending paragraphs are new to y'all as I've just finished writing them. Hopefully it will make for a nice little ending surprise for you both.

Say It With Chocolate

February 14th

Jess hummed along to the violin concerto she had playing in the background as she put the finishing touches on the dining room table and lit the candles. Once she was satisfied that the table was as elegant as it could be, she danced barefoot into the living room to do the same there. Minutes later, she was taking one final look at the romantic scene she'd taken such care to set, making sure all of the candles were lit.

The doorbell chimed, startling her into a giddy nervous laugh.

He's here, she thought. And then, as the efficient calm of earlier was replaced with breathless anticipation, Oh God, he's here! Shoes! Where are my shoes?

She looked about frantically and actually started for her bedroom to look there when another knock brought her up short.

They're downstairs in front of the door, Jess. Where you put them so you wouldn't forget to put them on before answering.

At the top of the stairs she forced herself to pause and take a deep calming breath before carefully descending. It wouldn't do to take a klutzy turn and tumble down the stairs, effectively cutting short what had so far been the best Valentine's of her, admittedly, short life—adult or otherwise.

Becker might have stuck to his guns on the gift thing, but that hadn't stopped him from surprising her in a dozen different ways over the course of the workday: long stemmed beauties, every one. Starting with a brilliant red one lying on the dash of his car, then a pale pink waiting in her locker, orange at the ADD and purple in her office.

By the time she left for the day, she had a rainbow colored bouquet.

Plus, she'd got to spend her lunch hour in the armoury, not only watching Becker breaking in his new gun, but getting to fire off a few rounds herself. And, for once, the universe had been kind and given them an anomaly-free day. Then Lester had surprised them all by sending them home an hour and a half early.

Becker had dropped her at her place with a toe curling kiss and a promise to be back at seven, with dinner and her presents. Plural.

Jess had put the extra time to good use.

She'd prepped dessert and set it to chill alongside the really nice bottle of champagne her Uncle Cal had suggested, then allowed herself a bubble bath. After, she had tried on a half dozen different dresses before resorting back to the mod-Qipao she'd bought just a few weeks before, specifically for this occasion. Finally, she'd put on mood music and gone about creating a romantic setting. Her bedroom and un suite bathroom had the same touches as the dining and living rooms - just in case.

When she reached the foyer landing she rested one hand against the thick frosted glass of the door and stepped into her six-inch platform heels. She could see Becker silhouetted on the other side and nervously smoothed a hand down the silk fabric of her dress before pulling the door open with a happy smile.

"Hi," Jess all but preened as hazel eyes skimmed from her head to shoes and back again, taking in the way the rich, brown, silk embroidered with fuchsia plum blossoms and golden dragons hugged her curves; the length of bare legs elongated by the chocolate and gold suede shoes.

She knew the high neck of the dress presented a demur image despite the short length and bare arms, so she was distinctly looking forward to his reaction to the back given the appreciative glimmer in his hazel eyes now.

"Hey," Becker returned the greeting after a long moment, then he raised a brow and smirked, "I thought we were staying in."

She giggled then and stepped forward to catch his face in her hands, taking advantage of the fact that his own hands were currently full, drawing him inside and into a kiss that she had complete control of. Jess could sense his frustration when, instead of wrapping his arms around her, all he could do was shuffle close enough that their bodies brushed as he held onto the Chinese takeout in the crook of one arm and a duffle bag in the other hand.

Breaking away as he kicked the door shut with an impatient growl, and before he could deepen the kiss, she gave him a flirty grin.

"We are staying in. This," she gave a wave of her hand that was meant to encompass the dress, the upswept hair and the carefully applied makeup, "is all for your benefit alone."

"Almost a good a gift as the shotgun," Becker said with a leering smirk.

"Hold on to that thought," Jess smirked right back, blue eyes sparkling with promise. She slid one hand down his chest until she could dance her fingers along his belt, then slipped her hand along his side to the door behind him. She locked the dead bolt as she brushed butterfly kisses along his jaw, then stepped back.

"Can I carry anything up?"

"Me, if you keep that up," the soldier responded after a quick breath.

Jess giggled again, and reached for the food but Becker held on to it and tilted his head at the stairs, indicating she should just lead the way.

Just before she turned on one heel and started up the stairs, she warned, "Just remember that I offered to free a hand up for you."

Moments later, a strangled moan reached her ears as she came to the midpoint of the flight of stairs. Jess snickered with delight as she glanced over her shoulder.

Becker still had one foot on the tile floor of the foyer, the other resting on the first step. She could practically feel the heat of his gaze dance along her spine where it was expose by the oval shaped cut-out that had been the selling point of the dress.

"Alright, Hilary?"

"Uhmhm…" he managed, forcing his gaze up from just above the small of her back to her profile, and the grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. With a steadying breath he started up the stairs. "Le-lets just agree now, you only ever wear this particular 'look' for my benefit."

As soon as he was able to set his duffle on a barstool and the food on the island countertop that separated the living area from the kitchen, Becker reached for Jess. It still amazed him sometimes how easy and natural touching her, holding her, kissing her, was now when he had so long denied himself the right.

When they finally came up for air, he tucked her against his chest, his chin resting on her head, one hand tracing along her back and the other cupping her neck. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jess."

She shivered a little at the light brush of his fingers up and down her spine and sighed happily.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Becker," she responded.

It was another one of the things that both amused him and touched him deeply about the beauty in his arms. He had never dated a woman that wouldn't insist on calling him Hil, or Hilary, but Jess continued to prefer his surname. Oh, she would occasionally (but only in private, thank heavens) use 'Hilary' to tease, or when seriously annoyed or frustrated with him, but she had a talent for taking 'Becker' from professional courtesy, to companionable exchange, to loving endearment and verbal caress, with just a faint change in tone and pronunciation.

This one hovered between endearment and caress, and he grinned, contemplating the merits of cold Chinese in favor of more carnal delights for a long moment, before finally setting her away from him.

Jess didn't know it, but there was a game plan for tonight and he intended to stick to it, so he carefully eased her back and nudged her toward the dining room table.

"This all looks brilliant, Jess. Almost as pretty as you."

And just like that, Jess felt like preening again.

They worked together to lay out the food, then Becker pulled her chair out, playfully leaning over to nip at a bare shoulder as he eased her chair in. The action served as a distraction so that when Jess actually looked at the table she was surprised to find an oblong box wrapped in white paper and topped with a red bow sitting on her plate.

"Becker!"

Delighted, Jess picked the box up and turned it this way and that. She knew before she even opened it that the paper would prove to be a shooting target. He'd made a habit of wrapping every gift since that first epi pen in the thick paper.

The hand drawn hearts and flowering vines that trailed over the paper definitely weren't standard issue, though.

"It's lovely."

He arched a brow. "You haven't even opened it yet, Jess."

"I mean the paper, silly," she countered, rolling her eyes even as she began to carefully unwrap the gift. What she found inside had her squealing like a kid at Christmas. "Oh, Becker, she's beautiful! And the shoes!"

Jess held the box up for him to see, as if he hadn't been the one to choose the doll in the first place. "Shoe Obsession Barbie! She's brilliant! However did you find her?"

"If I tell you that, you have to tell me how you managed to figure out the model of my shotgun," Becker countered with a grin. He'd been pestering her earlier in the day and all she would say is 'I'm just that brilliant,' with a teasing smirk.

"Fine," Jess agreed as she studied the doll's necklace and dress, already trying to figure out if her Uncle Lorie could make a replicate of them in her size. "But you first."

So as Jess filled the fine crystal plates with prawn crackers, spring rolls, cashew chicken and stir-fry vegetables, and Becker poured the wine into matching goblets, he told her about how his niece had mentioned wanting this very doll for her birthday.

"I must have gone to a half dozen stores asking for it, before I found one that had them. And yes, of course, I bought two. I thought maybe you could go with me to her party in a few weeks? It's Barbie themed, so you'll fit right in."

Jess leaned over and kissed him on the corner of the mouth.

Being invited to her first Becker family function was as much of a gift as the doll. Still, as she drew back she couldn't help but ask with mock irritation, "So I'm a Barbie doll then, am I?"

He couldn't help but grin then, remembering a long ago conversation with James Lester. When they'd first started at the new ARC and Lester had asked him his opinion of 'our Miss Parker' and he'd responded with 'you mean field-coordinator Barbie?'

"You, Jessica, are an absolute doll, but Barbie, no. Maybe her smarter, prettier cousin," he finished, catching her hand in his and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "Now it's your turn. How did you know to get the 590 Cruiser? I'm pretty sure I never told you what kind of gun I gave Danny, just that it was my favourite shotgun. I asked Ghani and Scott, but neither of them would admit to talking to you about it and they're the only two soldiers currently at the ARC who were around back then."

Instead of answering right away, Jess stood and stepped over to her computer, where it sat on the desk that was built off the bar, separating the kitchen and dining area from the living area. She punched a few keys then turned the screen so that he could see as a picture of the old team came up. In it, he stood with Sarah, Danny, Abby and Connor. He had the shotgun in one hand, pointed up and slightly off to the side, Sarah sandwiched in between him and Danny, then Abby to the other side of Danny, with Connor, of course, next to her. They were all looking a bit worse for wear after a particularly gruelling call out. If memory served, Ghani had actually snapped the picture for Connor.

When she sat back down, Jess rested her hand on his and watched the play of emotions on his face as he looked at the reminder of friends still lost or gone forever. Once he finally shifted his attention back to her, she gave him another quick kiss before saying, "Connor found that when they were going through the stuff you and Lester put in storage for them while they were gone. Seeing it reminded me of the day you told me about giving Danny your shotgun and I realized you might finally be ready to replace it, so I got Connor to scan me a copy. I sent that to my uncle Greg in Toronto."

"Greg. He's the hostage negotiator. Not the sheep herder, publican or cabaret-singing college professor," Becker asked seriously. He had yet to meet any of Jess' uncles but he knew she had several.

"Right," Jess agreed. "My father's brother. Anyway, Greg shared the photo with a former team mate of his who knows guns. Wordy not only recognized it, but was able to connect me up with a dealer who could get me one that was even manufactured around the time yours would have been. The rest was just logistics - getting it here - which is why you didn't get it for Christmas as I'd originally wanted."

He turned his hand over under Jess' and laced their fingers together. "Have I told you lately that you're brilliant and I adore you?"

"I could always stand to hear it again," she replied, somewhat breathless.

"You are, and I do."

After dinner was finished, they moved into the living room. Becker brought the duffle with him and settled on the sofa while Jess took a moment to find a home for the Barbie on her entertainment centre, before coming to stand in front of him. When he reached out a hand to caress the back of her knee before skimming it up her thigh, over the curve of her hip and settle at her waist, she grasped his shoulders for support and kicked off the shoes.

The loss of height brought out a smirk from him as his other hand came up to grasp her waist as well. In the next moment, she was sitting sideways in his lap and he was nuzzling her neck as one of those clever hands trailed up her spine and down again.

Jess was so caught up on the feeling of his breath against the delicate skin of her throat and the callused fingers playing along her back that she didn't register the press of a heavy object in her lap as anything other than his arm holding her in place for several minutes. It was only when the hand on her back stilled at the nape of her neck and he moved his lips to her ear and whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, Jess."

"Yes, it is," she agreed with a purr, attempting to capture his lips with hers, but Becker evaded, leaning back into the couch as he nudged her with the package again.

"Oh!"

The happy exclamation was accompanied by a bone-crushing hug, then Jess shifted in his arms so that she could take hold of the gift. Again the wrap was hand decorated, this time the hearts and vines created a frame around a pencil drawing of a tree with their initials carved into the trunk.

That elicited another quiet squeal of delight and a smacking kiss on the corner of his mouth, before she carefully peeled back the tape. The mahogany box which was revealed when the paper fell away was exquisitely beautiful. The same vines were carved around the outer edges of the lid and within the frame of them was a sentiment that stole Jess' breath. She traced the words delicately.

In you I have found,

all I never knew I needed

and all I could ever want.

"B-Becker."

Voice tremulous and blue eyes shining bright, she lifted her gaze to his and the intensity she found staring back at her told her all the words on the box did, and more.

Lifting a hand to his face while the other rested on the box, she leaned forward and kissed him slowly and thoroughly.

When she finally drew back, they were both blinking back emotion and one corner of his mouth titled up in an endearing grin. "Don't you want to know what's in the box?"

"Hmm…" Jess questioned, obviously bemused, and Becker's grin turned to a satisfied smirk.

"It's like this, Jessica. The doll was… an appetizer, of sorts, the box a main course, and what's inside, well…" he went silent for a moment, as if wanting to be sure he had her undivided attention, his callused hand moving hers aside and then lifting the lid, "…that, my love, is dessert."

Swallowing hard, Jess finally managed to pull her gaze from his and looked down. The contents of the box had her laughing delightedly. A pair of heels that looked to be exactly her size, though not meant for her feet at all.

They were fashioned out of what Jess recognized to be strawberry cream laced white chocolate. She carefully picked one up, and realized that what appeared to be a non-peril 'clasp' was actually a dark brown cultured pearl surrounded by dark stones that sparkled in the candle light. Blue eyes, flew to hazel.

"Chocolate diamonds?"

"And chocolate pearls too, or so the jeweler says." Becker assured her as he reached out and carefully extracted the 'clasp' from the shoe in his girlfriend's trembling hands. He smirked as he pulled the 'clasp' on the 'shoe' still in the box free as well and offered them both to her in the palm of his hand.

He watched with amused affection as she carefully put the shoe she held away and then made short work of stripping her ears of the shooting star dangles and dropped them down in the box. Just as quickly she took her 'chocolate' earrings from him and slipped them on then tilted her head to one side.

"How do they look?"

The soldier leaned forward, careful not to dislodge the box from her lap as he dipped his head to her ear. "Delectable."

shop/doll/shoe-obsession-barbie-doll-w3378

One final note on this chapter: Some of you may recognize Jess' Uncle Greg and his old team mate Wordy. They are both characters on the magnificent Canadian show Flashpoint. In my personal cannon, as I relayed here, Greg Parker is Jess' father's brother. Someday, I just might write a crossover fic to share a bit more of my cannon for Jess and how it connects her to Toronto's SRU Team One. And of course, let Becker meet the family.