A/N I've had this story going round in my head ever since Abby smirked over the "security stuff" comment. It just had to get written - apologies to those waiting for an update to Consequences. I can't finish that one until I've got this one out! :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Primeval, but wish I owned Becker's wiggly eyebrows!

It had been one hell of a day. Future beetles, lockdown, Jess in anaphylactic shock, gamma rays, incineration - what more could this job throw at them? Oh yes, Becker had "security stuff" to do.

Abby harrumphed at his particularly lame excuse. What was wrong with that man? There was the strong and silent type, there was the British stiff-upper-lip, and then there was Becker…he gave Jess hope with his chocolate-buying, eyebrow wiggling attentiveness and then dashed her back down again when he thought he had let her get too close. Right, it was time to do something about that - and today was the right day to do it! He'd been through the ring emotionally and was probably as vulnerable as he was ever going to get. That settled it for Abby. She was going to force Becker to admit that he had feelings - it was going to be good for him. She smiled wickedly and headed down to the armoury.
She found him there, as expected, cleaning his guns. Not the EMDs, real firearms. He'd told her once that the EMDs didn't smell right and actually, as she entered the armoury and smelled sharpness of the gunpowder and metal, she found herself agreeing with him.

"Hey Becker," she said chirpily, sitting down on the bench next to him. "How's the security stuff going?"
Becker looked up and frowned at her. Her face remained impassive and he couldn't work out if she making fun of him or not. He decided not to find out.
"Fine, thank you. Can I help you with something?" He asked, turning his attention back to his gun.
"Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me when you're going to stop being such an arse?" Abby faced him square on and raised her eyebrows challengingly.
"What the hell -?" Becker stopped what he was doing and gave her his full attention. "What are you talking about Abby?"
"Security stuff? Really, Becker? You couldn't come up with anything better than that before legging it?" she knew she was winding him up by the tightening of his hands around the shotgun, but that was what she was aiming for after all.

"Leave it Abby," he warned, in a low threatening voice.
"No, I won't leave it Becker!" exclaimed Abby. "How can you keep leaving her hanging like that? You've got to decide either way - stop giving her mixed signals!"
He stared at her, one eyebrow arched high. "Mixed signals?" he asked.
Abby sighed. God, the man didn't even know he was encouraging Jess's feelings and then stamping on them.
"Becker," she said more gently this time. "You buy Jess chocolate. No-one else does, and you don't do it for anyone else. You abandoned your post when she screamed, then carried her round the ARC while the rest of us fought the beetles - and then you ran away as if you didn't care at all. I - and every other woman in the entire world - would call that mixed signals."
"Fine," Becker stated flatly. "Then I'll stop." He already knew he wouldn't be able to, but he didn't want Abby to pick up on that.
"Becker, you like her, what's wrong with that?" pressed Abby.
"I do not!" protested Becker. "Really Abby, this is all in your head."
"Is it?" she challenged him again.
"Yes." he said firmly, meeting her gaze with his own challenge. My guard is impenetrable, there's no way you're getting through here. Trouble was, Abby always met a challenge head on.

"Just admit it Becker!"
"No, because there's nothing to admit!" he stood up now and paced across to the other side of the armoury.
"Just admit you're in love with Jess!" demanded Abby, her voice rising.
"No, Abby," Becker tried to keep his voice calm at Abby's use of the L word, but she was beginning to get under his skin. He'd already had a day, he didn't need this right now!
"Becker, you are so in love with her. You know it, I know it, Connor knows it, Matt knows it - hell, even Lester knows it!" Abby stood up too. "The only person who doesn't know is Jess!"
"And I intend to keep it that way," Becker told her gruffly.
Abby's eyes sparkled. "Is that an admission?" she asked with a grin.
"No! Of course not!" he shouted.
"Come on Becker - you love Jess. Just say it - I'm in love with Jess! You'll feel better!" Abby needled.
"Abby, you're wasting your time - I'm not saying anything just because you tell me to," Becker felt he was getting the upper hand again.
"You know I'm not going to leave this alone, don't you?" Abby said forcefully. "I'm going to keep digging day after day after day until you say it." She paused to let her words sink in. She watched his face change as he considered having to listen to her nagging him for days, weeks even. She knew she would break him.
"Surely its better to just get it over with?"
"Abby, do you just take great pleasure in torturing me?" he asked softly.
"Hmmm, let me think about that," teased Abby. "Yes! Nothing pleases me more than torturing you, Becker and I can keep it going, don't think that I can't. Just admit it, say it, just to me. It won't go any further, I promise you."

He was silent as he stared at the small blonde woman. He knew she was ferocious, tenacious and many other "cious" words that he didn't want to consider right now. He often thought she was more like the creatures she cared for; always acting on instinct without thinking about the consequences of what she was doing. Just doing what she believed to be the right thing. Sometimes, he had wished he could be more like her, more spontaneous, more foolhardy. Trouble is to be that, you had to lose control.

"Come on Becker," Abby needled him again as he remained silent. "Come on. You can do it. Just say it. What harm can it do? Just say it. I love Jess. Its not difficult, dead easy in fact. Come on Becker - are you a man or just a total emotional retard -?" Her taunting was cut off as he rounded on her, his face intense and dangerously dark.
She took a step back from his look and reached her hand up to her ear.

"Alright Abby, you win," he bellowed. "I'm in love with Jessica!"