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Fic: Advent Season
Title: Advent Season
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bigtitch
Characters: Lester/Becker, Lyle, Ross, General Becker, Mrs Becker, Carstairs (OC)
Rating: 14, slash
Warnings: None
Word Count 2100
A/N: Written fornietie’s Secret Santa. Thanks to nietie for being unphased when I changed her pairings selection because Mrs Becker wanted to play. I did manage to sneak in 'Own bed' and a bit of 'hurt/comfort', which I think were on the list unless I've made the whole thing up! Thanks also to fredbassett for doing beta duty!
Not mine, no names no packdrill.
Lester looked at the tinsel adorning the balustrade outside his office and tried to ignore that Christmas was near. Lorraine had not even suggested that anything tinselled or sparkly should infiltrate his office in any shape or form. She was being tactful. A lot of people were being tactful and careful this Christmas season. That was because Captain Hilary Becker, officially of the Blues and Royals, but actually of 22 Regiment, the SAS, was missing in action.
In late October he had gone through an anomaly in search of a missing child and not come back out. The child had subsequently been found playing behind the bins of a local shop. Lester did not know whether to be angry or happy for the child's family. He now knew what agony not knowing what was happening to a loved one felt like.
And there was so much not knowing involved. Nothing had come through the anomaly so they didn't know what time period Becker had gone into. Connor had tried his best with the numbers but there weren't enough recurring anomalies to make any kind of estimate as to whether this one would reappear. Too many unknowns.
Lester looked down at the papers in front of him and wondered why so much admin accumulated even on Christmas Eve. None of it was urgent, but it gave him something to do and that was all he could hope for.
The siren of the anomaly alarm went off and Lester went to the start of the ramp to watch his organisation spring into practiced action.
Lyle, who was on duty until Boxing Day, looked up at him. 'It's in Barnes,' he said. 'I'll take the usual team.'
Lester nodded. 'Carry on.'
Lester went back into his office. Barnes was where Becker's parents lived. They had invited him to stay with them for Christmas. Lester had nearly accepted, but then decided he couldn't cope with the extra pain and declined. General Becker had been understanding, but Becker's mother had looked worriedly at him. Lester didn't know whether he had made the right decision or not. He added an item to his Tasks for tomorrow: Phone H & Margaret. It was stupid. Anyone normal would remember to call a partner's family on Christmas Day. But Lester wasn't operating by normal rules at the moment so he made the note.
He picked up the folder marked 'Expenses'. Maybe that would keep his attention from wondering what Becker was doing now and what was happening in Barnes.
+++++
Expenses done, Lester decided that a cup of coffee would be in order before tackling Captain Ryan's latest report. He respected the man immensely, but devoutly wished that Sandhurst had at least attempted to teach basic grammar. Ryan's approach to punctuation was to hit the comma key every few words and hope some of them were in the right place. Lester nearly pressed the intercom button on the desk phone before he remembered that Lorraine was spending Christmas Eve and Day with Blade, so he stood up and made his way to the break room.
He was standing there by the counter waiting for the kettle to boil when he heard a commotion outside in the corridor. He hoped whatever high spirits were prompting his staff to do would go away before he needed to leave the break room. He was neither in the mood for stern authority figure or indulgent parent depending on the danger to life and limb the situation required.
Then Ross Jenkins burst into the room. 'Sir, you need to come to Barnes.'
'Just what I need. What has gone wrong now?'
'Lyle's reporting Becker has come through the anomaly.'
Lester staggered back against the cabinet. His knees felt weak. 'Is he sure?'
Ross nodded. 'Yes sir. We wouldn't joke about this.'
'I need to get...' Lester's brain froze. He didn't know what he needed.
'You just need your coat. I'm to drive.' Ross held out his arm to guide Lester to the door and Lester followed the non-verbal instruction gratefully.
'Is the Defensive Driving course up to getting to Barnes through Christmas shopping traffic?'
Ross snorted derisively. 'I used to drive my Gran to the Boxing Day sales. Ever since I passed my test I've been finding a disabled parking place at Bluewater on a bank holiday. The SAS had nothing to teach me.'
++++
Lester didn't know what the land-speed record from central London to Barnes was, but he was prepared to lay good money on Ross having just beaten it even without the benefit of blues and twos. On arriving at the anomaly site on the edge of the town centre, he would have liked a couple of minutes to catch his breath, but all he could see was Becker, thinner, unshaven with longer hair, sitting on step of an ambulance and all thought of the drive there went out his head.
Lester had no recollection of opening the SUV door and actually walking towards Becker. All he knew he was there and holding Becker as tightly as he could. Holding him as though he could erase the agony of the past months by squeezing them. It would have been embarrassing to show such emotion in public, but for the fact that Becker, stoic, undemonstrative Becker was hugging him back just as hard. They may have spoken words, it didn't matter as none of them made sense, just gasps of love and longing. For a long time they were the only people in the world.
That state of affairs didn't last too long. There was a cry of 'Hils!' and then a woman was trying to hug both of them at once. Lester stepped back only to a catch a quick glimpse of General H Becker before he was engulfed in another hug that encompassed all four of them.
That was a brief hug and then the general and Lester drew back to let Mrs Becker hug her son without interference.
'You got here quickly,' Lester said, pretending that they both hadn't just taken part in a very public display of affection.
'Jungle drums,' General Becker replied, joining in the pretence. 'Half the town knows Hils was missing.'
Lyle walked over to them. 'General...,' he started and then broke off as a helicopter flew low over the buildings. They watched it until it disappeared behind a leisure centre at the end of the road. '658 Squadron out of Credenhill,' Lyle said. 'That means trouble.'
++++
Trouble arrived in the person of Captain Benjamin Carstairs and a couple of troopers in civvies. His mission, as he explained it, was to take Becker back to SAS HQ for 'medical examination and debrief'. It's possible that if he had been expecting resistance to this mission he would have come with reinforcements. Although, as the main resistance was in the form of one Mrs Margaret Becker, Carstairs should have come with a battalion of Gurkhas as a starting point.
Becker and Lester made a short tactical withdrawal to lean against the bonnet of one of the team's SUVs while battle was joined between Becker's parents and the SAS.
'I don't think I've picked up anything nasty, but I do need to be debriefed,' Becker said. 'I wasn't the only one out there travelling.'
'Helen Cutter?'
'I didn't mean her. There are other people travelling between times and anomalies, James. They're from the past and the future. I've heard some things about what's going to happen that people in charge need to know about.'
'All in good time,' Lester told him. 'Duty can wait until after Christmas at least.'
They looked over to where Carstairs was still arguing with General and Mrs Becker. The general was doing his best to loom over a man who was taller than he was, while Mrs Becker stepped behind the ambulance and took out her phone.
Lester and Becker walked over just in time to hear General Becker say, 'Do you know who I am, Captain?'
'Yes, sir,' Carstairs replied seriously. 'And so does my commanding officer.'
Suddenly, there was the sound of an unimaginative mobile phone's ringtone. Everyone looked around and then Carstairs looked embarrassed. 'Oh that's me.' He pulled out his phone, glanced at the incoming caller id and looked even more embarrassed. 'Mum, I can't talk now. I'm busy. What do you mean you know where I am?' Carstairs made a grumpy, excuse-me face and walked away from them, phone to ear. The conversation was inaudible apart from one loud 'Mother!' on Carstairs part.
General Becker watched the proceedings with interest and then glanced down at his wife, who had a certain air of smug triumph about her. 'Margaret, did you just call that solider's mother?'
'I've known Emma Carstairs for years. We work on the same British Legion Committee. I knew she'd see things from our point of view.'
'That's cheating!'
'H, this is my son! I would walk barefoot to Sandringham and put a revolver to the Queen's head to get him home!' Mrs Becker face crumpled a little and she sniffed.
Her husband hugged her close to him. 'I'd go with a semi-automatic myself. They're easier to conceal and have a lot less recoil.'
Mrs Becker pushed away from him and gave her eyes a surreptitious wipe with a paper hanky. Then she turned to face Captain Carstairs who was walking towards them with the look of a man caught between a professional rock and a very hard personal place.
'Very well,' he said tight-lipped. 'I will release Captain Becker into General Becker's custody on the understanding that he presents himself for debriefing at Regimental HQ Credenhill first thing Boxing Day morning.' He glared down at Mrs Becker. 'And if he shows any sign of illness or infection he is to be taken to Credenhill immediately no matter which day it is. Is that clear?'
Mrs Becker nodded and Carstairs stomped off, gesturing angrily to his subordinates to walk back to the heliccopter.
H watched him go. 'That is not a happy man.'
'True,' said his wife. 'I must remember to send Emma a thank you card.' She turned to where Becker and Lester were standing, Becker leaning a little on Lester as he was hugging him. 'Well,' she said briskly. 'Shall we get back then? I have a lot more sprouts to peel than I was planning.'
++++
Becker stood naked in the family bathroom with Lester holding a basin with a pale yellow liquid in beside him. Becker was washed, shaved and was now going to have his wounds tended to.
He sniffed. 'Is that TCP?'
Lester nodded. 'What else?'
'It's going to sting.'
'Now be a big brave soldier and let me do this.'
'Do I get a sweetie?'
Lester rolled his eyes. 'You can have a kiss for every ouchie.'
'Best get on with it then.' Becker braced himself against the wash basin.
Lester dipped a cotton wool ball in the disinfecting liquid and dabbed it gently against one of the many grazes on Becker's back.
'Oooh!' Becker twitched.
'Did that hurt?'
'It's cold!'
'If you want I can drive you to HQ and let them take care of you there!'
'No chance! Ditzy's hands are even colder!'
Lester continued on, dabbing each of Becker's grazes with disinfectant. He was relieved to see that, even to his amateur eyes, none of them looked to be infected. Becker had winced six times so that made for six kisses, each one deeper and more satisfying than the last. When they were done, Lester was semi-hard and wanting more, but his lover was clearly in no state to continue.
'I'm sorry.' Becker rested his head on Lester's shoulder.
'It doesn't matter,' Lester cupped the back of Becker's head and kissed his temple. 'You're here and that's all that does. Let's get you to bed.'
Once out of the bathroom Lester steered them towards Becker's old bedroom, but Becker stopped.
'Don't you want to sleep in your own bed?'
Becker turned them around until they were walking towards the guest bedroom where Lester was sleeping. 'Any bed where you are is my own bed,' he said. 'I've missed sleeping next to you too much to waste another second.'
Lester suddenly found tears in his eyes. This was all his Christmases come at once.
They undressed and lay down in the big bed and pulled the duvet over them. Lester held Becker as he got snuggled down to his liking. They didn't talk. They had no need for words.
Lester looked down at the man in his arms and realised that he was going to propose to Becker on Christmas Day. And then, because he had that kind of mind, Sir James Lester wondered that as the wife of a knight of the realm got the title 'Lady', what title the husband of a knight got. He'd have to get Lorraine to check with Debretts before Lyle started a book on it.
He pulled Becker a bit closer and placed a light kiss on his sleepy lover's forehead. These were nice problems to have.
The End
Author:
bigtitchCharacters: Lester/Becker, Lyle, Ross, General Becker, Mrs Becker, Carstairs (OC)
Rating: 14, slash
Warnings: None
Word Count 2100
A/N: Written for
nietie’s Secret Santa. Thanks to nietie for being unphased when I changed her pairings selection because Mrs Becker wanted to play. I did manage to sneak in 'Own bed' and a bit of 'hurt/comfort', which I think were on the list unless I've made the whole thing up! Thanks also to fredbassett for doing beta duty!Not mine, no names no packdrill.
Lester looked at the tinsel adorning the balustrade outside his office and tried to ignore that Christmas was near. Lorraine had not even suggested that anything tinselled or sparkly should infiltrate his office in any shape or form. She was being tactful. A lot of people were being tactful and careful this Christmas season. That was because Captain Hilary Becker, officially of the Blues and Royals, but actually of 22 Regiment, the SAS, was missing in action.
In late October he had gone through an anomaly in search of a missing child and not come back out. The child had subsequently been found playing behind the bins of a local shop. Lester did not know whether to be angry or happy for the child's family. He now knew what agony not knowing what was happening to a loved one felt like.
And there was so much not knowing involved. Nothing had come through the anomaly so they didn't know what time period Becker had gone into. Connor had tried his best with the numbers but there weren't enough recurring anomalies to make any kind of estimate as to whether this one would reappear. Too many unknowns.
Lester looked down at the papers in front of him and wondered why so much admin accumulated even on Christmas Eve. None of it was urgent, but it gave him something to do and that was all he could hope for.
The siren of the anomaly alarm went off and Lester went to the start of the ramp to watch his organisation spring into practiced action.
Lyle, who was on duty until Boxing Day, looked up at him. 'It's in Barnes,' he said. 'I'll take the usual team.'
Lester nodded. 'Carry on.'
Lester went back into his office. Barnes was where Becker's parents lived. They had invited him to stay with them for Christmas. Lester had nearly accepted, but then decided he couldn't cope with the extra pain and declined. General Becker had been understanding, but Becker's mother had looked worriedly at him. Lester didn't know whether he had made the right decision or not. He added an item to his Tasks for tomorrow: Phone H & Margaret. It was stupid. Anyone normal would remember to call a partner's family on Christmas Day. But Lester wasn't operating by normal rules at the moment so he made the note.
He picked up the folder marked 'Expenses'. Maybe that would keep his attention from wondering what Becker was doing now and what was happening in Barnes.
+++++
Expenses done, Lester decided that a cup of coffee would be in order before tackling Captain Ryan's latest report. He respected the man immensely, but devoutly wished that Sandhurst had at least attempted to teach basic grammar. Ryan's approach to punctuation was to hit the comma key every few words and hope some of them were in the right place. Lester nearly pressed the intercom button on the desk phone before he remembered that Lorraine was spending Christmas Eve and Day with Blade, so he stood up and made his way to the break room.
He was standing there by the counter waiting for the kettle to boil when he heard a commotion outside in the corridor. He hoped whatever high spirits were prompting his staff to do would go away before he needed to leave the break room. He was neither in the mood for stern authority figure or indulgent parent depending on the danger to life and limb the situation required.
Then Ross Jenkins burst into the room. 'Sir, you need to come to Barnes.'
'Just what I need. What has gone wrong now?'
'Lyle's reporting Becker has come through the anomaly.'
Lester staggered back against the cabinet. His knees felt weak. 'Is he sure?'
Ross nodded. 'Yes sir. We wouldn't joke about this.'
'I need to get...' Lester's brain froze. He didn't know what he needed.
'You just need your coat. I'm to drive.' Ross held out his arm to guide Lester to the door and Lester followed the non-verbal instruction gratefully.
'Is the Defensive Driving course up to getting to Barnes through Christmas shopping traffic?'
Ross snorted derisively. 'I used to drive my Gran to the Boxing Day sales. Ever since I passed my test I've been finding a disabled parking place at Bluewater on a bank holiday. The SAS had nothing to teach me.'
++++
Lester didn't know what the land-speed record from central London to Barnes was, but he was prepared to lay good money on Ross having just beaten it even without the benefit of blues and twos. On arriving at the anomaly site on the edge of the town centre, he would have liked a couple of minutes to catch his breath, but all he could see was Becker, thinner, unshaven with longer hair, sitting on step of an ambulance and all thought of the drive there went out his head.
Lester had no recollection of opening the SUV door and actually walking towards Becker. All he knew he was there and holding Becker as tightly as he could. Holding him as though he could erase the agony of the past months by squeezing them. It would have been embarrassing to show such emotion in public, but for the fact that Becker, stoic, undemonstrative Becker was hugging him back just as hard. They may have spoken words, it didn't matter as none of them made sense, just gasps of love and longing. For a long time they were the only people in the world.
That state of affairs didn't last too long. There was a cry of 'Hils!' and then a woman was trying to hug both of them at once. Lester stepped back only to a catch a quick glimpse of General H Becker before he was engulfed in another hug that encompassed all four of them.
That was a brief hug and then the general and Lester drew back to let Mrs Becker hug her son without interference.
'You got here quickly,' Lester said, pretending that they both hadn't just taken part in a very public display of affection.
'Jungle drums,' General Becker replied, joining in the pretence. 'Half the town knows Hils was missing.'
Lyle walked over to them. 'General...,' he started and then broke off as a helicopter flew low over the buildings. They watched it until it disappeared behind a leisure centre at the end of the road. '658 Squadron out of Credenhill,' Lyle said. 'That means trouble.'
++++
Trouble arrived in the person of Captain Benjamin Carstairs and a couple of troopers in civvies. His mission, as he explained it, was to take Becker back to SAS HQ for 'medical examination and debrief'. It's possible that if he had been expecting resistance to this mission he would have come with reinforcements. Although, as the main resistance was in the form of one Mrs Margaret Becker, Carstairs should have come with a battalion of Gurkhas as a starting point.
Becker and Lester made a short tactical withdrawal to lean against the bonnet of one of the team's SUVs while battle was joined between Becker's parents and the SAS.
'I don't think I've picked up anything nasty, but I do need to be debriefed,' Becker said. 'I wasn't the only one out there travelling.'
'Helen Cutter?'
'I didn't mean her. There are other people travelling between times and anomalies, James. They're from the past and the future. I've heard some things about what's going to happen that people in charge need to know about.'
'All in good time,' Lester told him. 'Duty can wait until after Christmas at least.'
They looked over to where Carstairs was still arguing with General and Mrs Becker. The general was doing his best to loom over a man who was taller than he was, while Mrs Becker stepped behind the ambulance and took out her phone.
Lester and Becker walked over just in time to hear General Becker say, 'Do you know who I am, Captain?'
'Yes, sir,' Carstairs replied seriously. 'And so does my commanding officer.'
Suddenly, there was the sound of an unimaginative mobile phone's ringtone. Everyone looked around and then Carstairs looked embarrassed. 'Oh that's me.' He pulled out his phone, glanced at the incoming caller id and looked even more embarrassed. 'Mum, I can't talk now. I'm busy. What do you mean you know where I am?' Carstairs made a grumpy, excuse-me face and walked away from them, phone to ear. The conversation was inaudible apart from one loud 'Mother!' on Carstairs part.
General Becker watched the proceedings with interest and then glanced down at his wife, who had a certain air of smug triumph about her. 'Margaret, did you just call that solider's mother?'
'I've known Emma Carstairs for years. We work on the same British Legion Committee. I knew she'd see things from our point of view.'
'That's cheating!'
'H, this is my son! I would walk barefoot to Sandringham and put a revolver to the Queen's head to get him home!' Mrs Becker face crumpled a little and she sniffed.
Her husband hugged her close to him. 'I'd go with a semi-automatic myself. They're easier to conceal and have a lot less recoil.'
Mrs Becker pushed away from him and gave her eyes a surreptitious wipe with a paper hanky. Then she turned to face Captain Carstairs who was walking towards them with the look of a man caught between a professional rock and a very hard personal place.
'Very well,' he said tight-lipped. 'I will release Captain Becker into General Becker's custody on the understanding that he presents himself for debriefing at Regimental HQ Credenhill first thing Boxing Day morning.' He glared down at Mrs Becker. 'And if he shows any sign of illness or infection he is to be taken to Credenhill immediately no matter which day it is. Is that clear?'
Mrs Becker nodded and Carstairs stomped off, gesturing angrily to his subordinates to walk back to the heliccopter.
H watched him go. 'That is not a happy man.'
'True,' said his wife. 'I must remember to send Emma a thank you card.' She turned to where Becker and Lester were standing, Becker leaning a little on Lester as he was hugging him. 'Well,' she said briskly. 'Shall we get back then? I have a lot more sprouts to peel than I was planning.'
++++
Becker stood naked in the family bathroom with Lester holding a basin with a pale yellow liquid in beside him. Becker was washed, shaved and was now going to have his wounds tended to.
He sniffed. 'Is that TCP?'
Lester nodded. 'What else?'
'It's going to sting.'
'Now be a big brave soldier and let me do this.'
'Do I get a sweetie?'
Lester rolled his eyes. 'You can have a kiss for every ouchie.'
'Best get on with it then.' Becker braced himself against the wash basin.
Lester dipped a cotton wool ball in the disinfecting liquid and dabbed it gently against one of the many grazes on Becker's back.
'Oooh!' Becker twitched.
'Did that hurt?'
'It's cold!'
'If you want I can drive you to HQ and let them take care of you there!'
'No chance! Ditzy's hands are even colder!'
Lester continued on, dabbing each of Becker's grazes with disinfectant. He was relieved to see that, even to his amateur eyes, none of them looked to be infected. Becker had winced six times so that made for six kisses, each one deeper and more satisfying than the last. When they were done, Lester was semi-hard and wanting more, but his lover was clearly in no state to continue.
'I'm sorry.' Becker rested his head on Lester's shoulder.
'It doesn't matter,' Lester cupped the back of Becker's head and kissed his temple. 'You're here and that's all that does. Let's get you to bed.'
Once out of the bathroom Lester steered them towards Becker's old bedroom, but Becker stopped.
'Don't you want to sleep in your own bed?'
Becker turned them around until they were walking towards the guest bedroom where Lester was sleeping. 'Any bed where you are is my own bed,' he said. 'I've missed sleeping next to you too much to waste another second.'
Lester suddenly found tears in his eyes. This was all his Christmases come at once.
They undressed and lay down in the big bed and pulled the duvet over them. Lester held Becker as he got snuggled down to his liking. They didn't talk. They had no need for words.
Lester looked down at the man in his arms and realised that he was going to propose to Becker on Christmas Day. And then, because he had that kind of mind, Sir James Lester wondered that as the wife of a knight of the realm got the title 'Lady', what title the husband of a knight got. He'd have to get Lorraine to check with Debretts before Lyle started a book on it.
He pulled Becker a bit closer and placed a light kiss on his sleepy lover's forehead. These were nice problems to have.
The End