Title: Perchance to Dream

Author: Cat Chester

Rating: T

Paring: Jo/Zane

Disclaimer: Not mine. Please don't sue as all I own are 3 dogs. Actually, you're welcome to the dogs.

Spoilers: Up to Crossing Over

Summary: Following the change in Lupo's behaviour, Zane decides to do some digging but his confrontation is interrupted when the Town in put in peril. Jo and Zane must work together to try and save them.

AN: Unbetaed. I don't usually post anything unbetaed but I cant find anyone who wants the job. If you'd like to volunteer to beta future chapters, please PM me.

Chapter One

Post 4x04, the Story of O2

Jo leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh as she looked up at the ceiling. All her life she had wanted to be taken seriously in her profession but because she was small and pretty that was often all people saw. When they read her C.V. they knew she's been in the Special Forces but they never seemed to equate that fact with the woman standing before them.

In many ways this reality was better for her. Her dream had come true and she had made it all the way to Head of Global Dynamics Security, one of the most prestigious jobs in the country.

The only problem was, it had come at the cost of the one person she held most dear.

Since arriving in this new timeline, she had read through some of her old incident reports. It seemed to her that things with Zane weren't that much different to her own time, except she had never given Zane a chance to prove himself. When Carter had argued for putting trust in him, she had fought him and won. Poor Zane had had to wear that tagging bracelet for months because of her.

From what she could see, reading between the lines of her reports, Zane had always flirted with her just like she remembered, but in this timeline she took that as an offence, as though it undermined her authority.

She smiled as she remembered his first night in the jail, when she'd arrived the next morning to find he had ordered stacks of lingerie for her. She had found it amusing but this Jo found it offensive. It seemed that the more Zane teased her, the harder this Jo came down on him, to the point where they were now enemies. It was mainly her fault he had such a bad reputation in town, because she was always the first one to point the finger at him.

Jo wondered if she could ever come back from that? If they could ever come back from that?

Yesterday she had seen the first glimpse of 'her Zane'. The Zane who had just been misguided. The Zane who had just been looking for somewhere to fit in. Well he had found somewhere and this Jo had ruined it for him.

His record wasn't bad, mainly pranks and animal rights acts, things she might have even laughed at before everything changed.

"Lupo?"

She looked up to see Zane peering around her office door.

"Is the truce still on?" he asked.

"Truce?" she asked.

"Yeah. You're not going to taze me or anything if I invade your space, are you?"

The idea that other Jo might have even considered that made her sad. "No," she assured him.

Zane stepped inside, still a little hesitant.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I just, I wanted to say thanks and, I'm really sorry about your house," Zane scratched his head.

"Thank you," she smiled slightly.

"That's, uh, that's gotta be rough, losing everything personal you ever had." He took a few more steps into her office.

He wasn't wrong, but it wasn't her house she was upset at having lost.

"Yeah, well... Do you know what the really annoying thing is? Now I have to go shopping."

"You hate shopping," it wasn't exactly a question not a statement. It almost felt like he was compiling a profile of her.

"I can tolerate it in small doses but now I have to buy everything again. Clothes, dishes, furniture, everything."

"Won't they give you a furnished place?"

Jo shrugged. "Fargo has put in a request but there's nothing free right now.

Zane finally made it to the chair opposite her and sat down.

"You know, Larry's giving a demonstration of his quantum propulsion engine tomorrow, I could reverse the polarity on the gyroscopic circuit if you wanted, make it fly upside down?"

Jo smiled at the idea. "Oh, as tempting as that sounds, you'd better not."

She missed this, the easy banter they shared.

Even in her own timeline Jo had spent her time being tough. She didn't show weakness, she didn't cry. She had spent her life trying to measure up to the boys but dating Zane had given her an outlet for her softer side. With him she didn't have to put up a front, she didn't always have to be the strong one.

All she really wanted was for Zane to put his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay, even if it was a total lie. Instead her smile faded and she looked at the man sitting opposite her.

"So what about you, hows the new project?"

"Well it's the old project, actually. I'm building a new Sky Cruiser prototype."

"I hear Fargo gave you your own team this time."

"Yeah, I had a feeling that might have be your idea."

"Well it was your design, it's only fitting that you should be in charge of it this time."

Zane leaned back in his head and regarded her. "What happened to you, Lupo?"

"What do you mean?" she bluffed.

"You're one hundred percent business all the time, no small talk, no second chances, no believing in people or giving them a chance to prove themselves. So what changed?"

Jo leaned forward. "You know, for a genius, you're not very bright."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jo shrugged. "You're the smart one, you figure it out." She stood up. "And now I have to go shopping."

"I thought you didn't have a new place yet?"

"I don't, but even staying with Jack, I'll need new clothes and underwear."

"Well, if you need a hand picking things out, I'm available," he smirked.

"Thank you, but I think I can manage to dress myself."

Zane shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said, standing up and backing towards the door. "I, uh, I guss I'll see you 'round, Jo Jo."

As he headed back to his own lab to finish up for the day, Zane couldn't help but wonder at the stark change in Lupo. Her reactions were almost normal now and she seemed to have developed a sense of humour.

He wondered what she meant by telling him 'it figure it out'? Had something changed or was she just showing him a different side to her? If she was just showing him a new aspect of her personality, why now?

It was time to do some digging into Jo Lupo, he decided. One way or the other, he was determined to figure her out.

Post 4x05 – Crossing Over

Jo brought her new camping equipment with her that Friday so she could take off straight from work. As much as she loved Jack, living with him and SARAH is already doing her head in a little bit. Besides, she knew that Jack would appreciate a few days free of reality shows.

Thanks to the advanced medicine in Eureka she was almost headed from her surgery but she was still going to take it very easy. She intended to stick to the trails and had even indulged in an air bed so she didn't have to bend over too much when she got into bed.

After an update from the night shift guards she headed to her office to check her schedule and start the day.

Sitting in the middle of her desk was a box with Liza's Lingerie on the front. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes stung with tears for a second before she got herself back under control. She took a few deep breaths and sat down behind her desk.

Part of her hoped to find a ring inside but she knew that wasn't possible. Still, she couldn't quite bring herself to open the box and have that hope dashed.

"Are you going to stare at it all day or are you going to open it?"

She looked up to see Zane standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he stepped forward. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah," he wasn't too far off. "This is from you?"

"Come on, Lupo, who else sends you lingerie? Have you got an army of admirers out there that you haven't told me about?"

"No." She swallowed and slowly lifted the lid off the box and pushed the tissue paper back to reveal a matching silk bra and panties set. She couldn't help but smile, though somewhat sadly.

"Camouflage print?" she asked.

"I thought you'd like it."

"Well thank you," she smiled. "It was very sweet of you, if completely inappropriate."

"Aww, can't a colleague give another collogue a sexy set of sexy underwear without having his motives called into question?"

"And I suppose you'd like to see how they fit?"

"Well, of course. I need to make sure I got the right size."

As tempted as she was to agree, she remembered just in time that they didn't have that sort of relationship now.

"In your dreams, Donovan."

"Well, you can't blame me for trying," Zane grinned. "Catch you later, Jo Jo," he left and headed back to his lab.

That was definitely not the Jo Lupo he knew. She hated his lingerie gifts with a passion, which was why he still sent them when he really wanted to wind her up. Plus, the Jo he knew would have decked him for some of those remarks. She wouldn't have bantered with him.

So who was this Jo Lupo? And why did she look almost frightened when she first saw the box? He had never seen her look vulnerable before and for some reason he didn't like it.

He had already discovered quite a bit of interesting information and tonight he hoped to gather the final pieces to the puzzle.

As Zane entered his lab he pushed those thoughts aside for the time being. He could ponder what Jo's abnormal reactions mean later. Right now he had work to do and he was determined to make a success of this project.

III

When Jo awoke on Saturday morning she sighed with contentment. It was wonderful of Jack to let her stay with him, but she needed alone time. It had been bad enough when she was just a deputy but now she was head of GD security it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of her. When she got home at night the last thing she wanted to do was make small talk. Make love maybe but not small talk.

She pushed that thought aside. She and Zane were over and she needed to accept the new reality. While it was true that Zane was being friendlier to her now, she couldn't just erase the two years in which the other Jo had been nothing but a bitch to him.

She carefully got out of bed, one hand held protectively over her chest, and opened the tent.

"Zane!"

"Morning, beautiful." He held a mug of coffee towards her.

"I..." Jo pushed her hair out of her face and tucked her t-shirt in. "What are you doing here?"

"I put a tracking device on your car. After that I just followed the trail," he shrugged, "So do you want this coffee or not."

Jo took the mug and sat on the camping chair next to him. She noticed he had brought his own chair and wondered what that meant.

"This is good," she said as she took her first sip of coffee.

"It's a prototype from the commercial lab," he explained as he sipped his own. "The coffee granules have a small thermal agent in them, just add water,' stir and it heats up on it's own."

"Handy."

"Isn't it?"

"But you didn't answer my question, what are you doing here?"

Zane narrowed his gaze as he considered his answer. "You might want to brush your teeth before we get into it."

Jo considered his words for a moment and decided to do as he said since she really would prefer to freshen up before their talk. She went back into her tent and brushed her teeth using bottled water, swallowing the toothpaste since she couldn't spit it out. She then brushed her hair back into a neat ponytail and changed into her hiking gear before rejoining him outside.

"Much better," he smiled as she emerged. "You almost look human."

"Bite me," she retorted, it was still a little early for any decent repartee. "So are you going to answer me now?"

Zane smiled, obviously pleased with himself.

"I've been doing a little extra curricular research."

"Like what?"

"Like hacking into your computer files."

"Zane! If anyone finds out you will be in big trouble."

"But you have found out, Lupo. So am I in trouble?"

Jo didn't answer.

"I didn't think so."

"Don't get cocky, I can still haul your ass back to jail."

"You could, but I don't think you will."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think you're Jo Lupo."

Jo's heart skipped a beat at the thought they might have been found out.

"Then who am I?" she bluffed.

"Well, I think you're a Jo Lupo, just not our Jo Lupo."

"That's insane."

"Is it?" Zane grinned, obviously enjoying the game. "What if I told you some of your friends are also acting out of sorts, like Sheriff Carter, Henry, Fargo and Doctor Blake?"

"I'd say you were paranoid."

"Okay," he nodded. "How about this then, I ran a facial recognition on your new friend, Doctor Charles Grant and he bares a striking resemblance to a Doctor Trevor Grant who went missing from Eureka in 1947?"

"They say everyone has a doppelganger," she shrugged.

"You really expect me to believe that?" Zane laughed. "Okay. So what if I told you that all the stuff that was appearing around the town a few days ago was also from 1947."

"How could you tell that?"

"Molecular Dating, It's like Carbon Dating but accurate to within three months."

"I'd say it was a coincidence."

"All right, what if I told you I hacked into the robotics lab and was able to reconstruct some fragments of Deputy Andy's memory. Specifically one fragment where the Sheriff admitted that you had travelled back in time to 1947 and returned to an alternate reality?"

"I'd say... 'crap'," Jo sighed.

"Don't worry, Jo Jo, your secret is safe with me," Zane grinned.

"If you found out, it's only a matter of time until someone else figures it out too."

"I don't think so," Zane shook his head. "You see, I erased all the data I found."

"Really? All of it?" She sounded sceptical.

"Really. Except for one copy I made."

Jo thought about that for a second. "So what, you're going to try and blackmail me now?"

"Blackmail is such a dirty word. Coercion is so much nicer."

"Okay, so what do you want? A get out of jail free card?"

"No," Zane frowned. "I just want the truth and I knew you wouldn't tell me unless I forced you too."

"So if I answer all your questions, you'll give me the copy?"

"Of course."

"Then you better start asking. I want to go hiking later," Jo said as she sipped her coffee. She wondered what he wanted to know, hoping he wouldn't ask about himself. Those were memories she didn't want to relive with him sitting right beside her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea so soon after your surgery?"

"Just ask your questions, Zane, I can take care of myself."

Zane leaned forward. "Fine! How are things different in your time line?"

Okay, that was easy. "Not much has changed in the wider world. On a personal level, I used to be Carter's Deputy, Allison used to be head of DG and her son was autistic, Henry wasn't married, Fargo just worked for GD and Jack and Tess broke up a year ago. Oh, and the statue in town used to be granite, not bronze."

"So things have improved for you, you have a better job now," he stated.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So why are you so miserable?" he asked, frowning.

Jo stared into her coffee and licked her lips as she considered how much to tell him. "I'm alone. Where I came from, I had a fiancé but here all I have is work."

"But you could change that. You're an attractive woman, you could have anyone you wanted."

"It's not that simple," Jo looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I love him."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Jo."

"It, uh, it's not your fault."

"So what am I like where you come from?"

Jo closed her eyes and swallowed down her emotions. "You're brilliant, kind, everyone likes you. You can be a little snarky and arrogant at times but you're also well respected."

Zane laughed. "Me? Respected?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not really a team player."

"Sure you are. All your life you've always been the smartest guy in the room, even at MIT you were in a different class everyone else but here you found somewhere you could fit in, except you were afraid to try, afraid they wouldn't understand you, that they'd reject you like everyone else had."

Zane sat back and considered her words. "That's quite some insight."

"Yeah, well, it's my job to understand people. And on that note, I'm really sorry for everything other-Jo did to you. You aren't a bad person and I think she rode your ass because you scared her."

"I scared her?" Zane laughed. "Please, nothing scares her."

"Except the idea of letting her guard down and either getting hurt or appearing unprofessional."

Zane frowned as he considered her words. It was such a stunningly simple answer that he really should have realised it himself.

"I know you're not this Jo, but you're the only Jo we have so, I'm sorry. I know I come on strong but I never meant to scare you," he frowned. "Or her," he corrected.

"I'm sure if this Jo were here, she'd kick your ass for having found her weakness," Jo smiled.

Zane laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right." They sat in silence for a fee moments until Zane asked. "So... am I seeing anyone in your reality?"

"I... I don't know."

"So we're not friends then?"

"Well... We're friendly, I guess."

Zane noticed her hesitation but he didn't press it. "So how did it happen? Was it a time travel project? Because I thought those were outlawed."

"No, it was an accident, we think. A bridge was created between Doctor Grants machine here and in 1947."

"Can't you go back again and change things back?"

"I wish. The machine got fried, it's dead."

"So you're stuck here."

"Yeah," she sighed.

Zane didn't know what to say to that because he was actually pleased that this Jo had replaced his Jo.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Apparently you can ask me anything, until I get my hands on that CD."

"Don't be like that, Jo Jo."

"Like what? You're blackmailing me, how am I supposed to act?"

"Fine, there is no copy. I only said that because I didn't think you'd tell me otherwise."

"I don't know if I can believe you."

Zane took a moment to compose his thoughts. "Look, Jo, I know I don't deserve your trust, but if your Zane is anything like me, you'll know that when I make a promise, I mean it. And I promise you that there is no copy."

Jo looked at him closely and after a few moments she relaxed. "I believe you."

Zane smiled.

"So what were you going to ask?"

"When you found that lingerie box you looked spooked. What's the deal with that?"

Zane didn't have anything to hold over her head now so she didn't need to answer him but she felt she owed him an answer.

"When my boyfriend proposed, he put the ring in one of those boxes."

Zane cringed. "Oh God, I am so sorry, Jo. I had no idea."

"It's okay, how could you know?"

"Still, it's a pretty asshole thing to do."

"No. Asshole would be doing it if you already knew and you may be annoying but you're not 'that guy'."

"You have a lot more faith in me than I have in myself."

"Underneath everything, I don't think you're that different from the Zane I knew. You just need a chance."

"So," Zane leaned towards her and spoke softly, as though he didn't want to be overheared. "Does this mean we're friends now?" he asked, a slight smirk pulling at his lips.

"I-" she was cut off as her phone rang. Was one weekend off too much to ask, she thought, clenching her jaw in frustration. She held a finger up to show Zane she'd just be a minute as she answered. "Lupo."

"Jo, I think the water's been poisoned," it was Carter and he sounded very groggy. "We... We need you..."

"Carter? Carter!"