"Good Morning, Jo-jo." Zane said when Jo entered her office. It was just 6.00 am. He was sitting in her chair behind the desk with his feet on it having already waited a couple of hours for her. "You are late!"
"Zane, what are you doing here?" Jo asked still standing near the door. If she needed to escape from her feelings she wouldn't have it too far.
"Waiting for you!" he answered in a serious way that Jo already knew. It was the way her Zane talked to her when he needed to discuss something serious.
"What do you need?" Jo asked anxiously already knowing what his answer would be.
Zane eyed up Jo. She was nervous and even though she tried to overplay it with her serious attitude she failed. Zane looked at her intently.
"Fargo asked me to check the security protocols but I need your password for it. I could hack it, but he told me to go the legal way." Zane lied to her. He knew that if he pushed her right now she would just turn around and leave. She avoided him since the day they kissed and he already recognized that she was damn good at avoiding him. He hadn't seen her even if he wanted to. So he decided to wait for her in her office in the early morning. He got there at 3.00 am to make sure he'd already been there before she arrived.
Jo relaxed and felt a bit more comfortable when she stepped over to her desk to type her password into his laptop.
"Would you please take your feet off of my desk? Thanks." She said kind of rude.
"Relax. It's early. I bet you haven't had you coffee yet, hadn't you?" Zane said and took one of the two coffees-to-go he brought from Vincent's. He handed it to her but Jo denied. "No, thanks."
"C'mon Jo. It is not poisoned and I can't drink two of them." Zane said and pushed her to take it.
"Thanks."
Jo bent over to type in her password and Zane leaned a bit closer to her, "You know that I lied." Jo recognized the black display of his laptop. He didn't even turn it on.
"What?" She said confused.
"You know what, Jo." Zane said and she stood up again. "Zane, leave. Now."
"Jo, we need to talk and you know that." He got up and stepped closer but every time he tried to get near to her she made a few steps back until she felt the wall behind her back.
"You still owe me some answers, Jo."
"I don't owe you anything, Donovan." Jo tried to behave bitchy like her alternate-version would do it – she thought. But it was already too late for changing her behavior and Zane could see the sadness and fear in her eyes.
"You've avoided me for too long after that kiss and I am not stupid, Jo. I already figured out for myself what had happened but maybe I just need to hear from you what had been between us and don't tell me "Nothing"." Zane said quiet but serious and placed his right hand on the wall beside Jo.
She looked at him and tried to clear her throat but had no idea what to tell him.
"C'mon Jo-jo. I gave you my grandmother's engagement ring. And you wore it. Even though it was around your neck. What doesn't fit is that you said you were romanticizing our whole relationship and that we don't fit."
"Zane don't."
"Why are you wearing that ring, Jo?" Jo felt weak. Weaker then she ever did before. She wasn't even strong enough to push him away. Jo didn't know what to tell him. She didn't want to lie at him anymore. All she wanted was to be held in his arms. She wanted him to hold her tight. If only he would be her Zane from the previous timeline. She had always tried to be strong but she was sick of it. Everyone seemed to be happy and even Henry told Grace about what had happened so why shouldn't she tell him? Henry often mentioned that they "just" changed the time, not the single persons in Eureka. They are still the same as before just with a different knowledge of their past.
"OK." Zane lowered his condition and took his arm away. He stepped back to give her space.
"Got it." He looked at her a last time and walked over to the door to leave her office.
Jo was angry with herself for not telling him. She had already caught glimpses between both them and if this Zane had feelings for him she needed to risk it and tell him – she thought.
"Zane, I –" Zane turned around but before Jo could say anything the security siren announced a high security alert in section 5.
She passed Zane leaving her office and ran to the elevator to check section 5. She hadn't recognized that Zane was right behind her when she arrived on the elevator.
"Zane, what-?"
"No time to waste. Something's wrong in section 5."
"Yes and it is my duty to check it, not yours."
"Fine. But my lab is next to the room where it came from and you can't stop my from doing my work in my lab." he answered with a smirk knowing that Jo couldn't say anything against it – he thought.
"Yes, I can. It could be too dangerous. We don't know what happened yet."
"Dangerous for you, too!"
"I get paid for dangerous situations."
"What if anything technical happened? You would need me then."
"I could still call you!"
"Could take to long," he stepped closer. He didn't followed her advice and entered the elevator when the doors opened.
"Zane!"
"Jo!"
She knew that he wouldn't care about what she'd say anyway so she decided to just shut up. Before they reached the floor to section 5 the systems broke down and the elevator got stuck and the lights turned low.
"Zane?"
"Jo?"
"What happened?"
"Don't know yet. But I'll find out."
"And how?" Jo looked critically "You forgot you laptop in my office, didn't you? I can't see it on you."
"Because you made me hurry up." he pointed at her.
"I did what? I didn't asked you to follow me. You weren't supposed to be here."
"Whatever." he said trying to stay calm. He didn't want to annoy her and if it would come to a fight he knew that she would win. As always.
"But if I wouldn't have followed you, you would be alone in the elevator right now not knowing what to do."
"Great. And now we are two who got stuck in here, with no idea what to do."
"At least you are not alone."
"As if that would be better." she said with a low annoyed voice.
"Fine!" Zane was offended by Jo's words and she could see that but was way too
proud to apologize so she just tried to ignore it.
"So, what now?" she asked.
"How should I know? You are Head Of Security. Not me." he said surly.
"Pfft." Jo was pissed even though she was the one who hurt him, she didn't like his reaction. Her Zane was never that emotional and pissed. He was always the one who saw things critically and objectively, not emotional.
Minutes went by and the elevator was still stuck. Each of them sat in one corner waiting for help. While Jo looked at him a couple of times, he ignored her. He was
still pissed. She could see that on his face.
"Didn't they notice that we got stuck in here?" Jo said without getting any respond from Zane. She looked over at him but his view went to the elevator's ground.
"Whatever happened in section 5, I hope they can fix it without us and get us out of here quick," she said with a low voice.
"That horrible?" Zane answered after minutes of ignoring her. She looked up at him again "What?"
"Is it that horrible sitting here, wasting time with me?" he said and caught her gaze.
The first time she could see kind of sadness in his eyes. It seemed like he was disappointed about the things she said before and of course about the things she didn't say when he asked her, what had been between both of them.
"No." she cleared her throat and Zane nodded in disbelief.
"Zane, you are not a stupid fool so don't behave like one, please."
"How am I supposed to behave, Jo? What do you think?" he asked her getting really serious on her.
"What?"
"I asked you, what had been between us and I know that there was something even though you denied it. I kissed you and you definitely kissed me back and it didn't feel like a first kiss. And don't tell me you didn't enjoy it. And now, you are avoiding me and when I tried to talk to you about it, you …" Zane looked over to her and there it was again: this sadness in her eyes. He didn't want to hurt her, all he wanted was the truth. He could see tears, which formed behind her eyes so he decided to let it go. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't push her anymore. Her fault – he thought.
"Whatever."
Jo looked away. She felt so weak and couldn't even stop her tears but had no way out to escape. She got stuck with Zane and couldn't ran away.
He saw a single tear trail down her cheek. First time ever he felt responsible for her. He wanted to hold her and comfort her but he was way too afraid to be pushed back by her.
"I -. I didn't mean to -. You know, hurting you and stuff." he tried to apologize.
"No, you haven't done anything." she said wiping away her tears.
"I did. And don't deny it again. Just take it."
"OK." Jo tried to smile.
He caught himself starring at her for minutes. He got this feeling about her. When he came to Eureka and saw her the first time he was blown away by her hotness. To him she was the most beautiful and definitely hot and tough woman in this town. He asked her out tons of times but she always said "No!". She always made him feel like a total idiot, a felon not worth breathing the air around them. He became frustrated and his affection for her turned more and more into hate. He did all these pranks to annoy her and piss her off even though she busted him, he had always fun with it.
But since that day, when she came over to Carter's office, telling him, she wanted to marry him, which he thought must have been a bad joke, she changed. In the beginning he thought she was playing just a bad joke on him, but she definitely changed and he realized a lot of different things about her. And finally, when he came to her office to show her what he found out about Grant and she threw his grandmother's ring at him and said stuff about them not fitting and she'd be over him, he knew it. This wasn't the Jo he used to know. He managed to hide his feelings for her very well but seeing her sitting in front of him crying made him sad in a way he couldn't really handle. He was glad to see her kind of smiling again but he was still able to feel the pain inside of him he felt, when he saw her being sad. It was a weird feeling he nearly forgot. It was a long time ago he felt about someone like this.
"How do they know that we got stuck in here?" Jo asked and Zane looked up to her.
"Are there any cameras in here or microphones? Can they see or hear us?" she asked.
"No. All they can recognize is that the elevator got stuck. During the low system the unimportant cameras and stuff turn out to save electricity. They concentrate on the important things like the labs and stuff." Zane answered.
"Sure?" Jo wanted to be sure.
"Yes, sorry."
"No need to be. We are safe in here – I think."
"Yeah." he nodded. He looked over to her and Jo smiled. She made him smirk again with her smile. After minutes of being uncomfortable and angry they started looking at each other, smiling and flirting.
"Zane?" he looked up at her "You aren't allowed to tell anyone, OK?"
"About what?" he asked in disbelief.
"When I tell you what happened you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone." he looked at her critically. "It is important, Zane. Can you promise me that?" She asked again.
"Whatever it is, I'll keep it to myself." he answered.
"I hope so. We all get sanctioned if you'd tell anyone."
Zane cleared his throat "I promise you, Jo-jo. I won't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to hurt you. Promise!"
She smiled at him.
"We changed the present."
"What do you mean?"
"We –however- traveled back to 1947 on Founder's Day and changed the past. We managed to come back somehow and everything changed."
At first Zane wanted to laugh about this but he could see on Jo's face that she is not kidding him.
"We are you, Carter, Allison, Henry, Fargo and Grace?" he asked.
"Nearly. Henry told Grace about it but she didn't travel with us."
"OK. What changed?"
"Actually the town's still the same. There are a few differences in different people and the statue down the street changed."
"What differences."
"Henry wasn't with Grace. They barely met and Fargo was dating with Julia who works for google now. And he wasn't Head Of GD. Allison was. And Kevin was autistic. and I was still Deputy in town instead of Head Of Security."
"And what about us? I mean, I gave you my grandmother's engagement ring, didn't I?"
"Yes. You did." she looked at him and he could see her fighting with her tears again.
"On Founder's Day, you asked me to marry you."
"That's why you came to me telling me 'Yes, you would marry me'."
"Yes. I froze and couldn't give an answer and he … you left the office disappointed. And if I could I would change it even you can't remember anymore, but … if this timeline is anywhere out there he would have known how much I loved him."
"I bet he knows but I don't think that there are different timelines out there. Just one and you guys obviously changed it. So whether you have said yes or no, I wouldn't remember anymore."
Jo nodded. She looked up at him still fighting her tears. "We started dating when you came to Eureka. At first I wanted to shoot you or even wing you but Carter didn't let me."
"My luck."
Yes. You asked me out and …. our first date was horrible. You said something smart which made me feel dumb and I left you telling you I had work to do …. on a Sunday." both laughed out loud.
"Ouch!"
"Yeah. I will never forget our first kiss."
"Was it good?"
"Yeah." Jo leaned back and smiled "It was in the evening. It rained and because of scientist stuff. I don't know. I kissed Carter and I totally wanted him – just because of this science stuff. " Jo made clear. "You draggled my floor in the office and I guess I was a bit bitchy. I don't know why but I was sort of disappointed because of whatever. The fact is, yes, this kiss was the most beautiful ever."
"Wow, too bad I can't remember anymore."
"Yeah," she looked down. Zane moved over, close enough so their arms touched.
He turned her face to him and gave her a gentle kiss.
"So, why do you think you hesitated because we don't fit?" he asked quietly.
"I-. I had these hallucinations about you and everyone got theirs away besides me and I thought that if I would realize that I just romanticized our relationship the whole time that it would go away."
"Do you really think so?"
"I guess it worked. So yeah."
"You know what I mean, Jo. Did you romanticize our relationship this entire time? Really?" he caught her gaze waiting for an answer.
"No." she whispered and gave him a soft kiss back. It deepened after a couple of seconds when Jo's tongue slipped into his mouth. They were interrupted when the elevator started to move again and the door opened in section 5 where Carter and Allison were already waiting for them. They stood up quickly. Definitely an embarrassing moment but they tried to hide how they felt.
"What happened?" Jo asked Carter.
"Nothing serious. I'll give you my report later, but what happened with you guys?" he asked.
Jo and Zane looked at each other but none of them said anything.
Allison and Jack didn't need any answer. From the look in their eyes they knew everything.
Same evening a bit later:
"So, you checked everything?" Zane stood in the door of her office.
"Yes. What are you doing here? It is late, nearly midnight."
"Waited for you."
"Did you?"
"Yep. How about a midnight-snack?" he asked her and placed himself in the chair in front of the desk where she worked on.
"Hm, … to be honest I am really exhausted from this day."
"We could have a home meal."
"Yeah. What else." Jo laughed at it.
"What?" Zane smirked back not knowing what her laugh caused.
"Nothing. I just remember the kind of home meals we usually had."
"You could show me."
"Dreamer." Jo stood up, grabbed her jacket and walked around the table "C'mon. Let's check out Vincent's."
"Too bad." Zane stood up and lay an arm around her when they left her office for a midnight-dinner.