End Game (Epilogue)
Jo paced outside the GD infirmary door, anxiously awaiting Zane's release. After allowing them time together, Allison had finally insisted that Zane allow the medical team to examine him and treat his injuries. Crew members had been streaming from the infirmary ever since, most into the waiting arms of friends and family. Jo greeted them warmly but distractedly as they passed. Eventually, only those who were still unconscious and Zane remained inside.
Finally, the door opened and Zane stepped out. His head was bandaged, and a blue-black bruise colored his forehead, but he seemed otherwise intact. Allison followed. "He has a slight concussion," she said. Turning to Zane, she continued, "I'd prefer that you stay the night for observation. It wouldn't be wise for you to be alone tonight."
Allison's eyes slid briefly to Jo. Zane looked at her uncertainly, but said nothing. Neither did Jo. Instead, she reached for Zane's hand and pulled him toward her.
"He won't be alone, Allison. I promise." Allison flashed a quick grin, then nodded. "All right, then. He's free to go." Jo and Zane stood, eyes locked together. Realizing that she'd become superfluous, Allison returned to the infirmary.
"Your place," said Jo. It wasn't a question. She turned, still holding Zane's hand tightly.
Stepping into the foyer of Zane's townhouse, Jo felt unusually shy. Despite the intensity of their emotional connection over the past few days, the goodbye they'd separated with before the launch sat between them like a tangible being. While not exactly awkward, their drive from GD had been very quiet.
"Jo…" Zane said softly. "Do you still…," he paused, searching for the right words. "There were things you needed to think about. Is that…do you still need to do that?" He looked down, frustrated at his lack of eloquence.
She nodded slowly. "I quit," she said. Zane looked up questioningly. "GD—I took a leave of absence. I was going to take some time away from here while you were gone. To think—to make some decisions. About what I want from life. What I need."
"And who?" She shook her head. "No, that I already know." Her voice was soft, but firm.
"Sorry if I'm slow on the uptake here, Jo, but I do have a concussion, so I have to ask. Yes or no?" When she looked blankly at him, he rephrased the question. "Do you want…something…with me? Us? Now?"
Jo moved forward until the distance between them was paper-thin. "Let me show you what I want right now." Eyes locked on his, she pulled the T-shirt she'd been wearing since returning to Eureka over her head. His eyes darkened. She reached for the T shirt he'd been given in the infirmary and pushed it up as far as she could reach. Too short to pull it over his head, she dropped the hem. Her hands moved down his chest instead, tracing the sharp definitions of muscle down to where they disappeared into the waistband of his pants. He sucked in air.
"I need you, Zane. Now," she said, her tone a combination of command and pleading. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the floor. "Now," he answered.
Carrying her to his bedroom, Zane realized that clothes left behind from his pre-launch packing were scattered everywhere. With an apologetic glance, he set Jo onto her feet. One yank removed the bedspread and the mess on it from the bed. When he turned back, she was stepping out of her jeans. Straightening, her sense of shyness returned. Jo resisted the urge to cover herself as Zane stared, motionless.
Finally, he moved to untie his sweatpants and Jo stepped forward. She pushed her fingers under the waistband, letting them linger before gently pushing him back onto the mattress. The pants dropped to the ground as he went, and Jo quickly added her bra to the pile.
Zane's expression became serious as he gazed at her. "Two trips to space, two views of the Earth," he said hoarsely. "Two visions most men would kill to see once, let alone twice. And they were nothing—nothing—as incredible as what I'm looking at now."
Stepping to the side of the bed, Jo laid down, pressing her body along the length of Zane's. She gently touched the handprint-shaped bruises along his arms, wanting to know what had happened on Astraeus. For now, though, she just craved his presence, warm and alive. She rested her hand on his chest and watched it rise and fall with his breath. "I know you don't believe," she whispered. "But I prayed for you to come home. Even when I wasn't sure if I would come back again, I needed to know you would. That you were safe."
With a soft groan, Zane captured her lips. As he made to roll on top of her, she pushed back, pressing her body over his instead. Hungrily, hands slid over skin and through hair, lips moved from place to place. Reaching between them, Jo marveled at the silky strength of Zane's skin before lowering herself onto him.
Neither moved for a moment, savoring the flood of sensations flowing through their bodies. Zane lifted his hands, pressing them against Jo's face. "I missed this…I missed you, Jo. So much…" He gasped as she set a rhythm. "Are you ok?" she asked, realizing belatedly that intense physical activity might not be the best way to handle a concussion. "Never better," he growled, flipping her onto her back.
As their urgency increased, waves of release mixed with relief broke through Jo. Forcing her eyes open, she watched Zane's face. His expression bordered on pain, but she knew it came from a different source. Stroking his shoulders, she pulled him to her, mouth resting against his ear. "I love you," she murmured and wrapped her legs more tightly around him. His body tensed until, with a moan, he finally stilled. She continued to hold him, lost in the sensation of his weight on her.
Pushing himself up onto his forearms, Zane looked into her eyes. "I love you too, Jo-Jo." He rested his head against her shoulder. After they'd caught their breath, he spoke again, this time without raising his head. "So, where do we go from here?"
When she didn't answer, he rolled off her, onto his back. "Please tell me this conversation doesn't go downhill," he spoke at the ceiling. "After nearly dying up there, I really don't want to keep dancing around like this. Life seems a whole lot shorter than it used to."
"I think," Jo began hesitantly. "That I need to finish what I started when I left Eureka, before the launch. But not in the same way."
"Meaning?" asked Zane.
"Well, for one thing, I'm head of GD security again, and I don't think a long leave of absence would be appropriate at this point. So, it's going to be a shorter trip."
"You're going away." Zane's voice was flat, his comment more a statement than question. He started to sit up. "I'm sorry, Jo, but I don't think-".
She pulled him back, clapping a hand over his mouth. "As I was saying," she said with a soft smile, "it will be a shorter trip. But not the same trip I'd planned, at least not if you come with me." Removing her hand, she pressed a kiss to his lips.
Zane looked at her for a long moment before a grin spread across his face. "Go with you," he mused. "Damn, Jo, I don't know…I just got back and there's all this stuff to do. Gotta unpack, do some laundry, clean this place up, wash my hair…". Jo laughed and punched his arm. "Jackass," she said affectionately.
Running fingers through her hair, Zane asked "Seriously, Jo. Is this what you want?"
"There are still a lot of things I don't know," she answered. "But wanting to try to make this work together—that I'm sure of. Before, maybe not, but now…I'm done wasting time too. Being away from here…it will be like a fresh start. For both of us."
He pulled her down against him. "OK, then," she felt the rumble of his voice through his chest. "One condition, though."
"Oh?" said Jo warily.
"We stay someplace with room service." She snorted in surprise. "Really—the only time I've left Eureka in 3 years has been to space, where the food sucked. And no offense, but your jail food wouldn't win any prizes either. I'd have starved to death if Vincent wasn't around. So if we're going on a road trip, I'm going to laze around while someone brings me the most expensive meal we can find. Something with those little metal covers over the plates, and white napkins, and a huge dessert-". He broke off at Jo's laughter. "What?"
"We're camping." At his pout, she said, "But, just for you? I'll bring you dinner in bed. And…" her voice became seductive. "You won't need a plate. You can eat right off of me." Zane closed his eyes. "My dream come true—I've had that fantasy since the very first time I saw you. In fact," he rolled her onto her back again. "I'm feeling pretty hungry now."
They still had a long way to go to find their way back to where they'd left off when time changed everything. But this time around, they'd be traveling together more as equals than playmates. The journey promised to be the best of their lives.
A/N: And so it ends. For now…