Author's Note: This story came from my beta's indirect but loving prompting. About six weeks ago, I was having some terrible, soul-crushing days at work. In lifting my morale over some Ella Fitzgerald and a couple glasses of wine, my beta suggested I write something to take my mind off my woes. So these four scenes, all revolving around one common theme, are simply the product of me tapping into a happy place.

These certainly aren't my best or most creative or the most well written pieces I've ever done but it was mission accomplished in terms of bringing about a smile. I share them hoping they might have the same effect on others.

I don't claim to own or profit from anything that belongs to either Eureka or Ella's songs. I promise. Thanks so much for reading!

Chapter One: Let's Begin

We have necked, till I'm wrecked
Won't you tell me what you expect?
Is this to be a case of kiss and never tell?
Folly and farewell, heaven or maybe hell?
Which is it going to be, love or gin? Wife or sin?
Let's begin

It wasn't as if they were having a bad time but things were definitely awkward presently.

Zane had picked up dinner and he and Jo were hanging out at his place on a rare, quiet weekend for the both of them. They saw each other often through work or around town, usually finding enough to banter about until it was time to reluctantly part ways. So he never really considered that they'd be struggling for things to talk about tonight. Unfortunately, their first few dates had mostly been an excuse to make out. Well, not unfortunately really since it had been pretty awesome. But conversationally speaking, they were simply rather ill-prepared for their "serious date," despite their commitment to actually have a normal date and not a hormone induced grope-fest.

In practice, that translated to sitting side-by-side trading nervous glances and mentally scrambling for something to talk about other than work. They had exhausted that topic long ago.

"So . . ." Zane started, again looking tentatively over at the beautiful but baffling woman sitting next to him on his couch. Jo met his stare with a forced smile and an exaggerated enthusiasm, probably desperately hoping he knew how to jumpstart their conversation. Zane stalled for a few moments before adding, "I think there's a Mariners game on if you want to . . ." He trailed off his suggestion as he pointed to his huge flat screen TV but he could already tell that she wasn't quite biting. In fact, he registered her marginal frown before she nodded her reluctant agreement.

Zane made a mental note that she was not a baseball fan. Or maybe it's that she wasn't a Mariners fan. Either way, his suggestion was a dud, not that she appeared to have any better ideas.

However, she did reach for the remote with those damn quick reflexes of hers and it was right as he was going for it too. She seemed quite pleased with her advantage but to his credit, he barely missed. For his trouble he ended up with a handful of Jo Lupo clutching the hunk of plastic as if her life depended on it. 'So that's how she wants to play this,' he thought. He couldn't resist a flash of his trademark roguish grin, hinting at the fight she was about to have on her hands. Her intuitive response was one of challenge. He instantly deemed it the sexiest thing he had seen all week.

The game was on so he wasn't interested in wasting any time. Thinking that she would perhaps be expecting some kind of horn-dog distraction, he went on the offensive with a direct attack. To add insult to injury, he dropped a quick peck on her cheek right after seizing the remote from her. But Jo wasn't one to give up easily. A counterattack was right up her alley—and his too if he could get her to tackle him to the couch.

They wrestled playfully for the remote with Zane blocking her first grab by holding the remote behind his back between the couch and his body. Undeterred, Jo pinched him lightly on his side a few times and in response to his ticklish jerk, she slipped her hand behind him and pried the remote from his fingers.

"No fair," Zane whined. He pouted a bit while Jo triumphantly brandished the remote and moved a few inches over so as not to invite any retaliation. She fiddled with the foreign contraption, ignoring Zane's glare directed towards her. "I can't believe how dirty you play for such a law and order type." He absently rubbed at his side, peeved that he had been taken down so easily by his own body's betrayal.

He suddenly smiled at that. Then again, his body did have many ways of regularly betraying him when it came to his Jo. Since most of those ways were very good, he could forgive her this time. Meanwhile, he amused himself by watching Jo trying to figure out how to work the high tech contraption she had acquired. As usual for Eureka, the device was way more complicated than it probably needed to be and it wouldn't hurt to have a Ph.D. to figure out how to operate it. She hit several buttons on the remote but instead of the television turning on, soft music filled the room in an impressive show of his surround sound.

Her face got this cute, thoughtful expression as she attempted to place the singer but he didn't miss her surprise at hearing the soothing jazz music rather than the traditional rock and roll he usually preferred. Given the smile that slowly spread across her face, he was wondering—and cataloguing—if she was a jazz kind of girl.

"I'm pleasantly surprised at your tastes," she commented still guarding the remote from any attempts at revenge.

Zane chuckled not in the least bit embarrassed by his current selection. In fact, it was giving him some ideas on how to turn the evening around. "You know, because I'm in such a giving mood," he said eyeing the remote again, "I'm not going to take that personally. I'll have you know that I have great taste in music." He offered his best leer and winked at her in amusement. "In my house, Ella Fitzgerald is ace."

It was Jo's turn to laugh, at his smugness no doubt, but also at her instant recognition of the singer that was currently serenading them from his amazing speaker system. "My mom used to play her albums every Saturday morning while she cleaned. Well, she played a lot of stuff but this was one of her favorites, I remember. " He watched as she closed her eyes to the music and tilted her head to the side as if savoring every note. The full exposure of her smooth, very kissable neck was tempting but he didn't want to interrupt just yet what was obviously a pleasant moment for her. He could imagine an older, maternal version of the woman sitting next to him humming along to the music while a pint-sized Jo rowdily played with her brothers nearby. It looked like she was perhaps caught up in a similar, wistful vision.

Feeling a little naughty, he used the opportunity to reach around her and seize the remote again. Jo opened her eyes and raised an admonishing brow, but he figured she should really know by now that looks like that only encouraged him. She had probably sensed him coming a mile away but it was generous of her to let him think he had gotten one over on her. It was more fun that way and a nice boost to his healthy ego. However, instead of flicking on the television, he turned the music up slightly and rose to his feet, tugging at her hands and pulling her up with him. With a steady gaze and without saying a word, he circled her petite frame in his arms and started to sway to the honeyed vocals of a jazz great.

He loved surprising her with his smooth moves and, fortunately, she instantly responded. He felt her reach one arm up and over his shoulders while she rested the other gently against his chest, enjoying the steady rhythm of his heart underneath her palm. All he had left to do was place a gentle kiss to the top of her head and hold her firmly against him. As they found a comfortable movement to the music, all thoughts of artificial conversation and awkward dates flew out the window. The here and now felt just right and neither was in any hurry to disturb the calm that an accidental push of a button had inspired.

The song changed and then changed again, a seamless stream of Ella crooning about love and longing and all the rest. Zane softly ran his fingers up Jo's back in a lazy caress, loving how she replied with a familiar stroke of her own.

"This was one of my mother's favorites too," he offered, finally breaking their silence. The interruption wasn't unwelcome but Jo made no efforts to respond. He noticed her relaxed smile as he gazed down at her and tried to guess at the thoughts that might be running through her head. Her quiet sigh against his chest gave him a delicious thrill but he refrained from any kind of cheap foreplay in favor of wrapping his arm further around her hip to hold her more securely. Her eyes closed once again as she receded further into her memories.

He had certainly done his homework on her but so much of his knowledge didn't go below the surface of her life. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to learn everything about her. "I don't think I've heard you talk about your mom before. What was she like?" he asked tentatively. There was a caution in his tone in case she didn't want to talk about it, but also a genuine curiosity.

She looked up at him with wonder and a little melancholy but also with an affection that he couldn't begin to quantify. Then she reached up and kissed him. It was a lingering but chaste display of affection—or at least chaste compared to the exchanges they usually shared. He didn't dare speculate on a name for what he felt from her or for what he himself was starting to feel. Whatever it was, he couldn't deny that he wanted to hold onto it and protect it. In that moment, he saw her for all of the sweetness and beauty she masked when others were around.

And then she began to talk. First about her mother and then her brothers and then she asked about him as if he were as enticing a mystery as she was to him. After all, she did have some extensive personal history on him at her disposal. Maybe he actually was mysterious when compared to the man she thought she knew but he appreciated her asking as if she truly wondered about his answers.

When they had danced themselves weary and Ella had finished her impromptu soundtrack to their courtship, they sat side by side and talked even more, late into the night. When he kissed her goodnight at his door, he did so with a deep satisfaction. He was a little disappointed that they wouldn't be having a sleepover but he'd be lying if he didn't admit that the pulse of his yearning for her was a pleasant consequence. Getting to know her seemed overwhelming at times but not tonight. No, tonight had been all about the things he knew he wanted but to which he had no experience putting a name.

After they had lingered at the doorway she finally departed for her own bed. He returned to his living room and turned off his audio system before tossing the remote back on the side table. The evening had included a few bumps but they had weathered them well he thought.

Unable to wipe the lovesick grin off his face, he quickly accessed his audio database and put the evening's musical selections in a new playlist folder he entitled "Jo's Love Songs."

He hadn't thought to woo his Jo quite that way but luckily Ella had had other plans for them.

End Part 1 of 4

(I'm still editing the other 3 chapters but more is forthcoming soon).