Hi everyone - very long time, no see!

I decided to try out NanoWrimo last year for the first time and actually managed to complete the 50,000 word target! At the time, I was struggling to think of my own story, so I ended up using one I knew pretty well already and had written about before - Tarzan! As I was writing it, the idea of posting it online was kind of a background thought since the show came and went over a decade ago and I was sure no-one would ever read now. However, I want to challenge myself by finishing this story off, as it turns out a 50,000 word limit wasn't enough for the story I wanted to tell!

This is what I wanted from the open ending the series finished on. It's what I wanted to see in future episodes and character development. So if anyone out there has stumbled into this fandom again after such a long time, here's how I would have continued John and Jane's story.

Chapter 1

The mid-morning sun blazed blindingly brightly as Jane left the court building and the last few months of tension behind her. Stepping out into the crisp, city air, she felt as if the weight that had been lifted off her shoulders was all that was keeping her tethered to the ground. The pure, unadulterated joy and sheer relief that was coursing through her veins was almost intoxicating. Even the fact that she was stood outside in the middle of November, barefoot, couldn't break the happiness blooming inside her chest.

Raising a hand to shade her eyes, she couldn't help taking a moment to pause and reflect on the verdict of the case that had been weighing her down for so long; Donald Ingram, the only witness to the initial event that caused so much trouble, had been excused and the charges against John Clayton had been dropped. Michael's case was finally closed and John was a free man once more.

"Jane," came a voice from behind her.

Jane beamed at the soft cadence and gentle accent. She turned on the spot and met eyes of pale blue surrounded by tanned, golden skin and long, tousled, blonde locks. The expression in his gaze was one of happy curiosity underlined by the half smile reaching out from the corner of his mouth. His previously smart ash green shirt was untucked and dishevelled. He was also barefoot, as usual. After mentioning the brand new shoes specially purchased for the trial were hurting his feet, Jane was inspired to take off her own pinching heels and leave the courtroom with him, savouring the feeling of being able to stretch her toes and the coolness of the tiles soothing her aches.

"John," she replied with a teasing smile.

John took a step closer to her, leaving little space between them. Instinctively, Jane reached a hand out to grasp his arm, running it down the corded muscle to his large, calloused hand and squeezing it gently. After noticing his aversion to being touched by the security guards inside the courtroom, she was pleasantly delighted when he replied with his own affectionate squeeze and relieved that the pressure of being surrounded by so many strangers hadn't affected him negatively. Though he'd walked among them many times in his wanderings throughout the city, never had so many people's focus been solely directed upon him.

"I'm so happy we finally finished this," Jane beamed up at him. John's smirk grew.

"Me too."

Her heart skipped a beat. How was it possible that even after knowing him for such a short space of time, yet having gone through so much together, that she could feel so flustered and exhilarated from just a simple smile?

"So..." Jane replied, trying to ignore the sudden heat rising in her cheeks. "How are we going to celebrate that you're no longer a wanted man? I don't suppose you had parties in the jungle, huh?"

John's brow furrowed in confusion. "Celebrate?"

"Yeah, John. Celebrate! We just got you off murder charges. We don't have to run or hide anymore. If that's not an occasion to celebrate, I don't know what is!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane noticed someone stomping down the Court House stairs, causing a commotion among the other people standing nearby. It was Gene, the small, balding cop who had taken an unsavoury fixation on John's involvement with Michael's death, believing that he had been the one to throw his friend off the roof despite the lack of any evidence to prove his theory. He was barging past court attendees, not caring if he hit them with his broad shoulders and ignoring their looks of outrage whilst grumbling loudly to himself. Jane felt John tense at her side.

As if he could feel her attention on him, Gene glanced up and met Jane's stare. His eyes suddenly panned down and a deep fury began to permeate his expression, flattening his lips and creasing his brow. Following his stare, Jane realised he had seen John's hand cupping hers. A sense of foreboding filled her stomach.

An unheard list of profanity spilled from his lips as heat rose to his cheeks and the fury built in his eyes. He began to head towards them.

"How could you? How could you do this to Mike, you bitch! He loved you, and this is how you repay him?" Spittle flew from his lips as he drew closer to them. "You killed him! You both killed him!"

John's earlier mood vanished as he stepped in front of Jane defensively, baring his teeth and preparing to fight the man who had beaten her only a few weeks ago after she had tried to help him escape the country. Though she was fully healed, she vividly remembered the searing pain of Gene's booted foot viciously connecting with her ribs over and over again before John arrived just in time to give him a taste of his own medicine. From the look of John's defensive position, it looked like he would happily do so again.

Suddenly, two burly security guards intercepted Gene, stopping him in his tracks. As he tried to push them out of his way to continue on his war path, the guards secured his arm behind his back and turned him back towards the Court House, away from John and Jane.

"You're gonna pay for this! Both of you! I swear it! This isn't over!" he bellowed, struggling and writhing against the security guard's firm grip. As the group reached the stairs leading back up to the court's entrance, Sam and Kathleen Clayton could be seen descending, all the while staring at Gene in a mixture of shock and surprise.

"Damn," Sam mused, shaking his head as he watched Gene finally vanish inside the building. Turning back to the couple, he began to lead John's aunt down to meet them.

Realising John was still furiously staring after Gene, Jane ran a hand down his arm once more, this time in relief.

"John. John, he's gone. Calm down, okay?" Jane murmured to him soothingly despite her shaking nerves.

It took a few moments, but the tension slowly melted away from John's posture. Taking one last glance in the direction Gene had gone, John finally turned to meet Jane's worried gaze. Anger ebbed from his features to be replaced with concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Jane smiled tentatively. "Yeah, John. I'm fine."

He titled his head, golden locks brushing his neck, and frowned at her. He knew she was lying.

"You know what? Don't worry about him. He's all talk and no trousers," she joked lamely. "He can't touch you anymore."

John took a step closer, regaining the distance he'd lost at their interruption, and took her hand in his rougher one once more.

"Your voice..." John began, worriedly.

"Really John, I'm fine." Jane knew the words were lies on her lips, but couldn't stop herself from trying to ease his worry. She would deal with Gene on her own if she had to but she didn't want John anywhere near him again. Jane had a feeling the older man would get more than a few cuts and bruises if he made the mistake of angering John once more.

"Jane!"

Jane tore her focus from John's intense gaze to meet the eyes of her partner, Sam, as he and Kathleen finally met them on the sidewalk.

"Your boyfriend's murder charges have been dropped for five minutes and already he's causing a scene. Couldn't you save this till at least next week?" Sam smirked, handing her a black garment slung over his lower arm. "Here, thought you could use this. Don't say I never gave you anything."

Jane took the long, ebony coat that she had brought with her this morning and promptly forgotten in all the excitement of the not guilty verdict. "Thanks Sam. I don't know what I'd do without you," she smiled as she pulled it on, freeing her long hair from the back as she pulled it close around herself. She hadn't noticed just how cold she'd gotten.

"Going native, I see," smiled Kathleen as she quirked an eyebrow in amusement before dropping her eyes to Jane's bare feet.

Dropping her eyes to the ground, Jane chuckled awkwardly at the sudden attention and started to curl her toes as if to hide them from sight. She felt John's fingers slip into her palm. His expression was amused with a hint of lingering concern, but she felt eased by the gentle touch and the heat of his skin.

"So," Kathleen began, smoothly changing topic, "now that everything is finally cleared up and back to how it should be, I think a little celebration is in order. What do you say?"

Jane smiled as she glanced at John in amusement. "What did you have in mind, Ms Clayton?"

"Oh, please, I think we're past 'Ms Clayton' by now. Please call me Kathleen, both of you," she smiled at Jane and Sam. "As for the celebration, I'm not sure... How about a quiet dinner at our place? Just the four of us?"

"That sounds perfect... Kathleen," Jane replied, testing out the new name.

"What do you think John?" Kathleen asked curiously.

John smiled gently before turning to Jane and asking, "Can Nicki come?"

Momentarily surprised at the question, Jane chuckled, "I don't see why not. I'll see if she's free tonight."

He seemed pleased by her response as he squeezed her hand once more.

"How is seven o'clock for you both? I'll get our chef to whip up something special for us," Kathleen said, looking quite excited about the prospect of gathering all of John's friends together.

John was looking at Jane with undisguised anticipation. His silver-blue eyes were almost shimmering in the bright sunlight as he waited for her response.

"Sure," Jane smiled, "I'll be there."

"Well I wouldn't miss it for the world," Sam chimed in from beside her.

"Excellent," Kathleen beamed. A moment later, something caught her eye, forcing her expression into a more serious one.

"Kathleen?" Jane asked, turning in the direction of her gaze.

"Jane!" she said abruptly, forcing Jane to turn back to face her. "Mr Sullivan, I'm sorry, but I think I should probably get John back to the house now. There are some matters we need to discuss and I'm sure we'll need some time to prepare for tonight. We'll see you at seven?"

Confused by the sudden shift in conversation, but not wanting to take any more of her time, Jane replied, "Of course. Sam and I should get back to the station."

"Yeah, those cases aren't going to solve themselves," Sam smirked as he began to step away from the group. "I'll bring the car around the front, Jane."

Heading off, Sam left Jane with the two Claytons. She noticed that Kathleen was still tense, but as the older woman nodded to a man who had just pulled up on the curb driving a sleek, silver car, her attention was pulled back to John.

"You'll come?" he asked, still holding her hand gently with his own, "Tonight?"

A smile, pure and loving, spread across her lips.

"Of course, John. I'll see you at seven."

John squeezed her hand one final time. Combined with his intensely happy expression, Jane couldn't help feeling her heart skip a beat once more.

She could no longer deny the affection that she had grown to have for the man before her. It was stronger and far more powerful than anything she had ever felt for Michael. She knew John felt intensely for her in return, and it was impossible to miss his straightforward attempts at confessing his feelings; questioning her about whether she wanted him 'closer or father away', the amusement at her 'no touching' rules, and the many opportunities he took to touch her skin, kiss her hands or take in her scent. At first she had been overwhelmed by his attention and instantaneous fixation with her, and with Michael's death overshadowing every action she'd taken, love had been the last thing on her mind despite how her heart kept trying to tell her otherwise. But now that the case had been dismissed and John was no longer being hunted by the law for a crime he did not commit, maybe this was the time Jane could finally start to move on from Michael. Maybe she could start to consider her future beyond him.

Maybe it was with John.

"Come on, John," Kathleen called from the open door of the car before sliding into the back seat.

Taking one last lingering look at Jane, John slowly backed away towards his aunt, hand outstretched where it still grasped her own.

"Good bye," he murmured, involuntarily reminding her of the last time he had said those words at the air strip after their emotional farewell. But this separation was only temporary. She would see him later tonight and they could finally get on with their lives.

"Bye," she replied a little breathlessly. Their fingers finally drifted apart and she watched as John finally turned towards the car, slipping inside. She could see his face peering through the lightly tinted windows as the driver started the engine, pulled away from the curbing and slipped away into the city.