If you missed it, when Dr. Parrish first approaches Fargo and Holly, you can see Jo and Zane in the background, her hand moves from Zane's hand to his leg, before they turn to back to face the counter. And seconds later you can see them talking briefly (and thanks to Ms Donna T. for first pointing it out to me). This is my take on that moment, and the moments that follow. And as usual, it's complete and utter fluff.
Jo closed her eyes as she hugged Zane. She was so proud of him, so happy that his dream was coming true, but she saw that he'd been upset. Jo pulled out of the hug, squeezing his hand briefly before dropping it to his leg and then back to her own lap. "I wanted to thank you," she said, and Zane turned to look at her, his eyes still sad, but curious. "I never would have gotten this far without you. So thanks."
Zane turned back to his soup. "For what? For wasting your time?" He looked back at her, "I still don't get it."
Jo pressed her lips together. She needed to talk to him, but not here. She grabbed her salad and his soup and nodded toward the door. He raised his eyebrow slightly, but stood up and walked ahead of her, opening the door for her as she carried their food out to a table on the patio. She sat down and watched as he sat opposite her. She hated seeing him this way. He should be thrilled, and she knew it was her fault that he wasn't.
"I need to tell you a story." His lips quirked into an almost-smile, but before he could make a joke, she held up her hand and continued. "You don't get to interrupt. Just listen and let me try to explain." He took a deep breath and nodded, waving his hand toward her to go on. She smiled.
"It's about our first date." His eyebrows rose, clearly not expecting her to open up about her past with him. She pushed ahead, knowing it was about time she finally came clean on a few things.
"It started out very sweet," she began, and enjoyed the real, if small, smile that touched his lips. "I showed up at Café Diem for brunch, and you had brought me a rose. I said something about chivalry being unexpected in a felon and you said something about my ability to deviate your septum… I believe the words 'so hot' were used." He let out a small laugh and she smiled again, briefly, before turning serious. "But then it sort of went downhill." She watched his face drop, curious but unsure.
"You talked about your brief stint at MIT…how you loved getting lost in equations." He nodded his head and his eyes took on a far-off look, obviously reminiscing. "I tried comparing it to how I felt when I was lost in the mechanics of my weapon, but you just wanted to argue about the virtues of theory over application and I just…I got upset and I left."
Zane frowned and leaned forward, "Jo, I…"
She shook her head, "No, it's okay." And she realized with relief that it really was okay. It didn't hurt her, anymore. "I mean, it may not have been the best first-date conversation to have, but I overreacted." She leaned closer to him. "I felt stupid, and small, and insignificant…like I could never be good enough for you." She reached for his hand again and smiled at him. "It wasn't just you, though. Being me, in a town like Eureka… I guess I got a little insecure. So when you took the time to help me learn… Zane you can't imagine how that made me feel. You gave me confidence and believed in me. I will never consider that a waste of time."
Zane sat quietly, contemplating, taking a bite of his soup. A minute went by before he said anything.
"Is that why you said we didn't work?"
She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "That was part of it," she agreed. "I was always too afraid to really talk to you, afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up with you. We hardly talked about your work, unless there was a crisis going on. We never really got to know each other." She remembered silly things like laundry day and favorite foods…kid stuff. "Well, not the important stuff, anyway."
"And now?" His voice was slightly higher. Hopeful, maybe? She hoped so.
"And now I have another story," she said, smiling. He smirked at her and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.
"My parents met in high school," she started, nearly laughing at the immediate confusion on his face. "I promise this has a point."
He shrugged and pulled an invisible zipper over his lips, so she continued, smiling.
"They actually didn't really know each other, not until the end of their senior year, but they had a few mutual friends, including my uncle… my mother's brother. My dad told me that he only really noticed her right before he left for basic training. But by then it was too late, and he would be over 600 miles away in just weeks. So he'd invited her, along with her brother and other friends, to his goodbye party. And then he was gone, not really expecting to see her again.
"She started college…" she stopped, smirking at him, "studying physics, actually." He grinned at her and she returned it, continuing. "Almost a year went by before my dad came home on a three-day pass over Memorial Day weekend, and he decided to call her. They went on their first date on Saturday. They shared their first kiss on Sunday. And Monday, he was back on a plane to Fort Drum, where he was stationed.
"They instantly connected and spent every day on the phone. That July he came back for his two weeks of leave and they spent every day together, falling in quickly in love." She sighed wistfully, smiling and wishing she had more memories of her parents together.
"That October, though, he was sent on his first deployment. He was gone for seven months. Then the next year, he had a six month deployment. And just two months before their wedding day, and only a month away from finishing his commitment in the service, the Army deployed him again. For a year.
"For four years they were either in completely different states or half-way around the world from each other, only physically in each other's company for a total of four months before he finally came home for good. My dad once said that he knew the sound of my mother's voice better than he knew her face. My mother had a shoebox where she'd kept every letter they'd ever written to each other. It was so full, she had to use a rubber band to keep the lid on."
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her rising heartbeat. Talking about her mother, and her parents together, always brought out the emotions that she usually kept quiet so well. Zane was now sitting very upright in his chair, his eyes thoughtful and his face a mix so many emotions she couldn't guess at what he was thinking.
"My point is, that now… Now I think we could work." She smiled at him. "You're going to Titan. And I'm so proud of you. I'll be thinking of you every day. And when you get back, I'll be right here for you, if that's what you want."
Zane was staring at her, his expression unreadable. She saw him swallow, hard. "Can I speak now?" he asked, his lips finally curving upward at her.
She let out a small laugh. "Yes…yes, I'm done rambling."
He stood up, then, and held out his hands to her, pulling her up into a tight embrace. He was warm and solid and she was already trying to commit him to memory.
"I'll call you every day," he said. And then he was kissing her and the rest of the world just disappeared.
Well, this was probably the most emotional piece for me to write. But it's also the most personal. Jo's story of her parents is essentially my story. I've never written it down like that before, but I think it fits the scenario fairly well, and hopefully is a good example of proof that they can make it all work. Thanks for reading!