Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: This was originally planned to be a oneshot, but the first half was a bit rambly and it detracted from the second half so I split it up. So bear with me it gets better, I promise. Also, this was not planned as a Henry/Jo fic, but Abe came into my head and opened his mouth then the last episode happened, so read as you will.
Sorry, that was rambling. Second chapter will be soon. Hope you enjoy, and please review.
Dancing Through the Ages
The door to the shop opened. "Hey, Abe. Is Henry in?"
"Yeah, he's-"
"Good morning, Detective." Henry greeted, leaning around a large curio. "New case?"
"No. Sorry to disappoint. I need your help."
"Ahh! Finally. What can we do for you? You know, its about time you buy something after dropping in so much." Abe said, earning him a disapproving glare from Henry that went unnoticed.
Smiling at the last statement Jo explained her presence. "I'm not here for that either, sorry. A friend gave me these tickets to a masquerade-type ball. People dress up in period clothing."
"Which period?" Henry asked.
"Any. I don't know which yet; which is where you come in, the resident expert on the historical. Any suggestions?" The two men looked her over, thoughtfully.
"Regency era?" Henry suggested, looking to Abe.
"She got the figure for it."
Ignoring having her figure commented on by a 70 year old man, it was at least innocent and she'd heard worse as a female cop, she asked. "When is that?"
"1810 to around 1840. I know where to get such a dress made if you need it, also for your partner."
"And that brings us to the other reason I'm here. You see, I don't really have a partner, since Isaac and I... And was hoping I could take you?"
Henry looked as though he'd been hit by a brick wall. "Pardon?"
"Or you could take me, whichever is more proper. Its just that I thought you'd like it and I don't really have anyone else to ask."
"Thank you for the consideration, Detective."
"But you're going to say no." She said for him, crestfallen. This wasn't really her thing but it sounded fun.
"On the contrary, it sounds quite enjoyable and I would love to accompany you."
"Offer still stand on the dress?" He nodded. "Nothing too fancy, I don't have that much to spend."
"Nonsense, my treat."
"God bless English manners! Thank you, Henry. Its in 12 days."
He bowed his head in nodding recognition. "I shall be seeing you tomorrow, then, Detective."
"See ya', Henry." She said, opening the door. "Bye, Abe."
Abe waved, while Jo left. Once the door had closed he let out a guffaw of mirth. "hey, dad!" henry looked over to him. "You're going on a date! You've got a date! Are you going to kiss? Should I be disgusted?" Abe teased gleefully.
"Abraham!" Henry chastised sternly. "It's just as friends."
"Fine, believe whatever you want. Just remember not everyone is as blatant as mom. Most women don't just come up and suggest to someone she just met that they fall in love and adopt an orphaned infant."
'"No, indeed, that was quite unique of Abigail." Henry said, smiling at the memory. "For God's sake, Jo's a widow still in mourning."
"And you're a.. whatever you are, eternally in mourning."
"She simply needed someone to go with and thought I would enjoy it, as she said."
"You really need to get out, Henry. And if going to a ball dressed as your old self starts that journey, good thing."
"Do you remember that woman who came in looking for antique buttons, the one who makes historical clothing? I think we still have her card."
"Red-head, short, skinny?" Henry nodded. "Its in the left hand section of the cash register."
Henry went over, retrieved the card then disappeared into the corners of the shop.
Abe approached to find Henry searching drawers. Stopping only to leave and head to the stairs to the second floor. "Henry, what are you looking for?"
"I actually still have a suit from the regency era. It should be around here somewhere."
"You have a suit that's 200 years old and you're going to wear it dancing?" Abe asked, his tone one of horror as the antiques dealer in him came out.
"Its been very well kept, I assure you." He reached the top of the stairs and halted in his tracks. "Ahh! Mothballs of course!" Then he rushed back down the stairs and to the second set of steps, leading to his laboratory. Momentarily frozen in befuddlement, Abe descended the few steps he had climbed and continued down to the basement where Henry was moving boxes stacked in a corner."You keep it in the basement?"
"Yes." He said, not diverting his attention from the task at hand. "Here it is!" He exclaimed, dragging into the light a steamer trunk of some age.
"Why do you still have an outfit from 200 years ago? And how, might I ask?"
"Well, I do keep a few things from time to time, and I wasn't about to let you sell it all." Henry replied, mysteriously, unlatching and flinging the trunk open. The smell of cedar and mothballs emanated profusely from the open trunk. A blanket covered the contents on one side. Unlatching the division covering of the other side, as Henry removed the blanket, Abe found a black beaver skin top hat.
"Hey, I remember this!" He said, holding it out.
Looking up from his own search, Henry smiled at the sight of the hat. "You should, it went on top of every snowman we made."
Glancing around the divider, Abe saw the white garment on top. Henry's hand rested lovingly upon the cloth. "Is that mom's wedding dress?"
"Yes. She was so beautiful in it. Do you remember it, the wedding?"
"No, I was an infant. But in the pictures I always thought she looked like an angel."
Henry gently lifted the dress, and placed it in his lap. "She certainly did." He smiled.
Still looking at Henry's side of the trunk, Abe saw what had been placed underneath it.
"That's your redcross uniform, isn't it?" He asked referring to the uncovered khaki-green outfit.
"Indeed it is. Infact, the very one in which I met you and Abigail. And if memory serves..." He lifted the uniform, and put it down beside him on the floor, to reveal under it a pale two piece outfit. Taking the pieces, he handed them to Abe. "Notice the crest on the pocket."
Abe inspected the embroidered crest, then looked up in astonishment of his father. "This.. this is from the Titanic!" He nodded. "You were on the Titanic?"
"Its a long story, perhaps some other time." Looking down into the delayered trunk he saw that which he had been searching for. "I knew it was here." He began removing article upon article until a full man's regency attire was stacked beside him. "I was sure that the great coat would be with the rest of it." He said slightly disappointed.
"Is it a cloak with sleeves?" Abe asked, pulling out a large amount of fabric from its neatly tucked away place among the hats and shoes.
"Sort of. Do you have it there?" Abe held it up for him to see. "Yes, that's it."
"I'm not even going to ask about the Titanic, no matter how much I want to. But I will ask again, why do you still have this?"
"You might say it represented a new life. It was the first good suit I acquired after I escaped from the asylum Nora sent me to." He placed a hand upon the stack. "A bit shabby, but 'tis to be expected." Before going to bed, Henry laid the suit to air out. The tail coat and cravat were dark green with cream waist coat and pants.
The next morning, before leaving, Henry retrieved the business card from the counter and put it in his pocket. At the morgue there were bodies waiting for him, none of any suspicious causes. "Morning, Henry?"
"Good morning Detective."
"Anything interesting for me today?"
"I'm afraid not. But I do have something for you." He reached into his pocket and offered her the business card. "Its a woman who makes historical clothing."
"Thanks, Henry." She said hesitantly, taking the card. "But the thing is, I'm really bad at dress shopping. When Sean and I were getting married I wanted to wear a blouse and a nice skirt, but I was dragged to a bridal store and I wanted to buy the first dress I saw just to get out of there. Besides I have no idea what this is supposed to look like."
"Would you like me come?"
"Yes, please."
"We'll go during lunch."
"Its a date." She said, leaving the morgue to catch up on paperwork and pray for something interesting to happen. Lunch time couldn't have come more slowly, but it came, through stacks of paperwork it came. "Ready, Henry?"
"Yes." Henry said, wrapping his scarf around his neck. He had spent the last several hours also going through extraneous files, and was eager to escape.
They walked into the small shop, where they were greeted by a young woman standing behind the counter. "May I help you?"
"Yes, good afternoon. We are here to discuss a dress."
"You look familiar." She began drawing nearer to the pair. "You're... Henry, from the antique shop." He nodded in affirmation. "What era are you looking for?"
"Regency." Jo said uncertainty in her tone.
"Any particular decade or year?" She asked. The question came as a pleasant surprise to him, not expecting attention to such details. Jo was absolutely dumbfounded by it."Late 1810's, early 1820's." Henry answered for her.
"Are you two going to the Ages Ball?"
"Yeah." Jo answered.
"There's always a welcome boom in business when it comes around. Do you have any specifics you want?" She asked, scanning a shelf of reference books arranged by year.
"Just so it's simple, nothing extravagant."
"That's not a problem with regency, particularly for women." She pulled down a few binders. "Probably the only era where clothing was more elaborate for men than for women." Henry allowed himself a small smile at the memory of the London dandies of London." If you'd come to the back with me, I have to take some measurements."
Jo looked extremely uncomfortable, giving a begging glance toward Henry as she went with the shopkeeper anyway. While he waited he opened one of the binders to find printouts of old fashion catalogues. He found himself remembering the times he had been dragged to the dress seamstress by Nora.
"Thanks for the help, Henry."Jo said to him under her breath upon her return.
"I was confident that you were fully capable of protecting yourself against a measuring tape." He retorted, tauntingly.
"Any specifics, color maybe?"
"Umm..." Jo blanked, looking to Henry for help once more.
"A light green; with cream accents: and a minimal overdress." He provided with some authority in his manner.
"Sounds like like it will be beautiful. Do you already have a suit?"
"Yes, I do. It's-"
Cutting him f, Jo continued to raise her eyebrows in questioning interest. "Women's shoes from the '60's, Chanel no. 5, and now a practiced for color and a knowledge of of 19th century clothing? Something you're not telling me, Henry?"
"My fir-former girlfriend had a fondness for period clothing?" He half lied; Nora had been very fond of clothes, from her own period of course
"Sounds like the perfect girl for you. What went wrong?"
"We had a um..." he cleared his throat, "falling out of sorts."
"Well, if you'd leave your number I'll call when its ready for a fitting." The young store owner told Jo when she returned to the front of the store.