Doppelganger

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: Zane knew that he was his mother's pride and joy, but little did he know that he wasn't the only one who had captured her heart. There was someone else. And when her secret comes out, can Zane move past her betrayal?

"I really am excited to meet your mom." He chuckled softly.

"I thought you already met her- you know, in the other timeline." She blushed, glancing up at him.

"I... I did, but it was a quick visit. I... went back to Boston with you for Christmas, not long after we started dating, and..." She stopped.

"It didn't turn out well?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"No, it went fine! I just... I didn't have a mom, so I... got a little attached." He turned to her.

"How attached, Jojo?" She bit her lip, glancing up at him through her lashes. After a moment, she squeaked out,

"I asked her to help me plan our wedding, and we.. weren't even serious yet." He closed his eyes, groaning.

"Seriously?" She nodded. A moment passed in silence, before he started chuckling, and then pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I love you, Jojo."

"I love you." She whispered, looking up at him. He smiled at her, staring into her eyes before kissing her quickly. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up the steps to the old, eighteen-hundreds brownstone.

"Come on." The pair entered the foyer, finding it absolutely silent. "Hello? Anyone home? Mom, it's me!" A moment passed, before footsteps approached from the kitchen, and the young couple turned to see a middle-aged woman with thick raven hair cut in a stylish bob, and piercing ice blue eyes enter the foyer. She wore a pair of faded jeans and dark blue sweater; her feet were bare, making her at least five-foot-three, five-foot-four at most.

"Hey love." Brigetta Roman wrapped her son in a hug, pressing a kiss to his neck before pulling away and turning to the young woman at his side. "How was your flight?"

"Good. Long, but good." Zane said, turning to Jo. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Josefina Lupo-" He cast a sideways glance at Jo, who caught his eye, before letting him lift her hand to show the older woman the ring. "My fiancee." Brigetta's eyebrows rose slightly, and she glanced between Zane and Jo and back, before turning back to the young raven head.

"So you are the young woman who's got my son so tied up in knots." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling. Jo paled, swallowing.

"I... I'm sorry... I..." Brigetta chuckled, reaching out to take her hand.

"It's okay. Honestly, I'm glad to finally meet the woman who's made my son so happy." She said, glancing at Zane. "I just... want to ask you a few questions, Jo." She wrapped an arm around Jo's waist, leading her into the kitchen. Zane watched, surprised, before following.

Jo was seated at the small kitchen island, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands, nervously waiting for the questions to start. After a moment, Brigetta sat across from her, set her own cup down, and leaned forward on her arms. Zane watched from his place against the counter; he silently poured himself a cup and took a sip.

"Are you... sure that you and Zane are..." Brigetta glanced at her son. "Right for each other?" The question caught Jo off guard, and she set her cup down, pushing it to the side.

"Um... wh... why do you ask that?" Jo asked, a slight tremor starting to enter her voice.

"Because my son has never been this happy regarding any woman in his life." The older woman replied, glancing to the young man in question. After a moment of tense silence, Jo picked up her cup again and took a sip.

Brigetta watched her silent, noticing how the woman's hands shook, though she tried so hard to be willing them to stop. She sat with her back rail straight, shoulders down and chest up- a military posture, but which one, was her guess. Hadn't Zane said something about Jo being a military brat? So that could explain the reason for her stiff posture- and if she were in the military herself at one point, well, a miliatry upbringing and career were enough to turn the person into a right plank, in her honest opinion. Obviously the younger woman was nervous- Brigetta could see the worry in Jo's eyes.

She's pretty- no, not pretty. She's a very gorgeous woman. Brigetta couldn't help examining Jo's face, taking in the dark eyes and slender nose, the small features framed by the straight strands of raven hair. Obviously my son chose well in the looks department.

"Just asking." She told the younger woman, giving her a small smile. Jo nodded, appeared to relax, and set her cup down. "What exactly is your military background? I understand that you were raised in a military family?"

"Yes. Um... my father was a Colonel in the Army, and, each of my brothers served. As did I. Um... I was one of the first to go over to... to fight in the War on Terror after the towers fell on September Eleventh. I... I did two tours, before..." She watched as the dark chocolate depths began to mist over with unshed tears, before Jo blinked them away and cleared her throat. "I was captured by the Taliban, along with... four others in my platoon, and... we weren't found until a month later, just across the border into Pakistan. I was... honorably discharged from the Army and... moved to Eureka not long after."

Brigetta nodded, listening. She could see the haunted look on the girl's face, the way she struggled to keep from crying, how her fingers twisted and played with the ring- a nervous habit. The woman kept glancing down at the jewel, as if making sure it were really on her finger. Just as she opened her mouth to ask another question, Zane spoke up.

"Mom, I think you've questioned Jo enough. Why don't we let her go unpack?" Brigetta nodded, giving the woman a big smile as she climbed to her feet and turned to go. Zane stopped her, grabbing her arm and kissing her quickly with a gentle squeeze of her hand. Once she was gone, Zane turned back to her. "What the hell was that? Would you mind telling me why you decided to pull the third degree on my fiancee?"

His mother sighed, looking up at him. "I'm sorry, Zane. I'm FBI, you know I can't help it."

"Bullshit." Zane muttered, narrowing his eyes. "You can help it, you just don't want to. What exactly do you think Jo's hiding that she hasn't already told me? I'll tell you: nothing. She's hiding nothing that I don't already know about." And then, he turned and left the kitchen, going upstairs to help his fiancee unpack. Brigetta sighed, staring at the space where Jo had been sitting.

Sure, Jo might have nothing to hide from Zane, but that didn't mean that Brigetta herself was the same. It was just a matter of finding the right time to reveal her secrets.