The Truth in a Bottle of Whiskey

by wimseyfive87

Jo finally learns Henry's secret and doesn't take it very well. She tries to drown in a bottle of whiskey. Henry comes to see her later, but will she let him in?

My thoughts about how Jo would learn about Henry's secret and how'd she deal with it. Very squishy at the end. I don't own Forever, but if I did, it would still be on the air.

Jo Martinez raised the glass of whiskey to her lips and drank deeply. She barely noticed as the alcohol burned it's way down her throat. It wasn't her first glass that night and it wouldn't be her last. She was undeniably diving into the bottle and didn't give a damn. After what she had experienced over the last few days, she deserved to get good and drunk.

She trudged back to the sofa, filling her glass again with more whiskey. The TV was on, but it was just background noise. Take out containers filled every surface in her usually immaculate living room. She didn't care. Why should she when the world had turned upside down? When science fiction became less fiction and more real life?

She idly picked up her phone before collapsing onto the couch. Six missed calls in the last hour. Two from her partner, Hanson, checking up on her. One from her mother, also checking up on her. The last three from Dr. Henry Morgan. The thought of him made her mind want to travel back over the last few days, but she shut it off quickly. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She didn't want to think about the fact that a man had died right in front...and then showed up again the next day. That didn't happen. Dead men do not regenerate. Otherwise, she'd still have a husband.

Jo sighed and wrapped her robe closer around her body and buried herself under an afghan. It was just too unbelievable. She had known Henry had secrets - he was just oozing with them and that's what made working with him so frustrating. It didn't help matters that he was kind, considerate and one of the warmest people she'd met in a long time. She found herself feeling things with Henry that she hadn't felt since Sean died.

She had been working with Henry Morgan, NYC's Chief Medical Examiner for about a year. She met him not long after Sean was killed. Henry had just been another co-worker. Then a murder suspect. Then a partner. Then a friend and maybe, someday, something more. They had grown close over the last few months, but he had always hid something from her. He was always vague about his past, but he seemed so knowledge about everything - as if he had lived all over the world. He claimed he had no family, but he and Abe were closer than any family she had known. When she had discovered Henry was trying to track down Abe's mother, Jo had known it was more than that. But Henry would never open up to her. She had turned her heart inside and out for him many times, but he would never even giver her a breathe of truth. He could never trust her enough to show her who he really was.

After the debacle with the Roman dagger, she had confronted Henry with the old photograph she had found at the old subway station. It was a photo of Henry with a wife and child. Nothing wrong with that, except the photo was at least 70 years old and Henry looked exactly the same. She had wanted him to explain it. She had needed him to explain it - she had needed to finally know the truth. She needed to know what he was hiding. This man that she had begun to fell very deep feelings about. She had to know before she worked with him again or before she was hurt by him.

He had tried tell her his long story, but they had been interrupted with another case. Jo couldn't exactly tell her boss she wasn't interested, she had to talk to Henry. Plus, since Henry was the Medical Examiner, he had to come with her. They had gotten so wrapped up chasing a child murderer, that they hadn't had two minutes together again in private. Another case came up and then another. Jo was pulling her hair out, trying to find a chance to get Henry to talk. It didn't help that he kept avoiding the subject whenever he could. Jo was at a loss. She didn't want to stop working with him - she didn't want to stop being with him. But if she couldn't trust him, would he be there to watch her back?

The Sinclair case had seemed like a open and shut case. A bank robber who had been double crossed by his thieving buddies. It was obvious one of them had killed the robber and taken all the money. Now, the killer was killing off his other thieving mates. It was only a matter of time before Jo and Hansen tracked down the greedy bastard. He wasn't exactly hiding out.

Jo had thought they had cornered Sinclair in a warehouse downtown. SWAT was on the scene and the place was supposedly secure. Someone must have been sleeping on the job or someone got lazy because Sinclair escaped to the outside. He escaped and managed to grab Henry, who was waiting outside. By the time Jo caught up with them, Sinclair was pulling a knife out of Henry's throat.

She shuddered and reached for her glass of whiskey. She couldn't get that image out of her head - Henry lying at her feet in a pool of blood, gasping for air. Sinclair had run for it while Jo had tried to call the paramedics. The problem was her hands wouldn't stop shaking and her eyes were crying too hard for her to see. All she could do was shout for help and hold Henry's scarf against his neck to stop the bleeding.

"I'm so sorry, Jo," he had gasped, those brown eyes burning into her own. "I should have told you everything. And now it's too late. Please, don't hate me."

"How could I hate you?" she had sobbed. She had pressed as hard as she could against the wound, but it hadn't mattered. Blood soaked through the fabric and coated her hands with it's darkness.

"Forgive me," he had whispered. She had reached out to touch his cheek when he took his last breath. She had felt his body still and she had sobbed out loud. Hard, choking sobs. It wasn't fair. First, Sean had been taken from her and just when she was beginning to open up with Henry -

Jo drained her glass and threw it to the floor. Henry had died in her arms and then...disappeared. There was a flash of light and his body was just gone. There was nothing left of him except his blood-soiled scarf and his gold pocket watch. Jo had sat there for ages on the dirty pavement, covered in Henry's blood, her mind unable to process what had happened. Hell, she still couldn't process it. Dead people do not come back to life - the world doesn't work that way.

The next day, Henry had tried to talk to her, as if nothing had happened. She had slammed the door in his face. She just couldn't process what had happened. She had found herself in a weird sci-fi movie and couldn't get out of it. The whiskey was a way to forget the whole thing had ever happened. She had taken leave from work, shut out her friends. Maybe if she didn't talk to anyone ever again, her world would turn upright again. Green would mean go, red would mean stop.

Even as she tried to block out that night, Jo knew it answered a lot of questions about Henry. It explained why he wasn't afraid to die and why he was so reckless at times. It explained why he talked like a walking encyclopedia. Did that mean Abigail wasn't just Abe's mother? Was she also Henry's wife? Then that would make Abe - Whoa. Jo' head began to spin nastily as she heard a knock on the door. Great - that was all she needed right now.

"Go away!" She shouted. "I don't want any!"

"Jo, please, open up. It's me."

Henry. Jo sat up and wiped away the tears that had fallen on her cheeks. She groped her way to the door. Maybe she hadn't slammed the door hard enough in his face last time. Maybe this time she'd punch him in the face for luck. She yanked the door open.

"Go away!"

"Jo, please, let me talk to you!" Henry cried. He looked the same as he did every day - fashionably scruffy and immaculately dressed.. As if today was just another day. Maybe it was for him. Maybe he died every day and it was really not a big deal.

"No, go away!"

"Jo, please, you have to let me explain. I meant to tell you the truth for a while -"
"Henry, please, just go away!" Jo shouted and then stumbled against the door. If only her head would stop spinning. Her stomach seemed to roll up and down on it's own. She could barely focus on Henry - he doubled and trebled in her eyes. Not fair. How could she tell him off if he wouldn't stand still?

"Jo, are you alright?" he asked, suddenly concerned for her. He caught her as she stumbled again.

"I'm fine, lemme go,"
"Jo, you're obviously not fine. Let me help you."
"No, I don't need any -" she began and then threw up all over the front step. "-help."

"Yes, you do," Henry said with a shake of his head. "And I'm going to help you whether you like it or not."

Before she could protest, he picked her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold like any classic husband. He found his way into the living room and stopped.

"Jo, where is your bedroom?" he asked, confused. Just like Henry, Jo thought, politely asking where to dump her before she passed out on him. Instead of telling him, she surrendered to the darkness, her mind mercifully blank and quiet.

Jo awoke after what seemed like days of swimming in darkness. She didn't want to leave the dark - it made her feel safe and sane. She moaned and rubbed her head. It felt fuzzy and full of cotton. She could already feel the hangover scratching behind her eyes. Just wonderful.

She looked around and found herself on her living room couch, a blanket tucked under her chin. The lights were on, signaling that it was evening. The TV was off and all the garbage and mess had been cleared off her living room table. Oh, my God - she thought. She had been robbed by cleaners!

"Good, you're awake," a voice called to her through the cotton. "I thought I'd have to spend the night here Then what would Abe think. Here, drink this."

A cup of steaming hot coffee was thrust under her nose. Jo looked up to see who was making coffee in her house. Henry stood in front of her with a nervous smile. He had taken his scarf and coat off, but still wore his regular shirt, vest and pants. Idly, she wondered if he ever tried blue jeans.

"Oh, you," she groaned and took the coffee from him. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said quietly. He could feel him watching her like a hawk. He was probably wondering if she was going to throw the coffee at him or drink it down. She gingerly sipped it, the strong smell already clearing her head.

"Jo, about last night-"
"Henry, can you sit down?" she asked, squinting up at him. "It hurts to look at you standing up."
"Of course," he said, sitting down gingerly beside her feet on the couch. He rubbed his hands together and looked around the room. "I hope you don't mind, but I cleaned up a bit."

"I see that," Jo murmured. He looked at her worriedly.

"It looked like you hadn't been outside for a few days."
"I had some bad news that I had trouble processing," she said, taking another sip of coffee. Henry looked at her, trying to find the words. She didn't want to wait for him to cook up to anymore lies.

"Why didn't you just tell me, Henry?" she asked. "At least then I would have been prepared. I wouldn't have watched you disappear into the night and thought I was losing my mind."

"I'm so sorry," he told her, his brown eyes searching her face. "I tried to tell you a thousand times, but it's not easy for me. Every time someone has found out about my secret, bad things have happened."

"And Abe? Does he know?"

Henry nodded. He shot Jo a look before bracing himself. "He's my son."

"Your son," she repeated, tasting the words. He still watched her as if waiting to see if she'd jump out the window to get away from him. "And Abigail -"
"Was my wife, his mother. I met her during WWII. Abe was actually one of the babies rescued from the death camps. Abigail and I decided to adopt him and we became a family."

Jo looked at Henry. He was putting on a brave face, but she could see he was terrified. What did he think she would do with the truth? Call the nearest tabloid? Didn't he know her any better than that?

"So what happened? How did you become - "
"Immortal?" he asked with a nervous laugh. Jo smiled a little in return.

"Yes, immortal," she said seriously. It didn't matter how scared Henry was- she had to know the complete truth. Not only so they could work together again, but for her own peace of mind.

"Two hundred years ago, I was working as a doctor on one of my father's slave ships. The Empress of Africa, to be precise."

"The Empress of Africa?" Jo asked, her eyes widening. That was the ship Isaac's ancestors had taken over and sailed to New England. No wonder Henry had been so obsessed with that ship when they were working the case together.

"Yes. I was trying to free the slaves held captive there when I was killed by the captain. Shot actually," he said, putting a hand over his chest. Jo remembered seeing a scar there - an ugly, nasty scar from a bullet that should have killed him. Apparently, it had.

"I don't know what happened. I may never know. I remember being shot and being thrown into the water. Hours or days later, I woke up naked and alive in the Atlantic. Another ship found me and fished me out of the water. It was all I could do just to find my way back to England. I couldn't believe it - I was alive.

"It didn't take me long before I realized my condition wasn't temporary. There was a mutiny on my rescue ship. I was shot - again. I felt myself die and then woke up again naked in the ocean. It happened again and again over the years. I've experienced every kind of death you can imagine, Jo, but I come back alive every time."
"Then all the skinny dipping -"
"That's me coming back."
"And the subway station."
Henry took a deep breath and sighed. He opened his mouth and Jo could actually feel a lie about to come out.

She held up her hand. "No more lies, Henry. Please."

He looked at her for a long moment and then nodded.

"Another immortal named Adam found me. He had been stalking me for awhile. He was the one who framed me for all those murders."

"But we thought it was Clark Walker!"
"Adam sent him to kill me as a kind of test. If I killed this man, then I could become a murderer like Adam. I think he wanted a friend or an ally. Someone who could understand him. Someone who could help him. His theory was that if we were killed again by the weapons that made us immortal, than we would finally die."
"That's why you took the Roman dagger."
"Yes, and Adam sent me the pistol that had been lost with the Empress."

"You were going to kill him," Jo said quietly. Henry looked at her, his eyes pained. There was a darkness there that was a deep, untouched nerve. It scared her to see it in him. Somehow, she just thought he was immune to such evilness.

"I wanted to. Every fiber of my being wanted to kill him. He was with Abigail when she died. She killed herself to stop him from finding me. I wanted nothing more than to erase him from this world. I wanted to destroy him."

Jo gripped the coffee cup. The cold anger radiating off of Henry frightened her. It also touched her heart. Why hadn't he told her sooner? Then she could have been there with him. Stood by him as he took on this enemy.

"But it didn't work?" she whispered. Henry came back from the past with a start. He looked at her and passed her a sad smile.

"No, it didn't. He tried to kill me, but his theory didn't work. I didn't even try. I'm no killer."

"Where is he now?"

"Somewhere where he can't hurt anyone for a long, long time,"

"Henry-" There he was keeping secrets again.

"Just trust me Jo. He can't hurt us ever again. You do trust me again, don't you?"

She looked at him for a long, long time. There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask him, but couldn't think of one. She wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time. She wanted him to hold her forever and never let go. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and never be separated.

She slowly sat up on the sofa and put down her coffee cup. She reached out for Henry's hand as he watched her with worried eyes. She intertwined her fingers with his and caressed the back of his hand with her other hand. She focused on their joined hands as if they told their own story.

"When they told me Sean had died, I wouldn't believe it. I kept denying it. I kept thinking he was just in Albany on a case or visiting his parents in Maryland. It took the funeral to make me realize that he was gone. I watched them lower that casket into the ground inch by inch. I thought it was a joke - he'd pop up and start laughing. But he didn't. He was my husband and I loved him and he was never coming back. He was dead. So I died with him.

"It took me a long time to come back to work and when I did, I refused to feel anything. It was just a job. Hansen was just my partner. I lived and breathed that police station. I started trading shifts with people just so I could work every single day of the week. That worked until payroll caught me and then I would just come in on my days off. I didn't want to think about anything else. I didn't want to feel anything else ever again. I didn't know what would happen. I just knew that I didn't want to be normal ever again.

"Then I met you. Working with you this past year has stirred up all these emotions that I thought I'd never feel again. Even Isaac couldn't make me feel the way that you do. I wanted him to, but it didn't work. You made me feel like living life again in a way I didn't think was possible. I was actually happy to see the sun rise - I was happy to feel the breeze on my cheek. I was so happy to be alive. That was because of you, Henry. You and Abe and Lucas and Hansen - our little team."

Henry smiled at her and Jo bit her lower lip. Tears began to cloud her eyes, but she didn't care. She felt like she had unleashed something that couldn't be stopped. She had to keep talking if she wanted any kind of peace. It didn't matter what happened afterward.

"Then you died, Henry. I was cursing God because someone else I had cared about was taken from me. Then I was cursing Him for bringing you back, but keeping Sean. I was so confused and angry. For awhile, I hated you - I really hated you.

"But maybe it's alright. It's alright that Sean is gone. He had a wonderful life - he did so many great things and helped so many people. I can't tell you how many people called me after he died just to tell me about him. I had to get rid of my landline just for that reason. It hurt too much to hear about all those good deeds because i knew that he'd never be able to do them again. Sean had had his chance. He made his mark, so it's OK that he can't come back. It's OK that you can, Henry. Don't you see? I've only known you for a year, but I bet you were the same person a 100 years ago as you are today. You help people. You save lives. You solve mysteries. You're right, you're not a murderer like Adam. You're no monster. So maybe this is a good thing - this gift - this curse - this immortality. Maybe it's a good thing that you'll be here to keep doing good in this world. And I'm glad you told me. I'm glad that I'm going to keep seeing your face every day."

Before Henry could speak and before Jo could babble anymore, she wrapped her arms around him for a hug. He was stiff with shock at first - he was probably expecting her to hit him instead. Then he wrapped his long arms around her and she was lost forever.

They didn't speak again for a long time. Henry just simply held her in his arms, his hands rubbing soothing circles onto her back. She breathed in his scent and listened to his heart beat in his chest. Neither one wanted to break the silence. They probably could have stayed like that for days if the phone hadn't rung. The noise jarred them apart. Jo swore and grabbed at her phone.

"It's Abe," she said, sliding the talk button. "Hi, Abe. No, he's right here. Yes, everything's OK."

She ran a hand through Henry's hair and caressed his cheek. He took her hand and held it in his.

"Yes, he told me the truth. No, I didn't kill him. Do you want to talk to him?"
She passed him the phone.

"Yes, Abraham, I'm fine. You don't have to worry. And no, we don't have to run anymore. I'll see you soon. Goodbye."
Henry handed Jo her phone. "You were going to run?"
He nodded sadly. "That's what I do whenever I think anyone will learn my secret. I don't want them to get hurt and I don't want my family to get hurt. I've seen what happens when people don't believe in this curse or they try to find a way to steal it. It's never a good thing."
Jo caressed his cheek again and hugged him briefly.

"You should go see Abe. I think I'm going to shower and get dressed. Feel like a real person again."
"Will you come to work tomorrow?"

"I think so. I'm your partner, remember?"

She joined Henry when he smiled at her.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then."

She stood up with him and watched as he put on his coat and scarf. She followed him to the door, her hangover oddly quiet. Maybe an hour-long truth session did wonders for the brain.

"Henry, you know I'll never tell anyone, right?" she asked. He turned and took her face in his hands.

"Of course. And I'm truly sorry I didn't tell you sooner," he murmured. "Please forgive me."
"For what?"

"For this," he said and kissed her. His mouth was sweet, soft and gentle on hers, but she could feel the longing underneath. Her heart echoed the same. He broke off the kiss and waited for her response. She simply smiled. He kissed her again and then stepped towards the door.

"See you tomorrow."
"Definitely," she said as he opened the door. "Wait, Henry, who else knows? Is it just you, me and Abe?"
Henry froze with his hand on the knob. He turned quickly towards her. "Erm..."
"Henry-"
"Lucas knows."
"Lucas?! You mean, you told him before you told me?"

"No, no, of course not. He saw me come out of the river and he sort of, guessed. He wouldn't stop hounding me so I had to tell him."
"Lucas knew before me. Me, Jo, your partner."
"I'm afraid so. And I think I should be going." He opened the door and hurried down the steps.

"Wait, Henry!" she cried after him. He practically ran down the street, his scarf trailing after him. She shook her head. So typical. With a laugh, Jo shut her down. That conversation was definitely not over. She would find out exactly how Lucas figured out Henry's secret and then she'd knock their heads together. She shook her head again and leaned against the door, feeling at ease. She hadn't felt this peaceful for a long time. She touched her lips where Henry's kiss still lingered. Yes, he was immortal, but it didn't matter. He was here with her now and would be for many years to come. Time to get ready and enjoy the ride.