Disclaimer: I don't own Eureka or the characters. They are property of someone else.
A/N: I went back and watched a couple old episodes - 'God is in the Details' and 'Maneater' - from season 2. Specifically for the Jo/Zane dynamic. It got me thinking that the Big Reveal could go something like this.
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"No more games, Jo." He stood in the doorway to her office, staring at her intently.
Jo looked up from her desk, eyes wide. She did not like games, and Zane, well, the old Zane, had known that. In fact, it was the impetus for their first kiss. But to have him throw it back at her now was a surprise.
"Zane! What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"It means, JoJo, I am tired of being lied to. You may not realize it, but you're a sucky liar." Zane crossed his arms and stood with his feet wide, weight balanced. He looked ready for a fight.
"Zane... I can't. It's not ... safe, to tell you."
He cracked a wry, slightly mocking grin. "So if you tell me you'll have to kill me?"
She shook her head. "It's not me you'll have to worry about."
He furrowed his brows briefly to give her a puzzled look, then shook his head lightly. "As intriguing as that is, my keen intellect and ability to read between the lines has probably already given me a good idea of what's going on. No, I'm talking about us, Jo." He motioned through the space between them as he walked closer.
And here Jo thought she was going to have a quiet evening at GD to finish up her piling paperwork.
"What about your keen intellect? What's that telling you?" she asked crossly. She hated it when he tried to show off.
"I want to hear you say it, Jo. I want to hear you admit it in your own words."
Her mouth opened... but nothing came out. She wanted to tell him... but she always followed the rules.
Instead of growing tired of standing and staring, Zane stayed. And looked at her. Seconds ticked by on the watch on her wrist, and Jo's mind raced. How could she tell him? Would she get in trouble? How much could she tell him, and not endanger anyone? How could she put it into words?
Zane did not move. He contemplated telling her he would hold his breath until she told him, but beyond not wanting to come off as childish, he knew she would tell him. Eventually. He could see her resistance crumbling. Maybe his in-your-face tactic would not have worked a few months ago, but it was going to work now. Because in the end, she wanted to tell him, and he knew that.
He also liked the thrill of pushing Jo outside of her comfort area. She was really hot when flustered and defensive.
So they faced each other in silence. The windows had grown dark, the glow from her desk lamp cocooning them in the only sphere of light in the room.
Without preamble, Jo started talking. "You loved me."
Her voice was soft, and his eyes drank in the pained expressions on her face she was no longer trying to hide. But he let her continue, uninterrupted.
"You loved me, and I loved you. We'd been seeing each other since you came to Eureka... and you asked me to marry you. But... none of that matters anymore, does it?"
"Of course it matters..." he started.
But she shook her head, finally turning slightly to hide the few tears pooling in the rims of her eyes.
"No, it really doesn't. It's not even real anymore. There's no way to go back."
"Then go forward."
Jo looked up in surprise to see that Zane had moved around her desk and was standing next to her. He squatted down to be just under eye level with her. "Why not? Why not try it again? With me?"
"I'm not sure I can... start over. And what about Zoe?"
He gave her a sad smile. "Seeing Zoe this summer was a mistake. We both agree on that. But she's back at college now, back with Lucas, with her other friends. If you don't want to try to make this work, Jo, claim it's for some other reason, but not because of Zoe."
"I'm not sure my heart is strong enough for this," Jo whispered. She did not think it could handle the strain of breaking again.
"No more games, JoJo, please. I think I've made it pretty obvious what I want." When she did not respond, he sighed and closed his eyes. He hated how much she was hurting, but if she was not able to put herself and her heart out there and trust him...
Zane stood slowly, and after a moment of staring down into her speechless expression, walked to the door.
"Zane... wait."
He turned back at the sound of her voice to find that she had risen from her chair. His heart skipped a beat with surprise and want.
Jo's first step was slow, as was her second step. But as she cleared her desk her pace increased and when she finally reached Zane she launched herself at him almost at a run. Like magnets their lips found each other. One of her hands snaked around the side of his neck. She held him pressed close to her body as she poured her sorrow and hope into the kiss.
It was the hottest, most passionate kiss Zane had ever experienced in his life. Desire curled down into his chest like hunger. He was a starving man and Jo was his air, water and food.
Jo could not stop touching him. To her, it felt like she had finally come home.
Too soon she pulled away, leaving Zane panting. "Wow," he mumbled. "Now I really wish we had done that before."
Jo grinned at him a whole two seconds before claiming his mouth again.