"How do I look?" Henry asked a little nervously.
"Wow!" Abe said whistling as Henry made his way out into the living room where Abe was sitting and reading a book. "Your tux? I haven't seen you in that thing in ages. Even for you this must be a special occasion."
"So, you think it's alright?"
"You look just fine. Very dandy," Abe said with a large grin.
"I'm not sure if you meant that as a compliment or not but I'm going to take it as one."
"I meant it to be one. Really, you look good Henry. I'm sure the Detective will be impressed."
Henry leveled his eyes at Abe and his implication. "It's a black tie event," he said, his meaning clear.
"Alright," Abe said throwing up his hands in defeat but there was still an uncontained smile on his face. "Still doesn't mean she won't be impressed," he added softer under his breath.
Henry laughed slightly and waved a hand in Abe's direction brushing off his son's teasing. It had been a long time since Henry had been this dressed up; he didn't really want to think about just how long it had been since he'd had a special occasion to go to that warranted such a dress code. It had been decades at least and it left him feeling more nervous than he had expected and much more unsure than he liked.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he asked giving Abe a concerned look, feeling hesitant as he gathered his things to leave.
Abe waved a hand dismissively. "Of course, I'll be fine. I'm not a kid anymore you know."
"I am well aware of that," Henry said with a bit of exasperation trying to keep himself from rolling his eyes at this much overused comment.
"Though I probably was a kid the last time you had plans for the New Year. So, go. Really, you need to get out; your social life is pathetic," he teased.
Henry ignored the good-natured insult. "I just feel bad leaving you alone on a holiday."
"Oh, please," Abe said gesturing to the pajamas he was already wearing, "I'll be in bed before 10:00. Unlike my father, I do not have a young ageless body. Mine is old and demands sleep whether I like it or not. But that's no reason for you to stay home on my account. Go and have fun with Jo."
"Alright," Henry finally consented, grabbing his coat off a nearby chair. He walked over to Abe and laying his hands on Abe's shoulders gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well."
Abe rolled his eyes at the sentiment but smiled. "See you next year, Pops."
"See you then," Henry said giving Abe's shoulders a squeeze before turning to leave. He threw on his coat and headed for door.
Henry grabbed a cab out front and headed for Jo's house. Abe wasn't exaggerating when he had suggested that he might have been a child the last time Henry had exciting plans for the New Year; Henry knew that it had been a few decades at least. He could hardly believe it himself.
He and Jo had been invited to upscale party by Luther Bradford, a very wealthy business owner they had come into contact with during a case a few weeks ago. His nephew had recently been the prime suspect in a murder that Henry and Jo had been investigating. Henry never had suspected the young man of committing the crime but as the investigation continued things had not looked like they would end in the man's favor. When Henry and Jo had found the evidence that had proved his innocence, Mr. Bradford had been so grateful that he had insisted that the doctor and the detective attend his upcoming bash.
Normally, it was the kind of invitation that Henry would quickly find a way of kindly declining but he found, to his surprise, that he wanted to accept it. It sounded like fun and he didn't see any reason why they shouldn't accept the offer. He had seen that Jo hadn't been as eager to agree. She had glanced at him, with a loaded look clearly urging him to give a refusal in his charming way. Instead, he had given her his most winning smile, telling her he had no intentions to declining and she had, with some hesitation, told Mr. Bradford that they would love to accept.
He was now even more grateful that they had agreed to the plans. He had been cooped up in the house for weeks now ever since he had taken a leave of absence from work following the incident with Clark Walker. He realized with a smile that Abe was probably glad to be rid of him for a few hours and was likely looking forward to having the house to himself. It had been a difficult couple of weeks for them both and Henry was looking forward to getting out and having something fun to distract him.
He was also especially looking forward to seeing his partner again. The primary reason he'd wanted to accept the invitation in the first place was that he would be going to the party with her. He was now glad to have already made these plans several weeks ago because he had found himself, for some reason, avoiding her company since that night. He wasn't even sure why he had done it; he missed her a great deal. He missed her, he missed his work, and his regular life which had all been put on hold for a few weeks as he got himself pulled back together. It was so hard to believe that all those things that he held dear and missed so much had all almost been taken from him. His life still felt new, with new people and new experiences but it all meant so much to him already.
Just a few months ago he would have never believed that he would be going to a party like this one. He had long given up such social activities. He'd just not had any desire for any of it in a long time and had allowed himself to become very much a recluse. Back then it would have been even harder to believe that he would have such a friend by his side to keep him company. He'd lost even his desire to keep company with others when he had met her. So much had changed this year. As he thought about the year that was nearly past, he could scarcely believe how much different he was at its end than he had been when it began. And he knew it was all because of that friend, his partner who he was on his way to see now.
He thought back to life before he'd met Jo. It was hard to believe that he'd been satisfied with the way things had been back then. The way things were now, working with Jo, getting out and helping her solve crimes, was so exciting, so stimulating that he wondered how he'd ever been content with simply working all alone in his office. He valued his partnership with her and also all the others he'd gained because of her. Only a couple of weeks ago he'd almost had to leave all of that behind. It was only then, in the face of losing his life here, that he had realized how happy he was. It was only when he was about to lose it all that he realized all he held.
He was relieved that he arrived at Jo's apartment shortly keeping him from getting too emotional as he reflected on recent events. He got out of the cab, bracing himself against the chilling wind and knocked on her front door. He dug his hands deep into his pockets as he waited for her to answer. When she opened the door his breath got caught in his throat but it no longer had anything to do with the temperature.
He had never seen Jo look quite as beautiful as she was at this moment. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive on a daily basis; she was gorgeous. It was just that he had always seen her in a professional setting and there she dressed to deemphasize her looks; there she presented herself in a way that didn't draw attention to her natural beauty. This current look was the complete opposite of that. Everything about her look tonight, from her hair style and dress to her jewelry and dark evening makeup was meant to emphasize her beauty and she looked stunning.
She had her hair pilled loosely in an updo with pieces of it falling down gracefully around her neck. The typical chain she worse around her neck had temporarily been replaced by a necklace that matched the set of earrings that dangled from her ears. She was dressed in a dark emerald green sleeveless dress with a v-neck in the front and a deep cut in the back that flared out at the waist hitting just below her knees. The dress complimented her skin tone well, which was easy to see since he could see more of her skin tone than he'd ever seen before. It wasn't that the dress was immodest or scandalous in any way because it wasn't; it just drew his attention to her physically which was something he was unaccustomed to admiring.
He hoped he wasn't staring but he was sure he was as he stood there stunned and searching for appropriate words. He knew that Jo was beautiful but even he had underestimated how lovely she could look when she was really trying. The sight of her made him even more aware of their absence from each other and made him realize even more how much he had missed her. He was happier than ever to have the night to spend with her. He counted himself as quite the lucky man to be taking such a beautiful woman with him to the party.
She smiled at him knowingly and he knew he had been caught having a good look at her. His thoughts could hardly be a mystery to her but she didn't seem to mind. He quickly closed his mouth which had shamefully been hanging open and found the words he had been looking for.
"You look lovely," he said, finally with a smile.
She smiled shyly as she went to throw her coat on. "Thank you. You look...quite dashing, yourself," she said gesturing at his clothing.
"Thank you," he said and it was his turn now to give her a shy smile in return.
"Long time no see, partner," she said with a smile.
"I apologize for not returning your calls," he said with guilt. "I have not been a very pleasant person these past few weeks."
"It's alright," she said with reassurance. "It's just good to see again."
"I feel the same."
"Are you doing alright?" she asked with concern.
He smiled sincerely. "I am doing much better now." He extended an arm for her to take "Shall we?"
She wrapped her hand around his arm and moved in closer to him. He led her down to the waiting cab and she smiled as Henry gave her a curious look. He leaned in slightly, detecting the scent she was wearing. She smiled back at him with a slight look of anticipation like she had been waiting for him to notice. He raised a questioning eyebrow up at her. "Is that...Chanel?" he asked with a growing smile.
She smiled at him but only said, "Yes, I believe it is."
"But you don't wear Chanel."
"It's a special occasion," she said with a shrug.
"You don't like Chanel," he stated instead of asking; he was very sure that he was correct.
"I never said that," she said smiling innocently.
"You didn't have to," he teased back.
"You like it," she said giving him a knowing smile and looking him deep in the eyes.
Henry's mouth dropped open slightly, his confidence taken down a notch and found himself suddenly at a loss for words. She just loved teasing him. He didn't get to see that a lot since they were usually working when they were together. But tonight they were all on their own and she seemed to have in mind to take full advantage of that. Henry was already enjoying himself and was now wondering how he could have ever let weeks pass by without her company.
"I never said that," he said finally.
"You didn't have to," she said giving him a wink.
Henry was still a little caught off guard but not at all against Jo's rare flirting. She smiled back at him, like she knew she had him and was quite pleased with herself. She nudged his shoulder with her own, laughing a bit at having made him squirm a little. "Well, don't just stand there; are you taking me to this party or not?"
"Of course," he said as he finally broke away from her gaze and forced himself to move again.
He couldn't help but laugh to himself as he closed the door to the cab after helping her in. This evening was going to be fun; he was sure of it now. They had never really spent this much time together on something that wasn't work related and he had to admit he had been a little nervous about how it was going to go. But he wasn't worried anymore and knew that they were going to have a good time.
He distantly thought to himself that he might be in a little trouble tonight. She looked gorgeous and she was wrapped in a scent that made him a little bit crazy. She made him so happy and seemed to be able to make him laugh easier than anyone else could. She knew how to tease him and could even make him blush if she wanted to. The longer he knew her the more trouble he might find himself in.
Right now, he found he didn't care very much if he did.
"Wow! Just look at this place," Jo exclaimed as she and Henry walked into the ballroom where Mr. Bradford's party was being held.
"This really is something," he agreed.
The ballroom in front of them was huge and filled with hundreds of people. The room was covered in gold and white and was illuminated by dozens of chandeliers above them and white lite Christmas trees all along the side of room. At the front of the room was a stage from which a full band was playing live music for the party goers. One entire wall of the room was glass and overlooked Time Square which was alive with its own activity below.
"I knew it would be fancy but I didn't expect it to be this extravagant," Jo said looking down self-consciously at herself as they handed their coats over to the attendant.
He smiled fondly at her reading her uneasy thoughts. "You look amazing," he reassured her as he took her arm again and led her into the room.
She glanced down, a smile on her face. "If you say so. I've never been to a party like this before."
"I did. Once," he found himself admitting of his own accord.
It was a new thing for him to voluntarily talk about his past but the memory no longer made him sad and he knew he had Jo to thank for that. She helped him face it when they had been working on the Carlyle case. She had helped him to return to the museum where he had proposed to Abigail, something he had refused to do until then. After the case was over he had even chosen to return there, remembering his night there with fondness. It was just one of the many things on the list of things he could thank Jo for.
"Although, I have to admit," he added as he surveyed the room some more, "even that party was not quite this impressive."
"How did you manage to get yourself invited to a party like this?" she asked curiously.
"Actually, I didn't," he said with a sly smile. "I crashed it."
"Really?" she asked clearly surprised but also a bit impressed. "Henry Morgan, crashing a fancy party? I'm assuming a woman had something to do with that."
He smiled. "You would assume right," he admitted.
Jo laughed as she looked around, holding on tightly to his arm as he led them to their table. He looked at her and he was glad to see she was so happy. She didn't smile near enough and he realized with dismay that he wasn't sure he had even heard her laugh like this before. He began to think she needed a night like this just as much as he did.
"Thank you, again, for coming with me," he said.
"Well, I will admit, I wasn't crazy about the idea but I'm glad you talked me into this. This is really amazing."
The band was playing lively Christmas songs and the dance floor was filled with couples dancing to the music. Henry felt a large smile spread across his face. This was his kind of party. He had always enjoyed parties like this and he'd been sad when live bands and dancing had started to fade in popularity.
"Do you want to dance?" he asked, excitedly turning towards Jo. But he felt his wide grin fall and the sparkle in his eyes dim a bit when he saw how she was looking at the crowd on the dance floor.
She looked at him and opened her mouth to speak but he worked to quickly brush away his disappointment. "It's alright. We don't have to. If you don't want to, that's fine."
"I do want to," she said.
He gave her a playful but unconvinced look that said he didn't quite believe that.
She looked guilty now as she realized she had disappointed him. "It's not that I don't want to..." she said her voice trailing off and her expression turning embarrassed.
"What?" he asked curiously.
She looked at the dancers, deliberating for a moment. "I don't know how," she finally admitted awkwardly.
"Oh, is that all?" he said with a small laugh.
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll teach you."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"You don't think it's silly?"
"Think what's silly?"
"That I'm a grown woman and I don't know how to dance."
"Not at all," he said warmly. "There's a first time for everything and I would love to teach you. You'll be fantastic."
She smiled, looking at little more at ease. "Alright. But first, let's check out the bar. If I'm going to make a fool of myself in front of all these people I'd like to get some alcohol in my system. And it's such a nice party they might even have some of that expensive stuff you got me hooked on. I blame you entirely for running my tastes forever," she said pointing a finger at him.
"I didn't ruin your taste; I greatly improved it."
"Whatever. I was perfectly content with my cheap whiskey until you introduced me to the fancy stuff that is way out of my price range. However," she said with a smile. "I imagine it isn't out of Mr. Bradford's price range so let's go and find out."
He smiled back at her. "Lead the way Detective."
"10, 9, 8..."
Everyone in the room was crowded around the huge glass window that overlooked Time Square giving them all a spectacular view of the ball dropping. Everyone joined in excitedly with the countdown, shouting as the ball fell slowly down to the brightly light numbers of the new year. Of all their combined years of living in New York, neither Henry nor Jo had ever been so close to the action as this and both found it to be quite thrilling. It was an amazing end to what had been a truly fabulous evening.
The bar did have Macallan and Jo had not been kidding when she had said she intended on taking full advantage of it. Henry was glad to see she could appreciate the finer things he enjoyed and he was glad she was able to indulge herself. He had been surprised at her high tolerance and after a while it almost seemed as if she might outpace him. He may have had many more years of tolerance on her but he was still rusty after a few decades of sobriety. He was able to able to keep up with her but he was glad when she stopped; she seemed to be in agreement of stopping before they became intoxicated. He felt the slight buzz that indicated he was just on the brink of overdoing it but hadn't gotten there yet and felt that was the best place to stop.
Dinner had been shortly after that. The food that was served was fabulous and they had been able to have a lovely conversation with the couples seated at their table. He had noticed the slight roll of the eye Jo had given him when he had started to talk with the strangers they were seated with. He knew she thought that he hadn't noticed it and he pretended that he didn't. He knew that Jo didn't have the same knack or appreciation that he did for socializing but he enjoyed meeting new people and they couldn't very well eat in silence the whole time anyway. He knew he was going to get flack later for laying on the charm so heavily but after a while even Jo joined in to the conversation. After they were thoroughly stuffed he even let her convince him to go to the desert table twice.
The rest of the evening was spent teaching Jo all his favorite dance steps. She had been worried and self-conscious at first which was rare for him to see; she was usually so confident in everything she did. She kept making up excuses to try and get out of it but he assured he looked forward to teaching her and he genuinely meant it. As it turned out she needn't have been so worried. Despite all her nervousness, she was a very quick learner and was quite good herself. They had danced until nearly midnight and were both completely exhausted. It was an ideal evening in every way and even though it was more lavish than he knew Jo was used to or even liked Henry could tell she'd had a good time as well.
"7, 6, 5, 4…"
But as the countdown neared the end Henry found himself troubled by his thoughts taking his focus off the sight in front of him. This was a part of the evening that he had not anticipated when he decided to attend this party with Jo. When the clock struck midnight he remembered that there were a lot of expectations. People would be kissing. It was a New Year's tradition so it shouldn't have come as any sort of surprise to him. But it had been so long since he'd spent New Year's with a woman that he had just forgotten.
He wondered, would Jo expect him to kiss her? They never had before but this was a special occasion, so did that change things? Should he just go for it? Should he ask her if she wanted him to? Should he try and glaze completely over the subject, avoiding it completely?
He couldn't seem to stop his mind from formulating questions and his hands started to sweat. He found that his heart was thumping so hard he could feel it pound within his head and ears as he considered it all. It was embarrassing how little he understood about social convention anymore. He knew that was his own fault; he had been isolated for far too long. Now that he was deciding to branch out more he found he remembered nothing of how these things went. He was getting out there more but he often found the process to be painful, frequently leaving him to appear awkward.
He looked over at her and suddenly all the grandeur below couldn't capture his attention. He was caught watching her as she stared in astonishment at the sight before her. Her face was full of wonder and joy and amazement. It was all so new and exciting to her. She was so alive and so very happy and it was wonderful to watch. She glanced at him only briefly when she noticed he was watching her, gave him a warm smile, and turned back to the window continuing in the countdown. But he continued to stare at her, more amazed at her in this moment than all the celebration below.
He didn't know what to make of this woman beside of him, who smelled of fine perfume and expensive alcohol. She was combination of contrasts he hadn't quite realized before this night. One day she was tough enough to throw a criminal to the ground and the next she was graceful enough to glide across the dance floor in his arms. There were so many sides to her, so many wonderful qualities about her, some of which he was familiar with and some he was just now getting a glimpse of. He didn't know what to make of her friendship to him and how that relationship alone had made him feel more alive than anything else had in decades.
He remembered that first time they'd met. Honestly, he had been quite unimpressed with her at that first meeting. He had assumed that she was like so many of the cops he'd met before that came in, got their information and left. It would have never occurred to him to expect anything more from her. Nobody liked working with him and he thought he'd probably never see her again. That's why he had thought nothing of pointing out she was hung over in front of everyone or making her look like a fool when she had brought him in for questioning.
But she hadn't been like the other cops. Despite how rude he had been, she still came back. He certainly hadn't deserved it and never would have expected it. Even after they had solved that first case together he had still thought it would be a one-time thing. He remembered how special it had made him feel that day she had showed up at his home and said she wanted him as her ME. He couldn't quite believe that she had sought him out again, that she specifically wanted to work with him.
He couldn't really believe that day had only been a few months ago. Things had seemed to change so completely since then. He'd experienced so much time that it was almost unbelievable that such a short measure of it could have had such a significant impact on him but that was exactly what had happened. She'd changed his life so much this year; he hadn't even realized how much until this moment. Meeting Jo and her continued friendship had brought him back to life, back to participating in it and being an active member in it. She had saved his life in the most important way, far more than what his immortality could do.
In the same short amount of time she had become so significant to him. He wasn't sure what it was exactly that he was feeling for her but he knew she was very important to him. He loved the way she fit into his life and how she made it better just by being there. It was so rare that he should let someone into his life and he liked being able to allow her in. With all the secrets he had to keep and his efforts to protect himself from rejection, it was painfully uncommon for him to get close to anyone. But Jo had glided into his life without effort, passing through the walls he kept around himself.
For the first time in a very long time Henry genuinely felt that life was so good. He realized it had been so kind to him lately.
"3,2,1. Happy New Year!"
The ball finally dropped, lights started flashing everywhere and confetti rained down on all the spectators below. A canopy of gold and white balloons fell from the ceiling, raining down on him and the rest of the crowd inside as Auld Lang Syne started to play. Everyone in the room cheered and then turned to hug or kiss someone next to them.
Henry turned toward Jo and seemed to freeze, glancing uncomfortably at the activity going on around him. Jo turned to him a smile on her face. He tried to smile but it must not have come off the way he meant it to. It must have been obvious he was terrified and confused over what to do because she laughed at him slightly. Without a word she leaned in placing a hand on one of his cheeks and kissing him gently on the other.
It had taken him a long time to get used to how progressive things had become over the years. But he was grateful for it in this moment. He'd been completely at a loss at what to do in this situation and he didn't mind Jo deciding for them. Had it been left up to him he'd have surely soured the evening with the wrong word or action, simply because he didn't know what was socially acceptable anymore. But Jo she had figured it out. This was perfect; friendly but not too friendly, a special and kind gesture between them and he felt warmth radiate through him.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises tonight," he said, a grin on his face.
She laughed. "Happy New Year Henry," she said brushing his cheek with her hand before pulling back.
"Happy New Year Jo."
He surprised even himself by leaning in and giving her a rare hug. "Thank you," he said quietly in her ear.
"You don't have to keep thanking me for coming," she said with a smile as he pulled back to look at her. "I had a wonderful time; I'm glad you talked me into coming. I haven't had this much fun in a long time."
"It's not just for tonight."
"Then for what?"
"For everything," he said, suddenly feeling very sentimental.
"Are you going to get emotional on me?" she asked teasing but her face was kind and showed his words really meant something to her.
He smiled and looked down before he faced her again. "It's just…this has been one of best years I have had in a very long time," he said.
"To many more," she said smiling but her face was serious and thoughtful. He knew she understood everything it meant to him and that she felt the same.
He smiled. "Yes, to many many more."
Henry had seen the turn of many years; much more than a human ever should see, far more than his fair share. He'd seen the turn of decades and even centuries so many times that the milestones seemed to mean very little to him anymore. But this one, this New Year, seemed to mean something. For the first time in a very long time he found himself looking at the new year with hope. He found himself excited and filled with anticipation to see what it held. He knew that had everything to do with the detective beside of him, his friend and companion. He'd forgotten how one person could come into your life and change it so much. This year had been a great one and he felt that the next would be even better.