AN: I lied. While this is five one-shots of AU! Jo and Zane's, it's not actually about their weddings because I thought five weddings would be boring. It does have the proposal, but the majority is rather a glimpse into the world of this particular Jo and Zane. I call this one high school sweethearts, but in reality (of my head) they aren't dating and only Jo is in high school. I wanted to give enough information so the reader would understand this world, but not the entire story. Please let me know if you were confused (i.e- I didn't give enough world-backstory) and I'll try to fix it for the next chapter. Though somehow Zane became a mixture of Sawyer from LOST and Han Solo from Star Wars. I don't know how that happened, it wasn't there in the first draft. And while I know Jo is a little OOC, she is also seventeen. People at seventeen aren't the same as they are in their late-20's, but I hope she's still recognizable.

Also, the beginning teaser format is stolen from Twilight *headdesk* because my sister said I needed a way to tie the main story and the proposal together. Considering the Meyer stole grammar and traumatized it beyond recognition, I don't feel all that bad in borrowing her format.

Disclaimer: If I owned Eureka, there would be more pointless shirtless scenes. I also don't own the title of this story, Found You by Ross Copperman or the title of this chapter, Everyday by Buddy Holly.

High school Sweethearts.

He asks her to marry him the day she graduates from West Point. He figures since he knows he could never leave she-who-must-not-be-poked, he might as well marry her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Zane paused, one hand poised to turn the doorknob. Seconds passed by. "Just because you're not moving doesn't mean I can't see you." Zane glared over his shoulder at the bane of his existence. Jo stood at the bottom of the staircase, arms crossed and lips tightened with a disapproving look on her face. Even with bed head, wearing lady bug pyjama pants and a ratty t-shirt emblazoned with a faded Elmo, She-Ra still looks intimidating. "My dad's going to be pissed when he finds out."

"Well, I won't be here when he does!" He exclaimed.

Jo narrowed her eyes at him. Frak. All his planning was currently circling the drain due to one pint-size fury. He shifted his bag to his other hand as he turned to face her.

"Look, I'm nineteen. I don't have to be here if I don't want to be. And I don't. So I'm leaving." He turned away from her, hoping to at least get the door open before she started screaming for her precious papa.

"Running away."

He spun around quickly to face her. "What?"

She was about to respond when a cough comes from Colonel Lupo's bedroom. They both froze. 'Please don't wake up, please don't wake up.' he silently chanted. The only sound in the darkened house is the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room. After a moment Zane allows himself to breathe. He began again, this time making sure to keep his voice low.

"I'm not running away." He said.

Jo gave him a sceptical look and sat down on the bottom step as if his explanation was so tiresome that it sapped her strength to stand. He straightened his back and jut his chin out.

"I'm leaving."

She scoffed. "Same difference."

"No it's – " He stopped, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She can be so damn irritating. Just because he was living in her house doesn't mean she had the right to butt into his business. Without opening his eyes he said, "Go back to bed Jo." He knows it's a long shot but maybe, just maybe, she'll take the hint and leave him alone. He really didn't understand this. She was always complaining about how he left his crap everywhere and his nerdy tendencies. Frankly, he would have expected her to throw a parade instead of a fit. He waited a moment, then opened one eye. Jo hadn't moved one inch.

"No." she said.

He sighed and let his bag fall onto the floor. "Why not?" He knew he sounded whiny but he's so tired of her being the self-appointed fun police. She straightened her back and folded her hands in her lap. Crap. He'd recognize her lecture pose anywhere. He could try and divert the conversation, but he knew from experience it would be easier to just to let her ramble on so she'd feel she had done something. Still, he really hated her lectures. She opened her mouth to begin and he mentally steeled himself from banging his head against the wall.

"I'm not going to let you leave because a) I'm not going to let you throw away a great opportunity at Global just because your pride is hurt."

"What!" He snapped. While the situation at Global was one of the reasons he was leaving, it wasn't the only one. And his pride wasn't hurt! Where did she come up with these ideas?

She gave him a 'shut up' look before continuing. "and b) my dad took a chance on you and I'm not going to let you make him look like an idiot for doing that. So stay." Silence fell again as she finished, clearly under the assumption that this little speech would win him over and make her the victor. Fat chance. He would rather sit through team building in the workplace seminar than let Jo win. He stalked closer to her but stopped just out of hitting range (he learned this valuable lesson soon after moving in with the Lupos).

"First off, my pride isn't hurt." Jo rolled her eyes. Really? Rolled eyes? His blood boiled.

"What. The hell. Do you know?" he seethed.

Jo gazed calmly at him. "Well, I know you did get in trouble – "

"Trouble!" Zane said as loudly as he dared in the quiet house. "I didn't get a parking ticket Jo, I got yelled at by the Director of GD, the Military Overseer of GD and the Secretary of Defence! I got raked over the coals today and you're acting like it's no big deal!" She at least had the decency to look less certain of herself. Screw hitting distance. He moved closer, braced his hand on the banister and bent down until his eyes met hers. He was so close that when he let out a heavy breath he could see a lock of hair move. He gritted his teeth. "I hate being the kid who everyone expects to screw up. I hate that everyone knows my business. I hate this small town, I hate the expectations, I hate the crazy scientists who nearly destroy the West Coast at least once a week, I hate everything about this town, right down to the very last molecule. No one wants me here, they all think I 'don't have the maturity of the respect to be allowed such a prestigious position' and remind me Every. Damn. Day." Jo wilted underneath his gaze. Good. He wanted to rip those rose-coloured glasses off her and make her see that his life was no picnic. For once he just wanted to be left alone, was that so much to ask? Jo ducked her head and started to twist her shirt around her finger. "And trust me, your dad's reputation is not going to be ruined by me leaving. Hell, it'll probably help it. And even if he did get flak, I. Don't. Care."

He knew that he sounded callow; he just couldn't take it anymore. He glared at the top of her head, waiting to see if she was going to retaliate. Nothing happened. He figured it was time to leave, stalked over to his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He paused for a moment, then risked a look back. Jo had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Sitting like that he suddenly remembered how young she actually was. Sometimes, when she's yelling at him or stomping around the house or beating people up or just generally being annoying he forgets that she's only seventeen, not even out of high school. She looked so defeated and he could feel his anger being replaced by guilt. To be honest, this wasn't her fault. She just happened to be an innocent bystander that got in his way. Her hair obscured her face as she stared blankly at her feet. Frell, this wasn't supposed to happen. He scuffed the toe of his shoe against the hardwood floor. "Why do you care so much anyways? You're always telling me what a pain in the ass I am." Some of that uncomfortable feeling in his chest goes away as Jo's eyes light with that familiar fire.

"Because! Because I know you can do so much better! You have so much potential, yet you're content just to throw it all away." God, he hated her you can do better, try harder, rah-rah-rah speech. She breathes heavy for a moment before she ducked her head again. "Plus, I thought we were friends."

What the hell did them being friends have to do with this? He scratched the back of his neck and then let his hand drop to his leg with a smack.

"This has nothing to do with us. I just can't stay here anymore." He paused for a moment. Eh, what the hell. Even if she got mad at him it might snap her out of her funk. "Self-centered much Jo? Not everything is about you." He waited for a response, but Jo began to pick at her toenail polish instead.

"I'll send you a postcard." Again, nothing. He can feel the beginnings of a Jo-induced stress headache starting up again. Why is he even explaining himself to her? He can do whatever the hell he wants.

"Listen Jo, I'm leaving – "

"Running away."

"whether you like it or not. So...bye." He moved over to give her a hug, partly because a small part of him will miss Bunnie the Rabbot and partly because a large part of him knows she disliked hugging, especially when she was stressed. She slapped his hand away as expected.

"People who would rather run away than stay and fight to show people they can be a better person don't deserve hugs." She glared up at him with a face that was an 8 on the Jo-Lupo-Is-Pissed scale, between your-murder-will-be-quick-and-somewhat-painless and your-murder-will-be-long-and-bloody. (Ten was if-Jo-was-a-volcano-you-need-to-start-looking-for-a-virgin-to-sacrifice-NOW. He only saw it once. He still has nightmares.)

He reached out and gave a lock of her hair a sharp tug before she could stop him. "Bye Jo-Jo." he said softly.

Her face fell to a 3 then rose quickly to a 9 in rapid succession. He grabbed his bag and was out the door before she could sound the alarm. As he shut the door, Zane let out a long breath and watched as his misty breath trailed skywards. Dren, it was colder than he had thought it would be. Even though summer was on its way, the nights still carried the bite of winter. He burrowed into his coat as he rushed towards his bike. Right before he started the engine he took a quick glance behind him at the place he lived at for almost a year. He was surprised to see Jo in the living room window, less surprised at the upset look on her face. He raised a hand in farewell but she simply glared at him. Zane dropped his hand. Whatever. She was probably going to tell her dad the minute he left so why should he say goodbye? He turned the engine, pulled out of the driveway and drove into the night.

Zane drove as fast as he dared until he came to the sign marking the town limits. Here he pulled to the side of the road and cut the engine. He sat on his bike and studied the 'Thank You for visiting Eureka' sign. It was your regular generic sign, nothing about it giving away the 'uniqueness' of the town. Zane hated the sign. The town had a meeting over that sign, a frakken two and a half hour meeting over the height, colour and typeface of a sign. He had been forced to go to it because Colonel Lupo felt it was their civic duty to attend. Plus, the Colonel was never one to pass up an event with free food. He hated small towns. He didn't need any of this.

Still.

Eureka wasn't all bad. Even though he was always the low man on the totem pole, he did kinda like working at Global. He got to see stuff that science fiction authors hadn't even thought up yet come to life, even got to help out every now and again. And yes, he would admit (to himself, never to her) that his pride was a little hurt. He hadn't meant to cause a stage 4 meltdown yet everyone kept acting like he had been planning it for months.

And the Lupos. The Colonel had stuck his neck out for him time and again. Zane had seen the shocked looks on everyone's face when the Colonel had volunteered to take responsibility for him. No one had ever down that before. While his parents had stuck up for him before, they had too, they were his parents. No one had ever volunteered to take him on before. Of course, he had never asked to be someone else's responsibility. He wasn't a dog or something.

Zane let his head fall forward, a thunk filling the night as his helmet collided with the handlebars.

Jo.

He knew that no matter what he did, even if he got his act together and became a world famous scientist, president or supervillian, even if he grovelled for her forgiveness with tickets to the ballet or some chick flick shit, she was never going to forgive him. If he wasn't at the Lupos' in the morning it was over between them. Jo could hold a grudge like no one else. Away from the suffocating town, he could admit that losing her friendship would suck. She was annoying with a capital B, but she was also perhaps the only person he liked in Eureka. She was feisty and smart and no matter how much he practised he knew he'd never be able to beat her in Duck Hunt. No more fights over the bathroom, no more daring each other to eat the most revolting thing the other could think of, no more arguments over who would win in a fight, a caveman or an astronaut (technology beat brute force any day), no more movie nights, no more teasing her over her secret girly side. All of that would be gone.

But was one pint-size pest's friendship really worth his own happiness?

He drummed his fingers on the seat. Even in the pale moonlight he could see where Jo had scratched her name in the paint. The corner of his mouth lifted as he remembered the day she had made him teach her how to ride his bike*, the pleading wide-eyed look that eventually wore him down, her determination to get it exactly right, her shriek when she accidentally pushed too hard on the accelerator, her excited glee when she managed to get the bike going (granted, 20 miles in a circle), the way she had tried to cover for him when the Colonel found out. He traced one finger over her signature, his finger catching every nick and grove. She'd get over it, right?

"Damn it."

Zane stumbled bleary eyed into the kitchen and squinted in the early morning light. He felt like the walking dead, an unfortunate side effect to only getting about four hours of sleep. He would have spent that day in bed but he knew the Colonel wouldn't let him. Plus, Zane could smell coffee. Coffee was good. He blinked several times in the doorway before finally getting his eyes to focus. The Colonel sat at the kitchen table, newspaper open in front of him while Jo was stirring something at the stove, her back to the doorway. He paused and shifted uncomfortably as he considered what to do. He hadn't seen Jo when he'd come back so he had no idea what she was feeling towards him. On one hand, she hadn't been happy with him last night. But on the other, he had come back. He should be okay right? After all, she hadn't told her dad on him.

Wait.

Why hadn't she told her dad? After he left, she should have run straight upstairs to her dad, but no one had been up when he got back and the Colonel wasn't acting like he usually did when he was angry at Zane. He narrowed his eyes at the humming girl at the stove. She tattled on him all the time, so what was stopping her now? This was so much worse than the time he tried to build a mini hovercraft from appliances around the house, yet she had apparently just gone to bed last night.

Unless...

Could the Lupos' be planning a surprise attack aimed to beat him into submission? Jo was a devious one and she had to learn it from somewhere. They were going to lull him into a false sense of security before they jumped him, weren't they. Well, he was on to them. No one pulled a fast one on Zane Donovan!

He carefully slid back from the doorway, intending to barricade himself in his bedroom and plan his next move when he was attacked from behind. Boris, the 72 pound German Shepherd former bomb sniffing now Lupo family pet with narcolepsy and slight neurotic issues, decided at that point that he should give Zane a morning greeting which involved taking a running leap, tackling him and barking madly in his ear.

"Boris, stop, down, gah, go away, stop it, down, down, get down you stupid animal!" Zane put his hands in front of his face and pushed the muzzle of the rotten animal away as best he could. Which didn't work out so well since Boris was determined to lick his face off. Stupid dog.

"Boris, giù!" The Colonel snapped his fingers and Boris immediately dropped to the floor. He panted happily and Zane reached out to ruffle the fur on Boris' head. He knew that if he didn't, Boris would become upset and follow him around until Zane did. That's right, he lived with a crazy teenage girl, a dictator Colonel and a dog with issues.

His life sucked.

Jo turned from the stove and smiled brightly when their gazes met. "Good morning Zane." She chirped.

"Morning." He replied warily. She didn't seem angry. Still, it was Jo.

Jo turned back to the stove and the Colonel ruffled the pages of his newspaper. Zane moved cautiously into the kitchen, settled himself into his chair, poured himself a cup of coffee and began stirring in some milk and sugar, all the while eyeing the Lupos very carefully.

"So I was talking – " the Colonel paused as Zane's spoon clattered against the side of his mug. Zane immediately put on a blank face as if the Colonel sudden desire for a conversation hadn't made his heart try to jump of out his chest. The Colonel gave him a puzzled look before continuing. "to Henry and he says he wont have the car fixed until at least Thursday. He has to order a part. We're going to have to use a rental until then."

"That sucks." Jo replied as she sent a spoon clattering into the sink. "Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

Zane eyed the stove before turning to the Colonel. The Colonel had narrowed his eyes, no doubt already picking up on the fact Zane was sweating bullets. Zane needed to change the subject fast. He jerked his head in the direction of Jo. "Is it safe?" Jo's adventures in the kitchen either went very good or very bad. There was no middle. The Colonel's composure slipped a little as he gave a side glance to his daughter.

"Well, she's almost done and so far nothing's been burnt, broken, kicked, dropped, thrown or yelled at, so I think we're okay." he said in a quiet voice. Zane's agreement 'huh' turned into a yawn halfway through and he blinked several times in an effort to clear his eyes. The frown was back on the Colonel's face. "What time did you go to bed last night?"

Zane scrambled for an excuse. "Late. I was reading Dune." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jo turn slightly to look at them.

The Colonel looked no less convinced. He studied Zane for a moment, his eyebrows drawn over his forehead as he most likely considered if he really wanted to know what Zane had done. Zane kept his face impassive even though his mind was whirling. The Colonel wasn't much for beating around the bush. If Zane was in trouble, he would know by now. If the Colonel didn't know, that meant that Jo hadn't told him anything. But why would she have told her dad? The Colonel sighed and rolled his eyes, clearly having decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

"Well, just don't be late. You can't afford it. You have a lot of people to grovel to today." The Colonel said.

Zane grunted in reply.

"Breakfast is ready." Jo placed a bowl on the table with a loud thump. Zane peered into it. Breakfast looked like mush.

"What is it?"

"Oatmeal. You can put honey, brown sugar or berries on it." She beamed at him, obviously proud at having made a meal with no major catastrophe. Zane scowled at the bowl. He hated oatmeal. Who in their right mind liked oatmeal? Even the name sounded stupid. Oatmeal. Maybe she was still angry at him.

"Zane." The Colonel gave him a pointed look. "Josie's made us breakfast. Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Jo smiled at her father. "Don't worry Papa, I'd just bite back." The Colonel smiled at her and bumped her chin with his fist.

"Cheeky monkey."

Zane dumped a spoonful of oatmeal into his bowl to distract himself from the sickening Father Knows Best scene in front of him. Why was he back in this hell hole again?

The morning proceeded like any other morning with the Colonel reading his New York Times, Jo reading the Eureka Sidereus Nuncius**, and Zane staring blankly at the wall as he waited for the caffeine to kick in. A movement caught Zane's eye and he turned to look. Boris had straightened up and was staring intently at something outside of the window. The dog froze for a moment, his entire body quivering in anticipation, before he barked loudly at something outside the window, turned tail and ran underneath the breakfast table like a bat out of hell. Both Lupos jumped and the Colonel's coffee splashed out of his mug and onto his shirt.

"Damn it Boris!" The Colonel yelled. He glared at the blossoming coffee on the front of his shirt. He grabbed a napkin and tried to mop it up.

"Blot Papa, don't smear." Jo said.

The Colonel threw his napkin down in disgust. "It doesn't matter, I have to change it anyways." He stalked out of the kitchen muttering something that sounded like 'stupid dog.' Or 'lupid fog'. Zane suspected the former.

Zane leaned in his chair to look under the table and was met with a pair of mournful eyes. Boris whimpered and thumped his tail against the floor.

"Poor puppy." Jo said. "He just hasn't been the same since we gave away Natasha."

Zane looked at Jo. "What do you mean, he was terrified of her."

Jo shrugged and reached down to scratch Boris' head. "Still, I bet he misses her."

"I doubt it. She was a pain." He sat back in his chair and missed Jo's fingers still in Boris' fur. Her eyes were troubled as she watched him settle back in his chair. Zane dug his spoon into his oatmeal and was about to lift it when a small hand reached across the table and closed around his wrist. He paused. Everything seemed to stop for a brief moment.

"I'm glad you stayed."

Zane dragged his eyes from the bowl to her face. A small smile played at her lips and a faint blush coloured her cheeks.

"Why," Zane's tongue darted out to wet his lips. "Why didn't you tell your dad?"

Jo dropped her gaze to the table. "I didn't want you to stay because you had to. If I told my dad he'd make you stay. I just." Jo sighed and Zane breathed in. "Wanted you to want to stay, you know." Strangely, Zane thought he did.

"Why did you stay?" She looked at him with those big brown eyes of hers, her bottom lip snagged between her teeth. He became acutely aware that she was still holding his wrist.

"I may have overreacted. Plus, where can I play out my mad scientist fantasies and get paid for it?" He hoped that answer would satisfy her because telling her he didn't want to upset her? Not happening.

"I'm glad you stayed." She gently squeezed his wrist and smiled.

He tried to swallow but found his mouth strangely dry. He struggled for the right words before settling on "I know."

She rolled her eyes but gave a small laugh. He felt an answering smile creep over his face when the sound of water flowing through the pipes broke the silence. Zane quickly realized that the Colonel would not be happy with this scene. Jo seemed to realize this too because she pulled her hand away and folded them in her lap. He studied the wall just over Jo's shoulder as the silence became overwhelming.

"I have to admit, I'm a little upset you came back." Jo's voice broke the silence. He looked over at her sitting primly in her chair, a serious expression on her face but with a teasing glint in her eyes. Zane sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest, curious as to where this was going.

"And why is that?" He stretched out a foot and began to rub Boris' back.

"You would have provided the perfect distraction to keep my dad from being upset when he found out that Tor wants to take me to prom." Zane froze. He felt like he had been dipped in liquid nitrogen.

"What?"

Jo shrugged and began to fiddle with her spoon, though a radiant smile threatening to break across her face. "Yeah, he asked me if I wanted to go with him. I know prom is silly and I'm a woman of the 20th century who doesn't need a man to take her somewhere, but it's nice, you know. To be asked."

"But." he sputtered. "I thought you said it was over-hyped. I thought we were going to watch Carrie and eat nachos. And who the frak is Tor?"

Her happy face dropped and was replaced by a confused one, then an angry one, then a resigned 'you're an idiot'.

"Tor." she said slowly as if speaking to a small child. "Victor Malone." He ran through the list of people whose names he'd bothered learning. Nope. "The guy I've been seeing for two months?"

What?

How the hell did he miss that? He knew she was going out more but frankly – no, he hadn't really thought about it. They didn't really interact with each other outside of the house unless they were both forced to attend some sort of Eureka/G.D. event by the Colonel, what with him working at Global and her being in high school. The thought that he hadn't noticed this new event wasn't a happy one. He's a scientist for Lee's sake, he's supposed to know if some guy is touching and kissing – .

There's a strange clenching in his stomach and he frowned at his oatmeal. He really hoped she hadn't given them food poisoning. Again.

"Hey Zane, if it bothers you so much we'll do that some other night." She reached over to grab his wrist again but he pulled away before she could. Jo looked startled, her big brown eyes opened wide and her head tilted slightly to the side. Now he was just irritated.

"Zane." she said.

"It's fine, I don't care. Why would I, I was only going to do it because you begged me to." He took a swig of his now luke-warm coffee. Like he cared anyways, he's a super genius. Super geniuses don't care about prom or stupid boys with stupid names. Tor.

The Colonel entered the kitchen and sat down in his seat. He looked at Zane's plate then at him. "Finish your breakfast Zane, you've got grovelling to do." He said in a no-nonsense voice.

Zane stared sourly at his bowl. "I'm not hungry."

"Zane, you eat what's on your plate."

"Papa, he doesn't have to." Jo interjected.

"Yes he does. I'm not going to have him stuffing his face with junk food two hours from now just because he wants to be difficult."

"He's not a child Papa. If he doesn't want to eat it he doesn't have to." Jo reached over for his bowl but Zane swatted her hand away. "What are you doing?" She reached for his bowl again. Zane grabbed the bowl and pulled it up to his mouth. He shoved a spoonful into his mouth and tried to swallow. The oatmeal stuck in his throat but he eventually got it down. He gave her a triumphant look. She wasn't the boss of him, he'd show her.

"I'm eating it, is that alright with your highnessness?" Jo narrowed her eyes before sighing and digging into her own bowl. The clenching feeling was still in the pit of his stomach. It would serve her right if he did get food poisoning. He waited until the Lupos were busy with their breakfast before he dropped some oatmeal on the floor. Boris immediately licked it up and gazed at Zane as if he were a god. Hm. Boris usually turned his nose up at Jo's worse concoctions, so maybe...nah. Boris was an idiot, what did he know?

He asks her to marry him the day she graduates from West Point. He figures since he knows he could never leave she-who-must-not-be-poked, he might as well marry her. He was going to wait until the day after so her day wouldn't become their day, but he apparently spends the day looking like he's either going to puke or pass out or some combination of the two. He had thought that asking the Colonel for permission or getting his grandmother's ring would be the hard part but neither compare to him actually facing the prospect of asking her.

After the fourth time of her asking him if he's okay and him croaking that he's "fine, good, cool, fine, good", the Colonel takes matters into his own hands and tells him to "ask her and put yourself out of your misery." Hearing that, Jo simply refuses to let it go, all stern glares and promises of no sex ever again, so he really has no choice but to propose. He pulls her into an empty corridor (he has no desire of humiliating himself in front of her family), blusters around for a few minutes before sinking to one knee, pulling out the ring and blurting out, "Marry me."

And waits.

And waits some more.

And waits so long that that his knee starts to hurt and people begin to notice.

"Jo, say something." He has no idea what to do. Girls were supposed to be happy when a guy proposes. It's just his luck that he falls in love with the one girl who looks at him like he's suddenly expressed a desire to sell all his worldly possessions and travel the world in a monkey suit.

Jo lets out a shaky breath. "Why?" she asks.

Why? Why? She wants to know why?

"Because." he says. She gets a cross look on her face and tries to pull her hand away. He tightens his grip and starts rattling of a list of becauses. Because she's beautiful. Because she doesn't want to change him. Because she can beat him in paintball. Because he loves her. Because even when he's annoyed with her he still wants her. Because he loves her smile. Because he loves making her smile. Because he loves her. Because he can't imagine being with someone else. Because he loves her. Because he wants her to be the mother of his children. Oh, did he mention he loves her? Because he does.

She bites her lip hard before taking a deep breath and starting her own list. They're too young. She's going away. They never talked about it. How does he know what he wants in five years? How does she know what she wants in five years? He's super smart and she's not. Why would he want to be married to someone who can kick his ass? They're too young. Most marriages fall apart. Also, they're just too damn young.

He takes a deep breath as some of the panic subsides. She's not saying no because she doesn't love him, she's just overreacting like always. He needs her to do, not think. He places the box on the floor and captures both hands. "Jo." he says. "Say no if you don't want to be with me, not because you're scared."

She scoffs but he knows he's right.

"Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes!"

"Then why not? My feelings aren't going to change if we wait five minutes or five years. I've loved you from quite possibly the first moment you put chilli powder in my coffee for leaving the toilet seat up." He gets a small laugh and he knows, he knows, he's winning. "50 years from now I still see us arguing over whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher. I see a dozen monster children who'll try to take over the world but we'll love them anyways because they're ours. I want us and I know you want us too." He gives a sharp tug to their intertwined hands. She looks at him, startled, and he smiles before bringing her hands to his lips and pressing a kiss on her knuckles. "Marry me Jo-Jo." He whispers.

She takes a shuddering breath and closes her eyes tightly. He can see the gears turning in her head, going over every possible scenario and outcome. For a non-scientist she can be very meticulous. He waits with baited breath for a verdict. She finally opens her eyes, sinks to her knees, wraps her arms around his neck and mutters, "You're such an idiot." He buries his face in her hair and holds her tight.

"Is that a yes?" For one paralyzing moment she doesn't say anything. Then he feels rather than hears her familiar long-suffering sigh (it really is ridiculous that he wants to hear that sound for the rest of his life). She presses a kiss onto his forehead.

"Yes."

* For Sydnew. One way or another, she's getting that bike.

** Sidereus Nuncius (roughly translated as Sidereal Messanger) is a short treatise by Galileo Galilei. It was the first scientific treatise based on observations made through a telescope.

Chapter Two: FBI Jo and on parole/reluctant consult Zane.