I'm back after a very long hiatus. I've been kicking around this idea ever since the show ended. Just exactly how does Henry break the news to Jo and how does she react?
You know the drill – it don't belong to me, I'd be allot richer if it did.
*EDIT* My apologies for those who received one of those updated chapter emails. While rereading this to family I found one of those errors which, had I been lest hasty in the beginning, would never have been posted. There has been no significant changes, sorry.
Abe was beating me again and thoroughly enjoying the experience, calling me back to the chess table. I moved a piece, keeping my finger on it looking at all the ways my octogenarian son was going to slaughter me. I was in too good a mood to take it personally and enjoyed teasing him, smiling at him. My position wasn't irredeemable. Before he could complain about the time I was taking there was a knock at the door. It was Jo.
"Hello detective! Do you have a mystery for me to solve?"
Jo seemed a little nervous, "Yeah, I think ... ah ... you could say that." She held up my watch.
For one brief second I was afraid she was going to say that she had seen me die down in those tunnels, but then I rallied myself and took a deep breath. "Thank goodness." I laughed and hoped she couldn't see through me too well. "It was just stolen and I was about to file a police report." Boy am I a horrible liar, "and..." but please don't notice. "Well! Here you are." I flashed my most charming smile and hoped she would just think I was relieved.
"You know I'd figured you say that," Jo spoke quickly, as if uncomfortable. "I also," she took a deep breath, "found this." It was Abigail's picture, the one she always carried with her, taken shortly after we found Abe, the one Adam took from her, the one he showed me before he shot me. I could feel the ground threatening to close in around me, the false smile fell from my face and I felt all the fear of my secret being discovered, that same fear that had me gibbering like a fool when Abigail found me saying goodbye to Abe after I had died in her arms.
"I was hoping you could explain it to me?" Jo sounded so hopeful; it pulled me back into reality for a moment. Until the thought came that no ready lie will serve here. There was no easy way out. I was trapped. I took the picture from Jo's fingers and gazed at Abigail's image. She was so beautiful, so happy that day. I felt so lost without her.
Abe must have noticed my distress because I could feel him next to me. "Tell her." His eyes reminded me of an earlier conversation when he had urged me to find someone else, that he wouldn't live forever, and that I would need someone else to rely on, to keep me grounded - but how could I? As if he could read my mind Abe nodded. I turned back to the picture, remembering the day Abigail found out and her reaction, not the fear and condemnation I feared, but just to hold me - 'You poor man' she had said, and that was all. I took deep breath to steady myself, and then looked at Jo.
"It's a long story." I whispered. Perhaps my position wasn't irredeemable.