Disclaimer: Not mine - not Eureka, not the characters, nuthin.
A/N: And yes, it's supposed to be Lucas and not Logan. :) Thx for the correction!
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Zane felt a strange sense of relief when Zoe finally drove back to college. She and Lucas had reconnected about a week before, and Zane had let her pussyfoot around the subject for a few days before confronting her. They had both agreed that it had been a summer flirtation, and that it would be best to remain friends. Zane knew that the minute she left Eureka's city limits, her mind would be on someone else.
Which left Zane with the time and ability to pursue the mystery that surrounded Jo Lupo. He had an idea of what happened, but not sure how how the pieces fit together.
Maybe it was the idea of people having memories of him and the things he had done, that not even he had. It made him more than a little uncomfortable to think that Jo especially could have had all these experiences with him, and then had given that up. And lied right to his face about it.
Which was why he was in Cafe Diem, waiting for her. Vincent assured him that every Saturday she came in for a protein shake after her morning run, and this time she would not be able to avoid him as she had his calls. Or avoid him in the hallways at GD. In the last few weeks of the summer, Jo Lupo had gotten very good at being anywhere Zane was not.
There was a brief surge of pleasure in his chest when she walked in and her eyes zeroed in right on him. Cafe Diem was crowded with a lot of regulars enjoying their breakfast. He had taken a seat at the counter along the far wall, and yet she was so aware of him she spotted him immediately. That had to count for something, right?
He saw Jo turn to leave and saw his chance slipping away. Gritting his teeth he hopped up and pursued her out the door, catching up with her on the sidewalk just past the cafe tables set up outside.
"Jo! Wait!"
"Not now Zane."
"You can't run forever, Jo. We need to talk. I've waited long enough."
She turned to look at him, eyes pleading. Of course he knew she was hurting. Everyone could see it, when she let her guard down enough. "There's really nothing to talk about," she lied.
"Why?" he asked in frustration. "Why won't you tell me?"
"Because it's more than just me, Zane. I... there are reasons."
"I know I know, but I don't really mean about the why. I mean the what. The way you've been acting, the way the others have been acting, the things I've been feeling... it's making me feel as if I'm missing something, Jo. Missing something that I'm supposed to know or have or... I can't even explain it. I feel hollow."
She stared at him in wounded astonishment and he just wanted to shake her and hug her at the same time.
"Jo, please. The worst part is not knowing."
She shook her head, her face starting to close off again from him in that calm demeanor he hated. "No, Zane. The worst part is knowing, and not being able to tell you. I'll... I'll see you at work."
Zane crossed his arms and set his mouth in a line of determination. Jo had already turned from him and did not stop when he called, "I'm not giving up on you, Jo-Jo."
He hoped she heard him. Jo needed to know she was in for an interesting fall.