Zane read Jo's face searchingly as he traced fingers down the length of her hair. "Jojo, I missed you."

Each time this had happened she had been afraid to touch him. She feared he'd disappear if her mind tactically realized he wasn't real. So she lay still and did her best to cherish each brush against her skin his imaginary presence created. "Oh Zane I miss you so much," her voice broke.

"What's the matter babe, why are you so upset?" He traced his fingers along her hairline and down the side of her cheek.

She felt her eyes well up and she tried to find the words to tell him. "I...Fargo let it slip out about the other time line and us. Now you want to know what we were." She explained with sadness.

He furrowed his brow in puzzlement. "Sooo, what's the problem?"

"Today, because of glitch in programming, you burnt down my house. It's a long story, but it messed up everything I've been working on for months to and I had to walk up to you being the one doing it."

Her expression hardened for a brief minute as she looked at him and he spoke a tentative "sorry?"

She placed a hand in front of him, motioning him not to continue. "Stop, I know it wasn't you. It wasn't even him, really. And yet I'm having a terrible time letting it go. He drives me absolutely crazy, probably even worse than you did."

"Yeah, well Jo, if I didn't drive you crazy I'm not sure our relationship would have had as much spark." He lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "I kind of think it's part of what you love about me." He winked and his lips fell in a smirk.

"Maybe I was wrong about that whole driving me crazy thing." His smirk widened in amusement and she continued. "I don't know if I can go through anymore pain if it doesn't work out. He's not you, he doesn't know me and love me like you do. So I just... I can't."

"Jo, he is me. Same DNA, you could check each strand, well except in the case of likely epigenetic modification**... " She looked hard at him in frustration and he added, "Nevermind."

She continued, not bothering to ask. "Yes but we haven't built anything together like you and I did. Do you remember all we've gone through to get to this point? How many times we've almost broke up? I don't think I'd survive that a second time." She added with sadness.

"That's exactly my point Jo. Look how much we've been through over the last few years. You can't let that all go because of fear." He scolded gently.

"Zane, let's be honest here. You know why you were first attracted to me. What's to say as soon as I let myself fall for him, he doesn't find someone that attracts him more? I don't think I can or want to live through that."

"Look, we may have started off because of physical attraction but there is so much more that made me fall for you."

"Like because I could kick your ass?" She responded dryly.

"Yeah, that was part of it." He grinned widely in amusement. "But seriously, you kept me in line Jo. I knew you'd always straighten me out if I screwed up."

She took a moment to consider what he was saying. With some hesitation she asked, "Was there anything else?"

With certainty, he replied, "lots of things. The way you're loyal to and protective of your friends. How passionate you are about everything in your life- whether it's guns, ballet, or your job." Her eyes dropped and he lowered his face just enough to catch her gaze again and continued. "The way you can keep a clear head under pressure. You're funny as hell too. The deadpan sarcasm kills me." Despite her attempts against it she was blushing. "I can't leave out how killer you are in bed."

She let out a laugh despite herself. "You're not so bad yourself Donovan."

He raised his brow in appreciation and licked his lips suggestively. "Our make-up sex was to die for. I can't imagine having been with anyone else." He added with a break in his voice.

She stared at him surprisingly. "I never knew you felt all of that. I mean I know you loved me, I just didn't know you appreciated so much about me."

"I thought you knew how I felt. I really screwed that up in the expressing my feelings department, didn't I?" He paused as she shook her head in reassurance. Then an understanding flashed in his eyes. "Is that why you hesitated when I proposed?"

She swallowed back the emotion that was catching in her throat. "Maybe. If I had know all of that it might have made a difference, not that it matters now." She added dejectedly.

They lay quietly in each others arms for some time. Zane finally spoke. "You need to give him a chance."

She shook her head in protest. "I don't know that I can. What about my house?"

"If this had happened before the time line switch would you have forgiven me? How about if you had heard about it after you lost me? Would it matter if we could be together?"

"No." She answered with certainty. "But Zane, in a weird way it feels like I'm betraying you. I don't want to let you go."

A sadness crossed his face and he grew serious. "You have to Jo. We'll never be able to be happy again until you stop holding on to what we had. You have to make something new and let me go, for good."

She shook her head in protest but she knew he was right. And for the first time in years the tears fell and she sobbed. She felt one soft brush of a kiss on her lips and then he held her. She wasn't sure if she was imagining any of it but she didn't want to question. She snuggled against whatever it was as she finally drifted fully to sleep.

A/N: This all came about because of an experience I had growing up. I had a major loss before I hit my teens. And there were two times in my life that I was so beside myself with grief and depression that I begged for the person to be there. And in a weird way I could feel them appear. I lay really still and let whatever it was comfort me. It was probably a coping mechanism but I was so shocked at how realistic it was. I felt calm and peace. When I thought about Jo I pictured the idea that she would try to talk with her Zane and this is what came about. Make your own assumptions about what this really was, whether it be her way of working out her feelings and giving herself permission to let him go, some kind of spirit, new Zane sneaking in to comfort her or a leftover hallucination.

**Epigenetic modification is where identical twins start out with nearly identical DNA and over time differing environmental influences throughout their lives affect which genes are switched on or off. I was reading Sydnew's "S.A.R.A.H. Knows Best (which is a great fic!) and she mentions a similar concept. It seemed to fit with Zane being the same person with different experiences. Thanks to Sydnew.

And of course I don't own Eureka but I love the PNW and would love to spend some time in the town, if only it existed. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading and I appreciate reviews! I'll hopefully have the last couple chapters up by the weekend.