Rifiuto: Non Miriena
The town was small; the typical, Pacific Northwest, small town with the tree-lined streets and the old-fashioned store fronts. With the children playing baseball at the park or adults sharing coffee in front of the cafe. He looked around, his blue gaze scanning each face, searching. Since being brought to the town, to avoid prison time, he'd found it stifling and full of annoyances. He'd only seen Jo once since coming to the town- not long after arriving; she'd been sitting at a table outside the cafe, with a blonde teenager and a brunette. Dressed in deputy tans, with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, she was a far cry from the hiking shorts and tanks she'd worn growing up. Now, he wandered into the cafe, his eyes scanning the faces as he went to the counter. There she is.
His heart stopped, and he had to force himself to breathe. She was talking with the owner of the cafe- Vincent, if he remembered correctly- her long black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She laughed, and Zane felt his pulse quicken; he hadn't heard that laugh since last summer. She hadn't been able to come home for Christmas, and so they'd spent the holiday apart. But now-
She turned to leave, cup of coffee in hand, gun in the holster at her hip, and stopped. Suddenly, all the air in the room crackled with electricity, and Zane swore he saw sparks. A brief moment of confusion filled her chocolate eyes, before realization dawned, and she dropped her cup. "Zane!" Before he could reply, she'd launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. When she pulled back to stare into his eyes, he smiled softly at her.
"Hey, Jojo." She took his face in her hands and kissed him, not caring for others in the cafe who might have been upset by the display of affection their deputy was showing the newcomer. When she broke the kiss, he set her on her feet, holding her close.
"You came-"
He pressed a soft kiss to the side of her mouth. "Why wouldn't I? Seemed the better alternative to prison." She scoffed, shoving him firmly.
"What did you do now, Matthew?" She accused mockingly, a grin tugging at her lips. He shrugged, sniffing.
"You remember Mrs. Spadaro?" He whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against her head. She seemed to think a minute before,
"You're physics professor?" He nodded.
"The money from her foundation was stolen-"
"By you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He glared at her, and she laughed. "Kidding. Go on."
He sighed. "So, I stole three point one million from the U.S. Border Patrol account for drug interdiction and put it back into her account." She pulled back, eyes wide.
"Allegedly." He shook his head.
"No. I did. And I put it back into her account as an anonymous donation. Don't look at me like that, Jojo. They don't need it. Besides, can't we just agree the war on drugs is really a moralistic assualt on individual liberty?" She narrowed her eyes, a common look for her in regards to Zane. "Or not." He sighed. "Don't look at me like that. And don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing were you in my shoes." She opened her mouth, and instantly closed it. He laughed, going to the counter. "See? I know you too well, Jojo-"
"There you are!" Everyone turned to see Sheriff Jack Carter storm into the cafe, making his way towards Zane. "I turn my back on you for two minutes-" He ground to a halt as Jo stepped in front of him, hands on her small hips. She blocked Zane from Carter's grasp, an angry glare obscuring her pretty features. "Get out of the way, Jo."
"Back off, Carter. I will handle Zane."
"You can't handle- wait, you... do you know him?" The deputy and delinquent shared knowing glances, having entire conversations in the matter of a few minutes. Carter- and everyone else- yearned to know what they were silently discussing, and how a simple glance could hold an entire conversation when most people couldn't even whole words to speak. "Jo, how do you know him?" A moment passed, before the deputy turned back to her boss.
"I... grew up with him. We were... best friends. Still are, hopefully." She said, glancing back at Zane, who handed her the cup of coffee he'd ordered for her to replace the one she'd dropped.
"Of course we are, Jojo. Always will be." He said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.
"That didn't look like a 'Just friends' kiss." Both turned to the waitress; Zoe Carter stood watching the newcomer with awe in her eyes. She'd only ever seen one other person cause Jo to react that way- Callistar Raynes, Stark's robot project, who'd returned to town two years before. Jo had kissed and then punched him. Suddenly, Zoe began to wonder if this Zane knew about Callistar. Jo glared at her.
"What do you know, Zo?" She asked, grabbing Zane's hand. "You still have your bike?" She asked, turning to face him. He started.
"Of course I do, why wouldn't I? Have you ever known me not to have my bike?" She thought a moment, leaning close.
"When we were twelve. That was the summer you threw me in the lake and my bikini top came undone." He chuckled, remembering the look of horror on her face. They'd both hit puberty, and the sudden changes in Jo's shape had taken Zane by surprise in the course of a night. Of course, that was also the weekend they'd shared their first kiss, and the weekend Jo had taught Zane to shoot with her father's rifle- an act that had gotten her grounded for three weeks.
"And the summer you tried to make me deaf when you taught me how to shoot-" He replied. She snorted.
"It's called protective headgear for a reason-"
"And the summer Dad grounded you." It was common for Zane to call James 'Dad' and vice versa- the kids had grown up together; in fact, Jo had looked on Zane as one of her brothers, until the year they turned twelve. Only about two weeks seperated their birthdays- Zane's was October Twentieth, and Jo's was on Halloween. They'd always celebrated their birthdays together; suddenly, Jo and Zane were stealing glances and finding themselves in awkward silences when they were together. Yes, the year they turned twelve, things went from normal to just plain weird. Now though, as he stood looking her up and down, he found that all those feelings he'd pressed down bubbling to the surface. She tugged him towards the door, waving to Carter over her shoulder.
"Jo!" She stopped, turning to Zane. He nodded, and she went back to the doorway.
"What'cha want, Carter?" The sheriff stammered for several minutes, before she rolled her eyes and turned, joining Zane on his bike. Carter rushed out to stop her, but got out there in time to see Zane gun the engine and drive off, Jo holding tight to him. When they got to her place, she pulled him into the living room and kicked off her shoes, climbing onto the sofa and pulling him with her. When they were settled, Zane wrapped his arms around her waist, tilted her chin up and kissed her. Deep and long, and he pulled her close, drinking her in.
"I've been wanting to do that for months." He whispered when they finally broke away. She giggled, licking her lips.
"Me, too." She kissed him again, before getting up and going into the kitchen. Zane watched her, noticing how her hips swayed and rolled as she moved, how her deputy uniform clung in all the right places- "AIDA? Are there still some of those Russian tea cakes I made last night?"
"In the jar near the fridge, Jo." Zane looked up from his study of his best friend, and after a moment, asked,
"Um... AIDA?" Jo turned back, carrying a bowl of small, crescent-shaped sugar-coated cookies. She climbed up next to him, holding the bowl between them.
"Automated Inhabitable Designer Apartment. Or AIDA, which every you prefer." The house replied. Zane glanced at Jo, and pointed to the ceiling.
"You have a smart house? Or... smart apartment, rather?" Jo shrugged.
"Perks of living in Eureka." She replied, taking a bite of one of the cookies.
"But you don't live in an apartment," He observed, looking around. "You live in a house-"
"If you don't mind me asking, Jo, but who is this stranger you've brought home? I don't recognize him and his DNA signature isn't in your approved list of visitors. And I am fully aware that I am a house, but I quite like my name, and refuse to change it." Jo chuckled, glancing up at the ceiling as Zane grabbed a cookie.
"Oh, AIDA, this is Zane. Zane, this is AIDA. Zane and I grew up together. We're... old friends." She said, sharing a heated glance with him. He rolled his eyes, as he took a bite. The house seemed to contemplate this before,
"Shall I add him to your approved visitor list, Jo? Or would you rather I ban him from the house?" Jo snorted, rolling her eyes as she got up and grabbed the phone, checking for messages.
"No one's being banned, AIDA. And yes, would you please put Zane on the approved list?"
"Very well. What about Callistar Raynes and Jim Taggart?" Jo seemed to freeze, phone at her ear, and slowly, she lowered the instrument, shutting it off and returning it to the cradle before whispering,
"Callistar Raynes is... no longer in Eureka, nor will he be coming back. And as for Taggart..." She glanced at Zane. "He left town a year ago. I don't think he's coming back. You can take them both off the list, AIDA."
"Taggart?" Zane asked. Jo bit her lip.
"Don't ask-"
"Dr. Jim Taggart works at Global Dynamics. He and Jo had been dating for the last year." AIDA informed him. Zane glanced at Jo; she buried her face in her hands.
"Dating?" She groaned softly.
"AIDA, what have I told you about unnecessary information?" She snapped, turning to the ceiling. The house stayed quiet, hearing the snip in Jo's tone. She turned to Zane. "It was nothing, it was just a couple dates-"
"Did he kiss you?" She didn't answer. "Jo! Did he kiss you?" A moment passed before she nodded.
"Yeah. We... we did that and... a... a little more than..." She stopped. He shook his head, turning from her. They sat in silence for several minutes before Zane asked,
"So for this past year and a half, you've been... what? Sleeping aroun?" Her head snapped up, and her jaw dropped.
"No! I... Zane, didn't sleep with Callistar, and I may have slept with Taggart once or twice but-"
"But what?" When she didn't reply, he got up, going to the door. "But we weren't important enough for you to be loyal?"
"Me? What about you?" She replied, flying off the sofa and following him onto the porch. "Don't tell me you weren't doing the same!"
"I wasn't!" He snapped, turning to her when she grabbed his arm. "I was working on getting my doctorate, and trying not to send Mom into the loony bin, and occasionally, visit with my girlfriend when she could get time off work!" Jo stopped.
"I'm not your girlfriend, Zane." He scoffed, stepping towards her.
"Oh really? What about when we were fourteen? So... us just losing our virginity to each other was just... what? A game?" She bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I didn't-"
"Fine. You want to play pretend? We'll play pretend. Good to see you again, Jojo." And without a backwards glance, he left, leaving her on the porch.