Rifiuto: Non Miriena

The door opened, and she slipped inside, shutting it softly behind her. He was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, hands laced over his stomach, his mind whirling. Even from this distance, she could see the countless thoughts running circles in his head, all leading back to the common thread that was his mother and the secret she'd kept. After a moment, she went to the bed, climbing up next to him and laying on her stomach, propping her arms under her chin. "You okay, babe?"

He sighed. "How could she lie to me like that? My entire life... how could she do that?" Zane asked, finally turning his blue gaze to Jo. She swallowed, unsure of how to answer. Instead, she reached out, tracing patterns on his shirt before reaching up to fiddle with the Section Five pin on his lapel.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"So what was the call about?" He asked, watching her. She rolled her eyes, sighing.

"One of the projects got out of control in Sublevel Twelve of Section Five."

"Which one?" He asked. She yawned.

"Human and Anthropod cloning." She whispered, voice laden with sleep. He nodded, watching as she nodded off to sleep next to him. Then, he pulled her into his arms, settling her on his chest, returning his gaze to the ceiling.

He didn't understand. He... he had a twin brother, that he never knew existed. This entire time...

He glanced down at Jo. They had no secrets from each other anymore. Both were open books, both were honest with each other. He knew about the time travel and had kept quiet- he couldn't very well turn over the woman he loved, or her friends. Even now, with the fear of sanction over their heads remotely gone, he still kept their secret, prefering to keep it and protect them, than risk a chance. He had gained Jo's trust over the last couple years.

And lost his mother's all in one day.


The sight of the quiet little Oregon town was a welcome distraction from the turmoil roiling within Zane's mind. Jo was sound asleep in the passenger seat, and he reached out, gently brushing a lock of hair off her cheek before turning down Corolis Loop. He pulled up in front of her place, cut the engine of her sporty blue car, and got out, quickly unpacking and setting their bags on her porch before scooping her up from the passenger side. She shifted in her sleep, grasping a fistful of his shirt and burying her face in his chest. He carried her up the steps, stopping in front of the retinal scanner.

"Good morning, Zane."

"Good morning, AIDA." Once he was inside, he took Jo upstairs and gently laid her on the bed before rushing downstairs and getting their bags. Then, he returned upstairs and undressed her, putting her in a pair of her pajamas before tucking her under the covers. When he'd changed as well, he climbed under the covers beside her and pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Jojo."


The problem in Sublevel twelve of Section Five was quickly taken care of- it took from the time Jo and Zane got back, to the following Thursday because they had to round up the cloned animals that had gotten loose; most of which were hiding in the botanists' greenhouses- though not without the usual near death experience. So it was with a great sigh of relief that Zane dropped into the chair across from Jo's desk that afternoon. She looked up from her paperwork, eyebrows raised. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, Mr... Head of Section Five." She teased, getting up and going to him. She perched on his lap, wrapping an arm around his neck and laying her lips over his in a welcoming kiss. "How goes the cleanup?"

"It's done, thankfully." He sighed.

"What exactly happened?" She asked, shifting on his lap to allow him to wrap his arms around her.

"Honestly, I don't even know, nor do I care." He replied, burying his face in her neck. She chuckled softly, reaching up to tangle her fingers in his hair. They stayed silent for several minutes, lost in the feel of each others' arms, before Jo asked,

"Have you talked to Etta?" Zane pulled away, groaning.

"No. And I don't particularly want to right now." She sighed, running a hand down his chest, undoing a couple buttons as she did so.

"You're going to have to talk to her eventually, Zane."

"Not now, Jojo."

"I know, but someday, you're going to have to-"

"To what?" He asked, getting up, sending her to the floor in the process. "To accept the fact that I have a twin brother I knew nothing about for nearly thirty years? That... he's my identical twin? That she lied to me basically from the time I was born? No, Jojo! Maybe someday, but not right now!" She sighed, getting up and going to him.

"Babe, I know you're hurt. I understand, but-"

"Promise me something, Jojo." He cut her off. She stared at him, confused as he laid his hands on her waist, pulling her close.

"What do you-"

"Just... promise me something. Okay?" She nodded.

"Anything, Babe." He nodded, taking a deep breath. She could see the wheels working, and knew he'd been working on this for the last several days. "Zane, what is it? You're scaring me." He licked his lips, choking out,

"If... if we ever have twins someday..." He struggled to speak, unsure of how to continue.

"What? Zane? Go on, babe. I'm right here."

"If we ever have twins... promise me... that we will never... never consider adoption. That we will never give one of them up, regardless of whether we can provide for them both or not. If we have twins, we keep them both, no matter where we are in our live together. Promise me, Jojo!" She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. He took her face in his hands, staring into her dark eyes. "Please, Josefina. Promise me we'll never let them go."

After a moment, she nodded, seeing the pain in his eyes. This was affecting him, deeply, and Jo wanted to try her hardest to shield him from it. It was her job, she was the protector. She looked after the ones she loved, and she loved Zane too deeply to just stand back and watch his mother's betrayal eat away at him. "I promise, babe."

He wrapped her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her neck. "Thank you."


Etta looked around GD. She was seated in the Director's office, facing an older man of African-American descent, who was briefing her on the protocol surrounding her time in Eureka. Dr... Henry Deacon, if Etta remembered correctly.

"... standard..." Something drew her attention away from Henry, and she got up, going to the window that overlooked the rotunda.


So this was Global Dynamics- GD as those in the small town called it. Home of the latest technology, weaponry, the greatest minds of the twentieth and twenty-first century. And his brother and his fiance were among them. After dropping the bags off at the small bed and breakfast just outside of town, he'd come to GD, where he and Etta were supposed to meet up with the Director. From there, they'd explore the facility and hopefully spend some time getting to know Zane and Jo a little better.

Not that Zane wanted anything to do with either Etta or him.

Understandable, but still.

Evan sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets as he wandered along the rotunda. After Zane and Jo had skipped back to Eureka, Evan and Etta had spent the next few days catching up on nearly thirty years of lost family time. And then, out of the blue, Etta had suggested going to Eureka to talk to Zane. Security clearance wasn't a problem for Etta, nor Evan, once the government realized that he was one of their partners in "secret"- the Special Project he headed had helped the U.S. on more than one occasion with their own dinosaur problem.

Now, he stood in the middle of GD's rotunda, taking in everything. So lost in drinking everything in, he didn't hear the man calling for him. Eventually, though, he turned around, to see a middle-aged man in a sheriff's uniform hurrying towards him. This must be the Carter Jo had mentioned. The man appeared out of breath.

"... Zane! Glad I... caught you! Cafe Diem... problem..." Evan furrowed his brow, unsure of how to respond. Just as he opened his mouth, a familiar voice caused him to pause.

"There you are!" Etta was rushing towards them, an older man in tow.

"I don't understand, it's like-" He turned to see four people make their way towards the center of the rotunda- an African American woman in a white lab coat, a young man with glasses, and a very familiar pair...

The woman in black stopped, holding out a hand to stop her companions. Evan looked up, locking eyes with her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" It was then that Carter and the others in their small group looked up. Zane stood beside Jo, dressed in the familiar button down, blue jeans and jacket he'd taken to wearing since his promotion to Head of Section Five. After a moment, Carter turned back to Evan.

"Wait, if you're Zane-" He started, point to Zane. "Then... who are you?" The sheriff turned back to Jo and Zane. "Um, Jo? Why are there two Zanes standing in the middle of the rotunda?"