She's pregnant! Damn it Joe! Why didn't you tell me? No wonder you've been scared and confused. I would have stood by you. A thousand thoughts ran through his head as his motorbike with its specialised engine hit over 365 miles per hour. If his calculation were correct he only had 10 minutes until the meteorite hit. He could feel himself closing the gap and he just had to keep convincing himself that he would make it there in time.
"Zane…. You have 6 minutes left." Carter told him through their open comm. "Henry and I are heading to the safe room. Good luck." Zane hit the accelerator harder….
Coming around the corner, he eased on the breaks when he saw the bright blue of her Subaru parked on the side of the road. Just up ahead she had installed the ground to air missile and was typing in the final few commands. He came to a screeching halt and ran to her side.
"Joe."
"What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing." Zane checked the target,
"I don't want you here." She yelled at him.
"I don't care." Zane looked up at the sky, the meteorite filled up a space larger than the moon. Joe pushed him away from the console, insistent on doing it herself. "Are you trying to get us all killed he asked." He hit the button and set of the ten second timer before grabbing Joe's hand and running like hell to a clearing he spotted just to their left where the hundred year old trees would stop the debris from hitting them directly. Placing her in the hollow of the tree roots and shielding her with his body, Zane braced for impact.
"Are you all right?" he asked as he tried to sense what was going on. The explosion from the missile had burst his eardrums but it had worked. Eureka was under a storm of tiny rocks no bigger than small hailstones. Still shielding her with his jacket as she sat up, Joe noticed the blood pouring from his ears.
"You idiot. What were you thinking?"
"Me? You would have died out here Joe if it wasn't for me. How could you be so irresponsible?
"Don't be ridiculous."
"I love you."
"What?" She asked as he leaned in and kissed her long and hard,
"I love you."
"You don't have to say that just because we survived the end of the world. I can handle it you know. I'm a big girl."
"Lupo… I can't live without you. I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. I thought we would be going on the mission together, I looked forward to it. But when you pulled out, I thought you didn't love me anymore. I'd never cared about anyone before the way I cared about you and it scared me. I guess I shut myself off again."
"What makes you think I love you?" He placed his hand on her stomach. "This." He looked at her eyes, she knew that he knew. "The look in your eyes when I held Karen's child. Avoiding me because you are afraid of how I'd react. I'd be just as confused if I was in your shoes I don't blame you one bit."
"How dare you.."
"Let me finish… whatever you decided, I am here for you, and if there is anything I know more than anything I want to spend the rest of my life with you Joe." Joe was speechless,
"You're just saying that because I'm pregnant."
"No. I was trying to find you to tell you before I found out about the baby. How do you think I knew where you were?"
"Good question."
"I tagged your car in case you came back. If that isn't love, what is?"
"I'm not ready for this Zane, I never wanted to be a mother."
"And I never wanted to be a father but when I thought I was going to loose you…"
"So what are we saying here Zane?"
"Marry Me!"
"What?" Joe started to hyperventilate.
"Or at least lets go steady."
"No… no… I can't… I'm not mum material. I don't even know how to hold a baby."
"It's easy. I'll show you." Zane promised, "But first." He leaned in close and kissed her. Unable to resist she kissed him back,
"Fie but you're changing the nappies." She told him. Zane just smiled.
"You know what's even better than saying goodbye?" He asked her.
"No!" She lied,
"Welcoming you home." He made sure the ground was soft and she was comfortable before taking off her shirt and running her fingers over her belly.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She asked herself out loud.
"I don't know." Zane smiled, "But it's going to be a blast."