Rifiuto: Non Miriena

- Family Reunion

Jo took a deep breath, smoothing down the skirt of her simple strapless, knee-length white dress with the rusched bodice and organza overlay. She fussed silently with the black sash that was tied around her waist; her long dark hair was down around her shoulders in loose curls, with a neck-length two-tiered wedding veil tucked within her dark curls, and she wore a pair of simple black heels. Her makeup was minimal, the way she liked it, and she fidgeted with the skirt of her dress, the simple bouquet of red roses a sharp contrast against the white of her dress and the black sash. "I've... never been so nervous in my entire life." Tessa chuckled, reaching out to gently brush a wayward curl off her soon-to-be daughter-in-law's cheek.

"You'll be fine. And you look beautiful." A blush crept over Jo's cheeks as she glanced down at her dress.

"Thank you, Tessa."

"Mom." Tessa corrected. Jo met her eyes.

"Mom." The two women embraced, and Jo found herself thinking of her own mom. She hoped that she was here, watching today. It wasn't the white wedding she'd dreamed of as a child, but that didn't matter. She was marrying the man she loved; from this point on, she'd be his wife, and that was all that mattered. When she pulled away, they turned; James was talking quietly with Zane, who seemed more nervous about talking with his soon-to-be father-in-law than marrying her. Jo took a deep breath. "It doesn't seem real."

"It won't, for the first couple days, and then it hits you. That you're married to the love of your life."

"I hope so." Tessa chuckled, wrapping an arm around Jo's shoulders.

"I want you to know, that it's not easy being a Donhovan bride in this family. Take it from me. And know that I will be here whenever you need anything, okay, Jo?" The younger woman nodded, as her father and Zane joined them.

"You look beautiful, Peanut." James whispered, wrapping his daughter in a hug.

"Thanks, Daddy. I'm sorry this isn't exactly walking me down the aisle-" James chuckled.

"That doesn't matter, Josefina. All I care about is that you're happy." He pressed a kiss to her head, before pulling away. "Are you happy?" She nodded.

"Happier than I've ever been." James nodded, squeezing her hands, before pulling away. He gently pushed Jo into Zane's arms.

"You take care of her, you hear?" Zane nodded, wrapping his arms around Jo from behind. She shivered at his warm kiss on her neck, and turned to look up at him. She seemed to think, but before she could say anything,

"Are we ready?" All four turned to the Justice of the Peace, and Jo and Zane nodded, before asking for a moment. She turned back to him.

"Zane, this... this doesn't feel right." His brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, Jojo?" She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

"I... Henry... Henry should be marrying us." Gently, he reached up, catching the tears as they fell from her eyes, so she didn't smudge her makeup. Her voice choked with tears, and she struggled to keep from chuckling as he pressed a kiss to her head. He held her in his arms for several minutes, before,

"He will." He pressed another kiss to her head. "He'll marry us, Jojo. I promise. One way or another, he'll marry us." She looked up at him, and after a moment, the two burst out laughing, lost in a private joke. The justice cleared his throat gently, hating to interrupt such a tender moment between the pair.

"Are we ready to go?" They nodded, stepping up to join him. Zane and Jo were greatful for the quiet of the Boston Police Department (and once they'd explained the reason behind wanting to be married at the station) the others had agreed. But they weren't entirely alone- several of the officers (most of whom had dealt with Zane over his childhood life of petty crime, and had helped his mother reign her son in over the years) were gathered, watching the young man they'd watched grow up marry the love of his life.

"I just wish-" Zane squeezed her hand, lacing their fingers.

"I know, Jojo. So do I." It had been too risky (what with Jo's job at the FBI, and, right now, Zane's consulting on the case she was working on) to contact anyone from their old life in Eureka. In fact, they'd had to be as discreet as possible in regards to their friends and family from the small Oregon town, and basically had to ignore the multiple calls and texts and e-mails they'd recieved over the last few months. With the high priority concerning the case Jo had been working on and off along with her other cases, any sort of communication with anyone other than their immediate family had slipped their minds. With one last clearing of his throat, the Justice began.

"I have performed hundreds of civil ceremonies over the years, and this one is no exception. I have often told the couples I marry that it doesn't matter the size or expense of the wedding, the only thing that truly matters is that the couple who intends to make the rest of their life together, is here, along with the people who care about them. This is the couple's time to give their vows and make their promises to each other, as with any wedding ceremony. It is your choice to celebrate how you wish, because it is the coming together of two lives, to create one." He nodded to Zane, who squeezed Jo's hand, giving her the floor. She took a deep breath.

"Zane," She cleared her throat softly, looking up into his eyes. "You told me once that sometimes all you needed was a spark. And you were right. I need that spark to live, to breathe, to love. You are my other half, my partner, in every way. I... lived for a short time without you and it nearly killed me. I saw what my life was like without you, and... I can't imagine ever living that way again. I want to get into as much trouble as possible with you, just so I can haul your sorry ass out of it. I want to do so much, and I want to do it with you by my side. Always with you by my side, Zane. I love you." He gave her a soft smile, as she squeezed his hand gently, letting him know that it was his turn.

He swallowed, glancing at his mother before turning his gaze back to Jo. "Ah... when I met you, Josefina, I was a kid. We were... on opposite sides of the cell bars, but that didn't mean I didn't want you any less. I wanted to know all about you- and we danced around each other for two years, as adversaries, refusing to get along, like a couple of spoiled children refusing to share. And then, suddenly, we just... clicked. We felt that spark. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, forever. I want to drag you into trouble just to get you to loosen up and enjoy yourself. I want to take life head on, with you by my side. You've already made an honest man of me, and now we're making it official. I love you, Josefina." She choked out a soft chuckle, squeezing his hand.

"Very well. Zane, do you promise to be there for Josefina, to love and protect and honor her, to care for her in sickness and in health, through good times and bad, as long as you both shall live, until death do you part?" Zane squeezed her hand tight after sliding the ring onto her finger.

"I do."

"And Josefina-"

"I do. Yes! Absolutely-" She stopped, glancing at the justice, her smile fading. She quickly cleared her throat, military upbringing kicking in. "Sorry, Sir." The justice chuckled good naturedly, and quickly repeated the question. Glancing at Zane, she squeezed his hand as she slid the ring onto his finger, choking out, "I do. Absolutely."

"Then, by the power vested in me, by the state of Massachusetts, I prounce, before God and these witnesses, you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

And without another word, Jo threw her arms around Zane's neck. Their lips crashed together, and he stumbled back, regaining his balance once his arms were around her small waist. All too quickly, he pulled away, nudging his nose against hers. Silently, they mouthed tender exclaimations of love, to the applause and cheers of congratulations. Once Zane set her back on her feet, the justice went to them, shaking their hands. "Congratulations, you two." He looked up as the three joined their parents. "I can say I've married hundreds of people in various places, but this is the first time I've ever performed a wedding ceremony in a Boston Police jail cell." Jo and Zane laughed. "So, what exactly is the story, why the police station?" He asked gently. Jo glanced at Zane, who squeezed her hand as the exited the cell.

"We met at the jail, in the town where we both worked. I was deputy and Zane was the new resident-"

"Even a hundred miles away in Oregon, your son still couldn't keep outta trouble, huh, Tessa?" One of the officers (an Officer Matter, who had grown up with Tessa, and whom Zane considered a father-figure, though not enough to heed his warnings as a troubled teen) asked, joining the small group. Tessa shook her head.

"He was out of my jurisdiction by then, Jamie." She replied, holding up her hands.

"And in mine." Jo replied. "We spent... two years dancing around each other and, then we just... stopped." Jo said, looking up at Zane. He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"We decided to give being friends a shot, and then instead of adversaries, lovers." Zane said, meeting her gaze. She wrapped an arm around his waist.

"We tried our hardest not to skip past the 'being friends' part." Jo clarified at the justice's odd look. "And... then he..." She glanced back at Zane, who squeezed her waist gently, telling her it was okay. "And then he proposed and I froze. We didn't speak for a while, and then we got back in contact, and..." She shrugged. "One thing led to another and I proposed to him and he... accepted. And... along the way we... we fell in love." She whispered.

"And the jail cell?" Tessa asked; Zane had never told her the whole story behind their engagement. Zane sighed.

"I recreated- we both, actually- recreated the day we first met."

"In the sheriff's office. In the jail cell." Jo added.

"Well, that is quite a story." The justice replied, pulling out the marriage license (which they'd had notorized before the ceremony) and laying it on a nearby desk. He handed the pen to Jo. "If I could just have your signatures." Jo glanced at Zane, giving him a big smile before leaning over and writing her name (maiden, she had to remember, maiden on the license) before handing the pen to Zane. Quickly, he signed, that familiar, neat scrawl she loved so, before setting the pen down and nudging his nose against hers. She giggled, reaching up to cradle his face in her hand, staring into his eyes for several minutes before kissing him. When they finally pulled away, Jo turned to Tessa, who opened her arms to her daughter-in-law. Jo let herself relax into her mother-in-law's embrace, blushing at the tears filling her eyes.

"Welcome to the family, Jo." Tessa whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. Jo whispered her thanks as the pair broke apart, turning to see James talking softly with Zane. Jo chuckled through her tears; she knew that her father hadn't approved of her relationship with Zane, in fact, he'd fairly ranted whenever she brought the younger man's name into the conversation. Now though, she knew that her dad was welcoming Zane to the Lupo clan in his own way, chatting with him over God knew what, and steering clear of his criminal past (although the pardon came up once or twice, Jo could tell from Zane's frantic nodding), and after a moment, she excused herself from Tessa to rescue her husband.

"Daddy, play nice. Or... at least try to." She joked, an arm going around Zane's waist. She snuggled into his side; he habitually wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple. James gave her a soft smile, and Jo went to her father, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Do you think Mama's happy? Even if it's not a traditional Catholic wedding, like Ricco and Amy had?" She asked, resting her head on his shoulder. James chuckled softly.

"Traditional doesn't matter to her, Josefina. Just as long as you find your happiness, that's all she ever wanted- all we both ever wanted for you." Jo sniffled, buring her face in her father's neck.

"I wanted her here." He swallowed at her muffled reply.

"She is, sweetheart. She's here, smiling down on you. I know she is." He pressed a kiss to her forehead when he pulled away, and then gently pushed her back towards Zane, who was talking with his mom. "Go." Jo moved to join him, before turning back to her father. Before James could say anything, Jo had rushed to him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck.

"Don't cry, Daddy. He loves me." And she pressed a kiss to his cheek, both unaware of the image frozen forever in time, taken by one of the officers who dappled in photography. When she finally pulled away, Tessa and Zane had joined them.

"Well, shall we head back to the house? Have a quiet dinner? Just the family?" She asked, smiling at her daughter-in-law. Jo nodded, glancing at her father, who pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

By the time they reached Zane and Jo's townhouse, the nerves felt during the ceremony had lessened greatly. Over a (not so quiet) dinner (Jo's two oldest brothers, Ricco and Davie, who were both stateside temporarily, and their families had managed to get to Boston for their baby sister's wedding ceremony), Tessa and James shared stories about their children that embarrassed both Jo and Zane. As they all settled in the living room over dessert, Zane picked up the phone, his stomach dropping as he thought about the latest assignment most likely waiting for Jo on the other end of the line. Thankfully though, he got a pleasant surprise when he heard his last brother-in-law's voice. After several minutes of soft conversation, he handed the phone to Jo, wrapping an arm around her waist as he settled beside her on the sofa.

"Hello?" She stopped, a gasp softly escaping her throat. "Luca?" Tears promptly began sliding down her cheeks, and she turned to Zane, reaching up and gently brushing her fingers over his cheek. He grabbed her hand, kissing her fingertips lightly before giving her a soft smile. "H... hold on, let me put you on speaker."

And suddenly, Luca Lupo's voice filled the living room, to excited tears and shouts from his older brothers and in-laws. "So, I hear that our little Who just tied the knot." He drawled; Jo could hear the smile tugging at his lips as he spoke. "Might I ask, exactly what sort of lunatic did she marry? Who was the poor psycho that got roped into marrying my baby sister? And exactly how badly do I need to pummel his ass?" The others all laughed as Zane paled beside Jo, who curled into his arms.

"Very funny, Luc." Jo replied, looking up at Zane. "Zane may be a troublemaker, but he didn't do anything. I asked him to marry me."

"You asked him?" Luca whistled low. "You must really have him whipped- either really whipped or scared as hell. Speaking of which, he's not putting up with any of your crap, is he, Josie?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jo asked, sitting up. The others laughed.

"From what we can tell, Luc, Josie's behaving herself." Ricco called as his oldest, six-year-old Samantha (or Sami as her family affectionately called her), climbed into his lap and curled against his chest. "Then again, we haven't had a lot of time to check on her for you." Everyone knew how close Jo and Luca were; the two youngest of the Lupo children had endured absolute torture at the hands of their older brothers. Ricco and Davie had made a point of tormenting their younger siblings growing up; from tauntings to pranks to everything in between, Jo and Luca had fought with Ricco and Davie- and even against each other- for everything as kids in South Jersey.

Of the four, Jo and Luca had spent a good majority of their childhood going after one another, and when not against each other, against their older brothers together. Luca had been the one to teach Jo to box; in return, she'd taught him interrogating (quite useful when it came to discovering the tricks and pranks Ricco and Davie had often planned to pull on them), and together, the two had taken MMA, often becoming each others' sparring partner. Of the four siblings, Jo and Luca had rebelled the most- running away, shoplifting, breaking and entering; everything from hotwiring their dad's mustang, to forging signatures, to impersonating flight attendants, to hitchhiking down to Atlantic City for the Fourth of July. They'd been each others' partner-in-crime, confidante, protector. Luca had kept a close eye on his baby sister, he'd also kicked her ass more than once; he'd given her more than one black eye and busted lip over the years, and in a way, taught his tomboyishly-girly little sister how to fight back and defend herself. And for that, Jo couldn't help but be grateful. The fact that he'd gotten a chance to call her on her wedding day just meant so much more.

"Seriously, you're okay, Josie?" Luca asked, voice softening on the other end of the line. Jo scooted towards the edge of the sofa, leaning towards the phone. She sniffled, unable to keep the tears at bay.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Luc. I found a good guy."

"Hopefully not too good. You're certainly no goody-two-shoes, and you shouldn't have to put up with one for the rest of your life." Jo laughed through her tears.

"He's just perfect for me, Luc-"

"He's a felon!" Davie cut in.

"Hey! Do the words "presidental pardon" mean nothing to you?" Zane snapped, offended. Jo chuckled, as Luca clucked his tongue.

"A felon? Well, takes a felon to know a felon, right, Josie-Lou-Who?" Luca asked, laughter in his voice.

"Hey! I was not the only one fingerprinted and thrown in that holding cell that night, idiot! You were right there with me!" Jo replied, some long-ago memory drudging up through the mist of years.

"What?" She looked up at her older brothers and in-laws, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Silence fell between the two youngest siblings momentarily. Jo bit her lip, quiet.

"Josie and I may have... set the Wilkinson garage on fire... and accidentally burned down the house."

"Whoa, that summer it was so rainy?" Davie asked. Jo's teeth dug deeper into her lower lip. "The summer before Dad shipped you both off to military?" He glanced at Ricco. "That was you two?" All four Lupo siblings remembered the summer the Wilkinson's house caught fire and burned to the ground (thank God the couple had been in Idaho visiting family), leaving the garage smouldered and black but still standing. All of South Jersey had been in a panic, and James had responded to the panic and fear by shipping his two youngest to military school at the end of the summer holiday. "And you actually got caught?"

"Dad turned us in- four weeks later." Davie started, surprised.

"So it was the two of you, who were setting South Jersey ablaze those four weeks in July." He whistled low, impressed.

"The only reason we got caught was because we had tried to burn Mrs. Pagalia's shed down and ended up setting Josie's hair on fire instead." Luca muttered, as if it were all Jo's fault that their four-week arson spree had ended in county jail.

"Well if you hadn't gotten the candle so close maybe my hair wouldn't have caught fire!" Jo snapped.

"And if you'd cut your hair like Ricco suggested, we wouldn't have had a problem!" Luca fired back. Ricco burst out laughing, amazed to learn of his youngest siblings' criminal pasts. Hell, he'd fallen for the intricate, carefully constructed lies the two had weaved as children, believing everything his wide-eyed baby brother and sister had told him. He caught the surprised look on Zane's face.

"Starting to regret joining this family?" Ricco asked. After a moment, the younger man shook his head.

"No. Just... surprised that Jo was such... trouble growing up." James laughed.

"You don't know the half of it, Zane." He said, patting his son-in-law's back before getting up. "All four of them gave me Holy Hell, but Jo and Luca were the worst." Zane didn't have to look at Jo to know the face she was making at her father's back. Luca sighed.

"But seriously, Josie, are you happy?" Jo glanced at Zane, taking his hand and threading their fingers.

"Yeah. Never been happier, Luc." She whispered, leaning over and stealing a soft kiss from Zane's lips. He drank her in, deepening the kiss as he pulled her onto his lap. She curled into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Good. I wish I could have been there-"

"You will be," Zane cut in, speaking for the first time since Davie had brought up his pardon. "We're having the actual blessing- blessing, right, Jojo?" She nodded, squeezing his hand. It had taken some time, but Jo had finally managed to convince Zane to have their blessing ceremony at the Catholic church in October (he still didn't get the big deal about a blessing by the Catholic church, it wasn't like they were regular churchgoers), so Luca could be there. "-ceremony in October. We just... wanted it to be a quiet little affair between family this time. We'll invite the friends later."

"I'm surprised Dad agreed to a civil ceremony instead of forcing the wedding ceremony." Jo snorted.

"Dad can't do much anymore, Luc, it's my life. I didn't want to wait."

"As long as you're happy, Josie. That's all that matters." Silence fell for several minutes, as she struggled to keep from bursting into tears. "Look, I gotta get going, but I just wanted to call, and check in on you. Glad to hear you're doing good, sis. And that you're happy. Zane, welcome to the family. I'll see you both for the blessing ceremony in October. Love you, Josie-Lou-Who." Wiping tears off her cheeks, Jo choked out,

"Love you too, Luca." When the phone call ended, Jo sighed and turned to James. "I wish he'd been here. It's not fair that Ricco and Davie got to be here, and Luca's overseas, in harm's way. It's not fair." A moment passed, before she slid off Zane's lap and got up, going to her dad, who stood near the bookcase, lost in thought. James wrapped her in a hug, rubbing her back.

"I know, Peanut. But right now, he's safe. Just... keep Luc in your prayers. Keep him in your prayers." She nodded, curling into his embrace again. Moments passed before the other adults headed into the kitchen for coffee and the cake Tessa had made for the dinner, leaving Jo and her dad in the living room with her nieces and nephews. Several minutes passed before James went to to the stereo and turned it on.

"Daddy? What are you doing?" But she stopped when she heard the familiar words. James went to her, holding out his hands.

"May I have this dance?" She couldn't stop the smile, and she let him take her in his arms. They waltzed around the living room, memories of doing this when Jo was a child of four and five, balanced on the tops of his shoes, with pink ribbons in her long black curls, as his wife watched from the kitchen. The memory faded, he was actually amazed that she had allowed him to dance with her; when she'd hit sixteen, Jo hadn't wanted anything to do with James or his parenting. He'd tried his hardest to steer his kids on the right path, and somehow, Jo and Luca had veered off in an entirely different direction, rebelling as much as they could, even those first couple years in military school. But when they came home, Jo always made a point of kissing James on the cheek; the only contact she would allow her father- no hugs, no parenting of any kind.

He knew, that subconsciously, Jo blamed him for her mom's death. But he'd been powerless to stop the crash that had killed her, and even if he had, the cancer that had taken refuge in her ovaries was too far along that she wouldn't have survived anyway. For some unknown reason, his wife had been marked for death long ago, leaving him to raise four children in the tangled, twisted, burning ashes of an accident that could have been prevented if the occupants of the other car hadn't been out drinking. So, moving from one base to the next, James had turned to discipline, the only thing that could possibly rein in his wild youngest. But now, as he danced with Jo, he had to admit that she- and Luca- had turned out well, despite their wild childhood.

"I've lost my baby girl." Jo's head snapped up, and the wide-eyed look she wore told him he'd spoken out loud. A moment passed, before she pressed a kiss to his cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Daddy." He whispered it back softly to her, catching his son-in-law's eye. Zane gave him a soft smile, before gently cutting in as the music changed.