Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: Written: 2013.- Licia
The cafe was busy, but not too busy; not like it was on Sundays, partially due to the nice weather. More people were either spending time outside or taking picnics or hosting barbecue parties, which meant few were interested in being inside, especially on such a nice day. No matter how many times she'd been in the cafe since coming to this new timeline, Jo was always relieved to see it was the same as the one she'd left.
As they settled down at one of the tables, Zane and Jo fell into soft conversation about something, and Annaleigh and Eleanora were looking at something on the tablet they'd brought with them; only Cate wasn't paying attention to whatever had captured her sisters' attentions. She sat slumped in her chair, arms crossed over her chest, narrowed gaze directed at her parents. A moment passed, before Jo said something and got up, kissing Zane quickly before disappearing towards the bathroom.
"Jeeze Louise, you look like someone just stole your boyfriend right out from under your nose. What's got your panties in a twist, little Donovan?"
"Jenna!" Cate looked up as Eleanora sprang from her seat, moving over to throw her arms around the older girl. The older girl laughed, wrapping the youngest Donovan sister in a hug; Annaleigh was soon up and hugging her as well. Zane stood, going to the girl.
"Good to see you again, Jenna. When did you get back?"
"You too, Uncle Zane. I got in last night."
"Um..." The pair broke apart, to see Jo standing behind them. "Am I interrupting?"
"Jo!" Her brow furrowed briefly, before Zane quickly spoke up and the younger woman went to her, reaching for a hug. Jo let her, a look of confusion on her face that Zane caught, and he grinned. From her seat, Cate rolled her eyes.
"Babe, you remember Jenna."
"J... Jenna Stark? Ah... look at you! It's good to see you again!" For her part, Jenna didn't take Jo's surprise as anything out of the ordinary; she knew Jo'd been away for a couple months, and her own schedule didn't exactly allow her to come home a lot of the time. Still wrapped in Jenna's hug, Jo caught Zane's eye, 'How old is she?'
He chuckled softly as Jo's eyes widened at his response. 'Twenty.'
"It's so wonderful to see you again, Aunt Jo. How was Vancouver?" A quick smile flit across the Head of Security's face, before she spoke up as they broke apart. Jenna took her hands.
"It... went well. I just... needed some time away. The Eureka craziness, you know how it goes." The other woman nodded, her dark curls bouncing. In the Alternative- and even the original- timeline, Jo had absolutely adored Jenna, taking every opportunity she could to babysit for Allison, to the point where the girl had called her Auntie. But to see that same little girl- who'd been a toddler last time Jo had seen her- a grown woman in this timeline... it shocked and surprised her, but she managed to hide it well. "So, how long are you here for?"
Jenna shrugged. "I've got a few weeks vacation I need to take, I figure, why not come home and see everyone? To be honest," She leaned close to Jo, eyes lighting. "I've kind of missed the Eureka craziness." Jo chuckled, as Jenna turned to the girls, gaze latching onto Cate, who hadn't moved from her chair. Despite the six years between the two, Jenna felt fiercely protective of Cate Donovan; she was the little sister Jenna never had, and it was her job to listen to her early teenage woes and worries and give her the advice she thought appropriate for the situation at hand. And Jo and Zane, her stepfather's best friends, well, they were lucky to have a girl as bright as Cate.
"Jenna, remind me again, what you do." When both turned back, it was to Zane slipping an arm around Jo's waist and tugging her close. Cate rolled her eyes and made a small noise in the back of her throat. The others ignored her, though her sisters glanced at her, confused.
"Ah... I'm a U.S. Marshal."
Jo's wiry grin returned. "A U.S. Marshal. Huh. I bet I can think of someone who's proud of that career choice." She glanced over her shoulder in time to see Jenna's parents enter the cafe. She swallowed thickly. Now that there wasn't the awkwardness of trying to hide that she wasn't of this time, Jo could actually let herself study Allison.
The older woman was just as beautiful as ever, her milk chocolate skin smooth, small laugh lines around her eyes, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail; there were streaks of grey in her hair that she was apparently embracing. She wore a pair of jeans and a light blouse, a young man by her side that Jo was having trouble placing. Before she could say a word, Vincent had brought their drinks over. "It was wonderful to see you again, Aunt Jo. We have to get together sometime before I leave."
"Of course, Jenna. I wouldn't dare miss spending time with you." Jenna gave her and Zane each a hug before waving at the girls and joining her family. Once everyone was again seated, Jo turned to Zane, fiddling with the straw of her smoothie; Vincent had brought the drinks over when Jenna had arrived. "So, are you going to tell me exactly when Jenna was born in this timeline or am I going to have to figure it out myself?"
Zane sighed, meeting his gaze as he sat back in his chair. "You're a smart woman, Jojo. Figure it out." She raised an eyebrow.
"Okay... if it's... twenty-twenty-two, and Jenna is twenty, then..." She stopped, quickly doing the math in her head. "She was born in two-thousand-two." Zane nodded. "But... that's doesn't make sense." Her gaze locked on his. "Jenna was born in... in two-thousand-nine. She should be a year younger than Cate, not six years older."
Cate rolled her eyes, and Annaleigh kicked her sister under the table. Zane leaned close, his lips brushing Jo's ear as he spoke. "See, Jojo, that's the thing when you end up ten years in the future." She met his gaze.
"I thought this was an alternate timeline." He opened his mouth to speak, but the waitress arrived with their food. Once she was gone, Zane continued, their heads low and close together.
"It is. What's ten years in the future for you, is the regular timeline for us. Jenna was a toddler when I arrived in Eureka. I've watched that kid grow up. And so have you. Her." He amended, pulling away and turning to his meal. They ate in silence for several minutes before Jo glanced at him.
"Anything else I should know?" He turned to the girls; Annaleigh and Eleanora shook their heads, but Caterina kept her gaze on her food. They fell into easy conversation before something clicked in Jo's head. "Hey, Zane?"
"Elbows off the table, Ela." The girl did as instructed, and he turned back to Jo, who, for her part, watched him with a wistful look in her eyes. The fact that he cared about something as mundane as elbows on the table... "Jo?" She met his gaze. "What were you asking me?"
"Oh, um... we're the only ones that know, right? You haven't told anyone else?"
Zane picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip. "No. We're the only ones that know. Us and AIDA. Why?"
She bit her lip, her gaze darting past him to where Allison and Carter were sitting. The sheriff was watching her with a look on his face she'd only seen once before- when it was discovered that Grant had hitched a ride back with them from nineteen-forty-seven. It made her uncomfortable. She turned back to Zane, before leaning over and kissing him soundly on the mouth. Her dark gaze opened midway through the kiss, darting to Carter, who quickly looked away. When she pulled away, Cate finally spoke up, the snark in her voice directed at Jo, though her words were directed at Zane.
"Gross. It was bad enough when you and Mama would do that during lunch, but now you have to do it with her?"
Zane ignored his daughter, meeting Jo's gaze before looking behind him, catching Carter hurriedly turning away from them. He returned his gaze to Jo's, suddenly understanding her worry loud and clear.