Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: Written: 2013.- Licia
As soon as Carter was gone, Jo rounded on Zane fully. "Zane Matthew Donovan, have you lost your mind? What the hell possessed you to decide to tell Carter? I thought we agreed to keep it between us, the girls and AIDA!"
"We did." He was surprisingly calm about the screaming match that had just taken place in their living room, and Jo recognized it as the mellow part of his personality making an appearance- unlike the original, who ran at the first sign of emotion- similar to her Zane in the Alternative timeline. Jo had willingly and openly called the original Zane a coward; her Zane in the Alternative timeline was anything but. He didn't necessarily like emotion, but he didn't run from it like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs either. And this Zane...
Well, clearly, he'd grown up enough to understand that losing his temper and running would do no good. He was facing the consequences of their actions like the adult he was. It was something he'd been doing since he got together with her, but unlike Zane, clearly, the alternative her hadn't wanted to accept the consequences of what she'd done, and was only going to when she was told to come home, when Zane forced her hand.
"But Carter knows. He found you, remember? He knows you're not from this time. Besides, part of the reason... this..." He motioned to Cate, who was still by the lock door, being berated by AIDA for managing to shut her systems down after everyone else had gone to sleep and sneak out; the AI could give as good a lecture as any parent, and since she had basically watched Cate come into being, it seemed only fair that she give the girl the first of what was going to be many lectures to come over the course of the next few days. The look on the girl's face was one of absolute torture, and after a moment, Jo's heart constricted, before she turned back to him. "happened. It's too much pressure keeping it to strictly ourselves. Something was bound to give eventually. We should just be grateful Caterina didn't do this in public." He sighed. "Besides, there are times when she seriously wanted to; I could see it on her face."
"But... still," Jo spoke up, as Zane sipped his coffee. "Carter? Zane, I don't have a relationship with the man other than casual acquaintance. In my timeline, I was his deputy. We were able to build up that friendship over years and years, and even after we came to the Alternative timeline, we still had that friendship. I don't have that here. I don't even know if I can trust him-"
"Maybe not, but you can trust Allison." He replied, setting the cup down. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. "Jo, you and Allison are best friends. You've worked together for years; she was the maid of honor at our wedding, she delivered that little pain in the ass fourteen years ago. She delivered Annaleigh and Eleanora too. If you have a problem and don't want to talk to me, you go to her. When she married Carter, she asked you to be her matron of honor. Your relationship with Allison is as strong as your relationship with Carter in your original timeline probably was." He turned and after several minutes, set a cup of coffee in front of her. "If not stronger."
She sighed. "So... if Carter and I were best friends in my timeline, and the Alternative, and Allison and I were best friends in this timeline, then... everything is switched?" He furrowed a brow, setting the cup down. "Well, you said that-"
But before she could finish, the door swung open, and Cate stumbled forward. Taking that as a sign that she was done being chastised by AIDA, the teenager booked it towards the stairs, only to be stopped the stasis field the AI set up around her as Carter and Allison entered. "Hey! Let me go!"
"And just where do you think you're going young lady? We aren't done-"
"Come on, AIDA! This isn't fair!" The teenager whirled on Jo and Zane. "Daddy!"
Zane merely raised an eyebrow at the girl as he made his way to Allison and Carter. "Sorry about the late hour, Allison." The older woman waved it away as Carter joined him in the living room. Jo stayed in the kitchen, fixing her own cup of coffee, watching them nervously.
"So." Jo was snapped out of her thoughts as Allison joined her. She leaned against the island counter, studying the younger woman. "Caterina giving you trouble?" She gestured to the teenager slouched in AIDA's stasis field, still getting chewed out by of all things, a house. Jo wrinkled her nose.
"How much did Carter tell you?" She quickly fixed Allison a cup of coffee, setting it in front of the other woman who smiled.
"Nothing, just that we need to come over here because you and Zane had something important to tell us." She watched the Head of Security tense, reaching up to scratch the back of her head. "Everything okay, Jo?"
"Fine." Allison didn't buy the fake smile and one word response.
"Jo, I've known you for years. You're my best friend. We've survived God knows how many Eureka-disasters together. You were in my wedding and I was in yours. I delivered all three of your girls. You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?" She waited, as Jo bit her lip, thinking. "Jo, you know you can trust me." She reached out and took the other woman's hand.
"I... I know, Al, I just-" She stopped. Al? Since when did you ever, in any timeline, call Allison 'Al'? A moment passed, before she swallowed, covering up the surprise she felt, tongue darting out to wet her lips. "It... it's complicated."
Allison chuckled. "Honey, no one ever said parenthood was easy."
"I... I know, I just-" But a knock on the door stopped her and she stood, excusing herself quickly to get the door, seeing as AIDA was still chewing Cate out. "Henry? Grace? What are you-"
"I asked Carter to let them know, Jo." She turned back to Zane as he got up, joining her. "Come on in, you two. I'll fix coffee." He glanced at Jo, who kept her mouth shut. "It's going to be a long night, and we're going to need it." She had a bad feeling taking root in her stomach, that would only get worse over the course of the night. She knew it. After the coffee had been made and the cups handed out, the six adults settled in the living room. Jo glanced back at Cate, who was still stuck in AIDA's stasis field.
"Should we send her to bed? I think she's been tortured enough for the night." Zane wrinkled his nose, thinking. He took a sip from his cup and then stood, making his way to the teenager.
"- you could have seriously damaged not just me, but short-circuited something and harmed yourself, or-"
The girl turned towards her father, and AIDA stopped her lecture. "Okay... Okay, AIDA. you've made your point. Stand down."
"Are you sure, Zane? I wasn't finished-"
"I'm sure. I think Caterina's got the message." He studied his daughter, who stayed silent. After a moment, the field disappeared, and the girl stumbled from the shift in pressure. Her father caught her. "Whoa, easy there baby girl."
He knew what it felt like to be caught in AIDA's stasis field- though it looked light, the amount of pressure keeping the person in one place felt like being in one of those rooms where the walls slowly closed in; he'd dealt with it himself after coming home after three a.m. a few days before Cate was born, and been promptly chewed out by AIDA for not letting her know that he was working late, especially when the baby was so close to being born. Jo had woken up and come downstairs to find her husband trapped in AIDA's stasis field, enduring what would end up being a two-hour lecture on the importance of letting his very, very pregnant wife and the AI of his house, know if he would be working late and when he would likely be coming home. From that moment on, Zane had taken to calling AIDA and giving her a heads up if he ever ended up staying past midnight. Weirdly though, she didn't react the same way with Jo.
He glanced at Cate, who looked half-sick. He knew for a fact the girl didn't like small spaces, and he briefly wondered how she'd survived nine months and two days in her mother's womb, before shaking the thought away. Gently, he pushed the girl towards the stairs. "Okay, I think you've been sufficiently tortured enough. Go upstairs and go to bed. And stay there."
Once the girl was gone, Zane turned back to AIDA as the soft-spoken house spoke up. "Was that really necessary, Zane? I wasn't done-"
"Yes, AIDA. It was. We have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Very well, Zane. May I ask what they are?" The AI had been so focused on making sure the girl understood the consequences of her actions that she hadn't noticed the Carters' or Deacons' arrival. Zane glanced up at the ceiling before returning to the living room. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Carter, Mr. and Mrs. Deacon, can I get you anything?"
"No thanks, AIDA, we're all set." Jo cut in from where she leaned against the wall, arms crossed nervously over her chest. Zane settled by her side, taking in his friends' each in turn. Before he could say anything, AIDA spoke up again.
"Would you like me to activate my sonic protocols, Zane, Jo? You're elevated heart rates suggest that-"
"No thank you, AIDA, that won't be necessary." Jo cut in, glancing at Zane. Sonic protocols? Just how advanced was this AI? Should she be worried? Zane caught her eye, and thought a moment. Silence settled between them for a moment, before he finally spoke up.
"Actually, AIDA, that might not be a bad idea, just to be safe."
"Of course, Zane." Jo turned to him.
"Are you sure that's really necessary?"
"Jo," He took her hand, pulling her close. "it may be overkill, but I'd rather not take any chances. Just because the house isn't under surveillance by the Department of Defense, doesn't mean it can't be hacked. I should know, I've hacked into AIDA's programs more than once; accidental, on purpose and by mistake." Jo narrowed her eyes, deciding that at some point, she would get all the stories from Zane in regards to the mentioned incidences.
"And, if you don't mind my asking, Zane, what important matters are we discussing with Drs. Deacon, Carter and Sheriff Carter?"
Zane glanced at Jo, before turning to his friends. "The family secret."