The Present Time
Now she was back in the town she'd tried so hard to forget. She'd put off coming back for as long as possible, claiming that Lena and she were too tired to travel, but she'd never missed her dad's birthday in her life and she wasn't about to miss this years, so she'd found herself on a plane back home.
"How's my favorite niece? Huh?" Cameron baby-talked to Helena, who gurgled back happily, as Jo smiled at them.
"She's not happy. It's too hot. We're melting." Jo said, answering for her daughter.
"Too hot? You live in Darwin!" Cameron laughed.
Jo smiled. "I know, but I thought it was going to be cold down here so we rugged up."
Cameron rolled his eyes. "No wonder you're melting, you're wearing jeans. Go put on a skirt."
Jo nodded. "I will in a minute." She caught sight of her father. "Happy birthday, dad!" She said giving him a hug.
"Hi, Princess. Where's my granddaughter? I haven't seen her since she was born, Jo. You need to visit more often."
Jo smiled. "She's with Cam." She went back outside to grab her bags from the car, while her father turned to find Cameron. Coming back inside, she put the bags in the spare room, nearly running into her cousin on the way.
"Sorry, Tash. Didn't see you." She put the bags on the bed and kissed her cousin.
"It is okay. How are you? How is the baby?" Natasha Gendarme was one of the few French cousins that Jo had that could speak English.
"Lena's good. I'm good. Tired, but good. How about you?" Jo followed Tash out of the bedroom.
"I am good. But Bobbi is having trouble understanding everyone. Your mother has to translate." She said, referring to her little sister, Roberta.
"Mum's here?" Jo was surprised. "Where?"
Natasha shrugged. "I do not know if she is back yet. She went out this morning."
Jo nodded. "Fair enough. Where's your dad?" Jo's Uncle Timothy had married a French lady and Jo was sure that some of her eccentricity had rubbed off on to her uncle.
"He is asleep." Natasha said rolling her eyes.
Jo raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She asked.
"Because he had a bit too much to drink last night and attacked the mailbox across the road. Jeff took him to sleep it off. He threatened to call the police next time." Jo almost laughed. She could just see her uncle attacking a mailbox and PJ and Ben having to put him in the cells for the night.
PJ... She wondered how he was doing, and then mentally slapped herself. 'Not going there.' She thought.
"I am about to go pick up the birthday cake, would you like to come?" Natasha asked as Jo walked over and picked up Lena from her father's lap. Jo was tempted, it was lunchtime and none of her ex-colleagues would be out in this heat.
"Um..." She sat down and rocked her baby. "She's almost due for a feed."
Natasha nodded and sat next to Jo. "Its okay. I will wait."
Jo nodded and positioned Lena, who fed quietly before falling asleep. She re- arranged her shirt, which now had baby dribble on it, and sighed. "I'm going to leave her with Cam, and I better change. I'll meet you out the front in five." She said to Tash, before walking away to find her brother.
Five minutes later, Jo walked out the front, feeling cooler now she'd changed into a denim skirt, tank top and thongs. They got into the car and headed into town.
"Which cake shop is it?" Jo asked.
"The one opposite the High school." Tash said. "I don't remember what it is called."
Jo nodded. "I know it." She said.
As Tash pulled up outside the bakery, she slid on her sunnies and followed her cousin into the shop.
"Yikes." Jonesy's voice brought Ben back to earth. "Check it out."
Ben wiped his brow and got into the patrol car, having stopped at the Milk bar near the high school for a drink. "Check what out?" He asked Jonesy, handing him a coke.
"...Her." Jonesy pointed as two women walked out of the bakery, both in short skirts. One of them was carrying a large box, which was blocking her face.
"Which one?" Ben squinted, watching as the woman who wasn't carrying the box opened the back door for the other one to put the box in.
"The one with the box. She has great legs." Jonesy said, leaning forward and trying to see her face, as she put the box in and stood up.
As Jo straightened from putting the cake into the back seat, she felt someone watching her. Turning, she spotted the patrol car. "Shit." She swore under her breath, as she recognized Ben and Jonesy watching her.
She turned and slid into the passenger's seat and shut the door, hoping that her sunglasses, tan and lighter hair would prevent them from realizing that it was her. As the car with the women in it pulled away, Jonesy turned to Ben in shock.
"Was that...?" He asked doubtfully.
Ben nodded, staring after the car. "That was Jo."
Jonesy poked him.
"What?" He asked.
"Are you gonna go pull her over or what?" Jonesy raised an eyebrow.
Ben grinned. "Why not." He started up the car and followed Jo, putting on the blue and red lights, but leaving the siren off.
Jo thought they were home free until she saw the lights reflecting in the side mirror. "Ah, Bugger it." She turned to Tash, who was looking at her curiously. "Pull over." Tash did, and Jo got out.
"Head home. I'll see you there later." Tash raised her eyebrows, but turned back onto the road and drove away.
Ten seconds later, Ben and Jonesy pulled up next to where she was standing with her arms crossed and her sunglasses hanging limply from her left hand.
"Should've figured I'd run into you two." Jo said, as they got out of the car and walked over to her.
"Wow." Jonesy stared at her.
Ben's reaction was similar to Jonesy's, but he was a bit more eloquent. "You look good." He said, smiling.
"That's the understatement of the year, mate." Jonesy was still staring.
Jo smiled wryly. "How bad was I before?" She asked him, and he reddened.
"You weren't bad at all before." He said, backtracking. "But now you're..." He stopped.
"Right." Jo raised an eyebrow, but let it go.
"When did you get back in town?" Ben asked.
"Today." She answered.
"Why?" Ben asked the question innocently but Jo understood.
"For Dad's birthday. Not for anything else." She said, putting her sunnies on her head. "Did you two want to charge me for anything? Because if not, you can give me a lift."
Ben looked at her. "How long are you here for?" He asked.
"Two more days." She answered.
Ben nodded. "Were you planning on dropping by?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No."
Ben nodded. "I see."
Jo shrugged. "I have a different life now, Ben. I'm trying to move on." Jonesy frowned. "Does that mean you weren't even going to find out how PJ is?"
Pain flashed in Jo's eyes. "How is he?" She asked softly.
"Shattered." Jonesy answered bluntly. "He couldn't believe that you left."
Jo winced. "But he and Maggie are okay now, right?" She was regretting ever leaving her Dad's house.
"No. PJ never started dating her again. She went back to England about a month after you took off."
Jo closed her eyes. She didn't want to hear any more. "Just take me to Dad's." She said, ending the conversation by walking over to the car.
Ben and Jonesy looked at each other and sighed. Ten minutes later, not another word had been spoken. Ben pulled up outside Jo's Dad's house and Jo got out.
"Bye." She said, shutting the door and walking over the lawn. The front door opened, and Cam came out with Lena on his hip.
"I wondered where you got to." He said, planting a kiss on her forehead. Then he noticed the Cop car still sitting in the driveway. "Is one of them PJ?" He said softly.
Jo shook her head. "No. Ben and Jonesy."
Cam motioned to where Ben and Jonesy had got out of the car. "Do they know about her?" He asked, bouncing Lena.
She shook her head again. "No. Take her inside."
Cam nodded. "I'll be back in a minute." He kissed her hair and went back inside.
"If he's not a relative of yours, then I'm gonna punch him." Jonesy said bluntly, walking over to her.
Jo sighed. "Still over protective?"
Jonesy just shrugged and cracked his knuckle.
She rolled her eyes. "He's my brother."
Jonesy nodded. "Good." He paused. "Jo, I didn't mean to upset you before. I just thought you should know about...what happened."
Jo nodded. "I know. But I'm not back for PJ. I'm back for Dad's birthday and then I'm going back to Darwin."
"Darwin?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "That's where you've been hiding?"
Jo sighed. "I'm not bloody hiding."
Cam came back outside and walked over to stand by Jo protectively. "Jonesy, Ben, this is my brother Cameron, Cam, Jonesy and Ben." Jo waved her hand tiredly between the three men.
Ben stuck out his hand and Cam shook it, and then Jonesy followed suit. "So I'm guessing that you're not going to come by the pub tonight then." Jonesy said after a minute of silence.
Jo shook her head. "No. I already told you. I had no intentions of seeing any of you. I just...wanna be with my family."
Jonesy looked dejected and glanced at Cameron. "We used to be your family." He said.
Jo winced. "You still are. You always will be, okay? But I'm only here for dad's birthday and then I'm leaving."
"So you weren't even going to let Ben or me know you were okay?" Jonesy was getting irritated.
She shrugged. "I only got here this morning. I don't know. I sent you a letter."
Jonesy glared at her. "Six months ago, Jo."
She shrugged again. "I've been busy."
Jonesy shook his head. "No, Ben's right. You've been hiding."
Jo glared at him, exasperated. "I'm not hiding. I'm here aren't I?"
Jonesy looked at her squarely. "You might be here, but you said yourself that you had no intention of coming to see us...or PJ."
Cameron looked at Jonesy. "She doesn't have to, mate. It's her choice."
Jonesy sighed. "Fine." He said. "You might be able to live without him, but he sure as hell cant live without you."
Jo's eyes filled with tears and she looked away, wiping her face angrily. "Who said I can live without him?" She asked, quietly.
Jonesy stared at her. "Well if you cant, then why the hell are you standing here?" He asked.
A baby's cry sounded from the house, and Jo turned towards the door automatically.
"No. I'll go." Cameron laid a restraining hand on Jo and went inside.
Jo sighed and turned back to Jonesy. "I want to see him, but there's...issues...that he wont be able to forgive me for." She said.
Ben shook his head. "I don't think you understand what Evan's saying, Jo." He said. "He's not the same without you. It's like now he's in his own little world where he just doesn't give a shit about anything. I know he needs you, and it's like he's lost his best friend."
Jo looked away, conflicting emotions playing on her face.
"Do you still love him, Jo?" Jonesy asked quietly.
"Is the Pope Catholic?" She asked back.
Both Jonesy and Ben smiled. "So come back with us." Ben implored.
Jo sighed. "It's not that simple." She said, closing her eyes.
"Why not? He's not going to reject you." Jonesy failed to see her problem.
"He might when he finds out about Lena." Jo reopened her eyes.
"Who's Lena?" Both boys said at once.
She sighed. So much for keeping her secret. "Stay here. I'll be back in a sec."
Jo disappeared inside for a minute and then reappeared carrying her baby.
"Is it yours?" Jonesy stared at her in disbelief.
Jo nodded. "Her name is Helena. Lena for short."
Ben blinked. "Is she PJ's?" He asked.
Jo frowned. "Who else's would she be?"
Ben nodded. "Just checking." He said.
Jo's eyes softened as she looked at her daughter. "He didn't know I was pregnant. I only found out the night before Maggie showed up."
"Wait, wait, wait. You knew you were pregnant before you left?" Jonesy was incredulous.
Jo nodded. "That's what I meant about issues."
Ben sighed. "You can work it out if you try."
Jo shook her head. "I can cope with him rejecting me, but if he rejects her...I just couldn't face that."
"Jo. You two could be happy again. You could be together as a family. Isn't that worth the risk?" Ben asked her.
Jo sighed. "I don't know."
Ben cocked his head to one side. "You ignored our advice last time, and see where that got you. At least try."
Jo hugged Lena to her, and was silent for ten seconds. "Fine. I'll come down to the station. But I'm leaving her here."
Jonesy looked skeptically at her. "You will tell him about her?" He said.
She nodded. "Yeah." She switched Lena hips. "What time is it?" Jonesy glanced at his watch.
"Three."
"If I feed her now I can put her to sleep within the next hour and she wont wake up until around sixish." Jo glanced down at her.
Ben nodded. "We can't wait an hour. Promise us you'll come."
Jo nodded slowly. "I will. Give me an hour and a half."
Ben nodded again. "Okay." He leant over and kissed the baby's head, and then kissed Jo's cheek. "See you at four thirty." He walked over to the car.
Jonesy stepped forward and kissed Jo's mouth, before kissing the baby's head and following Ben.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Jonesy said as they pulled out.
Ben nodded. "I hope so too."
"She's gonna run again, you do know that." Jonesy looked sideways at Ben.
Ben shook his head. "No. She wont."
Jonesy raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"
"Two reasons. One, we know about Lena, and Two, she obviously still loves him."
Jonesy nodded. "I hope you're right. By the looks of things, they still need each other."
Ben nodded. "They always have." An hour and a half later, both Ben and Jonesy were alternately watching the clock tick past and the door to the station remain closed.
Five minutes passed, and then ten. Finally, at ten to five, Jonesy stood up.
"Relax." Ben shot him a warning glance as both Susie and Alanna, the girl who had replaced Jo, looked up curiously. "Give it five more minutes."
He said quietly. Jonesy nodded and sat back down. Alanna Mitchell was the new senior constable and was extremely bossy and curious, as well as being annoying. None of the boys could stand her.
Five minutes later, Ben stood up just as the station door opened and Jo walked in. "Sorry I'm late." She said, smiling bravely.
Ben and Jonesy grinned. "You can tell us later." Jonesy said, opening the counter for her and walking her through.
Susie stared. "My god, Jo. I almost didn't recognize you."
Jo laughed. "Yeah, the boys already told me that I look different."
Susie smiled. "Are...Are you here to see PJ?" She asked hopefully.
Jo nodded. "Yeah."
"Go on then." Ben gave her a nudge. Jo took a deep breath and walked over to PJ's office door. She knocked lightly and her heart skipped a beat when she heard his voice.
"Yeah."
She turned and smiled at the rest of the station and then opened the door and stepped inside.
PJ stared as Jo walked through his office door. He thought he was seeing a ghost for a second, but when Jo walked tentatively over to his desk, he knew she was real.
"Jo." He said, blinking.
She looked at him nervously. "Hey."
"You came back." He said, motionless apart from his eyes, which were roaming over her face.
"Yeah." She fidgeted with her nails.
"Why?" He stood up.
"It's Dad's birthday." She said apprehensively.
He nodded. "Why are you here?" He asked.
She paused, not knowing what to say. "Because Ben and Jonesy convinced me that you and I had some issues to sort out." She said looking away. "And because I wanted to see you." She looked back.
He walked around his desk to face her. "What issues do we have other than the fact that you left without telling me." He said ominously.
She sighed. "I didn't exactly want to leave. I just...panicked when I realized that Maggie was back." She said, haltingly. He just looked at her.
She sighed again. "I didn't expect you to welcome me with open arms, PJ, but the least you could do is try to understand where I'm coming from. If one of my ex's who I was madly in love with came back from the dead to be with me, how would you have felt?"
PJ settled his gaze into her eyes. "I understand how you felt, Jo. But did you really think that I would choose to be with her over you?"
Jo chuckled harshly. "How could I possibly think that you'd choose me over her? How long did I have to wait before you were over her enough to admit that you loved me?" She looked away.
PJ sighed. "But that's the entire point, Jo. I was over her."
Jo looked back up at him. "I loved Maggie, Jo. I'm not denying that. But I was in love with you. I still am." He admitted.
Tears spilt over onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry I left." She wiped her eyes. "I'm still in love with you too. But there's something I need to tell you."
PJ frowned. "Okay."
"When I left, I was pregnant." Jo looked up at him.
PJ stared. "And?" He asked.
"We have a daughter." Her heart skipped a beat as he stared at her in shock.
"We do?" He shook his head, trying to clear it.
She nodded. "Her name is Helena."
PJ let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You named her after my mother?" He asked amazed.
She nodded. "We call her Lena for short."
"My dad used to call my mum that." PJ smiled down at her, reminiscing about his parents.
She smiled back up at him. "How old is she?" He asked.
"Nearly three months." She answered.
"Where is she?" He asked, running his hand down her cheek.
"At my dad's. With my brother."
He nodded. "Could...could we go see her?" He asked haltingly.
She nodded. "Sure."
"I missed you." He said, before leaning down and kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. "I missed you too."
(AN: I was gonna stop it there, but then decided to put on an epilogue... So enjoy.)
"They've been in there for half an hour." Jonesy said, sitting on his desk.
Ben smiled. "That's probably a good thing." He said.
Tom walked in the front door of the station, having been at St. Davids for the past hour sorting out paperwork with Inspector Falcon-Price. "Time to knock off, people." He said walking towards PJ's office.
"I wouldn't go in there if I was you, Boss." Ben said, as he reached the office door.
Tom paused. "Why not? What's the matter?"
"Jo's in there with him." Jonesy said grinning.
"Parrish?" He said breaking into a smile. "She's back then?"
Jonesy shrugged. "Hopefully. They've been in there for half an hour already."
Alanna looked up. "She's the one I replaced, right? The one who broke his heart?" She said.
Tom sighed. "Yes, you replaced her."
Alanna looked annoyed, and turned to Jonesy. "So why didn't you tell me she was his ex-girlfriend?" She asked him.
Jonesy shrugged. "I didn't think it was any of your business." He said.
PJ's office door opened and he and Jo emerged holding hands.
"Its good to see you, Parrish." Tom said smiling.
Jo smiled at him, her eyes shining. "Its good to be back, Boss."
Tom crossed his arms. "So are you back for good?" He asked.
Jo looked up at PJ smiling, and then back at Tom. "Yeah. I think so."
"Good. I was wondering how much longer I could keep you on unpaid leave without the inspector getting shirty." He said.
Jo stared at him. "Are you kidding me? You kept me on leave? So I'm still in the force?" She said excitedly.
Tom nodded. "Yes. I was hoping you two would sort out your differences." Jo threw her arms around him.
"Thanks, Boss." She stepped back and turned to PJ. "Do you want to go now?" She asked.
He nodded. "Yeah."
"Where are you going?" Alanna asked, standing up.
"To meet my daughter." PJ said, taking Jo's hand and leading her out of the station.
"Daughter?" Tom turned to Ben and Jonesy, who were smiling.
"Yeah. It's a long story." Jonesy said. "Who wants a beer?"
Tom nodded. "I think I need one."
PJ tentatively followed Jo into her father's house. He couldn't quite believe that he was here, standing with the woman he thought he'd lost, about to meet his daughter. He glanced around, but the house seemed empty, although he could hear noise and music from the backyard.
Jo smiled back at him and reached back to squeeze his hand. "It's okay. They're all outside eating off the BBQ." She said, sensing his discomfort.
He nodded. "This is so surreal. I thought that I was in a dream when I saw Maggie, but this..." He said, trailing off. Jo looked at him curiously.
"What did happen when you saw Maggie?" She asked curiously.
He smiled. "Not much. As soon as I realized that you knew she was there I took off home." They stopped outside a bedroom door.
"And?..." Jo prompted.
"When I realized you'd gone I went back to the station and told Maggie that I was sorry but I had to find you and that I'd catch up with her later. But I didn't find you. And Maggie realized that she and I were over a long time ago."
Jo leant over and kissed him. "I'm sorry I left." She said.
"Me too. Dont ever do it again."
She smiled. "You ready?" She motioned to the door and he nodded.
"Yeah." She opened the door and they walked over to the crib. "Hi, Precious." She said and leant over the crib, noting that it was past 6 o'clock and that it was time for a feed.
She looked over at PJ who was standing, staring into the crib with a look upon his face that was a mix between terrified, and amazed. He looked up at her, and then back at his sleeping daughter.
"What do you think?" Jo tried to disguise her nervousness.
"She's perfect. She looks just like you." PJ was awestruck.
Jo smiled. "You think?"
PJ nodded and gestured at the crib. "May I?" He asked.
She nodded, a lump forming in her throat as she watched him pick up his daughter for the first time. "She has your eyes." Jo said quietly. He looked down at the baby cradled in his arms and watched in deep wonder as her big, dark-lashed blue eyes opened and then blinked, focusing on him. The trust that he saw in his daughter's blue eyes, so similar to his own, was reflected in Jo's green ones when he looked up.
"Will you marry me?" He said softly, looking at her.
She stared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Yes."
He slipped an arm around her waist. "I love you.Only you."
She smiled contentedly, laying her head upon his shoulder. "I know."
An hour later, Jo looked at PJ bounce Lena on his knee. "Lets go down to the pub. I need to thank Ben and Jonesy." She said.
He nodded. "Remind me to thank them too."
Jo leant over and took Lena from PJ. "Come on bub. Lets go meet your uncles."
PJ grinned. "Uncle Ben and Uncle Evan. And Uncle Tom." He said.
Jo smiled back at him. "Which one's going to be her godfather?" She asked.
PJ frowned. "Well, they can flip for it, and whoever loses has to wait until next time."
Jo raised an eyebrow. "Next time? You mean you want more?"
PJ grinned. "If you can handle it."
Jo rolled her eyes. "Sure." She smiled up at him, love shining in her eyes, and silently thanked god for giving her a second chance to put her past behind her and make something of her future.
Finis.
FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED
xoxox Chimera xoxox