Disclaimer: Do you really think I'd be writing fanfic if I owned anything?
A/N: bebexsesso – I live in Halifax (well I go to school here anyways) and I watch Wild Card on Global, not Lifetime. Global aired the finale last week and yes it is so totally worth watching! It was so unexpected and great and a million other things...I'm so upset that the series was cancelled!
A/N pt2: Well I'm still having fun with this story so I'll keep updating as much as I can...might even end up with some plot at some point! Did a minor edit to chapter 4 nothing major...you can probably get by w/o reading it if you don't want to. (Basically it went from Zoe being raped to the guy trying to rape her and ends up beating her up...might never come up again in the story but you never know!)
"Zoe," Dan whispered into her ear, "C'mon Zoe you gotta get up now." Zoe groaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets up over her head. Dan smiled, "Zoe the plane leaves in three hours and you still have to pack," he gently tugged the blankets down as she rolled to face him.
"Whatimes'it?" she asked through a yawn.
"Eleven," Dan replied, smirking as her eyes snapped open. She sat up slowly and slid off the edge of the bed where Dan caught her gently around the waist and planted a kiss on her lips. Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her and effectively deepening the kiss. "I had a good time the last few days Zoe," he spoke softly into her ear as her head rested against his chest, not ready or willing to break contact just yet.
"Oh yeah I'm sure taking care of me has just been an absolute joy," she replied sarcastically looking up at him and wrinkling her nose as she recalled the past few days. Dan laughed and kissed her again,
"I'd do anything for you Zoe," he said quietly, feeling her tense as he spoke. She buried her head in his chest in what he thought was embarrassment and was shocked when he felt her hot tears on his shoulder. "Zoe? Zoe what's wrong?" She didn't answer but pulled him closer to her, needing to feel him. Dan rubbed her back pulling her close and placing feather-light kisses in her hair as she cried, waiting for her to be ready to talk. Slowly she calmed, pulling back from Dan to wipe away the tears before allowing him to pull her back into his arms,
"I'm sorry Dan," she said into his neck, "It's just...I-I haven't felt like I could trust and love someone as much as I do you since my sister died. I've never been clingy or dependant on the men in my life, that always seemed so weak but you...you make me feel so safe and comfortable..." she trailed off, sighing. Dan smiled down at her,
"Hey Zoe?" she looked up into his eyes, "I love you too. And accepting help when you need it isn't weak Zoe. You're an incredibly strong woman and I admire you for that but don't be afraid to let me help out sometimes okay?" he dropped another kiss on her lips before squeezing her tight. "You okay? We really do need to get moving." She nodded and allowed herself another moment in his arms before heading off to dress and pack.
They sat on the plane, hands joined and fingers intertwined as they read Dan's book, Zoe's head resting on his shoulder. When the seatbelt sign was switched off Zoe undid hers and flipped up the armrest that separated her from Dan and moved closer to him. Dan watched as the female half of a couple sitting further forward in the plane headed towards the bathroom, followed moments later by her male counterpart. He couldn't help but chuckle, he knew what they were planning and he was sure everyone else did as well...well except for Zoe, who seemed oblivious to the events transpiring. She looked up from the book upon hearing Dan's laugh and followed his eyes to the man disappearing into the bathroom. "What's so funny Dan?" he turned to look at her.
"You really don't know?" she shook her head, eyebrow quirked in question. "Well...ever heard of the Mile High Club Zoe?" she nodded, "Know what it is or how you become a member?" she shook her head in confusion. "You really don't fly much do you?"
"No..." she continued to stare at him, awaiting his explanation.
"Well the Mile High Club is people who...ahem...have sex," Dan blushed as Zoe's eyes widened, "in aeroplane bathrooms. And I'm pretty sure that's where that couple was headed..." Dan nudged Zoe and nodded in the direction of the bathroom twenty minutes later as he saw the door open. The man exited first, followed about three minutes later by his companion, both looking very pleased with themselves. Zoe erupted into a fit of giggles as the couple sat back down, burying her head in Dan's shoulder to avoid embarrassing herself. "Wanna join Zo?" he asked, nudging her softly. She looked at him in wide-eyed shock before she saw the amusement in his eyes. She punched him softly on the shoulder,
"Funny Dan," she made a face at him before resting her head back on his shoulder so they could continue the book. They touched down in Chicago without further incident and as they waited for their bags Dan pulled Zoe to him and kissed her. They parted as the baggage carousel whirred to life, "What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.
"I dunno," he replied, keeping his arms around her waist, holding her to him, "Can't a guy kiss a beautiful woman?" he asked. Zoe smiled and shook her head, leaning into him, oblivious to their audience.
Taylor's jaw hit the floor, "Taylor? Cliff?" Hannah asked, "Why did Mr. Lennox kiss Aunt Zoe?" Hannah tugged at Taylor's coat to get her attention. Taylor turned to look down at her little sister and gave her a half-hearted shrug, shaking her head and wondering the same thing. "Aunt Zoe! Mr. Lennox!" the youngest Woodall called, running to meet the two adults.
"No! Hannah!" Taylor hissed, grabbing futilely for her younger sister's coat. Dan and Zoe turned to face them, Zoe bending to hug Hannah and listen to the stories of the past few days. "Hey Aunt Zoe, Mr. Lennox" both she and Cliff called as they approached, "How'd the case go?" Taylor asked followed immediately by Cliff asking,
"Why are you home so early? Is everything okay?" Zoe smiled at the kids,
"The case went great, solved it not long after we got there. We came home because I wasn't feeling very well." Zoe answered them, trying to remain as vague as possible while giving them enough information to stop the barrage of questions. No such luck.
"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor or anything?" Taylor sounded worried and Hannah wrapped her arms around her aunt's waist. Dan chuckled as he pulled the luggage from the carousel, his earlier comment about the kids curiosity coming back to him.
"I'm fine Taylor, Dan took very good care of me," Zoe assured her niece, not missing the strange look Taylor gave Dan as he and Cliff got the rest of the luggage. Dan took Zoe's hand in his as they left the airport. The ride home was uneventful, with Hannah and Cliff regaling the adults with stories of school and friends while Taylor sat silently in the backseat, trying to come up with a tactful way of broaching the subject of her aunt's kiss later that night. Dan dropped them at home, helping Cliff carry the luggage in and stealing a quick kiss from Zoe before heading home. "See you at work Dan," Zoe said with a smile as she pushed the door shut behind him.
Once dinner was finished and the two youngest Woodall's were put to bed Zoe collapsed gratefully on the couch, shifting into a sitting position when Taylor arrived from the kitchen bearing two bowls of Ben & Jerry's. "So Aunt Zoe...how was the trip? Did you have fun?" Taylor stressed the last word, eyeing her aunt carefully.
"Juts what exactly are you implying little missy?" Zoe asked, spoon stopping midway between the bowl and her mouth.
"Oh nothing Aunt Zoe but if you're gonna deny this you should know that there were three witnesses to that little kiss at the airport." Zoe's jaw dropped, ice cream all but forgotten as she felt the heat rise in her cheeks. Taylor suppressed a grin as she watched her aunt struggle to come up with an answer. "Don't worry about it Aunt Zoe, we're happy for you. We all know how much you like Dan, he's a great guy. You don't have to hide anything from us. I'm gonna finish this in my room, night Aunt Zoe," Taylor dropped a kiss on her aunts cheek and tried to make a quick getaway.
"Taylor?" Zoe called after her, catching her at the bottom of the stairs, "For the record...I didn't sleep with Dan...well I slept with him but not slept with him...ya know?"
"Whatever you say Aunt Zoe," Taylor smiled and bounded up the stairs before her aunt could gather her thoughts.
A/N pt3: So I have an idea that I want to work into the story (damn plot bunny) but I want opinions on who should be...umm...affected by the...idea. Hard to explain w/o giving it away but if you would be so kind as to review (or even just answer this) and choose one of these characters: Zoe, Hannah or Taylor...I'm kind of leaning towards Taylor but Hannah's a better age for what I have planned...cryptic no? LOL drop me a line!