Rifiuto: Non Miriena
"I don't like this."
"It's just dinner, Jack. That's all it's going to be; they aren't going to do anything-" She stopped pouring the coffee and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know, that you feel like you have to protect her because you couldn't protect her when she went missing, but she's a grown woman. She needs to experience these things on her own, without anyone holding her hand and telling her what to do. She never had these firsts when she was growing up because she was held captive for twenty years, so she never got to go on that first date, or have her first kiss, or go to her first dance or... hold hands or make out or go shopping with her girlfriends for that perfect date-night dress... she never got any of that. Let her have this, Jack. Let her have this first date experience. It'll be good for her. Besides, Zane will take care of her. He wants to protect her as much as you do-"
"He just wants to get her into bed." Carter muttered, reaching for his cup, but Allison stopped him.
"He's been real helpful with Jo; let them go out and have a nice dinner. Vincent promised that he would make sure Zane was on his best behavior." The sheriff sighed.
"I don't-"
"Zane is at the door, shall I let him in, Sheriff Carter?" SARAH asked, and after much hesitation, Carter relented. Zane wandered in, dressed in a nice pair of jeans, white button down, and a heather grey suit jacket that brought out his blue eyes. He twirled a single red rose between his fingers, and gave them both a small smile.
"You look very nice, Zane." Allison said, going to him; he took a deep breath, giving her a small smile.
"Thanks, Allison. Um, is Jo-"
"Jo will be right down, Zane. Zoe is helping her finish getting ready." SARAH interjected, and he glanced towards the ceiling.
"Thanks, SARAH." The three adults stood in silence, Carter glowering at Zane, who tried to avoid his gaze.
"I want you to understand, if you try anything- anything- with her, I will see to it that you never leave my jail cell again, am I understood?" Zane nodded. He backed up, Carter had sidled up to him, getting into his face and doing his best to intimidate the younger man. And Zane hated to admit that it was working. Even as Allison laid a calming hand on Carter's arm, Zane backed up further, nodding but only hearing the threatening, protective tone in the sheriff's voice. "And if you even think of getting out of line-" Only the sound of Zoe clearing her throat brought pause, and all three turned to see the Harvard student standing on the landing. Her hazel eyes flicked briefly to Zane, but his gaze had moved to the stairs behind her; Zoe turned. Jo was peeking around a corner, she soon ducked back out of view.
"Jo? It's Dr. Blake." Slowly, Allison moved to the landing, pushing Zoe gently towards her dad. She turned a soft, maternal voice towards the stairs. "How about you come down? Zane's here." She glanced back at the others, licking her lip. "Jo, you and Zane have reservations at Cafe Diem for dinner, you don't want to miss that, do you?"
Slowly, the girl came around the corner. And Allison and the others watched as she so very slowly came down the stairs, carrying something in her hand. As she got closer, they saw that she was carrying a pair of black heels, taking the stairs one bare foot at a time. Obviously, she'd never been allowed to wear heels, and so didn't know how to walk in them. Allison heard Zane inhale sharply, and she grinned. Zoe had certainly worked her magic.
The younger woman was dressed in a spaghetti strap blue dress, with a flowy skirt that fell to her knees and hugged her small body as best it could in the circumstances, and somehow, Zoe had managed to make that mass of black hair into shiny, glossy curls, so different from the tangled mass of a rat's nest it had been after she'd been found. The curls fell down her back, ending near the bottom of her ribcage, and she had a light splash of makeup on; accenting her dark, haunted eyes. When she reached the landing where Allison stood, she glanced around, nervously dropping the shoes at her feet. Instantly, she wrapped her arms around herself, looking from face to face, as though waiting for approval. "You look beautiful, Jo." Allison told her; the girl gave her a soft, nervous smile, before slipping into the heels.
"Amazing what a little hot water, some make up and a new dress can do for a woman, huh?" Zoe whispered, proud of her accomplishment, even if it drove the knife of Zane's break up with her further in. At least Jo looked descent, better than she had been, and she even looked happy to be in something other than t-shirts and sweats. Neither Zane nor Carter replied, but both had to silently agree. Licking his lips, Zane went to Jo, giving her a small smile.
"You look beautiful, Jo." He whispered. She looked up at him, giving him a small, trusting smile.
"Ah... thank you, Mr. Grey-" She didn't see the last step and stumbled forward; Zane managed to catch her, keeping her from hitting the floor, and she looked up, frightened. He grinned.
"I know I'm attractive, but there's no need to throw yourself at me, Jojo." He joked; it took a few minutes, before she let the small smile take over, and as he helped set her safely on the floor, he held out the rose. They all watched as her eyes lit up with uncontained joy at the simple flower with the bow around the stem, and she took it with a soft gasp of excitement, burying her nose in the soft petals, eyes closing as she did so. Zane noticed how the simple gesture of giving her a single red rose brought so much joy to her face, that all he wanted to do was see it again. When she finally lifted her nose from the petals, she looked up into his eyes with a soft,
"Thank you."
Zane had made sure to request a table in the back corner, away from prying eyes, where they could just talk and enjoy a good meal. Of course that didn't keep Vincent from checking up on them periodically, casting curious glances towards the girl with the haunted dark eyes and cautious demeanor. As he brought their meal out, the burly chef stepped back; Jo glanced his way, swallowing in fright. "Thanks, Vince." Zane replied, but still, the chef stayed. Jo glanced from Zane to Vincent and back, frightened.
"I'm sorry, I just... we've never been properly introduced. I'm Vincent. I own Cafe Diem." He said, going to Jo and holding out a hand. Instantly, the girl scooted her chair closer to the corner in an attempt to escape the other man. Zane could see the pure fright in her dark eyes, and quickly intervened.
"Vincent, this is Jo. She's-"
"Oh we all know about her, Zane. We all know she was found in the woods, we all know the work Sheriff Carter's doing to catch the man who held her captive." Zane's blue eyes widened in surprise, and Vincent quickly amended. "SARAH told Andy and Andy told-"
"Of course he did," Zane muttered, pushing his plate aside and folding his arms on the table in annoyance. "Is nothing secret in this town anymore?" He muttered, glancing at Jo, who held his gaze, slipping her bottom lip between her teeth. He sighed, giving her a small smile and then turning back to the chef. "Anything else, Vincent?" The chef shook his head, before,
"Just, one more thing." He turned to Jo; having dropped his hand earlier, he held it out again, this time, turning it palm up. A comforting gesture, showing that he posed no threat to the girl. With a glance at Zane, she reached out, laying her hand in his, and slowly, Vincent rested his other hand over hers, sandwiching her small fingers between his beefy ones. "I just want to say that I think it's atrocious what he did to you. I can't imagine anything worse than what you've gone through, and what you'll probably be going through for the rest of your life. But you have good people here, looking out for you. Sheriff Carter used to be a marshal, he'll catch the monster who did this to you; and Dr. Blake and the Deacons and Dr. Fargo and Zane here... they won't let you down. They'll take care of you. We all will. From the moment you first came here, you're ours. You're our girl, and we'll do everything we can to make this as easy on you as possible. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We're all here for you." He patted her hand, giving her a small smile. The warm concensus that followed seemed to relax her slightly, and once Vincent was gone, she turned to her meal.
They ate in silence for several minutes, before Zane spoke, "I'm sorry about that. I was hoping you wouldn't have to deal with that tonight-"
"It's okay. It's nice to have someone who cares." She whispered, taking a sip of her drink. Silence settled between them before she asked, "How... how long have you been here?"
"Two years." She nodded, taking a bite of her vegetables. Zane glanced up in time to see a blush tint her cheeks, and he chuckled softly. "Enjoying it?" She swallowed, biting her lip.
"I... I never got... vegetables. Ah... most of the time, when we were in the apartment, he bought fast food. I don't think I could look at another hamburger without wanting to vomit." He gave her a soft smile.
"Well, Vincent makes everything by hand. All fresh, nothing processed. No fast food, so don't worry, you're safe." She returned his smile, visibly relaxing. "So... what do you like to do? Besides read?" She thought a moment, her dark eyes clouding over, and Zane mentally kicked himself. "Sorry. Never mind, forget it." Her teeth released her lip, and when she spoke, it was with wistful longing in her voice, recalling some long ago memory that had most likely kept her alive all those years in captivity.
"When I was growing up... before... my friends and I would... we'd go to the mall and... walk around; try on clothes and pose. Get ice cream, go swimming. We had this... big tree in the backyard of our house... with a zipline that connected from the attic window to it, and my friends and I would take turns sliding down it... I loved that zipline... I felt like I flying... I remember this one time... when I was ten... I went on the zipline and... it got caught on the leg of a chair and... when I tried to get it free, I lost my grip and fell... broke my arm; my dad found me. I was in a cast for weeks... but I still did everything my brothers did... I wonder if that zipline's still there or... or if Dad's taken it down..." She stopped, returning to her plate, and quickly, Zane reached out, taking her hand. He squeezed gently, giving her a reassuring smile that she returned.
After dinner and desert- Vincent brought out two pieces of triple chocolate fudge cake with raspberry filling that thrilled Jo to no end- the pair left the cafe, to a drizzling rainstorm. Realizing that Jo hadn't brought a jacket, Zane immediately slipped out of his and laid it over her shoulders. She blushed, but thanked him. "Come on." He took her hand, pulling her across the street towards the park.
"Where are we going?" She hurried to catch up, but as they reached the curb on the other side of the road, she slipped, stumbling into his arms.
"Careful, Jojo. The last thing I want to do is take you back to Carter damaged. He'll have my head." She laughed softly as his arms settled comfortably around her waist, holding her to him while she got her bearings straight. He leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips, when the clouds opened up overhead, drenching them with rain. She pulled the jacket over her head, and he took her hand, pulling her into the nearest doorway. Their bodies hit the doorway, and they struggled to catch their breath. "We'll get going as soon as the rain lets up a little." He reached out and took the jacket, attempting to wring it out before wrapping it around her shoulders again. "Sorry, I was just trying to keep you warm and dry. Guess that didn't work out too well, did it?" She blushed, pulling the jacket closer to her body. A moment passed, before she lifted her head, dark eyes sparking with concern.
"You're shaking. Aren't you cold?" He shook his head, wrinkling his nose in nonchalance.
"I'm fine. Just a little chilled; I'll be okay." But she stepped forward, wrapping her arms slowly around his waist, holding him to her, in a small effort to give him some of her body heat.
"The last thing I want you to do is get sick." She whispered, looking up at him. He gave her a small smile, slowly sliding his arms around her waist to keep her close.
"Thank you." She returned the smile, tucking her head beneath his chin. He held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. As thunder broke the silence, she pulled away, looking up into his gaze. Against his better judgement, he leaned down, capturing her lips in a soft first kiss.
Zane watched her delight as she slipped out of her heels and rushed towards the swing set, ignoring the mud coating her feet. The rain was slowly letting up, and after forcing himself to break the kiss, he'd led her to the park. Upon seeing the swing set, Jo had removed the coat and her shoes, rushing towards the nearest swing. He chuckled as she took a seat, crying out as the water soaked through her dress, hitting her skin. She seemed to take such delight in something as simple as a swing set, or a red rose, steamed vegetables, a slice of chocolate cake-
Because she never had those things growing up. She didn't get to play outside or pick flowers or eat cake or anything else you got to. She was held prisoner for years, not allowed to go outside, not allowed to have sweets, not allowed to pick flowers. You take everything for granted; she takes nothing for granted. Put yourself in her place, see it through her eyes. He made his way towards her, taking a seat in the second swing, swinging gently back and forth as she went higher. Her laughter floated back to him and he couldn't help grinning, even as she slowed down, eventually stopping. She turned to him, giving him a small smile. He opened his mouth to speak, just as thunder cut him off, and the clouds burst, sending fresh, clean rain onto them. Over the roar of the thunder, he said, "You're beautiful." She shook her head, unable to hear over hte roar of thunder, and he got up, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. They grabbed her shoes and his jacket as they raced fromthe park back towards Cafe Diem, and once in the awning, Zane pulled her to him. "I said you're beautiful."
She smiled at him, reaching up to cup his cheek. "So are you."
And before Zane could stop himself, he'd pulled her to him, wrapped his arms tight around her waist, and kissed her.