Summary: With autumn comes the town play and this year in the alternate EUReKA it's a little awkward when Zane and Jo are both selected as the leading couple by Grace, the director. This was written for my fairytale challenge and is set after the 1/2season finale but before the Christmas special.

Disclaimer: I don't own Zane Donovan, Josephina Lupo, Vincent, Cafe`Diem, Jack Carter, Zoe Carter, or any other recognizable canonical elements from the SyFy television show, "EUReKA." I am not affiliated with SyFy either so this story, which is written for entertainment purposes only, has no real bearing on where the true show is going unless I make a lucky guess or twenty.

A/N: This story is a response to my own fairytale challenge mentioned in the FanFiction forum, "The Good Sparks: a JoZane forum." The title of this chapter is meant to poke fun at Zane's stage experience in school.

Chapter 2: of Monologues and Midgets

Last Time:

"I always knew you were smart Zoe Carter."

"I'm glad you think so," she remarked sardonically, "so you wanna tell me why you were making out with Jo?"

Wincing momentarily, Zane fesses up. "It's part of what I just told you, and… part of something I feel that I don't understand. What I mean is it's always just been violent harassment between Jo-Jo and me and then all of the sudden she does this one-eighty towards me and for some reason it feels… familiar. I honestly don't think I'll know what it is 'till I figure out the other problem." Then he looked her straight in the eyes, "I really am sorry about, well… us. I mean it's been loads of fun hanging out but really you're a very nice distraction Zoe, or I was fooling myself into thinking you were."

Zoe looks mildly affronted and then tells him, "I think you're a very nice distraction too Zane, but that can't make up for the fact that you're not distracting me as well as I'd thought you would anyway." She drinks deeply from her root beer float, takes on a thoughtful pose, and then says, "I guess this is us apologizing to one another for using each other?"

Zane shrugs and then answers, "Yeah, I suppose so."

She chuckles, "Well we're terrible at it. You're still gonna try out for the play though right?"

Scowling momentarily, Zane comments, "Last and first play I was in was at college; they made me play the midget."

Zoe blinks in surprise and then bursts out giggling. "'Cause you were a kid right? I'm sure Grace'll be more forgiving with assigned roles. She's really excited this year; we can't let her down can we?"

Zane rolls his eyes, "I honestly don't know how she can focus on her work and a direct a play with her's and Henry's renewed marital bliss."

"She's brilliant, just like anyone else in this town," she retorts.

"Thanks for understanding about… uh… ya know," he waves his hand in a random direction.

"Yeah, you too. Do you need help preparing a monologue for your audition?"

Looking genuinely confused Zane asks, "Monologue?"

She raises an eyebrow, "You don't know what a monologue is? No wonder they cast you as the midget," she playfully remarks.

Review Challenge: Try and guess which fairytale the play is, if you don't already know.