Rifiuto: Non Miriena

"Jo, what are you doing?"

"Stay there, Donovan!" She ordered. Then, she reached down and grabbed the net, before turning her gun back on him.

"Turning your gun on me? What is wrong with you?" He demanded, sitting up.

"I told you, you don't know how to use this! You've never used one before! But I have. Let me do this!"

Then, she put her gun away and hurried after the firecrackers as Grace and Henry helped Zane to his feet.

"She's lost her mind." He said, looking after her. Jack shook his head.

"No she isn't. She's right." Jack told him. He went to Holly. "Stay here and look after Erica." She nodded. Then, he hurried after his wife. The others followed. When Erica started fussing, Holly scooped her up and proceeded to sing to her, making silly faces and cooing sounds for the little girl. "Jo!"

"Over here!" He looked up, seeing his wife beckon to him from behind a small cluster of tree stumps. He rushed to her, kneeling next to her. "Where's Eri?"

"Holly's further back, looking after her. What's going on?" They heard the others' footsteps approaching and both turned to them. "Get down!"

Once everyone was crouched down, Jo raised the net and took aim. She waited several minutes.

"Come on, Jo!" Zane said. She shook her head.

"No."

"Now, Jo?" Grace asked, fear in her voice.

"No. Not yet. Not until they're closer." She watched the crackers zip around, making their way closer and closer to them. Then, she stood, sticking her fingers in her mouth and whistling. "Hey! Over here!" The crackers seemed to stop momentarily before making their way towards her, almost as if they were figuring out where the noise had come from.

They got closer and closer, and Jack reached up to grab Jo by the back of her jacket, when she fired. The sound of an atomic boom exploding reached their ears, and everyone watched as a net of purple haze surrounded the firecrackers. Sparks of electricity lit the air for several minutes, before the crackers fell to the ground, still. She turned to look at everyone as they stood.

"Piece of cake."

Holly looked up, Erica was fast asleep in her arms; the others slowly made their way back to her.

"How is she?" Jo asked, taking her daughter into her arms.

"Finally asleep." Holly replied.

"Thank you, Holly."

"Welcome. And... Erica got her first look at the forest, so she got to learn something and go on an adventure with her Mommy and Daddy today."

Jack gave Holly a grateful smile as he wrapped an arm around Jo. "Thanks Holly."

"You haven't been by in a while."

Zane sighed, shutting the door softly behind him.

"I'm sorry, but... with everything going on, I haven't had time. How have you been?"

Allison shrugged. She lay on her bed at the local mental health hospital- her temporary residency of the last eleven months. Bottles of pills littered the small nightstand, and the blinds were closed over the window.

"What's happened since I've been gone?"

"Oh the usual destruction. Typical Eureka fashion, as always. Self-destructive firecrackers and rust-turning goo. Possible armageddon by espresso machine and body switching. The usual."

A fleeting smile crossed her face. "Anything else?"

He bit his lip. Hands in his pockets, he watched her for several minutes before,

"Jo had a baby."

Her eyes lit in panic and fear. "Jack's?" She asked, wanting the answer to be no. He nodded.

"Yes. Carter's baby." He watched the tears begin to slide down her cheeks. "A daughter. They've named her Erica."

She took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at him.

"He's moved on without me."

Sighing, Zane went to the bed and sat down, pulling her up and into his arms. He began stroking her back, attempting to calm her.

"I know. I know."

"He's taken my daughter and... and married Jo and... and started a new family... a new life..." She burst into tears, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest.

"I know. I hate seeing them together, but... but there's nothing we can do to some it. They're in love, and they've started a family. They have a baby girl. We can't do anything now. Except let them live their lives..."

Eventually, Allison's sobs quieted, and she looked up at Zane. "I just... I just want everything to return to normal. Like before we left."

"I do too, Allison. I do too." He stared into her eyes, noticing that the heartache reflected in hers mirrored his. "Allison-"

But he didn't get to finish, because Allison had pressed her lips to his, and he found himself responding.