Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Thanks to Ghostrider and Addy for reviewing 34.

"We've worked something out."

Jack looked up from his paper as Jo slid into the seat across from his desk. "You and who?" He asked, dropping his paper.

"Allison and I."

"And, what did you two work out?"

Jo reached out and took his hand. "Joint custody." He raised an eyebrow.

"Joint custody?" She nodded. It'd been two weeks since the two women had talked, and in that time, they'd both agreed to tell their respective partners- Jack and Zane- of what they'd worked out.

"Yes. Joint custody. Between us and Allison. No courtroom, no battle, just a good old-fashioned agreement between friends over sharing custody of her daughter. We have Jea and then Allison and Zane have Jea for a few days or a few weeks. Everyone's happy and Jea gets to spend time with her mom."

"And what brought this on?" Jack asked, squeezing her hand. Jo's eyes misted over.

"I know what it's like to be shuffled from one parent to another at Jea's young age. Being sent from my dad's house to my mom's trailer because I had to be. Watching my dad struggle to play both parental roles and then walking in on my mom shooting up in the bathroom with the heroin her current boyfriend supplied her. Hiding in my brothers' rooms when I was little, covering my ears to keep from hearing the threats they hurled at each other. Coming home to find her trying to slash his throat with a butcher knife, or slamming her fist into the wall because she missed his face. Sitting through the court hearings and custody disputes, being shuffled from foster home to foster home while the judge worked out who should have us. Weekly visitations with my mom that weren't even visitations because she was so high on drugs that she couldn't see straight. Dad finally getting custody and getting calls from Mom that were nothing but drug-induced ramblings. And then having to come down to the morgue to identify her body when she finally died of an overdose."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and Jack reached up, gently wiping the tears away. "Oh, Jo... I knew your childhood was difficult, but I didn't know how much. I'm so sorry, Jojo. I'm so, so sorry."

She sniffled, shrugging. "I don't want Jea to go through that-"

"She won't, Jo. We all love her. Nothing like that will ever happen to her. I promise."

"I... I know. But... but I did. And it was hell. And I know it wouldn't happen to Jea, but... but I worry. I'm afraid she's... I was afraid that Jea would go through what I went through. That's why I went into the army as soon as I could. I loved my dad, but it was a way to escape the pain I'd gone through as a kid. She died when I was nine, but, but still..."

He sighed. "I know you had a rough childhood. But Jea has people who love her. We're not drug addicts, we don't want to put her through a custody battle that gets ugly. We want to love her. All of us. Jea is loved by all of us- Allison, and Zane and Grace and you and me and Vincent and Henry, and Holly and Fargo... we all love her. She'll be fine."

Jo nodded. "Okay."

"You can't go, Jea! We love you!"

Jenna laughed, holding her cap down as Collin wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"I'm not going very far away-"

"Yale isn't very far away?" Eri asked, hands on her hips. "It's in New Haven, Jea. Connecticut is... thirteen states away from Oregon. Fourteen if you count Washington." Jack chuckled as his daughters bickered.

A year had passed since Jo and Allison had called their truce, and Jenna had just graduated high school, and was set to catch a flight to Yale in a week to start her degree in Medicine. Eri had already recieved her acceptance letter to Princeton, and would graduate the following year, bound for New Jersey. Danielle and Niall were going to rival univerities- also Ivies. Niall was eyeing Columbia while Danielle was already filling out the application to Brown. Jack still couldn't believe that the little girl he'd helped raise from birth was finally going off to college.

"All right, all right, that's enough! Get together with the graduate!" Allison called. The kids did, their arms around each other as Allison snapped several pictures. After a moment, her son Nicholas joined them.

Jo, meanwhile, had slipped into the woods, gun in hand. The party going on at the smart house had gotten too claustraphobic for her, and she needed time to think. She fired several rounds, sending bark flying as her thoughts ran rampant. Moments passed, with only the sound of gunshots to break the silence. But when footsteps sounded behind her, she turned, aiming the gun.

"It's just me. It's only me." She lowered the gun as Zane held up his hands. "How are you doing?" He asked, joining her. She sighed, and began filling another round into the gun.

"Fine."

"You sure you're not upset that Jenna's leaving?" He asked, watching as she raised her gun. She fired off several rounds, before,

"My little girl is going off to Yale. And then Eri's going to Princeton next year; Anna and Ni are going to Brown and Columbia respectfully. Before you know it, my babies will be gone. Of course I'm upset, Zane."

"You shouldn't be." The two looked up, seeing Allison and Carter making their way towards them, the kids following.

"We'll be fine Mama." Jenna said, rushing ahead of the others. The only response Jo gave, was to return to her target practice. She fired off several rounds, moving closer to the tree as her emotions got hard and harder to control.

"Jo... Jo... Jo!" She only stopped when Carter reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her from pulling the trigger. She looked up at him. "You were always hard to control around guns." He whispered softly, giving her a soft smile. After a moment, she dropped the gun and buried herself in his arms, letting the tears come. "It's okay. She'll be okay. She's strong. Like you."

Eventually, he pulled away, and Jea rushed towards her, throwing her arms around her neck. "I love you, Mama."

Jo held her tight, not wanting to let her go. "I love you too, sweetie." Gently, Carter rubbed her back. He glanced at Zane, Allison and the kids, giving them all a smile.

"We'll be fine, Jo. We'll all be just fine."