Thanks for your reviews. I might need to point out that I wrote this one before the other four, so it might not be the best, but I'm putting it out there anyway.

01x05: The Pugilist Break

He doesn't quite know why he asked her to dinner. Maybe because they had a long day and he still feels bad about not being able to save that boy so many years ago. Or maybe because he knows she would go back to her lonely home. Henry doesn't understand many of his recent actions when it comes to Jo Martinez.

As soon as he sees her trying to get out of his invitation, he desperately wants to change her mind. Luckily, he does.

Abe likes Jo, he knows that, but somehow his son seems surprised when he brings her along.

Dinner is fun. They joke and laugh and even when Jo asks how he and Abe actually met, everything feels normal about her eating with them.

Afterwards, when she excuses herself and he and Abe start cleaning up, he stills has a smile on his face.

"It's been a long time since you brought someone home, Henry," the visibly older man says as he gives Henry the dishes to put them into the dishwasher.

Henry raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying? I don't make enough friends?"

Abe laughs, but somehow it sounds sad. "You've been lonely since Abigail has been gone. I know you think you have lost the one true love and therefore, in your head you aren't ready, but you obviously underestimated the healing power of your heart."

Henry swallows because he guesses where his son his headed with this, but he doesn't want to go there. Abigail has been the only one he's ever loved and he's never felt a connection with anybody else. But he can't deny that he likes Jo. She's a fabulous detective, funny and ridiculously pretty. Hot, has been his actual description.

He definitely isn't ready for anything remotely close to a romantic relationship and he knows Jo considers him weird and creepy even if she told him they are partners. And on top of that she still pretty much hung up on her dead husband.

"Just to be clear, I think you made a fabulous choice," Abe says just before Jo reappears and Henry doesn't have the time to inform his son that he didn't make any choices and that Jo and him are just partners.

"I told you boys to wait for me. You already forbid me to help cooking. At least let me clean up," Jo exclaims.

Henry laughs. "I didn't invite you so we'd have a scullery-maid. Abe and I are more than capable of cooking and cleaning ourselves." He wraps a friendly arm around her shoulders and pulls her to the couch.

"Sit and finish your glass of wine and I'll be right back," he ordered.

He feels Abe's gaze on him and Jo, knows his boy's watching every interaction between the young woman and himself like a hawk.

Jo smiles at him. "Why are you so nice to me tonight?"

He shrugs. "I am quite a nice person. Thanks for finally recognizing it, detective."

She grins back at him. "Never said you've never been nice before. But especially tonight. And you haven't told or done anything weird which is quite surprising."

He knows she's only teasing him, but he can't help but wonder if she really thinks of him like that.

Jo sees his face and being the good detective that she is, she instantly knows what's going through his mind. She gently grabs his hand.

"Hey, I don't really think you're weird. It's just that sometimes you get that far away look and it's like you're in a different world. And there're so many things you know about death and murder and how you observe anything and anyone in a beat is actually pretty weird, but all in all I think you are a pretty nice man."

He can't help but beam at her and his heart beats a mile a minute upon hearing her words. He doesn't understand why he reacts like this. Almost like a teenager hearing his first real crush does actually like him, but damn it, he isn't a stupid sixteen-year-old and his crush is long gone.

Jo's hand is still on his and it almost feels like it's burning through his skin. It's starts tickling and Henry tells himself he's had way too much wine.

"Hey you two, I've finished the dishes and I am an old man who tires a lot more easily than you young folks. I'll retire now. Good night," Abe says, suddenly appearing next to them and causing their hands to part.

"Good night, Abraham," Henry tells him, wishing to kiss his boy on the head, but doesn't feel comfortable enough to do this around Jo. It would be weird for him to kiss him like a dad would, right?

"Night, Abe," Jo, smiling brightly at the older man before turning to her partner. "He's right, it's late. I should be getting home now."

Henry nods, almost suggesting for her to stay here on the couch (or in his room and he'll take the couch, because let's face it, he's centuries old and a gentleman), but his mind tells him to stop those words. Their relationship is not like that. They aren't friends, not to mention anything beyond that.

Jo takes her jacket and purse and makes her way down to the door and he follows her. To his immense surprise, she hugs him, when she turns around to tell him goodnight.

"Thanks for the delicious dinner, Henry." She smiles at him, it seems shy, and all of a sudden he realizes this whole evening has been ridiculously date-like and he didn't even notice anything until now. And obviously Jo's been a little quicker than him because she actually blushes a little and oh my god, does she expect him to kiss her now?

On their first case together she flat out told him she wouldn't go out with him and now, only a few weeks later she wants him to kiss her?

He freaks a little, but Jo's face changes and now she looks a little confused. "Are you okay, Henry?"

"Uh…yeah. Great. I'm great. Just a little tired," he stutters and Jo, still her left eyebrow raised, nods.

"Right, I'll let you get some sleep. Good night." She turns around and steps out into the night and suddenly Henry panics for an entirely different reason, because now that he started thinking about kissing her, he somehow desperately wants to. Because how can he not? She's fun and nice and freaking hot, and maybe, hopefully, she likes him too.

So without quite thinking about the consequences or the fact that's he's kinda immortal and a freak and really not good for her, he quickly takes a step forward and grabs her wrist.

"What-", she starts and he pulls her quickly into him. Before she can say anything further, he bends down and presses his lips against hers.

The feeling is nice. It's not the famous fireworks, but it's warm and soft and oddly familiar. He doesn't quite understand what he's feeling, but he knows he doesn't want to stop kissing her anytime soon.

Jo seems to have familiar thoughts because she overcomes her initial shock and wraps her arms around his neck.

His hands settle on her back and a shudder runs through him when he hears her soft sigh.

The brunette in his arms gently removes herself from him and gazes up at him, a slightly stunned look on her amazing face.

"I thought you weren't interested in me," she says and he thinks she's teasing him, so he shrugs.

"Changed my mind," Henry answers simply and she grins at him.

"Good night," she says softly and presses one last kiss against his lips.

"Good night, detective," he mumbles and watches her go, wondering when and how the hell those feelings have started to take over in him to actually make him forget about Abigail for a minute and occupy his mind completely with Jo.