Hello folks, thank you for your amazing reviews so far. Here's the next one after this amazing episode :)

01x08: The Ecstasy of Agony

The evening is fun. Jo is glad Henry decided to join them and she is thankful Hanson reacts like he does to Henry's presence.

She watches while Lucas makes fun of him and Jo finds the case has somehow changed him. She doesn't know exactly what triggered it or why there needed to be a change in the first place, but Henry seems different somehow. More open.

He wanted to tell her about his weird looking gunshot wound. Which is something new. Entirely.

She wonders how much of this change is due to the blonde woman who inflicted pain on people for living. Has he met up with her again? Does he consider making something permanent out of this? And what's really nagging at her is the question if he actually is into that kind of kinky stuff. Because, well, she isn't exactly a prude, but whipping her partner almost to death is definitely not on her bucket list.

At that Jo frowns. Why is a question regarding Henry's sexual preferences automatically leading to her own?

God, she really needs to stop thinking.

Hanson's voice pulls her out of her own head. "So, Dr. Morgan, let me please ask you a personal question because not knowing is driving me insane."

Jo looks up, sees Henry's slightly apprehensive face, before he nods. "Shoot."

"Did the kinky lady and her ass kicking really do it for you?"

Jo holds her breath, can't help but watch her unofficial partner's face closely. She's sure he actually blushes a little, a sheepish smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Of course she is a very attractive woman and I would be lying, I assume like all of you, if I said I didn't find her attractive. But it's not the kinky stuff that made me go to her. Actually, it does not have anything to do with sex."

To her own irritation, Jo feels a weight being lifted from her chest. Why does she care if Henry has the hots for some blonde bimbo? She's married for god's sake. Well, she was, at least.

"Why then, Henry?", Lucas asks, redirecting Jo's thoughts back to the man in question.

"What she does, makes people learn to trust. I think she explained it a lot better than me, but in a way physical pain is able to heal emotional pain." He shrugs. "Be that as it may, I will not see her again, even if she is a nice, young woman."

Nobody seems to know what to say to that, so they all just not and take their glasses to their lips.

Jo feels entirely light, which is alarming. Why the hell does her state of mind relate to Henry Morgan's opinion of other woman?

She drowns her drink quickly. She really needs to stop thinking about this.

It's almost an hour later when she decides it's time to go home. She hasn't slept too well the night before and the fear for Henry has left her very tired and drained.

So she throws a few bills on the table, rolling her eyes at the boys' antics when they start teasing her about going home early, and shrugs on her jacket.

"It's been a long day, guys and there's a relaxing bath waiting for me."

Lucas, who's obviously had enough to drink by now whistles. "Would you like some company, detective Mártinez?"

"Alright, that's my cue to leave immediately," she says, rolling her eyes and notices Henry getting up as well.

"I'm going home as well. Abe is waiting for me," Henry excuses, grinning at Jo when Hanson and Lucas start teasing him, too.

"C'mon, Jo, I'll take you home," he says, putting his jacket back on and throwing twenty bucks on the table before guiding her towards the door.

"Goodnight guys," he says and Jo greets them goodbye as well.

The night is cool, it's November after all, and Jo pulls her jacket a little tighter around herself.

Henry, always the attentive gentleman, immediately offers his coat.

She smiles shyly. "No, thank you. I'm fine and not the one who's been tortured today." Concern takes over her voice. "You sure you're okay?", she asks and Henry nods, smiling that sheepish smile of his that always seems to throw her for a loop.

"Yes, I am fine. It's not something I'm going to remember fondly, but it's okay."

Jo notices they've slowed their pace. In silence they have agreed to walk home since it's not too far and they aren't drunk and ever since Henry started talking about his gunshot wound and Lucas interrupted them, she's had the feeling he wants to tell her the rest of it. Yet, she feels uncomfortable to ask him.

It looked strange to her. The skin was all puckered up, like it hasn't been aided professionally.

"The past few days showed me something," Henry suddenly says, effectively cutting off her train of thought. "Abe has reconnected with his two-time ex-wife. While he says he knows better, he trusts her anyways to make it work this time," he tells her and she doesn't understand where he's going with this.

She looks up at him and he seems nervous, his gaze straight forward, not even once flicking towards her. Suddenly she feels nervous, too. Where is he going with this?

"Iona Payne told me some things too, which made me all realize I need to work on my control issues."

He takes a deep breath and turns around to her all of a sudden. "The gunshot wound on my chest – I…uh…I was shot at on a ship and fell into the ocean."

Jo's eyes widen. "Oh my gosh. You're lucky you're alive. It could've killed you, Henry." Involuntary, she's put a hand on his arm.

She sees him swallowing, his pulse quickening under her fingers.

"It did."

She doesn't know what he means. Their sentences don't relate to each other. He doesn't make any sense. "What are you talking about?"

And suddenly he looks up at her, his brown eyes terrified and yet determined.

"I was shot at and killed in 1814, Jo."

There's a giant question mark in her head because she doesn't comprehend what he's saying, but he looks so serious that she knows he means what he says. But she doesn't get it.

Jo takes a step back, moving to cross her arms in front of her chest, but Henry quickly stops her and takes her hand.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I am not insane, Jo. Remember a few weeks ago when you accused me of having no self preservation instinct? You were right, I do not have one. Because I do not need to fear death. Because I cannot die."

Her mind is blank and she just can stare at him, because this is insane. What he's telling her is insane. This can't be right. Maybe he isn't fine and those electroshocks did more damage than they've thought.

"Say something, please."

Jo looks up at him and in his eyes she sees fear of rejection which means he has to be sure of what he's telling her. That he's not making this up. But if he doesn't and if he's – what the hell?

"Henry, I don't know what to say to this. It sounds insane and crazy and I think maybe you've gotten some brain damage or something."

He sighs, lets go of her hand and steps back. "I'm sorry I-"

She cuts him off immediately because she notices she hurt him. Things slowly start to make sense to her. Henry has figured out some things regarding trust during the last few days and somehow he's ended up believing he could trust her, that he wants to trust her with something that's completely crazy and there she goes proving that his lack of trust in the past might have been justified.

"Is there some way to show me, to give me proof?" Her voice sounds fearful and she is because what she's asking – it means he could die if he's wrong and that thought scares the hell out of her.

Henry swallows. "There are many ways. You could ask Abraham or I could show you some of my old diaries. You could try to think of all those things that make me seem old fashioned and why that might be." His tone gets quieter the longer he speaks. "Or there is the other option. The one where I die in front of you and come back."

Jo stares at him, wide eyed and speechless because what does she tell him?

"You- you're telling the truth, aren't you?", she whispers, realizing that he does. Henry Morgan is telling the truth. Which means there is something as entirely mysterious out there as immortality.

Something flashes across his face and then it lights up, his smile thankful and happy and contagious. He steps closer again, wraps her into his embrace.

"Thank you, thank you thank you," he mumbles against her hair and Jo feels goose bumps eliciting off her skin.

"So what's the story?", she asks when they've pulled apart again.

Henry shrugs, nervously biting on her lip. "I don't know yet. I was in my late twenties when I realized I didn't seem to age which was fine by me and a few years later, I was married to a woman named Nora then, I got killed on a boat. When I reappeared and told her what I was, she institutionalized me. I was hurt, scared and confused and the one person I trusted most betrayed me. Many years later, I met Abigail. We fell deeply in love and she understood me and what I am. During the second world war we found an orphaned baby."

He stops at that, a caring smile playing at his lips and Jo instantly knows what he's telling her even if she still can't wrap her mind around it.

"You found Abe. He's your son."

His beautiful smile flashes her. It's dazzling and she wants to step closer to him again.

"Yes," he tells her.

"There hasn't been anyone since Abigail?" She needs to ask. Jo doesn't understand why, but she needs to know. Desperately. Alarm bells start ringing in her head.

"No," he tells her, shy again and while he lowers his gaze, his beautiful sheepish smile and seductive eyes gaze up at her through his lashes.

Damn, she's in big trouble.

"I couldn't. It always felt like betraying her. I always thought she'd be the only one for me. But now I am not so sure anymore."

Jo's head snaps up and she thinks of Iona again. From an objective point of view she can understand why Henry finds her attractive. She's blonde, exactly like Abigail (who she's seen on a picture in Henry's apartment when she was over for dinner), has got quite a lot of sex appeal and on top of that seems to be a really nice person.

"I am not talking about her, Jo," Henry suddenly mumbles softly, his brown eyes glowing with something she's yet too terrified to name, but her heart's beating erratically in her chest and something which feels alarmingly like butterflies is doing summersaults in her belly. Big, big trouble.

Her mind is spinning. She's completely dazed and feels drugged because of all she has learned tonight. If she interprets this correctly, Henry's telling her he likes her and not to mention this I-cannot-die-thing he's got going are entirely too much for one night.

She's so dizzy that she almost loses her balance, making Henry take the last, remaining step between them, effectively closing the gap and catching her.

Jo's pressed tightly into his chest and damn, he smells amazing too. When she looks up, she silently curses herself because he's gazing down at her and their eyes meet. And hold.

His breath washes over her face and she fears her heart will jump out of her chest any minute now.

"I know it's a lot to take in tonight and I know I shouldn't do this and I promise we won't ever talk about it again if you don't want to, but I really want to-" Henry cuts himself off and kisses her all of a sudden.

Well, it's not completely unexpected, she has to admit, she could've seen it coming, but she's entirely stunned when it happens though.

His lips are warm and soft, the kiss amazingly sweet and when the tip of his tongue touches her mouth, she completely loses her mind.

The moment spins out of control. She presses him against the next possible wall, kissing him senseless. Touching his neck and his cheeks and the stubble on his face. His soft nose she bumps into when she wants to angle her mouth better so he can reach her easier. Jo feels his fingers had her waist where his hands, which have wandered into her jacket, have ridden up her shirt. She's lost, completely and entirely lost in him.

It takes a car horning for them to come to their senses again. They jump apart and stare wide eyed at each other.

Henry freaking Morgan is speechless which makes her proud and irritated at the same time.

"I uh I need some time," she tells him because how can she not after all that's happened tonight.

He nods, clearing his throat and yet his voice is still hoarse when he answers. "Yes, alright. I guess I should not bring you home." His eyes are on her face, warm and soft and there is this flash again she doesn't want to name.

"Yes you shouldn't. You really shouldn't," she says quickly. She wants to say more but doesn't know what. What do you say to someone who's told you something so unbelievable like he did tonight?

A cab passes them and Jo quickly raises her hand and luckily, the driver stops. She throws a quick "Night, Henry," over her shoulder before climbing into the car.

Her heart is pounding wildly in her chest as she watches him getting smaller as the car drives towards the address she's named.

She hopes tomorrow won't find a murder so she can process this before meeting him again. What she does know already is the fact that no matter if he really is immortal and weird, he's got the ability to create feelings in her she hasn't felt for very long, if ever. And that's something, she thinks, that should be explored even if she's not quite ready for that now.