Hey guys,

hope you all had a good start into 2015. I know I'm a little late with this, but I kinda lacked inspiration even if the final scene between Jo and Henry was quite sweet and therefore this one definitely isn't a masterpiece. Here it is anyways, maybe you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

01x12: The Wolves of Deep Brooklyn

As the memories slowly start fading away, he still can't move his gaze off the picture. Is little boy as a soldier. Those times were hard. He and Abigail constantly worried about him, always nervously waiting for his next letter in which he'd tell them he was fine.

A knock on the door finally pulls him out of his own head. He looks up and sees Jo, slowly waving at him. He smiles happily and gets up to let her in.

Ever since Abe all but forced him back into the world, he even more appreciates their work. He loves working with Jo and he's happy that she considers him her partner.

A cold feeling makes itself known in his stomach when he realizes this might actually be her reason for coming by. To tell him she no longer wants to work with him because of his recent behavior and unpredictability in the field.

Jo smiles shyly at him when she moves into the store and takes a few more steps into the room.

"Have you come to tell me you no longer want to work with me in the field?" The question is out of his mouth faster than he would have liked. But it's there and he nervously stashes his hands in his pockets and waits anxiously for her answer.

Jo turns around and smiles a little at him. "No, Henry. I still wanna work with you."

His smiles relieved and they share a brief moment of gratitude for their partnership.

"But if we're gonna do that you need-", she starts again and he instantly knows what she's saying.

"To be less careless," he cuts her off, looking away.

"Yes, absolutely," she agrees, "but it's not what I came here to say."

He looks away, his heart pounding a mile a minute. They didn't have much of personal talks yet and anyway it's been way too long since he's had any at all. He feels uncomfortable.

"Henry," Jo starts, "you and I, we're…we're not so different. We're both a little guarded, a little screwed up. Maybe a lot screwed up. And we both killed people." She pauses, waits for him to look at him, but he just can't because damn, he killed a man. Maybe not an innocent one and some might say he even deserved it, but it doesn't feel right. Anything but.

"Now you feel like you have to make up for it somehow. Now you have to solve every case, maybe throw yourself in front of a few cars to make sure a bad guy doesn't get away."

She sighs a little. "But it doesn't work. None of it." Jo looks at him again, but he gets more upset with every word she says because he exactly feeling like this and thinking like this and god, how could he even look at her?

"I didn't have to kill him," he says finally, his voice broken and raw, "I shouldn't have. But I did." Finally he casts a look at her. "But it's something I have to live with."

"Forever, " she agrees and even though she's got pain coloring her beautiful eyes, he feels a little better that she's here with him. "Me too. Can I tell you something, Henry?" Her voice is shy and broken, but she forces the words out. "For me you make that a little easier."

A small, tiny smile appears on his face and his hurting heart seems to heal a little. He's finally able to meet her eyes and she stutters a bit.
"I just…I just wanna be able to do the same for you."

He blinks, surprised, and is only reaction is to haul her close and wrap her up into his embrace. She lets out a quiet sob and he nuzzles his face into her hair, hiding for a few moments from the harsh reality that has become their lives.

"You already do the same for me, Jo. You're the only thing that keeps me sane," he whispers into her hair and she tightens her grip around him.

"Henry," she mumbles against the skin of his neck and the goosebumps aren't any surprise. He peeks down at her and meets her beautiful eyes. Their faces are close now and part of him wants to jerk back.

Apparently she feels the same because Jo slowly entangles herself from him, but she doesn't let go completely. She bites her lip again and nervously meets his gaze.

"A time might come when we're both less messed up and don't feel guilty for being alive and happy anymore. When that time comes, I'd really like for you to be-"

His pounding heart makes him miss the end of her sentence, but it doesn't matter because he knows what she's saying so he gives into the urge, leans down and pressed his lips against her cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. It's a promise of what they might want to be in the future.

Jo blushes furiously, but smiles none the less.

Henry smiles back shyly and Jo nervously tucks her hair behind her ear.

"I should go now," she mumbles and he nods quickly because if she doesn't things might become less eventually and more now and they definitely aren't ready for that, so Henry guides her back to the front door again.

"Get home safely and sweet dreams, Jo," he says softly and Jo smiles.

"Sleep tight, Henry," she says back and stands on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek, just before she vanishes from his sight.

Henry forces himself back into the house and his heart to calm down. Jo and he are on their way but it might take some time before they get where they both apparently want to be at some point down the road and until then he needs to work on some things.

He smiles as he walks down into his home office again. Maybe the future isn't as clouded as he feared.