Everything Is Illuminated
It was a stormy afternoon in late November, and Jo was racing through the house in her loose blue tank top and draped cardigan, shot through with nerves and adrenaline. She heard the front door shut from the bedroom, and shouted,
"Zane? Is that you?" He stepped through the doorway, dark hair looking rumpled and wet, hands stuffed into the pockets of his black leather jacket. Stranded drops of rain trickled down his jacket and onto her floor. In the back of her mind, Jo registered that there'd probably be muddy footprints to clean that night, but in her near-frantic state she scarcely cared.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied.
"Thank God. Did you get the cider? Please tell me you got the cider." She pled as she searched the closet for her shoes.
"Yes, I got the cider," he said with exasperation, a tone which she proceeded to ignore.
"What about the – ?" He rolled his eyes and interrupted her,
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's already in the car. Are you really still not ready?" he queried, with no small amount of amusement, and she threw a shoe at him for his trouble. He caught it with ease and set it down on the bed, crossing the room to join her by the closet. "Jo, I'm pretty sure your shoe choice for the evening is going to make very little difference to our company." He pointed out gently, grabbing a wrist and pulling her up from the floor. He wrapped her in an embrace and she struggled half-heartedly, looking up at him, her eyes still frantic.
"Zane, Zoe's going to be there." She said urgently, and he raised an eyebrow.
"So I've heard… and heard again," he reminded her, exasperation and amusement warring in his voice. She scowled at his good humor.
"And tonight I have to tell her about the baby, and – everything has to be perfect!" she insisted. His lips quirked ever so slightly.
"You really think your shoe choice is going to affect the outcome somehow?" He asked, smirk growing. She hit his chest with the pair of heels that had been forgotten in her hand.
"Yes!" she said stubbornly. "I have to wear the heels she bought me after Larry blew up my old house. She got them expecting I'd never wear them." She paused. "It's a gesture," she added, looking up at him helplessly. Zane's eyebrows rose –
"If memory serves, I liked those heels very much," he purred into her ear, voice low, and she pulled out of his embrace and punched his arm, hard.
"That was a special occasion and if you value the use of your fingers you will not even consider alluding to it tonight! Or ever."
"Ow! You are crazy, Lupo, I hope you know that!" he protested, but knelt briefly in her closet and pulled out the heels in question. His lips twitched with amusement as he took in the tall stiletto heels with the black bow on the back, not for the first time. "You know, Zoe might not appreciate the gesture so much if she knew how fan-fucking-tastic they make your ass look." Jo shot him a withering glare.
"Well, then, I suppose you'd better restrain your appreciation," she said, voice glacial. "Or else you'll be lucky if you ever get close enough to see that fantastic ass again." Zane only smiled.
"Duly noted, Josefina," he responded dryly, then pulled her flush against him and brushed her lips with his. He brushed a stubbly cheek against hers and whispered softly in her ear, savoring the way her body jerked in reflex: "We're late." It took her a minute to register the words, but the moment she did was evident in the way she growled, deep in her throat, and shoved him away from her, smoothing down her now-damp shirt with irritation. She stalked across the room to grab her purse and strap on her hip holster and gun. She turned around, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Well?" she snarled. He put his hands up, mock-defensively.
"Coming, sunshine," he teased.
Across town and underground, a more relaxed scene was playing out in Jack Carter's living room. Allison had arrived with Kevin and Jenna, and Zoe, who had arrived from Boston the day before, was playing with Jenna on a small quilt surrounded by a play pen on the floor in front of the lit fire. Jack was in the kitchen, having an argument with S.A.R.A.H. about the finer nuances of turkey preparation while Allison leaned against the counter with a glass of red wine, watching his increased frustration with amusement. Kevin was on the couch, absorbed in a handheld video game.
"S.A.R.A.H! The turkey does not need pomegranate gravy! Or a miso rub, or kale stuffing! Kale is disgusting! Why would you ever stuff a turkey with it?"
"Sheriff Carter, I assure you, kale is a highly nutritious root. A person like yourself, who suffers from high cholesterol, would do well to use it as a healthy alternative to the fattening, high-sodium recipe for traditional cornbread stuffing – "
"S.A.R.A.H, I don't care how you feel about it; we're having cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving! You're not even eating it!" The house sniffed in offense.
"There you go again, constantly reminding me of my physical constraints. This is about my relationship with Deputy Andy, isn't it?" S.A.R.A.H. complained. Zoe, seeing the danger inherent in having an angry house cooking their Thanksgiving dinner, broke in.
"S.A.R.A.H, why don't you start the Thanksgiving music? It's not really Thanksgiving without Dad's Thanksgiving mix." She affected a nonchalant tone. "You know, lame as it is." Jack's head swerved in her direction.
"Hey, hey, that music is classic. We don't disrespect the Beatles in this house," he reminded her pointedly.
"Oh, whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes and pretending they didn't have, and savor, this argument every year. Allison smiled into her wine.
"Sheriff Carter has instructed me not to play his 'Thanksgiving mix' until all the guests have arrived," S.A.R.A.H. responded to Zoe cheerfully. Not for the first time, Jack wondered if S.A.R.A.H, like Fargo, had a predilection for pushing buttons.
Zoe looked up from her spot on the floor.
"Dad, I didn't think we were having anyone else over. Are Henry and Grace coming this year?"
"Ah – no, they've gone to visit Grace's family," or rather, meet them for the first time, Jack thought with a mild dose of sympathy and a much larger dose of amusement at the thought. Zoe processed this and then made the leap in reasoning to the identity of the missing guests. She scrambled up from the floor.
"Dad, I can't believe you would do this to me!" she hissed, voice rising slightly. "I thought I told you I did not want to see them. You know that's why I waited until Thanksgiving to come home!" Jack gave her a steady gaze, not without sympathy.
"Zoe, I know you're upset and you're not ready to let go of this, but Jo is family, and I don't want you to regret this when you have a few years of perspective behind you. You never know what might happen." He said, echoing the conversation they'd had a few months prior at Harvard. Zoe, sidetracked, gave him a weird look.
"Dad, seriously, what is going on with you? Are you sure you're not dying?" He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I am very sure," he said, looking her in the eye. "But, Zoe, you and Jo need to talk things out eventually. If you can forgive your mom and I for our divorce, don't you think you can forgive Jo for losing her head with Zane? You're old enough by now to understand that people can't always control the way they feel." Zoe leaned against him and he wrapped an affectionate arm around her.
"I just wish she would've told me right away," Zoe admitted, deflated.
"Zoe, I know Jo's been more open with you in the past but she's still a very private person. The things that are going on between she and Zane have been complicated from the start." He admitted. "It doesn't make things right, but I don't think she felt comfortable telling you. I'm not sure she even knew what to say. Besides," he added, eying her, "you weren't very receptive to negative input, like, at all, when you actually told us you were interested in Zane. I'm not convinced you would have stayed put long enough to listen!" Zoe flushed and stepped out of his embrace, the moment past.
"Ugh, whatever, Dad. Fine. I'll be on my best behavior," she gritted out, and stalked away. Jack watched her go, amused that she'd proven his point about criticism without even realizing it. He shook his head. College student she might be, but she was still his little girl, through and through. He heaved a deep sigh, and Allison, watching him sympathetically, walked over and leaned against the counter where he remained, entwining her fingers with his.
"Sheriff, Mr. Donovan and Ms. Lupo have arrived." S.A.R.A.H. announced. Jack supposed it was for the best that S.A.R.A.H. had broken the news of their arrival ahead of time, in any case.
"Jo and Zane, S.A.R.A.H. You can call them Jo and Zane." Jack reminded her. "Let them in. And cue up the music, would you? We have a party to throw," he concluded, knowing that Zoe would realize Zane and Jo had arrived the moment she heard the music start. In the background, S.A.R.A.H. queued up the Carters' cherished Thanksgiving mix tape. The door swished open to reveal an uncomfortable looking Zane and a nervous Jo. Jack scrutinized Jo quickly, as he'd become accustomed to in the last couple of weeks, knowing they walked a thin line between telling Zoe about the pregnancy and being caught out by Zoe over the pregnancy. He'd been disconcerted and somewhat alarmed when Zoe had declared her intention of remaining at Harvard until Thanksgiving, wondering how on earth they would keep her from finding out second-hand about the baby. It was fortunate that at twenty weeks Jo's bump was still easily disguised by loose, flowing clothes like the tank top and cardigan that were revealed as she peeled off her damp pea coat. Carter knew that at some time tonight, Jo intended to pull aside Zoe and share her news; it was his fondest hope that it would not all end in tears.
"Hey Jo, Zane," Carter greeted with an unusual degree of enthusiasm, prompted in equal parts by the generous helping of wine he'd consumed in anticipation of the potentially difficult evening ahead and by the sheer delight of his first Thanksgiving spent in a real relationship with Allison. Jo smiled back at him but was unequal to his enthusiasm, her head craning anxiously around his frame in search of Zoe. Zane just looked uncomfortable, and Jack was forced to remember that this was, so far as Zane knew, his first Thanksgiving spent with the Carter's. If Jack was forced to hazard a guess, this was Zane's first Thanksgiving with most anyone since he'd initially dropped out of college and off the grid.
Unsurprisingly, after the initial moment of uncertainty, Zane managed to rally his standard sardonic smirk and devil-may-care attitude. Still, Jack could see the way his eyes flickered more than usual to the woman beside him. He directed the two inside and to the coat closet, not failing to see the way Jo's eyes lingered on Zane when the doors slid open. Damn. He had been hoping to never relive that moment, and yet it seemed a sudden inevitability; at least, until Jack was distracted by a movement from the corner of his eye. He raised his eyes to the stairs to see Zoe descending, looking ambivalent. Jack noticed with amusement that she'd changed from her casual sweatshirt into a sleek black dress with gold accents he'd never seen before which just about screamed Maybe beaten, but never broken, even to her typically oblivious father. As Zoe's father, he was just a little proud to see evidence that his little girl was growing up. As Jo's friend and the host of this little get together, he was dismayed to see that this was not going to go as smoothly as he'd hoped. Jack sighed. It was going to be a long night. Then he noticed Kevin eying Zoe from the couch. Ah. Looks like we needed to have that talk after all, he thought, his mind flashing back to the day the Emo-bot was caught spying on Jo in the shower. Correction: it was going to be a very long night.
As Zoe descended the stairs, Allison crossed the room to greet the freshly arrived couple, completely missing Kevin's sudden interest in the scene, for which Jack was grateful. A guy could only handle so much in one night, after all. Allison greeted Jo with a genuine smile then turned to greet Zane with somewhat less certainty as he hung his leather jacket in the closet. Zane gave her one of his automatic smiles in response, laden with charm but slightly lacking in sincerity. Jack could see Zoe spotting Zane and slowing in her grand entrance, looking to catch his eye and ensure he got the full dramatic effect of her appearance, but Zane was preoccupied with hanging Jo's dark blue pea coat, which she'd just tossed into his arms. He leaned over and muttered something with an ironic twist to his face once he'd disposed of the coat, and Jo threw her head back, laughing easily. It was a relief to see Jo laughing again, and Jack was pleased to see the look of obvious admiration that flashed briefly across Zane's face before he snaked an arm around Jo's waist to pull her closer. Jack looked back to see wistfulness written across his daughter's face; not for the first time, he wondered what had gone on in her head for the last two months. She caught his eyes and gave him a little half-shrug; his response would have been to cross the room and keep her company, but that was when Jo finally caught sight of Zoe. Within moments, all the color had drained from her face. Zoe, she mouthed, but no words came out, and she crossed the room in a daze. Zoe met her at the bottom of the stairs, her face wooden.
"Jo." Zoe acknowledged, her tone cool, though not quite icy.
"Zoe." Jo was finally able to say, though her voice was low and uncertain. The two, once as close as sisters, regarded each other quietly. Across the room, Jack's fist was clenched around a couch cushion, with a supportive arm from Allison wrapped around his waist. Zane was leaning against the door to the coat closet, the expression on his face not quite achieving nonchalance. Despite his protestations to the contrary, he hoped to see the situation with Zoe resolved nearly as much as Jo did. The social damage he'd taken from the fiasco was nearly over, most of it having resolved itself, but Zane regretted the pain he and Jo had deliberately caused Zoe almost as much as he regretted the pain he and Zoe had managed to inflict upon Jo by appearing as a couple.
"Happy Thanksgiving," Zoe said quietly, her chin tipped defiantly upward as she slid past Jo at the base of the stairs. Her eyes flickered to Zane where he stood by the coat closet, but she sailed past him in a deliberate snub. Jack gave her a reproachful look as she passed him by, but she raised one eyebrow in a challenging look, daring him to make a scene. He cleared his throat nervously. What was I thinking? Jack wondered, but it was long past too late for him to change his mind. All he could do was try to make this the best possible Thanksgiving it could be, under the circumstances. He turned his attention to his newest guests.
"So there are appetizers in the kitchen, you're welcome to take a seat wherever – just," Carter lowered his voice, causing Jo and Zane to step closer, "whatever you do, do not argue with S.A.R.A.H. about the food. I don't know what Fargo was thinking when he programmed her, but she most certainly is capable of getting even."
Jo followed Carter into the living room, smiling to herself. Some things never changed, and one of those things was Carter family Thanksgiving, which Zoe had once assured her had indeed been the very same every year as far back as she could remember. The only thing that had changed with time was the people to attend: Jo could still remember the first year she'd attended, three years ago. Allison herself had only come for the first time last year, after Nathan's death; Jo wondered if any of them had been, in this timeline. The only people likely to know would be Zoe and Kevin, neither of whom they could reasonably ask.
Jo glanced at Zane. She, at least, still remembered his first year in Eureka, after things had begun to heat up between them – she'd dragged him to Carter's dinner, very much against his will, which was not so different from his reaction to this evening. Jo also remembered how pleasantly surprised he'd been by the experience. It had cemented their already strengthening relationship and had boosted the foundation of mutual respect between him and Carter into what had eventually grown into a fond, though sometimes exasperated, friendship. Judging by the look on Zane's face now, Carter's classic Thanksgiving song was working its magic once more. She knew that he'd never heard it before, the first time around – she somehow doubted that would have changed.
Zane's eyebrows lifted in amusement as he followed the lyrics of the (apparently classic, though he'd never heard of it) Arlo Guthrie song about littering and the draft, amused by the tongue-in-cheek social commentary delivered via catchy guitar tune. It wasn't really a sense of humor he had expected to see Jack Carter exhibit, ever, but then again he'd never really thought he would one day hold back the Enforcer's hair as she faced morning sickness at seven in the morning. He settled deeper into the couch cushions, sliding his arm between Jo's back and the couch until it was wrapped firmly around her waist. She smiled at him, though she cast a nervous glance back where Zoe had disappeared into the kitchen.
Zane leaned in close to her, lips brushing against the curve of her ear.
"Did I mention you look incredible tonight, Jo-Jo?" He whispered lightly, the puff of air that traversed her sensitive skin making her shiver, though not from the cold. She rested the crown of her head against his cheek momentarily and smiled.
"It never hurts to have a reminder," she teased. Zane chuckled, and Jo could feel the vibration of his laughter where his chest pressed against her arm.
"Is that so?" He murmured, grinning. For just a moment, Jo savored the sense of security and contentment, but, remembering Zoe, pulled away reluctantly. Seeing the worried look on her face, his smile softened, and he brushed a stray wisp of hair away from her face.
"It'll be fine, Jo," he said reassuringly. She smiled back at him, but Zane could tell her heart wasn't really in it. He glanced across the room, smirking to himself when he noticed Jack and Allison dancing by the kitchen, Alice's Restaurant having ended and transitioned to the Beatles' "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" Allison's wine glass sat forgotten on the nearby table. He pulled Jo back to him, and, throwing him an exasperated glance, she resigned herself to staying pressed flush against him. Then he began humming along to the song while her ear rested against her chest. She craned her head upward to look at him.
"You're a secret romantic, Donovan." She teased, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Just know good music when I hear it, Lupo." He responded, blasé, but the soft smile his lips curled into as he watched her gave him away. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, prompting him to lean in and press a quick kiss to her lips.
"Dinner is served!" The house chirped, startling them both. Jo pushed herself up, sharing a glance with Zane that was loaded with significance, and then Zane stood from the couch, pulling Jo up after him. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear once more:
"Time to face the firing squad, Jo-Jo." She threw him an exasperated glance but walked with him into the kitchen, hands surreptitiously entwined between them.
In the kitchen, S.A.R.A.H. had slid the typically unused dining room table out of the wall. Jack was stacking it with all of the dishes S.A.R.A.H. had prepared, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at some of the odd foods S.A.R.A.H. had tried to slip in unnoticed, but knowing better than to argue by now. Zoe had busied herself with setting the table, and pointedly ignored Jo and Zane as they entered, causing Jo to grasp Zane's hand just a little tighter in silent expression of her worry. He flinched a little – Jo had quite the grip – but squeezed her hand lightly in return as a comforting gesture. It must have worked, as, to his relief, her hand loosened slightly in response.
Dinner that day was quieter than usual, enough so that it was evident even to Zane, who of course had no memory of prior Thanksgivings with the Carters for comparison. Allison and Carter overcompensated, trying with their nonstop chatter to make up for Zoe's pointed silence, Jo's quietly apologetic countenance, and Zane's typical standoffish reserve. Kevin chipped in occasionally, but otherwise the plucky teen remained uncharacteristically aloof, perhaps having his own difficulties as he processed the first family event to incorporate the burgeoning romantic relationship between his mother and the town Sheriff. The only one at the table who seemed oblivious to it all was Jenna, who drummed happily on the table attached to her high chair with her plastic spoon, occasionally drawing out the quieter members of the table – Zoe in particular – with the sheer force of her personality.
They had just reached the point where they began to take seconds, when a distant BOOM could be heard, the force of the mysterious impact not quite shaking S.A.R.A.H.'s foundations but sending reverberations into the concrete. The entire table froze, some of whom were in the process of raising a fork to their mouths.
"Sheriff Carter, my sensors are picking up on turbulent winds in the area." S.A.R.A.H. informed them calmly. "Also, there are reports of an unusual weather pattern forming from the monitors at GD. Shall I contact Director Fargo?" Jack hesitated and glanced back at Kevin and Zoe, reluctant to deal with a panicked Fargo, especially in front of the two people who would be expecting the sycophantic, dictatorial behavior of the altered timeline's Director Fargo. Ultimately he gave in, knowing that a failure on his part to contact the Director of GD during a crisis would look just as strange. Besides, though Fargo had a tendency to fall apart under pressure, he was a gifted scientist.
"Ah – yes, S.A.R.A.H, that would be great." The smart house opened a video conferencing channel on the screen Jack typically used for all his high definition television viewing needs. There was a pause and a blank screen as, on the other end of the line, Fargo scrambled to get to his home office and conferencing equipment. When the screen came to life, the assembled group stared, surprised, at the unusually unkempt picture Dr. Douglas Fargo presented. His glasses were askew and his hair rumpled. As he spoke, Jo's attention wandered idly from his face to the wall behind him. She couldn't help but snicker under her breath when she noticed the TRON poster displayed proudly behind him.
"Sheriff Carter!" Fargo burst out.
"What's going on now, Fargo?" Carter asked, sounding resigned.
"A TREE just fell into my house!" Fargo blurted, shaky. Carter straightened up in his chair, all of his attention focused on Fargo now.
"A tree? But you're alright?" He confirmed.
"I got lucky!" Fargo snapped. "And just now I received a tornado watch message from GD. A tornado! In Oregon! In November!" Carter glanced at the table of wide-eyed spectators.
"Well that's new." He muttered.
"The weather patterns indicated by the monitor at GD do suggest a tornado watch is advisable," S.A.R.A.H confirmed. "But that is quite unusual compared to the pattern of weather activity common to this area." There was a lengthy pause.
"It's got to be linked to something at GD." Carter said finally.
"If that's the case," Fargo said slowly, "the electromagnetic shield may be intensifying the effects of whatever project is involved."
"What do you mean?" Carter asked, though he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.
"Well – as you all no doubt noticed – " Fargo said, glancing to his side briefly, no doubt at a rain-splattered window, " – a storm front came in earlier from the west, bringing cold air and rain. Perfectly ordinary. But in order for a tornado watch to be called for, warm air near the ground would be necessary as well."
"It did seem unusually warm yesterday," Allison murmured. Fargo continued.
"The question really is which project is capable of having an effect on the air temperature. And as you all know, the purpose of the electromagnetic field is to prevent the spread of any GD projects from extending past Eureka. Generally, any conditions resulting from a project at GD will be limited to Eureka."
"Generally?" Carter asked pointedly. Fargo gave an unapologetic shrug.
"Well, you never know," he said. "But that's not my point. Depending on the source of the heating, the heat may be dissipating to the other side of the shield harmlessly. Or…"
"Or…?" Carter asked impatiently.
"Or only certain wavelengths will escape and others will remain trapped inside, increasing the heat gradually."
"Like a giant microwave." Carter said flatly.
"Ahh – yeah, pretty much." Fargo confirmed. Carter dragged his hand over his face, muttering something about unhinged scientists living in giant microwaves, though Jo couldn't quite make out specifics. His hand slapped down on the table, rattling silverware and making everyone, including himself, jump.
"Okay. Either way, we have to get to GD and get a handle on the situation before it's too late. If I remember correctly, tornado watch – unlike tornado warning – means nothing has touched down, yes?" His audience stared blankly at him.
"Yes, Sheriff, that is correct," S.A.R.A.H. verified. Carter shrugged.
"US Marshall, remember?" He said by way of explanation. He looked back at the screen.
"Fargo, can you meet us at GD?" Fargo scowled.
"The tree got my car, too," he said sulkily. To his credit, Carter didn't bat an eye.
"We'll pick you up on our way, then." He told him, already moving across the room. Allison pushed back her chair and stood up.
"Fargo may not be the only one having trouble," she said. "The odds are good that there are already a few injuries to be dealt with." Carter looked at her grimly.
"Not as many as there will be if a tornado actually touches down here." He said, with the tone of one who knows of what they speak.
Allison's departure from the table lead to a cascade of chairs scraping back. Zoe stood up, wrapping her arms around her father.
"Dad, please be careful," she asked him, her voice imploring. Carter hugged her tightly, but the embrace was brief.
"Aren't I always?" He asked rhetorically. The look on Zoe's face suggested that she did not find his response comforting in the least. Behind them, Allison was releasing Jenna from her high chair, only to place her in the playpen by the couches, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. Jenna frowned slightly as her mother stepped away.
"Mamamamamama!" She chanted rhythmically, smacking her little fist on the ground.
"It's okay, Jenna, Mama will be back soon," Allison assured her, smiling.
"Mom?" Came Kevin's voice from behind her, and Allison froze, a slew of emotions washing over her face before she smoothed out her features and turned to face her son.
"Yes, Kevin?" She asked.
"Stay safe, okay?" His dark brown eyes were serious. Allison gave him a small, uncertain smile.
"I will, sweetie," she assured him. "Keep an eye on your sister though, will you?" He gave her a silent nod. She rubbed an affectionate hand over his close-cropped hair, stepping away. She met Carter by the bottom of the stairs.
"Shall we?" He asked. Her eyes flickered up to the sun roof that had been installed in S.A.R.A.H. after the B.R.A.D. fiasco. The sky above was dark and unforgiving.
"No time like the present," she said, though her words seemed hollow in light of the view from below.
"S.A.R.A.H, door." Carter instructed, and they stepped outside –
"AGH! Hail!" He could be heard shouting faintly from outside, before the door slipped closed again. Jo was only a few steps behind them, pulling her coat on.
"S.A.R.A.H, door," she requested, irritation lacing her voice from her annoyance that they'd left without her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Zane's voice stopped her short, and she turned around, looking slightly puzzled, S.A.R.A.H's door hanging open behind her. Zoe's ears perked with curiosity from the couch, where she'd been feigning disinterest since Allison and her Dad had left.
"I have to get some supplies from my house, and then I was going to meet Carter and Allison at GD." Jo explained casually: missing, or perhaps ignoring, the intensity behind Zane's eyes.
"Like hell you are. You're staying right here in this bunker, which I'm pretty sure we just established is the safest place to be right now." Zane said, his tone nearly matter-of-fact, with the exception of the underlying agitation.
"Zane, this is bigger than some temporary restrictions Allison placed on me. They need me out there. This is my job. I'm supposed to help keep this town safe." Jo argues, irritated by his attitude. She's a grown woman, after all, capable of making her own decisions, and she's hardly a wilting flower.
"You know what, I don't care. I don't give a damn whether it's your job or not, you are not going out there. You have a new job now, or had you forgotten? It's called keeping that baby safe, and if you're not interested in doing it right now, too bad. I'm here to do it for you."
Zoe had, at this point, given up on any pretenses that she was not entirely wrapped up in this argument, and when this next statement of Zane's registered, her jaw dropped. Her eyes shot to Kevin, where he lounged in the armchair nearby looking exasperated. The look on her face read Well? But all he did was look back at her and shrug expressively, as if to say How should I know? They never tell me anything. Zoe remembered the feeling well. Touché. She thought, and settled back in to the couch to watch the show.
"You have no right to keep me here, Zane Donovan," Jo hissed. "I'm pregnant, not helpless!" She crossed her arms over her chest tightly, her expression rife with irritation, and Zoe wondered how she'd missed the slight protrusion in Jo's stomach, over which Jo's arms were currently resting. Am I really this oblivious? She wondered, dismayed. She'd always thought of herself as someone a little wiser to the ways of the world than the majority of kids from Eureka.
"Oh, I have no right? No right? How about, I'm the father! That's my kid and you're not going out there!" The air around them was very nearly crackling with the energy and tension of the argument that stormed between them, and both Jo and Zane had by this point forgotten entirely about their audience, completely wrapped up in their own tumultuous little world.
"You're no father! You're just a – a pale imitation of a man I once loved! I'm going and there's nothing you can do about it!" Jo spat in a rage, feeling anxious and restless and zeroing in on the one thing she expected would stop him short. Zane went still, his eyes frosty blue, the curve of his lips glacial.
"Maybe I am," he said, and Zoe was chilled just watching. "Maybe I'm everything you've ever said. But Josefina, and I do mean this, you will have to go through me if you want to get anywhere near that door. And, pale imitation or not, I don't think you're willing to do that." His voice dipped low as he finished the sentence, his eyes fixed determinedly on hers. Jo worked her jaw silently for a moment, rendered speechless by his ultimatum.
"Carter and Allison need help, they can't do this all by themselves," she argued finally, not quite looking him in the eye. The storm that raged around them was subsiding; of course, Zoe wasn't quite sure whether it was over or they were just standing temporarily in the eye of the storm. She wasn't sure which was better, either.
Zane sighed in one deep, gusty breath that was at once frustrated and resigned. His shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked older, and so incredibly exhausted.
"Look, I'll go help them." He said, voice still rough with irritation as he pulled his own jacket out of the closet. "Just… stay put, will you? Do it for the kid, if you won't do it for me." Zane half-shook his head, a self-mocking edge to the way he raised his eyebrows. "S.A.R.A.H., door,' he added, glancing behind him at the steel door to the bunker. It swung open a little more hastily than usual, to Zoe's muted amusement. It seemed that S.A.R.A.H. found Zane's sudden transition from nearly smothering concern to frigid indifference as disconcerting as Zoe herself did. He swept out the door without looking back, shoulders set and brittle as ice. Zoe's eyes shifted automatically to Jo as the door shut behind him. She was immediately alarmed by what she saw.
Jo stood frozen in place, her hand pressed to her lips as if stifling a sob. Her eyes were fixed where the door had just closed behind Zane. Zoe, unhesitating, flew across the room to her friend's side just as Jo's legs began to crumple beneath her with the force of her emotions. Zoe wrapped one arm around her and used her other hand to brace her friend's shoulder, pulling her back up as she began to sink to the floor.
"Here, Jo, you should really sit down…" Zoe murmured. Jo allowed Zoe to lead her to the couch without complaint, and that alone was alarming to the younger girl. Zoe cast around for something – anything – to get Jo to talk.
"So, it looks like there was one small detail you neglected to mention in that phone call." She said finally, a teasing note to her voice. Jo gave her a tremulous smile, recognizing her commentary for the distraction that it was.
"I thought it was a bit much to process over the phone." She admitted, then looked back down at her hands. "We've never fought like that before…" she murmured, trailing off. Zoe cocked her head and frowned.
"Well it hasn't really been that long, has it?" She asked, puzzled, then grinned. "Pretty early for a baby to be in the picture too, though, you sly dog you!" Jo glanced at her, startled: for a moment she had forgotten how little Zoe knew.
"It's a little complicated," she hedged, and Zoe rolled her eyes.
"That's what you said over the phone, Jo. I'm here now, can't you just tell me already?" Jo's eyes widened in alarm.
"It doesn't matter now, Zoe, really. Now you know why I told you when I did – I'd just seen the test results." Jo said hastily. Zoe gave Jo a skeptical look.
"Yeah, I get why you finally manned up and told me – but why didn't you tell me when it started, or even better when I started trailing him around like a lost puppy, instead of letting me make a fool of myself?" Zoe demanded, until she caught a glimpse of the look on Jo's face. Her eyes narrowed.
"There's something you're not telling me." She stated flatly, eying the cagey expression on Jo's face.
"I'd really rather not talk about it, Zoe." Jo said firmly, though regretfully.
"And I really don't care how you feel about it, Jo." Zoe responded, studying Jo's face. Jo steeled herself to brush her off, but in that moment Zoe caught something familiar in Jo's expression. The moment she identified it, she gasped, sitting up straight as a board on the couch cushions.
"You look just like Dad does when he's about to pull some of his overprotective bullcrap." Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Whatever it is, you won't tell me because you think you're protecting me, don't you? God, you really are becoming a parent." Despite the underlying annoyance in Zoe's words, Jo couldn't help but feel a sudden, pleased warmth at the thought. But Zoe wasn't done.
"I'm not a kid anymore, Jo. I can handle the truth." Zoe asserted. Jo bit her lip, looking at the stubborn face of the girl she'd watched grow into a young woman, and weighed her options. In the end, there was only one choice she could make if she ever wanted to forgive herself. She sighed.
"I wish I could tell you Zoe, I really, really do, but this is bigger than me and you. The more people know, the more people are in danger. I trust you, but," Jo's hand slid down to rest on the raised bump of her abdomen, an impulse which she'd spent the last two weeks resisting, "there's so much more at risk this time." Jo paused, waiting for an explosion that never came. Instead Zoe looked at her appraisingly.
"This really is serious, isn't it?" She asked quietly. "That's the real reason Dad showed up at Harvard." Jo said nothing, not wanting to give anything further away. "And you, Zane and –" Here Zoe grinned, " – the baby are all mixed up in it somehow." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Okay then. Here's the deal. You," she said, pointing at Jo, "are making me the godmother." Jo's eyebrows shot up.
"Why, Zoe, I'd be honored if you'd be the baby's godmother," she said, deadpan. Zoe smirked.
"Yeah, you would. And," she continued, "If I'm in town, I get to be at the birth." Jo froze, eyes widening.
"Uh, no offense, Zoe, but I'm not so sure –" Zoe cut her off.
"Those are my terms," she said, pointing a chiding finger at Jo. "I get to assist Allison with the birth and you get my silence." She grinned. "Really Jo, you'd be killing two birds with one stone – I stop asking questions and you further my premed education." When she put it like that, Jo thought, it was sort of hard to say no – and Carter would kill her if Zoe started asking tough questions. Jo narrowed her eyes at Zoe.
"You're not really giving me a choice." She stated flatly.
"Nope!" Zoe smirked.
"This is blackmail." Jo pointed out.
"Oh, definitely!" Zoe enthused.
"Fine." Jo grumbled, though her annoyance was mostly feigned. Zoe's smirk widened into a genuine grin.
"Donovan birth, party of five." Zoe declared smugly, and Jo groaned. Zoe's expression turned thoughtful. "Wait, so are you two…?" she trailed off, raising her eyebrows significantly and tapping on her own unadorned ring finger. Jo was conscious of the weight of the ring strung around her neck as she scrambled to compose an answer.
"Um, we haven't, you know, really talked about…" Jo stammered, trailing off as her eyes were drawn back to the door and she was forcibly reminded about the events of a few minutes before. "I doubt he'll want anything to do with me now," she said in a small voice, horrified to feel tears welling up in her eyes. She looked away from Zoe, willing herself to calm down.
"Oh, Jo," Zoe said softly, shocked by the sight of her normally stoic friend on the edge of an emotional meltdown. "He wouldn't have been so upset if he didn't care." She reassured her. "I'm sure he'll come around. Though," she paused, her forehead crinkling with thought, "you may want to apologize. I think you hit a sore spot, though I can't imagine what it was. To be honest, you were barely making sense there at the end." Jo brushed the unshed tears away from her eyes, turning to give Zoe a watery smile.
"Thanks, Zo" she said softly. Zoe changed the subject quickly, hoping to distract her.
"So, how many weeks are you? When's the baby due?" She asked excitedly.
"Twenty weeks, and I'm due in mid-March," she replied absentmindedly, her eyes straying once more towards the door of the bunker.
"You're small, for twenty weeks," Zoe commented, looking her over.
"Hmm?" Jo murmured, distracted, then snapped back to attention. " Oh – Allison says that's actually quite common for, you know, the first time," Jo explained awkwardly, looking back at the younger woman. "Honestly, we were just glad nobody seemed to notice."
"Have you thought about any names?" Zoe leaned forward, intently, and Jo chuckled at the look on her face.
"Well –" She began, but was cut off by the swoosh of the bunker door opening. Zoe whipped around to face the door and Jo's head snapped to attention behind her. In the doorway, there stood three figures, all looking somewhat worse for the wear – all three soaking wet, Allison supporting Jack as he limped through the door. Fargo peered out from behind them, looking impatient.
"Dad!" Zoe shouted, leaping from the couch and running to the pair at the door. Jo's eyes met those of Zane, who looked exhausted. Zane was the one to look away first, breaking eye contact without a word and making Jo's heart sink in her chest.
"Everything's alright, we're alright," Jack assured his daughter, whose hands flew to her hips.
"You certainly don't look alright to me!" Zoe argued.
"It's just a sprained ankle, Zoe, no need to worry," Allison cut in, and Zoe slid her arms up from her hips to wrap them protectively around herself while projecting a false sense of confidence.
"Big baby," she accused him, stepping back now that she'd been reassured. Jack looked indignant, but limited himself to shaking his head and muttering something under his breath about delinquent daughters. Behind them, Fargo crossed the room briskly, glancing upward.
"S.A.R.A.H, we're going to need access to GD servers."
"Certainly, Douglas," the smart house cooed in the tone she reserved for her programmer alone. The periscope slid down from the ceiling, making Zane raise his eyebrows from where he was perched against the nearby couch. Fargo had quite the flair for the dramatic.
"Carter figured out the problem when he slipped on the hail and sprained his ankle," Fargo explained, not taking his eyes off the screen before him as he began to type. "The smart roads are overheating – there must have been an error somewhere in the latest upgrade – they're meant to heat just enough to be snow resistant, not to inadvertently cook the whole town…" He typed furiously as he spoke, then paused to inspect the screen. "It looks as though there's data corruption, right here…" his voice trailed off and he began to type again.
"We were about to leave Fargo's for GD when Jack saw a funnel cloud forming," Allison said, her voice a little shaky. "That was when Jack slipped on the hail in Fargo's driveway and landed in the street, and realized the pavement was overheating." Behind her, Jo's lips twitched with amusement.
"Way to go, Dad." Zoe said approvingly. The people assembled in the room watched Fargo type frantically for a moment (excepting Kevin, eyes still fixed on his video game – there was something about growing up in Eureka which made one somewhat immune to concerns about the threat of imminent death – and Jenna, who had long since fallen into the sleep of the well-sated toddler).
"Got it!" Fargo announced triumphantly. "Now we just have to wait." He glanced up at the darkened skylight, biting his lip nervously.
"What?" Carter asked him, catching his look. Fargo hesitated.
"It's just… as far as tornadoes go, the damage may already be done." He admitted. "This should stop anything from escalating – and the smart pavement won't cook all of Eureka with the microwaves it was emitting – but I'm afraid the tornado warning is going to stick." Carter sighed, looking more old and tired than Zane was used to seeing him. Allison seemed to feel the same way, as she caught Carter's eye.
"Let's see to that ankle," she said, leading him towards the stairs. As they made it up the first step, the crowd around Fargo began to disperse. Zoe returned to her seat on the couch, glancing back to Jo expectantly as she sat down – but Jo's eyes were fixed on Zane. For a moment it looked as if she might approach him, but upon catching her eye he glanced away.
Zane, pointedly ignoring the people remaining in the living room, made his way to the kitchen, where he helped himself to a substantial slice of pecan pie along with some vanilla ice cream procured for the occasion. He was perched on the only open counter space in the kitchen when Zoe made her appearance. She took one look at him and raised her eyebrows.
"I don't even know where to start – the muddy trail of water that you've spread across the kitchen or the fact that you're actually sitting on the counter. My father would have a conniption." She commented.
"Good thing he's upstairs, then, isn't it?" Zane said, smirking. Zoe rolled her eyes and cut herself a smaller slice of apple pie, adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the plate. Zane had just taken another bite of pie when she spoke up.
"So, you and Jo?" She asked, almost nonchalant. Zane choked a little on his pie, then cleared his throat.
"Looks like it," he said noncommittally. Zoe gave him an amused look.
"Plus baby makes three?" His eyes widened fractionally and she laughed. "Might want to watch what you argue about in company," she pointed out.
"I'll keep that in mind," he said dryly. "Doesn't matter so much now that you know, in any case." He turned his focus back to his half-eaten slice of pie, and Zoe fell silent for a minute or two, rolling his words around in her mind thoughtfully. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as she tilted her head, giving him a calculating look, and for the first time Zane was forcibly reminded whose daughter she was.
"I really don't know you at all, do I?" she said thoughtfully, and for a moment he just blinked in surprise. He covered his surprise with a cool smile, which didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Seems to be going around," he said shortly. Zoe rolled her eyes impatiently.
"Oh, boo-hoo, so do something about it already," she said disparagingly. Her sage advice duly dispensed, she turned on her heel to return to the living room with her prize. Zane, now deep in thought, stayed behind as he scooped up the last of his ice cream from the plate.
So do something about it already. Zoe's words echoed in his head. Zane glanced back towards the living room, Jo's form on the couch just barely visible from his perch on the counter. I might just do that, little Carter.
Disclaimer: Utterly unaffiliated with Eureka, unless you count my general stalkery of their Twitter accounts.
A/N: So I've actually been writing this chapter SINCE Thanksgiving 2010 - which was very inspirational, as a matter of fact - and it may be my favorite chapter of the story, right up there with Chapter 6, of which I must admit I was quite proud. I hope you enjoyed it too - the tornado bit was technically challenging (hence the hold-up) and, incidentally, inspired by the recent tornado in Massachusetts. It touched down near my college, tore up a bit of my close friend's sister's house, and was in fact predicted to come to our town. Of course, my parents didn't even momentarily believe our 200 year old house was about to be taken down by a tornado, so we were grocery shopping the whole time.
ADM