„Pinch me!" Jo whispered while couching in Zane's arms.

„What?" Zane asked with a smirk and released holding her tight a bit.

„Nothing! " both looked at each other and began to laugh. Jo stopped laughing first and looked in his eyes "I just wanted to make sure that I am not dreaming." She said with a mix of sadness and happiness at the same time.

"You don't!" Zane whispered in her ear whilst holding her close to him.

"If you are kidding me, I will throw your sorry ass back to federal prison personally. I will kick your ass so hard." Jo said with a smirk.

"That is so hot!" Zane said with a smirk pulling her even closer to him.

He leaned his head down on her shoulder and held her closer. He felt her smoothly, warm breath on his neck and felt her lips kissing him softly. He had no idea why but this felt so familiar. He didn't know that Jo always used to do this when he placed his head on her shoulder as if he needed to be hold by her because he was said, tired or anything else. Jo knew all of his weak points and one of them was being kissed on the neck. He could stay like this for hours. Forgetting the timeline difference and being totally lost in the situation Jo whispered these meaningful three words in his ear "I love you!" It was kind of a reflex. She didn't want to say this it came out of her mouth accidentally but before she could start to regret it Zane tried to answer in the right words "I … I think I love you, too." Jo smiled all over her face. She was so lucky but she did feel the insecurity in Zane's voice.

"It's OK. You don't have to say it. I am sorry. I was … lost in the moment and my feelings." Jo said as she released the hug.

"No, I … I guess it's OK. I just … I am not that adept in having feelings for anyone besides me." He tried to make this situation more comfortable for both of them. "No to be honest" he said while holding her face between his hands and looking in her beautiful dark brown eyes "I really feel something for you I have never felt before and staying here holding you feels so right. I can't explain better."

"Zane." Jo said and tried to kiss Zane again but …

"Jo, I need you!" Carter bounced into Jo's office without even knocking on the door. "Oh. Zane. Sorry."

Jo and Zane released appalled. "Carter!" Jo yelled.

"I am sorry I had no idea that … wait aren't you with my daughter?" Carter stopped and made both feel very uncomfortable.

"Not anymore" Zane tried to answer.

"Doesn't matter. Excuse me, Jo. Was a reflex as a father." Carter tried to explain.

"It's OK, Carter! SO do you need anything? I mean you stormed in my office like you were followed by a bunch of wasps!"

"That is not funny. Wasps can be very dangerous." Carter became serious and couldn't hide his fears of wasps. "OK well Fargo wants us all to come to his office because of the 'thing'. You know?"

Jo looked addled "What 'thing'?"

"You know … that 'thing'!"

"Oh you mean … ."

"Yes!"

Zane interrupted this weird conversation between Carter and Jo "OK, what the hell is going on?"

He received no answer and looked at Jo "OK Jo, if it shall work between us, you need to trust me. I could help you if I'd know what's going on." Carter and Jo looked at each other but none of them were able to say anything. Carter left it on Jo if she wanted to tell Zane the whole story or not.

"OK, I am out of here." Zane decided to leave as Jo yelled after him "Zane stop." She panted for air and tried to find the right words to explain this situation. She begged Carter to leave the office and to close the door. If she would tell Zane, she needed to handle this on her own.

"OK, I go seeing Fargo and the rest of us and you … join us later." Carter said and left the office.

Jo and Zane were left alone in her office. It was a weird situation and Zane waited for Jo to start the conversation but she had no idea how.

"OK Jo-Jo. Tell me. The whole story. I'll try to believe you and help you if you let me." Zane said with a calm voice.

"You better sit down" Jo said and led him to the chair in front of her desk. She couldn't sit down. She needed to stay and walked from one side to the other through her office. She was afraid of his reaction if she would tell him the truth.

"Jo-Jo. Everything alright?" he asked, stood up and walked over to her. He softly stroked her cheek "You don't need to be afraid. Trust me. I'll be there for you if you let me."

Jo couldn't believe her luck with that man and nearly forgot that he is still not the Zane who proposed to her. They were still on their beginning.

"OK. Listen. I don't know how to explain but … Carter, Fargo, Allison, Henry and I are not the persons you used to know. We are not from this timeline."

"OK I already recognized that something is wrong with all of you and especially with you …" Zane wasn't able to end his sentence.

"No, let me explain, please" Jo interrupted him "Before I lose my courage. We went back in time – I don't know why or how- and accidentally changed the past."

"Which changed your present?"

"Which changed this present" Jo confirmed him. "We managed to come back but several things changed."

"What changed?"

Jo took a deep breath "Carter didn't live with Tess, Henry wasn't married he didn't even know Grace and Fargo was not head of GD. He was an employee and Allison was in charge of GD."

"And how about you?"

"I … was still Carter's deputy and …" Jo paused. She was afraid and sick.

"And what? I mean … what about us?" Zane asked

Jo took another deep breath. Even deeper than the first one. She tried not to puke. She felt so sick but knew that she needed to handle this in some way.

"Jo?" Zane asked again because he didn't get an answer.

"You and I … were together." Jo finally managed to tell him but wasn't able to look in his eyes.

"We started dating shortly after you arrived in Eureka and … you finally proposed to me on Founder's Day and that's how I got the ring."

Zane was speechless. He had no idea what to answer. He wasn't surprised because he already had a clue. But being confirmed by Jo was still a weird feeling.

"Zane please say something." Jo begged him.

"I already had a clue that it would be something like this. You didn't have the ring on your finger and … on Founder's Day you agreed to marry me so … when I actually proposed to you in the other timeline you didn't manage to say 'yes'?"

"I hesitated …" Jo tried to explain but was interrupted by Zane "because you were romanticizing our relationship the whole time and you realized that we didn't fit." Zane said realizing the weird situation before Jo threw the ring at him. " So, … you still think so?" He asked her.

"No Zane, … it was … I had these hallucinations which were caused by any GD project and I saw a version of the Zane I used to know … well not exactly this Zane but sort of and … I don't know. I thought he would go away if I clear things by telling him I don't love him and giving the ring back."

"So you were l lying?" Zane asked skeptically. He needed this confirmation from Jo that this was just a lie and that she loves him without any doubts.

Jo looked in his eyes. These beautiful blue eyes she was lost in tons of times. "Yes."

Zane smirked and kissed her softly.

"I could never stop loving you!" Jo confirmed.

"That's good!" Zane said and gave her another soft kiss.

"I should go meeting the rest." Jo broke up the kiss even though she didn't want to. But she had to meet the others. They had to discuss their situation which was really important.

"I know. You want me to come with you?" Zane asked gently.

"I don't want to have any secrets."

"OK" Zane smirked and hugged her before both left her office heading forward to Fargo's.