Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Gently, Zane kissed the tears away, cradling her face in his hands. They hadn't moved from their places on the floor, but she'd scooted closer to him and had reached up, tracing his features gently with her fingers. He'd taken her hand, kissing her fingertips and palm, staring into her dark eyes before capturing her lips in his. They spent the last few minutes sharing soft kisses and caresses as the memory faded, to be replaced with one of Jo's. "I'm so sorry, Jojo-"

"I gotcha something."

The pair slowly pulled apart as Zane's voice broke through their haze, and they turned towards Jo's memory. A moment of confusion crossed her face, before she suddenly realized what memory was playing before them,and tears started to fill her eyes. Zane watched it, silent, drinking everything in.

Zane stood in Carter's jail cell; said cell looked more like a college dorm room, and he held a box from Liza's Lingerie in his hands. Jo stood on the other side of the bars, still in her uniform slacks and a white tank, arms crossed with a curious look on her face. She'd brought her costume in for Founders' Day, had planned on changing in the sheriff's bathroom before the festivities, only to find Zane locked in Carter's cell.

"Did you now?" She asked, reaching out to take the box as he slid it through the bars. He watched her, his eyes alight.

Zane heard Jo's sharp intake of breath and she covered her mouth to keep from crying.

She chuckled, turning away from him and wandering towards her desk. "And I suppose you'd like me to try this on for you..." She had removed the lid as she spoke, a jab at Zane having suggested she model the lingerie he'd boughten for her when he first arrived. But she stopped, as her eyes landed on the small black velvet box in the middle of the pink tissue. She knew what it was; but she'd never thought that she'd be faced with one...

"Something like that." Her breathing caught as she heard the soft latch of the cell door closing, and she slowly lifted the small velvet box out of the tissue, setting the lingerie box aside. Slowly, she turned around; he knelt before her, eyes overflowing with honesty and vulnerability. Her heart leapt into her throat as she opened the box-

Inside, sat the most beautiful ring she'd ever laid eyes on. Simple, slender gold with a diamond in the middle.

She knew this ring; Zane had talked about his grandmother more times than she could count- the older woman was the one strong, guiding light in his young life. The one person he could count on, who'd been there for him, until her death. And now, he was offering it to her.

"Zane... I..."

He glanced towards Jo; she sat struggling to keep the tears at bay. They slipped down her cheeks, dangling from her chin before dropping into her lap. She glanced at him briefly before turning back to the memory. The moment she'd spent dreaming about for the last several months since coming to this new timeline was playing before her, and she was forced to confront her fears.

Zane knelt before her, down on one knee, watching and waiting for her to respond. Hope shined in his eyes, hope, vulnerabilty, his entire heart. He was giving her everything, asking her to take his heart, to hold his heart, to accept what he was asking and join him for the rest of his life; to make a life, a living with him, to create a family with him, and grow old with him. Her breath caught in her throat to see the man she loved before her, asking for a lifetime with him. Her dark eyes moved down to the ring, and her heart stopped. The softness in his voice got it starting again.

"You've already made an honest man out of me." He took a deep breath, giving her a soft smile. "So let's make it official."

She choked out a sob, covering her mouth as the memory played before her. Zane turned to her, reaching out to gently brush the tears away but she slapped his hand away. A quick shake of her head told him not to touch her, to keep away from her, and he did told; watching her, watching as she struggled to remain in control. And then he spoke the three words that had torn her to pieces ever since the timeline shift.

"Marry me, Jojo."

She gasped softly, tongue darting out to wet at her lips, as she stared at the ring in her hand. This ring could make or break her entire future, could make and break both hearts...

"Zane, I... I don't know what to say..."

Zane was startled to see the look of shock and confusion that crossed his own face, and he took a deep breath, glancing at Jo, who'd buried her face in her hands.

"Ah... How about yes?" He chuckled softly, nervously, unsure whether she was playing a joke or not.

"Jo! Fargo has a job for you-" Jo's soft sobs could be heard as Carter entered the memory, and the sheriff began uncalled for congratulations.

"Yeah, not so much..." And with a hand on Carter's back, Zane walked out of the office, leaving Jo behind, holding the engagement ring, and the shattered remains of his heart. She turned, tears filling her eyes as she called out for him.

"Zane!"

As the memory faded, she broke down completely, loud, heartwrenching, painful sobs as the biggest mistake of her life played out for the one man who'd slowly become the center of her life in this timeline; and as Zane gathered Jo to his chest, and she buried her face in his shirt, sobbing, he found his own tears dampening his cheeks.