Compensations by patricia51

(Set after "Founder's Day". Jo may have lost Zane but that doesn't mean she has lost everyone. The time-line shift means my story "Holiday Surprise" wouldn't have happened but "We Shouldn't" still took place. Femslash. Jo/Zoe.)

Jo Lupo sat back in her big, leather upholstered executive chair and propped her feet on the oak desk. After crossing her ankles she contemplated the tips of her shoes.

So this was success. Of a sort anyway. As head of security for Global Dynamics she had a big office with expensive furnishings. She was paid a lot of money and had an expense account to boot. There were a lot of executive privleges; things she never would have had access to as a simple Deputy Sheriff. Her work was generally interesting and occasionally challenging. Of course a lot of that was because after the time-slip that had deposited the five of them here she had to learn a new job that she was supposed to be completely familiar with and comfortable in.

This had been the first real shock after they had begun to notice the subtle changes in Eureka. Andy was the deputy in this time-line, not her. Granted she had another job but darn it she was a law-enforcement officer not a rent-a-cop. It was a part and parcel of who she was.

Not that everyone else didn't have their own problems to deal with in this changed world. Poor Henry with a wife he didn't even know. Jack finally getting close to Allison only to discover that here Tess never left. Never left? Hell she's moving in with him. Jack doesn't know whether to shit or go blind, especially since in their previous world she had just broken up with him. But Jack will figure it out.

Speaking of Allison she was in an interesting situation. No longer was she head of GD but rather simply, if that word really applied to anything to do with GD, Director of Medical Science. That did put less pressure on her to be sure but also took away some of the challenges that Allison, like Jo herself, thrived on. Still it gave her more time with Jenna and also with Kevin.

Now there was something. Kevin was no longer autistic. He was more and more in everyway a normal teenager. Of course that could be good or bad. Actually like all teens it was a mixture of both.

Jo sighed. But none of them had to endure a shock like her second one. After begging off giving an immediate answer so she could think about Zane's marriage proposal now that she had finally decided to accept it she found everything there was different. Not only had Zane never proposed in this time line but they had never even dated. And that was a good thing too because she really couldn't stand this changed Zane. He was a cocky, overly self-confident, overbearing and general pain-in-the-ass. Granted he had been that way before but Jo wasn't sure she had the time or the energy to go through the changes that he had made in the original time-line.

She missed him. She missed him a lot. Every now and then she thought she could detect a flicker of the Zane she had fallen in love with but it always turned out to be an illusion. She wished she had accepted his proposal back then. Even though he wouldn't remember it she would.

The beep of the very expensive clock on her desk brought her back to the real world, such as it was. Way past time to go home. But then she rarely left on time. It wasn't like she had any real reason to to rush home. She walked a good bit of the complex, checking on the on-duty security officers and making sure the alarms on certain closed sections were set. Then she got into her expensive company car and drove to her also very expensive furnished company house.

That was all well and good. She had a great car, a great house and a great office. But what was it all worth without the job she loved and the man she loved? Jo parked the car in the circle drive where it would be immediately available in the morning and trudged up the steps to the front door. She put the key in the lock and froze.

She was darn sure when she left this morning she had turned the lights out. So why were the entry hall and one side of the reception area lit up? She checked the door. It was locked. Slowly, carefully she turned the key and cracked open the door. She slipped inside and closed it behind her. Her heart was pounding. Damn, as Security Head there was no need for her to carry a sidearm. The nearest one was stashed in a cabinet about twenty steps to her right.

Her eyes sweeping the room she started towards the cabinet when her foot caught something and she nearly fell. She waved her arms wildly in a barely successful attempt to keep her balance. She looked down. A hang-up clothes bag was draped over a suitcase. What in the world?

Delighted laughter filled the room. Jo looked for the source. It wasn't hard to find.

Standing in the archway that led to the staircase a young blonde woman leaned against the frame, a broad smile covering her face.

"At least this lets me know you're not expecting any other company tonight," the visitor commented.

Jo found her voice. "Zoe! What are you doing here?"

"It's Christmas vacation remember? I drove from the airport this afternoon after flying cross country from Harvard. As to what I'm doing HERE," the teen daughter of Jack Carter grinned impishly, "I was tired and a bit grimy from travel so I thought I'd take a shower. However, I seem to have forgotten my luggage before hopping in so I had to borrow something to wear."

"That explains why you're barefoot," replied Jo, trying to buy a little time while she sorted this out.

In the previous time-line Jo had shared an incredible and erotic night with the blonde teenager the night before Zoe had left for college. But had that happened here? Had there been more to it than a one-night stand, passionate though it had been? The fact that Zoe apparently had a key was a hint.

So was the girl's outfit. Zoe was wearing one of Jo's white shirts and from the looks of it nothing but that shirt. The sleeves were rolled up and the top buttons undone enough to make it obvious there was no bra on underneath. Zoe, obviously enjoying the attention, shifted poses, bracing her right foot against her left leg. The momentary swaying of the shirt proved that the teen had skipped panties as well.

Jo's mouth was as dry as the Sahara but she was rapidly becoming damp elsewhere as she recalled the night of passion and contemplated the increasing probability that it was about to be repeated.

Zoe seemed to be quite aware of the effect she was having on Jo. As if idly her right hand brushed the top button of the shirt that was still fastened and her fingers began to play with it. The pair stood still and silent for a moment.

"Jo?"

"Yes?"

"Am I going to have to take this shirt off myself or are you going to do it for me?" asked the sultry teen.

Her doubts cast to the winds Jo needed no more than five steps to reach Zoe and sweep the blonde up in her arms. Kisses were exchanged, fevered wild kisses and then Zoe wrapped her bare legs around Jo's waist.

"Oh God, take me to bed lover," whispered Zoe when they came up for air. "I've been dreaming about this since I left."

Fastening one hand on the teen's firm and bare butt Jo locked the fingers of her other hand in Zoe's blonde hair and brought the other girl's mouth back to her own. Carefully taking each step she climbed the stairs leading to the master bedroom.

She may have lost her job and she may have lost Zane but this time-line obviously had its compensations.

(The End)