This is it, the end. I apologize if there are more errors than usual. I'm currently "on vacation" with my family, but like most things in my life it's not working out so well. If you've never tried to throw up in the back of a moving RV with four kids yelling they want their breakfast you just haven't lived. I will go back and give this chapter the editing it deserves just as soon as I pry my face off the bathroom floor, but I didn't want to deprive you guys of this last chapter. I hope it was worth it :)

Chapter 17 – Promises

"Tell me again."

"How many times…"

"You're sure it was Cole?" she cut me off.

"Yes." There was no mistaking that dickwad.

"Cole Rogers?"

"For the 100th time, yes."

"Cole Rogers, the pansy ass whose elbow I dislocated in training?"

I rolled my eyes before answering, "Yes." She'd been repeating the same questions, fifty different ways, over and over again for days now. Her voice rising in volume incrementally as the days wore on. It was rapidly approaching levels only dogs could hear.

"That motherfucker." The adjectives used to describe the dearly departed Cole Rogers were imaginative and graphic. I was in the Navy and had never heard half the combinations Jo had belted out in the last three days. As promised, I'd filled her in on Cole's part in her "accident" the day after she'd woken up. She was taking it about as well as I'd expected. "I have half a mind to bring him back just so I can kill that piece of shit myself."

Which mean she was as mad as a wet hen.

Inevitably the conversation always circled back to her being disappointed she hadn't been the one to deal with Cole. I could understand her frustration. If someone had jettisoned me off a cliff face I'd probably want a few minutes alone with them too before they went to meet their maker. Plus, there was the always present reminder that Cole was nothing but a pawn, a middle man. We were still no closer to having any solid proof of Wu's involvement, and unfortunately Jo was no closer to remember what had triggered his drastic actions.

"As fun as that sounds maybe you should just focus on getting better," I offered diplomatically. The self-explanatory hand gesture she responded with told me my efforts were largely wasted.

"I've got to get out of this prison," she huffed, eyes darting around the room for possible escape routes. So far she had about four different plans to escape the clinic should Dr. Kondrat not uphold his end of the bargain and release her at his "earliest convenience". She didn't know I'd seen the one she'd doodled on the back of her leftover lunch napkin. If she wasn't hooked to enough machines to power the space shuttle I'd be worried she might actually be able to pull one off.

"It's only been a couple of days."

"It's been three days," she clarified.

Confused, I just looked at her. "That's what I said."

"No, you said a couple. A couple means two." She held up her busted wrist which was still encased in an obnoxiously pink cast. She was attempting to display two fingers, but the cast drastically limited her mobility, and her fingers were swollen to double their normal size so it looked like she holding up three breakfast sausages. "I've been here three days."

I think I liked her better when she was unconscious. If things kept up at this rate I'd break her out of her myself. She'd been restless, agitated and chomping at the bit to leave since the moment she rejoined the land of the living.

"When is Barry coming to pick up Ted?" she asked, distracted by her packing efforts.

Ted, the life-sized teddy bear Lowery had gifted to her, also known as the bane of my existence was currently sitting in the corner eyeing me with an annoying smirk. She'd fallen in love with the oversized terror as soon as she'd seen it, and outright refused to get rid of it (i.e. throw it away). Barry had taken great pleasure watching me squirm as I struggled to come up with a convincing argument for why we should set it on fire as opposed to take it home. Jo's refusal was as swift as it was final. We were taking Ted home because he was now "our responsibility". I still wasn't sure how I'd become the disgruntled parent to a stuffed bear the size of a Velociraptor, but like most things when it came to Jo I was learning to take it in stride.

Barry thought he was clever, siding with Jo in the fight to save Ted from a bonfire. He'd practically written sonnets about what a thoughtful gift it was, and how it would look stunning in the living room. If looks could kill that guy would've been dead on the spot. He's my friend, but friendship only goes so far, and as it happens it stops just shy of adopting life-sized teddy bears. I almost jumped for joy when his enthusiasm over Ted went a step too far.

"He's great isn't he?" Jo had asked Barry, gesturing to Ted.

I hadn't missed the glare she sent my way. Never in a million years would I have believed Jo would have a soft spot for a stuffed animal, but here it was, happening before my very eyes. She'd started bouncing up and down on the bed, attempting to clap her hands around her broken wrist when Lowery had explained it was his 'Get Well' gift to her.

"I've got the best idea," she'd shrieked, sounding like…a girl. Apparently all it took for Josephine King to display feminine characteristics was a stuffed animal. "Why don't we share custody of him? You can take him for now, and then in a few months we'll switch."

"Wait, what?" Barry had responded, confused at the rapidly changing environment. Jo looked at him expectantly, a beaming smile on her face while I'd stood off to the side grinning as Barry shifted uncomfortably. It had been better than binge watching Daredevil on Netflix.

"It'll be perfect," she'd continued, oblivious to Barry's hesitation. "We have a ton of stuff to take home already so if you could pick him up tomorrow that would be great. It's nice to see someone appreciates Ted."

The last part had been a jab directed at me, but it was Barry who looked like he'd been sucker punched. That was how quickly a joke could turn on you if you didn't know what you were doing, and obviously Barry still needed training wheels.

"I don't really think…" he'd stuttered then paused when Jo's face immediately fell. He'd looked at me for help and I'd just smirked, letting him know he was on his own with this one. I'd already gotten an ear full for hating Ted as he'd sat idly by laughing; no way was I coming to his rescue now. He'd sighed dramatically, steeling himself for the world of pain he was about to enter. "Sure, of course. I love the big guy. I'd be happy to have him stay with me."

The entire episode had me laughing so hard I'd pulled a muscle. Now I could add sharing joint custody of a teddy bear with Barry to the list of things I never thought would happen. At least the god awful thing would be living with Barry six months out of the year. We hadn't ironed out all the particulars for holidays or summer vacation, but I'd overhead Jo asking Lowery to draw up a tentative schedule.

"He'll be by this afternoon," I told her, turning to grimace at Ted. I shot Barry a quick text telling him he better pick up a car seat before this afternoon because Ted wasn't ready for adult seat belts yet. The explicit emoticons he sent as a response told me he wasn't amused.

"Can you double check the bathroom and make sure everything is out?" she asked, attempting to stuff her belongings into a bag with one hand. Every time she got one article in the bag another would fall out on the other side. It was like watching a monkey fucking a football, doomed to fail yet at the same time fascinating. "After that we can start taking all these flowers and cards out to your car."

"Jo, the doctor said it was possible you would be released today." I was treading carefully, keeping my tone neutral, but just to be on the safe side I moved further away from her. "Possible doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen."

Her hands froze, hovering over the half packed bag. Slowly she raised her eyes to mine, her face expressionless. Her face may have been carefully blank, but there was murder in her eyes. I took another half step back just for good measure.

"I'm leaving. Today. I don't care what Dr. Uptight says. You can help me or you can leave."

Right about now I wanted to leave. I was suddenly jealous of Ted.

"You're looking a little crazy babe." That was putting it mildly. She'd been trying to keep her crazy under control, but being crazy was like being pregnant – you could only hide it for so long.

Her faced relaxed and she resumed her packing efforts. "Owen, I'm fine. All my tests have come back normal."

Saying she was "fine" was like saying Lowery had a shot with Vivian, it just wasn't true.

"Except for having absolutely no memory prior to the accident," I added, heaving a heavy sigh. Jo's picture was probably right next to the word delusional in the dictionary. It wouldn't be long before they added the word 'Syndrome' after her last name.

She shrugged in response. Trying to pretend she didn't care about the hole in her short term memory.

"I may never remember. I just need to accept it and move on. I can do that at home."

I raised my eyebrows at her. Jo didn't do acceptance. She did avoidance, denial and resentment. She frowned, breaking eye contact with me, her eyes blinking rapidly in an effort to suppress her tears. It was easy to forget that for all her bravado and false fronts she was a woman who was hurt, scared and unsure.

"Hey, are you OK?" I asked, sitting down beside her on the bed. Reaching up I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, smiling at her encouragingly.

She smiled back, pulling me towards her, kissing me softly before saying, "I'm fine. I just…I can't stay here any longer. I want things to get back to normal or at least normal for me. If I don't get out of this room soon I'm going to lose it."

Resting my forehead against hers I savored the feel of having her in my arms again. There wasn't anything I could do to speed the healing of her injuries, and I certainly couldn't give her back her lost memories, but giving her some measure of comfort was something I could do.

"I'm going to take some of this stuff out to the car. I'll see if I can find the doc," I conceded, getting up and collecting several vases. "Please try to stay put and not cause trouble until I get back."

She pursed her lips in response. "And here I was about to comment on how sweet you are, but you have to go and ruin it."

I wiggled my eyebrows at her as I threw her a grin over my shoulder, picking up a few vases before walking out of the room. Her cheeks instantly flushed, and I couldn't help but chuckle. God I'd missed this.

After putting the vases, card and candy into the car I went in search of Dr. Kondrat. One of the nurses pointed me towards his office, and I stopped outside his open door, knocking lightly a few times on the frame to announce my presence.

He was bent over his computer typing in notes, still dressed in scrubs. Now that I thought about it I'd never seen the man in anything else. In fact, I'd never seen another doctor at the clinic. Guess that would explain the dark circles permanently present under his eyes, and the huge cup of coffee on his desk. He looked like a man who couldn't remember what it was like to NOT be tired. Simon needed to hire this guy some help, fast.

"Owen," he started, turning to give me a tight smile before resuming his work at the computer. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Translation, what the fuck do you want now?

Engaging this guy in idle conversation was like knocking your head against a brick wall for sport so I decided to cut the shit.

"What are the chances you discharge her today?"

His typing faltered as he turned slowly towards me, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"That woman is the most trying individual I've ever had the displeasure of knowing," he explained. "And that includes my ex-wife who has familial ties to Satan."

I didn't even try to cover my laughter. "The really shocking part is she's been on her best behavior." He looked at me with disbelief in his eyes. "It's true. She's trying, but patience isn't really her thing. She's developed no less than four escape plans that she's got a better than average chance of pulling off if she stays here much longer."

"Her patience is wearing thing?" he scoffed, emphasizing the word 'her'.

"Listen, I get it, really I do. I love her with all my heart, and half the time I want to smother her with a pillow." In the most loving way possible of course.

"I know the feeling."

I continued with my 'Get Jo out of Jail' pitch, "Her tests are all good. If she stays here much longer she's bound to do more harm than good." To herself and all those around her I added silently.

He shook his head at me. "Did you now she's got the nursing staff smuggling candy in?"

Yes, I did know that. She also bribed the front desk attendant to deliver her a brontosaurus burger from Margaritaville each night too.

I shrugged, neither confirming nor denying my knowledge of her subterfuge, unwilling to get between these too any more than was strictly necessary.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, standing up and gathering some papers. "If I hadn't taken a Hippocratic Oath to do no harm I'd…"

"Yeah," I offered up before he finish. Probably best for both of us if he didn't finish that thought.

He exhaled through his mouth harshly, adjusting his glasses. "Fine, you win, I'll discharge her today, but only under the conditions that she has someone with her at all times. She may have made remarkable strides, but she's far from being ready to be on her own."

I nodded, "She'll stay with me. I'll take care of her."

We fell into step in the hallway, making our way back towards Jo's room. "The two of you live together?"

Rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly I avoided eye contact with him. "Well, not officially. Not yet anyway. I was hoping to change that in the near future."

He stopped in the middle of the hall, eyeing me dubiously. "Really?"

"What?" The way he'd said it made it sound like he'd sooner gargle with battery acid than consider living with Jo. I'm not saying he hated her, but he wasn't exactly thrilled with her existence either.

"You're going to ask her to move in with you?"

"Well, yeah," I answered stupidly, stopping in the hall beside him.

He shook his head ominously. "You're either incredibly brave or extraordinarily stupid," he commented, continuing into Jo's room as I stood there like a jackass.

Funny thing, that's actually not the first time someone's said that to me. Go figure.

Opening the door to the hospital room I was glad to see Dr. Kondrat and Jo weren't at each others throats, yet.

"I don't like ultimatums Ms. King," he huffed, not even bothering to look at her as he finished her discharge paperwork. She at least had the decency to look abashed. "But, I don't like having you as a patient more, and I have no desire to see you sneak out through the window so you are officially being discharged."

Now she just looked pissed. She shot me a scathing glare. I smiled back at her, leaning up against the wall. Her scary looks didn't work on me, much to her chagrin. Deciding to ignore me altogether she tried to sit up.

"Thanks for everything. It's been great," she wheezed, the pain her movement caused her clear on her face. She hissed out a sharp breath, and I immediately moved to her side, bracing my hands on her back to support her.

Dr. Kondrat sighed in exasperation. "Ms. King, I'm probably wasting my time but I'm going to say it anyway. It is against my better judgment that you are discharged today. You sustained severe, life threatening injuries, not to mention your chronic memory loss. Your road to recovery will be a long and hard one," he pinned her with a poignant stare, imploring her to heed his words. "That being said, your tests have come back promising and you have shown a resiliency that I have not personally come across in my medical career. You are a survivor Ms. King and that is admirable. I have no doubt you will make a full recovery. I have put in an order for your medication which you can pick up on your way out. I've given Mr. Grady the contact information for your physical therapist, as well as the appointment slip for our follow up visit in a few weeks. Feel free to call my office if anything comes up. Any questions?"

She shook her head, and Dr. Kondrat handed me the discharge paperwork, excusing himself from the room with a curt nod. Jo's nurse swept into the room before the door had even closed pushing a wheelchair in front of her and sporting a kind smile. I closed my eyes when I saw the wheelchair, keeping my fingers crossed that maybe Jo wouldn't notice it.

"What's that for?" she asked the nurse gesturing to the wheelchair, confusion in her tone. So much for not noticing.

"It's hospital policy that all patients be escorted out via wheelchair," the nurse explained.

"I can walk." And…here we go.

"I'm sure you can Ms. King, but unfortunately if you want to leave this facility you'll be doing it in this wheelchair."

My eyes darted back and forth between the two as they stared each other down.

"I hardly think anyone would notice if I walked out."

I looked at my watch, wondering how long this would take to play out. We had places we needed to be, preferably before hell froze over.

The nurse threw her a tight smile. "Be that as it may, I'd prefer to keep my employment here intact," the nurse said. "So, you have two choices, you can stay here under the care of Dr. Kondrat or you can sit your ass in the wheelchair for five minutes while I wheel you out."

"That's extortion," Jo hissed.

"Call it whatever you want." All these two needed was some mud and this would be Pay-Per-View worthy.

Jo grumbled in defeat, stringing together a litany of curses that would make any normal person blush. Sometimes I wished she came with an auto correct function, like my phone. I thought "this is motherforking bullshot" sounded much more polite.

"I heard that," the nurse chided.

"You were meant to."

Oh good lord. I quickly helped Jo shuffle out of the bed and into the wheelchair before this escalated to physical violence. I practically had to carry her the three foot distance to the chair before she collapsed into it, panting with exertion and pain. How the hell she thought she could walk out of here was beyond me.

With Jo safely tucked away in the wheelchair I grabbed the remaining items from her room, while the nurse began wheeling her out. We made a brief stop by the discharge pharmacy where I picked up enough narcotics to start my own drug cartel.

It didn't take long to get to my Jeep, the nurse all but dumping Jo out of the wheelchair and into the parking lot. The nurse was clearly annoyed and infuriated so it looked like Jo's work here was done. Once I had her situated in the passenger seat I loaded up all our belongings in the back.

"You ready?" I asked her, placing a soft kiss against her knuckles as I strapped on my seat belt.

She smiled brightly, her eyes closed and her head back as the sun danced across her face. For the first time in days she looked happy and healthy.

"Yep, let's blow this popsicle stand."

My lips twitch, fighting a smile as I pulled out of the parking lot, heading home. Jo kept her eyes closed, her head resting against the seat as the smile remained on her face. The outside air and sunshine was doing wonders already for her pallor. Her face had a healthy glow, and she looked livelier now that she was outside the confines of the hospital. For the first time since everything started I felt myself truly relax, squeezing her hand with a smile. She cracked he eyes open, tilting her head to the side to look at me.

"You good?" I asked.

"Never better."

I flashed her a 100-watt grin, and her cheeks instantly flushed red. She swallowed visible, her eyes darkening with desire. It was painfully obvious what was on her mind, but the doctor's stern warning against all things physical rang clearly in my mind. When I'd heard him tell me to hold off on any "relations" for a few weeks I'd hadn't been surprised. It was such an obvious order I hadn't even considered it since then. That had been a mistake on my part. The way she was looking at me now had me worried we wouldn't make it home without breaking the rules, much less a few weeks.

"Jo, if you keep looking at me like that I'm going to have to show you exactly how creative I can be in a pinch."

Her eyes widened as her tongue snaked out to wet her lips. I almost crashed right into a tree. This wasn't going to be hard. It was going to be damn near impossible.

"Promises, promises," she taunted, laughing at my discomfort. As much as I would love to pull this Jeep over, and explore our options we needed to get home. Loving Jo wasn't something I could do on a clock, and we had company waiting.

"As much as I would love to give every inch of your body the attention it deserves you are in no way physically ready, and even if you were we'd be late," I explained, keeping my fingers crossed this was a good idea.

When Lowery had informed me weeks ago about Jo's upcoming birthday it had seemed like a no-brainer to plan a surprise party. My instincts told me she'd probably never had anyone take the time to do something like that for her, and let's be honest, everyone loves a surprise party. Left to her own devices she probably wouldn't have even thought to mention to any of us that it was her birthday in the first place.

After her accident the party idea had been put on hold. Not knowing if someone was going to live or die puts a damper on the whole process. Once she'd woken up the debate was whether or not we should continue as planned or postpone the event. It was Barry who decided we should continue with the party, and incorporate the 'Welcome Home' part once we knew she was going to be OK.

She looked puzzled by my statement, opening her mouth to ask, but pausing as I pulled to a stop at the beginning of the dirt road by our houses. There were at least 20 cars parked haphazardly around my bungalow, people milling about in groups around the yard. Jo's face wrinkled in confusion as she took in the scene.

"What's going on? Did I miss a memo or something? Are you in trouble?" she questioned.

"I'm not in trouble," I told her. "It's a party. A party for you if you want to get specific."

Now she really looked befuddled, her eyes narrowing.

"A party?" She seemed confused by the concept.

"Yes."

"For me?"

"Yes."

If confusion was the first step towards knowledge, Jo was teetering on the edge of being considered a savant.

"Why?" she asked.

I was officially nervous. I knew listening to Barry could only end in disaster. It was too soon. She must be tired, in pain, ready for anything but a party. Jesus, she'd been released from the hospital today and I'd decide to throw her a surprise birthday and welcome home party the same day. What the fuck was I thinking?

"Well, it's kind of a two-fold, it's a welcome home we're glad you're ok party, but that part was added at the last minute after the accident," I attempted to explain. Rapidly I was trying to figure out how I could get rid of all these people without being a total dick.

Tilting her head to the side she continued to look at me. "OK, and the other part?"

It suddenly dawned on me that she didn't realize today was her birthday. Considering all that had happened to her it wasn't exactly shocking. I'd be surprised if she knew what day of the week it was right now.

"It's for your birthday," I told her.

For a few seconds she said nothing, just continued to look at me. Then her eyes dropped and I could see her trying to do the math in her head.

"Today's my birthday?" she asked quietly, almost shy.

Shifting in my seat I told her, "Yes, it is."

She seemed to consider my answer for a moment, not sure of how to process the information. Still having no idea if this was a massive mistake I just continued to wait.

"How…how did you know today was my birthday," she stuttered.

There was no way in hell I was telling her I found out because Lowery "happened" upon her "classified" personnel file, and "accidentally" read the entire thing. Yeah, I needed her to know that like I needed a swift kick to my nuts.

"I have my ways." I shot her a wink to which she just rolled her eyes. She knew as well as I did that "my ways" could only involve Lowery, a computer and some illegal hacking. Hey, it was all in the name of love.

She looked back towards my bungalow with trepidation. I'd seen people react all sorts of ways to surprise parties, but anxiety and fear was a new one.

Clearing my throat I told her, "Listen, if you aren't filling up I'm sure everyone will understand. When I planned all this I wasn't anticipating bringing you home from the hospital."

Her head whipped around to me, her eyes soft. "No, I don't want you to do that. I'm not upset about the party, it's great. I just…" she trailed off, suddenly unsure of herself again.

Leaning towards her I tipped her head back, forcing her to look at me. "What? You can tell me anything, you know that."

She hesitated, uncertain of how to proceed. I realized with surprise that she was the one who was nervous.

"I've never had one before," she explained.

Pursing my lips in confusion I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Never had what?"

"A birthday party," she said so softly I almost didn't hear her.

She'd never had a birthday party? It was almost inconceivable. I'd had a birthday party every single year of my youth. Hell, one year I had two because some of my best friends had been out of town during the first one. Those parties were my most treasured memories from my childhood. The fact that Jo had none was woefully depressing. Considering what she'd shared with me about her past it shouldn't have surprised me. What it did was absolutely sicken me in ways I'd never thought possible. The crushing desire to rip out all her painful memories, and replace them with happiness was like a force of nature.

"You've never had a birthday party?" Silently she shook her head no, embarrassed to admit the truth. Leaning forward I closed the distance between us, kissing her soundly on the lips. "I'm glad I could change that. Come on, we wouldn't want the guest of honor to be late to her own party."

This would be the first of many occasions that I would strive to give her something joyful to replace her sorrow.

She smiled at me as I drove the remaining distance towards my bungalow. Parking quickly I jumped out of the Jeep, making my way around to her. Slowly and carefully I helped her out of the Jeep, wrapping my arms around her body and latching onto her shoulders to support her. By the time she was finally out she was breathing heavily, sweat beading on her forehead.

"This wasn't a good idea. I'm going to get rid of everyone, and let you rest," I decided, already scanning the crowd for Barry.

She pulled back on my sleeve, trying to stop our forward progress. "No, please don't. I'll be fine if we just sit down," she begged. "Plus, I swear I saw some of Marco's trashcan punch over there. If I can get a few cups of that liquid gold I'll be set in no time."

I rolled my eyes at her, and she laughed. The sound was so marvelous I smiled back at her.

"Fine," I said whispering into her ear, deciding to go ahead with the party. "But try not to overdue it."

"I pinky promise," she stated, holding her pinky finger in front of my face. Glancing quickly around to make sure no one was watching I wrapped my pinky finger around hers.

"I can't believe I'm doing this in public," I muttered. It was bad enough Barry knew about it. The last thing I needed was for this information to leak into the Jurassic World gossip pipeline.

"Did you just pinky promise?" Lowery asked from behind me. And just like that my skeletons tumbled out of the closet.

I scowled at him in a futile effort to scare him into secrecy. Jo and Barry were cracking up, but Lowery had the good sense to look scared, averting his eyes as he did an accurate impression of a tomato.

"Be nice," Jo admonished, nudging me with her elbow.

"Jo welcome home." Barry stepped forward, enveloping her in a hug, pressing a quick peck on her cheek. "You scared me to death. I'm thankful you are alright," he whispered to her. I turned my head to the side in an effort to give them some privacy.

"Thank you Barry. I know what you and Owen went through to get to me and keep me alive. I owe you both my life," she told him, her eyes filling with tears, her voice shaky. Barry nodded, pretending not to notice her bodies involuntary shudder as she mentioned the accident.

She turned her attention to Lowery as Barry stepped to the side. "Hey Lowery, thanks for coming."

"Happy Birthday Jo," he said, pulling her in for another complicated hug as I maneuvered to side to give him some room. "You look much better."

"Thanks, I really appreciate you guys coming."

Barry grabbed our bags from the Jeep as I helped Jo slowly make her way toward a seat in the middle of the party. As I helped her sit down I looked around my yard, questioning where the hell all this wooden furniture that looked like it was braided had come from in the first place. I owned a few fold out chairs and some old milk crates that served as my "patio furniture". Right now my yard and patio looked like an Ikea catalogue had thrown up on it.

Once Jo was settled into the weird looking lawn chair she was swarmed by a host of people all wanting to hug her, talk to her and wish her a happy birthday and a speedy recovery. Stepping back to give everyone space I noticed Zara dart across the lawn with small pillows I knew I didn't own in her hand. When I'd run into her the day after finding out about Jo's birthday I'd casually mentioned having a party for her. Somehow that had turned into no less than 50 people, wooden furniture, tiki torches, and tables upon tables full of food. The woman was efficient, I'd give her that.

Making my way towards my grill, I started an inventory of all the meat laid out. Barry eventually made his way over, and between the two of us we had a pretty effective system of seasoning, grilling, and distributing the BBQ. I even had to make a trip inside to whip up some more of my homemade BBQ sauce when the first four servings had disappeared faster than a pig in the raptor paddock.

Jo appeared to be having a blast as she chatted and laughed with the numerous people vying for her attention. I hardly had a chance to talk to her between manning the grill and answering everyone's numerous requests, but when I saw her bribe (threaten) Lowery into bringing her a cup of the trashcan punch I made my way over to her.

"I don't think so," I told her, grabbing the cup out of her hand just as she was about to tip it back.

Her mouth opened in surprise as she looked up at me. "How in the hell?"

I handed the cup back to Lowery with clear instructions that should it happen to find itself in her hands again he'd be missing vital parts of his anatomy. I then replaced Jo's cup with a bottle of water, kissed her on the head and made my way back to the grill. She sighed dramatically, but didn't fight me on the semantics of alcohol and medication mixology.

The party lasted several more hours before the first of our guests made their excuses to leave. The gathering continued to dwindle in time with the setting sun until it was just Barry, Hamada, Lowery, Jo and me relaxing on the porch.

"Thanks for the party guys. It was really great," she told us.

I smiled at her as Hamada reached under his chair pulling out a small present wrapped in old newspaper. Jo's eyes darted back and forth between Hamada and the present like he was offering her a poisonous snake as a gift.

Hamada prompted her to take the present, his lips twitching with amusement. "It's not a birthday party without presents."

Her eyes got misty with emotion as she rapidly whipped away nonexistent tears. "I…you didn't need to do that," she stuttered, unable to keep the quiver out of her voice.

"I know. I wanted to." I squeezed her shoulder, encouraging her to take the present. She slowly reached out, holding the present like it was the most fragile thing in the world. I knew it was more than just Hamada giving her a birthday present that had her emotional. It was a logical conclusion that anyone who'd never had a birthday party had probably never been given a present. It was enough to make me emotional.

She unwrapped the paper slowly, savoring the moment of opening what very well may have been her first present. Her eyes danced with delight and anticipation. She looked so young and carefree. Once she finally had the paper off her mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at it.

"Where…how…how did you get this?" she exclaimed, unable to take her eyes of the gift.

"One of the guys snapped it," Hamada answered nonchalantly, like he'd gifted her a pair of socks. "I remember him telling me about it, and when you gave me that list to help with the security force I asked around. One of them had a copy."

"I don't know what to say," Jo told Hamada, the two of them sharing a meaningful look.

"I think thank you is customary," he told her, smiling ever so slightly. That was Hamada's impression of a mic drop.

"Thank you," she choked out, a single tear escaping and running down her cheek. "Really, this is amazing."

Hamada dipped his head in acknowledgment as she handed me what I could now see was a framed photo. Taking the frame from her I showed it to Barry as I studied it. The two of them were standing underneath the Arc of Triumph in Central Baghdad. I'd been there, and had a similar picture of me and a buddy back home in my parents' house. They must have just come from outside the green zone because they were still outfitted in full combat gear, complete with IBA's and a multitude of weapons strapped to their persons. Hamada's face was frozen in a laugh that I'd never believe him capable of were the proof not in my very hands. Jo was grinning up at him, her head tipped back slightly. They both looked so young and surprisingly carefree given the circumstances. This had to have been taken years ago when the invasion was just kicking off.

"My turn," Lowery interjected, standing up so fast his chair almost tipped backwards. He reached behind his now right chair to pull out a huge bag with 'Happy Birthday' written in enormous, red letters across the side. He handed her the bag, and she wasted no time this go around, tossing the decorative paper out and reaching inside. She pulled out a worn looking book, her face a mix of confusion and apprehension. She didn't know how to react to Lowery giving her an old book. I didn't blame her, lame gift.

"Thanks, this is great," she lied, offering Lowery a fake smile.

He rolled his eyes at her in return, grabbing the book from her as he flipped it open. "The book isn't the present. It's your book."

Wow, I'm all for re-gifting crap presents, but giving someone something they already owned as a birthday present was a new low.

"Uh, I'm not really sure where this is going," Jo stuttered. Me either.

Lowery found the page he was looking for, handing her the book. "Look," he explained, pointing to what looked like a signature. "It's signed by Dr. Grant."

All four of us leaned in to get a better look. Sure as shit, it was signed by Dr. Alan Grant himself. Not so lame after all.

"Wow, thank you Lowery. This is really thoughtful," she told him smiling before she paused. "How exactly did you get my book?"

Lowery cleared his throat, fidgeting with his shirt as he thought quickly. "Well, I, uh, took it one day when you weren't looking. I knew your birthday was coming up and I couldn't think of anything to get you then I saw your book. I have a friend, who has a friend, who was able to get it signed."

The sad part was stuff like this was considered normal for us. Breaking and entering into a friend's house was child's play compared to some of the situations we found ourselves in around here. Jo burst out laughing, and it wasn't long before we all joined in.

"It's OK Lowery. I love it, it's perfect." She was beaming at him, and I watched as Barry joined the present parade. "You too? You guys sure know how to spoil a girl."

Barry shrugged, "It isn't much, but I thought your supplies might be running low." He handed her a basket full of every candy I'd ever heard of and some I hadn't. Jo muttered a 'holy shit', holding the candy basket like she was cradling her firstborn.

"You are my best friend forever in life," she declared, never taking her eyes off the candy basket as she selected her first victim.

"I feel somewhat irrational that I'm jealous over the way you're leering at that candy," I chuckled as she was unable to pick just one piece, shoving two types of candy in her mouth at the same time.

"I'm not leering," she mumbled around a mouth full of candy.

"You just moaned," I accused, suddenly wishing the guys weren't here.

"I have a medical condition."

Everyone stood up laughing and exchanging goodnights as they made their way to their cars. Barry offered to stay behind and help clean up, but I waved him off as I walked with him to his car.

"Nah man, I've got it," I told him, shaking his hand.

"Are you going to ask tonight?"

Looking over my shoulder at Jo I saw her leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed, a content smile on her face. I answered Barry without taking my eyes off her, "Yeah, I am."

He patted me on the back as he climbed in his car, "Congratulations."

"She hasn't said yes yet," I pointed out, turning back around to look at him. He just laughed at me, pulling out into the driveway and driving home.

Walking back towards the porch I called out, "I'll be right back." Hurrying into my bedroom I went to my closet, reaching into the far right hand corner of the top shelf. Grabbing the small, wrapped box I made my way back out to Jo. She was still sitting in the chair with her eyes closed as I sat down next to her. "Happy Birthday Josephine."

Her eyes popped open as she slowly sat up. I held out the gift, waiting for her to take it. "You didn't have to get me anything Owen. This whole day, the party, it's been more than enough."

Smiling, I simply held the gift out. She reached out, her hand shaking slightly, taking the gift and placing it in her lap as she licked her lips nervously.

"It's not going to open itself," I teased.

She frowned at me then looked back down at the gift, taking a deep breath before ripping off the wrapping paper. I held my own breath, finding myself equally nervous. There was a pretty decent chance this would freak her the fuck out. I felt my stomach bottom out as she turned the small, wooden box I'd carved myself over in her hand admiring it. The suspense was killing me, but she seemed mesmerized with the box itself.

"As flattered as I am that you like the box that's not the present," I told her. She laughed, examining the box closer. Her eyes light up with recognition as she noticed the two small, bronze hinges I'd screwed into the back, indicating that it opened.

"It's a really nice box."

Even though I wasn't close to out of the woods with this one I felt my nerves settle. Tipping my head back I laughed like a child. Jo's eyes sparkled with happiness as she turned her attention back to the box, finally opening the top and looking inside. She picked up the silver key, flipping it over in her hand before looking back inside to see if she'd missed anything.

"Wow, a key. Thanks," she offered, trying to summon up some excited for the key. I shook my head at her, laughter shaking my body again for the second time in less than a minute.

"You have no idea what it is do you?" I asked.

"A key?"

"You're adorable," I smirked. She bristled at the perceived insult, trying to puff her chest out to prove she was anything but adorable. It only added to her cuteness.

"I'm not adorable. I'm lethal, dangerous, a stealth ninja." She tried to demonstrate her stealth ninja strength by flexing her bicep, but winced in pain as it pulled at her fresh stitches. Why would anyone want a normal girlfriend? That would be so incredibly boring.

"Calm down my dangerously, lethal, stealth ninja. You're right it's just a key, but that's not the point either. It's what they key symbolizes that's your gift." I needed to nip this in the bud before she felt the need to try a combat roll.

She frowned at me, looking back down at the key like it had some kind of invisible ink on it that held the answer. Clearly if I didn't spell it out we'd be on this porch all night with her looking at the damn key. Steeling my nerves I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

"I don't want you to freak out," I started, speaking in measured, even tones. She instantly got suspicious, leaning away from me, tempted to drop the key before it bit her. "That's a key to my bungalow. I want you to have it. I want you to move in with me. I understand you may not be ready for that, and that's ok. I want you to have the key, and when you're ready I'll be here."

For a solid minute she just looked at me. She didn't blink. Didn't breathe. Just looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. I was terrified I'd just made a huge miscalculation in our relationship. I knew this would be a significant step for her, but I didn't think it would cause her to stroke out.

"You want me to move in with you?" She sounded full of doubt, and I knew I'd need to tread carefully.

"Yes." Can't get much more careful than one word.

"In your bungalow of love?" I fucking loved that she called my camper a 'bungalow of love'. It never failed to crack me up.

"Yes." Somehow I was able to get the answer out without bursting into laughter. Again.

"But," she started then stopped, looking at the key then at me. "Then I would be here, like, all the time."

"That's kinda the point babe."

If even six months ago someone had told me I'd be asking anyone to move in with me I'd have laughed my ass off at the impossibility. I'd never lived with a woman, never even had the desire to consider it, but with Jo everything was different.

She looked away from me, an internal battle waging in her mind. She mumbled under her breath, her head shaking back and forth. Her breathing was steadily speeding up to the point she was damn near hyperventilating. She was having a panic attack.

"Hey, look at me. Calm down Jo." I took her face in my hands and she slammed her eyes closed. "Look at me, please."

The pleading in my voice was unmistakable. Suddenly, asking Jo to move in with me seemed extraordinarily short sighted. I didn't think her freak out was because the thought of living with me made her consider joining a nunnery. I figured there was a greater chance the offer was dragging out years of self-doubt, loathing, and relationship issues she'd made a point to avoid her entire life.

I didn't care if she said no; I just wanted her to feel safe. I didn't want to ever put her in a position where she felt threatened or uncomfortable. She opened her eyes, looking at me with apology written all over her features. I smiled at her, letting her know it was OK. Everything was fine. I loved her whether she lived with me or the on the moon. She took a deep breath, and I prepared myself for the rejection.

"OK," she said.

"OK what?"

"OK, I'll move into your bungalow of love."

My mouth formed an 'O' as I considered her statement. She was saying yes? The realization made me want to shout from the rooftops or maybe dance a jig, but then I realized she might be saying yes just to avoid hurting me. I didn't want that. I only wanted her here if it was what she wanted. No pressure, no false pretenses. We had to be in this together.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think…"

She cut me off, grabbing my shirt and dragging me towards her. She pressed her lips to mine, wrapping her arms around my neck as she sank into me. I leaned her back against the pillow, supporting my body weight on either side of her, my hips pressing into hers. Her vanilla scented shampoo wrapped around me like a blanket as I drank her in. I broke the kiss, resting my forehead against hers as we both panted.

She leaned back slightly, her eyes roaming my face, a smile tugging at her lips. Looking down at her I knew I was looking at the woman I'd love for the rest of my life. I'd seen what a mess she could be, how moody she was when she didn't get her coffee first thing in the morning, how hard she was to handle when her temper flared, but despite all that she was my world.

Before meeting Jo, love was simply a word. I'd never given it or the meaning behind it more than a passing thought.

The day that she'd entered my life was the day she gave meaning to the word.

"I want this, I want you," she explained, her face serious. "I just need to ask you a favor."

"Anything," I declared without hesitation.

"I won't give up on you, so don't give up on me."

"Easiest promise I ever made," I told her, leaning forward and sealing my promise with a kiss.

It was more than a promise. It was my vow. I wouldn't just say it, I'd prove it. I wasn't a man prone to idly threats or empty promises. Jo had put her trust in me, in us, and I wouldn't break it. We would fight through anything thrown our way, and come out stronger in the end. Her acceptance showed she'd fight for me. That she was capable of ignoring all the reasons this might not work, and believe in the one reason why it would. I would do no less for her.

As Walt Whitman once said, "We were together. I forget the rest."

The End

To everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed or just simply read, thank you. Your comments, criticism and support are what made this possible and kept me going. This isn't the end for Jo and the gang. I'm planning a sequel to BJW that will take us through the events of the movie. I don't have much on paper yet, but I'm hopeful to rectify that quickly. I sincerely hope I will see you all again when Jo and Owen take on the I-Rex.

jahoney: I understand where you are coming from. That chapter fought me a little, and I'm not sure why. I think I was getting too bogged down in the details if that makes any sense. I tried to get back on track for the finale chapter, and hope I was successfully. Please know I sincerely appreciate all your comments and help during this process. I will keep my fingers crossed that you tune in and let me know what you think about the sequel.

KaraAlissa: I really enjoy that too. I think it's so fun to add to their personalities (since we aren't given too much from the movie). Plus, it's a great way to add details without saying "this is what happened then". Really appreciate your reviews and support...it really does make a difference. Thank you so much, and I hope you tune in when the sequel comes out.

Mystery Guest: I'm so glad you stuck with it. I understand where you are coming from. I read a dual POV (separate stories) before and had the same inclination you did to just say "yeah, I know how this ends" and be done with it. I'm glad you didn't. Thank you!

thakidiscbac: I love me some slow clap! Much appreciated...all your reviews and for reading. I hope you come back for the sequel.

Archeops567: Hi, thanks for the review. As for your question, that takes place in one of the first couple of chapters. I didn't spell out the "fight scene" per say, but there is the interaction with Jo prior and after (where he pays her the bet). I think it's in "The Date" chapter.

19irene96: Thanks for reading! It means a lot :)

angelicedg: Me too! I love adding to Simon. I totes love flushing out his relationship with Jo. When I imagine the two of them in my head (both so different) it is so much fun to think about. You've been reading/reviewing since I posted BJW and haven't abandoned me yet. It is so very much appreciated. I hope I have conveyed how much it means, and am hoping your come back again :)