AN: This story was created for the fairy tale challenge. I apologize in advance for the silliness.

Once upon a time, five friends were transported into the past. When they returned to the present, they discovered that they had accidentally changed things. Four of them were content, even happy with the changes in their lives. But the fifth could only grieve for what she'd lost. Her friends watched her and worried.

Jo shut her front door and stretched. It was time for her morning run. She jogged slowly for a bit, and picked up speed as she got closer to town. She ran the same route every morning. It was getting boring, but she'd run every route the town had a hundred times. Sometimes she felt like her boredom with running was a metaphor for the town. It seemed like the same things happened every day. Disaster, everyone ran around in a panic, and then she or Carter or Henry or Zane saved the day. She loved Eureka; this had been one of the greatest opportunities of her life. But ever since Founder's day…. She cut off that thought before it began.

She rounded the corner and jogged down main street to a chorus of "Good morning, Jo!" She raised a hand in greeting and sped up to avoid having to talk to Vincent. He was still trying to get her to gossip about what had happened between Zoe and Zane before she left to go back to Harvard. She didn't know anyway. She had avoided Zane ever since that day at the sheriff's office and when Zoe had come home a few days later with angry eyes and pinched lips, Jo didn't press her for the reason why. Maybe she should have, but it was too late now.

She ran past the quadruplets, several children discussing calculus, Café Diem, and the sheriff's office. Jo shook her head. Some days she really missed working with Carter. There was no one to talk to at GD; everyone was either subordinate to her, scared of her, or way more intelligent than her. Well, there was Allison, Henry, and Grace, but they were all busy with work and their significant others. And she wouldn't encourage Fargo by engaging him. He still gave her puppy dog eyes every now and then.

Her phone buzzed. Speak of the devil. "What is it, Fargo?"

His voice was high with anxiety. "Jo, we have a situation. I need you down here now."

"Can it wait for me to change?"

"Not really."

Jo sighed. It was a good thing she kept a spare outfit in her office. "On my way." She turned around and ran back to the Sheriff's office. She opened the door. "Carter?" She walked into the office. Andy was sitting at her – his desk.

He looked up and smiled at her. "Good morning, Ms. Lupo. What can I do for you?"

"Andy, there's an emergency at GD. Can I borrow your car?"

Andy cocked his head and toned down his smile. "Gee, I'm sorry Ms. Lupo, but I need my vehicle. I'll be happy to drop you off at your place so you can pick up yours."

Jo rolled her eyes. Folksy robots were annoying. "Thank you, Andy, I would appreciate that." She walked back outside and got in the car.

Andy got in the driver's side and pushed the button to start the car. "I wonder if you would like to talk about what happened with Mr. Donovan a few months ago."

"No, I wouldn't." Jo crossed her arms and looked out the window. "Would you mind speeding up a bit? Fargo said it was an emergency."

"I am going the posted speed limit." The android reached over and patted her knee. "I think of you as a friend and I hope you think of me similarly. I have found that sometimes it helps to talk to a friend when you are upset or confused about something."

"No offense, Andy, but your girlfriend is the biggest gossip in town. I'd rather not have the whole town know my business." They drove in silence for a few minutes. Andy pulled in her driveway. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. "Thanks for the ride." Andy saluted her and drove off. Jo looked up at her house, thinking longingly of the shower, then got in her car and headed to GD.

When she walked into her office, she shut and locked the door, stripping off her workout clothes. She walked to the armoire in the corner and opened the drawer containing her extra set of clothing and a towel. Jo wiped off her face and made sure her body was dry before getting dressed. She put her running shoes back on and pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. She opened the door to see Grace standing there.

"Hey, I'm on my way to Fargo's office."

Grace nodded. "I know. I came to get you." She looked worried.

Jo walked faster. "What happened?"

"Trouble." The two women rounded the corner and Grace opened Fargo's door. Carter, Allison, and Henry were standing just inside and Fargo was pacing the floor.

"What –" she began and then she saw Zane. He was sitting in Fargo's chair, feet up on the desk. Sonic protocols were engaged, according to the computer behind him.

She looked at Grace. She walked over to her husband and clutched his hand. Henry said, "He knows. He knows everything. I don't know how –"

Zane sat up, dropping his feet to the floor. "It doesn't matter how I know. What matters is what happens now."

Jo looked around the room. Fargo was pacing and muttering, "oh crap oh crap oh crap!" Henry and Grace held hands. Allison was standing stock still with her arms crossed and Carter was standing protectively behind her. She turned back and looked at Zane. "So what happens now?" she asked quietly.

"Well, there are some pretty nasty repercussions for people who violate time travel laws. If you want me to keep my mouth shut, you might have to pay a pretty heavy price." Zane smirked at her.

Jo closed her eyes and resisted the urge to strangle him. She turned back to Fargo. "Why aren't we just dropping him down that very deep hole in section 13?"

Zane answered, "Because I have proof hidden somewhere that will be found if I just disappear." He leaned back in the chair and put his feet up again. "So I have a proposition to make. Either the 6 of you will be jumping when I call for a very long time, or Jo-Jo here can come up to my cabin and stay with me for a month."

"What?" They all looked at him in shock.

He smiled. "Unfortunately, I don't know quite everything. And I want to hear the rest from Jo. I'd also like the chance to prove to her that I'm not a jackass."

Carter snorted. "You're sure going the right way about it." They all looked at each other.

Jo cleared her throat. "If I do what you want, do you swear that it ends there? No more blackmail, and no mention of it to anyone ever again?"

Allison leaned over and touched her arm. "Jo, you don't have to do this. I'm sure there's another way."

"Nope, no other way." Zane shook his head. "Yes, Jo, I promise that if you do what I ask, I will keep your secret, no blackmail, no threats."

Before anyone else could try to talk her out of it, she said, "Fine. Are we done here?" Without waiting for an answer, she walked out of the room and back to her office. As she reached her door, Carter caught up with her.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Jo?" Carter's forehead was wrinkled with worry.

Jo managed a smile. "Why not? Maybe this will help me get over him once and for all. Anyway, it's not like he can take advantage of me. You know I could break his arm without blinking." She sat down at her desk and turned on the computer.

Carter sat down across from her. "Jo. Come on, talk to me."

She looked at him and looked down at her hands. "This is all my fault, Carter," she said softly. "If I could have kept it together, he wouldn't have guessed anything."

"You don't know that. Zane is a genius, remember? We all slipped up and any one of our mistakes could have led to this."

"No, I'm pretty sure it was me." She looked up at Carter again. "I threw the engagement ring at him. I thought he was a hallucination, but it was him. And then after the incident with Grant and Allison…. He… he cornered me and told me he knew something was up." And then he kissed me, she thought, trying not to remember how good it felt.

"Oh, Jo." Carter got up and walked around her desk. He gripped her hands and pulled her up into a hug. She wrapped her arms around the man who'd been a surrogate father to her and tried not to cry. "The last few months have been hell on you, Jo," he murmured into her hair. "This isn't your fault." He held her until she pulled away.

"Don't worry about me, Carter. I'll be fine." She sat back down and typed in her password. She looked up at him and smiled faintly. "Go on; go protect the town from itself." She opened up her email and started reading. She heard Carter's footsteps retreating and when she was sure he was gone, she crossed her arms on her desk and lay her head on them. What did I just do?

Jo went through the rest of the day in a daze. She tried to keep herself occupied, but her brain didn't want to comply. Was she doing the right thing or had she torpedoed herself even more? Or was she hoping that this would turn into some fairy tale where Zane kissed her again, he remembered their life together, and happily ever after ensued?

As she was packing up, Zane stepped into her office. "You ready to go, Lupo?"

"What? Now?" She looked at him in shock.

"Yes now. Fargo was kind enough to put us both on leave starting tomorrow. I'll meet you at your place in an hour. No tech and no weapons." He smiled at her and walked away. Jo shook her head. Arrogant pain in the ass. She grabbed her bag and shut down her computer. She stepped out of her office and closed the door. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fargo walking towards her, see her, and then turn around and walk quickly in the other direction. He must be feeling guilty. I'll let him simmer until I come back. Maybe I can get a raise out of him. She smirked. Now I'm thinking like Zane.