Title: Potential

Category: Zane/Jo romance/angst

Spoilers/Season: Spoilers up to and including 4.09.

Rating: PG13

Content Warnings: Possible bad language.

Summary: After the revelations in 4.09, Zane and Jo have some things to talk about. The problem is, Zane wants to talk and Jo doesn't, but they both have an unrealised potential in this timeline.

Disclaimer: Eureka, A Town Called Eureka and all its characters are the property of The Sy-fy Channel and NBC Universal, and they do not belong to the author. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.

Comments: Further to the above disclaimer, the italicised quotes are taken from episodes which, obviously, should be attributed to the writers of said episodes. Some have been altered for the purpose of the story. This is my first Eureka fiction and, fingers crossed, I got Zane and Jo right! I guess this is also me jumping on the popular bandwagon of what people think happens after 4.09! I'm not sure how I want them to work things out in the show, just as long as they do so I've written this so that, hopefully, it fits with the plot so far and doesn't change too much!

Potential

The feeling filled her entire body, making her want to scream and quite possibly punch the next person she saw. It had not been a good few weeks for ex-Deputy Sheriff now head of GD security Jo Lupo and everything seemed to be getting worse. She was the head of GD security, what could possibly be wrong? As she stomped along the corridors of GD, Jo felt her aggression increasing with every step rather than decreasing with the force. She was desperately trying to channel her rage and frustration through her legs and feet into the reinforced floor beneath her, but it was not working. Jo was convinced that if she saw one more thing it would prove to be the proverbial straw which broke the camel's back and she would stomp right through the floor. Or ignore her job position and punch them clean out. Shaking her head, Jo realised that she had not even been this angry when everyone had suffered from incontrollable anger. How had she managed to contain it all then, but not be able to handle this? Because what Jo was currently feeling had been building for weeks and was destined to get worse, she feared it would get much worse. There was also a strong fear that things would never get better.

Jo's frustrations had been building and there seemed to be nothing she could do to alleviate them. Sometimes she wondered if it would be better working back at the Sheriff's department. That way she could hide away in the Sherriff's office most of the day and ignore all the happy, full of life inhabitants of Eureka. Except then she might feel down about her career, despite how she would be able to work closely with Carter again which was something that she missed. Although the rate at which GD scientists screwed up, Carter still spent a lot of time within GD working with her. And maybe working with him when she was still currently living with him would be a bad idea. Anyway, Jo realised as she turned a corner, Donovan was a regular guest in the jail and she could not cope with him as it was let alone locked up close by. She lowered her head to avoid people's eyes as an image of Zane popped into her mind. It was of the first time she had met him, when he had been locked in the jail and had ordered her piles of lingerie. She tried to think of the man she loved as Zane and the double of him in this timeline as Donovan. It had been difficult at first, but ever since he had kissed her in Carter's office she had been working extra hard at distinguishing between the two of them. This timeline's Zane was not the Zane she was in love with. She had to try and believe that.

Her continued stomping down the corridor was accompanied by the mantra in her head of 'He is not my Zane. They are nothing alike'. It was the only way of silencing the voices which told her they were the same person and that he would always be the love of her life. She could not bear thinking of loving him but being unable to tell him, unable to take comfort from him. She was a strong woman, and she always had been, but Zane - her Zane - had seen her vulnerabilities. So had Carter on occasion, but it was Zane who had seen through her tough exterior the most. The thought that the man she saw every day who looked and acted so much like the man to whom she finally gave her heart did not know her broke her heart. She refused to let it sadden her any longer, giving it all over to rage and anger. She paused at the top of the short staircase, paused before continuing into the rotunda. She was heading to Fargo's office, but standing in the centre of the rotunda speaking with a random scientist was the love and bane of her life. He had his back to her yet she could still tell that it was him. She blamed it on the many occasions when duty had forced her to leave him or return to him in the middle of the night. Whenever he was sleeping and she had to leave him or return without waking him she would watch him. He always slept on the right hand side of the bed, facing the right when she first got into or left the bed. Once she was comfortably back in their bed and ready to sleep, he would roll over and hold her, never once giving the impression that she had woken him. Jo Lupo was hardly a hopeless romantic but it did feel as if his body knew her. Not anymore.

There he stood in blue t-shirt and jeans and it made her speechless and unable to form a cohesive thought. The first day she had ever seen him Jo knew that he would be trouble and not just because of his criminal record. He was attractive and smart, a highly dangerous combination at the best of times let alone in a place like Eureka. He was a charmer, cocky, sarcastic and highly self-assured. On their first date, she had described as an anti-establishment anarchist. More than once Jo had questioned what he saw in her. In comparison she was nowhere near his level of intelligence. She was one of the boys, not a girl that bagged the amazingly handsome and clever guys. That was why she had paused at his proposal. The first thought that had flashed into her mind was that it was a joke, that there was an ulterior motive and that it could not be love. It had not taken Jo long to realise that the only answer was love, but it was too late and he had stormed off. That was the last time she had ever seen Zane, no matter how similar this timeline's Zane was to hers, he was not hers. She watched as he said goodbye to the scientist and started to turn toward her. Would he see her? Jo considered and then doubted it given the number of people traversing the rotunda. She allowed herself only a brief moment to look at the face which could belong to either Zane. Sometimes if there was enough distance between them or enough people around to keep him distracted, she would grant herself a few seconds to watch him. In those moments he could still be hers. Sometimes she even listened to his science speak, allowing herself to believe that it was her Zane. Eventually he would feel her eyes on him and she would look away. Maybe that was why he had become so suspicious of her since Founders' Day. Maybe she had given herself away and then he had, as a curious scientist, watched her in return. Maybe she had inadvertently dropped herself and the others into the trap in which they now sat.

After Donovan's accusations about Jo and the others, immediately prior to him kissing her, she had informed the others of his suspicions. So far, Donovan had not approached the others and Jo had avoided him long enough to avoid his questioning. She would continue avoiding him until he gave up because at the end of the day she was more stubborn than him. Her eyes traced over his face, knowing every contour on it. She could not cope with this for much longer. Abruptly she started to turn and collided with someone who had been about to walk past her. Larry ricocheted off of her and fell down the few steps, screaming in a Larry-like fashion. She stared in horror as he came to rest at a slightly odd angle and then moved her eyes upwards, meeting Donovan's. Vomit bubbled up within her and ignoring her duties, her responsibilities, Jo quickly dashed off in the direction she had come from soon blending into the crowd.

No longer having any idea where she was heading, Jo walked aimlessly and with much less anger in her steps until she began to notice everything that had made her angry to begin with. It was quite simple really, everyone here was happy. Jo Lupo would never normally begrudge people their happiness nor would she normally hate people for it and feel immensely jealous of them for having happy lives, but this world was as far removed from normal as it could be. Surrounding her even now within the confines of a work place there were happy couples strutting along the corridors and showing off. There were quite a few scientific teams where husband and wife worked together in complete joyous harmony. Jo was becoming a bitter old woman, but at least she was aware of it. Earlier that morning she had been called to an organic chemistry laboratory where the lead scientist, Professor Fox and his wife were arguing. Doctor Fox had threatened to throw their latest work over her husband and he had dared her to. That was when Jo had been called in. Ex Deputy Sherriff Lupo, now head of GD Security had been called in to resolve a marital spat. Not only was that far beneath her skill set but there was also the small fact of how degrading it made her feel and how upset it made her when, by the time she left them to resume their titrations, Professor and Doctor Fox were coyly smiling at each other over their burettes.

Happy people made Jo want to hurl, made her want to punch the next person she saw. A loud screaming noise came from a laboratory nearby and Jo paused, glancing around to get her bearings. Her aimless walking had brought her to the Advanced Genetics Laboratory, the source of the loud scream. Without jumping to conclusions, Jo stepped into the doorway and saw genetic supremo Doctor Beth Parker standing at a lab bench alone.

"Everything all right, doctor?" Jo carefully stepped into the room.

"Yes, oh, sorry Ms Lupo, yes everything's okay. I apologise for the screaming, but I just got amazingly good news." There was a huge smile across Beth's face, but Jo was still stinging from the title 'Ms'. Ms as in not young enough to be Miss and not good enough to be a Mrs.

"Oh," was Jo's reply.

"I have just successfully created life in my test subjects, who are all genetically male. I mean, they're only mice, but it is the first step. And," she turned and whispered conspiratorially to Jo, "I'm pregnant, too. I was planning on informing people tomorrow, but this news just makes it seem like a good omen..." The doctor continued speaking, but Jo had heard enough. She mumbled a congratulation, some excuse about needing to work and then almost stumbled away from the room. There seemed to be something in the water of Eureka at the moment with a higher than normal rate of human and animal pregnancies. Not only was Jo face with happy, loving, married couples everywhere, but also the growing of abdomens which would lead to many crying infants within a year.

Jo had never necessarily considered herself 'maternal', but she had also never considered that she would not have children, marriage or a family in general. She had spent a large proportion of her life believing that she was one of the boys, a curse set upon her by her father and brothers and a lacking mother. Zane, her Zane, had started making her see things differently. She was not just Lupo who watched DVDs with the boys. She was not just a Deputy Sheriff and ex member of the military. She was also human and a woman. Zane had helped her start to see things that way and now she had no idea what to believe. Jo was now on the wrong side of thirty and life was slipping away from her, the chance to become a family was fading fast. She had never had the 'normal' family and whilst she felt it had done her no harm, that she had received no female mother figure, Jo had started to have the desire to be within a 'normal' family. It was a combination of being with Zane and seeing the Carters all the time. Except for the small fact that she could no longer have any of those things, there was nothing intrinsically wrong or bad in wanting it.

Children, family, marriage, happiness were in another universe and there was no way that Jo could ever get back there. Instead Jo had to watch Donovan cavort in front of her eyes and be on the side-lines of her friends and their happiness. When they had first arrived, Carter had the trouble of still dating Tess in this timeline, but it did not take him long to sort that out and then finally get together with Allison, much to everyone's pleasure. Jo could not deny that she was happy for them, but she was also incredibly jealous. They had each other and jobs they loved. Carter had never been happier than since his arrival in Eureka, no matter how much he complained about the disasters a town of geniuses could create. The original timeline's Zoe had often told Jo about the changes the small town had made to her father and they were clear for Jo to see. Allison meanwhile had two children that she adored, including a son with whom she could finally communicate, a partner that she was destined to be with in Carter and a new job with a lot less pressure than previously. They were both blooming in this timeline and Jo was equally happy and jealous of them. Fargo had maybe had the most difficulties with regards to his new job role, but then from what others said he, along with Jo, were the most different between the timelines. Nobody had noticed differences in Carter or Allison, or in Henry other than from Grace's point of view. Did that mean that the Jo and Fargo here were significantly different and if so what had made them that way? Had the Jo here, without her Zane, got fed up with never being the Sherriff? Had she become harder without Zane? Was that why Zane here was still so anti-rules and bordering on the criminal? Together had they evolved and in this timeline, apart, had they diverged from each other?

Without conscious thought, Jo used her access code to enter the lab in front of her. Her wanderings and mental ramblings had brought her here. She needed to know what made the Jo she had replaced harder, made her scarier and the 'Enforcer'. Maybe finding out what had caused Donovan to remain on the criminal edge rather than become the Zane she had grown to love would help her get over him. She needed to do something to come to terms with recent events and this was the only viable way she could see that happening. Picking up the headband from its storage box, Jo placed it over her head and adjusted it on her temples.

With a nervous quiver in her voice, Jo commanded: "Jo Lupo and Zane Donovan." Then she let Tess Fontana's time capsule device do the rest.

E E E E

… Zane: Obsession with firearms can be a sign of unfulfilled sexual appetite. I'm not saying that's you, but if it is, I'm at your service. [Jo points a large gun at Zane] Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Jack: Jo, Jo, Jo! Don't shoot the prisoner. Don't.

Jo: How about I just wing him? He doesn't need two hands.

Zane: I had to guess the size. You should really try everything on. I'll make popcorn.

Jo: One more comment and the only food you'll be able to eat will have to be drunk through a straw.

Zane: Wow. If all church girls look like you, I might consider converting.

Jo: I don't think Eureka's church needs someone like you.

Zane: So, Jo, do you still have all that lingerie I bought you?

Jo: Has anyone ever told you how creepy that sounds?

Jo: Where were you when the incident happened?

Zane: In Carter's cell. You know that already.

Jo: Of course. (She smiles) I locked it that time, right?

Jo: Um, did you need something?

Zane: Yeah. I just wanted you to know about you kissing Carter...?

Jo: (Glaring at him) What?

Zane: (Shuffles on his feet) Just that…

Jo: Stop playing games, Donovan, I have lots of paperwork to catch up on. (Closes the filing drawer.)

Zane: Yeah, 'cos you spent the day trying to make out with your boss. How's that for career progression?

Jo: (turns and faces him) Get out!

Zane: (shaking his head) No problem.

Zane: I still can't believe you threatened me into helping with this mess.

Jo: Hey, I can still snap your fingers off.

Zane: The ease with which you say that is almost as disturbing as it is hot.

Jo: (Glares) Shut it or I'll take you back to your cell earlier than promised.

Zane: Why are you such a bitch?

Jo: Why are you such an untrustworthy, sexist jerk?

Jo: What can I do to help?

Zane: I don't know, do you have some particle physics experience I didn't know about? Or how about a degree in, well in anything?

Jo: I, just, well…

Zane: Move out my way. (He pushes her slightly and studies the console) Some of us are better at slightly more than practical applications…

E E E E

Carefully, Jo removed the headband and placed it back in its case. She thought she now had some idea as to how the Zane and Jo in this timeline had never started dating from what she could tell. From there it was a slippery slope into antagonistic enemies. Some of the memories, Jo could vaguely recognise them and knew how they had been different in her own time. Jo had never called Zane an untrustworthy, sexist jerk, but then he had never called her a bitch. She remembered when she and her Zane had been locked together at their feet when he had been having commitment issues. She remembered the arguments they had during their entrapment and how she had been so glad to be free of him. It had almost been the end of them, but he had persevered. He was always the one to persevere with her despite their joint stubbornness. Seeing how this timeline's Zane and Jo had first interacted together made Jo question yet again if it had been their lack of a relationship which helped her obtain the position of head of GD security and kept Zane on the fringe of the criminal world.

Jo could not get any further answers from this room; she turned to leave the room and paused when she saw him standing in the doorway. His arms were crossed against his chest and he was watching her intently. Her heart skipped a beat and she was concerned that her cheeks were starting to flush.

"See anything good?"

For days he had been trying to speak to her, trying to get her alone inside of GD, or in Café Diem, or out on the street about town. Josefina Lupo was definitely trying to avoid him and her special ops training made it incredibly easy for her. Ever since she had flung his Grandmother's engagement ring at him, Zane's mind had been full of questions. How did she have his family heirloom? Why had she been acting so differently since Founders' Day to the point of giving him the option to leave town, escaping prison or remaining and helping everyone? From that moment in the Sherriff's office on Founders' Day when she had said something about his proposal and that she accepted, he had known there was something up and as the weeks had passed, Zane had come to realise that it was not just her. Fargo was acting incredibly odd, which Zane would have found the oddest change except for the change in Jo. When he had first come to Eureka, there had been a clear attraction and he had attempted to get on her good side. It had gone horrendously wrong either because she had absolutely no interest or because he tried the wrong tact. He saw electrically charged moments between them, sometimes even physical sparks, but apparently she had never. From that point onwards they acted their roles – he was the criminal who only helped out when it piqued his scientific curiosity or he was threatened strongly enough and she was the law enforcer who busted his balls at every given opportunity. He had given her plenty of opportunities over the years.

It was his scientific curiosity which was piqued now. There was no way on the planet that she could have obtained his Grandmother's ring and the five inhabitants of Eureka had been acting with increasing levels of oddness. They were secretive as if always plotting; Zane did not like it one bit. There was something off about the new Doctor Grant, too. Zane could be highly suspicious of newcomers and at first he had put his dislike of Doctor Grant down to jealousy. Grant had been accepted by the other five instantly, something which had never happened to Zane at any point in his life. At first Zane had not believed Grace to be in on whatever the other five were up to, but she seemed to now be their partner in crime. All Zane's brain kept thinking during his night alone in the jail cell with his Grandmother's ring was, scientifically, how did she have his ring? What had she meant by 'I'm over us'? She had given the strong impression that at some point in time they had had a relationship. Zane had no idea how that was possible. His brain had come up with multiple theories and he needed to know which it was. Had they found a way to connect to alternate realities? Had they managed time travel? Had an experiment within GD gone awry, altering Jo's memories and making her and the others secretive and paranoid? Was it possible that the entire group had fallen foul of an injury or a virus?

Zane needed to know, which was why he had followed Jo through GD after seeing her across the rotunda. She had managed to evade him again, but Zane had not given up, soon finding her in Tess' old laboratory with the time capsule device on her head. He patiently waited for her to remove it and for her to turn around. She saw him and he visibly saw the shock and fear on her face. What had happened to cause her strong reaction to him? It could not simply be because he kissed her, because there had been moments of this reaction ever since Founders' Day. He kept trying to ignore the fact that he had kissed her, but in truth it was probably all that he could think about. The night in the jail cell had been filled with scientific questions, but after the kiss there were new questions based on emotion. Now he not only needed to know which of his theories was correct, he also needed to know what she felt for him, not just why.

He crossed his arms against his chest. "See anything good?"

"Just… checking… something. What are you doing here?" She recovered quickly from her inability to compose a sentence.

"Looking for you."

"Why?"

"Honestly," he requested nicely, "how did you manage to get this ring? And I've been checking into Grant ever since you asked me to do that hacking. What's going on?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm a scientist and I keep thinking about the possibilities. Let me tell you something, Jo, if you guys managed time travel or some way to travel between realities, then, I gotta know."

She nodded with satisfaction and walked towards him to leave the room. She should have known that the kiss was just part of his scientific mind and an experiment.

He watched her walk towards to him, a disappointed look on her face, and then she tried to move past him. Zane shifted his position slightly and grabbed hold of her elbow. "And I've never had a kiss like that before."

"Not even with Zoe?" It hurt every time that she thought of the two of them. She was in a timeline which was not her own and she had lost her boyfriend and best friend, unable to turn to either of them. Thankfully she did still have Carter, but it was difficult with his daughter dating Zane. Jo was not sure what she would have done the past few weeks without Carter and the others, but especially Carter.

"It's just a crush." Zane had no real idea why he had ever pursued Zoe, or allowed her pursuit of him. He was a bit of a ladies' man and Zoe had finally come of age, plus there was nothing else stopping him from having some fun with her. There had never been the potential for a future between them, simply the next girl for him to date. She was an adult, fair game and there was the element that it would annoy the hell out of both Carter and Jo. Even with his changing attitude towards Jo and her odd attitude towards him, that had not stopped Zane paying attention to Zoe. The kiss in the Sherriff's department had changed all of that.

"Does she know that?"

"She's already moved on. So, come on, spill, Lupo." He smiled at her, relaxing his grip on her arm.

"To satisfy your scientific curiosity? My life is not your science experiment. My feelings are not for you to gauge some amazing discovery. Let me go." There was no way that she was going to risk herself and the others simply because he wanted to know how.

He did not pause as she struggled against his grip, knowing that she if she truly wanted to escape, she would. He pulled her closer and kissed her. His own heart sped up as she relaxed into him slightly and he could feel her own increased heart rate. Releasing his hand on her elbow, he moved it to the small of her back and pulled her closer. His left hand moved up and gently stroked her cheek. The kiss was surpassing the last one he could remember.

As his hand moved and gently touched her cheek, Jo crashed back to reality. She snapped away from him slightly violently and stood a pace away glaring at him. Jo could not believe that she had fallen for it again. She had allowed him to use her weakness. "What the hell, Zane?" she yelled. "You so desperate for my secrets now you're gonna try and charm it out of me. I've got news for you – it won't work."

"See, that's what I mean." A grin spread across his face and the fury hers mirrored back meant it had hit a nerve.

"What?" Her voice was lower, but her teeth clenched to try and restrain herself.

"You call me 'Zane'. A few months ago, you always called me 'Donovan'. Ever since Founders' Day when you mentioned some odd engagement. Then, after weeks of calling me 'Zane', trying to appeal to my better nature and generally keeping me out of trouble, oh," he added, "and making me give a damn, you throw my Grandmother's engagement ring at me."

"In all fairness, I thought you were a hallucination."

"What, like a daydream? Naughty." She glared at him. "Sorry. Off topic. What happened Founders' Day? Did you hit your head so hard that you believe those naughty fantasies? Did I forget all my memories of the past few years? Did I slip into some other universe? Or did you?" The look on her face told Zane that he was getting warmer. She quickly looked away from him. "That is it, isn't it? Somehow one of us is from a different reality and I'd venture that it's the famous five and mysterious Grant. Come on, Jo-jo."

"Don't!" she hissed. "Don't call me that. Don't interrogate me as if I'm data to analyse or to prove a hypothesis." Nobody had objected to Henry revealing the group's secret to Grace, except maybe Fargo slightly, because it had become necessary and they all trusted Grace to keep their secret. With Beverly Barlowe running around with financial backing and knowing their secret, they could not risk anyone else finding out for their own benefit.

"I wish you'd listen to me – it was that until I kissed you and now I need to know what the Zane you know is like."

"Why? Have a theory on how the two of you differ? What moment in time did it?" She was still angry and wary. She was also pretty convinced that she knew what had caused the differences.

"No," he argued. "Because if he got past your crazy, hard as balls attitude to the point he proposed, maybe I can change. You trusted me to return and help because you know me and ever since that, I've been changing. I need to know why you're so different and why you're making me change." There was softness in his voice as he spoke the truth to her without playing any kind of trick. Zane noticed that something changed on her face and in her eyes, revealing a vulnerability he was not sure he had ever seen before.

Deep down she knew this Zane. Deep down Jo knew that this Zane was not all that different from hers. She had trusted him to help them when she had given him the option to run away. She had known that he would not run away, that Zane in any universe would help clear his own name. He was telling her the truth and he did not necessarily care how it had happened, which was just as well because it was not as if she could explain it to him in enough detail. "Because I love you," she admitted, forcing her eyes to stay locked with his. She saw confusion flitter through his blue eyes and she stumbled in what she was trying to tell him. His left hand, which had been the one to stroke her cheek, gently touched hers. "Or a version of you. Or both of you. I don't know anymore."

"Show me then." He moved past her, smelling the fresh clean scent that was Jo Lupo and reached for the headband which she had used moments ago. Fingering it gingerly with both hands, Zane turned back to face Jo who had not moved from her proximity to the door, but she had turned around. He knew that she now had an escape route, but he also knew that she would not use it. He held out the headband to her and she hesitated in reaching her hand out.

Instinctively, Jo knew what he was asking of her. Doubts ran through her and, shaking her head to dismiss them, Jo took the headband from his hands; their fingertips brushed and she thought electricity sparked. Carefully, Jo put the headband on and kept her eyes locked with Zane's. "Zane and myself."

E E E E

…Zane: Obsession with firearms can be a sign of unfulfilled sexual appetite. I'm not saying that's you, but if it is, I'm at your service. [Jo points a large gun at Zane] Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Jack: Jo, Jo, Jo! Don't shoot the prisoner. Don't.

Jo: How about I just wing him?

Carter: How you feeling? You feel dumb?

Jo: No. You?

Zane: How could you tell? (Carter and Jo both nonchalantly zap him) OW! Gah!

Zane: You're wearing one of my presents, aren't you? Come on, you can tell me.

Zane: There's only one thing I want from you, Jojo. A sandwich.

Zane: Wow. If all church girls look like you, I might consider converting.

Jo: Well, you should join me sometime and find out.

Zane: Oh, I would, but I'm allergic, I'd have to get a new inhaler, it'd be this whole thing.

Jo: Some of us like practical application.

Zane: Oh, yeah, but no, let's be honest that particle accelerator only gets built after someone comes up with the idea. Right?

Zane: Either tell me why you're pissed at me, or I'll hold my breath until you do.

Jo: What are you, three?

Zane: Hey, I black out, it's on you. (Zane starts holding his breath)

Jo: Um, did you need something?

Zane: Yeah. I just wanted you to know, I didn't like that. Seeing you kiss Carter. I...didn't like it at all.

Jo: No?

Zane: I think I've been pretty clear about that. The question is, what would you like?

Jo: To stop playing games.

Zane: Meaning what?

Jo: (turns and faces him) This. (kisses him)

Zane: That, I liked.

(The closet door opens)

Carter: (shocked) What are you...You're supposed to be watching...

Zane: Well, I was watching her and she was watching me, so... (they both exit the closet, Jo looking awkward and Zane looking fairly proud of himself)

Zane: I still can't believe you talked me into chaperoning.

Jo: Hey, nobody snapped your fingers off.

Zane: The ease with which you say that is almost as disturbing as it is hot.

Jo: I know.

Zane: Jo! I need a gun. A big, powerful gun.

Jo: I've been waiting for someone to say that to me my whole life.

Zane: Having fun yet?

Carter: Oh, yeah. 'Cause driving headlong into a fiery death is everyone's idea of a good time.

Jo: (coming in) Sometimes I think it's his. Carter, could we have a minute?

Carter: Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. (leaves)

Zane: Jo, you're supposed to be miles away at an evac camp by now. (Jo kisses him) Wow. I should risk my life more often.

Jo: I prefer you didn't.

Zane: C'mon, Josefina, don't go all serious on me now.

Jo: Too late. (she hugs him)

Zane: I thought maybe we could, you know, have a bite?

Jo: A bite? What, we wouldn't want to have you commit to a whole meal.

Zane: This passive aggressive thing is really annoying.

Jo: Do you wanna try just aggressive?

Zane: Ah, no, not really.

Zane: (to Jo) Don't you look at me in that tone of voice.

Jo: (answering Zane' s phone) Dr. Bonehead's lab.

Jack: (on phone) Let me guess, you two are still stuck together.

Jo: Just until I can reach my gun.

Jo: Another five minutes and I would have chewed off my own leg!

Zane: Your mouth is probably big enough.

Jo: Hey, um, after that call, do you um, maybe wanna go for a, a break-up dinner?

Zane: No. (long pause) How about a make-up dinner instead? (they kiss)

Jo: Guess it's not so bad being stuck together.

Jo (in Julia's body): Zane! Thank god you're here.

Zane: Julia, right? Allison told me what you did to Jo.

Jo: No. She's Julia Golden. And I'm Jo.

Zane: Ah, psych ward. I'm Henry.

Jo: I can prove it. Ask me something personal that only Jo could know.

Zane: (slightly uncomfortable) Ah, pet peeves.

Jo: Small guns, big egos...and overly-critical boyfriends.

Zane: Um, boxers or briefs?

Jo: Me or you?

Zane: Funny. Me.

Jo: Boxers. Except on laundry day, which...by my count, would be tomorrow.

Zane: (still unconvinced) First date?

Jo: Sunday brunch at Cafe Diem. (Zane moves closer) I was nervous. You brought a rose, I wore a sundress. You said something smart that made me feel dumb...But you made up for it on our second date. (Zane moves as if to leave, then types a code into the door and enters the cell)

Zane: So...Does that mean I sounded dumb, or I made you feel smart?

Jo: A little bit of both.

Zane: And how'd the date end?

Jo: Let me give you a reminder. (kisses him)

Zane: That's my Josefina.

Jo: (hits him) Now get me out of here before I taser you for kissing another woman.

Zane: Yep, definitely Jo.

Jo: Hey.

Zane: You had me worried there.

Jo: How do I look?

Zane: Perfect.

Jo: (about her new car) Totally high-performance, but completely under my control.

Carter: Kinda like Zane.

Zane: Morning, Jo.

Jo: Zane, what are you doing in my cell?

Zane: Reminding you of how we first met.

Jo: Hmm

Zane: I, uh, I got ya something. (Passes her a Liza's Lingerie box)

Jo: Did ya now? And I suppose you'd like me to try this on for you? (Turns and opens the box.)

Zane: Something like that. (He kneels and she opens the ring-box.)

Jo: Zane…

Zane: You've already made an honest man out of me, so let's make it official. (Pause) Marry me, Jo-jo?"

Jo: Zane, I… I don't know what to say.

Zane: How about yes? (He leaves angrily, despite her trying to stop him).

E E E E

With slow methodical movements, Zane removed the headband and placed back in its case. The room was silent and every movement he made with the case echoed around the tiny room. He had no idea what to say to her. Most of the memories had something familiar about them, but they were different. Zane had never had a relationship like the one he had just seen before. The woman standing a few feet away from him had a faith in him that he had never fully had in himself. He had seen it in her memories, the faith and the love that she had for him. The complete understanding of how hurt and upset she had been since Founders' Day realised itself within him and despite their lack of a relationship, he wanted to turn around and hold her. Knowing that he could not do that, Zane very slowly turned around and looked at her. There was still a small question at the back of his mind of how she had come to be here and what the science behind it was, however, he no longer cared about the answer. Whether it was time travel or shifting into alternate realities, it did not matter. All that mattered was there was a Zane out there who had become a respectable member of society and had got to the point in his life where he had become an honest man, had wanted to settle down and marry Jo Lupo.

It was the very same Jo Lupo who was standing near the door and looking much smaller than she actually was. It was a combination of his initial attraction to her, his recent changing due to her faith in him and the knowledge that they could, and had, love each other that made Zane still want to walk over and hold her, to comfort her and tell her that everything would work itself out. Things really were not that simple. She coughed to clear her throat.

"So…?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "You and I."

"Me and you," she replied before another long pause fell over them. It was Jo that broke it again. "You can't tell anyone. I mean, I know I haven't told you how this all happened, but you can't tell anyone."

"I won't," he promised without hesitation. He did not need to be told of the ramifications. Whether it was time travel or alternate reality shifting, the consequences from the D.O.D were harsh and strict. "Who else knows?"

"The five of us. Doctor Grant. Deputy Andy found out and Henry told Grace. Apparently it was difficult to live the lie of being married." She took a deep breath. "Similar to how it's been hard trying to hate you."

"I am the same person." She looked at him questioningly. "At the core, your Zane and I are the same person."

"But you don't have the past two years of a relationship in your memory."

"I kinda do, now."

She smiled sadly at him. "What happens now?"

He had no idea if she meant concerning them or her secret. "I'll keep your secret. I'll help you guys with any hacking you need or… anything, you know to cover things up or protect you all. I want to be the Zane that you knew." And he meant what he said to her one-hundred per-cent. What he saw of the other Zane being a member of the community, a friend to others who did not need to be coerced into helping rescue people or to save GD was truly what Zane wanted. He had always been scared of trying it, of being rejected as a result and it had always been easier for him to skirt around the outside and create the fewest ties and bonds that he needed. Even in Eureka after two years, he could up and leave with a moments' notice, if it were not for the continuous excitement a town full of geniuses created. He wanted something more than that and having seen it possible through Jo's memories, Zane was now willing to risk it. "As for us," he started and their eyes met across the tiny distance. "Would you, Josefina Lupo, like to go for dinner in Café Diem tonight?"

There was neither a pause nor a hesitation in Jo's reply. They both knew that it would neither be easy nor was there an un-eventful path ahead of them, but that they were both stubborn enough to make everything be work out. Jo still needed to remind herself that this was a different Zane and that there was a possibility of falling in love with him, but that she did not need to forget about her Zane or mourn for what she had lost. Zane, meanwhile, needed to ignore any crushing pressure to become her Zane and simply evolve with her just as her Zane had done two years ago. They just needed to take the first step.

"Yes."

The End

Author's note 2: The vision I had with the second set of memories was to be like a clip show of their relationship, I hope it made all you Zane/Jo lovers all fuzzy and warm inside. The quotes from the second set are either my own dictation or from wiki quotes, whereas in the first set of memories, the alterations are all mine!