Zane did his best to appear completely immersed in the coding he was supposed to be working on for Allison. He originally was absorbed in the job, trying his best to hurry up and finish the monotonous task so he could get back to more challenging projects in his lab. Until he heard Allison talking on her PDA to Sheriff Carter and mentioned it was about Jo. Suddenly his focus was off and all he could think about was her troubling expression when he had passed her earlier that day. He didn't think she had seen him, in fact, lately it didn't look like she ever saw him. She would float down the halls on almost autopilot. Their previous repartee a forgotten memory.

When Carter entered the infirmary, Zane noticed he immediately crossed over to Allison. Watching with peripheral vision to the side of the screen where they stood, he strained to hear as she pulled the sheriff aside to just where Zane could just make out the gist of their conversation.

"You said this had something to do with Jo?" The sheriff asked.

"Well, I'm not sure yet but I think it could." She sighed. "Apparently Jo was talking with one of my interns about her insomnia and heard about this study we were doing involving adjuvants and psychoactives." His eyebrows raised and he waited for a clearer explanation. "Adjuvants are a way to activate medications more quickly so that you can use smaller doses and psychoactives are used in this case to promote sleep." She paused and Carter nodded. "Anyway Jo signed up for the study and now I'm getting a lot of complaints of unexpected side-effects."

"What type of side effects?" His eyes narrowed as his hands raised to rest on his hips. "Is it serious?" He asked with what sounded like a protective tone.

"No, I mean I hope it's not. The group was split in half, people receiving the dose and others receiving a placebo version that uses a technique called potentization. I've had at least 35% of the group complain of depression and disturbing flashbacks recurring of memories. I've just noticed that Jo seems even more withdrawn recently. This is just so strange because neither treatment should be producing reactions like this." She trailed off as if in thought.

"Did Jo receive the same type of dose as the people complaining?" Carter pressed.

Allison sighed. "Well, that's just it, I don't know which group she belongs to. It's a blind study." She paused and Zane wondered if she might be overreacting but was worried because this was Eureka, and any kind of science there could be dangerous. "I just think we need to find out if she's having the same problems in case this gets any worse."

Carter looked uneasy, Zane noticed. "Okay, well we need to find Jo and get her down her and make sure she's not affected." He pulled his PDA from his pocket.

Allison placed her hand on Carter's arm and he paused. "Jack, I've already tried calling her. She told Fargo this morning she needed the rest of the day off for personal time. I haven't been able to reach her so she must be outside Eureka."

He sighed. "We need to figure out where she could be."

Zane's mind raced, trying to think of any places Jo liked to go. She was pretty secretive when she went out on her own but he remembered something from long ago...

Zane approached them."I think I might know where she is. I can go and find her."

"Great, eavesdropping. How would you know where she is?" Carter eyed him suspiciously. Zane smirked seeing the wheels turn in the wheels turn in the Sheriff's head and he was sure he was weighing any changes in their relationship.

Zane laughed. "Lets just say it pays to know where the enforcer likes to hangout."

Zane could see Carter was considering giving him a chance. He studied him silently and Zane knew his options were limited with Andy down from the previous recent disaster with some stolen chemicals that caused an explosion in Lab E.

He took a quite glance at Allison and she shrugged, as if stumped for another option.

Zane grew annoyed, "Look, I just overheard that Jo can be in danger. I saw her leave earlier today and she looked really upset. I've been worried about her all day and I want to help. I'm not up to anything, I swear. I just want to find her."

Carter answered with a single nod. "Fine, just do what you can to get her back to GD as quickly as possible. You might have to convince her, knowing Jo."

"I'll get her here, trust me." He said with confidence as he turned to leave the room with his signature gait and then stopped to add over his shoulder, "Even if it means I irritate her to the point of running away from me."

Carter shook his head in amusement and Allison rolled her eyes and Zane rushed away, hoping his suspicions were right and she was exactly where he thought she might be. And that Allison's fears were wrong and she was okay.

Jo had parked her car just outside of town and hiked to her usual favorite spot, a clearing in the deep Oregon forest. It was peaceful and misty. The perfect place to ponder one's loneliness and life's adversities. She certainly felt like life had graced her with plenty of those. She wondered how many mournful events one could suffer before they got to the point where they lost all hope. Before that idyllic life that most people dream about has vanished and despondency has filled it's place. That was the question she had been pondering since Founder's Day. For the second time in her life, she could feel a cold, hard wall threatening to take over her heart. In the previous timeline, the one-that-shall-not-be-named, had begun to break those barriers down, brick by brick until there was a nice little pathway where their love had almost completely proliferated and taken residence.

When she returned home this evening he wouldn't be there, couldn't be there without putting all there lives in danger. His memories were no longer hers and hers no longer his. He had made an effort to change that but she couldn't let him back in again. Too much had happened between them, negative in this timeline and positive in the previous one. It felt unbearable to overcome- letting hope get in the way of defending herself from the hurt.

Despite the introspective she was going through, she felt she was coping with the change much better. She no longer lingered in the halls outside whatever lab he was working in. She had been doing a great job at avoiding him during runs to Cafe Diem and the gym. Her thoughts were starting to be more manageable as she filled her schedule with work, target practice, working out and her favorite reality shows. Protective walls were being built back up again and eventually the gaping hole which had been inhabited by him, would be protected.

She had expected that with all the practice she had gained over the years, hardening her insides to seal out the hurt, would have been even easier this time. Though in some ways that held some truth, she didn't in any way anticipate what rebuilding all those defenses would bring with it. Memories. Old, painful memories that had been buried for many years. Of her mother and the details of her loss from the painful, sudden tragedy. She was drowning in them and how her entire existence- the woman she had become had forever shifted.

It had been shortly after Jo's 11th birthday, the spring of her fifth grade year. She had woke with confusion on a Monday morning with sunlight flooding the room, which immediately alerted her to the fact her alarm hadn't beeped on time. Glancing up, it was 7:45- 40 minutes after she knew she had set it for. Her mother must have shut it off, but why?

A clammering, most likely from her mother could be heard from the kitchen. She remained immobile, scared to leave the comfort of her bed, to face what she was sure was a crisis in order for her parents to let her stay home from school. Did Mom and Dad have a huge fight? Did something bad happen to Dad or another relative? As swirling negative scenarios filled her head her only younger sibling, Christopher, lay snoring in his bed on the other side of the room they were forced to share.

After what felt like an eternity of laying silently, dreading what terrible news was to come, her door slowly opened. To her surprise it was her father, not her mom. This threw her, her mom was always the one to help her get ready and her dad should have already arrived at the base near dawn. As soon as she witnessed his posture and face she knew something was seriously wrong. He made his way to her bed and slumped down beside her, never making eye contact. Jo started to wonder if she even wanted to hear what he had to say. Her mom should be the one to tell her bad news. If she was going to cry she didn't want him to be the one to see her broken.

He continued to look forward and said with more emotion than she'd ever heard Lt. Robert Lupo release, "Josefina, last night after you and your brothers were asleep, your mother left for the market."

Jo felt her insides tightening, like her body had already known where it was going.

"On the way back home.." he stopped, choking on what sounded uncharacteristically like a sob. He turned his head for the first time looking at her. "She was killed in a car accident Jo." His last words trailed as he broke into sobs, his face contorted in a terrifying anguish. He had leaned into her as she in turn buried her head in his chest. They had held each other, sobbing.

This can't be right, Jo reasoned. Mom had just been here, how could she be gone? Her dad had been the one with the dangerous military job, her mom was the one home, always there for her children whenever they needed her. She was always there to greet her dad and make his favorite dinner. Who was going to take care of them all?

Her two older brothers were in her room at that point and Christopher was awake and they joined her and their dad on her bed. They were all visibly upset, Christopher confused and Jo came to the realization at that moment that she needed to be the strong one. She swallowed back the large lump in her throat and explained to her younger sibling what was happened. With all the courage she could muster she told her dad that everything would be okay, that they'd find a way to get through it. As strong as she's sounded and made herself feel, tears continued to stream down her face and soak her nightgown. She forced a barrier up to block out the sorrow and to find a way to cope.

Her mother had always called her an old soul. She transcended in the emotional department like none of her peers had. It had meant her friendships were few but meaningful. Another by-product of that, much to both her parents chagrin was that it manifested itself in anger at times as well. Jo and her mother were terribly close, sometimes more like sisters since her mother was surrounded by three sons. She took Jo to dance, to shop and to visit friends. Mrs. Lorraine Lupo loved having a daughter but despite their great relationship they butted heads frequently. Jo would never forget that some of their last words shared had been an argument. Luckily, she still had the memory of her mother tucking her in the night before, smoothing her hair as she kissed her cheek. They exchanged I love yous as her mother turned out the light.

I think I have a pretty good idea where this is going. I'll admit the science side of things is where I struggle but I'm trying my best to have it make sense. This isn't beta'd but if anyone has any interest I would love to have one.

I borrowed a little bit of this from another fanfic I wrote around 5 or 6 years ago so if anyone recognizes part of it that's why. I changed it up quite a bit but it's similar so I wanted to point that out.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated. I don't own Eureka or any of the characters and this is all for my amusement and hopefully for the reader's as well.