A/N: I ought to be writing SARAH Knows Best, I know. But babycakes10121 sent me a prompt (um, thanks? I think?) and apparently I can't let go of it. I am not sure how far I'll go with this but the basic premise is, what would have happened if Zane had gone back in time instead of Jo? As always, not my characters, not my world, and many thanks to the creators of Eureka for such a wonderful place to play. And many thanks to babycakes for the idea. It caught me and wouldn't let go!

A Bridge to Nowhere

Was it shock? Maybe. But Zane's face felt numb as he stormed out of the sheriff's office. He'd thought about it for weeks. He'd called his mom and gotten her to send his grandma's ring. He'd tried to pick the right place, the right time. He'd gotten down on his knees, for God's sake.

And never once had it occurred to him that Jo might say no.

It didn't make sense.

She loved him, he knew she did. They'd been through so much together already. Getting married – come on, it was a no-brainer. They were a couple. They belonged together. So what the hell was her problem?

All right, maybe it was a little out of the blue. Maybe he should have led around to it a little bit. He'd wanted to surprise her, but maybe – too much of a surprise?

Halfway to GD, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. Okay, he was mad, but not so mad he wanted to break up with her. He could wait until she was ready, even if he did think she was being totally stupid. He dialed, held the phone up to his ear, then…whirr, jolt, stumble. What the hell?

He barely had a chance to take a breath before he was being shoved into a jail cell.

Okay, this was crazy. Crazy!

"That the best you got? I was just getting warmed up!" he shouted after the guard who'd locked the cell door.

What the hell was going on?

"Zane? Is that you?"

"Fargo? Is that you?"

"Oh my God, I thought I was going to die alone!"

Zane recoiled in horror at the sight of his fellow GD employee. "Why the hell are you naked?"

Fargo sheepishly positioned his hands over his crotch as he said, "Funny story. I was changing my costume when the phone rang and then I was standing, naked, in the road, surrounded by soldiers. Completely traumatizing, if you care."

"Ah, yeah, not so much."

"So what's your story?"

"I was trying to reach Jo. What's happened to us?"

"Based on the photos from Founder's Day, I'm pretty sure we're in 1947. I have no idea how to get back." Fargo sank back onto the cell bench.

"Or what happened? Time travel is impossible. The laws of physics – this is just crazy. Something crazy must have happened. Some kind of electromagnetic pulse? But there must have been a tremendous amount of negative energy to transfer matter on a closed time-like curve."

"Solar flares, you think?" Fargo was still huddling on the bench, but the scientific puzzle had him charged with energy.

The two of them debated the physics until a knock on the door stilled their words. Was the guard coming back? The door opened and it was the guard, but accompanying him was Alison in a nurse's uniform.

"I'll need to check them for injuries," Alison said. "Take a break if you like."

"If you're sure you'll be okay." The guard seemed skeptical but Alison smiled warmly at him.

"I won't open the cell door."

"All right, I'll have a smoke. Thanks." The guard glared at Zane and Fargo. "Behave," he grunted as he opened the door and exited.

The moment he'd left, the two men rushed to the barred door.

"Alison, what's happening?" Zane asked urgently.

"You guys okay?" Alison asked. "I brought you some clothes."

"Thank God," they said in unison, as Fargo reached through the bars and eagerly accepted the clothes Alison was carrying.

"Henry and Carter are here, too, but we've got to get you guys out of here. Here's some magnesium powder: it should burn hot enough to melt the lock. I'll distract the MP for as long as I can." With that, Alison passed over the powder and rushed away.

Fargo and Zane packed the lock and then lit it, but the explosion was lukewarm. They exchanged glances.

"We need to pour water on it," said Zane.

"Easier said than done." Fargo looked sulky.

"Only one option." Zane felt pretty damn sulky himself. This was not going to be fun.

"Fine, you do it," said Fargo.

"Why me?"

"Why not? I've already had a really bad day. I got stuck here naked."

"Well, you've already been embarrassed then, so you should do it."

"Not a chance. You do it."

The back and forth went on for a couple minutes until finally Fargo said, "Fine. Rock, paper, scissors?"

Zane grunted agreement. "Best two out of three?"

A minute later, Zane grinned as Fargo scowled. "Turn your back. I can't do this in front of you." The yelping in pain was annoying: Zane was sure he'd have been a little more stoic, but he felt a grudging respect for Fargo's endurance when the lock finally opened.

Bolting out of the jail cell, they scurried through the base until they met up with Henry and Carter. A few minutes later, they were helping Henry with the phones while Carter and Grant searched for Alison.

And then – they waited. Would it work? Would the phones send them back to their own time? Zane couldn't stop himself from thinking about Jo: that last minute between them couldn't be the last minute for ever. He couldn't not have a chance to apologize, not have a chance to tell her that he loved her no matter what and that he could wait until she was ready. He had to be able to tell her that he loved her at least once more.

He didn't believe in God, but he was praying as the time ticked down. And then….whirr, jolt, and he was back in the jail cell.

"Yes." The scream was exultant relief. He was home.

"What's your problem, Donovan?" The voice was borderline hostile, but mostly disinterested.

"Jo?" Zane asked.

"Excuse me?" From outside the cell, Jo looked at him, her lip curled with scorn. "That's Ms. Lupo. We don't need to get familiar. It'd make the me throwing you in jail part of our routine a little creepy."

Zane tugged at the door. It was locked. He hadn't been locked in this jail cell since the day he'd arrived in Eureka.

"Wow. Ah….deja vu," he said carefully.

"Yeah, right." She laughed. "You spend half your life in that cell, Donovan. That's not exactly a weird déjà vu."

Oh, hell. He was home. But it wasn't home anymore.