I had the last chapter of this written first. But I couldn't get the beginning right. I knew what I wanted for the ending, I had it all laid out but for some reason or other, the beginning had me stumped...

Today, I got a burst of inspiration so here's my story. You will see hints of previous episodes/scenes/dialogues.

As encouraged by Sydnew, I'm just letting it go. No over-thinking, over-analyzing, over-rationalizing...just writing.

As ever, I do not own Eureka, or any of its characters - but I will always be a fan.

all is well in eureka

After months of screening and tests, the final line-up for the Titan mission was to be announced in a few days.

Zane was very confident he'd be on that list. His felon status was really the only thing that stood in the way. And once Jo had seen to it that he should be considered on his merits, and not his demerits, he knew he was a shoo-in for the Astraeus team.

The magnitude of the pardon was not lost on Zane. He will be forever indebted to Jo for that. Not only did that allow him to join this history-in-the-making undertaking, Jo gave him his life back.

Which made him think that, even if she won't admit it, she really does care. For him. Heck, maybe even more than cares.

She was just so damn passive-aggressive, it drove him crazy.

Why else would she go home with Zane for a "private party" after Henry and Grace's wedding? It turned out to be one of the most passionate, most intimate, most intense night of his life, only to wake up and find her gone the next morning?

After that, when he implied he wasn't leaving Eureka since Senator Wen had agreed to fast track his screening so he could "officially" catch up with the other candidates, he sensed (hoped for) her relief. But she still kept him at arms length. Or so she claimed.

And yet it was Jo who was waiting for him after his abducted-by-commandos L2 exam, armed with coffee in one hand and a change of clothes in the other. She was supportive as ever, even if they both knew he would ace the exam. Regardless, she of course demanded he do the happy dance in his PJs as well. He grinned at the memory of that "private-performance-for-an-audience-of-one"

And they have recently fallen into the habit of having dinner together at Café Diem. Some nights they were joined by either Carter and Allison, or Henry and Grace or Fargo and Holly. But on the nights that it would be just the two of them, Vincent would always give them the corner table at the back, saying it was "the most private and romantic table in the Café". It seemed even Vince was trying to be "helpful" in getting him and Jo together.

Although other than Vince, he wasn't sure if other people hadn't noticed anything different about him and Jo. They've never been affectionate in public. Not yet anyways. No holding hands, not even a peck on the cheek. But in private, Jo totally turns on the charm. Once she surprised him in his lab, knowing he was all alone working late. She crept up behind him, put her hands over his eyes, pulled back his head and gave him one of the sweetest, softest kisses he's ever enjoyed. He had pulled her hands away from his eyes and smiled "Now that I like" to which she replied in her adorable dead-pan humor "Ooops, I thought you were someone else".

Jo was most definitely passive-aggressive and driving him absolutely crazy. And he was totally enjoying every single minute of it.

He fished out his phone from his pocket. Maybe he can convince Jo to have an early celebration on the pending announcement. He thought of taking her to his cabin later. Maybe he can get her to stay, not just for the night but for the weekend… He found himself warming up to that thought

Hers was the only number, other than his mom's, that was on speed dial. "Hey Jo! …"