Work Text:
Tell Me, Why.
by Lopaka Tanu
Walking through the inner door of the sheriff's office, Jo slowed down so she could look around. Longing made her chest tight. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The scent brought back a wash of familiar sensations that nearly choked her up. Jo frowned and shook it off. This was making her too depressed.
Clearing her throat, she adjusted the jacket of her suit. It was time to get down to business and the reason why she was here.
Back straight, chin high, she marched the rest of the way in to the office. She took a quick breath, then faced the lone cell.
The lone occupant was dozing against the wall. Curled on his side, his shirt had ridden up in the back out of his pants.
For a moment, she could only stare at the bared flesh. Her fingers itched to run across the expanse of skin. She had to take a shaky breath to keep from doing something stupid, like reaching out for him. This time, she cleared her throat loudly and with authority.
Zane's head popped up from the pillow. Turning over, he blinked several times as he stared at her. He frowned for a second, then sat up. "Why are you here?"
"I want my ring back." Plain and without emotion, Jo was proud at the way she presented her demand. Her shoulders were back, but her arms hung loose. She was ready to fight if need be. "You have it, I want it. Now fork it over before I come in there and get it."
"Your ring?" Zane stretched his arms above his head. It was an automatic action that ended with a yawn. "It's my grandmother's ring. I don't know how you got it, but it's staying with me."
Anger, quick like a flash, shot through her. Jo took a menacing step towards the bars. "You will give me back my ring." She reached up to grab one of the bars, her other hand hung where her weapon used to be. "It was given to me by someone very special. That person no longer exists and it is all I have to remember them by." Clenching her teeth, she took a quick breath through her nose. "Now, I am telling you one last time, give it back."
Dazed, Zane stared at her as if he had been hit with a bat. He took a second to swallow, then rubbed at his forehead. "Did something happen? To us, to me?"
Just like that, the anger slipped away, leaving only fear and sorrow behind. She quickly pushed both of them away with the ease of long practice. "No. You're still you, I'm still me." A little slipped through to give her voice a hoarse edge. Not that it mattered, she came here for a reason. "Give me back the ring. Please."
Maybe it was the last word, or maybe he figured something out, Jo wasn't sure. But when he put on a familiar smile, the world suddenly grew lighter. She felt the breath catch in her throat as he stood up. Hope flared in her chest with each step he took towards her. By the time he made it to the bars she was almost ready to believe in magic again.
Reaching for the bars, he held her gaze. The smile devolved into a smirk. "What have you done, Jojo?"
Her eyes widened a little, pain flaring in her chest. She almost tangibly felt the joy shatter. The weight of the world suddenly settled on her shoulders, making them slump. She would have had a more physical reaction, but by now, she was used to it.
Having had enough, she shot a fist through the bars to grab his shirt. She tugged him flat against them with a dead stare. As he braced himself against them, she rifled through his pockets. Jo started with the inner one of his jacket, then moved on to his outer ones. It wasn't in any of those three, so she bit the bullet and went for his jeans.
He caught her hand before she dug in the first front pocket. His fingers tightened almost painfully when she tried to pull it free. "Stop! Jo, stop!"
"No! I want that ring," she screamed in his face. "Give it back! It's mine, and I will rip you apart if I have to to get it back!" Jo didn't realize there were tears on her face until his thumb slid across her cheek. That was when she felt the warmth of his hand as he cupped her face.
Closing her eyes, she lowered her chin to her chest. The pain flared and she bit barely had the strength to bite back a sob. Why did this have to happen? What had she done so wrong that this was an appropriate punishment. She gasped at the touch of soft lips to her forehead.
"It's okay." His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke. Reaching through the bars, he pulled her close to him. He hugged her as close as they would let him.
Finding herself pressed against the bars, Jo realized she didn't mind. The strength of his arms against her back and the smell of him enveloped her. Jo decided, in that moment, this was all she needed. The town, her job, the whole world, none of it mattered so long as she could stay like this forever. If only she could make herself believe this was real.
Sniffing, she moved to rub at her eyes. She had to reach around his arm to get at them, but made it. Her next breath was more stable than the last and she let it go without hesitation. "No, it's not. Zane, it's not going to be okay. Things are...so screwed up."
He captured her hand in his own again. This time, there was something pressed in his palm.
Feeling the round shape of it, Jo stared at him with wide-eyed shock.
"Then we'll figure it out together." Half smirk in place, he wiggled his eyebrows.
"I honestly don't know whether to kiss you," she glanced to his grinning lips, "or kill you." Then looked back up to his eyes. "I don't really care which at this point."
"Then let me decide."
Jo decided, she could live with that.
THE END.................