Chapter Text
After a rather productive day of work and a satisfyingly completed investigation, Henry and Jo had left the building together and were walking side by side in the early December cold. That evening, there was a different vibe between the two working partners.
- Where's the bike? – Jo asked
- Abe started to insist that I take a cab home, he hates that I'm late for dinner, he threatens to microwave it.
Jo softly laughed, thinking such a young man couldn't be so classical.
- You want me to give you a lift?
She didn't know why she was asking. Words escaped before she could stop them. It seemed like tonight she wanted to spend more time with him.
He offered a charming smile and politely replied
- No, I'm okay, thank you.
They walked past a corner of the street, and Jo stared at him with a cute smile on her face. That night, there was something curiously different between them. They were walking close together, their shoulders brushing against each other as if they were... flirting. The idea of slipping her hand in his did not bother her and it made her feel weird. She picked herself up and said
- You know Henry I thought I was a tough nut to crack and I mean this with true affection but you are one perplexing man.
Henry was watching the cab lanes and quickly turned around upon hearing Jo's words.
- How so?
- You're intensely private, borderline, medical savant and you dress pretty well for a city worker.
Henry slowly turned around and locked eyes with her, taking a step toward her, and Jo felt her heart quicken.
- I suppose, It's time that I come clean.
Jo's face suddenly became serious while all she did was tease Henry in the first place. For several seconds Henry didn't say a word, just staring at Jo with the serious face he always had when he was working on dead bodies. And with a perfectly imitated American accent, he said
- I'm really Hank Morgan from Ohio.
Jo burst into laughter
- No, no! Your brand of eccentricity would take years to perfect.
Henry called up a passing cab and kept on teasing Jo
- How about centuries?
The cab stopped next to them. Jo took a look at it and stared back at Henry with shining eyes.
- Someday you'll let me in when you're ready.
Henry stared at her, a small smile floating at the corner of his lips. She was challenging him and he loved it. His own heart lurched in his chest as something was growing between them. Jo gave him her best smile and without taking her eyes off him, she said
- Good night, Henry!
Henry opened the door of the cab and didn't take his eyes off her.
- Good night, Detective!
Henry climbed into the car
- Lower East Side, Suffolk and Stanton.
Henry paid no attention to the driver as he gave his address, and was more interested in checking out on Jo walk away through the window, unable to look away from her.
But the voice that spoke to him freaked him out.
- Hello Henry!
Henry couldn't see the driver's face, but he knew he wouldn't get away from this.
- Buckle up, Henry. I wouldn't want you to get hurt.
In the following minutes, Henry anticipated Adam's reaction. As Adam said the latest words, Henry went into some kind of survival reflex and before Adam could even lock him in the car, Henry yanked the door open and fell back quite heavily onto the ground as Adam began to press on the gas.
The sound he made as he fell to the ground alerted Jo, who was close to disappearing behind a corner to get back to her car.
- Henry!
She quickly turned around and ran to help him up.
- Henry, are you okay? What's going on?
The cab was still there, a few feet away. Jo looked at it but saw that Henry seemed to be in shock. She put a hand on his face.
- Henry! What happened?
The immortal finally came to his senses and realized that the cab was still there and that Jo was in front of him.
- Jo! You have to go. Don't stay here.
Jo frowned
- What the hell are you...
She was interrupted when she heard a cold voice behind her. Well hidden and not showing his face, Adam stood behind Jo, while terror could be seen on Henry's face.
- Oh, that is rather unfortunate. You're putting me in a tough situation, Henry.
Jo moved her hand to her gun but felt one on her back. Henry was angry and was about to choke Adam with his bare hands.
- If I were you, Detective, I wouldn't do this. Get up!
Jo rather not try her luck and stood up. Adam looked at Henry
- You too!
Jo shared a look with Henry, seeing that he was ready to punch Adam but she just talked him out of it by looking into his eyes.
- Get in the car, both of you, and not a word, not a scream or a message to your precious colleagues, Detective. Otherwise, I'll kill you and Henry will watch you die.
If there was one thing Jo had learned in her 10-year career it was surely not to upset an armed suspect.
Jo got in first, with Henry hot on her heels. Adam got into the driver's seat and locked the doors on his side, making it impossible for the two occupants in the back to open them from the inside.
He sped off and ignored the fact that he had a cop in the car.
- That's enough! – Henry shouted- you're going to end up killing someone
- That's the idea!
- Who the hell are you? – Jo added in the same tone- what do you want from us?
Adam quickly took a look at the couple.
- As I said, it's unfortunate, but Detective, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't intend to take you in but I couldn't let you warn the cavalry. As a result, there are a couple of things between Henry and me that I can't disclose but I can still have fun.
Henry had never asked for Jo to be in this situation. This was his worst nightmare. That one of his friends would get caught in Adam's fire and Jo was the last person he wanted Adam to put his hands on.
- Leave Jo out of it. She hasn't done anything. It's about me only.
- It's too late. She's seen too much now! Sorry.
Adam sped up more. In his tough and racing driving and with no one being buckled up in the back seat, Jo hit her head on the window and fainted.
- Jo! - Henry shouted, checking to make sure she wasn't going to be brain-damaged.
He put his scarf over her wound, which was quickly bleeding. That side of the head was a bit fragile and was easily bleeding for everyone. But after a quick check, this was just a scratch. But the speed being what it was, Jo was knocked out.
Adam slyly laughed
- Well, that's what I'm talking about! I'll be able, to sum up. I have so much to tell you, Henry, but you ignored me.
He kept driving like crazy, not paying attention to anyone on the road. Henry had to put a hand around Jo's waist to hold her and keep her from bumping around in her unresponsive state.
- Fine, fine! We can talk but slow down!!!
- You know, I figured it out. You don't think I'm immortal. So I guess I'll have to prove it.
Adam picked up his gun and was about to shoot himself. Henry screamed
- No!!
The gun went off, and just then Jo abruptly woke up and like Henry, she saw Adam disappear. Her eyes widened as Henry didn't know what to say and watched the car speed by at over 40 miles per hour, with no one there to stop it.
- What was that? - Jo panicked - Henry what happened? Where is he?
Henry was speechless, unable to think of an excuse... He was as panicked as poor Jo who didn't understand anything. She watched the car speed by.
- We've got to stop this car - she said, climbing into the driver's seat as best she could
But unfortunately, the car was too fast and Jo didn't have time to stop it and they went straight into the Hudson River.
- Oh no, no, no!
Jo was in a panic, she was not ready to die, not like this. The couple screamed as the car went over the barrier and sank in a few minutes into the river.
Once underwater, Jo tried to break the window to get them out but couldn't. The water rose horribly fast in the car and tears rolled down Jo's cheeks. Seeing the trap they were in and that Jo would never get out of there alive, unlike him, Henry found a strength he did not have.
He pulled Jo back with him and tried to reassure her just by looking at her, letting her know that the more she panicked, the faster she would lose air.
So he quickly pulled her against him and with all the strength his immortal body could give him, he managed to break the glass and pull Jo through.
She extracted herself as best she could and quickly surfaced, and took a deep breath when she managed to regain oxygen, the icy cold of the river almost breaking her bones. Before returning to shore, she looked around.
- Henry! Henry where are you?
Unfortunately, in his effort to save her and the fact that the vehicle was still sinking, Henry could not save himself from drowning and he breathed out, as usual.
The only problem was that he would not emerge in the Hudson River, but in the East River, as he often did. The number of minutes he had been in the water... He knew exactly what Jo would think.
- Henry!! - Jo screamed at the top of her lungs, realizing that her body was freezing, she quickly swam to shore.
It had been over ten minutes and Henry had not come up. She collapsed on the shore and continued to scream, with a hint of hope.
- Henry!! Henry!!
Her voice was broken. He couldn't have done this. He couldn't sacrifice himself to save her. How could he be so stupid? She was shaking from head to toe but the cold didn't seem to reach her. She had let Henry die. Her partner, her colleague... a civilian.
She vaguely heard voices behind her
- Detective Martinez!
Other colleagues were coming towards her. She heard nothing and saw nothing.
- My God, you're freezing, you'll get hypothermia. Come on, let's go! We have to get you back. What happened to you?
Her voice broke more, the tears that had been there earlier because she had seen her end, came back
- Henry... Henry is dead.
TBC...
Notes:
Sorry about the very short chapter but I had to do it for you to get the plot. I couldn't say it all on my first note but basically, this story will have Henry pretend he's dead (for good) so hence the major character death but he's not really, this is just for the plot 😅
I actually always wanted to write an idea where he pretends to be dead but this was supposed to be written like in what would be season 2 or something and Lucas would have known about him but since this plays out in season 1, only Abe is in the secret. Besides, I think it's a bit challenging to do this so "early on" because both Jo and Henry are discovering their feelings and questioning themselves about how they feel about each other.
Chapter 2
Notes:
It's kind of sad that nobody really reads those stories anymore but well I'll keep posting anyway.
Chapter Text
While Jo thought she had lost her friend, Henry was walking like a zombie along the shore of the East River and had managed to find an old phone booth, still functional.
His silence on the way home was particularly heavy to Abe.
- Henry, I know you've had a bad night, but your silence worries me. Maybe you should go see Jo and...
- And nothing at all, Abraham! I put her in danger tonight... She was that close to dying out there and I would still have come back... And I would have lived with that my whole life. Adam knows no boundaries, and he'll do anything to prove his point.
They walked through the doors of the store, head down. Henry kept rubbing his sinuses. He couldn't think straight. He headed for his lab, with Abe hot on his heels.
- And you say Jo saw Adam kill himself?
- I don't know exactly what she saw, but... it's not good. It's not good for anyone. And just think... She emerged from the water and saw that I wasn't coming back up, what do you think is on her mind right now?
Abe shrugged
- Maybe she'll run down here and make sure you got out.
Henry cast him a sideways glance.
- Really? Abe! I didn't make it to her. She thinks I'm dead for sure... And honestly, it might not be such a bad idea.
Abe wasn't sure he was following.
- What are you talking about?
Henry turned away from him and let out a long sigh. He didn't want to hurt his son's feelings.
- If Jo thinks I'm dead... it might be better if...
Abe rolled his eyes
- if you pretend to be completely dead?
Henry nodded.
- Are you out of your mind? And at some point you're going to have to come back, how are you going to explain yourself?
- I won't – Henry replied in a rather dry voice - Jo thinks I'm dead, so maybe I'll keep my distance, temporary... I'll stay in town but I'll avoid going out. I need to figure out what Adam has in mind. And I need to keep him away from the 11th.
Abe sighed
- Jo will come here Henry... If she thinks you're dead, she'll come to me for sure. What do I say?
Henry widely smiled
-Just play the game! You know very well how to do it. I have to isolate myself for a while. I'll think about it, I'll think of a plan to counter Adam and when I figured something I'll let you know about it... But if it doesn't work, maybe it's not so bad if I pretend to be dead for good.
Abe thought that his decision was completely dumb but didn't dare to add anything. He kind of understood him. It was not only a way to protect his team but also to protect himself from his secret and indirectly from Adam's. That didn't mean the old man approved his drastic decision. He put himself in Jo's shoes and could only imagine what the poor girl had seen and the pictures that would haunt her mind forever.
He gave his father a friendly pat
- So where do you want to go?
- Maybe to a hotel in New Jersey... I'd better be away from the city. I'm counting on you to keep in touch, but don't say anything to the 11th.
- As you wish," Abe wearily replied
Henry gave a weak smile. His heart was heavy. It wasn't an easy decision but it was the best one for now.
***
Jo stared into blank space. Reece and Hanson were in front of her. Lucas was there too, unable to stop sniffling.
She had a blanket around her and her body kept shaking ever since some officers brought her back to the station, unable to believe what had happened.
- Jo... Are you sure about what you saw? - Mike asked.
She answered, without looking up
- It's like I said... We were kidnapped by a psycho who apparently knew Henry - saying his name had become torture for her - we dived into the Hudson... And Henry never came up... He used his last bit of strength to save me.
She tried to control her tears as best she could. She realized that her point of view about Henry started to change, after nine months of work. He was impertinent and arrogant, but only in their first few cases… She had learned to look deep inside him and now she had just watched him just die before her eyes. And would never forgive herself for not acting or helping him out of the car.
- I can't believe this - Lucas grumbled, broken like Jo - you can't die so young, it's impossible.
Reece tried to minimize it
- Jo, we're going to start a search for the cab you were in. Did you see your kidnapper's face?
Jo only shook her head. She couldn't think of anything else. She didn't want to... She was tired of suffering.
- Henry just wanted to... protect me. He didn't deserve this. I owe him my life and he gave his... - she stood up - I'll never forgive myself
Before anyone could hold her back, she stumbled down the hallway to the elevator. She held back her tears, she tried to be strong but she had a huge lump in her throat.
Lucas fell into Jo's chair and couldn't hold back his tears either. Hanson didn't know what to say, and Reece hurried to call her contacts in search of Henry's body, as well as the cab. By now, if Henry was drowned, it wouldn't be long before his body surfaced.
Jo had blindly driven to the store. But the shop was immersed in darkness when she got there.
She stepped out like a robot and looked through the glass. Her heart became even heavier at the thought that she would never again see Henry's smile greeting her whenever she came in to give him a lift or simply give him an update on their investigations. Only nine months. She wished she had known more about him, become a confidante... Which she felt like she had been these past few weeks. Life was just a bitch and she wasn't sure she could literally pull herself up this time.
She looked around. No one was there, so she picked the lock, walked into the store and crashed her body to Abe's desk, tears streaming down her hands.
She then received a call. It was Mike. She didn't want to answer, but when she saw him insist, she finally picked up, wiping her tears.
- What is it, Mike?
- Jo... Uh, we found a body!
Jo's heart quickened even more. Already. They'd been fast. Well, at least Henry hadn't been underwater long.
She gripped her phone
- Yes... You found...
- It's not Henry.
Jo was almost relieved... but that meant Henry's body hadn't come up to the surface after all. She vaguely remembered that he had told her that a drowned body could need a few days to rise until the water in the lungs swelled it.
- Well, I guess we'll have to put him in the morgue.
There was a long silence...
- Maybe it would be better if you came along. Because we found something that might be a lead on... what happened to you two.
Jo swallowed hard, feeling the tears again
- I... I'll be there shortly. I have to tell Abe what happened and he's not home yet. So I'm waiting for him.
Mike was sympathetic
- Jo! You don't have to do this to yourself. We'll get it done in time and when we find...
- Mike! I've got this! I'll be there shortly if Abe doesn't get back soon.
She abruptly hung up. Mike was not offended. Jo had recently experienced grief over the loss of Sean, and here she was again after only a few months of working with Henry. The detective knew they had grown closer over the past few months and they made a good team. They would all miss the Doc's deductive skills.
***
Abe had taken Henry to a hotel in New Jersey, far enough out of town that no one would suspect he was still alive.
He'd taken the bare essentials and intended to leave no clue that he didn't pass...at least not permanently.
Henry didn't like lying to Jo, especially in this situation, but it was probably the best way to keep Adam away from her. He wouldn't try to pick on his co-workers anymore and if he had to settle the score, it would be one-on-one only.
Still, Abe wasn't convinced about his ruse.
- Henry, don't you want to think about the situation for a second? Imagine how upset your colleagues must be.
- I know, Abe! But I don't really have a choice. If I was back in the Hudson, the excuse would have been easier, but in the situation, Jo and I were in... It would be a miracle if I could have made it out of there alive at the speed the water washed over us.
Abe sighed
- I don't like covering you like this... I really don't. I don't think it's a good idea, but hey... it's up to you.
Henry pinched his nose
- I don't like it any better than that, but I have to protect Jo. It's better that I stay away from her, it's for the best.
- And making her suffer by pretending to be dead is the best way to protect her. I couldn't have done it better myself.
- Spare me your sarcasm," Henry snapped, "I just don't have a choice. I have to work this out with Adam and I'll figure it out eventually, but the 11th should get used to the idea of never working with me again.
Abe strongly restrained himself from yelling at him, but he couldn't. Maybe his father needed to make some stupid decisions to realize his mistakes.
He set down some scones.
- Well, even if you're playing dead, try not to ghost me and let me know what you're up to. But I hate to lie for you.
Henry smiled
- I know, I'll always be grateful to you for covering for me in any critical situation. I'll keep you posted. You'll be my only communication with the 11th. They'll probably investigate the cab and the drowning and come back to you with some news.
- Okay! So I'll leave you with your thoughts... But if I were you, I'd seriously consider telling Jo the truth. Given what happened tonight, I think the kid deserves it more than anyone.
With that, Abe walked away, leaving Henry wondering.
He walked back, a little confused. Admittedly, everything that had happened had been the result of a lot of really unexpected events, and Jo had randomly gotten caught in the middle. However, Abe thought Henry was being particularly selfish, especially since he had no guarantee that Jo had actually seen anything. And being in shock, she might as well not even mention that short time in the car anymore.
When he inserted the key into the store door and saw that it was not locked, he stayed on his guard. He knew for a fact that he had double-locked the door when he had driven Henry to New Jersey.
He turned on the light and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Jo's shadow with her head in her hands, sitting at her desk.
- Jo!
She jumped up and stood up immediately. Her eyes were red but she was trying to hide them. Abe held back a sigh. He didn't like that at all.
- Oh Abe! I'm sorry for breaking in and coming in like that without permission, but I... I had to wait for you and see you..." she loudly sniffed. "Abe, it's about Henry. Something happened tonight... something terrible.
Abe tried to look alarmed, but it was hard for him to lie so openly to a police officer. He took a deep breath.
- What happened, Jo?
She fought hard against her tears. Abe knew this would make her even more fragile than she already was.
- We were... I don't know, it all happened so fast. I wanted to take him home, he should have agreed and then all of a sudden... Some guy in a cab kidnapped us, and he... I don't know exactly what happened, he left us in the car and I couldn't stop him in time... We dived into the Hudson and I- she choked- Oh Abe, Henry... He... He tried... He tried to save me and...
This time, despite the constant struggle not to look so weak, she could not stop her grief and the tears flowed on their own. Abe was broken. Not for Henry, because that idiot was perfectly fine, but for the reaction it caused Jo.
- Abe, I'm sorry... He didn't come up... He... He gave up his life, to save mine and I couldn't do anything.
She put her hand in front of her mouth, choking back her sobs. Abe stood there for a long time. He really didn't know how to play this comedy. It tore him up inside to hide the truth from the beautiful detective. He tried to look as sad as he could.
- I... Are you sure, Jo?
She nodded with great pain.
- I'm sorry! God, I'm so sorry. He didn't have to be in this situation... I'm the cop, I should have saved him... Abe, forgive me.
Abe thought to himself that he would kill his father once and for all. There was no reason to make his colleague suffer like this and yet... He was facing a Jo he was not used to seeing, a Jo who did not show her emotions but yet tonight, his heart could not bear it. A year and a half after Sean's death... Jo couldn't bear any more loss and with Henry having become a close friend, Abe could well imagine what was going through her mind at that moment.
Abe took her hands, pretending to be in pain.
- Jo! Stop it, Jo! It's not your fault. Henry knew what he was doing and he would never have let you die. Don't beat yourself up like this... I'll... I'll do what's necessary on my end. You've had a big shock tonight and I don't want you to feel guilty about something you had no control over.
Jo tried to calm down, but it was hard when all she could see was Henry's face in the car as he pushed her out of it.
- Do me a favor, kid!
- Anything, Abe!
Abe felt that she wanted to make amends even though she had nothing to be ashamed of and Henry wasn't really dead.
- Find whoever did this and we'll call it even... And let me know when you find his body... I'd like to say goodbye before he's buried.
Jo was on the verge of fainting and Abe hated himself even more. Of course, they wouldn't find any bodies, but he had to play the game.
- All right. We'll work on that, Abe. You can trust me. I'm doing everything I can to get my hands on this guy.
Abe knew it was a normal grief reaction to dive into work, but he didn't want that to finish that poor Jo off. She looked at her phone.
- I've got to go. I'll be in touch.
She walked very fast toward the exit, sniffling with each step. Abe quickly saw her slam her steering wheel and burst into tears before she drove off.
He rolled his eyes
- Henry is such an idiot!
Chapter Text
Jo returned to the 11th, dragging her feet behind her. Everyone looked at her with pity, just like the day she lost Sean. She ignored them and went down to the morgue with a lump in her stomach.
Lucas, Mike and Reece were there. Jo tried to look unconcerned that the irony was that the M.E was to be put in his own morgue.
The body of a Middle Eastern-looking man appeared before her eyes. She frowned. This man looked nothing like their kidnapper.
- Jo," Reece began, "we've been researching this man. His name is Raj Patel and he was a cab driver. His body was just found near a dumpster, not far from our station. Does that mean anything to you?
Jo took a long look at the man
- Where is his cab?
- That's just it," Mike softly replied, "we think it's the one you and Henry were in... So, our teams went to the Hudson to find the car... And... We'll see. But does he look familiar?
Jo didn't see the look of a killer on this man. The voice that spoke had no foreign accent... He sounded just as American as she did. But Raj Patel was probably not born in the United States, and she could imagine the thick accent he must have had.
- No... That's not him. I didn't see the driver's face, but I'm sure it wasn't a foreign one.
Lucas covered the body, without saying a word. The news that his boss was "dead" affected him as much as it did Jo, who could no longer think straight.
- Listen, Jo," Reece said, "you've had a lot of emotions tonight. Go home and rest, and we'll call you if we hear anything.
Jo felt the anger
- No!
- Jo – Mike tried
- Stop it! Stop it, all of you! Don't push me aside, just like you tried to minimize things when I lost Sean. Henry was my partner and I have the right to know what happened, so as the first witness, I need to be part of this investigation. I need answers... and so does Abe.
Reece and Mike looked at each other. Jo was never going to rest until she got to the bottom of the story. It was a way to hide her pain.
- We have to wait for the results of the Hudson, Jo... For tonight, there is nothing more to do...
- I don't care! I'll stay here anyway. And think!
She didn't let anyone reply and went back to the bullpen. The other three exchanged worried looks, knowing full well that this investigation was going to give poor Jo a run for her money.
She had gone back up to the bullpen, having the awful sensation that everybody was staring at her again.
Instead of going to her desk, she'd rather isolate herself in a meeting room, where she knew she could have peace. At that time of night, there weren't many people left at the station, but enough to harass her with a couple of questions.
She dropped into one of the chairs and looked around at the empty room around her. An emptiness she also felt in her heart.
She replayed Henry's last moments, his frightened face as they dived into the river, the last bit of strength he had used to save her at the risk of his own life.
In the last nine months, Henry had tried over and over again to get ahead of her and she always thought he was completely crazy and she always managed to save him in spite of him, but today she couldn't... He had sacrificed himself and that would weigh on her for the rest of her life.
Henry was so secretive... He had a problem and he hadn't talked about it and now the result was there... His death had to be investigated and once the culprit was arrested... The funeral would take place and Jo told herself that this time she wasn't strong enough to bear the loss of this friend... This friend was starting to take a different place in her life. Until now, she never questioned herself but that night, things had changed between them, especially after the last investigation... And now, she could never contemplate the possibility of something more between them. She put her head back in her hands and sobbed again.
- I'm sorry, Henry! So sorry. I couldn't protect you.
Drained by her fatigue and emotional shock, she fell asleep in the meeting room in a rather restless sleep.
- Jo! Jo, wake up!
She slightly stirred and whispered
- Henry! Is that you?
Jo opened her eyes and saw Mike standing in front of her with an apologetic look. She realized what had happened the night before and that she would never see Henry again.
She got up from her chair and tried to keep a cool head.
- Mike!
He looked at her sympathetically
- Sorry to wake you up! I wanted to warn you that... The cab was found. They're going to analyze it. I'm going to the scene, I'll let you know when I get back.
Jo pushed back the coat she had used as a blanket to sleep in and stood up.
- Where are you going? - Mike asked.
- Where do you think I'm going? I'm going with you. I have to get to the bottom of this.
Mike stopped her before she could walk through the door.
- Jo! Listen... You're a bit fragile and shaken up with all this. The cab was pulled up and it's quite likely that in the meantime... Hmm, that... Henry's body is too. I don't want you to see this.
Jo pulled away from Mike's embrace, and if looks could kill, he would be dead.
- Mike! I see bodies every day! I have to make sure! I have to see it with my own eyes.
Mike was as stubborn as she was but this time he refused to let her torture herself any further. Their voices had finally alerted Reece, who put a stop to it all.
- Jo! Hanson is right! There's no way you're going to the Hudson. You stay here! You haven't been home yet, but let everyone else take care of it and you'll find out when they're back.
Jo refused to listen, but Reece's gaze forced her to stay put, while Mike dragged his team down to the Hudson.
***
"Authorities found a cab in the Hudson River. Last night, a detective and a doctor were reportedly trapped in the cab, only the detective escaped. The NYPD is still looking for the body of the Medical examiner".
Henry was watching the news on his hotel room TV. He kept a low profile, afraid someone would recognize him, even though in New Jersey his contacts were limited and only the NYPD knew him. But he still didn't want to take any unnecessary risks by exposing himself. The explanations would be much more complicated.
There was a knock at his door. He sighed and stood up.
- Yes?
- It's me, Henry! Open the door!
Henry opened the door and Abe stormed in. He looked angry. And his anger only increased when he saw what Henry was watching on TV.
- You're so stupid!
Henry frowned
- Well, hello to you too!
Abe ignored him
- How can you watch this? By torturing your colleagues who all think you're dead. Henry, this is insane.
- What else do you want me to do? - Henry grumbled - Adam tried to kill Jo. Believe me, the best thing I can do is to get away from everyone and try to get Adam on my side so he never hurts them again. This was too close last night.
Abe let out a long sigh
- Somewhere along the line, one of you did end up badly. So yes, your beautiful condition saves you, but there's someone out there who's convinced it's over for you and Henry if you'd seen her when she came to tell me the news... You're not thinking. Your decision will hurt a lot. Jo really didn't need this.
Henry realized that this decision to fake his "final" death may not have been the best one, but having seen Jo almost die, all because of Adam's madness... He didn't want to risk any more lives, especially hers.
He rubbed his face.
- I know, Abe! I know all about that. But she'll get over it eventually. I can't put her in constant danger.
Still, Abe wasn't convinced. To be honest, he didn't know how long he could go on like this without telling anyone.
- You know, she lost her husband a year and a half ago... Do you really think she wanted to lose her partner after only nine months of work together?
- No... Of course. I know she didn't need that. But I need to think. To find a compromise with this bloody Adam, to get him away from the 11th and then I'll see what I'll do and what excuse I'll give, but for now, we need to operate like this.
Henry then realized as he touched his pockets that his watch was not with him. He grunted.
- Damn! My watch must have stayed in the cab.
His gaze shifted to the TV. Abe looked at him with an obvious look.
- What do you think will get to their minds, without your body?
Henry didn't know what to say and just stood there watching the flat screen, which showed the various parts of the car's reassembly on the platform.
***
Hanson had gone to the Hudson dock where the car had just been pulled up. He had spoken with his colleagues and had begun to inspect the car, and of course, the cab driver's name was none other than Raj Patel.
He found this odd. The driver's seat had a cut in it... a cut similar to Raj's wound, according to Lucas's mumblings while doing the autopsy in his own way.
Hanson couldn't identify how this wound could have been made. Only Henry would have had a say.
Thinking about the medical examiner, his heart sank too. He always thought his methods were quite weird but his knowledge had helped them a lot through the course of their investigations... And now they would have to work without him and probably spend months solving a single case.
He saw the bullet that Adam had used on himself but for now, he didn't make the connection with the kidnapper and the fact he might have killed himself.
- Weird! - he said aloud - I'm pretty sure I didn't read about Raj owning a gun, at least not a registered one.
He took a closer look at the bullet
- A 7.63 bullet... That would please my dad and his gun collection. It's a really old gun, like the 19th century or something. Why would a cab driver have that...
- Good question!
Hanson gasped before he saw Jo's head in the back of the car, digging.
- What are you doing here? - he dryly asked
- I told you I was coming. You seriously think Reece was going to stop me. I'm doing my job, Mike. Whether you like it or not!
Her gaze wandered to the glass that Henry had managed to break. He had obviously tried to fight back, judging by the claw marks in the door.
Mike didn't like what he saw on Jo's face. He didn't want to see her pass out by the end of the day. She was keeping too much to herself and all of this was eating her inside. It was obvious, she was boiling.
- This gun…probably belongs to our... kidnapper. I don't know how he got out of there, but he had it planned. Maybe he was an antique fanatic... The irony of it all.
She nervously laughed. Mike wanted to say something but couldn't. Jo got out of the car and leaned against it. Mike did the same and faced her.
- What did you learn?
- Nothing more!
Jo stared at Mike for a couple of minutes
- I know when you're lying!
Her gaze turned to the river.
- Where is he? Did they find him?
Mike stood there for many minutes without saying anything. Jo looked at him again and he shook his head.
- No! Jo, there's something weird.
- What is it?
Hanson had been informed when he arrived at the crime scene. He had explained the situation about Henry saving Jo and that his body should have been near the cab, or even in it. But there was no sign of the M.E.
- They checked all around the car... but Henry was nowhere to be found. They think he may have drifted, but if that's the case... His body would have been rising by now anyway. At the depth he was at and if he was trapped in the car... He would have been in it at the same time the car was coming up.
Jo was about to say something but her eyes were drawn to something shiny. Mike was called by other officers. So he left his colleague.
Jo leaned over and held back a choke of terror. Henry's watch was in the car, shiny as usual, without a scratch, and still perfectly working... just like the day they first met, when she had found his watch in a subway where 15 people died except him.
She quickly put the watch back in her pocket and was puzzled. If Henry was dead, how could his watch have remained so intact in the car and his body be nowhere to be found?
Then a crazy thought occurred to her. Mike came back to her and she suddenly seemed excited.
- Mike! What if Henry wasn't dead?
Mike wasn't sure he heard this right.
- What? Jo... You told us that you two were together and he never came up. Why the sudden change of heart?
She started pacing back and forth
- I... His body is nowhere to be found. Mike, if you don't have a body, you don't have a death. Maybe he made it out, but he drifted to the other side. There are two rivers in New York. We'd have to search all around... I've got to tell Abe. Maybe Henry was too weak to return to the store and found shelter elsewhere... Maybe we're wrong. I was too weak myself, I had no coherent thought. Maybe he's still alive.
Denial - Mike mused - was one of the stages of grief and for now Jo was going to deny that Henry was dead. That is until his body finally emerged in a couple of days. The currents in the Hudson were probably faster than they appeared the day before.
- Jo...
- Don't Jo me! Look, I found his watch!
She showed him the watch, in perfect condition. Mike didn't take that clue into consideration. Many people were dying but still had all their electronic devices in good condition.
- Right now, our priority is to find out the gun and to whom it belongs. That will probably lead us to your kidnapper... Or the killer of this Raj, but maybe the two are connected.
Jo didn't seem to hear her colleague's words
- It can wait! Henry probably needs us.
She opened her phone.
- What are you doing?
- I want to see how far the Hudson leads.
She followed the map with her finger.
- Jo... The Hudson flows into the ocean, just like any other river.
- I know! But I want to see the path it takes. On our end, the best option would be New Jersey. Otherwise, he could have drifted all the way up to Albany. Henry is an excellent swimmer... He didn't panic when we were underwater, he just saved me, he probably made it out. We need to find him.
Mike wasn't convinced at all and understood that Jo was losing her senses because of her denial and she wanted to hold on to the last bit Henry had left. Her eyes were pleading, she was sleep-deprived and seemed to believe in this hope.
So Mike played her game.
- All right! I'll have Reece send teams around Jersey... And we'll get the word out to find him.
- Thanks a lot, Mike!
She walked away to go back to her car. Mike hated himself in times like this.
- The fall is going to hurt when she lands on her feet. Oh, my little Jo.
Notes:
Since Adam is beyond 2000, I think he can fake a lot of accents just like Henry can. He surely doesn't have the same accent when he talks to him as his therapist and when they usually talk over the phone or face to face.
Sure enough, his original voice is absolutely dark but for the needs of this story, I'm pretending he faked his American accent.
Chapter Text
On the way back to the morgue, Jo seemed a little too excited for everyone's taste. She held Henry's watch tightly against her as if it would make the immortal appear before her.
She wanted to convince herself that Henry wasn't dead and that she would somehow bring him back.
Of course, she wasn't thinking straight because of her shock, but for now, no one could bring her back to her senses.
- Lucas! - she called him out as she barged into the morgue.
Lucas wasn't exactly in great shape either and tried to focus but did not succeed. Jo's cheerful look sounded suspicious to him.
- What is it, Jo?
She just quickly walked toward him and put Henry's watch under his nose. Lucas didn't understand.
- I... What am I supposed to understand?
- We may have hope! His watch is in great condition and they haven't found his body yet. This watch is what led me to him in our first investigation. He was in the subway and yet he wasn't dead. Lucas, maybe he made it.
She looked at the watch and she almost had sparkles in her eyes. Lucas realized that the shock was affecting Jo more than anyone else and he didn't know what to say to make her understand that Henry was gone and wasn't coming back. He knew this was a normal process of grief, but he felt even worse than she was feeding her hopes on his boss' watch.
- Uh... Jo... I don't think…
She cut him off
- No, I know... But his body still hasn't come up, and the cab was found. There was no one in it.
Despite his grief, Lucas was thinking a little more clearly than Jo
- It probably doesn't mean anything. Jo, human bodies in water are quickly washed away by the currents. Plus the temperature of the rivers right now must be around 2C. If Henry saved you, I doubt he managed to stay more than 5 minutes underwater... The river carried him away... It's only a matter of time.
It broke him to say such words but he had worked with bodies long enough to know what he was talking about. Drowning bodies didn't necessarily show up after 24 hours, especially when the water was rough.
However, Jo was rather been in denial. She tightly gripped the watch.
- Until his body is found, he's not dead. I'll investigate if I have to...
Lucas didn't have time to answer as Hanson and Reece walked into the morgue.
- But first, we have to find out whose gun you found the bullet in the cab belongs to," Reece announced, her gaze on Jo.
Jo looked away and ignored her boss, who walked towards her.
- I thought I told you to stay here, Jo.
Jo shrugged
- I have the right to know what's going on and be part of the research, too. And it wasn't such a bad idea, since the watch gives us a clue as to whether Henry is alive or not.
Reece shared a look with Hanson
- But we also need to find the owner of the gun and the gun itself. It will probably help us find out who the kidnapper is.
Jo was under pressure
- I honestly don't care!
No one was really surprised by her tone
- If Henry is alive, I don't care who kidnapped us, we'll deal with that later. If he's in bad shape, he's the one we need to find first.
They all knew it was pointless to try to convince her, for now. Mike suggested
- I'll take care of getting the bullet tested, so we can officially identify the weapon...
Lucas also suggested
- Since the bullet was found in the cab... Maybe the gun isn't far from the Hudson? Because it wasn't used to kill Raj.
Hanson agreed.
- I'll have our teams go back to the Hudson and search its entire longevity on Manhattan.
Reece also agreed with Lucas' idea. They had to find Raj's killer anyway, who was undoubtedly the one who had kidnapped Henry and Jo. Reece mused
- We might want to question Henry's roommate about who he was involved with outside of work if anyone had a grudge against him. It might help us get a handle on things.
Lucas noticed Jo's fists clench. She probably didn't like it when they talked about her colleague in the past tense, since she'd gotten into her head that he was still alive.
- I'll give him a call," Mike said, "if there's anyone who knew him better than we did, it's Abe.
Jo felt horribly watched
- I'll... I'll keep looking for... for where he might have landed.
She went back up to the detective room. Lucas ventured
- Do you think we have a chance of seeing the Doc again?
Reece and Hanson negatively shook their heads.
- Lucas... It would be a miracle... And you know it.
Lucas sadly nodded
- I know that... but how are we going to get Jo to come back down to earth about this? She's stubborn and she won't believe it until...
- Until the body is found and she's standing in front of his coffin," Reece finished, "we'll have to leave her to her delusions for the time being, and when we've got this whole thing wrapped up... we'll have to give her our support.
Reece looked toward the elevator
- Jo would never admit it, but it's obvious she considered Henry more than a colleague... It just shows, and a year and a half after her husband, her brain just completely shut down until reality hit her. No one is letting her down and watch out for everything she does because she could hurt herself.
Hanson volunteered
- Since she lost Sean, I've been watching over her. This is another tough one for her, so I'm not going to let her off the hook. You can count on me, Lieutenant.
Reece nodded
- Good! We have work to do! Let's get busy!
Henry was puzzled in front of his TV. The news about the cab was on a local channel. Abe was still with him, but it wouldn't be long before he returned to the store, or the customers would end up wondering why it was closed at the beginning of the week.
- So they found the cab," Abe grumbled, "now what?
- They're probably going to investigate who took over it…
- They found the body of whoever was driving it - Abe muttered - how long will it take before this gets back to Adam? Maybe weeks.
Henry didn't deny it. He suddenly received a perfect flashback of the moment Adam had shot himself.
The gun and the bullet were as old as the two of them. He thought aloud
- A 7.63 automatic.
Abe blinked.
- What?
Henry looked at his son
- The gun! The one Adam used. It's a 7.63 automatic. It's centuries old. When you die with a gun, it doesn't disappear with you.
Abe frowned
- Wait, you think the gun was found in the cab?
Henry bit his lip.
- The gun may have sunk to the bottom of the water, but it was in the car when we went under. If they found the bullet, they'll be looking for the gun and the owner.
Abe mused
- But do you think they'll figure out Adam's true identity?
Henry loudly laughed
- I don't think Adam would be that stupid to get his hands dirty with his own weapon. Besides, he was wearing gloves that night. No, I think they'll find someone else, but they'll need an investigation for that. I'll keep an eye on the case.
Abe melted into the chair
- Any news about your psychopath?
Henry felt frustrated, and his pen almost broke in his hands
- He's not answering the number he gave me. I think he feels ashamed because he didn't expect Jo to be with me...So he had to improve.
- Then, why he's so silent?
Henry got up to pace in front of the window
- He's always the one challenging me. He's always the one to contact me. He won't give me that pleasure to call him. He makes the rules and I guess I just have to wait until he shows up again to find out what does he want from me.
Abe looked at the phone in the room
- But if you call from here, it won't take long until he realizes you're not at the store.
- Of course, it won't take long. But if he wants me, he'll come and get me. The 11th and all of you had nothing to do with it, so I don't know what he'd be looking for over there," he paused for a moment, "but if they can't find the gun... I will try to find it myself since I know exactly where we dived.
Abe didn't want to ask how he would do it if so. He asked about something else
- Honestly, Henry. You really don't want to call Jo and tell her everything's okay? I don't mind if you're hiding from the others, but she was with you, she deserves to know at least.
Abe saw his father's shoulders tighten. He tried to reassure him
- I know you still have your trauma from all the Nora stuff, but Jo's a good person. Open up to her.
He finally looked at his son
- That's exactly what I did with Nora and look where it got me.
Abe huffed
- But you can't compare these two women. Nora is pre-war. Jo is a modern woman. And it all happened in front of her eyes. She deserves an explanation because she's strongly going to suffer from this situation, believe me. You're not doing her any good at all.
Henry knew perfectly well that Jo would suffer from this situation more than the others. But right now, he couldn't bring himself to tell her everything.
He ran a frustrated hand through his curls.
- Abe, it's not easy to talk about this condition, let alone with a detective. I need more time to figure out what I'm going to do.
Abe only half-believed him, because when Henry said he needed more time, that meant in his language that he would never act on it.
Abe's cell phone rang just as he was thinking about it
- Yes, hello?
- Abe? It's Detective Hanson!
- Oh, Detective, hello!
Upon hearing the title, Henry raised his head to the point of breaking his neck.
- I'm sorry to bother you, Abe, but I'd like to know if you're currently at the store? I know this is a bad time, but I'd like to ask you some questions about Henry.
Abe looked at his father with an obvious look
- Oh, yes, of course! I'm not here right now, but you can come by tonight. You know how it is... I have to notify the family.
He emphasized the last word, causing Henry to roll his eyes. Abe didn't miss out on sarcasm.
- Of course! I understand completely. In that case, I'll stop by at the end of the day. We have a lot to do. Good luck Abe and I'm so sorry for your loss.
- Thank you, Detective!
Abe hung up and glared at this father.
- You see! Do you really want me to keep pretending and taking in all the pity messages I'm going to get while you're chilling in New Jersey?
Henry found him a bit arrogant
- Abe! I'm not really "chilling", in case you haven't noticed. I'm doing research and I'm still trying to save everyone's lives, so please stop blaming me.
Abe stood up with a sigh
- Yes, well... There's a limit to lying to people. Anyway, you do what you want, I'm going to have to play dumb again in front of the detectives and I guess the questions will be related to your whereabouts. What do I say?
Henry sat there for a long time thinking. He couldn't think of any excuse to clearly explain the situation he had been in for several months.
- Just tell them the truth... Tell them I was stalked and that's what cost me my life that night.
- that's it?
Henry shrugged
- There's nothing more to say. They will look for the man, probably a needle in a haystack, and when the case is closed...they will plan my funeral.
Abe thought he had heard enough. He picked up his coat
- In the 70 years I've been your son, I think this is the dumbest decision you've ever made, and yet you have your record.
Henry opened his mouth but Abe didn't give him the pleasure
- Well, I'm going home! I'll give you an update. I'll see you later.
- Wait, Abe!
The old man looked at his father with a bored face
- What?
- When you talk to Hanson, would you terribly mind asking him about the cab driver file? The one they picked up earlier.
Abe frowned
- What for?
- They'll probably be looking for the murder weapon. I'd like to take a look at the autopsy to see how he was killed. Knowing Adam, he wouldn't have done anything conventional, so I'd like to see what was used.
Abe didn't seem convinced
- While we're at it, why don't you ask me to go to the 11th and take pictures of the inside of the cab, illegally.
Henry widely smiled and patted his arm
-It's an excellent idea, Abe! They all leave around 8 pm. You can bring me some pictures so I can check.
Abe couldn't believe his ears. Not only his father was hurting his whole team, but he had to play the maid, taking pictures for him because he was too much of a coward to dare and face his colleagues.
- You can't be serious! Henry, stop it, I'm not your owl.
Henry gave him a puppy dog's eyes.
- Abe, please! It could help everyone.
- What could help is if you told Jo the truth.
Henry loudly huffed
- You're not going to blame me for protecting my secret for the next ten years.
- I'll come and haunt you if I have to, but you're not done hearing the end of it with me - he hit his arm quite hard, which made Henry, who was used to pain, squeal - and now you send me to do your dirty work. I wonder how Jo puts up with you, for real.
Henry didn't know what to say
- I've been solving her cases from the start, so that helps.
Abe glared at him. Henry stopped his sarcasm before this time he had a real reason to take a dip.
- All right! I'd risk a fine or a night in jail for your trouble, but Henry, I'm not going to do this for six months, so you better have a solid plan if you want to work with your friends again. I'm not going to be your nanny for the rest of my life.
Henry didn't like being yelled at by his son, but he totally understood his point. He politely nodded.
- No problem. I promise I won't drag you back and forth to the 11th to get you to bring me information on the investigation
- And? - his son impatiently asked
Again, Henry felt his shoulders tighten
- And I'm going to seriously consider talking to Jo.
- I'll keep an eye on you on this. Well, I'm going for real this time. Don't do anything stupid.
When Abe left, Henry muttered to himself
- I can't make any promises.
Chapter Text
Later that day, Hanson wandered into the detective room. Jo was there, looking as lost in thought as ever and determined to prove that Henry was not dead. She wouldn't let anyone touch the watch, she'd be ready to bite. She had spent the afternoon making phone calls to some of her contacts to see if they had seen a man in trouble coming out of either the Hudson or the East River.
She had planned to finish the rest of the day, interviewing as many people as possible, around the two rivers. Hanson didn't know what to say to stop her from going, but her grief was impossible to contain for now... So if this was giving her insurance until she got back on her feet, he'd rather not get in the way.
He planned to discuss with Reece the latest information he'd found while doing extensive research on Raj Patel. Jo noticed him and stopped him before he entered their boss's office.
- Hey Mike! You seem to be in a hurry! Did you find something?
Hanson wanted to avoid the wrath of his colleague at all costs. She wasn't clear-headed enough not to jump at the throat of the first person who would talk to her about the current case instead of looking for Henry. He lied
- Uh, I have some contacts who told me that they were out on both rivers tonight. So far, no bodies have been sighted and they didn't receive any report of anyone matching Henry's description, but they're asking around... You're right, you never know, he may have made it to safety but was injured and can't move for now.
He hoped to be convincing in his words. Oddly enough, Jo had accepted Sean's death much more easily than Henry's. But in a way, she wasn't wrong. She had seen her husband's body, but not Henry's, so she was holding on to what they had been taught at the academy. No bodies, no death!
Mike had done everything he could to keep a perfect poker face. Jo knew him too well and she could tell when he was lying, but he saw the shadow of a smile creep across her lips.
- Thanks for the information, Mike. I've received some feedback too. So far, they have nothing, but I won't give up.
Her eyes drifted to the watch. Mike felt so bad about going into her denial game. This surely wasn't going to help her and the rest of that long upcoming grief.
- I'll be around tonight and talk to a couple of people.
Mike tried to take it easy
- Jo! This is a lot for you. You didn't even go to the hospital to make sure you were okay, that your lungs were okay after inhaling all that water.
Jo stopped herself from rolling her eyes
- Mike! If something was going to happen in my body, I would have gotten it last night. I'm fine. I just need to keep looking for Henry.
- But you need your rest. You haven't even eaten today. I can see you're exhausted. Jo, you can go home and start the research again in the morning.
Jo looked at him. For a few minutes he thought he was in for a teen tantrum-like, but she just nodded.
- You're right. I haven't slept much and I haven't eaten anything. I'm just finishing up a couple of calls and then I'm going home. But I don't want to be pulled away from the investigation. What were you going to tell Reece?
Mike inwardly winced
- I... Well, I found some information on Raj Patel.
- You did?
- Yes! I guess you know that cab drivers usually have other jobs.
- Yes, it happens a lot, they can't all live from that. Why?
- Raj would have worked at Bellevue as a security guard. So far that's all I know, and I'm not sure yet if it has anything to do with our case, but it would be interesting to look at the hospital, he may have beef with other people. Patients, or colleagues.
Jo nodded
- so you mean, among those, our kidnapper might be there?
- That's the idea! But that's just a guess right now. I'll do some more digging.
Jo had little interest in the case at hand, or even in finding her kidnapper. With her grief blinding her, she only wanted to find Henry and promised herself she would never call him names again when they went out into the field.
- What about the gun? Did you find out who it belongs to?
- We haven't found it yet, Jo. It must be at the bottom of the water, but it's going to be dark, so it's too late to find anything. We'll try again tomorrow.
- All right!
She stood up and threw her bag over her shoulder
- So, as you said, it's time for me to take care of myself, eat and sleep, and tomorrow will be another day.
Mike watched her leave. He had a bad feeling about this. Jo wasn't the type to listen... Neither was poor late Henry.
***
He was right. Jo didn't go home and let alone eat. She went straight to the store.
When she parked in front of it she noticed it was still closed. She found this weird. Why would Abe leave like that in the middle of the day? The idea that he was probably settling for the funeral didn't even cross her mind.
She got out of her car and nearly gave Abe a heart attack when they almost collided.
- Jo! Oh, my God! Are you looking to finish me off these past few days? Sweetie, I should put a bell around your neck.
Jo scratched her head
-Sorry! Why are you closing the store in the middle of the day?
The key slipped out of Abe's hand, thinking he was in no position to cover for his father. At least not in this way. He hated this situation. He wanted to scream that Henry was alive and playing chicken in New Jersey.
He grunted as he bent down to pick it up and opened the door rather roughly, under Jo's questioning gaze.
- I... I have things to do Jo... You know with the news of Henry's death. So, excuse me if I close the store during the day.
Jo quickly turned around and put both her hands on the old man's arms who thought she wouldn't lose anything if she was trying to sleep. She looked terrible and surely enough, Henry would approve.
- Well speaking of, I might have some news - she was excited
Abe remained unmoved.
- Really? What kind of news?
She took the watch out of her pocket and showed it to Abe who loudly swore against his father, in his mind.
- You found his watch - he said in a neutral tone
- Yes! Just like when we first met. He didn't die in that subway. And I know I told you yesterday that he didn't come back up, but I figured it might have been luck to have found his watch. No one has called yet to say his body has come up, so, Abe, we may have a chance to find him alive.
Abe tried to go along with her. So, just because of the watch, Jo really thought Henry was alive. Well, sure, she was right... but her powers of deduction were pretty impressive, if not, scary.
- What are you basing this on, Jo?
- The fact that we don't have his body yet. I know he's good a swimmer. The glass was broken, Abe. Henry's only slightly taller than I am, so he certainly made it back up... But he drifted off somewhere else and I don't think I saw him but I'm not sure about anything anymore.
Abe was impressed with the way Jo knew Henry almost as well as he did. He didn't know how she knew he was an excellent swimmer, of course, with all his impromptu swimming... But for someone who had been his son for 70 years, he had to admit that Jo's line of thinking could work, when you went down that road.
- What are you doing about it?
- I'm trying to call here and there to figure out if someone didn't spot a man who could be hurt or in trouble near the Hudson and the East River. I'm also going to go interview some people right after my visit. I just wanted to warn you myself about my findings.
Jo seemed to have a lot of hope. Abe only wanted to take her hand and lead her to New Jersey... At this rate, maybe Henry would get a big kiss even if he didn't deserve it at all.
- Well, thanks for telling me. In that case, if we still have any hope of seeing him alive, I trust you.
Jo seemed delighted
- Thank you! I know everyone thinks I'm crazy at work, but I've always been taught that if there's no body, there's no death. If Henry had really drowned, he would be at the bottom.
"If you only knew," Abe thought. He only smiled. He would not have had the heart to stop her from doing her research, even if it was in vain.
- I have to go back! I have a lot of people to see.
But when she tried to walk through the door of the store, she flinched. Fortunately, despite his age, Abe still had reflexes.
- Wow wow! Jo! I think you need to eat and rest.
- I know. I told Mike I would, but I don't have time for that. Maybe Henry's days are really numbered.
Abe held her tightly and led her upstairs, where the apartment was located.
- Listen, honey, if Henry is alive and injured but managed to find shelter somewhere... He can survive a little longer. He's a doctor, he knows all the methods for that. So, don't worry. I promise you that nobody will fly away and you can resume your research tomorrow... But you really need to rest... I can see that you didn't sleep last night. And considering you nearly passed out and with the lack of fat on you, you need to eat.
She wanted to argue but he gave her no choice. She couldn't finish her plate, as she fell half asleep on it.
Abe looked at her with an apologetic expression. It may have been petty, but at least Henry would see what he was doing to this poor woman.
He took a picture. Maybe that would make him think twice before he was trying to play dead again.
Jo may not have been thick, but Abe certainly didn't have the strength of his 20s to carry her in and lay her down.
He shook her gently.
- Jo! Come on, Jo. You have to lie down.
She half-opened her eyes, but rather robotically, and let herself be dragged into Henry's room where Abe laid her down.
He looked at her, like a father with his daughter.
- You deserve to know the whole truth more than anyone else. I hope he wakes up.
He left the room and gently closed the door. Jo would interview anyone the next day if she wanted, but for now, he would never let her drive in the state she was.
He didn't even have time to tidy up and close the store before he heard the bell. He sighed
- What again!
He walked down the stairs and saw Hanson, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Abe was puzzled
- Oh, Detective! Did you all decide to come here tonight or what?
Mike frowned
- What?
- Jo is here! She's exhausted but she beat you to it.
Mike huffed
- Damn she can be stubborn too! I told her to go home.
- Believe me, in her condition, it's better she stays here. You want to talk about Henry, don't you?
Mike nodded.
- I guess that was the reason she was here, too?
Abe nodded.
- You can go upstairs! I'm closing and I'll join you.
This was Hanson's first time in the apartment. He had been to the store before, at the very first investigation when Henry had been a suspect, but otherwise, only Jo had the pleasure of spending more time in their apartment.
And apparently, she was sticking with it until the end.
Hanson moved into the living room, and it wasn't long before Abe joined him. He sat down across from the detective and tried to look a tad beaten.
- So, Detective. What can I do for you?
- As I told you on the phone, I need to talk to you about Henry and his habits and the likely enemies he might have made.
His gaze turned to the hallway that led to the rooms. Abe followed his gaze.
- Jo came to tell you that she thought he was still alive, didn't she?
Abe slowly nodded. He felt that this situation wasn't going to weigh on him for long. Lying for Henry for years to protect his secret was one thing, but doing it and playing his dead game along with him, was another.
- Yes. She mentioned the ideas she had.
Hanson remained silent for a few minutes.
- Abe... I don't want to offend you, but you're aware that she's just in denial, and I doubt we'll find Henry... alive. I mean, if he was underwater with her and they both ran out of oxygen quickly and he decided to put her life ahead of his.
Abe knew that any human being would have stayed there. But, Henry wasn't just any human being, naturally.
He sighed.
- I know, Detective... But I trust Jo.
Hanson scratched his head
- You're not just saying that to please her?
Abe shook his head.
- You know, I raised Henry... He's like my son so we've had some kind of connection for 35 years. I always told myself that I would feel it the day something happened to him but I don't feel anything...
Hanson opened his mouth, but Abe interrupted him. He had to at least side with Jo, so she wouldn't feel alone in this ordeal. Anyway, he knew that his father was alive, so he didn't have to feel bad about encouraging Jo. He didn't even want to lie to her. She was smart, at this point, she would find Henry herself, without anyone needing to guide her. Her heart seemed to know the right path to take.
- Jo has a point. Henry had always been an excellent swimmer he probably thought about everything to get out of there as well. Survival instinct can be impressive in some situations.
Abe figured Hanson must have thought they were both crazy. He just had to look at his gullible expression.
- I can't get ahead of myself," he said, "but she's going to suffer from this situation. Don't encourage her too much... She's going to have to get back on her feet. I know we don't have a body yet, but it's probably only a matter of time. I just want to protect her from that slap in the face she's going to get when we stand in front of his coffin.
Abe asked
- You didn't really do any research to find him, did you?
Hanson felt exposed and especially bad about his colleague
- Jo was a little too precise in describing how they were down there. Unlike you, I don't really hope to see him again. Even if he had found shelter, he would have already called or at least, wherever he was, we would have been contacted but right now, we have nothing.. And well, I try to keep a cool head and go along with Jo but I find it's a waste of time.
Abe could understand that. He shook his head and got serious
- Well, then! What did you want to ask me?
- I need to know about Henry's associates. Did he have any particular enemies? Jo was quick to mention that the person who kidnapped them seemed to have a grudge against him. Did he have an argument with someone that ended badly?
Abe was caught off guard. Usually, he had an answer for everything, since over the years he and Henry had worked on their lies.
But this time, he didn't really know how to bring it up. He couldn't tell them that Henry had been threatened by an immortal since he started working with them.
- In fact... he had someone stalking him.
Hanson was surprised and made a quick note in his notebook.
- Really? Do you know what he looks like, his name, an acquaintance of Henry's?
Abe wasn't much help on this one.
- No... I'm sorry. None of us do. Henry is very secretive, even from me, and he wanted to try to figure it out on his own. I've told him to tell you and the whole team about it, several times... But he's a real knucklehead.
Hanson looked at him with an obvious look
- I know another one like that.
This made Abe smile. He looked back at the room.
- Detective, I'm worried about Jo, but she seems devoted to Henry, so she'll do anything to find him alive. You're right, she's probably in denial, but she's got good instincts and I think, even though they've only been working together for nine months... there's a special bond between them.
- I understand her, believe me, Henry is her partner and he's not even a cop but it still seems important. As for this man, Jo told me he looked American if he is the same man who was stalking Henry. I didn't get a physical description, so she probably didn't have time to make up her mind.
Abe melted into his seat
- Are you going to get any leads?
- We're going to try and track down the gun whose bullet was found in the cab where Jo and Henry were trapped. It might lead us to their kidnapper. But, it's all guesswork and it's all too fuzzy at this point.
Abe scratched his chin.
- What about the driver who was killed?
- All we know is that he had another job at Bellevue. He was killed with something like a blade according to Lucas, but we don't have any other information yet.
Hanson stood up. Abe followed suit
- I know it's not over... But would it be possible to get the file on this poor victim? Well, copies, not the whole file, of course.
Hanson looked at him with a surprised look
- What? But what for?
- Just... Living with Henry, I have a little eye to recognize certain injuries. I think maybe I can help.
Abe knew he had to learn to work on this kind of excuse, considering the look on the detective's face
- But... I can't really do that. They're going to fire my ass.
- Detective, I know how much this goes against NYPD standards. But Henry is as important to him as he is to Jo... I'd like to see more from this victim.
Hanson bit his lip
- Look... I'll think about it and get back to you. If there's any more information, I'll give you a call.
Abe figured Hanson would never bring those pictures back to him. Besides, he was also going to have to go back to the 11th, illegally, to take pictures of the cab as Henry had requested.
He was thinking of dragging Lucas with him, for this one.
- All right! Thanks, detective. We'll be in touch.
Hanson waved him on. Abe walked him downstairs. When he came back up, Jo was standing in the kitchen with her arms crossed.
- Jo! I told you I was going to put a bell around your neck.
He noticed her rather annoyed expression.
- What's the matter?
- I heard everything Mike said," she grumbled.
Abe quickly closed his eyes. In her state of shock, Jo could easily get angry at everyone.
- I should have known he wouldn't believe me when I told him Henry was probably alive but in trouble. He didn't do anything to check. I'll be the one doing all the work again.
- Jo, calm down! Your colleague has a lot to do as well. But I trust you. You always had good intuition. If Henry is alive, he'll be grateful that he trusted that instinct instead of guesses.
Jo leaned against the kitchen counter.
- I'm going to work on this by myself... If you'd like, tomorrow I'll make your copies for the file, if that helps. But that's all I can do.
Abe smiled
- Thanks, Jo. You're really helping me out.
- I'm not sure what this has to do with Henry. But if it's any consolation.
Abe patted her arm.
- Trust me, Jo. Go back to bed, you need it. And don't do anything like sneak out in the night to go for a search. I'm a light sleeper, you're warned.
Jo only nodded and dragged her feet to Henry's room. She collapsed into the bed and clutched a pillow that was intoxicated with his smell.
The tears flowed again. The watch was around her neck and she touched it, giving herself reassurance.
She wanted to see his face again, his smile... She wanted to hug him. She wanted to hug him, something she had never had the chance to do before. She didn't want to lose him.
She fell asleep in her sadness and was very uncertain about the future that lay ahead if Henry ever remained missing. Her fingers gently stroke the watch.
Henry felt a weird feeling, lying in his hotel bed. A feeling near his heart... But a warm one, as if someone was gently placing his fingers on him.
He shook his head, thinking that the whole thing had drained him more than he thought.
Chapter Text
A few days had gone and the research for Adam had somewhat stalled.
Jo had copied Raj Patel's file for Abe, discreetly. She had also been ignoring her colleagues at the 11th, and decided to keep her research on her own, still holding on to the hope of finding Henry somewhere in the city, or even outside New York.
With so much to do, Abe hadn't yet had time to go back to Henry and give him Raj's file.
He had more important things to do. He had to sneak illegally into the basement of the 11th, where they kept the evidence.
Henry would only have more work to do observing both the body of the cab driver and the car in which he had left his life.
However, if he came to a conclusion, Abe didn't know how he could justify this sudden knowledge of knives and other assumptions that would only be like Henry.
He called Lucas to help him out. Lucas was as worn-out as Jo and only came to work because he needed the money. But, the young man was suffering just as much from the situation but remained more coherent than Jo.
While Abe planned his little strategy, which he called "Henry's dirty plan", Jo decided, after interviewing a couple of people whether they had seen Henry or not, to go around the two rivers again, even though it was dark, cold and no one could help her more.
Her determination eventually led her to New Jersey, following the path of the Hudson.
She stopped on the shore, where there was a park not too far away. It was quite well lit and gave a beautiful view of Manhattan.
Despite the cold and the rising fog, Jo, being almost alone in the area, decided to sit in the sand, wrapping herself in her coat, and silently watched the reflection of the moon on the water stream. It was soothing.
Henry, who knew that no one was looking for him in this area, had decided to get some fresh air that evening. He was getting a little tired of the hotel's food, despite its sophistication, so he went down to the local grocery store to buy a sweet treat and allowed himself a walk since it was dark, and the local patrols were certainly not aware of his identity, much less his probable death.
He was dressed a little more... modern than usual, just in case he ran into someone he knew.
As a result, his beautiful middle-class coat that he usually wore, had been exchanged for a slightly less sophisticated one, and he had put a hoodie on his head, to avoid his silhouette being spotted.
With his hands in his pockets, he walked at a slow pace, thinking about how he could cook Adam for all the things he had been doing to him since March, and the pain he was putting all his colleagues through, especially Jo.
While he was thinking, he walked by the park that surrounded part of the Hudson and nearly crashed into a pole as he recognized Jo's figure, sitting near the shore.
He had that stupid reflex of hiding behind a rather imposing tree. Abe was right, she was very smart. He didn't know how she had managed to get to New Jersey, by what deduction, but the fact was, she couldn't have been any closer to him, since the hotel was only a few blocks from the river.
He turned around, still hiding behind the tree, and looked at her. She seemed very cold and his heart told him to go find her and offer to warm up before she went back on the road, but his brain decided otherwise.
She seemed very upset and sad... He didn't know if that was really because part of her thought she wouldn't see him again... Or because no one was helping her try to find him and she was alone in believing in something, besides Abe.
From where he stood, Henry could see his own watch shining. Jo held it tightly against her as if it had the power to bring him back. Henry figured it probably did since it was the only thing left behind when he died.
He looked at her for a long time, too long. The last moment they'd shared before being kidnapped turned him on, he couldn't say otherwise.
Jo had challenged him, the same way Abigail had before, and seeing her tonight, in all that fragility, that she didn't show to anyone... He realized something. Something that hadn't happened to him in 30 years. The beating of his heart began to considerably speed up. He felt his hands moistened and he began to sweat even though the temperature outside must not have been more than 8C.
Would he even agree to stay away from her, if things didn't work out in his favor and to protect her and the rest of the 11th and he had to walk away and never come back?
He had grown attached to her, he knew. He had just been too stubborn to admit it. But from the first time they met, he felt something special between them.
Usually, he tried to avoid all emotional attachments, because of his condition and the fact that he was always moving around so that no one would notice that he wasn't getting older.
But strangely enough, this was the first time he felt like facing reality. He felt good working with the NYPD. He was coming out of his shell a little more, and he had never been more outgoing than he had been since he started working with Jo.
Lucas could testify to how lonely he had been before he met the beautiful detective.
He kept looking at her. His heart kept pounding in his chest. A chest that had been through so much that he wondered how he still managed to... feel anything.
Feelings... Feelings that weren't just friendship or admiration. There was something else... much more. The more he looked at her, the more he realized that he couldn't live without her.
He took a step as if determined to tell her everything tonight, but she stood up, and he hid again.
She walked in his direction and he prayed that she wouldn't notice him. His legendary discretion being what it was, his foot crushed a stick and he internally cursed himself when he noticed her figure, closer than ever.
He took a quick look around. Jo had stopped to look at the tree. He saw her face for the first time since they had been underwater and she looked very tired. More tired than the picture Abe showed him the other day. She still had tears in her eyes, so it was obvious that a few minutes earlier she had just been crying.
Jo bent over slightly and he cloaked himself as best he could. He could hear Abe's voice calling him a coward, but in the end, it probably wasn't the right time, not yet, not in this situation.
Jo sighed and walked away, her head down. And when she put the watch back around her neck and her fingers stroke the band again, Henry felt that sweet feeling in his heart again.
***
While Henry was questioning himself regarding his feelings towards Jo, Abe had decided to drag Lucas for his illegal operation, which he had a bad feeling about.
Fortunately, he didn't have to touch anything, just take some pictures for his stupid father, and the whole thing would be a no-brainer. He sincerely hoped that the cameras didn't go that far into the building.
Lucas was waiting for him and didn't seem particularly thrilled about breaking the rules for once.
- Please enlighten me again as to why we need to go into the basement and examine the cab?
Abe put the flash of his cell phone under his nose. Lucas didn't even blink.
- I need answers about Henry. Only this cab can give me that. I'm not a cop, but I've learned to have a certain eye from him and I'd like to make some observations of my own.
Lucas sighed and dragged his feet, behind him, once they were sure the path was clear.
- I'm warning you that you're going to have to wear protective suits if you want to go in there. There are a lot of chemicals or elements that can be harmful to your health or body, so you always have to protect yourself. Plus, it preserves the evidence.
- I know what it sounds like, kid! Henry tells me... - he stopped when he saw Lucas' face. He took a dramatic tone - was telling me about his working days.
They went down to the same floor where the morgue was located, but the hallway to the room was different.
They were silent until they got to the room and Lucas couldn't hold it.
- How can you keep so cool? No pun intended, of course.
- What are you talking about?
- Henry... You lived with him, you raised him... How can you be in the mood to investigate? Just look at the state this puts Jo in... and I can barely focus.
Abe used to hear Lucas whining non-stop, talking trash. But he never seemed that serious. Of course, over the years he had grown closer to Henry, and if the young man had any idea of Henry's age, no doubt in the immortal's words, Lucas could have been considered a son. But in this lifetime, he acted rather as a big brother.
Abe was a little tired of making excuses.
- I... Lucas, it's because it's just a way for me not to think about it. It's a very bad thing to do... but it's what Jo does too.
Lucas rolled his eyes
- Jo, no offense, is completely delusional. She totally thinks the Doc is still alive. I wish I had that mindset, but it's been almost a week and there's no sign of him... This time we lost him for good. And that breaks me, but it hurts me even more for her.
He dropped onto an old stool that was lying around. Abe thought that if it was grief time, they might want to wait until they were outside the building if they wanted to avoid a lecture from the security guards who were probably roaming the floors.
- I saw the way they both looked at each other," Lucas sighed, "as soon as she stepped into the morgue, there was a kind of sexual tension that built up... I wish Henry had known happiness. They would have made a nice couple. So, I can't blame Jo for keeping the hope alive, I guess.
Abe saw a small tear under Lucas's eyes. He cursed Henry for at least the 110th time since the beginning of the week.
- Lucas! I trust Jo, so you never know. She's right, no body, no death.
He looked at the cab.
- Now! I like you, but please enlighten me quickly, if you don't want you and me to get into bigger trouble.
He heard another sigh but Lucas got up to comply, not without grumbling.
***
A few hours later, Abe went back to Jersey and returned unannounced, as usual, and saw Henry, lying on his bed, his eyes fixed to the ceiling, and appeared to reflect on the deep existence of his immortality.
- Well, what's the matter with you Methuselah?
Henry only slowly turned his head and looked at the ceiling again. He remained silent.
- I love to talk with a wall," Abe grumbled, putting his things down.
He joined his father on his bed and glared at him. Feeling his son on the verge of burning him, Henry finally paid attention.
- What do you want, Abe?
Abe rolled his eyes.
- Nice welcome! Thanks.
Henry stood up and rubbed his face.
- Sorry! I'm a little confused.
Abe gloated
- You are? You finally realized that your whole idea of pretending to be dead for real is stupid?
This time he got a glare.
- No... Well, maybe a little. It's not that.
He got up and started pacing, as usual. Abe noticed that he seemed much more disturbed than he was on a daily basis. He must have seen something, or maybe he got a call from Adam.
- What's going on? Did Adam say anything to you?
- No, I still haven't heard anything," he replied in a frustrated tone
- So what?
Henry walked to the window and looked out at the river, where he had seen Jo tonight, but from a distance, like the creep he was.
- I... I saw Jo tonight!
Abe gasped. Henry almost saw him thrilling in the window.
- What? You saw Jo? I thought there was a wild smell in this room.
Henry turned around with a severe look on his face
- Abraham!
Abe shrugged.
- What? I tried! Well, seriously, what do you mean you saw her? Did you talk to her?
Henry shook his head negatively
- No Abe... I... I saw her in the park when I was walking around tonight to get some air. She didn't see me. I just stood there and watched her but I didn't have the courage to get near her. She looked so sad.
Abe loudly laughed
- What do you think? This situation affects her more than the others. Henry, you're...
- A coward! I know I am! You don't have to tell me again.
He turned back to the window. Abe noticed that he looked even tenser than he was the night when he sacrificed himself for Jo.
- Is something on your mind?
Abe tried to hide his smirk because his father seemed to understand some things and seeing Jo had completely flipped him.
- I'm just wondering about my feelings for Jo.
Abe put his foot down
- What feelings?
Henry looked at him sideways
- I'm not sure yet! But seeing her tonight... I felt different. I haven't felt that way in a long time... since
- Since Mom! - Abe replied in quick succession.
He noticed his father's cheeks slightly turning red. Henry changed the subject
- Well, do you have any news?
- Yes! I have the pictures!
He sat down at the table and took out his laptop on which he had transferred the pictures. Henry would accomplish two things at once with Raj's pictures and the car pictures.
They both sat down with a long silence. So long, in fact, that Abe took the time to read a book that Henry had left lying around.
After many long minutes, he finally said
- It's a sword!
Abe blinked several times
- What?
- Raj Patel! He was killed by the blade of a sword. The wound in the driver's seat and the one in his chest reveal that kind of murder weapon.
Abe thought that his father obviously stayed too much inside.
- A sword? Henry, seriously? I know you're still living in the Renaissance era, but still.
Henry's face was inexpressive and serious, as usual. Abe knew this was no time for humor.
- I'm not kidding! Raj was killed by an immortal man, just like I am... I'll let you do your supernatural math right now.
This simply shut Abe up
- Also, in March, when Jo came to me to officially be her M.E... There was a man with the Hanjo Masume stuck in his chest. So, it's not the first time.
- All right! Don't be so cranky. So, how did you come to this conclusion?
- Because this man was killed with a very precise thrust to the spine, heart and sternum. It would have taken very precise strength and a special blade... He was killed with a single-edged sword.
Abe thought that after 70 years he couldn't be that surprised and yet he was.
- And do you know what sword it is?
- Abe! I've seen swords in my life. I have some at the store but I can't possibly know them all. Adam must have his little psycho collection in his closet so I wouldn't be surprised if it came from one of those little trips from the early centuries. But this is the murder weapon.
Abe melted into this chair
- And what? You want me to warn the detectives? They'll ask me to explain. I could never get your intelligence for that. Because they seem a little lost trying to figure out what the murder weapon is.
Henry knew Abe couldn't tell them how he knew that. That would kind of give away the whole plan.
- For now, we won't say anything. As you say, you won't be able to explain. But... It won't be long now.
- What won't be long?
- I'm not going to wait for Adam to crawl to me. I don't need his tricks. It's time I talk to Jo. I just have to figure out how to do it without scaring her and without her being ready to lock me up.
Abe almost gave him a beating
- Oh come on! Jo is a trustworthy person. No one would believe her anyway if she said you were immortal, so stop worrying about that. But I'm so glad you finally decided to talk to her. She deserves it.
- I know! But I still have to do everything I can before I throw this at her and show up like a ghost.
Abe was proud of his father. He was finally becoming a man. After 200 years, it was about time.
He patted his father on the shoulder.
- Henry! You have my full support. I'll be there to help you and confirm the whole story if needed. Either way, she'll have a hard time not believing it... Even if for now, she's convinced you've just drifted away and are too weak to contact them.
Abe saw an attempt to play along with this lie, but his gaze stopped him.
- Don't worry. I won't back down this time.
A few days later, Jo had not let go of the idea that Henry was still alive somewhere. True that no patrol or citizen had reported a drowned body near the rivers.
However, she slept very little and at this point, Reece was now convinced that she was living in her world of illusion and that she would need at least a week's rest to get her head straight.
So one morning, Reece called Jo into her office
- You wanted to see me, Lieutenant? – Jo asked, knocking on the door.
- Oh, yes! Jo, come in. Close the door, please.
Jo complied and walked towards her boss' office. Reece was sitting and writing down some of the clues from Patel's file.
She finally looked up.
- So, Jo. How's it going?
Jo was almost surprised she asked
- Uh, I'm okay, Lieutenant.
- You're not doing much work on the Patel case... Don't you want to find your kidnapper and the man responsible for this?
Jo refrained from rolling her eyes
- I... Yes, of course, I do. But Lieutenant, I need to keep looking for Henry.
Reece would have bet on it. That was why she had brought her into her office.
- Jo...
Jo cut her off
- Yes, I know what you're all thinking. But I'm convinced. I can't say why, but part of me feels that he's alive - as she said this, she kept touching the watch she had around her neck, in much the same way she wore her wedding ring - but he's probably in very bad shape, somewhere. I have some clues.
- Jo, you said yourself that he didn't come to the surface when you did.
Jo sharply nodded
- But what do I know? it was dark, Lieutenant. I have no guarantee that he didn't go out. I just assumed because it was cold and we were in bad shape. But Henry is resourceful... He probably found a way to escape. His body wasn't found.
Reece didn't want to break her heart. Her feelings for Henry were blinding her and it seemed she only realized it now that she had lost him, but her boss couldn't let her torture herself like this anymore.
- Jo! Look, you need to get this off your chest, talk to someone who doesn't know you in your everyday life. This whole accident had a huge impact on you and you need to get it together.
Jo raised her voice
- But I'm telling you, he's not dead!
She realized who she was talking to and quickly looked away.
- Sorry... I... I don't know why I'm screaming. I... I will listen to what you have to say.
- A wise decision!
When Jo came out of the office, Mike intercepted her
- Are you okay? What did Reece tell you?
Jo grumbled
- She sent me to a therapist. I have an appointment this afternoon.
She noticed a gun in Mike's hands, in a sealed bag.
- What's that?
- It's the gun from the bullet we examined last time. It was stuck under a pole underwater. Divers found it. It's a C96 Mauser. A prototype that went into service very early and it's a rare one.
Jo looked at the gun
- And does it belong to anyone?
- That's the exciting part. We found the registration in Brooklyn, a man named Richard Smight.
Jo stood there for a few minutes, looking at the gun
- And when are you going?
- Mr. Smight isn't home this morning, so I was going to pay him a visit this afternoon. But since you have your appointment...
- I'll go with you once I'm done if you'd like. I'll be happy to kick on some doors.
Mike only half-smiled. If Reece was sending Jo to a therapist, it was probably because the situation was that bad. He walked her to her desk where she put her hands to her head
-I'm getting tired of shrinks for the past two years. I'm not sure they can help me. She's only doing this because you all think I'm crazy for believing Henry is still alive.
Mike sat down in front of her and quickly shook her hands
- Jo! Reece isn't doing this to hurt you. She only wants you to be healthy. But you need to empty your heart, and I think you know that.
He smiled at her and walked away, patting her on the back. Jo remained puzzled, letting her eyes fall on Raj Patel's file.
Notes:
The Hanjo Masume was mentioned at the end of the Pilot when Jo came to Henry to tell him he was her official M.E.
Also, you probably noticed I took a lot of liberty with the written dialogue based on episode 11, I just made it my own and changed a couple of things later, you'll see 😊.
Chapter Text
The office was quite different from the last shrink she had seen. Everything looked rural. A bit like Henry's.
In front of her stood a man in his fifties, dressed in fairly conservative clothes that left no doubt as to where he was from.
- Would you like some coffee, Miss Martinez? I know that Americans have an adoration for this beverage.
If she had a bet, she would have won. Her therapist was British and his accent couldn't fool anybody.
- I... yes! Thank you, Mr. Farber.
The said Farber prepared the coffee while he made himself a cup of tea. He looked at Jo with a smile and handed her a cup
- You can call me Lewis. If you allow me to call you Jo.
- Whatever you like!
He took a seat opposite her. Jo kept looking around. Before they got to the heart of the matter because she knew that this visit would not be pleasant. She asked
- What part of England are you from?
- London. Simple as this.
One of Henry's fellows, she thought. Her heart sank because she knew she was standing in that office for that reason.
She took a sip of her coffee
- So, Jo. Lieutenant Reece forwarded me your file. You haven't had it easy the last few years. I see you've been talking to my colleague, Dr. Green.
- Yes, I did. But I only had a few sessions with him.
Lewis quickly reads his patient's file
- After your husband's death, I see.
Jo frowned. She was rather secretive and talking to a shrink hadn't been the best experience of her life.
- Jo. I am not here to judge you. I am here to listen. A person as young as you are needs her energy and rest even if she is a cop. You are here because... you lost your work partner recently, right?
Jo took another sip, and her face betrayed both sadness and annoyance.
- That is a lot of close losses for you. It can't be an easy situation to be in and it seems like you're keeping it all to yourself.
- What do you want me to say? - she dryly cut off
- How do you feel about all this? It's a lot to take in and from what I can see, you were doing a great job with Dr. Morgan.
Jo put down her cup and started pacing. If her blood pressure was being measured right now, she was sure she would have been sent to the hospital to get it down.
- Look... I know what my boss wanted to do when she sent me here, but my work with Henry is... Is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I wouldn't want to lose that and he's really valuable to my investigations. He's never let me down, so it's up to me to do the same.
Lewis frowned
- Jo! You're talking about him in the present tense...
Jo glared at him
- I know! They probably told you everything, that's why I'm here. But I'm sure Henry isn't dead.
Jo noticed a certain discomfort in Lewis as she said this. He pushed his glasses up on his nose
- What makes you say that? You were both trapped in a car underwater, weren't you?
She ran her hands through her hair
- Yes, that's right! He... He would have sacrificed himself to save me. But I'm sure he's out there somewhere, but he's too weak to contact us right now. But, of course, nobody believes me, and that's why Reece sent me here.
She looked down, playing with her friend's watch. The tears were close to falling. Lewis was sympathetic.
- Tell me about your relationship with Dr. Morgan. Were you close? And by that I mean.. Intimate.
Jo's cheeks flushed. She cleared her throat.
- No... We weren't... Not like that. Henry was my partner, professionally, but he became a devoted friend...
The sound of her voice betrayed the fact that she didn't seem to believe the words herself.
- Jo! You lost your husband a year and a half ago. You met Henry soon after. Do you think, out of purely human reflex, you fell back on him to fill the void?
Jo looked offended
- What? No. It wasn't like that. Henry would never be a backup.
It was the first time she'd said this out loud. Her cheeks turned bright pink. Lewis smiled and let her speak.
She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ears.
- In the last few weeks, Henry and I have started to get closer. He's been stupid a few times trying to save me on the field - she felt that lump in her stomach again - but although at first, I thought he was a jerk, disguised as a macho... He's been a great help. He says things like they're supposed to be... He's a good listener - she smiled - he says he doesn't judge but I know deep down he does. We all do it. Even me. And I don't know, recently we had an investigation that kind of pushed us, almost on the same page. Something changed... And I started contemplating the idea that...
She didn't want to say too much. Besides, she didn't know why she was spilling all this to a complete stranger.
- That you could be more than friends.
Jo didn't answer, but her bad poker face did for her. This only made Lewis smile more.
- It's a good thing you're saying all this. You're realizing that Henry was becoming more than just a colleague and friend... And now you're convincing yourself that he's still around and you want to help him. This is a normal reaction, especially since you have lost your husband and Henry has in some ways have given you the comfort you needed.
Jo knew he was right, but she didn't want to admit all this out loud, she wasn't ready for it yet.
- And about that night in the cab. How do you feel about it?
- Guilty - she blurted out without thinking
Lewis was surprised. He took the posture of a perfect Englishman and almost peered through his glasses at his patient
- How's that?
Jo sniffed, holding back tears as best she could.
- If Henry never made it… I would hate myself for not helping him out when he pushed me out of the car.
- Your survival instinct took over, Jo. You can't feel guilty about that.
- And why not? I'm supposed to protect him, not the other way around.
She finally sat down
- Look, Lewis... That's why I'm holding on to this hope. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Henry has to live. I'm the cop and he doesn't deserve to die like this. But something deep inside me, I can't say what is screaming at me that he is alive, somewhere, suffering but alive. He's resourceful... But deep down...
Lewis waited a long time before she kept talking
- I know I could as much not find him. I just don't want to reduce myself to that. You're right. He means more to me than I care to admit... And knowing that I may never see him again... breaks me. I don't think I can handle it after Sean.
She swallowed the rest of her coffee in one gulp, having grown a little too cold from pacing. Lewis himself didn't know what to say with so much emotion on. He just gave her a box of tissues.
He smiled.
- Everything you feel is only human, detective. You were attached to him, and I'm sure he was too. The feedback I've gotten from your file tells me that you were a very good team.
It reassured Jo that at least one person could understand how she felt. Well, he was paid for it, but she felt less guilty at the end of the day.
On her way out, she thanked Lewis and stared at him
- Is something wrong, Jo?
Jo smiled
- No! I'm sorry! It was just a feeling of déjà vu. Thank you, Doctor. I'll see you at the next session.
Jo looked at her cell phone as she exited the building. She realized she was in Bellevue. She hesitated for a few minutes but figured they needed more information about the investigation before she could rush off to interview the staff.
Mike had texted her the address of Richard Smight. He would be waiting for her in front of the house. Jo didn't feel much like talking to a probable killer, but she still had to try to put her head into the job. Maybe the sooner they solved this case, the sooner she would have some free time to find Henry.
It didn't take her long to drive to Brooklyn. Mike was leaning against his car when she pulled up.
- So, how was your appointment?
She shrugged.
- It was fine! I ran into a British guy. But he's not going to cure me in one session. Besides, I'm not sick.
Mike shook his head
- I didn't say anything! Well, I knocked but he didn't answer, and I know he's at home because I saw him come in.
Jo smiled
- You're not discreet. He probably figured out that you're a cop and doesn't feel to open.
- Or he's got something to hide.
- Or this! Come on!
Jo walked up the steps of the building and they headed for Richard Smight's apartment. She gently knocked.
- Richard Smight? NYPD. Open the door!
Mike had brought a bulletproof vest for her. A man with a gun couldn't be too clean, so they had to be ready for any possibility.
- Richard Smight? - Mike repeated, in a louder voice
- Mike, don't freak him out. We don't want him to escape.
They eventually heard footsteps coming from the apartment and a man in his late forties-early fifties opened the door.
- Yes, how can I help you, detectives?
Jo looked at his build from top to bottom. He was pure American, there was no mistaking it. Mike noticed her hesitation. He looked at her, not saying a word, but she simply shook her head negatively.
- Mr. Smight. I'm Detective Martinez and this is Detective Hanson. We'd like to ask you a few questions.
Considering the guy was built like a tank, Jo thought he was going to crush both of them but he let them in. Mike knew Jo's charisma must have helped.
The apartment wasn't neat and tidy at all and had a strong cannabis smell. As Jo walked down the hall to the living room, she thought once again about Henry. He would pass out from all the mess.
Richard pretended he was tidying up by pushing all the stuff out of the way on the couch.
Jo and Mike settled in
- So. Why is the NYPD visiting? Did I do something wrong?
- We don't know yet," Mike sarcastically said - but we'll decide when you answer our questions.
Jo thought he was a little harsh, but after all, they were all under pressure.
- Mr. Smight," she began, "this was found at the bottom of the Hudson River.
She showed him pictures of the weapon that belonged to him. The two detectives instantly noticed their suspect becoming nervous.
- This weapon was in a cab last week. A cab that sank to the bottom of the river. You don't happen to know anything about that?
Richard stared at both of them, one after the other. He shook his head
- No, I don't. I... I didn't take a cab.
- Really? - Mike said impatiently - so why the hesitation?
- This gun is registered to you. It's old. How come?
He didn't know what to say. Mike was really starting to lose his patience
- Mr. Smight, if you don't cooperate, we'll be taking you to the station and you could have some jail time if you're protecting someone. That gun belongs to you, a man was killed, so it doesn't look good for you at all.
Smight melted into his couch
- Yes, that gun is mine. But I didn't use it. Besides, it has been stolen.
Jo raised a long eyebrow
- You got robbed of a gun worth more than our salary? And you didn't warn anyone?
- What did you want me to say? "Hey I lost a gun, it's important, I'd like to find it".
Mike looked at him with an obvious look
- Well, yes! You're registered, no one would have thrown rocks at you. If you don't warn about a missing gun in a murder investigation, that's how you become a suspect. So, Mr. Smight, where were you on Tuesday night last week? About 8:30 pm.
- I was here!
- Do you have anyone that can testify for this?
Jo knew the answer from the condition the apartment was in. Of course, it was negative.
- Sorry to tell you this, Mr. Smight, but you don't strike me as the super-organized guy who would be robbed of such a valuable weapon. No one was supposed to have any idea that you had it. So how could you lose it?
- I don't know. I guess the person was very clever.
- When did you notice your gun was gone? - Hanson asked.
He shrugged again
- Maybe two or three days ago.
Jo rubbed her sinuses
- You're really not helping. Are you sure it was stolen? Considering its value... You might have been tempted by a nice sum of money.
Jo seemed to have touched a nerve. Richard seemed a little ashamed.
- I... Okay, that's it, you win! I did. I sold that gun.
Jo felt the adrenaline.
- To whom?
- I didn't see his face. A man about your height, Detective - he said this to Jo - but indeed, he offered me a good sum of money. I didn't know what he was going to do with it. I'm sorry.
Jo thought better of it.
- Did you know this man? - she pointed to Raj's photo - he was the cab driver.
Richard seemed familiar with Patel, the way his face changed when he saw him.
- Yes. I worked at Bellevue for a while, and he was a security guard. Why?
Mike looked at Jo, who seemed to be turning pale. They thanked their man and left. Mike looked at his colleague
- Jo, are you okay?
- Yeah... I figure whoever bought the gun must be our kidnapper. I'm not sure, I've barely had time to get an idea of his height, but it seems to fit. Plus, Smight worked at Bellevue just like Raj... I mean, that can't be a coincidence. We need to dig in there and find out why they stopped working there... It could lead us right to our kidnapper, at least I hope so.
At the end of the day, Henry, who had heard from Abe, was trying to piece together the puzzle between Raj Patel, the suspect Jo and Hanson had gone to visit, and the connection to Adam.
At this point, he had no concrete theory. The only thing Raj and Richard had in common seemed to be their work at Bellevue. All of the next parts of the investigation was of course up to the detectives to find out what was going on.
While his focus was elsewhere as the image of Jo kept reappearing in front of his eyes, and his heart kept pounding whenever he was distracted by his partner, the bedroom phone rang.
Henry stared at it for a few seconds, wondering what the hell that thing that was ringing was. The picture of Jo haunting him made his thoughts no longer pure. On one hand, he thanked the ringing, but in another, he remained a little suspicious.
Abe was calling more than he was stopping by now. He couldn't leave his store closed all the time. And Henry didn't blame him.
- Hello?
The heavy breathing on the other end of the line made him shudder. He didn't need to wonder who it was.
- Good evening, Henry!
Adam's voice sent a cold chill through him. He thought back to that night in the cab and poor Jo panicking, thinking her end has come. He gripped the receiver. He would never forgive Adam for almost killing her.
- What do you want? - he dryly asked
- Oh come on, Henry! Is this a way to talk to your old friend?
Henry almost broke the receiver in his hands. He almost barked
- We're not friends! Not after what you did last time.
- Oh, that little impromptu swim. Oops!
Henry knew Adam was provoking him, but he tried not to let it get to him.
- Oops? That's all you have to say. You killed me. You killed yourself and you almost killed my partner.
- Yeah, sorry about that. That wasn't part of the plan. The beautiful detective Martinez. She's a cutie. I understand why you had the biggest survival instinct you apparently never shown before.
Henry felt his blood boil.
- What do you want from me? I won't ask about how you found me.
Adam chuckled.
- It wasn't hard! I'm the only one besides your roommate who knows that you won't die permanently. It does cause a bit of concern in your team though... In particular, your beautiful partner. An interesting woman, who is convinced that you're still alive, just because your body has not been found anywhere.
Henry didn't answer. Jo has always been very perceptive, so he wasn't surprised. Somehow, it warmed his heart to know that she was willing to fight to find him, even though everyone told her there was no hope.
- But you know... This girl is getting a little too nosy. She'll find out our identities soon. She's close, and I don't think that's a good thing for anybody. I know she saw me disappear, and after a while, her memories of that night are going to haunt her and she's going to end up talking to someone about it. And she's so resourceful, it could jeopardize our immortal status.
Henry could smell a threat. That was all he wanted to avoid. Adam was better to stay away from Jo.
- I'll have you know that if you touch one hair on her head...
- Then what? You'll kill me? That would be a fun game, wouldn't it?
- Stay away from her!
- Look Henry, I don't like people poking around too much. This woman has seen too much now... But be happy, what she feels for you, seems to be beyond friendship now.
Henry had never boiled over as much as the last time someone had gone after Abigail. The receiver really wasn't far from breaking in his hands. His whole body twitched and if Adam had been in front of him, he would have broken his nose or worse.
- Adam, I swear to you, if you go after Jo, I will not let you go, I will follow you no matter where you hide, you will never get to the bottom of this. So, think before you go after people I lo... people close to me.
Henry could picture a petty smile. Obviously, blackmail was working and that was all Adam wanted to see from Henry. Anger and revenge if he ever went after the woman he seemed to be falling for.
- That's interesting. Anyway, I don't take orders from you, Henry. I'm still older though. Have fun!
- No, wait!
The tone rang out and Henry was close to smashing the phone against the wall.
He put his hands to his hair. He grabbed his jacket and was about to leave the room but told himself he wasn't thinking rationally. Threats. They were probably futile threats. Adam was a master at that. He was probably doing this to get him out of his hotel, and put at risk having the whole NYPD on his back, while he, a free immortal, could go on with his crimes and why not pin one of it on him.
He sat down on the bed and tried to think. If he called Jo, she would think she heard a ghost. If he went to her house, maybe she would be more willing to talk to him... But in the meantime, she was in so much pain, he didn't want to hurt her more.
But was his secret so worth protecting when Jo's life was threatened? He knew what Adam was capable of, and he didn't know how far he could go with his provocation. Jo needed protection and he needed to plan things quickly to keep her away from Adam, without freaking her with the fact that he was still alive.
Henry knew that Jo had seen Adam disappear, but she didn't seem to have mentioned it to anyone, and she wasn't that type. Maybe the shock was keeping her from remembering that moment, but there was no reason to take it out on her.
Chapter Text
After a long and exhausting day, Jo returned home to the rather sophisticated Washington Heights neighborhood. The Harlem girl that she was never been raised in such a wealthy neighborhood. She could thank Sean for giving her such a life.
For now, the insurance money from Sean's death would allow her to still live in the neighborhood, but sometimes she really thought about moving, as the rent was too high for her cop salary.
She took off her shoes. She was collecting days of exhaustion. Her sleep was pretty restless. Her dreams were always the same. From that night in the cab, with Henry's face, afraid of losing her, pushing her to save her... As he never got back in, his watch was always behind. Just like in the subway.
And there was this weird thing. She was pretty sure just like she was as sure she saw Henry jump off a building during their first investigation, she had seen their kidnapper shoot himself and disappear within seconds. She wasn't blacking out on that. She knew very well what she had seen, but who would be stupid enough to believe her? No one seemed to believe her about Henry, who might still be alive, so a man who shot himself and disappeared. They were going to end up sending her to asylum.
She walked into the living room, sighing. She crashed herself on the couch and thought she could lie down there without ever moving. She did, however, need to take a nice hot bath to relax her muscles, which seemed far too tense for her age.
She went upstairs to her room and the bathroom. She made herself a lavender bubble bath, turned on her speaker on some lo-fi music. It was a piece of nice relaxing music after all those days of exhaustion.
She woke up with a start after about 15 minutes. She hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep in the bath. The water was now cold, and the power went off.
She was in total darkness. Fortunately, since her phone was connected to her speaker, she could use the flash to light up.
She wrapped herself in a bathrobe and grabbed her cell phone, as well as her gun, which she always kept within reach, just in case.
Her heart began to race. She wasn't very fond of horror movies, but she had seen enough of them in her life to know that power outages and complete silence were never a good sign.
And she also had seen enough cases from that kind so a part of her definitely freaked out to face with someone clown style or something.
She reached the second floor. Her front door was open. She knew she had locked it, so someone was in this apartment. She put her phone in one hand and pointed her gun in front of her, gritty not to be killed in her own home.
- Who's there? - she shouted loudly enough, hoping to scare off the person who had broken into her home.
Of course, she received no answer. She didn't show it, but deep inside she was trembling. She had experienced being opposed to a psychopath a few weeks before and had to act quickly to save herself.
She managed to perceive a shadow in her kitchen. There was an emergency door, so of course, the person was going to use it. She quickened her pace. No one was in the kitchen. She walked slowly and from time to time she lit up behind her to make sure that the person who had broken into her house was not leaving through the front door.
Eventually, she bumped into something. She knew what it was and her heart began to pound hard against her chest. She didn't dare to lower her flash at her feet to see who was lying lifeless in her kitchen.
But she didn't need to. Just then, the power came back on, and she saw the corpse at her feet, which was none other than Richard Smight. She looked up, and her fridge had a message, apparently written with the victim's blood "you're next".
She couldn't help it and let out a scream of terror, her gun falling heavily next to the victim. She moved to another room, breathing hard, and called for Mike. She was in such a panic, Mike could hardly understand her, but he did catch the words dead body, threats and he quickly jumped into his car, warning Reece.
When her entire team walked into the scene, Jo was sitting at the kitchen bar with her head in her hands. Mike was first to walk in and gave her a soothing tea to calm her nerves.
Reece came in, while the CSU tried to pick up some prints but Jo told them
- You probably won't find anything. This is the victim's blood. I'm sure he was smarter than that.
She looked at her fridge which was being cleaned with bleach. She had a point. It would seem unlikely that the killer could leave his fingerprints so visible. But on another hand, Jo's life was now in jeopardy, and Reece would not let this one go.
- Jo! I have a feeling your kidnapper will come back... because you made it in the drowning cab. Did you see anything?
Jo shook her head.
- We got some information earlier today," Mike continued, "Mr. Smight and Patel left the hospital because they had a problem with one patient...Only, right now we can't get his name since we'd need the approval of either the court with a warrant or a psychiatrist and right now the judge is extremely busy but we'll manage.
Jo looked at her colleague, but her expression was blank. Reece was rubbing her back. She was under a big shock, more than the one she had in the cab.
- All we were told was that the suspect apparently has sociopathic tendencies. The medication they put him under was barely working, and he was going into completely supernatural delusions. Raj and Richard, were both verbally and physically abused on several occasions, so they left. So he could be the one behind all this. But we need the name. However, they gave us a draft, without giving his name. Does he look familiar?
He showed the caricature that had been drawn by the NYPD cartoonists, to get an idea of the man, thanks to the physical description of the Bellevue reception. Jo looked at him for a long time.
She nodded
- From the lack I saw, his profile could be a match.
Reece gave the information to the rest of the detectives and returned it to Jo. At the same time, Abe, who had been warned barge into the kitchen
- Jo!
She got down from her stool and threw herself into the old man's arms, as if in a natural gesture. He gently rubbed her shoulders, while she silently cried.
- Jo! You can't be alone. Two officers will stay outside your house and watch all night. Don't go out and lock all your doors and windows. If anything happens, call us immediately. You need to be put under protection – Reece said
Jo hated being taken care of in this way. She wasn't a wounded puppy. Even if she was scared.
Abe looked at the lieutenant.
- I know I don't have the strength of a cop, but could I stay with Jo tonight? If you'll let me. When an assailant knows his victim isn't alone, he usually avoids trying again the same night. Besides, I've got lots of weapons at the store that might scare him off.
This earned him a weird look from the lieutenant and Hanson. He still managed to get a smile out of Jo's lips.
- You can stay," Reece agreed, "but be careful too.
She left them to talk to the officers standing outside Jo's house. Mike swayed from one foot to the other.
- Jo. I could stay too. There won't be too many of us to protect you.
Jo loudly sighed
- No, I'm good, thanks, Mike! Abe will be here and our two colleagues at the door. You'd better go home, you have your family.
Mike shrugged
- Jo. Karen can understand perfectly well. Especially if your life is in danger.
- I appreciate this, but I'll be fine, I promise.
If Mike had bet on how many times Jo had told him it would be okay when he knew it wasn't... He would have been rich.
He looked at Abe
- I'm counting on you to look out for her.
- No worries, I won't leave her side.
Mike wished them a good night and left as well, promising to stay by his phone.
When everyone left, Jo let out a little sob. Abe gave her some more herbal tea and took her hands.
- You know, Abe. I figured that man would show up eventually, but it takes a lot of nerve to walk into a cop's house and put a dead body there.
- Yeah, well, Jo. He could have killed you right there. I'm so glad nothing happened to you... But of course, that means you have to be very careful.
Abe understood now why Henry had such an aversion to Adam. Breaking into Jo's house, putting a dead body there and threatening her, was of course to get Henry's attention and get him back on his team, so he would be caught with some hard explanations.
- Abe... I... I need to tell you something.
- What?
- Well... Don't be mad at me but... When I slept at the store last time... In the night, I went through Henry's things. There were clothes missing from his closet and I didn't see any important papers... There was no second toothbrush in the bathroom either. I didn't want to do that. But I thought, seeing everything that... That he was really still alive. Abe, you have to tell me if you know anything.
Abe was stunned. It was the last thing he ever expected to hear. Jo was definitely good at this. And apparently not ready to let Henry go, even if it meant putting herself in danger.
He did not know what to say to her.
- Will you excuse me for a moment? I have to make a phone call.
Jo nodded and got up to clean her kitchen thoroughly, to avoid the smell of more blood.
Abe was almost in a panic, but not too much. This show could not go on. Jo had to know the truth, or Adam was going to end up choking this poor girl with his bare hands.
- Hello?
- Henry! Hey, it's me! We've got a problem.
- What's going on?
Henry had already jumped to his feet, and if he could, he would have flown to his son immediately.
- First, Jo is having major doubts about whether you're still alive. She saw that some of your stuff wasn't at the store. She's very smart. So now she's getting closer to her goal and she won't let go.
Henry didn't answer, but a part of him was still proud that Jo was able to deduce all this, just by missing clothes.
- And then, tonight, Adam targeted her.
This time, the immortal's reaction wasn't long
- What?
He had raised his voice so loudly that Abe thought Jo probably already knew who he was talking to.
- Yes. A dead body was found in her kitchen. And there was a note that said: "you're next". Henry, I don't think this looks good. Adam probably wants to get back at Jo for being with you when he shot himself and she might know too much.
Henry kicked the chair in front of him, which nearly broke in half.
- That bastard! - the word escaped his lips before he could stop it - I should have known he would follow through with his threat.
Abe wasn't sure he understood this right
- Excuse me?
- Adam called me to use blackmail and provocation. I tried to talk him out of going near Jo...
Abe wryly laughed
- Henry! What did you think? That he would listen to you just because you asked him to stop. You're even more naive than I thought. She's under protection, but nothing will stop him.
Henry started pacing.
- Did they say anything about the investigation?
- They would have identified a patient who looked exactly like Adam. He was at Bellevue. They can't get a name right now, but they have the drawing since the hospital cooperated anyway, so they're going to start a search to try to identify him.
Henry wasn't sure what to think
- He probably wants to get caught to challenge us. But Jo is in serious danger with him. That was the warning. I can't leave her in the hands of that psychopath.
- What are you going to do? Henry! She's the one who's a cop.
The decision would be a little brutal. But this time, Adam had crossed the line. Going after Jo was the last thing he should have done. Now, with his young colleague's life was in far too much danger, Henry couldn't let him start over and do God knows what to her. He had already lost the woman he loved 30 years before. There was no way he was going to do it again.
He blinked several times. Did he really love Jo this way now?
He took a deep breath
- Bring her!
Abe had to hold the receiver up to his ear and knock on it to make sure he'd heard it right.
- Wait, what? Did you seriously just ask me to take Jo back to Jersey?
- That's right, Abe! Get Jo over here. It's time I talk to her and explain the whole situation. I didn't want it to go this way, but she needs to be in the confidence now and I won't tolerate Adam, trying to hurt her again.
Abe held back from jumping around. It was time for his father to come out of his shell.
- Great! We'll be there as soon as we can. She's under surveillance, so we'll have to be smart if we want to get out without the two big guys at the door stopping her from getting out. See you later.
Abe walked in, almost excited as a flea, startling Jo, who had just put down her mop.
- Jo! Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to come with me.
Jo frowned
- What for?
- Please no questions until we get there. Take a couple of things and your work clothes, and don't forget your gun. It will probably come in handy. Take your toothbrush too.
He pushed her towards the floor. Jo stopped in the hallway
- Wow wow! Calm down! Abe! What's going on? Where are you taking me? I can't get out. I have two guards at the door. They won't give me the pleasure.
- I know they won't! But, we'll find a way. Please! This is important... - seeing her skepticism, he added - it's about Henry.
It didn't take much for her to react. She didn't ask any more questions and went upstairs to get a bag and drop two or three clothes into it, along with her toothbrush, as Abe had asked.
She grabbed Henry's watch and put it around her neck, like a reflex she'd had since she'd gotten it back.
Abe looked out the window. Jo's colleagues were at the front door, so of course, that wasn't the way to go.
Jo looked at the kitchen.
- It's an emergency door. It doesn't open from the outside. But my car is parked out front.
- We'll take mine, don't worry about that. Where does this emergency door lead to?
- The back street, there's another parking.
- Perfect! I'll go around then.
He was ready to leave but Jo held him back
- Wait! What are you going to tell my colleagues? Do they know you're supposed to be with me?
- That I'm going to get some good food for you. You have to feed yourself, after all.
Jo smiled.
- Thanks, Abe!
Abe walked out of the apartment. The two officers looked at him.
- I'll be right back. I'll get some good comfort food for her. Believe me, she needs it.
They said nothing and let Abe go, not having any idea that their colleague was also leaving.
Jo didn't know what was in store for her, but she just hoped this would give her some answers about Henry.
The drive to New Jersey was faster than usual since it was evening and there was no traffic.
Jo recognized the place where she had come a few days earlier to try to find her friend.
She frowned.
- But... Abe, what are we doing here? - she asked as they got out of the car, parked in front of the big hotel where a big surprise was waiting for Jo.
- I told you... it has to do with Henry. Trust me, honey.
He motioned for her to follow him inside the hotel. For a split second, Jo wondered if Abe was working along with the kidnapper and they were just going to chop her off and send her in a bag to the 11th.
But when she found herself outside a hotel room and he said.
- I'm warning you... You're going to get an extra thrill tonight. But it couldn't last any longer.
He knocked on the door. They waited for minutes that seemed to last forever. The door opened slowly and Jo almost had a real heart attack.
- Good evening Jo... I think I owe you an explanation.
Notes:
I know Jo is brave and she's not the kind to easily panic but she found a dead body in her home and she's still in shock with the whole drowning thing, it's kind of a post-traumatic syndrome so yeah she kind into went an anxiety attack once she saw the words and the body. She could be as much as a cop, she's still human and with how overwhelmed she has been, it was just the trigger she didn't need.
Chapter Text
Jo looked at him for a long time, not saying a word, completely stunned. Henry told himself that his score was set, she was going to shoot him and he wouldn't have to bother with explanations. But he didn't anticipate what came next.
Jo dropped her bag and literally jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, so much so that Henry lost his balance but his physical strength managed to keep them both steady. Abe was giggling and thought this reunion was worth filming.
- Henry! I knew. I knew you were alive. I felt it.
She stayed in his arms for several minutes still in her position. Henry's face was bright red and Abe could tell he was embarrassed but not in a bad way. It seemed that this physical connection was making him sweat and he had to fight to keep his manhood down.
After a while, Jo felt that she was starting to feel heavy to that poor Henry, and she pulled away from him. Her eyes were bright and she seemed relieved.
- I'm sorry I jumped on you like that... You... You made it through the surface. Nobody believed it, but part of me knew.
Henry and Abe shared a look. He could have chosen to accept this truth, but Abe would never let him get to the bottom of it if he decided to be a coward again.
- Uh, Jo. Yes, I got through it. But not the way you think.
Jo looked at him with a confused face. He took a deep breath
- It's a long and complicated story. I feel you should know that now. I wish it could have been different, but with your life in danger, I can't risk anything anymore.
She did not answer. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She had her share of emotions for just one evening, and she wasn't done yet. She suspected that from the look on his face, whatever he was going to tell wouldn't be something insignificant.
- But you must be exhausted tonight so if you want to rest first.
She cut him off, while Abe loudly sighed
- Henry! Maybe tomorrow morning you'll change your mind. I'm not tired. I have plenty of time. If you didn't rise up ... Then I want to know what happened to you to get you to stand in front of me like you never drowned.
Henry was scared. This was going to be the first time he was going, to tell the truth on his own, without anyone seeing him die. Ironically, even Abigail had seen him die. Only Jo seemed to be more fortunate. The situation called for it, but still.
Abe picked up Jo's bag, closed the bedroom door, and Henry grabbed his partner's hand and dragged her to the bedroom couch.
He was very nervous and didn't know exactly where to start. Abe looked at him and tapped him on the shoulder.
- I'm going to take a walk to the hotel bar. Call me when you're done so I'll confirm whatever needs to be confirmed.
Henry didn't want to confess everything to Jo without his help, but he was right. This was his story to tell.
He looked at his partner but looked away before rubbing his face in frustration.
Jo put her hand on his arm
- Henry! I won't judge you. I don't care what you tell me.
- I know, but what I'm about to tell you is beyond understanding. It's crazy and you may find it hard to believe.
Jo could see the fear in her friend's eyes. Her hand reached his and grasped his fingers.
Her fingers were cold, probably because of the temperature outside. Soon they warmed to his hand and Henry looked up at her. He saw a look he'd never seen in anyone before. She was patient, she was willing to listen, and she wouldn't run away.
She softly whispered to him
- I thought I had lost my partner. Trust me, I didn't need that. So I'm ready to hear what you're going to say even if it's going to upset me.
- It's going to take hours since it's such a long story... Are you ready to hear everything tonight?
She nodded
- After what I've been through tonight, I really don't feel like sleeping right now.
His hand went to rest on her cheek before he could stop it. Jo let it happen, his eyes were so soft she could kiss him.
He took another deep breath
- With everything I'm about to tell you, I'll be able to explain to you who is that stalker and why he sent us both to the river.
Jo remained unmoved
- So that was really him? Henry I saw something weird... I may have been dreaming but he shot himself... But there was no body. But I thought I was hallucinating.
Henry shook his head
- You didn't hallucinate. And that's why I'm going to explain everything. I hope you won't be too angry with me. It all started on April 7, 1814, on the Empress of Africa.
***
Four hours. This was how long it took Henry to tell the whole story. And again, Henry had to shorten some part so that Jo wouldn't fall asleep; although all along, her eyes had been so wide, he was sure he'd disturbed her sleep for the next ten years.
Abe had finally come up to confirm the part of the story that involved him. Jo had nearly fainted when she learned they were father and son, but not in the way she would have thought.
He then told her about Adam and the fact that he was immortal like him but did not mention how old for now.
He told her that he was the one who kidnapped them in the cab and that he killed himself.
And tonight he was probably the one to blame for killing Richard Smight and leaving him in Jo's kitchen.
- But I don't know what he looks like," Henry finished, "so I'm hoping that the search for the argument with that patient from Bellevue will lead us right to him. I think I've covered everything.
He looked at her. She looked at him, too, without saying a word. Abe was off to the side, sitting in a chair, sipping his drink, in a not subtle way. It was 2 a.m. and no one looked like they were ready to sleep.
Jo finally got up and walked to the window. Henry did the same, but Abe glanced at him. Jo needed to digest everything she had just learned.
She felt a chill run down her spine; she seemed cold. A lot of things were racing through her mind.
All these flashes, all these moments he just did whatever he wanted and threw himself repeatedly in front of her to try to take a bullet, to be hit by a car or anything… Just because he could allow himself to do so. She remembered that night on the roof of Grand Central. He had been shot and jumped off the building. Yet the next day he was in her room, without a scratch on him.
In the window, she saw Henry's reflection, scared about the idea of returning to a mental facility.
It was hard not to believe him. He hadn't come up from the river even though it was dark and Jo didn't know what she was saying. But he was well and truly on his own two feet, and he was precisely hiding because everyone thought he was dead.
And everything he'd done was to protect her. He had tried to turn Adam away from her, but apparently, he wasn't the type to give up so easily.
She could see a lot of pain in his eyes. He kept looking at Abe. Both of them had without a doubt, plans to run as far away as possible, if she ever didn't believe them and decided to have them locked up. But why would she do that? No one in their right mind would believe such a story, and she kept being convinced that Henry was alive, they would end up locking her up.
She had to protect his secret. It was a huge one, it was a burden but all the facts were standing right in front of her. Henry had too much knowledge for only a "35" years old man. She understood better all his references older than the world.
This condition weighed on him, and that was a given. Living forever wasn't a good thing. Especially when you had an enemy who shared the same condition.
She slowly turned around. Henry swallowed as if his final judgment had come.
She moved closer to him but stayed a few feet away, keeping their usual personal space a little further.
- Henry... I
She didn't really know what to say. Action spoke louder than words.
She took a step and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head in the crook. Henry completely froze, feeling the stroke of Jo's fingers on the back of his head.
- Thanks for telling me all this. I understand all your eccentricities better now. Your secret is safe with me.
Abe saw his father loosen like a rubber band, and his arms wrapped around Jo's waist.
The old man slipped away to give them a moment. The world seemed to stop spinning for them. There were no more barriers, no more secrets, just two people whose feelings were dramatically changing.
Henry's hands went to the back of his friend's scalp and their embrace became stronger.
They remained a long time in this position, without saying a word. Jo finally put an end to this moment and kept a distance between them as she stared at every angle of his face.
Her gaze finally landed on the spot where his scar was. She gently put her hand on it, spreading Henry's shirt a little, to see the anchored bullet print.
Henry felt his throat go dry.
- You couldn't have survived a bullet like that... it was fatal. So not like I can't say I don't have all evidence in front of me. If you didn't have that condition, we would never have met and I would still be miserable after losing Sean.
Henry didn't know what to say and the stroke of Jo's fingers on his chest completely distracted him.
She finally realized the eroticism of the situation they were in. Her gaze met his and she didn't know if it was exhaustion or what, but her body seemed to be pushing her more towards Henry.
- Okay, now that you know everything. How are we going to deal with Adam?
Abe's voice pulled them out of their daze and they quickly moved away from each other as if they had burned themselves but Abe didn't miss their little tricks.
- I think we'll discuss this tomorrow, well, in a few hours, Abe! I think this is a lot of emotion for Jo and she needs to rest.
Indeed, Jo had just laid down on the couch and was energetically rubbing her eyes.
- We will also have to find an excuse for the rest of the team. The two guards in front of my house will soon realize I'm not home. I'll have to make a call to Reece and come up with something.
Henry seemed worried about her. He didn't want to put her in such a situation. He was about to say something but Jo continued
- Henry! I know you're not going to tell our friends about your secret. That's perfectly understandable. But you're going to have to tell them something when you get back.
Henry had not yet decided whether or not he would return to the 11th. For now, everyone needed to rest, so it wasn't a good time to talk about it.
- We'll think about it when the time comes. Everyone needs to sleep now.
The bed was big, even too big. But Henry didn't want to make Jo uncomfortable.
- Jo, you'll take the bed tonight. Abe, I'll order a spare bed for you, and I'll take the couch.
There was a commotion and Abe said
- I can go home. I've got to keep this store going.
Even Jo knew this was a bad idea
- Abe, it's after 2:00 a.m. You're not going to drive to the Lower East Side. Stay here for tonight. Your customers can understand if you open later.
Abe didn't feel like third-wheeling, but knowing Henry, he'd never try anything for years, so he wasn't risking anything by sleeping with them that night. Jo was exhausted anyway, and probably wouldn't be able to think of anything else with all that had happened.
- Well okay!
The two men let Jo freshen up and stare at each other.
- Do you think she can keep my secret? - Henry asked - that's a lot to take in.
- Henry! You can trust her. She won't say anything. No one would believe her anyway. You saw it, she didn't look at you like you were out of your mind. Her reaction is proof enough that she'll keep your secret, no worries.
Henry agreed. He felt lighter, but still annoyed, because of Adam's plans.
- I don't know what I'm going to do about the 11th yet, Abe. But going after Jo was probably a ruse on his part to...
- To get you back to the station.
Henry nodded.
- We'll see what happens in the next few days. But he won't risk coming all the way out here to touch her. He knows it would cost him too much.
- I hope you're right.
They heard the bathroom door open. They stood up, as the perfect gentlemen that they were.
Henry felt his pants get a little too tight at Jo's attire. She was wearing plush shorts, her long legs exposed, and a big plush sweater to match.
She was quite comfortable. She had also put on socks that went up to her thighs.
Jo noticed that Henry was half drooling over her and that his eyes were set on her legs.
- Erm... I like to sleep with socks on sometimes, especially when I'm wearing these PJs. Otherwise, my feet are always freezing.
Abe had to hold back a laugh at his father's puzzled expression. He wasn't used to seeing such a sexy creature in front of him anymore.
Jo walked over to the bed, her cheeks a bit flustered, just like Henry's. She hesitated and looked at Henry.
- Go ahead. I don't mind sleeping on the couch.
- But what about your back?
- I've slept in worse places than this, Jo. A couch won't get to me.
Jo smiled and got into the bed. Much cozier than hers, and more comfortable too.
There was a knock at the door. Abe went to open it, it was the spare bed Henry had called for.
Henry unfolded it to put it next to the couch. The old man quickly fell asleep. Soon, Henry didn't hear a sound in the room. Abe began to softly snore and he could hear Jo's slow breathing.
He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, hoping not to wake her. She seemed more peaceful than she had apparently been this past long week.
He gently stroked her cheek, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ears. His heart began to race even faster than the last time he had seen her in the park.
It had happened. This was real. The feelings he had for her, were stronger than friendship, stronger than mere affection. He was falling in love and he could have sworn he'd never know this feeling again, and yet here he was.
He got up before he did anything he would regret, and went to take a shower to put his thoughts in order, before falling asleep on the couch.
***
Henry woke up around 6:30 am. The few hours of sleep didn't bother him. He had already had 24 to 48-hour shifts after all.
Abe was also already up. Jo was still sleeping, and by the look of it, she definitely sounded asleep. She must have been completely exhausted with the strong emotions she had experienced the day before.
So they spoke as quietly as possible.
- Henry! I'll go back to the store. I have to keep this business going. Will Jo be okay?
Henry looked at her. She was so peaceful and incredibly sexy. He cut his thoughts short and looked at his son who was smirking.
- I'll try not to push her too hard. We'll let you know how it goes.
Abe looked back at Jo
- You know you're going to have to decide whether or not to go back to the 11th?
- I know! I'll think with her about what we can do. But for now, the priority is to get Adam out of the way and if we can get our hands on him so that he'll leave us alone temporarily, that would be good.
Abe wasn't too sure about this idea, knowing that Adam could end his life at any time, even in jail, but Henry knew that he would never take the risk to expose his secret in front of cameras, let alone law enforcement.
- Anyway, this investigation is still unsolved. I'll keep an eye on her, make sure Adam doesn't go near her again.
Abe nodded
- Okay! Well, then, I'll see you later.
Notes:
I've read some stories that said in the author's note (after the reveal) that even if Jo takes it well in the chapter, they're pretty sure she wouldn't take it that well in the show...
I don't know why some people don't trust her like that. I mean, if she was Henry's soulmate in that century, she's not the female lead for nothing and obviously, she was going to believe him and deal with his secret.
Sure enough, it might be a bit hard at first for her to gather her thoughts about it but I'm pretty sure this would have to do mostly with the trust issues than the whole immortality thing. As I like to say, she's smart and she knows something deep down, duh, Henry does a lot of crap in front of her salad, she witnessed one of his "death" so she knows, and she would accept it (I mean if they were off to Paris at the end of season 2, I assume she would know if they go on that trip lol).
Sorry, just wanted to emphasize why she deals with it so easily and why she's not that mad. Besides, in that story, she feared he was dead and she's relieved he's not and is not going ever so yeah.
Chapter 10
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Abe left the room. Henry gently closed the door and turned to see that Jo was still asleep but had rolled over and was now sleeping on her stomach, one leg out of the bed.
Henry could see her back through the sweater that was coming up. When he felt his second brain thinking for him, he looked away.
He picked up the phone and ordered breakfast. He felt a bit weird. It had been years since a woman had shared his room. At least, a woman who wasn't just a one-night stand that he wouldn't see again in the morning.
Even if nothing happened with Jo, there was a very pleasant feeling to wake up to the smell of feminine perfume.
Jo didn't wake up until 8. She slowly opened her eyes, remembering where she was. She sat up in bed, and saw Henry, with his back to her, sitting on the couch, reading the files from their investigation.
She got off the bed and yawned at him
- Good morning!
He turned and greeted her with a lopsided grin
- Good morning, Jo! I hope you didn't sleep too badly with what I told you earlier?
Jo smiled
- No!, not all! I think I haven't slept like that in a long time.
She saw the table, filled with good food. Her eyes sparkled
- Wow, I usually only have coffee.
- I thought, after so much sharing, you should be hungry. Plus, I heard from Abe that you've hardly eaten in a few days.
Jo pursed her lips
- I was too anxious about you whether you were alive or not.
She took a seat
- Anyway, thanks for the breakfast. Are you joining me?
- I've already eaten but I can sit with you, I don't mind.
There was a long silence. Jo was eating with great enthusiasm. An enthusiasm she seemed to have regained after this long week of stress. Henry told himself that he could look at her all day long, he could not get enough of her.
- Henry. Honestly, what am I going to say to the 11th? No one would believe me when I told them that I felt you were still alive. What excuse are we going to give now?
- Maybe the one you gave in the first place. That I drifted away but managed to get back to the surface, despite the cold... But I don't know yet. We have to solve this case first.
He looked at her for a while as she swallowed her coffee and felt his gaze on her
- Jo! How did you know I was still alive? Immortality aside, of course.
Jo stopped drinking, and slowly put her cup down. She had been sleeping with the watch and pulled it from her neck before she put it in his hand.
- Now that you tell me the watch always stays behind when you die, it makes sense... But honestly, I don't know. I couldn't explain how I felt you were still alive. I just had this feeling. Maybe it's your watch. It's probably pretty well connected to you.
Henry never had anyone with whom he'd had such a strong connection, not even Abigail.
Jo could tell he was thinking about his late wife.
- You know... When I saw the pictures of that beautiful blonde woman, part of me knew it was Abigail but I thought it looked old. She made you the person you are today and so is Abe. I wish I had known her.
Henry took her hands and shook them.
- She would adore you, Jo. I'm sure she would have.
- Do you know what happened to her? She might still be alive. She'd be what, 94 at best?
Henry nodded.
- Yes! But I don't think so. I know she wanted to move on from her life with me, I can't blame her, but if she wanted to find me, she would have done it already. I just hope she was surrounded in her last days.
Jo smiled and her fingers gently stroked Henry's palm.
- If you'd like, I'll start a search and maybe you can find her.
- Jo! Abigail probably changed her name so I wouldn't find her. And at her age, there's not much I could do," he laughed, "she'd be too "old" for me.
This amused Jo, who rewarded him with a slight slap on the knuckles. She finished her breakfast and she barely had time to swallow her orange juice when her phone rang and Lt Reece's number appeared.
She grimaced
- Huh-oh! I think they noticed I'd gone missing
- Answer it! Just pretend I'm not here.
Jo sat down on the bed and tried to look relaxed
- Lieutenant!
- Jo! Where the hell are you? The officers in front of your house didn't see you come out and knocked a few times and came in... You weren't home. How could you get out? I told you to stay put!
Jo had to pull the receiver away from her ears because Reece's voice had been so loud. Even Henry could hear it and she wasn't even on speaker. He was glad he wasn't Jo at the moment. But he didn't think much of it when everyone would find out about the subterfuge and the fact that Jo would have been spending time with him, while she kept on with the case.
- Erm... Lieutenant, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't stay home. I had to get out. Abe and I went out the back door.
- Where are you?
- I... - she looked at Henry - at my brother's house!
Henry stifled a laugh. Jo shrugged. She couldn't think of a better excuse.
- Your brother? But I thought your relationship was not so good?
- Yes. Well, nonetheless when I need him he's there. I'll come by to the 11th later today.
- If you need to rest, I don't blame you, but don't ever scare us like that again. They thought that man abducted you during the night and they didn't notice.
Jo was glad that her team was so concerned about her. They were like a big family.
- I'm sorry! This was an impulsive decision. Abe knew he had no choice. He dropped me off.
- Good! Then it's good that you're safe. We're keeping on the search to find out a certain Clark Walker, his name came back to us, so here's hoping it's the right person. We've asked the judge for the warrant, but we'll have to be patient, not sure if we'll get it today.
Jo suddenly realized something.
- Do your best! I might have a lead, so I'll try to look for it on my side and I'll stop to the 11th for further exploration.
- Don't force it! You still need to rest. You had a lot of emotion.
- Yes, of course.
They hung up and Henry laughed
- So, you're at your brother's?
- We had to find an excuse. Well, I just thought of something.
Henry stared at her
- What is it?
- If we want to get our psychopath's name, his real name I mean, we need a psychiatrist's permission. I might have someone who can help us.
- You do? Who?
- My therapist! They sent me to see him because they thought I was going insane thinking you were not dead. I'm going to go talk to him later. Do you…
She hesitated. But she needed her partner. He understood
- Would you like me to go with you?
- He knows you're supposed to be dead, but I kept telling him you were alive. It won't hurt to have the story told that you made it and that I was the first person you called.
Henry wasn't sure if he should show up, but after all, Jo's therapist didn't know him.
- All right! But, Jo, I'm not going to show up to the 11th with you. Once we finish our visit... I'll be right back here, okay?
- No problem. I understand.
She left for the bathroom. Henry melted into the sofa and rubbed his face. He still hadn't thought about whether or not he would go back to work with them. He knew he couldn't pretend for the rest of his life, and besides, the excuse of drifting away seemed to be working. But he was scared. Scared that they would dig too deep into his past. At least now he had someone who could offer him her support.
***
So Jo and Henry agreed to go to Bellevue. Jo would ask her therapist for some help so they could have a chance to find out about this Clark Walker.
Henry didn't want to be recognized. There were sometimes cops hanging around to Bellevue, so they might tell Reece he was with Jo and both of them would be in trouble.
Henry had put on a sweatshirt, which was far from being his usual attire. He wandered in the hall of Bellevue with a hoodie on his head.
The hospital was pretty quiet for a working day. Henry was nervous. He froze when he felt Jo's hand in his.
- Henry! Breathe! Nobody's going to throw rocks at you because you're not dead.
- I pretended I was... I wouldn't want it to come back to you too... They can blame you for hiding it.
Jo laughed
- No, they won't! Anyway, we'll explain the situation as we planned, but for now, no one's there, so we'll talk to Farber, and then we'll figure it out.
Jo gently knocked on her therapist's door. He took a few minutes to open the door, with a cup of tea in his hand, like the perfect British he was.
Henry looked him over from head to toe.
- Jo! We didn't have an appointment until Friday, right?
Jo awkwardly smiled
- Actually, I could use your help with our investigation.
His eyes drifted toward Henry and he seemed surprised. He frowned. Jo looked at her partner
- Yes, it's Henry. Can we come in? We'll explain, but about the investigation, it's just that we have to wait for the judge and it's getting long. So, a therapist's permission is our best option.
- Well, when you put it that way. Come in!
They walked into the office. Henry couldn't help but look around and was impressed by the degrees this therapist had. Impressive for a man his age.
He was glad to see a fellow Englishman, though.
He joined Jo, who was already sitting and Lewis was looking at them one after the other, and he seemed a little confused.
- First of all, I would like to understand... - he looked at Henry - weren't you supposed to be dead?
Henry and Jo looked at each other.
- Yes... I mean, I made it sound that way because Jo already told the story. But... I made it to safety and I've only gotten hypothermia for a few days.
- He called me recently. I found it hard to believe but part of me had always known.
Lewis hissed
- Well, well, well! I congratulate you on your powers of deduction, Jo. And in your case, Dr. Morgan, it's a real miracle.
Henry smiled, even though he was embarrassed to tell a lie bigger than his head, but Jo's shrink wasn't going to be looking at whether he was telling the truth or not. That was outside his expertise.
- So let's hear it. How can I help you?
- Actually, we need to know more about a patient. A guy named Clark Walker.
From the look on his face, Henry knew Lewis knew him
- You know him, don't you?
- Yes, I do. He's a fellow patient of one of my closest colleagues.
He rummaged through his agenda and read his patient's file
- So, this is Clark Walker. I've heard a lot of stories since he's one of the regulars here.
Henry looked at Jo
- What can you tell us about him?
- He was raised in the foster care system, with no family to speak of and all his original birth certificates were destroyed in a fire.
- Well, of course, they were - Jo groaned
Lewis chuckled
- And apparently, he has some pretty powerful delusions. He thinks he's immortal.
As the word reached Lewis' lips, Jo and Henry shared a rather alarming look. They seemed to have gotten their man. Their silence exchanged didn't go unnoticed to Lewis.
- Anything else? - Henry asked.
- Well, he's been caught repeatedly skinny-dipping in the East River.
Jo and Henry began to feel really uncomfortable. The vein on Henry's forehead began to significantly jiggle. However, Jo smirked at the thought of Henry completely naked in the East River. She had to fake a cough to try and chase away those impure thoughts.
- The two employees who worked here and quit..." Jo began, "was it because they assaulted him or something?
Lewis read the file
- Oh no no, he assaulted them. The therapist has left a note here: Clark has no fear of personal harm or death and has violent tendencies. To avoid extended jail time, he had to agree to mandatory daily counselling.
Jo frowned
-Daily? When's his next session?
Lewis looked into his computer and looked back at Henry and Jo with a serious expression.
- Right now!
They immediately stood up. Henry was first, with Jo on his heels.
- Thank you, Lewis! You really just did us a big favor.
He smiled
- You're welcome, detective!
As the two walked out. Lewis' mask fell and he muttered
- You two are smart... But I'm smarter than you. The beautiful detective knows it now. You won't have any peace, either of you.
Henry was already close to the reception but Jo caught up with him
- Henry, wait! Your detective is showing.
- Sorry! It's just that I can't wait to get my hands on this man. After what he did to you, he deserves to rot in jail with no way out.
Jo was touched by his concern. They energetically walked to the reception area where a Hispanic man, didn't seem to know what he was doing there.
- NYPD! Is there a Clark Walker here?
The poor man, who seemed bored with life, looked at his screen and replied in a dull tone
- He just signed out.
- Lock it down! - the detective ordered.
The receptionist did not stir, looking at Jo as if she had just spoken another language. She lost her patience
- Lock it! - she pressed the lock button herself.
The alarm quickly went on, and the locking system took over, the gates came down and nobody would be able to get out soon enough.
Henry tried to spot Adam aka Clark Walker. Eventually, he spotted him. He was wearing a hat, just like the night, he kidnapped them.
- Jo! He's over there!
He ran ahead, and Jo stood beside him, her gun in hand. They strolled down the hallway, Jo yelling "NYPD" so they could get through the crowd, but Clark Walker was walking fast ever since he heard the warning of the doors being locked.
Henry tried to catch up with him and yelled at people to catch him, but he managed to escape just before the gates closed, leaving the couple dismayed for not being able to put their hands on him.
- Oh my God! - Henry stormed - we were so close!
He rolled his eyes. Of course, they were. That kind of luck only happened to him. He rested his head against the window, whose gates were now closed.
Jo stood behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.
- Henry! It's all right! We'll catch him. You can't go far in New York these days.
He turned around to look at her. She put a hand on his cheek
- Don't worry! I'll go back to the 11th and explain the whole. I won't say anything about you right now if you don't want to come...
Henry smiled at her
- I trust you.
The gates were opened again. They walked to take the subway and Jo asked
- Are you sure you don't want to come? Your statement could be important.
- Jo! I can't just barge in. We have to do this without pressuring anyone.
Jo thought that with the excuse they had given Lewis, there would be no harm in acting out with the others.
- Okay! Well, be careful on the way back. If you ever have a bad encounter, call me as soon as you get back to the hotel, okay?
- No problem, Jo.
They rode together for a while, and Henry had to take the subway in the other direction to New Jersey.
Jo headed to the Lower East Side. She would have liked to take her car, but she didn't have time to go back to Washington Heights for now. The search for Clark Walker had to begin, and now they were racing against time.
Notes:
You probably noticed I've rewritten the moment where Henry and Jo have a meeting with Adam but considering the plot this time, most things have changed 😏
Chapter Text
Jo burst into the 11th with such force that she startled Mike, who had his head buried in his files. She quickly typed on her computer, moved to the printer and walked past him again
- Jo? - he shouted at her when she flew past him like a bird
- No time, Mike!
She entered her boss' office without knocking. Reece noticed her lack of consideration and looked at her without blinking.
- Jo! You seem to be very agitated! What's going on?
- Lieu! I found Clark Walker!
- What? - Reece almost fell out of her chair - sorry? What do you mean?
Jo began pacing the office, as excited as ever
- I knew the warrant would take a while to come, so I went to see my therapist, Dr. Farber.
Reece glared at her. Jo smiled like an angel
- I know! I went a little overboard! But he very kindly agreed to help me and give me the information I needed. His build matches the man who kidnapped us. I tried to catch up with him but he got out before the doors were locked. I have his picture. I just printed it out.
She handed it to her boss. Jo had quickly typed up a BOLO. She seemed more determined than ever to get her hands on this man.
- Go to the bullpen, I'm coming!
Mike was completely stunned. In one evening, Jo seemed to be back on track.
He opened his mouth
- what happened to you? Where did you get all this information?
- I did my research. You don't think I was really going to rest.
Reece stepped into the bullpen and hung Walker's picture on the crime board.
- I need your attention, please! We are looking for this criminal, Clark Walker. He's dangerous and has psychopathic tendencies. If you see him, do not attempt anything on your own and notify a backup team. The priority is to catch and control him before we bring him in. Thank you for your cooperation.
Jo leaned against her desk. Her heart pounded. Mike and Reece looked at her
- How did you get all this done so quickly? And what were the chances that Walker was there? - Reece asked.
- He has therapy sessions every day. Lewis told me he was just out of a session when I went to see him.
Mike sensed that his friend was hiding something else, but he didn't want to push.
- Okay, we'll keep our eyes open, but Jo, if you come face to face with him, you'll be careful and not try anything. You've got enough on your mind as it is.
Jo nodded. Now that she knew Henry was safe, she wasn't going to put herself in any more danger. However, she also didn't want Adam or Clark Walker, or whatever his name was, to take advantage of Henry being alone to try anything.
- Well, I'm going back to my brother's. I'm still tired. If there's any news, call me.
Jo headed for the elevator, but Mike followed her. Before she could get in, he blocked the doors. She huffed.
- What?
- Jo! Where were you last night?
She raised her arms
- I told you! I was at Luis' place! We may not get along very well, but when I need a hand, he's there for me.
Hanson looked at her for a long time. He clicked his tongue in his mouth
- Jo... Why won't you tell me the truth?
- What truth? - she shouted louder than she wanted to
- I called Luis! You weren't there and he told me he hadn't seen you in months. So, what are you hiding?
Jo stared at Mike. He'd had to play the good detective and check with her brother. She would have to remember to yell at Luis the next time she would see him. He could at least have covered for her.
- Jo! Don't tell me you've started messing around again?
What Mike meant by that was if she didn't go back to drinking until she forgot her own name and to sleep with everything that owned a penis.
- No, Mike! I'm not going to fall that low! Anyway, that's my problem. And please mind your own business. Abe was with me, I wasn't alone but I didn't do what you think. I'll see you later.
She didn't give him a chance to stop her. Mike seemed tired of his friend's reaction.
Jo leaned back in the elevator and quickly closed her eyes. She would have a hard time keeping the truth that Henry was alive. She had to convince him to come back.
She decided to go back to her house and also made a detour to the store to update Abe on the situation. She took the time to have lunch with him since he invited her. And she returned in the afternoon, to New Jersey.
She entered the room unannounced. Henry was reading. He smiled at her when he saw her come in.
She sat down beside him, rubbing her temples.
- Are you okay?
- I've got the search started for Walker. I said I was taking the rest of the day off to relax some more. But Mike blew me off
Henry frowned
- What do you mean he blew you off?
- He called my brother to see if I was home and of course, that idiot said I wasn't. Then he started assuming I was having one-night stands again to forget my grief since that's what I did after Sean. Gotta love how he trusts me. Anyway, he started to get suspicious but I didn't want to tell him the truth so I left. He sometimes annoys me by being so overprotective.
Henry tenderly smiled
- Jo! You're like his little sister, so it's a normal reaction for him.
Jo melted into the sofa, crossing her arms
- Yes, well, it would be easier if you went straight back to the 11th.
She abruptly stood up. Henry had some trouble understanding her reaction. She must have been exhausted then, her words must have gone beyond her thoughts.
Henry got up to stand behind her
- Jo... Honestly, I'm not sure I'm coming back. It's complicated to say you've come back from the dead when everyone else has already moved on.
She turned to look at him with murderous eyes. With such a look Henry felt like he was in for a swim in the river.
- Look! All along I've been telling them you're alive. You were able to set up a story with my therapist. Why not with them as well? I've got your back.
- Jo, I'm not asking you to lie for me. The shrink was different, he doesn't know me in my every day’s life and we don't work with him.
- It's too late! – her voice began to rise – I'm already lying for you because now I know your secret.
He was speechless. She wasn't wrong.
- You may think that in your lonely life no one cares about you, but it's not true. Everyone cares about you. And they act like they don't, but I know they're affected. That would bring them a lot of joy if they see you again. Besides, you bring so much to our team. Without you, we wouldn't have solved a lot of cases. What's holding you back?
Henry was used to getting moral lectures from Abe, but when someone else was doing it, it had a different effect.
- Nothing... Nothing's holding me back, Jo. But I don't want to put anyone in danger. Adam will always come back with ideas each more evil than the other. Besides, you know his secret, mine... you're on his radar now.
- How does it matter if we catch him and request that he's put in a room where he can never hurt himself? Henry. I'm a cop, I take risks every day. So do my colleagues. This is what we signed up for. You're lucky to have that immortal shield, but I can't risk your life even with that. Your mind's sharper than any of us as cops. We need you at the 11th ... - she looked him in the eye - I need you.
He looked at her but didn't know what to say. Jo got angry
- You're just being selfish, Henry! I mean, we took you on as a member of our team and yes, I understand that your life isn't easy but you have to fight. I'll be there to cover for you if you need me. Henry, I need your expertise... And your friendship.
He still didn't reply. He couldn't find the words. She rolled her eyes
- You can be such an ass sometimes. Whether you're 35 or 235, you men are still babies... You get to work with a great team and you panic because your enemy, who is, a nice reminder, immortal like you, could come after us. What do you want us to do with all the threats in our everyday lives? You're pissing me off! I've spent a week worrying about you, thinking you were dead, and now you want to keep on going being a chicken just because you're afraid of what this man might do. But come on, you could...
Her rant was interrupted when she felt the caress of Henry's lips on hers. She was unable to react. Her body felt as if was totally frozen. One second, she was yelling at him and the next, his tongue was almost at the back of her throat. Her arms were flailing, all along her body. Her eyes had remained open but Henry's were closed and he was begging for access to her mouth. She eventually realized what was happening, and her hands slowly moved up Henry's torso and another gripped at his curls as her eyes slowly closed and she allowed access to Henry's tongue for a more passionate, more heated kiss.
She felt the immortal's hands move down to her waist, to pull on his proximity with her body. Jo sighed through the kiss and Henry pressed more on this passion that took over and started to seriously heat their bodies up.
Their kiss seemed to last forever, at least, Henry could speak from experience.
It was the first time that he acted under an impulse. He didn't even think about it while kissing her. It seemed to be the best thing to do in cases like these. He couldn't explain his animal-like behavior, though.
He finally ended the kiss, and Jo still seemed to be in a state of euphoria.
When she opened her eyes, she blinked several times to make sure she hadn't been dreaming and ran her fingers over her lips, still feeling Henry's sweet taste.
He finally spoke
-My apologies... I don't know what came over me.
Jo's cheeks were on fire. She could burn herself on the spot. No one had ever put her in such ecstasy. Even Sean would never have the nerve to kiss her like that when she was upset. There was something... arousing about it.
- Uh... I... It's okay - she cleared her throat as she heard her voice get particularly high - it wasn't... unpleasant.
He grinned
- It definitely wasn't. I got carried away with my emotions. But that kiss at least helps see clearer.
Jo looked at him with an obvious look
- You bet!
She was having a hard time lowering her arousal. Both of them felt that they wanted each other, but Jo thought that maybe they should slow down if they wanted to go in that direction.
- You're right... there's no point in being a coward. I'll go back with you and we'll explain the situation.
Jo smiled and felt lighter.
- Okay! Well, in that case, I'll go to the reception and tell them we're leaving, well you. You get it.
Henry kept on smiling. It seemed that nothing could ruin his good mood today.
Jo came out of the room and waved him, wondering what would happen to them once all of this would be behind them.
Henry then began to pack his things to return to the 11th. He was nervous, very nervous. Even telling Jo the truth didn't disturb him that much. Yet the excuse was pretty straightforward, he would say that he managed to hit the surface of the water, had drifted to New Jersey, and being too weak and tired, had managed to find shelter in the hotel.
But he was afraid that his poker face would not deceive anyone and especially not the Lieutenant who had to suspect that he was hiding more than he let on.
The door gently opened while he was facing it from the back. He didn't turn around yet and just smiled
- You were quick! Or did the front desk send you away because they're wondering what you're doing with me without having paid for a room?
He didn't get an answer, which he thought was odd, because Jo always had a quick comeback. He turned on his heels and the book he was putting away in his bag slipped out of his hand.
- You! - he half choked out.
Clark Walker was facing him. And apparently, he was no one else than Adam. He looked like exactly how Henry pictured him. A real psycho's face and he wasn't even blinking.
He had the sword that had been used to kill Raj Patel, and indirectly Richard Smight since he had the same wound.
- What do you want?
Henry looked at the door. He hoped Jo didn't cross paths with him and was stabbed. His blood ran cold at the thought.
Her name escaped him before he could stop it
- Jo! What did you do to her?
He didn't answer and kept on staring straight at Henry. Walker had locked the door. So if poor Jo hadn't been attacked, she wouldn't be able to get in, but he knew this never stopped her.
However, he didn't know how he was going to get out of such a situation. He couldn't let her in, that was probably the man's plan, wait for her to come back and finish her off in front of him.
- Kill me, Henry!
His real voice sent an even colder chill down his spine, more than when he was calling. Henry looked at him, frightened
- You're out of your mind! I'm not going to kill you.
Walker walked over to him and knelt before him with the sword in hand
- Do it!
Henry stepped back
- No! Never! Sick help, but leave me alone!
Walker did not stir. He just stood there in front of Henry, who didn't know what to do. He could anticipate the reaction of this lunatic. If he tried to walk past him out of the room, he would certainly attack him from behind. And that was probably what he was waiting for.
Notes:
Sorry for the very short chapter, I was supposed to post the all in one but nah, where would be the fun though? 😛
The next one will be the last.
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Jo had gone to notify the reception. She had explained that she was an NYPD detective that her friend had taken cover to protect himself.
She didn't know that as she stepped off the elevator, Walker had been watching her, to see which floor she came from. She hadn't noticed him because he had been lurking in the shadows.
Just as she was about to go back up, she was called out by Abe
- Hey, Henry's coming to his senses, he's coming home with us.
Abe widely smiled
- Oh well, that's good! I don't know what you said to him - he saw Jo's cheeks turn red - or did - he teased - but it was convincing.
Jo tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears
- Yes, good! Erm! Let's go get him.
But as they walked upstairs, and reached the door, Jo had a bad feeling. Abe put his hand on the handle, but Jo stopped him.
- Wait!
- What's wrong?
Jo put her ear to the door. The door was a bit shielded, so it was a bit hard to really hear what was going on.
However, she could see a couple of moves from underneath. She drew her gun.
Abe was alarmed
- Jo, what's going on?
- Henry! He's in danger - she knocked gently - Henry! Henry, can you hear me?
The moment Henry heard the door and Jo's voice, which sounded distant, he breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Clark Walker turned and looked at the door, and looked at Henry.
Henry didn't want to take any chances of hurting his partner, and he rushed to grab the sword, but Walker reached up and grabbed him by the sides of his shirt, Henry managed to knock him down and they smashed a vase.
Jo looked at Abe
- That's it, we're going in!
She was ready to pull on the door, but she didn't want to do any damage.
- Henry!
- Jo, don't come in! - he shouted as best he could, trying to keep Walker away or knock him out so he wouldn't create a bloodbath.
There was a thud. Henry was fighting. Abe shuddered.
- Jo! I think Adam found him!
- I know he did! We have to get him out of there.
She tried to force the door open. She saw a cleaning lady walking by.
- NYPD! Please, I need your badge. A man is in danger in this room.
She didn't even ask and handed her the magnetic card she was using to open all the doors.
Henry saw the door about to open, and Clark Walker ready to jump in first to slit the first throat to whoever was coming in. Seeing that he was in trouble as his assailant was on top of him, on the verge of strangling him, Henry grabbed the first object that came to hand and thrust it into his carotid artery, without looking at him.
The man looked at him and collapsed in a loud thud, on the carpet. Henry got up quickly before he noticed that the object he grabbed, was none other than a pair of scissors.
Jo stormed in with Abe on her heels, and both were stunned by what they saw.
- My God," Abe said, "was it him?
Henry was white as a sheet. Jo looked at the body at their feet and slowly moved forward. They waited, but nothing happened. Nothing at all.
Henry was about to have a panic attack.
- Wait a minute... Adam told me he's immortal... I mean, Jo saw it with her own eyes... But this man is…
- Dead - Abe finished - very dead!
Jo looked at Henry, who dropped onto the bed. She went to his side and rubbed his back
- It wasn't him... It wasn't Adam. I just killed an innocent man.
Jo looked up.
- Henry, innocent no! He's the one who killed Smight and left him in my kitchen. And he was violent. It wasn't his first time. It was self-defense. You can't blame yourself for that.
Henry didn't know what to think anymore. Abe had gone to his side and now the three of them were with a dead body, in a hotel room.
Jo looked at her colleague
- Henry... I have to call the others. This time we have no choice.
He only nodded and put his head in his hands. Jo didn't let go of his arm the whole time she was calling.
- Don't worry. It won't come back to bite you. Abe and I were there. We know what happened and you didn't do it on purpose. It was either him or you.
- Or both of you," he replied in an annoyed tone, "when I heard your voice, he turned around... I thought he would try.
Jo gently stroked his cheek, while Abe totally felt like the third wheel he was at that moment.
- It's going to be okay, Henry! You won't have to explain yourself, except for the drowning part, but that won't be any harder than telling me you're immortal. I'm here for you.
Henry half-smiled, and rested his forehead against Jo's. She gently stroked his brown curls, one hand entwined with his.
Abe tried to make himself forgotten, but he couldn't remain indifferent to what was happening between the two partners.
About an hour later, the entire NYPD team was at the crime scene, including Lucas, who had come along.
Everyone was speechless and shocked when they saw Henry.
- Doc - Lucas shouted, running to him like a child who hasn't seen his parents in a long time. He gave him a hug, which almost made him fall. He let him do. Lucas has been probably in a lot of pain, to think that he was dead.
Mike was stunned, and so was Reece. They looked at Jo.
- How did you…?
Jo cocked her head to the side
- I always had that feeling. I knew he was still alive. Everything he did was to protect us from that psychopath. If he had managed to escape, there was no reason Henry couldn't either.
- well... In that case. Sorry, we all doubted you, Jo.
Reece suspected that Henry had been playing along with Jo, which might explain why she wouldn't let go. But at first, she seemed broken, so maybe she didn't know about it until he finally came forward.
Another officer was taking Henry's statement. Mike thought he was a tad annoying. After all the emotions he'd been through, Henry probably wasn't in the mood for this.
- All right, cut him some slacks. He's one of us.
The officer left him and Mike looked at him as if he was seeing a ghost.
- I can't believe you managed to escape from that car underwater. How did you do it? We all thought you were dead, Doc.
Henry wasn't really in the mood for a joke, but he went along with the lie.
- As I pulled Jo out of the car, I had a survival instinct as well. But the current didn't take me in the same direction. I managed to keep my head above water but landed, here in New Jersey. I was in serious hyperthermia but managed to seek medical attention from the hotel. I had to rest... I wasn't able to contact Jo until a few days ago.
He hoped his lie held up, but at this point, he wasn't even trying to deny anything.
Hanson patted him on the shoulder
- So, I'm glad to see you back among the living. Jo knew it. She always knew. - Both men looked at her - you have a very devoted partner.
- I know that," Henry said with a smile.
Lucas struggled to hide his emotion. Henry shook his head.
- Lucas! Don't cry! I'm fine... Well, more or less.
- It was just... I really thought it was over for you. I didn't say anything to anyone, but it was affecting me, but when I saw Jo's state being worse than any of us, I pretended I was fine. I should have listened to her when she said you were alive. You two must really have a special bond for her not to let go.
Henry figured that her finding his watch had connected her to him and she could feel his heartbeat through the frame. This watch had always had a power that seemed beyond him.
Reece moved toward Henry. Clark Walker's body had just been stretchered off and covered. Henry turned pale.
- Henry! I'm glad to see you alive. I'm sorry about what happened tonight. I want you to know that it wasn't your fault. Jo explained everything to us and you did us a favor in a way.
- I'm not sure how to feel about that, Lieutenant... But I appreciate the words.
Reece smiled
- If you need to talk, don't hesitate to talk to a professional. Should ease your mind.
He only nodded and told himself that he had no desire to go back to work at the moment.
Jo came back to his side and wrapped her arms around his waist to give him a reassuring hug.
Feeling her scent and her frail little body against his, Henry calmed down, and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers.
- You know," she whispered, "a wise man once told me that the day killing someone doesn't affect you, that's when you've got real problems.
Henry felt his body tense up and he replied
- I wouldn't listen to him! He doesn't know what he's talking about!
She lifted her head to look at him in the eyes
- I disagree!
Henry looked into Jo's eyes. She was so sweet and understanding and now she was sharing his secret.
- Like Reece said, if you need to talk... I'm here. We'll all be here for you.
Henry was dying to kiss her again, but it wouldn't be very appropriate, especially in front of their colleagues. They weren't sure themselves what to make of their relationship at the moment.
He simply pulled her towards him, with one hand on the back of her head.
***
After the depositions, and the cleaning of the crime scene, as well as compensation at the hotel from Henry, even though they had insisted not to receive anything since it wasn't his fault either but he refused to not pay the extra.
Abe and Henry had gone back to the store and Jo had accompanied them. But as soon as they stepped inside, the phone rang.
The three occupants looked at each other
- Abe, you can go upstairs. You too, Jo. I'll join you soon.
- No, I'll stay with you," Jo said softly.
- Jo, go! I know it's him and I don't want him to know you're with me... Besides, something tells me he's not far away.
Abe motioned for Jo to follow him. The young woman glanced at him, taking the stairs. Henry smiled at her and grabbed the phone as soon as she disappeared.
He didn't answer, but Adam did.
- So you're wondering what happened
- He wasn't you!
- Hmm. Perhaps I gave poor Clark the impression we could pass on our affliction. Thankfully we can't. Clark was a full-blown psychopath and if allowed more time, he would have killed again. You did a good deed if you don't mind me saying.
- Why? Why do this? You tell me he was a psychopath but I'm quite sure this man didn't go over to my partner's apartment on his own to drop a body and warn her she would be the next.
- Oh, yes, this! Well, I just wanted to scare her a little bit. I knew you would react to this and I was right. But there's something else. After 200 years, you just did something for the first time.
Henry swallowed. If he listened to Adam, this seemed to be like the best thing to ever happen.
- There's no other rush like it, taking a life. It's thrilling. Tell me I'm wrong.
- I'm done with this. You're just as sick as the man you sent here to kill me. That's why you hide. You're insane.
- Look outside!
Henry looked through the windows of the store, where there was a cab, and the face of Lewis Farber, who was Jo's shrink, appeared. Henry was completely shocked and out of words.
- In my professional opinion, I disagree. I'm leaving town for a while but I do look forward to continuing our conversation. Say hi to your partner/girlfriend for me. Merry Christmas Henry.
And the cab drove off, leaving Henry almost helpless. The phone almost broke on the ground.
This man had played with him and had taken advantage of Jo's fragility. He now knew everyone's weak points and he knew that he and Jo were each other's weaknesses. So it was easy to scare one to have the other act.
He went back to the apartment, looking all down. He could not believe all that had just happened in one evening.
Seeing his face, Jo rushed to him
- Henry, are you okay? What did he want?
Henry looked at her and hugged her so tightly that she thought her body would melt in his hands
- Uh, Henry. I appreciate that you've become tactile, but you're kind of smothering me, you're going to break my bones.
Henry released her.
- Sorry!
He saw Abe was too busy in the kitchen. He took Jo's hand and led her into the living room. He was far too worried and Jo didn't like that.
- Listen, Jo. I need to tell you something about Adam. I need you to stay away from him.
- Yes, I got that.
- No, but really. Because... he was your therapist.
Jo's jaw dropped open
- What?
- Yes! He used us like puppets. He knew you were fragile when you thought I was dead... And…
Jo stood up
- And that's how he knew you were hiding because I told him everything. Like a fool. I told him I thought I saw the guy kill himself... Plus, I had a feeling when I looked at him but I didn't want to acknowledge it.
Henry stood up as well and put his hands on her shoulders
- Jo! You couldn't have guessed. But now you know. Anyway, he's going away for a while, so for now, we'll be fine. But he sure as hell won't be sticking around the NYPD in the future. He'd be too afraid for his condition.
Jo crossed her arms and looked at him. She could feel what Henry was about to say.
- Jo...
- Let me guess. To avoid any conflict or him coming after me, you'd rather we keep a friendly... and professional relationship?
Henry didn't want this decision any more than she did, but he couldn't let Jo be Adam's target anymore.
She, however, seemed to have other plans.
- Henry! It's too late now. I know, even if you pretend not to. Who cares? He has me on his radar now, and we'll go through it together. You don't think I'm going to let you mope around? Forget about me, I'm a cop. I just want to be there for you and help you, if I need to, to get him off your back. You won't get rid of me so easily.
Henry heard the echo of Abigail saying almost the same thing to him years before. Jo was stubborn and wouldn't move. She was right. She knew now and he couldn't leave her out like that.
He just nodded. Jo smiled and said
- Though, I don't know yet if we should put a name to our relationship. I...it's still a little confusing. Can we... not rush things and see where it all goes? And not tell anyone yet... Because after that kiss, I'm thinking, unless it doesn't mean anything to you, that we can't just be "professional" partners.
Henry chuckled.
- Of course, Jo. I don't want to rush into anything either, I mean, there's so much at stake and you just learned my secret...; It's a lot and I don't want you to get overwhelmed. We'll take it one step at a time as you said.
Jo smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. She took his hand and they joined Abe in the kitchen.
The days might be a little dark, but at least Henry knew that this time he wouldn't be going through an ordeal without his partner's support.
Notes:
so from there, the canon remains the same, like the rest of the season, would play out with just the huge difference that Jo knows about him and they would kind of be dating. In my head, their relationship would have a name only after episode 13 since Jo would be still fragile with the case involving Sean etc etc...Henry wouldn't want to rush her and neither would she but she would be ready to make their relationship more official... But people would only be aware of this like in episode 15 (they would be good hiding it for a couple of months lol)
And that picture *swoons* 🥵😍
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