JENNA: * Despite her apparent insomnia, Jo remains with Shane while he sleeps, and eventually she manages to drift off herself. The next few days continue the awkward truce, and the days stretch into weeks before too long. The uncomfortable silence has become almost natural by the sunlit day they end up in the yard, pulling weeds for lack of anything better to do. With the task nearly complete, Jo straightens with a long stretch, leaning lazily against the railing to the sheep's pen. "I'm about done in," she remarks. "You?"

JUSTIN: * Shane stabs his tool into the soil and rubs at his brow with the back of his hand, swiping sweat away. "I suppose. Plenty of days left to work on it, anyway." He picks at a bit of grass, eyeing their handiwork and shrugging lightly. "I suppose we should get cleaned up before I start on lunch, unless you don't mind a little dirt and grub in your meal." He looks up at her and smiles vaguely.

JENNA: * Jo's mouth curves in an amused grin, and she straightens away from the pen, reaching down to tug his hair lightly. "I'll go run us a bath, if you don't mind putting stuff away yourself," she suggests, half turning to start for the house before waiting for his response.

JUSTIN: "All right," Shane says without any argument, "I'll meet you in the bathroom in a few minutes." He then turns back to the patch in front of him and starts gathering up their garden tools, also packing down the dirt that they've churned up during the weeding process.

JENNA: * Jo nods and trots toward the house, shedding her boots and more than a little dust when she reaches the hallway. She keeps her clothes until the bathwater's running hot, then rids herself of her tunic, taking only a moment longer with the trousers, as they're considerably tighter than she's used to. This gives her pause, and she frowns slightly, turning to look in the mirror after the trousers have struck the floor.

JUSTIN: * It's another few minutes before Shane finally makes his way back to the house, ditching his boots inside the front door and beginning to undo the buttons of his sweaty shirt while he walks down the hall. When he rounds the corner into the bathroom he's a bit surprised to see Jo staring at herself in the mirror, and he stops to watch curiously. "See something you like?"

JENNA: * Jo jumps at his entry, looking momentarily dazed as she whirls to face him. "I.. ah.." She pauses, scratching her head, then glances back at the mirror again. "I just.. I noticed my trousers were a little tight.." She shrugs slightly, hesitating. "So I took a look.." She pauses, hand drifting to rest against her belly, where a clear bulge is evident, small though it is at the moment.

JUSTIN: * Shane tilts his head, not comprehending what she's getting at for the first moment. It doesn't take him long to understand, however, and he steps toward her with even more curiousity. "It's..." He stops beside her, looking down at her stomach, which -- to him -- is almost unnoticably bigger than he remembers it being. "It's getting bigger?" This shouldn't be surprising, but for some reason it hadn't occured to him.

JENNA: * Jo glances at him and smiles faintly, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "That's what normally happens, I think." She looks at the mirror again, running her hand curiously over the bulge again, then takes a step forward to lean against him, closing her eyes for a moment with a sigh. "Weird," she says.

JUSTIN: "Fascinating," Shane adds, mostly in jest (though still true), and gives her a gentle squeeze before pulling back to finish undressing. "As small as you are, it's amazing you can even fit a baby inside you." He smiles with a lazy sort of mischief, reaching over to pat her tiny bulge with one hand while the other attempts to wiggle his pants past his hip.

JENNA: "It's doing its best to make room." Jo grins at him, reaching over to help with the pants before turning back to the tub, which is still filling with water. She kneels next to it comfortably and reaches over to turn the water off, glancing back at Shane before she slides in and relaxes for a moment in the heat.

JUSTIN: * Shane arches his eyebrows at her and cracks a brief grin, then removes his shorts and steps into the tub. He sinks down into a relaxed, lounging position, tickling her side lightly with his toes. "Between the two of us, let's hope this bath doesn't become a mudhole," he says, highly exaggerating the amount of dirt on them -- which in reality isn't much at all, considering most of it is on their clothes and not their bodies. "Would be a shame if we had to take another bath because our first one made us dirty again."

JENNA: * Jo snags a bar of soap and heaves it lightly in Shane's direction. "Guess we'll just have to be careful about that, won't we?" The bar is followed shortly by a cloth, then she turns to pick up some soap for herself, pausing to let herself sink below the waterline, soaking herself, before coming back up again. She clears the water from her eyes and glances at him again, wrinkling her nose.

JUSTIN: * Shane tuts quietly, retrieving the objects tossed at him and giving her a mock glare. "Some of us need to be more careful than others, I think." He starts to lather up the cloth with soap suds, turning his attention to it. "You, miss Jocasta, are a very dirty girl. I hope you take the time to clean up good and proper."

JENNA: "No dirtier than you, I think, young man," she remarks, sending a spray of water in his direction and grinning mischievously. "Though if I'm as dirty as all that, I might need help." For the moment, however, she contents herself wetting and lathering the cloth and starting on her own, however.

JUSTIN: * Shane smirks, closing his eyes against the spray of water -- even if none of it makes it high enough to hit his face. "Of course. I'm an expert at these things, you know." He practically is, it's the truth. Cleaning is one thing he had plenty of time to perfect while single. "But I may have to charge for my services."

JENNA: "Oh..? And just what would you charge?" Jo scoots slowly along the edge of the tub until she's sitting close enough to swipe the cloth at his face. "I'm willing to exchange services, if you like," she says, grinning impishly. "Or was there something else you had in mind?"

JUSTIN: * Shane cracks a grin and reaches over to swab at her shoulder, leaning over to rub his soapy cheek against hers before giving her lips a pleasant kiss. "Hmm. I think the pleasure of your company should be more than sufficient..." He stretches a bit and puts on a casual face. "And maybe a backrub, with a bedtime story before we go to sleep tonight."

JENNA: "Sounds fair to me," Jo says agreeably, rinsing the suds from her face and returning her attention to the minor matter of washing her neck and front. "Just what are you going to be reading for me?" she asks curiously, as she isn't sure she remembers the last thing he read to her -- aside from the scholarly works Mackenzie sends them.

JUSTIN: * Shane rinses some of the soap from his chest and shoulders before leaning in to assist Jo in her washing, unneeded as such help might be. "Well, that depends entirely on what you're in the mood for." He reaches around and scrubs idly at her back in loose circles. "I have at least one or two books from just about every genre you could think of. Thanks to you." He smiles a little, then leans in to give her lips a light kiss. For whatever reason, he's in a good mood, much better than what he's been in the last several days.

JENNA: "Mm.. something exciting, I guess." She leans over to kiss him again, relaxing as he works at her back. "Though I guess that doesn't make for a very good bedtime story." She shifts her cleaning to her legs, pausing to give a long stretch before she does so. "Not that we've got anything we need to be up for."

JUSTIN: "Mmm, nope. Completely free to sleep the day away -- not that you'd let me." Shane grins a bit, taking one of her outstretched feet and massaging at it idly, taking a small break from cleaning. "I suppose there /is/ work to do, animals to feed..." He shrugs his shoulders and lets out a dramatic sigh. "I guess there are always bittersweet romance novels."

JENNA: * Jo wrinkles her nose, reaching over to scrub absently at Shane's chest for a moment. "I suppose those would put me to sleep, all right." She leans over to nuzzle his neck, then continues, somewhat content at the easing in tension between them. "The animals can wait a couple extra hours. They'll live."

JUSTIN: * Shane puts a wet arm around Jo's shoulders and gives her a squeeze, letting her work as she pleases. "I hope you don't fall asleep /too/ quickly, you still need to give me that backrub." He smiles teasingly and picks up his cloth to give her arm a soapy swipe.

JENNA: * Jo flicks water absently at his face, ducking her arm under to rinse it off again. "I'm sure I'll manage," she replies with a faint grin, and she once again returns to the washing. The bath takes entirely longer than it should, as it usually does when they're sharing it, though nothing particularly untoward happens, and they're ou and dry before a whole lot longer.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't waste too much time before moving on to the rest of the nights activities. He chooses a book almost at random (though limiting himself to choices he thinks Jo will approve of), and before they head upstairs he also fixes up a snack for the both of them to share. "I do believe we are set for a good, long night of bedtime stories and backrubs," he remarks, handing Jo a glass of water and starting toward the stairs.

JENNA: * Jo snags the water and follows him agreeably. "Just so long as I get to stop when my hands get tired," she remarks, stopping when she gets to the top of the stairs and waiting for him to settle in. "Or if you fall asleep," she adds as an afterthought.

JUSTIN: * Shane tuts quietly, setting the snacks and his drink on one of the small end tables before pulling it over to where they'll be sitting. "I /suppose/ I can allow you to take a break if you start to cramp up," he says with great resignation, "but I rarely fall asleep while reading. So it will be a great test of endurance on your part." He bares a crooked grin and flops down to make himself comfortable in the pile of pillows and cushions.

JENNA: * Jo gives him a bland look, wandering over to settle in position and prodding him firmly in the back. "We'll see. Maybe I'll just stop when I'm finished." She doesn't elaborate on this threat, however, instead bending to start on his neck and shoulders in her usual fashion. "That'd serve you right, wouldn't it?"

JUSTIN: "Aw," Shane flips open his book and repositions to make her job easier, "I deserve no such thing, innocent as I am." He smiles, relaxing into the cushions and enjoying Jo's touch for a moment before even looking at the page opened in front of him. "Besides, if you stop then I might stop, too. Just to be spiteful."

JENNA: * Jo gives a soft 'tch', pausing to jab him in the ribs again. "I'd recommend against that," she remarks, then returns to her work. "Now get to reading." To her credit, she takes her time with the backrub, lazily working every muscle over at least twice before moving on.

JUSTIN: "Yes, ma'am," Shane says with a grin, and he does in fact do as he's told. The story goes on for a good while, with only a couple brief breaks for some food and drink, and before he knows it Shane is finding it hard to read, the light from the sun quickly fading and no lamps lit. It's only when squinting is beginning to lose its effectiveness that he sits up and looks around, puzzling over the darkness. "It hasn't been that long already, has it?"

JENNA: "It has," Jo says comfortably, flopping back on the cushions and turning her gaze somewhat vacantly toward the ceiling. "Good story," she says, tone still a little absent, and she slowly sits up, looking around the room as though she's giving something some very careful thought.

JUSTIN: * Shane sets the book on the floor for now, turning to crawl over and lie down beside Jo. He watches her wandering gaze for a while before reaching over and tucking a lock of her hair back behind her ear. "Looking for something?" He leans down to kiss her cheek, eyebrow arching as he pulls back again.

JENNA: * She folds her arms around her knees, gaze still drifting slightly, then pauses when she reaches the stairs and looks back at Shane. "Do we.. have an extra room?" she asks, leaning back into the cushions a little and looking at the ceiling. She doesn't think they do, and it doesn't occur to her to elaborate on the question.

JUSTIN: * Shane's brow stays arched for a moment, then furrows, trying to determine the cause of this question. "Well, we don't get many guests, so... I didn't bother to include a guest bedroom in the design." He tilts his head curiously, brushing at her hair while he watches her for further explanation.

JENNA: "Well.. we're going to need one, aren't we?" Jo tilts her head, relaxing her hold on her knees and letting her legs stretch out in front of her. "I mean.. I guess maybe not at first, but even a kid would want their own space, right?" She drops down on her back again, gaze returning to the ceiling as one hand drifts almost of its own volition to her belly.

JUSTIN: * Shane blinks down at Jo for a moment, realization setting in slowly at first, until his eyes lighten with understanding. He honestly hadn't expected her to think of that before he did, and it's quite embarrassing, though wholly welcome. "Well... of course they would. If not for their good, then at least for ours." He grins, lying back down beside her and sliding a hand up to join hers over her stomach. "I suppose it would be prudent of me to start making arrangements for that, wouldn't it?"

JENNA: "Mm, probably." Her gaze drifts over to his, and she smiles faintly. "But not tonight. There's time." As if to punctuate this, she gives a long, drowsy yawn and rolls over on her side, scooting closer to him. She attempts to make herself comfortable, nestling against him, and grins again, briefly. "Sleep on it."

JUSTIN: * Shane curls his arm around her as she moves close against him, tilting his head to nuzzle into her hair. "Mm. I think that's a splendid suggestion," he murmurs, and seems content to do so right where they lay, clothed and all. He places a few kisses atop her head and tightens his hold on her in a firm embrace, letting out a long, quiet sigh that eases some of the doubts he's been harboring over the past several weeks.

JENNA: * Jo, having fewer doubts of her own to bother her, relaxes almost immediately, just as ready to sleep up in the loft again. She reaches up to curl an arm around him and yawns again, vaguely aware that their uneasy truce has become something more like an agreement and considerably more comfortable that way.

JUSTIN: * Shane's doubts are, admittedly, based mostly on paranoia and perceived discontent in his other half. The more Jo shows signs that his worries are unfounded, the more his concerns ease, and this "agreement" of sorts is proof that he's coming around. Snuggling up with her, he lets out a yawn of his own, encouraged by hers, and closes his eyes as he settles into the cushions. "Goodnight," he murmurs as an afterthought, already halfway out anyway.

JENNA: * Jo drifts off shortly afterward, and the ensuing, unspoken peace lasts for several weeks afterward, Jo continuing as she has been and Shane preparing for the addition to the house as well as the family. She mostly stays out of his way as he does this, answering questions when asked but otherwise remaining relatively uninvolved. She seems focused more on keeping her hands busy.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't seem to much notice the passage of time, busy as he is on the addition. He gets a minimum of help from the village, prefering to give his future child's room a personal touch. The experience he's gained over the month from making repairs and occasionally helping with work in Hugel -- along with his uncanny ability to pick up and learn new skills quickly and easily -- make the task a fun diversion for him, with no worries about structural integrity to blemish the experience. It's the end of the month, autumn just around the bend, when he's finally getting the finishing touches done, paint being applied and choices for furniture already in his mind. All this work on his child's room gets his mind thinking about other relative things as well -- and its these thoughts that end up distracting him from his work one afternoon, leaving him sitting on the front porch and staring into space.

JENNA: * It's getting on toward dinner time when Jo makes her way downstairs in search of her partner and a meal (those have been becoming more important lately), and it doesn't take her terribly long to find him. She kneels absently behind him, folding her arms around his shoulders, and gives him a light, inquisitive nuzzle. "Something wrong?" she asks mildly.

JUSTIN: "Hm?" Shane looks up at her greeting, moving hands to rub across the arms she's looped around him. "Oh, not so much. Well, not really, anyway..." He scratches at his cheek, eyes taking on a distant look again. "Just... thinking."

JENNA: * Jo gives him a slight squeeze, turning her head to rest her cheek against him. "What about?" she asks curiously, hoping it isn't anything she's done lately. "The new room's going okay, right?" she offers, a doubtful guess at what it might be.

JUSTIN: * Shane turns in her hold, slipping one of his arms around her middle. "Yeah, the room is going perfect. I'm glad we didn't already have an extra room, it's nice doing the work myself." He hesitates before continuing, and his expression does little to hide the fact he's uncertain about how to present his thoughts. "It's... gotten me thinking, though. About the baby, about... us. We're building ourselves a bit of a family here, you know?"

JENNA: * Jo arches a brow, tilting her head at him a little blankly and wondering why he's so bent on stating the obvious. "Yeah?" she says after a moment, voice puzzled, and she tries to settle a little more comfortably against the steps, frowning. "What about it?"

JUSTIN: * Shane swallows back on a lump in his throat and sets his other hand against her hip, finally moving to sit himself beside her. "Jo, I... I've been thinking about... about you and me getting married." He doesn't dare let his statement end on that note, however, and he plunges on before she has the chance to respond. "I mean, the baby is only months away, and I think it would only be right to have everything taken care of--"

JENNA: * At his answer, Jo's expression only goes blanker for a moment, as though this response was approximately as far out of left field as she can imagine. Her mind works over several replies, but all its labor goes to waste when the first thing that pops out of her mouth is also the first thing she could think of. "Why?" she asks, tone sincerely puzzled.

JUSTIN: "What-- why? W-what do you mean 'why'?" Shane looks wholly puzzled by this question, especially since it sounds so genuine. "Why not? We're planning to stay together for... well, forever. Don't you want to have our commitment acknowledged by Church and State?"

JENNA: * Skepticism instantaneously replaces the puzzlement on her face, and Jo slowly shakes her head. "Why would I..?" she asks, managing to keep it, for the most part, out of her tone. "I don't need their permission to do anything with my life -- so why should I make any promises to them?" She pauses, expression almost unreadable with its confusion of reactions. "The only person I need to acknowledge anything is you."

JUSTIN: * Shane makes a slightly pained face. "That's... that's not what I mean, Jo-- I just," he looks up at her face, eyes intense in his desperation to get across just what he /does/ mean. "It's more than just... acknowledgement. It's... it's like -- like a proclaimation!" He doubts this will go over any better, as she can easily switch the word 'acknowledge' for 'proclaim' in her earlier statement. "It's a ceremony, Jo. It's a celebration. My parents were happily married, your parents are happily married--" Somehow, he likewise doubts any of this holds any weight with her, either.

JENNA: "It's not their business," Jo points out, shaking her head. "What you do -- what I do -- I don't care if anyone else knows. I don't care what anyone else thinks." She falls silent for a moment, shaking her head again. "I'd rather not," she says finally.

JUSTIN: * Shane looks wholly as though he wants to argue the matter further, and it's odd even to him when the silence draws out for an entire minute, despite the feeling that words are right on the tip of his tongue. He lets out a stuttering breath, as though trying to say something when there are no words in his vocabularly. This is followed quickly by a quiet, disappointed sigh. "All right... you'd rather not."

JENNA: * Jo looks at him silently for a moment, guilt flitting across her face, if briefly, then she lifts one hand to brush through his hair, getting slowly to her feet. "I'm sorry," she says -- sorry, at least, for upsetting him, not for turning him down. Once she's clear of him, she starts inside.

JUSTIN: * Shane doesn't have anything to say in reply to this statement, not that he knows precisely how to take it anyway. He delays in getting up to follow her, the woman already in the kitchen by the time he comes through the front door. He floats around the entranceway without any apparent purpose, perhaps waiting for her to say or do something before dedicating himself to a course of action.

JENNA: * Jo glances over her shoulder as he enters, then walks over to him with a faint sigh, pausing befoer wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against him. "I'm not going anywhere, Shane," she says quietly, giving him a quick squeeze, though she doubts this will be any particular comfort to him. Then she pauses, running her fingers along his back for a moment. "I.. was going to make some food. I'm hungry."

JUSTIN: * Shane merfs quietly, returning her hug after a brief delay, lost as he is in his thoughts. "I'll help, if you want me to." He says finally, turning his head to look down at where she's resting against him. "Unless you were hoping to have your own way with the kitchen this time." He manages to quirk a slight smile.

JENNA: "I don't mind the help," she says, straightening and returning the smile wryly. "It'll go faster that way." She pulls away, but she curls an arm around his to pull him on toward the kitchen, determined to make things right again one way or another. For now, however, food is the important thing. She really is quite hungry.

JUSTIN: "It might--" Shane lets himself be pulled along toward the kitchen, giving no kind of protest. "Then again, you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen. And if you don't, then... well, I guess it doesn't matter, does it?" He rolls up his sleeves once they're across the wooden floor, and moves to the sink to wash his hands.

JENNA: "Just so long as we aren't working on the same thing at the same time, right?" Jo wanders off in search of meat, having no particular plan for the meal but knowing meat to be an essential part of it. It's after that she pauses, somewhat at a loss. "Any ideas on something to make?" she asks finally.

JUSTIN: "I'm full of ideas." Shane turns to look at her over his shoulder and smirks, turning off the water and toweling off his hands quickly. "How about I get things all set up, and then we can divide the tasks." He follows after her, then passes her, to go collect the ingredients they'll need for a decent meal. Meat is on the menu, but so are vegetables, whether she was considering them or not. When he comes back he sets everything on the counter and gets out the necessary pots, pans, and knives.

JENNA: "That's fine by me." Jo steps aside and largely lets Shane take the lead in the cooking, as he has always enjoyed it more than she does, and distracting him is the main idea. By the time the meal is finished, she's also fairly tired, and she wanders out to the dining table to slump wearily into a chair, leaning against the table as best as she can.

JUSTIN: * Shane falls into the job without much thought, and by the time he gets things going he hardly remembers he was supposed to be the assistant and not the head chef. Getting good food onto the table to feed his hungry girlfriend is the priority at the moment, and if doing things himself is the easiest way to make that happen, then so be it. All the food is chopped, arranged, and in or over the stove before too much longer, and he leaves things to simmer before ambling toward the table. "You look a little worn out."

JENNA: * Jo straightens slowly, smiling faintly up at him. "I am a little. I didn't used to get tired this easy." She glances toward the kitchen, starting to get to her feet again. "Sorry I wasn't much help," she says a little sheepishly, then shakes her head. "I owe you a meal, I guess."

JUSTIN: * Shane puts his hands on each of her shoulders and gently settles her in her chair again, shaking his head. "It's all right. I'm no stranger to the kitchen, after all." He smiles a bit, circling her with his arms and leaning over the back of her chair to rest his cheek against the top of her head. "And you're going to feel tired quite a bit over the next several months. Your body's providing energy for two people now instead of one."

JENNA: "I suppose so," Jo says, gaze drifting vaguely over the table. "I'm just not used to it. Feeling tired all the time." She reaches a hand up to take his and leans back in the chair, closing her eyes. "I guess I have a few more months to get accustomed," she suggests sleepily.

JUSTIN: * Shane kisses her hair and gives her hand a squeeze. "Pretend... you just finished doing something exhilerating, and the maybe the tiredness will feel a little more welcome." He tilts his head down to the side to place another kiss against her cheek and lets go, standing back before turning to enter the kitchen and check on the food.

JENNA: * Jo makes a noncommittal noise, leaning against the table again after he leaves. "Exhilirating, huh.. maybe." Whether she can think of anything or not, however, she settles for leaning until the food arrives, at which point she sits up slowly, wondering if she'll be able to stay awake long enough to eat -- let alone make things up to him later.

JUSTIN: * Shane sets all the food out on the table and a plate right in front of her, already prepared ahead of time with portions of meat and vegetables. "Eat up. Maybe it'll give back a little of your waning energy supply." He disappears again but returns a moment later, two glasses of water in hand. He places one next to her plate and the other by his, sitting down to serve himself.

JENNA: * Jo eats her food slowly, surprised to find herself perking up a bit as she fills up. "Not bad," she murmurs, eating more rapidly and glancing up at him with a faint smile. "Feeling better already," she adds after a moment, smiling gamely and returning to her food.

JUSTIN: "Good. I hoped you might." Shane smiles a little, poking food into his mouth at his usual relaxed pace. He doesn't want to interrupt her while she's eating, so he keeps quiet until he's mostly finished his meal, stopping to take a long sip of his water before sighing and leaning back in his chair. "I should help you cook more often, the result is fairly satisfying." A slim grin quirks the corner of his lips, and he flits his eyes up and across the table to watch her.

JENNA: * Jo glances up at him, eyebrow arching. "If you're implying that my cooking is sub-par, you're more than welcome to do it all yourself." She doesn't seem bothered by his statment -- as he does most of the cooking to begin with -- but returns her attention to cleaning the last scraps off her plate and polishing off her water. "Are you going to insist we do the dishes now, or can it wait until tomorrow?"

JUSTIN: * Shane scratches at the back of his head, leaning back in his chair and eyeing the dishes in front of them, then sends his gaze off toward the kitchen with a frown. "Well, we've got a fairly steady tradition of always putting them off until tomorrow." His eyes slink back over to her, and he arches his eyebrows. "I don't see any reason to change that if you don't."

JENNA: "Good." Jo gets to her feet and ambles around to him, bending to give him a long kiss. "Because I can think of better things to do. Like a good, hot bath." She has several other things on the list, but those, she feels can be revealed to him as necessary.

JUSTIN: * Shane returns the kiss without complaint, Jo's string of distractions so far successful in keeping his mind off of his earlier disappointment. He smiles and gets to his feet, not even bothering to move the dishes back to the kitchen in favor of escorting his lovely companion to the bath. "I like the way you think," he says with a sly grin, and takes her by the arm to lead her in the right direction.

JENNA: * Jo nestles against him, returning the grin, and tugs him lazily with her, kicking the bedroom door shut once they're inside and proceeding immediately to the bathroom, where she kneels (albeit clumsily) to start running the water before getting to her feet again (also clumsily) to deal with her clothes.

JUSTIN: * Shane is already just about undressed by the time gets up to do the same, so he decides to make himself useful and helps her with her clothes. "Well, at least the extra baggage keeps you on your toes," he says with some amusement, patting the bulge of her stomach after lifting her shirt away. "I wouldn't be surprised if your sense balance is better once this pregnancy is over."

JENNA: "Probably," Jo mutters. "I guess that's something, at least." She grins, more than willing to let him help, then catches him in a warm embrace, closing her eyes for a moment and letting herself relax against him. Then she turns her head slightly to kiss his chest once before resting her cheek against him again, apparently wanting nothing more than to remain that way for a few minutes.

JUSTIN: * Shane is a little surprised by the sudden show of affection, but he's far from complaining. He curls his arms around her and returns the hug, kissing at the top of her head and nuzzling into her hair. "Well, well... I love you, too, Jo." He grins a bit and rubs a hand up and down her bare back, letting the comfortable embrace last as long as she wants it to.

JENNA: * Jo holds him to the embrace for some time, that first spontaneous display of affection leading to several others as the night wears on. By morning, the disappointment of that earlier afternoon is, for the most part, forgotten by both parties -- at least enough so that it doesn't come up again -- and the next few weeks are relatively peaceable.