What Love Can Do

He saw an expression that he had not seen in a long time, maybe never before. She was smiling vaguely, but solemn and apologetic. For the first time in a long time, she seemed grown.

"You don't want this any more, do you? The fighting," he said. It was more of a statement than a question, affirming what the expression she wore was saying. He took note of the beach waves in her blonde highlights as she shook her head. He tried hard to forget how much he loved her, and how much he wanted to keep loving her. Love was hard with her.

"No, I never did, but look where I landed. I wanted to keep going, but after the mess with my father, and all that other crap," she sighed, waving a hand in dismissal of her own thoughts.

"I wasn't a big help," Jack interrupted. Jane looked up in shock. It wasn't normal for Jack Hagar to admit he was wrong, or that he had any faults.

"I mean, what were you supposed to do? I just lost my mind. You were just trying to do your job, be a good husband, keep us going..."

"And I didn't stop long enough to think about what that really meant. I was focused on making a living, not a life. You lost your father, your career..." Jack interrupted. Jane got him back.

"My career? Jack, it wasn't important. It didn't bring closure to grieving family members, or justice to the dead. I strutted around in a sparkly bikini with a spray tan and showed off my pretty muscles."

Jack chuckled, much to Jane's frustration.

"You were gorgeous. You still are. Maybe in your mind, it wasn't earth shattering, but it inspired people to do better. You challenged people to improve. Hell, you made people happy."

Jane turned to fully face him and smiled. Jack winced curiously at her, knowing that as her grin spread, an absurd idea had popped into her mind.

"I don't like your hair like that," she stated. Jack's eyebrows shot upwards and he scoffed. The scoff turned to a dumbfounded chuckle as Jane slid off her perch, striding toward him.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, I don't have much of a choice in the matter, you know. Department dress code."

"I know," she sighed as she sidled closer. "Just don't cut it. At least in a pony tail, it's still long. I like seeing it free and blowing in the wind."

Jack changed the subject as she stood, a breath away from him, looking up with an odd little smile. He looked down at her, stoic, hands on his hips.

"What do you want to do now? How do we handle this?"

She thought about just kissing him, but rationality took over, and she slid her arms around him instead. Her hands drifted up his back and she laid her head against his chest.

"I don't know, but I don't want to do what we did before."

"I agree," he said, laying his hands at her waist. "Not what we did last time."