Jake is the first to wake up the next morning. He runs a bath, before walking towards Jo's room and opening her door quietly. He touches her cheek and she opens her eyes slightly. Her face is still showing traces of her tears, but she manages to smile at him. 

"Good morning hon, I am running a bath for you. I think it will do you good. Take your time, I'll make some coffee. No need to hurry. We're closed for the morning." He gets up to close the tap in the bathroom, places a gift on the vanity and walks off to prepare breakfast.

Jo rubs her eyes, realizing she is still wearing everything from last night, makeup included. That bath seems like a very good idea. She takes off all of her clothes and walks over to the bathroom. She only has eyes for the steaming water and slides into the bath with a sigh. 

All her muscles ache and her head throbs viciously. She closes her eyes and lets everything that happened the night before going through her mind. That poor Dart, she totally broke down in front of him. She tried to be so tough, by telling him to enjoy the moment. He was so tender though, it caught her completely off guard. 

When she gets out of the bath, Dart's still on her mind. She walks up to the mirror, dries herself off and feels relieved that her muscles are less sore. She tries to fix her hair, but it's not behaving at all today. It got damp from the bath, but not wet enough to braid it. With a sigh she decides to give up on it and sticks her tongue out at her own reflection in the mirror, shaking her head to make her curls wiggle in all directions. 

She sees something from the corner of her eye; a gift. She opens it quickly and finds a really soft, baby blue bathrobe. She puts it on with a smile, skipping downstairs to thank Jake. She finds him leaning against the counter and he looks at her with an amused look in his eyes. Jo hugs him and kisses his cheek, thanking him for the robe. 

He hugs her back. "You're welcome, hon. It looks good on you!" He looks her over, trying to find out how she is really doing, without asking her directly. 

Jo hides her face against his chest with a sigh, not sure how she feels. 

Jake rubs her head and chuckles as her curls jump around on her head. "I love your hair like this, it makes you look wild and cute at the same time." He laughs at the look she gives him and moves towards the coffee machine to get her a cup. "Sit down hon, I'll get you your coffee." 

Jake sits down across from her, to have a good view of her, wondering what is going on in that mind of hers. 

She takes a few sips of coffee and closes her eyes, trying to make sense of last night. "Jake? Did you speak to Dart last night? I mean after he carried me home?" 

Jake takes a moment, before answering. "No. He didn't look like a man who wanted to talk. I offered him a beer. We drank it in silence, he went home and I went to bed." 

Jo sighs, not sure what to think now. She looks up at Jake. "What did Dart look like?" 

Jake smiles slightly at her smart question, he pretends to think about it for a while. "He looked like a man in love." 

Jo immediately blushes and feels even more confused than she already was. 

Jake grabs his phone and types a message on it, before getting up and rummaging through the fridge.

➼

A soft beep makes Dart roll over in his bed to look at his phone. It's from Jake, inviting him over for breakfast. Knowing Jake, he better shower and get over there. Because as silent as he was last night, that won't last forever. And he really wants to see Jo, he has to know how she is feeling about last night. 

He felt closer to her than he has ever felt to anyone before. But he doesn't want to scare her off with his feelings. She might not be ready for it. And they have stuff to talk about, before considering anything else. He gets up for a quick shower, knowing he can't wait any longer.

Freshly showered, he runs towards the cafe, unable to control the urge to see her. He walks in and sees Jake behind the bar, who points at the kitchen door. Dart opens the door and stops in his tracks the minute he sees her sitting at the kitchen table. 

"Morning, curly!" He gives her a crooked smile and stares at her wild hair.

Jo looks up at him a little dazed and stutters. "M-morning." 

At that moment, Jake walks in to hand Dart a cup of coffee and immediately turns around to walk out again. Jo grabs her mug and sips, staring at the table, feeling very insecure about the whole situation. 

Dart sits down across from her and studies her, desperately trying to stay on his side of the table. She looks so cute with her hair all wild and that blush on her cheeks. He just wants to hold her, smell her, kiss her. She has no clue, probably even thinks he doesn't want her or something. 

He gets up and walks over to her side. He sits down on the table, as close to her as he dares. She sighs softly and he can't resist anymore. He places his hand under her chin and tilts her head up, to look into her eyes. 

She tries to look away, but he whispers: "Please. Look at me." 

He smiles kindly and waits for her to really see him. As she looks up, he sees all the insecurities and worries in her eyes. "You look so cute right now, I really want to kiss you." 

She stares back at him, with her mouth slightly ajar and he uses the moment to brush his lips across hers. He leans back and gives her time to process it. 

She looks at her hands and tries to understand it all. She takes a deep breath. "I didn't think I would see you today... I mean not ever maybe... Oh god, I don't want to cry again." She bites her lip, still staring at her hands. 

Dart places his hand on top of hers and speaks slowly. "Silly girl. There's no way I can stay away from you anymore. I'm in love." 

She looks up, still confused, but sees that he means every word he says. "But you don't know everything about me yet. You shouldn't say that." 

He shakes his head. "And you don't know everything about me either. Can you honestly say you feel nothing for me?" 

She shakes her head, gets up and leans in for a kiss. He smiles into the kiss and pulls her closer, feeling a warmth spread in his chest. She suddenly realizes she is only wearing a bathrobe and steps away from him. "Erm, I... eh. I know you are used to women... Well, who are..." 

She swears at herself because she is not able to find the words. "We need to take things slow...I am not sure I am ready for anything other than..." She covers her face with her hands, trying to get her emotions under control. 

Dart pulls her close and speaks in a broken voice. "I would never do anything you don't want to. Even if you never want to. Just don't back away from me, because that breaks my heart. I want to keep you safe from everything that might hurt you, please let me." 

Jo snuggles up to him, breathing in his scent, letting him calm her down. They stay like that for a few minutes, both needing each others warmth. Jo steps back a little to kiss him again and then reluctantly takes another step back. "I am going to get dressed. Promise you won't run away? " 

He places a hand on his heart and promises to stay right there. 

Jake walks in on Dart and looks at the man with his hand on his chest and smiles. "That bad huh? She sure is something isn't she?" 

Dart says: "Yeah, it's really bad. Let's pray she will believe it someday. But until that day I am grateful for every minute I get." He looks at Jake so honestly, that Jake sees all the love he feels for her in his eyes. 

"I believe you man. I saw it yesterday and I see it now. Just give her time and talk to her. Make her talk about it, no matter how hard it is to hear. Because it's a miracle she even kisses you after all that she's been through. You need to share your history with her too, don't hold back."

Dart sighs and says: "I know. But I am so damn scared she will run away from me when she hears about it all." 

He rubs his neck and looks so insecure, that Jake decides to lighten Dart's load a little. "Well, I showed her a picture of you, after what happened with Maria. Because she had no clue why you were so sad." 

Dart raises his head quickly and stares at Jake. "What? She noticed I was sad? And you showed her what exactly?" 

Jake pulls his phone from his pocket, searching for the picture he showed Jo. He finds it and turns the screen towards Dart, who turns pale looking at it. Jake says: "Yeah, she didn't seem all that shocked, to be honest with you. And she still wanted to dance with you at the Summer Dance." 

This time Dart is the one confused, staring at Jake in disbelief. 

They both turn their heads towards the stairs when they hear Jo come down. She is wearing a navy blue maxi dress and her hair is still wild, curls all over the place. Dart smiles a bit nervously and Jo looks him over, noticing it. 

She walks over to Jake."You didn't go all big brother on him, did you?" 

Jake clears his throat and quickly answers. "Not at all. I prepared a picnic basket earlier and thought you could enjoy it together. You deserve a day off for a change."

Jo turns to Dart and tilts her head. "Do you feel like a picnic, Dart?" 

"Sure." Dart nods, still a bit nervous.  

Jo pretends not to notice, kisses Jake on the cheek and grabs the picnic basket off the counter, handing it to Dart. "Come on handsome! Let's go!" 

She turns around and marches out of the kitchen, Dart chasing after her. As he manages to catch up with her, she slides her hand into his and walks on towards the beach. 

They look for a quiet spot and put down the plaid, placing the basket on it and sitting down in silence. Dart stares at the ocean, trying to find a way to start a conversation about his job, but he has no clue how. 

Jo looks at the man next to her, desperate to find out what is bothering him so much. He looks sad again, like that day in front of the boutique. "D'Artagnan?" 

He turns his head towards her in surprise, hearing her say his full name. She places her hand on his cheek and looks deep into his eyes.

"What's wrong? Tell me. Did Jake say something that made you upset?"

Dart looks back at her, unable to avoid the subject now. "He told me about... about showing you a picture of me... And how you noticed I was sad that day at the boutique. It shook me... I don't know..." He looks away from Jo and sighs.  

"I did notice you were sad and I felt bad about it. But I was afraid to ask Maria for more details. So I asked Jake. And he showed me that picture. He also told me there was a lot more to it than just a picture." 

She waits for Dart to look at her, before speaking again. "I will say to you, what I said to him and I want you to hear me. I judge people on how they treat me, not on their past or on what other people say. Besides, you looked really hot in that picture."

He sees a slight change in her eyes, the second she talks about the picture and the corner of his mouth curls up slightly. She fans herself with a cheeky smile, seeing the sadness disappear from his eyes. He clears his throat. "Exactly what I thought when I saw that Summer Dance poster. It almost killed me." 

Jo stops fanning herself and her smile fades away. "Y-you thought I looked hot? B-but you. I look nothing like the women...." 

Dart puts his index finger on her lips and leans his forehead against hers. "Exactly. You look nothing like any of those women. You look hot, sexy, and soft in all the right places. Damn girl, I dreamed of you every night ever since that poster came out. To be really honest..." 

He seems to become shy all of a sudden, but continues anyway. "I asked Jake for a poster and it's hanging on the wall in my house."

Jo suddenly bursts out in laughter, making Dart laugh with her. "We're both pretty pathetic. Maybe we should just accept we like each other. I mean, I think you're hot and you apparently feel the same way about me." 

She chuckles a bit, opening up the basket to look at the food Jake packed for them. She grabs a croissant and bites in it immediately, before offering Dart a bite. He chews on it happily and looks into the basket to see what else is in there. He finds strawberries and a thermos of coffee. 

He pulls Jo between his legs, with her back against his chest and she leans back, holding out the last piece of croissant to him. He wraps his lips around her fingers, sucking the piece of bread in his mouth with a soft moan. Jo holds her breath for a second, relaxing again just as fast. He grabs a strawberry and holds it out to her and she decides to repay him by sucking on his fingers. The second she moans softly, he clears his throat and moves back slightly. 

He sees her shoulders shake and worries immediately, but soon hears her laughing softly. "You minx! I was getting all worried!" 

She laughs even harder."You started it! I am not that innocent, you know." 

He tickles her and bites her shoulder softly, chuckling against her skin. Before he knows it, she has turned around to face him and pushes him down onto the plaid, snuggling up against him. Her fingers stroke his neck as he plays with her hair. "Jo? Do you want to tell me about that scar?" 

He feels her body freeze up but it doesn't last long. She takes a deep breath and starts talking about everything that happened on that final night in The Netherlands. Her voice breaking more and more with every word. And Dart's heart bleeds a little more with every word she speaks. 

He hugs her tight when she reaches the part with the knife as she repeats the words her ex said to her. Unable to hold back his own tears, he cries with her, hiding his face in her hair and feeling a deep pain in his heart. How could someone hurt her like that? And how the hell is she still so strong? How can she stand being held by a man ever again? He doesn't notice his grip tightened around her and she whispers. 

"Dart, let go of me. You're holding me too tight, I need to breathe." 

He lets go of her quickly and she gets up to take a deep breath. She looks down at him and stares at his tears. He sits up and wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, unable to look her in the eye and trying to come up with a way to ask her more about it. 

She notices it and speaks softly. "Go on ask me. It's okay. We've gotten this far already." 

"Did he force himself on you? Sexually?" He avoids making eye contact with her, scared to see what's in her eyes.  

"Yes. I don't know what it's like to be with someone like that and not being forced into it. All of it", she whispers. 

She holds her breath, he looks at her and it breaks his heart into a thousand tiny pieces. Afraid to touch her, he tries to force down the anger he feels rising by pushing his fists into the sand. He whispers her name, not able to come up with any words to make it better. 

"That's why you shouldn't be with me. I know you are very experienced and..." 

Dart opens his hands and takes a deep breath. "Stop. Can I please hold you?" 

Jo nods slightly and he pulls her onto his lap, hiding her head against his chest. "You shouldn't be with me. Because I know nothing about loving a woman, let alone what it's like if she loves me back. I know nothing about real love at all." 

He sighs and strokes Jo's hair, worried she might run away from him someday. She relaxes in his arms and he does the same and whispers. "I think I love you, Johanna." He can feel her smile against his chest. 

"I just might love you too D'Artagnan." 

Their lips meet for a slow, long kiss full of promises. 

*****

Dart looks at Jo and speaks softly. "Don't get spooked okay?" 

Jo looks up at him, not sure what to think and Dart gets up, tossing her over his shoulder. He leans down to grab the picnic basket and starts walking, smiling happily. 

Jo lets out a scream at first but starts laughing pretty soon. "Dart, where are we going? You know I can walk myself right?" 

Dart chuckles. "I know you can walk yourself, but I felt possessive and I wanted to have a closer look." He squeezes her butt gently. "Mmmm. Nice and firm." 

Jo tries to stay calm but feels the panic rise inside her, fast. 

Dart feels her body tighten and sets her down carefully. He reads the panic in her eyes and gets scared by the sight of her ghostly white face. He steps back from her and whispers an apology, feeling like an idiot. 

Jo tries her hardest to control her breathing, angry for feeling the way she does. She knows deep down he would never harm her, but her body reacted before she could rationalize it. 

"Do you want to go back to Jake?" 

Dart looks so heartbroken that she feels sorry for him and she slowly shakes her head. "No. I want to stay with you." 

His mouth opens in surprise because he was sure she was going to run away from him. He looks at her, totally amazed by her strength, loving her even more. He thinks for a second... "Do you want to meet my cats?" 

Her face lights up a little and she nods at him. 

He starts walking towards his house, trying his hardest not to touch her. 

She follows him, trying to calm herself down desperately. Halfway down the road to his house, she slides her hand in his and he starts breathing again. 

They arrive at a metal fence and he opens it with a soft smile. He sees the ginger cat run up to him, meowing like he has something important to tell him. He kneels down and scratches the cat's head, talking to it in a high-pitched voice. 

Jo looks at them with a big smile and feels a warm feeling spread through her body, starting in her heart. 

Dart picks the cat up and turns towards her. "Canelle, meet Jo. You have to be really nice to her, okay?" 

Jo pets the cat and smiles. "Nice to meet you Canelle, you are beautiful!" 

The cat starts squirming and Dart puts him down, walking towards his door and unlocking it, Canelle rushing in before them. Dart invites Jo in with a shy smile on his lips. 

She looks around the little apartment, taking everything in with curiosity. The place feels comfortable and relaxed and it's pretty tidy. And then she sees it, the Summer Dance poster, on the wall of his kitchen, opposite the breakfast bar. 

He follows her gaze and becomes even shyer. "I am glad I already told you about it before you saw it." 

He walks over to the kitchen, where Canelle starts talking to him again. Making sure Dart knows how terribly hungry he is. Jo giggles at the cat's antics and watches them interact with each other. After filling two bowls of cat food, Dart turns to look at her. "Would you like some tea?" 

Jo nods and he tells her to sit down on the couch as he boils some water. Sitting on the couch alone, gives her time to collect herself, without him looking at her like she is about to break. She closes her eyes and gets comfortable. 

Dart looks at her from the kitchen and sees her relax. He lets out a relieved sigh and puts two mugs of tea and a plate of cookies on a tray. He walks over to her and puts the tray on the table, sitting down next to her with a soft smile on his lips. He hands her a mug and holds the plate of cookies up to her, she takes one and eats it with a happy look on her face. 

He is about to tell her he baked them himself, but sees a black furball from the corner of his eyes. He points the cat out to Jo and gestures her to stay quiet. He whispers: "Minous is super shy. She only comes out for food and to sleep with me at night." 

Jo smiles and watches Minous eat while keeping Canelle away from her bowl with her entire body. Eventually, Canelle gives up and walks over to the living room. He jumps on the armrest next to Jo, lays down, and closes his eyes. She automatically pets him and he purrs softly.

Dart watches Jo relax even more, as she pets his cat with a loving smile on her face. He opens his mouth in shock as he sees Minous walk into the room too and she jumps on the couch between him and Jo. 

Jo smiles wide and hands him her mug, carefully letting Minous sniff her fingers, before petting the cat's head. 

Dart gets up carefully and pulls his phone from his pocket, taking a picture of Jo with his cats. Making sure that what he sees is real. Even his cats are under her spell. He shakes his head in disbelief, wishing he was one of the cats right now. 

➵

He thinks back on the moment she told him to put her down... The panic in her eyes... He could have died right there... She might never forgive him for that... He stands there silently, deeply lost in his own thoughts. 

Jo looks at him with a frown, wondering what he is thinking, but feels a bit nervous to ask him about it. She takes a deep breath and walks over to him and leans her forehead against his chest as she reaches him. "What are you worrying about?" 

He lifts his arms, about to hug her, but changes his mind, afraid of scaring her. 

She lifts her head up to him and gets a lump in her throat from the look in his eyes. She turns around and leans back, her back against his chest. She takes a deep breath and grabs his hands to pull his arms around her, holding them against her stomach. 

He places his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her scent and relaxing bit by bit. 

She draws circles on his underarm and softly speaks. "It's better this way. I can't find the words, looking into in your eyes, when you are like this.  And I'm pretty sure my eyes look the same way at this moment." 

Dart says: "Yes, they are really hard to look into right now. Especially when I think the look is my fault." 

She shakes her head, trying to find the right words to say to him. "It's not your fault. I couldn't stop the panic, I really wish I could have. Because I loved it at first. But this body remembers things too well, it's like a reflex and I am not able to rationalize it, to stop my body from reacting that way. Unexpected moves are really hard for me, especially when a man makes them. I even stepped back from Jake when he tried to touch my scar with one finger."

She continues: "It's not you at all, it's the ghost of everything Mark did to me. And I'm not sure it will ever go away. I know you will never hurt me like that, believe me. But I am getting better every day. So maybe... If you're willing to be patient... I'd understand if it's too much." She starts to cry, feeling like she could lose him, all because of something she can't control.

Dart stayed quiet to let her talk, knowing she had to get it all out. He takes a deep breath, trying to find words that can express what he feels. "I am still sorry about picking you up like that. It was a stupid move. I am used to being physical with women, without it meaning anything real..." 

He sighs, hearing her sob. "Jo? Could you please, please turn around, so I can hug you properly? This is killing me."

Jo turns around, hiding her face against his chest and he pulls her close. 

He says: "I love you, Jo. Whatever the future holds. I don't care how many times you might panic, as long as you keep coming back into my arms in the end. Just show me how to love you, please. I need to be close to you." 

Jo calms down, feeling his love with every word. She looks up at him and sees the love she feels for him reflected in his beautiful green eyes. He leans down and stops right before their lips touch, looking into her baby blues and waiting for her to make a move. 

She smiles slightly, before putting her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a deep kiss. She runs her fingers through his hair and pushes her body against his, leading one of his hands to her butt. 

He moans, letting his other hand slide down too and giving her a squeeze, kissing her passionately. 

She breaks the kiss and listens to his heartbeat with her ear against his chest. His heart sounds perfectly in line with the fast pace of her own heart. 

She whispers: "I don't think I can walk anymore. You will have to carry me." 

He sucks in his breath, gathers all his courage, and lifts her up. She quickly wraps her legs around his waist. He walks over to the couch and sits down, checking her eyes to see if she is okay with it all. She blushes and smiles at him, leaning back a little to look him in the eyes. 

"I feel really safe in your arms. But..." 

He starts to look worried and she winks at him and continues. 

"I feel even better when you kiss me."

He groans and catches her lips for a fiery kiss, totally amazed and in awe of her. She is healing his heart in a way he never thought possible. 

Jo moves her head to his neck, breathing in his scent deeply and sighing happily. 

He plays with her hair, mumbling how those curls show her true spirit. 

She smiles softly and remembers her dad saying the same thing. 

He notices the change in her and asks her if she's okay. 

She sits up a bit and nods, but he sees the sadness in her eyes. 

"Jo?" 

She looks down sadly. "My dad used to say the same thing about my hair. He said my hair always showed my true character, no matter how much I tried to look cute and calm." She smiles sadly. "I miss him." 

Dart rubs her back and waits for her to show him what she needs. 

She gets up from his lap and sits down next to him. 

He instantly feels cold without her. He watches her in silence, moving his hand closer to her on the couch. 

She responds by lacing her fingers with his, as she starts to tell him about the dark times that followed losing her dad, eventually leading her to Mark. Desperately needing someone to love her and thinking she found it in that bastard. 

She says: "My dad was the only man, that loved me back. Mark never loved me. I know that now. Looking back I probably didn't love him either, I just held onto the dream of being loved again. I kept thinking he would change, that it would get better. I was so stupid if I had known..." 

She sighs, before continuing. "I am sorry. What I am trying to say is... Thanks to you and Jake I know better. I finally know what love is again. Love from someone who feels like family and then there's your love." 

She lifts his hand to her heart, smiling at him. "It's like medicine. Healing, comforting, unlike anything I've ever felt before." 

Suddenly tired from all of her emotions, she moves over to Dart and snuggles up to him. 

He wraps his arm around her, keeping her safe, as she falls asleep with a smile on her lips.