What Makes You Beautiful

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: "You have to understand, Zane, she doesn't think of herself as beautiful. She never has. She was raised by a father and three older brothers. She served in a division made up of mainly men when she was in the Army. She doesn't know how to be beautiful. Zoe's tried helping her, but... she resists. If you can get her to see herself as beautiful, I will streak through GD naked." Post-One Time at Space Camp... One Direction's lyrics.

"I don't get it. Why would you drop out?" She turned. He took a seat beside her, dropping his tablet on the counter. We worked so hard for this."

"We all did. You really earned it, Zane." He shook his head, his blue eyes blazing.

"You really don't get to tell me. We did this together. We should be going together." She sighed, glancing at Carter, who stood talking softly to Allison, watching from a protective distance away.

"Space isn't my dream. Not like it is for the rest of you. To me it was.. just another challenge. If you're gonna travel a billion miles for something, it's got to mean more than that." She reached up, taking his face in her hands. "You're going to space. Congratulations." He sighed, letting her wrap him in a hug. He buried his face in her neck, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek when she pulled away, before getting up and pulling on her jacket.

She left the cafe, head down, ignoring the feel of Zane's eyes boring into her back. Once she was gone, Carter kissed Allison on the cheek, and with a promise of joining her at the table in a few minutes, he went to Zane, taking Jo's vacated seat.

"How you doing?"

"I can't believe she pulled out." Carter sighed. "She's perfect for the mission, she's strong and smart and beautiful, and she just... she dropped out. She quit! That's not Jo!" He said, turning to the sheriff.

"You have to understand, Zane, she doesn't think of herself as beautiful." Carter started, glancing back as Allison joined them. "She never has. She was raised by a father and three older brothers. She served in a division made up of mainly men when she was in the Army. She was never seen as beautiful, and when people told her she was, she denied it, because she'd always been the tomboy."

"When Jo first came here," Allison cut it, pulling up a stool and sitting on Zane's other side. "She wore Army slacks and sweats, except to work. She never dressed up, never attended functions in anything other than her uniform. She never wore her hair down or did her makeup. She never wore heels or jewellery. She just... She told me once that when she looked in the mirror, she saw a skinny little nobody, who was so ugly, no one would want to date her, so why should she even bother trying to make herself beautiful? She wouldn't know what to do if she really saw herself as beautiful."

Zane glanced down at his phone.

He'd pulled up a photograph of the two of them she'd taken at Lookout Point; her hair was down and she wore an old faded pink sweater over ratty jeans. He was sitting on the blanket they'd brought for their picnic, and she'd settled herself between his legs, leaning back against his chest, his arms around her waist. Her long raven hair was down around her shoulders in wild waves, and she wore not a smidge of make up. Her smile lit her face, showing the dimples in her cheeks and lighting her eyes.

She was beautiful, Zane saw it whenever he looked at her.

So why didn't she see it?

"She doesn't know how to be beautiful, Zane. Zoe's tried helping her, giving her makeovers and taking her shopping, giving her advice, but... she resists. It's almost like she thinks of herself as a lost cause in that regard. If you can get her to see herself as beautiful, I'll..." Allison and Zane shared a glance. "I will streak through GD naked."

Zane paled. "Please don't, Carter. Allison may want to see it all, but I can guarantee you that everyone else at GD doesn't."

Carter rolled his eyes. "Oh grow up!" Allison slapped his arm, and turned back to Zane.

"I've got an idea." She said, nodding towards the jukebox, a pop song was playing, one that- as far as Allison and everyone else was concerned- defined Jo perfectly. "Vincent is holding a street dance tonight, a release from the stress of Astreaus training. We'll bring Jo to the dance, and you just have to work your magic."

"How?" Zane asked, unsure of where she was going.

"Just... trust me, Zane. Jo's female. There's a part of her- albeit small and neglected- that wants that whole 'makeover being the headturner' girl that all of us have. I will take care of Jo, you just get ready and show up."

"I look ridiculous."

"You look fine."

"No, I don't. I look... I'm not going." She turned, reaching behind her to undo the zipper at the back of her dress.

"You have to go-"

"Fine. I'll go, but I'll do security."

"Jo... you need to allow yourself a night of fun." Allison replied, picking the dress off the bed and going to her. The soft forest green material had looked beautiful against her olive skin, and after a moment, Allison held the dress out to her. "Put it on. You're going. No arguing." She added, when Jo opened her mouth to protest. Pouting silently, Jo took the dress and stepped back into it, pulling it up her body and allowing Allison to zip it up. She threw her hands up, turning back to the older woman.

"Happy now?"

"Yes. You look beautiful." And she did, the forest green of the strapless dress brought out the chocolate in her eyes, and the black material that gave the skirt the poof provided the perfect contrast as it fell just above her knees. She wore a pair of strappy heels, and Allison had managed to wrestle a pair of jade earring, matching necklace and bracelet onto her. She picked up the brush. "Now let's work on your hair and make up."

"Allison!"

Zane looked up, to see Allison enter the cafe, dressed in a light blue halter and black heels, her hair pulled back in a messy twist. She smiled to Carter, spotting Zane and waving, before turning back to the door. He watched her stick her head outside; she argued with someone for several minutes, before pulling someone into the cafe- or attempting to. The person was resisting like hell would freeze over. Zane glanced at Carter as that same pop song from earlier started playing.

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads
When you walk through the do-o-or
Don't need make up
To cover up
Being the way that you are is en-o-ough
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

He looked up just as Allison managed to yank Jo into the room. Instantly, every head turned to stare, men looked her up and down appreciatively, women whispered behind their hands; all eyes were on the Head of Security- in a dress of dark green and black, a pair of black strappy heels, with her hair around her shoulders in waves of raven silk.

She looked around quickly, taking in everyone staring at her, seeing the woman Jo was. The woman she refused to admit that she was. A woman who could make men stop and stare, who could make women jealous, the woman she'd been hiding for years behind guns and Army uniforms. She'd hidden behind Army garb and protocol, guns and rules for so long...

She didn't know how to be a feminine woman, let alone dress and act like one.

Yet somehow, Allison had managed to wrestle it out of her, and it stood before them all, for the first time, since her mother died.

Years.

She hadn't been to a dance in years... or ever.

Zane got up, setting his drink down and making his way towards her. She looked up at him, fear in her dark chocolate eyes. He stopped in front of her. "Wow."

She flipped her hair behind her shoulder nervously, glancing at the ground, a small smile flitting across her face. She refused to look him in the eye, and turned to go.

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh
That's what makes you beautiful

He grabbed her arm, stopping her. She turned back, looking up at him. A small shake of her head told him all that she was thinking, and he pulled her closer, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I... I know, it looks... horrible..." She started. He shook his head.

"No. It's not horrible. It's beautiful."

She turned from him, a light flush began, moving from her chest to her cheeks. He chuckled softly, brushing a tear away. She glanced at him, before trying to pull away. He refused to let her go and instead took her hand, tugging her towards the dance floor.

"Come on, Jojo. Let's dance."

So c-come on
You got it wrong
To prove I'm right I put it in a so-o-ong
I don't know why
You're being shy
And turn away when I look into your ey-e-es.
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you

He pulled her onto the dance floor, tugging her to him, his arms wrapping around her waist as they swayed to the upbeat notes of the song. Eventually, he took her hand, spinning her out and back to him, watching the skirt of her dress bell around her. Over time, she began to loosen up and enjoy herself, letting Zane dip her and even dancing with Fargo and Holly. She even let Parrish take her on a turn around the dance floor.

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful

Eventually, Jo left the dance floor, going to the counter. She slowly raised her eyes to the mirror on the wall adjacent to her, and found herself studying her reflection. She saw a woman she hadn't seen before, a woman she wasn't familiar with.

"You don't know you're beautiful, do you?" She looked up, Zane stood behind her, and she met his eyes in the mirror.

"I'm not beautiful, Zane. Commandos aren't beautiful. There's no such thing." She replied, sipping her drink. He scoffed, leaning to place a hand on either side of her on the counter.

"That's where you're wrong, you know." He whispered, his silken lips brushing the delicate shell of her ear. "Cause, from where I'm standing, this Commando is absolutely gorgeous." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You just have to see what I see, Jojo."

"And what's that, Zane?" She asked, as he moved to sit beside her, turning her to face him.

"That that smile, those dimples, and those eyes are part of what makes you beautiful. And is one of the reasons as to why I love you so much." She scoffed softly, a small smile appearing that quickly turned into a grin, lighting her eyes and exposing her dimples. "See?" He asked, turning her back to the mirror. "That's what makes you beautiful." She turned back to him. "And that is part of why I love you." He whispered, kissing her.

Baby you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
If only you saw what I can see
You'll understand why I want you so desperately
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe
You don't know oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh oh
You don't know you're beautiful
Oh oh oh
That's what makes you beautiful

The next afternoon, Jo found herself escorting a very naked Carter to her holding cell. "Carter... why?"

He looked up at her as she tossed a blanket at him. "Ask Zane." Her features hardened as she sent him a hasty text, asking him to come up to her office.

"WHAT the HELL DID YOU DO NOW?"

"Nothing!"