The heavy stack of papers sat besides her on the table untouched. After another long and exhausting day of searching for the hidden door, Jo had no remaining energy to sift through and sign the paperwork for Saturn. Really, he didn't need her licensing anyway, it wasn't as though she contributed to the book any. All Jo did was work in the ruins, the rest was all Saturn's writing.

She missed Zach. His next letter was due any day now, but the letters were rarely enough. They were just a snippet of him when she yearned for and dreamt of the real thing. Her crush was ridiculous, really, and completely unlike her. Jo had never cared about hurting a man's feelings before, nor had she ever gone hundreds of miles out of her way to spend a few short days with a man. But, Merlin, was she glad she did. He was so ... Zach, and she so was smitten.

Which made the problem she was facing that much more difficult. When her course was a week late, Jo hadn't thought anything of it. It rarely began on a routine, what with her stress levels and varying eating habits. However, there was no mistaking the other beginning symptoms. Like the perpetual exhaustion and queasiness at certain smells. And, if she pressed hard enough on her lower stomach, Jo would swear there was a firmness where she was usually soft.

Of course, there was no conceivable way for her to have the baby, not if she wished to be able to return home. Not to mention the small fact that she had no desire to be a mother. After watching what Mars went through earlier in the summer, Jo was certain motherhood was for anyone but herself. Finding a safe method to force a miscarriage, though, was proving impossible. There were possible potions and spells, but the potion ingredients were difficult to source in the desert. And the spells ... well, Jo wasn't confident enough in her charmwork to safely perform such a spell.

She swallowed back the bile as a steaming bowl of stew was delivered to the pub's table. Great, another night of not eating as well. Jo sighed heavily and rested her forearms on the table. What on Earth was she to do?