After about an hour, a re-showered Jotaro went on his way to his office.

Jolyne was still gone after we got cleaned up. I wasn't sure what to do with myself since I didn't have work for today. Instead, I decided to see what Jotaro was up to.

I arrived at the office.

Jotaro was working with marine books and different stuff around him. He had his hat on covering his eyes as he walked. Sometimes I forgot this man was a Marine Biologist ever since he came back. It was interesting seeing him like this after seeing him so disheveled earlier. He was so focused on healing rather than travelling all the time. I enjoyed his company, but I wondered how long until he go out and about again. Even though, I was able to travel with him at times, there were still many times our work wouldn't let us be together.

I came over to his desk. I recognized he had something in his hand as he thumbed through pages of one of his books. It wasn't a writing utensil, neither was it a typical studying tool.

It was that cherry earring.

"Working?"

He looked at me as if he wanted to say, 'Why are you asking something you already know the answer to?' Instead, he just said, "Yeah." He fiddled that earring in his hand.

I wondered why he felt the need to hold that. Did he feel something nostalgic when holding it? I didn't want to pester him with questions. I just asked, "Do you need anything like a snack or a drink?"

Jotaro said, "Coffee. Thank you."

I nodded. I left to make some coffee. As I did, I wondered about Kakyoin. I've never met him, but Jotaro never spoke a word about him, except for that time when he was at Morioh on the phone. (Chapter: Later That Night) I guess he was just leaving the dead alone. According to Polnareff, Jotaro felt that it was his fault. I was just hoping that he was getting positive feelings from the earring rather than negative. I could only assume since he didn't let it go.

When I came back, I gave him his coffee.

Jotaro uttered, "Thank you, sweetheart." He kept his eyes on the book. The cherry earring was still rolling in between his thumb and forefinger.

"You're welcome. Um..."

Jotaro looked up at me. "What's wrong?" He gave me attention as he sat everything down.

I asked, "Do you remember how you used to travel a lot?"

He looked to the side and answered, "No, but I have a feeling I did that... a lot. She said something about that when we came to help Jolyne."

'She' was his ex-wife. I remembered that as well. She was frustrated about that, but she let it go for Jolyne's sake and because of his lack of memories.

"Well," I said. "I know for your job, you traveled a lot. I was wondering if you would start up again."

Jotaro's brow furrowed. He said, "But..." He seemed troubled. "I don't need to."

"Hunh?" That was a surprise. Normally, he would leave and say it was a job having to be a Marine Biologist. It was important for him while I had to stay back at home because of my job. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," he answered. "I looked into it." He gulped. His jaw tensed. He looked away. "When I traveled, it was only for investigating the arrows and everything. I only did my work on the side if I could." His eyes widened as he understood what he said.

There was a silence in between us. It was quite tense.

What the heck did this all mean?

He lied?

"Oh." Before walking out, I said, "Don't over do it."

Jotaro called me. He stood up from the desk.

I stopped outside the doorway and said, "I-I know you don't remember anything. It's fine. Just... um."

He nodded, "Okay." He sat down slowly.

I walked off. I wasn't sure where to go. I wasn't sure how to feel. It wasn't like it was his fault! He couldn't remember. But it was his fault! I've learned that having amnesia doesn't change one's personality despite the memory loss.

Does that mean he would do the same now?

I took a deep breath in and out. That breath had a drawn out groan. Was I that much unreliable?

...

No... he was probably scared. Just like everyone who worked with him, they got hurt or killed. There was a reason he didn't marry me until now. There was a reason he didn't tell me everything. There was a reason he didn't get close to people in general!

This was the past, and it was behind us. Not going to lie, I was still a bit salty.

I was currently pacing in the living room when Jolyne arrived.

She asked, "Are you okay? You look pissed."

"I'm not," I hissed.

She shrugged, "Could've fooled me."

"Sorry," I exhaled. "I may have found out something I shouldn't have."

She said surprised, "Did you and Dad get into a fight?"

"It wasn't a fight," I dismissed. "He was just trying to protect me, and since he couldn't remember what he did, he is just as surprised. Now he feels guilty, and I'm unreasonably salty. It'll be fine."

"Okay," she said cautiously. "I'll be in the kitchen." She left the living room with her grocery bags.

Jotaro came down the stairs. It looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing would come out of his mouth.

"It's fine," I sighed. "You don't remember. It's whatever."

He shook his head. He came over to me. "You mean a lot to me. It's not just fine. I may not remember, but what I did still hurt you." He sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you."

"I know," I said, feeling my tone on edge. "You did because you were scared to lose anyone else. It's fine." My voice tremble at that last word.

Jotaro averted his eyes from me guilty. Then he look at me with determination. "Sweetheart, what I did was wrong. Hurting you is not fine. You matter too. Not just me. Now stop making excuses for me. You are allowed to be upset with me."

I sniffed, "But I don't want to be upset with you." All I felt was frustration. What was I supposed to do?

He said, "Then at least let me take accountability for what I did. I lied to you about what I was doing, for possibly a long time. I'm sorry."

"What am I supposed to say?"

Jotaro started to say something, but he stopped. He had no idea himself.

"How about you two just agree to forgive and just make up," Jolyne walked in. She said directly to me, "Pretending the problem isn't there won't help. You have that problem."

We looked over at her.

She shrugged and proceeded to go upstairs to leave us alone.

It was that simple. Oversimplified if I do say myself, but simple nonetheless.

Jotaro said to me, "I won't lie to you again. You have my word." I wrapped his arms around me and held me close. "What I did was wrong, and I have a feeling you probably believe I would do it again. I'm sorry. Even if I did it to protect you, it was still wrong." He tightened his hold on me. "I don't want to lose another person's trust in me. Especially you."

I said calming down, "You have a lot going on in your mind just like me. You also had a lot going on before you lost your memories. You lied for a reason. That's why I felt that being upset was wrong. Either way, I still did."

"And that's okay." He began rocking me side to side softly. "I feel bad for what I did. I feel like I should be punished for hurting you."

"Don't say that," I quickly said. I gulped as I remembered hearing that statement like that from him in the past. When in regards to anyone that got hurt around him. I didn't want him to remember those things. I wanted to avoid him remembering those hurtful memories.

I needed him to stop.

"What?" He stopped rocking us.

I quickly said, "Thank you for acknowledging your wrongs and my feelings. I forgive you. But you don't deserve anything bad to happen to you."

Jotaro asked, "Why not?" There was a possibility there was a lot in that question. He could be just talking about our situation, but I feel like it was involved everything else. Those deep seated issues I spoke about before.

I gulped, "Do you know why you are asking that?"

"Yes... no... I don't know." He sighed, "I just feel like I should be punished for hurting you."

I said, "I feel like you shouldn't be punished for my sake." Or anyone's sake for that matter. "I forgive you. Forgiveness is all you need."

There was a long pause as he looked at me troubled. He wasn't sure what to say. Then he finally managed to get out, "You won't hate me?"

"Of course not, hun." I reached up to Jotaro's face and cupped his cheek. "There is no way I could hate you. I love you."

He said after he swallowed with a pained expression, "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," I said. "I forgive you." My saltiness was gone for now. I didn't want to think about how many times he probably lied to me about his work. But he was regretful of his actions. He was sorry.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"I know."

His teeth clenched as he said for the nth time, "I'm sorry." He was getting frustrated with something.

"I know, hun," I said. "What's wrong?"

"Why do I still feel so guilty? It's like I've done way more wrong things." He let go of me. "What the world did I do?"

"Jotaro, you have always tried you best with anything you did. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But every time I see someone or something, I just feel guilt." He took a deep breathe. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "My appointment is tomorrow at the doctor. I shouldn't be dropping all this on you. I don't want you worrying so much."

"But-."

"All this came from us finding out I lied to you," he interrupted. "It's obvious I have too many problems. I'm glad the truth came out though." He wouldn't look at me. It may had been normal, but that look of guilt was painful. "I still feel like I deserve to be punished... I don't know. Hit me, yell at me, something... make me cry like I've made you before. I dont care. You've never hurt me."

So many issues. So many thoughts going through his head, old and new.

"How'd you know I've never hurt you?" I asked questioning his ability to remember our relationship in the past. Yes, he yelled at me before, but he was scared of me getting hurt. Yes, he has made me cry before, but it was because I was worried about him. Not once did he went after my wellbeing. But I did push him. I did threatened and broke down his barriers without his input. I did hit him when he asked me to. I choked him when he asked me to.

There were so many issues we never really addressed.

"When I don't want you to," he added. "I'm a masochist who likes being praised; we know that. I'm talking about how you never once hurt me, and I hurt you and everyone else. Don't you think I deserve some form of punishment?"

"No!" I said more frustrated than before. "God, this conversation is everywhere! You don't deserve to be punished! You always tried your best to protect everyone, and so did everyone else! You are a great person, Jotaro! You made the hard decisions no one else could, and you already had to suffer for them. You've done your best, and you've done enough."

Jotaro's breathing began trembling. "I don't even understand what we are talking about." He gulped as he tried calming himself as his eyes began watering. "Why am I- I don't understand." He sniffed as tears began falling down his cheeks. "Why is this happening?" He sobbed, "Why when you say that, I felt... I don't understand."

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close.

He buried his face in my neck. There was so much going on that he couldn't understand. Too much going on.

Too much of the past that he doesn't understand was messing with him so much. Hiding or avoiding any painful memories was not going to help him at all.

I rubbed his back. "You know I love you. You did everything great to this point. It's time for you to rest." I could feel the wetness of his tears and his warm breath on my neck. "You did a good job."

It only seemed to intensify his sobbing. Maybe it was relief.

What he needed was closure about his past, even if he can't remember.

After about five minutes, Jotaro stood straight up and said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said while patting his back. "You've been through it."

After that, Jolyne came back and said, "I'm going to make something to eat. You guys hungry?" She avoided looking at Jotaro. She obviously knew what was going on. She just didn't want to get too involved.

I nodded, "Yeah, something to eat sounds nice."

Jotaro wiped the tears from his face. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll be in my office." He left is my grip and went past Jolyne up the stairs.

Jolyne walked over to me concerned. She asked quietly, "Will he be okay?"

I answered, "I think so. We have a long way to go... Do you need help with cooking?"

She said, "I can use some assistance."

The both of us went to cook.

When we were done, I went to get Jotaro. There, I found him back at his desk working with that cherry earring in his hand. His composure was calm as he was focusing.

"Jotaro," I called. "The food is done."

He put the earring down and stood up. He nodded, "Mm." He came over to me and grabbed my hand. He began walking out to the kitchen while pulling me along.