31Disclaimer – I don't own Eureka. Damn…
September 1, 2010 - Kit's gone through and edited for grammar and spelling errors, so now there are fewer annoying flaws in the stories. :)
Summary – Nathan never expected, as his world was falling apart, that Jack Carter would be the one to put him back together again.
Info – Season 2 AU
Pairings – Jack/Nathan
Aftermath…
After 2x01
After Kim's death, Nathan wanted nothing more than to leave Eureka. He felt responsible because his obsession with the artifact led to the experiment that she'd died in. When he lost his position as Director of GD, there had been a feeling of relief. The reigns could be passed over to Allison and he could relax.
He could sleep in, wander the town, and pretend that he didn't feel like his world was slowly ending.
Despite the fact that he survived the radiation that should have caused him to combust, Nathan felt as though he was dying inside. It had been building up for awhile. First Callister died, followed shortly by the finalization of his divorce from Allison and that fiasco with the nanoids. Then the pollen that released inhibitions swept over the town. Nathan had been relieved that no one, not even Allison, had thought there might be a darker explanation as to why he'd been trying to access the artifact. His motivation hadn't been to kill himself, but the fact that he would have died in the artifact chamber hadn't incited any feelings of self-preservation either.
Henry's decision to leave Eureka had hit Nathan like a physical blow. So when SARAH – or BRAD, really – had trapped him with Henry, Nathan had done his best to convey to Henry that leaving Eureka wasn't the solution to Henry's problems. His old mentor wasn't listening, though, and that hurt even worse. Screwing up his experiment and getting several scientists killed, almost including himself, was nearing the final straw.
Something had to give before he broke under all the weight…
So when Jack Carter sat down at the two person table that Nathan had been sitting at – brooding over his problems – it came as a great surprise.
"Why is it that you're always alone when I see you here?" Jack asked, skipping over the pleasantries that probably would have led to Nathan snapping at the smiling sheriff.
The question was odd enough that Nathan almost didn't snark at him. "I like the quiet. Take that as a hint."
Carter just smiled that slightly lopsided grin of his. "Do you like football?"
"What? No." Nathan glanced down at his plate, surprised to find that his lunch was finished.
"What about baseball?"
"Where are you going with this, Carter? Just get to the point."
"I'm just curious, I suppose. So… do you like hockey?"
"Basketball…" Nathan said after a few moments. He wasn't sure why he was giving in to the other man's questions. "I like basketball."
"Basketball is my sister's favorite, too. She used to kick my butt at 'Horse' during the summer." Jack's smile was infectious and Nathan could almost imagine a younger version of Carter playing with his sister.
"I wanted to play on the team in high school, but I was too young. The coach wouldn't take me seriously," Nathan admitted. "I wasn't that bad, though. At the very least, I was better than the worst player on the team."
"Do you still play?" Jack tilted his head to the side; he appeared genuinely curious.
"I've got a hoop over my garage, but I haven't used it since moving back here. What about you?" The words spilled out, unbidden, and Nathan mentally told himself to get rid of Carter before the conversation went any further.
"I haven't played since I moved here from LA," Jack responded. "In fact, the last time I did was when my sister, Lexi, last visited me."
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about Lexi. Nathan had no idea where the sudden curiosity he was feeling came from, but he didn't intend to follow through on it. "I have to go," he said, getting up and walking away.
Nathan glanced back before stepping through Café Diem's door. Jack was staring at him speculatively with an intensity that had never, to Nathan's knowledge, graced the sheriff's face before.
For the first time in days, Nathan began to think that maybe life would start to look up soon.
After 2x02
The weekend after his conversation with Jack about basketball, Nathan tuned into a game on his TV. It was the first time since returning to Eureka that he did so and about halfway through the game Nathan made some popcorn and grabbed a beer. In a way, he'd forgotten just how much he enjoyed unwinding like this. Basketball didn't require thinking too hard; as the players ran across the court, Nathan could let his mind relax.
When the game was over, the team he'd been rooting for had lost. It didn't matter, though, because he'd enjoyed watching anyway… and he had Jack Carter to thank for that, ironically enough.
So a few days later, when Jack asked Nathan to help save Fargo, he let the sheriff cajole him into helping without fussing too much at the start. Making snarky comments to Jack had been amusing from the get-go, but he'd had more fun that day than usual. Even more amusing was when Carter briefly hopped behind him to avoid the ultra-sonic fishing-rod.
Except… now that he was sitting alone, having dinner, at Café Diem, Nathan was starting to wonder if he'd crossed the line a few times from snarking to… something else. In all honesty… there was a few instants where what he'd said could have been taken as flirting. Carter had taken most of it with a confused air until the very end, when Nathan was fairly certain that Jack had returned the flirting in kind.
It was all unintentional on both sides, though. Nathan wouldn't consider any other possibility.
"Allison tells me you've decided to stick around GD after all," Jack observed, taking a seat across from Nathan much the same way he had a lunch just a few days previous.
"Disappointed?"
"Well, I'll have to cancel that party I was planning," Jack joked with a smile. "Actually, after today I'm rather glad you're staying."
"Really? Somehow I doubt that," Nathan drawled, his half-eaten dinner forgotten. Messing with Carter was infinitely more interesting than food.
"Think what you like." Carter shrugged dismissively, as though he didn't care whether Nathan believed him or not. "Aside from being afraid for Fargo, today was actually kind of fun."
"Fun? You have an odd definition of the word, Sheriff."
Jack's blue eyes sparked mischievously. "Oh, so you didn't enjoy getting to play with the goo-gun?"
"That was…" Nathan trailed off and shrugged. "Okay, that was fun."
"Normally when these disasters are over, you look like you have a migraine and are five seconds away from maiming someone. Today, though, you smiled more than I've seen since meeting you."
"I smile a lot," Nathan protested, despite how childish he sounded. "I thought Federal Marshals were supposed to be observant."
"No, you smirk a lot. There's a difference between the two." Jack paused and then added, "and I am observant. More so than you probably realize, I'd bet."
"You think I underestimate you," Nathan remarked.
"Well, don't you?" Nathan quirked an eyebrow at that statement, so Jack elaborated. "When those section five scientists were hopped up on the super-speed drug, you dismissed my investigative work regarding the cause of death of the scientist involved in the hit-and-run, belittled my intuition when I came to the conclusion that the other scientists involved in the project were juicing as well, and automatically assumed that I had no idea what I was doing when I went to interrogate one of the suspects. That sort of behavior is typically referred to as 'underestimation' and is something you do a great deal of.
"At least, before today."
"I'm not different today than any other day," Nathan objected. "So unless my smiling more makes me somehow less apt to underestimate you…"
"No, you were different today. My first priority is never GD and, today, it wasn't yours either. You didn't have to worry about covering GD's ass or what the bureaucrats, who don't know what it's like to live here, would decide to do in response to this incident. All you had to be today was a scientist, which is exactly who you are. Because of that, you didn't dismiss me as being some sort of 'loose cannon' or whatever term you want to use."
"That's… actually fairly accurate," Nathan admitted unhappily.
"Anyway," Jack changed the subject, looking faintly uncomfortable, "I just wanted to let you know that I think you made the right decision in staying. We may not get along well, but even I have to admit that Eureka needs you to stay." He stood up and edged away from the table. "I should get going. If I don't have dinner at home tonight, SARAH will pitch a fit and lock me out."
Watching Jack walk off, Nathan thought about what he'd just been told and, without really intending to, began reevaluating his opinion of Carter. Perhaps there was more to the 'average' guy in Eureka than met the eye…
After 2x03
Nathan almost didn't notice Jack sitting in one of the shadowed booths of Café Diem when he went in to grab some vinspresso before heading home for the night. On a whim, he went over and sat across from the sheriff, who seemed to be in a dreadful mood.
"Having a bad day?" Nathan asked curiously.
"Monumentally so. I must have pissed off someone," Jack glanced up at the ceiling briefly, "very much to deserve this."
"Deserve what? Aside from cause you a little embarrassment, your ex-wife doesn't seem all that bad." Nathan smirked as Carter scowled.
"Bad, huh? She's somehow managed to take over the guest room instead of staying at Beverly's and starts a fight with SARAH every time they converse. Because of Abby, I can't stand being in my own house because when she isn't arguing with me she's yelling at my house. And on top of that she's… taking Zoe away when summer comes around. Once that happens…" Jack trailed off for a few moments before finishing, very quietly, "I won't get to see Zoe until the next summer and probably for only half of it if Abby gets her way."
Losing Zoe like that was about the cruelest thing Nathan could imagine anyone doing to Jack. Nathan didn't know much about the Carter family dynamics, but he knew that Jack considered his daughter to be the most precious person in his life. Just thinking about the young girl reminded Nathan of the way Carter had wrecked a baseball bat by attacking a small nuclear generator just to save her; his actions that day had spoken volumes about his dedication to his daughter. The sheriff would be a different man entirely with his daughter gone.
Abby Carter had no right to wreck Jack and Zoe's lives like that…
"I'll be right back," Nathan said, getting up. He walked up to the bar and convinced Vince, who was too surprised to put up much of a resistance, to give him two beers and then returned. Setting one in front of Jack, Nathan kept the second for himself. "You look like you could use it."
Carter nodded and took a drink. "Thanks."
"Isn't there something you can do to stop her from taking Zoe away permanently?" Nathan drank some of his own beer as he waited for a response.
"Abby and I had an agreement. Originally, Abby was supposed to get her during the school year and I'd have winter and summer breaks. But then Zoe ran away to Eureka and Abby and I changed the agreement. At the time… I didn't realize how much circumstances would change." Jack's voice was morose. "So, no, there isn't really anything I can do to stop Abby."
"I love Kevin as though he is my own son and I know that if Allie ever restricted my ability to see him like that, I'd be devastated," Nathan offered.
"Yeah, well, Abby's barely gotten to see Zoe since she last ran away from LA. Either way, one of us winds up missing out on her most of the year." Jack sighed and turned his attention to his drink.
"I'd help if I could," Nathan admitted after a moment.
"You're listening and being nice. You're helping a lot," Jack responded and smiled at Nathan.
Even though it wasn't the bright smile that Carter usually beamed, Nathan felt as though he really had managed to help the other man. He also felt… well, it had to be the half-a-beer talking because Nathan Stark's heart did not race because of Jack Carter and he did not get a faintly giddy feeling because of the man either.
It just did not happen.
After 2x04
Allison knew something was up. In fact, she seemed to know more about it than Nathan did, judging by the expressions she'd worn on her face when she'd watched Nathan work that day.
The day had started off in a fairly innocuous manner. Nathan had woken up from a dream involving Jack Carter and a very intense kiss, which had become normal since their last major conversation at Café Diem. (After the third night, Nathan had managed to admit to himself that he had feelings for Jack, but had no intention of acting on said feelings.) He'd gone in to work and begun catching up on a little paperwork that he'd been letting slide just because he knew it wouldn't pile up anymore.
Then Jack was brought in with his mind trapped inside the video-therapy device. Nathan had thrown himself into saving Jack. Every time he looked at Carter, Nathan felt helpless and he hated it more each time. He'd been so afraid that Jack would die, again, and that this time there would be no Carlson to bring him back to life.
Since Nathan decided to stay on at GD, Jack had been seeking Nathan out at lunch every other day or so and they'd talk about non-work related things. Their conversation about Abby taking Zoe away, however, had been the first time that Nathan sought Jack out instead of it being the other way around. Since then, they'd had lunch together every day.
It was strange how quickly Jack's presence had grown on Nathan.
Allie didn't seem surprised at all by Nathan's reaction to Jack's predicament with the virtual reality device. In fact, she seemed to have expected it, though she had looked a bit disappointed when Nathan ran off when Jack woke up. The truth was Nathan didn't think he could bear to watch Jack, Zoe, and Abby acting like a family while he felt the way he did about Jack. He'd simply gotten out of there before he got hurt. Except it happened anyway because he couldn't help but imagine the happy, handsome picture the three blondes made.
So Nathan went home and felt sorry for himself. At least, that was what he was doing before the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, Nathan was surprised to see Jack standing on the front steps. "Should you be up already?"
"I feel fine," Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Really, I do," he added when Nathan gave him an incredulous look.
"Come on in," Nathan invited Jack inside. Once the door shut behind Carter, Nathan asked, "what brings you here?"
"Well, uh… Allison told me how you were there the entire time, trying to find a way to get me out of there and I wanted to thank you."
"You don't need to; I couldn't do anything in the end." Nathan led Jack over into his living room and gestured for Carter to have a seat on the couch. Jack stood instead, though, and moved to be right next to Nathan. "I was useless."
"You weren't…"
"You almost died, Jack!" Nathan interrupted. "All I could do was watch you fight that thing and, as far as anyone could tell, you were losing. You always seem to find a way to save Eureka, and me, when there's trouble… so why is it I'm always the one who doesn't know how to save you?"
Carter smiled and tilted his head to the side. "Nathan… you called me Jack," he drawled happily and, before Nathan could process that comment, kissed the scientist.
For a moment, Nathan froze in surprise. Then, taking in just what was happening, Nathan kissed back. His mouth parted slightly, enough for his tongue to seek entrance to Jack's mouth while his hands landed on Jack's hips, pulling the shorter man closer.
After a year… give or take a few days
Nathan snuggled closer to Jack in their bed in the bunker. Tomorrow they were leaving for a week-long cruise: their honeymoon. Sometimes it was still hard to believe the way things had turned out between the two of them, but Nathan firmly believed the two of them had earned this happy ending together.
When Abby left a few days after Jack's encounter with the virtual version of Eureka, she'd finally made concessions to Jack concerning Zoe's living arrangements. Zoe went back for summer and winter vacations, spending the school year in Eureka. Jack had been publicly ecstatic and he'd shared that enthusiasm with Nathan in a very… private way.
A few weeks after that, Jack told Zoe about his new relationship with Nathan. At first she'd been wary of the snarky scientist and warned him that she had been an accurate shot since the age of ten and knew where her father kept his gun… and where Jo kept all the fancy guns. She warmed to Nathan quickly, however, when she saw how happy they were together.
Allison won 145 dollars in a town-wide bet when they came out to Eureka after dating for about a month-and-a-half. Kevin asked Zoe if they were going to be siblings. The Blake family was clearly quite pleased with the development between the two men.
Henry, oddly enough, had been the biggest stumbling block. After Jack's brief encounter with invisibility, however, Henry came around. The mechanic had insisted at the time that he'd withheld judgment for so long because he was afraid they'd hurt each other but could now see how much the two were in love. Nathan had his doubts about that, though he refrained from commenting on them to anyone. If Henry wanted to be mysterious it was his prerogative.
To everyone's surprise, Nathan and Jack managed to make their relationship work. They still fought a lot, but that was a given. As time passed, Nathan found himself falling more and more in love with Jack until he finally asked for Jack's hand in marriage.
Jack said yes immediately and the time following the proposal was a whirlwind of planning. Henry preformed the ceremony and then made a speech at the ceremony that was a little embarrassing, a little nostalgic, and altogether touching. Nathan also met Lexi Carter, Jack's sister, for the first time that day.
A little over a year ago, in the aftermath of the artifact's explosion, Nathan had felt like his world was over. Now, though, he knew better. His life with Jack had been just beginning.
A/N – That was fun. :) As for Henry being a 'stumbling block', consider that not long before this, future-Jack had told him about how future-Jack had been married to future-Allison. Henry was worried about broken hearts.
