I do not own Eureka, if I did it would still be on the air.

It had been a rough six months for Jack Carter. He lost everything that was important to him, wife, new baby and his home. It was too much for him, he quit his job and left town. He was in a freefall and would have hit rock bottom, hard, if it had not been for his friends Henry and Jo. Henry was concerned and asked Jo to find Carter. Truthfully, Henry did it because Jo was hurting just as much as Jack, he knew they needed each other. The both lost everything that day. That day was the end of one chapter and beginning of a new one.

Fallen from a Cliff

Life could not be better for everyone in the small town of Eureka, Oregon. It was quiet for the first time in a long time, no death rays sticking out of the street, no extra sun made by a preteen girl for a science project, or anything else. This level of quiet was rare in Eureka and it suited Sheriff Jack Carter just fine. He had other things on his mind these days. His wife, Allison, was due with their child any day and he could hardly wait. Life was so good then, the days were brighter and everyone was happy, but remember what they say about it always being brightest before dark. It was just amazing how far one can fall…

It started a few days after the baby was born. Jack's first day back to work, he was reluctant to go but Allison had to insist. As good as everything was, the town still needed him.

"Jack, go please. I can take care of things here," she pleaded with him. He had barely let her out of his sight since the baby was born. He was driving his wife crazy.

Even SARAH (Jack's smart house) chimed in, "Yes, Sheriff Carter, it would be good for you to go to work today," SARAH said.

"You too, huh SARAH? Must be pretty bad then. Okay I will go," Carter finally said hanging his head in mock defeat. "I will go but call me about anything." This was the last thing he said to her as she pushed him out the door.

Little did he know that was the last happy moment he would have for a long time…

He arrived at his office and few minutes later he was a little surprised to find his former deputy, now head of Global Dynamics security, Jo Lupo, and Head of GD, Henry Deacon, waiting for him in his office. These two people were his best friends, he trusted no two people more in this or any other world. Carter could see that something was off about Henry, but he did not look happy or mad but just plain miserable.

Carter slowed his entrance into the office as he racked his brain trying to remember if they were meeting for a purpose but to no avail, he had no clue. "What's going on, guys? Did we have something going on today?" he asked a little suspicious of the gathering.

Jo looked and sounded impatient when she said, "I have no idea. SARAH called me this morning and told me to come to the office. She would not tell me what is going on. I have a lot of things to do. It's the yearly security check of GD today." Jo paced around the confines of the office like a caged animal. She was anxious, Jack smiled a little since he had to admit to himself that when Jo was like this, he found it very cute but looking at Henry the thought quickly vanished.

Henry was concerned and it was evident on his face. "Jack, Jo…please sit?" Henry said motioning to the two chairs closest to him. When they did, he began his story slowly, not even close to ready, but knowing he had to.

He took one last ragged breath and began the tale of heartbreak, "SARAH called me a few days ago. She asked me to double check something. SARAH thought something was wrong with her sensors but they weren't." Each word seemed to cause him pain but he keep pushing, it needed to be done. "I wish there had been something wrong but there wasn't, and I double and triple checked." He was searching for the best way to explain, knowing the next words would hurt the people sitting in front of him. Straight forward was his only real option. "Jack, the baby is not yours." He said it more bluntly than he meant to. The words just hung in the air. "I am sorry, Jack," Henry said, knowing that it was too late.

Jo was the first to react. "Henry?" She was confused and was immediately upset. "That's a sick joke. Why would you say something like that?" Her voice was raising just a little more as each word pass her lips, accusing and very angry by the end.

Jack on the other hand was silent because he knew that Henry would not joke. When he was finally able to speak, he was quiet, barely even audible. "Please explain," was all he said.

Henry looked more devastated than Jack did, as it had not completely sunk in yet, but Henry did as requested. "SARAH does a DNA sample of everyone who passes through her doors and when she did one for the baby, the DNA did not match yours. Part was Allison's but the other was someone else's…" He trailed off as he looked slowly at Jo as he was getting to the part that involved her most.

The realization seemed to wash over her before the words came out of Henry's mouth. "No, no Henry, there has to be a mistake," Jo said passionately, shaking her head as if that could stop the information from being true. Jo did not cry easily but on that day, the tears flowed quickly from her eyes as she realized that she could not stop it.

"There was no mistake, Jo. The baby's DNA matches Zane's DNA profile. I double-checked the data. Zane's the father of Allison's baby." Henry knew that this was the worst moment of his life. He cared more for these two people than anyone else in the world and he had just ruined their lives. He could not stop the tears that forming in his eyes. "I am sorry, both of you," Henry said as he left, he hoped that they would not hate him forever for this.

And that was the beginning of the darkest period in both Jack and Jo's lives.

Both Jack and Jo just sat in that office for what seemed like hours, not talking, barely breathing, and hurting more and more as the seconds slipped by. Jack was the first one to get up first. He had finally decided on what to do, Jack Carter was leaving Eureka forever. He removed his badge, the badge that had meant so much to him over the years. He protected this town and was proud to do so, everyday. He just looked at it for a long moment before placing it on the desk. He walked over to were Jo was sitting, kissed her of the forehead and left, thinking it was the last time he would ever be there again.

The drive was a long one, Jack called Henry on the way over and asked a favor. He had no ill will toward Henry for this and one day he would tell him thank you for it. When Jack arrived home, He did not want to do this but he knew what had to be done. He stood outside the door waiting for the words to come to him, the ones that would explain that he knew everything and how hurt he was but they did not. Nothing came. He just stood out there, for what felt like an hour, trying to come up with something to say.

The door swung open, breaking his train of thought and when he saw her, the hurt and anger both grew. "Are you coming in?" Allison asked looking at him, smiling, slightly puzzled and amused by him. She became worried when he just stood there for another long moment with a blank look on his face, as he was suppressing his feelings. "Jack, are you okay?" She reached out for him but he pulled away from her.

In the second that he needed them, the simplest words came and were exactly what needed to be said. "I know," was it and that was all it took for her to understand. He said it with such heat and hurt that she knew instantly what he was speaking about. He did not wait for her to react. He brushed past her, packed some stuff, and headed for the door. The last thing he said to her was, "Henry will be by to get the rest. I'll send you the papers." And that was Jack Carter's departure from Eureka. No great pomp and circumstance, no grand send off, just a fleeting second of time, here one second gone the next. Just like him.

Jo's side of things was pretty much the same; except she broke Zane's nose and jaw. Jack and Jo both left town quietly, both determined never to come back.

The rocks are sharp at the bottom

Over the next six months, Jo still talked to a few people from Eureka but not many, Henry, Vincent, and a few select others. The story had gotten out around the town but she did not want to deal with the drama, it was a small town after all. She spent the time traveling around the country, trying to move on but it was not until she got a call from Henry that she began recognize that she already had.

The pain she thought she was feeling was gone when concern for her best friend reigned; it just did not matter, her friend needed her help. As hard of a blow as the news was for Jo, she was able to keep standing and keep fighting. But Jack was completely knocked out.

You see, even though Jo was in love with Zane, she had come to the realization that deep down she knew they would never last. It had to end and that is what it did. Nevertheless, Jack wanted nothing more than the life he was living, a good job and great friends and better family, now it was completely gone.

Henry explained to Jo that Carter dropped off the map since that day. Jo knew how hard Jack had taken it and now that he has not in contact with anyone, this was not good. Jo wanted to find her friend, see him and make everything better for him.

Jo knew exactly where to start looking for him. There was one person that he would never cut out, he would always stay in contact with was his daughter. So, Jo called Zoe.

The phone only rang once before Zoe answered it. "Hey, Zoe how are you doing?" Jo said trying and failing to sound casual. There was no fooling Zoe.

That airiness did not fool Zoe, who knew exactly what Jo was calling for. "Looking for my Dad, huh?" she said pressing as a question that she already knew the answer to.

Jo for her part tried to deny this "What?! No, I am just calling to catch up. How are you?" Jo said. Zoe was not fooled.

"I'm fine, He's on the beach near Newport, Jo" Jo could never fool this child and this time was no different from any other time. "Good luck, Jo, he needs you but you need to remember not to be afraid. Okay?"

Jo did not understand. "Afraid of what?" she asked. Jo was rarely scared by anything and this simple pronouncement caught her off guard."What do you mean by that?" she sort of demanded. Her mind and heart started racing with all types of horrible possible things that had befallen Jack. This was the first time she would later going on to tell people, that she felt something more for him.

Zoe smiled to herself, knowing that Jo went straight to worst-case scenarios in her mind. "You're a smart girl. You will figure it out, Jo. I gotta go. Talk to you soon. Remember no fear."

And just like that, the conversation was over and she had the needed information. "Well that was easier than expected," she said still confused about the no fear of it all, but she headed back to Oregon.

It took three days of nonstop driving to get to the coast of Oregon and another day to find precisely what beach he was on. When she finally spotted him sitting in the sand, she hardly recognized him. He appeared to be drinking straight from what looked like a Jim Beam bottle. His clothes were rags barely hanging on him. He had a full beard and bathing looked as if it had taken a back burner as well.

Jo was a little taken aback at his appearance. So much so, that she really did not know what to say to him to begin the conversation that his friends were concerned about him, that she was worried about him. Based solely upon his current appearance, they had every right to be. Jo thought she understood what Zoe had meant but as she would soon find out, she was wrong and she was very glad to be.

As she approached him on the beach that day, Jo was bound a determined to help her friend out of this. She was stilling thinking what to say to him, when he spotted her.

"Jo!" he said as recognition set in, got to his feet quickly. "What are you doing here?" Once he started moving toward her, Jo was glad to see that he actually looked very healthy. She smiled at him, still not sure really what to say but very happy to see him a lot of him. In fact, because of his dust rags that were posing as his shirt, she could see that Jack was in great shape, all muscle, abs and not one ounce of fat. She had to shake her mind clear of the image of Jack's rippling, sweaty form.

Jo opened her mouth to say something, anything but it was for not. Jack hugged her, tightly. She thought something must be seriously wrong because the only times they hugged was to comfort the other in times of great hurt or sorrow. "It's great to see you," he said with huge smile.

When he let her go, she could see that he was the same old Jack she had known. "It's good to see you to, but what's with the look?" she asked tugging at his tattered shirt.

"Oh, this is nothing, just working," he said looking down at his appearance. "You must have thought the worst when you saw me, right?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"Working, huh?" Jo said not needing the answer. "Working on what? What are you doing?" These questions she wanted, scratch that, needed the answered to.

So he explained and she just laughed. As it turned out appearances can be deceiving as Jo discovered. Jack was working as a private eye. He would later explain that the reason he had not contacted anyone in Eureka because, he thought, it would open wounds but seeing her made him forget about that.

Jo smiled, she had helped her friend and had to think to herself 'that was quick' but she was very happy to see him. He seemed very happy to see her.

Top of the world

They left the beach together and that is how this tale of tragedy turned into great triumph for the both of them. Over the next few days, they spent the time catching up on what they were doing over the last six months. It was during this time that Jo started to comprehend what Zoe meant by not being afraid, a little. The idea did scare her but she also liked it. Jo was surprised how much she missed being around Carter. After everything they had been through together, he made her feel safe.

After some time being around him, Jo started thinking it was time for her to move on. She was not needed here, Jack was just fine. She believed that she needed to move on, and find some more permanent, new place to call home. It was being around him that brought this on. Jo wanted a place to call home. The problem was that a place was not what home was…

So one night sitting at a local place and a few beers to build some courage that for some reason was lacking that night, she told him her intention of leaving. "Jack, there something I need to tell you."

Carter responded with a joking tone. "Wow, it must be serious! You never call me by my first name," he said taking a swig off his beer, but stowed that after seeing how hard it was for her. "Jo, its okay just tell me."

Jo just steadied herself. "I am leaving tomorrow. I need to find a home." She was shocked just how much the words harmed both him and her. If she was being completely honest with herself she did not want to leave. She liked the ocean but she enjoyed him most of all, just being around him made her happier than anything else. Jo could see that Jack was not thrilled about the news. The smile that he previously had wore disappeared. His question was simple and sincere.

"Why?'

She did not want to admit to him or herself that she was dealing with something she was afraid of. Just like Zoe predicted. Over the course of their time together, Jo had started to appreciate that many of her good memories in Eureka were not because of the town but because of Carter. He was always there for her, no questions; he would do anything for her and she would for him.

She took a deep breath and said, "I want to make a life for myself. I want a loving family and a place where I feel needed. I don't know if I can find that here." This was a lie and fear forced the words. The fear that it would ruin their friendship, which was extremely important her, and the most important thing in her life was their friendship.

Jack placed his beer on the table and for the first time since she had told him of her intention to leave, he looked into her eyes and took her hands into his. The words he said melted her fear away like warm sun on cool ice. "Home is not a place that you can find, it's not a location. Home is with the person you love and who loves you." Jack hesitated before he said the next words facing his own fear, "I would like your home be here…" he took a deep breath, these words were the most important, "with me," he said looking directly into her eyes.

Tears were forming in her eyes as he looked at her. For the first time Jo saw that Jack did not see her as just a friend but something much, much more, but fear built up inside her again. She was trying very hard not to do what she had done in the past, to run. Jo laughed a small weary laugh, she at last truly understood Zoe's 'Don't be afraid.' But she was.

"What's funny?" Carter asked at her laugh.

Jo smiled at him, "Something your daughter said to me when I called her to find you." His expression was asking what words were not. "She told me to not be afraid."

She trusted him more that anyone on the planet she stood up and started pacing in front of him. "I am afraid, Jack," she said softly. He smiled a little weary smile that was pure Carter. It helped put her at ease enough to continue. "I am afraid that I could lose my best friend, the one person who knows me best." Her brain was not keeping up, as the words were faster than that. Jo did not, in reality, know where the words were coming from but they felt right. So when it spilled out, it shocked her because she actually said loud out for the first time and secondly it was the truth that is what she was afraid of all along. "The one person I am truly in with love in this in world." The omission was something that she had not even admitted to herself in her own mind. Jo stopped dead in her tracks, a smiled crossed her face as the weight of the secret that she keep even from herself was lifted.

Jo was so preoccupied, that she did not notice Jack get up and standing in front of her. "Are you sure?" he said as Jo looked up at him. He pulled her close to his body in a comforting hug.

"Yeah I am," she said with confidence.

Jack smiled down at her. "Good because I am too." He laughed a little piquing Jo's interest.

"What's so funny?"

"Zoe told me the same thing."

It had been a year since that night. They were never apart from each other. Jo moved in to his small beach house the next morning and together they worked, played and most importantly loved.

That day now a year old in memory was important to them both. Each thought they had reached their destination in life's journey. As it turned out was not the reality of the situation, it was a detour before finding each other. That is where fate wanted them to be standing on a beach, side by side, in front of Henry, surrounded by their friends and family. The warm ocean was washing over their bare feet getting the bottom of Jo's dress wet.

Zoe, Henry, Grace, and Vince were there, with food as always, and a just a few select others, the important people. These people were not just considered friends, they were family.

Jo had never thought that she would have a day as special as this, but she realized that as crooked as the winding road had been, it had always led here. When her eyes rested upon Jack's, she knew that her dreams had truly come true.

As Henry finished, they kissed under the stars that were starting to become visible in the night sky. In a short time, Jack and Jo had built a life together. They did not waste time anymore, five years as friends, a year as lovers and now officially a family.