Chapter One

The sounds coming from beneath the hood of her car were growing more ominous by the mile. Shannon Peters craned her neck forward again, looking hopefully beyond the thick trees and overgrowth for any sign of civilization on the road ahead, but finding nothing. The only evidence at all of the presence of modern man was the paved road itself - which was in surprisingly good condition, for The Road to the Middle of Nowhere.

Her tiny passenger looked up at her with what might have been the desire to comfort her, or the need to be comforted himself... or very likely, a little of both. Shannon reached out to rub his furry head, and smiled in wonder for the millionth time at just how empathetic he was. It was what made him so good at being a therapy pet, but even more than that, it made him the perfect companion. Her partner and her best friend.

Shannon looked at Cricket, her five year old, 8 pound Pomeranian. "It's looking pretty bad, little fella... I have no idea where we are, and I don't think the car is going to make it". Cricket cocked his head to one side with his gaze locked on her as she spoke. Sometimes she swore he actually understood every word she said.

Just then, the car began hissing and popping horribly, losing power as wisps of steam escaped from around the hood. Shannon guided the car as best she could to the side of the road, where it gave a final "chug-chug-chug" and died. Yanking the brake, she exhaled in frustration and flopped back in her seat, trying not to panic as she went over her options. She still had a full day to make it to the interpreter's conference in Seattle, if she could get some help and if the repairs weren't too extensive. She reached for her cell phone, though she didn't really expect to find a signal out here - wherever "here" was.

Shannon looked at her phone, and blinked in disbelief at the full signal indicator. A slow smile tugged at her lips as she looked at Cricket. "You know, buddy," she said softly, "we may be up the creek, but we haven't lost the paddles just yet." As she dialed 911, Cricket rested his chin on his front paws and declined comment.

For Jack Carter, it was a just another day in the insanity that had become his life. Through a crazy twist of fate, the former U.S. Marshall had been "promoted" to become the new sheriff of a little town that very few people even knew existed. It was the kind of job that normally would have made him bored out of his mind - except that the town was home to some of the foremost scientific minds in the world, as well as a cutting-edge research and development facility that frequently pushed beyond the boundaries of modern science. Which meant that, from time to time, things could and did go horribly wrong.

This was one of those times. Granted, nothing had blown up. Time was still flowing the right way, aliens hadn't supposedly launched an invasion, and there were no weapons of mass destruction running amok. Not this time. However, they still had a "situation", and that meant damage control. And damage control was 90 percent of his job.

The call from the Springfield Police Department had come in about 20 minutes earlier. A stranded motorist had called 911 for assistance, and SPD had taken the call, being the closest known law enforcement agency in the area. SPD then called the Eureka Sherriff's Office, since the vehicle in question was on the county road just south and east of town. Jack had set out immediately, leaving Jo to contact all the necessary people and alert them to the possibility of a "civilian" presence. This meant that, for the duration, Eureka had to appear to be just like any other sleepy, backwater little town...

Impossible, he thought to himself. Might as well ask the king of the jungle to act like a common housecat. He grimaced as he remembered his own initial contact with Eureka and its secrets. He only hoped the problem with the car was something minor that Henry could repair with a minimum of improvisation. It would be too much to ask to have things stay quiet until he gave the "all clear"; he had to earn his pay, right? All he had to do was protect the town's anonymity, in the interest of national security.

Damage control. Piece of cake.

Right...

Spotting a white Toyota with out-of-state plates on the shoulder of the road ahead, Jack ignored the familiar ache starting in his temples as he pulled his police vehicle to a stop about twenty feet behind the stalled car. He got out and headed toward the car, pulling out his notepad and jotting down the make, model, and plate number as he walked.

He started to look up from his notepad to ask what the problem was, but found himself tongue-tied as he looked into a pair of the loveliest hazel-gold eyes he'd ever seen, set in an angelic face that smiled in gratitude at his arrival.

Damage control.

Right...

I'm so screwed.

Relief overwhelmed Shannon as she saw the sheriff's vehicle approaching in her rearview mirror. She put her phone down and grabbed her license, registration, and AAA card from her purse, just in case, then turned just as the sheriff approached her open window.

"Sheriff, thank goodness you're here! I'm not sure what happened - it was running hot, for over an hour I think, but then it just quit... could be a busted hose... or possibly the water pump..." Shannon's cheeks flamed; she realized she was babbling, and forced herself to be quiet and give the man a chance to speak.

Jack managed to recover his wits and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Well, Miss...?"

"Peters. Shannon Peters."

"Miss Peters. Um, why don't we have a look?" Tucking his notepad back in his shirt pocket, he walked around to the front of the car and lifted the hood. Plumes of white steam billowed out, making it impossible to actually see where the problem was.

Shannon put a hand over her face and almost wilted in embarrassment as the sheriff waved his hands in front of him, trying to clear the steam that was gushing from beneath the hood. Sensing her distress, Cricket stood up in the passenger's seat, hopped over the brake lever, and landed squarely in her lap. She scooped him up to cuddle him to her chest as the sheriff came back around to her window.

The last thing Jack expected as he returned to the car window was to find himself nose-to-muzzle with a furry critter that eyed him as he were part of a police lineup. A tiny growl came from the... was that a dog? "Whoa!" He did a quick backstep, raising his hands in surrender.

"Cricket, no! The nice sheriff is here to help us," she said in a loud whisper, as she blushed for the third time in as many minutes. "He's really very sweet... he's just protective of me..." she explained apologetically.

"Oh... right", Jack said hesitantly. He wasn't convinced, but he wasn't about to argue the point. Instead he got back to the matter at hand. "I'm going to have our local mechanic come out and tow your car to his place. Then we'll see about getting you a place to stay tonight -"

"Do you have a motel that allows pets?" she asked anxiously.

Jack chuckled. "We don't really have a motel, per se, but we have something like a bed and breakfast. Don't worry," he added quickly, "your furry friend won't be a problem." He radioed Jo with the information and asked her to send Henry over with his tow truck.

By the time Shannon had collected Cricket and their belongings, Henry had arrived. It took only minutes to get the car onto the truck. Henry assured Shannon he would have it up and running in no time, shook her hand, and was gone as quickly as he'd arrived.

Jack loaded Shannon's things into his vehicle as she and Cricket climbed into the passenger's seat. He found himself incredibly curious about her. What brought her out here, far from home, alone except for a little dog? Was she married? He hadn't noticed a wedding ring. Seeing someone? These and a hundred other questions he had no business asking went through his mind as he watched her settle into the car. She'd only be here a day or two, then he'd never see her again. There was no other way for this to turn out.

Getting behind the wheel, he resolved to put his foolish questions aside and just do his job.