Disclaimer: Eureka's not mine. That is all.
A/N: With the ending of the show (*sniffles*), I thought it would be interesting to go back to the beginning. Along with the general awesomeness of the show, the instant chemistry between Jack and Allison is one of the things that kept me coming back for more. While Jack's feelings were pretty obvious from nearly the very beginning, Allison was a bit more circumspect with hers. I always wondered what she really thought of him and how she felt when she found out that he would be returning to Eureka. This will just be a short, two-chapter story. Please note that Jack does not make an appearance in this first chapter as I really wanted to take the time to explore Allison's feelings first.
The title of the story is from Shakespeare's The Tempest. The title of this chapter is from Shakespeare's Henry VI (part 3).
What Fates Impose
Allison Blake slid into the hard-backed visitor's chair across from the sheriff's desk and folded her arms across her chest. It didn't quite dawn on her how defensive her stance was until Sheriff Cobb's eyes narrowed slightly, and his sharp gaze pinned her to the uncomfortable wooden chair with an intensity that belied his affable appearance.
Forcing herself to relax, she dropped her arms, crossed her legs and folded her hands primly in her lap.
"So." She cleared her throat lightly; the small lump in her throat stayed stubbornly in place, however. "He's coming back to Eureka, then?"
There it was again…that embarrassing defensiveness. But instead of physically manifesting itself this time, it had snuck into her voice, turning her naturally self-assured, relaxed cadence into a sharp cascade of words.
She sat back slowly, trying to keep her inner turmoil from broadcasting itself on her face. She hadn't meant to give away her rising level of anxiety so easily, but the news that Jack Carter was coming back to town—permanently, no less—had knocked her world off its axis. While she couldn't honestly say that she was completely surprised by this turn of events, she still hadn't been able to reconcile the situation with her thoroughly conflicting feelings on the matter.
The man had only been in town for a few short days, but in that time, he'd managed to make an impression on her that she still didn't quite understand.
Well…that wasn't quite true, Allison thought, pursing her lips thoughtfully. It didn't take a boat-load of self-reflection for her to know that she understood all too perfectly—she just didn't want to acknowledge it.
Sheriff Cobb set aside the newspaper he'd been reading (he steadfastly refused to get his news off of the computer like everyone else in town) and casually leaned his beefy forearms on his tidy desktop. "Well, good morning to you to, Allison."
"Sorry, Sheriff." She shifted uncomfortably, smoothing the rich fabric of her impeccable black trousers before smiling at him sheepishly. "Good morning."
Not one to stay annoyed for long, Cobb returned her smile and leaned his considerable bulk back in his chair. He laced his fingers over the tan cloth stretched across his ample stomach. "If you're referring to Marshal Carter, then yes, he'll be returning to Eureka as my replacement."
Despite already knowing what the answer would be—her weekly teleconference with General Mansfield had made certain of that—Allison's heart began to tap-dance wildly in her chest at the confirmation. She wasn't sure what distressed her more—the fact that Carter was coming back to town or that she was actually looking forward to it.
"General Mansfield informed me that this was your doing."
"It was." He leaned forward, the chair screeching in protest as he reached for the deep blue mug that was perched on the edge of the desk. Taking a small sip of what Allison assumed to be coffee given the delicious, distinctive smell wafting in her direction, he briefly closed his eyes in appreciation, then continued, "His promotion was effective immediately, so even with the typical government red tape, he'll be here by early next week." As if a thought had just occurred to him, Cobb held his mug aloft. "Care for a cup?"
"Uh…sure," she said then waved a staying hand in the air when he started to push himself up. "I can get it."
"No, no. I've got it." Cobb grabbed the cane that had been leaning out of sight behind his desk, levered himself out of the chair and lumbered over to the nearly full coffee pot in the corner.
"Looks like you're getting used to your new prosthetic," Allison said, eyeing him appraisingly as he began to pour a stream of dark steaming liquid into a plain white mug.
The sheriff had recently lost the lower half of his right leg when an unsanctioned, out-of-control experiment—the same runaway experiment that had played an involuntary role in securing Carter's new position, ironically—had caused destructive quantum anomalies to randomly start popping up all over town. Unfortunately, the middle of Cobb's living room had been one such place, and the poor sheriff had had the misfortune of being home at the time.
Allison had personally petitioned the director of Global Dynamics, the government-run think tank that practically everyone in Eureka worked for, to requisition Sheriff Cobb the high-tech prosthetic prototype that he was currently wearing.
It had only been a few weeks since the accident, but he was moving around a lot better than he had been even last week. She was impressed by the speed of his recovery.
"I'm doing all right." The big man shrugged modestly as he set the carafe back onto its burner. He patted his leg with a large hand. "But I guess it's hard not to when I've got a piece of technology that would make the Bionic Man jealous strapped to my leg."
Allison smiled warmly at him. "After everything you've done for Eureka, Sheriff, you of all people deserves to benefit from what we do here."
Returning her smile, he slowly made his way to her chair and carefully handed her her coffee. "A dollop of cream and three sugars—just like you like it," he said as he rounded his desk and sank back into his chair with an audible sigh.
"Thanks." She blew on the hot liquid and then took a small sip, her eyes never leaving the man sitting across from her. "Did I hear you say that the marshal was promoted?" she asked, bringing it back around to the reason she was here in the first place.
"I did."
"I highly doubt that he would agree with you. He's probably more likely to consider it some kind of punishment."
Cobb chuckled, his smile turning surprisingly mischievous. "Oh, maybe at first. But given that both his pay grade and security clearance have been given a pretty nice bump, I doubt he'll complain for long."
She wrinkled her nose skeptically. "I'm not so sure about that."
"He'll come around in no time—you'll see."
Allison made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat. She didn't have nearly half as much faith in the situation as Cobb apparently did. She knew better than anyone that the marshal hadn't exactly been fond of his experience in Eureka and hadn't been able to leave town fast enough. And despite the sheriff's optimism, she had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to take Carter a lot longer than "no time" to embrace his new life.
"Have a little faith, will you?" Cobb said as if he'd read her mind. "The marshal gets a promotion, and Eureka gets a top-notch sheriff. It's a win-win for everyone."
It wasn't that Allison disagreed. Carter was exceptionally good at what he did—finding Brian Perkins when everyone else had failed and being the only one who'd been able to put two and two together in time to save them all from being annihilated by Walter Perkin's unauthorized tachyon accelerator had proven that fact a thousand-fold—but he wasn't Cobb.
Cobb had been a part of Eureka for as long as Allison could remember. With his blend of community policing and his jovial, caring personality, he'd earned the respect of everyone in town and had forged many close friendships. She wasn't sure if he really understood just how much he'd be missed.
"We already have a top-notch sheriff," she protested, setting her mug on the desk in front of her and leaning forward a little.
"I appreciate that, Allison," the older man said, nodding in gratitude, "but this town needs a shot of fresh blood to liven things up around here."
"With all the random explosions, life-threatening anomalies and experiments gone amok, I think that things are lively enough—don't you?"
"True, but sometimes a little change is good for the soul. Besides," he added, lifting his cane and waving it in the air, "I can't get around like I used to."
"Have you told Jo? You know she's always had her eye on the big chair."
Jo Lupo had been Sheriff Cobb's tough-as-nails, ex-Special Forces deputy for the past four years, and Allison knew that she would hate playing second fiddle to someone that had stumbled into the job. Literally.
Especially Jack Carter. He and Jo hadn't exactly gotten along during his short stint in town, and she could only imagine how tense things would be in here once he took his place behind Cobb's big, battered desk.
Cobb shook his head before she'd even finished her thought. "She's not ready," he said, then quickly continued when Allison opened her mouth to object. "Don't get me wrong, Allison. Jo is damn good at her job and will make a fine sheriff one day, but she needs a little more time right where she is."
Although Allison didn't necessarily agree with him, she took another sip of her coffee and nodded. If it had been up to her, she probably would have at least given Jo a chance to prove herself. Or at least she would have up until a few days ago. Now that Cobb's retirement meant that a certain six foot plus, gorgeous U.S. Marshal with a pair of amazing blue eyes and a smile to die for would be coming back to town to stay…well…her feelings about the situation were slowly…evolving.
She'd take a red-hot poker to the eye before admitting it, but she was self-aware enough to realize that she was way more thrilled about Carter's return than she probably should be.
"Does she know?" she asked.
"Yes."
Allison glanced over her shoulder toward Jo's empty desk. The space was as neat as a pin with not even a pen or paper clip out of place. "How's she taking it?"
"She's…tolerating it," Cobb replied with a small smile. "I think her exact words were 'we could do worse.'"
Allison chuckled despite herself. Yup…that sounded exactly like something Jo would say.
Cobb grew quiet, picked up his mug and took a long sip, studying her carefully over the rim. She had to fight the urge to squirm under his intense gaze, turning her own mug in a nervous counterclockwise circle on the desktop as she waited for him to speak.
After another long moment of silence had passed, she couldn't take it anymore.
"What?" she questioned.
Setting his cup on the desk with a heavy thunk, he targeted her with a laser-like stare. "Why are so interested in the marshal, Allison?"
"I'm not interested in him," she said quickly then mentally cringed, realizing too late that she'd responded a bit more emphatically than she'd intended.
"Oh?"
Dawning on her that her comment could be taken in ways that she didn't even want to think about, she cleared her throat and tried again. "As the DoD liaison to G.D., Carter and I will be working very closely together. I think it's important for me to be as well-informed as possible."
"Uh…huh." It was obvious that Cobb wasn't impressed by her explanation. He frowned slightly, the deep crease forming between his gray-flecked brows making it clear that he hadn't believed a word she'd said. "Is that all?"
"Of course. What else could there possibly be?"
"Allison," Cobb started, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together in front of him, "I might be an old man, but I'm not blind."
"I'm not sure what you mean," she said slowly, although she was pretty sure that she did.
"Anyone with eyes could see that the two of you…" He paused thoughtfully for a moment and then continued matter-of-factly, "Let's just say that there was a definite chemistry there that was pretty hard to ignore."
"I don't know what you think you saw, Sheriff, but—" she started to protest, but the other man waved off her objection.
"I saw two people who were obviously very attracted to one another."
Allison could feel heat crawl up her neck and begin a slow journey across her face. Just who else had seen this "obvious attraction" that Cobb had claimed had been so hard to ignore?
"Sheriff…listen, I'm…" She trailed off as words failed her.
At a loss for anything to say that wouldn't be a total fabrication, she wrapped her hands around her still-warm mug and sat back in her chair. Her eyes roamed the well-worn walls, taking in the various pictures and other oddities hanging on nearly every available space before coming to rest on the large, rectangular window closest to the desk. Silently contemplating everything that Cobb had told her, she watched the tiny dust motes dance in the bright sunlight pouring through the slats of the wood blinds.
She hated feeling this way. She was usually so self-assured, so…together. It was as if just talking about Carter had the power to turn her into a stuttering idiot.
That loss of control, that simple inability to effectively corral her emotions around him is what bothered her most. Doing things that she normally wouldn't do. Saying things that she normally wouldn't say. Acting in ways that she'd never normally act. He could take her from solemnity to annoyance to laughter in a heartbeat and that ability to so easily affect the way that she reacted to the world around her was just plain…frightening.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the sheriff waiting patiently, sipping on his coffee, seemingly perfectly content to let her mull over what he'd said for as long as she needed.
At last, she turned her head to look at him. "I'm not sure what you expect me to say."
He held up a placating hand. "You don't have to say anything. In fact, please feel free to tell me to mind my own damn business."
"You know I'd never do that."
"The point that I've been so clumsily trying to make here is that there's nothing wrong with simply enjoying yourself. You deserve it."
"Enjoy myself?" She twisted her mouth wryly. "With Jack Carter?"
"Sure…why not? No one's saying that you have to marry the man."
Allison gave an indelicate snort. Right…like that would ever happen.
"Well, that's a relief since he's already married," she retorted, remembering the thin gold wedding band that she'd spotted on his left ring finger almost immediately.
"Separated," Cobb interjected. "Just like you are."
At the mention of her failed marriage, Allison bit back a grimace of displeasure and shot an involuntary glance at the now-bare spot where her own wedding band had once resided. Her soon-to-be ex, a brilliant scientist with an ego the size of Oregon, had more or less ended the second he'd decided to take a high-level position at a prestigious think-tank in D.C. Admittedly, their relationship had been dying a slow death well before he'd left Eureka, but the fact that Nathan had chosen self-aggrandizement over his family had been the final push off the cliff.
Six months later, she'd ended things for good. It hadn't been easy on either of them, but it had definitely been the right decision.
"Well, separated or not, I'm not inclined to be anyone's rebound. And although I don't know him very well, I'm fairly certain that he'd feel the same way." She took one last sip of her coffee, set it on the desk in front of her and said, her voice all business, "You'll let me know when all the details on your end have been finalized?"
"Of course," the sheriff said genially, apparently taking the abrupt change in subject in stride. "I promise that you'll be the first to know."
Allison couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him suspiciously as she pushed herself to her feet and he followed suit, albeit a bit more slowly. Had there been a double-meaning in his words or was she just being paranoid?
She decided on paranoia when he only continued to smile at her warmly, neither his face nor demeanor suggesting that he'd meant anything other than what he'd said.
"Thanks, Sheriff," she said and started across the scuffed wood floor toward the door.
"Allison."
She stopped and turned in time to see Cobb rounding his desk, leaning heavily on his cane.
He didn't speak again until he was standing in front of her. "Indulge me in taking one last piece of unwanted advice?"
"Okay," she said slowly, fighting the urge to cross her arms over her chest.
"Try to keep an open mind. There's no harm in that…is there?"
His brown eyes were so earnest, so sincere that although she was sorely tempted, she didn't have the heart to refute him.
"I…suppose not," she agreed reluctantly, though she wasn't quite sure if she was being truthful or simply telling the sheriff what he wanted to hear.
Cobb didn't seem to care if the huge smile that had taken up the lower half of his face was any indication.
Before he could offer any more well-meaning insight into her currently nonexistent love life, Allison bid him a hasty goodbye and hurried out of the station. If it was possible, her little impromptu visit had made her even more confused than she had been before. Would she be able to follow Cobb's advice? She honestly didn't know.
But with a certainty that defied all logic, she did know that with the return of Jack Carter, her life was about to get very, very complicated.
A/N II: I know that Allison usually doesn't open up to people about her feelings (at least not the earlier version of Allison), but I have a feeling that she would have with Sheriff Cobb. At least up to a point. He seems like he was a father-figure to a lot of the town's residents, and I truly think that she would have given him a certain amount of leeway that other people wouldn't have been able to get away with.