See You Around

By Andie O'Neill

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Angst

Pairing: Nathan/Carter

Summary: They all thought he was gone, but when Nathan Stark appears in Eureka with no memory of who he is, it's Jack Carter that must learn the truth… and face the demons he never thought he had. Jack/Nathan Slash! SPOILERS FOR "I Do, Over."

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update this! I promise not to take so long with the next chapter! Just got caught up with my other fic is all! Anyway, hope you enjoy! Loved all of your reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Eureka, and that's probably a good thing….

Part Two

Two Weeks Later

"Hey Carter, you okay?" Allison asked him as she walked out of Global Dynamics along his side. She looked worried, though he really couldn't blame her. It'd been a very long day, and not much had gone right. He was tired, dirty, and just plain frustrated. They walked toward his car together, and Carter forced himself to relax. For two months after Nathan disappeared Jack and Allison had learned to rely on each other in a way they never had before. Not only had they become closer friends, but they'd learned to trust each other.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just a little worn out. Think I'm just gonna head home, grab a beer, and pass out on the couch," he told her with a weak smile. "You still coming over with Kevin tomorrow?"

They stopped in front of Jack's car, him leaning against it more out of exhaustion than anything else. Allison smiled. "I know Kevin would love to see Nathan, but I think we're just going to give you both a break tomorrow. We'll try for next week."

"Allison, I'm fine. When we made the decision to have Nathan stay with me and Zoe, it was under the condition that his family would come to visit him. He's never going to be comfortable around you guys unless you spend time with him," he reminded her gently. After they'd finally calmed Nathan enough to be moved they'd realized quite early that Stark wouldn't respond with anyone unless Carter was with him. Jack had agreed to let Nathan stay with him at the bunker while they all did their best to help him rediscover the Nathan Stark they'd all known before his heroic sacrifice. The Doctors had made it clear that it was possible he would never retain his memories, but that they should all be patient and wait and see. Stark seemed to remember some things by instinct, like how to use a computer. To Jack, Nathan seemed just as brilliant (or maybe even more brilliant) as before… he could remember the complex equations and theories, but couldn't remember what his mother looked like or where he'd been raised.

"I promise we'll be by next week," Allison assured him with a warm, yet somehow sad smile. Jack knew how hard it was for her. Stark didn't even remember her. She'd done her best to be understanding, but Carter knew it was killing her. They'd been married once… were going to do it again. They'd been in love once, but things were different now. Stark wasn't quite as comfortable around her anymore, not like how he was with him. Ironically, the only person Nathan seemed to remember the most was Jack, the last moments before he disappeared being the clearest memory he had.

Carter sighed, kissing her forehead gently before pulling her into a warm hug. "Give Kevin a hug for me, okay?"

Allison simply nodded, hugging him back before finally pulling away. "Only if you give Nathan and Zoe a hug for me," she told him.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Me? Hug Stark? Isn't it enough that the guy's living in my house?" he spoke, falling back to old jokes.

Allison laughed, and suddenly Carter felt better. He hated seeing her upset. "Go home, Carter."

Jack nodded, and opened his car door, forcing himself to climb inside. Allison waved as he pulled off, and he immediately smiled, waving back in return before he pulled out of the GD parking lot.

The moment he came home he could hear the familiar sound of laughing coming from the living room, and smiled as he saw Zoe and Stark sitting on the couch together looking at her laptop. "Maybe we should give him a better nose," Zoe said between giggles.

Nathan grinned. "And he should have blue eyes instead of green… like Carter!"

Zoe rolled her eyes and typed something on the computer. Curious, Jack walked over to them. "Hey guys… what ya doing?"

Zoe smiled. "We're making the perfect guy," she explained and turned the laptop for him to see. Jack frowned when he saw nothing but a single DNA strand. "It's for my school project," she elaborated and returned to her typing.

"His nose was too big," Nathan added, chuckling.

Jack shook his head, smiling at the two. They'd become fast friends since Carter had agreed to let Nathan stay with them, as they seemed to spend the most amount of time together. It was still strange to see Nathan Stark so open and honest, almost like a child rather than being his usual cynical self. Although Carter would never admit it out loud, he sometimes missed the sarcastic Stark… sometimes. "S.A.R.A.H. beer me!" he called out and walked over to the fridge, grabbing his drink before he joined his daughter and Nathan on the couch. "Ah… baseball time," he told them with a pleasant grin and watched Stark and Zoe groan. At least some things stayed the same….

It was late in the night when he heard the faint cries of Nathan Stark in the room next to his and Jack was immediately out of bed and by his side, rocking him softly as Stark clung to him in fear. He'd been having nightmares almost every night, though Jack wasn't sure what they were about. He tried asking a few times only to watch Stark panic immediately. Jack knew it would simply take time for him to feel comfortable enough to talk about whatever was bothering him. "It's okay… I got ya," he soothed, trying to ignore the fact that weeks before Zoe had done the same for him.

It took hours for Nathan to finally relax and Carter immediately moved, ready to return to his room. "Stay," whispered Stark, his eyes intense… the kind of intensity Jack remembered seeing just before he disappeared.

Jack frowned. "I gotta get to bed, Nathan… my bed." He didn't like the idea of sleeping with Nathan, even if it was just to sleep. He couldn't help believing that one day he'd remember everything and things would go back to how they'd always been. They'd be back to being enemies, and Nathan would go back to Allison for good. When he tried to pull away Stark wrapped an arm around his waste, and Jack could see the panic in his eyes. "What's wrong, Nathan?"

"You… you almost died," he whispered. "I saw a woman… a blonde woman with Zoe and they were standing around you and I was trying to figure out how to save you, but I didn't know how."

He was remembering, Jack realized, and with a sigh he moved under the covers, not quite sure what to do. They were facing each other, Nathan's arm draped loosely on his waste. "The blonde woman was my ex-wife, Abby. I remember… I was trapped in Beverly's therapy device," he explained with a sad smile. "When I woke up you were gone."

Stark nodded, his eyes never leaving Jack's. "I… was sitting in a room… my head in my hands. I didn't want the others to see."

"See what?" Carter asked him softly.

"That I cared," Nathan admitted. "I didn't want the other's to see how much I cared. You almost died and I cared…."

Jack smiled; resting his forehead against Stark's and closed his eyes. "Go to sleep, Stark," he told him as if he were talking to a child. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

The words startled Jack and he immediately smiled. "Yeah… I promise," he said and watched Nathan finally close his eyes, finally going to sleep. Jack spent an hour just watching him, not quite sure how to handle the connection between them. He briefly wondered if the Nathan before him, so vulnerable and child-like was what lied behind the mask of indifference Stark had spent so many years developing. He certainly hoped it was, though it seemed far-fetched…. He wondered if that Stark was ever coming back, and couldn't help but wish for a mixture of the two… both the child-like Nathan, and the sarcastic Doctor Stark. It was that thought that would haunt Jack's dreams as he finally joined Nathan, drifting off to sleep.

Lexi smiled, watching her brother sleep, a gentle smile on his face as he held Nathan Stark. It was almost strange to think she might have missed this side of her brother, had she decided not to visit. She'd expected big speeches and lots of yelling when she'd finally tell her brother about the baby and her issues with Duncan. Instead Jack had suffered the lost of someone he'd cared very deeply for, only to have him back months later. For two months Lexi hadn't been sure how to help Jack deal with the loss. She was used to the calm, dependable, stiff man that so reflected their father. Eureka had obviously changed him quite a bit since then. Zoe had tried to assure her of that when she'd called to say she would be coming for a visit, but she'd never imagined just how true her niece's words would be. Jackie truly had changed, and she couldn't be more pleased… or more proud.

"Should we wake him?" Zoe whispered from behind her. Lexi turned to look at her niece and shook her head.

"It's pretty early, let's give him a bit longer… besides, why ruin such a Kodak moment?" she asked, making Zoe laugh. "Come on kiddo, I'm starving!"

Jack moaned, slowly opening his eyes in the dark room. He tried to move only to realize he was being restrained, and stifled a snort as he looked down to see Nathan's head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around his waste as if even unconscious he expected him to leave. Even their legs were tangled underneath the sheets. It was a familiar feeling to wake up with someone… he had done it for over a decade when he'd been married to Abby, but he never remembered feeling so well rested. "Stark?"

Nathan sighed in his sleep, snuggling even further into Jack's warmth.

Carter rolled his eyes. "Stark!" he said just a bit louder, shaking him gently.

Finally Nathan sucked in a breath, his eyes fluttering open as he looked up at Jack, immediately moving away. "Oh… sorry," he apologized.

Jack almost laughed as he noticed Stark blush even in the dark room. "It's fine… I think you missed your calling through. You make a great blanket," he teased.

Stark chuckled, grabbing the pillow and immediately whacked him over the head with it. "Shut up Carter," he muttered and got up out of bed, rubbing his face as he walked out of the room.

Jack watched him go, shaking his head as he tried and failed to keep the mirth off his face. With a quiet groan he got out of the bed, following the smell of coffee straight to the kitchen.

Jack sat quietly in his car as he parked in front of the house that had once been owned by Beverly. The new owner wasn't quite as alluring, but Carter had no doubts that she belonged in Eureka. She was good at her job. Unfortunately, it didn't matter how good she was when it came to Nathan Stark. "It's just an hour. I'll come and pick you up just as soon as it's over. She can help you," Jack told him gently, while making no move to get out of the car.

Stark stared at the house with his usual intensity, but Carter could see his fear. "I don't want to go. Can't I just… stay home today?"

"Nathan, Doctor Quinn is good at her job. She can help you remember... help you deal with what happened. I'm a Sheriff, Stark, not a therapist," Jack tried to explain, understanding how hard it was for Nathan. He was still dealing with quite a few trust issues, and it didn't help that Stark had never even met Doctor Quinn until after he'd come back. He could at least remember flashes of some of the others in Eureka. He knew almost nothing about the town's new therapist. What made matters worse was that in the past Carter had always been right beside him when he'd gone through sessions with Quinn, but now he would be talking to her alone. "I tell you what. If you go in there… I promise to keep my phone on and ready. If you start feeling uncomfortable just give me a call okay?"

Stark sighed, looking away. "Okay Jack," he finally agreed.

Carter smiled, patting his forearm for comfort. "Come on… we're going to be late."

Nathan nodded and got out of the car, following Jack up the steps. Somehow Carter couldn't help but remember Zoe's first day of school, and how scared she'd been when he'd gone to drop her off. Quinn opened the door and greeted them both, inviting Stark in. Stark did as told, with one last look at Carter for support. Jack gave him an encouraging smile and soon both the Doctor and Nathan were gone. He'd just managed to climb into his car when Jack heard his cell phone ring and he couldn't help but laugh as he answered. "For god's sake just talk to her, Stark!" he said with a grin.

His heart softened when he heard Nathan laugh in return.

To Be Continued