Disclaimer – I own shiny things… but Eureka is in a class higher than shiny things so I don't own Eureka.
A/N – Emcey has returned… with a somewhat confusing story.
Summary – When alternate reality versions of Jack Carter and Nathan Stark show up in Eureka, the two seem suspiciously friendly. The real Jack and Nathan are the only ones who suspect a hoax and, reluctantly, team up to prove their doppelgangers are fakes. Only they had no idea what they were really going to find out…
September 1, 2010 - Kit went through and did a little editing.
The Other Side of the Coin
The Other Nathan Stark and the Other Jack Carter simply couldn't be who they said they were. They smiled at each other and agreed and… and…
Jack had a crush on Nathan Stark that dated back to the day after they'd met, when Stark had been in the infirmary with his shirt open. Staring – and trying not to – at Nathan's chest, Jack had been so flustered by the man that he'd inadvertently started their rivalry over Allison, who Jack had also been interested in for a time. After the incident with Callister, Jack's feelings for Nathan had ratcheted quite a few notches, but he'd followed that up with the snafu involving the nanoids that had wound up with Jack kissing Allison and generally screwing up his chances with Stark.
A few weeks later, the fubar occurred during the sampling of the artifact which led to scientists spontaneously combusting right and left. Fortunately, Nathan was saved; unfortunately, Stark had decided to leave Eureka. Had Stark followed through on that decision, Jack would have pursued his feelings for Allison. Except… Nathan stayed because of the incident with Fargo and the shield device.
Jack attempted to get to know both Nathan and Allison better after that in order to get a better hold on what he felt for the duo, but Allison was drifting away, becoming more of a politician. Though he remained good friends with her, Jack's stronger feelings for her faded away as he realized there was a side to her that he simply could not – and did not want to – abide with. It wasn't that she did anything terrible or acted differently, it was that… Jack couldn't really explain what it was, just that it was.
On the other hand, Jack got to know Nathan better. Stark was even behaving nicer towards the Sheriff. However, the scientist's derogatory attitude towards Jack didn't really fade. It was obvious that Nathan didn't like Jack and that fact would never change.
So there was no way that the Others could be friends. Except, Other Jack and Other Nathan were friends and Other Nathan clearly did not hate Other Jack.
Refusing to admit to his jealousy, Jack had instead decided that the doppelgangers had to be fakes. When Nathan approached him with the same belief, the two reluctantly decided to team up to uncover the fakes as being illegal teleporters with advanced holographic camouflage and not the alternate reality duplicates they claimed to be.
Which is why the two were now seated together in front of TV screens spying on the Other Jack and Other Nathan's rooms in the B&B…
The Other Jack sneaked into the Other Nathan's room, shutting the door quietly behind himself. "Nathan, are you okay?"
"I should be working on this problem, not leaving it up to some alternate reality versions of Henry, Zane, and myself," the Other Nathan responded sharply. "I can't stand just doing nothing like this."
"Don't forget that our Eureka is working on getting us back, too," Other Jack said soothingly. "So just think about the situation differently."
"Differently how?" Other Nathan grumbled.
"Well…" Other Jack sat down on the bed and smiled. "Think of it as a vacation."
"A vacation," Other Nathan echoed dubiously.
Other Jack nodded. "A vacation from worrying about the next GD disaster, where we won't be interrupted by Zoe or Kevin, and Allison won't be trying to get you to fix something at her house for her… a vacation."
A slow smile began creeping onto Other Nathan's face. "Oh… a vacation…" he sat down beside Other Jack. "Just the two of us… no interruptions…" he leaned over and kissed Other Jack passionately as his body moved to pin Other Jack to the bed.
Jack's face flushed with a combination of embarrassment and envy. Glancing over at Nathan, he caught one look from the other man's green eyes and then jerked his eyes down to the ground as he jerkily rose from his chair. Part of him really wanted to stay and watch (did it count as voyeurism is one of them was technically him?), but another part of him wanted to get away before his heart starting cracking into pieces from seeing and hearing what he could never have.
"I, uh…" stammering, Jack looked at Nathan again and suddenly he began to wonder if…
"Stark," Jack began again, "what's your opinion on experiments?"
Nathan's mouth went dry instantly at the sight of himself straddling Jack's waist, pushing the enticing blonde man against a bed, and kissing Carter passionately as his hands began wandering beneath the other's shirt. Granted, the two making out were from an alternate reality, but that didn't change the sight… or the sounds.
Apparently, Jack made the most deliciously arousing noises during foreplay.
"I… uh…" Jack's voice tore Nathan's attention away from the sight on the TV that was making his pants feel too tight. "Stark, what's your opinion on experiments?"
"What?" Nathan swallowed convulsively when the TV's speaker's emitted the sound of Other Jack moaning Nathan's name. Of all the questions to ask… "I think experimentation is the best way to further one's knowledge through experience. What does that have to do with anything?"
Jack grinned and then walked over. Clambering onto the recliner Nathan was sitting on in order to straddle the other man's lap, Jack whispered into the stunned scientist's ear, "I'd like to propose we have a little experiment of our own and see where that takes us." Jack then proceeded to nip at Nathan's ear before moving in order to claim Nathan's mouth with his own.
Nathan groaned and let his hands settle on Jack's hips as he started pulling Jack's lithe body against his own, the recliner beginning to slant as they pushed against its back.
From the moment Nathan had met Jack, he'd felt an almost electric sense of attraction for the other man. At first things were complicated by Allison, but after the divorce was finalized his feelings for her began to settle back to the way things had been when they'd been friends before the two had begun to date. Nathan's feelings for Jack, however, had never settled. If anything, his emotions had intensified.
However, Nathan had assumed that Jack was in love with Allison. Of course, what with the way Jack was sending jolts through Nathan's body by exploring Nathan's mouth with his tongue and Nathan's chest with his hands, Nathan was willing to bet that the assumption concerning Jack and Allison was completely wrong. Then Jack adjusted his legs so that his thigh was applying pressure to Nathan's groin and the ability to think coherently fled Nathan completely.
Jack, on the other hand, was thinking about how very glad he was that the doppelgangers weren't really fakes…
