Jo sighed as she looked over the reports for the last year, trying to get into the mind of her double fully. Her other self had done an amazing job here. It was still kind of hard to believe she had left the Sheriff's office behind her in this timeline. Her goal in life had been to take Jack's position over for as long as she could remember, and now she was head of security at GD. That in itself was amazing. Add in having already married Zane. Well she wasn't too upset over skipping over the girly messy area's of planning and executing a wedding. When they told Zane about the mess up in the timeline, and she planned on doing that considering her husband wasn't one to let things go unnoticed, he might want to renew their vows or some silly thing like that. She could handle a simple renewal of vows. And she didn't think Zane would mind her not being the exact Jo he'd married, he might even find it cool.
That wasn't what was giving her a headache though. Carter was, or more to the point the information her other self had on Carter was giving her a migraine. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't cause problems, but the shear magnitude of what she had over looked in the other timeline astounded her. Carter wasn't the idiot she assumed he was, not by a long shot. And she should have seen it. On top of being the town sheriff Carter had three projects to catch up on, though it wouldn't surprise her if he already had them going in SARAH in the other timeline. If her Carter was anything like his double he might even be finished with them.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to know just how intelligent her Carter was to tell the truth. It had to be impressive considering the clearance Stark had grandfathered in alone. Impressive like having the run of GD and not having to submit to regular deadlines like the peons that he policed. Hell even if she wanted to blame Carter's clearance on his marriage to Stark she couldn't. The man didn't run GD anymore, Fargo did. And for Carter to have had said clearance cleared in the first place spoke of a power above even their heads. She just had to face the truth that Carter had fooled her with his idiot mask and move on with life. She really had thought he was an idiot after the gun test debacle though, he was one hell of a liar- she had to give him that.
And then there was Carter, Stark and Allison. That was a landmine of shit, even though she had to admit she could see Allison pulling what she did here to keep Stark. There was a doomed attraction there, one that she knew would have never worked out. But then again Allison wasn't very good at letting things go. In their other timeline she hadn't had to deal with custody of Jenna. Stark had died before their relationship could melt down so she was left with the rose tinted memories of him and a little girl that she poured her passion into. And now said little girl was nothing more than a niece to her, while Stark held custody with Carter. There was going to be a lot of heartache over that, there was nothing that could be done about it unfortunately. They couldn't just go around changing everything back to the way it was. Not immediately and in some cases not ever.
Her mind wandered from her pain in the ass ex-boss to the other bombshell. The timeline had no doubtably changed because of one Dr. Charles Grant stealing Jack's phone and hitch hiking to the future. Even in they managed to put him back it wouldn't change anything. She knew that, and she was willing to bet everyone else involved did too. Only the ones who didn't like this timeline would fall prey to the delusion it could be fixed. Grant already knew too much of the future, so any attempt to change it back could end up making it worse.
Logistics of not being able to change time back to what it had been aside there was Grant's behavior. And that thought drew her back to Carter. The sheriff had to have snark-nip hidden somewhere on him, because she recognized the look in Grant's eyes this morning. The hitchhiking wonder had a hard on for Carter in a big way, and with Stark in the picture no good would ever come from it. The oily asshole wouldn't take that hint though, she could guarantee Henry had already warned him away, but she would also bet on Grant's refusal to back down. He was the type of man who was used to his looks and intelligence shocking and aweing people into handing him what he wanted. Only Carter wouldn't fall for that, especially not with Stark doting on him. She hadn't missed the way the former terror of GD looked at Carter, and if things worked out between them she could only wish them well. She was brought fully out of her musings by a throat clearing. Looking up she saw Allison standing in her doorway looking awkward as hell.
"I hope you don't mind me dropping in." The other woman spoke sheepishly. Jo shook her head, motioning for her to sit down as she took her feet off her desk. Allison looked terrible, worse than when Stark had gone and died on them in fact.
"No. Not at all. What can I do for you?" She asked as Allison sat down. The other woman smiled wanly.
"I feel like I'm living a bad dream. Kevin was waiting for me when I got back from Carter's. He wanted to tell me to back off himself I guess. Only I messed up. He guessed I wasn't the woman he'd grown up with. I was going to take him to Henry to confirm what I was saying, but he wanted to check in on Jack. Apparently I made an enemy of my own son, or the other me did. I can't say I don't blame him for checking in with Jack though." She muttered, leaning back in her seat. Jo looked at her concerned, not liking the way Allison sounded.
"As usual Nathan hadn't told us the full story about what happened with Jenna. There was another deal made, one that's coming up soon and depends on Jack's coopeation. Since the other me got pregnant and she stuck around Tessa's going to get pregnant with Jack's child, so I know what it's like. God Jo, I made the mistake of getting pregnant when I was with Tessa once, why the other me would sleep with Nathan when I was married to her? There is nothing I can say to defend myself, nothing." She continued, sounding like she hated her other self in that moment. Jo was stuck on the idea of Jack having impeding fatherhood thrust onto him without so much as a by your leave. Stark should have mentioned it, but then she reminded herself that this was only their first full day back. Stark couldn't be expected to thrust that news on his husband so soon, not when he was unsure if Carter was staying. Although from their interaction this morning she didn't think Stark had to worry. Carter was hot for him. Then she looked at Allison.
"How do you feel? Because you're not the Allison who created Jenna like that?" She asked softly, remembering to be a friend. Allison laughed dryly, closing here eyes tightly.
"Even if I'm not the one who raped Nathan and got pregnant as a result I still have the sin of sleeping with Kevin's father and getting pregnant. If I have too I look at it that way, a chance to see how she felt back in college. I'm more worried about Jack to be honest. You didn't see the trapped look on his face Jo. He was genuinely panicked about the thought of going through with it. Part of his panic may be my reaction to it, but he's in the position that if he refuses everyone will wonder why, not just Tess." She replied honestly. Jo closed her own eyes. Allison had a debt to fall back on to rationalize the deal. Carter? He didn't. She was worried too.
"He already agreed to go through with it didn't he?" She asked, knowing the answer. Allison nodded and she sighed. "You already said it Allison, if he back's out then everyone will have questions, and that's more attention than we need. From what I gathered just fixing the relationship between Carter, Stark and you will raise eyebrows. Allison Blake hates Jack Carter for stealing Stark and Carter avoids her like the plague. Even when he's here in his lab. I have multiple reports of harassment claims involving Blake coming to his labs when he's here at GD and refusing to leave, insulting him." She replied, her voice a little rough. She felt protective of Cater, and she didn't like what his other self suffered from in getting involved with Stark. Allison groaned.
"No wonder Kevin thinks' I'm a psycho bitch and that he needs to protect Carter from me." She muttered mournfully. "The other me did a wonderful job of proving it. Hell I'm still in love with Nathan, and even though I know it will never work, even I wouldn't take it as far as she did. And even though she's gone she's still screwing Jack over. So we can't weasel him out of going through with the deal. That means we have 3 months to get him used to the idea of fathering another child. Which isn't going to be easy. He's got Jenna, and even though I know he was her father in all but name and us being together before there's going to be guilt for the whole custody thing. Is it sad I feel better knowing he's her other parent?" She muttered. Jo snapped her eyes open and stared at Allison, horror in her gaze. Allison didn't notice, seeing as her eyes were still closed, but Jo suddenly had a very bad feeling. In the light of Stark's death and Allison finding herself pregnant the two had grown close.
"You have feelings for him." She blurted out, because while Jo could tell Carter had been sick over Stark's death, and trying to make sure the man was remembered by his daughter she wasn't sure if Allison did. She wasn't sure if Allison understood that the whole flirting thing Jack had going with her before was just that. Oh she might say she did, but considering the other timeline. Given enough time, with Stark gone she didn't doubt that Allison wouldn't have replaced Stark with Carter and she didn't doubt that Carter's guilt would have made him go along. Allison shot up, looking at her horrified, before she blushed, confirming her thoughts.
"I… It's hard not to have feelings for him Jo. The flirting, his constant support with Jenna. But I kissed him in the past, and no matter what I want to believe could have been... I know he doesn't feel the same way, it was in the kiss." She finally muttered. Jo pushed back her chair and stood up, suddenly angry. She was angry with Allison for wanting so bad to be loved that it put people into uncomfortable spots, she was angry at Carter for feeling guilty in the first place and letting himself be available for this drama, and she was just angry in general.
"He can't know Allison, and neither can Stark. Stark will never trust you around Jenna or him if he finds out that you have feelings for his husband- not after what your double did to him and this damned deal that's in place. And neither can your wife considering what your double did to the last man she had feelings for. And most of all you need to forget those feelings. Nothing good can come from them, no matter how much you want to think other wise. Let Carter have a chance to be happy. I know you know how he felt about Stark before, who couldn't with the verbal foreplay they engaged in front of god and everyone. Well apparently Stark didn't because he was getting married to you, but that's another story all together." She blurted out, panic carefully hidden in her voice as she tried to stop this from becoming a problem. Allison sighed, looking old as she listened to what Jo had to say.
"Believe me Jo, I know. I won't cause problems for either of them. I told Jack I wouldn't and I know he doesn't need anything more on his plate. Knowing that he's there for Jenna though, It eases my mind because I know he loves her. Nathan's an unknown to me when it comes to my daughter. I know he was a great father to Kevin when I let him be, but if Jack wasn't here, if he hadn't come through with us I don't think I could abide by this custody agreement." She admitted, her voice filled with shame. Jo gave her a sharp look, before pacing. She couldn't very well tell Allison she was wrong. Jenna was her daughter, and she couldn't imagine what the other woman was going through, but the fact was if they didn't want to see the inside of a cell for the rest of their lives she needed to play along. Before she could reply an alarm went off, blaringly loud and just the distraction that she needed from the awkward turn the conversation had taken. Jo rushed to her computer, then frowned at the location of the alarm. It was in the lab Carter used here at GD.
She dispatched a team to look into it even as she called the list of Carter's experiments up. He had nothing volatile going according to inventory, nothing that could cause an explosion or set off alarms. He hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't take the mad scientist route. Allison came closer, looking concerned at her behaviour, but Jo didn't respond, waiting for her team to radio in with a status report. She had a bad feeling about this.
"Donovan, you need to check on Doc Carter-Stark, he was supposed to stop by today to work, but apparently he isn't here yet- thank god. His lab's destroyed. We've got the fires out, but the blast was focused in several area's. It wasn't a failed experiment. I can tell you that much. It looks like someone's after the Doc from the damage we can see right now to be honest. Make sure Dr. Blake hasn't been anywhere near this level's labs in the past couple of days. Keyes' just found the remains of a timer, and we all know about her feelings towards the Doc, she hasn't been exactly shy in expressing them whenever she can." Michaels' the head of her emergency response team reported in briskly. Jo cursed, looking up and seeing the stricken look on Allison's face as she listened to the report along with her.
She hoped to god the woman's other self just hadn't tried killing Carter, because if it was traced back to her then they couldn't just say it wasn't her because of the timeline shift, they couldn't ever admit to that. She hit the mic, turning it on as she started typing rapidly, looking up Allison's logs and sending them to her phone so she could view them on the go. She had to get Allison out of this building before people assumed it was her and things got ugly.
"I'll get a hold of both Carter-Starks to check in on them. Sweep the room for any bugs or secondary explosive devices. And I will escort Dr. Blake out of GD until we figure out if she's involved or not." She responded, her voice hard, before shutting the mic down and looking up. Allison looked like she was going to be sick at the implication that her double might have just tried killing Jack.
"I… I" She choked out, unable to form a full sentence. Jo grabbed her by the arm, guiding her out of her office at a brisk pace.
"Don't say anything at all." She demanded out of the corner of her mouth. Allison protesting here, now, would seem like she was trying to hide something, or worse cover up for herself and they didn't need that at all. They were almost free of GD when Jo heard an angry hiss. She made the mistake of looking up to see Kim stomping towards them, looking ready to tear Allison apart with her bare hands. She sped up, dragging Allison along and to her car. She got Allison into her back seat, and had just slide into the driver's, closing it when Kim's fist hit her window with a loud thump that had her jumping in shock. She started the car, trying to ignore Kim and get the hell out of here.
"No, let me at her Donovan! She tried killing Jack! I knew she was going to cause trouble after last night!" Kim yelled, sound so unlike herself as she lost herself in her anger. Jo smiled at her apologetically, before putting the car in reverse. Kim threw her shoe at them as they drove away. There was silence for a moment, then Allison inhaled shakily.
"What if the other me did that? You told me she was harassing him in his labs. God, what if I just tried killing Jack?" Allison murmured, half hysterically. Jo didn't have an answer for her, so she dialed Stark's phone.
"It's Lupo. We have a big problem. Someone just blew up your husband's lab at GD, and all eyes are on Allison. They think she tried to kill him, and with what I know of her double they might be right." She barked out, not having the patience to explain it calmly. She heard Nathan inhale sharply, and sit down in a chair that squeaked at the sudden weight that was thrown into it. It was a couple of moments before he replied, and every second felt like an eternity.
"Take her to her house. As former deputy your presence will make it look like she's in custody, but it will also stop any attacks that may come in retaliation for the lab. I'll take a look into her coming and goings at GD, purchases and requisitions. If the other Allison did it, I will try my best to make sure that this one doesn't get the backlash from it. That being said I don't want her around my family right now. It doesn't matter that she's not that Allison, I'm angry, and you really don't know what I want to do to her if her double was behind this." He finally replied, his voice tight. "I'll alert Tessa and let her have a choice wheather she stays there or get's a room at the inn, and let her know Kevin will most likely be sleeping here. I'll pick him up from school." He added. Allison flinched at his words, but nodded mutely.
"If anyone comes after me I don't want a chance he'll be hurt. Tessa either. Try and get her to get a room." She spoke up, her voice dull. Jo looked back at her concerned, then sighed.
"I'm almost to her house. If you could get Andy to stop by with some extra firepower I would appreciate it. Kim dented my car with her shoe when I wouldn't let her have Allison. And if this Eureka is anything like ours was? A lot of people aren't going to be happy Carter was targeted. And with Allison's doubles behavior? A lot of people are going to assume she's the one who tried killing him, at least until we figure out what the hell happened." She replied tightly. Stark growled, the phone creaking in his grip.
"Please don't remind me that if you five hadn't had your accident that my husband would have been in those labs today. He spends at least one day a week in that lab, and it is hardly ever the same days. Someone who knew his schedule, including the fact he planned to go in today did this Lupo. He's not safe until we figure out who the fuck tried killing him" He informed her tersely, before sighing. "I have to go tell Jack what the hell's going on, and then reassure myself that he's perfectly fine if he doesn't mind Lupo. Keep an eye on Allison until we get this mess straightened out" He informed her shortly, before the phone went dead. Allison was staring out the window now, tears running down his face.
"If my other self tried killing Jack there is no way Nathan will ever let me around them. Not even if he manages to hide the fact that my other self did it. Why the hell does she have to be such an insane bitch?" Allison finally muttered. Jo sighed, pulling into her driveway. They didn't know if it was her double yet, so they shouldn't jump the gun and assume that it was.
"We don't know who did it Allison, so don't jump to conclusions." She advised, before stopping the car. Allison didn't respond as she opened the door and headed inside. Jo hit her steering wheel before getting out herself. She needed to keep an eye on Allison, just in case one of Carter's fan's decided to make trouble.
^.^
Nathan hung up the phone, his heart pounding dangerously fast. If they hadn't changed the timeline that his husband would have been in his labs today, working on his projects, and he would have been in the middle of that explosion. Jack didn't work in his labs on a regular basis but the results he brought in kept the higher-ups happy, so they pretty much let him do whatever he wanted. He calmed himself, before getting up and heading to find Jack. The other man was sitting with Jenna in his lap, humming as she commented on her favorite cartoon. It made his heart ache to see how similar this Jack was to the one he fell in love with, and it alo made him doubt just how different the Allison who was currently her was from her double. So far the group was almost identical to their doubles, but this Allison was still friends with Jack and had him wrapped around her finger.
"Hey baby girl." He greeted coming closer to the pair, trying to push the dark thoughts about Allison out of his mind. Jenna looked at him with a toothy smile, before reaching for him. He had to get Jenna out of the room before he told Jack what was going on- she didn't need to hear them talking about the explosion and how close she had come to loosing her daddy. His daughter didn't make a fuss as he took her to her room and set SARAH on nanny mode. Jack looked at him concerned as he came back.
"What's going on?" Jack asked quietly, standing up and looking him over carefully. Nathan looked at him for a second, before drawing him into a tight hug, reassuring himself that his husband was still there. That this wasn't a dream he was making up in his grief, because let's face it. It wasn't every day that someone traveled in time, just in the nick of time to prevent someone from being killed in a lab explosion.
"An explosion went off in your lab at GD. It was deliberate, someone meant to hurt you- or rather your double. Everyone is assuming it was Allison's double that did it at the moment. " He finally muttered into Jack's neck. The other man's arms surrounded him as he finished talking, his voice cracking and he inhaled sharply.
"Okay, we'll find out who did it Nathan. I'm not going to die on you." Jack responded, going straight to the heart of the problem without an issue. Nathan clung to him a little tighter, and then Jack was tipping his face up from his neck. The other man pressed a too short kiss to his lips in a reassuring manner, but Nathan was hard almost instantly. He drew in a ragged breath, pressing another short kiss to his husband's lips.
"I want to lock you in SARAH until we know for sure, but I know you won't let me." He muttered against Jack's lips, his mind spinning. If this wasn't the other Allison's doing he could very well lose Jack if he let him outside. Jack chuckled dryly, giving him a slightly longer kiss. His blue eyes sparkled as he pulled away.
"Relax Nathan. I don't plan on dying until after you finally get around to seducing me again at least." He assured him playfully. Nathan's heart clenched again and he clutched Jack to his chest. He never would have thought it possible, but he wanted the other Allison to be behind this. At least then he wouldn't have to worry about losing his husband, because this Allison didn't seem the type to try and kill him again. Thank god for small favors. Jack stayed in his arms, seeming to know that he needed this, and that fact made him think that his marriage was going to work, that Jack loved him as much as he did. He closed his eyes and smiled.
"You better bet I plan on seducing you soon Jack. I don't want to leave you alone for a second, especially now." He murmured huskily. Jack chuckled, kissing his neck and he pressed his hips foreword so his husband knew just how much he wanted him that second. He found an answering hardness that made him wish he could just take Jack to their room and take care of both their needs. Unfortunately they probably would be expecting guests soon. The explosion in Jack's lab was bound to bring concerned friends- from the time shift and this timeline alike.
"You better Stark. One might think you're scared to try." Jack taunted, his breath hot his Nathan's ear. The barb was unnecessary, considering the erection pressing against him, but it made Nathan smirk. Something's would never change, and Jack taunting him into action was one of them. He decided to step up the ante- if Jack was going to make sure he had an erection in front of their concerned friends then he was going to have blue balls. He nipped just below Jack's ear, where he knew his husband was particularly sensitive, and Jack groaned, moving his hands from his back to cupping his ass. The other man pressed their bodies tighter and Nathan almost laid his plans on enjoying the seduction of his husband to rest as Jack's lips pressed against his neck.
"Evil Ass." Nathan muttered, pulling away and gathering his willpower to himself like a shield. He wasn't going to rush things. This Jack hadn't been in a relationship with a man since College. It wasn't everyday you got to seduce your husband into bed like this, and he planned to enjoy it. Jack's knowing smirk made him want to rethink it though. Because as much as he was planning on seducing Jack, the other man was doing the same to him.
"Getting hot and bothered there are we Nathan?" Jack taunted, smiling widely. Nathan didn't respond, choosing instead to go tend to their daughter. Jack's husky chuckle followed him as he retreated and Nathan had to pause to fix himself before going into Jenna's room. He felt like he was just beginning to date Jack, instead of having been married to him for almost two years now. It was actually a little exhilarating. He was enjoying the hunt, but this time he was being hunted also. He'd pursued Jack the first time, convincing him to give their relationship a chance, and part of him thought seducing Jack would be similar. Obviously he had to rethink his plans. Jack wasn't going to stand back and let himself be seduced, but he was going to give as good as he got.
^.^
"Henry, I think Blake tried killing Jack. His lab at GD, there was a bomb in it, and Jack was supposed to be in today. He didn't come in, but after last night. I think she finally went off the deep end and decided that if he wasn't in the way, that if he was dead then Tessa wouldn't carry his child so she wouldn't have to see that, and she might have a chance at Nathan again." Kim babbled into her cell, looking down at her broken shoe. The heel had broken off on Jo Donovan's car as she rushed Blake out of GD. Kim's heart was pounding. She had thought her friend had been in his lab when the explosion took place, and had rushed to it as the Emergency response team was putting out fires. Henry inhaled sharply, he'd been working in his garage today.
"Dear lord, is everyone alright?" Henry asked, breathless. Kim bit back a sharp reply, considering in her mind the threat to Jack should have made him panic more. She calmed herself. She knew she was jumping to conclusions, in blaming Allison for the explosion, but with her behavior towards Jack she stood out to be honest.
"Everyone is fine, the lab was empty and it looked like the charges were set to maximize the damage in the room- injuring or destroying the most they could, without harming the infrastructure at GD. They're sending us home, just in case, but Henry, Donovan escorted Blake out. There's something going on there." She protested. Henry sighed, and she could almost see him rubbing the bridge of his nose as he thought of what to say next.
"Mrs. Donovan was most likely making sure that no one jumped to conclusions before her investigation was finished. I know Blake hasn't done herself any favors, but until everything's analyzed we can't make the determination on if she's guilty or not. I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but we should at least try to figure out if it's Blake or someone else who's a danger to Jack. And you better bet once Jack finds out his lab was destroyed he'll want to help." Henry finally responded. Kim hated that he could be so level minded about this. He was right though. She looked mournfully at her shoe. She had liked this pair, and then she had to act crazy. No wonder Donovan had driven off like she had. A lot of people liked Jack, and a lot of people would jump to the same conclusion as she had. Donovan was just preventing assault charges from being necessary. Smart move of her part.
"Nathan better keep Jack out of this. If it wasn't Blake, then whoever did it will try again. I know Donovan will keep Blake on a leash." She finally replied tensely, her worry for her God-daughter's father mounting.
"We both know Nathan doesn't stand a chance if Jack put's his mind to it." Henry replied dryly and Kim couldn't resist a laugh. It was true- Jack had Nathan wrapped around the small of his finger, and Nathan wouldn't have it any other way. The love that they had was like Henry's and her own. It wasn't something that you came by every day, and Blake couldn't handle that. She didn't let her thoughts turn in that direction again.
"Can you meet me at the house? I don't doubt that Donovan hasn't given them the heads up, but I think we should go over just in case. They might need us to watch the children. I know Jack's going to want to investigate this himself, but I also know that Nathan won't let him do it on his own." She finally replied. Henry chuckled.
"I'll be there when you get home. I hope to god that this isn't serious though. Jack and Nathan have enough on their plates without someone trying to kill him." He replied. Kim snorted, it already was serious, Jack could have died today in that lab if he'd been there. His absense didn't make the act any less deadly.
"I love you." She murmured, before hanging up and going to her car. Her mind was racing. Jack was making worrying them into too much of a habit. He'd almost been killed by Barlow when he caught her in her scheme and now this. She froze. They never caught Barlow's bosses. Perhaps the consortium was to blame? That seemed a whole hell of a lot scarier to Kim than Blake being behind it. At least with Blake they knew where she was and could keep her from trying again. If it was the Consortium them who knew when the next attack would be.