See You Around

By Andie O'Neill

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Angst

Pairing: Nathan/Carter, slight Nathan/Allison

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 about the cliffhanger, but I just couldn't help myself! All I can say is… I love writing angst! :D Thanks for all the reviews so far, you guys have been great encouragement to help me continue this story!

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


Part Seven

He'd only meant to take a short drive, just to get away for awhile. He needed time to think, time to be alone and process just how screwed up his life had become. He was almost middle aged, divorced, and he'd fallen for a man who was obviously still in love with his ex-wife. It didn't get much better than that. He'd spent months in agony, trying to get through Nathan Stark's death, only for him to reappear out of the blue with absolutely no memory of his past, which had allowed Jack to finally express just how he felt about the man. He hadn't even had the balls to tell him he was working with Henry on a device that would allow him to access the memories he'd lost since returning to Eureka! No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get that kiss out of his head. He felt like such a fool. How could he have allowed himself to believe there might be a chance between him and Nathan?! How could he have been so stupid?

Months! Two months he'd spent trying to get past Nathan's death! For two months he'd been in silent agony, mourning the loss of a man everyone thought he'd hated! For two months he'd replayed that moment over and over again… watching in his mind's eye as Nathan willingly sacrificed himself to save the town… to save Ally. He'd said it himself. He'd done it to save Allison. He'd loved Allison. Not him… Allison. Jack wiped his eye, refusing to let himself cry. He wasn't that kind of person. He didn't cry… but he had. The night before Nathan had come back alive and well he'd cried… cried in his daughter's arms like a child for the man he'd loved… would always love. For all their bickering, for all their banter, he'd always loved Nathan's passion for science, his sharp personality. He'd loved the challenge Nathan would give him on a regular basis.

Jack knew he shouldn't be driving while so upset, but he ignored the voice in the back of his head, too angry and frustrated to care. He didn't want to love Stark! He wanted to hate him! He wanted to hate him and Allison both! He wanted to be angry that they had each other while he was alone! He wanted to be angry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to hit something! He wanted to run away! He drove faster and faster, not quite realizing where he was going until he recognized the clearing where he'd found Nathan naked, but alive weeks before.

'See you around, Jack.'

The words played over and over in his mind, haunting him. Stark hadn't been able to say goodbye, and as it turned out it hadn't been goodbye. They'd seen each other again, but the impact of those words had changed everything in Jack's life since the moment Nathan had disappeared. His nights had been filled with nightmares of that moment in time. Sleepless nights. He'd thought he would lose his mind if he didn't find a way to deal. Then Nathan had returned, and for a brief moment Jack had contemplated finally telling Stark how he really felt… telling him the truth, but what was the point? They'd spent almost two years fighting over Allison. In the end Jack had fallen for Nathan, and Nathan had gotten Allison.

Stark had seen him as competition, and for awhile he had been, but it seemed their little love triangle was not content… wanted to be far more complicated. Jack was tired. He was tired of the triangle. He was tired of the fighting. And frankly, he was getting very tired of Eureka! Eureka and its town of brilliant scientists bent on destroying the whole damn planet with their ideas. Scientists that felt it was worth all the risks, even if those risks involved people dying or the universe blinking out of existence! People bent on putting Carter through hell day in and day out all in the name of furthering science!

In California the only thing he'd ever had to worry about was finding the next bad guy and sending him back to where he belonged. He'd been a US Marshall, and damned good at it. There were no devices, no time loops, no people coming back from the dead, and life was simple. Life was good. His family life had been a wreak, that was true, but he'd been happy just the same. Then he'd found himself in Eureka, in some quaint little town. He'd made friends. He'd learned to adapt. Then he'd met Nathan Stark… former director of Global Dynamics, bane of his existence, and stealer of hearts. Jack almost had to laugh at the irony. How it was possible to hate and love someone simultaneously, Jack would never know, but god that's how he'd felt almost since the very day he'd met the scientist!

Jack groaned as he saw a flash, picturing Nathan and Allison's kiss in his mind. The imagine overwhelmed him until he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. And that was the exact moment that he watched Einstein jump out from the woods and into the street. It was strangely ironic that Einstein, the very dog responsible for him crashing and coming across the town of Eureka, would pick such a moment to repeat his mistake at such a pivotal moment in time when he was contemplating leaving that same town. Jack swerved to avoid the animal, cursing as he realized just how screwed his was. The car flew off the road, immediately rolling. Carter grunted as he jerked against the seat belt, only to cry out as something from the back seat flew forward and connected with his skull. He barely registered the pain. The entire sequence of events seemed to happen in slow motion, like a motive slowing down for dramatic affect. When he finally realized the car had stopped rolling he was losing consciousness fast. The car had flipped upside down and he could already feel the blood draining to his head. He struggled to breathe, trying desperately to free himself from his seat belt, but he could barely move a muscle. Everything began to fade to nothingness, and the last thing he could think about before falling into oblivion was the same thing he'd been thinking about since the moment he'd watched Nathan Stark kiss Allison Blake. He never should have gotten up this morning.


"Nathan, where are we going?"

"The clearing where they found me a few weeks ago," Nathan answered her, trying Carter's cell for the hundredth time.

"Why there? What would he be doing there?"

Nathan shook his head. "I don't know, but he was there when I reappeared… maybe we'll get lucky. I don't know… it's just a feeling."

Zoe glanced at Stark for a moment before focusing on the road. "There's something you're not telling me…."

She was a bright woman. Stark had known all along that it wouldn't take long for her to realize something was wrong. Like her father, she possessed a keen eye for such things. "Remember that conversation we had… about letting you know when I've made a choice?" he asked, his voice faint as he looked out the window, not quite ready to face her.

"You're choosing Allison, aren't you?" she spoke, and it pierced his heart to hear her sound so upset. Over the weeks that he'd gotten close to Zoe, gotten to know the young woman, he'd realized just how amazing she was. He'd never really known her before, of that he was sure. He remembered brief moments in passing, but nothing else.

"No Zoe… I'm not. I figured it was about time I stopped living in the past. I'm in love with your father, Zoe."

She didn't say a word for the longest time, and Nathan soon turned to look at her. It was only then that he realized she was fighting back tears.

"Zoe?"

Zoe shook her head, wiping them away quickly. "I'm fine, I'm fine… I just… we've got to find him, Nathan."

"We will," he assured her, moving a hand to squeeze her shoulder, hoping the contact would help somehow. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from the fear and worry he knew she was experiencing. It was then that Nathan noticed something in the distance up the road. "Zoe?"

"I see it!" she shouted. "Oh my god!" she gasped, her eyes suddenly wide in fear. "Dad!" Zoe immediately pulled over and undid her seat belt in record timing, as Nathan did the same.

"Jack?!" he shouted, rushing past Zoe to check and see how bad the wreckage was, and whether Jack had survived. The window in Carter's door was broken and Stark immediately reached in to check for a pulse. He sighed in relief the moment he felt the steady rhythm, though faint, and turned back to look at Zoe. "Zoe, call Jo and Allison! Tell Ally to send paramedics! Jack's in bad shape! Hurry!" he ordered, pulling the door open, wincing at the sound of metal against metal. He felt a sharp pain in his hand as he got the door to open, knowing he'd probably cut himself. He didn't care. All he could focus on was getting Jack out of the car… and seeing him safe. "Jack?! Don't do this to me! Not now! Jack?!" he shouted, reaching in to unhook his seatbelt and pull him out of the car. "Come on Jack, wake up!"


It'd taken a half an hour for paramedics to arrive, and everything else had become one big blur to Nathan. When they'd arrived he'd been just sitting by the car, holding Jack in his arms, barely aware of anything else. He knew he'd looked pretty bad. They'd taken him back to GD where Nathan and Zoe had spent an hour pacing back and forth waiting for news. He didn't even notice the red stains on his shirt… Jack's blood. Allison had told him to go home and change… that she would tell him and Zoe when she knew something, but they'd refused to leave. By the second hour Nathan was sitting in a chair, Zoe's head in his lap as she slept. Jo had stopped by to see if they'd heard any news before being called elsewhere.

Finally by the third hour Allison had walked back into the waiting room. "Can we see him?" Nathan asked her.

Allison frowned, looking over at Zoe Carter. "Zoe, why don't you go visit with your father for a second while I talk to Nathan, okay?"

Zoe nodded, glancing back at Stark for a moment before walking into the room to see her father.

Stark folded his arms, bracing himself. "Is it bad?"

Blake shook her head, smiling faintly. "He's going to be fine. He's got a bad concussion and a few broken ribs. We managed to stop the internal bleeding, but he's going to have to stay here a few days to recover. If you hadn't found him when you did… he probably wouldn't have lasted much longer. You did good, Nathan."

"This is my fault. I should have told him about the device."

"You don't even know what happened, Nathan. Don't blame yourself-"

"Allison, Zoe said that Farger guy saw Carter leave… he was upset. How can I not blame myself?!"

"First of all… his name is Fargo. Second of all, just because he was upset doesn't mean you caused his car to run off the road. Carter hasn't even woken up yet. We don't know what happened, so stop beating yourself up."

Nathan frowned, realizing she was right. His guilt solved nothing, and certainly didn't help Jack or Zoe in any way. "Can I see him?" he asked his voice faint.

"Go," was all she said, and all Nathan needed before he rushed inside to check on Jack.


He could hear the faint beep of a monitor even before he opened his eyes. The rhythm he'd heard so many times before. It was a steady beep, a reminder that he was in fact alive. Soon his other senses awoke and he could smell the filtered air of Global Dynamics. His hand twitched a strange sensation as he realized someone was holding his hand tightly. Finally he opened his eyes and looked around. The light made his eyes tear up just a bit before they finally adjusted and he could see once more. Jack slowly looked down to see his daughter to his left, eyes closed as she slept. To his right Nathan Stark had his head lying on the bed, his left hand in Jack's right… also fast asleep. Carter pulled his hand from Nathan's and ran it gently through the black curls for a moment before pulling away with a sad sigh. "Stark?" he spoke in a whisper, so as not to wake up Zoe. "Stark?"

Nathan stiffened for a moment, lifting up his head slowly, his eyes blinking sleepily. Finally the green eyes focused on Jack, and he was wide awake. "Jack? You're awake!"

Carter swallowed the lump in his throat, holding back the rush of emotions. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"I was driving… I saw Einstein… damn dog has a death wish. I almost hit him. I swerved and flew off the road. That's the last thing I remember," he answered, his voice slightly rough.

Nathan nodded, reaching for his hand once more, and Carter frowned. "Don't you ever scare us like that again. We couldn't find you…. What were you doing over there anyway? Do you have any idea how lucky you are right now? You could have been killed!" Stark snapped, visibly upset.

"I just needed to get away for awhile," Jack told him, pulling his hand away from Stark's.

"Yes, and while you were out getting away your daughter was at home scared out of her mind that she wouldn't see her father again! Dammit Jack!"

It took Carter a moment to realize just how upset Nathan was. His voice was shaky, and his eyes were watering just a bit. He looked like hell. Jack swallowed hard when he then noticed the blood stains on Stark's shirt… his blood, he realized. "I'm fine, Nathan."

Stark paused, staring at him for what seemed a full minute. The scientist took a long breath and shook his head. "I'm sorry… I should have told you about the device me and Henry were working on. I should have told you about my plan. I wanted to tell you… I just didn't want to upset you. I just-"

"It's okay," Jack interrupted. "It's not like you owe me anything… you don't owe me an explanation. It's not like we mean anything to each other, right? Before you came back from the dead we weren't even friends."

Nathan frowned, looking away and Carter couldn't help but wonder if his words had upset him further. Finally he nodded and stood. "I uh… excuse me… I'll be back. I should tell Allison you're awake," he spoke and left without another word.

Jack watched him go, hearing the door close behind the scientist. "Right…."


"You didn't hear how he said it, Henry. You weren't there," Stark argued, running a hand through his hair.

"Nathan, what did you expect? He was upset… and stubborn, a quality you and he seem to share."

"Weren't even friends. He's got that right. We weren't, Henry. We were enemies. I remember that much. We were always butting heads! We fought constantly. We were rivals… nothing more."

"You can't take what he said to heart. You know he didn't mean it. He does care about you," Henry fought. He knew Stark was upset, could see it in the other man's eyes. He'd been hurt by what Jack had said. "Nathan, you need to tell him how you feel. He needs to hear it."

Stark immediately shook his head. "No… I can't. Not after what happened… not after what he said. He made his position quite clear, Henry."

"Nathan-"

"No!" Stark snapped, interrupting him. "Just… stop. It's over. Let's just finish this device."

Henry stared into Nathan's green eyes, seeing the pain there, and the fear. "It doesn't have to be over. You almost lost Jack today… what about the next time? Believe me, Nathan, you don't want to live your life full of regrets," he warned, trying to keep his voice leveled despite the memories of Kim that washed over him.

Nathan turned away, shaking his head. "We have work to do," was all he said in return.

Henry let out a sigh, turning back to his own computer. Nathan Stark could be damned stubborn when he wanted to be….

To Be Continued