The three weeks after Nathan left, Jack's life returned to some semblance of normal. His days were consumed with work, leaving little room for anything else other than sleep. He did make sure to email Zoe and Nathan daily. They were usually brief but Jack knew if he didn't keep in touch, he shouldn't be surprised to find one or both of them at his door at some god-awful hour.

He knew he was still avoiding the memories of the past. Bits and pieces would hit him when he was awake but he would ignore them. He had no desire to repeat an episode like when Nathan and Zoe were in town. Jack's shrink talked to him about his avoidance but Jack figured he had forgotten the majority of the past for a reason and he had no desire to pick apart those reasons. The one place he couldn't escape was at night when he slept. The memories would plague him in dreams, visions of people he didn't know or a place he couldn't remember visiting. Sometimes, the dreams would only be of Nathan. At times, they were loving but sometimes, they were angry. In the angry dreams, it was as if Jack was behind a glass wall. He could see himself and Nathan arguing but he couldn't hear the words. The one thing that always stood out to Jack was the hurt that was clearly showing on both of their faces. He struggled to hear what was being said but instead, he usually found himself waking up, filled with anguish. At those times, he longed to call Nathan but he resisted the urge, choosing to burrow under the covers and just lay there until sleep overtook him.

ooOOoo

Late July is brutal in D.C. Even though his workout started in the pre-dawn hours of that Monday, by sunrise, he was soaked in sweat, the heat nearly unbearable. Gratefully, he showered and was on his way out when another agent stopped him and informed him the commanding officers wanted to see him. Looking ruefully at his very casual t-shirt and shorts, Jack could only shrug. When the boss called, you reported.

ooOOoo

"Jack, you've been requested for a special assignment. You'll leave Washington in two days." Borden, the commanding officer informed him, sliding a folder across his desk.

Jack glanced through the folder, stunned. The information was basic, giving no clue of the location or what he would be doing other than being a member of the security detail.

"Sir, if I can ask, who requested me?"

Borden looked at his papers. "General Mansfield. He specifically asked for you."

Jack couldn't stop the frown that married his face. The name sounded vaguely familiar but Jack couldn't place it. There were so many generals in Washington that maybe he was confusing it with someone else. He also wondered why he would be specifically requested. This day was growing more unusual by the moment. Taking his leave, Jack headed home to read the file more thoroughly and to let Zoe know he would be out of touch for a while. He figured a phone call would be better than email. Zoe would have a million questions but she understood the nature of the job and knew he couldn't answer many of them but she seemed to feel better hearing the few details she could directly from him. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

"Oh yea, I'll have to call Nathan too."

Jack couldn't help the smile that decorated his face. The idea of talking to Nathan inexplicably made him happy. Jack didn't dare attempt to analyze what that could mean.

ooOOoo

Nathan couldn't help but smile after hanging up the phone with Jack. They had been talking via email for the past three weeks but Nathan hadn't realized how much he had missed hearing Jack's gruff voice until he called. He would have been upset about Jack being out of contact on assignment if he hadn't known exactly what Jack's assignment was to be. Allison hadn't agreed with idea initially but she gave in, knowing the only way to help Jack regain all of his memories was for him to return to the place of the trauma. Placing a call, Nathan was surprised that she picked up so quickly.

"He'll be here Wednesday." There was silence on the other end for a moment, then a sigh.

"I still have misgivings about this, Nathan. I don't want to force something that Jack may not be ready to handle." Allison finally said.

Nathan gave a sigh of his own. "Jack's been having dreams. That incident where he blacked out was nothing more than the memories struggling to surface. His own shrink says he needs to face them before they overtake him. Would you rather have him here or on the other side of the country when that happens?"

Allison gave what sounded like a growl through the phone lines. "First of all, I'm going to ignore the fact you are hacking into private medical files. You are right as much as it pains me to admit that about this scheme. If everything comes back to him, I'd rather he'd be here so we can keep him safe. If it happened in Washington, they would have him committed before we even knew what happened."

Nathan asked another question. "Should we let Zoe know about what we have planned?"

Allison replied. "No! She'll feel like we all betrayed her. I know she has gotten better about Eureka but she is still fearful for her father. I don't blame her. She's afraid to lose Jack and if he breaks, she just might."

ooOOoo

Wednesday morning dawned hot and humid as Jack hurried through coffee and toast. The departure time was 8 a.m. and while it was barely 6, Jack wanted to be early in order to see if any more details would be revealed. The dossier he had been given only had the barest information. Jack knew as a part of the job, intel was often kept to a minimum but if baffled him that the security detail was kept in the dark also. He had become accustomed to being the advance team and the secrecy was beginning to irritate him and rouse his suspicions.

ooOOoo

The briefing was uneventful and except for a few strange looks from General Mansfield, Jack gained no more knowledge. They were headed to a secret government facility to check protocols and security readiness. The security detail was small, consisting of Jack, another Secret Service agent named Catlin Low and 3 FBI agents. They talked for a while, mapping out a plan of action as best they could with the limited knowledge they possessed. With a long, non-stop flight ahead of them, one by one the agents eventually fell asleep.

Several hours later, Catlin nudged Jack awake. She explained they were landing in 30 minutes. Jack took the time to get his thoughts together and by the time they landed, all the agents were in professional mode. They couldn't help but grin at each other as they took in their shaded visages and dark attire. One of the FBI agents gave a chuckle.

"We look like we should be in the "Men in Black." All the agents laughed. It was enough to break the tension of stepping into an unknown situation. Exiting the plane, the entourage loaded into several black SUVs, grateful for the cool temperatures compared to the sauna they left behind in D.C. Taking in the woods along the roadway, everyone couldn't help but wonder where they were. Mansfield or his people hadn't been forthcoming and frankly, all of the security staff was on edge. They had never been placed in a situation where they were totally blind to information. Jack couldn't help but frown. It felt too much like a set up but for what purpose?

ooOOoo

The entourage had been traveling an hour when they finally reached their destination. Everyone was sufficiently surprised to find the facility was in fact a completely secret town. Jack was filled with a sense of foreboding as they rode through the town. He couldn't place his finger on it but something about it had him on hyper alert. The motorcade stopped in front of a huge modern building. Automatically scanning the area, Jack's eyes stopped on the group of four leaving the building and advancing towards them. With a quick glance, he noted the other agents also watched the group. As they got closer, Jack's stomach dropped and his heart began to race. Years of training kept his distress from showing on his face and he was grateful for the shades hiding his eyes. He could only watch in silence as General Mansfield went forth to greet Dr. Nathan Stark and the rest of his committee.

ooOOoo

Nathan, Henry, Allison and Jo stood anxiously, waiting for General Mansfield to arrive. Everyone in town that had known Jack had been briefed and they all knew not to approach him for the moment. Jo gasped when Jack stepped out of the SUV and Allison squeezed Nathan's arm. Struggling with their composure, they all went to meet General Mansfield. It took everything in their power not to directly greet Jack or react when he was introduced. Instead, everything was calm and professional.

The entourage was shown to their quarters and only then did Jack allow his professional veneer to drop. Shaking, he sat down on the bed and struggled to regain control of his emotions. He didn't know what scheme Nathan was up to but bringing him to this town was a lowdown trick. No one had mentioned the name of the town but he was sure it was the Eureka Nathan had been describing. He knew he was trapped until the job was finished but he would make sure to stay with his fellow agents and not allow Nathan or his cronies to push him into a situation that would destroy his fragile peace.

ooOOoo

Jack was a no-show at dinner but Nathan pretty much expected that. He knew the events of the day had to be overwhelming to Jack and Nathan hated to be the cause of the distress. Nathan was impressed with the grace and calm Jack had shown through the introductions, giving nothing away. Nathan also knew that if he would have been able to see Jack's eyes, nothing could have hidden whatever Jack was feeling.

Making a quick decision, Nathan had Vince deliver a meal to GD. Taking the bag, Nathan ignored the questioning look from Vince and walked down to the guest quarters. Knocking on the door, at first, Nathan thought Jack wouldn't come to the door but after a few minutes it opened. Nathan sucked in a deep breath as he took in Jack's haggard appearance. There were shadows around his eyes and Nathan could see that stress of the day was taking a toll on him.

"You missed dinner. I thought you might like something to eat."

Jack only stared at him. Anger warred with the wonderful smells coming from the bag in Nathan's hand. Finally, hunger won out and Jack allowed Nathan to come inside the room. Taking the bag, Jack ignored Nathan's presence, focusing his attention on the food. He couldn't help the smile that broke on his face when he saw the bag contained a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Spreading his food out on the small coffee table, Jack sat down to eat.

Nathan took a seat in the armchair on the other side of the table. The guest quarters were small but functional. It consisted of a small sitting room with a couch, armchair and a coffee table with a tv mounted on the wall. The other room was a bedroom with a full bed, dresser and a wall mounted tv. The quarters also had an ensuite bathroom. Watching Jack eat, Nathan was pleased to see some of the stress leaving Jack's face as he devoured the burger. Nathan enjoyed the silence while he could, knowing the explosion was coming.

Sated for the moment, Jack sat back and studied Nathan. He was vaguely amused to see the worried look on Nathan's face but he wasn't going to be distracted.

"So are you going to explain to me why in the hell I'm here?"

Nathan couldn't speak for a moment, trying to figure out how to say what was going on without telling everything or infuriating Jack.

"Well, I thought you needed to see Eureka for yourself. When the opportunity came up to get you here, I jumped on it."

Jack frowned. He could feel Nathan was leaving something out. "Why all the secrecy? Is the job I'm here for a ruse?"

Nathan looked at Jack like he had lost his mind. "If I had told you about this job, would you have accepted it and come to Eureka." Jack had the grace to blush and his silence answered Nathan's question.

"The job is real, Jack. Global is undergoing a security check and that's what you'll be doing." Nathan stood. "I'm going to let you get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."

Jack stood and walked with Nathan to the door. They stood awkwardly for a moment, Jack fighting the urge to squirm under Nathan's intense gaze.

"I'm glad you're here, Jack. Seriously." Nathan stated as he opened the door and walked out. Jack closed the door and leaned against. He still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.

"I wish I could say the same, Nathan."