I do not own EUReKA. Rated M for mature – As anyone who's ever read my stories should know.
Blame It On the Hormones
Chapter 10: She Never Saw It Coming
The next week proved to be quite uneventful not only for Allison, but the residents of Eureka as well. Typically a span this wide where something didn't happen was uncommon and what had been a mere inconvenience to her had now become unbearable. To top it off Jack had gotten in the habit of calling her every hour on the hour to check her status and this was along with the sporadic progress reports S.A.R.A.H sent him.
Her current mood of late had been miserable. She was experiencing contractions, but they were too far apart to warrant a trip to the hospital and though Jack meant well, he was getting on her damn nerves. Presently, Tess was laying low, which made her all the more wary, but what frayed her nerves the most had to be awaiting the arrival of Dr. Lana Quinn. She and Lana hadn't gone into great detail about their plan over the phone, they wanted to save that for a face to face meeting, but what Lana did divulge was that she'd built a case for herself and the proof she had against Tess was damning indeed.
As Allison sat on the sofa in the bedroom contemplating the events of the last few weeks, her thoughts where interrupted by the ring of Jack's house phone. He had banned her from using hers because he knew all she would do was work. Now, all her calls were diverted through S.A.R.A.H. At least the sound cracked the deadly silence, providing a momentary break in the monotony. If nothing else she thought, Jack was prompt.
Naturally assuming it was him...again, she spoke before he could get a syllable out of his mouth.
"Jack, you don't have to check on me so often. I'm fine, you have nothing to worry about."
"Allison?"
Allison cringed as she recognized the caller's voice on the end of the line. Though she hadn't heard it over the telephone before, she knew exactly who it was and apparently the caller knew her voice as well.
Her own timber climbing an octave, she tried to appear nonchalant.
"Oh, Abby. Hi."
"Well, this is a surprise. How are you Allison?"
Allison could hear her incertitude and succinctness.
"I'm fine thanks, and you?"
"Good, good. I was saddened to hear of Dr. Stark's untimely passing. My condolences to you and Kevin."
"Thank you Abby, I appreciate that."
"How are you holding up?"
"It's been difficult, but everyone has been very supportive, especially Jack."
Allison didn't know why she singled him out in-particular but, it was too late to take it back now.
"Yeah...speaking of Jack, I was hoping to get in contact with him. I lost his cell number so I thought I'd leave a message with S.A.R.A.H."
"Did you try the Sheriff's station?"
"I did, but had to leave a message."
Allison failed to offer any further explanation or offer any assistance. Sure, she could easily locate Jack, but his whereabouts would remain undisclosed...to Abby anyway. So, after a long pause, Abby continued.
"I'm sorry Allison, but is something wrong?"
"Excuse me?"
Confused, Allison had no idea of what she could possibly be referring to.
"Oh my God is it Jack? Is he okay?"
"Jack? Yes, he's fine."
Abby's fervent concern for Jack's wellbeing did not go unnoticed by Allison.
"I...I'm sorry, but is he there?"
Allison had already answered that question and figured Abby was perplexed and wondered why she was there.
"No, he's not home from work yet."
"But...you're at his place?"
Allison let out a trepidatious laugh. She wished that Abby would just come right out and ask instead of trying to lead her with her evasive line of questioning.
"Yes, I'm on bed rest."
"Bed rest?"
Abby was a smart woman and as Allison figured, it didn't take her long to put two and two together.
"You're p...pregnant?"
"Didn't Jack say anything?"
"No. I mean, Jack and I spoke the other day, but we don't really talk about things like that and Zoë's been so busy lately that any conversation I get out of her isn't in depth."
Allison didn't like anyone delving into her personal business, especially Jack's ex-wife. She knew Abby wanted to know why she was there instead of her own home. Why she was answering Jack's phone and most likely, was she carrying Jack's child. Unfortunately Allison didn't intend on freely offering up any specifics.
"Allison...can I ask you something?"
Her curiosity peaked, Abby didn't wait for Allison to respond before she continued.
"What are you doing at Jack's place anyway? Do you...live together?"
Allison was somewhat offended by her tone, as if Jack didn't deserve to be happy or worse yet, Allison had no business being with him. She had to remember that she was a guest in his home. Swallowing her pride and the bile that rose in her throat, she gritted her teeth and gave a noncommittal answer. Besides, this was no time to make waves.
"No...not exactly."
Allison didn't feel it was her place to go into the details of their cohabitation. What did strike her as odd, was that apparently neither Jack nor Zoë had told Abby about the baby or that she and Kevin were staying with them. She wondered if Abby had even been apprised of their romance. No, Jack didn't owe Abby an explantation about anything that occurred in his life, but she was amazed that Zoë hadn't even mentioned it. It wasn't like a teenage girl to keep that kind of juicy information to herself. Then again, Allison didn't know the state of Zoë's relationship with her mom.
Abruptly Allison ended the conversation and hung up rather perturbed. She could understand how her staying with Carter and family never came up in normal conversation, but the pregnancy? Even if all that had been kept on the hush-hush, why was the news of them dating never mentioned. It was a substantial piece of information, well, in Allison's mind anyway. Needless to say, as Allison awaited for Jack's arrival home that evening, she have plenty of time to stew on the matter.
Little did she know he'd also been fretting himself for most of that day.
As soon as Jack walked over the threshold, he knew something was wrong. Zoë and Kevin were nowhere in sight, which wasn't necessarily unusual, but the stillness of the house was. He called out to S.A.R.A.H inquiring as to where Allison and the kids where. Satisfied that they were all right, he asked it anything out of the ordinary had happened. Again S.A.R.A.H responded, stating that any information she provided him with would be nugatory.
He dashed upstairs, making stops in the kids rooms along the way. Kevin was busy working on a book of riddles and brainteasers Jack bought him last week. The material contained was likely too simple for someone of Kevin's intelligence as he certainly was used to solving more complex problems but, he seemed to be enjoying himself. Jack figured Kevin dabbled in it only to appease him, and even though Kevin never said a word, the smile on his face each time Jack saw him with it spoke a thousand times more than any thank you could.
Zipping into Zoë's room, he wasn't surprised to see her laid flat on her back, legs bent, her stockinged feet planted on the wall. In all likelihood, she was on the phone with her best friend Pilar as she was currently overtaken by a fit of giggles only another teenage girl would understand. Leaving unnoticed, he headed for the master bedroom, their bedroom –well, thats how he thought of it nowadays anyway.
His gun belt in hand, he tossed it on the couch and began stripping off his uniform shirt.
"Hey baby."
Jack crossed over to Allison's usual spot of late, leaned down and with one hand braced on the bed for support, kissed her cheek.
"Hey."
Jack's hairs immediately stood on the back of his neck. The frost coming off of the greeting she gave him was palpable. It surely wasn't the reaction he'd expected. Brow furrowed, he kicked his shoes off and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Allie, you okay?"
Her mouth twisted, she rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm. Fine."
One word sentences...not good he thought.
"Yeah..."
By her tone and body language, Jack knew things were without a doubt not fine. Whatever it was, he had to tread carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, but without question, she had something stuck in her craw.
"Allie, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
His attempt at drawing her out fell over flat. Her arms crossed over her expectant belly, it was hard for her to hide her hostility from him. For some reason she was treating him like the enemy and she refused to budge an inch.
"Come on, whatever it is, we can get through it. It can't be all that bad...can it?"
Still no answer which did nothing to quell his fears.
"Is it Tess?"
"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?
At the mention of Tess' name her stance never wavered but once he uttered his own name, she physically tensed up.
"Allie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!"
Clearly irritated with him, she went to climb off of the bed to no avail. Jack tried not to laugh as she struggled to get into an upright position and when he offered his hand in assistance she angrily swatted it away.
Now Jack was no genius, not by Eureka standards anyway, but he knew when a woman said nothing was wrong, there damn sure was. Whatever the issue, she was reluctant to divulge it so, he decided to let it be and chalk it up to pregnancy hormones and left her to her temporary self imposed exile.
For her part, Allison was being a bit of a pill. She had been unusually quiet the rest of the night as Jack tried futilely to pry information from her; get her to talk to him, about anything, but it was all for naught. She really didn't want to get into an argument with him right now anyway. She was still on edge about her meeting with Dr. Quinn and frankly the Abby situation didn't help matters. Allison was eager to kick her plan into action and wasn't sure how much time she had left to accomplish her goal.
She knew she was unfairly projecting her frustrations onto Jack. He was convenient, he understood the stresses she was dealing with and would gladly take her shit only if to relieve some of the pressure. When she thought about it, she had no right to treat him the way she did. He only wanted her to be happy, healthy and safe, and even though she never outright apologized for her odd behavior, she did thaw somewhat and ventured downstairs to have dinner with them, even against their protests.
It turned out to be a welcome distraction as their conversation revolved around their day at school, work and the baby. Allison never did mention her talk with Abby and apparently neither did Abby as she'd spoken to Zoë on her way home school. Though Allison was appreciative of their attempts to brighten her mood, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder about Lana's impending arrival and as she came to find out later that night, her wait would not be long.
Dr. Lana Quinn arrived in town early Thursday morning under an umbrella of secrecy and was escorted directly to Allison's temporary place of residence. Allison couldn't take the chance of Tess finding out she was here because it wouldn't take her long for her to deduce that Lana's presence meant that they had a plan in order.
Greeting her at the front door, Lana was as beautiful as Allison remembered. A petite woman, she always reminded her of the scientific world's Lucy Liu. She was the daughter of renowned astrophysicist Dr. Aidan Quinn and the esteemed Dr. Miyuki Sato. Lana came from a well respected lineage and had several family members whom pioneered and achieved success in various scientific fields.
After giving her the obligatory tour accompanied by the usual pleasantries and small talk, their real business began. A coffee for Lana, green tea for Allison, they settled on the couch as Lana regaled her with a colorful account of her meeting and interaction with Tess. She explained how Tess befriended her, helped to build her confidence, initially offering suggestions which led to them forming a partnership. Then in an underhanded move, Tess stole their research presenting it all as her own. The resulting fallout and scrutiny had been detrimental for Lana and brought shame onto the Quinn family name.
As Allison sat there listening, she found herself mystified. Lana was obviously a brilliant woman and from what she knew of her from their younger days, she had street smarts. Honestly though, she shouldn't have been surprised.
"Lana, I'm sorry but...I have to ask. With everything you've just told me, I don't see how you could have been duped so easily."
Her head dipped low in what Allison perceived as humiliation, she played with a piece of lint that had appeared on her trouser.
"Oh, Lana I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were..."
"No. It's not that."
After a long pause her head rose, face red, the tears in her eyes plain to see.
"You're right, I should have know better. I not only believed Tess, I believed in her. "
Allison listened as Lana struggled to get the next words out.
"Allison, I thought we would be together forever."
"I'm not...sure what you mean."
"Allison, I fell in love with Tess and I thought she loved me too. That's why I shared all I knew. That's why I trusted her Allison, we were lovers. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late and the shit hit the fan. She used me. I was devastated."
As Lana continued to tell Allison the entire story of how Tess befriended her, seduced her, then stole her work claiming it as her own, then needlessly tossed her aside, Allison became incensed.
Now, there was a period of time when Allison had a wild streak. What newly separated from home, specifically their parents, college-aged girl didn't? No, she didn't have the lesbian experience and one drunken night when she'd kissed a girl didn't count. The knowledge that someone she considered her best friend, someone she thought she knew so well could behave in this manner was distressful. What Tess had done showed malice, a characteristic she never would have applied to her.
The tears streamed endlessly down Lana's face.
"I'm...stunned."
Actually, stunned wasn't the right word. It more like she'd just had the wind knocked out of her by Lana's confession.
"Lana, Tess isn't gay."
"Well, I guess she is when it benefits her."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Allison, even though we're some of the most brilliant minds in the world does not mean that we are all progressive, openminded or forward thinking in terms of human sexuality. It was hard enough for me to share my lifestyle choice with my family and closest friends, and as much as they love me, it took them some time to come to terms with my admission. My parents are wonderful and they love me very much and only want the best for me. They were the only people whose acceptance I wanted. Can you imagine how it would feel to tell the world something that was personal only to you. This is my private life. I'm not ashamed of who I am, but I don't feel the need to have to shout it out to the world either."
All Allison could do was smile. How Tess could have taken advantage of someone who was obviously so sweet and giving, looking only for a friend, infuriated her even more.
Allison needed to shift the momentum of their conversation. She didn't want Lana's entire visit in Eureka to be centered wholly on Tess and their scheme so, she changed the topic. She had S.A.R.A.H make them lunch and while they ate, they talked about the scientific advances at each of their perspective facilities. They reminisced about the old days, and Allison promised to get her a tour of the town and GD. Allison arranged it so that Lana had been granted temporary reassignment under the guise of working on a high level project so that Tess would be none the wiser. Her plan was gloriously falling into place.
Then the bunker door opened.
In the midst of their meal and girl-talk Jack strolled in, a startled look on his face. His stance equally matched by Allison's who was perplexed by his unannounced presence. For a second, she thought the time had gotten away from her but soon realized that it was still early in the afternoon. It was merely an uncommon sight for her to see him home so early in the day. For all she knew, he ate lunch at home frequently. Her occupancy in his home didn't mean she had the right to know of his comings and goings.
But when he gave her that...look, the one of self-satisfaction, as if he'd solved the crime of the century. The one that always managed to get Eureka and it's residents out of danger, Allison knew she was in trouble.
He trudged over to the dining table, hand extended.
"Hi. Sheriff Jack Carter and you are?"
"Dr. Lana Quinn, I'm..."
Allison cut Lana off before she could continue. She couldn't take the chance of her accidentally providing him with any intelligence. Jack wasn't genius smart, but he was astute, perceptive, and routinely thought outside the box. A much more dangerous combination of skills, in Allison's opinion anyway.
"Lana's an old friend of mine who's in town on special assignment."
He spoke directly to Allison but his eyes never wavered as they stayed trained on Lana.
"Funny, you didn't mention it.
Her tone defensive, she answered. "I'm sure I did."
When he quickly glanced at her, Allison saw the wheels in his head already spinning. She knew he was aware that nothing happened in Eurkea without the Director of Global Dynamics having knowledge of it and supplying it to the towns local law enforcement for security purposes. She couldn't put anything over on him. Well, not for long anyway.
His body in repose against the dining room table, he folded his arms over his chest.
"Uh-huh."
He turned his attention back onto Allison's guest. "Well, Dr. Quinn..."
"Sheriff please, call me Lana."
"Lana, and it's Jack."
She smiled at him, openly and friendly. It was hard not to smile in return. "Jack."
"So Lana, where are you staying?"
"Over at the Inn. Since I'm only here for a short while, it didn't make sense to look for permanent logging."
They stared at each other, neither willing to state the real reason for her visit, but Allison knew Jack wouldn't be deterred for long.
"Lana, will you be joining us for dinner?"
Gazing unsure-idly at Allison for an answer, she was flummoxed and unable to read her cues, she began walking rearward.
"No."
Her back bumped against the door, reaching for a handle that wasn't there.
"I, um have some unpacking to do and I need to be up early in the morning to set up my lab."
Jack gestured toward the floor. "But, you decided to stop here, first?"
Her mouth open, Allison knew Lana wouldn't didn't what to say. She had to put a stop to this, now.
"Jack, stop grilling her. She's not one of your suspects."
As Jack eyeballed Allison, Lana wisely to the opportunity and departed.
"I'd better go. Allison, we'll talk soon."
Hands resting on his hips, Jack made his was over to the chaise and settled himself before pumping her for details.
"Okay Allie, what's going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
His tongue jutting out against his cheek he knew she understood completely. Undeterred, he pressed on.
"That was all a bit suspicious."
"Well, if you stopped being a cop for five-seconds, you'd realize I was only getting reacquainted with an old friend."
"Okay then, fair enough. I won't play cop, but I will play concerned boyfriend. Now, how bout I start. You never mentioned Dr. Quinn and I come home to see you downstairs, entertaining, which I'm sure you know is against your doctors orders."
"I am a doctor. I think I can gage my own limits."
Jack chose to ignore her feeble attempt at rationalizing with him.
"Okay. So, tell me about Lana. I assume she must be here for a reason."
"Like I said, she's on special assignment and I didn't think I had to report to you."
Again, Jack ignored her sarcasm.
"No, you don't report to me, but I find it strange that she didn't report to Tess, since she's temporary head of GD."
Allison knew he wouldn't leave well enough alone so, she threw him a bone.
"Look Jack, I can't tell you whats going on. Lets just say Dr. Quinn is here purely for business reasons."
Allison turned to walk upstairs, hoping her statement had effectively ended the conversation. When dealing with Jack, she should have know better.
He trailed so closely behind her, she could feel his foot hit the step just as hers landed on the next.
"Allie, I'd hate to think that this has anything to do with Tess."
Allison knew her silence gave him all the confirmation he needed.
"Allie, you're not that person. You can't stoop to her level. Don't you think you're going to far? It's not like you to act on retaliation."
"Retaliation?" Reaching the top of the stair, Allison turned on him.
"You think you know me Jack, but maybe you really don't. I cannot and will not allow Tess to come in and ruin what I have. My job, my reputation, my family, you. Tess has declared all out war and I refuse to go down without a fight."
She could see he was visibly upset that she didn't share what she'd done.
"It's not like you to hide the truth from me." Though she claimed to be doing this for them, she hadn't included him in the decision making process.
Allison could not contain her tears. They weren't out of sadness, or guilt for what she was about to do, but rage.
"Jack, you don't know what it's like to have the prospect of your entire world change?"
"I don't know? In case you've forgotten, my life was upended the day I was assigned to Eureka, but you know what, I have not regretted it one single day. Not all change is bad Allison. If I had flown that day instead of driving Zoë back, I never would have found you."
Allison cast her eyes downward. She understood his point, but did he understand hers?
"I don't want any secrets between us."
Just the mention of secrets being kept lit her fuse.
"That's easy for you to say, but it appears I'm not the only ones who keeps secrets."
"What are you talking about?"
"Abby."
"Abby? What has Abby have to do with any of this?"
"She called today, and color me surprised, she didn't seem to know a thing about me being pregnant or living here. I assume she doesn't even know we're dating."
"Are you serious?"
"This isn't a joke Jack!"
"If you must know, I don't want to share this part of his life with Abby. What she and I had is over. The reason I didn't tell her was not because I was unsure of us, but because it's none of her business. Abby and I are divorced. I stopped answering to her a long time ago. If you want me to tell the world Allison, I will. Don't you know how much I love you. I never want to be without you by my side."
"I love you too Jack, but this is beyond your comprehension and frankly, it's out of your hands."
Admittedly, he was stung by her comment and he was sure she could see the anguish on his face.
"Allie, fighting fire with fire only gets you burned."
"Well, you know what...I think we all need a little spark in our lives."
"So, against not only your doctors orders, and no matter how much I protest, you're doing this."
"Jack, trust me. I know what I'm doing."
"Allison, I am pleading with you. Don't do this. You won't be able to live with yourself."
"Too late. It's already done."
With that said, she had effectively ended the conversation and apparently the opportunity for debate.
Early that next morning, Allison woke to see Jack already gone. Right now, she'd be on his not so favorite person list, but they would work it out, of that she had no doubt in her mind. He more than likely took off so they wouldn't get into another argument. If he were here, he would try to dissuade her from leaving the house and venturing out for the day which would be a failed attempt. She was meeting Lana for breakfast at the Inn, then they were heading straight for GD. Allison had to get Jack off her mind for the time being. She wasn't to worried about moving forward from this, he loved her and she him. It was something he needed to realize, Allison was her own woman, made her own decisions, and she would hold herself accountable for her own actions.
This time, she felt she had the upper hand. Dr. Quinn at her side, they made a formidable pair as they strolled the grounds.
"I have to say Allison, I'm impressed. You have quite the set up here."
"Well, it must be interesting living where you do too."
"Yes, but the amenities here have gotten us beat by a mile."
Continuing her duties as tour guide, Allison made sure to introduce Lana to several key members of staff, explained the main layout including the two most important stops – the GD spa where you could get the best pampering known to mankind and the cafeteria that supplied the second best coffee in town, Vincent's of course leading the way. As they headed down the Nathan Stark Memorial corridor, Allison felt a pang. She indeed did miss Nathan and wished he was alive to see their child. She didn't want to think about the what-if's had he lived. That was the past and she had moved on. She was in love with Jack, truth be told, she always had been but she was grateful for what she and Nathan did have, for it had made her a better person.
As they passed through the rotunda toward her new work space they rounded the corner and almost ran smack-dab into Tess. In tow as usual was a pastry mouth-filled Larry. His eyes popping wide in amazement to see Allison in the facility. Being who Larry was, he knew where his priorities lay and as the trio stood toe to toe, he gradually eased his way round so that he ended up standing behind Allison.
"Lana, what are you doing here?"
"Hello Tess, it's nice to see you too. I'm here because I've been requested to work on a special project."
"I don't know anything about any projects of which you're attached?"
Allison could hold her tongue no longer. "I brought her here."
"Why wasn't I informed? As head of GD..."
"Acting head, let's not forget that one small piece of information. I will be returning Tess, you can bet on that. Besides, you're here temporarily and just because you've been given the privilege of sitting in my chair, doesn't mean you will be made aware of all that goes on."
A mouselike eek from Larry reminded them that he was still present and apparently he was enjoying the exchange before him.
Tess glared at Larry. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
Attempting to insinuate himself into the situation, Larry spoke. His mouth stuffed, crumbs flying everywhere as he spoke.
"I'd be happy to stay, or I could take your guest to her assigned area myself."
In unison Allison and Tess yelled out, "Larry!"
Dismissed and saddened by his exclusion, he trudged off and even though they had both addressed him, he only responded to one. "Yes, Dr. Blake."
The three of them stood their perspective ground. Hell, Allison could stand there all day if she had she was contracting, her back hurt and she could feel beads of sweat trailing down her back, she would not be moved.
"I don't know what the two of you think you're doing or what you think you'll prove but you're wasting your time."
"No Tess, I don't think we are."
A brashness seemed to overcome Lana. "Tess, I'm not the same woman you manipulated and coerced into doing you're bidding. As for us wasting time, well that's for Allison and I to determine."
Allison knew Tess well enough that she could tell when she was worried. Right now she appeared positively alarmed. Tess realized that Lana's presence was not to be taken lightly and if she was here, these was a damn good reason.
"Tess, you might want to wipe that bead of sweat from your brow. Your insecurity is showing."
With that Allison and Lana turned, leaving Tess visibly dumbfounded. Allison didn't feel sorry for her and in fact, it was all of her own doing that brought them to this place. Her self-important attitude would be her downfall.
Every thing was going according to plan. There was just one person she had to square things with...
...Jack.
Next - Chapter 11: O' How the Mighty Have Fallen