I do not own EUReKA

Jallison in Wonderland

Chapter 2: Back to the Future

Jack inched over even further so that he was near the edge of the bed he was now forced to share with Tess. He stirred earlier than usual that morning, jolted from a terrifying nightmare. In his dream, he'd found himself lost in a thick fog, wandering aimlessly for hours on end, feeling nothing amongst his surroundings or beneath his feet. Jack had a well know phobia of many things; heights, enclosed spaces, bats, but this...this was unlike any fear he'd felt before. His dream was so vivid, he'd broken out in a cold sweat, his breathing choppy. With ease he sat up, careful not to disturb Tess as she snored softly beside him. It was an odd feeling having her lay there next to him as if nothing in their lives were different. Of course, he and Allison were the only ones who new the truth. Under normal conditions he could pull off pretending, although it would take a bit of effort, but it didn't help his current situation that Tess was completely naked underneath the sheets. It was her normal behavior as Jack remembered from their original timeline that Tess often slept in the nude; many of their nights culminating in vigorous love making.

Throat dry, he headed downstairs for a glass of water and as he typically did when he woke in the middle of the night, turned the knob on Jenna's door to check in on her. As his hand grasped the handle, realization smacked him hard in the face. Neither Jenna nor Kevin would be there, and an intense sadness crept over him as he ambled on, one thought on his mind...Allison.

Across town, Allison sat curled up in a chaise on the back porch, a blanket wrapped around her as she sipped a cup of herbal tea. She'd come down about an hour ago after still being unable to fall asleep. Today had to be without a doubt the most confusing of them all. She was understandably a bag of mixed emotions. She had been laying in bed with Nathan again after all these years and the only place she wanted to be was with Jack, and therein lie her dilemma. Although she'd never admit it to Jack, it was good to see Nathan again and watch him interact with Jenna, their child whom in their original timeline, had never had the honor of meeting. But that was where her uncertainty ended. Admittedly, she felt somewhat guilty for not wanting Nathan in the same way she now wanted Jack. It wasn't as if Nathan had left her for another woman; he died, and she'd learned to let him go a long time ago.

Little did either of them know that at this precise moment, they were both wide awake, thinking of the other.

The next morning Jack made sure he was out of the house before Tess. He'd managed to avoid her most of the evening, but it had been no easy task. After his week long trip, she'd of course wanted to have sex. He feigned a stomach ache, effectively convincing her that the after effects of his plane ride would wear off soon. The problem now was how to continue the ruse until he and Allison were back where they belonged. That was his major concern for now; not what Tess felt, not what Stark believed, but how they could travel safely back home.

Frantically he paced outside of Café Diem in the hopes that Allison would soon appear. Several passersby stared at him curiously, surely wondering why the good Sheriff was behaving just like a brand new expectant father. Of course, he had not gone insane. He was betting on Allison remembering their usual routine in the morning of stopping in and grabbing a to go cup of Vincent's special blend before heading off to work. Something they did regardless of if they'd had breakfast at home already or not. It was a tradition that dated back to his arrival in town and the one constant in their lives. Looking back on it now, it was more a part of their mating game and it was a tradition neither wanted to discontinue. It allowed them the opportunity to spend copious amounts of time together which on the surface seemed innocent enough, but in the back of Jack's mind; as he'd find out later was Allison's objective also, was the wish that the other would take that step to begin a romantic relationship.

As he anxiously checked his watch; tapping the face to make sure it was still working, he spotted Tess from the corner of his eye stomping down the street, and she did not appear amused.

Without hesitation, she started in. "What happened to you this morning?"

Jack knew he couldn't tell her the truth, so he played dumb. "Huh?"

"I got up and you were already gone. I don't even know what time you came to bed..." and though she appeared angry only seconds ago, her demeanor quickly cooled as she pressed her body firmly against his, "...but I appreciate you waiting for me."

Jack at once felt uncomfortable as he detected the outline of her nipples as they poked through the fabric of her blouse. He took a step back and stealthily surveyed the area, praying Allison had not bore witness to their exchange. Obviously, Tess assumed his chivalrous action had been for her benefit. So he did what he had to; he played along. It didn't matter to him where they were or what everyone else in this Eureka believed. He loved Allison and she loved him, and just the thought of any affection between he and Tess was out of the question.

Looping her arm within his, Tess led him inside and to a table near the back of the restaurant. Inundating him with small talk, Jack tried desperately to follow along. Unbeknownst to her, his thoughts were elsewhere. Feigning interest, he nodded periodically, choosing to use non descriptive utterances, all the while consumed by thoughts of Allison.

What had her night without him been like? Was she able to pull it off as if nothing had changed in her world? Then the one burning question on his mind; Was she relieved that she had Stark back?

As if on cue she sauntered in; Stark present at her side. Jack desperately searched her facial expressions and body language for any clues. Worried that she felt torn by their current circumstances, he was pleased when they joined their table. Sitting directly in front of him, he found it hard to tear his eyes away form her, and that's when he saw it. The smile that she regaled only for him.

He wanted to reach out and embrace her, kiss her smack-dab on the mouth, scream to the heavens how much he loved her. Though they tried hard to give nothing away, he was relieved when he felt her foot slip between his legs and brush up and down against his inner calf.

It would have to do for now.

Vincent came over personally to wait on them, which Jack assumed was more than likely to gossip. The three of them placed their orders and when it came time for Allison to decide, Jack forgot himself for a moment and made it a point to remind Vincent that she liked her toast light, her bacon crisp, and nix any cilantro on her eggs.

In a flash, Allison fixed him with a death stare as Vincent, Stark and Tess watched him curiously. Nervously laughing it off, he said that maybe they were all spending too much time together.

As they enjoyed their meals, the four of them sitting there all chummy was a strange feeling for Jack, to say the least. From what he could discern, they routinely got together for morning meals before work. The most absurd notion of them all being that he and Stark were...friends. Several times that morning, he referred to Jack as buddy. The first time he heard those words come from his mouth, Jack almost choked on his omelet.

What he really wanted, was to spend some time alone with Allison. They needed to figure out exactly what happened and how they could fix it, because there was no way he intended on settling into this new life.

Time ticked by slowly as Jack watched in awe the scene laid out before him. All of them cordial, Tess and Stark laughing and joking about a vacation the four of them had apparently been on; this was all a bit too weird. Periodically, he'd glance over and peer at Allison, pleased to see she had been doing the same.

Their meals complete, Stark was the first to rise, telling Allison he'd meet with her later at the facility. He was heading out to the field to inspect some projects of those scientists who worked offsite. Without warning, he leaned over and kissed her square on the lips. It took everything within his power not to jump over the table and bash him in the face. At least Allison appeared as shocked as he did. His body tensing; his reaction didn't go unnoticed as Tess commented on his peculiar vibe.

"Are you okay Babe? You look ill."

Quickly he adjusted himself, assuring her he was fine. He knew his explanation sounded flimsily, but thankfully she let it go.

"Okay, well I'm gonna head out. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah."

She rose, yet still watching him dubiously, Jack was grateful when she didn't try to kiss him goodbye.

"See ya Al."

"Bye Tess."

Left alone, it was all they could do not to break down. Jack moved around the table and sat next to her. Speaking in hushed tones so that no one would hear their conversation; and by no one he meant Vincent, he started in.

"Allie, what are we gonna do?"

"I don't have an inkling, but I'm sure as hell going to find out. When I get to GD, I'll do some research into yesterday's phenomenon. Until then, we can't confide in anyone. I don't know enough about this Eureka yet to determine who we can trust. We may think we know these people...but do we really?"

Nodding in agreement, he asked, "How will we keep in contact each other? I don't think you showing up at the house and having us sequester ourselves will go over well."

She pondered for a moment before an idea came to her.

"Meet me outside of the old abandoned radio station tonight. Say around six? I'll make an excuse."

"Fine."

As her hand rest on the tabletop, Jack reached over and lay his on top of hers.

Abruptly she removed hers from beneath his, "That's another thing Jack. We have to be cautious. We can't afford to raise too many red flags."

"I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself. I know we need to careful, but...could you not play along so well with Stark."

Her head tilted, she smiled sweetly at him.

There was a lot more Jack wanted to say. Questions that lay on the tip of his tongue. Alas, they would have to wait until later.

They rose simultaneously, and headed outside. Parked at the end of the street, Jack escorted her to her SUV. Turning to him as she climbed in, she whispered just in case anyone was in earshot the only words he longed to hear. "I love you Jack."

His heart a flutter, he emitted without sound her sentiments exactly, "I love you too."

Hands dug deep into his pockets, he stayed until she drove off, crossed the street and walked into the sheriffs station.

Jo was already on duty, and by all appearances, she seemed like the Jo he knew. Their usual back and forth, and playful jabs helped to set him at ease. Luckily, he managed to meander throughout the day without raising any of her suspicions. He devoured any information he could on his origins in Eureka, and though he didn't have access to the more secure personal information of town members, the database he did have access to provided him with valuable intel.

It seemed when he arrived, Stark had already been appointed as head of GD. He and Allison were indeed together, but not married, with her becoming pregnant almost immediately after Jack's arrival.

Other files gave him details about his close friends; Henry, Fargo, Taggert and Zane. It seemed the dynamics of their relationships with Grace, Holly and Jo were about as skewed as his relationship with Allison. He devoured as much as he could before uploading the one file he had been apprehensive about reading.

Zoë was in fact at school; it just wasn't Harvard. By all accounts, she'd spent most of her time spread between Eureka with Jack and Berkeley with his ex-wife Abby. Zoë was attending the University of California, Berkeley where coincidentally, Abby ran the Psychology department. Other than that, he hadn't been able to learn anything about his loved ones personal lives.

Leaning back in his chair, he temporarily gave up on his quest. Much of what he needed to know would require him to do some old-fashioned detective work. He just hoped that Allison was having better luck than he was and that their meeting presented them with workable results.

Six o'clock couldn't come soon enough.

Next - Chapter 3: Deeper Into the Rabbit Hole We Go