DISCLAIMER-I OWN NOTHING…MALE/MALE PAIRING…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

Lost

JCPOV

"Who's that?" I asked Nathan. We had been having breakfast together every morning for the past week now. It helped the gossip train along. Nathan looked behind him and froze.

"I have to go." He said and was gone before I could say anything.

I followed the stranger with my eyes. He was about six foot tall with sandy blond hair. He was dressed like a teenager and looked barely older than that. As I studied him I wondered why he had caused such a reaction from Nathan. He made his way to a booth and I noticed every eye was on him. Vincent came over to me.

"Here's your breakfast Sheriff." He said as he placed my plate on the edge of the table because he was still watching the stranger.

"Who is that?" I asked him. He finally looked at me.

"That's Callister Raynes , he used to work for Dr. Stark when he had his own lab. There was a fire and he disappeared. Uh-oh." Vincent said as he looked toward the door. Jo walked in and looked around.

"What do you mean uh-oh?" I asked Vincent.

"They used to date." He replied watching Jo walk toward Callister.

He stood as Jo reached him. Neither spoke or moved. Suddenly Jo spoke softly.

"Callister." She said. He started to smile until Jo cocked her arm back and decked him. The whole café' gasped.

"That's for leaving and this is for coming back." Jo said then kissed him roughly. I watched in awe of my deputy. When she was done she walked to my table and stopped.

"I'll have those reports done soon." She said and walked out.

"Take your time." I called after her. I looked at Vincent who had that gleam in his eyes whenever there was good gossip. Once he walked back to the counter I looked at Callister , but he was gone.

I ate a few bites and decided to go after him.

It took quite a bit of driving to find Callister. He was walking down Archimedes Avenue carrying his duffle. I really wanted to know why Nathan had reacted that way. We had been getting along much better since that first meal we shared. Still I had a feeling he wouldn't tell me no matter how close we'd gotten.

"Hey there Callister , right?" I said as I pulled up next to him. He turned to look at me. I was struck by piercing blue eyes.

"Yes sir , that would make you the Sheriff , right?" he replied.

"Jack Carter." I introduced myself as I got out and walked over to shake his hand. He was about to say something when Jo's voice came over the radio.

"Yeah Jo?" I answered.

"We got a report of a problem out at the Johnston Ranch and you're supposed to say over , Carter over." She said.

"On my way." I said as Callister looked at me.

"You didn't say over." He said.

"Yeah I know. It'll aggravate her all day. Hey do you need a ride?" I asked climbing back in my jeep.

"I was just headed to Beverly's to get a room , I can walk." I got the impression that he didn't want to be stuck in the car with me.

"Okay , but you know Beverly's is the other way right?" I told him.

"Oh right." He replied and turned around.

I pulled up to the Johnston Ranch to find Jo waiting for me. She had this look of amusement on her face. I was curious , but I was hoping it had nothing to do with me.

"So what do we have?" I asked as I walked up.

"There's a problem with the fence." She said pointing at a fence to my right. I started to walk toward the gate , but after five steps there was a warning from Jo. It came too late though , I felt a tug and I was sliding across the gravel toward the gate. I somehow managed to turn around halfway to the gate. I hit the gate with breath taking force.

"It's magnetized. " Jo managed to get out through the fit of laughter. I just glared at her as I was stuck solidly to the fence.

"I'll just go shut it down." Jo said as she left chuckling.

I was left glued to the gate while Jo left to find the off switch. I really thought it couldn't get worse than this , boy was I wrong. A black SUV pulled up and I knew it could only be one of two people , Allison or Nathan. At the moment I was hoping for the first , no such luck. I was destined to be teased for this. I took a casual stance and hoped I could keep this quiet until Jo released me.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" I asked Nathan.

"Well I did help design this place so I figured I'd lend a hand." Nathan answered.

"Oh thanks." I replied lamely. He had a tendency to make me flustered.

"So any particular reason why you're just lounging around?" Nathan asked as he started walking toward me.

"NOO! Stop , don't come over …" I tried to warn him , but it was too late. He was skidding toward me so I braced myself for the impact.

"I take it this was what you were trying to tell me about." Nathan said as he pulled back as far as he could.

"It's magnetized." I said , trying to ignore the close proximity.

Nathan only nodded. We stood there in silence. I was trying desperately to think of everything besides the gorgeous man pressed against me , but it was easier said than done. I could feel every curve of his warm body as it was pressed against me. His warm breath ghosting across my face , not to mention the hand that was stuck against the fence at my hip.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a ringing coming from Nathan's pocket. He tried to pull his hand from the fence , but it wouldn't budge. Then he tried to maneuver his other hand to reach it , but it was useless. I knew what was coming when he looked at me , a blush coming to his cheeks.

"Could you..?" Nathan asked shyly. I didn't answer , but reached into his pocket.

It was hard to get a grip on and as I was trying to maneuver my hand to grasp it , it happened. My hand brushed something hard and a moan escaped Nathan's parted lips. It took less than a second for me to realize that he was rock hard.

My mind was racing as I evaluated this new piece of information. I took a moment to asses my state. I was in the same position. I decided that it was best to remove my hand from his pocket. Nathan was studiously avoiding looking at me. The ringing stopped for a minute , but it resumed almost immediately. Nathan sighed in annoyance. As I tried to think of anything except what had just happened an idea came to me.

"Nathan what do you have on this hand that's making it stick to the fence?" I asked , indicating his left hand. He was silent for a minute the answered.

"My watch , why?" he asked , cocking an eyebrow.

"If we take it off you'll be able to get to your phone." I told him , he smiled at me and I felt my heart beat faster.

"I'll try to reach it." He said and wrapped his free arm around my back. I gasped in surprise as the action pulled me closer to him.

I tried in vain to ignore Nathan's body against mine. I could feel his erection brushing against mine and it was taking every ounce of strength I had not to cry out in pleasure. Nathan was trying as hard as he could to get his watch off , but it was just pushing me closer to the edge. I had to put a stop to this right now.

"Nathan…uh could you…" I stammered out.

"I almost got it." Nathan cut me off.

"Nathan please…" I practically moaned out.

" Just a little more.." Nathan said. That was it , I was so damn close.

"Nathan for the love of all that is holy you need to stop moving right now! Please." I snapped.

Nathan stilled , he was staring at me in confusion. I tried to control my body. A few seconds later I saw a look of understanding flash across his face. I felt a blush creeping onto my face. I dared to look up at Nathan. I met his piercing green eyes and I was lost in them. I felt my hand lifting toward his face and saw his hand moving out of the corner of my eye.

As our hands reached their destinations my heart rate skyrocketed. I could feel it pounding in my chest like a thousand drums. My breathing turned erratic as I leaned toward Nathan. My eyes flicking toward his lips as he leaned in. My tongue darted out to moisten my lips in anticipation. I looked up in time to see his eyes follow the movement. We were so close but before our lips could meet I heard a cough.

We both jumped and looked around. Jo was standing there trying to keep a smile off her face. At that moment I wanted to kill her. I had been so close to feeling those soft lips against mine. Stop it I chastised myself. This would not help my erection go away. There was no way I was giving Jo that type of ammo to use against me. Think about baseball , think about baseball I thought.

Nathan had moved away from me and was talking on his cell phone to someone. I couldn't hear what he was saying , but his body language said it all. Whoever he was talking to wasn't making him happy. There was a crease between his eyes that I wanted to smooth out. Nathan ended his call and turned to face us.

"I'll fix this later. Something's come up. Have Henry send me the CPU. " he said and was gone.

"That was weird." Jo said.

"Yeah , call Henry and have him get that stuff for Nathan. I'm going to head into town , make sure nothing is wrong." I told her.

I made my way back to town and knew right away that there was a problem. The only street light in town was malfunctioning. As I approached I was shocked when two cars hit each other. I pulled up to them and got out. I did have to laugh when the twins stepped out.

I checked that they were both alright and placed a call to Henry. After dealing with the twins I had to stop by café' Diem. I had a hunch. This Callister guy shows up and Eureka goes haywire. Coincidence , I think not. I was thinking what to do what to ask Vincent as I entered , but the scene that met my eyes pushed all thoughts out of my head. It was snowing , literally.

"Vincent , what?" I asked.

"The climate control is on the fritz. What can I get you?" he replied.

"You can do what you do best and tell me everything you know about Callister Raynes." I told him sitting in the corner booth.

"Well Dr. Stark had his own lab when he came here. He was independent from GD. Callister was hired as his assistant. They worked together on some secret project for about a year. One morning the town awoke to find Stark's lab in flames and Callister gone. The sheriff investigated but found no foul play. Callister never returned and Nathan never talked about it or him." Vincent explained in full on story teller mode.

"Did they ever determine the cause of the fire?"

"Faulty wiring combined with chemicals in the lab , it was a bad combination."

"What about Callister and Jo?" I asked.

"Oh they were dating , getting serious too. When the fire happened he disappeared without a word to her. She was pretty upset about it , as you saw this morning." He said.

"Thanks Vincent." I told him and headed out to the office.

There was one too many unknowns with Raynes. I needed to understand what happened back then to get an idea about what was going on now. I had to talk to Jo , she could get me info on where Callister had been all this time.

NPOV

Damn it all to hell , Jo just had to ruin a perfect moment. Although it was probably for the best , if we had kissed I doubt I could have stopped there.

Feeling his body pressed against mine , the proof of his attraction to me against my own. If not for the fact that I would have been mortified. I pulled up to the building that I had avoided for the past six years , ever since the fire. Ironic that both that day and this one was because of Callister.

I walked in through the rusted door , the memories swirled around me like the dust in the air. The walls were still blackened from the flames , equipment strewn across the floor. You could still smell the stench of burnt everything in the stale air. Callister was seated at an old metal table.

"What are you doing here Callister?" I asked as I stopped in front of the table.

"I need your help." He said in a quiet voice.

JCPOV

I walked in the office and headed straight for Jo. I knew I had to be gentle , I needed to get through this , but Jo had to be hurting. I teased her , but I wasn't mean.

"Jo can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Since when do you ask nicely?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's about Callister and the fire."

"Look he was cleared, he had nothing to do with the fire so there's nothing to talk about." She replied.

"I know he was cleared , but I think that he has something to do with what is happening now." I told her. She glared at me before typing the info into the computer.

"Oh." Jo said.

"What?"

"Umm….I…" Jo started but didn't finish. I walked behind her desk to see what she had found. The information made my blood boil.

I was so pissed , how could she do this to me?! I sped toward Beverly's ,she was in so much trouble. I screeched to a halt jumping from the car I ran into the B&B. I stomped down the hall to where Beverly held the therapy sessions. I heard Zoe's voice as I approached.

"Well Callister is really sweet , but my dad would blow a gasket if I showed any interest in him." She said. I burst into the room and they both jumped.

"Dad , what are you doing?" Zoe screeched holding a hand over her heart.

"Why did you lie to me? I can't believe that I trusted you. I thought you were getting better." I rapidly spilled out.

"Dad what are you talking about , I'm doing the therapy like you asked and I haven't committed a crime since I got here." She asked fearfully , it should have softened my anger , but it didn't.

"This is what I'm talking about." I handed her the bulletin Jo found.

"Dad I was going to tell you , I just…" she started , but I held up my hand.

"You stole a credit card to get here. You couldn't have asked me for the money? And what was that about Callister?" I asked , she paled slightly at the mention of his name.

"If I had asked to come live with you , you would have told me no and you know it. As for Callister , we met earlier when he came to get a room.

"I just don't know how I'm supposed to trust you now. i…"I started but was cut off by the fire alarm.

"Fire!" I yelled and steered them outside.

Within minutes the fire was being put out with some high tech foam. I looked around for Zoe , we needed to talk about this more. I couldn't find her anywhere though. Figuring she went home I refocused on the problem at hand.

"Where did the fire start and how?" I asked Henry.

"In room 13 , the cause is unclear though." He answered.

"Was anyone in that room?" I asked Beverly.

"That was Callister's room , he left a little bit ago though. He was on the phone with someone , said something about the old place , to meet him there." She informed me. With a thanks to everyone , I was off to find Jo.

When I reached the office , Jo was typing away at her desk. I stopped in front of her.

"Do you know anything about on old meeting place of Callister's?" I asked. She looked at me like I had three heads.

"No , I don't. Why?" she asked.

"There was a fire at Beverly's in Callister's room. It's like Nathan's lab…" I trailed off , suddenly it all made sense. The call Nathan got , it was Callister. They were at the old lab.

"Come on , I know where he is." I told Jo , heading out the door.

I stopped outside the building Jo had indicated. It was rundown and I found myself surprised that it still stood. A half-burnt sign hung in the front reading 'Stark Industries.' I wondered momentarily if he was a different person back then. Jo and I made our way inside the dilapidated building , guns drawn. Out of everything I was preparing to find the scene we came across wasn't one of them.

Nathan was seated at the table next to Callister , but that wasn't the strange part. Callister's sleeve was pulled up to reveal a section of skin that was pulled back , revealing intricate machinery instead of muscle and bone. Jo and I were frozen in awe of the sight.

"Can I help you Carter?" Nathan asked.

"I think they figured it all out , except this part obviously. " Callister said.

"Wha…?" Jo stuttered , I couldn't blame her. She had dated the man , robot , whatever.

"I'm A.I. , but I'm sick at the moment so I came to my creator for help." Callister said casually.

"If you're not human , how are you sick?" I asked , Jo was still in shock.

"He has a computer virus and I can't repair it." Nathan said quietly , his voice tinged with sadness.

"So this virus is causing the problems in town then?" I asked.

"Yes , I am sorry about that by the way." Callister said.

"I'm sure Nathan can fix it." I told him , I couldn't hold it against him now.

Nathan's phone rang , breaking up the conversation. We all waited silently as he answered. It didn't take long to figure out that something was wrong.

"Yeah he's with me…what…are you sure…get Henry on it…I need to deal with something." He said.

"What now?" I asked wearily.

"The virus has reached the main system. The whole town's shutting down , I want you to catch a bus out of town. I've done all I can Callister." Nathan said.

"Jo can you go check on Zoe for me? We had a fight and I want her to know what's happening." I asked her and she merely nodded before leaving.

"I really hurt her." Callister said as he gathered his things.

"She'll be fine , she's tough." I told him.

"Yeah she is." He replied and walked out the door. I looked at Nathan , the sadness evident in his eyes.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Sure , let's get to GD." He said and walked out.

We were almost to GD when I asked about the latest problem. We had taken my jeep to get there faster. I had been watching him since we left and I was worried. He seemed withdrawn.

"The main system controls every aspect of Eureka. It would be like shutting down every electronic device in the world." Nathan explained.

"And Callister?" I asked gently. Nathan was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"Callister was the project. Out of all the A.I. we created he was the only one that worked. Not only that , but he was more human-like than machine. I knew that he would be taken and dissected , so I set the fire and sent him away."

"You wanted to protect him , like he was your child." I stated and Nathan smiled slightly.

"He is."

I gave him a warm smile , I really like this side of him , kind , caring. My phone rang out through the silence. I answered , hoping it wasn't more bad news.

"Hello."

"Cater , Zoe's not here and I can't find her anywhere." Jo replied.

"What , where the hell would she be?" I asked , I knew she was upset , but where would she run…that was it she was running again.

"Check any way out of town , I'll check the bus station." I told her , turning the car around and heading toward the depot.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

"Zoe's gone , we had a fight earlier. She stole someone's credit card to get here and didn't tell me about it."

"Well Henry will be able to handle the virus. Let's go find that daughter of yours." Nathan said with a smile.

We pulled up to the bus station and started scanning the crowd. Buses were pulling out and I hoped Zoe wasn't on one of them. I was about to give up when I heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Dad , oh thank god. You have to come quick." She said as she ran up to us.

Nathan and I followed her to a space between the buses. Callister was leaning against the tire. He didn't look good , Nathan ran to his side.

"I'm sorry about everything. I just didn't want to die." Callister told Nathan , who pulled him into a hug.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I should have been able to help you. I'm the one who's sorry." He told him.

"You did great Dad." Callister said and Nathan's eyes watered at the sentiment. He pulled back to look at him and stopped. Callister's eyes had darkened , he was gone.

"Zoe go call Jo and have her pick you up." I told her as I handed her my phone. Nathan and I carried Callister back to the car. Jo took Zoe home as I drove to Nathan's.

We placed Callister in Nathan's spare room and sat in the living room with a couple of drinks. We drank in silence. I was waiting for him to break , I knew it was coming. I didn't have to wait long , Nathan cried into his hands. I remained quiet. I put an arm around him and let him get it all out.

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