ALP 10 of 12 - October
May. 13th, 2006 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serene_quillTitle: A Long Pursuit (Part 10 of 12)
Pairing: Jack/Nathan
Rating: Overall PG-13 (For language and suggestive moments)
Word Count: total ~13K/this part ~1000
Disclaimer: Not mine, though I did try to barter for them once!
Warnings: UST, a whole year of it!
Summary: Nathan knew it would take him some time to wear down Jack when he began the campaign to wear him over, but it turned out to be fortunate that he was the most stubborn man in Eureka, because Jack came in a close second. No one, not even Henry had predicted that it would take a year.
The story, as intended to be read, is located here.
October 31, 2008: Halloween
“He’s miserable,” the little Cleopatra told him, giving him a pointed look. Nathan flashed his fangs at her, making Jo laugh. “Seriously, Stark, he misses you. And from the way Fargo’s tiptoeing around you, I’m guessing you’re just as miserable.”
“Jo, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but Jack made his feelings very clear,” Nathan reminded her. He looked across Copernicus Park, catch a glimpse of the tan uniform, Jack apparently getting out of the mandatory costume rule Vince was enforcing by being on duty.
“Yeah, he told you he’s scared,” Jo retorted angrily. “Did he say he doesn’t want you?”
“No,” Nathan replied grudgingly. He folded his arms, pulling his cape around him tightly, making Jo smile a little.
“Did he say he doesn’t want to be with you?” Jo pressed on, her arms jingling as she reached out to take the soda mummy Zane had brought over to her.
“No, he said he wants to, but he can’t,” Nathan replied dryly. “Go on, get out of here before I decide to make you my dinner.”
“Hey, watch it, fang boy,” Zane said, flapping his arm wrappings in Nathan’s direction. “That’s my pharaoh you’re talking about.”
Nathan rolled his eyes, heading off in the direction he’d last seen Jack in. He halted suddenly, a familiar blonde in a black leather jacket stepping directly into his path, arms folded, one hand wrapped around a wooden stake. “Seriously?” he asked Zoë, lifting an eyebrow.
“Happy coincidence,” she told him dryly. “Not that I’m not seriously considering staking you. You going to make things better or worse right now? Because S.A.R.A.H. can only take so much misery under her roof.”
“I heard about you and Lucas,” Nathan said sympathetically. “Are you okay?”
“Better than Dad,” she said, and Nathan saw the clear honesty on her face. “Just, try not to hurt him more, okay?” she added, and Nathan nodded grimly.
He started to take a step forward, then looked back at Zoë’s rather impressive Buffy costume. “Hey, stay away from Fargo, okay?” he recommended. Now that he was looking at it, he wasn’t sure how she’d gotten out of the house past Jack in that low cut of a top.
“Huh, Dad said the same thing,” Zoë remarked, wrinkling her nose a little. She walked away, joining Pilar near the caramel apple stand. Nathan watched her go, making a mental note to send Fargo back up to GD as soon as he found him.
Sighing, Nathan walked over to the bonfire, where the sheriff was conversing with Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolfman. Taggart nodded to him cheerfully, waving a furry hand, and Allison gave him a careful, scrutinizing look. “Let’s see if we can find your pack mates, Wolfman,” she told Taggart, tugging on his sleeve.
“Righto,” Taggart said, giving Nathan a knowing nod. “Stark.”
Nathan stepped up next to Jack, watching him silently for a long moment. “Thought costumes were mandatory,” he said finally, unable to fumble out some sort of apology.
Jack pointed to his neck, when Nathan spotted two round band-aids. “Zoë’s idea,” Jack muttered, giving Nathan’s costume a once over. “Little ironic now, I guess.”
“Yeah, you missed the part where she brandished a stake and threatened me,” Nathan replied. “You’re really letting her loose around Fargo dressed that way?”
“What do you want, Nathan?” Jack asked impatiently.
“To apologize,” Nathan admitted, staring at the fire now. “I should never have started that discussion when we were both drugged. And for overreacting.”
“You didn’t overreact,” Jack replied quietly. “I did. And I haven’t been fair to you. I let my emotions override my judgment, and you got hurt. I’m sorry.”
“I knew what I was getting into,” Nathan replied, closing his eyes against the sudden stab of pain. “Can we sit down? And talk a little?”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed, nodding toward a table on the far side of the fire. Nathan followed him, choosing the chair closest to Jack, ensuring some measure of privacy. “Okay,” Jack started, but he was obviously just as lost for words as Nathan.
“I’m miserable,” Nathan burst out, grimacing at his impulsiveness. “I know I’d be miserable if we were still flirting and getting no where, but at least I’d have a little bit of you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Jack said, sighing.
“We’re at an impasse,” Nathan observed, folding his arms. “Jack, I need to know, is there any chance I can change your mind?”
“I don’t know,” Jack admitted, his shoulders slumping a little. “You know it’s not because I’m not attracted to you, right?”
“I think so,” Nathan replied, shrugging. “It’s not enough for you, though, and I don’t know how to change that.”
“I don’t know either,” Jack admitted, shrugging. “Impasse, right?”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed, with a dark chuckle. “Back where we started.”
“I have a radical suggestion,” Jack scoffed, giving Nathan a long look. “Can we just be friends? It seems like the logical compromise.”
“Logical,” he agreed, sighing. He knew at the back of his mind he wouldn’t be able to settle for it, but he was willing to try. “I’ll try anything at this point.”
“Come on, Dracula, I’ll buy you a drink,” Jack said cheerfully.
“Please, Dracula,” Nathan replied scornfully. “I’m Edward.”
“Who’s Edward?” Jack asked blankly.
“Don’t know,” Nathan admitted, shrugging. “That’s what Fargo told me to say if anyone asked. Said all the girls swoon over some novel with a vampire named Edward. Thought you might know because of Zoë.”
“No idea, but speak of the devil,” Jack said, his pace slowing as they saw the Dread Pirate Fargo, dragging Zoë behind him, a death grip on her elbow.
“Sheriff Carter, I am shocked!” Fargo lectured the other man, pushing Zoë toward him. “You let her out of the house looking this way?”
“Apparently my fears about Fargo were unfounded,” Nathan observed, hiding a smile.
“Uh huh,” Jack agreed sardonically, rolling his eyes.
Pairing: Jack/Nathan
Rating: Overall PG-13 (For language and suggestive moments)
Word Count: total ~13K/this part ~1000
Disclaimer: Not mine, though I did try to barter for them once!
Warnings: UST, a whole year of it!
Summary: Nathan knew it would take him some time to wear down Jack when he began the campaign to wear him over, but it turned out to be fortunate that he was the most stubborn man in Eureka, because Jack came in a close second. No one, not even Henry had predicted that it would take a year.
The story, as intended to be read, is located here.
October 31, 2008: Halloween
“He’s miserable,” the little Cleopatra told him, giving him a pointed look. Nathan flashed his fangs at her, making Jo laugh. “Seriously, Stark, he misses you. And from the way Fargo’s tiptoeing around you, I’m guessing you’re just as miserable.”
“Jo, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but Jack made his feelings very clear,” Nathan reminded her. He looked across Copernicus Park, catch a glimpse of the tan uniform, Jack apparently getting out of the mandatory costume rule Vince was enforcing by being on duty.
“Yeah, he told you he’s scared,” Jo retorted angrily. “Did he say he doesn’t want you?”
“No,” Nathan replied grudgingly. He folded his arms, pulling his cape around him tightly, making Jo smile a little.
“Did he say he doesn’t want to be with you?” Jo pressed on, her arms jingling as she reached out to take the soda mummy Zane had brought over to her.
“No, he said he wants to, but he can’t,” Nathan replied dryly. “Go on, get out of here before I decide to make you my dinner.”
“Hey, watch it, fang boy,” Zane said, flapping his arm wrappings in Nathan’s direction. “That’s my pharaoh you’re talking about.”
Nathan rolled his eyes, heading off in the direction he’d last seen Jack in. He halted suddenly, a familiar blonde in a black leather jacket stepping directly into his path, arms folded, one hand wrapped around a wooden stake. “Seriously?” he asked Zoë, lifting an eyebrow.
“Happy coincidence,” she told him dryly. “Not that I’m not seriously considering staking you. You going to make things better or worse right now? Because S.A.R.A.H. can only take so much misery under her roof.”
“I heard about you and Lucas,” Nathan said sympathetically. “Are you okay?”
“Better than Dad,” she said, and Nathan saw the clear honesty on her face. “Just, try not to hurt him more, okay?” she added, and Nathan nodded grimly.
He started to take a step forward, then looked back at Zoë’s rather impressive Buffy costume. “Hey, stay away from Fargo, okay?” he recommended. Now that he was looking at it, he wasn’t sure how she’d gotten out of the house past Jack in that low cut of a top.
“Huh, Dad said the same thing,” Zoë remarked, wrinkling her nose a little. She walked away, joining Pilar near the caramel apple stand. Nathan watched her go, making a mental note to send Fargo back up to GD as soon as he found him.
Sighing, Nathan walked over to the bonfire, where the sheriff was conversing with Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolfman. Taggart nodded to him cheerfully, waving a furry hand, and Allison gave him a careful, scrutinizing look. “Let’s see if we can find your pack mates, Wolfman,” she told Taggart, tugging on his sleeve.
“Righto,” Taggart said, giving Nathan a knowing nod. “Stark.”
Nathan stepped up next to Jack, watching him silently for a long moment. “Thought costumes were mandatory,” he said finally, unable to fumble out some sort of apology.
Jack pointed to his neck, when Nathan spotted two round band-aids. “Zoë’s idea,” Jack muttered, giving Nathan’s costume a once over. “Little ironic now, I guess.”
“Yeah, you missed the part where she brandished a stake and threatened me,” Nathan replied. “You’re really letting her loose around Fargo dressed that way?”
“What do you want, Nathan?” Jack asked impatiently.
“To apologize,” Nathan admitted, staring at the fire now. “I should never have started that discussion when we were both drugged. And for overreacting.”
“You didn’t overreact,” Jack replied quietly. “I did. And I haven’t been fair to you. I let my emotions override my judgment, and you got hurt. I’m sorry.”
“I knew what I was getting into,” Nathan replied, closing his eyes against the sudden stab of pain. “Can we sit down? And talk a little?”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed, nodding toward a table on the far side of the fire. Nathan followed him, choosing the chair closest to Jack, ensuring some measure of privacy. “Okay,” Jack started, but he was obviously just as lost for words as Nathan.
“I’m miserable,” Nathan burst out, grimacing at his impulsiveness. “I know I’d be miserable if we were still flirting and getting no where, but at least I’d have a little bit of you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Jack said, sighing.
“We’re at an impasse,” Nathan observed, folding his arms. “Jack, I need to know, is there any chance I can change your mind?”
“I don’t know,” Jack admitted, his shoulders slumping a little. “You know it’s not because I’m not attracted to you, right?”
“I think so,” Nathan replied, shrugging. “It’s not enough for you, though, and I don’t know how to change that.”
“I don’t know either,” Jack admitted, shrugging. “Impasse, right?”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed, with a dark chuckle. “Back where we started.”
“I have a radical suggestion,” Jack scoffed, giving Nathan a long look. “Can we just be friends? It seems like the logical compromise.”
“Logical,” he agreed, sighing. He knew at the back of his mind he wouldn’t be able to settle for it, but he was willing to try. “I’ll try anything at this point.”
“Come on, Dracula, I’ll buy you a drink,” Jack said cheerfully.
“Please, Dracula,” Nathan replied scornfully. “I’m Edward.”
“Who’s Edward?” Jack asked blankly.
“Don’t know,” Nathan admitted, shrugging. “That’s what Fargo told me to say if anyone asked. Said all the girls swoon over some novel with a vampire named Edward. Thought you might know because of Zoë.”
“No idea, but speak of the devil,” Jack said, his pace slowing as they saw the Dread Pirate Fargo, dragging Zoë behind him, a death grip on her elbow.
“Sheriff Carter, I am shocked!” Fargo lectured the other man, pushing Zoë toward him. “You let her out of the house looking this way?”
“Apparently my fears about Fargo were unfounded,” Nathan observed, hiding a smile.
“Uh huh,” Jack agreed sardonically, rolling his eyes.