Lantern for the Lost: Chapter 3
Dec. 16th, 2008 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serene_quillTitle: Lantern for the Lost: Chapter 3
Pairing: Jack/Nathan (small side bits with Jo/Zane and Vince/Paul)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 5300
Disclaimer: If they were mine, it wouldn’t have happened! But since they aren’t, I’m just borrowing them to play with.
Warnings: Spoilers for 304: I Do Over, AU off 304, cannon character death-ish, angst, non-corporeal sex like stuff, some graphic imagery.
Summary: He’s displaced in time and it just figures that the only person he can even slightly reach doesn’t have anything resembling the knowledge to help him.
A/N: Late, I know, but we ran really, really, REALLY late on set today!
Previous parts can be found here.
Nathan woke up, sitting up just enough to check the clock and determine that as was habitual with him, he’d woken up a little before six am. “Huh,” he murmured, surprised he had slept through the night. He rolled over, watching Jack sleep for a few moments, his hand tracing the air above the other man’s face.
“It is five till six,” SARAH announced, and Jack sat up, rubbing his eyes. “You wanted me to make sure you were awake before six a.m.”
“Thanks, SARAH,” he yawned sleepily. “Nate, you here?”
“Don’t call me that,” Nathan replied instantly to the hated nickname, and Jack suddenly looked a little more alert, though a trace of sleepiness lingered.
“Sorry,” Jack replied, and Nathan melted just as quickly, the other man looking adorable in his sleepiness. “Tired slip.”
“You’re up almost an hour early,” SARAH noted, sounding curious. “May I ask why you reprogrammed the alarm?”
“It’s a long shot, but I wanted to check something,” he murmured, reaching out a hand. “Nathan?”
“Six a.m.,” Nathan said knowingly. “Jack, it won’t work.”
“I know,” Jack scowled. “But I figured I’d test it, just in case.”
Nathan sighed, but obligingly let his hand rest in the air next to Jack’s. “I feel ridiculous,” he complained.
“If you don’t have to wait 12 more hours to touch, I think you’ll thank me,” Jack replied dryly.
Nathan didn’t argue, knowing it was true. His eyes flicked over to the clock, watching as the number flipped from 5:59 to 6:00. He flexed his fingers, trying to link them together with Jack’s, but they slipped through each other uselessly. “Nothing,” he said softly, then repeated it, louder, for Jack.
“I’m sorry,” Jack sounded just as disappointed. “It was a stupid idea.”
“No,” Nathan said fiercely, lowering his head to Jack’s shoulder, letting it rest midair above the bare skin. “You’re thinking about me, trying to take care of me. I appreciate it.”
“You okay?” Jack asked dryly. “That came suspiciously close to a thank you, and I really ought to report it to Zane if you start acting oddly.”
Nathan chuckled, appreciating that Jack had lightened the mood. “What do you think he’s cooking up anyway?” Jack asked, laying back and stretching a little, the long lines of muscles being displayed before him making Nathan’s mouth go dry. “I’m hoping he’s got a mechanical robot for you to manipulate.”
“Is this going to turn into an Ironman joke?” Nathan groaned, glad for the distraction. Jack was still sprawled out, and his fingers were just itching to touch.
“Well, your last name is Stark…” Jack said, grinning. Nathan reached out, letting his fingers skim down Jack’s abs, equally wanting to touch and glad he couldn’t and give away his emotions. Jack’s head, tilted to the side, wouldn’t be able to see the motion.
“I’m not exactly a playboy like Tony Stark,” Nathan observed idly.
“You said you had feelings for someone other than Allison,” Jack joked, but there was an odd note in his voice. “That’s where it starts. Before long, you’ve got a trail of admirers and I’d bet good money Fargo ends up at the head of the line.”
“Thanks for that disturbing image,” Nathan said dryly. Jack’s stomach muscles rippled under his fingers, silent laughter, Nathan mused, continuing to trace lines.
“Are you trying to touch me still?” Jack asked suddenly, and Nathan jumped, realizing Jack had shifted his head.
“Of course,” Nathan covered quickly, scoffing a little. “Just in case.”
“Huh,” Jack let his head fall back, eyes closed. “It just feels odd, knowing you’re trying to touch, and I can’t feel it.”
Nathan continued to mime stroking the skin, assuming Jack had just given him permission. “Would it bother you if you could feel it?” The words tumbled out before he could stop them.
“No,” Jack replied easily. “But I suspect you wouldn’t be touching me if I could feel it.”
Nathan stilled his hand, alarmed. “Why?” he asked.
“You’re reserved, private,” Jack said, and Nathan suspected he was choosing his words carefully. “You don’t demonstrate what you want or need.”
Nathan was silent, uncertain. “So come six p.m., I will make sure you get what you need, even if you won’t ask or take it,” Jack said softly. “With luck, maybe Zane will come up with a solution that allows you to go to Allison.”
“Didn’t mean to impose,” Nathan said harshly, drawing back.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jack sat up, looking angry. “I just thought you’d rather be with her.”
“You know Zane’s solution probably won’t give me any more communication with anyone else, don’t you?” Nathan asked, surprised. “Jack, you were right about it being because you moved out of sync with time too. Which means unless Zane is going to do something monumentally stupid, he just has a plan to make it so I’m not shouting at you to be heard and you might be able to see me.”
“I didn’t realize,” Jack replied, looking down at his hands. “Sorry.”
“I think I’ll survive,” Nathan remarked dryly, wishing Jack would lie back again. “You’ve been better company than I expected. Given our history, you should have left me to rot on my own.”
“We may not, you know, get along all the time, but… I… respect you, you know that, right?” Jack’s words were slow, measured.
“Yeah,” Nathan had to try a few times to force the word out loud enough to be heard. He was overwhelmed with the urge to force the other man to the mattress and kiss him, but more troubling was the fact that he couldn’t decide if the fact that he couldn’t was a good or bad thing.
“Well, this morning, you’re going to have to sit through meetings with Thorne and Allison,” Jack remarked, breaking the tension. “Could you not do a Wizard of Oz revival this time?”
“Big fan of musicals, Carter?” Nathan replied snarkily. “I bet your sister could tell us why.”
“Oh nice,” Jack replied, standing up. “Speaking of Lexi, I should get up and check on her. Meet you downstairs?”
“Why?” Nathan inquired lazily, stretching a little.
“Because I need to shower,” Jack replied, rolling his eyes. “I’d offer you one, but we’re back to the naked ghost bit.”
“Ahh,” Nathan replied, his intrusion from the night before creeping into his mind. “I’ll be in the kitchen then.”
He walked downstairs, and wandered a little, trying to find something to amuse himself. “Jack says you are most likely bored, Dr. Stark,” SARAH announced suddenly. “Beginning audio playback of this morning’s edition of the New York Times.”
Nathan grinned, settling back in to listen. He wasn’t sure what Lexi would think if she came down to find the AI reading aloud, but trusted Jack to come up with an excuse. Half an hour later, a showered and uniformed Jack came down, telling SARAH to pause playback.
“Thank you,” Nathan said emphatically.
“Thought you might get bored,” Jack replied with a smirk. “You seem to need constant amusement.”
“Good thing I’m stuck with a 10 year old then,” Nathan retorted.
“I just turned eleven,” Jack quipped easily, sticking his tongue out in Nathan’s direction. It was on the tip of Nathan’s tongue to tell Jack exactly what he could do with his tongue, but he carefully swallowed the words.
“Jackie, who you talking to?” Lexi asked, sleepily entering the kitchen, her fingers resting on her still flat abdomen.
“Grandma Lil,” Jack replied dryly. “She says the cat’s an impostor.”
“Ha ha,” Lexi grumbled, settling at the kitchen island. “I’m feeling better today,” she tried, giving Jack a smile.
“Too late, I already got you a 2:30 appointment with Dr. Laden up at GD,” Jack informed her. He’d gotten the recommendation from Nathan the night before, and booked an appointment then. “Come on, Lexi, all that time with the WHO and you haven’t picked up on when to admit defeat and talk to a doctor?”
“Is this about to turn into a lecture on telling Duncan about the baby?” Lexi whined, and Nathan recognized the tone as one he’d heard Zoë use on Jack.
“No,” Jack replied, pouring some cereal in a bowl and handing it to his sister then pouring a second bowl for himself. “You’ve made your choice, and I know Carter stubbornness.”
“Yeah, me too,” Nathan couldn’t help remarking, and Jack fought a smile.
*-*
Nathan whistled softly as they walked up to Thorne’s office, keeping it pitched too low for Jack to hear. He hated to admit it, but it made him feel better. Jack waited patiently for Thorne to wave him in, and she took a moment, finishing a phone call before waving him in.
“Sheriff… Jack,” she said, smiling as Jack sat down.
“He’s not falling for it,” Nathan remarked quietly, giving Thorne his best arrogant smirk.
“Morning,” Jack replied, not looking cheerful in return. “I understand you’ve got another round of redactions for me.”
“Oh,” Nathan said flatly, suddenly understanding what Jack had hidden from him behind the joking that morning.
“I’m sorry to make you do this, Sheriff. Only five this week,” she added, her tone placating.
Jack motioned for the list, and Thorne handed it to him along with the files. He frowned, handing her back one of the files. “I need you to rethink this one,” he said quietly. “Hear me out,” he added, seeing the look on her face. Nathan tilted his head, curious.
“All right, I’m listening,” Thorne replied, looking just as impressed by Jack’s contradicting her as Nathan was.
“It’s not exactly public knowledge, but he’ll be eligible to stay in town. But more likely, he’ll probably take someone with him that we can’t afford to lose,” Jack said, and Nathan looked at the file. Paul Sueños.
“You’re telling me that he won’t be actually redacted from Eureka, just fired from GD, or he’ll take another person with him?” Thorne asked, looking baffled.
“He’s involved with someone in Eureka, yes,” Jack agreed. Nathan crossed back over to him, trying to squelch his curiosity about how Jack knew about what he’d gotten the impression was a very private relationship.
“And you’re not going to tell me who, other than you feel she is irreplaceable,” Thorne continued, smirking a little as she settled back in her chair. Nathan smirked a little at Thorne’s assumption.
“Sorry,” Jack replied, giving her a rueful smile.
“Don’t be,” she replied, amused. “It’s been a while since anyone’s had the nerve to stand up to me and make a logical argument.”
“I got plenty of practice on the second scariest director,” Jack remarked, and Nathan caught the little sideways glance in his direction and Jack clearly aware Nathan planned to give him hell for the remark later.
“Hmm,” Thorne smiled, looking far too satisfied. “Let Dr. Sueños know he’s got two weeks to change my mind,” she told him, putting the file back on the stack, eyebrows arching when Jack nodded. “And only as a favor to you, Jack.”
“See you tomorrow night,” Jack replied, giving the woman a knowing grin.
“I’ll catch up in Allie’s office,” Nathan called after Jack, who missed a step, but continued anyway, having no way to argue the point. Nathan settled back into the chair, and predictably, Thorne picked up Sueños’s file, looking it over thoughtfully. “I’m not thrilled he just gave you a bargaining chip,” Nathan remarked darkly, even though she couldn’t hear him. “But it looks like he’s got you curious, probably going to take some of your precious time trying to figure it out, aren’t you?”
Thorne continued to look over Sueños’s file carefully, lips pursed. “Once I’m corporeal again…” he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her. He stood, uncomfortable with the flash of jealousy in his chest.
Thorne set the file aside, still looking smugly satisfied. “What are you up to, Jack Carter?” she wondered, smiling. Nathan’ fists clenched uselessly at the sight. He calmed himself as he sat back down, watching for the better part of an hour, not keen on joining Jack for redactions, but Thorne simply worked innocuously on budgets.
Giving up, he walked to Allison’s office, hearing the sound of an argument as he approached. He slid through the wall, arriving just in time to see the stalemate.
“Look,” Jack said after a long pause. “I appreciate that you’re keeping the lab open. But I can’t dictate to Zane what he can or can’t do. He’s got a theory on how to help Nathan—”
“Nathan is dead!” Allison stated stiffly, her eyes closing down. “Let it go, Carter.”
“I can’t,” Jack replied, surprisingly patient. “He isn’t gone, Allison. He’s still—”
“You sound like you were the one in love with him!” Allison tossed at Jack spitefully, and Nathan watched Jack absorb this hit, visibly blanching. Allison instantly looked contrite, realizing she’d gone too far. “God, I’m sorry, Carter.”
“I’ll talk to Zane,” Jack said, his voice tight.
“Carter, I didn’t…”
“Allison,” Jack cut her off, not looking at her. “I’ll let the matter drop. I’m sorry. And I’ll talk to Zane.”
“Fine,” Allison agreed, sitting back, her eyes suddenly welling up. “See you later, Carter.”
Jack didn’t say anything, simply striding out of the office. Nathan remained in place for a moment, torn between staying with Allie and going after Jack. In the next second, he remembered there was only one of them he could comfort. He hurried after Jack, his stride slowing as he reached the waterfall hallway where Jack had stopped, leaning against the wall. “You okay?” he asked, kicking himself when Jack jumped, unaware that he was being observed.
“Fine,” Jack managed, his voice hoarse. “How much did you hear?”
“Most of it, I think,” Nathan admitted, reaching out instinctively, his heart aching when his hand passed right through Jack’s shoulder.
“She’s grieving,” Jack interjected quickly, and Nathan could see the other man pulling his façade back together in front of his eyes. “Anger, it’s one of the five stages or twelve steps or something.”
“It’s not an excuse for hurting you,” Nathan said fiercely. “You’ve been grieving too.” The words left his mouth before he realized they were true.
“You’re not dead,” Jack replied quietly, but the words were ground out.
“But until just 24 hours ago, you didn’t know that,” Nathan insisted, trying to gentle his voice and project it at the same time. “I don’t know if I said it, but thank you, Jack. Thanks for not giving up on me.”
“Hey, no problem,” Jack replied, his features finally softening into some semblance of his normal expression. “Of course, if it had been me, you’d have had a party.”
“Of course,” Nathan returned easily, glad to see the little glint of amusement in Jack’s eyes. He looked around, suddenly noticing the new engraving on the wall and his photograph. “Oh good god, tell me this is a joke.”
“What?” Jack asked, baffled.
“The Nathan Stark Memorial Hallway?” he spat out, turning around in amazement. “Whose idea?”
“Henry, Fargo, Allison, Zane… me,” Jack admitted, shrugging. “I thought you’d want a lab space of some sort, but Henry insisted this was better.”
“I’m not dead,” Nathan protested.
“But if you were…” Jack said softly, and Nathan deflated, suddenly seeing the work for what it was. A memorial for him from the people who knew and loved him, and a place of comfort for them, since there would never be a tomb.
“Thanks,” he said finally, and Jack nodded. “To Zane’s lab?” he added, and Jack nodded again. Nathan frowned, before spotting a security guard entering the hall.
“Ahh,” he murmured, remembering that he was invisible and Jack was trying to avoid appearing crazy. He fell into step next to Jack, wickedly grinning before he started loudly singing “Unchained Melody”. It took the sheriff a moment, but as soon as Jack placed the film reference, he laughed, startling Larry as they passed him in the hallway.
“What?” Larry demanded, quickly checking his outfit, panicked. “Did I spill something?”
Jack was trying to stop laughing, but failing, Nathan’s own laughter probably not helping the matter. “Is there a sign on my back?” Larry demanded, starting to turn in circles, trying to see his own back. Fargo entered the hall to catch Larry chasing his tail, bursting out laughing as well. Larry stalked off, and Jack managed to stop laughing, something in his grin promising Nathan retribution later.
“I don’t know what you did, but you just made my day,” Fargo said, falling into step with Jack.
“Oh, don’t thank me,” Jack remarked cryptically. “You make it home to sleep last night?” he switched subjects deftly, and Nathan noticed that the younger scientist did look much better than the day before.
“Slept like a baby since I saw some of Zane’s formulas last night,” Fargo lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Sheriff, do you think it’s possible Stark is really here and could communicate with us?”
“You planning on breaking out the Ouiji board, Fargo?” Carter deflected easily, holding open the door to the time lab for the now outraged looking Fargo.
“Hey, if you don’t believe me, just ask Zane!” Fargo commented emphatically, and Jack grinned, waiting for the door to close behind them.
“Ask me what?” Zane asked, flashing a grin at Fargo. Henry waved from where he was busily pulling dead parts from the atomic clock.
“Oh, Fargo here thinks you’re working on a way to communicate with Stark,” Jack remarked. “Of course, I’d prefer he wouldn’t say so in the hallway.”
“Oh,” Fargo said, looking abashed. “Right. Sorry, Sheriff.”
“Wait, I think I can do one better,” Zane said, holding up a finger as he typed a command into the computer, then hit a familiar light switch, activating the ultra-indigo light.
Nathan looked around, realizing all eyes were on him. “Can you see me?” he demanded, and Jack grinned.
“Well, I can see an ultra-indigo Stark-shaped blob,” Jack replied cheerfully. “You’ve never looked better!”
“Uh, did he say something?” Zane asked, sounding disappointed.
“You didn’t hear him,” Jack said, folding his arms. Henry shook his head, and Zane sighed. “I can hear him much clearer.”
“I can stop shouting?” Nathan said, bringing his voice down to its normal volume.
“Yeah, I can hear you fine,” Jack replied.
“That’s Dr. Stark?” Fargo squeaked, giving Jack one moment of warning before Fargo ran at the blob, trying to hug it but passing uselessly through Nathan.
“Thank god for small favors,” Nathan remarked, and Jack smirked.
“Sorry, Fargo, he’s noncorporeal.”
“Incorporeal,” Henry and Nathan corrected him simultaneously.
“In stereo, no less,” Jack complained, giving Henry a pained look. “Really, no one else can hear him? I’m stuck with him?”
“You’re already going to pay for your comments in Thorne’s office,” Nathan threatened. “You really wanna add to the score?”
“What, you’ll just store it up to hit me come six o’clock?” Jack taunted him, and three heads jerked around in surprise.
“Six o’clock?” Henry asked, looking up suddenly.
“Yeah, last night he could touch my arm at six o’clock,” Jack related, watering down the events nicely, Nathan decided. “We tested it again at six a.m., but it’s just the minute of the accident.”
“Ah, try it now,” Zane remarked, giving Jack an odd little smile. Jack looked a little puzzled, but stepped closer, offering Nathan his hand. Nathan reached out, hesitating but eventually setting his hand against Jack’s, the sensation blooming through him when they touched, making him gasp. His fingers slowly clenched at Jack’s hand, no sign of melting through it.
“Henry,” Jack said in a very low undertone. The older man stepped in closer, looking concerned. “Can I get you to give us the room for a few minutes?”
Henry looked blankly at him for a moment, then his eyes lit up with a horrified understanding. “Touch starved,” he muttered, and Jack nodded minutely.
“Guys, let’s take a quick walk,” Henry said quickly, ushering Zane and Fargo out. Zane seemed to understand instantly, though Fargo was still protesting as the door closed behind them.
Jack turned back to Nathan, waiting, giving Nathan the chance to make his own moves. There was a long pause, Nathan’s hand flexing around his, then Nathan stepped closer, hesitant. “Whatever you need,” Jack repeated softly, echoing his words that morning. Nathan had one brief moment when his mind presented some wild options, and then he buried himself into Jack’s embrace, knocking him backward a little. Every nerve in his body was on fire, and every time Jack’s hands touched another part of his body, a new chain of fire started. He realized part of the amazing feeling was Jack stroking his back, down his arms, comforting him. He started to pull back as the sensations suddenly shot straight to his groin.
“Relax, I’ve got you,” Jack murmured, pulling Nathan in closer to him, and Nathan went limp, giving in. Jack molded his own body against Nathan’s, and Nathan gasped, his hips jerking reflexively. Jack’s hands didn’t stop their soothing motions though, making his body ache intensely and Nathan struggle to breathe through the assault of intense arousal.
“Sorry, I just…” Nathan gasped, then buried his too hot face in Jack’s neck.
“It’s okay,” Jack reassured him. “I’ve done this before, Nathan, it’s just an automatic response. Body doesn’t know how to interpret signals anymore.”
“Are you seriously explaining the science to me?” Nathan joked weakly, his grip on Jack tightening even more, Jack’s hip against his groin creating a delicious friction.
One of Jack’s hands was now stroking his head, his fingers combing through Nathan’s curls. “Just thought it might help,” he replied.
“Thanks,” Nathan replied, trying to burrow deeper into the embrace. “I owe you one.”
“Yeah, just let me off the hook for my comment in Thorne’s office,” Jack said, the laughter clear in his voice. Nathan’s hips jerked again, Jack’s voice having a strong effect on his libido. “Easy,” Jack said, but one of his hands tightened a little on Nathan’s shoulder, almost pulling him in.
Nathan, still trying to absorb the touch and desperately hard, slid his leg between Jack’s and was surprised to feel that Jack was aroused as well. “My turn to apologize?” Jack asked, and Nathan wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a question.
“Automatic reflex,” Nathan murmured against the other man’s neck, just barely able to resist trying to taste the skin under his lips, his hips now unable to stay still. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed, his fingers trailing low on Nathan’s back now and Nathan rutted against the other man’s hip once more, climaxing with a shudder. Nathan went boneless, and Jack held him up, tightly hugging him. “Should we let them back in?” Jack asked a few minutes later, still stroking Nathan’s back.
Nathan eased back a little, looking around and spotting two stools close together. He tugged Jack over, sliding Jack onto the stool between his legs, looping his arms around Jack’s waist and settling his chin on Jack’s shoulder, virtually spooning against him. “Okay, now you can,” he replied happily.
“You sure?” Jack asked, sounding amused.
“I’m not letting go till I have to,” Nathan replied fiercely. Jack shrugged, apparently fine with his role as human comfort blanket, flipping open his phone and calling Henry, unable to actually go to the door.
“Hey, Henry, go ahead and bring them back, tell us what you’ve got figured out,” Jack said, and then hung up, wiggling a little and shifting his stool back and closer, situating himself more comfortably pressed into Nathan’s body. “If we bring Allison down here…” he started, and Nathan shook his head.
“She’s hurting a lot,” Nathan said, his voice tired, and he could see this made Jack worried. “She won’t believe it until I’m back. And not being able to touch me, when you can…”
“Nathan?” Jack asked, sounding puzzled when the man went no further. Nathan was saved from having to explain his slip up to Jack by the return of the other three men.
“Nathan, you okay?” Henry asked, obviously seeing Nathan draped over Jack, his eyes crinkling worriedly.
“Just can’t stand not feeling anything,” Nathan said, shrugging.
“He says he’s not ready to go back to being cut off,” Jack remarked. Henry gave Jack a worried look that Nathan couldn’t quite read. “It’s fine, Henry. I’ve always wanted to be the invisible man’s teddy bear,” he remarked dryly, earning a laugh from Zane. Henry still looked uncertain, but nodded once.
“Okay,” Zane said, nodding to Jack and Nathan. “Let me walk you through what we’ve got so far, and Carter, if you can relay anything Nathan notes, we could really use the hand.”
The next couple hours were spent with Jack patiently relaying Nathan’s notes, even though he didn’t understand most of them and Nathan could hear it wearing on the sheriff a little. Nathan’s grip on Jack had loosened some, but he was enjoying being pressed against the man too much to let go. Nathan knew if Allison or Thorne were present, his presence would now be totally confirmed and he might be in a world of trouble if the latter caught them. “Uh, there aren’t cameras in this room, are there?” he asked suddenly. Jack relayed the question and Fargo grinned proudly.
“Took care of them, got an advanced video loop in place. The program I wrote reads who’s in the room and plays a loop of footage from the past couple of weeks based on those people, footage trimmed, screened, and vetted by me first,” Fargo explained easily.
“Nice,” Jack said nodding. “I assume it goes without saying that anything that in today’s footage needs to be completely erased.”
“Completely understood,” Fargo said quickly. As though cued by the discussion, a small buzzer went off on the computer. Zane reached out, flicking off the ultra-indigo switch as Henry scanned the boards into his pen, followed by Fargo erasing them frantically. A moment after everything was cleared except some dummy biological formulas, based on ultra-indigo’s properties that could benefit plants, the doors slid open to admit Thorne. Reflexively, Nathan tightened his grip possessively on Jack’s waist.
Jack looked shocked, barely able to school his face, and Nathan frowned, confused to why Jack had just given him an odd look. “Ah, Sheriff, I thought you had left,” she greeted him.
“My sister has an appointment with Dr. Laden in just a little while, so I decided to drop in and distract Henry from his work,” Jack said, turning on the little boy charm. Nathan let out a disapproving growl before he could stop himself.
“I see,” she smiled, then turned to Zane handing him a file. “You’re needed in your labs, Zane. And Fargo, I’ve been looking for you. You have a meeting with Allison to discuss the Kyoto proposal.”
“Yes, ma’am, I was just getting an update from Henry about practical engineering for ultra-indigo greenhouses,” Fargo replied easily, and Nathan lifted an eyebrow, impressed with the young man. Fargo and Zane left, and Thorne turned back to Jack.
“Jack, can I walk you to the infirmary?” she invited, and Nathan tightened his grip again on Jack, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Actually, Jack and I were talking about an idea I had for helping with Zoë’s accelerated physics project,” Henry put in quickly, surprising Nathan. “Sorry, Eva, I need to keep him a little while longer.”
“Quite all right,” she replied, nodding gracefully. “I’ll talk to you both later.” Nathan managed to wait till she was through the door before smacking Jack’s arm.
“What was that?” Henry asked, as Jack winced, saying, “Ow, dammit, Nathan!”
“He can still touch you?” Henry observed, and Nathan was startled, realizing Jack had been thrown by his grip.
“Yeah, and objects to me flirting with Thorne,” Jack scowled, turning on Nathan, but his gaze didn’t quite focus, no longer able to see Nathan. “I have to do my part to keep them able to work, to bring you back,” Jack said fiercely.
Henry folded his arms, an amused smirk on his face. “Nathan?”
“Find another way,” he ground out, and Jack shook his head.
“These are the cards we’ve been dealt, Nathan,” Jack said emphatically. “There is no other way. I know I promised to take care of Allison, but she won’t let me. So the best I can do is get you back so you can do it.”
“Jack?” Henry asked, sounding worried.
“This isn’t about Allison,” Nathan replied, scowling. “I don’t want you with Thorne.”
“Why not? If it’s not about Allison, why do you care if I’m with Thorne?” Jack demanded, and Nathan could see the understanding dawn on Henry’s face.
“I just… I don’t,” Nathan spat out, pulling away from Jack, even though the lack of touch left him aching.
“Is she the other one you want to be with then?” Jack guessed, a little malice in his voice, and Nathan suddenly remembered that Jack had handled redactions, been yelled at by Allison, used by him all day, and had now been pushed too far. “Well, as soon as you’re back, you can figure out your own little mess. But for now, you’re stuck with me, so get your head out of your ass.”
“Jack, Nathan!” Henry said emphatically, and Jack stopped, sighing. “I think maybe this isn’t the time or place for this discussion,” he observed quietly. “And Jack, I think you need to carefully reconsider the nonsense you just spouted.”
“It’s my fault,” Nathan said miserably.
“Stop it, it’s not your fault,” Jack replied, fingers rubbing his temples. “I’m having a hard day.”
“And I’m not making it easier,” Nathan remarked.
“Your jealousy isn’t,” Jack agreed, sighing. “But I can live with that in exchange for having you here.”
“Better,” Henry said, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “Nathan, can you check your jealousy till you’re alone with Jack?”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed, kicking himself for making things harder on Jack.
“He says yes,” Jack repeated, stepping around the stool and nudging Nathan with his shoulder. Nathan’s arms were around Jack’s waist instantly, pulling Jack back into him automatically. Henry’s lips twitched, and Nathan registered what it must look like to see Jack manipulated by an invisible force. “Hey, how come he can still do that with the lights off? Did we just charge him up with ultra-indigo particles or something?”
“I am not the energizer bunny,” Nathan remarked dryly.
“It’s possible,” Henry shrugged. “I’ll let you know what Zane says. You should go be with Lexi now,” he added, flipping the ultra-indigo back on. “You can come back here for Nathan afterwards.”
“Um…” Jack started, and Henry waved a hand at him.
“I want a word alone with Nathan. And it’ll be nice to have him have to listen for a change,” Henry replied, his tone a little grim.
“You okay?” Jack asked Nathan, slowly pulling away from the other man.
“I’ll be fine till you come back,” Nathan said easily, even though the lack of touch was a little painful. He sat down on the stool, making a show of spinning his body, unable to affect the stool itself, making Jack grin before he headed out to meet Lexi.
Nathan stopped, looking at Henry as the doors slid closed. “That man mourned for you, Nathan,” Henry said roughly. “He would rather have died than lose you. And I’m not sure he completely understands why yet. If you decide to strip away that last layer of protection he has, you better be prepared to take care of him, Nathan.”
Nathan remained silent, knowing talking wouldn’t help him any. Henry had a point though. Nathan was treading dangerously close to giving in to his feelings, and he hadn’t given enough thought to how that would affect Jack. He had some thinking to do.
Pairing: Jack/Nathan (small side bits with Jo/Zane and Vince/Paul)
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 5300
Disclaimer: If they were mine, it wouldn’t have happened! But since they aren’t, I’m just borrowing them to play with.
Warnings: Spoilers for 304: I Do Over, AU off 304, cannon character death-ish, angst, non-corporeal sex like stuff, some graphic imagery.
Summary: He’s displaced in time and it just figures that the only person he can even slightly reach doesn’t have anything resembling the knowledge to help him.
A/N: Late, I know, but we ran really, really, REALLY late on set today!
Previous parts can be found here.
Nathan woke up, sitting up just enough to check the clock and determine that as was habitual with him, he’d woken up a little before six am. “Huh,” he murmured, surprised he had slept through the night. He rolled over, watching Jack sleep for a few moments, his hand tracing the air above the other man’s face.
“It is five till six,” SARAH announced, and Jack sat up, rubbing his eyes. “You wanted me to make sure you were awake before six a.m.”
“Thanks, SARAH,” he yawned sleepily. “Nate, you here?”
“Don’t call me that,” Nathan replied instantly to the hated nickname, and Jack suddenly looked a little more alert, though a trace of sleepiness lingered.
“Sorry,” Jack replied, and Nathan melted just as quickly, the other man looking adorable in his sleepiness. “Tired slip.”
“You’re up almost an hour early,” SARAH noted, sounding curious. “May I ask why you reprogrammed the alarm?”
“It’s a long shot, but I wanted to check something,” he murmured, reaching out a hand. “Nathan?”
“Six a.m.,” Nathan said knowingly. “Jack, it won’t work.”
“I know,” Jack scowled. “But I figured I’d test it, just in case.”
Nathan sighed, but obligingly let his hand rest in the air next to Jack’s. “I feel ridiculous,” he complained.
“If you don’t have to wait 12 more hours to touch, I think you’ll thank me,” Jack replied dryly.
Nathan didn’t argue, knowing it was true. His eyes flicked over to the clock, watching as the number flipped from 5:59 to 6:00. He flexed his fingers, trying to link them together with Jack’s, but they slipped through each other uselessly. “Nothing,” he said softly, then repeated it, louder, for Jack.
“I’m sorry,” Jack sounded just as disappointed. “It was a stupid idea.”
“No,” Nathan said fiercely, lowering his head to Jack’s shoulder, letting it rest midair above the bare skin. “You’re thinking about me, trying to take care of me. I appreciate it.”
“You okay?” Jack asked dryly. “That came suspiciously close to a thank you, and I really ought to report it to Zane if you start acting oddly.”
Nathan chuckled, appreciating that Jack had lightened the mood. “What do you think he’s cooking up anyway?” Jack asked, laying back and stretching a little, the long lines of muscles being displayed before him making Nathan’s mouth go dry. “I’m hoping he’s got a mechanical robot for you to manipulate.”
“Is this going to turn into an Ironman joke?” Nathan groaned, glad for the distraction. Jack was still sprawled out, and his fingers were just itching to touch.
“Well, your last name is Stark…” Jack said, grinning. Nathan reached out, letting his fingers skim down Jack’s abs, equally wanting to touch and glad he couldn’t and give away his emotions. Jack’s head, tilted to the side, wouldn’t be able to see the motion.
“I’m not exactly a playboy like Tony Stark,” Nathan observed idly.
“You said you had feelings for someone other than Allison,” Jack joked, but there was an odd note in his voice. “That’s where it starts. Before long, you’ve got a trail of admirers and I’d bet good money Fargo ends up at the head of the line.”
“Thanks for that disturbing image,” Nathan said dryly. Jack’s stomach muscles rippled under his fingers, silent laughter, Nathan mused, continuing to trace lines.
“Are you trying to touch me still?” Jack asked suddenly, and Nathan jumped, realizing Jack had shifted his head.
“Of course,” Nathan covered quickly, scoffing a little. “Just in case.”
“Huh,” Jack let his head fall back, eyes closed. “It just feels odd, knowing you’re trying to touch, and I can’t feel it.”
Nathan continued to mime stroking the skin, assuming Jack had just given him permission. “Would it bother you if you could feel it?” The words tumbled out before he could stop them.
“No,” Jack replied easily. “But I suspect you wouldn’t be touching me if I could feel it.”
Nathan stilled his hand, alarmed. “Why?” he asked.
“You’re reserved, private,” Jack said, and Nathan suspected he was choosing his words carefully. “You don’t demonstrate what you want or need.”
Nathan was silent, uncertain. “So come six p.m., I will make sure you get what you need, even if you won’t ask or take it,” Jack said softly. “With luck, maybe Zane will come up with a solution that allows you to go to Allison.”
“Didn’t mean to impose,” Nathan said harshly, drawing back.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jack sat up, looking angry. “I just thought you’d rather be with her.”
“You know Zane’s solution probably won’t give me any more communication with anyone else, don’t you?” Nathan asked, surprised. “Jack, you were right about it being because you moved out of sync with time too. Which means unless Zane is going to do something monumentally stupid, he just has a plan to make it so I’m not shouting at you to be heard and you might be able to see me.”
“I didn’t realize,” Jack replied, looking down at his hands. “Sorry.”
“I think I’ll survive,” Nathan remarked dryly, wishing Jack would lie back again. “You’ve been better company than I expected. Given our history, you should have left me to rot on my own.”
“We may not, you know, get along all the time, but… I… respect you, you know that, right?” Jack’s words were slow, measured.
“Yeah,” Nathan had to try a few times to force the word out loud enough to be heard. He was overwhelmed with the urge to force the other man to the mattress and kiss him, but more troubling was the fact that he couldn’t decide if the fact that he couldn’t was a good or bad thing.
“Well, this morning, you’re going to have to sit through meetings with Thorne and Allison,” Jack remarked, breaking the tension. “Could you not do a Wizard of Oz revival this time?”
“Big fan of musicals, Carter?” Nathan replied snarkily. “I bet your sister could tell us why.”
“Oh nice,” Jack replied, standing up. “Speaking of Lexi, I should get up and check on her. Meet you downstairs?”
“Why?” Nathan inquired lazily, stretching a little.
“Because I need to shower,” Jack replied, rolling his eyes. “I’d offer you one, but we’re back to the naked ghost bit.”
“Ahh,” Nathan replied, his intrusion from the night before creeping into his mind. “I’ll be in the kitchen then.”
He walked downstairs, and wandered a little, trying to find something to amuse himself. “Jack says you are most likely bored, Dr. Stark,” SARAH announced suddenly. “Beginning audio playback of this morning’s edition of the New York Times.”
Nathan grinned, settling back in to listen. He wasn’t sure what Lexi would think if she came down to find the AI reading aloud, but trusted Jack to come up with an excuse. Half an hour later, a showered and uniformed Jack came down, telling SARAH to pause playback.
“Thank you,” Nathan said emphatically.
“Thought you might get bored,” Jack replied with a smirk. “You seem to need constant amusement.”
“Good thing I’m stuck with a 10 year old then,” Nathan retorted.
“I just turned eleven,” Jack quipped easily, sticking his tongue out in Nathan’s direction. It was on the tip of Nathan’s tongue to tell Jack exactly what he could do with his tongue, but he carefully swallowed the words.
“Jackie, who you talking to?” Lexi asked, sleepily entering the kitchen, her fingers resting on her still flat abdomen.
“Grandma Lil,” Jack replied dryly. “She says the cat’s an impostor.”
“Ha ha,” Lexi grumbled, settling at the kitchen island. “I’m feeling better today,” she tried, giving Jack a smile.
“Too late, I already got you a 2:30 appointment with Dr. Laden up at GD,” Jack informed her. He’d gotten the recommendation from Nathan the night before, and booked an appointment then. “Come on, Lexi, all that time with the WHO and you haven’t picked up on when to admit defeat and talk to a doctor?”
“Is this about to turn into a lecture on telling Duncan about the baby?” Lexi whined, and Nathan recognized the tone as one he’d heard Zoë use on Jack.
“No,” Jack replied, pouring some cereal in a bowl and handing it to his sister then pouring a second bowl for himself. “You’ve made your choice, and I know Carter stubbornness.”
“Yeah, me too,” Nathan couldn’t help remarking, and Jack fought a smile.
*-*
Nathan whistled softly as they walked up to Thorne’s office, keeping it pitched too low for Jack to hear. He hated to admit it, but it made him feel better. Jack waited patiently for Thorne to wave him in, and she took a moment, finishing a phone call before waving him in.
“Sheriff… Jack,” she said, smiling as Jack sat down.
“He’s not falling for it,” Nathan remarked quietly, giving Thorne his best arrogant smirk.
“Morning,” Jack replied, not looking cheerful in return. “I understand you’ve got another round of redactions for me.”
“Oh,” Nathan said flatly, suddenly understanding what Jack had hidden from him behind the joking that morning.
“I’m sorry to make you do this, Sheriff. Only five this week,” she added, her tone placating.
Jack motioned for the list, and Thorne handed it to him along with the files. He frowned, handing her back one of the files. “I need you to rethink this one,” he said quietly. “Hear me out,” he added, seeing the look on her face. Nathan tilted his head, curious.
“All right, I’m listening,” Thorne replied, looking just as impressed by Jack’s contradicting her as Nathan was.
“It’s not exactly public knowledge, but he’ll be eligible to stay in town. But more likely, he’ll probably take someone with him that we can’t afford to lose,” Jack said, and Nathan looked at the file. Paul Sueños.
“You’re telling me that he won’t be actually redacted from Eureka, just fired from GD, or he’ll take another person with him?” Thorne asked, looking baffled.
“He’s involved with someone in Eureka, yes,” Jack agreed. Nathan crossed back over to him, trying to squelch his curiosity about how Jack knew about what he’d gotten the impression was a very private relationship.
“And you’re not going to tell me who, other than you feel she is irreplaceable,” Thorne continued, smirking a little as she settled back in her chair. Nathan smirked a little at Thorne’s assumption.
“Sorry,” Jack replied, giving her a rueful smile.
“Don’t be,” she replied, amused. “It’s been a while since anyone’s had the nerve to stand up to me and make a logical argument.”
“I got plenty of practice on the second scariest director,” Jack remarked, and Nathan caught the little sideways glance in his direction and Jack clearly aware Nathan planned to give him hell for the remark later.
“Hmm,” Thorne smiled, looking far too satisfied. “Let Dr. Sueños know he’s got two weeks to change my mind,” she told him, putting the file back on the stack, eyebrows arching when Jack nodded. “And only as a favor to you, Jack.”
“See you tomorrow night,” Jack replied, giving the woman a knowing grin.
“I’ll catch up in Allie’s office,” Nathan called after Jack, who missed a step, but continued anyway, having no way to argue the point. Nathan settled back into the chair, and predictably, Thorne picked up Sueños’s file, looking it over thoughtfully. “I’m not thrilled he just gave you a bargaining chip,” Nathan remarked darkly, even though she couldn’t hear him. “But it looks like he’s got you curious, probably going to take some of your precious time trying to figure it out, aren’t you?”
Thorne continued to look over Sueños’s file carefully, lips pursed. “Once I’m corporeal again…” he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her. He stood, uncomfortable with the flash of jealousy in his chest.
Thorne set the file aside, still looking smugly satisfied. “What are you up to, Jack Carter?” she wondered, smiling. Nathan’ fists clenched uselessly at the sight. He calmed himself as he sat back down, watching for the better part of an hour, not keen on joining Jack for redactions, but Thorne simply worked innocuously on budgets.
Giving up, he walked to Allison’s office, hearing the sound of an argument as he approached. He slid through the wall, arriving just in time to see the stalemate.
“Look,” Jack said after a long pause. “I appreciate that you’re keeping the lab open. But I can’t dictate to Zane what he can or can’t do. He’s got a theory on how to help Nathan—”
“Nathan is dead!” Allison stated stiffly, her eyes closing down. “Let it go, Carter.”
“I can’t,” Jack replied, surprisingly patient. “He isn’t gone, Allison. He’s still—”
“You sound like you were the one in love with him!” Allison tossed at Jack spitefully, and Nathan watched Jack absorb this hit, visibly blanching. Allison instantly looked contrite, realizing she’d gone too far. “God, I’m sorry, Carter.”
“I’ll talk to Zane,” Jack said, his voice tight.
“Carter, I didn’t…”
“Allison,” Jack cut her off, not looking at her. “I’ll let the matter drop. I’m sorry. And I’ll talk to Zane.”
“Fine,” Allison agreed, sitting back, her eyes suddenly welling up. “See you later, Carter.”
Jack didn’t say anything, simply striding out of the office. Nathan remained in place for a moment, torn between staying with Allie and going after Jack. In the next second, he remembered there was only one of them he could comfort. He hurried after Jack, his stride slowing as he reached the waterfall hallway where Jack had stopped, leaning against the wall. “You okay?” he asked, kicking himself when Jack jumped, unaware that he was being observed.
“Fine,” Jack managed, his voice hoarse. “How much did you hear?”
“Most of it, I think,” Nathan admitted, reaching out instinctively, his heart aching when his hand passed right through Jack’s shoulder.
“She’s grieving,” Jack interjected quickly, and Nathan could see the other man pulling his façade back together in front of his eyes. “Anger, it’s one of the five stages or twelve steps or something.”
“It’s not an excuse for hurting you,” Nathan said fiercely. “You’ve been grieving too.” The words left his mouth before he realized they were true.
“You’re not dead,” Jack replied quietly, but the words were ground out.
“But until just 24 hours ago, you didn’t know that,” Nathan insisted, trying to gentle his voice and project it at the same time. “I don’t know if I said it, but thank you, Jack. Thanks for not giving up on me.”
“Hey, no problem,” Jack replied, his features finally softening into some semblance of his normal expression. “Of course, if it had been me, you’d have had a party.”
“Of course,” Nathan returned easily, glad to see the little glint of amusement in Jack’s eyes. He looked around, suddenly noticing the new engraving on the wall and his photograph. “Oh good god, tell me this is a joke.”
“What?” Jack asked, baffled.
“The Nathan Stark Memorial Hallway?” he spat out, turning around in amazement. “Whose idea?”
“Henry, Fargo, Allison, Zane… me,” Jack admitted, shrugging. “I thought you’d want a lab space of some sort, but Henry insisted this was better.”
“I’m not dead,” Nathan protested.
“But if you were…” Jack said softly, and Nathan deflated, suddenly seeing the work for what it was. A memorial for him from the people who knew and loved him, and a place of comfort for them, since there would never be a tomb.
“Thanks,” he said finally, and Jack nodded. “To Zane’s lab?” he added, and Jack nodded again. Nathan frowned, before spotting a security guard entering the hall.
“Ahh,” he murmured, remembering that he was invisible and Jack was trying to avoid appearing crazy. He fell into step next to Jack, wickedly grinning before he started loudly singing “Unchained Melody”. It took the sheriff a moment, but as soon as Jack placed the film reference, he laughed, startling Larry as they passed him in the hallway.
“What?” Larry demanded, quickly checking his outfit, panicked. “Did I spill something?”
Jack was trying to stop laughing, but failing, Nathan’s own laughter probably not helping the matter. “Is there a sign on my back?” Larry demanded, starting to turn in circles, trying to see his own back. Fargo entered the hall to catch Larry chasing his tail, bursting out laughing as well. Larry stalked off, and Jack managed to stop laughing, something in his grin promising Nathan retribution later.
“I don’t know what you did, but you just made my day,” Fargo said, falling into step with Jack.
“Oh, don’t thank me,” Jack remarked cryptically. “You make it home to sleep last night?” he switched subjects deftly, and Nathan noticed that the younger scientist did look much better than the day before.
“Slept like a baby since I saw some of Zane’s formulas last night,” Fargo lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Sheriff, do you think it’s possible Stark is really here and could communicate with us?”
“You planning on breaking out the Ouiji board, Fargo?” Carter deflected easily, holding open the door to the time lab for the now outraged looking Fargo.
“Hey, if you don’t believe me, just ask Zane!” Fargo commented emphatically, and Jack grinned, waiting for the door to close behind them.
“Ask me what?” Zane asked, flashing a grin at Fargo. Henry waved from where he was busily pulling dead parts from the atomic clock.
“Oh, Fargo here thinks you’re working on a way to communicate with Stark,” Jack remarked. “Of course, I’d prefer he wouldn’t say so in the hallway.”
“Oh,” Fargo said, looking abashed. “Right. Sorry, Sheriff.”
“Wait, I think I can do one better,” Zane said, holding up a finger as he typed a command into the computer, then hit a familiar light switch, activating the ultra-indigo light.
Nathan looked around, realizing all eyes were on him. “Can you see me?” he demanded, and Jack grinned.
“Well, I can see an ultra-indigo Stark-shaped blob,” Jack replied cheerfully. “You’ve never looked better!”
“Uh, did he say something?” Zane asked, sounding disappointed.
“You didn’t hear him,” Jack said, folding his arms. Henry shook his head, and Zane sighed. “I can hear him much clearer.”
“I can stop shouting?” Nathan said, bringing his voice down to its normal volume.
“Yeah, I can hear you fine,” Jack replied.
“That’s Dr. Stark?” Fargo squeaked, giving Jack one moment of warning before Fargo ran at the blob, trying to hug it but passing uselessly through Nathan.
“Thank god for small favors,” Nathan remarked, and Jack smirked.
“Sorry, Fargo, he’s noncorporeal.”
“Incorporeal,” Henry and Nathan corrected him simultaneously.
“In stereo, no less,” Jack complained, giving Henry a pained look. “Really, no one else can hear him? I’m stuck with him?”
“You’re already going to pay for your comments in Thorne’s office,” Nathan threatened. “You really wanna add to the score?”
“What, you’ll just store it up to hit me come six o’clock?” Jack taunted him, and three heads jerked around in surprise.
“Six o’clock?” Henry asked, looking up suddenly.
“Yeah, last night he could touch my arm at six o’clock,” Jack related, watering down the events nicely, Nathan decided. “We tested it again at six a.m., but it’s just the minute of the accident.”
“Ah, try it now,” Zane remarked, giving Jack an odd little smile. Jack looked a little puzzled, but stepped closer, offering Nathan his hand. Nathan reached out, hesitating but eventually setting his hand against Jack’s, the sensation blooming through him when they touched, making him gasp. His fingers slowly clenched at Jack’s hand, no sign of melting through it.
“Henry,” Jack said in a very low undertone. The older man stepped in closer, looking concerned. “Can I get you to give us the room for a few minutes?”
Henry looked blankly at him for a moment, then his eyes lit up with a horrified understanding. “Touch starved,” he muttered, and Jack nodded minutely.
“Guys, let’s take a quick walk,” Henry said quickly, ushering Zane and Fargo out. Zane seemed to understand instantly, though Fargo was still protesting as the door closed behind them.
Jack turned back to Nathan, waiting, giving Nathan the chance to make his own moves. There was a long pause, Nathan’s hand flexing around his, then Nathan stepped closer, hesitant. “Whatever you need,” Jack repeated softly, echoing his words that morning. Nathan had one brief moment when his mind presented some wild options, and then he buried himself into Jack’s embrace, knocking him backward a little. Every nerve in his body was on fire, and every time Jack’s hands touched another part of his body, a new chain of fire started. He realized part of the amazing feeling was Jack stroking his back, down his arms, comforting him. He started to pull back as the sensations suddenly shot straight to his groin.
“Relax, I’ve got you,” Jack murmured, pulling Nathan in closer to him, and Nathan went limp, giving in. Jack molded his own body against Nathan’s, and Nathan gasped, his hips jerking reflexively. Jack’s hands didn’t stop their soothing motions though, making his body ache intensely and Nathan struggle to breathe through the assault of intense arousal.
“Sorry, I just…” Nathan gasped, then buried his too hot face in Jack’s neck.
“It’s okay,” Jack reassured him. “I’ve done this before, Nathan, it’s just an automatic response. Body doesn’t know how to interpret signals anymore.”
“Are you seriously explaining the science to me?” Nathan joked weakly, his grip on Jack tightening even more, Jack’s hip against his groin creating a delicious friction.
One of Jack’s hands was now stroking his head, his fingers combing through Nathan’s curls. “Just thought it might help,” he replied.
“Thanks,” Nathan replied, trying to burrow deeper into the embrace. “I owe you one.”
“Yeah, just let me off the hook for my comment in Thorne’s office,” Jack said, the laughter clear in his voice. Nathan’s hips jerked again, Jack’s voice having a strong effect on his libido. “Easy,” Jack said, but one of his hands tightened a little on Nathan’s shoulder, almost pulling him in.
Nathan, still trying to absorb the touch and desperately hard, slid his leg between Jack’s and was surprised to feel that Jack was aroused as well. “My turn to apologize?” Jack asked, and Nathan wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be a question.
“Automatic reflex,” Nathan murmured against the other man’s neck, just barely able to resist trying to taste the skin under his lips, his hips now unable to stay still. “Isn’t that what you told me?”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed, his fingers trailing low on Nathan’s back now and Nathan rutted against the other man’s hip once more, climaxing with a shudder. Nathan went boneless, and Jack held him up, tightly hugging him. “Should we let them back in?” Jack asked a few minutes later, still stroking Nathan’s back.
Nathan eased back a little, looking around and spotting two stools close together. He tugged Jack over, sliding Jack onto the stool between his legs, looping his arms around Jack’s waist and settling his chin on Jack’s shoulder, virtually spooning against him. “Okay, now you can,” he replied happily.
“You sure?” Jack asked, sounding amused.
“I’m not letting go till I have to,” Nathan replied fiercely. Jack shrugged, apparently fine with his role as human comfort blanket, flipping open his phone and calling Henry, unable to actually go to the door.
“Hey, Henry, go ahead and bring them back, tell us what you’ve got figured out,” Jack said, and then hung up, wiggling a little and shifting his stool back and closer, situating himself more comfortably pressed into Nathan’s body. “If we bring Allison down here…” he started, and Nathan shook his head.
“She’s hurting a lot,” Nathan said, his voice tired, and he could see this made Jack worried. “She won’t believe it until I’m back. And not being able to touch me, when you can…”
“Nathan?” Jack asked, sounding puzzled when the man went no further. Nathan was saved from having to explain his slip up to Jack by the return of the other three men.
“Nathan, you okay?” Henry asked, obviously seeing Nathan draped over Jack, his eyes crinkling worriedly.
“Just can’t stand not feeling anything,” Nathan said, shrugging.
“He says he’s not ready to go back to being cut off,” Jack remarked. Henry gave Jack a worried look that Nathan couldn’t quite read. “It’s fine, Henry. I’ve always wanted to be the invisible man’s teddy bear,” he remarked dryly, earning a laugh from Zane. Henry still looked uncertain, but nodded once.
“Okay,” Zane said, nodding to Jack and Nathan. “Let me walk you through what we’ve got so far, and Carter, if you can relay anything Nathan notes, we could really use the hand.”
The next couple hours were spent with Jack patiently relaying Nathan’s notes, even though he didn’t understand most of them and Nathan could hear it wearing on the sheriff a little. Nathan’s grip on Jack had loosened some, but he was enjoying being pressed against the man too much to let go. Nathan knew if Allison or Thorne were present, his presence would now be totally confirmed and he might be in a world of trouble if the latter caught them. “Uh, there aren’t cameras in this room, are there?” he asked suddenly. Jack relayed the question and Fargo grinned proudly.
“Took care of them, got an advanced video loop in place. The program I wrote reads who’s in the room and plays a loop of footage from the past couple of weeks based on those people, footage trimmed, screened, and vetted by me first,” Fargo explained easily.
“Nice,” Jack said nodding. “I assume it goes without saying that anything that in today’s footage needs to be completely erased.”
“Completely understood,” Fargo said quickly. As though cued by the discussion, a small buzzer went off on the computer. Zane reached out, flicking off the ultra-indigo switch as Henry scanned the boards into his pen, followed by Fargo erasing them frantically. A moment after everything was cleared except some dummy biological formulas, based on ultra-indigo’s properties that could benefit plants, the doors slid open to admit Thorne. Reflexively, Nathan tightened his grip possessively on Jack’s waist.
Jack looked shocked, barely able to school his face, and Nathan frowned, confused to why Jack had just given him an odd look. “Ah, Sheriff, I thought you had left,” she greeted him.
“My sister has an appointment with Dr. Laden in just a little while, so I decided to drop in and distract Henry from his work,” Jack said, turning on the little boy charm. Nathan let out a disapproving growl before he could stop himself.
“I see,” she smiled, then turned to Zane handing him a file. “You’re needed in your labs, Zane. And Fargo, I’ve been looking for you. You have a meeting with Allison to discuss the Kyoto proposal.”
“Yes, ma’am, I was just getting an update from Henry about practical engineering for ultra-indigo greenhouses,” Fargo replied easily, and Nathan lifted an eyebrow, impressed with the young man. Fargo and Zane left, and Thorne turned back to Jack.
“Jack, can I walk you to the infirmary?” she invited, and Nathan tightened his grip again on Jack, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Actually, Jack and I were talking about an idea I had for helping with Zoë’s accelerated physics project,” Henry put in quickly, surprising Nathan. “Sorry, Eva, I need to keep him a little while longer.”
“Quite all right,” she replied, nodding gracefully. “I’ll talk to you both later.” Nathan managed to wait till she was through the door before smacking Jack’s arm.
“What was that?” Henry asked, as Jack winced, saying, “Ow, dammit, Nathan!”
“He can still touch you?” Henry observed, and Nathan was startled, realizing Jack had been thrown by his grip.
“Yeah, and objects to me flirting with Thorne,” Jack scowled, turning on Nathan, but his gaze didn’t quite focus, no longer able to see Nathan. “I have to do my part to keep them able to work, to bring you back,” Jack said fiercely.
Henry folded his arms, an amused smirk on his face. “Nathan?”
“Find another way,” he ground out, and Jack shook his head.
“These are the cards we’ve been dealt, Nathan,” Jack said emphatically. “There is no other way. I know I promised to take care of Allison, but she won’t let me. So the best I can do is get you back so you can do it.”
“Jack?” Henry asked, sounding worried.
“This isn’t about Allison,” Nathan replied, scowling. “I don’t want you with Thorne.”
“Why not? If it’s not about Allison, why do you care if I’m with Thorne?” Jack demanded, and Nathan could see the understanding dawn on Henry’s face.
“I just… I don’t,” Nathan spat out, pulling away from Jack, even though the lack of touch left him aching.
“Is she the other one you want to be with then?” Jack guessed, a little malice in his voice, and Nathan suddenly remembered that Jack had handled redactions, been yelled at by Allison, used by him all day, and had now been pushed too far. “Well, as soon as you’re back, you can figure out your own little mess. But for now, you’re stuck with me, so get your head out of your ass.”
“Jack, Nathan!” Henry said emphatically, and Jack stopped, sighing. “I think maybe this isn’t the time or place for this discussion,” he observed quietly. “And Jack, I think you need to carefully reconsider the nonsense you just spouted.”
“It’s my fault,” Nathan said miserably.
“Stop it, it’s not your fault,” Jack replied, fingers rubbing his temples. “I’m having a hard day.”
“And I’m not making it easier,” Nathan remarked.
“Your jealousy isn’t,” Jack agreed, sighing. “But I can live with that in exchange for having you here.”
“Better,” Henry said, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “Nathan, can you check your jealousy till you’re alone with Jack?”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed, kicking himself for making things harder on Jack.
“He says yes,” Jack repeated, stepping around the stool and nudging Nathan with his shoulder. Nathan’s arms were around Jack’s waist instantly, pulling Jack back into him automatically. Henry’s lips twitched, and Nathan registered what it must look like to see Jack manipulated by an invisible force. “Hey, how come he can still do that with the lights off? Did we just charge him up with ultra-indigo particles or something?”
“I am not the energizer bunny,” Nathan remarked dryly.
“It’s possible,” Henry shrugged. “I’ll let you know what Zane says. You should go be with Lexi now,” he added, flipping the ultra-indigo back on. “You can come back here for Nathan afterwards.”
“Um…” Jack started, and Henry waved a hand at him.
“I want a word alone with Nathan. And it’ll be nice to have him have to listen for a change,” Henry replied, his tone a little grim.
“You okay?” Jack asked Nathan, slowly pulling away from the other man.
“I’ll be fine till you come back,” Nathan said easily, even though the lack of touch was a little painful. He sat down on the stool, making a show of spinning his body, unable to affect the stool itself, making Jack grin before he headed out to meet Lexi.
Nathan stopped, looking at Henry as the doors slid closed. “That man mourned for you, Nathan,” Henry said roughly. “He would rather have died than lose you. And I’m not sure he completely understands why yet. If you decide to strip away that last layer of protection he has, you better be prepared to take care of him, Nathan.”
Nathan remained silent, knowing talking wouldn’t help him any. Henry had a point though. Nathan was treading dangerously close to giving in to his feelings, and he hadn’t given enough thought to how that would affect Jack. He had some thinking to do.
