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serene_quillTitle: A Modest Proposal, Chapter 3: Just A Little
Pairing: Jack/Nathan, Jack/Allison, Nathan/Allison, Jack/Nathan/Allison
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: Don’t own!
Warnings: slash, threesome, spoilers through 303: Best in Faux, AU’s off the end of 303.
Summary: The threesome gets a little honeymoon-ish, Jo gets a little angry, Vince gets a little suspicious, Zane gets a little hopeful, Zoë gets a little confused and Nathan gets just a little love…
Previous Parts can be found here
He woke up to a slight tickling along his collarbone. He opened his eyes, now aware that the tickling was the trail of Allison’s hair as she kissed his jaw. “Good morning,” she greeted him, sliding up to kiss him warmly.
“Morning,” he replied, checking the bedside clock to see he still had time before he needed to get back to the bunker.
“Nathan’s gone for his morning run, to give us some alone time,” Allison informed him, stretching lazily, her body on display for him. “I thought we might go start in the shower, wait for him to come join us,” she laughed as Jack tugged her back to him, then kissed him again hungrily.
“It occurs to me,” Jack murmured, running his hands gently up her sides. “That we’ve made quite the jump start to this… you and me… thanks to Nathan.”
“Hmm,” Allison agreed, nodding with faux seriousness. “And we haven’t thanked him yet, have we?”
“Nope,” Jack replied, kissing her again. “And I figure if you and he can plan out a good way to surround me, then you and I have to be able to come up with something three, maybe four times as good. So,” he paused to nip at her earlobe gently. “Tell me about his morning routine while I distract you…”
*-*
Nathan grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it, surprised by the quiet in the house. He walked up to the bedroom, wondering if neither Jack nor Allison had woken up, but found the bed empty. He double-checked his cell phone, making sure there was no GD emergency, then shrugging, headed for a shower. A little worry niggled at the back of his mind, half afraid one of them had woken up with regrets, so he stripped down quickly, planning to shower and track down his lovers before they could get too far.
He started the shower, one of the more insane luxuries Allison had allowed herself, a large stand in shower with three heads aimed inward, and heard the door creak open. “Allie?” he started to ask, but before he could turn, a hand wrapped around his eyes.
“Eyes closed,” Jack commanded in a low growl, and Nathan shuddered, relaxing a little, aware for a moment just how worried he’d been. “You’ve had everything all planned out for a while now, huh, Nathan?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, grinning as he pressed his eyes closed.
“Well, we’ve made a few plans of our own this morning,” Allison’s voice came from somewhere to his left and was followed by her nails lightly raking across his chest, hitting his weak points teasingly. He was rock hard suddenly, as Jack’s hands mirrored the action of Allison’s behind him.
“I don’t think he planned the two of us turning on him,” Jack observed, his fingers toying with Nathan’s ass.
“Well, I don’t think he objects much,” Allison replied, her long fingers wrapping around his erection. Nathan moaned, and both hands stilled.
“Hmm, guess not.” Nathan could hear the smirk in Jack’s voice. “Should we tell him what to expect?”
“He likes surprises,” Allison replied, and Nathan couldn’t help a small groan.
“No, I don’t,” he objected, and Allison pumped him once teasingly.
“He likes being the one to surprise others,” Jack corrected, and one slippery finger suddenly slid into Nathan with amazing aim, making him whimper. “But since we are thanking him for his persistence...”
“True,” Allison agreed, and the next thing Nathan was aware of was warm, soft, oh… Allison’s tongue digging and pressing into his pressure points, while Jack pressed a second lubed finger in, stroking and making Nathan gasp. He fought to keep his eyes closed, and surprisingly, managed it.
“You’ll want to try to hold very still,” Jack advised him, voice low in his ear, then his mouth came down to bite into the skin where neck met shoulder. His fingers continued to slide and stroke as Allison licked and teased, the tempo just slightly off each other in a manner that made the sensations double and pull at his libido.
“God,” he murmured, and his breathing grew ragged. Jack took it as an invitation, easing in a third finger, and Nathan bucked backwards a little, and Allison scraped her nails along his thighs, a warning to stay still.
A few more strokes and licks and Nathan had to bring his arm up to brace against the wall as he tumbled over the edge. Jack wrapped an arm around his chest, and trustingly, Nathan let himself fall back into Jack, letting the other man support him, and Allison took his outstretched hand as he lost his hold on the wall. “You still with us?” Allison asked teasingly after a moment, and Nathan cracked his eyes open to glare at her.
“Never leaving the two of you alone to plot again,” he groaned, but his left hand was caressing Jack’s thigh, the other linked with Allison’s.
“You’ll get used to it,” Allison replied with a grin. “And we’ve spared all the time we have for you right now.”
“But…” Nathan started, cut off by a quick, fierce kiss from Jack.
“See you at breakfast,” Jack told him, and then paused, giving him a long look. He leaned in, kissing Nathan again, a slow searching kiss that left Nathan as breathless as the sex had. He was a little stunned as he watched Jack and Allison exchange a soft, sweet kiss, and then Jack vanished.
“Hey,” Allison said softly, cupping his face. “Where’d you just go?”
“I love you,” he murmured, suddenly focusing in on her, and she smiled knowingly.
“Oh honey, I’ve known ever since you came to me telling me about your idea,” she said, her smile none too sympathetic. “You really just figured out how deeply in love with him you are?”
“I’m slow about these things,” Nathan replied, giving her a pained look.
“Mmhmm,” she agreed emphatically, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Come on, we’re meeting Jack at Café Diem, to give the locals a chance to get used to see the three of us making nice. You can brood over how to tell him until then.”
*-*
Vince nodded to Jack as he entered Café Diem, pulling out a coffee cup automatically. “Hey, Vince,” the sheriff greeted him, giving him an amazingly high wattage smile.
“Mmm, I see you’ve heard,” Vince remarked, pouring coffee into the mug. “I’ve got apple crepes this morning, by the way.”
“Heard what, and I’ll take two,” Jack replied absently as he accepted the coffee.
“Right,” Vince rolled his eyes. “Like you’re in that good of a mood for no particular reason.”
“Seriously, either clue me in, or just bring my breakfast over to me when it’s ready,” Jack said, giving Vince an impatient look.
“Stark just told me this morning,” Vince said, leaning in confidentially. “The wedding is postponed.”
“They’re still engaged,” Jack replied easily, shrugging. “But yes, I did know.”
Vince folded his arms, a little puzzled. “You’re taking this really well,” he observed. “Seriously, what’s up?”
“The sky,” Jack replied, flashing a grin at Vince again. “Breakfast when it’s ready, I’ll be over there.” Vince’s jaw dropped when he saw the sheriff drop into one of the empty chairs at Stark and Allison’s table. The other two welcomed him, looking like they were expecting him, and from what Vince could tell, the talk wasn’t too serious but still business.
“Hey Vince,” Zoë greeted him, sitting down at the counter.
“Hey, Zoë,” he replied, giving her a once over. “Your dad is in a really good mood.”
“Yeah, I think his date last night went really well,” Zoë said, accepting the cup of coffee he handed her. She scanned the café, then sighed. “Damn. I was hoping I’d be able to figure out who his date was. Instead he’s sitting with Stark and Allison. That doesn’t help.”
“No, I guess not,” Vince replied, a thought tugging at his brain cells. He reached under the counter, pulling out a black binder, double-checking a bet and a name, and then tucking it back away. He made a mental note to call Zane later that day, and turned his attention back to Zoë. “Your dad had a date last night?”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t tell me who with, so don’t even try digging for gossip from me,” Zoë replied, sipping her coffee. “Him and Mom are funny that way, don’t tell me much till they’re sure it’s not going to collapse quickly. Think they’re protecting me or something.”
“Zoë,” Jack called out, and motioned her over. Zoë exchanged a puzzled frown with Vince before taking her coffee and pulling up the fourth chair. Vince watched for a minute, curiosity burning at him. He motioned impatiently for the sheriff’s crepes, taking them over slowly, eavesdropping shamelessly.
“But yeah, using the light spectrometer would be a huge help for my science project if you can arrange it,” Zoë was saying excitedly, as Stark typed into his PDA.
“Thorne won’t be pleased, but I’m giving you status as a Tesla intern under my guidance, to cover it so she can’t really object,” Stark’s eyes flickered up in Vince’s direction, the look clearly telling Vince he had been caught listening. “I’ll give your dad the papers for your teacher to sign whenever we have a crisis today.”
“Oh good, just jinx it,” Jack grumbled, accepting the plate from Vince. “I wanted a quiet day.”
“I didn’t say if, I said when,” Stark shot back, not looking up from his PDA.
“Semantics,” Jack scoffed, and Vince was out of ear range for the next bit, but he saw Jack poke the fork in Stark’s direction, undoubtedly threatening him with something for jinxing the day. To his surprise, Stark simply shook his head good-naturedly.
The conversation had originally put Vince off his idea, but now his suspicions were back. Stark hadn’t had an intern for years, director’s privilege, Vince mused. Either Zoë was rather lucky, or Stark owed the sheriff something big.
“Hey,” Zane greeted him, and Vince noticed the deputy wasn’t attached to his side.
“No Jo?” he asked, and Zane shrugged as he sat down at the counter.
“She’s running a bit late this morning.”
“I’ve got kind of an odd question,” Vince said, lowering his voice. “Your bet? The one about Stark, Blake and Carter?”
“Yeah,” Zane remarked with a wolfish grin, spinning his stool a little. “I know, crazy, right? But I always go for the longest odds. And I don’t have a shot in hell with that one.”
“Yeah, just was wondering why you placed it on a threesome,” Vince replied, eyeing the table once more. Allison and Zoë were laughing at something the two men were bickering about.
“Hello,” Zane remarked, arching an eyebrow. “What is that about?”
“Stark’s taking Zoë on as a Tesla intern,” Vince replied, and Zane sighed. “Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.”
*-*
Jack answered the phone absently. “Carter,” he said, continuing to look over the report on his desk. It had been a surprisingly quiet morning, so he was hoping Nathan’s semantics had done the trick.
“Carter, I need you in my office.” Speak of the devil…
“I told you! You jinxed this whole day, didn’t you?” Jack demanded. “I have half a mind to send Jo up there and ignore you.”
“No, no, no,” Jo replied from the other desk. “I handled the last call, you know with Taggart and rounding up the cockroach things.”
“Oh,” Jack deflated, nodding. “All right, Stark, I’ll be there in 20.”
He drove up to GD, muttering to himself. He headed across the atrium, ducking down a hall quickly when he caught sight of Thorne’s copper hair. If there was a disaster and she hadn’t called him in, he was hoping they were one step ahead of her for once.
He was surprised to find Fargo’s desk, just outside Nathan’s office, abandoned. A small ‘out to lunch’ placard sat on the desk, and Jack frowned. Maybe Fargo was on an errand for Nathan, he mused, entering the darkened office. “Stark?” he called out as the door slid shut behind him, not seeing anyone in the office. “Nathan?”
Arms snaked around him from behind, tugging him backwards. Nathan’s teeth closed high on Jack’s throat, sucking and marking him at his weak spot, driving him completely boneless and pliable in the other man’s arms. “Allison tells me you were the mastermind behind this morning’s little surprise,” Nathan murmured, fingers undoing Jack’s uniform shirt.
“I may have suggested…” Jack lost his train of thought when one of Nathan’s hands slid down his pants.
“You, naked, on my couch, now,” Nathan ordered, turning and locking the door. He tugged his own tie off, arching an eyebrow at Jack who was staring. “Always wanted to do this in my office,” Nathan informed him. Jack fought a grin and jerked his head pointedly at the security camera.
“Disabled,” Nathan reassured him. Jack slid his gun belt and uniform shirt off then toed his shoes off. Nathan impressively stripped down with quick precision, nude as Jack started unfastening his pants. Impatiently, Nathan crossed and tugged Jack’s undershirt off and shoved boxers and pants down. Jack stepped free of his clothes, sliding close to Nathan for a quick kiss.
Nathan pushed at Jack playfully, knocking him back toward the couch. “Pushy today,” Jack remarked, laying back before Nathan could knock him down.
“I didn’t start it,” Nathan reminded him, covering Jack’s body with his own and sliding their erections together. Jack slid his arms around to Nathan’s back, his tight grip encouraging the movement. Nathan kissed him, tongues tangling as they slowly moved together, his own hands slowly exploring Jack’s chest.
Though the movements were basic, rutting and unable to stop touching, something in Nathan’s touch was gentle, a soft passion that made Jack shudder. Nathan brought his mouth down again to the spot he’d marked before, making Jack clench his hands tightly, then slowly release as Nathan worked his way down his throat. “Nathan,” Jack gasped, bringing one hand up to Nathan’s head, forcing the scientist’s gaze to meet his. Eyes locked, Jack could put his finger on exactly what was happening. “Nathan, love,” he murmured, kissing Nathan softly. Nathan fell apart, shaking as he came, crying Jack’s name.
Jack followed him over the edge a moment later, blissfully aware of Nathan clutching him tightly. “I love you, Jack,” Nathan whispered into his ear, hand stroking Jack’s head. “Love you and Allie so much. I’d be lost without you both.”
“Me too,” Jack agreed, wishing he could get closer to the words but they didn’t want to come out, though he felt them sharply. Nathan didn’t seem to mind though, lifting his head for a gentle kiss. “God, Nathan, I couldn’t stand losing you again.”
They were both quiet for a long time, occasional kisses and soft touches comforting each other. “That’s not how I meant to tell you,” Nathan muttered, dropping a soft kiss on Jack’s collarbone.
“It’s okay,” Jack reassured, him, pulling him into another kiss, unable to get enough.
Almost predictably, the phone on Nathan’s desk rang. “There’s the disaster,” Jack predicted, sitting up with a sigh. Nathan crossed to the desk, opening a drawer and tossing Jack a sanitizer can. Jack wrinkled his nose, but sprayed himself with the cleaning nanites. The mess disappeared, and Jack stood, slowly tugging on his clothes, trying not to be turned on by Nathan, still stark naked, barking orders at someone in section four.
When Nathan hung up, he tilted his head curiously at the look Jack was giving him. “You’re really hot right now,” Jack observed, enjoying the slight flush that entered Nathan’s face at the comment and realizing he hadn’t redressed.
“See you tonight?” Nathan asked, tugging Jack into a quick kiss. “My place, eight o’clock, for dinner.”
“Unless your jinxed disaster stops me,” Jack replied with a cocky grin, watching as Nathan redressed, disappointingly tucking away the gorgeous body under the layers of his suit.
*-*
Jack had just finished a call out to the bioluminescence labs to deal with Seth’s latest noise complaint (But Sheriff, this mutated strain of algae responds to high frequency, high decibel bursts of sound in ground breaking scientific ways!) and had just dropped back into his chair when Jo handed him a message. Well, Jack mused, picking up the little yellow slip, not so much handed as she had slammed it down on his desk with a scowl.
“Allison wants you up at GD,” Jo informed him, rolling her eyes. “I told her since you were on a call, I could handle it. But she insisted you should come handle it. Told me you had been up there this morning, and you should be the one to handle this too.”
“Huh,” Jack remarked, the note remarkably detail free. “She didn’t say what it was about?”
“Nope,” Jo replied, scowling. “Just that obviously she found it outside my scope.”
Jack saw the dark look on Jo’s face, recognizing the hurt at being set aside. “It’s probably about Zoë’s internship at GD,” Jack told her, trying his best to be reassuring. “That’s all Stark’s call this morning was about.”
“Oh,” Jo relaxed substantially, but looked a little confused. “Why didn’t she just say so?”
“Thorne’s budget cuts, redactions, etc.,” Jack was actually impressed by his own quick thinking. “We’re trying to slide Zoë in under the radar, so she can’t veto Zoë being allowed to use GD resources.”
“And being in her office, Allison couldn’t say anything, gotcha,” Jo replied, looking much more cheerful. The phone rang, and Jack could hear Taggart on the other end.
“Oh, darn, I’m headed up to GD,” Jack remarked, grinning widely at Jo. “Guess you’re handling that on your own.”
Under Jo’s scowl, Jack could see a glint of delight, and he hummed a little to himself as he headed to the Jeep. It was a rare thing that he managed to get it right with so many people in one day. He nodded to a set of Baker twins as they passed, stopped, and pinched his arm. Nope, all good, he decided, and climbed into the Jeep. He’d just mess something up later in the day, he added in his mind pessimistically.
At GD, Thorne greeted him as he entered. “Sheriff,” she greeted him, looking curious. “What brings you up to GD?”
“Oh, just a social visit,” he informed her, waving his PDA at her. “You know, offsite scientist with too many noise complaints, and while I technically can’t do much, I’m going to try to get Allison to suspend a few permits to make a point.”
“Let me guess, the bioluminescence lab,” Thorne remarked, rolling her eyes. “I’ve heard a few complaints myself. Well, Sheriff, good luck with that.”
“Thanks,” he replied, keeping an eye on her as he walked away. She didn’t look suspicious, but he made a note to have better preplanned excuses in the future. Now he actually would have to deal with Seth again.
Allison’s office was closed off, but unlike Nathan earlier, the cause was pretty clear when he walked in. She was on the phone, her tone indicating that she wasn’t pleased. The door sealed behind him, and Allison gave him a quick look, nodding toward a chair. Jack slid into the chair, appreciatively watching her work, the cool crisp tones mixed with a sharp scientific mind. When she hung up, she sighed, turning in her chair to look at him.
“Sorry,” she told him. “I didn’t expect to have to deal with that.”
“No hurry. Sooner I leave here, the sooner I have to go help Jo with whatever Taggart got into this time,” Jack exchanged a knowing look with her. “You sure you can’t send him back to Brazil for a couple more months? It was so quiet before he got back last week.”
“Yes, but all those pets he brought back are causing the trouble,” Allison reminded him smugly, handing him a file folder. “Here, these are the forms Zoë needs.”
“Oh, thanks,” Jack said, a little surprised. He glanced through them, then closed the file carefully.
“What?” Allison asked, giving him a suspicious look.
“Ah, well, given my first call up here today,” Jack replied, and Allison arched her eyebrows.
“Yeah, Jo mentioned you were already up here. You know, there are security cameras in this building,” Allison reminded him, coming around her desk and leaning against it in front of him. Jack suddenly caught on that she was playing with him.
“Turned it off,” Jack replied, shrugging.
“Hmm,” Allison was smirking at him, and Jack glanced up at the red light on the camera. “I got a little more creative and reprogrammed it,” she informed him. “A few taps on my computer and the feed redirects directly to Nathan’s desktop. And I happen to know he’s up there, trying to focus on a phone call.”
“Important one?” Jack asked, grinning.
“Not really,” Allison replied, returning the grin as she slid back around her desk. Jack stood, following her around the desk, sliding his hands to her hips as she typed.
“Should this be…” Jack hesitated, melting a little when her gentle eyes turned on him. “I don’t know. It’s weird to me that this isn’t more awkward.”
“Was it awkward with you and Nathan at first?” Allison asked curiously.
“Mainly only the morning after, but we’d decided it didn’t mean anything,” Jack reminded her, pulling her a little closer. “This means something.”
“And feels natural, good,” Allison informed him, leaning up to softly kiss him. “I might be inclined to fight it otherwise, but for the first time in two years, I’m not feeling torn in two. I feel good, Jack.”
“Me too,” Jack admitted, smiling softly as she pulled him tightly toward her, a lopsided silly grin on her face.
“You may be right, that this feels too easy,” Allison remarked, tilting her head thoughtfully. “But, I think we’re entitled to a little honeymoon period after fighting each other—for each other—for too long. Agreed?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Jack replied, then smiled. “As always.”
“Come on, sheriff, we have a video to send.”
*-*
Nathan paused mid-sentence when a video popped up on his desktop. “Dr. Stark?” the man on the other end of the phone asked.
“Ah, yes, um, one moment please, I’m receiving some… new information,” Nathan replied, shifting in his chair as he watched Jack slide into Allison, who was sitting half dressed on her desk. A few taps of the keyboard told him the feed was completely secure and Allison herself had set up the video stream.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Kinsella, I’ll have to call you back,” Nathan managed to keep his voice calm as he spoke. “We’ve had a minor security issue… come up.” He disconnected the line, groaning. He started to stand, intent on joining the other two, then sighed, taking a deep breath and sat back down.
“My choice, join you or figure out if I can stand back, let you have this,” Nathan said to the image of Allison, knowing she was giving him a chance to be sure he could handle this. He carefully watched for a moment, letting his old jealousy rise for a moment, then Allison leaned in to kiss Jack, a soft gentle kiss, and Nathan let go, sighing.
“Equal parts,” he conceded, mostly to remind himself, and his perception slowly shifted as he watched the two people he loved most in the world, still reaching out to include him as they started to figure each other out. Suddenly it was unbearably erotic, and he was hard again.
“Those two will be the death of me,” he moaned, sealing his office.
*-*
“Hey, Dad,” Zoë greeted Jack as he got home, sore and aching from chasing down Taggart’s latest monsters, which had tripled in size thanks to the mutated algae they’d eaten at Seth’s. On the bright side, he wouldn’t have noise complaints about the algae music anymore, but nothing else had gone right that evening. He’d definitely missed dinner at Nathan’s and was ready to just crawl into bed. Nathan had sounded disappointed when Jack called, which hadn’t helped his own crankiness. “Wow, you look like hell.”
“Thanks,” Jack replied dryly. “I just want a hot shower and to crawl into bed.”
“Well, I just waited long enough to tell you a GD messenger dropped off a package for you about an hour ago,” Zoë told him, pointing to the table.
“Waited?” Jack asked blankly.
“Thursday, I sleep over at Pilar’s, it only happens every week,” Zoë reminded him with the much maligned tone of a teenager who’s certain she’s been ignored. “If the package explodes, I’m not cleaning it up,” she told him. Jack glanced over at it, shrugging.
“I think it’s just some files I requested,” he told her, yawning. “I’ll get to it after my shower.”
“Hey, Dad?” Zoë paused, hand on the door. “Whatever you said to Stark to get him to offer me the use of the spectrometer? Thanks.”
“Hey, that one’s all on you and your brilliance,” Jack replied. “He offered, all on his own.” She gave him a little look of disbelief. “Okay, maybe I mentioned you were hitting a brick wall on your project at Tesla. He ran with it from there. He knows you’re a brilliant kid, Zo.”
“Well, even so, thanks,” Zoë said, shrugging. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, Zoë,” Jack replied, managing to remove his gun belt and set it aside.
“Sheriff Carter, Dr. Stark asked me to make sure you opened the package from GD before going upstairs,” SARAH said, and Jack turned back, looking a little more curiously at the package. He walked into the kitchen, pulling out a small knife to cut open the tape. He dug through the package, finding massage oils, chocolate paint, and a few other romantic odds and ends.
“Someone had plans for tonight,” Jack groaned, disappointment acute. He spotted a long black velvet box, and left it unopened, figuring he’d save it for when he next saw the other two.
He headed upstairs, leaving the box in his bedroom, showering slowly under too hot water, then tugging on a pair of boxer shorts. He crawled onto his bed, half dozing within minutes.
Tired, it took him a moment to process the warm hands kneading his back. He groaned, and the hands slid further up, easing his shoulders. “You’re supposed to be in my bed right now,” Nathan said, and Jack managed a half nod.
“Sorry I missed dinner,” he murmured, and Nathan drizzled a little oil along his spine, before slowly kneading the muscles again.
“Why didn’t you come over after you got done?” Nathan asked, and though the tone was casual, Jack could hear the underlying concern.
“Barely made it in the door,” Jack replied. “A little more energy and I’d have made it there.” The hands eased over his back with long strokes now, and Jack arched a little into the touch.
“You forgot,” Nathan corrected him, hands sliding down Jack’s arms.
“I called,” Jack objected, and Nathan ran his fingertips down the length of his spine.
“You forgot you had someone willing to take care of you,” Nathan said and gently turned Jack over, cupping his face. “You could have called me when you came home. Or you could have come to my house.”
Jack nodded, understanding what Nathan was ever so gently pressing on him. “I’ll try to remember,” he promised, sighing. “It just takes some getting used to. Where’s our third?”
“Home, with Kevin. No nanny or grandparents tonight,” Nathan informed him. “Did you open your gift?”
“I suspect some of it is already at work,” Jack murmured, fanning his fingers over Nathan’s where they were pressed flat against his stomach, still a little slick with oil. “But I didn’t open the small box.”
“Figured,” Nathan replied, standing and crossing over to the box. He pulled the long velvet box out, and slid back onto the bed behind Jack, letting Jack lean on him, half sitting, half lying against Nathan, looking sleepy. “Stay with me,” Nathan teased him, and Jack sat up a little more, smiling ruefully.
“Is this part of the whole spoiling me thing you threatened?” Jack asked, and Nathan flashed a cocky grin.
“That, and a little mark of ownership,” Nathan replied. “I got Allie a similar one, and this, for you.”
“Better not be one of those ridiculous diamonds, you put the value of a small country around her neck,” Jack grumbled, hesitating. “You know I don’t need you to do this, right?”
“You know I need to do this, right?” Nathan countered, squeezing Jack quickly. “Get used to it.”
Jack flipped open the lid of the box and stared at the heavy bracelet. It was a blank ID bracelet, heavy links of a dark gray metal Jack couldn’t identify. “There’s a trick to the metal,” Nathan said softly, reaching over and pressing his fingers to the metal. He lifted them away and an engraving appeared. Three sets of initials, AB, JC, and NS, linked by a faint infinity symbol. As Jack watched, the design slowly faded away.
“Whoa,” he said, covering the bracelet and then pulling his fingers away to reveal the design again.
“Responds to body heat and pressure,” Nathan explained, holding out his own wrist to reveal an identical bracelet already encircling his arm. Jack pressed his fingers to Nathan’s bracelet, smiling as he revealed the same design. “It’s not a forever commitment thing, so don’t panic on me. Just a reminder that we’re all three in this together.”
“Just how long have you been planning this?” Jack asked, offering Nathan his wrist without hesitation. Nathan slid the bracelet around Jack’s wrist and latched it, then kissed the pulse point just below the clasp.
“That would be telling,” Nathan remarked, pulling Jack in closer. “Is it okay if I stay with you tonight?”
“Of course,” Jack replied, shuffling to get comfortable. “Always. You’ll have to set an alarm if you want to be out of here before my daughter stops home tomorrow morning.”
“Should I be gone before then?” Nathan asked, sounding almost too innocent, his fingers gently stroking Jack’s wrist along the bracelet.
“You here first thing in the morning is not how I envision telling her about the three of us, nor is a threesome the first conclusion she’d leap to,” Jack replied, voice heavy with sleep.
“Well, given the extraordinary amount of trouble you get into, I think she’d assume I’d come to tell you what was currently out to kill you,” Nathan snarked, and Jack blinked, recognizing something in his tone.
“Tell me you weren’t worried about me,” Jack whispered, and Nathan’s arms tightened marginally. “Nathan?”
“I wasn’t worried,” he deflected scornfully. “I’ve just gotten used to being there to keep an eye on you. Lately we’ve been getting into everything together and—”
“I love you too,” Jack said, lightly tracing meaningless patterns along Nathan’s abdomen.
“You just said,” Nathan looked surprised, then bent down to brush his lips across Jack’s. “You didn’t say it earlier.”
“Wasn’t the right time,” Jack shrugged, stroking Nathan’s beard gently, then lifted his head for another soft kiss. “But I do. Just a little.”
“Only a little, huh?” Nathan sounded amused. “I guess I love you just a little too.”
“Nope, too late,” Jack replied, smiling. “You already told me you can’t live without me. And gave me a promise of forever.” He held his wrist up, knowing his ridiculous contentment was showing on his face.
“I’ve got news for you,” Nathan commented, pulling Jack back into a tight embrace. “You’re a terrible liar, Jack. And you’re lucky most of this town is blind to anything that doesn’t involve a scientific equation, or we wouldn’t have to tell them a damn thing.”
“You think so?” Jack mused, softly stroking Nathan’s chest. “Good, I like that idea. Just ‘cuz I share you with Allison doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate anyone else near you.”
“Hmm,” Nathan seemed amused. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jack slept well and tried hard to ignore the alarm when it went off for Nathan well before dawn. He had just drifted back to sleep, a hazy dream of Allison and Nathan teasing him the day before playing out, and awoke abruptly to find Nathan, still wet from the shower and wrapped in a towel, stroking him playfully, mouth exploring his chest. “Nathan,” he gasped, coming hard and whiting out for a moment as he fell back to the pillows.
“Good morning,” Nathan said when Jack manage to struggle through opening his eyes again, leaning up to kiss him. “I thought you might appreciate the wakeup call.”
“Got time for me to return the favor?” Jack asked, running his fingers low along Nathan’s stomach, something he knew drove the other man crazy.
Nathan groaned, trapping Jack’s fingers. “Only if you’re okay with your daughter catching us,” he complained.
“Give it a little while, make sure we’re through the whole honeymoon phase,” Jack murmured, linking his fingers with Nathan’s. “We survive a crisis and an argument intact as a threesome, and then we deal with the kids. Because trust me, I want her to start knowing she has you and Allison around if she needs you.”
“Love you,” Nathan told Jack, kissing him once more before climbing out of bed, dressing quickly. “See you at breakfast?” he asked, and Jack nodded. One last lingering kiss, and Nathan was gone.
Pairing: Jack/Nathan, Jack/Allison, Nathan/Allison, Jack/Nathan/Allison
Rating: FRAO
Disclaimer: Don’t own!
Warnings: slash, threesome, spoilers through 303: Best in Faux, AU’s off the end of 303.
Summary: The threesome gets a little honeymoon-ish, Jo gets a little angry, Vince gets a little suspicious, Zane gets a little hopeful, Zoë gets a little confused and Nathan gets just a little love…
Previous Parts can be found here
He woke up to a slight tickling along his collarbone. He opened his eyes, now aware that the tickling was the trail of Allison’s hair as she kissed his jaw. “Good morning,” she greeted him, sliding up to kiss him warmly.
“Morning,” he replied, checking the bedside clock to see he still had time before he needed to get back to the bunker.
“Nathan’s gone for his morning run, to give us some alone time,” Allison informed him, stretching lazily, her body on display for him. “I thought we might go start in the shower, wait for him to come join us,” she laughed as Jack tugged her back to him, then kissed him again hungrily.
“It occurs to me,” Jack murmured, running his hands gently up her sides. “That we’ve made quite the jump start to this… you and me… thanks to Nathan.”
“Hmm,” Allison agreed, nodding with faux seriousness. “And we haven’t thanked him yet, have we?”
“Nope,” Jack replied, kissing her again. “And I figure if you and he can plan out a good way to surround me, then you and I have to be able to come up with something three, maybe four times as good. So,” he paused to nip at her earlobe gently. “Tell me about his morning routine while I distract you…”
*-*
Nathan grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it, surprised by the quiet in the house. He walked up to the bedroom, wondering if neither Jack nor Allison had woken up, but found the bed empty. He double-checked his cell phone, making sure there was no GD emergency, then shrugging, headed for a shower. A little worry niggled at the back of his mind, half afraid one of them had woken up with regrets, so he stripped down quickly, planning to shower and track down his lovers before they could get too far.
He started the shower, one of the more insane luxuries Allison had allowed herself, a large stand in shower with three heads aimed inward, and heard the door creak open. “Allie?” he started to ask, but before he could turn, a hand wrapped around his eyes.
“Eyes closed,” Jack commanded in a low growl, and Nathan shuddered, relaxing a little, aware for a moment just how worried he’d been. “You’ve had everything all planned out for a while now, huh, Nathan?”
“Yeah,” he admitted, grinning as he pressed his eyes closed.
“Well, we’ve made a few plans of our own this morning,” Allison’s voice came from somewhere to his left and was followed by her nails lightly raking across his chest, hitting his weak points teasingly. He was rock hard suddenly, as Jack’s hands mirrored the action of Allison’s behind him.
“I don’t think he planned the two of us turning on him,” Jack observed, his fingers toying with Nathan’s ass.
“Well, I don’t think he objects much,” Allison replied, her long fingers wrapping around his erection. Nathan moaned, and both hands stilled.
“Hmm, guess not.” Nathan could hear the smirk in Jack’s voice. “Should we tell him what to expect?”
“He likes surprises,” Allison replied, and Nathan couldn’t help a small groan.
“No, I don’t,” he objected, and Allison pumped him once teasingly.
“He likes being the one to surprise others,” Jack corrected, and one slippery finger suddenly slid into Nathan with amazing aim, making him whimper. “But since we are thanking him for his persistence...”
“True,” Allison agreed, and the next thing Nathan was aware of was warm, soft, oh… Allison’s tongue digging and pressing into his pressure points, while Jack pressed a second lubed finger in, stroking and making Nathan gasp. He fought to keep his eyes closed, and surprisingly, managed it.
“You’ll want to try to hold very still,” Jack advised him, voice low in his ear, then his mouth came down to bite into the skin where neck met shoulder. His fingers continued to slide and stroke as Allison licked and teased, the tempo just slightly off each other in a manner that made the sensations double and pull at his libido.
“God,” he murmured, and his breathing grew ragged. Jack took it as an invitation, easing in a third finger, and Nathan bucked backwards a little, and Allison scraped her nails along his thighs, a warning to stay still.
A few more strokes and licks and Nathan had to bring his arm up to brace against the wall as he tumbled over the edge. Jack wrapped an arm around his chest, and trustingly, Nathan let himself fall back into Jack, letting the other man support him, and Allison took his outstretched hand as he lost his hold on the wall. “You still with us?” Allison asked teasingly after a moment, and Nathan cracked his eyes open to glare at her.
“Never leaving the two of you alone to plot again,” he groaned, but his left hand was caressing Jack’s thigh, the other linked with Allison’s.
“You’ll get used to it,” Allison replied with a grin. “And we’ve spared all the time we have for you right now.”
“But…” Nathan started, cut off by a quick, fierce kiss from Jack.
“See you at breakfast,” Jack told him, and then paused, giving him a long look. He leaned in, kissing Nathan again, a slow searching kiss that left Nathan as breathless as the sex had. He was a little stunned as he watched Jack and Allison exchange a soft, sweet kiss, and then Jack vanished.
“Hey,” Allison said softly, cupping his face. “Where’d you just go?”
“I love you,” he murmured, suddenly focusing in on her, and she smiled knowingly.
“Oh honey, I’ve known ever since you came to me telling me about your idea,” she said, her smile none too sympathetic. “You really just figured out how deeply in love with him you are?”
“I’m slow about these things,” Nathan replied, giving her a pained look.
“Mmhmm,” she agreed emphatically, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Come on, we’re meeting Jack at Café Diem, to give the locals a chance to get used to see the three of us making nice. You can brood over how to tell him until then.”
*-*
Vince nodded to Jack as he entered Café Diem, pulling out a coffee cup automatically. “Hey, Vince,” the sheriff greeted him, giving him an amazingly high wattage smile.
“Mmm, I see you’ve heard,” Vince remarked, pouring coffee into the mug. “I’ve got apple crepes this morning, by the way.”
“Heard what, and I’ll take two,” Jack replied absently as he accepted the coffee.
“Right,” Vince rolled his eyes. “Like you’re in that good of a mood for no particular reason.”
“Seriously, either clue me in, or just bring my breakfast over to me when it’s ready,” Jack said, giving Vince an impatient look.
“Stark just told me this morning,” Vince said, leaning in confidentially. “The wedding is postponed.”
“They’re still engaged,” Jack replied easily, shrugging. “But yes, I did know.”
Vince folded his arms, a little puzzled. “You’re taking this really well,” he observed. “Seriously, what’s up?”
“The sky,” Jack replied, flashing a grin at Vince again. “Breakfast when it’s ready, I’ll be over there.” Vince’s jaw dropped when he saw the sheriff drop into one of the empty chairs at Stark and Allison’s table. The other two welcomed him, looking like they were expecting him, and from what Vince could tell, the talk wasn’t too serious but still business.
“Hey Vince,” Zoë greeted him, sitting down at the counter.
“Hey, Zoë,” he replied, giving her a once over. “Your dad is in a really good mood.”
“Yeah, I think his date last night went really well,” Zoë said, accepting the cup of coffee he handed her. She scanned the café, then sighed. “Damn. I was hoping I’d be able to figure out who his date was. Instead he’s sitting with Stark and Allison. That doesn’t help.”
“No, I guess not,” Vince replied, a thought tugging at his brain cells. He reached under the counter, pulling out a black binder, double-checking a bet and a name, and then tucking it back away. He made a mental note to call Zane later that day, and turned his attention back to Zoë. “Your dad had a date last night?”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t tell me who with, so don’t even try digging for gossip from me,” Zoë replied, sipping her coffee. “Him and Mom are funny that way, don’t tell me much till they’re sure it’s not going to collapse quickly. Think they’re protecting me or something.”
“Zoë,” Jack called out, and motioned her over. Zoë exchanged a puzzled frown with Vince before taking her coffee and pulling up the fourth chair. Vince watched for a minute, curiosity burning at him. He motioned impatiently for the sheriff’s crepes, taking them over slowly, eavesdropping shamelessly.
“But yeah, using the light spectrometer would be a huge help for my science project if you can arrange it,” Zoë was saying excitedly, as Stark typed into his PDA.
“Thorne won’t be pleased, but I’m giving you status as a Tesla intern under my guidance, to cover it so she can’t really object,” Stark’s eyes flickered up in Vince’s direction, the look clearly telling Vince he had been caught listening. “I’ll give your dad the papers for your teacher to sign whenever we have a crisis today.”
“Oh good, just jinx it,” Jack grumbled, accepting the plate from Vince. “I wanted a quiet day.”
“I didn’t say if, I said when,” Stark shot back, not looking up from his PDA.
“Semantics,” Jack scoffed, and Vince was out of ear range for the next bit, but he saw Jack poke the fork in Stark’s direction, undoubtedly threatening him with something for jinxing the day. To his surprise, Stark simply shook his head good-naturedly.
The conversation had originally put Vince off his idea, but now his suspicions were back. Stark hadn’t had an intern for years, director’s privilege, Vince mused. Either Zoë was rather lucky, or Stark owed the sheriff something big.
“Hey,” Zane greeted him, and Vince noticed the deputy wasn’t attached to his side.
“No Jo?” he asked, and Zane shrugged as he sat down at the counter.
“She’s running a bit late this morning.”
“I’ve got kind of an odd question,” Vince said, lowering his voice. “Your bet? The one about Stark, Blake and Carter?”
“Yeah,” Zane remarked with a wolfish grin, spinning his stool a little. “I know, crazy, right? But I always go for the longest odds. And I don’t have a shot in hell with that one.”
“Yeah, just was wondering why you placed it on a threesome,” Vince replied, eyeing the table once more. Allison and Zoë were laughing at something the two men were bickering about.
“Hello,” Zane remarked, arching an eyebrow. “What is that about?”
“Stark’s taking Zoë on as a Tesla intern,” Vince replied, and Zane sighed. “Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.”
*-*
Jack answered the phone absently. “Carter,” he said, continuing to look over the report on his desk. It had been a surprisingly quiet morning, so he was hoping Nathan’s semantics had done the trick.
“Carter, I need you in my office.” Speak of the devil…
“I told you! You jinxed this whole day, didn’t you?” Jack demanded. “I have half a mind to send Jo up there and ignore you.”
“No, no, no,” Jo replied from the other desk. “I handled the last call, you know with Taggart and rounding up the cockroach things.”
“Oh,” Jack deflated, nodding. “All right, Stark, I’ll be there in 20.”
He drove up to GD, muttering to himself. He headed across the atrium, ducking down a hall quickly when he caught sight of Thorne’s copper hair. If there was a disaster and she hadn’t called him in, he was hoping they were one step ahead of her for once.
He was surprised to find Fargo’s desk, just outside Nathan’s office, abandoned. A small ‘out to lunch’ placard sat on the desk, and Jack frowned. Maybe Fargo was on an errand for Nathan, he mused, entering the darkened office. “Stark?” he called out as the door slid shut behind him, not seeing anyone in the office. “Nathan?”
Arms snaked around him from behind, tugging him backwards. Nathan’s teeth closed high on Jack’s throat, sucking and marking him at his weak spot, driving him completely boneless and pliable in the other man’s arms. “Allison tells me you were the mastermind behind this morning’s little surprise,” Nathan murmured, fingers undoing Jack’s uniform shirt.
“I may have suggested…” Jack lost his train of thought when one of Nathan’s hands slid down his pants.
“You, naked, on my couch, now,” Nathan ordered, turning and locking the door. He tugged his own tie off, arching an eyebrow at Jack who was staring. “Always wanted to do this in my office,” Nathan informed him. Jack fought a grin and jerked his head pointedly at the security camera.
“Disabled,” Nathan reassured him. Jack slid his gun belt and uniform shirt off then toed his shoes off. Nathan impressively stripped down with quick precision, nude as Jack started unfastening his pants. Impatiently, Nathan crossed and tugged Jack’s undershirt off and shoved boxers and pants down. Jack stepped free of his clothes, sliding close to Nathan for a quick kiss.
Nathan pushed at Jack playfully, knocking him back toward the couch. “Pushy today,” Jack remarked, laying back before Nathan could knock him down.
“I didn’t start it,” Nathan reminded him, covering Jack’s body with his own and sliding their erections together. Jack slid his arms around to Nathan’s back, his tight grip encouraging the movement. Nathan kissed him, tongues tangling as they slowly moved together, his own hands slowly exploring Jack’s chest.
Though the movements were basic, rutting and unable to stop touching, something in Nathan’s touch was gentle, a soft passion that made Jack shudder. Nathan brought his mouth down again to the spot he’d marked before, making Jack clench his hands tightly, then slowly release as Nathan worked his way down his throat. “Nathan,” Jack gasped, bringing one hand up to Nathan’s head, forcing the scientist’s gaze to meet his. Eyes locked, Jack could put his finger on exactly what was happening. “Nathan, love,” he murmured, kissing Nathan softly. Nathan fell apart, shaking as he came, crying Jack’s name.
Jack followed him over the edge a moment later, blissfully aware of Nathan clutching him tightly. “I love you, Jack,” Nathan whispered into his ear, hand stroking Jack’s head. “Love you and Allie so much. I’d be lost without you both.”
“Me too,” Jack agreed, wishing he could get closer to the words but they didn’t want to come out, though he felt them sharply. Nathan didn’t seem to mind though, lifting his head for a gentle kiss. “God, Nathan, I couldn’t stand losing you again.”
They were both quiet for a long time, occasional kisses and soft touches comforting each other. “That’s not how I meant to tell you,” Nathan muttered, dropping a soft kiss on Jack’s collarbone.
“It’s okay,” Jack reassured, him, pulling him into another kiss, unable to get enough.
Almost predictably, the phone on Nathan’s desk rang. “There’s the disaster,” Jack predicted, sitting up with a sigh. Nathan crossed to the desk, opening a drawer and tossing Jack a sanitizer can. Jack wrinkled his nose, but sprayed himself with the cleaning nanites. The mess disappeared, and Jack stood, slowly tugging on his clothes, trying not to be turned on by Nathan, still stark naked, barking orders at someone in section four.
When Nathan hung up, he tilted his head curiously at the look Jack was giving him. “You’re really hot right now,” Jack observed, enjoying the slight flush that entered Nathan’s face at the comment and realizing he hadn’t redressed.
“See you tonight?” Nathan asked, tugging Jack into a quick kiss. “My place, eight o’clock, for dinner.”
“Unless your jinxed disaster stops me,” Jack replied with a cocky grin, watching as Nathan redressed, disappointingly tucking away the gorgeous body under the layers of his suit.
*-*
Jack had just finished a call out to the bioluminescence labs to deal with Seth’s latest noise complaint (But Sheriff, this mutated strain of algae responds to high frequency, high decibel bursts of sound in ground breaking scientific ways!) and had just dropped back into his chair when Jo handed him a message. Well, Jack mused, picking up the little yellow slip, not so much handed as she had slammed it down on his desk with a scowl.
“Allison wants you up at GD,” Jo informed him, rolling her eyes. “I told her since you were on a call, I could handle it. But she insisted you should come handle it. Told me you had been up there this morning, and you should be the one to handle this too.”
“Huh,” Jack remarked, the note remarkably detail free. “She didn’t say what it was about?”
“Nope,” Jo replied, scowling. “Just that obviously she found it outside my scope.”
Jack saw the dark look on Jo’s face, recognizing the hurt at being set aside. “It’s probably about Zoë’s internship at GD,” Jack told her, trying his best to be reassuring. “That’s all Stark’s call this morning was about.”
“Oh,” Jo relaxed substantially, but looked a little confused. “Why didn’t she just say so?”
“Thorne’s budget cuts, redactions, etc.,” Jack was actually impressed by his own quick thinking. “We’re trying to slide Zoë in under the radar, so she can’t veto Zoë being allowed to use GD resources.”
“And being in her office, Allison couldn’t say anything, gotcha,” Jo replied, looking much more cheerful. The phone rang, and Jack could hear Taggart on the other end.
“Oh, darn, I’m headed up to GD,” Jack remarked, grinning widely at Jo. “Guess you’re handling that on your own.”
Under Jo’s scowl, Jack could see a glint of delight, and he hummed a little to himself as he headed to the Jeep. It was a rare thing that he managed to get it right with so many people in one day. He nodded to a set of Baker twins as they passed, stopped, and pinched his arm. Nope, all good, he decided, and climbed into the Jeep. He’d just mess something up later in the day, he added in his mind pessimistically.
At GD, Thorne greeted him as he entered. “Sheriff,” she greeted him, looking curious. “What brings you up to GD?”
“Oh, just a social visit,” he informed her, waving his PDA at her. “You know, offsite scientist with too many noise complaints, and while I technically can’t do much, I’m going to try to get Allison to suspend a few permits to make a point.”
“Let me guess, the bioluminescence lab,” Thorne remarked, rolling her eyes. “I’ve heard a few complaints myself. Well, Sheriff, good luck with that.”
“Thanks,” he replied, keeping an eye on her as he walked away. She didn’t look suspicious, but he made a note to have better preplanned excuses in the future. Now he actually would have to deal with Seth again.
Allison’s office was closed off, but unlike Nathan earlier, the cause was pretty clear when he walked in. She was on the phone, her tone indicating that she wasn’t pleased. The door sealed behind him, and Allison gave him a quick look, nodding toward a chair. Jack slid into the chair, appreciatively watching her work, the cool crisp tones mixed with a sharp scientific mind. When she hung up, she sighed, turning in her chair to look at him.
“Sorry,” she told him. “I didn’t expect to have to deal with that.”
“No hurry. Sooner I leave here, the sooner I have to go help Jo with whatever Taggart got into this time,” Jack exchanged a knowing look with her. “You sure you can’t send him back to Brazil for a couple more months? It was so quiet before he got back last week.”
“Yes, but all those pets he brought back are causing the trouble,” Allison reminded him smugly, handing him a file folder. “Here, these are the forms Zoë needs.”
“Oh, thanks,” Jack said, a little surprised. He glanced through them, then closed the file carefully.
“What?” Allison asked, giving him a suspicious look.
“Ah, well, given my first call up here today,” Jack replied, and Allison arched her eyebrows.
“Yeah, Jo mentioned you were already up here. You know, there are security cameras in this building,” Allison reminded him, coming around her desk and leaning against it in front of him. Jack suddenly caught on that she was playing with him.
“Turned it off,” Jack replied, shrugging.
“Hmm,” Allison was smirking at him, and Jack glanced up at the red light on the camera. “I got a little more creative and reprogrammed it,” she informed him. “A few taps on my computer and the feed redirects directly to Nathan’s desktop. And I happen to know he’s up there, trying to focus on a phone call.”
“Important one?” Jack asked, grinning.
“Not really,” Allison replied, returning the grin as she slid back around her desk. Jack stood, following her around the desk, sliding his hands to her hips as she typed.
“Should this be…” Jack hesitated, melting a little when her gentle eyes turned on him. “I don’t know. It’s weird to me that this isn’t more awkward.”
“Was it awkward with you and Nathan at first?” Allison asked curiously.
“Mainly only the morning after, but we’d decided it didn’t mean anything,” Jack reminded her, pulling her a little closer. “This means something.”
“And feels natural, good,” Allison informed him, leaning up to softly kiss him. “I might be inclined to fight it otherwise, but for the first time in two years, I’m not feeling torn in two. I feel good, Jack.”
“Me too,” Jack admitted, smiling softly as she pulled him tightly toward her, a lopsided silly grin on her face.
“You may be right, that this feels too easy,” Allison remarked, tilting her head thoughtfully. “But, I think we’re entitled to a little honeymoon period after fighting each other—for each other—for too long. Agreed?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Jack replied, then smiled. “As always.”
“Come on, sheriff, we have a video to send.”
*-*
Nathan paused mid-sentence when a video popped up on his desktop. “Dr. Stark?” the man on the other end of the phone asked.
“Ah, yes, um, one moment please, I’m receiving some… new information,” Nathan replied, shifting in his chair as he watched Jack slide into Allison, who was sitting half dressed on her desk. A few taps of the keyboard told him the feed was completely secure and Allison herself had set up the video stream.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Kinsella, I’ll have to call you back,” Nathan managed to keep his voice calm as he spoke. “We’ve had a minor security issue… come up.” He disconnected the line, groaning. He started to stand, intent on joining the other two, then sighed, taking a deep breath and sat back down.
“My choice, join you or figure out if I can stand back, let you have this,” Nathan said to the image of Allison, knowing she was giving him a chance to be sure he could handle this. He carefully watched for a moment, letting his old jealousy rise for a moment, then Allison leaned in to kiss Jack, a soft gentle kiss, and Nathan let go, sighing.
“Equal parts,” he conceded, mostly to remind himself, and his perception slowly shifted as he watched the two people he loved most in the world, still reaching out to include him as they started to figure each other out. Suddenly it was unbearably erotic, and he was hard again.
“Those two will be the death of me,” he moaned, sealing his office.
*-*
“Hey, Dad,” Zoë greeted Jack as he got home, sore and aching from chasing down Taggart’s latest monsters, which had tripled in size thanks to the mutated algae they’d eaten at Seth’s. On the bright side, he wouldn’t have noise complaints about the algae music anymore, but nothing else had gone right that evening. He’d definitely missed dinner at Nathan’s and was ready to just crawl into bed. Nathan had sounded disappointed when Jack called, which hadn’t helped his own crankiness. “Wow, you look like hell.”
“Thanks,” Jack replied dryly. “I just want a hot shower and to crawl into bed.”
“Well, I just waited long enough to tell you a GD messenger dropped off a package for you about an hour ago,” Zoë told him, pointing to the table.
“Waited?” Jack asked blankly.
“Thursday, I sleep over at Pilar’s, it only happens every week,” Zoë reminded him with the much maligned tone of a teenager who’s certain she’s been ignored. “If the package explodes, I’m not cleaning it up,” she told him. Jack glanced over at it, shrugging.
“I think it’s just some files I requested,” he told her, yawning. “I’ll get to it after my shower.”
“Hey, Dad?” Zoë paused, hand on the door. “Whatever you said to Stark to get him to offer me the use of the spectrometer? Thanks.”
“Hey, that one’s all on you and your brilliance,” Jack replied. “He offered, all on his own.” She gave him a little look of disbelief. “Okay, maybe I mentioned you were hitting a brick wall on your project at Tesla. He ran with it from there. He knows you’re a brilliant kid, Zo.”
“Well, even so, thanks,” Zoë said, shrugging. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, Zoë,” Jack replied, managing to remove his gun belt and set it aside.
“Sheriff Carter, Dr. Stark asked me to make sure you opened the package from GD before going upstairs,” SARAH said, and Jack turned back, looking a little more curiously at the package. He walked into the kitchen, pulling out a small knife to cut open the tape. He dug through the package, finding massage oils, chocolate paint, and a few other romantic odds and ends.
“Someone had plans for tonight,” Jack groaned, disappointment acute. He spotted a long black velvet box, and left it unopened, figuring he’d save it for when he next saw the other two.
He headed upstairs, leaving the box in his bedroom, showering slowly under too hot water, then tugging on a pair of boxer shorts. He crawled onto his bed, half dozing within minutes.
Tired, it took him a moment to process the warm hands kneading his back. He groaned, and the hands slid further up, easing his shoulders. “You’re supposed to be in my bed right now,” Nathan said, and Jack managed a half nod.
“Sorry I missed dinner,” he murmured, and Nathan drizzled a little oil along his spine, before slowly kneading the muscles again.
“Why didn’t you come over after you got done?” Nathan asked, and though the tone was casual, Jack could hear the underlying concern.
“Barely made it in the door,” Jack replied. “A little more energy and I’d have made it there.” The hands eased over his back with long strokes now, and Jack arched a little into the touch.
“You forgot,” Nathan corrected him, hands sliding down Jack’s arms.
“I called,” Jack objected, and Nathan ran his fingertips down the length of his spine.
“You forgot you had someone willing to take care of you,” Nathan said and gently turned Jack over, cupping his face. “You could have called me when you came home. Or you could have come to my house.”
Jack nodded, understanding what Nathan was ever so gently pressing on him. “I’ll try to remember,” he promised, sighing. “It just takes some getting used to. Where’s our third?”
“Home, with Kevin. No nanny or grandparents tonight,” Nathan informed him. “Did you open your gift?”
“I suspect some of it is already at work,” Jack murmured, fanning his fingers over Nathan’s where they were pressed flat against his stomach, still a little slick with oil. “But I didn’t open the small box.”
“Figured,” Nathan replied, standing and crossing over to the box. He pulled the long velvet box out, and slid back onto the bed behind Jack, letting Jack lean on him, half sitting, half lying against Nathan, looking sleepy. “Stay with me,” Nathan teased him, and Jack sat up a little more, smiling ruefully.
“Is this part of the whole spoiling me thing you threatened?” Jack asked, and Nathan flashed a cocky grin.
“That, and a little mark of ownership,” Nathan replied. “I got Allie a similar one, and this, for you.”
“Better not be one of those ridiculous diamonds, you put the value of a small country around her neck,” Jack grumbled, hesitating. “You know I don’t need you to do this, right?”
“You know I need to do this, right?” Nathan countered, squeezing Jack quickly. “Get used to it.”
Jack flipped open the lid of the box and stared at the heavy bracelet. It was a blank ID bracelet, heavy links of a dark gray metal Jack couldn’t identify. “There’s a trick to the metal,” Nathan said softly, reaching over and pressing his fingers to the metal. He lifted them away and an engraving appeared. Three sets of initials, AB, JC, and NS, linked by a faint infinity symbol. As Jack watched, the design slowly faded away.
“Whoa,” he said, covering the bracelet and then pulling his fingers away to reveal the design again.
“Responds to body heat and pressure,” Nathan explained, holding out his own wrist to reveal an identical bracelet already encircling his arm. Jack pressed his fingers to Nathan’s bracelet, smiling as he revealed the same design. “It’s not a forever commitment thing, so don’t panic on me. Just a reminder that we’re all three in this together.”
“Just how long have you been planning this?” Jack asked, offering Nathan his wrist without hesitation. Nathan slid the bracelet around Jack’s wrist and latched it, then kissed the pulse point just below the clasp.
“That would be telling,” Nathan remarked, pulling Jack in closer. “Is it okay if I stay with you tonight?”
“Of course,” Jack replied, shuffling to get comfortable. “Always. You’ll have to set an alarm if you want to be out of here before my daughter stops home tomorrow morning.”
“Should I be gone before then?” Nathan asked, sounding almost too innocent, his fingers gently stroking Jack’s wrist along the bracelet.
“You here first thing in the morning is not how I envision telling her about the three of us, nor is a threesome the first conclusion she’d leap to,” Jack replied, voice heavy with sleep.
“Well, given the extraordinary amount of trouble you get into, I think she’d assume I’d come to tell you what was currently out to kill you,” Nathan snarked, and Jack blinked, recognizing something in his tone.
“Tell me you weren’t worried about me,” Jack whispered, and Nathan’s arms tightened marginally. “Nathan?”
“I wasn’t worried,” he deflected scornfully. “I’ve just gotten used to being there to keep an eye on you. Lately we’ve been getting into everything together and—”
“I love you too,” Jack said, lightly tracing meaningless patterns along Nathan’s abdomen.
“You just said,” Nathan looked surprised, then bent down to brush his lips across Jack’s. “You didn’t say it earlier.”
“Wasn’t the right time,” Jack shrugged, stroking Nathan’s beard gently, then lifted his head for another soft kiss. “But I do. Just a little.”
“Only a little, huh?” Nathan sounded amused. “I guess I love you just a little too.”
“Nope, too late,” Jack replied, smiling. “You already told me you can’t live without me. And gave me a promise of forever.” He held his wrist up, knowing his ridiculous contentment was showing on his face.
“I’ve got news for you,” Nathan commented, pulling Jack back into a tight embrace. “You’re a terrible liar, Jack. And you’re lucky most of this town is blind to anything that doesn’t involve a scientific equation, or we wouldn’t have to tell them a damn thing.”
“You think so?” Jack mused, softly stroking Nathan’s chest. “Good, I like that idea. Just ‘cuz I share you with Allison doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate anyone else near you.”
“Hmm,” Nathan seemed amused. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Jack slept well and tried hard to ignore the alarm when it went off for Nathan well before dawn. He had just drifted back to sleep, a hazy dream of Allison and Nathan teasing him the day before playing out, and awoke abruptly to find Nathan, still wet from the shower and wrapped in a towel, stroking him playfully, mouth exploring his chest. “Nathan,” he gasped, coming hard and whiting out for a moment as he fell back to the pillows.
“Good morning,” Nathan said when Jack manage to struggle through opening his eyes again, leaning up to kiss him. “I thought you might appreciate the wakeup call.”
“Got time for me to return the favor?” Jack asked, running his fingers low along Nathan’s stomach, something he knew drove the other man crazy.
Nathan groaned, trapping Jack’s fingers. “Only if you’re okay with your daughter catching us,” he complained.
“Give it a little while, make sure we’re through the whole honeymoon phase,” Jack murmured, linking his fingers with Nathan’s. “We survive a crisis and an argument intact as a threesome, and then we deal with the kids. Because trust me, I want her to start knowing she has you and Allison around if she needs you.”
“Love you,” Nathan told Jack, kissing him once more before climbing out of bed, dressing quickly. “See you at breakfast?” he asked, and Jack nodded. One last lingering kiss, and Nathan was gone.
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Date: 2009-02-03 11:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-05 03:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-05 12:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-02-05 03:34 am (UTC)