Either Way
Either Way
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Allison, Jo/Zane, Henry/Grace, Fargo/Claudia
Spoilers: 4.05, “Crossing Over”
Word Count: 1620
Summary: There are some decisions that have to be made. Four couples; four stories.
A/N: Title taken from the Guster song of the same name. Written for Week 5 of the
eureka_tag community.
Jack
Jack hated confrontations; he didn’t like to upset other people, and he would happily ignore a problem until it went away, at least where it concerned his personal life. Right now, however, he was going to lose his chance with Allison unless he could figure out how to tell her that Dr. Grant wasn’t to be trusted-without sounding like a jealous asshole.
He caught sight of her inside Café Diem at he passed by. Allison sat next to Grant at the counter, and she was smiling, leaning in close. From her body language, it seemed obvious that Allison was flirting with Old Spice.
Jack hesitated, wondering if he shouldn’t just give the whole thing up as a lost cause. Maybe their timing was always going to be bad.
Allison rose from her barstool and left the café, and Jack realized that Allison’s route would take her right past him.
He had to swallow against the sudden dryness in his throat as she approached. “Hey, Allison.”
“Carter.” Was it just his imagination, or had Allison’s smile been brighter with Grant? “You okay?”
“Can I talk to you?” Jack blurted out before he could think better of it.
Surprise crossed Allison’s face, and she nodded. “Of course.”
“Sheriff’s station?” Jack suggested. “Andy’s out doing rounds.”
He waited until they were inside, with the door closed behind them, before asked, “So, how’s Jenna?”
Allison frowned. “Jack, you didn’t stop me just to ask about Jenna.” She sat down in the chair across from his desk. “What’s going on?”
Jack perched on the edge of his desk. “I gotta ask, Allison, is it always going to be bad timing with us?”
Her expression was uncertain. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“We kissed,” Jack pointed out. “And, okay, that was 60 years ago, and having Tess around when we got back complicated things, but she’s gone now. We’re both free, and I need to know if there’s a chance for us, if you think of me as more than a friend.”
“Jack…” Allison stopped, and his heart sank. “You’ve always been a good friend.”
“Yeah,” he managed, cutting her off. “I get it. I guess I can’t compete with somebody like Grant. Look, just forget it. I’ve got a few phone calls I need to make.”
Jack was babbling, trying to cover his hurt; it looked like he was always going to be second best to Allison.
And any hope he had that she might stop him died when she rose and walked out of the station without another word.
Jack took a deep breath, and then he went back to work.
Zane
Lupo kept walking past his office, and although Zane had thought at first it was a passive-aggressive way of rushing him through the rebuild, he wasn’t so sure now.
There was so much that didn’t add up with Lupo-the moment in the sheriff’s station when she was talking marriage, the thing with the zombies when she’d been so close, how she’d risked her job to save him. Zane usually had no problem putting puzzles together, or synthesizing information to arrive at a working theory, but he was coming up empty.
Zane had seen the expression on Lupo’s face when she’d woken up in the infirmary, and it hadn’t been loathing. Maybe he’d been imagining things, but Zane would have sworn she was happy to see him.
He sifted through his impressions and observations of one Jo Lupo as he put the finishing touches on the rebuilt Sky Cruiser. It was too bad GD had the rights to every design he created during the course of his employment there. Zane would have liked to build one for himself. Riding the Sky Cruiser had been the most fun he’d had in weeks, and the chances of getting on it again were pretty much slim to none.
Zane glanced up from the last circuit board, and was somehow unsurprised to see Lupo standing in the doorway. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Lupo’s expression was wistful, and the way she greeted him, it was downright friendly.
“I take it you’re feeling better,” he said, standing up, shifting uncomfortably.
She shrugged. “I’m still a little sore, but I’ll live.” Lupo gestured at the Sky Cruiser II behind him. “Looks good.”
“Told you I was almost done,” Zane replied, sounding more defensive than he wanted. “You don’t have to keep checking on me.”
“I actually came by to thank you for visiting me,” Lupo replied after taking a deep, audible breath. “And for the magazine.”
Zane felt off-balance. “Yeah. No problem. Just, uh, don’t get shot again.”
“I’ll try,” she replied drily, turning to leave.
“Hey, Lupo,” Zane called before he could think better of it. “Who are you seeing when you look at me?”
When she looked back at him, the expression she wore was so sad it even tugged at his heart-and Zane would have sworn he didn’t have one, not where Lupo was concerned. “Someone I lost,” she said quietly.
Zane sat back down with a thump as she left, running a hand through his hair and staring down at his lab bench.
That hadn’t been the answer he was expecting, and Zane had begun to wonder if he would ever understand her.
The crazy part was that he wanted to.
Henry
Henry propped himself up on one elbow, watching as Grace slept next to him. Charles’ near-death experience had served as a wakeup call, driving home the point that there was no hope of reversing the effects of their time travel. There was no going back; Henry had to choose to live in the present.
In this world, Grace was his wife; it was past time for him to start acting like her husband.
Henry brushed her hair out of her face, smiling as she turned towards him. Even in her sleep, Grace turned to him.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she saw him, her eyes lighting up. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He cupped her cheek, leaning down for a kiss. “And good morning.”
“It is a good morning,” she agreed. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” His stomach growled. “Hungry. Are you interested in breakfast?”
“I could eat.” She tugged him back down for another kiss. “Last night was great.”
Henry so wished that he had experienced their first night together, their first date, all those little things that made up a relationship. He wished he could tell her the truth, so that this felt like less of a lie. But, since none of that was possible, all he could do was to begin to make a new series of firsts.
“Last night was fantastic,” Henry replied.
Grace turned her head to glance at the alarm clock. “I need to get into GD a little early today, so I’d better get moving.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?”
Grace gave him an odd look. “Do you even need to ask?”
“I can’t remember the last time we had a date,” Henry replied. “I think we need to rectify that.”
She laughed. “Okay. Dinner tonight. I’ll make sure I’m done by 7.”
“Go get ready,” Henry said. “I’ll throw something together for breakfast.”
Grace smiled. “It’s good to have my husband back.”
He felt the words like a blow, but Henry knew he was the only husband she had. “It’s good to be back,” he managed.
Maybe someday Henry would be able to tell her the truth, and maybe Grace would be able to forgive him for his deception. He hoped so, because he was falling head over heels in love with his wife.
Fargo
The¬_Fargonator has signed in.
JrAgent13 has signed in.
The_Fargonator: Hey!
JrAgent13: Heya.
The_Fargonator: Are you sure this line is secure?
JrAgent13: Trust me, Doug. I gotcha covered. Anything new in Eureka?
The_Fargonator: General Mansfield is coming next week. I’m pretty sure something is going to go wrong at the worst possible moment.
JrAgent13: Where’s your optimism?
The_Fargonator: The last time the general was here, Larry’s rocket almost blew up the town.
JrAgent13: Okay, that’s bad. Just remember you’re the Fargonator. You can handle it.
The_Fargonator: What about you?
The_Fargonator: Any interesting artifacts come in?
JrAgent13: Oh, just the usual. The new goo works great, by the way.
The_Fargonator: If you need anything else, let me know.
The_Fargonator: Including computer updates. I’d be happy to visit.
JrAgent13: I’d rather come to Eureka. Your emergencies are much cooler.
The_Fargonator: The half a brain inside a computer was pretty cool.
The_Fargonator: And there weren’t mines at the warehouse.
JrAgent13: The mines weren’t so bad. :-)
The_Fargonator: Since my head didn’t blow up…
The_Fargonator: But yeah. That was kind of fun.
JrAgent13: We should definitely exchange expertise again soon.
The_Fargonator: I can think of something else I’d like to exchange.
JrAgent 13: …
The_Fargonator: Sorry?
JrAgent13: Crap. I gotta go. Artie’s calling. TTYL?
The_Fargonator: Same time, same place?
JrAgent13: Video chat next time?
The_Fargonator: Absolutely.
JrAgent13: It’s a date.
JrAgent13 has logged off.
The_Fargonator has logged off.
Fargo winced as he shut down his computer. That had probably been a little too forward, but he liked Claudia, dammit, and she’d kissed him-several times!
“Long distance relationships suck,” Fargo muttered, and then he sighed and straightened his tie.
He had a lot to get done before the general’s next visit, but maybe he could arrange some vacation time afterwards. He’d heard South Dakota was nice this time of year.
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.
Pairing/Characters: Jack/Allison, Jo/Zane, Henry/Grace, Fargo/Claudia
Spoilers: 4.05, “Crossing Over”
Word Count: 1620
Summary: There are some decisions that have to be made. Four couples; four stories.
A/N: Title taken from the Guster song of the same name. Written for Week 5 of the
eureka_tag community.
Jack
Jack hated confrontations; he didn’t like to upset other people, and he would happily ignore a problem until it went away, at least where it concerned his personal life. Right now, however, he was going to lose his chance with Allison unless he could figure out how to tell her that Dr. Grant wasn’t to be trusted-without sounding like a jealous asshole.
He caught sight of her inside Café Diem at he passed by. Allison sat next to Grant at the counter, and she was smiling, leaning in close. From her body language, it seemed obvious that Allison was flirting with Old Spice.
Jack hesitated, wondering if he shouldn’t just give the whole thing up as a lost cause. Maybe their timing was always going to be bad.
Allison rose from her barstool and left the café, and Jack realized that Allison’s route would take her right past him.
He had to swallow against the sudden dryness in his throat as she approached. “Hey, Allison.”
“Carter.” Was it just his imagination, or had Allison’s smile been brighter with Grant? “You okay?”
“Can I talk to you?” Jack blurted out before he could think better of it.
Surprise crossed Allison’s face, and she nodded. “Of course.”
“Sheriff’s station?” Jack suggested. “Andy’s out doing rounds.”
He waited until they were inside, with the door closed behind them, before asked, “So, how’s Jenna?”
Allison frowned. “Jack, you didn’t stop me just to ask about Jenna.” She sat down in the chair across from his desk. “What’s going on?”
Jack perched on the edge of his desk. “I gotta ask, Allison, is it always going to be bad timing with us?”
Her expression was uncertain. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“We kissed,” Jack pointed out. “And, okay, that was 60 years ago, and having Tess around when we got back complicated things, but she’s gone now. We’re both free, and I need to know if there’s a chance for us, if you think of me as more than a friend.”
“Jack…” Allison stopped, and his heart sank. “You’ve always been a good friend.”
“Yeah,” he managed, cutting her off. “I get it. I guess I can’t compete with somebody like Grant. Look, just forget it. I’ve got a few phone calls I need to make.”
Jack was babbling, trying to cover his hurt; it looked like he was always going to be second best to Allison.
And any hope he had that she might stop him died when she rose and walked out of the station without another word.
Jack took a deep breath, and then he went back to work.
Zane
Lupo kept walking past his office, and although Zane had thought at first it was a passive-aggressive way of rushing him through the rebuild, he wasn’t so sure now.
There was so much that didn’t add up with Lupo-the moment in the sheriff’s station when she was talking marriage, the thing with the zombies when she’d been so close, how she’d risked her job to save him. Zane usually had no problem putting puzzles together, or synthesizing information to arrive at a working theory, but he was coming up empty.
Zane had seen the expression on Lupo’s face when she’d woken up in the infirmary, and it hadn’t been loathing. Maybe he’d been imagining things, but Zane would have sworn she was happy to see him.
He sifted through his impressions and observations of one Jo Lupo as he put the finishing touches on the rebuilt Sky Cruiser. It was too bad GD had the rights to every design he created during the course of his employment there. Zane would have liked to build one for himself. Riding the Sky Cruiser had been the most fun he’d had in weeks, and the chances of getting on it again were pretty much slim to none.
Zane glanced up from the last circuit board, and was somehow unsurprised to see Lupo standing in the doorway. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Lupo’s expression was wistful, and the way she greeted him, it was downright friendly.
“I take it you’re feeling better,” he said, standing up, shifting uncomfortably.
She shrugged. “I’m still a little sore, but I’ll live.” Lupo gestured at the Sky Cruiser II behind him. “Looks good.”
“Told you I was almost done,” Zane replied, sounding more defensive than he wanted. “You don’t have to keep checking on me.”
“I actually came by to thank you for visiting me,” Lupo replied after taking a deep, audible breath. “And for the magazine.”
Zane felt off-balance. “Yeah. No problem. Just, uh, don’t get shot again.”
“I’ll try,” she replied drily, turning to leave.
“Hey, Lupo,” Zane called before he could think better of it. “Who are you seeing when you look at me?”
When she looked back at him, the expression she wore was so sad it even tugged at his heart-and Zane would have sworn he didn’t have one, not where Lupo was concerned. “Someone I lost,” she said quietly.
Zane sat back down with a thump as she left, running a hand through his hair and staring down at his lab bench.
That hadn’t been the answer he was expecting, and Zane had begun to wonder if he would ever understand her.
The crazy part was that he wanted to.
Henry
Henry propped himself up on one elbow, watching as Grace slept next to him. Charles’ near-death experience had served as a wakeup call, driving home the point that there was no hope of reversing the effects of their time travel. There was no going back; Henry had to choose to live in the present.
In this world, Grace was his wife; it was past time for him to start acting like her husband.
Henry brushed her hair out of her face, smiling as she turned towards him. Even in her sleep, Grace turned to him.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she saw him, her eyes lighting up. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He cupped her cheek, leaning down for a kiss. “And good morning.”
“It is a good morning,” she agreed. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” His stomach growled. “Hungry. Are you interested in breakfast?”
“I could eat.” She tugged him back down for another kiss. “Last night was great.”
Henry so wished that he had experienced their first night together, their first date, all those little things that made up a relationship. He wished he could tell her the truth, so that this felt like less of a lie. But, since none of that was possible, all he could do was to begin to make a new series of firsts.
“Last night was fantastic,” Henry replied.
Grace turned her head to glance at the alarm clock. “I need to get into GD a little early today, so I’d better get moving.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?”
Grace gave him an odd look. “Do you even need to ask?”
“I can’t remember the last time we had a date,” Henry replied. “I think we need to rectify that.”
She laughed. “Okay. Dinner tonight. I’ll make sure I’m done by 7.”
“Go get ready,” Henry said. “I’ll throw something together for breakfast.”
Grace smiled. “It’s good to have my husband back.”
He felt the words like a blow, but Henry knew he was the only husband she had. “It’s good to be back,” he managed.
Maybe someday Henry would be able to tell her the truth, and maybe Grace would be able to forgive him for his deception. He hoped so, because he was falling head over heels in love with his wife.
Fargo
The¬_Fargonator has signed in.
JrAgent13 has signed in.
The_Fargonator: Hey!
JrAgent13: Heya.
The_Fargonator: Are you sure this line is secure?
JrAgent13: Trust me, Doug. I gotcha covered. Anything new in Eureka?
The_Fargonator: General Mansfield is coming next week. I’m pretty sure something is going to go wrong at the worst possible moment.
JrAgent13: Where’s your optimism?
The_Fargonator: The last time the general was here, Larry’s rocket almost blew up the town.
JrAgent13: Okay, that’s bad. Just remember you’re the Fargonator. You can handle it.
The_Fargonator: What about you?
The_Fargonator: Any interesting artifacts come in?
JrAgent13: Oh, just the usual. The new goo works great, by the way.
The_Fargonator: If you need anything else, let me know.
The_Fargonator: Including computer updates. I’d be happy to visit.
JrAgent13: I’d rather come to Eureka. Your emergencies are much cooler.
The_Fargonator: The half a brain inside a computer was pretty cool.
The_Fargonator: And there weren’t mines at the warehouse.
JrAgent13: The mines weren’t so bad. :-)
The_Fargonator: Since my head didn’t blow up…
The_Fargonator: But yeah. That was kind of fun.
JrAgent13: We should definitely exchange expertise again soon.
The_Fargonator: I can think of something else I’d like to exchange.
JrAgent 13: …
The_Fargonator: Sorry?
JrAgent13: Crap. I gotta go. Artie’s calling. TTYL?
The_Fargonator: Same time, same place?
JrAgent13: Video chat next time?
The_Fargonator: Absolutely.
JrAgent13: It’s a date.
JrAgent13 has logged off.
The_Fargonator has logged off.
Fargo winced as he shut down his computer. That had probably been a little too forward, but he liked Claudia, dammit, and she’d kissed him-several times!
“Long distance relationships suck,” Fargo muttered, and then he sighed and straightened his tie.
He had a lot to get done before the general’s next visit, but maybe he could arrange some vacation time afterwards. He’d heard South Dakota was nice this time of year.