Fic: Compare Me To Myself
Title: Compare Me To Myself
Author: Wyndewalker
Xover Fandom: Eureka
Series: Welcome To Eureka
Challenge: twistedshorts August-Fic-A-Day - Day 31
Authors note: Last day. Yay!
Rating: PG
Warning: None
Word Count: 1,060 words
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Eureka or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All rights belong to their owners and I merely borrow the characters for your amusement.
Summary: Jack lays out some home truths to Nathan who takes a step in the right direction with Xander
Jack was sitting at the dining table a tablet with Alex Stark's file, a tablet opened to the wikipedia site for the Buffy show and specifically Xander, and the notebook with all the information he'd gotten directly from Xander spread out in front of him while cradling a mug of SARAH's special blend coffee in his hand. From what he'd been able to get out of Xander the TV show itself had been a pretty accurate recreation of the lives of him and his friends, if a little incomplete in some places. The comics apparently didn't even come close to being accurate. As Xander put it, it was like someone had taken LSD and then came up with the most whacked out plots imaginable.
Ignoring that and just the whole vampire/demon hunting thing, he then compared Xander's life to Alex's. There were some definite similarities or maybe more like reflections. Alex's mother had left a domineering family as soon as she could with a full ride to college that she turned into multiple doctorates in various biology related fields. Xander's mother never managed that, instead going to nursing school while living at home and then marrying her high school boyfriend. A quick check had revealed that Tony Harris died in a drunk driving incident while in high school in this reality. Jack could only assume that he'd managed to survive or avoided it altogether in Xander's reality. In this reality Nathan had been working with Alex's mother and obviously involved in a personal relationship with her. According to Xander his mother's journal indicated that she'd been in Las Vegas for a 'girls' weekend when she ran into Stark and had a one night stand. In this reality she'd given full custody of Alex to Nathan once he was born, never trying to be part of his life until she died in a lab accident when he was four. In Xander's reality Nathan had never known about Xander and he'd died in the same lab accident. As a child Alex's grades had at first been all over the place until he was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADD. After that his grades had skyrocketed and his IQ results rivaled Nathan's. According to Xander he'd hated school with a passion and the only reason he graduated with a solid C- average was because of Willow. Jack had kept silent getting the feeling there were a lot of issues there. That feeling solidified when he saw in the wikipedia that Xander had been in all of the same classes as Willow who was listed as a straight A genius. He suspected Xander wasn't anywhere near as dumb as he'd been made to believe he was.
"Dr Stark is at the door, Sheriff Carter."
Jack glanced at the clock. Ten to ten. He'd actually expected him to show up sooner. "Child privacy level 3 on both Xander and Zoe's rooms please, SARAH, then let him in."
"Of course."
The door swung open allowing Stark to step inside. He paused just inside the doorway looking around before focusing on Jack, who rose to his feet waggling his coffee cup at him. "Coffee?"
Another glance around then Stark nodded approaching the table. "Please. Where's Alex?"
Jack sighed, moving into the kitchen to retrieve the second cup SARAH was preparing and replenish his own. When both cups were ready he returned to the table placing Stark's cup down across from his chair and sat. "Sit, Nathan. And Xander is upstairs."
"He should be staying with me. I won't be denied my son, Carter," Nathan growled, hands gripping the back of the chair in front of him tightly.
"And I'm not trying to keep him from you," Jack replied, "but the man upstairs isn't your son. At least not the son that you remember."
"Carter."
"Sit down, Nathan," Jack commanded, slipping into the tone of voice he'd only used in the Marshal's and when Zoe was being particularly infuriating. Once Nathan did so he slid the notebook over to Nathan. "I've read your son's file and while I know that only scratches the surface of a person I can tell you that the young man upstairs is mentally a completely different person. They've had completely different life experiences. Not the least of which is your Alex grew up knowing he was loved and wanted. Xander didn't. He's got self-esteem issues; I suspect he's got undiagnosed learning disabilities; he's got a nice case of PTSD; and probably a host of other issues. He's been dumped, with little chance of getting home, in a reality where the war he's been fighting for the last 10 years doesn't exist. Or at least I hope to God it doesn't." Jack softened at the pained look on Nathan's face. "I understand that you want your son back. If I lost Zoe... I get it. You have to accept that the young man upstairs is not that person. I'm not saying you can't or shouldn't try to build a father-son relationship with him you just have to remember to see him for who he actually is and not who you want him to be."
"And just how do you think I should do that?" Nathan sniped although Jack could see the uncertainty in the other man's face. Movement on the stairs caught his attention and he sighed.
"Well, you could try talking to him." He looked pointedly over Nathan's shoulder. Nathan stiffened but turned to face Xander who was watching them.
Xander regarded them both for a moment before limping his way over to the table and sliding into a chair. He reached over to tilt Jack's mug towards him, quirking an eyebrow at him when he saw the contents. Jack just rolled his eyes but let Xander take it.
"So, you're my bio dad in this reality," Xander finally said.
"I am," Nathan said gruffly.
"You know I'm probably nothing like your kid, right?"
Taking a deep breath, Nathan nodded. "Maybe not but I'd still like to know you. You're my son."
Draining the rest of Jack's coffee, Xander put the mug back in front of him and stood up again. "Lunch tomorrow at that Cafe Diem place."
"Lunch sounds good."
Xander nodded then headed back up the stairs. Nathan slumped back in his chair once he was gone. Jack grinned.
"It's a start."