EUReKA fic: "Blind Spot" (Jack/Nathan, NC-17)
Fandom: EUReKA
Title: Blind Spot
Rating: NC-17/FRAO
Summary: Jack's still invisible, and Nathan's having a harder time with this than he expected.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Property of SciFi, Andrew Cosby and Jamie Paglia.
Pairing/Characters: Jack Carter/Nathan Stark
Spoilers: Possible spoilers for 2x09, 'Sight Unseen'.
A/N: Originally for svmadelyn's Kink/Cliche challenge with the prompt of 'non-corporeal sex', the story grew out of control and then real life intervened too. (Better late than never!) An established relationship is implied in the story, and could technically be considered an AU.
A/N #2: Thanks to stellaluna_, evila_elf and michelleann68 for various bits of 'helps'.stellaluna_ &evila_elf, glad you've both come to the dark side now. ;-)





Nathan watches in a mix of fascination and trepidation as a set of invisible hands glide over him, deftly unbuttoning his shirt and caressing his chest, making broad strokes up and down in familiar patterns. It’s like magic, surreal, paralyzing because he's not quite sure whether he's dreaming or it's really happening. A small part of him expects to jolt awake to find himself asleep in his lab again, and not down some rabbit hole where an invisible lover is slowly starting to have their way with him as he stands there dumbfounded.

Nathan hears a quiet snort of amusement and warm breath wafts against his cheek as the hands continue to move. Suddenly one hand pinches his side, startling him, and he can hear Jack's amused chuckle right before Jack goes to work on his neck. He's not dreaming, although he wishes he was. Jack is here, in front of him-- it's Jack's hands touching him, Jack's soft breaths on his cheek. Nathan knows this on a rational level, but he has to keep reminding his subconscious of this fact. He can feel Jack's breaths ghost around him, the heat of Jack's hands on his skin, and hear his feet padding quietly on the floor when he moves around. Something in Nathan just can't get over the fact that he can't see Jack, that in some dimension he's not quite there. He wants to touch, feel Jack's warm skin beneath his fingers, the steady rush of blood below to convince him Jack's really alive, but he’s afraid of causing harm; he can’t see what he would be touching, even if his fingers ache to feel it. It's not quite like fumbling in the dark when you have no point of reference to work from.

“Jack?” he asks the empty room, his voice sounding much less steady than it should. Weakness is unacceptable. Jack doesn’t need anything else to worry about right now.

What Jack really needs is someone to help him deal with this; being turned invisible and nearly killed by the process is not the easiest thing to get through, even if it is just another one of the risks of working in Eureka. 'Big science, big risks', they say, but Nathan doesn't like the risks any longer when they endanger his people, especially people he cares about. Jack, on the other hand, seems to be adjusting to the whole situation relatively well now that the risk of death has been averted and Henry and Allison sent them home after two solid days of trying to find a way to bring him back permanently. He had gotten to the point where they nearly needed to tie a bell on him just to keep track of him, and Nathan could swear that Jack was starting to perversely enjoy scaring people. Jack always seems to be the quickest to return to equilibrium after a disaster out of all of them, although Nathan can't be sure that it isn't just an act.

“Hey. Scientist.” Jack’s voice is soft, soothing. “I can hear you thinking in there." A light tap of fingers on his temple that linger in a caress. "Makes a lot of noise, you know."

He can hear the smile in Jack's voice and rolls his eyes, looking down, away from Jack-- or at least where he's relatively sure Jack is.

"I’m right here. Really." Jack's hand traces slow, comforting paths on Nathan's chest again, the way he likes it. "Not dead yet.” Jack laughs, but it sounds almost hollow, like he's not so sure he's going to stay that way. Nathan frowns and shifts, unable to keep his brain from going down that path, the images and possibilities speeding through his mind before he can stop himself.

Suddenly Jack’s hand is on his cheek, cupping it gently, but Nathan still can’t see him. The room, everything else, is normal, a little messy-- but normal. Only Jack is missing. He squints slightly, trying to imagine the outline of Jack in front of him. He can feel Jack’s presence next to him, a strange ghoulish mass of heat radiating off his body as he stands there, hear Jack's excited but strong breaths if he strains in the silence. Nathan has to keep himself from squirming in discomfort, torn between wanting, craving the feel of Jack against him to know he’s alive, and overriding the panic and thought patterns ingrained into his very nature that tell him that there's something very wrong with him and he absolutely must be imagining things because he can’t see Jack in front of him.

Now Jack’s lips are on his, slow and smooth, kissing him gently. Nathan has to keep himself from shaking his head. That’s Jack for you, he thinks. Always trying to be the protector, the comforter, the strongest one, hero of the town. No matter that he’s currently invisible and should be dead right now, Jack always has to be the white knight. He should be the one trying to soothe Jack, not the other way around. He kicks himself again for not being stronger, smarter, faster... Not good enough to save Jack. A Nobel laureate and research director of the most advanced facility in the world, and all he could do was stand there like an idiot as everything they tried ended up failing. Not being able to stop the progression of the invisibility before it consumed Jack completely, although by the grace of something they kept him alive, just still invisible.

Henry kicked Nathan out of his own labspace after his second night without sleeping, forcing him to rest while Henry continued Nathan's work to bring Jack back permanently. He wouldn't trust it to anyone else. Nathan stumbled home to what seemed an empty space, startled out of his exhausted haze when Jack's invisible hands pushed his aside when he started to unbutton his shirt.

Nathan snaps back to the present as Jack’s hand curls around the back of his head, relishing the feel of Jack's fingers tangling in his hair as his he leans against Nathan’s front. Even though he can’t see Jack, the warmth of his body radiates through Nathan’s clothes, and it feels good, comforting, familiar. Nathan reaches out a tentative hand to what he thinks should be Jack's back, fingers carefully searching for familiar textures. There’s smooth, warm skin beneath his fingertips, marked by a few light scars that litter his back and the bumps of his spine. Nathan's hand traces slowly up and down the vertebral ridge, counting and naming the bones in his head as his fingers pass over each one. He tries to visualize the planes and valleys of Jack's back that he's slowly beginning to learn, but all he can see in his mind are clinical pieces, pictures of the whole that he can't even see right now. It’s there but it’s not, and it’s equally disconcerting as it is comforting.

Jack's breath is warm on his neck, and he can feel Jack's smile against his skin as he licks and bites as he moves lower. Nathan closes his eyes and leans his head back, giving Jack as much room as he wants. Jack makes a noise of approval, hands moving lower onto Nathan's hips. Nathan lets his hands skim lower, following familiar paths, and pulls their hips tight together when he feels the sharp edge of pelvic bones under his fingers. Jack makes a low noise noise and gives a sharper nip at the base of Nathan's throat, and Nathan can't hold back the shudder of pleasure the bite draws to the surface.

Nathan lets his thumbs skim lower, tickled lightly by the once dark hairs low on Jack’s lean torso. Jack makes another pleased sound as he moves his hands back up Jack’s back again, the textures and patterns almost their own unique language. He opens his eyes again to find his hands caressing empty air and tenses and freezes. It's juvenile, but he has to tamp down the urge to bolt out of the room, away from this surreal contradiction. The only thing holding him in place is the feel of Jack's hands moving on his chest, grounding him just barely enough to resist the current of irrational panic firing though his body. The strain from holding himself in place coupled with his exhaustion starts to make his legs shake, and he doesn't know how much longer he can handle standing there when Jack moves closer to him and nudges him backward.

“Bed,” Jack says firmly, and pushes Nathan slowly backward.

Nathan's grateful to move, but a part of him automatically resists being ordered around. He complies slowly, perching on the edge of the bed nervously once his legs bump into it. Part of him is dying to look up to see Jack standing over him, but the blank space he knows is there will mock him, hurt him in ways he doesn't even want to explore. For some inexplicable reason, he just can’t get past what his eyes don’t see, and it bothers him even more.

Jack nudges him again, kisses him gently, hands moving with slow, light touches. Like he's a skittish animal, something to tame. The tone of the room has shifted as quick as Nathan's mood, and he shouldn't be surprised, really. Jack's always been the most perceptive out of all of them when it comes to reading people.

“Why are you so suddenly passive? This isn’t the Stark I know.” Jack's voice is laced with concern, and Nathan can hear the frown in his voice. Nathan wants to kick himself for being so obvious, for ruining the evening. It shouldn't matter, shouldn't bother him, and Jack doesn't need to know that it does.

“It’s nothing.” He can't bring himself to look at Jack, can't deal with it all right now. Not enough sleep, no answers, and his latest failure would be staring back at him, mocking him, from an empty space. Nathan tells himself it'll be better when they fix this, find a cure, and everything's back to normal and in his parameters of how to handle things.

“Not nothing. You may be known to growl and brood to scare every intern at GD, but it's not going to work on me and you know it. Give.” He can hear the determination in Jack's voice.

Silence falls. Nathan's not going to give in that easily, and Jack doesn't need the encouragement to think that Nathan's going to do whatever he wants just because Jack told him to. That'd be dangerous enough on its own, letting Jack order him around, and Jack doesn't need to know about Nathan's issues. He has enough to deal with right now; Jack doesn't need anything else adding to his troubles, no matter how strong he thinks he is.

Jack’s hand is suddenly on Nathan’s cock, kneading it lightly through his wool slacks, and Nathan jumps. Bastard. Leave it to Jack to manipulate the circumstances until he gets the answer he wants. He's not as stupid as everyone thinks. That 111 is deceptive.

“Come on…” Jack's cajoles.

Nathan sighs, squirming under the soft kneading touch. Light and gentle is just so much harder for him to resist, and damn if Jack doesn't know just the right things to do to drive him up a wall quickly and effectively. Jack leans in close, nipping lightly at the side of Nathan's neck and curling his fingers under just right... Oh fuck. His hips jerk before he can stop himself.

"Tell me..." Jack's voice is in his ear, ringing with self satisfaction, probably convinced he's going to get the answers that he wants.

Jack really does know how to push every one of his buttons; the danger of taking a lover with the quiet tenacity like Jack has. That touch in the right places can be his undoing, and Jack knows it. Hell, he could probably get Nathan to spill just about anything, including every project in Section 5, if he did the right things. He may have been trained in torture and interrogation resistance techniques in his darker days, but they never covered resisting a manipulative Jack Carter in any of it.

Jack suddenly moves away, and the loss of his warmth, the shift from familiar to cold, pushes Nathan over the edge he didn't even realize he was hovering on. He looks down, away from Jack, away from his failure and the disturbing emptiness. “I don’t know what I’m touching, where I’m touching." Nathan shifts uncomfortably. He wants the heat of Jack's hands back, the reassuring presence. "I don’t want to reach for the wrong thing and hurt you because I have no reference point. I open my eyes, and I feel you under my hands but all I can see is air. It’s hard to get used to the idea that I’m about to have sex with a non-corporeal being.”

He laughs at himself, dark with self contempt. Damn. Nobody needed to hear that, and it sounds even worse when you vocalize it, paranoid and childish. A man of his stature and accomplishments does not act or think in such a manner. He should know better. Damn Jack. The manipulative little shit. He’ll pay if -- no. When, not if. When they get him back visible again.

Jack is quiet for a long moment, and Nathan wants to growl in frustration from not being able to see his expression. It’s hard enough not being able to assess all aspects of a situation, to not be able to account for all of the variables. When one of the biggest ones is human... Well, that’s just asking for trouble. Maybe he's said too much, said the wrong thing. Jack is nothing less than stubborn, and will probably get upset at Nathan trying to protect him. The fear of this invisibility, of this unknown, is just stupid anyway. A man of his intelligence should be above that, past that, able to process it and move on. And not so easily manipulated into admitting such things.

He feels the weight of Jack’s hand come back to his cheek and leans into it by habit. Jack angles his face to look at him, Nathan assumes. It's just too hard to gauge when it's empty air. He swallows and tries to look boldly into the blank air, tries to imagine Jack's face in front of him.

"I'm right here, even if you don't see me. Touch me, feel me. It's ok, I won’t break. Really.” Jack’s voice is softer than he expects, or maybe he’s just imagining things again. Jack doesn't sound upset, or pitying. He expected more of a reaction, to be laughed at or told he's crazy, stupid and to stop worrying. “This thing made me look like glass, not actually turned me into it. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

Jack's thumb moves back and forth on his cheek, ruffling his beard. It almost tickles. Amazing how other senses begin to compensate and perception changes when one sense is denied.

"Do you trust me?"

Nathan's head shoots up by reflex and he glares at Jack, or at least where he should be. Of course he trusts Jack now, why would he be here if he didn't? Why even ask that question?

Jack laughs. "There's the Stark I know, always ready to toss out a scowl at will." Nathan casts his eyes down again, even when Jack nudges him to look up again.

Jack's hand pushes solidly into his chest, taking him by surprise. "Strip. Lie back and close your eyes, and keep them closed."

Nathan resists out of habit. Control is hard-wired into him, and resisting is automatic, even if logic tells him in this circumstance this is the only way it’s going to work. Jack has way too many advantages over him at the moment, and the best option would be just to let the one who has the most perception of dimensionality between the two of them take the lead…. Not that he would ever admit it to Jack.

"Stop, Nathan," Jack starts stroking his chest again, soothing slow movements that slowly relax him. "Turn that big brain of yours off for a while, and just give in already. You'll be able to feel me better when there's nothing on your skin, nothing between us. You'll know I'm there and not need to see me, promise." Something inside finally Nathan snaps and he moves then, motivated by the thought of being able to feel Jack, sense him better. He strips confidently and as soon as he's naked, he searches for Jack. When he sees nothing again, he tenses up, standing stiffly by the bed.

"Good start, scientist," Jack says, pushing Nathan back down onto the bed, hands roaming again. "Lie back and stay still, now. Don't make me go get my handcuffs." One hand disappears and Jack's fingernails scrape light trails along Nathan's chest, a completely different sensation than before. He shifts again, torn between wanting to revel in the feeling and get away from the stifling emptiness of the room.

He can feel Jack's breath against his ear, and he starts to relax again. "Or do you want that? To struggle against them as I keep you captive and make you forget everything-- even how much 2 + 2 is? How would you explain the marks away to Ali tomorrow morning? How many shades of red would Fargo turn this time when he figures out what they are? Or maybe I should use some of those ties of yours, so that every single time you dress up to meet with the generals and dignitaries, you can't help but remember what they felt like against your skin, what I did to you until you finally just gave in to me. I bet I'll have to, that you just can't manage to give up that control freak need, for even a couple of hours." Jack's tongue snakes lightly against Nathan's ear, teasing and daring Nathan to defy his challenge.

A coil of fire burns low and deep in Nathan's gut at the thought of submitting and he squirms. Damn Jack. He shouldn't want to give in like that, it's his job, his nature, to stay in control at all times. Nathan doesn't even want to begin to contemplate why he's so turned on just by the thought of it, especially the thought of the feel of the smooth silk of the ties. He shifts around uncomfortably, but when turns his head towards where he senses Jack to be, he's rewarded with a slow, biting kiss.

"Stay," Jack says, with one last lingering kiss and a flattened hand to Nathan's chest just before he moves away. Nathan frowns. He's not Lojack, for fuck's sake. He doesn't need to be treated like an obedient pet, even if he is trying to cooperate.

Jack moves around him on the bed, and Nathan can only feel the slightest movement because he's straining to feel it-- slight breezes and an almost ghostlike rustling of fabric. For once, he wishes for one of those awful spring mattresses, where you can feel every little movement so he could sense exactly where Jack is right now-- not the Eurekean miracle contour mattress they're both laying on. The vibrations and movement could help him get a sense of where Jack is and help anticipate Jack's next move. The whole situation is like having a permanent blindfold that filters out only Jack, and it seems like some sort of cruel torture.

He tries to hold still but just can't manage, and soon he's making small shifting counter movements while trying not to draw Jack's attention. He just wants to know, feel exactly where Jack is, and Jack's not giving it to him. The light touches and soft kisses Jack is taunting him with are good, but they're not enough. Lord knows Jack is the kind to seize the opportunity to torture him slowly.

Quick as lightening, Jack pins his wrists sharply to the bed, and Nathan jerks against him. Nathan really could throw Jack off if he wanted to; Nathan has substantially more size and weight that he could easily use to turn the tables. Something raw in him breaks, and part of him wants to push back, flip Jack over and straddle him and make him scream.

He closes his eyes and inhales sharply as memory filters in.

"How do you like that Sheriff?" he growls as Jack moans and bucks from underneath him, all smooth golden flesh and lean muscle fighting back against his dominance. Jack's smaller and wiry, but quick and determined, struggling against Nathan as he kisses and bites back from below.

Something twists at Nathan's gut, wanting desperately for the adrenaline rush of a struggle, but the other part is determined to prove that he can, will do this. Nathan Stark does not back down from a challenge. Ever. And he's going to ignore the little part in the back of his brain for now that tells him it feels so right to be held down like this.

"Stop. Do you really want me to go get the ties? Because I can." Jack squeezes Nathan's wrists pointedly, and Nathan has to bite back a moan of pleasure.

Jack then settles almost completely on top of him. Although Jack is a bit heavy, it’s strangely comforting, reassuring. He can feel all of Jack now, that he's really there and not a fever dream.

Jack may be a smaller man than Nathan, but he’s certainly no lightweight. Right now he could weigh twice as much and Nathan wouldn't mind one bit. Nathan can feel everything, every square millimeter of Jack pressed against him and it's the best feeling he's had in recent memory. The contact is a constant reminder that Jack’s right there with him, alive and breathing, blood rushing through his veins and blissfully alive -- not actually the strange ghost he seems to be. The flesh and bone is there under his hands even if he can’t see it, alive and warm and as smooth as it was two days ago. It's still Jack, still alive, still with them. He won't be going anywhere for a while; at least until yet another disaster in this town puts them in danger.

Jack's voice is low and slow in his ear, and a couple of his fingers have crawled back into Nathan's hair, rubbing slowly against his scalp.

"Told you it'd be better if you behaved. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." Jack's nose nudges against his face gently, the intimacy of the gesture almost shocking after the struggle. "Get it through that thick head of yours already so that we can get to the good stuff," Jack grinds his hips against him, and Nathan can feel Jack's semi-hard cock rubbing against his leg. It brings a strange mixture of desire and comfort, and the little spikes of pleasure into his groin move heat into his chest, letting loose the invisible band that's held tight around his lungs since Jack first started disappearing.

Nathan lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and he reaches boldly for the warm flesh above him. Now he has his points of reference, he's not afraid of hurting Jack anymore because he knows where his hands will land. He lets his hands travel up and down his back, tracing the dips and valleys, trying to memorize and map every square millimeter with the tips of his fingers. The more he lets his hands roam, the more confident he gets, even lightly scraping his fingers down Jack's shoulders, smiling as Jack hisses in pleasure. When he feels the smooth curve of Jack's ass beneath his fingers, he can't stop himself from squeezing hard and pull their groins together, grinding himself against Jack's already hard cock. Jack's really there, right on top of him, and god knows they both want it. Nathan just needs to keep reminding himself of this fact. Jack's really right here. I'm not dreaming.

"Yeah, I feel you good, scientist. Just had to get it so you could get it through that big brain that I'm here. Feel me now, don't you?" He can hear the smug smile in Jack's voice, and he has the urge to kiss it off like always. He brings his hand back up Jack's back, to his neck and then his head to guide Jack's lips to his. He ends up with a mouth full of stubbled chin on the first try, which he leaves with a nip and moves up to what he was looking for in the first place.

"Atta boy, you're getting the hang of--" Getting him to run that mouth of his helped immensely in locating it, but Nathan decides that it is much better used to kiss and explore than for making sarcastic comments.

Nathan growls after they break apart, pleased with his conquest. "I'm not a dog, Sheriff." He thrusts his hips up for good measure, cock rubbing against Jack's.

He can hear Jack swallow and make a small noise of pleasure as the friction sends sparks along his spine. "Good thing," Jack says, voice less steady that before.

As good and steadying as it feels, being plastered together from head to toe doesn't leave much room to do anything but grind together, and Nathan wants, needs more now that he can really feel Jack with him. He shifts again, trying to indicate to Jack to kneel up or move, but it doesn't quite work as well as he planned. Suddenly the bulk of Jack's warmth is gone, and he's leaning down onto Nathan's chest to pin him into place.

"Stop," Jack growls. He can feel the tension in Jack' thighs as he straddles him, and it's easier now. As long as he can always feel Jack, the easier it gets.

When he stills again, Jack makes a small noise of approval and kisses him one last time before slowly moving down Nathan's neck and body, mouthing and nipping a meandering trail down toward his groin. He moves his hands off of Nathan's shoulders, but never completely loses a physical connection with him. Nathan feels infinitely better because of this, and gains a new level of respect for Jack's ability to perceive people in various situations. He shifts again and Jack nips his abs a bit too hard. That's going to leave a mark. He better be careful if he has to take his shirt off in the next few days, especially in front of particular people; he can swear they enjoy the opportunity to draw their own conclusions on how various marks have gotten on his, or more often, Jack's body.

The room seems cold without Jack's heat on top of him, but all of a sudden Jack licks a broad swipe up the side of his cock and the chill is forgotten when his brain switches off and he wants nothing other than more of that hot wet heat, more of Jack. More sensation and less thought. Jack sucks him in and it's so very good, all soft lips and wet heat and swirling tongue-- but the longer it goes on, the more he needs to feel Jack again. It's not enough without that connection. He reaches down carefully, fingers probing like a man trying to read braille, searching for just the right clue. His fingers glance gently off the whorl of an ear, and he smiles and reaches forward a little more and feels the soft prickle of Jack's short-shorn hair. Jack's head angles into his hands, seeking out attention even while dishing it out himself, and Nathan snorts with amusement. Typical Jack behavior.

Nathan grasps Jack's head more firmly but with care, and tries to encourage him to move back up. Jack's mouth on him is good, but it's just not enough-- he still has the irrational need to touch, to feel more of him. Jack eventually complies, but not before one last long suck and lets Nathan fall out of his mouth with a final wet pop. He guides Jack back up to him, confident in the feel of Jack's face under his hands. He kisses him thoroughly, pulling them tighter together as Jack settles back on top of him. With Jack's familiar weight on top of him again, he feels better, more centered, and Nathan starts to relax again, hands tracing bold paths back down Jack's body.

His fingers tighten tentatively around Jack's now very hard cock, and Jack makes a whining noise. Nathan smiles. Jack needs to make more sounds like that. He strokes softly again, and Jack whines and rubs against him.

"Evil... Liked you better all quiet, cooperative. Come on... I can tell you're just trying to be mean now." Jack squirms above him and grinds their hips together, pushing their cocks together, and the friction sends sparks to the base of Nathan's spine that make him groan, and Jack does it again, a push-pull of sensation.

Nathan shifts his hand to grab them both at the same time, and Jack moans. Nathan can feel Jack's breath panting in rushed whuffs against the side of his neck, and it pushes him closer to the edge. Jack starts to lick and bite at his neck and Nathan can't hold back the noise of pleasure as Jack's teeth scrape just right down the side of his neck, and his hand tightens reflexively and squeezes their cocks together harder as he strokes. Jack bites him again, and Nathan responds in kind, a twisted feedback loop of razor's edge sensation that has both of them panting and ready even faster than Nathan anticipated.

"Come on," he growls at Jack, and then Jack's coming all over the both of them, moaning loudly and jerking and grinding hard against Nathan. Jack's open reaction and the friction from the struggle pushes Nathan over the edge right behind him. Jack collapses back on top of him, and for one quiet moment everything feels right, back to normal. Reality comes back too quickly, and it twists at his gut once again. Nathan shifts one hand up to Jack's shoulders, softly moving back and forth. He's not sure who the gesture is more for, him or Jack, but it seems to have a calming effect on them both.

Jack shifts against him a few minutes later. "Control freak... You were supposed to let me take care of you." He mumbles into the side of Nathan's neck.

Nathan's arm curls possessively around Jack's back and he can start to relax now, sated and grounded by the feeling of Jack constantly with him. Jack shifts off him and Nathan holds Jack tightly, refusing to let him slip away.

"Shhh.. I'll be right back, promise." Jack's hand strokes the side of his face, and Nathan reluctantly lets go. "Good Scientist," Jack says with a hint of mischief in his voice, and Nathan rolls his eyes and tries to concentrate on the noises Jack makes when he moves around the room to remind himself he's really still there.

A few moments later he comes back and cleans Nathan off gently, and then settles back down on top of him.

Nathan's hands go straight to his back, holding him tight and possessively. "Told you I'd be back. Didn't think you'd like it if we were stuck to each other and you had to take me with you everywhere now," Jack says with a tired chuckle. Nathan chooses to ignore the little part of his brain that says that wouldn't be such a bad idea, and just pulls Jack even closer as Jack gives him one last goodnight kiss.

Jack settles into him with a boneless sigh, drifting off to sleep quicker than usual -- he must be still feeling the effects of everything. A sudden strong feeling of possession and the need to protect washes over Nathan, but the feel of Jack's body laying so trusting against him grounds him, relaxes him. With Jack here, he can sleep now. Jack's safe and within arms reach, a constant reminder that he really is still here. Nathan's determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way because he's already failed twice in the last 24 hours. He can't do it again.

Nathan closes his eyes and hopes that when he opens them tomorrow, he'll have the way to bring Jack back to him -- to the town-- forever.