Eureka Fic: "Legacy" (Jack/Nathan/Allison, implied Nathan/Allison; NC-17)
Fandom: EUReKA
Title: Legacy
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Jack reacts to the news Allison gives him at the cafe.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Property of SciFi, Andrew Cosby and Jamie Paglia.
Pairing/Characters: Jack Carter/Nathan Stark/Allison Blake; implied Nathan Stark/Allison Blake
Spoilers: BIG Spoilers for 3x08 - 'From Fear to Eternity'
A/N: Written for Week 8 of the challenge at eureka_tag, Missing/Alternate Scene for 3x08 - 'From Fear to Eternity' (I did it! \o/ )
A/N #2: Thanks to evila_elf for the lookover.




Allison: “I’m pregnant.”
Jack: “How?”
Allison: “The usual way.”
Jack: “I got the drill. So… So, it’s…”
Allison: “Nathan’s.”

******

Jack’s heart stops when she actually says the words, the same cold pit of panic that hit him when Abby sprung the same news on him on a rainy night 17 years ago that he was going to be a father well before he was ready to be.

Oh. Fuck.

Not again.

The baby could be either of theirs, although his gut tells him it’s probably Nathan’s. He knew all along that Ali and Nathan were alone together more often than he was with them, especially given the impending wedding, but there had been more than one night spent recently enough in their arms that he could be the father too.

His mind is suddenly a panicked swirl of memories and emotions, freezing on the moment that he first held Zoe in his arms, dirty, wriggling and screeching, and the overwhelming rush that came knowing that this was his baby girl, his responsibility and now the most important thing in his life. The warm feeling from that moment starts to thaw the cold pit in his stomach, and right then and there he knows he’ll raise Ali’s baby too, no matter if it’s his or Nathan’s. This time, he’ll do it right.

He has to know but can’t even bring himself to say Nathan’s name, and the sad smile that Ali gives him tells him more than he ever needed to know. She’s handled Nathan’s death better than he has in every way, and now she’s even more amazing if she was dealing with hormones on top of it. He does feel bad for his weakness, his lack of control when it comes to anything to do with Nathan, but he knows it’s all going to be too raw for him for a very long time to come.

All he can do now is be here for Ali, however she wants. With Lexi’s and now Ali’s pregnancy, he can focus on the children and keeping the town from destroying itself. Guilt and regret still twists at him for a lot of things, but most of all because instead of staying with Ali, keeping her close like Nathan would have wanted, they’ve barely even done more than have dinner together. He’s sorry for that, because Ali deserves better than this, better than him. And so does Nathan’s memory.

Nathan was the lynchpin of the whole crazy thing, the one so completely convinced that they could and did fit together perfectly. It was Nathan who loved them both so fiercely that he couldn’t live without having them both, and took infinite patience and planning to convince them both that this was the right thing for them all. He knew that Nathan believed down to his last atom that someday Ali and Jack would see things his way, and feel the same as he did.

Loving Ali wasn’t a hardship for Jack-- beautiful, commanding, strong, smart with a body that he could spend forever luxuriating in and a gentle touch that she used in so many ways to make him melt. She seemed equally attracted to him, and Nathan was always so pleased to watch them together, always telling them that one day they’d feel just like he did.

Jack just never could get past the little voice in the back of his head that said he was just some plaything for the both of them, a third wheel, some extra limb where nothing was needed. Gentle hands and soft lips were always trying to convince him otherwise, but it never completely worked.

He still remembers the sharp contrasts between their touch on that last night, Nathan’s broad hands in very light touches and Ali’s smaller hands smoothing in confident strokes all over him. Lips, tongues and teeth tracing paths all over his body, slow and torturous but so very, very good. Then it was Ali taking him into her hot, wet heat and Nathan thrusting so very slowly from behind at first until he couldn’t remember which way was up and nearly blacked out from the pleasure. For those moments in time, both of them made him feel as if there was nothing more important in the world than him, no GD, no town of crazy people, nothing but them and that bed and their pleasure.

The familiar burning hurt in his chest that lives in his chest whenever he remembers Nathan doesn’t have time to flare up this time because he looks up to see General Mansfield standing at their table. With the General around, Jack has bigger problems to deal with right now than grieving over his dead lover.

He stands to greet the General head on, instinctually defending Ali and himself before the General even starts to speak.

Life goes on, with or without Nathan. But Jack damn well wishes that it was with.