Chapter Text
Dissolved
Chapter 1
Not So Happy Return
“Global Dynamics, Satellite Five, online in three. Global Dynamics, Satellite Five, online in three.”
Jack looked up at a speaker on the wall as the announcement broadcast throughout Global Dynamics. Satellite 5 ? How many of those did this place have or need? He put his hands in his pockets as he walked beside Allison down the hall, telling himself it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to be here long enough to find out. He didn’t want to use his connections to get around this assignment, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around Sciencey Mayberry long enough for the Marshall Service to fill his position and leave him without a job to return to. Right now he had a case and he couldn’t ignore his duty. Susan Perkins was not dead and that was more important than his own personal problems. “So, did you met the new director yet?”
Allison shook her head. “Not yet. He just arrived. Global Dynamics is under DARPA jurisdiction and they get a little crazy about sharing information, hence our visit.”
“What's DARPA?” Jack asked as a guy in a lab coat reading a tablet almost collided with him. People were in their own little world here. Only place a cop could walk in and not get a single look of concern.
“The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency." Allison explained. "It's the central research arm of the D. O. D.”
Jack chastised himself again for asking questions. The more he knew, the more likely it was that he was staying here for the long run. “Okay, so why am I here?”
“Well, you want to use the new molecular bio-scanner on Susan Perkins' body and this new woman, right?” Allison asked as she smiled at him.
“Maybe?” Jack answered and couldn't help but smile back. God, she was pretty and flirty and in another time and place he would have been dishing it right back at her. He absentmindedly used his thumb to play with his wedding ring, even though divorce was pending, he still felt guilty for even thinking about that.
“Yeah, well, all requests to use laboratory resources for police applications must be submitted to the Director of Research.” Allison said and continued down the hall with Carter beside her. She was using this as an excuse to find out who the new head of Global was herself.
“Who we haven't met yet.” Jack clarified.
“Exactly.” She said and they walked up to the man who they had just been discussing, his back to them.
Jack froze as soon as he saw his back: 6'4", strong shoulders, head of curls and a bespoke suit that fit him to perfection. He'd know him anywhere so he was not surprised when Nathan Stark turned around and met him with a smile. " Son of a bitch ."
“Nathan?” Allison said in surprise as soon as he turned, shock delaying her reaction to Carter’s outburst.
Nathan's smile faded as he saw how furious Jack was. Of course Jack knew instantly why he was reassigned to Eureka. He was at a loss for words, which was not a feeling he was accustomed to. No matter how many ways he played this in his head, he hadn’t accounted for this scenario.
Allison lifted her chin and raised her eyebrows. "I take it you know each other?"
"Yeah, he's my husband." Jack said coldly. "Soon to be ex."
"Jack.." Nathan said and stepped closer only to see Jack go rigid, eyes go cold.
" Nathan. ” Jack hissed. “You had me reassigned ?"
"I should have called." Nathan scrambled to offer an excuse, but Jack was already full-blown pissed.
" Damn right you should have. " Jack ran his hand through his hair in a desperate attempt to contain his anger and keep his voice down. "You know what? I'm not doing this here and now. Give me the body scanner thing so I can solve this case. Ok?"
"Yeah, anything you need." Nathan said softly, knowing he was in the wrong here and didn’t need a fight in the middle of Global on his first day. He knew from experience that arguing with Jack would get bad, fast.
"I need you to sign those divorce papers ". Jack said and Nathan looked like he had physically hit him. "And get me my damned job back."
Nathan watched him storm off, going the wrong direction. He tried to blink away the moisture in his eyes. He recovered by clearing his throat and giving a weak smile to his ex-wife. “Hi, Ally. Good to see you.”
Allison watched Carter make it about halfway down the hall before finding Fargo and asking where the exit was. He spun on his heels and started marching back their way when he got the answer. “What are you doing here? You're not …”
“Afraid so.” Nathan said and Jack got closer, he was unable to keep his eyes off him even though Jack was intent on keep his eyes on the tiled floor.”
“You're moving back to Eureka?” Allison asked incredulously. After the way he left, she didn’t think he would come back here.
Nathan answered as soon as Jack got into earshot. He wanted to stop him in his tracks, give him information in the only way he would be allowed. “Moved, actually. Yesterday. Same office, same house. Surprise! I probably should've called sooner.”
Jack stopped and looked at him. Rage bubbling under the surface. “Why start now? Why bother talking when you can just do whatever you want and act like you know better than anyone?”
“Probably, should have called.” Allison mumbled and looked for a reason to excuse herself from this situation.
It finally clicked with Jack and he looked at Allison. God damn, did he and Nathan have the same type. “You must be the Allison I've heard so much about. First ex.”
“Yes.” She said.
“Wow.” Jack said and looked at Nathan. “I see why you didn’t complain when you ended up on the opposite side of the country from him. Thanks for signing the divorce papers so fast so we could get married. Hope you can show him how it's done.”
“Jack…” Nathan could hear his voice crack as he spoke and stopped there. Emotions would do him no favors right now.
“Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t matter what anyone wants but you .” Jack said. “Two thousand miles apart to a town of two thousand where the entire town works for you . Couldn’t control me or my job from D.C. so you manipulated the situation to control every aspect of my life. Fuck you Nathan.”
“Or I recognized that we can not exist anywhere else.” Nathan said and Jack fidgeted, trying to figure out what to do with his hands so he didn’t use them against him. He made him so mad he wanted to hit him, he should have expected that. “There was an opportunity and I took it because I refuse to give up on us.”
Jack felt himself teetering on the edge of exploding so he shut his eyes. He had to get back to work, that was something he could sink himself into to avoid dealing with this. That's just how he was and he could hear his own ex-wife calling him out about the unhealthy coping mechanism. He took a deep breath and said, “Anyway, Dr. Stark, I was looking into something and wanted to know if I could use your bio scanner-molecule-thingy.”
“Of course.” Nathan said softly.
“You can probably arrange for the transfer of that without me, right ?” Jack said coldly and gave him a piercing glare.
Nathan felt the cutting edge of those words and from the look on Ally’s face, it wasn’t just him. “Yeah, I’ll see to it that you get it.”
Fargo, ever oblivious of a situation, trotted up with his tablet expecting to be told to get the requested device for the Sheriff. It was his opportunity to make a good impression, being ready to deliver before being asked. “ Excuse me, Dr. Stark. Maggie's taking care of your parking space and the new furniture will be delivered tomorrow.
Jack waved his hand and mumbled, “Great. I’m fucking delivered like goddamned furniture. What a surprise. Now I know why my stuff is lost. It was never supposed to get here because there was never room in your place for me other than your goddamned bed.”
Allison watched him leave, this time in the correct direction. She was sympathetic, she knew how poorly Nathan could execute his good intentions, although this situation was hard to see any good in. She looked at her ex-husband as his current spouse briskly left the area, he looked lost and hurt. Something he tried to cover up immediately by looking at Fargo’s tablet. “Nathan…”
“Ally, I have a lot to catch up on. It's good to see you.”
Despite how their marriage ended, she genuinely still loved Nathan. Seeing him hurt and struggling to keep Jack close, was the opposite of what she saw when their marriage started to crumble. He ran away to D.C. to avoid admitting the failure, but with Jack he ran back to Eureka to avoid another failure. That meant a lot. “I’ll assist the Sheriff with the bio-scan.”
“I appreciate it.” Nathan said and left with Fargo to get back to work. He’d wait a few hours and then send Jack a text, something short he would have to read. This was not how things were supposed to go and he was scared that it only served to push his husband further away.