Then


Carter leaned back in his chair and stared at the phone resting silent on his desk. The Sheriff’s office had been eerily quiet for the last forty-five minutes and it had him on edge. Normally a forty-five minute jag of tranquility in Eureka would put him in a giddy, semi-comatose state of happy. But today wasn’t just any old day—Eureka High School’s Science fair was supposed to officially kick off this morning.

As Carter had been informed his first year in the town, Eureka’s Science fair wasn’t just your average baking soda and vinegar volcano shindig. The winner was virtually guaranteed a free ride the Ivy League school of their choice—followed by a lucrative position with Global Dynamics after graduation. Everyone in town would know who won the damn thing—and their name would be framed on a plaque high above some important trophy case that Carter would barely notice on his way to the john.

While this time of year got the genius-lites all giddy down at the high school, it was Hell on earth for Carter and Jo. Though the teens competing had inherited their parents’ immense intellect, they were still kids—willing to take risks with their inventions and experiments that their older wiser counterparts would shy away from. Risks that Carter and Jo would inevitably have to clean up—sometimes until 3 in the morning.

Like last night—and the night before that. For the past week and a half it had been non-stop disasters. Flying cars that exploded over the neighbors’ garden, synthetic human tissue that went rancid and sent an entire block to the hospital with uncontrollable vomiting—but Carter’s favorite was the human bubble shield whose inventor, after encasing himself in the bouncy clear ball—realized he’d neglected to invent a way to get out of the damn thing. It should only have taken a few minutes to cut him out—but Carter got such a kick out of watching the kid bounce all over his back yard that he let him stew a little longer than necessary.

Got to get your kicks where you can find ‘em.

Unfortunately, the long hours at work meant long hours away from Allison. She’d been busy as well preparing for some weeklong Department of Defense inspection that could make or break next years’ research budget. They’d barely even spoken aside from the occasional phone call during a short lunch break or a brief visit at one another’s office on the way to some emergency or conference. The whole thing was really starting to get to him. He’d even snapped at SARAH twice this morning for no other reason than he was frustrated and horney. The fact that he’d yet to sleep with his beautiful and incredibly hot girlfriend kept him up most nights wondering if he’d been cursed when he wasn’t looking—because surely God wouldn’t do this to him on purpose.

Right?

Carter pushed away from his desk and planted his hands flat on the surface. He rose to his feet and leaned forward to glare at the phone. “Ring damn you,” he grumbled. “Go ahead and fuck my sex life up some more.”

The phone ran with loud peel of noise and Carter jumped in surprise. He grabbed the receiver and spoke in a rush. “Sheriff Carter.”

“Dad!”

Carter frowned. “Zoë?”

“Dad you—you have to get down here—the school—“

“Zoë, please—slow down. What happened—was it the fair.”

“The school—Dad it exploded. It blew up—“

Carter slammed the phone down on the receiver, his keys already in hand as he ran out the door.

Now

“SARAH door!” Jack barked the words outside of his house and the door slid open almost instantly. He walked inside, scanned the living room and frowned at a soft whir of a motor coming from inside his bedroom. He walked down the hall and stood in the doorway, confronted with the sight of Faith’s thin frame jogging in place on the hovercraft based treadmill he’d refused to go near ever since he moved into the house.

“Hi Sheriff!” Faith was only slightly out of breath, her skinny legs pumping easily on the rotating belt. The treadmill hovered almost a foot above the ground, a fact which had always unnerved him about the thing. She wobbled slightly and he stepped forward, his arms outstretched.

“Okay, get down from there.”

“Why? Exercise is good for you—this thing was covered in plastic, don’t you use it?”

“I will next time Doc Brown swings by with the Delorean.”

Faith slowed down and frowned at him. “Does he work at Global Dynamics?”

“Just get off the thing please?”

She stopped running and the motor stilled, the belt sliding to a gradual stop. The treadmill floated to the ground and she hopped off with a small skip onto the carpet. “Are you one of those old people that are afraid of computers---cause if so you may want to relocate.”

“Why did you hide from Jo?”

“Because I didn’t want her to find me.”

“Okay that’s enough,” Carter snapped. “A lot’s happened in the past few hours and I don’t have time to play these games anymore. You need to tell me your name.”

“What happened?”

“Tell me your name, now.”

“I told you my name.”

“That’s it,” Carter said. He pulled out his phone. “I’m calling child services.”

“There are no child services in Eureka,” Faith said. Carter leaned forward, his eyes wide with shock.

“Excuse me?”

“They don’t have that here—they don’t need it.”

He stood silent, digesting the reality that he’d never taken the time to acknowledge. Parent’s didn’t abandon their kids in Eureka—not willingly anyway.

“What about child abuse,” Carter asked. “I mean if someone hits their kid—“

“Hasn’t happened,” she said with a shrug. “Not yet anyway.”

“But so—who am I supposed to call about you?”

“How about Allison?” Faith clapped her hands. “Oh, that would be so cool—you could be the clueless goofy single Dad and she could be the beautiful single Mom that helps you take care of me---like in the movies.”

“No way—“

“We could break into song and dance at weird moments just to make it interesting—“

“Focus Faith—I need to find your parents or your guardian or whoever it is that takes care of you. You can’t stay here.”

“Is this because I said you look fifty—because I was just upset—you really only look forty-five.”

“Why don’t you want to go home Faith? Did someone hurt you or something?”

Faith shook her head and walked over to Carter’s bed. She plopped down on the end and stared down at her hands. “Why does it always have to be something bad? Maybe I just wanted to be somewhere else.”

“Because people don’t leave when they’re happy,” Carter said. He moved closer and shoved his hands into his pocket. Faith looked up at him with wide eyes.

“They do if they can’t stay.”

Then

“I don’t know what happened,” Zoë cried. Carter pulled her into his arms and ran his hands over her back. She shook in violent spasms and leaned back to look up into his eyes. “Toby Mitchell was moving his entry and it just exploded. It was so loud—everybody got out—but Daddy—“

“Shhh,” Carter kissed her forehead and looked up at the high school building. The part that once housed the gymnasium was gone—gaping holes surrounded by large pieces of plaster and cement rubble stood in its place. The fire department milled around the grounds, their hoses still dripping from where they’d put out the small fires spread throughout the destruction. “It’s okay,” Carter said. “Everyone’s okay Zo.”

“Carter!” He turned at the sound of Allison’s voice. Zoë untangled herself from his arms and Carter turned around, shaking his head as she approached.

“It’s okay, “he said. “Everyone got out safe.”

“I can’t find Kevin,” Allison said in a rush.

Carter frowned. “’What?”

“He was—in there--with his teacher—she lost him in the commotion—“:

Carter grabbed Allison’s arms. “Wait—slow down. Are you sure he’s still inside?”

Allison nodded, her eyes glistening with panicked tears. “Cater you know Kevin—he doesn’t trust anyone and he would come when the firefighters called for him—he probably hid inside—“

Carter released her arms and took off running for the crumbling gymnasium. “Carter,” Allison screamed. “Wait!”

Carter kept running. A firefighter yelled his name as he reached the front door of the school and Carter ignored his pleas to get way from the building. He shoved the broken door aside and ran into the hall, squinting at the dust filled air that greeted him. “Kevin!” Carter covered his mouth and nose and made his way farther into the school. “Kevin it’s me! It’s Sheriff Carter—can you hear me?” Carter heard no response and clenched his jaw against the surge of fear that threatened to overwhelm him.

What if he couldn’t find him?

Carter turned a corner and paused at the pile of fallen plaster and concrete in front of him. The damage was so extensive he figured it had to be what was left of the gymnasium. “Kevin—please—if you can hear me—make a sound—do something.”

There was a faint noise—unrecognizable. Carter stood still and held his breath, listening for it again. He heard movement to his left and turned to see a blackened door to the boy’s locker room. He pushed his way inside and was greeted by a pile of overturned lockers. “Kevin? Are you in here?”

He heard the sound again and this time identified it as a locker door opening and closing. Carter crouched down and scanned the room then began following the click of the metal latch. He paused when he heard it again and turned to his right. He could barely make it out but it was there—almost blending into the chocolate brown of the locker room carpet—two small fingers.

“Kevin?” Carter leaned down and pulled the locker door open. Kevin looked up at him with frightened eyes, his face dusty with tear tracks streaking down to his chin. Carter smiled and held out his hand with a nod.

“Hey Kev—you ready to get out of this place?”

Kevin stared at his hand for a moment and then accepted, grasping Carter’s fingers like a life line. Carter pulled him up with a gentle tug and wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist. He hoisted him in his arms with ease (he was surprisingly light) and Kevin wrapped his thin arms around Carters neck as he buried his face in his chest. Carter patted Kevin’s back as he made his way out of the locker room with measured steps, retracing his path through the smoky halls of the school.

“You know,” Carter said. “Whoever did this was probably terrified of taking you on in a brain fight.” Kevin shifted in his arms and pressed his face harder against Carter’s chest. “I mean, I know whatever you came up with scared the hell out of ‘em.” Carter pushed a piece of plaster out of his path with his foot. “What was it—self molding clay or calculators that talk?” Carter turned around and pushed against the front door with his back. “Wait—they already have those don’t they?”

“Kevin!” He heard Allison’s voice from across the parking lot. Carter smiled from the doorway and lowered Kevin to the ground. The boy looked up and pointed at Carter’s head.

“What,” Carter asked. “Do I have something on my—“

He felt a sharp pain on his forehead and then everthing went black.

Now


“I’m sorry Allison, but can’t seem to find anything wrong. I’ve run every test I can think of—“

Allison ran her hand over her face and held it out towards Dr. Peterson, palm up in a pleading gesture. “Can you run them again? Something is wrong with my memory and it’s got to be serious—I’ve lost an entire year of my life.”

The doctor sat down beside and took a deep breath. “Well—I’m not saying you’re wrong. We don’t talk much besides the occasional check up so I don’t have much inside knowledge about your life or what may or may not be missing.” He smiled, his wrinkled face crinkling into soft lines etched deep into his ebony skin. “But you can believe me when I say you’re not sick—no tumors, nothing like that—so that’s something right?”

Allison nodded, her brow furrowed with frustration. She was relieved to find out there was no life threatening illness eating away at her brain---but it left her right where she started---a big gaping hole in her memory with only Carter’s claim of some grand romance to guide her. Nathan blasted her after Carter left—raving about how she was a fool for believing him. Zoë ducked out pretty quickly—visibly uncomfortable with the screaming match taking place in front of her. They’d gone at one another’s throats for a ten long minutes before Nathan threw his hands up and walked out on her. She let him go—ignoring the guilt that ate at her conscious. He’d seemed genuinely concerned—going so far as to offer to take her to the doctor himself—but Allison refused, still unconvinced the whole thing wasn’t some grand manipulation on his part. Nathan could see her doubt. The pain that flashed in his eyes told her just how deep it had cut him—and he’d walked out without a backwards glance. Allison let him go, wondering how many more people she would disappoint before the day was over.

“You say it’s not physical,” Allison said. Dr. Peterson nodded. “Could it be mental,” she said, rubbing her hands along the wool of her skirt.

“Possibly,” he replied. “The brain is a complex organ—does things even this place hasn’t figured out yet.”

“So,” Allison frowned. “Maybe my subconscious made me forget on purpose—maybe there’s something I don’t want to remember.”

He touched his bottom lip and squinted in concentration. “It’s possible—but it would have to be something big—a little bit of stress wouldn’t cause something like this Allison.’

“Something big,” she mumbled, her thoughts drifting towards her dream. “Something I forgot.”

“Allison,” Dr. Peterson sighed and looked gave her an intense stare. “I hate to go here but—I’ve got to ask.”

“Go ahead, please.”

“There’s a lot of—excuse my French—freaky shit that gets done around here. Are you sure someone didn’t do this to you on purpose—make you forget something they didn’t want you remembering?”

Allison paused. She thought about Dr. Porter and how he’d disappeared without a trace, right in the middle of highly classified research so secret even she was having trouble figuring out what it was. For the fifth time that day she longed for Henry Deacon’s presence, cursing herself for not demanding an emergency number for him while he was away. Henry could fix anything, figure out everything, and was generally stumped by nothing. Plus Porter was in his section—if anyone could help her figure out why he’d gone missing, he could.

What if Dr. Porter’s disappearance and her memory loss were connected? She’d assumed he’d left of his own volition---but what if she was wrong? What if it was part of some cover-up? A cover-up that also included impairing her memory.

“No,” Allison said. “I’m not sure at all.”

Then

No concussion—just a deep cut over his forehead. The loose beam in the doorway had knocked him out cold for five minutes—long enough for Zoë to have a small panic attack and for Kevin to lean over his chest and began heart palpitations. He had awoken to sore ribs and a hysterical teenager, with Allison standing close by, her face tight with worry.

He protested the trip to the hospital but they all had insisted—Allison going so far as to literally shove him into the back of an ambulance. A few stitches and a shitload of tests later, he was given a clean bill of health and told he had the hardest head they’d ever seen. Carter informed them that it was inherited from his father—who never seemed to hear a word his mother said in the fifty years they were together.

Carter pulled his uniform pants up over his hips and rose from the hospital bed which sat in the center of a large room decorated in various shades of pale lavender. Dubbing him a hero, the hospital staff refused to treat him downstairs and instead gave him a cushy private room with HBO and those heated contoured pillows Allison kept on her bed. It would have been a nice setup if the entire place didn’t smell like Lean Green environmentally sound floor cleaner.

The door opened and Carter turned around, his shirt in his hands, embarrassed to be caught in a state of partial undress. Allison peeked inside and smiled.

“Hey you,” she whispered.

Carter smiled in return and lowered his shirt. “Hey—I thought you were the nurse.”

She moved though the door, closed it behind her and walked towards him with a small smile. “Should I be jealous?”

“Oh yes—Berta has a way with a needle that makes you forget all about the fact that she’s sucking blood from your vein.”

“I bet,” Allison said. She walked to him without hesitation, reached up to cup the nape of his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. She brushed her mouth against his and then kissed him with a slow deep passion that took his breath away. Carter slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against his body, coaxing her lips open with his tongue and then plunging it deep inside her mouth. He curled his tongue around hers’, teasing it with the tip and then tasting her in a hot wet stroke. Allison moaned and slid her hands down over his shoulders and then back up to tangle in the short hairs at his nape.

“Door,” Carter mumbled against her lips.

“Locked,” Allison replied.

He kissed her again, his hands threaded through her hair as he tasted her mouth and took her bottom lip between his teeth. He bit down gently and she jerked against him as she tried to press her body even closer. Carter tilted his head and deepened the kiss, leaving her gasping for breath and whimpering in his mouth.

He reached down, grabbed her hips and nudged her backwards until she sat on the bed. Carter lowered himself to his knees, placed his hands on the skirt of her dress and pushed it up over her thighs, letting his fingers linger over the smooth brown skin. She shivered and fixed him with a heated stare as he reached for her underwear and slid them down over her legs. Carter looked up at her as the wispy satin dropped to the floor, his hand already on her thighs, nudging them wider and exposing her to his gaze.

“Allison,” Carter whispered as his head plunged between her thighs. He licked her sex in one broad stroke and Allison gasped with pleasure. His tongue teased the swollen lips then burrowed between them to tease the rigid nub from its hiding place, and caress it with a soft, wet flick. Allison sighed with pleasure and parted her legs wider as he began to swirl his tongue around her clit.

“Yes,” she whispered, her hands cupping his head to her mound. “Jack—that’s so good.”

He took the nub in his mouth and rolled it around with his tongue, causing Allison to whimper with pleasure. Carter groaned against her and the vibrations sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body.

There was a knock on the door.

Carter ignored the sound, and slipped one long, thick finger inside her slit. Allison bit down hard on her lip and leaned back on the bed, resting her weight on her elbows.

“Sheriff Carter?”

Her voice was muffled though the door but Allison recognized it immediately.

“Just a minute Jo,” Allison yelled, struggling to speak the words through her aroused haze. Carter didn’t pause in his task, lowering his mouth to her slit and plunging his tongue deep inside.

“Oh God,” Allison gasped.

“Ms. Blake—is something wrong? I just came to check on Sheriff Carter—“

“The Sheriff is busy,” Allison snapped, glaring at the door as Carter’s tongue thrust in and out of her. She lifted her hips to his rhythm, her body growing tense with her oncoming orgasm. He found her clit with his damp fingers and began to massage the swollen nub in a firm circular motion, his mouth still working below. Allison threw her head back and moaned, a loud primal sound that almost made him pause.

Almost.

“Jack,’ she gasped. “Oh—I’m—I’m coming—“Her voice grew louder and Jack looked up at her as her body went rigid. His mouth was flooded with her cream as she grabbed the back of his neck and screamed with her release. Jack’s eyes widened and he raised his head from between her legs as his fingers continued to stroke her through the orgasm.

“Okay—someone might have heard that,” Carter said as he rose to his feet. Allison pushed herself up to a sitting position and reached for the waist of his pants. Carter shook his head and smiled. “Maybe we shouldn’t—“

She kissed him hard and he closed his eyes as he became lost in the warm cavern of her mouth. She tasted sweet—like some decadent dessert, and he knew she could taste herself on his lips. The thought made his already painfully swollen cock even harder and he released his breath in a slow hiss when she reached into his pants to wrap her hands around his shaft.

Allison’s eyes widened. “Oh,” she said. She looked up at Carter who lifted his eyebrows and tilted his head. “Oh,” she repeated with a slow smile. She lifted her legs up and around his waist and pulled him towards her. Carter cupped her face in his hands and kissed her as she nestled the tip of his cock against her sex.

“We should—“Allison cut off Carter’s words with a kiss. She lifted her hips until his tip found her slit and pushed forward until the head was buried inside.

“Oh—God,” Carter moaned as he thrust forward, sinking himself deep until he felt nothing but the warm wetness of her body gripping his cock. He moved inside her, rolling his hips as his hands holding her hips steady. Allison met his grinding rhythm with her own, until their bodies moved in a frantic rhythm, desperately in search of their impending release.

Another knock sounded at the door. “Ms. Blake? We heard a scream—“

“She’s busy,” Carter yelled, never hesitating as he began to pound inside her with increasing force. He could feel her muscles gripping his shaft in a pulsing rhythm and knew she was getting close.

“Jack,” she gasped. “I’m com—oh I’m coming—“Carter cupped the nape of her neck and whispered in her ear.

“Quiet—you’ve got to—Oh God—you can’t—“

Her moans grew louder and Carter glanced back at the door.

“Jack---Jack!”

“Shhh, Allison—“

She opened her mouth to scream and Carter covered her mouth with his hand, muffling the sound as he pounded inside her, his hips pumping rapidly as she convulsed on his cock. He replaced his hand with his mouth as her body jerked with the orgasm, his own taking hold in a sudden rush, bowing his back as her body milked him dry.

They came down gradually and Carter kissed her damp forehead. Allison gave him an embarrassed smile.

“I forget to tell you—“

“That you’re a screamer? Yeah—I kind of figured that one out for myself.”

Now


Carter and Faith sat side by side on the couch, both silent, their eyes lowered to the floor. “So are you going to tell me about it,” Carter asked.

“Maybe,” she replied. Faith scratched her knee and looked up at television. “Can we watch a movie?”

“Maybe,” Carter said.

She grew quiet and resumed staring at the floor.

“Faith,” Carter said. “I’m sorry but, there’s a lot of stuff going on right now—“

“Is it about Allison?” Faith was suddenly animated, her eyes bright with curiosity. Carter paused and then nodded.

“Yes.”

“She needs your help doesn’t she?”

He frowned. “How did you know?”

“Because you look worried—and you love her. If you’re worried then something’s wrong.”

Carter looked away and then down at his hands. “She—she doesn’t remember me.”

“Sheriff Carter---Deputy Lupo is at the door,’ SARAH announced.

Carter rose from the couch and pointed at Faith. “Don’t move.”

“I have to pee.”

“Hold it—SARAH door.” Carter walked to the front door and waited as it slid open. Jo stood on the other side, a small manila folder in her hand.

“Have you just given up on the concept of the telephone altogether,” she asked. Carter looked down at his waist and frowned at the flashing light indicating a missed call.

“I think this thing’s broken—“

“Whatever,” Jo said. “Allison wanted you to have this—she gave it to me this morning.”

Carter took the folder and opened it with a flip of his thumb. “What is it?”

Jo opened her mouth and then closed it, her brow wrinkling in confusion. Carter waited and then waved it in her direction.

“Well?”

“It’s uh---hold on.”

“Jo—“Carter’s irritated stare turned to concern. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s—Allison gave it to me—it’s---dammit I knew before—I—“Jo looked at him and grunted in frustration. “I just—I can’t remember.”