sam_storyteller: (Slash Fic)
sam_storyteller ([personal profile] sam_storyteller) wrote2005-07-12 04:10 pm
Entry tags:

The Historian

Title: The Historian
Rating: PG
Fandom: Eureka
Summary: Dr. Grant is a very pretty mystery, until suddenly he's not. (Grant/Carter)
Warnings: None.
Notes: I've only seen through episode five of Eureka's latest (fourth) season. I've had reliable spoilers that joss this, but this is Eureka -- they practically grow AUs in their vegetable gardens, after all.

Originally Posted 10.17.10

Also available at AO3.

***

The six of them meet a lot at Cafe Diem and it makes sense. Sort of.

Dr. Fargo is the head of GD, after all; why shouldn't he be meeting with his chief medical officer and the mayor? Why shouldn't the head of GD security and the head of law enforcement in Eureka be there? It takes a lot to run this town, Vincent should know. Dr. Fargo, Allison, Henry, Jo, Sheriff Carter, that all makes sense.

They meet late -- logical, they work hard and long hours -- and Vincent brings them snacks and drinks, and they go quiet when he's around. In a way that's nice; lots of people pretend like the waitstaff of Cafe Diem don't exist or have feelings, so at least they're acknowledging that he's a person. Still, he'd like to eavesdrop sometime.

Once he'd heard Jo call their little gang the New World Club, but he assumed that was some kind of spirit thing. GD, forging a new world, right? Progress had always been Dr. Fargo's watchword.

The mystery is Dr. Grant, who smokes like he's never heard of lung cancer and talks like he walked out of a film from the forties (and dresses like it too, though you won't hear Vincent complaining). Not that Dr. Grant isn't nice. He's always polite and he treats the world with the kind of wonder most scientists don't -- they save their awe for one little area of life, the area they've specialized in, but Dr. Grant's face shows it all over. Espresso machines are equally as interesting to him as particle accelerators which are as interesting as cookie dough ice cream which is as interesting as the moon landing.

Still, Dr. Grant is, at the end of the day, a historian. There's no reason he should be meeting with the five most powerful people in Eureka. There's no reason he should sit next to Sheriff Carter and drink strong black coffee, no reason to hear his lazy drawl among the voices in the New World Club. It's not that Vincent thinks he shouldn't be there; he just can't see why he is.

And then late one night, just after the New World Club has gone, he's checking the calibration on the smokeless incinerator behind the cafe when he hears it -- a thump, like a body hitting brickwork, and a breathy laugh, and Dr. Grant's low, slow drawl.

Someone's in the alley, Dr. Grant and someone else, and Vincent peers around the corner of the building, shadowed under the roof's overhang.

The alley isn't so shadowed; the mouth of it is nearly blocked, on the other end, but moonlight pours down into it and he can see Dr. Grant leaning against the wall, sleeves rolled to the elbow, arms around someone's shoulders. Khaki and brown leather and brass. Jack Carter is pressing Charles Grant to the wall, thigh between his legs, head bent over him. Grant is smiling, looking up at the stars.

Vincent watches as Sheriff Carter lifts his head, rests it against Dr. Grant's forehead, exhales like he's coming home.

"Hey there, sport," Dr. Grant says easily, pulling Carter in for a kiss. Jack's holding onto him like he's the only real thing in the world. His hips hitch, the brass snap on his holster catching the moonlight for a second.

Everything falls into place. The sudden and horrible implosion of Jack and Tess's relationship; the presence of Dr. Grant at Jack's side during the meetings; and, Vincent realizes, the way Jack's been hedging around Cafe Diem lately, looking at Vincent like he wants to interrogate something out of him. Jack's in love and confused, and Vincent knows how he feels.

But it looks to him like Grant has everything pretty well under control.

He creeps back inside, and a minute later he glances up through the front window in time to catch Jack and Dr. Grant, side by side, walking hurriedly towards the Sheriff's jeep. Before Grant circles around to the passenger's side, his hand drifts across Jack's hip.

Young love, Vincent thinks, and smiles.

The next morning Jack's in for a late breakfast after an early call, and Vincent leans on the counter across from him and beams and beams. Jack looks unnerved, but that's pretty much his normal state.

"So, you and Dr. Grant seem like good friends," he says, and Jack chokes on his coffee.

"Yeah...?" he says carefully.

"You know, if you have any questions, I'm always happy to help," Vincent adds. People can be touchy when they're just coming out, which is understandable, and Jack pretty much had the closet door barred over and nailed shut for a while there.

Jack is staring at him now. "Questions about...Dr. Grant?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking," Vincent gestures vaguely. Jack's eyes go huge and round as saucers.

"You saw us?" he hisses.

"Sheriff, really. It's the twenty-first century," Vincent scolds lightly. "Eureka's very progressive."

"That's what he says," Jack mumbles into his coffee.

"I'm just saying, if you need an ear, or the URL of an instructional website, I'm a font of helpfulness," Vincent says, and leaves Jack coughing as he chokes on his coffee a second time.

Vincent is never sure if it's his little push or just nature taking its course, what happens afterwards. It takes weeks, really months, before it happens at all; perhaps Zoe coming home for the summer helped. The day after she came home she came into Cafe Diem looking a little stunned and said "Dad's dating...he's, uh, he's dating...someone..." and Vincent said "Oh my god, I know!" and then they had to hide in the kitchen together and eat brownies while he weaseled every detail out of her.

The point is, one morning early in summer, Jack and Dr. Grant come into Cafe Diem together. Their fingers are twined, subtle but visible, and when Jack gets up to leave for his shift he kisses Dr. Grant goodbye right there in front of everyone.

Dr. Grant's smile could light up half the town.

Word rushes through Eureka's gossip chain like wildfire that Sheriff Carter's dating the historian. Half the female population of Eureka looks disappointed. About a quarter of the male population, too (though they also look somewhat vindicated).

Vincent looks smug, and starts making up prospective menus for a wedding reception. Just in case.

[personal profile] indigocat 2010-10-18 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
Loved it. Not enough Jack and Grant fic
melusina: (Any anna_bolina sappho)

[personal profile] melusina 2010-10-18 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
N'awww, that's very sweet. Also, I'm in favor of Vincent's point of view on anything. . .
stellar_dust: Stylized comic-book drawing of Scully at her laptop in the pilot. (DW - just snogged reinette)

[personal profile] stellar_dust 2010-10-18 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
OMG YOU WROTE EUREKAFIC!

I love Vincent. And Dr. Grant. And Charles/Jack. Yay! \o/!

[personal profile] ex_rising236 2010-10-18 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
This is awesome. :)
cadee: (Default)

[personal profile] cadee 2010-10-18 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
Jack really can be paired with anyone, can't he? It's lovely.

(Anonymous) 2010-10-20 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
Jack's the little black dress of Eureka, but not when it comes to Allison for some reason. They've always seemed better off as friends to me.
drgaellon: Unexpected naked snowglobe Jack (with Jareth) (Labyrinth Jack)

[personal profile] drgaellon 2010-10-18 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
Ha! They definitely eyefuck each other an awful lot.
greyeyes: (Default)

[personal profile] greyeyes 2010-10-18 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
I hadn't even considered this pairing (I still yearn for Carter/Stark), but you make it work! I do like Grant's drawl:) Telling this story from Vincent's pov is inspired! He and Zoe hiding eating brownies and gossiping would definitely happen.

I particularly like the part about the male population looking vindicated ♥.
greyeyes: (Default)

[personal profile] greyeyes 2010-10-19 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
Nathan Stark is just SO AWESOME, and I really can't resist two men snarking at each other constantly;)

(Anonymous) 2010-10-18 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
I think my favorite part is Vincent's desperate need to gossip about it with Zoe.

(Anonymous) 2010-10-18 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
Um, I have no idea what this fandom is, but I'm kinda in love with Vincent right now.

[personal profile] teleen_fiction 2010-10-18 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
Awwww.

I wouldn't normally go for this, but the way you handled it was perfect, :).
last_raindrop: (hypo high five...nice)

[personal profile] last_raindrop 2010-10-18 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
You make me want to go back to watching Eureka...I stopped at the last season that was out at the time...MAN, I love Vincent and I always forget how much. ^^
last_raindrop: (Default)

[personal profile] last_raindrop 2010-10-18 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
P.S. What I forgot to say, since I was so excited, was: AWESOME FIC!!! I think you captured Vincent perfectly and I love the fact that half of the male population was disappointed as well. ^^
unusualdemoness: (pride)

[personal profile] unusualdemoness 2010-10-18 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
Awwww. :D

I've never watched Eureka before, but I know the general concept and this was adorable. I might try and find the seasons of the show. It seems interesting.
athenejen: iAthena (Default)

[personal profile] athenejen 2010-10-18 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
OMG AWWWWWWWWWWWW! Vincent! ♥

[identity profile] athousanderrors.livejournal.com 2010-10-18 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
You know, I was resisting Eureka because oh God I don't need another show. But I can never resist Sam!fic, and then I had to google Carter and Grant to see what they looked like before I read the fic, and it's Gaius Baltar, how am I supposed to resist it NOW?

TL;DR - Fic awesome, new show to watch. Blaming you.
the_future_modernes: a yellow train making a turn on a bridge (Default)

[personal profile] the_future_modernes 2010-10-18 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
HAHAAHHAHAHAHAHA. AWESOME!!!!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!
existence: from mspaintadventures.com (* GHPD regards the crenelation fondly.)

[personal profile] existence 2010-10-18 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Eurekafic! Best discovery of the Monday so far. \o/
girlpearl: (chief)

Fandom Herpes!

[personal profile] girlpearl 2010-10-19 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
*looks at all the people starting to watch now*

Is this where I say, "Muahahahaha?"

I don't remember if I gave you feedback on this before, but just in case I didn't: I totally love this. Especially this: Jack looks unnerved, but that's pretty much his normal state. Only since moving to Oregon :)

Oh, I did, because of the "everything real in this world" line. Which is even BETTER in light of Recent Canon Events.
chibifukurou: (Default)

[personal profile] chibifukurou 2010-10-24 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
*Giggles* I love Vincent's POV.It's just perfect.
samjohnsson: It's just another mask (Default)

[personal profile] samjohnsson 2011-03-30 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Jack pretty much had the closet door barred over and nailed shut for a while there.

Doesn't count when he used plexi for it! And glad to know I'm not the only one that was blinded by the tension between these two!

(Fair warning - had just read your SH/WC cross, and am now stalking your journal. Expect to see about a dozen comments over the next day or so.)