Notes: This is a little idea I had about Eureka. I appreciate the reviews I’ve gotten so far! Thanks!

Standard disclaimer stuff: characters owned by someone else. Not me. I don’t think there will be any additions of my own in this storyline.

Abby didn’t get to come to town for a couple weeks after Alison made the phone call. It took that long for her to make arrangements for her patients. The interview process would take three days thanks to DOD requirements and some further clearance checks.

Dr. Carter’s first impression of the phone call was shock. She hadn’t told Jack or Zoe that she submitted a blind inquiry into jobs with DOD on the west coast, hoping that something would come up and she could be closer to her daughter. Even though Zoe moved 3,000 miles away to Harvard, the opportunity to move up intrigued Abby. And the military kept everything, including her paperwork, which put her in the running.

As a psychiatrist, Abby also had a medical degree. That was one reason she stayed in the running for a job in the small town. When a disaster hit, all hands on deck could include her working in the infirmary. Abby also had some advantages the other 20 or so applicants didn’t have – she knew that Eureka was no normal town and had even been witness to the weather altering machine when she was in town to collect her daughter. And she also saw large parts of the Global Dynamics office when she came to be with Zoe after Jack put on the therapy device.

Alison maintained her straight face everything she talked to Jack or Tess. Jack didn’t make a whole lot of trips out to the office and Tess had a certain amount of autonomy over Section 5.

The secret wasn’t safe for long though. Abby showed up on a Wednesday morning in town. Alison had already made arrangements for her to stay at the bed and breakfast. The Wednesday session at GD wouldn’t amount to more than a general hello. A couple of Army officers came to the meet-and-greet to get a feel for who Dr. Carter really was. On the way out though, Abby walked by Tess in the rotunda. Tess played it cool, but she recognized Abby from a picture Jack had showed her to compare Zoe to her mom.

Everyone at Global knew how to get information when they needed it. Especially gossip. The snitch just happened to be the utility player of all utility players.

“Fargo,” Tess said as she walked into the broom closet Fargo called an office. Martha was floating in the room. “We need to talk.”

“I can’t talk right now, Dr. Carter. Really, I gotta go, I’m doing something important for Dr. Blake!”

“You’re going to talk to me first or I swear, I will post a certain video of you, a girl, a disco ball, and bad 70’s porn music all over the Global intranet if you don’t stay here and chat for a minute.”

“There is no recording of that!”

“Fargo, do you want to test me and find out?”

Fargo let out one of his standard “I’m so defeated” sighs and sat back down. “What do you want to know?”

“I just saw a woman being escorted out of the building after coming from Alison’s office. Who was she and why was she here?”

“That’s who I’m working on. It’s Sheriff Carter’s ex-wife.”

“What the hell was she doing here talking to Alison? And why didn’t Jack tell me she was in town?”

“Because he doesn’t know. Dr. Blake swore me to secrecy. She’s here because she’s interviewing for the head shrink’s job.”

“You are joking, right?”

“Do you think I’m going to lie if you’re threatening me?”

“Good point. Do I have to worry about her getting the job?”

“Dr. Blake has gone through the first two days with two other psychiatrists. They didn’t make it to the third. And there are no more interviews scheduled. General Mansfield’s goon squad is on her to make a choice and they aren’t giving her a lot more time.”

“If Alison is looking for me, tell her I left early. And if you utter a word about me knowing, the video goes up. Got it?”

Tess left without waiting for Fargo to stutter through an answer. She headed out of the building, jumped in her Audi, and headed for the bunker.

“Sarah, beer me,” Tess said as soon as she walked into the kitchen. “And you might have to keep ‘em coming.”

“Dr. Carter, your blood pressure is elevated and you are showing signs of stress. Should I call the Sheriff and tell him you are sick?” the house said.

“No, he’ll be home soon enough. What food makes Jack calm down… what should you make him when he’s going to be slapped across the face with some hideous news?”

“He loves pork rinds and beer. But that is not a meal. I would suggest a steak with all the trimmings. Shall I call Café Diem and have it sent here?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Do you have a good supply of that chocolate sugar mess he calls a cereal?”

“I have four fresh boxes, Dr. Carter.”

“How’s the beer supply?”

“16.22 gallons remain in the keg currently in the refrigerator. Will the Sheriff be taking a sick day? Beer and cereal are his favorite comfort foods when he stays home?”

“That may be in the cards, Sarah. Any idea when he’ll be home?”

“35 minutes. Vincent said that your dinner will arrive moments before he returns home for the evening.”

“Thanks, Sarah,” Tess said. She drank half her beer in one tip of the glass. “When I tell him the bad news, he’ll probably ask for you to shot him instead of beer him. Do you have liquor?”

“I have eight different kinds and can dispense them at the desired temperatures through the refrigerator.”

“You’re the best house ever. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”