Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air was crisp and cool, though not to the point where people were shivering in their costumes, neon lights were in every corner anyone could see, flashing the paths with pinks, purples and green, different stalls and rides were up, ranging from candy apples and sweets stand to rollercoasters and Ferris wheels and every single person were dressed as either monsters, characters or whatever their imaginations would come up with. Truly, the festival had set the perfect atmosphere for Halloween…well, everyone except for Penny.

She was a short young woman, 23 years of age with long dark hair that reached her waist and curtain bangs along her forehead, with pale skin and a bony structure (she hated that part about herself).

It wasn’t that she was forced to come here – she had heartily accepted when her sister Riley and her girlfriend Winter asked – but now that she was here, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Penny wasn’t really the bravest person around, she flinched at the slightest sound, she dreaded talking to new people who would come her way and had relied on her older sister to help her out for most of her life, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying to overcome any of it. After all it wasn’t like she could control her anxiety, it was something she struggled with ever since she was little. But tonight, she wanted to prove that she was able to enjoy Halloween outside the comfort of handing out candy to trick-or-treaters from the safety of her home. So far, she really did like it, she had fun buying sweets and going on rollercoasters, and though it could be overbearing and loud sometimes, Riley and Winter would take her to a nearby café to help Penny catch her breath before doing something else.

However, this was part of the night that she both desperately wanted and dreaded doing…the haunted funhouse. She knew what was in there, jump scares, clowns and nightmares to last for the next few nights to come, but she didn’t want to miss out, now when she heard about how much fun people have had in there. She just wanted to prove that she wasn’t this scared little nobody, that she was a person who wanted to have fun like everyone else, to enjoy the things that everyone else had fun with. So here she was, dressed in a hastily sewn purple rabbit onesie of her own making (she had made it in a time crunch when learning about the festival) into a terrifying funhouse that deep down, where she wasn’t lying to herself, she did not want to go in.

“Penny no,” she turned to see Riley, holding Winter’s hand as the other girl was texting someone on her phone, “You know what your anxiety’s like, you don’t have to go in there.”

Riley had quite a lean build with noticeable muscle on her arms, she had shoulder length dark red hair, brown eyes and pale skin. She was four years older than Penny, and while she did seem a bit intimidating, she was always soft and protective over her younger sister.

“He’s still not answering,” Winter murmured, shaking her head, “He was supposed to meet us an hour ago.” Winter was slightly taller than Riley, with dark black hair and eyes with a tanned complexion. The two women were dressed in a couple’s costume, Riley as Poison Ivy and Winter as Harley Quinn, they were also supposed to meet with Winter’s friend, but the mystery person still hadn’t shown up yet.

“Maybe he’ll show up while I’m in the funhouse?” Penny suggested as Riley sighed, “I’ll be quick in there, if I run then I’ll have less time to acknowledge the bad stuff in there!”

“Penny, I know you and I know that if you go in there, you’re gonna have a panic attack,” Riley took her little sister’s hand, offering her a pleading gaze, “Please just stay out here with us and we’ll meet up with Winter’s friend. We could go on the rollercoaster again; I know you really enjoyed that one.”

Penny smiled fainty, Riley looking out for her wasn’t anything new, but she didn’t want her sister to be burdened with her. It wasn’t right, Riley deserved to live her life, have fun with Winter and not worry about her scaredy-cat sister all the time, she deserved better than that.

When Riley turned to face Winter again, Penny pulled her hand out of her sister’s and ran into the funhouse, ignoring Riley calling her name the deeper she went in.

She took a few more deep breaths, she was doing! She was doing it and oh…oh she fucked up. There were multiple paintings of disfigured clowns peering down at her from the halls, the eerie sounds of deranged crying and laughing made her hairs stand on end, there were paths twisting and turning as they reminded her that she could get lost in this dreadful house and mirrors that not only showed her in different shapes and sizes, but also her terrified expression. Riley was right, this was too much for her, she didn’t even want to come in here in the first place why did she do this?!

A crazed laugh made her jump, looking carefully over her shoulder, she noticed a tall jester from down the hall, his yellow suit stained with red, and his mask had a twisted smile, hiding dark secrets that she didn’t want to find out. With a scream, she tore off down the hall, the jester chasing after her. She knew that were going to be actors, trained with scaring the guests, but it didn’t mean that she liked it! She really, really shouldn’t have come in here.

She skidded to a stop when she came to a dead end, her back pressing to the wall as the jester came closer and closer to her. She bit back a fearful yelp as he slammed a hand next to her head, peering down at her. She took a few more breaths, trying to keep calm. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real repeating the mantra in her head to help herself from screaming out…before fainting right into the jester’s arms.

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“You have some nerve scaring her like that?! Aren’t you supposed to be trained with scenarios like this?!”

Penny groaned at the sound of a loud and angered voice, it sounded like it belonged to a woman and seemed very familiar.

“I am trained for your information!” A male voice retaliated, “I didn’t know she was going to faint!”

“Okay, Riley calm down, Jack be nice!” Another female voice entered the conversation, sharper and more direct than the other two, “What happened right now was an accident, we just need to wait and see if Penny wakes up before we call an ambulance, that was the procedure right Jack?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the male voice was quiet now, “I’m sorry again Winter, I genuinely didn’t know.”

Penny opened her eyes, squinting at the light as she sat up on what seemed to be a mattress. “Oh good you’re awake,” there was a woman she had never seen before beside her, wearing a white hoodie with a red cross on it, “My name is Lianne, I’m a paramedic for the funhouse in case something like this happens.”

“Penny! Oh thank God!” Riley rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around her younger sister and pressed a kiss at the side of her head, “You gave me a heart attack going into that house, and then hearing that you fainted?! Don’t ever do that again!”

Oh that’s right, she fainted, that explained why Riley sounded so angry when she woke up. God help which soul she was speaking to that suffered her wrath. “I’m okay Riley, you were right I shouldn’t have gone in,” Penny sighed, “I’m just tired of not being normal so I wanted to prove-”

“-You don’t have to prove shit,” Riley interrupted, “And you are normal, who the fuck made you think you had to go into a haunted house to prove that you’re a ‘normal person’?”

“Uh…myself?” Penny smiled awkwardly.

Riley shook her head and smiled, it was good to see that she wasn’t actually mad, just really worried, but to be fair worse had happened to Penny to make her sister go into ‘overprotective mode’. “Just don’t push yourself too hard again, okay?” she asked. Penny nodded again, Riley smiled one last time before her eyes furrowed and she turned away to face someone else, “And as for you!”

Penny looked up to see how her sister was talking to when her cheeks suddenly turned red from embarrassment. It was the jester from earlier! He was quite a tall man, with golden brown skin and eyes, with his hair in short dreads pulled up into a ponytail. His face with mixed with both frustration and shame, it wasn’t helping with Riley shouting at him.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for scaring my little sister!” Riley growled, “I can’t believe you made her faint!”

“How did I make her faint?!” he retorted, “I’ve never had a reaction like hers before I didn’t know she was that scared!”

“That is enough!” Winter stepped in, grabbing them both painfully by the ear for a few seconds and then let them go, “Riley, go outside so I can talk with you, and Jack please apologize to Penny.”

Jack signed, turning to Penny as the girl flushed even more, she still couldn’t believe she fainted in front of him! “I’m sorry,” he said honestly.

“This is the friend I was taking about,” said Winter, “We were supposed to meet up, but he got called in since someone cancelled their shift last minute, but someone forgot to text us!”

“What are you taking about?” He reached into his pocket for his phone, “I sent you message before my…oh…I forgot to actually send it.”

Penny snorted, she tried to hold it in, but she burst out laughing instead, she couldn’t help it, the absurdity of the situation was just too much. She was so caught up in laughing that she didn’t catch the soft smile that Jack had at her reaction.

“Jesus Christ Jack,” Winter rubbed her temples, “What am I gonna do with you?”

“I have a few ideas,” Riley glared at him.

“Okay, you!” She grabbed Riley’s hand, “Come with me, Jack, keep Penny company while I have a chat with my girlfriend.”

“What?!” Penny and Jack said in unison, but Winter had already slammed the door.

“I should, um,” They whipped round to see that the paramedic was still here, having witnessed the entire interaction, “I should go tell my boss that there’s no need to call an ambulance.”

With that, she rushed out the door, leaving the two to stew awkwardly with one another. Penny’s rapidly beating heart wasn’t helping either, she really didn’t want to have another fainting episode again. It didn’t help that this Jack guy was really handsome. Huh? Why did I think that?

“So…” she spoke up, gulping as Jack turned to her, his eyes focused as though he were studying her, like a bug being examined, “What’s the jester like life? I mean! What's the jester life like?! Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!” Jack raised an eyebrow at her, Penny shoved her reddening face into her hands.

It was then Jack’s turn to start laughing, messy chortles escaping his mouth at her bizarre sentence, leading Penny to pout at his reaction. “Sorry toots,” the laughter died down once he saw he face, “I thought you were funny, didn’t mean to offend you. And to answer your question, the jester life is pretty good.”

“You think I’m funny?” she asked. It wasn’t the first time someone laughed at her, but not because they found her humorous.

“Yeah, not everyone can ‘spout word vomit’ and make it cute,” he told her.

Penny blushed. Okay, first he found her funny and now he found her cute, she really hoped he couldn’t hear how loud and fast her heart was beating. “Um, sorry for fainting on you,” she murmured, “Surprisingly it was not the lowest moment of my life.”

“You’re sorry for fainting?” He raised a brow at her again.

“Well it led to my sister yelling at you,” she told him, “I’m sorry about that as well, Riley can get pretty overprotective over me or our mom.”

“Yeah, Winter warned me about that,” he replied, remembering the way he tried to not tremble at her fiery gaze. “If looks could kill.”

“Tell me about it,” Penny nodded, her eyes scanned the costume he was wearing, now having a face attached to it made it less frightening. The way the fabric was stitched and how the everything on the piece was placed, it looked less like something from a Halloween shop and more something homemade. “Did you make this?”

“Huh, oh this? I wish,” he said, “I actually had it commissioned, sure it cost a bit more, but I wanted it to feel a bit more real, you know, to scare people and that.”

“Yeah, well it definitely worked,” Penny giggled, “As someone who does commissions for others as well, its nice when someone reaches out for us to make something.”

“Us?” he titled his head.

“I’m a costume designer, well, studying a course in costume design at college,” Penny explained, “I noticed how your outfit was made and it instantly clicked in my brain.”

“Oh really? Did you also make that rabbit suit you’re wearing?” he asked as he pointed to her onesie.

Penny rolled her eyes, “Not my best work but I had limited time when Winter and Riley asked me if I wanted to come to the Halloween festival. But hey, its warm and cozy for the season!”

“I think it looks cute on you,” he smiled and winked at her. It was a friendly wink, nothing behind it, but it still made Penny’s toes curl. “How about we start over, I’m Jack.” He held his hand out to her.

Penny took it in her own and shook it, “I’m Penny. So, how do you know Winter?”

There was a nervous flicker in his eyes, but he blinked it away before Penny asked anything else, “We meet in high school, I was a freshman and she was a sophomore but she took me under her wing, and we’ve been friends ever since. I met Riley as well when they started dating but I have a feeling I might be on her bad side now.”

Before Penny could say anything else, there was a crash and a scream before Winter and Riley rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind them. “We forgot this was a haunted funhouse,” Winter trembled, her and Riley’s faces paling.

Penny and Jack shared a glance, stifling their laughter as the couple pulled themselves together. “Anyways,” Riley brushed herself off, “We should head home and tell Mom what happened.”

“Right,” Penny nodded before turning back to Jack, “Hopefully we’ll see each other again, but somewhere else cause with all due respect I’m never stepping foot in this funhouse again.”

Jack chuckled, “That’s understandable, and sorry for scaring you again.”

“That’s okay, at least we finally met,” Penny grinned.

“Alright, home time for you miss,” Riley pulled Penny up, giving a final glare towards Jack before leading her sister away.

“It was nice to meet you, Jack!” Penny called back to him.

“The pleasure’s all mine!” Jack called back, giving Winter a hug before she chased after the sisters.

In the car ride back home, Penny found herself smiling. Jack was nice, granted she wished it didn’t take fainting for them to meet but she was glad she did. “So,” Winter turned in the passenger seat to face Penny in the back, “Sorry that it was under these events how you met Jack, hopefully you were okay with him.”

“I’m not,” said Riley, focused on the road.

“Just keep driving mama bear,” Winter rolled her eyes before turning to Penny again.

“I was okay with him, we actually got on pretty well,” she admitted, “I’m glad I finally met him.”

Winter smiled and turned to Riley to smirk at her, “So, it looks like ‘big bad Jack’ won over your little sister.”

“Must you taunt me?” Riley groaned.

“But that's why you love me so much,” Winter teased and kissed her loudly on the cheek, “It was my taunting that drew you to me.”

Riley tried and failed to repress a lovesick grin. Penny chuckled at her older sister and turned to face out the window again, counting the stars that passed. Hopefully she would meet Jack again.

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Pomni woke with a start. What on this digital earth was that?!

Ever since she arrived here, she never had actually dreams before. Whenever she ‘slept’ it felt like she was switching off, like a button on a computer game and blacked out before she was ‘switched on’ again.

But that dream, why did it feel so real? She remembered the concept of dreams, how anything random would happen and the little control you would have over them. Maybe she was a lucid dreamer in her past life and that’s why this one had more will power in it?

She thought back to that Penny girl, she acted so much like her, the nervousness, her fear of mostly everything and her reaction when she went into that funhouse. Although now, she would gladly take that funhouse over this ‘Amazing Digital Circus’.

Then there was Penny’s sister, Riley. Despite how threatening she was at first glance, the protectiveness she had with her sister and the loved-filled eyes for her girlfriend made her feel a bit safer than she ever felt here.

Did Pomni have a family before the circus, did she have an older sister that would protect with without a second thought? Did she have a family that worried about her, wondering what happened to her?

Then she thought of Jack. She thought about him interacting with Penny, how cheeky yet sweet he was with her. And the way he looked at Penny. She felt herself blushing. In a way, his laidback attitude and mischievous grin, he reminded her a little bit of Jax…

She shook her head, she was being ridiculous, regardless of what Ragatha said when she came here, this was just and only a dream. Besides, it probably wouldn’t happen again, and things would return to its usual format here, just switching on and off again.

She sighed and shoved off her bed sheets, mentally preparing herself for whatever sanity Caine had up his sleeves.

Its not like anyone else was having these types of dreams, right?

That would be the case…for anyone who wasn’t Jax.

The rabbit was currently at the breakfast table, he Gangle and Kinger waiting for everyone else to arrive.

Just when he thought we finally got used to this place, he had an actual dream last night, not the usual shut down he received every night. He remembered every detail from the lights of the festival to the noises supplied from the funhouse and that Jack guy in the jester costume.

There wasn’t much he got from the dream about him, just that was someone who worked to scare people and make money out of it, honestly it seemed the ideal career path he would take if he weren’t stuck here.

But what made that dream so memorable for him was that Penny girl. The way she would shyly peek through her hands, to her kind smile and her knowledge with costumes, and of course he couldn’t forget about her fainting spell. Talk about an unexpected surprise.

Although, she did seem sweet in a way, whoever this Jack guy was he hoped that he was smart enough to see her again. Jax sighed, what was he talking about? This was a dream, plain and simple, yet here he was acting as though he knew this Jack person.

Just leave it he thought bitterly its stupid anyway.

“I’m gonna check where the rest of them at,” he told Gangle and Kinger, “Zooble probably lost one of his arms again, so I might as well hide it if that’s the case.”

“Wouldn’t you rather help them find it?” Gangle whimpered.

Jax huffed out a laugh, “And where’s the fun in that?”

He got out from his chair, only to bump into another body, almost losing his balance, “Hey, watch where your-”

He looked down to see Pomni sitting on the ground, probably from him bumping into her, her red and blue eyes widening when she realised what she did.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she burst out, “Usually I sit next to you whenever we eat, and I didn’t see you sitting up but I’m still really sorry either way I shouldn’t have done that-”

“-Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!”

“I’m really sorry!”

Jax snapped out of his trance, looking down at Pomni again, her eyes looking both sad and apologetic. He signed, reaching down to pull her up by the end. “Relax pom-pom, it wasn’t like you planned to do that…unless?”

“What, no, of course not!” she yelped.

 Jax laughed, the newbie was easy to rile up.

“Shut up Jax,” Zooble moved past him to get to their spot, “Let’s just get breakfast over with before we need to deal with the headache Caine is gonna give us.”

“Whatever,” Jax slumped back into his seat, Pomni gently placing herself upon hers as Zooble and Ragatha did the same.

The way Pomni acted just then, the way she was quick to flush and stutter over her words, and the fact that she was so nervous about everything as well. It was all just like Penny.

No, don’t, don’t be stupid Jax. Jack isn’t real, Penny isn’t real, so don’t bother comparing her to Pomni.

With that, he let himself continue with his food.

But it wouldn’t be the last time he or Pomni would make these comparisons, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time they had these ‘dreams.’

Chapter Text

Normally, Caine blabbering non-stop about what shenanigans they would get up to usually left everyone with a mild headache and the urge to just move on with the day. However, this was the first time that Pomni and Jax were grateful for the ringmaster’s excessive chatter. Knowing that he was distracted by the sound of his own voice gave them more time to think about their dreams, or rather, trying hard not to think about them.

For Pomni, it had left her confused. After her incident with the exit doors and the void, she was beginning to surrender to the idea that she was truly stuck here. No past, no memories, no escape. She was nothing but a body of pixels, not able to do the things that would’ve made her human prior to everything. But now, after being told she wasn’t physically capable of doing it, she had her first dream since arriving. Everyone had told her that she didn’t require that basic human needs to survive anymore, wouldn’t that include dreaming? She just wanted to make sense of this nonsense world and find out its rules, and now it was being thrown out the window!

Then there was this ‘Penny’ girl, out of everything that confused her the most, it was her envy of the dream girl. It wasn’t like she was real, and that this ‘Penny’ actually had a life, had her own aspirations, even a sister who would protect no matter what. It wasn’t real, she wasn’t real, so there was no reason to be jealous. Though, she wondered if her life before the circus was similar to Penny’s, what were Pomni’s goals? What was her family like? What was her life like?

She briefly made eye contact with Jax during her internal rambling, realising and whipped her head back round once his gaze met hers. The fact that he reminded her so much of the ‘Jack’ person in her dream wasn’t helping. Granted, there were minor differences, but the way his voice sounded and the relaxed posture she always found himself in, it wasn’t hard for her mind to put the two side by side. Ugh why can’t my brain just be normal for one second!

Jax on the other hand was starting to get frustrated with all this. It was usually easy for him to not think about things he didn’t want to, like deciding whether or not he was in the mood to prank someone. So why can’t he get that stupid dream out of his head! He had already made his peace that he was never getting out of this multi-coloured hellhole, he was fine with it, nothing could be done about it. And then suddenly he just so happened to actually have a dream, something that according to Caine, couldn’t be done here.

But what frustrated him the most was that he couldn’t get Penny out of his head. This sweet yet anxious girl, with an adorable smile that somehow turned his insides to goo, as though he had witnessed that beautiful smile many times before. And her nervous rambling, how she stumbled over her words yet still managed to be so endearing, he wanted to berate Jack for scaring this poor girl, you know, if he actually existed. Which he doesn’t so just leave it alone!

He had noticed Pomni glancing at him before turning her head away so fast that he was surprised she didn’t get whiplash. He thought about her first day here, how terrified she looked, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure nothing was out to get her, he also remembered how she would flinch at anyone coming near her. He wouldn’t admit this to anyone ever, but he felt bad for the jester, and maybe he was a little ashamed of himself for leaving her with Kaufmo, after all she seemed like the type to be afraid of her own shadow, kind of like Penny—

“And that concludes our adventure for today!”

Jax blinked as he looked up at Caine, the AI floating above everyone else, his eyes filled with manic and excitement. Was he seriously thinking about Penny for the whole day?! He really needed to get a grip on himself. Perhaps it was his tired state, but he was looking over at Pomni again, the jester still seemed to be afraid of Caine. After all, he did nothing but drag her all over the circus grounds when she first arrived – to the point where she threw up -, lied to her about an exit and did nothing to ease her into her new home. He knew Caine was a bit much at times, but it didn’t mean he had to like how the ringmaster treated the new arrival.

Although now he could take the time to get a proper look at her. She was small, but to be fair, he towered over everyone here, her eyes were big and wide, it was kind of cute how they widened at every new thing she saw, her hair was short, but he wondered what it would look like without her hat, maybe it would shine like Penny’s?

Hold on, when did he start thinking about Pomni like this?! And he was comparing her to Penny again?! “Ugh,” he put his face into his hands.

“Why Jax, dear boy!” Caine floated over to him, giving him a harsh pat on the back, “There’s no need to be so down about this adventure being over, after all, we’re having another one tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after-”

“Keep the repetition to yourself dentures,” Jax shoved him away, “I’m just tired, well, not that I can be tired here. I just wanna be alone right now.”

With that, he walked away, he could overhear Caine bidding everyone a goodnight before everyone else trekked back into their rooms. He felt someone bump into him from behind, he turned to see Pomni, nervously clutching her hands together as she backed up from him a bit. “Twice in a row today, huh pop-pom?” he smirked, “I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose.”

“No, no!” she cried, “That’s not the case, it was an accident I swear!”

It was pretty cute seeing her riled up, he was far too tired to even deny that part, he just wanted to go to his room. “Sure,” he replied, walking away.

Pomni watched him walk away. She wasn’t sure what was up with him today, ever since breakfast she was caught in her own little world that she failed to notice that Jax was also spacing out as well. Was that normal for him? After all, everyone else always said how he would find a way, whether big or small, to throw a prank. However, this didn’t seem like the rabbit that everyone was talking about. “Jax?”

He turned back to face her.

“Um,” she wrung her hands together, peering down at her feet before looking back up at him again, “Are you okay?”

Something shifted in his face before he shrugged, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, “I know I just got here, but if this is my new home now I wanna make sure everyone’s okay, including you.”

Jax shifted a little, the way she was looking at him, so sincere and not a hint of malice, those wide red and blue eyes searching him as though all his secrets were on display. He coughed, looking away before smirking again, “No need to be so soft on me toots, but I’m fine. I’m gonna go get some rest.” He then walked up to her, making the jester freeze as he towered over her, “You should too, after all you need to get some sleep if you wanna remain sane here. It wouldn’t be any fun if you abstracted so soon.” He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, chills running up her spine and her making her cheeks blush hard.

He grinned once he got his desired reaction and with a final wink he strutted back to his room. He ignored the fluttery feeling in his heart, he was just teasing her, that’s all, its what he does best. It wasn’t like he did it because he was curious about what her blush would like, he definitely didn’t think that it also matched Penny’s.

Once Jax had shut the door of his room, Pomni raised her hand to where he touched her. She couldn’t believe that he did that?! Was it part of a prank that she wouldn’t find out until later? And that wink! Oh how that caught her off guard! That moment wouldn’t be leaving her head anytime soon. But the way he winked, why did it remind her of Jack…nope, she wasn’t going down that road any time soon.

As the two retired for the night in their respective rooms – after changing into sleepwear that Caine had specialised for everyone – Pomni and Jax tried their best to push any thought they had at the back of their minds. All they had to do was go to bed and everything would return to normal. Right?

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Jack huffed, steam rolling out of his mouth as he trekked to the coffee shop down the street, yup, November winter weather was certainly making its way. His normal bus had been cancelled, which meant he had to take a different one in a different area of town if he wanted to make it on time to college. Although, he was lucky enough to make it on time to the bus stop, and it just so happened to be near a local coffee shop. So with a shrug, he decided than rather staying outside in the cold with zero energy, he would at least try and warm himself up indoors with some caffeine to help wake him up.

When he walked in, he noticed that the shop was fairly empty with only one other person at the counter walking for their order. That was fine, he could wait, besides it smelt nice it here, with an aroma of cinnamon and vanilla filling the air, probably new drinks that were made for the festive season coming along.

He decided to go on his phone, texting a classmate of his to say he might be late when an angry squawk from the woman in front of him made him wince. It was far too early for this.

“How dare you!” the woman screeched, “It says here that I can get a free muffin if I buy a beverage and that’s exactly what I’m doing to do! I’m in my right don’t you deny me!”

“Ma’am please,” another voice whimpered, “That discount is expired, I’m really sorry but I’m afraid you’re going to have to buy both separately, there’s nothing I can do.”

“I’m not paying for this garbage! And you will give my discount, I deserve it! You are either going to give me what I want, or I will report you to your manager!” the woman slammed a hand down on the counter.

The noise made Jack finally look up, wondering what on earth was happening and then, there she was, it was Penny! He couldn’t believe, ever since Halloween he had trying to find a way to contact her. At first, he wanted to ask Winter if she had her number, but he didn’t want to come across as creepy by getting someone’s number without asking. He tried to look on social media for her, but again, that also came off as creepy. So instead, he decided to wait and let the moment come to him. But here was some random woman to ruin said moment, screaming in Penny’s face, the poor girl looking as though she was trying to hold back tears. He had heard many horror stories with untitled people mistreating those they thought were beneath them, he just didn’t think he would see it happen in front of him, especially to someone he knew. Penny was a sweet girl; she didn’t deserve this.

“Ma’am please, these are the rules I was told to follow, I’m just trying to do my job,” Penny whispered.

“Well you’re not being good at it, are you?!” the woman screamed, “I have connections you know! One call from me and I can get the manager of this dump to fire you!”

It was a meaningless threat, clearly a bluff, but it didn’t stop Penny from turning as pale as a sheet, attempting to take deep breaths to try and keep herself calm.

Alright, enough was enough. Jack already had enough of this woman, particularly after threatening Penny. He noticed that the woman was still holding her thermos of coffee, but just so happened to have the lid off. This is gonna be fun he thought with a mischievous grin, waiting until the woman was standing in the perfect position and bumped into her, spilling the entire beverage all over her cream jacket.

The woman gawked, turning slowly towards him with an enraged glare, “You have some nerve! Do you have any idea how much this jacket cost?!”

“Well judging how you also had to pay for that terrible haircut,” he pointed to her bob, or rather, the poorly cut mess that ended by her ears, “I’m guessing not that much.”

The woman spluttered, holding a hand to her head. It was then that Penny finally noticed him, her mouth agape as he sent her a smirk.

“You are going to pay for this!” the woman angrily stomped her foot, almost mistaking her for a toddler throwing a tantrum, “One call from me and I can make you grovel.”

“Well madam, my friend just so happens to know someone from the FBI, so one call from me and she’ll know not only how you threatened me, but how you also verbally abused her partner’s sister,” his brows furrowed, no hint of any type of humour, letting the woman know just how serious he was, “Yeah, I know the person who has been nothing but kind while serving you, I’ve met her sister and trust me, she won’t be happy about the things I overheard you say. I’m sure that’s something you don’t want on your hands now, is it?” It wasn’t a lie, Winter did know someone from the FBI...because she was that someone. It was how she and Riley met, with the two always being paired for cases and eventually caught feelings for each other.

The woman gulped; all confidence gone when she realised that she lost all control of this situation she believed she could easily weasel her way out of. She shook her head.

“Good,” Jack grinned, “Now here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re going to apologise to this nice lady here, pay for your drink, leave her a good tip and carry on with your day.”

The woman grimaced, knowing better than to try anything else. She took her purse out, getting out the cash that she needed to pay her drink, and a $10 bill to put in the tip jar. “I’m…sorry,” she said through gritted teeth to Penny.

The girl was still in shock over what happened, remaining in a trance as she watched everything go down. She blinked and faced the woman again, “O-oh it’s okay, have a nice day.”

The woman huffed as she stomped past Jack, grinning as he watched her leave with defeat. He turned to Penny, “Well, not how I’d think we’d meet again but it’s good to see you again Penny.”

“Y-yeah, good to see you too,” she still seemed spaced out, slapping her hands against her cheeks to try and get herself out of her daydream, “Sorry, sorry. It just took me by surprise seeing you again while dealing with that customer, then you came in and…oh my god, you actually did that?!”

“Well I couldn’t just leave her yelling at you,” he said, “It still bugs me how people can talk to workers like that.”

“I’m used to it by now, its not the first time I had to deal with an angry customer before,” she shrugged, “Besides, I could handle it, you didn’t need to do that for me.”

Jack walked up to the counter, “But you shouldn’t have to deal with that. Seriously, are you okay?”

At his question, her lips lifted into a small yet grateful smile, it was telling how customers like that affected her when she was having this type of response by someone showing genuine decency, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Jack nodded to her answer, “So, this is my first time here, is there anything you recommend?”

“Are you sure?” she asked, “The menu’s right behind me if there’s something in particular you want.”

“Nah, its fine,” he rested his arms on the counter, “I don’t have any allergies or dairy intolerance. Surprise me.”

“Uh, yeah…yeah okay!” she grinned, already grabbing a red thermos cup – decorated with little Christmas tree for the season – “We have our holiday special, sweet but with a dash of spice. You’re actually the first customer to have it this year. Also, what size of cup would you like?”

“Large please, and I’m honoured,” he placed a hand to his chest dramatically, “Of course the ‘special’ drink is going to me, I am quite charming after all.”

Penny snorted as she started up the coffee machine, “Easy there, it just came out today and many people have had it years before you.”

“Ah, but you didn’t deny the charming part,” Jack leaned in a little bit closer, “Do you think I’m charming Pen?”

Oh god, where did the nicknames come from? Pull yourself together Penny, he probably has nicknames for everyone! The machine beeped; Penny pulled the cup away as she began to add the rest of the ingredient. “So, um, where you headed after this?”

Jack pulled back, he liked to tease but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, “Oh, I’m just heading to college. Buses got mixed up so I’m just grabbing something to keep me warm before I leave.”

“Oh really?” Penny perked up, interest filling her brown eyes, “What do you study?”

“Game design,” he answered, “It’s been something I’ve been interested in since I was a kid.”

Penny’s smile widened, leaving Jack a bit breathless. He would never get over how beautiful her smile was. “That’s so cool!” Penny marvelled, grabbing whipped cream and red and white sprinkles, “You must have so much fun doing that! Well, I don’t wanna assume but that sounds amazing! I mean, you probably have this whole world figured out in your head and figure out how to make it fun while fitting the story that’s been written and you have to capture every single detail to make it come to life, I mean, that’s gotta be a lot of work! At least I think it is, I don’t know about the whole video game world, oh god, I’m word vomiting again. Shit! I mean, shoot! I’m sorry, don’t tell my boss!”

The whole time, Jack couldn’t help but be in awe of her excitement. I mean, Winter and her family had always shown enthusiasm over his work and always found ways to support him. But why was it different with Penny? He didn’t know her other than what Winter told him about her, but it always left him intrigued of what Riley’s ‘mystery sister’ was like. In the short time he did know her, he found out that she was the sweet yet nervous girl that he wanted to know more about – he still felt bad about her fainting. The way she easily got ecstatic about what he did, it only made him want to know her more. When he noticed that she caught him staring, he coughed awkwardly, making her giggle a bit at his reaction, “No, its okay, I like hearing your quote on quote ‘word vomit’. And don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss.”

Penny looked up, hearing the sincerity in his voice. While it was true that she found him attractive when they met in the funhouse, it was this moment that reminded her why she hoped they would meet again. Despite his wit and cheek, this was a funny yet charming guy that she believed that she could find a friend in. She may or may not also have a small crush on him. She smiled at him, putting the last of the sprinkles on top of the whipped cream and closed up the beverage with the lid. “Here it is, one holiday special,” she beamed, handing him the thermos, “I hope you like it.”

She carefully deposited the warm drink into his hands, their fingers touching briefly before she quickly pulled away, supressing a blush. Jack lifted the drink to his lips, taking a sip, a gentle wave of cinnamon and sugar smoothed over all his senses, with a hint of cardamon and the sweetness of the whipped cream tying the whole coffee together. He hummed at the taste, it was just what he needed, “This really is Christmas in a cup.”

“I’m glad you like it!” she moved to the register, “That will be $3, are you paying with cash or card?”

“Card, thanks,” he pulled it out from his wallet, tapping the little machine and put it away once he heard the beep, “So, what are the rest of your plans for today?”

“Well, I finish my shift by lunch so after that I’ll be heading to my class,” she replied, “And you?”

 “I’ve got a longer day so its I probably won’t be home till late,” he sighed.

“Aw, poor thing,” she giggled. Jack wanted to savour that sound forever.

This is it, Jack! You’ve been waiting for a moment like this, ask her now! “Hey, uh, Penny?”

She looked up as she gathered his receipt, “Yeah?”

“So, I was wondering, if you ever wanted to catch up, like maybe go out for a coffee sometime?”

“Um, I work in a coffee shop,” she stifled a laugh.

“Right! Right, I mean like somewhere else that doesn’t have to be coffee specifically,” he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, “Do you think I could have your number so I could contact you?”

She wasn’t able to hide her blush this time, she could feel it rushing from head to toe. “YES!” she slapped her hands against her mouth, “I mean, yes!” Why can’t I just react like a normal person?

“Great!” Jack was sure he lit up like the lights of a Christmas tree.

“Um, oh, here!” Penny pulled a pen from her pocket, writing down her number on the top of the receipt before handing Jack the little slip of paper, “Just put it into your phone and send me a text, but no cursed memes, got it?”

“Can’t make any promises little lady,” he smirked, pushing down the rushing swell of excitement when he saw the hastily written number in blue ink.

“Excuse me, little?” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well yeah, look at you, you’re basically pint sized!” he snickered.

“I am a normal height!” she scoffed, “It’s you who’s basically a giant!”

“Well I hate to break it to you little lady,” he was having way too much fun with this, “But you basically came up to my chin when we were in the funhouse, I think I’m already getting a neck ache looking down at you already.”

“Ugh, I regret giving you, my number,” She buried her face into her hands again.

“Too late now little lady!” he chuckled, pocketing the paper and walking out the door, “Oh and Penny, thanks for the coffee. I think I have a new favourite drink.” And person. He pulled out a $20 bill from his wallet, “Here, for your earlier troubles.”

He put the bill into her tip jar. Penny placed a hand on her hip, “Are you just trying to show up that last customer?”

“Of course not,” he denied, his grin said otherwise, “Only a petty person would do that.”

“Sure,” she snorted, “Now go, I don’t want you to be late for your class.”

“Don’t worry, my bus won’t be here till-” he looked behind him, panic filling his face as he noticed the bus begin to close its doors down the street, “-shit! Gotta go!”

He rushed out the shop, Penny clutching her sides as she laughed. If this is what the rest of their friendship was going to be like, she couldn’t wait for the ride.

.

.

.

One Month Later

“Are you texting Penny again?” Winter appeared by Jack’s door, almost making him drop his phone against his computer desk, his headphones around his next while working on the last assignment before the holidays.

“Jesus Winter!” he exclaimed, “Where did you come from?!”

“Riley is visiting her sister for the weekend, so I’d thought to come visit and annoy you,” she grinned. Right, Penny had mentioned a while back that Riley would usually visit home when the holidays arrived. Even after moving in with Winter, the two were always welcome at Riley’s mom’s place when they had their annual leave. “My mom let me come up to see you, but you didn’t answer my question, were you texting Penny again?”

“I might’ve been,” he sent Winter a mock glare, “Didn’t realise you liked to snoop.”

“Oh please, as if you haven’t stuck into my room and messed with my shit, I still remember the centipede invasion,” she shuddered as she walked over to his bed, popping herself down, “You two are getting along pretty well huh?”

He noticed her soften at that last part, “Yeah, we’ve become pretty close.”

“To the point that you’ve been texting her ever since you got her number?” she raised a brow.

“Did your mom tell you that too?” he leant further back into his chair.

“Nope, just a lucky guess. And judging by the flustered look on your face I guessed right,” she laughed as Jack felt his already reddened cheeks.

“Wow, you’re just the worst,” he drawled sarcastically, but he was unable to hide a grin.

“But seriously though,” Winter sobered up, “I’m glad that you guys are getting along. Everyone else and I worry about you a lot since…you know…and I saw that you’ve been getting better with college, therapy and a job, but seeing stuff like this, I don’t know, it just reassures me a bit more. You’re basically like my brother, so I worry about you a lot. But you are doing okay, right?”

“Aww Winter, you do care!” he said, exaggerating his words. But he saw how Winter’s shoulders slumped, as much as the two teased each other, it was clear how much their emotional wellbeing meant to one another, “I’m doing better each day. I’ve actually talked to my therapist about Penny.”

Winter straightened back up right away, “Really, what did Andrea say?”

“I was basically telling her how we met and that we’ve been talking for the past month,” he chuckled a bit, “She was pretty shocked when I told her that I made Penny faint the first time I saw her. But other than that, I told her that while I’m glad I’ve met her, there’s something that’s been gnawing at the back of my head. Its just…Penny doesn’t know what I went through and there’s just this fear that she’ll feel like she needs to take on my problems once I tell her. I’m just scared that she’ll feel like she needs to ‘fix me’, I’ve met people like that and its always terrifying when they break themselves to help someone that doesn’t want to be helped.”

“But you do want to be helped,” Winter interjected quickly.

Jack nodded, “That’s what Andrea said. That and this; there’s a difference between supporting people through their hardships and putting the weight of the world on their shoulders. If Penny sees me, if she truly sees me, she’ll know that as well. But there’s also a part of me that’s afraid that she’s gonna run when I tell her what I went through, I mean I get it, but after this past month she’s someone I don’t want to lose.”

“Well it kinda goes back to what you said before, or rather what Andrea said before. If Penny truly sees you, then she’ll inevitably see the baggage as well,” Winter pointed out. “I mean, my family did. Did we run?”

Jack smiled, nothing smug, nothing playful, just a warm smile. “No, you all definitely didn’t put up with my bullshit, but you never ran…I don’t think I could ever repay what you and your family have done for me.”   

“Trust me when I say that Penny will do the same,” she affirmed, “She won’t quote on quote ‘fix you’, but she won’t run, not after knowing her and Riley through all these years.”

“Yeah,” he nodded before groaning, “God, why is being human so fucking complicated?”

“I have no idea! I’m still wondering how I’ve made it this far!” Winter exclaimed.

Jack shook his head, laughing. Winter gasped, making him stop, her face lighting up as though a lightbulb went off in her head, “Me and Riley were gonna go to the Christmas fair tomorrow, you should invite Penny! It could be a double date!”

“What?!” he nearly fell over in his chair, “Winter, I barely worked up the courage to get her number before seeing her in the coffee shop, what makes you think I’m able to ask her on a date?!”

“Well you don’t have to use word ‘date’,” she shrugged, “Just say that I invited you to come with Riley and I, so you were wondering if she’d like to go with you.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously!” Winter grinned, “Come on, mom’s been telling me that when you’re not at college or work, you’re glued to your phone texting Penny. I never knew how much of a simp you were.”

Jack put up his index finger, “Number one, your mom’s a snitch,” he put that one down and then switched to his middle finger and pointed it to Winter, “Number two, fuck you for the simp comment,” he finished with his ring finger, “And three, even if its not a said ‘date’, I still don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t worry,” she reassured him, though her smile looked as though she was hiding something, “I’ll help you with what to say. Besides, I kinda need you to go to. I have…something I need to pick up for Riley and I want to get your verdict.”

“What is it?” he asked.

Winter bit her lip before pulling out her phone, scrolling for a moment before showing him a ring that she found on a jewellery store website. But it wasn’t just any ring, “You’re gonna propose to Riley!”

“Shhh!” she put a finger to her lips, “Not so loud, you dumbass! And yes, I plan on proposing on Christmas day. The place where I’m getting it from is near the fair, so I plan on picking it up then. So not only to I need your opinion, but I also need you, so Riley doesn’t figure anything out.”

“So I’m just the distraction then?” he placed a hand to his chest in a faux manner, “I’m hurt Winter.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Poor you and that,” she waved a hand dismissively, “But seriously, the fair is gonna be a good chance to get the ring sorted and for you and Penny to spend some time together without texting.”

Jack sighed. All in all this did sound like a good opportunity for everyone, but it still didn’t stop him from sweating buckets. However, he thought about Penny. How would her face look in the Christmas lights? What would be her favourite booths there? Would she get excited at the first fall of snow? So many questions ran through his mind, and he desperately wanted the answers to all of them. “Winter,” he grabbed his phone, “Help me ask Penny to the fair.”

“Yes!” Winter pumped her fist in the air and sat on the edge of the bed closest to Jack, “Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do…”

.

.

.

“Come on Penny, let me win!”

“Its not my fault you’re bad at this game!”

Penny and Riley were bundled up in blankets in the former’s bed, dressed in ugly Christmas sweaters as the two punched each button and control on Penny’s Switch controller, the graphics and music of Mario Kart blasting from Penny’s TV in front of them, and Riley was losing badly.

“I bet you’re cheating!” Riley bit her lip in concentration, grunting as she watched her sister overtake her in the race.

“Nope!” Penny popped the ‘p’, “You’re just terrible!”

After a while of struggling and laughing, Penny eventually won the race, leaving Riley to curl up on herself in defeat. “No!” she cried.

“And that’s another win for Penny!” the younger sister cheered, “I’d ask if you wanna play again, but after losing ten times to me, its probably best I pass on that.”

“One day I’m gonna beat you at this game, I swear!” Riley huffed.

“Keep dreaming Riles,” Penny snickered, her sister doing the same as the hype died down.

“So,” Riley started, “Winter told me that you’ve been texting Jack for the past month?”

“Yeah,” Penny smiled, thinking back to that day, “He had to get a different bus to college, and we met at the coffee shop that I work at.” She stopped when she noticed Riley’s frown, as though she were deep in thought, “Don’t tell me you’re still mad at him about the funhouse?”

“I can’t help it,” Riley admitted, “Sure I’m not as mad as before, but when it comes to you and hearing about someone scared you so much to the point of fainting, some kind of kill instinct goes off in my brain.”

“Riley!” Penny chided.

“Not literally!” Riley interrupted, “Pen, you’re my baby sister, and both mom and I have seen what you went through. I know it’s not an excuse, but I can’t help but freak out if something happened to you. But I’ll admit it, I might have exaggerated a little bit towards Jack.”

Penny huffed, “A little?”

“Okay, maybe a lot,” Riley rolled her eyes.

“Well you don’t need to worry,” Penny took her sister’s hand in hers, “He actually defended me from a rude customer that day. Some lady was going off at me because I wouldn’t accept her expired coupon, and he stood up for me.”

“Huh,” Riley lent into the pillows, crossing her arms, “Now that I didn’t know.”

“See,” Penny repeated the action, leaning her head on Riley’s shoulder, “I know you’re worried, trust me I get it. There’s still a part of me that’s gonna be wary of everyone that isn’t you, Winter or mom. Hell it took me a while to warm up to Winter and realise that she wasn’t like…them…but I’m getting less afraid each day, its not easy, but I think Jack is a genuinely good person. Besides, I kinda of, well…like him.”

Riley inhaled, her eyes widening a bit, Penny snickering at the reaction before continuing, “Don’t give me that look. Listen, all I want from you is to support me with this, if he’s Winter’s best friend, then he can’t be this ‘big bad Jack’ you’ve made up in your head.”

Riley groaned as her sister laughed at the memory of Winter teasing her on the way back from the Halloween festival. “Well either way,” Riley continued, “I guess that was…nice of him for doing that. But it still doesn’t change the fact that if he hurts you, I will tear his eyes out, shove them down his throat, make him watch as I tear out his heart and bury him alive at the bottom of the ocean!”

“Riley, I love you and all, but if you ever get arrested, I’m not bailing you out of jail,” Penny admitted, her face and voice deadpanned.

“Fair enough,” the older of the two shrugged. Their lips keep trying and failing to not crack a smile, the sisters burst out laughing, howling until their sides hurt and they leant on each other for support.

Once all was quiet, Penny heard her phone ping from her beside table. She grabbed it, noticing the text was from Jack. She gasped.

“What?” Riley stiffened up, her stance sharp and ready to defend, “What happened?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Penny reassured her, leaning closer to her sister to comfort her, “Its Jack, he’s asking me if I wanna join him, you and Winter for the Christmas fair!”

“As if I wasn’t gonna be asking you anyway,” Riley mentioned, earning her a look from her sister, “Alright, sorry, I didn’t mean to be snippy. You really like this guy, don’t you?”

Penny nodded, if she weren’t sitting in her bed, she would be bouncing on her toes. “Yeah, I do. I haven’t felt this sure about liking someone in a while. It just feels right, and I wanna see where this is gonna go. I’m saying yes. But please, for the love of God, when we meet up with him and Winter, be nice.”

“I’ll try,” Riley gritted out, “For you, I know it seems that I’m being overbearing, but I do trust you with this. Besides, I’ll be able to keep my eye on him this way. But if he hurts you-!”

“I know, you’ll bury him alive or whatever,” Penny chortled, “How the hell are we related?”

Riley’s nose crinkled with a cheeky smile, “Beats me.”

“No, I don’t want you contacting me or the girls!”

The two turned to Penny’s door, it has creaked open earlier but the two were so wrapped up in their game to realise. Their mother Amber was standing out in the hallway, a woman in her early 50’s, tall and lithe with red hair like Riley and green eyes. There were small wrinkles by the corners of her lips and forehead, but her overall aura radiated her youth. Right now, she was on the phone, pacing up and down the hall in her pyjamas with a frustrated look on her face.

“How could you say that?!” she questioned the other person on the phone, “I’ve tried to get you help but you never offered to take it!” There was a muffled sentence from the other person, but it was enough for Amber to shake with anger. “David, listen to me when I tell you this, if you ever try to contact the girls, I will fucking end you! No, you don’t have any right! Not after what you did to Penny!”

She looked over to the door, her eyes widening with guilt when she saw Penny and Riley. She was about to say something else before the voice spoke up again, making her turn away. “No! I know you’ve been turning up at Riley’s place…I’m not gonna tell her that! If she doesn’t want to see you, she doesn’t want to see you!”

Penny buried herself into the blankets, emotions that she hadn’t felt since she was younger picking at the back of her head, threatening to invade. What did he have to call now? What else could he want? Why couldn’t he just leave them alone?

Riley noticed her sister’s internal panic, getting up from the bed and closing the door over, settling back into the bed and starting up Mario Kart again. “Come on, give me one more game,” she smiled at Penny, bumping her shoulder, “I bet I can beat you this time.”

It was a series of movements that her older sister had repeated ever since they were kids, habits that still affected them even when they entered adulthood. Nevertheless, Penny returned the smile and the two continued the game. Cheering and making fun of one another, soon, the phone call was forgotten.

.

.

.

“Nervous?” Winter asked as they two parked the car outside of Penny’s home, waiting for the sisters to come out.

“No, of course not, I’m as chill as the ice we’ve been getting,” Jack retorted, his words smoothing over the obvious dread he was feeling.

Winter hummed, “Sure, and I’m guessing that your hands are shaking from the cold…despite the air conditioning in the car.”

“Exactly,” he smirked.

“Hey, its gonna be fine,” Winter placed a hand on his arm, “All we’re gonna do is have a fun day out and see what we get up to. Besides, you don’t think I’m not nervous either?! I’m buying an engagement ring for Riley!”

Jack chuckled, “How are you feeling about that?”

“Both excited and about to shit myself,” Winter replied honestly, “Imagine what its gonna be like when I actually propose.”

“Good luck with that,” Jack snickered, even harder when Winter hit his arm.

The door to Penny’s home opened and the two girls exited the door with another woman who Jack guessed was their mother. “Hey!” Penny grinned as she climbed into the car with Riley, “Sorry if we took too long.”

“Nah, you’re fine,” Winter smiled, reaching over to take Riley’s hand and placing a kiss on it, “Its not as long as Jack’s two-hour baths so you’re fine.”

“Hey!” Jack gaped, Penny giggling at his response.

The older woman knocked on the window, hugging the cardigan she was wearing closer to her as Winter rolled her window down. “Hey, I’m Amber,” she waved to him, “I’m Penny’s mom, I just wanted to officially say hi before you guys left.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you had the chance to meet Jack yet, have you?” Winter pondered.

“That’s on me,” he said, “I’m sometimes a bit funny with other people, but I think I’ve seen you sometimes when you or Riley visit. Sorry if I’ve never introduced myself, its usually because I’m busy or-”

“-Or being a social recluse,” Winter finished for him.

“Winter, I swear to God!” he started, but stopped when he heard Penny’s laugh. How did it sound so lovely each time he heard it?

“Well its nice to meet you too,” Amber grinned, sharing a look with her youngest daughter before turning back to Jack, “You’re all Penny would talk about. So it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Mom!” Penny cried.

“What?” Amber asked rhetorically, “I just wanted to get to know the guy that stole your heart. And he’s handsome too, good job baby.”

Penny brought her knees to her chest, mumbling into them, “Please just kill me now.”

“I’d like this conversation to end as well,” Riley butted in, glaring at her mother, “And I’d like my mom to stop scheming over my little sister please.”

Amber put her hands up in surrender, backing away from the car, “Okay, okay. Jack, make sure you bring Penny home safe, otherwise I won’t be able to control what Riley’s gonna do to you.”

Jack gulped when he heard the older sister crack her knuckles from the seat behind him, “Got it ma’am.”

“Winter,” She turned to the girl in the driver’s seat, “You take care of my other baby as well, alright?”

“You got it Ms Reed!” Winter gave the woman a thumbs up before placing her hands back in the steering wheel, “We’ll see you later!”

Amber waved as Winter started the car, waiting until it drove off before heading back inside, but before she went through the door, she faced back to where the car was sitting before. “Whoever’s out there, please give Penny a chance to be happy.”

.

.

.

“Wow!” Penny gasped, being the first to step out the car as soon as it was parked, “Look at this place!”

What was ahead could only be described as a winter wonderland. Many of the stalls there were decorated like Christmas trees or gingerbread houses, flashing lights of red, white and yellow were hung from each to toe of each building, the sweet smell of hot chocolate and other sweets roamed the air, there were minigames and the Ferris wheel was bright with multicoloured lights, and by the end of it all, the parade would begin along with fireworks.

Penny chittered, but there so no source of cold to make her react that way, there was nothing pure excitement fuelling her body. “Isn’t this incredible!” she called out to the others as they got out of the car.

“I’ve gotta say, they really went all out this year,” Jack walked up to her, marvelling the sight. Well, that and the way Penny shone just like each of the lights there.

“Okay, here’s what I think we should do,” Winter spoke up, “We’ll look at a few stalls and games, then we’ll break off into two, Jack will go with me, and Penny and Riley can go together-”

“Wait, why do you want to split up?” Riley asked.

“Oh, um, you know cause-” Winter stuttered.

“Because there’s this place that I’ve been pestering Winter to see,” Jack interjected, “I just think it would be pretty special to her so that’s why I wanted to take her myself.” He looked over to Winter, who was sighing with relief.

“Oh, yeah that’s fine,” Riley went over to her girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“Yeah, right so anyways,” Winter continued, “After that we should all meet up and check out the food, maybe a few more games, then we can stop and warm up with some hot chocolate at the café before the parade and fireworks.”

Penny grinned, “I think that’s sounds great.”

“I’m cool with that,” Jack nodded.

“It sounds great hon,” Riley placed a gentle kiss on Winter’s lips, the latter blushing before pressing her forehead against Riley’s.

“Okay,” Winter beamed, “Let’s go.”

They spent the next few hours doing just that. Jack quickly learned that while Halloween wasn’t Penny’s thing, Christmas definitely was. The way she bounced from stall to stall, admiring every little ornament and item they had for sale. She bought at least three bobbles, one bolt of new fabric – she squealed when she saw festive selection – and a new snow globe. Jack didn’t find himself minding one bit, just seeing her smile and as went into detail with every little thing warmed him so much that he couldn’t register the cold.

Riley and Winter were also having their own fun. Winter had dragged Riley into a photo session with statues of elves and reindeer, Winter had decided to place elf ears and fake antlers on Riley when she wasn’t looking before the photos, chortling at her bewildered reaction when Riley finally realised what she did.

There were many games to chose from as well, from balloon darts to ring tosses to even rides such as tilt-a-whirls, spinning teacups and bumper cars. Jack and Penny had settled on a high striker for their first game, with Jack determined to win and buy a stuffed bear for Penny. While he did get a good swing, it didn’t manage to reach the top. When Penny had her go, she swung the hammer as hard as she could, closing her eyes and bracing for impact as she hit the bottom, cheering when she heard the ring of the bell, and the prized bear was handed to her. What made it all worth it was the bewildered look on Jack’s face, both impressed and terrified of her strength.

The group had fun, taking photos, laughing and all around having a good time, but Riley didn’t let Jack and Penny out of her sight for a second. Perhaps she was being overprotective, and she knew Jack was a good guy before he and Penny met but did that stop her from wanting to keep her sister as safe as possible, absolutely not. She was pretty sure she was more protective over Penny than her mother, and she had seen how seriously Amber took her girls safety. After all, hell hath no fury like a mama bear.

Soon, when the time came, Jack and Winter split up from Penny and Riley, promising to be back as quick as they could while the two sisters decided to go on the Ferris wheel. Soon, the ring was picked up and boxed, secure in Winter’s bag as she and Jack made it back to the sisters, with Riley none the wiser of what her girlfriend had planned.

A while later, after two more stalls, four games and deliciously made crepes, the four made it over to the café and picked out a booth near the back. Winter placed her jacket on the plush seat, letting the warmth soak over her. “Well I think its time for a break,” she eyed Jack and Penny, smirking as a planned formed in her head, “Why don’t you two catch up, after all we’ve been a group since we came here, you two probably wanna talk a little bit. Riley, mind helping me with the hot chocolate.”

Riley’s protective senses came flooding back at the thought of Jack and Penny together, “Actually I-”

“-You’re helping,” Winter pulled her girlfriend out of her seat, with Riley sending a warning glare at Jack before walking away.

Now that the two were alone, they could finally have a moment without Winter and Riley hovering (especially Riley). “So, are you enjoying yourself so far?” Jack asked.

“Um, hell yeah!” Penny exclaimed, “I’m pretty sure that Christmas has been part of my DNA since I was a kid.”

Jack chuckled, “That far back huh?”

“Yeah,” Penny smiled.

Jack shuffled in his seat a bit, he had planned on telling Penny more about himself tonight, more in depth than any other conversation they’ve ever had, but it didn’t stop him from the fear running through his veins. But he had to tell her, he wanted to tell her. “Hey, Pen?”

“Yeah?” The girl looked up at him.

“Do you remember when you asked me how I first met Winter?” he gripped his jeans, bundling the fabric in his hands.

“Oh, yes I remember that” she remembered the nervous flicker, there definitely more there but she didn’t want to pry, since they had only met that day on Halloween, “Why?”

“I, um, there’s a bit more to it than I said,” he gulped, “And I wanted to tell you once we got to know each other a bit more, but since we’ve known each other a bit more this past month, I wanted to tell you the full thing.”

“Of course,” Penny straightened, ready to hear everything he said, good or bad, “Just, if you feel like you can’t tell me everything don’t feel like you need to keep going.”

“Right, right. Sorry I just…”

“Take your time,” Penny spoke softly, “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”

(1)

“I do, it’s just, really hard,” He took a deep breath, there was no turning back, “While Winter and I did meet in high school, before any of that I didn’t really have a great upbringing. My folks died when I was 2 and I don’t really remember them that well. Anyways, I was in the system for a few years being tossed around from family to family, some of them were good and some of them were terrible, until I was adopted by this family, real ‘moral’ citizen kind of people,” he scoffed, “They were anything but that. The dad was a narcissist, he never believed he did anything wrong and if you’d get in his way, he'd…well, we was a smoker so if I ever did anything he didn’t like, he’d burn me with his cigarette.” Penny gasped; he wondered if he should stop but the look in her eyes told him to continue. “Anyways, the mom just ignored it, after all we had to be the ‘picture perfect family who took in a poor orphan boy’, anytime I’d ask for help she’d say that I did something wrong and turn away.

But then there was their kid, Luke. He was a few years older than me, but he made sure me made my life hell. He’d beat me, spit on me, say things that still won’t leave me head till this day. One time he was choking me so hard that I thought I was gonna die, luckily his mom pulled him off me, but she put make-up on my neck to hide the evidence and went about her day. No matter what I did, Luke was always there, grinning, plotting on what he could do to me next. Then I met Winter in high school, one day I wasn’t able to hide my bruises and she saw. Her mom was a teacher there and she told her straight away. The next thing I knew I was eating lunch in her classroom. I remembered just how kind they both were, how they didn’t judge me…believed me. I think that was the first time I let people see me cry.

Anyway, Winter’s family tried to get me out of that place, tried to report it, but no one did anything about it, and Luke made sure that I paid for it getting out. Winter stuck to me like glue ever since, she kept an eye on me even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when I got bad and told her to fuck off, she told me straight up that she wasn’t gonna take my bullshit, she humbled a quite a bit then. But even though she didn’t put up with me being a dick, thank God, she never gave up on me. I knew then that even if it was hard, I couldn’t become like the people who hurt me, no matter how many voices there were, I didn’t want to lose anyone like Winter and be what I hated.

As soon as I was old enough to be emancipated, I moved out of that house and in with Winter’s family. The transition was so jarring, and I affected me a lot, I was abrasive, loud and rude. I just wasn’t able to handle the fact that there were people who actually cared about me, so I lashed out. Eventually I was sat down, and if I thought Winter could humble me, the rest of her family did it tenfold. I was so prepared for them to kick me out, to never want to see me again, but they didn’t. Instead, they comforted me, told me that I was safe and the next thing I knew, they were helping me set up therapy appointments to help me out. It took a while, but I tried getting on my feet again, I applied and got into college and even got a job as a scare actor. I’m still living with her family, but I’ve never felt freer in my life! I don’t think I could ever repay them or Winter for all they’ve done for me, sure there’s days that are harder than the rest, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

(2)

He took a breath as he finished and looked at Penny, her eyes were wide yet focused, taking in everything that he had said. It like a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulder. “I’m sorry if that was a bit much but-”

“Don’t be sorry!” Penny interjected, “I’m glad you told me, I just can’t believe that happened to you.”

“Some people are amazing, some people aren’t,” he sighed, “I want to be like the people who see the world with the potential it had…someone like you. I’ve wanted to tell you for some time, but I just didn’t want you to feel burdened by it, like you had to carry my weight as well.”

“I get it, honestly I do,” she replied, “I understand that this is a complex situation to talk about, but I’m glad that you did talk about it. Are you still in therapy?”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “The therapist is great, I don’t think I would be able to be like this if it wasn’t for her.”

“Well, if were gonna be talking about shitty childhoods, I guess…” Penny clenched her hands into fists.

“Pen,” Jack said quickly, “Don’t feel like you’ve gotta say anything because I did.”

(3)

“I want to,” Penny murmured, “Trust me, I want to tell you.” She took a moment to prepare herself. “Before I was born, my mom and dad were extremely in love, like, they were high school sweethearts who gushed over each other and got married in college. I also know that he and Riley were pretty close as well. But then, my mom found out she was pregnant with me. They wanted a second kid, but they never expected it so soon. My mom was happy but David, my dad, while he said he was happy, looking back on it now I think he was only just saying that. I was born premature, and I was really sick, so I had to spend more time at the hospital. I think I was there for a few months, and my parents had to work extra hard to pay the medical bills. It was then that it was found out that David had been embezzling funds from the company he worked at, and it was my birth and medical bills that messed everything up for him. So one thing led to another, and he got fired. My mom wasn’t happy but eventually it was paid off.

I think that was a catalyst for a lot of things that happened in my life. Ever since then David was a completely different person. He stopped spending time with Riley, he didn’t help my mom whenever I needed fed or changed, and he wasn’t able to hold a job for long. It was also then I realised something that’s pretty fucked up for a kid, I don’t think anyone is supposed to think at 5 years old ‘why does my dad not like me?’ If I was ever alone in a room with him, he would just say such awful things to me, he called me worthless, pathetic, that I better be something great when I’m older otherwise I’m just a waste. That was just the tip of the iceberg. I would always be terrified to show too much of any emotion, whether it was happy, sad, scared, he would just scream at me to the point where I would just stop talking, I was just too scared to do anything at all. When I started middle school, I just became this shell of a person, I wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t move, always flinch. The thing is, when you act in a way that’s ‘different’ to others, it makes you a target. Soon, it became a norm for people to call me names, trip me, kick me. I still got sick a lot due being ill at birth, so it caused me to lose a lot of weight, and everyone made sure that they noticed. It got to the point where it was so bad that I was afraid to go to the bathroom in case there was anyone there. I hated everything about myself. I was too quiet. I was too scared. I hated my body. I just really fucking hated myself.

My parents’ marriage began to become more strained; they fought a lot and Riley realised how much David really sucked as a person. Whenever their fights got too loud, she would close the door and distract me with something like a game or a movie. My mom had to work overtime since David wasn’t working anymore so Riley had to make sure I was okay since he wouldn’t go an inch near me. I still think about how Riley was forced to grow up, because of me. She couldn’t go to parties or have fun because she was busy taking care of me. She said that she didn’t mind, but no one should be forced to give up their childhood, I ruined that for her.

One day, neither my mom nor Riley could get me from school, so David had to get me. He was acting like he usually did but there was something off about how he acted. He was complaining while driving us home, how he shouldn’t be doing this that he had better things to do that pick up his own daughter from school. He was driving so fast, he kept swerving from side to side, I though I was gonna be sick. But then, before I had time to react, we crashed. I remember just being in so much pain, I kept thinking that the last time I saw my mom and Riley would really be the last time. I woke up in the hospital later, Riley and my mom were by side, crying and saying how scared they were. Later we found out that David had been drinking and driving, in fact he had been drinking for a while. He just got worse at hiding it. The minute my mom found out she immediately filed for a divorce, ever since then she felt guilty about not doing sooner, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten hurt. There were times after that when David tried to reconnect with Riley and I, but we were just done with him.

After hearing about the crash and the divorce, I became a bigger target at school. The name calling and the beating got worse, if people pointed out about my weight before then they also pointed the scars that I got from the crash. It just really hit me how cruel people wanted to be. Eventually it got so bad that I just shut down, emotionally and physically. I just numbed myself to the point that I neglected my basic needs, I didn’t eat, I struggled to sleep, it just got really bad. My mom and Riley noticed, and they both tried to help, but I just couldn’t find any point to try. But then it all caught up to me, I was taking a bath and I just…passed out, there and then. I was lucky that I left the door unlocked, Riley managed to find me and screamed at my mom to phone an ambulance. When I came to it was from my mom performing CPR, she held me and cried that my heart stopped for two minutes. I think about that day a lot, how bad it got, I still hate how scared Riley and my mom were. I never wanted to make them feel that way again.

So I decided to get help, I went to a support group for a while and tried taking care of myself again, with Riley and mom’s support. I was also pulled out of school and finished the rest of the year online before being homeschooled, honestly for my sanity, it was for the best. I really struggled getting into a good routine and wanting to take care of myself, but I know that I’d rather try to be happy and see what life can offer me than hit another low like that again, because I know that all I did was make things worse for everyone. As for David, he’s been in and out of rehab a few times, but he’s never made any real effort to stay sober.”

(4)

She huffed as she finished that last sentence, she lifted her head to face Jack, gasping when she noticed tears spilling down his cheeks, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!”

“No, no!” He hastily wiped them away, “You don’t need to be sorry for anything! I can’t believe that happened to you!”

Penny sniffed, “Pot calling the kettle black don’t you think? Besides, I’m doing better now. College is good, I’m surrounded by good people. I know you say that you wanna see the world I do, but I kind of have to. If we can’t see the world for what it offered us, how can we be human?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he wiped away another tear, “Just, all this shit we’ve been through, sometimes you forget how hard it hits.”

“Its like what you and I said about costume and game design,” Penny said, “We used what we loved to help us with it all.”

“Even if its still hard sometimes,” Jack finished.

“Yeah,” Penny nodded, “Even then.”

“Penny, I’m sorry that all that happened to you,” Jack whispered, gently taking her hand under the table, “This is gonna sound really corny, but for what its worth, I see you.”

Penny’s breath hitched, Jack’s thumb stroked her hand, providing comfort after all they had laid out. She won’t lie, there was still a part of her that was scared now that there was nothing hiding the bad stuff anymore, and she was sure he felt the same. But there was also something else, courage. Courage to see this through, courage to remind her that there are people who will care and love her, Jack was one of them. “Jack, I see you too.”

He let out a shudder, tension releasing from his muscles. This girl was truly something else, and after hearing what she went through, he was going to follow his own advice. He understood why Riley was so protective over her, he would be the same if it was Winter in that situation. There was still that still wanted to hide, but he couldn’t, not from her. It was then he realised how deep and far he had fallen for Penny.

Two mugs were slammed onto the table, provided by an exasperated looking Riley, “Well that took longer than it should’ve.”

“It’s a busy fair this year, I’m not surprised the que was that long,” Winter interjected, placing down two other mugs of steaming hot chocolate, “So, did you guys have anything to talk about?”

Jack and Penny shared a look, just one but it shared much more than just a ‘talk’. “Yeah,” Jack nodded, “We did”.

The group made sure to savour the hot chocolate that they were given, the sweet taste warming them as they kept an eye on the time. Once they were down, the gathered their jackets and headed back outside again, anticipating the parade that was about to begin.

The moment the first float came out, the crowd erupted into cheers. Each of them had a different them yet kept it related to the holiday season, but the crowd favourite and what got everyone to cheer was the last one carrying an actor of Santa with real reindeer with their reigns held by professionals where the ‘Santa’ waved from his sleigh.

As soon as the parade ended, the fireworks began, lighting the sky with red, green and yellow. It Jack didn’t think Penny looked pretty before, seeing the fireworks reflect in her eyes made her look beautiful. He was sure that a core memory had been created right then and there, locked away in the back of his head, but he didn’t mind one bit. And certainly didn’t mind when Penny held his hand as they watched the fireworks, both of them ignoring the sudden racing of their hearts.

The night was over. The stalls began to close, and each light went off one by one as everyone walked back to their cars.

During the drive home, the group would talk about all they saw that night, commenting on what was their favourite out of the whole fair. Riley had set next to Winter this time while Jack and Penny shared the back, enjoying one another’s company.

Soon, Winter rolled the car up by Amber’s house, letting the girls out. Winter and Jack got out as well, wanting to walk them to the door before they left. Riley and Winter shared one last kiss, the former was going to stay another night at her sister’s place before going back home with Winter tomorrow, but with they way the couple was acting was almost straight out of a soap opera, as if it would be eternity before seeing the other again.

As Winter went to hug Penny, Riley looked over to Jack. “Look here smart guy,” she growled, “Penny is really important to me, so if I find out you’ve been messing with her, I will tear you limb from limb. So consider this you’re last and only warning.”

Jack nodded, shivering not just from the cold, but mostly from the icy stare down that Riley was giving him. “I understand, really,” he reassured her, “You’re a good sister Riley.”

The stare melted a bit, not a lot but just a bit, Riley’s features softening slightly, “I know I am.”

Winter and Penny pulled away, “I’ll see you tomorrow Riley, Jack are you coming?”

“Just a sec Winter,” Jack went to face Penny, “I just wanna say bye to Penny first.”

Winter grinned, “Oh of course, I’m just gonna head to the car.”

“And I’ll just wait out here,” Riley crossed her arms just as the front door opened, revealing Amber.

“Oh hey guys you’re back,” Amber smiled, “Did you have fun?”

“We did mom,” said Penny, “I was just saying bye to Jack.”

“Oh well in that case, Riley could you come in here for a bit I need your help with something?” Amber asked, her smile was all-knowing as she looked at Jack and Penny.

“As a matter of fact-” Riley interjected.

“-She doesn’t mind at all,” Winter shoved her inside.

“GODDAMMIT-!” Riley shouted before Amber slammed the door.

“Like I said, I’ll be in the car,” Winter skipped away, leaving the two by the door.

“Do you have any idea what that was about?” Penny questioned.

Jack shook his head, “Not a clue.”

Penny put her hands behind her back, staring at her feet shyly before peering back up at him, “I had a lot of fun, thanks for inviting me.”

“I think you being there made it a lot more fun,” Jack admitted, watching the way pink dotted Penny’s cheeks, “Are you still okay after all that?”

Penny nodded, “Yeah, you?”  

“Mmhmm,” Jack hummed affirmatively, “Just text me wanna hang out again.”

“I will,” Penny agreed, “Probably after Christmas, but I think Riley, mom and I are coming to your house for Christmas dinner.”

“Really?” Jack lit up, noticing how he sounded before sobering himself up again, “I mean yeah that’s great; I can’t wait to see you then.”

Penny giggled, “Smooth. Well, goodnight then.”

“Goodnight Penny,” Jack whispered one more time, turning away.

Penny was about to go inside when she decided to do one more thing while she still had the courage, after all, the night was still young. “Jack, wait!”

He lifted his head at the call of his name, “What? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, its just, um, you f-forgot something,” Penny stammered, working herself up as much as she could, “You forgot this.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek, pulling away quickly. Jack’s mouth was agape, a small gasp escaping, but he didn’t know how else to express the adrenaline he felt internally. The night couldn’t have ended more perfect, with the lamp on the sidewalk illuminating the two as the falling snow powdered round them. He blinked the surprise away, smirking down at Penny as the girl blushed at her actions, “Thanks little lady.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and oh how her face turned even redder than a Christmas light.  

“I-I,” she stuttered, every part of her was rushing, cheering, yet all she could say was, “I’M NOT LITTLE GOODNIGHT!” Before running back into the house.

Jack chuckled, walking back to the car and sitting in the passenger seat. He could feel Winter’s teasing eyes on him, “Shut up.” His voice had no malice and the lovestruck grin was still plastered on his face.

Winter chuckled, driving away into the night. Jack smiled, he fell hard, and he loved every bit of it.

.

.

.

Jax bolted up in bed, grumbling. Here he thought he wouldn’t have another dream, yet fate had other plans. He placed his hands on his cheeks, feeling a wetness on his fur. Was he seriously crying in his dream? “Why does this keep getting weirder?” he mumbled to himself.

He raised a hand to his cheek again, to the same place Penny kissed Jack. One reason why he hated these dreams feeling so real was because he wanted that. He wanted someone just to like him, not even romantically but to just like him. Someone who could take a chance to actually want to know him, like how Penny wanted to know Jack. But he knew why though, he kept pushing everyone away who actually tried. The only thing he remembered from his first day here was nothing but fear, and the feeling of his past-self fleeting away, slipping from his fingers and before he knew it, he was reduced to nothing but a cowardly rabbit, finding it easier to just bite at whoever came near him than feel that fear again. Caine didn’t seem to care, as long as it made for a fun adventure.

He hated Jack, he hated that he seemed happier, he hated that he was brave enough to admit that he was scared, he hated how he had a family, a friend, that he felt the freedom of falling in love and wanting to maintain it. “Shut up Jax!” he growled to himself, “It’s a dream, just a dream, its not real!” But oh how he wanted it to be real.

He tried to ignore it for the rest of the day, focusing on how he could mess with the others, maybe he could steal one of Kinger’s pillows from his fortress. It all came to a halt when he heard the sound of two familiar voices.

“I’ve given you multiple chances to do this adventure!” Caine boomed throughout the tent, “Yet each time you don’t play it right! You are a jester, play your part!”

It wasn’t the first time Jax heard how angry Caine could be, the AI could be flat out terrifying went he wanted to be. He was curious about what him so angry. He peered round the corner and that’s when he saw it, Pomni cowering beneath Caine as he yelled at her.   

“I’m sorry, I’m trying I promise I’m trying!” she sniffled, “But you didn’t give me a chance to prepare when you threw those knifes at me! I didn’t even know it was going to be an adventure, I’m not even sure if I was a jester in my past life-”

“-This is your new life!” Caine thundered, making everyone else come in to see what was going on, but backing up when sensing Caine’s mood. This place was risky, but nothing worried them more than seeing Caine reach his limit. “If I ever hear you speak about an exit again so help me Pomni!”

“But I didn’t-”

“You are Pomni! You are a jester! This is your life!” Caine screamed, “If it takes throwing knifes at you to make you realise then so be it!”

Pomni curled in on herself, looking smaller than she ever did. It was then something triggered in Jax, a sense to run, a sense to defend her, a sense to rid her of the fear that Caine was installing in her.

I would always be terrified to show too much of any emotion, whether it was happy, sad, scared, he would just scream at me to the point where I would just stop talking, I was just too scared to do anything at all.

He had no self-control over what happened next. One moment he was at the side like everyone else, watching the whole thing go down. Next, he was in front of Pomni, staring at Caine as the AI tilted his head at Jax’s new and sudden behaviour.

The rest of the crew was shocked as well, Jax would’ve never have done this for anyone, yet Pomni was here for barely three months, and he was glaring at Caine without the slightest ounce of fear, and if he did feel it, he didn’t dare show it. Even Pomni was taken aback, uncurling herself to look at the rabbit in front of her.

“Jax,” Caine spoke quietly and softly, but it was dreadfully eerie, “What is the meaning of this?”

Jax knew he had to say something, Caine was smarter than he let on, so he had to play his cards right and stay in character, “Oh you know, I was gonna keep it to myself but Bubble is currently loose in the carnival outside, I think he said something about being glad he has free reign of kitchen supplies?”

There was a beat, but it felt like forever with how Caine was staring at him, calculating each word Jax said within his digital consciousness. Jax tried to keep calm, trying not to lose focus when Caine gasped dramatically, the encounter already forgotten. “Not the carnival!” he screeched with panic before floating out the tent, “Bubble! You parasite! Don’t you dare touch that rollercoaster!”  

Jax nearly sighed with relief, the way Pomni looked so afraid, it reminded him too much of Penny and how she described her dad. Maybe what he did would come back to bite him later, but right now, he just couldn’t bare to see Pomni so scared. Because its only fun to mess with myself that’s why Jax defended internally, you just pitied her that’s what!

“Um,” Pomni’s small voice broke him out of his daze, he turned to see the jester clutching her hands together, “Thanks, for that.”

“Well the carnival is mildly entertaining, so I didn’t want to let Bubble destroy it,” he replied, trying to ignore the sting in his chest at the way Pomni’s face fell. He sighed, “You’re welcome little lady.”

Pomni’s head shot up fast, did he just say? No, that was your imagination, there’s no way he said that!

Pomni’s dreams had also returned the other night, leaving her waking up with tear-stained cheeks and flustered screeching. She remembered how Jack pressed his lips to Penny’s forehead, how she could somehow feel the imprint on her own head when she woke up. But that wasn’t possible, it wasn’t real, they weren’t real! Nothing but her mind playing tricks on her again and she thought she could forget about it, but Caine had magicked her on a wheel and began throwing knifes at her. She had freaked out and tried to get away, not realising that it was one of his ‘adventures’ before he started screaming at her. Then Jax swooped in, why did he do that, what could he hope to gain?

And then there was the ‘little lady’ comment and the déjà vu swelled up in her brain again. Why did her heart start racing when Jax said it? She shouldn’t be reacting this way, before after how he tucked her hair behind her ear the other night, and now this, she wasn’t sure if she could fight off being flustered anymore.

“Um, yeah, cool, we’re cool right?” she cringed at herself for that one, Jax even looked a bit confused at that, “I’m just gonna-” she bolted down the hall and back to her room to save herself from anymore embarrassment.

Jax shook his head and chuckled, Pomni was just too cute sometimes, he wouldn’t deny it, you can’t deny something that’s true right?

“Um Jax?” Gangle walked up to him, making him grunt as he faced her, “Bubble hasn’t been outside all day.”

Damn it, caught! “Jax,” Ragatha raised a brow at him, “What’s going on?”

“What?” he tried to save face as much as he could, “I can’t mess with dentures from time to time?”

“Oh please,” Zooble grumbled, “As if you were thinking about messing with Caine. We’re not blind you idiot; everyone can see that you did this for Pomni.”

 “Seriously, you really think I’m going soft for the newbie,” that was a boldfaced lie, and everyone knew it, “Kinger, Hoo haa, back me up on this buddy.”

The chess piece only stared at the group, silent for a while before saying, “Is this about an insect collection?”

“…See, just wanted to mess with Caine,” it wasn’t much but it was the best that he could save himself, “Now if you don’t mind, I don’t want to see the rest of you for the day, goodbye!”

He shoved himself past them all, ignoring the knowing looks on his back. He didn’t feel anything for Pomni, there was no way. After all that would be ridiculous, like having sudden dreams in this dimension type of ridiculous. After all it wasn’t as if he was curious about what her laugh sounded like, or how beautifully unique her eyes looked, or if he spent last night falling asleep while thinking about her…

…oh no.

Chapter Text

Jax stood with his arms crossed, and a frown printed on his face. Caine had called everyone for the last adventure of the day and Jax already wanted to be finished with it. Ever since his revelation earlier about how he felt about Pomni, his mind had turned into a storming whirlpool. He tried to think of anything else, pranks, centipedes, the existential dread that he was stuck here forever – it might be morbid but it was something at least -, kicking leftover gloinks, breaking Gangle’s comedy mask, Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni…

“Thank you all for coming!” Caine’s abnormally loud voice from him from his daze, thankfully. “I understand that you’ve all been working hard all day with the adventures I’ve given you, but fear not, I have one more and you can all retire for the night!”

“Do we really have to?” Zooble muttered, “Can’t this wait till tomorrow? I’ve got better things to do.”

“I agree,” Gangle whispered, “I wanted to try and fix my comedy mask…again.”

“Don’t you worry Zooble and Gangle, you darling multi-shaped freaks!” Caine bellowed, “This adventure is only for two, so you don’t need to worry about joining anything. I just wanted to gather all of you to see them off before the most exhilarating voyage of a lifetime!”

“Well, whoever it is, I’m glad they’ve got this opportunity to do so,” Ragatha smiled, “It’ll be nice to hear about it when they finish it.”

“Even if it includes insects!” Kinger interjected, “That’s very important.”

“I mean, its just one more adventure,” Pomni shrugged, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”

Caine gasped dramatically, finally, their new little jester was starting to get the hang of it here. “That’s great to hear Pomni, for you and Jax are going to be paired up for this glorious crusade!”

Said jester and rabbit’s faces blanched, they were still barely processing their sudden dreams two nights in a row and still weren’t able to get today’s earlier events out of their heads! Not only that, the two were still trying to process their sudden budding feelings with one another, now Caine wanted them to pair up?! Could they not have five minutes of temporary sanity before being shoved into another bizarre situation?!

“Woah, woah, hold up there, dentures!” Jax stepped forward.

“I really don’t think-” Pomni was about to continue before Caine interrupted.

“Now, now you two!” Caine waved his finger, “No need to be so shy! By the end of this adventure, you two will be closer than ever! Just think of it as team building, especially for you Jax, I don’t think I’ve seen you be close with anyone other than-”

“Don’t,” Jax bit out, making the AI go silent. A small whimper was heard, everyone turned to look at Kinger, the chest piece was clutching his cloak tighter to himself, trying to look as small as possible.

“I…I believe we should continue on with the details of your adventure!”  Caine spluttered, wanting to change the subject as quickly as he could, “After all, there’s no reason to think of the past! Since there’s no ‘past’ for any of you to go back to.”

Pomni’s eyes darted from Caine to Kinger and Jax, curiosity began to bite at her. What happened to make everyone react like that? While she was still learning about the past performers here, she still didn’t know everything. Was there someone that Jax genuinely liked here? Did they abstract like Kaufmo as well? She remembered her first day here, the first time seeing an abstraction. If she didn’t arrive would Kaufmo still be okay? He probably had a family before this realm as well, and now any chance of seeing them again was taken from him.

“Now about your adventure! Both Jax and Pomni have to venture through the winding maze! It will be grovelling, it will be exhausting, it will leave you both wondering when this madness will end! But hey, you will end up the best of buddies the time it’s over, you might even wish you’d have stayed!”

Pomni blinked her brainstorm away, she nearly forgot about the adventure!

“Good luck, and we’ll see you both in the morning!” Before Pomni could ask him what he meant, Caine snapped his fingers and the rest of the tent disappeared before her eyes.

The ground felt different underneath her feet, looking down she realized that she was standing on some sort of pixelated grass. She lifted her head to take in the rest of her surroundings, two tall hedges standing on each side of her.

“Well, this is fantastic,” a sarcastic voice drawled. Oh, right, she was stuck with Jax until this was over, “Thank you so much Caine, this is exactly what I wanted.”

“It’s fine, this is fine!” she didn’t know if she was saying this to both of them or just to herself, “It’s just a maze with long winding paths and tall bushes that you can’t see out of and hey what was that Caine said about this madness not ending!?” She was spiralling, she knew that, but in her defence…it was Pomni. “Oh god! How long are we gonna be in here until we find an exit?! What if we don’t find an exit?!”

“Easy, Pom-Pom,” Jax rolled his eyes, “Caine would lose his entertainment if he kept us in here, now come on, I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.” He started walking a few steps, only to pause when he realised that Pomni wasn’t beside him. He let out a groan when he saw that she was still stuck in the same spot, her red and blue eyes replaced with dark swirls that only appeared when she was too caught up in her mind. He went back over and tapped the back of his hand against her cheek, causing her to gasp and jump. “Come on, the last thing we need is you delaying us because you’re too busy panicking.”

Pomni scoffed, that was unnecessary, “It’s not like I can control my panic attacks, unlike you, you actually choose to be a jerk.”

Jax froze, a smirk curling on his lips. Now this was an interesting development, “Well, well. Looks like the new cat on the block finally found her claws.”

Pomni rolled her eyes, she forgot that Jax could be incredibly annoying, “Let’s just try and find an exit.”

“Whatever you say Pom-pom,” Jax’s smirk fell, returning to his prior grimace as the two continued down the maze.

Their suspicions were corrected when guessing that this maze would last more than a while, each corner they turned was a dead end, each path seemed to lead them back to where they started and when they looked back it seemed like the area where they just were had been blocked off. They didn’t know how long they had been walking, minutes, hours? All they knew was that their feet were aching and that they desperately wanted to leave. Jax was starting to lose his patience. If he were stuck here with anyone else he would have tried to run as far away from them as he could. But for some reason, he had some sort of soft spot for Pomni and he couldn’t stand it. It made things much more frustratingly difficult for him, such as not bearing to leave her behind.

It wasn’t until she tripped for the umpteenth time did he start to lose his patience, he picked her up by the back of her collar, holding her at eye level. He had to bite back a laugh, she really did look like a cat this way, a miserable wet one at that. “I don’t think Zooble has fallen over as much as you have,” he said, “At least he has a reason to be so clumsy.”

“Oh really? And what’s your reason for being such an @SShole?” she challenged him, crossing her arms over her chest, “Or were you just born that way?”

Jax let out a slow breath, dropping Pomni into her feet again, watching her stumble as she regained her balance, “You’re right, I don’t have a reason, as long as I’m watching funny things happen to others I don’t really care.”

“Well that’s definitely a sad way to live,” Pomni mumbled, taking a few steps ahead of him.

“Its better than looking for an exit that isn’t there,” Jax retorted, “I mean, its pretty sad when you think about it."

“At least I didn’t leave you with an abstraction,” Pomni quipped, “Thanks a lot for that! It was so much fun for my first day here. Not!”

“Oh you’re so welcome,” Jax gave her a shit-eating grin, “Always great for the newbie to be traumatized on her first day, it gives ya a great taste of what else is coming.”

Pomni glared at him, oh he was having too much fun with her, “You know Ragatha got really hurt because of you? You could’ve tried to help get Caine but you just ran off to who knows where. Then when I tried to help her my hand started glitching, we could have both died!”

“But you didn’t,” he replied, placing a hand on his hip, “This isn’t my first rodeo with something like this, you would’ve been fine.”

“That doesn’t mean I wasn’t freaked out by it!” Pomni grit her teeth, “Like you said, I’m new, how was I supposed to know that it was gonna be fine?!”

“Look just lay off it already?!” Jax fumed.

“Right, cause nearly getting devoured by a glitchy monstrosity is so easy to forget about,” Pomni walked past him. “God you’re such a pain.”

Jax grumbled under his breath, “What do you want, an apology? That’s not something I do sweetie.”

Pomni growled, whipping back round to face him, “Okay, what is with you?! You say you don’t have a reason to care, yet you defended me earlier today when Caine was yelling at me! What the h%ll was that about?!”

Jax inhaled deeply, now she was starting to get on his nerves, but he seemed to be doing the same to her so at least he had some sort of equal footing, “Like I said, I didn’t want Bubble to destroy the carnival, there’s no deeper meaning.”

“And I don’t believe you,” Pomni frowned, “Otherwise you wouldn’t react that way earlier when Caine was talking about you being close with someone.”

Jax flinched, he spoke in a low tone, “That’s deep water you’re treading there, sweetie. I’d recommend for you to stop while you’re ahead.” He shoved past her, ignoring her scoff.

“At least I’m trying to leave!” she stated, “If I can find a way to do that then I can help the others get out of here too! What have you done other than be a d*)k to everyone here?!”

“You really wanna know Pomni?!” he yelled, turning back and stomping over to her, “I have tried to get out! I’ve tried to collect every single key here and yet none of them has opened an exit! Do you know how it feels, to watch everyone else here slowly give up on finding a way out?! You haven’t been here as long as I have! You haven’t seen what I’ve seen! And it hurts to have everyone tell you that it’s pointless in trying to leave, trying to find a way back to a life you don’t remember! So yes, I’m awful and I shouldn’t act this way! I get it! You don’t think I hate it too?! But for some reason when I’m with you I just-!”

He froze, catching himself before he fell off the edge. Pomni’s eyes were wide and cautious, great, he was scaring her off. This should be a good thing, he wouldn’t have to deal with these stupid butterflies anymore, so why did he feel so upset about it? But instead of her yelling at him to leave her alone, all she said was, “I’m sorry that you went through that, but don’t ever speak to me like that again.” A tear fell from her eye, “And maybe it is pointless for me to find an exit like how you tried to as well, but I wanna go back to a world and see what it can offer me rather than live in a place surrounded by fear and void. Even if the life I had before was bad, at least I’ll know that I’m able to change it into something else…I feel sorry for you Jax, I really do.”

With that, she finally walked away, slowly enough for him to catch up but enough for her to leave some distance between them. He shouldn’t care, he doesn’t care, he won’t care. But, just looking at her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. There was just no denying the raw heartache he felt after hearing those words from her. He really did fall for her, didn’t he? And he probably messed this up too, just like…no, he doesn’t need to think about that event, not anymore.

The next hour of walking was nothing but awkward filled silence. The whole time, the two just wanted to say something, anything to the other, but the words just couldn’t come to mind, and they were just getting too exhausted to keep going. Though there was no indication of night and day here, the way that their eyes kept drooping and the struggle to keep going was starting to overcome their senses.

“We-um,” Pomni stuttered, Jax’s heart fluttered a bit, was he happy at the fact that she finally said something? “We should probably try and get some sleep. It isn’t a good idea to keep going like this.”

“Yeah, we…we should,” Jax nodded, “It’ll stop you from constantly tripping over your feet, eh?” He meant for it to be a joke, but she didn’t react other than a simple hum, he could understand why though.

They walked over to one of the hedges, sitting and leaning against the back of it. It wasn’t the best bed but there wasn’t anything else that they could do. Pomni shuffled away from him, to give Jax some room. “Well, night,” she said softly.

“It’s not able to be night here,” Jax spoke, “But I get what you mean.”

Like that, they turned away from each other, shutting their eyes. Neither of them aware that they were wondering what their dream would be about tonight.

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.

.

The coffee table in Amber’s living room was scattered with treats. From the remains of gingerbread men and houses to chocolate chip and sugar cookies, even some sweet mince pies, two mugs of hot chocolate and a can of whipped cream on the side. It definitely wasn’t a healthy breakfast, but this sugary calamity was something special Penny liked to share with her mother since she started homeschooling. When things started to turn around for her, Amber made sure that every single aspect of her life was, while not perfect, something for Penny to look forward to. And thus, dessert for breakfast on Christmas morning was born.

Amber and Penny were lazing on the couch, the TV in front of them playing ‘The Grinch’ while the two stuffed themselves to their hearts content. Amber had squirted some whipped cream into her mouth before automatically doing the same with Penny, not even taking her eyes off the TV to know that her daughter had opened her mouth for some. After placing the can back onto the table, she and Penny leaned back into the cushions, with Amber wrapping her arms around her youngest daughter and holding her close. “I feel like at some point we’re going to become the couch if we keep doing this each year,” Penny giggled.

“Honey, we already have,” Amber smiled, pressing a kiss to Penny’s hair, “We are couch people and always will be couch people. I still can’t believe you used to be scared of this movie when you were a kid.”

“That was until I discovered the magic that was Jim Carrey’s comedic line delivery,” Penny replied, “The man’s a legend.”

“He really is, and you will be too my little costuming star!” Amber nuzzled her daughter’s nose with her nose, laughing at Penny’s groans.

“Mom!” Penny buried her head into Amber’s shoulder, “Stop!” She didn’t mean it and Amber knew that.

“I can’t help it if my daughter is amazingly talented,” Amber grinned, loosening up a bit as she peered down to look at Penny’s face. “You know, you seem a little different after that date with Jack at the Christmas fair.”

“I-what-mom!” Penny spluttered, her face as red as a tomato, “It was not a date!”

“Mmhmm,” Amber was not convinced in the slightest, “Baby, I’m old enough and wise enough to realise what a date looks like.”

“Mom…you, wise?” Penny stated.

“Ah, ah, I’m not finished,” Amber waved a finger in front of her face, “Trust me when I say this, I’ve been watching your sister fall in love with Winter and I’ve seen how they act around each other. You know when they first met it was over carrot cake?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard this story before,” Penny smiled, “There were having lunch at work and Winter got carrot cake because it was her favourite while Riley hated it.”

“And the two debated the whole day about cake flavours that they ended up becoming friends,” Amber continued, “And every time they saw each other Riley always brought Winter carrot cake.”

“What does this have to do with Jack?” Penny asked.

“I’ve seen the way Riley looks at Winter,” Amber told her, “She looks at her as though if she was the only thing that matters in the world. She could be surrounded by all the treasures in the world but she would still choose Winter. I saw how that boy looked at you before he left, in a room full of riches he would choose you.”

Penny blushed, thinking back to Jack kissing her cheek. The way he looked at her back then, it filled her stomach with butterflies and her heart thump hard. She never felt this way about anyone before, but the way he would smile at her, send her winks and always make her feel safe, it was hard not to fall for him. The only question was, did he feel the same way back? Sure he kissed her back but that was only on the forehead, what if it was a friendly kiss? What if she makes him feel awkward once she tells him how she feels? What if he wants nothing to do with her anymore?

“Penny, hey, it’s okay,” Amber pushed her daughter’s hair away from her eyes, taking her cheeks into her hands, “I can hear the cogs in your brain turning, but trust me when I say this, your dad has never looked at me the way Jack looks at you.”

Penny bit her lip, she knew that though her mother loved David in the past, he had hurt and betrayed her in many ways too. It was why they had these sugary breakfasts for Christmas, little things like that as a way for Amber to show how sorry she was for what David did to them. If there was a way Penny could show her that she wasn’t at fault, that she forgave her for everything that happened, that it was David who should be at fault for always gaslighting and manipulating Amber into thinking he was still the same man she married, but he was nothing of the sort.

“Mom,” Penny snuggled further into her mother, providing her with the comfort she needed.

“It’s okay baby, I’ve made my peace with it,” Amber held her tighter, “My only regret is that I didn’t realise he was this way before we were married. He gave me false hope and promises, love-bombed me until I could only see the world in rose tinted glasses and by the time I could finally get them off, he got you into that car crash. Jack isn’t like that. I’ve met him a few times while Winter and Riley were dating, and while he didn’t fully introduce himself, Winter’s mom always spoke about him. What I know of him is that while he’s scared and has been hurt many times before, unlike David, he wants to get better not just for his family, but for himself too. That’s more than David has ever done for me or for us.”

“Hey,” Penny turned her head to look up at her mother, “David fucked us all up. And yes, I’m still really scared with giving others a chance, but you’re one of the reasons why I’m able to get help. You were there for me every single step of my recovery and made sure that I was safe and happy. Parenting is a two-person job and not only did you have to do most of it on your own, but you also had two kids under your belt and raised us no matter what was thrown at you. Even if you didn’t leave David before the crash, you helped shield Riley and I as much as you could so that we had a good childhood. Don’t let your shitty ex-husband make you blame yourself for being a great mom.”

“Oh, babygirl, how did I get so lucky with you and your sister,” Amber pressed kisses over Penny’s face, her daughter’s nose scrunching up as she giggled. Her mother pulled away, smiling at her again.

“And you really think that…that Jack sees me like how you said?” Penny mumbled.

Amber gave her a look, her brow was raised and mouth was agape, “Honey, the guy wanted to wait for the perfect moment to ask for your number and kissed your forehead under the moonlight, the man is wrapped around your finger and you don’t even know it.” Penny blushed, ducking slightly under the blanket she was in. “Pen, I’d say go for it, only if you want to. You seem so much more yourself around him. But if he breaks your heart, I’m sending Riley after him.”

Penny burst out laughing at that, “Riley would send him to an early grave!”

“I know,” Amber stated matter-of-factly, “And I won’t hesitate to let her do it.”

“Mom no!” Penny snorted, “And you wonder where Riley gets these tendencies from.”

“Good,” Amber grinned, “That means I taught her well.”

Amber couldn’t help but join in on the laughter, just hearing her daughter laugh was enough to help her forget that she had even mentioned or thought about David. Penny was just that important to her. If anything happened to her…no, this was a good moment, there was so reason to think about the inevitable.

Penny’s phone dinged from the coffee table, sobering up from her laugh session, she leaned over to see what notification she got. What she saw made her gasp and nearly drop her phone.

“Winter proposed to Riley!” She squealed to Amber, the older woman immediately leaning over to check the recent news, “And she said yes!”

“Oh my god!” Amber screamed with joy, shaking Penny by the shoulders, “My daughter is getting married, I’m so happy!”

“Mom I know you’re excited too but I’m gonna be sick!” Penny warbled, starting to get dizzy.

“I’m sorry baby but it’s just, aaaahhhhh!” Amber got up from the couch, “I’m just so happy for her! Wait here, I’m gonna get my phone and message your sister!”

Penny giggled at her mother’s antics as she ran out the room, turning away to look at the image on her phone again. Riley and Winter’s faces weren’t in the picture, but what she did see was the Winter was behind the camera, holding Riley’s hand as she showed off her new engagement ring. This was without a doubt going to be an interesting Christmas dinner.

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.

.

Jack straightened up his tie again, before unfolding it and retying it again as he stared at himself in the mirror. This was the first time he and Penny were having their families together for dinner, and after the kiss from the Christmas fair, he wanted to follow up on that. Penny had taken over his mind and senses to the point that he had to see her in person again.

Winter and her 8-year-old sister Nina stood at the corner watching him, with Nina’s twin Alex still upstairs getting ready. “What’s the retying count at now Nina?” Winter asked.

“49, wait, it just got up to 50,” Nina told her.

Winter whistled cooly, “Jeez, that’s a new record.”

“I can hear you both you know!” Jack called to them, “You guys wanna keep standing there or do I need to give Nina’s new toys to the bogeyman.”

“No!” Nina cried, running away back up to her room to check if her new Christmas presents were still intact.

“You don’t need to keep worrying,” Winter walked up to him, shoving his hands away and took his tie into her own, “You were blushing like a tomato after kissing that girl and she was just the same. Just play your cards right, take it slow and things will work out.” She wrapped the tie into a knot.

“That’s easy for the recently engaged lesbian to say,” Jack pointed out, “Which by the way, congratulations again.”

“Thank you,” Winter grinned.

“I just…I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” Jack sighed, “I never thought I deserved someone who could make me this happy. Every time she walks into a room I forget how to breath. I can’t mess this up.”

Winter stopped her hands for a moment, “The only way you’re gonna mess things up is if you let those thoughts win. You’ve been doing great and you told each other what happened when you both were kids and she still wants to see you. Just take a breath, let me fix your tie and just let the night lead itself. I didn’t have much of a plan for proposing to Riley other than doing it on Christmas and she still agreed to marry me. Plans are overrated…sometimes, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” Jack nodded, “I do.” He took a breath as Winter finally finished his tie, checking himself out in the mirror. He flashed himself a grin, “Still as handsome as always.”

“And he’s back,” Winter rolled her eyes.

“Ooooh!” Both Jack and Winter turned to the sound of teasing voices, looking up to the stairs and seeing Nina and Alex with mischievous grins on their faces while chanting, “Jack has a girlfriend! Jack has a girlfriend!”

“Jack is gonna give all your gifts to the bogeyman!” He retorted, making the two scream and rush downstairs into the living room.

Meanwhile, Riley was busy helping carry the plates and cutlery to the table making sure everything was carefully placed on the Christmas-snowflake themed tablemats. Winter’s mother, Laura, came in carrying a hot plate of steamed vegetables, focusing on her attention on the food to make sure it wouldn’t fall before Riley came over to take it from her. “Here, Mrs Alvarez,” she said, “Let me.”

“Oh Riley there’s no need,” Laura patted her back, “I just wanted you to relax with Winter, let me and Marcus manage it.”

“I’m going to become part of your family soon. Please, allow me,” Riley persisted, placing down the pot near the centre of the table.

“Oh you’re a good girl Riley,” Laura took Riley’s hand into hers, “It’s no wonder Winter fell in love with you.”

“Mama!” Winter flushed, entering the dining room with Jack hot on her heels, “Please save the embarrassing stuff for the wedding!”

“No Laura continue,” Jack grinned, “This is karma for teasing me about Penny.”

“Oh, Penny Reed?” Winter’s father Marcus entered the dining room, his smile wide and his eyes crinkling with joy. “Winter told me so much about your date with her at the fair. Tell me more about her!”

Shit Jack cursed internally, with Winter sending him a smug look. “Well, I-”

“Yes, do go on,” Riley’s firm voice chided him, almost threatening him to not slip up. “Tell us more about my sister Jack.”

And now he had to tread carefully, especially talking about the younger sister of a 6-foot redhead with the experience of breaking the bones of criminals and throwing people over her shoulder. Please let whatever luck he had be on his side during this moment. “W-well she’s kind, funny,” He gulped as Riley squinted at him, he really didn’t want to die tonight, “And she one of the best people I’ve ever met in my entire life…whenever I’m with her, she makes me the happiest I’ve ever been. I just hope that I’m making her happy too.”

Riley softened a bit, did that mean she approved of his answer or thinking of plans ranging from A to Z to murder him?! This woman terrified him to no end!

“Well, she must be pretty special if you think that of her,” Laura beamed, “I can’t wait to officially meet my other daughter-in-law! Now if you excuse me, I need to get the pork out of the oven.”

“Hang on, I’ll help!” Marcus called after his wife as he trailed after her.

That was when the doorbell rang, light and quick on his feet, Jack bounded for the door. He straightened his jacket and tie one more time, cleared his throat rolled back his shoulder, he could do this. With a turn of the knob, the door swung open, revealing Penny glowing under the moonlight. Suddenly, his voice was cut in his throat and his palms were sweating despite the chill rolling in from the open door. The only word he managed to say was, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she shyly replied, her hands tightening on a small gift bag she brought.

He shook his head quickly, letting himself reboot as he turned to Amber, her smirk held nothing but the knowledge of a woman who knew all too well about what the two felt for one another. “Amber,” he greeted, holding out his hand for her to shake, “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you Jack,” Amber returned the handshake, letting him lead her and Penny into the house before shutting the door behind them. “I see you’ve cleaned up well.” It was a normal sentence, but her words told a totally different story.

Oh, she knew, she really knew! He was an open book and Amber had flicked through every single page. “I-I always dress this nice for Christmas, ma’am,” he stammered, “It wouldn’t be formal of me to not look this good for the holidays.”

Amber hummed, sure she believed what he said, but what Jack failed to realise was that Amber noticed his suit was the colour blue – Penny’s favourite colour.

“Hey mom,” Riley made a beeline to her mother, wrapping her arms around her, “I hope walking here wasn’t too bad with the snow,”

“Don’t worry baby, it was fine,” Amber pressed a kiss to her hair before pulling back, “But enough about me, let me see the ring!”

Riley blushed, unable to hide the giddy smile as she held up her hand.

“Oh my god, Riley!” Penny squealed, hugging her older sister. “Winter got you a good one! I’m so happy for you!”

“I know,” Riley laughed, “I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“Actually, that would be me,” Winter slid her arms around fiancé’s waist from behind, resting her head on her shoulder, “I’m the one who’s marrying this beautiful woman.”

“Flattery already?” Riley pressed her cheek against Winter’s, “And the marriage hasn’t even begun.”

“Am I not allowed to compliment my soon-to-be-wife?” Winter kissed Riley’s cheek, “Besides, that’s only 20% of my flattery, I’m saving the other 80% for my vows.”

“Dear god,” Riley slapped her palm against her forehead, knowing Winter, she was going to leave Riley as red as a tomato.

Penny stifled a laugh, Jack screamed internally at the sound. How can anyone be this fucking cute?!

“Penny!” Laura came rushing down the hall, her apron stained with some type of sauce, “I’m so happy we can finally meet.”

She opened her arms, ready to bring Penny in for a hug, only for the girl to freeze and back away. Laura faltered, her brows furrowing with concern at Penny’s startled reaction. Winter was quick to step in.

“Mama, remember,” she told her, “Penny is funny with being touched unless it’s by someone she fully knows and trusts or she’s the one going first.”

“Oh goodness,” Laura gasped, “Penny sweetie I’m so sorry I genuinely forgot!”

“It’s fine, really it’s fine,” Penny reassured her, stepping forward, “Honestly I’m able to tell when it’s a simple mistake.”

Jack’s stomach churned, all those years of bullying and her father berating her made Penny so frightened. He just wanted to shield her from everything bad so that she would never have to feel that sort of fear and pain ever again. Out of anyone in this room, he could relate to that type of fear.

“I’ll make sure to let the others know, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable during your first meal here,” Laura informed her.

“Thank you Mrs Alvarez,” Penny smiled, “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s absolutely no problem honey,” Laura emphasized, “Now I’ve gotta get the rest of these plates out, please, make yourselves at home.” With that, she turned to walk back into the kitchen.

“Here, let me take your coats,” Jack offered, holding his arm out.

“What a gentleman!” Amber gave Penny a look, making the girl glare at her mother, “Penny you better snatch him up before anyone else does.”

“Mom!” Penny hissed. Jack was fairly sure his face resembled the red lights flashing on the Christmas tree.

“Mom, why don’t you and Penny just wait in the living room please!” Riley exasperated, desperate for her mother to not spout out whatever she had in mind.

Amber put her hands up in surrender, “Alright, I yield.”

“Don’t worry Amber,” Winter took the woman’s arm into hers and led her into the living room, “She’s been like that with me whenever I point them out as well.”

“Honestly Winter, what it your fiancé like?” she joked, leaving Riley gaping behind them.

“I heard that!” Riley hollered, chasing after them, leaving Jack and Penny alone in the hallway together.

Jack took this moment to take in the garment she was wearing. It was a simple crimson dress with a floor length pleated skirt, long off-the-shoulder bell sleeves and a ruffled neckline. “You look…wow,” he breathed, how was she able to take something so simple and still look so stunning? She truly was remarkable.

“Thanks,” she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, “I wasn’t gonna wear it but I thought that it would be nice for this evening.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he knew what he said, and he wasn’t going to take it back, not when she peered up at him through her long lashes with a gasp.

“Y-you’re ridiculous,” she uttered, handing him her jacket.

“Hey, just telling the truth here,” he replied as he went to hang up her jacket on the wall, “Besides, someone’s gotta point out how pretty you are.”

“Keep the chivalry to yourself sir,” Penny placed a hand on her hip.

“Can’t help it, I’m dreamy,” he was unable to keep the grin off his face at her pout. His face softened, holding out his arm, “Shall we?”

Penny raised a brow at him, grinning. “Mr Jack how thoughtful of you.”

“Well I have to put the wellbeing of our guests first,” He joked back, “Let me introduce you to everyone else.”

Penny nodded and slipped her arm into his, the two unable to fight of the chortles at their current predicament. He led her into the living room, Amber was already sitting down talking to Riley and Winter. On the sofa across from them was another couple around Marcus and Laura’s age. “Penny, this is Winter’s aunt and uncle, Anya and Winston.” he introduced. She gave them a nod before Jack led her to another young woman around her age. “This is their daughter Kiara.”

“It’s really nice to meet you Penny,” Kiara greeted.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Penny returned.

Winston spoke up, “Laura’s been talking nonstop about ‘Jack’s new sweetheart,’ so it’s nice to finally meet the lovely lady in person.”

“Of course Laura’s been talking about us,” Jack groaned, Penny had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

“She’s so pretty Jack!” Anya gushed from her seat, “Where did you find this lovely girl?”

Both of them paled, sharing a look. The story about how they met was always going to be an awkward one, wasn’t it? They were saved by the sound of thundering feet descending down the stairs as Nina and Alex came bounding over to Jack and clutched each of his leg.

“Jack!” Nina cheered, “Penny’s here!”

“Yes, I can see that-ah-guys let go!” He stumbled over his feet and words, how much sugar did these two have earlier?

“Jack has a girlfriend! Jack has a girlfriend!” Alex chanted.

Penny and Jack spluttered over their words, at a loss of what they heard. “We’re not-” Penny gasped.

“It’s not like that-!” Jack objected “We’re just-”

“-Friends!” They chorused. Friends yes, that was what they were, but it just didn’t sound like something they wanted to continue being. They were unable to keep the daydreams of each other away anymore, to constantly wonder what the other was doing, what other hobbies they might have, if the other felt the same way.

“Nina, Alex!” Laura came back through again, the apron gone as she took each twin’s arm in her hands and pulled them off Jack, much to his relief. “That’s enough harassing Jack, dinner is ready.”

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve made this year Laura,” Winston clapped his hands together.

“I’ve gotta say I’m pretty excited to eat what you’ve made as well,” Amber got up, “As well as the table gossip as well.” She gestured to Jack and Penny.

“Oh Amber you must sit next to me, I have so much to share,” Laura not-so-subtly gestured to Jack and Penny.

Both mothers grinned, leaving Jack and Penny flustered messes unable to move from their spots.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Jack unlinked his arm, immediately missing Penny’s warmth.

“No, I should be sorry,” Penny objected, “My mom can be a lot sometimes.”

“Well I guess that’s just another thing we have in common,” Jack nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I think so,” Penny’s embarrassment began to slip away, Jack’s seemingly doing so as well.

“Penny!” Riley interjected, taking her sister’s hand, “Sit next to me!”

“But I-woah!” Riley dragged her younger sister into the dining room, plopping her down to the seat on Riley’s left while Winter sat on Riley’s right. Guess she was still a bit protective.

“What are you waiting for over there dude? Come on!” Winter waved a hand over.

Jack let out a slow breath as he walked over, sitting opposite from Penny. At least it would be easier to talk to her face to face without twisting his head. Soon, everyone was loading pork, bread and steamed vegetables onto their plates, Kiara was taking photos of her food with Anya scolding her to put her phone away, Winston was already scooping up spoonful’s into his mouth, Nina and Alex grimaced at the greens on their plates and asking when dessert was, Laura was pouring wine into her and Amber’s glasses before clinking them together, Marcus was listing off each shop he had to visit just to make sure he got every right ingredient for tonight’s meal, Winter and Riley were holding hands and had all their focus on each other instead of the food in front of them, and Penny and Jack kept trading small glances while eating, their eyes holding their own conversation as the drowned everyone else out.

“So Jack,” Anya piped up, “Do you have any plans once you graduate?”

“Uh, what?” he barely registered the question until it finally caught up to him. “Oh, right! Um, I’m trying to apply for an internship at this game company called C&A, they hire a lot of indie and free-lancing creators and help promote their games so I’m hoping to get a place there.”

“I think you’ll get it,” Penny said, “I’ve seen some of the stuff Jack worked on, he’s really talented.”

“And so are you little lady,” he said that mostly to see her cute pout again, “Laura, did you know that Penny is a costume designer?”

“I did,” Laura nodded, “And I’ve seen some of the pictures of her creations that you showed me, Penny you really do have a talent.”

“She’s been designing ever since she was six,” Riley said, “I have no idea where she gets her ideas from, it’s incredible.”

“It meets the bar at least,” Penny objected, “Trust me there’s people in my class that are way better than I am.”

“Don’t sell yourself short Pen, every time you send me a picture of something you’ve made It just shows how creative you are. Someone’s gonna reach out to you one day and say ‘Penny, you are one of the most talented people in the world and I wanna hire you!’ it’ll happen one day, I swear on it, after all I’m never wrong,” Jack said, pointing his fork at her.

“You? Never wrong?” Penny said doubtingly.

“What? I’ll have you know I’m very smart,” he frowned mockingly.

“I’m gonna have to agree with my sister there,” Riley said.

“Oh come on!” Jack cried and turned to Winter, “A little help here?”

“Why, everything they said is true,” she chortled.

Jack moaned as the rest of the table laughed, clearly taking pride in his misery.

Penny’s giggles died down, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye as she faced him again, “Well hopefully someone will take pity on my designs one day.”

“You mean someone will see how exceptional you are,” Jack pointed out.

“Awfully generous but sure, we’ll stick with that,” Penny rolled her eyes fondly.

“Let’s just hope he says what he means instead of talking out of his ass,” Riley quipped.

Penny threw her sister a look, “Riley,”

“What?” Riley shrugged her shoulder, “I’m not saying he’s wrong.”

Amber raised a brow at her daughter. It was a joke, she knew that was going to happen. But she knew Riley long enough to know when her daughter was hiding something, and more importantly, when Riley was hurting.

“Speaking of designs,” Penny said, “Riley, you gotta let me make your dress.”

“What, you don’t need to do that, I just want you to enjoy the wedding,” Riley interjected.

“Can’t hear you, I’m too busy thinking about your dress since I’m the best sister ever,” Penny gave her sister a sly grin.

Riley huffed a laugh, once her sister was inspired nothing could stop her.

“Jack?” Nina piped up.

“What’s up squirt?”

“Can you sing ‘No Girl’s Toy? after dessert?” she pleaded.

“Yeah, “No Girl’s Toy!” Alex cheered with his sister, “Oh please Jack, please sing that!”

Jack flushed, waving his hands in exasperation, “Woah, woah hang on! I’m not singing that!”

“Please Jack, please!” The twins chorused.

“It’s just a little song Jack,” Winter jeered, Jack glared at her.

“Yeah,” Riley joined in on her fiancé’s antics, “What’s so wrong with the Raggedy Andy song Jack?”

“I sung that one time and suddenly whenever it’s brought up I’m forced to sing it!” he told them, “I’m putting my foot down on this one, there’s no way that any of you can convince me too-”

“Raggedy Ann was my favourite movie growing up,” Penny mentioned, “I’d love to hear you sing that song. Please?”

Oh god, Penny’s chocolate brown eyes had such an effective grip on him, how on earth could he say no to those lovely eyes? He sighed, “Fine, one song and that’s it.”

“Yay!” The twins cheered before tucking back into their meal.

“You should bring Penny over more often,” said Alex.

“Yeah she makes you do fun stuff,” Nina agreed.

“It is very interesting how easily swayed you were,” Laura joined in.

Jack wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole, he was being way too obvious with how he felt. “Please, I just want to eat my food without any further humiliation.”

“You know Marcus, he’s acting just like you before you started going out with Laura,” Winston said, “The red face, being easily swayed, the teasing. I’m getting a bit of déjà vu here.”

Jack bit down on his fork hard as Penny began to quietly squeal like a kettle, this night was already too much for the both of them.

After dinner and dessert was finished, Riley was helping Laura wash up the dishes despite the woman requesting Riley to sit down. “Laura, do you mind if I have a word with my daughter?” Amber asked, entering the kitchen.

“Oh, of course,” Laura said before turning back to Riley again, “Remember sweetie, you’re our guest, make sure you relax tonight.”

“Just after I’m finished with this dish Mrs Alvarez,” Riley continued to scrub the plate, “Than I’ll relax.”

Laura patted her back, leaving the mother and daughter in the kitchen alone together. “Is everything okay with you?” Amber asked.

“What do you mean?” Riley didn’t take her eyes off the plate.

“I mean with Jack and Penny,” Amber told her, “I thought you were fine with him back when you started dating Winter.”

“I am,” Winter dried off the plate and put it away, “If this is about Penny, that’s just me being protective.”

“I know that,” Amber walked over to her, “But I also noticed that you seemed a bit aggravated towards him.”

Riley whipped round, “No I wasn’t, I was just looking out for Penny.”

“Penny is a grown adult who can make her own choices,” Amber walked closer to her, “Riley, baby, why are you so worried?”

“Come on mom, you aren’t at least a little bit worried?” Riley argued, “You aren’t worried that he’s like the boys from Penny’s high school. Penny’s got a sensitive heart, what if he breaks it like they did? Those boys didn’t actually like her, they wanted to control her. And once she didn’t give them what they wanted they would just dump her! What if he’s like that, what if he makes her hate herself? What if he makes her so scared to the point she stops talking again? What if we actually lose her? What if-”

“-If he’s like David,” Amber finished for her, “That’s what it is, right?”

Riley froze, part of her knew that this was why she was so scared for her younger sister, but she wanted David out of her mind. He already tried to force himself back into Riley’s life many times to ask for money, and she never forgave him for involving Penny in that car crash. She hated him, she hated him so much that she would never let anyone else hurt Penny like that again, she failed with David, she failed with those stupid high school boys and she won’t make that mistake ever again. “I have to be careful mom,” Riley said to her mother, “I can’t let Penny feel that kind of pain again.”

“I know baby,” Amber said, “When I heard of Jack and Penny seeing each other I got worried as well. It’s always my first instinct. But now, I know that I can’t let David control what could actually be good for Penny, I won’t let him get into my head like that. I’m still scared, baby believe me, but not as much as I used to be.” She cupped her daughter’s cheek, gently lifting her head to meet her eyes, “David hurt you too Riley, I know you hate thinking about him, but you’re allowed to feel betrayed as well. If I ever made you feel that you weren’t allowed to hurt for what he did to you, I’m so sorry. I’m your mother and I’m supposed to protect my babies. Yes, I protected Penny, but don’t think for a second I won’t protect you too, even after you’ve left the nest.”

Amber held her arms out for her daughter. After so much anger and frustrations for her father after so long, Riley all but broke in her mother’s arms, Amber stroking her hair and whispering comforts into her ear. “It’s okay baby, I’m here, mama’s here.”

A soft sniffle made them turn to the doorway, seeing Penny there with a few leaked tears. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she whimpered, “Can I have a hug too?”

Riley and Amber opened their arms for her, letting the youngest daughter cry along with them as their mother squeezed them both. In that moment, Riley wasn’t an engaged woman and Penny wasn’t an aspiring college student. They were just the 10- and 14-year-old girls letting their mother sooth them after so much pain.

After a while, their tears were dried and the three headed back into the living room. Everyone rushed up to them, panicking and asking them if they were all right. They told the rest of the family that they were fine, just a mother and her two daughters picking up a few fallen pieces.

It wasn’t until Penny erupted into a fit of giggles, seeing Jack being the one to pout this time as he held up a microphone and had the TV ready to play ‘No Girl’s Toy.’ Everyone was immediately seated, ready to hear the performance.

“I hope my suffering entertains you monsters,” he mumbled, before pressing play on the music. He gave out one final sigh before he began to sing.

Well, you can push me, shove me, turn me around, but I'm no girl's toy!

You can tie me, toss me, upside or down, but I'm no girl's toy!

I sing my own sweet melody, I go my own sweet way.

I won't beg 'round tomorrow for the kind of affection that was free today!

Oh, you can squeeze me, tease me; say I'm your own but I'm no girl's toy!

You can charm me, chase me, follow me home; I won't be coy!

You may not like it much but I'm my own best boy,

And not some sugar and spicy, lacy and nicey, sissy you're gonna enjoy!

No, I'm no girl's toy!

Everyone applauded and clapped as he continued to sing. He was embarrassed, that was for sure. But seeing Penny so carefree and happy, no worries and stress in those beautiful eyes of hers, just having fun with everyone else, he would sing this song for the rest of his life as long as she was happy. He was unable to stop his pleased smile while he sang.

Riley rested her head on Winter’s shoulder, she didn’t need to say anything for Winter to know when her fiancé needed her. She kept looking between Jack and Penny, just seeing what he would do for her, she knew that he wasn’t a bad person, although her protectiveness would always take over her senses. However she knew that Penny had to do this on her own, but for the first time in a while, she believed that her little sister was safe.

.

.

.

Spring had arrived, the perfect atmosphere for Riley and Winter’s wedding to take place. They had booked a hotel for the night and rented out it’s ballroom for tonight’s event. There was only one thing on everyone’s minds, make sure this wedding went off without a hitch.

Since Christmas, Penny had put all her focus on making the perfect dress for Riley, something that was pristine and bridal while also making sure that this dress was something only Riley would wear. Jack had facetimed her every time she was sewing, making sure she was getting on well with the dress while also making sure she was eating and drinking enough fluids. He had also seen the final result of the dress and he was determined that once Winter saw Riley walking down the isle wearing that, she would promptly burst into tears.

After hours of setting up flowers and decorations, making sure the place was spotless, the meals were delicious, the dance floor was ready, getting changed into their wedding outfits and the chocolate fondue was prepared, everyone could finally breathe until the wedding officially begun.

Jack was currently standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for Winter to walk up with her father. That would be the order, the brides would wait in their dressing rooms, wait for one of them to walk up the aisle first before leaving their own room to walk up as well, in order for neither of them to see their gowns.

He wore a black tux with a simple white blouse underneath, fiddling with his cuffs one more time before resting his hands. Of course Winter had asked him to be her best man, it was expected since he was practically her adopted brother. Alex was beside him, standing proud and taking his job as the ring bearer seriously. He ruffled the boy’s hair, making him laugh before Laura sent a look to the boys, telling them to behave.

Everyone straightened up when the music began. The doors opened, revealing Nina as the flower girl, spreading flowers across the aisle as a few bridesmaids followed, including Kiara, each of them wearing soft silvery grey dresses. There was a swell of pride when he watched Winter walk through the doors and up the aisle, her arm secured in Marcus’s as the man led his daughter up while his eyes welled with tears. Winter wore a snow-white gown with a full-layered skirt while her bodice consisted of a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. Some would call it simple, Winter called it timeless.

Once she arrived at the top of the aisle, her father kissed her on the cheek and whispered praise into her ear. It was only when she stood at the top and her father sat down, Jack noticed her clutching her bouquet of roses while trembling like a leaf. He leaned over and whispered, “You’re okay. Riley has been head over heals with you ever since you met.”

“What if she changes her mind?” she whispered back, “What if she realises we’re too different and leaves?”

“That’s not possible,” he told her, “You too are proof of the carrot cake theory working.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, baffled.

“The carrot cake theory,” he said, “You love it and Riley hates it, yet she always brought a freshly homemade carrot cake because you it’s your favourite. You too are proof that the theory works, that opposites attract.”

Winter snorted, “You just blatantly ripped off the olive theory.”

“Mine is better,” he sniffed, “Besides, it got you to stop shaking.”

Winter looked down at her hands, he was right, she had stopped shaking. The doors opened and Winter’s breath hitched as she gawked at her bride. Riley’s arm was in her mothers, her dress was an off-the-shoulder mermaid cut with a train, the white fabric adorned with glittered floral embroidery and long sleeves. The dress clung to her, Winter let a few tears fall, she was beautiful.

Jack was taken aback to, not by the bride, but by her maid of honour. Penny’s dress wasn’t as grand, yes, but he couldn’t take her eyes off her as she followed her sister. Her dress consisted of a purplish rouge chiffon fabric, a long A-line skirt, a straight across neckline and long balloon sleeves. He fell in love all over again.

Once Riley reached the end of the aisle, her hands latched onto Winter’s as Jack and Penny took a hold of their bouquets. Both brides were focused on each other, nothing else mattered. Once Amber sat down, did the wedding begin.

“Dearly beloved,” the officiator spoke, “We are gathered here today for the wonderful union of Riley Reed and Winter Alvarez. These two have proven that despite our differences, there is a love that can be found no matter what. Today, we are here to celebrate that love as these lovely ladies become not just married, but soulmates on this day. Winter, your vows.”

Winter took a shaky breath, “Riley, when I first met you, I won’t lie, I was a bit scared of you,” That earned a laugh from the crowd. “But after getting to know you, knowing how much you love your family, what you’ll do to make sure our clients get the justice they deserve, and knowing that despite your front, you are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Riley began to cry as well, unable to keep all the affection she felt for this woman at bay. With the officiator’s okay, she began her speech. “Winter, every time I look at you I just keep asking myself, how did I get so lucky? How did I deserve the most perfect girl in the world? You look at the world with such positivity and kindness that I couldn’t not fall in love with you. Every time I look at you, you remind me why I became a private investigator, to help amazing people like you make the world a better place. I just…I really fucking love you Winter!”

Winter gave her a wet laugh, God she wanted to kiss her so bad.

“Winter,” the officiator said, “Do you take Riley Reed to be your wife, in sickness and in health, until the day you part, may you be together?”

“I do!” Winter replied immediately.

“And do you Riley-”

“I do, a thousand times I do!” Riley couldn’t stop the tears, not caring if her makeup got ruined.

“May we have the rings?” the officiator asked. Alex puffed his chest and beamed, carrying the rings over to the brides. The women thanked the young boy as the slipped each ring onto each other’s finger before holding hands again. “By the power vested in me, I know pronounce you too married. You may kiss the-”

The two didn’t wait for the officiator to finished before slamming their lips against each other’s, the crowd erupting into applause. Jack’s focus wasn’t on the couple though, his eyes travelled to Penny as she cheered for her older sister. Her eyes met Jack’s, the two of them just staring for a moment before giving each other a smile. It was in the moment that the two decided internally that one day, they wanted to have this moment and say ‘I do’ to one another. Tonight, they decided, would be the night that they would stop being ‘friends.’

.

.

.

The dance floor was empty apart from the newlyweds, holding each other in their arms as they let the music carry their slow steps. They weren’t able to keep their hands off each other since they were married, afraid that if they did then everything would disappear. By the time the first dance ended, the music picked up the pace and everyone was on the dance floor, dancing the night away, congratulating the couple and unafraid to be slightly more than tipsy.

Winter and Riley even threw their bouquets, having their backs turned to make sure it would be a surprise. When they turned round, they saw that Winter’s bouquet was held by one of the bridesmaids, and Riley’s was plopped into Penny’s hands.

“Penny’s gonna marry Jack!” Nina bellowed, she already had too much sugar from the fondue. It didn’t stop everyone whispering knowingly, apart from Riley still giving Jack the evil eye. However, Jack and Penny didn’t mind the teasing this time, after all, even if they didn’t confess yet, their feelings were mutual.

A while later, after dancing, talking and snacking, Jack pulled away from the buzz to get some fresh air on the balcony. He felt his heart take a leap when he saw Penny outside as well, her long hair flowing in the soft spring wind, taking in the quiet. He gently opened the door, trying not to startle her, though it seemed that he didn’t need to worry about that when she turned and noticed him, she must’ve sensed him coming outside.

“Need a break?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said, going up to rest his arms on the stone rail, “I was also hoping to see you as well.”

“I guess it’s a win-win situation,” she gently nudged his shoulder with hers. He was glad that he was part of her inner circle of people she was comfortable touching. “So, Riley and Winter are finally married.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t do so sooner,” he reflected the first time Winter brought Riley home, how they would giggle and fawn over each other as Riley was introduced to Winter’s parents, “I felt like I was gonna go insane with how much they made goo-goo eyes at each other.”

“They still do that,” Penny replied, “And I think its gonna amplify now that they’re married.”

“Oh jeez,” he put a hand to his head, listening to Penny’s sweet giggle. He took in the situation at hand, they were on the balcony together talking and having fun with all the space they needed to talk about their feelings. Maybe this was his chance, “Although I will admit, I am a little jealous. It would be pretty nice to have someone to do all that sappy stuff with.”

“O-oh,” Penny was taken aback a little bit, the thought of he and her doing all sorts of couple things rushing through her mind. Wanting to spend all his time with her, holding her hand, whispering sweet nothings when no one was looking. “I wanna do that too, you know, with the right person.”

Jack fiddled with the cuffs on his sleeves, this was it, “And what is the ‘right person’ that you have in mind?”

Penny gulped, okay, now it was getting serious, no turning back. “Well, I’d like him to be funny, kind, respectful to his and my family. Someone who has my back no matter what. Someone who makes sure that I feel like I deserve to be here. Someone who…sees me.”

She said, oh she said it! Did this mean she felt the same, only one way to find out. “Is that so little lady?” he took in her blush and nod, “Well, I bet he’s very handsome, jaw-droppingly if you will.”

Penny’s blush faded as she let out a chortle, “Did I forget to mention he’s full of himself?”

Jack placed his hand dramatically on his chest, “Why Penny how rude! It’s takes guts for someone to admit when they’re good looking.”

“Guts? Or an ego that’s too big to fit his head?” she began to belly laugh at his frown, clutching her sides as she clutched her ribs.

“Oh? Well that’s too bad little lady, I was just about to describe my ‘right’ person,” he chuckled as she straightened back up, “But it you don’t wanna hear it-”

“Alright, you smug bastard,” she sighed fondly, “Tell me, what are they like?”

“Well, let’s see,” he tapped his chin in false thought, “She’s extremely talented, always puts her family first, has one of the cutest laughs in the world.” Taking a chance, he tucked a piece of her hair behind her skin, his skin tingling as he made contact with hers, “Insanely beautiful…who sees me too…and is very short.”

“I will bite you,” Penny snarled, but she held no threat in her tone.

Jack’s face softened, “And, I want to hold her, tell her how much I love her and be with her as long as she lets me.”

Penny’s shivered at his tone, if he were talking about her (and she really hoped he was) then she had to do this next part carefully, “And if you were with this girl right now, how would you tell her about how you feel?”

Jack gulped, time to take the plunge, “I would tell her that I’m not a perfect person, but I am someone who’s always trying. You’ve taken over my mind and have stolen my heart, but I can’t find it in myself to care as long as it’s in your hands.” He took her hands in his at those words, “I just hope that she feels the same way.”

Penny’s heart fluttered, squeezing his hand in return as a swell of joy rushed through her from head to toe, “She does! She really does!”

Jack exhaled sharply, he couldn’t believe it! She likes him back! She wanted to be with him! “I wanna kiss you so badly right now,” he clamped his mouth shut when he realised what came out his mouth. They just confessed and now he was admitting that he wanted to kiss her, and just when he thought he was being smooth.

“Okay,” Penny peered up at him through her lashes.

Jack gaped at her, “Pen, you don’t want to if you don’t want to.”

“Trust me,” she cupped his cheek, “I really want this.” Despite her initial shock, she oh so badly wanted to kiss him back. Ever since the Christmas fair she was unable to spot thinking about his lips on her forehead, or how they would feel on her lips. “Are you gonna keep gawking or do I need to make the first move?” she teased.

Both of his hands were suddenly cupping her cheeks, cutting her off. He gave her one more look, a silent request to do this. When she nodded, he immediately planted his lips on hers. She was so soft, so sweet, so amazing! God he loved her!

She returned the kiss with the same warmth he gave her, with one hand on his cheek she used the other to pull him in closer by the waist. His lips felt the same as they did on her forehead, but somehow so different on her lips. No one ever kissed her like this before, like she really mattered to them. But with Jack, his mouth matched his promise he told to her, and she never wanted him to stop.

They parted for a moment to catch their breaths, grinning as they rested their foreheads together. “So,” she took in another lungful of air, “Does this mean you like me back?”

He smirked, taking her chin between his thumb and finger, “You tell me little lady, or would you rather I show and not tell with another kiss.”

“The second option please,” she grinned back.

He was about to dive back into her lips when a gasp made them both freeze. By the doors, Amber stood with a glass of wine, she was probably out here to get some air as well. “I knew it!” she squealed, “I knew you were gonna confess tonight! Laura owes me ten bucks!”

“Mom!” Penny gasped, clutching herself closer to Jack to save herself from embarrassment.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll keep this between you and me. Besides, this is something that you’ll want to tell Riley by yourself,” Amber added, making both Penny and Jack pale at the thought of her older sister finding out. “Like I said, I’ll keep this to myself. Oh and Penny? Make sure you use the makeup wipes I gave you before you go back inside, the corner of your lip is smudged.”

Penny all but squealed in mortification into Jack’s chest after her mother went back inside, the man stroking her back as he chuckled. “Well, she does have a point,” he mentioned, “We don’t want the first thing that Riley sees when we go back in is smudged lip gloss.”

“Don’t single yourself out mister,” she poked him in the chest, “You’re wearing it too.”

“Oh really? Is it a good colour on me?” He leant in closer.

Penny mumbled shyly under her breath, God she was just too cute. “Wanna say that again little lady?” he asked.

“I said, how about you kiss me again if you like my lip gloss so much,” she pouted, the blush on his face was worth it though.

Jack huffed a laugh and pulled her in closer, “Now that sweetie, can be arranged.”

And just like that, they dove back into another kiss, enjoying only themselves without anyone else to interrupt their moment. It was just them, the moon and the start of their new relationship. And they couldn’t wait to see what else was in store for them.

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.

.

Jax stirred lightly, stiff from laying against the ground. He must’ve slid down the hedge and onto the plush grass in his sleep, oh well, the grass was comfier. He could feel his lips burn from where Penny kissed Jack, as though he were the one who kissed her. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? There was no way that actually happened.

He was about to move when he felt a light weight on his chest. Looking down, he saw Pomni curled up next to him, hugging his side as she snored softly while using his upper body as a pillow for her head. Why wasn’t he shoving her off or telling her to get lost? Why was he growing flustered by the second and praying that she couldn’t hear his quickening heart rate? He could feel his tail wagging underneath him, was he actually happy about this predicament? There was no way!

He felt her shift beside him, mumbling gibberish in her sleep before cuddling him closer. Cute…wait, no it’s not! Get yourself together Jax! But there wasn’t any denying it though, no matter how much he wanted to, yesterday’s revelation just proved to him that he felt some sort of attachment to the jester and it was driving him up the wall. Her hat had also slid of her head, revealing short yet soft looking locks. The way it framed her face ever so gently with its wisped strands, oh god she was killing him.

He let his temptation win, reaching his hand out to touch it when she suddenly woke up, barely processing what was happening until she saw that she was firmly cuddling into this side while he was reaching towards her. “You got a loose hair there, sweetie,” he tried to squash down the awkwardness, trying to bring up his charm to save himself.

It seemed that it didn’t work as she squealed and pulled away from him as though he burned her, he wasn’t gonna lie, it kind of stung a bit. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even know that I was doing that!” she fumbled over her words, grabbing her hat and screaming into it.

“It’s fine,” he sighed, standing up and stretching. “We should keep going, make use of the time we have.”

Pomni looked up, still clutching her hat. She was glad that he wasn’t mad, but why wasn’t he? If it were anyone else she was sure he would have told them to get lost, why did he leave her be? Her dream from last night made this moment even more flustering for her, the memory of Jack kissing Penny with such passion was burned into the back of her mind and the minute she woke up she was cuddling into Jax! The universe had to be out to get her.

“Hey, you awake in there?” he pointed to her forehead, “I said we should keep going.”

“W-what?” oh right, they still had to get out of the maze. The long…long maze, “Yeah, I’m coming.”

It seemed that the awkward silence had carried over from last night during their trek through the winding paths, neither of them not knowing what to say and their dreams invading every single thought they had. But besides the kiss, Jax thought of the family that brought Jack into their home. They shared no blood but treated him as though he were their son, making sure he was fed, happy and safe despite the occasional teasing. His mind drifted to Laura, how she cared for each one of her children, with the care and love that a mother should, it made him think of…

He looked to Pomni, who also seemed to be deep in thought, he made sure that she wouldn’t bump into anything. He felt bad for snapping at her yesterday, and the words she said to him afterwards cut deep. It was the first time in so long that someone called him out in a way that hollowed him to his core, to just step back and really think. Maybe that was what he needed. “Do you remember yesterday when Caine mentioned I used to know someone?” he spoke up.

Pomni’s head snapped up to him, his voice drowning out the deafening silence they stewed in for quite some time. “Y-yeah, why?”

“Well, when I arrived,” he started, “I remember that I didn’t know anything about my past, I was stuck in a body I didn’t know and all I could remember feeling was regret and fear. I acted a lot like a wounded animal, just screaming at people to stay away. It worked on everyone…except for Queenie.”

Pomni gasped, she had heard of Queenie and seen her door crossed off. The unsaid implication of her abstraction was what chilled Pomni’s spine, no one had to say anything to know what happened to her, but she never realised Jack was close to her.

“Well, she was the only one who wasn’t really phased by me,” he continued, “She made sure that I wasn’t alone, told me the stuff to look out for and sometimes Kinger would join her with helping me out, it’s strange to think about, back then he was more sane than he is now. I won’t lie, there were times that I was a little sh77t, but I’m grateful that she was willing to help me out. It helped me feel less scared, and sometimes I wondered if I had a mother in my past life that was like Queenie. But soon, I started seeing less and less of Queenie, everyone was starting to get worried. Any time we would see her she was always talking about an exit. I was also looking for one as well, collecting keys hoping that one of them would lead to an exit. One day, I told her about and maybe she could use on of them so it could help her mission…the next day she abstracted. Kinger was never the same after that, I wasn’t really sure if those two were together or not, but it was obvious how strong their bond was. Ever since then he started rambling about his ‘insect collection,’ I don’t know if it was to distract him from the grief or if it was a factor of him going crazy. All I knew was if I didn’t give Queenie that key, she would still be here. If I didn’t try and escape, Kinger would still have his sanity left. It’s better that everyone hates me, all I am is this a%%hole rabbit who killed their oldest friend. It’s no wonder they hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Pomni said, making him turn to her, “That situation wasn’t your fault, it was just an awful place in time that no one could control. And I don’t think the others hate you too, I mean, did you even ask them?”

Jax sighed, “No, my mind just immediately believed that everyone hated me. Honestly, I wanted them to, it’ll make things a bit easier.”

“Yeah,” Pomni nodded, before paling at her word choice, “Not about everyone hating you, I meant about making things easier. Facing the bad stuff is scary, when I first got here I denied that this was real and that it was a dream. But at the end of it all, I had to accept that this was my reality, even if I didn’t like it. But I’m not gonna let it stop me from trying to leave, don’t let what happened to Queenie stop you from thinking that you deserve to be hated, you don’t. Maybe the others won’t forgive you immediately, but you can at least make a start.”

“We’ll see,” he gave her a soft grin, she was smiling back proudly. It was starting to get a bit too mushy now, so he pushed her hat over her eyes.

“Hey!” she squealed, she didn’t seem to mind that. She readjusted her hat and crossed her arms, “Really?”

“This is me we’re taking about. Besides, it was too easy Pom-pom,” he chuckled as she let out a groan.

“You’re not funny,” she walked up ahead, keeping the banter afloat as they continued to travel.

“No, I’m hilarious,” he retorted, “It’s not my fault you’re so uncultured short stack.”

She whipped back round at him with a pretend offended expression, “I’m not short!”

“Okay,” Jax snickered, “Come back to me about that were you grow 2 inches.”

She groaned dramatically, “You’re the worst!”

“True,” he picked her up as she let out a yip and placed her on his shoulders, “And I also have longer legs, I’ll get us to the exit faster.”

“Hey!” Pomni giggled, holding onto his head, “Put me down you giant!”

“But I need you to be my second pair of eyes short stack,” he patted her leg, “Just point out if you see anything and I’ll be your steering wheel.”

Despite the light teasing, she knew he was right, they would find the exit to the maze quicker if they worked like this, “Fine!...tall ass.”

“Say that again?” he quired.

“Nothing!” Pomni said.

Jax shrugged and continued walking. After a while, it seemed that the awkwardness had finally died down, leaving the two to engage in light conversations while searching for the exit. It was then they realised that they had forgotten about their dreams, not fully but they were so focused on one another, enjoying one another, they didn’t find the time to really think about them.

It still took them a bit of time, but eventually, to both of their relief and slight disappointment, they found the exit, the circus tent just down the path in front of them. Pomni jumped off Jax’s shoulders, there was no need for him to keep carrying down that they were back.

“I guess that marks the end of this adventure,” Pomni rubbed her arm, was she upset that this was over? Or was she upset that she couldn’t spend time with Jax anymore?              

“Yeah, the end,” Jax nodded, as much as he didn’t want to be part of this little maze escapade, he’ll admit it, it was better with Pomni being here. In fact, he wouldn’t mind being around her more often. “You know, I’ve noticed that whenever you’re on your own, you’re either hyper focused on every single little thing to the point where it stresses you out of your in your own little world while dissociating. Sometimes you’re so in your head that you fail to notice when someone’s coming right at ya. Whether it be Caine with one of his adventures or one of the others fooling around.”

“That tends to happen a lot,” she confessed, “It’s either one or the either, there’s not an in between. It’s kinda a problem.”                               

“Well, I have a proposition for you,” he said, she perked up, “Until you feel like you understand this place a little more, I’ll be there to make you don’t have one of your episodes. Whether you’re spiralling or hyper focusing, I’ll be here to ground you in case that happens.”           

“Really?” her eyes widened with joy at his offer, “You’d do that for me?”

“Just until you’re more aware of your surroundings,” he told her, “After all, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Ah, right,” she gave him a joking grin, “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to that.”

“See, now you’re getting it,” he agreed, returning her grin.

The way he was leaning in, the way her heart sped up at their newly found teasing of each other, the way that the sense of déjà vu kept creeping in as though they had done this song and dance before. She ready did fall for him, didn’t she? She cleared her throat, “Well, good to know you’ve got my back, thank you again Jax. We should head in so no one’s worrying about us.”

“Works for me,” he nodded, his face suddenly becoming gentler, “And, you’re welcome.”

Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush. “Race you inside!” she zoomed off, leaving the rabbit to laugh to himself.

“She sure is something else, huh?” he said to himself, his thoughts flooding with her again, he didn’t to anything to spot it, only letting it flow.

Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pomni-Pen-

“Jax! You coming?” Pomni called out to him.

He blinked, what was that? What was his last thought about? He looked towards Pomni, suddenly forgetting that sudden glitch as he raced towards her, wanting to challenge the jester that captured his affections. “Are you sure sweetie?” he ran in her direction, “My longer legs might be more effective than yours short stack!”

“I’ll make you eat those words!” she snickered as he chased after her.

It was just a glitch.

Only a glitch.

Chapter Text

It was a couple of hours after Pomni and Jax raced each other back into the tent, everyone immediately fretting over them and asking if they were okay. The whole time Jax had his eye on Pomni, making sure she wasn’t feeling overwhelmed by the sudden crowd - and especially went Caine got a bit too close. His fists tightened, he didn’t forget how frightened the AI made Pomni the other day.

The jester seemed to be okay, mouthing an ‘I’m fine’ to him, helping him ease the tension he had in his shoulders. He didn’t even realise he was so tense in the first place. After a few games and annoyances from Caine’s presence, the two had fallen into their new routine that Jax promised. Any time it seemed that Pomni was going to burst into a panic attack or dissociate, Jax would be there to reign her back in and stay with her until she felt better.

Gangle and Ragatha came up to her later that day, asking if she wanted to do an art activity with them to help take her mind of things, with Pomni agreeing. If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well try to find a hobby. Jax was a little bit disappointed that he couldn’t spend more time with her, but he took this as an opportunity to do something else. Something that he believed he was long overdue in doing.

His eyes scanned the tent, searching for one person in particular. He stopped when he finally found a giant lump of cushion, with the sound of mumbling coming from the inside. “Yo, Kinger,” he walked over to the lump, “Mind coming out of there buddy, I gotta talk to you about something.”

The mumbling didn’t stop, Jax’s ears twitched irritably. “Come on, whatever is so interesting in there can wait, I need to talk to you.”

When Kinger didn’t show any sign of moving, Jax groaned and kicked the bottom of the lump of pillows, each cushion collapsing onto the ground and revealing an appalled Kinger. “My impenetrable fortress!” he screeched.

“It’s what you get for ignoring me,” Jax shrugged. He paused for a moment, taking in Kinger’s crestfallen posture and fussing over his destroyed fort.

Maybe the others won’t forgive you immediately, but you can at least make a start.

He sighed, this girl was starting to run off on him if he was starting to feel pity for Kinger. He knelt down and picked up one of the pillows. “Look, if I help you rebuild your fortress, you can answer some of my questions. Do we have a deal?”

Kinger looked up in surprise, was Jax really offering to help? “Why, thank you Jax. Yes I believe that will work just fine.”

He felt his tail wag, it was a good thing Kinger couldn’t see Jax’s reaction to the chess piece’s mood lifting. “Great, well, let’s get to work.”

They started at the bottom, with Kinger informing him where to place each pillow to make the best foundation for the fort. Jax would deny it to anyone who asked, but he found that he was enjoying himself with this little activity. It reminded of times when he first arrived…when he and Kinger both spent time with Queenie. Speaking of, “Listen, I know this is a sore subject. And if you want me to shut up about then go ahead but…I wanted to ask you about you and Queenie.”

Kinger froze. Jax was already prepared to drop the subject, to tell Kinger that it was stupid to bring it up in the first place, then shouldn’t even be saying her name- “You haven’t spoken about her in so long. What would you like to know dear boy?”

Jax inhaled sharply, Kinger wasn’t mad. He approached this carefully, “I know you two were pretty close. But was there anything else that, you know, felt for her?”

“Oh,” Kinger thought for a moment, he may have had no mouth, but his eyes told a different story as they glazed over with memories. “She was spectacular. We were the first to arrive here, we were both so afraid. But the moment I looked into her eyes, I felt as though all the stars stood before me. I never knew why, I never met her, but I know that I wanted to be by her side.”

“Huh,” Jax said. He really felt that way abut Queenie ever since they met? It just made her abstraction sting so much more. “Anything else?”

“Well,” Kinger thought, “I don’t know how to describe it, every time we talked or did something together, it was as though we had done it before. Many, many lifetimes ago.”

What Kinger said felt familiar to Jax, why did it feel familiar? Surely there wasn’t anyone here that gave him that sense of déjà vu that Kinger described. Surely not, there couldn’t be-

A laugh made him halt his actions. He turned to his left, seeing Pomni, Ragatha and Gangle sit together at a table. Paints, paper and fabric scattered across the surface as they girls giggled while creating. What his main focus was however was Pomni. She was currently holding a yard of purple fabric in her hand, paint in the other while chatting to Gangle. Her smile had never been so bright. Jax didn’t think she smiled like that during her time here. She was…beautiful. He felt himself smiling too.

Kinger scanned the room to find where Jax’s eyes were looking, the moment he saw Jax’s smile was targeted at Pomni, he felt a swell in his chest as memories flooded back to him. He didn’t feel like a senile chest piece, but rather a man with years of knowledge that suddenly rushed to him after so long. “You know,” Kinger started, with Jax turning to face him, “When Queenie was still here, I promised myself that no matter what, I had to make sure she was safe. The fear of losing her, it was something I just couldn’t bear. Then when she abstracted, it was like losing a battle, breaking my promise to her was the worst thing that I have ever done.”

“Her abstracting was my fault,” Jax’s voice broke against his will. He can’t cry, he won’t cry. “I gave her the key, I thought that I was helping her. I didn’t know she was gonna…it’s my fault Kinger. I don’t know if you’ll believe this but I really am sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Now this, this was new. Jax never cried, Jax never apologised, Jax never let himself by this vulnerable. How long had he been holding this in? Why was he letting it out now? Ever since Pomni’s arrival, pieces of the rabbit had slowly begun to chip away, revealing a side to him that no one had seen, only glimpses of that side though. However, Queenie had always said that there was always more to this boy that he let on. Maybe, with the right touch, he would reveal more. “Queenie abstracting was nobody’s fault. I blamed myself as well, I told myself that I should’ve protected her more, that I should’ve seen the signs. But after a while, I realised that there was nothing I could do to stop it. She was already losing herself and I couldn’t control it. And you, you just wanted to help someone who was hurting.” Carefully approaching, he placed a hand on the rabbit’s arm, making Jax look up in surprise, “I miss her every day, but not for one moment have I blamed you for that. Your kindness to Queenie was not her undoing.”

Jax released a shaky breath. After so long of blaming himself, having Queenie’s glitched form invade his mind since her abstraction, wanting everyone to hate him after what he did. Hearing that it wasn’t his fault from the one who was hurt the most from that event, it felt like an open wound allowing itself to finally stitch back together. But this was still Jax, the rabbit was still taking baby steps due to still being emotionally constipated.

He shook his arm out of Kinger’s hold with a wet laugh, rubbing his eyes. “Dang, Bubble must’ve forgotten to clean the tent.”

Kinger didn’t seem to mind, small progress was still progress. “Perhaps,” Kinger shrugged, “I’m surprised it didn’t get in your eyes when you were staring at Pomni though.”

“What?!” Jax exclaimed, eyes nearly bulging out of his head. “It’s not- we’re not- we’re friends, maybe? Sort of? She’s just an acquaintance, that’s all!”

“If that’s what your mouth says, but your eyes tell an entirely different story.” He told the rabbit, if the chess piece could grin there was no doubt he would be doing it right not. Jax wanted to pull out his ears or curl into a ball, there was not an in-between. “While I’m able to let me give you one last peace of advice. If you’re willing to listen.”

Jax grumbled out a response, Kinger decided to take that as a yes, “It doesn’t take a fool to recognise a story someone can tell with only their eyes.” Jax opened his mouth to speak before Kinger cut him off, “I’m not finished. Whether you admit it or not, you care for Pomni more than anyone else here. All I can say is this…protect her. She has a kind but sensitive heart, I’ve seen it when Caine yelled at her the other day. This place can get to us, I don’t know how I haven’t been abstracted yet, but I know that I would never wish that fate on anyone, especially Pomni.” He stared Jax in the eye with a seriousness that the rabbit never expected from Kinger, “She isn’t like any of us, she’s been to the void and still came back in one piece, she’s been the closest to escaping and it only on her first day! I know you care for her Jax, just as I cared for Queenie. She might be the key that you – that we’ve all been looking for. Please Jax, you’ve become so close with Pomni, protect her.”

Jax’s breath hitched. This was Kinger? The daft, insect obsessed, fort building maniac was giving him advice with such determination it felt like it was coming from of man with years of wisdom from his prime.

“Jax,” Kinger breathed, his stare was starting to become more intense.

“Kinger?” Jax straightened up, what was he going to say next?

“You, you…You need to place that cushion by the left if we’re to have a sturdy foundation,” Kinger pointed out. Jax blinked in shock, where did the other Kinger go? What just happened?

“What-uh, sure,” Jax did as he was told. That was certainly strange, but then again everything about Kinger was strange. Perhaps that moment of intelligence was just part of it. Yeah, that had to be it.

Pomni meanwhile was watching over from the side with Ragatha and Gangle, still continuing on with her project but keeping her eye on Jax as well while he helped repair Kinger’s fort. “That’s the third time you’ve looked at Kinger and Jax,” Ragatha mentioned, “Is everything okay?”

“Huh?” Pomni whipped her head back round, “Oh, yeah, everything’s great! Totally fine! Why wouldn’t it be?” She tried to smile, but even someone standing a mile away could tell how fake it was.

“You and Jax have been stuck together like glue all day,” Gangle said absentmindedly while cutting out a piece of pink paper, “I’m glad you too are becoming friends.”

“Us? Friends?,” Pomni tilted her head, “No I…well actually…huh. Actually now that I think about it, maybe we are?” She looked to Jax again as he and Kinger began to form the centre of the fort, “Since we got out of the maze, we’ve just had this sort of…ease? I’m not sure if we’re ‘friends’, but I like being around him.”

“I see,” Ragatha had a teasing lilt in her tone, “You did seem to be in a more joyful mood when you too came back, chasing each other and everything. Seems pretty friendly to me.”

Pomni raised a brow, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Why don’t you tell me?” Ragatha smirked before pointing to the jester’s cheeks, “Or would you rather explain why your fake blush isn’t looking so fake anymore.”

Pomni slapped her hands to her cheeks, why couldn’t she get a hold of herself for just one minute?! “That’s just how I was designed okay! What Jax and I have is strictly platonic and that’s that! Get your head out of the clouds Ragatha!”

The ragdoll and Gangle shared a laugh together. “That’s so sweet!” Gangle cooed sweetly, “Pomni has a crush, how romantic!”

“It’s not a crush!” Pomni squeaked, “You two are awful!”

“Look at her get all shy,” Ragatha observed, resting her chin in her plush hands, “Adorable, just adorable.”

Pomni all but squealed, only further proving their points. “Whatever!” she pouted, “Now if one of you can please be so kind and hand over that thread there!” She gestured to the lavender thread on the table.

Ragatha chuckled and handed it to her, the jester grabbing it before grumbling a ‘thank you’. She got to work finishing the piece she was working on, stitching shapes onto the fabric with ease and Ragatha and Gangle awed at Pomni’s skill. “That’s amazing,” Ragatha marvelled, “How did you learn that?”

“I don’t know,” Pomni shrugged, “It’s just something I know I guess. I like it, it’s nice.”

“I think its pretty Pomni,” Gangle smiled, “I can’t wait for Kinger to see it.”

Pomni returned the smile. Ever since she heard about the story with Queenie, she wanted to use the opportunity with this activity to make something for him, as a way to give him her condolences on what happened. It wasn’t his or anyone’s fault that Pomni ended up here, the least she could do was show them that she was on their side. With a few more stitches she was done. She looked over her piece, grinning, she couldn’t wait to show Kinger and Jax.

The fort was finally finished, and in full honesty, Jax had a lot of fun with this (though he’ll never confess). He’ll admit it, it was interesting to find out how Kinger used each pillow to keep his plush fortress upright for so long, but what he really enjoyed was Kinger’s thrilled look when it was finished. He patted the rabbit on the head and climbed inside, complementing Jax’s building skills despite this being the first time doing a fort. Jax’s tail wagged and he smiled softly, if he ever had to do this again, he wouldn’t be complaining. It wagged faster when Pomni walked over, he was glad that he was facing forward so no one could see. From what he could tell she had the fabric from earlier bundled up in her arms, though she had completed it from the look of things, he wondered what it was that she made.

“Wow you guys!” she beamed as her eyes glazed over the fort, “This looks great!”

“I think it looks better than normal, thanks to yours truly,” Jax boasted, giving himself a little bow.

Pomni rolled her eyes and giggled, “Keep the ego to yourself mister, I thought that I’d make a little something to help tie this place together.”

“Oh! Something for our fort?” Kinger popped his head out from the makeshift doorway, “By all means, let’s see it.”

Pomni nodded and began to unfold the fabric, making sure every pinch and crease was flattened out before revealing a tapestry-like flag in the colour of Kinger’s robe. In the middle of the flag was the embroidery of a butterfly within a circle, stitched in golden thread with beetles of the same colour sewn on the outside of it. But what really got to him was the lavender writing on the bottom reading ‘Property of Our Beloved Queenie and Kinger’.

“Oh Pomni,” Kinger gently took the fabric into his hands, tracing a finger over Queenie’s name, “This is just what we need.”

“Really?” Pomni swung back and forth on her heels with uncertainty, “It’s not too much?”

“Hoo ha’s right sweetheart,” Jax took the flag between his fingers, admiring the smooth details and incredibly done stitching. This was perfect! How could she think otherwise? “The old man might be crazy but he’s not wrong.”

“Thank you Jax,” Kinger chuckled, oblivious to the rabbit’s ‘crazy’ comment, before turning back to Pomni. “I can’t wait to add this to the fort. I hope you’re proud of this my dear because I certainly am.”

Pomni froze. Kinger was proud of her? There was a swell of pride, joy, solemness and confusion. Why did it affect her so much with what Kinger had said. While it was kind what he said, why didn’t she just gratefully take the comment and leave it at that? Why did the approval of someone older than her feel so important? Why did it feel like her cheeks were going to burst from grinning or that her heart was going to break into two? Why did this simple gesture feel so…paternal. God, what was going on with her?

She felt a gentle tap on her head.

“Hey, you were spacing out,” Jax said, he looked a bit concerned, “You good?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Thank you Kinger,” she managed to say, forcing herself to keep everything down, “That means a lot.”  

Kinger nodded, his eyes matching the same worry as Jax as the two males shared a look.

“You sure you’re okay Pomni?” Jax asked.

“I think I’m just tired from the maze,” she said, “I’m gonna turn in for the night, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”  

“Night,” Jax watched her as she walked away, her steps small and slow. He had no idea what happened right now, why she acted that way. But what it mostly did was reign him back to what Kinger had said within his minute of clarity. If he cared for her, he had to protect her.

He didn’t know if Kinger remembered saying that, but Jax certainly did. He might not know what’s going on with Pomni, but if he was really falling for her, he would take the old man’s advice and protect her. Protect her with all that he had.

For the first time in a while, he felt like he finally found a purpose.

.

.

.

Morning light streamed through the window of an apartment in the quieter parts of the city. Trailing over carpeted floors, unopened boxes, and a couple curled up on a mattress on their living room floor.

Ever since the wedding, Jack and Penny had never been closer. Texting non-stop, meeting whenever they could, planning overly romantic and sappy dates, and never getting enough of each other.

However it did come with its own setbacks. Those setbacks being nosey family members, college and finding time when their schedules were starting to become a lot. When the two had told Riley and Winter about their relationship, the newlyweds had become insufferable. Winter would constantly tease the two whenever she was hanging out with Penny and Jack, while Riley would constantly send death glares at Jack – the silent threat of not hurting her sister looming with every second. Even their respective parents were pestering the two most of the time, always asking way too many questions about their developing romance (not to mention the ‘marriage and baby’ talk, leaving them choking and turning red).

College had started to build up on work as well, assignments robbing them of spending time together without the two crashing and burning from exhaustion. Not too mention being on the lookout for the work they wanted to enter once they graduated, while still being financially supported by their part-time jobs of coffee shops and scare acting.

About one year had passed and the two finally decided to move into a new apartment together, to get away from the familial pestering and being able to be together when finished with college and work. They had found a cute little place up in the city, not too far from home and school but at least enough where they could finally have a place to call their own.

And so, this was where they were now, huddled in blankets on a mattress on the living room floor, surrounded by boxes of all their belongings and unpacked furniture.

Jack was the first to stir, the light hitting his eyes as he awoke from his slumber. Not that he minded, after all, he had the perfect view right next to him. Penny was curled up next to him, her cheek resting on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him while her hair pooled on her pillow. Jack sighed and smiled softly, gently tucking piece of hair behind her ear while stroking her head. Truly, no one could ever be luckier than him.

Penny hummed pleasantly at his touch, her eyes blinking open and she let out a small yawn. “Good morning,” she murmured, cuddling closer.

“Morning,” he replied, giving her a peck on the lips, “So, first night in the new apartment, what are you feeling.”

“Like we’re moving up in the world,” she said, “At least we don’t have to worry about my mom walking in on us making out anymore.”

“Yeah, that was not my proudest moment,” he could still recall Penny’s mortified squeak mid lip-lock on her bed when Amber walked in, the older woman’s eyes were wide and her mouth agape. He did not need to go through the again.

“Just be glad it wasn’t Riley,” she shivered at the thought, “I don’t think you would’ve made it out alive.”

“I would’ve had you to protect me,” he cuddled her closer, savouring her giggle. “I bet you’re a lot stronger than you let on.”

“Oh really?” she drawled, “What would I do? This?!” She put her entire body and weight onto him, hearing him let out a puff of wind from the impact.

“That was a low blow little lady,” he chuckled, taking her hands in his and pushing her up.

“Oh now you’re gonna get it,” she challenged, putting all of her strength into her hands and tried to push his own back into the mattress.

“Oh jeez,” he huffed, “I knew you were stronger than you let on!”

But Jack didn’t retaliate, instead, he swung his arms to the side, making Penny lose her balance and topple back onto her side of the mattress before flopping on top of her. “Hey!” she squealed, “Get off me you giant idiot!”

“Just one sec, I think I left a few of my kisses here,” he pressed hips lips against her neck and collarbones, pressing multiple butterfly kisses to her skin as she let out snort.

“Jack!” she giggled at the sensation, “You dork get off!”

“Just wait little lady, I still have a few kisses left,” he moved to the other side of her neck and placed a few behind her ear, one of her more sensitive spots and felt her recoil in his arms at the touch.

“Jack!” she yelped and laughed, slapping his shoulder.

“Okay, okay I’m done,” he retaliated, rolling onto his back and pulled Penny onto his chest. “It was too easy though.”

“I gonna get you back for that,” she retorted, pinching his side.

“Oh what great sorrow,” Jack dramatically put the back of his hand on his forehead, “The fair maiden hath wished vengeance upon me despite my deep affection for her.”

“Oh please, what are you? Shakespeare?” she rolled her eyes with a smile. “You’re so ridiculous sometimes.”

“Perhaps,” he nodded, before cupping her cheek in his hand, “But it’s why you fell in love with me, isn’t it.”

Penny blushed, clearing her throat before mumbling, “It might be a contributing factor.”

“I’ll take what I can get little lady,” he wrapped his arms tighter around her, hearing her let out a comforted sigh as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. “I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have you. You feel just like a dream.”

“You too,” Penny lifted her head to face him, “I don’t ever want to wake up.”

“Me neither,” he brought her face closer and kissed her deeply, with her returning the same about of gentleness and promise that he gave her. When they parted, his pressed his forehead against hers, “But this furniture isn’t gonna unpack itself, and I don’t think its ideal to keep sleeping on the floor every night.” He moved to get up, only to be stopped by a pair of arms wrapping round his waist and confining him to the mattress. “Oh, look who’s being ridiculous now!”

“It’s Sunday!” she protested, wrapping her legs around his, “Furniture can wait!”

“Weren’t you the one who said that they felt like they were moving up in the world?” he tried to pry her hands off but they were gripped to his waist. He let out a chuckle, “Come on little lady, we can’t stay in bed forever.”

“Watch me,” she held onto him tighter as he continued to wriggle, deciding to let an impulsive thought take over her mind as she leant over to his collarbone, took his skin between her teeth and nipped him.

“Ow! Did you just bite me?!” He chortled as his hand covered the area her lips had been.

“That’s payback and what you get for trying to leave!” she sassily returned, smirking at her victory. Well, it was about to become a short-lived victory.

“Okay, that’s it,” he flipped Penny onto her back, straddling her and dug his fingers into her sides.

She shrieked at the top of her lungs, praying the neighbours didn’t hear her, “Ja-ack! Stop!”

“This was the only way little lady,” he jeered as he refused to relent. “You had your chance.”

“No!” she laughed, trying to shove him off. It seemed to work in her favour as he took the opportunity to finally get off the mattress and headed to the kitchen, flipping the coffee machine on. “You’re so mean!” he heard Penny cry.

“And you are a biter,” he rubbed his collarbone, “Can’t say that I mind though. Besides, I’m coming right back. Thought you’d might like some coffee before we move on with the day.”

She groaned, “Okay, I guess that will help.”

“And you call me dramatic,” he chuckled.

“Only because I’ve been spending too much time with you,” she replied.

Jack shook his head, biting his lip as he grinned while collecting the mugs. If this was what waking up with Penny was going to be like for the rest of their days, he couldn’t wait to do it. Once the coffees were finished, he carried each mug back to the mattress. Penny was finally sitting up but still had a leftover blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She eagerly took her mug, sipping the hot liquid while Jack sat back onto the mattress.

Penny hummed at the taste, “Your coffee skills are getting better.”

“Well I am in love with a coffee pro,” he said, “I managed to pick up a few things.”

He took a sip of his, enjoying the quiet of the two of them, having a home together, watching the sunrise before having to continue with unpacking. He looked at Penny, her hair was dishevelled, her pyjamas were wrinkled and there was dried drool in the corner of her lips. But somehow, she still managed to look more stunning than the sunrise itself. Some might call him corny, but he wouldn’t care to listen, not while Penny was with him. He moved to her side, wrapping his free arm around her and hugged her close. She automatically snuggled into him as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

And thus, they enjoyed the rest of their morning.

.

.

.

It took a few days but soon everything was unpacked and the apartment started to look like a real home. The living room was connected to their small kitchen and their shared bathroom was down the hall, next to their bedroom. Within the bedroom, Jack’s game equipment was at the side of the room where he was able to continue with commissions and college work. However there was one more room, Penny’s own sewing room, where she was able to do her own assignments and orders in there, without having to worry Jack about the noise of her sewing machine.

The two were proud of their little home, it was soft, cozy and it really felt like it was theirs. And when they finally graduated at the start of summer, they were sure things could only get better.

Now that was true, there were good moments in their romance, but every relationship had its ups and downs.

While Penny still worked at the coffee shop and Jack with his scare acting, the two were more than eager to start finding work that catered to their majors. But it wasn’t easy, especially for the fields that these two wanted to be a part of. While Jack had collaborated with making mods, indie and fangames, and had a great portfolio, he was still waiting to hear back from the companies he had applied to. Some had either kept him on gruelling waiting lists or flat out rejected him. His skills were incredible, but there were other people out there who were just as incredible as him. He knew he just had to keep trying, keep building his portfolio, complete a game that made him stick out from the rest and things will get better. But he won’t lie, every rejection and every time he was told to wait, it struck him to his core.

But he managed to talk about it with his family, his therapist and Penny had been his biggest cheerleader as well, rooting for him no matter what. It definitely helped and gave him the boost he needed to keep going.  

Penny however was a different story. It seemed that no matter how much work she out into her costumes, or how many times she altered them for the employer she was seeking out, no one would take her on. She didn’t know what she was doing wrong, was it the fabric? Did she do something wrong with the design?... Was she just not good enough? She had to find out what was wrong with her, she had to be doing something wrong, and she wouldn’t stop until she figured it out.

(1)

That was how Jack realised that something was off with Penny. She never said what was going on, only that she had tons of work to do. Whenever he came home from work, she was always in her sewing room slaving away over her machine. And whenever she came back from her shift at the coffee shop, she always zoomed past him claiming that she ‘had so much to do’. He was starting to get concerned, it was just like what she said back at the Christmas fair. That when she was younger, she would start to close in and forget to take care of herself. All of it came to a head when Jack came home one day, heard Penny’s machine from her sewing room, walked over to the fridge and found a full plate of her un-eaten lunch. That was when he decided to step in.

He went into the sewing room, seeing Penny hunched over while she had her headphones in as she handstitched a new project. He came up to her and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, making her jump. “Hey,” she laughed half-heartedly, “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Yeah,” he said, he wanted to approach this carefully, “Can we talk?”

“Just give me a few minutes,” she told him, “I want to get as much done while I can.”

“I think it can wait,” he said, “This is kinda urgent.”

“Oh,” she placed the garment down on her table before facing him again, “What’s up?”

“I noticed in the fridge when I came home and I saw that you didn’t eat your lunch today,” he pointed out.

Penny paled, she didn’t even realise that she forgot to eat. But she was just so caught up with her work that didn’t have the time. “It’s fine, I’m not that hungry,” she waved him off. “I’ll get something later, I need to finish up.”

“Penny,” he used her name, no nicknames, just ‘Penny’. “You told me that the last time you didn’t eat you passed out in the bath and had to go to the hospital.”

“When I was a kid,” she said, her brows furrowing, “I think I can be able to handle one day without eating.”

“Penny, please,” Jack took her hands in his. “I think both you and I know this isn’t a onetime thing.”

She ripped her hands out of his and stood up, “Why are you acting like this is some soft of life-threatening thing, I’m fine!”

“What if it happened again?” he retorted, “What if you fainted one day and got seriously hurt and no one was here! And don’t think I didn’t know how you’ve been spending more time in this room than anywhere else in this apartment.”

“My work is important to me!” she pressed a hand to the middle of her chest as her eyes welled with tears. “I need to keep going! I have to make this perfect!”

Jack’s stomach churned, “Not to the point where you’re sacrificing your health!”

“Just leave me alone!” she stormed past him and into their room, slamming the door behind her.

(2)

He didn’t go in, they needed some time to cool down before talking again. Instead, Jack went over to the kitchen to pull out Penny’s favourite mug and a bag of chamomile tea. They fought, all couples did, but it didn’t mean that he liked it. Hopefully by the time he was done with making her tea, she would be open to talking again.

With a warm mug of steaming tea, he went over to their bedroom door and lightly knocked, “Penny, can I come in?”

He heard her sniffles through the door and took this as a sign to go in. She was curled up in the bed in a foetal position, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks were stained from dried tears. He put the tea on her nightstand and got onto the bed, uncurling her and wrapping her up in his arms.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” he rubbed her arm, “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” she cried out, “I’m really sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” he soothed her, rocking her back and forth, “There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

“I don’t know why I’m like this,” she rubbed at her eyes with a fist, “I don’t know why I do this.”

Jack shushed her, running his fingers through her hair. “Have you ever talked to anyone about this? Besides your mom and Riley.”

“Not really,” she shook her head against his chest. “I did a little bit when I went to support group, but after I stopped going I was too afraid to see anyone else.”

“Maybe you could give my therapist a try?” he offered, “She’s really helped me ever since I escaped my previous family, she might help you too.”

“I-I don’t know,” she mumbled, “The though of it just makes me terrified.”

“I know, I was too,” he whispered in her hair, “But you deserve to get the help you need. We can try and find a day where she can speak with you for a while and see where it goes from there?”

“I…yeah, that sounds okay,” she sniffed and buried her face into her hands, “God I’m such a fucking mess.”

Jack huffed a laugh, “Don’t worry, it’s why I fell in love with you.” He leant over to her nightstand and took her mug before handing it to her. “Here, it’ll help make you feel better.”

He could hear her breath even out as she took a few sips, holding her the whole time and making sure she felt safe the whole time. She stopped after a few gulps, the mug still warm in her hands as she snuggled into him, “Thank you.”

“No problem little lady,” he pressed his cheek against her forehead and kept her head pressed against his chest, letting his heartbeat comfort her as he let her sorrows willow away into the night.

.

.

.

They managed to arrange a day with Andrea, Jack’s therapist. During the first ten minutes of the session, Jack stayed with Penny to make sure she felt settled. Once Penny had started talking and felt comfortable with Andrea, she gave Jack the ‘okay’ to leave and he waited outside until she was finished.

By the time the hour was up, Penny had left Andrea’s office with a few tears and a watery smile, but she was beaming and seemed to be more fresh faced. The session went well and she had scheduled to come back next week.

A month had passed, with Penny becoming more relaxed in her sessions and felt more comfortable with eating again. It wasn’t easy, but Jack was there to make sure she was okay. Riley, Winter and Amber were a great help as well. When Jack had told them what happened, they dropped everything to make sure Penny was alright, making sure that she felt aware and safe within her support system.

The two had decided to host dinner in their apartment with Riley, Winter and Amber for the first time since moving in, preparing a simple homemade pizza to share with everyone.

The pizza was huge and included everyone’s favourite toppings on their individual slices for when they arrived. When they arrived, Amber gave the two a big hug and congratulated them with their new home, Winter had complimented the place and the food, even Riley was impressed with their home and their relationship as well. Soon, everyone had sat down and began to eat.

“How are you doing Penny?” Amber asked, “I’ll be honest I panicked when Jack called me about what happened.”

“I’m fine now mom,” she smiled and turned to Jack, “Jack was there the whole time to help.”

“Thanks again for that Jack,” Riley spoke up through her mouthful of pizza, “It’s good to know that Penny has you to rely on.” The whole table went quiet, with everyone gawking at Riley as though she had grown a second head. Riley looked at each of them with a befuddled expression, “What?”

“Did you just compliment Jack?!” Winter exclaimed with a grin, “I thought this day would never come!”

“He was nice to my sister!” Riley rolled her eyes at her wife, “Come on, I’m not that mean to him!”

“Aw Riley, you do care!” Amber cooed.

“Jesus Christ, you’re all so weird,” Riley groaned.

“Takes one to know one,” Penny giggled, earning a glare from her older sister.

“Anyways, how’s work been for you guys?” Jack asked the married couple as he took another pizza slice.

“Didn’t you hear? We picked up a trail of missing persons cases,” said Winter.

“Yeah,” Riley nodded, “Apparently there’s been a series of people going missing with the exact same story. Someone was there one day and the next they’re gone, the only thing that’s left is a fried headset and a computer.”

“But that’s where it becomes difficult,” Winter continued, “The computer is completely blank, no trace of anything, no websites, no chats, no apps. Nothing. It was like it was switched on and left that way.”

“You’re kidding,” Penny breathed, her hand fisting her napkin under the table.

“It’s actually happened a few times a couple of years ago,” Riley said, “Only it got handed to the FBI when so many people started going missing in the same way and it was getting too complicated. No one knows what happened.”

“I’ve heard of the first case, back when I was studying in college,” Jack said, “Apparently the first to go missing was Kaleb Abel and his wife Quinn Abel. They were the founders of C&A, the place I’m trying to apply to.”

“Yeah,” Riley confirmed, “They had a son as well but he had to live with his aunt and uncle when they went missing.”

“Damn,” Jack breathed. The whole table went quiet at the sudden turn of the conversation.

“Sorry!” Winter apologised, “We didn’t mean to drag the mood down.”

“No, no, you’re fine!” Penny replied, “It’s no problem at all.”

“Don't worry, I think I know how to bring the mood back up,” Winter spoke up, wringing her hands together.

“Of course,” Jack said, “What is it?”

Winter turned to Riley, her wife giving her the softest look that anyone had ever seen from the woman before taking Winter’s hand reassuringly and stroked her knuckle. The two looked back at the other, Winter smiling before saying, “I’m pregnant.”

The way everyone’s faces lit up could rival the sun, Amber immediately stood up and hugged her daughter and Winter. “Oh my god! Really?! I’m gonna be a grandma!”

“Yeah, we found out two weeks ago and got a scan yesterday,” Winter got her phone and looked for the picture, “Here it is.”

It was blurry, but they all could see the small form within all the black and white. Jack let out a choked cry, “I’m gonna be an uncle, congratulations!” He gave Winter a hug, “I can’t wait to teach them everything I know.”

“Oh god,” Winter blanched at the thought of Jack with her soon-to-baby getting up to all kinds of trouble.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna be a mom!” Penny rejoiced as Riley hugged her, “How are you feeling.”

“Like my head is spinning,” Riley replied honestly, “But in the best way possible. We’ve been trying so long to have a baby, it almost seemed impossible but we managed to pull through!”

“You’re gonna be a great mom,” Penny told her as she pulled away, “Trust me.”

Riley turned to Amber, giving her a fond look as she took her mother’s hand in hers. “Well, I learned a lot from our own.”

“Oh baby,” Amber brought her daughters into another hug, “I can’t wait for you to feel the same joy I felt when both of you were born.”

Hugs, crying and cheers filled the schedule for the rest of the night, with everyone congratulating Winter and Riley as they finished their pizza.

Jack and Penny were cleaning the kitchen when they left. It was quiet, apart from the running of the sink tap and the dishes being put away, but it was a comfortable silence that the two enjoyed.

“You know, I’ve been thinking about what Riley said earlier,” Jack broke the silence as he put the last dish away.

Penny whipped round, “I love you but I’m not ready for you to put a baby in me yet.”

Jack gawked before bursting out laughing at Penny’s sudden sentence. “No not that!...not yet. I meant about how she and Winter managed to pull through on something that they always wanted.” He took Penny’s hands, letting them sway on their feet as Jack continued. “I know this is a rough time right now, but I have a feeling that something amazing is gonna happen to you, to both of us.”

“You think so?” Penny peered up through her lashes at her, her brown eyes wide.

“You are one of the most talented people I know Penny,” he told her, “You might not have found anyone yet, but you’ve been asked for so many commissions and tons of people love the things you create. You’re so incredibly talented! I wish you could see yourself the way I do, you’re fucking amazing Penny.”

Penny covered her mouth, she wasn’t going to cry, but Jack made her feel so many things at once that it was hard to keep it down. “How did I get so lucky?”

Jack smirked and hoisted her up onto the countertop, with Penny squeaking at the sudden movement. “I should be asking that little lady.”

Penny wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, “Call me that again and I’ll bite you.”

“Please do,” he whispered against her lips, capturing them with his own.

.

.

.

“Okay, I got everything! Oh man I’m freaking the fuck out!” Jack tried to fix the cuffs on his blouse. Today he was officially going to be interviewed for a position at C&A, the place he always wanted to work as a game designer. He had been preparing for it since he got the email for the interview, going over every single potential question they might ask, with help from Penny as well. He was ready to head out the door, if only he could control his hands and button his cuffs!

“Here, let me,” Penny took his cuff and buttoned it with ease. “You’re gonna be great. Your portfolio is amazing, you have tons of experience behind you and you have every potential question memorized in the back of your mind. You got this.” She finished both cuffs and brushed his sleeves out. “There, all done.”

He looked in their bedroom mirror, straightening his collar one more time. “You know, apart from nearly shitting myself, I look fine as hell.”

Penny wrapped his tie around her fist and pulled him closer, “Easy there with the ego. You’re gonna be great, I have faith in you. This is your dream job and they would be out of their minds if they didn’t hire you.”

“Thanks for believing in me little lady,” he relished her little pout. “Hopefully by the time I come home, I might be working for C&A.”

“You will be working for C&A,” she told him firmly.

“And what about you?” he quired, “You should be getting a callback today right?”

“Yeah, hopefully,” she sighed. “They should have a play coming up by Christmas so hopefully they’ll like the costumes I put in with my application.”

“They’re gonna love them,” he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “And you’re gonna be great as well. Things are gonna work out today, I can feel it.”

“Don’t jinx it,” Penny tapped him on the nose. “I really hope you’re right though.”

“Don’t you worry sweetie,” he kissed the tip of her finger, “I always am.”

“Sure,” she snorted.

Jack grinned as he checked his watch, realising the time. “I gotta get going,” he picked up his satchel as he and Penny walked to the door, “I’ll text you how it goes later.”

“You’ll be amazing,” she gave him one last kiss as he opened the door, “Now go, you don’t want to be late.”

“I’ll see you tonight, I love you,” was the last thing he said before walking down the hall. Penny shut the door behind her, she desperately wanted today to go well.

The bus to C&A didn’t take too long, it was the main factor why he and Penny wanted to move here. In case Jack did well with the interview, it would be easy to travel to his – hopefully - new job.

He walked through the giant doors, marvelling at the size of the place as the halls were scattered with people rushing from place to place. Once he got to the next and got his ID for the interview, he made his way to the elevator, waited for it to get to his floor and went to sit in the chair outside the office. The wait was the hardest part, his leg drumming against the floor until he would hear someone call his name. He just hoped Penny was okay with her own callback.

When his name was finally called, he swallowed down whatever panic was left as he was led into the room. It was just him and an older man named Jason Wood, who sat him down and asked him the many questions that he had rehearsed. It was only till the end when he was asked the question that he was both dreading but excited to be asked.

“So, Jack,” Jason said, “What ideas do you have to present today.”

Take a breath, remember what Penny said, you’re gonna do great. “I do have one that I’m working on at the moment,” he said. “I was actually inspired by my girlfriend. One of her favourite movies when she was a kid was ‘Raggedy Ann’, and it got me thinking, what could we take with the idea of a childhood inspired toy but not turn it into most mainstream games that use this concept. We could use it instead to explore childhood and how it affects us both young and older.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jason said, leaving forward on the table. “If this is going to be a twist on mainstream horror using childhood icons, it would reflect how we used those toys to combat with our emotions growing up.”

“Exactly,” Jack took a breath, trying not to get overly thrilled. “The toys would come alive, but instead of acting hostile, they try and navigate a world both good and evil, just as how we did as kids.”

“Huh,” Jason looked to the side in thought. Jack prayed that he didn’t mess up, he had wanted this opportunity for so long, he couldn’t lose it now. “With the right team and direction, this could be a pretty good game.”

Jack inhaled sharply, hoping that it wasn’t too obvious, “Thank you sir.”

“We’re always looking for creativity here Jack,” Jason stood up, Jack following suit. “I’m sure our company will be thrilled to take you on.” He held out his hand.

Jack beamed as he took Jason’s hand in for a handshake, making sure that it was firm enough to show his enthusiasm but not too rough either. “Thank you sir, I can’t wait to start.”

“We’ll send you an email of your start date and schedule,” Jason smiled. “We can’t wait for you to start working with us Jack.”

“Thank you again,” Jack grinned, going to the door before turning back one more time. “And thank you so much for this chance!”

He heard the man chuckle as he walked out the door, rushing down the halls and into the street. He went to the nearest bus stop that was able to get him home fast enough, he couldn’t wait to tell Penny the news.

.

.

.

Penny had been antsy all day long. Practically digging circles into the ground with how much she was pacing. This phone call meant everything to her, she just needed one chance, one chance to show off her costumes to an audience, let people see that hard work and detail she put into them and let others see her potential to hire her next.  

She had decided to do a few activities to take her mind off things. Stress sew, clean the bathroom, stress sew, make a cup of coffee, stress sew, clean the bedroom, stress sew, make another cup of coffee, stress sew, clean the whole apartment while she was at it, stress sew, make one final cup of coffee before the ringtone on her phone finally went off as she rushed over to get it. She nearly dropped her coffee in the process.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi,” the voice of a woman replied back. “Is this Penny Reed?”

“Yes, this is she,” she hoped that the coffee wasn’t making her too jittery.

“Hello, my name is Carol Turner, from the Lionheart Assembly Theatre,” she said. “I’m here about the callback for you being our costume designer for this year’s Christmas play.”

“Yes, that’s right,” Penny said, her hands gripping her mug tighter. “It was going to be a play version of the Nutcracker, wasn’t it? Did you review my costumes I sent in.”

“I did,” the woman hummed. “And can I just say Penny.”

She gulped down her coffee nervously, “Yes?”

“These are just what we need!” the woman exclaimed. “The way you managed to not only make historically accurate costumes for our opening scene, but the details you put in for the fantasy garments are spectacular. We would be honoured for you to be our designer for this show.”

Penny nearly dropped her mug at the news. She did it, she found a gig. “Oh my god!” she squealed, before clearing her throat in embarrassment, “I’m sorry about that, this is just so great to hear.”

“I love your enthusiasm Penny,” Carol laughed over the phone. “Don’t be afraid to bring it into the theatre. Are you good to come in the first Monday of next month?”

“Yes! Yes, absolutely!” Penny beamed, “I can make it!”

“That’s good to hear Penny,” Carol said, “We can’t wait for you to start with us, and maybe we’ll keep you on if the critics and audience like your costumes.”

“I won’t let you down ma’am,” Penny confirmed with a nod, though she knew Carol wouldn’t be able to see it. “Thank you so much for this!”

“You’re welcome Penny, we’ll see you soon,” the call ended after that.

Penny took a deep breath, sitting herself calmy on the sofa…before letting out a shriek of excitement as she hopped up and started jumping up and down on the plush seats. She did it! She finally did it! She couldn’t wait to tell Jack and her family.

Speaking of Jack, her phone went off again. She went over to check the notification, it was Jack confirming that the interview was a success and she squealed again. This was the best day of her life! She had to do something to celebrate, maybe do something for dinner. She sent a congratulatory text to Jack before dialling in the number of the local Chinese restaurant down the street.

Once that was down, she went into the bedroom and raided through her boyfriend’s side of the wardrobe. If this was a celebration, she had to put on the right outfit.

By the time Jack got home and threw his keys onto the countertop, he could instantly recognise his favourite order from the Chinese restaurant. It seemed that Penny had set the table with two respective plates of sesame chicken and a bowl of egg rolls for the both of them. “Oh wow, this looks amazing. I wonder if my fantastic girlfriend arranged this?” he called out rhetorically.

Sliding out of the door of their bedroom, Penny leaned against the frame dressed in Jack’s blouse, tie and trousers being secured by one of his belts. The only thing that didn’t belong to her was the pair of fluffy blue slippers on her feet. “From what I’ve heard,” she smirked, “Someone got a position at C&A.”

Jack chuckled, taking in his clothes on her smaller form, the sleeves and trousers legs were rolled up at the bottom so it could fit her as they tangled from her limbs. She looked too cute for words. “I gotta say little lady, you look better in my stuff that I do.”

Penny bit her lip, unable to contain her excitement as she rushed over to him and jumped into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her securely in his arms, sharing a heated kiss before pulling away. “I’m so happy for you,” she whispered against his lips. “I should also warn you, I had three cups of coffee in a row so I might be a little bit haywire.”

“Geez,” Jack shook his head as he stifled a laugh, “Those nerves got the better of you, huh?”

“Well, it wasn’t all for nothing,” she grinned, letting out a little titter at his confused expression. “I got a call today from the theatre…”

“And?” he gripped onto her tighter, anticipating what she would say next so he would know if he had to celebrate or comfort her. Though, by the way she was smiling, he had a suspicion that it was going to be the former.

“And…..they wanted to hire me for their show!” she lightly rapped her hands on his shoulders with enthusiasm.

Jack let out an overjoyed laugh, whooping as he hugged Penny tighter and spun them both round. “You did it! I told you! You’re fucking extraordinary Penny!”

“They actually liked my costumes Jack!” Penny said, absolutely exhilarated. “It feels like I’m on cloud nine.”

“You deserve to feel that way,” he told her, “I can’t wait to see your costumes for the show.”

“Well you’re gonna have to wait for opening night,” she tapped his nose, “Cause I’m not spoiling a single thing.”

“Not even for me?” Jack forged a sulk.

Penny giggled at his ridiculousness, “Not even for you. Now, how about we eat and celebrate with a 5-star takeout.”

“Oh you’re speaking my language little lady,” he lowered her gently to the ground.

The rest of the night was filled with nothing but bliss, joy and contentment as they ate their food and talked about their day. Nothing could take this feeling away from them.

.

.

.

The next few months leading to December were definitely busy to say the least. Jack managed to start working on his game, programming and testing each day, making sure that it reached perfection with every single trial run they had. Penny had been working on every single costume for the cast, from the performers to the background characters, she made sure that every costume was precise and detailed.

Though both were exhausted each time they came through the door, their evenings together were always their favourite part. They would eat their dinner while watching a movie, chatting about anything and everything they got up to, not wanting to miss a thing the other had said.

Jack had also wanted to make sure that Penny wasn’t overworking herself, that she was eating, staying hydrated and got the well-deserved break she needed when she got home. Her sessions with Andrea had also done her good, with her feeling more secure about herself and being able to take care of herself during the times she had a minute to herself.

They were both so happy.

It was the last day of finishing the costumes, Penny had walked through the door of the apartment, thankful to finally be done so that she could relax before opening night of the show. She yawned as she locked the door behind her, kicking off her shoes as she walked into the living room. “Jack?” she called out.

It was quiet. Huh, maybe he wasn’t here.

Her question was answered when she entered the kitchen, finding a note on the fridge.

Had to head out to collect some stuff for dinner after work, there’s some donuts on the table if you want one. Love Jack xxx

Penny smiled, he was too good to her. She went into her bedroom and changed out of her clothes and into her pyjamas, wanting nothing more than to make a cup of tea and relax on the sofa with a donut and watch some TV while she waited for Jack to come home.

She had just flicked on the kettle when there was a knock at the door. She wondered who it was, perhaps it was one of the neighbours needing to borrow something…she couldn’t be more wrong.

She unlocked the door, opening it as she smiled for whoever was there.

(3)

Her blood ran cold.

David stood at the door, his short dark hair dishevelled, his brown eyes bloodshot and his clothes were covered with filth. “Hey Penny,” he drawled as he swayed form side to side, “How’s my little girl?”

“Dad,” her hands began to shake, “How did you know where I live.”

“I saw you from outside the theatre,” he said, “So I decided to follow you and check out the place. It’s not bad.”

Penny nearly choked on the air at what he said, “You stalked me here?!”

“What? Can’t your old man visit you sometime?” He hiccupped.

Penny scrunched up her nose at the faint smell of alcohol on his breath, he’d been drinking again. It sent a wave of memories, such awful memories through her head. “I thought Mom said you were in rehab again?”

“Amber says a bunch of stupid shit!” he sneered, “Fucking bitch.”

She fought the urge to not curl her hands into fists when he spoke about her mother that way. “Is there anyone I can call? You need help.”

“Nah, nah I’m great,” he waved a hand, “Your sister isn’t letting me come round and she’ll never speak about you for some reason. Look, all I need is just a little bit of cash for something I need.”

That’s what this was about, money. That was all he wanted, now that Riley wanted nothing to do with him, he had to resort to seeing Penny. He never actually wanted to see her. “Dad, I’m sorry,” she said, “Just let me call someone, let me help you-”

“-You can help me by giving me what I want!” he bellowed, “It’s the least you could do you ungrateful little shit!”

“Dad, please,” her voice cracked. She hated this, she wanted him gone.

“You’re still hung up about that car accident aren’t you?!” he growled, “It was because of you, you know! You couldn’t walk your sorry ass back home! It ain’t my fault you’re so incompetent!” he grabbed her arm, digging his fingers in enough to leave bruises, “You ruined my life you stupid cunt!”

“Dad let go!” she struggled against him, but he was gripping her so tight that she felt she would break her arm if she twisted it the wrong way. “You’re hurting me!”

“Just give me what I need!” he roared, “Don’t you disobey me Penny!”

The grip on her arm was forced off. Penny sank to the floor as she watched Jack shove David away.

There was nothing but fury in Jack’s eyes, “If you ever put your hands on her again, I’ll make sure you lose them!”

“Wow, that’s real cute!” David mocked, “Penny needs a big strong man to fight her battles.”

Jack glared daggers into the man, “Leave now before I call the cops, Amber and Riley. I have a feeling you won’t want to deal with them.”

David curled his lip into a sneer at Jack, before turning away with a groan. Jack waited until he wasn’t visible anymore before rushing over to Penny, who was sitting on the floor with her head on her knees as her tears soaked her pyjamas bottoms.

(4)

Jack knelt next to her, “Penny?” He tried to reach out to her, only for her to flinch the moment his hands grazed hers. “It’s okay, it’s me. He’s gone now Penny.”

Her body trembled, her fingers trailed up to the place on her arm where David’s hand had been. “H-he grabbed m-me,” she stuttered, “He n-never g-grabbed me b-before.”

“Oh Penny” Jack sighed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she all but collapsed into him, wailing as he soothingly stroked her back. “He’s never coming back here again, I’ll make sure of it. Shh, its okay, I got you.”

.

.

.

Two weeks passed. When Amber and Riley heard about what happened, they fretted over Penny, constantly hovering and making sure she was okay. Amber practically screamed at David on the phone, warning him to never contact Penny again. Riley was already planning ways to murder him. She had also thanked Jack for handling the situation the best he could, but she could tell that he was worrying about Penny too.

As for Penny herself, while she said she was fine, it was clear how down David made her feel since that day. Jack was there to help her, making sure that she was communicating with him, getting something to eat, speaking with her family and Andrea. Anything as long as she didn’t go numb.

She didn’t, thank goodness, but it was clear how much the situation still affected her.

It wasn’t until the day of the show opening, she and Jack had decided to take a walk in the park before heading to the theatre. Penny sat on a nearby bench, Jack had gone over to a bakery across the road to pick up treats for the both of them. She was swiping on her phone when her heard the carefree laugh of a child.

Looking up, she saw a little girl and a man who seemed to be the child’s father. It seemed to be a game of chase, with the little girl running after him while the father pretended that she was faster than him. When she finally caught up to him, he caught her in his arms and threw her up into the sky, relishing her giggles when he caught her again and brought her into a hug.

Penny felt a twinge of envy. Perhaps it was a little bit immature, but the way the father and child acted with one another. She just couldn’t help but imagine what it would’ve been like is she had that when she was a kid.

“Hey,” she heard Jack’s voice, peering up at him as he sat on the bench next to her holding two papers bags. “I got us some croissants if you want…hey, you okay?”

She sighed as she appreciatively took one of the bags, “Yeah I’m good. Its just my mind going all over the place.”

Jack shimmed closer, wrapping an arm round her shoulders, “Talk to me.”

Penny clutched her bag tighter. She was getting better with this, ever since David left and the bullying, she had always tried to get better with talking. It worked, but God it was hard. “I…” she started, taking a breath, “I can’t stop thinking about David, or rather, what David could have been. I know that he and Riley were close before I was born, I can’t help but feel like if I hadn’t been born, Riley would still have her dad. I feel a little bit jealous sometimes, that she had the dad that I wanted. But after learning more about David, seeing what he’s like, I know it’s not Riley’s fault.” She sniffed, “I just don’t understand why he did those things. Why he couldn’t be there for us after I was born.” She gestured to the father and daughter playing, “Was it really that hard for him to be like that?”

Jack clutched her tighter, this poor girl. What he saw yesterday had to be the tip of the iceberg with how David had treated her when she was a kid, but hearing that it was the first time that he grabbed her? His heart shattered into a million pieces. “You didn’t deserve what David put you through,” he murmured into her ear. “You didn’t deserve any of it. If he can’t see just how incredible you are, then he’s the biggest idiot in the world.” He pulled away but kept both of his hands pressed to her shoulders. “David failed you, he failed as a parent, that’s not your fault. You were just a girl who only wanted her father to love her, you didn’t ask for anything else. And look at what you’ve done without him, you’re a talented costumer, an awesome daughter and sister, one of the kindest people I know and you have your costumes being debuted in an official show tonight.” He heart skipped a beat when Penny wiped away a tear of mirth. “You, Penny Reed, are extraordinary. Don’t let people like David tell you otherwise.”

Penny laughed wetly, cupping both Jack’s cheeks tenderly in her hands, “I don’t deserve you.”

“No,” Jack disagreed, turning his head and kissed the palm of her hand. “It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”

Penny let another tear fall as she brought Jack in for another kiss. The two relished the moment they had together. Soon they would need to get to the theatre, Penny would give him another kiss before heading to the dressing rooms to help with the costumes, Jack would wait outside for both their respective families to arrive and watch the show to support her.

But for now, it was just them, on a little park bench while eating their croissants. Enjoying the ambience of singing birds, leaves rustling on swaying tree and the absentminded chatter of other residents in the park.

.

.

.

“Nina! Honey please don’t jump in the chair!” Laura picked up the bouncing child and placed her into a proper sitting position.

“So excited! So excited!” she chanted.

“I want it to start already!” Alex whined.

“All in due time little dude,” Jack ruffled his hair, making the boy laugh and shove his hand away.

Penny and Jack had managed to arrive on time, with Jack staying in the foyer as Penny rushed to the dressing rooms. He greeted their families once they walked through the large doors, giving them each a hug before leading them to their seats. He was currently sat between Alex and Amber, wanting to be near both families. Amber and Riley were practically buzzing, they couldn’t wait for what Penny had designed. She had been so secretive for the past few months about what she was making, the anticipation was killing them!

But now they finally get to see her art, finally get to see her hard work pay off.

Amber had leaned over to someone in the row in front of them, holding the pamphlet of everyone who worked in the play and held open the page with Penny listed as the designer. “That’s my daughter,” she told anyone who would listen in that row, “She helped with the costumes!”

“This has been Penny’s dream for so long,” Riley sighed with awe, “And now that it’s actually happening…”

Winter held her wife’s hand in her right and had her left hand on the small bump forming on her stomach, “She deserves this.”

“She does,” Jack nodded in agreement, “She really does.” He knew that Penny wouldn’t be in the bows – since that was only reserved for the actors – but it wouldn’t stop from cheering at the top of his lungs, being as loud as possible for her ears only.

The lights went down and the orchestra started to come to life. There were only murmurs and shushes before everything went silent. The curtains opened, the music sprung throughout the hall. The first actor came on and Jack could already tell how much Penny did her homework with this. He might not know that much about Victorian fashion, but saying how much detail Penny put into that costume looked like it walked out from a history book.

The rest of the costumes were like that for the next few minutes of the opening act. It wasn’t until it started to transition into the Nutcracker’s fantasy kingdom when Jack was left in shock. Each dress and suit were utter magic. There were sparkles and glitter, the fabric floated as if it were air itself, how it all looked so out of this earth with its beauty! It looked as though Penny had gone to this fantasy land herself and sourced these costumes, it was just that fantastic! How could someone be so talented?

He looked over to Amber and Riley, the two were leaking tears and were smiling with nothing but pride of the youngest member of their family. They had every right to be proud. Even his own family couldn’t stop gasping at every costume that came on, he didn’t blame them!

By the time the show finished and the actors took their bow, everyone clapped and cheered as loud as they could for Penny. Even if she can’t hear them, this applause would be for her and her only.

Jack led everyone out to the outside stage door, where Penny had informed them she would be exiting once the show was over. When they finally saw her come out, they rushed over to her with grins on their faces.

“Penny that was amazing!” Amber hugged her daughter.

“How did you come up with all that?!” Riley asked, still bewildered.

“I think I’m still in shock,” Penny breathed, going over to hug her sister, “Did that really just happen?”

“It sure did little lady,” Jack came up. Penny shone brighter than the stage spotlights as she ran over to him, jumping in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. The two laughed, “Your designs were awesome Penny! Totally worth the wait!”

“I told you, patience is a virtue,” she giggled. She sobered up a little and smiled at him, her face soft, “I’m so happy right now.”

“You should be,” Jack rested his forehead against hers.

They pulled away when they heard Riley make a gagging noise at the couple, Winter slapping her wife’s arm at her reaction with a scoff. Jack and Penny shook their heads fondly at the woman, with Jack setting Penny back on her feet.

“Let’s head back to our place and celebrate!” Laura declared, everyone else heartily agreeing. “To Penny’s successful opening night!”

There were whoops from both families as they headed to their cars. Jack linked Penny’s arm in his as she buried her reddening face in his shoulder, “I don’t think I’m gonna get used to that.”

“You’re a star now little lady,” Jack chuckled, “There’s gonna be more where that came from.”

He chortled at Penny’s shy squeak from his shoulder, keeping her close as he led her to everyone else. He wanted this feeling every single day for the rest of his life.

He wanted Penny every single day for the rest of his life.

And you know what? He was going to do just that.

.

.

.

New Year’s Eve, soon to be New Year’s Day.

That was where everyone found themselves at the moment. Both Penny and Jack’s family were crowded in their apartment, the TV blasting music and waiting for the countdown to finish and announce the arrival of a new year.

Jack had been glued to Penny’s side all even, sharing little kisses with her now and then as they conversed with everyone else. Soon, there was only one minute left, with everyone huddled round the TV as they watched the seconds go down.

“TEN!”

“NINE!”

“EIGHT!”

“SEVEN!”

“SIX!”

“FIVE!”

“FOUR!”

“THREE!”

“TWO!”

“ONE!”

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Everyone clapped as they shared hugs with one another, wishing them a new year. Penny was about to turn and hug Jack but noticed that he had disappeared.

“Penny!” Winter called. Penny whipped round with a grin as she went to hug her sister-in-law, “Happy new year!”

“Happy new year to you too,” Penny said as she pulled away.

“Okay, my turn now,” Riley came up and hugged her little sister, “Just before mom comes to steal a hug before me.”

Penny giggled as she returned the hug, “Thanks Riley. Hey, have you seen-”

“-Penny! Come here baby,” Amber wrapped her arms around her daughter as soon as Riley was done. “Happy new year!”

“Yeah, happy new year mom,” she murmured into her mother’s ear, giving her a squeeze before uncurling herself from. “Has anyone seen-” a lump caught in her throat when she turned.

Jack had gone down on one knee in front of her, holding open a little black box containing a silver engagement ring. “Penny,” he began, “Ever since we met, you’ve been stuck in my head in the best way possible. Whenever I’m with you I’m the happiest person in the world. You’re kind, beautiful, determined and everything I could ever want. At your word, I want to take you, your flaws, your strengths, all of it – all of you to be my wife.” He had a few stray tears leaking, but he didn’t care. Penny was doing the same, a wide grin plastered on her face as she covered her mouth. “Penny Reed, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Penny cried, “Yes, yes! A thousand times yes!”

Jack let out an exasperated breath, pent up stress finally leaving him as he got up off the floor. He gently took Penny’s face in hands and kissed her, he could hear everyone clapping and praising them, but all his attention was on Penny. He took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

Unable to help themselves, they dove in for another kiss. Drowning out the excited chatter, the music blaring and the sound of fireworks going off outside, they were in their own little world, where nothing could touch them.   

It was completely and utterly perfect.

.

.

.

Pomni blinked her eyes open. Her head felt as though it were filled with midnight fog, she had a feeling that it was still quite late due to the abnormal silence from outside. Clearly the day hadn’t started yet. She touched her cheeks, they were wet. Was she crying in her sleep? She groaned into her hands, she was still extremely exhausted, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep yet.

She swung her feet off the side of her bed, not bothering to get changed. She was thankful that Caine had provided her pyjamas when she arrived for the first time – consisting of a navy-blue buttoned long-sleeved shirt and pants. It was nice to wear something other than her jester suit, even if it was only sleepwear.

Slipping her feet into her slippers, she padded over to her door and quietly opened it. Seeing that no one else was awake, she carefully shut the door behind her and tiptoed through the hallway. There was no doubt that when the day officially began, Caine would bombard them with new adventures without a chance for a break.

She let her feet guide her, not really knowing where to go at this late. Soon, she spotted a hallway she hadn’t seen before. Letting curiosity get the better of her, she followed the new path she had found until she came across some stairs, leading her up and up until she spotted a door. She turned the handle, revealing the sky of the outside. Only there was no sun or moon smiling down at her just a clear sky of stars. It was then she realized that she had up to the roof on the opposite side of the tent.

She took a deep breath before sitting herself down, this was just what she needed. Somewhere blissful and peaceful to let her ponder about her dream. Jack proposed to Penny, huh? Just seeing them live out their day to day lives, being so enamoured with one another, it made her toes curl and filled her stomach with butterflies. She felt a little bit of envy, it would be nice to have that sort of intimacy with someone. Someone who cared about her, someone who wanted to spend time with her, someone who would protect her…

“Well, look who stole my spot,” The sound of Jax’s voice made her whip round and face him. The rabbit had his own pair of pyjamas on as well - a simple white T-shirt and sweatpants.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she replied with a smirk, “I had no idea this was labelled ‘Jax’s spot’.”

Jax huffed but still gave her a smile, “I think you’ve been hanging around me too much sweetheart.”

“Hey, you offered,” she retorted.

“True,” he nodded.

Pomni frowned, maybe he was looking to be alone right now, she should probably go. “Am I intruding? I can leave if you want.”

“No!” he cringed at how loud he sounded, “I mean, no. Stay, besides, I’m the one who’s intruding.”

Pomni beamed as she moved over to make some room for him to sit down. His heart fluttered at the look on her face as he sat down next to her. They didn’t say anything for a while, opting to sit in silence as they gazed at the stars.

When Jax had awoke from his dream earlier, his mind was abuzz, replaying the proposal over and over again. Jack getting down on one knee, declaring his love for Penny, them kissing as the fireworks went off. Normally these dreams made him feel slightly frustrated (and sometimes a little bit jealous), but tonight, he didn’t mind the memory making its place in his mind palace. In fact, he was starting to not mind any of the dreams he had for the past few nights. He felt almost…at peace with them, in a weird way.

He turned to Pomni, her eyes still locked onto the sky. He never really apologised for abandoning her with Kaufmo, didn’t he? If he was going to be spending more time with her, it would probably be best if he asked for forgiveness after pulling a stunt like that. “Hey, Pom-pom,” he bit down a gulp when she turned at him with those wide eyes of her, “Um, I’m sorry about leaving you and dollface with Kaufmo when he abstracted. I know that saying ‘sorry’ isn’t really enough for what I did, but I just want you to know that I am. And if there’s anything I can do to prove it then…I will.”

Pomni’s mouth opened slightly before answering, “I won’t lie, I’m still not really happy about that. But I’m glad that you’re taking accountability for that. I won’t forget what you did, but I will forgive you.”

Jax sighed with relief, it was more than what he deserved, but hearing it from her instead of anyone else just made his spirit sore. “Thanks short stack,” he snickered as she rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m not that short!” she glared at him.

“It’ll be better if you just admit it sweetheart,” he said, resting his chin on his knee.

“I won’t, cause its not true,” she crossed her arms, hiding a grin.

He chortled at her adorable reaction, “Whatever you say.” There was something else that he wanted to ask her, something that had been eating at him since her first day here, but he didn’t want to freak her out with it. But maybe it would help both of them if she talked about it. Only one way to find out. “Pomni,” he used her proper name, fully serious about what he wanted to ask, “When you were in the void, what did you see?”

Pomni stiffened. She hadn’t thought about the void since she came back from it. She had been putting off talking about it, not because she didn’t want to, but everyone else had already given up on the idea of leaving so whenever she did try to bring it up, they gently tried to steer her away into a different conversation. But here was Jax, someone who she never thought she would be stargazing with or even spend time with at all, asking her about it. “It’s hard to explain. It was like seeing nothing yet seeing everything at the same time.” She rubbed the back of the neck nervously “I’m sorry, that’s probably not what you want to hear.”

“No, no, you answered my question perfectly,” he reassured her. “It’s just, I’ve never went out into the void when I arrived. It was mostly panic and telling everyone to get lost. The feeling of who you were slipping away from you…I was just so scared so the point I felt angry at everyone.”

“I get it,” Pomni nodded, “I might not have gotten angry, but my first thought when I got here, before I realised I had no memories was ‘oh God what if I never see my family again?’”  

“Huh,” Jax said, “Even if you didn’t remember them, you must’ve been close to your family in your past life if that was your first thought.”

“I hope so,” Pomni sighed. She recalled how Penny was with her sister and mother, how all those women loved and cared for one another. What would their reaction be if Penny went missing? Would Amber be crying, wondering where her baby went? Would Riley feel scared and furious, ready to end whoever took her little sister? “I wonder what they were like?”

“Yeah, me too,” he said, before realising how out of context that sentence was. “I meant my family! Obviously!” he groaned to himself, “Why do I always say the dumbest sh===t?”

Pomni’s shoulders shook as she giggled at his blunder, “Don’t worry, its not as bad as the stuff I’ve said.” She yawned, placing her head on Jax’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut. “The stars…so beautiful…”

Jax smirked as she drifted off to sleep, wrapping an arm around her to keep her warm, he still promised to keep an eye on her after all. “Yeah, beautiful.” His eyes were nowhere near the stars when he said that.

He decided to stay here until it was time to wake her up for today’s adventure to be announced. But for now, he decided that he wanted to spend the rest of the sunrise with the most stunning star out of them all.

Chapter Text

It was a pool day, that’s what Caine’s adventure was going to be today, a pool day. Honestly, everyone needed a break from the constant life-threatening shenanigans the AI constantly put them through. Caine had set up some activities for them, with inflatable pool floats, water guns and even refurbishing the water slide with more twists and turns, even making it higher for everyone else to enjoy when they slid down. The circus members seemed to be having fun, with Zooble lounging on the pool float, Ragatha was encouraging Gangle to come in the water and Kinger…well, he seemed to be well acquainted with absentmindedly shooting water from the water gun everywhere.

Jax had decided to sit by the edge of the pool, his eyes were on Pomni the whole time while he stood idly by. He was hovering, he knew that, but he had his promise to keep. Be there for Pomni, keep her safe, that’s what matters. She seemed to be doing okay, opting to walk around the edge of the pool while watching everyone else relax. He froze when she caught him starting, but the tension released when she gave him a small wave, with him returning it with his own.

Currently Pomni’s head was swarmed. The memory of her falling asleep on Jax’s shoulder earlier this morning made her cheeks burn red. When she had woken up, she repeated a mantra of apologies to him, only for the rabbit to laugh and to tell her not to worry about it. She liked him, she really liked him. But the other half of her mind was still thinking about those dreams. They couldn’t just be happening for no reason. Why was this happening to her? What purpose did they serve in a place that didn’t allow dreaming? Wait, what if this was something similar that happened to Queenie? If she thought too much about the real world, would she start to go insane? Would she abstract if she kept dreaming?! But she didn’t want to let go of those dreams, they were the only thing keeping her feet to the ground. But what if it didn’t last? Queenie was searching for a way to escape, only for Kinger to lose her. Pomni was still searching for a way out, would she abstract if she kept trying? Would dreaming inch her closer to that?!

Jax immediately stood up the minute he saw Pomni deteriorating, ready to help her from spiralling into a full-blown panic attack. He had nearly reached her, until Caine and Bubble floated right up close to his face, making him stumble back a bit. “Ah Jax, there you are!” he boomed, “Just the rabbit I was looking for!”

Jax scowled at him, “You’re gonna have to look for me another time Caine, I’m busy.”

“Now, now! No need to be like that!” Caine put his hands on his hips, “All I need is a simple favour-”

“No,” Jax spat, trying to shove past the AI, “Move it dentures.”

He was stopped by a rough grab to his shoulders. He looked up to see Caine glaring down at him, Jax forced himself to repress a shudder. “Jax, as a member of this circus, you have a duty to obey your ringmaster,” Caine said, “After all, I let you off easy with your little white lie about Bubble in the carnival.” Jax gulped, he found out! “However! I am fair! And I’ll give you the chance to make up for it!”

Jax sighed, going along with Caine was the best option right now without things escalating. “Fine dentures, what do you need me to do?”

“I’m glad you asked!” the AI bellowed, “We have a couple of gloinks still loitering about inside, the last thing we need is for them to come out and ruin anyone else’s fun. We need a scheming mind like yours to come up with a plan to lure them away!”

“That’s all?” Jax asked, “I’ll be able to come right back outside after that?”

“My dear Jax, you will have the rest of the day to have fun after this one teeny tiny favour!” Caine bellowed, patting the rabbit’s shoulder. Jax shoved it off.

“Fine,” he huffed, turning away back to the tent. Pomni will be okay, I’ll be as quick as I can and get back to her. It’s gonna be fine. She’ll be fine.

Caine watched as Jax went back into the tent before floating back up into the air to observe the rest of the circus member’s fun.

Pomni managed to calm herself down a little bit. She wondered why Jax wasn’t there to help, usually he would be by her side to help her. Come on Pomni, that’s not fair for you to put all that pressure on him. Jax needs a break as well, stop being so selfish. She walked a bit to the edge of the deeper end of the pool, wanting to be away from the rest of the group to think by herself for a while.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a purple butterfly flying towards her. Her gaped a little bit, she hadn’t seen any bugs yet in this digital world, it was beautiful. The butterfly landed on the centre of her face, where her nose would be, making Pomni giggle as she went cross eyed to look at it. The sudden movement of her laughter made the butterfly fly off and onto the ground next to her. “Look at you,” she breathed, reaching her hand out towards it, “I haven’t seen anything like you here.”

The butterfly came forward a bit, examining the appendage in front of it. It was about to land on her hand, but the moment she and the bug made contact, the butterfly glitched and clipped into the ground. Pomni let out a frightened yelp, backing away quickly. Unfortunately, her foot slipped on a wet patch, making her trip, hit her head on the edge of the pool before blacking out when she landed in the water.

No one heard her…

No one saw her…

Apart from Caine…

Jax groaned as he walked back outside, his hand rubbing his lower back. Who knew dealing with a bunch of gloinks could be such a pain?! Maybe this was payback for not helping Zooble and shoving Gangle and Kinger into the gloink hole…who was he kidding, of course it was. It didn’t matter now, all he had to do was get back to Pomni.

Only, she was gone from the spot she was at. He scanned the area, hoping she was with someone else, whether it was resting with Zooble on another float or swimming with Ragatha, heck even spraying Kinger with a spare water gun! But the jester was nowhere in sight.

He began to panic, no one ever disappears…apart from abstraction. He felt his heart become lodged in his throat at the thought of Pomni abstracting. She couldn't! She can’t! He can’t lose her! He ran up to the other members in the pool, “Has anyone seen Pomni?!”

Zooble sat up on their float while Ragatha and Gangle swam to the edge, Kinger had also put down his water gun and walked up to see what was going on. Jax’s stomach sank when everyone shook their heads.

“She was just here a minute ago,” Gangle said, “I don’t think she’d gone far.”

“We’ll help you look for her,” Ragatha got out of the pool, going up to Jax and placing a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

“Yeah,” Zooble appeared next to them, “The girl’s a weirdo, but then again so are we. We gotta stick together right?”

“She made a flag for Queenie,” Kinger murmured, remembering the joy gifted to him in the form of Pomni’s generous present. “We can’t leave a good soul like that stranded.”

Jax let out a shaky breath. No one was mad, no one was upset. They wanted to help him…they wanted to help him, that was new. “Okay,” the rabbit nodded, “Does anyone have any idea of where she could have gone?”

Before anyone could answer, Caine came up behind them, making them jump. “Oh, she’s currently in the pool right now!” he told them cheerfully, “Although, she didn’t appear to be conscious in any way shape or form.”

Jax felt a piece of him shatter as he slowly turned to Caine. “You saw her in the water while unconscious. And you didn’t do anything,” he whispered, dangerously.

“Caine!” Ragatha cried, “Why didn’t you tell us when that happened?! She’s in serious danger!”

“Nobody can die or have any serious harm in the amazing digital circus!” Caine grinned, “Do you have a few loose stitches for you to forget Ragatha?”

“That doesn’t mean she can’t still feel pain!” Gangle whimpered.

“Seriously Caine!” Zooble shouted at him, “What the f;;;;ck is wrong with you?!”

“I am merely stating the rules for this world!” he informed them.

Jax had blocked everyone out, their voices becoming muffled as he started at the pool. She’s in the water she’s in the water she’s in the water she’s in the water she’s in the water she’s in the water-

But then it all caught up to me, I was taking a bath and I just…passed out, there and then.

Without wasting a second, he ran up to the deep end, ignoring everyone calling out to him as he dove in. His vision was blurred from the water, but he was able to see Pomni’s small red and blue form sinking to the bottom. He padded quicker, racing against time as he neared closer and closer. He had to make it, he promised he would protect her, he promised! Once he reached her, he scooped his arms under her shoulders, pulling her as he swam back up to the surface until they finally reached the air. Jax carried her over to the edge, setting her down before putting her on her side, hoping that he was able to get some oxygen into her.

When she didn’t respond, he put her on her back again, opening her mouth before pressing his lips onto hers and blowing air into her mouth. It was after a few puffs when Pomni spluttered and choked, Jax put her back on her side again, rubbing her back as she coughed out as much water as possible. When there seemed to be no more water left, she tiredly lifted her head to face the rabbit. “Jax?” she mumbled out.

“I-I’m so sorry Pomni,” he said.

Before she could ask him what he meant, the rest of the circus members ran up to her, with Ragatha wrapping a towel around Pomni’s shoulders. The jester was starting to shake from the chill and the sudden event catching up to her.

“Oh Pomni,” the ragdoll wept, “Are you okay?”

Pomni didn’t say a word, only staring at the ground as shock filled her from head to toe. Everyone began to crowd round her, with Jax backing up to give them more room. He didn’t deserve to be near her right now.

“Wow Pomni!” Caine beamed as he floated over, “This was your first time experiencing digital drowning! What an accomplishment!”

Pomni didn’t react, still shaking with terror swarming in her eyes.

“Caine,” Ragatha looked up at the AI as she spoke slowly, “I’m going to take Pomni inside to help her dry off.”

“What?!” Caine howled, “But our pool day hasn’t finished yet!”

“She nearly drowned dipsh)))t!” Zooble growled at him, “I don’t care if it wasn’t real! You could have helped her!”

Pomni let out a whimper, Ragatha wrapped her arms round her tighter. “I’m taking her inside. Zooble, do you mind doing damage control?”

“By all means, go ahead rags,” Zooble said, still glaring at Caine, “I’ve got it from here.”

Ragatha nodded, she and Gangle led Pomni inside while Zooble continued to chew Caine’s metaphorical ear off.

Jax stayed glued to his spot. He shouldn’t have gone inside, he should’ve stood up to Caine. He managed to do it before, why didn’t he do it now? He was a coward, just a dumb coward who got others hurt. Because of him, Pomni got hurt and he could’ve been there to prevent it!

“Jax?” Kinger went up to the rabbit, placing a hand on his arm, “Are you alright?”

Jax turned to the chess piece, his pupils had become slits and his eyes were wide from the scare he had with Pomni. “I broke my promise.”

“What?” Kinger tilted his head.

“I promised to protect her,” he murmured, “I broke it.”

“Jax, you saved Pomni!” Kinger said, squeezing his arm, “You dove in after her the minute you found out something was wrong!”

“I should’ve been there!” Jax’s voice broke, ripping his arm free. “I should have been there like I promised, otherwise she would…she wouldn’t have…”

“But she didn’t,” Kinger told him, “Because of you.”

“Stop speaking to me as if you know me!” Jax screamed, “You’re nothing but an insect-obsessed, stupid piece of wood who can barely remember his name!” Jax felt a pit form in the bottom of his heart. He hadn’t lashed out like that since he got there. It was Kinger’s crestfallen expression that really got to him though.

“I-I understand,” Kinger whispered meekly, “I’ll leave you be Jax, just so you can clear your head.”

Jax wanted to go after Kinger when he walked away but stopped himself. He didn’t earn to ask for Kinger’s forgiveness, people like him don’t deserve forgiveness. Not from Kinger, not from anyone, and not from Pomni.

He turned and went back inside. He trailed his feet up to his room, before stopping outside of Pomni’s. He could hear Ragatha inside, speaking nothing but comforts to Pomni. Jax found himself being jealous, wishing it were him who was taking care of her. But he broke his promise, how could he possibly take care of Pomni if he was reckless enough to break his promise to her?

He went into his room to change into his pyjamas and gathered a few blankets and pillows, he didn’t warrant to sleep in a comfy room after what he did. Maybe he could make a small space on the stage for him to sleep on? He didn’t care.

He spared one more glance at Pomni’s door, before turning and heading downstairs.

The lights were out, everyone else was probably heading to bed as well. On the stage and behind the curtains, he made his little bed bundle before settling down. It wasn’t the best bed in the world – it was terrible – but this is what he deserved. The look on Pomni’s face, so scared and vulnerable. He was supposed to make sure that she never had that face. A few tears leaked, he turned his face to muffle his sobs into his pillow before the exhaustion hit and he cried himself to sleep. Pomni’s face still burned in the back of his mind.

Meanwhile, Pomni shuffled under the blankets after Ragatha tucked her in, the shock wearing off. “Caine saw me,” she said, “And he didn’t even help me.”

“Caine’s mind works a little differently here. He doesn’t really understand humans,” Ragatha explained, “But he shouldn’t have done that to you. You’re lucky Jax got to you.”

“Jax!” Pomni jolted up at the sound of his name, “Where is he?!”

“Easy Pomni,” Ragatha laid her back down, “Jax had a…peculiar reaction when Caine said you were in the water. I think it’s best if we leave him be right now.”

“You don’t understand,” Pomni tried to sit up again, “I need to see him.”

“What you need is rest after what happened,” Ragatha tried to reason with the stubborn jester. “Please Pomni, try and get some rest. You can see him in the morning.”

Pomni sighed, she knew she couldn’t win against the protective ragdoll. “Ok, goodnight Ragatha.”

“Night Pomni,” The ragdoll smiled before going over to the door and shutting it behind her.

Pomni buried herself under the blankets. She could still remember the feeling of being under water, unable to wake up and feeling the burn of her lungs constricting, begging for air. She might not be able to drown, but she could still feel the fear of being unable to wake up and breathe. Then Jax was there, she could sense him the moment she felt his touch as he pulled her out of the water, she never felt safer than she did whenever she was with him. Even despite her unconscious state, somehow, she knew it was him.

She wanted him here, to thank him for saving her, for him to hold her as he soothed her from what happened, to make sure that she felt safe while falling asleep. A few tears fell, she wanted Jax.

She rubbed her eyes, she just needed to rest.

But even as she twisted and turned, even as she felt herself drifting off, she still found herself craving Jax’s presence.

.

.

.

Jack was engaged! He was the luckiest and happiest man in the world!

He was currently waiting in line at the coffee shop across the street. He wanted to pick up some of Penny’s favourite sweets and hot drink order. His fiancé – he still couldn’t believe he gets to use that word now – had just been hired to stay at the Lionheart Assembly Theatre to create costumes for more of their upcoming shows, and not only that, but had other theatre companies trying to reach out to her! He wanted to spoil her with all her favourite treats this evening, he wanted to spoil her every day but unfortunately their schedules didn’t allow that.

He opened up his phone to text Penny, admiring his new lock screen with the photo of him and Penny with the cheesiest grins as they squished their cheeks together while he held up her hand with her engagement ring. He was so locked onto that photo of them that he didn’t notice someone crashing into him, making him drop his phone. “Shit!” he reached down for his phone while trying to answer the person he bumped into, “Are you okay-”

(1)

“Well, well. Jack Bloom, in the flesh! It’s been a long time,” a familiar voice drawled out. A voice that made Jack’s blood freeze as the memories of his old foster family came rushing back to him. Particularly the ones with an older boy sneering down at him, ready to hurt him in any way he could.

But then there was their kid, Luke. He was a few years older than me, but he made sure he made my life hell. He’d beat me, spit on me, say things that still won’t leave my head till this day.

“Luke,” he stood and lifted his gaze to the man in front of him. Luke was a pale and measly person with sandy blonde hair and sickening green eyes.

“Look at you,” the blonde sneered, “Little Jack, all grown up! I gotta say, you look good.”

“Excuse me if I don’t give a shit about what you say,” Jack retorted with a glare.

“Ouch! Easy there!” Luke cackled, “I was just giving you a compliment! God, you were always so easy to rile up!”

Rile up? That’s how he saw his years of tormenting Jack? Riling him up? “If you’re just gonna be here to be a dick Luke then I’m heading out.”

“Woah, no need to be so sensitive,” Luke grinned, it sent a chill up Jack’s spine. “I just wanted to congratulate you on your recent engagement.”

Jack blanched, “How do you know about that?”

“I like keeping tabs on my old pals,” Luke said casually, as though he didn’t reveal that he had been stalking Jack online. “I found your twitter account a few months ago and saw what you’ve been up to. I see your C&A’s new shiny toy, not only that, but I also got a good look at your girl. Penny right? She is a pretty girl.”

Jack’s fists tightened, the way that Luke said that. It made him want to drag him out of this café by the hair. “You better watch yourself.”

“I’ve gotta watch myself?” Luke placed a hand to his chest, “I’m not the one who’s psychologically damaged.”

“I wonder whose fault that is,” Jack growled lowly.

“All I’m saying is that I’m glad you found someone who can tolerate you,” Luke shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ve seen that fucked up head of yours, do you really think you’re good enough for her? I took one look at her and I can already tell that she’s not the type of girl that’s gonna last long around you.” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Jack.

“But I do, I’ve seen just how fucked up you are to know how this is gonna go,” the blonde smirked. “I can see it now! Poor Jack, unable to keep his job! No matter how much he tries, he can never forget the scars of his past. Soon, he gets fired for being a stupid piece of shit, runs back to his apartment, looking for some support from his loving wife! Only to find out that she’s leaving him because she finally realised that he’s too broken for her and can’t stand another minute around him before he takes her down with him!”

“That’s enough,” Jack told him, “People will hear you.”

“Please,” Luke scoffed, “Even if they do I can be able to turn this situation around and make you look like the perpetrator. Do you really think someone as good as her is right for someone like you? You’re nothing but damage Jack, damage that is eventually gonna affect her as well.”

“Stop it,” Jack spat.

“You’ll break her,” Luke wasn’t finished. “That little heart and spirit of hers will break the longer she’s with you, she’ll find out just how emotionally draining you are, just how much of an asshole you can be. Do you really wanna chance that with her? Might as well just let her go before that happens. It’ll save you both time.”

“I’m getting the help I need!” Jack retorted, “I’m in therapy to heal because of what you and your parents put me through! I would never put all that on Penny!”

Luke huffed, “Please, you really think a shrink is gonna undo your whole mess. You’re nothing but a ticking bomb Jack, a ticking bomb who’ll take everyone he loves down with him. Including your sweet little Penny.”

“Luke please,” Jack’s voice was barely a whisper, “Stop.”

Luke grinned, his work here was done. “Congratulations again Jack.”

Jack watched as the measly blonde walked out the coffee shop. He looked at his phone to check the time, only to find out that it had cracked when he dropped it, each fracture scarring the pixeled photo of him and Penny.

Why did Luke have to be here? He was fine with his life! He was finally happy, why did he have to be in the same shop as Jack at the exact time he was there?!

All of a sudden, he was a freshman in high school again, fearing to return back to his foster home and what type of cruelty awaited him there.

Worthless!

Disgusting!

Get out of my face boy!

You little bastard!

Aw little brat is gonna cry!

What have I told you about crying?!

You caused this pain yourself!

You have only yourself to blame!

You were born to take a beating Ja-!

(2)

“-ck Bloom?” a voice pulled him out from his storming mind, “I have an order for Jack Bloom?”

He turned to the counter, his order was ready. He pressed his forefinger and thumb to the bridge on his nose, pinching and rubbing it to help ease the forming headache he was about to have. “That’s me,” he said, going up and taking the paper bags and coffee cups from the cashier, “Thanks.”

He made sure to leave a tip before walking out the door.

Jack let out a sigh when he eventually walked into the apartment, dumping his bag on the ground and going into the kitchen to place his and Penny’s sweets and coffee on the countertop. He could hear her turn the sewing machine off in her work room, opening up the door and bounding over to him. “Hey!” she beamed, as he heartily accepted her welcoming hug and kiss, “What’s all this you got?” She gestured to the assortment of hot drinks and snacks.

“Oh you know,” Jack hummed against her lips as they leant in for another kiss, “Just something to celebrate my beautiful fiancé getting hired.”

“Well aren’t you just a gentleman,” she suddenly noticed the tensity in his shoulders and the forced smile he was giving her. Something was off, “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he didn’t want her to know what happened in the coffee shop earlier. Luke wasn’t worth bringing up, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, rubbing her thumbs underneath his tired eyes, “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“I know,” he nodded, bringing her in closer, “I’m always good whenever you’re here.”

She sighed, pressing her forehead against his, “Okay, just tell me if there’s anything going on if there is.”

“I will,” he meant it. He’ll bring Luke up to her…eventually. He just didn’t want to put any more on her plate right now. Penny didn’t deserve that. “Now, how about we ruin our diets and have dessert for dinner?”

Penny giggled, “I like the sound of that.” She would get back to him on that. He didn’t want to take about what was bothering him right now, but that was fine. She decided to give her the breathing space he needed so he could talk to her about it. That was what they always did, just give each other a moment to bring up the problem and they would solve it together. That was what Jack needed right now, and she would help him with it when he’s ready to tell her.

Jack felt a bit of relief when her mind was taken of the subject. Another part of him felt guilty for not telling her, he would, just not now. He just wanted to spend the rest of his evening with fiancé and forget about Luke.

He could forget about Luke…right?

.

.

.

Luke was still fresh on his mind when Jack came into work the next week. He hated it, he hated Luke, he hated how worthless he made him feel, he hated that he came back into his life when Jack was finally happy! But most all, he hated how he kept thinking about what Luke said about Penny. More so what he said about how Jack would treat Penny later on in the marriage.

What if he made her feel like she had to carry his burdens? What if he couldn’t be the husband that she deserved? What if he really wasn’t good enough for her and break her heart? Like how David broke Amber’s?

No, this was just Luke in his head, he’s nothing like what he described. But what if he was? Was he really just a hopeless case that was meant to stay broken? Maybe he was just a ticking bomb getting ready to explode. No, you’ve come so far since you moved out of that place! Think of Penny! Don’t backtrack now because of Luke!

He stared to walk faster down the hall with the files in his arms, so caught up in his head that he didn’t notice bumping into someone, sending the papers flying.

Jack cursed, gathering his files back into a pile while the other person helped him, “Sorry about that, had a train of thought going off the rails there.”

“Eh, no worries,” a young male voice said, holding out a hand to help Jack to his feet, “It happens to the best of us.”

When Jack stood up and got his bearings straight, it was then when he finally noticed those to whom he was talking. “Oh my god!” he gasped, “You’re Samual Abel!”

“Yup, that’s me,” he smiled shyly. He was quite small and skinny, with ivory skin, brown eyes and dusty brown hair. He seemed to be at least 18 years old, which meant it had to be 9 years since…oh god, he was 9 when his parents went missing.

“I’m really sorry again,” Jack apologised, rubbing his neck nervously. How does someone talk to the kid of the parents who went missing from this company?

“Hey, it’s fine. No one got hurt,” he reassured him, before his eyes glanced down at a file he picked up for Jack. “Oh, I remember this game.”

Jack peeked over at what the boy was referring to, “Oh yeah, ‘The Amazing Digital Circus.’ That was the first game created at C&A.”

“That’s right!” Samual’s face brightened, unable to stop the flow of words coming out of his mouth. “My mom and dad started this as a kick-starter to help pay for bills and school, but he also made this for me. I was only 4 so I didn’t know that much about video games, all I knew was that I loved the world that my parents created just for me. Soon, it blew up for both kids and adults and that’s how we got the C&A we know today. You know, they were actually gonna remake this game.”

“Really?” Jack raised a brow, he never heard about that before.

“Yeah,” Samual nodded. “Jason suggested to my dad that it would sell more to audiences if we remade a well-known game. So, one day came my parents went into C&A and got to work…then the next week they disappeared.”

Jack gulped as he watched the light in the boy’s eyes fade a bit, “I didn’t mean to bring up old memories-”

“-Oh no! You didn’t! That was just me getting lost in my head,” Samual said, “You get what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Jack sighed, nodding. He could understand that perfectly, “I’m really sorry about your parents.”

Samual looked up, “Oh it’s fine! But thank you, really. Not everyone talks about my parents round here a lot anymore, so its kinda nice just getting to speak about them sometimes. It just feels like everyone here is so keen to forget them.”

“Seriously?” Jack gaped as Samual handed the rest of his papers back to him. He could understand if the boy had lost them recently, but years after? It’s not too much to ask to talk about your parents in the company that was essentially the only thing Samual had left of them. Even then, they were still the founders here. Why wouldn’t anyone want to talk about them?

“Seriously,” Samual repeated, his face matching’s Jack’s concerned expression.

“Ah! Sammy!” Jason’s voice boomed as he walked over to the two, with Samual flinching at the sudden noise. The older man patted the younger boy’s shoulder, “I see you’ve gotten acquainted with our newest employee!”

“Jason!” Samual replied, slightly exasperated, “You know you can just call me Sam or Samual.”

“We’re practically family Sammy, families give each other nicknames,” Jason turned to Jack. “I’ve been helping his aunt and uncle with raising this little tyke, been taking care of him for the last 9 years! I’m getting him ready to take over this place one day!”

Jack noticed Samual fidgeting anxiously with the sleeves of his hoodie at those words, he couldn’t blame him. Taking over the company of one of the greatest game developers of all time – who also just so happened to be his missing parents – who wouldn’t have anxiety over that?

“Ah!” Jason noticed one of the files on Jack’s hands, “’The Amazing Digital Circus,’ now that’s a game I haven’t heard in a while.”

“We were mostly talking about it was originally going to have a remake,” Samual said, Jack nodded in agreement.

“Those were the good old days, before…” Jason trailed off, his face darkening for a moment before it completely shifted back into his cheerful expression. “But enough about the past, right now we need to talk about the future. Well, specifically, your future Jack.”

Jack was taken aback, “Me?”

“That’s right,” Jason grinned, “You’ve got VR equipment at home, don’t you?”

“Yes sir, that’s right,” Jack confirmed.

“Perfect,” the older man took his hand off Samual’s shoulder and placed it onto Jack’s. “Our LA branch has a team working on a new VR game, so I need you to brush up on your skills because they saw your game development and have asked me to promote you to lead game designer in that branch!”

“VR?” Samual paled, “A new VR game?”

Jason turned slowly to Samual, “Of course! Jack has proven to be one of our most qualified employees for the past few months he’s worked here, he’s more than capable of helping with the game design.”

“Yeah but-”

“-and it’s not the first time we’ve created a successful VR game,” Jason continued until he noticed the subtle change in the young boy’s demeanour. “Are you alright Sammy? You don’t look well.”

“It’s just…” Samual paused, looking to Jason and then to Jack. The boy held his gaze for a moment, Jack noticed a flicker in his eyes. Something laced with fear and another emotion he couldn’t put his finger on. Samual sighed and gave the two a tired smile, “Nothing, congratulations of the job offer Jack.” He walked away, his shoulders low and his footsteps small.

Jack finally registered in his head what Jason had just offered to him. He couldn’t believe it! He got a once in a lifetime offer! “You’re kidding!” he exclaimed.

“Nothing of the sort,” Jason chuckled, “Think of the game you’re developing right now as a test run, you’ll be working with the big dogs soon so this is gonna be bigger than anything you’ve ever imagined. We’ll make sure that you’ll be able to work on your game while leading theirs at the same time, after all, yours seems like its going to be a triumph in the making.”

“I have no words,” Jack let out a breath, “I genuinely have no words, thank you sir!”

“Of course,” Jason grinned as he patted Jack’s shoulder again before wrapping it round both of them. “They’ll be starting development on June 19^th, we’ll sort out everything from your plane tickets to your living arrangements-”

“Wait, June 19^th?” Jack felt his stomach drop at the mention of that date.

“Yes,” Jason confirmed, “Is everything alright?”

“It’s just…that’s the date of Penny and I’s wedding,” Jack told him, his face falling. “I’m sorry but that’s something I can’t rearrange.” 

Jason sighed as he tightened his grip on the man’s shoulders, “Listen. Jack. I won’t lie, there will be times when this type of work can have an affect on your personal life. But it’s worth it. This is an opportunity you might not be able to get if you turn it down now. This promotion will go to someone else if you don’t take that leap! I don’t want that to happen to you.” He unwrapped his arm and put both his hands on Jack’s shoulders instead. “It’s time to really start thinking about your career Jack. And I’ve heard how you talk about your fiancé, she seems like a sweet girl. If she really loved you like you say she does, she’ll understand. Weddings can be rearranged, this can’t…it’s up to you.”

With that, Jason brought his hands back and walked away, leaving Jack there to ponder alone. He loved this job, he really did. But the answer was obvious for him. Penny. It was always going to be Penny. At least, he would have said that before Luke. Now, there was nothing but a storm within him. He wanted to marry Penny, he wanted to marry Penny more than anything else in the world. But did he really deserve her?

He shouldn’t even be considering this offer right now. There would be more, there would always be more. Especially when he’ll release his own game – the game that Penny inspired him to create. But that temptation to just run, run so far. Far away from the stress of Luke looming over his head, from telling Penny everything that happened that day, away from the fear that he would break her heart because he didn’t want to risk that for her! It would be so much easier.

The thoughts didn’t leave his head even as he tried to fall asleep that night. The blaring red numbers of midnight on his alarm clock was basically screaming at him to go to sleep. But he couldn’t, the storm wouldn’t let him.

He sighed as he watched Penny as she slumbered peacefully. She was on her side, her hair spooled round her face, her chest rising and falling with each breath while fisting her pillow every few seconds. Jack let out a silent laugh, she reminded him of a cat kneading its claws whenever she did that.

He sighed, he loved her so much. All he wanted was for Penny to be happy, no matter how, what – or even who – he would give her that happiness. What if…what if Luke was right? What if he couldn’t be that person for her? Would she eventually realise that he couldn’t give her the pure bliss she craved? Oh god, what if he doomed them from the moment he met her?! No, he couldn’t do that to her, not to Penny. He had to make sure – despite how much he loved her – she would be okay, that she would survive. His heart began to throb with panic. Run, danger, get away, we can’t do this, we just can’t do this! Run, now! This is bad, this is really bad! Get away! You’re just going to hurt her!  Run! Run! Run! Run! RUN!

He gasped, swinging his feet and nearly falling off the bed with dread and cold sweat, creating a distance between him and Penny as though he burned her. He was relieved when she didn’t wake, instead she mumbled incoherently in her sleep.  

He let out a defeated sigh, grabbing his phone and silently padded out of their room, shutting the door behind him and walked into the kitchen. He rested his elbows against the countertop as he swiped his thumb over the cracked cover, going over the contacts in his phone before it landed on Jason’s. Taking a breath, he dialled the number.

It took a while, maybe he should’ve phoned later instead of in the dead of night. But honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could wait.

Finally, Jason picked up. “Jack?” his voice with thick with sleep, “What’s going on? Why are you calling me this late?”

“Hi Mr Wood,” Jack rubbed his hand over his face, making his final decision, even if his stomach churned when he spoke into the phone, “I wanted to talk to you about that job offer.”

.

.

.

Jack sipped the last of his coffee as he packed his bag for work. Last night had been on his mind the whole time, he dreaded telling Penny, especially want she woke up in such a chipper mood this morning, talking about the wedding, it’s venue and how much she couldn’t wait to marry him. He felt ill, he knew this couldn’t wait. Even if he wouldn’t tell her about Luke, this was something she’d find out eventually. It was better to rip the band-aid off now, even if it would sting like hell.

“So, work from home day for you, huh?” Jack said, wanting to start this conversation light.

“Yeah,” Penny grinned, bounding up to him, “Nothing but me and my imagination. And yes, I’ll give you a peak of what I’m making.”

Jack smiled, placing a chaste peck on her lips before she pulled away to prep her own coffee. He didn’t want to do this, he really didn’t want to do this. But he didn’t have much of a choice.

He sighed, placing his empty mug in the sink before turning to his fiancé, “Penny.”

Penny looked up from the coffee machine to meet his eyes, “Yeah?”

“Um, I wanted to tell you something,” he took a deep breath as her sweet chocolate eyes gazed into his. “Yesterday, uh, Jason came up to me with a new offer. He wants to transfer me to the LA branch for a while to be the lead designer for their new VR game.”

“Oh my god!” Penny beamed, wringing her hands excitedly before grabbing him into a hug. For a moment, he pretended that there were no catches, no dates, nothing he would have to say next that would bring everything down. Just him and his fiancé celebrating his promotion together. “That’s amazing! We gotta celebrate tonight! What do you think? Dinner at home or should go out and paint the town…red.” When she pulled away, she caught his crestfallen expression, “Hey, I know it’s long distance but we can make it work. You were there for me during my job crisis, I’ll be there for yours.”

“I-It’s not that,” he mumbled, “It’s the date. Jason wants me to leave on June 19^th.”

“Oh,” Penny was taken aback, now that created some issues. “Okay, um. We can figure this out. I mean, what should we do? We’ve already paid for the venue and sent out invites and…”

Jack paled, here came the hard part.

“Jack,” Penny started, “What did you do?”

“Penny I-please understand,” he said, “I, I…I took up the job offer. Please just listen-”

“You took it?! And you knew it was on our wedding day?!” Penny backed away, running her hands through her hair. “You didn’t even talk to me about it! Oh my god, what the fuck Jack!”

“I didn’t have a choice!” He argued back, “I had to take it!”

“You always kept telling me that this was a job that always offered opportunities!” she cried, “I would’ve supported you! We could have figured out something together! But you took the job! And you didn’t even let me know before!”

“I’m not proud of it either,” he told her.

“Oh really?!” she retorted, “Then why would you put this above our wedding?! We were so excited for this, we had so much planned and you just threw it away this moment this landed on your lap!”

Something ugly began to wind itself around Jack, “Well it’s not like this marriage would last long anyways.”

“…what?” Penny exhaled.

“You heard me,” Jack crossed his arms, “This is just a disaster waiting to happen. So why should we even bother with this wedding.”

“Jack, what are you saying?” Penny asked, “Where is this coming from?”

Jack bit his lip, the ugliness wrapped tighter. “Look, both you and I know that I’m fucked up. I’ve been nothing but shit to my family the moment I thought that I was free of my foster family’s grasp. No matter how hard I try, or how hard I think I’m gonna change, I’m nothing but this stupid idiot who just rips the people who care for him apart.”

“But Winter’s family – your family was always there for you. I’m always here for you,” she told him. “And they never let you rip them apart. They always helped you even if you think you’re beyond helping, and because of that you’ve extended that same kindness towards me. You’ve been there for me no matter how low I’d sunk to rock bottom. You always picked me up, always saw how much worth I have and encouraged me to keep going every single time. Whatever this is we can work through it together.” She cupped his face in her hands, “I love you Jack. Please. Let me in.”

He pulled away. “I’m a lost cause Penny,” his voice wavered, “I know that you’ve seen the parts of me that I hate. We can’t keep going like this. You know what I went through! You know how I’ve been hurt! How could you think I could ever come back from going through something like that!”

“Jack you’ve never talked like this before,” she said, “I know the stuff you’ve been through is horrible, I really do! And you might not get rid of the darkness they put in you, but you’ve accepted the light that people have given you because they love you! Because of the you were able to get help and become better than what your foster family put you through! And I might be able to understand all the pain that happened to you but I’m here for you every step of the way!”

She was right, but the ugliness has its claws sunk in deep and refused to let go. “Why do you keep lying to yourself!” he spat, “Why do you believe that we can do this!”

“Because we’re both flawed and fucked up individuals!” she retorted, “But we always kept fighting back because we know that this life is worth fighting for!”

“That’s the part that you don’t get!” he yelled, “I’ll fuck up your life. Your incredible, kind and talented! I’m…I’m just the mess that’s gonna affect you too and you’ll realise it! And to be honest, I wouldn’t marry me either!”

Nothing else was said, a pin would drop and yet nobody would hear it. Jack thought she was finally done until Penny spoke.

“Then say it,” her voice was flat yet still held her determination, “Say you don’t want to marry me.”

Jack was silent, his voice stuck and the claws kept reaching down to grab it.

“Say it,” Penny said, “Say you don’t want to marry me.”

His jaw tightened, the ugliness kept wrapping tighter and tighter, suffocating him, reaching for his voice. He was unable to fight back.

“Say it Jack!” she yelled, “Say you don’t want to marry me!”

“I DON’T WANT TO MARRY YOU!” he screamed.

The ugliness finally uncurled.

Clarity started to fill him again and the sobriety hit him like a freight train.

Oh no.

He fucked up.

Jack really fucked up.

A single tear fell from Penny’s eye as she walked a few steps away from him. Soundlessly going into the living room and sat on the sofa.

He shouldn’t have had this conversation, he shouldn’t have picked up the phone last night, he shouldn’t have taken that job offer. In that moment he wished he could reverse time more than ever. Change it to that he was only going to another day of work, smothering Penny with kisses before leaving to tell his boss that he was refusing the offer. But he couldn’t. the damage was complete.

What had he done?

“Penny,” he walked over to her, trying to place a hand on her shoulder, only for her to flinch away.

She didn’t want to be touched.

“I-” a reminder pinged before he could continue, he had to leave. “Penny I…we’ll talk when I get home, okay?”

She nodded silently, “You should go. I don’t want to hold you up.”

Jack’s stomach twisted as he walked to the door. It was halfway open when he looked back at Penny. He wanted to say something! Anything! I’m sorry, I love you so much Penny! I want to marry you so badly, I want to do that more than anything else in the world! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

I’m sorry!

I love you!

I want to marry you!

Instead, he left. Shutting the door behind him.

The moment Penny held the door click shut, she allowed herself to cry. She reached into her pocket, fishing out her phone and hastily tried to find Amber’s number, waiting for the dial to finish before she heard her mother’s voice.

“Hello?” Amber spoke from the other side as she heard her daughter’s light sniffles, “Penny, honey, what’s going on?”

“Mom,” Penny’s voice broke, “I really need you right now.”

.

.

.

Jack sunk into his chair the moment he got into his office. He wanted to be home right now, cuddling with Penny and whispering sweet nothings into her ear until everything was okay again. Why, why did he have to let Luke into his head?! Just when he thought he was strong enough to leave him in the past. That was where he belonged, to be nothing but a shadow for Jack to run away from. But that wasn’t how shadows worked, wasn’t it? They always attached to you despite how fast you ran.

There was a knock at the door, with Jason leaning by its edge. “Jack!” he exclaimed, “I gotta tell you, it’s gonna be great having you in LA. You’ve got great things heading your way.

He already lost the greatest thing he had though, “Yeah, thanks.”

“Hey,” Jason spoke, “I know this is a hard decision, but trust me, you made the right choice.”

“Sure,” Jack replied numbly, “I have to get back to work sir.”

Jason nodded, oblivious to his employee’s inner turmoil, “Of course, good job Jack.” He walked away, shutting the door behind him.

Jack slammed his head against his desk. Why did he have to be so stupid?! How the hell was he going to make things right with Penny? He heard his phone ping, it was Winter. The conversation must have gotten back to her, probably Riley too – there was no doubt that Penny’s older sister was planning every single possible way to get away with murdering him. Honestly, he would let her, he deserved it.

He just wanted to disappear right now.

He groaned, picking up the headset he brought from home. Jason wanted him to brush up on his VR skills so it was better to do it now. A few tears formed in his eyes, he really wanted to be with Penny. To make things right, to kiss her, comfort her, love her in every way he could. He rubbed his eyes, making them blurry as he clicked on the file that appeared in front of him on his computer. What did it say? ‘ama…cir’? It didn’t matter, Jason had already given him list on what to do so this must be one of the games he had to go over.  

He let the game start up as he prepared what he needed. His notes, his bottle of water for when he needed a break and the headset.

Once everything was prepared he got to work.

He put the headset on.

.

.

.

“Okay, okay Winter,” Amber nodded on the phone. “Just keep us updated when he calls you back. And make sure Riley doesn’t go on a killing spree just yet. Okay, thanks again hon.” She hung up and put her phone on the countertop before going back to join her daughter on the sofa.

“I just don’t understand,” Penny whimpered, “We’ve never fought like this. I just…I know he’s hurting, but he won’t say anything. I just want to help him.”

“I know baby,” Amber wrapped a blanket around her and pulled her daughter close. “Sometimes people don’t want to be helped. But Jack does, and Winter told me that this isn’t the first time he’s done this. When she gets a hold of him we’re all going to have an intervention with him and his family to get to the bottom of this.”

“He says he doesn’t want to marry me,” Penny sniffed, “What if he’s telling the truth?”

“I haven’t watched that boy tripping over his feet every time he made eye contact with you just for him to say he doesn’t want to marry you,” Amber said, “He loves you so much baby, whatever this is, we’ll find out.”

“This is my fault,” Penny mumbled, “I should’ve seen the signs.”

Amber gripped her daughter’s shoulders. “None of this is your fault. Whatever is going on with that boy, whatever happened to him, is not your doing. Your job is to be there for him, not to fix him. Trust me, you being there was enough for him, and he knows that. When that boy gets back, we’re gonna get him the help he needs. All you need to do is be there for him, okay?”

Penny smiled wetly, “I’ll be there for him as much as he’s been there for me.”

“You already have baby,” Amber pressed a kiss to her head, “You already have.”

Amber’s phone went off again, the woman stood up and went over to answer him, “Hey Winter, any luck?”

“Mrs Reed!” Winter exclaimed into the phone, “It’s Jack, he, he-!”

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down honey,” Amber replied soothingly. Penny perked up and went to go over to listen to the conversation. “What happened Winter?”

“It’s-It’s Jack,” Winter panted, “Riley and I are on our way to his work. We tried to call his boss but he said, he said…he said Jack disappeared. He called the police but-I-I don’t-what if-!”

Penny gasped, gaping at Amber as the woman returned with the same look. “O-okay,” Amber stuttered, “Penny and I are on our way just hang tight.”

Amber hung up, “We gotta go.”

Penny didn’t have to be told twice, already grabbing her coat and rushing out with her mother.

The drive felt achingly longer than it should’ve been, but they made it. Penny’s stomach twisted when she saw the police cars outside the C&A building. Winter and Riley had just arrived as well, getting out of their car to meet up with them.

“Did you hear anything else?” Penny asked, going up to the couple.

“No,” Riley shook her head, “All they said was to get here.”

“This better be a false alarm,” Winter snipped, biting back tears, “This better be some cruel joke that Jack is pulling.”

Penny hoped, no, prayed that her sister-in-law was right. That this was some cruel joke and Jack would come running out to her from the building, wrapping her tight in his arms and muttering a mantra of apologies to her. But her the back of her mind knew better.

A police officer walked up to them, “Evening ladies, I know the call was abrupt but I believed it would be better if we met face to face. Especially with you two being from the FBI.” He gestured to Winter and Riley.

“What does this have to do with us being in the FBI?” Riley questioned.

“What the fuck is going on?!” Winter snapped, “Where’s Jack?! Where is my brother?!”

The officer sighed, “That’s what I was getting to. I know that you and your wife have taken on the disappearing cases, right?”

Penny paled, as well as Winter, who became unable to say another word.

“Y-yes,” Riley continued for her, “How does this-?”

“Mr Bloom went into the building this morning, but his employees confirmed that he never came out,” the officer explained. “His office was the last place they saw him. Unfortunately it was described just like the other people that went missing in your case. A switched-on computer with nothing opened, a damaged headset and Mr Bloom being nowhere to be found. I’m really sorry.”

Winter let out a blood-curling cry, sinking to the ground as Riley embraced her, comforting her as best she could.

“Penny,” her mother called out to her, “Talk to me baby.”

Penny stood, frozen with ice-cold shock running through her veins. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. This can’t be happening, this shouldn’t be happening. She slowly faced her mother, her throat closing up as silent tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her mother took the initiative to come forward and envelop her daughter into her arms, running her fingers up and down her back.

“It’s okay honey,” she whispered, rocking Penny soothingly, “It’s gonna be okay.”

But it wasn’t. How could it be? He was gone.

Jack was gone.

.

.

.

Months had gone by.

Winter was nearing the end of her pregnancy, Riley was up dusk till dawn taking care of her wife and working on Jack’s new case at the same time. For the past few months, everyone had tried to look for Jack. Organising search parties, asking online, making missing posters, going to places he would go to, anything! But nothing, it was like he never existed.

Penny took some time off work – with her boss understanding completely - locking herself in her and Jack’s apartment, grieving. Grieving his laughs, his smile, his smell, his touch. Grieving everything.

Amber and Riley had made sure to come by, making sure that Penny was eating and staying healthy. They didn’t want to lose her to. And though she did eat and hydrate, she would spend most of her days in her bed, glued to her mattress, unable to face anyone or anything. Her curtains were shut, her room was a mess, but she was more so. Her hair was tangled, her clothes sweaty and her eyes were red with bags under them from crying every night.

She wasn’t proud of herself.

She knew that she was disgusting, but the loss of Jack weighed harder than the will to get up, their last conversation of them fighting just made it hurt so much more.

Amber would come by the days Riley didn’t, sometimes helping Penny shower and attempt to get her outside, it didn’t work but Penny had made an internal promise to try for her mother to come out one day. Even if it made her sick to think about.

Once a day, she would get up and go to his old computer to see if anyone he worked and collaborated with in the past knew where he was, but to no avail. That was the only time she got up throughout the day.

Penny sat there on her bed, getting up to go to the computer again, a blanket wrapped round her shoulders as she plopped herself onto his old chair and logged onto his computer. She did the usual, trying to find anyone he knew, asking if they knew where he was, get told that they didn’t know and rinse and repeat.

She was about to turn off the computer when a file popped up. It was a simple file with the title ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’ underneath. She clicked on it, the sound of nostalgic 90’s game music flowing through the speakers as the game menu came up. There was a sentence in the corner of the screen.

Attach Headset.

Was this an old game Jack worked on in the past? If so, maybe there were people on this game’s server who knew where he was. She zoomed to Jack’s corner of the room, fishing through the box of his old equipment. Jack always had two pairs of headsets, one for work and one for at home. He took the ‘work one’ with him on the day he disappeared, maybe…yes, the other one was still here! She pulled it out of the box it was laying in before rushing back to the screen, the blanket falling off her shoulders as she sat back down.

Her heart was beating faster than ever, the chance to finally find Jack was finally at her fingertips! She hooked up the headset and clicked play on the game.

Carefully, she placed it on her head and over her eyes.

Her face burned! The headset tightening around her eyes, crushing her head. She tried prying it off, she felt like it was stabbing into her! It wouldn’t come off, it was stuck! A white light blinded her, making her sob out in agony. She wanted to cry out for help! Why wasn’t she crying out for help?!

MAKE IT STOP!

MAKE IT STOP!

MAKE IT STOP!

MAKE IT STOP!

MAKE IT STOP!

……. then there was nothing.

“Caine! Is this one of your NPC’s or is this a new sucker? Cause if it’s a new character, we’re gonna have to redo this whole theme song!”

“What’s going on? I put on some weird headset and now I’m…here. Who are you people? Why can’t I take it off? Where am I?!”

Chapter Text

Pomni woke in a cold sweat.

That was…it couldn’t be, could it? It was her at the end of that dream! Right after Penny put on the headset! When she first got here! But how could that be?! These dreams weren’t real! They were just, well, dreams! Just made-up figments of her imagination! But then again, no one else had them here, just her. So why did she have them? What made her so special?

Penny…why did that name feel so strikingly familiar to her? Why did it feel like she walked the steps that she walked? That she spoke the words that she spoke? Every single movement and decision that Penny Reed had made, why did it feel like Pomni had done it all before? And Penny’s mother and sister, she felt as though as though she truly knew them. That she could list off everything they loved, from the music the liked, to the foods that disgusted them, all the little things that made them into the people they were. It felt as though if she reached down hard enough, she could remember every piece of information about them. But why?

And then there was Jack, the one that invaded her mind, body and soul each time he appeared, when he spoke, laughed, cried, joked and breathed. Every time she saw him was like dancing an old waltz, the steps might be fumbled and clumsy from the lack of practice, but the heart and joy of it was still there.

Especially when she was with Jax…

There was so much déjà vu with him, it kept her in within its strong grasp. Even when Jax was only a thought in her head, it was as if she were replaying the old song and dance of Jack and Penny with him.

But why?!

Winter

Riley

Amber

Jack….

Her head began to pound, she immediately grabbed it as it throbbed painfully. What was going on?! Suddenly, the warm face of a girl with dark hair appeared behind her squeezed shut eyes.

“So,” Winter turned in the passenger seat to face Penny in the back, “Sorry that it was under these events how you met Jack, hopefully you were okay with him.”

“I’m not,” said Riley, focused on the road.

“Just keep driving mama bear,” Winter rolled her eyes before turning to Penny again.

Pomni gasped. Winter…she knew her. She knew so much about her. She met two months after meeting Riley, trying to sneakily ask for tips on how to ask the other girl out. Carrot cake, her favourite food was carrot cake. She loved it so much that she had it every year on her birthday and baked it whenever she could. “Oh god,” Pomni exhaled, she knew Winter. Not just from the dreams, but really knew her! She was her friend!

Her head throbbed again, a red headed girl about 4 years older than her appearing, replacing Winter.

“Penny! Oh thank God!” Riley rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around her younger sister and pressed a kiss at the side of her head, “You gave me a heart attack going into that house, and then hearing that you fainted?! Don’t ever do that again!”

She grabbed at her pyjama bottoms. Riley Reed, one of the strongest people she knew. A protector who forgets to protect herself, always putting her mother and little sister first. Had saved said younger sister many times and seen the wounded parts of her that weren’t visible to the everyday eye. There was a secret that she kept, that she never told anyone, not even to her mother. It was always for Riley’s little sister’s ears only. If she ever had a son, she would same him Percy after her youngest sibling. No one knew that, that secret was locked tight in a vault. “Why do I know this?” Pomni asked herself.

White pain flashed in her mind again. It hurt, it hurt so much. But it numbed the moment an older woman took Riley’s place.

“He really is, and you will be too my little costuming star!” Amber nuzzled her daughter’s nose with her nose, laughing at Penny’s groans.

“Mom!” Penny buried her head into Amber’s shoulder, “Stop!” She didn’t mean it and Amber knew that.

“I can’t help it if my daughter is amazingly talented,” Amber grinned, loosening up a bit as she peered down to look at Penny’s face.

Amber, mother of two girls. Divorced from her awful husband. She enjoyed cooking, spending time with her girls, always offered a shoulder to cry on. For Penny to cry on…no matter where she was she knew that her mother was her safe place. The soft feeling of familiar soothing fingers running through her hair made Pomni grasp at her chest with a pained cry, she knew who those memorable hands belonged to. “Mom,” she whispered.

There was another flash. Pomni grit her teeth, trying to ease the pain. It disappeared the moment a handsome young man stepped forward in her mind’s eye, taking a pair of small hands into his one large ones. She knew those hands…

“I would tell her that I’m not a perfect person, but I am someone who’s always trying. You’ve taken over my mind and have stolen my heart, but I can’t find it in myself to care as long as it’s in your hands.” Jack took her hands in his at those words, “I just hope that she feels the same way.”

She did…no, she does. She loved Jack! She loved him so much. The idea of being with him lifted her higher than the sun and moon themselves! She loved him! She loved him because he…he…he. Jack was here.

Her mind throbbed again, it felt as though it was twisting, moulding, transforming. Not into something new, but into something that she never knew she lost.

“I know,” he nodded, bringing her in closer, “I’m always good whenever you’re here.”

She sighed, pressing her forehead against his, “Okay, just tell me if there’s anything going on if there is.”

.

 Penny laughed wetly, cupping both Jack’s cheeks tenderly in her hands, “I don’t deserve you.”

“No,” Jack disagreed, turning his head and kissed the palm of her hand. “It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”

Penny let another tear fall as she brought Jack in for another kiss. The two relished the moment they had together.

.

“You’re so beautiful,” he knew what he said, and he wasn’t going to take it back, not when she peered up at him through her long lashes with a gasp.

“Y-you’re ridiculous,” she uttered, handing him her jacket.

“Hey, just telling the truth here,” he replied as he went to hang up her jacket on the wall, “Besides, someone’s gotta point out how pretty you are.”

.

Penny was about to go inside when she decided to do one more thing while she still had the courage, after all, the night was still young. “Jack, wait!”

He lifted his head at the call of his name, “What? Is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s just, um, you f-forgot something,” Penny stammered, working herself up as much as she could, “You forgot this.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek, pulling away quickly.

.

He held his hand out to her.

Penny took it in her own and shook it, “I’m Penny.”

The throbbing finally passed, Pomni let her hands drop to her sides as waves and waves of anything and everything came rushing back to her.

Penny…Penny…Penny. “…My name is Penny Reed,” she was still for a moment before she jumped up and stood on her bed as she let out a thrilled holler. She had a name! “My name is Penny Reed!”

She clasped her hands over her mouth, praying that no one heard her. It was a silent as a mouse, thank goodness. She plopped herself back down, letting tears of relief flood down her cheeks. Her name was Penny Reed, she had an amazing mother and a great big sister. She wanted to be a costume designer and create amazing garments for the whole world to see. She found a friend in her sister’s wife who became a rock for her. But most importantly, she was in love with an incredible man named Jack Bloom.

That was why she put the headset on! That was how she ended up here! Jack had to be here, if the cases that Riley described was like how she got here and how he went missing, then Jack had to be here too.

But who was he? Oh god, what if he already abstracted and she was too late?! No, he’s close, I can feel it. She felt him, she felt him here. He’s close. In fact, he felt closer the more she thought about her. Could he…no.

“Can’t make any promises little lady,” Jack smirked.

…

Jax sighed, “You’re welcome little lady.”

Pomni’s eyes widened.

“Keep the chivalry to yourself sir,” Penny placed a hand on her hip.

“Can’t help it, I’m dreamy,” Jack was unable to keep the grin off his face at her pout. His face softened, holding out his arm, “Shall we?”

Penny raised a brow at him, grinning. “Mr Jack how thoughtful of you.”

…

“Just until you’re more aware of your surroundings,” Jax told her, “After all, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Ah, right,” Pomni gave him a joking grin, “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to that.”

“See, now you’re getting it,” Jack agreed, returning her grin.

No way. It couldn’t be, they were both so different. But the similarities, they wouldn’t stop adding up.

Penny sank to the floor as she watched Jack shove David away.

There was nothing but fury in Jack’s eyes, “If you ever put your hands on her again, I’ll make sure you lose them!”

…

One moment Jax was at the side like everyone else, watching the whole thing go down. Next, he was in front of Pomni, staring at Caine as the AI tilted his head at Jax’s new and sudden behaviour.

Was he really…Jax was really…

“Oh Penny” Jack sighed. Tears welled up in her eyes as she all but collapsed into him, wailing as he soothingly stroked her back. “He’s never coming back here again, I’ll make sure of it. Shh, it’s okay, I got you.”

…

“Well, I have a proposition for you,” Jax said, she perked up, “Until you feel like you understand this place a little more, I’ll be there to make you don’t have one of your episodes. Whether you’re spiralling or hyper focusing, I’ll be here to ground you in case that happens.”    

“Jax…Jack,” she let out a gasp. He was – Jax was – he was right beside her all along and she didn’t even know! “Jack!”

She jumped off her bed and ran to her door, opening it as quick as she could as she made a beeline to Jax’s room in front of her. She swung the door open, a grin widening on her face, hoping to see a purple rabbit tangled in sheets. But he was gone, nothing but an empty made up bed with no sign of a body being in there whatsoever.

She closed the door, he wasn’t here. He couldn’t have gone far. She had to find him, she will find him. Now that she had a grasp on her life and her love again, she wouldn’t let go any time soon.

She ran down the hallway.

Jax-Jack-Jax-Jack-Jax-Jack-Jax-Jack-Jax-Jack

The lines began to blur together, the puzzles slipping back into place. Jax was Jack! She had to complete her forgotten mission. She had to get Jack!

.

.

.

“Penny!” Jax screamed as he awoke, the image of the girl trying to painfully claw off the headset still fresh in his mind. But then, it led to Pomni arriving in the circus. What did that have to do with Pomni being here? Could she…no its just a dream! They’ve all been dreams Jax! There’s no way that I’m allowed to be that lucky. Someone like him didn’t deserve people like Pomni or Penny. Two kind-hearted individuals who tore his heart out the minute it looked like their spirits were broken.  How could Jack do that?! Penny was amazing, kind, beautiful! How could he let her go like that?!

Jax gripped the fabric of his shirt where his heart was, who was he kidding, he sounded like a damned hypocrite. Pomni nearly drowned because of him, he would want to stay away from him too. All he did was get her hurt when he was supposed to protect her. He was just as much of a fool as Jack was…

…Actually, now that he thought about it, he had been here as long as Jack was missing in his dream. Time had its own rules here, but Jax would be damned if he didn’t try to keep track of how long he was here, scratching a line on the wall behind his wardrobe to show each night he spent here. Jack had been gone for 6 months, he was here for 6 months – 9 if you counted the three months since Pomni arrived. It was too much of a coincidence for him to not to notice it.

No, don’t! Thinking of this type of stuff never did Queenie any favours! Just stop Jax! But he couldn’t, his mind just kept rushing and rushing, but it didn’t hurt, more like the waves of an ocean gently guiding him to where he needed to be.

“Hey, are you free on Halloween?”

Jax froze. That voice, he knew that voice. He turned, spotting a dark-haired woman on a bed that wasn’t there before.

Winter.

“Depends,” his mouth moved on its own, saying words against his mind’s control. Was he even trying to control it in the first place? “Why, what type of genius plan have you concocted this time?”

“Well, Riley and I are going to the Halloween festival that day and she’s bringing her sister,” said Winter, smiling coyly. “Maybe you should meet up with us and get a chance to meet her.”

“Meeting mini-Riley?” He raised an eyebrow at the woman. Why did this conversation feel so familiar? He never met Winter in his life!...Right? “If she’s related to Riley she might have ‘I’ll punch you in the face tendencies’ so I’m not so sure yet.”

“Trust me,” Winter grinned, “This girl is the total opposite from Riley, her personality is a complete 180.” She stood up and walked over to him.

He crossed his arms, an action that felt repeated in so many ways, “What are you up to?”

“Nothing…” she drawled, “I just think it would be idea to meet this girl, she’s pretty cute.”

“Mmhmm,” he wasn’t convinced in the slightest, “Spill the truth Winter.”

She sighed, he could see right through her and she knew it. “Look, Penny is a sweet girl who’s gone through a lot like you have and she’s struggling to find someone to relate with. And yeah both she and Riley have gone through shit, but Penny is really sensitive and there was some other stuff that happened that’s left her shaken up. I’m not forcing you to be friends with her, but I know that you’ve been looking to relate to someone as well. I think Penny is that someone.”

He fidgeted with his hands for a moment, “I’m getting better you know. I’ve been talking to people in my classes and Andrea has been a great help as well.”

“I know and you’re doing great!” Winter reassured him, “This is just something to think about. If you’re free, the offer’s there.”

Jax paused, as though he were thinking about it. Why was this happening, why was he talking to Winter as though he did this before? Why did it feel like he knew Winter for a lifetime? Why was he begging himself to say yes next? Winter was supposed to be a dream, Penny was supposed to be a dream, all of this was supposed to be a dream!

“You know what, sure, what not. But if she pulls a Riley and sucker punches me in the face I’m blaming you,” He pointed at her.

Winter laughed, shaking her head. “Penny would never do that. And Riley thinks you’re cool! She won’t be getting pissed at you anytime soon.”

Jax gave her an uneasy nod, “Uh huh, if that’s what you say. I’ll check my schedule and see if I’m free. Don’t make me regret this.”

“Oh please, have I ever been wrong?” Winter scoffed.

“Should I list it off right now?” Jax chortled as she punched him in the shoulder.

The second Winter made contact with him, she vanished, leaving the rabbit stunned. That moment, it happened before, didn’t it? This wasn’t some hallucination, this…this was a memory. His mind flashed, he gripped his head as it pounded with agony.

“Hey cariño, how are you doing?”

Another voice snapped him out of it as he whipped round to face a short older woman with darks curls. Her eyes remined him of Winter.

“I…I’m fine,” He sniffed, “I’m really sorry for snapping Laura.”

“Est á bien, come here,” she stepped closer, wanting to comfort him but gave him some space in case he didn’t want to be touched. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and though I’m not happy with some of the ‘colourful language’ you used, you’re a part of our family now and we’re never gonna let anyone hurt you ever again.”

Jax wiped his eyes, how could someone be so forgiving? If only she knew what type of things he did here, “I don’t deserve this Laura.”

Laura tsked at him, “Everyone deserves a chance to be happy. You, you’re just a kid who went through hell and back, you deserve one more than anyone. It’s gonna be okay.”

She opened his arms for him. Jax leapt forward, desperate for the hug she was offering. But just like Winter before, she vanished before he could get the chance.

Laura, Winter, Riley he knew these people, didn’t he? These…these weren’t dreams.

“Okay, I need a little help here. What do you think? Indoor wedding or outdoor wedding?”

That…that was…how…

He turned, only to see Pomni sitting on the bed this time, with a laptop on her knees. The stage disappeared, the rooms of an apartment bedroom replacing them, with only the jester and the rabbit looking the same as before.

“I…I don’t mind, I want this to be your dream wedding sweetie,” he said, moving to sit beside her, “Whatever your heart desires.”

Pomni blushed, gripping the laptop tighter. “Stop being charming and help! This is your wedding too, where do you want it?”

“My dream wedding is your dream wedding,” he replied suavely with a shit-eating grin.

She groaned at his teasing, closing the laptop and flung it onto the plush mattress and she flopped her back onto the bed. “I’m serious,” Pomni told him, “I need to know cause if we want it outside we need to figure out a good date so that it doesn’t rain. But if we want it inside should we rent out a hotel or get married in the church? If your family even religious? And don’t even get me started on the menu with all the dietary requirements and the types of food everyone wants. And my dress – oh god my dress I totally forgot-”

She was cut off by her own squeal when Jax’s hand shot out and tickled her belly, making her curl up and giggle. “Okay, okay, let’s keep calm,” he said, soothingly as he retreated his hand, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you more stress.”

“No, it’s me,” she sighed as she hugged her knees to her chest. “I panic about everything, it’s no surprise I’m panicking over our wedding. Pathetic, huh?”

“Hey,” he gathered her in his arms and carried her over to the headboard of the bed, sitting them both down as he cradled her in his arms. “You are not pathetic, and I should’ve been more sympathetic. I know you want this to be the ‘perfect wedding’, but I don’t want you to overwork yourself.” Jax kissed his forehead, “The only reason why I suggested that you choose was because you’ve been so caught up on making sure this wedding was perfect for everyone else, you forgot to ask yourself what you wanted. I’ll help you with planning, but for now, would you rather get married inside of outside?”

Pomni smiled sweetly at him, placing an appreciative kiss on his cheek before humming in thought. “Outside, during summer. But then have dinner and the reception inside.”

“There you go,” Jax gave her a squeeze, making her laugh as she snuggled into his arms. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle the menu and all the other stuff that’s giving you grief.”

“Except for the dress,” she informed him, “I wanna handle my dress, no surprises for you mister!”

“Oh no!” he whined sarcastically, making his fiancé laugh harder. “How will I cope with not seeing the beautiful dress my future wife will wear!”

“You’ll survive,” she tapped his nose.

He took her hand, placing a kiss on the inside of her palm.

“I love you Penny,” he whispered.

“I love you too Jack,” she hushed back.

There was no longer a jester and rabbit in that room, replacing them was a young couple with rings on their fingers as they gazed into one another’s eyes with so much love.

Jax blinked and he was back on the empty stage.

“He…I…Pomni…Penny,” he inhaled, fisting his shirt. “I’m…Jack.”

The waves became stronger, suddenly everything was rushing back to him. From the fears of his childhood, his friendship with Winter, his newfound family with the Alvarez’s…and Penny. The love of his life. And she was here. She went looking for him and she’s…

“Pomni!” he gasped.

Penny was Pomni! Pomni was Penny!

She found him! He found her! And she…she went looking for him, after everything he did.

Jax let go of his shirt. He had to find her, he had to tell her how sorry he was, that he couldn’t believe she was here, that we would never let her go ever again!

He let his feet lead him, searching and scanning everywhere for the jester. He had to get to her, he had to!

...

“Jack! Jax!” Pomni continued to search every room. She dodged every gag thrown at her, she didn’t leave a door wasted unless a purple rabbit was inside. She called out his name, loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough to not wake anyone. Especially Caine.

…

“Pomni?!” Jax ran up to the first hallway, calling out the jester’s name, begging for an answer. His stomach churned when there wasn’t a response. He wouldn’t stop, he had to keep going until she was found. “Penny!”

…

Pomni ran up to the stage, it was the only place left. Maybe he was behind the curtain, planning some kind of prank for tomorrow. “Jax?!” she shoved the curtain aside, but there was no rabbit in sight, only the wooden floorboards and the looming height of the ceiling above her. So much space yet he still wasn’t here. He couldn’t have abstracted, it might have sounded crazy but she swore she could still feel him here. She can’t give up. “Jack!” She ran off the stage.

…

Jax raced up the stairs to the rooftop, where they had their late-night conversation, she had to be here! He looked everywhere so she had to be! When he arrived however, the only things that greeted him was the twinkling stars in the sky and the vast endless world of the circus grounds. But still no jester inside. Inside, she still had to be inside. And so inside he went.

…

Pomni sprinted back up the stairs and into another hallway, she lost count at this point, but she was determined to keep going. She was going to start checking when the door flung open at the end of the hall, revealing a panting and exasperated Jax. Pomni froze, was it really…?

Jax pushed some of his dishevelled fur back, about to continue searching when his yellow eyes made contact with Pomni’s red and blue. It was her, she was here. She was up to, did she know? There was only one way to find out. “Penny?”

Pomni felt her eyes well up with tears, for the first time, she was crying with joy here. “Jack,” she let out a relieved breath and ran up to him.

Jax let laugh-mixed cry escape from his throat as he ran to Pomni as well. The jester jumped into his arms, with him sliding an arm under to support as she gripped the fur at his neck while he grasped onto her pyjama shirt. Jax pressed kisses all over her face wherever he could reach, Pomni laughed wetly and did the same. He spun her round, nothing but carefree laughter filled the empty hall. Only two lost souls finally finding each other against all the odds thrown at them.

“It was the dreams!” she spoke between kisses, “You were in my dreams! It helped me remember!”

“Me too, I had the dreams too,” he replied, as she pressed two kisses to each of his eyelids, “You were in every one of them Penny.”

The small kisses seized and the two returned to holding each other as tightly as they could. This wasn’t a dream, it would be too cruel for them. Pomni wasn’t sure if she could bear it. “Is this real?” she barely whispered into the rabbit’s ear.

“Yeah, this is real as it can get Pen,” he buried his head into her shoulder. “I’m so sorry Penny. This is all my fault.”

“No,” she cupped his cheeks into her hands, “None of this was your fault, you didn’t know you were gonna get sucked into this.”

“But I left you,” he sniffed. “I left you and said all those awful things and got you trapped here too. I didn’t mean it, any of it! I love you so much Penny! I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” she wiped away his tears, “I’ve already forgiven you long before my mind was stolen here. I love you too.”

He rested his forehead against hers, he missed this, he missed her so much.

She missed him too, all those months of him being gone when everyone tried to look for him. Trail after trail yet still coming up empty. It was too much to bear, to scream out a name that wouldn’t answer back. But he was here, he was alive, he remembered her and she remembered him! It was her turn to cry now, letting a few stray tears fall.

Jax immediately noticed her sniffling, stroking her hair and pressing her face into her shoulder as he soothingly rubbed his hand up and down her back. Wordlessly, he carried her back to the bedroom hallways, make his way to his room. His bed was big enough for the two of them.

Once he entered, he noticed that his bed was still made – due to the fact that he decided to sleep on the stage – with a small stuffed plushie of him in the centre of the pillows. He shut the door with his foot, carrying Pomni to the bed as he laid her down. She didn’t want to let go, but he pried her fingers off him and laid down next to her, pulling a comforter over the two of them.

Pomni grabbed the plushie, squeezing it tight before latching herself onto Jax, not wanting to lose his touch for a second. He was the same, holding her as though she would disappear if he let go. “I never thought I’d get a chance like this again,” she mumbled, “When you disappeared I just-”

“Shh,” he pressed a kiss to her hair, “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Never again.”

“Jax...Jack,” her mind was still processing everything, “What made you…why did you…what happened?”

He sighed, stroking her hair. She meant what made him react the way he did that day. The day he left and set of this catalyst. He had to tell her, hiding it caused all of this. He gulped and felt her small hand grip his. With the newfound reassurance, he began, “You remember when I told you about my old foster family?” He felt her nod against him, “Well, the day when I went to get the stuff you like from the coffee shop, I ran into my foster brother Luke.” He heard her gasp, she knew about everything Luke did to him when he was a kid, even the bad stuff. “Yeah, the things he said, it made me spiral a bit. I was gonna tell you and go to Andrea about what happened, but I just felt so weak to do that. There so much going in my head, so much fear and anger. I just wanted to handle it on my own so no one else could be affected by it. Heh, guess that didn’t turn out so well.”

He felt her snuggle closer. “It’s just,” Jax continued, “I was doing so well. I was happy, had a good support system, fell in love.” He ran his fingers through her hair, making her hum appreciatively, “I always thought that if something like that happened I could talk to someone about it. I relapsed pretty hard though. And I’m sorry that you were the one who had to pay for it.”

“Jack-” she started.

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Please, let me finish. You have been nothing but the most extraordinary person in my life, you were always prepared to be there for me whenever I was gonna go through something. I’m so sorry I didn’t talk to you about this. I do trust you with talking about this, I’m the problem. You didn’t deserve any of the hurt I placed onto you. I love you so much, and I’m really sorry.”

She brushed the fur on his cheeks with a smile, “Like I said, I forgive you. I know you Jack, I know how hard it’s been for you. But I also know that you’re able to overcome it as well. That’s something Luke has never been able to do. You made a life for yourself, Luke is just an insecure jerk who was jealous that you were able to be happy. If I ever see him again, I’m gonna use that move Riley taught me and use it on him.”

“You don’t mean…” Jax gaped.

Pomni gave him a sly grin, “Oh yeah, that move.”

“Oh you’re vicious, woman,” he chuckled, diving to her neck and pressed a dozen kisses to her collarbones, “I love it!”

“Jax!” she chortled, trying to shove his shoulders away. “You idiot! Get off!”

“I have to shower my little lady with all the love she deserves. I never knew she could be so wicked! I can’t believe I’m rubbing off on you short stack,” he pressed a few more to the sensitive spot behind her ear, earning him a yip from Pomni.

“Jack!” she giggled. She then dove her head to the side of his neck, taking his fur between her teeth and nipped him.

“Ow! Pomni!” he let out a laugh as he retaliated, “Okay, I yield I yield!” He fell back against his pillows as Pomni laid her head on his chest, feeling rather proud of herself. “You do realise your teeth are sharper here, right?”

“Good,” she hummed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Jeez,” his chest shook as he laughed, “Riley taught you well, huh?”

Her sister…Pomni’s smile faded. It had been so long since she last saw her older sister.

Jax immediately picked up on her downed mood, cupping her cheek and lifting her head to his. “Talk to me,” he said.

“I-,” Pomni sighed, “I miss Riley so much. And my mom too. I can’t imagine what they’re going through right now. I forgot about them. They matter so much to me and I just forgot about them! And now that I remember them, it just makes me miss them so much. All I want is to find a way, any way to reach out to them! To tell them that I’m okay and that I’m trying my best to get back to them! I just wanna go home.”

Jax pulled her closer, running his fingers up and down her back again. “I know, I know. I get it. I miss my family too,” he told her. “I miss Winter and her teasing, I miss Laura and her empathy, I miss Nina and Alex’s craziness. I miss everyone. But we’re gonna get back home. I know we will.”

“But it’s impossible,” Pomni interjected, “The exit doors, the void. It all leads nowhere.”

“We remember who we are, don’t we?” he remined her, “That’s a sign that there might be a way to escape this place. Those dreams, we had them for a reason, to remind us of who we are. We’ll find a way.”

“And Caine?” Pomni asked, her voice taking on a more subdued and unsure tone, “What’s gonna happen when he finds out about this.”

Jax froze, recalling that not only had Caine frightened her before with him yelling at her. But he never forgot how Caine had watched her drown, without making a move to help her. He watched Pomni tremble at the thought of the AI, the poor thing was terrified of him. He gripped her tightly and protectively, earning him a surprised squeak from the jester. “Caine isn’t gonna do anything,” he informed her, “If that pair of dentures tries to do anything to you, I will tear him apart. He won’t hurt you while I’m around.”

“He’s a force to be reckoned with Jack,” she said, “The second he catches that something is different he’ll stop at nothing to make sure it’s erased.”

“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t find out about us,” Jax suggested, “We’ll pretend that nothing’s happened. We’re just two people who don’t know anything about our pasts and are just trying to survive here.”

There was still a bit of doubt lingering at the back of her mind. But Jax’s voice spoke nothing but honesty and safety, she couldn’t help but feel inclined to believe him. “You sure we’re able to do that?”

“Well, you’re going to have to control being head over heels in love with me, but I’m sure we can hide it pretty well,” he was cut off by a pillow whacking him in the face. “No please, not my pretty face!”

“That pretty face of yours won’t save you now bunny boy!” she snickered as she continued to pillow attack. “Besides, you couldn’t keep your hands to yourself in the maze! You picked me up and everything!”

“Only because you cuddled me in your sleep!” he retorted through another laugh, managing to grab her arms and pull her back onto his chest, caging her in his grasp.

Pomni tried to wriggle out and whack him again, but the warmth of his body and softness of his fur lulled her into a state of relaxation. Never mind, she would get him back later. “You’re the worst,” she muttered, “But I don’t mind.”

“Heh, I know…” he paused, taking both her cheeks in his hands again and raised her gaze to his. “Trust me, we’re gonna get out of here. And we’ll see our families again.”

Pomni nodded, a sweet smile gracing her features, “I believe you.”

Jax pressed another kiss to the centre of her face before she relaxed in his hold again.

The two paused, a low tension filled the room as they let their eyes linger on one another for a bit longer than they would like to admit. Slowly, Jax and Pomni came closer and let their lips touch ever so gently. It felt different – they weren’t human lips after all – but it was like all the kisses that they had shared before. Whether it was a chaste peck, a deep kiss when no one was looking, or a promise left on one another’s lips after a night tangled sheets, each one was filled with nothing but the tender and sweet love that they shared for each other.

They pulled away, both of them letting out a breath. Within the silence, they were sure they could hear their hearts racing a million miles per hour. Unable to hold back, the two let out a mirth-filled laugh and as they connected their lips again.

And again, and again, and again.

After a while, they settled back into the mattress, With Jax running his fingers through Pomni’s hair and over her back, making sure that this was real, that he finally had his memories back, that he finally had Penny back. She squeezed him, a silent telling for him that confirmed what he wanted to know. This was real.

“I love you,” Jax whispered into her hair.

“I love you too,” Pomni breathed back to him.

That night everything was perfect. That night the storm had finally cleared. That night, two separated spirits finally found their way back to each other. That night, they would stop at nothing until freedom was granted for them and everyone else here.

That night, Jack and Penny slept in each other’s arms.

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Riley sighed as she drove down the road, taking a breath to steady her nerves. She had just come back from work after another endless and failed search for her sister and Jack. Winter was at her mother’s house with their son, it was her day off and her wife desperately needed a break. It took some convincing and promising, but Winter had eventually agreed to go.

It was a hard time for them both, but after the stress of Jack being added to her pregnancy and the birth of Percy, it hit Winter hard. But it didn’t mean that Riley wasn’t affected too. Seeing her baby sister’s face plastered on a missing poster, a constant reminder that mocked her over the fact that Penny was missing. It made Riley want to scream, cry, punch someone in the face, beg to whatever entity that was out there to return her little sister.

It wasn’t fair, Penny was innocent she didn’t deserve this.

And Jack, oh how she wished she took back everything she said about Jack. Of course she was protective over her sister but hearing Winter’s cry every night over her lost brother, it just made the guilt of saying those things to him sting so much worse.

Riley groaned, rubbing a hand over her face. What she needed was a glass of wine to calm her nerves before tackling anything else.

She was coming up to her and Winter’s house when she stopped the car as quietly as she could beside her neighbour’s house. At her front door was a man, his back was facing her so she couldn’t get a good look at his face. He seemed to be looking through the window on the door, trying to get a look through the patterned glass to see if there was anyone inside. Riley reached for her belt, unhooking some pepper spray that she had on hand. Even before she became an FBI agent, she was always well equipped with it in case anyone tried something.

When the man started to move to the windows on the side of the house did she start to intervene, hopping out the car as quietly as she could and made her way up to him. He was lucky that Winter and Percy weren’t here, otherwise it would have been a lot worse for this intruder. She snuck up behind him as he tried to peer through the windows, not noticing the fuming redhead coming up.

Before he could register the glimpse of her shadow, Riley grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder, sending him to the ground before pressing a foot on his stomach, making sure he didn’t get up. “Who are you? What the hell are you doing loitering around my house?!” she demanded, aiming the pepper spray at him.

The man whimpered, he looked quite young. But Riley didn’t relent, he was still an intruder after all. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he cried, holding his hands up in surrender, “I wasn’t trying to do anything bad! I was just wanting to see if you were in!”

“Oh really?” Riley wasn’t convinced in the slightest, “Normal people don’t try to look in the windows to see if anyone’s in!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” he begged, he was trembling now, “I swear, I didn’t mean any harm! I just need your help! Please!”

Riley slightly lowered the pepper spray. She got a proper look at his face once the guy’s arms were lowered. He looked pretty young, probably starting college but the look in his eyes made him seem more youthful than he should. Guilt twinged at her, he was probably some awkward kid who didn’t know any better. She signed, putting the pepper spray away and taking her foot off, letting the young man gather himself but still kept an eye on him in case he did anything suspicious. He was still a stranger lurking around her house.

“Talk,” she said, keeping her hand on her belt.

The boy gulped, wringing his hands anxiously. “R-right,” he cleared his throat, “You’re Riley Reed right? Your younger sister is Penny Reed?”

She stiffened at her sister’s name, each muscle in her body tightening, “My last name has been all over the news since she disappeared, if it isn’t obvious enough.”

“I k-know,” the boy nodded, noticing the woman’s unease. “My name I-is Samual, Samual Abel.”

She knew that name, back when the very first case came out, “Your Kaleb and Quinn Abel’s kid, aren’t you?”

The boy’s face lit up, “Yes! I mean, yes, that’s me. Look, I know this might be hard to believe but I think I know what happened to your sister.”

Riley froze, as though a bucket of ice had landed on her head. “You…you know what happened to Penny?”

“Well, no, kind of?” Samual told her.

“Excuse me?” she groaned, “You came all this way here to tell me that you might know what happened to Penny, only for you to say that you actually don’t. You better not be wasting my time here.”

“I’m not!” he exclaimed, “I’m not, trust me! Whatever happened to your sister, I know it has something to do with C&A!”

“And why should I believe you?” she crossed her arms. “I’m not here to entertain whatever conspiracy theory you’ve got going on. You can’t dangle the promise of me being able to see my sister again and then say you have no idea what’s going on!”

“Because whatever happened to her happened to my parents!” Samual cried, “I know they wouldn’t just leave me, I know something was going on that day and whatever it is, it’s started taking other people, including your sister! I’ve just been too afraid to investigate because Jason always told me that it’s all in my head, but I don’t think it is anymore.”

Riley paused for a moment. This kid seemed to be genuine with what he was saying. He’d been dealing with this much longer than she had, his parents were the first to go. To have to bear with that type of weight and have everyone turn you away when you wanted to look for them. The way he spoke, as if he knew something was going on. What if this was really the first step to finding Penny?

“I know it sounds crazy,” Samual admitted, “But I need your help. You’re one of the only people that I can think of who can help me with something like this. Please Riley, you’ve gotta trust me with this.”

If this was true, if C&A had something to do with her little sister going missing, if Samual was really speaking the truth, then she couldn’t turn away from this. There was an internal pull, her gut screaming at her to go through with this, to take this chance, that if she chose this then she’ll find Penny and Jack.

Riley sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger before looking back at Samual, “You better know what you’re doing.”

The kid looked like a thousand fireworks went off in his brain, jumping and fist bumping the air in complete and utter joy. “Yes! Thank you!” he cheered, going in for a hug.

“Nuh uh,” she raised a hand to stop him, “No touching.”

“Right, sorry, of course,” he apologised, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, just glad to have someone on my side.”

“Baby steps,” Riley told him, “There’s a long road ahead of us.”

“I know, trust me, you won’t regret this,” he beamed, “We might actually find them.”

Riley hummed, “I hope so kid. I hope so.”

Hang in there, Penny, I’m coming.

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End of Part 1