Jatp One Shots

Where have you been

Third person

Lately Alex has noticed Reggie seems more like a ghost than normal. He doesn't seem to be fully there, sure he's physically present at the studio pretty much all the time, never missing rehearsals, but he seems somewhere else mentally. Like his focus is on anything but the band or what's going on around him.

He decided to try and talk to him to see if they're was something bothering him, but of course the one time Alex goes into the studio looking for Reggie, he's not there.

Alex poofs to the beach to see if he's there. He always hung out there alive and normally he's there when he's not in the studio. Especially this time of morning to watch the sunset rise. But he wasn't at his usual spot at the beach either.

Alex thought it was a little weird but shrugged it off and figured he just wondered off somewhere and would come back to the studio soon. He poofs back to the studio and decides to wait for him, thinking he'd be back soon.

Minutes turned to hours and the sunset rise became a sunset, and now Alex was getting really worried. Reggie hasn't been around all day, where could he be? What could he be doing?

Alex began to pace up and down the studio. Now that he's thinking about it, he can't remember when he last saw Reggie. Surely it wasn't the last band rehearsal, that was two days ago.

But he can't remember seeing him yesterday, how long has he been gone? What if something happened?

Luke walked into the studio to Alex pacing back and forth. "Hey you okay there Alex?" He asks.

"Luke, when did you last see Reggie? I haven't seen him all day and I kinda wanted to talk to him about something." Alex says.

"Uh, I don't know, maybe last band rehearsal." Luke says. "Is something wrong? What did you want to talk to him about?"

"You didn't see him at all yesterday?" Alex asks double checking.

"I don't think so. I didn't come into the studio I was helping Jules study." Luke says.

Alex sighs. That means Julie hasn't seen him either.

"He's probably at the beach." Luke says.

"I checked this morning." Alex says. "Where else could he be? Luke what if something happened to him?"

"I- " Luke begins but then Reggie poofs into the studio.

"Oh hey guys." He smiles at them.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Alex says which startled Reggie a little bit.

"Woah Alex chill." Luke says.

"I'm sorry, I was just worried." Alex says. "Where were you all day? And yesterday."

"Oh, um I've just been hanging out at the beach." Reggie shrugs.

"All day?" Alex asks. "I went there this morning and you weren't there."

"Oh." Reggie says. "Well the beach is pretty big, I mean I was there so..."

"You always go to the same spot, even when we were alive." Alex says.

"Well maybe I went to a different spot." Reggie says.

"Did you?" Alex asks.

"Yeah." Reggie says. "Why am I being interrogated right now? Am I not allowed to go places or am I on house arrest?"

"You know, I think I'll let you two talk, Alex said he had something he wanted to tell you so I'm gonna go." Luke says and poofs out.

"Why are you so worried?" Reggie asks. "I've spent whole days at the beach by myself before and you haven't freaked out."

"You have?" Alex says. This is the first time he's hearing about this.

"Yeah. Like pretty often." Reggie says. "Is everything okay? You seem like really anxious."

"I've just been worried about you." Alex says. "You just seem like...like you're not really here all the time."

"I'm here most of the time." Reggie shrugs. "And if
I'm not here I'm at the beach."

"No I mean like you always look like you're kind is somewhere else." Alex says. "What's been on your mind?"

"Nothing really." Reggie says.

"Are you sure?" Alex asks, not quite believing him.

"Yes, I'm sure Alex." Reggie says giving Alex a confident smile. "Is that what you wanted to talk to be about?"

"Yeah, I guess that's all." Alex says. "But if you ever wanna talk-"

"Alex, really I am fine. You don't need to worry about me." Reggie says. He sounded like he was telling the truth and Alex couldn't see any tells that he was lying. But he still just didn't believe him. He was still worried. So he decided to follow him next time he goes out- just to make sure he was okay.

So the next day when Reggie left the studio, Alex followed him from a distance. He just had to make sure he was okay. He couldn't help but worry about him because worrying is what Alex does.

He followed him to a house clear on the other side of town. So he hasn't been spending time at the beach. Alex watched carefully being sure not to be seen.

Reggie was in the house happily watching an older couple sit at a table together playing some card game, smiling. Alex of course recognized the couple instantly as Reggie's parents.

Alex walk through the door into the house.

"Oh, hi." Reggie says turning his head back to look at him. He turns his head back to watch as his parents played their favorite card game they use to play all the time before the fighting started. "I haven't seen them get alone since- well forever." He smiles.

"Is this where you've been when you've been out?" Alex asks. Reggie nods. "Sorry I lied- I just, I thought if I talked about it it wouldn't be real anymore."

"I'm happy you found them." Alex says.

"Me too." Reggie says. "I'm happy for them."

"Do you want me to leave? I'm sorry for following you it's just-"

"No. It's okay you can stay." Reggie says. "Today is their anniversary."

"Awe, that's nice." Alex says. "Happy anniversary to them."

"What do you think brought them together again?" Reggie asks finally looking away from his parents and at Alex. "Right before we died-  I really thought they were gonna separate."

"I don't know." Alex says. Just then the door swings open and a young man walks through the door.

"Happy anniversary mom and dad." He says and Reggie's parents get up and thank him and hug him.

"Thanks Steve."

Reggie almost didn't recognize his little brother. He's all grown up now, not so little anymore. Twenty-five years is a long time. People change, a lot.

Steve and his parents head into the kitchen and continue talking. It was just small talk, like all families do. They looked like a real, happy, family. And Reggie couldn't be happier that they were a family again, but he wished he could be there too.

"We should get back to the studio now." Reggie says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I can come back later." Reggie and Alex poof back to the studio and Alex was happy that Reggie found out his parents were happy again and Steve was living a great life, but now he was worried that Reggie was missing out on that. And truth be told Reggie was a little sad he wasn't able to be with his family again, but he was happy for them. And he was happy he got to see them happy. He could live with watching as a ghost, because just knowing everything worked out okay was enough for him.