Jackie's Not Jackie

Chapter 15 - Suspicious Behavior

October 10th, Monday - 1977

"Jackie." Laurie's voice softly whispers beside my ear. "You gotta get upstairs now, before mom or dad catch you sleeping on top of Eric and Hyde. And why aren't you in pajamas... hold on. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Then I hear her walking quietly up the stairs as I try to get myself out of my sleep stage. Underneath me I can feel Eric and Steven moving their legs, Steven's hand goes across my lower legs smoothly as Eric begins to play with my hair again.

"Mrs Forman would be pissed if she woke up with you down here on top of us." Steven says drowsily with slight amusement in his voice as Eric lets out a groan and then a small yawn.

"Red would kill me." Eric mutters sleepily before chuckling as he looks at the ceiling cheerfully with a wide grin. "He really would too. It would totally be worth it though!"

"No he wouldn't." I mumble before chuckling as well. "He would probably call you a dumbass and ask if you used protection though."

Hyde barks out a laugh as I sit up. "Once his mom goes upstairs probably." But then he looks at me with a smile and adds thoughtfully. "Then again, you're 'the loud one' he might just kill me and Eric. I think you're his favorite."

Eric snorts amused as I get off the couch with a yawn and in a slight sleep haze. "She is too. Well, maybe she is tied with Laurie."

"Oh please." Laurie whispers with a quiet snort as she creeps back down the stairs. "I think daddy prefers Jackie and mom has only started to like because of her. Now, she needs to get to her room before daddy or mommy catch either of you."

"Aww." Eric whispers with a doppy grin. "My sister loves me!"

"You're such a loser." She says with a fond scoff as I shake my head up in amusement as she tries to pretend to hate him more as I follow her up the stairs sleepily.

——————

Red was sitting at the table in the kitchen suspiciously as he eyed all of the maddening children that live under his roof. Beside Eric sat Jackie who looked cheerful, but also like she only got an hour of sleep. Eric himself looked like he could fix the house and then do a jig, despite the fact that.. well, he's Eric and hates fixing anything - normally. Hyde.. well, the thing with Hyde is he always appears to be like well, Red himself, except he keeps trying to hide a smile. The thing about Hyde is.. he never hides a smile or a smirk, he shows it and puts some poor bastard down with a mean line or two. Much like himself really.

"Okay." Red says sternly as he hits the table lightly and looks carefully at the children under his roof, bar Laurie (who has been acting ..odd, but good since Jackie moved in) "What have you dumbasses done now?"

Their response? "Nothing sir." Nothin man." And Jackie's questioning. "Climbed a tree?"

What can she say, she loves to climb and some would consider that dumb too?

"Before morning Jackie?" Red asks exasperated.

"Yesterday actually."

"Oh.. that doesn't count." He adds with a frown before shaking his head as Jackie shrugs her shoulders. "Something is going on with all of you.. even Laurie is being strange."

"Maybe that's cause you moved the devil in?" Eric suggests with a grin, not a hint of malice in his voice just sass.

Kitty chuckles as she walks over with a jug of milk. "Please, you kids are trying so hard to be mean to each other when it's obvious."

"What's obvious?" Hyde throws in defensively as he begins to stand up when I grip his arm and tug causing him to sit back down and nearly pout.

"I think that is what your mother is talking about." Red says as he raises an eyebrow and points at Hyde with a 'I knew something was going on look.' As he narrows his eyes between his son and his adopted son. "But, you two boys ain't fighting over her.. I'm missing something."