A/N: FB Fanfic 100: #92: Christmas

"Because it's Christmas and you should be here!"

Bobby grit his teeth. "Jack, listen to me. I'm very busy," he enunciated the words slowly, "and I can't come."

He heard Jack mutter a swear word that no nine-year-old should know and his fist tightened on the phone. He wished he could be at home, just to give his youngest brother a piece of his mind about kids his age using language like that. Never mind that he used it.

"Listen, Jack. I'm in L.A. I don't want to be here. But I am. So give the phone to Ma so I can wish her a Merry Christmas, and then scram."

"How you gonna make me?"

Bobby blinked and relaxed the tight muscles in his face. Resist the urge. Resist it… He's just a kid, don't let him get under your skin.

"You're on the other side of the country, I don't have to do what you say." Jack's angry voice continued on the phone. "And Angel's not even here, he's hanging around with this new girl. I might as well do something dangerous like light the house on fire or ice the sidewalks."

Resist. Resist…

"Oh yeah, smart guy, how do you think you're going to feel when Ma slips?" Bobby returned.

I can't believe I'm arguing with a nine year old… Resi—

"I don't know, a lot worse when she finds out I'm not going to go help her up!" Jack shot back.

That's it.

Bobby hit the "End Call" button and slammed the phone on the table. Great, Bobby, real mature… Hang up on your kid brother. It's not like Jack would ever do that sort of thing anyway. Bobby, maybe, or Angel even. But Jack would probably crawl in a hole and die if something happened to Evelyn, and Bobby knew it. It just irked him that the little brat had the nerve to even say something like that.

He sat down in sudden revelation. Jack was angry. Really angry. Angrier than Bobby had ever seen him. In fact, reviewing the conversation in his head, it didn't sound like Jack at all. And when Jack was angry it usually meant he'd been hurt first.

Bobby leaned his head on his hand and shut his eyes. He should go home. Jack wasn't doing well. Maybe they'd reached a new level of communication and trust, maybe Jack was finally feeling safe enough to let some of his anger out, but it wasn't Jack as Bobby knew him. Bobby rubbed his forehead, then stilled. Revelation, smart one.

It'd been almost a year.

Maybe Bobby didn't know him.

Bobby was standing before he knew it. Almost a year since he'd left. Ma had told him he shouldn't go, not so soon with Jack so new. But he'd gone anyway. After all, Angel and Jerry hadn't needed him around so long. But Jack was different. Different—and this Jack was different than the other one he'd left.

He needed to get home.

He pulled the duffel from under his bed and dialed the airport at the same time.

"Yeah, hi. I need a ticket to Detroit. As soon as possible, today, tonight if you have it. I don't care. Sure I know it's Christmas. Actually it's Christmas Eve, and I need to get home for Christmas."

You don't understand, lady, there's a kid back there and he needs me real bad right now. You don't understand, lady, I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten about it, but I really need to be there, see? I'd forgotten.

It's Jackie's first Christmas.