-1Disclaimer: I don't own Jack, Fi, Clu, Bricriu, or… any of the So Weird cast. I just thought this little thing up a while ago and felt I'd delve into it… Hopefully it runs somewhat along the same lines as my other stories. You know… Good?

Enjoy.

Chapter One

Jack Phillips never did believe in "the weird" as much as his sister did. Everything had to have a logical explanation. That was how he viewed the world. So, when weird things did happen around him, he never stressed over it as much as his sister did, because he'd simply find a logical reason for it. Maybe that was why he was such a calm person. Maybe that was why his sister had all those nightmares, and lines on her face that shouldn't belong to a teenager. She was always so stressed about everything.

It was another stop on Molly Phillips' tour, just like any other, so Jack never expected such weird things to happen this time. He should have known better, of course. They were in Washington, on the way to pick up Fiona, Jack's little sister. Though he was always the first to admit that she was absolutely crazy, he was also as excited as the rest of the group. He missed his sister as much as, if not more than, Clu did, and that was understandable. It had been almost a year since they'd seen each other, and Jack was beginning to miss having a female ghost-hunter around.

Annie had left two weeks before. She had packed and gone out to Pakistan with her parents. Before she'd left, however, she'd handed a silver ring to Jack. She'd told him it was Fi's and she wanted to properly return it. Jack had sworn that the ring would make it back to Fi, eventually. He'd then hugged Annie and watched her get into the van to go to the airport. Clu and Carey had taken Annie to the airport and had returned late that night, Clu asleep in the passenger seat. The next morning, the crew piled into the bus and began their trip through Seattle.

Jack had debated pulling out his angel necklace and putting the ring in the angel's place, so he wouldn't lose it. He quickly rethought that, not wanting to bring up memories of Gabe, his angel, who had spread her wings and left him for some football stud. The wounds were still too fresh.

Instead, Jack had found that the ring fit semi-neatly on his left forefinger. That was where it would stay until it met up once more with its owner.

Jack was examining his sister's ring when the bus pulled up in from of his aunt's house. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop for a long visit, but the formalities (hugs, kisses, "I missed you!") were all shared over coffee in the kitchen. Then, Fi loaded up and took her proper place on the bus.

That night, as they were leaving Seattle for a show on the outskirts of Washington, Jack wandered into Fi's room to find her sitting on her bed, a book in hand. Her laptop remained uncharacteristically closed and off, on her desk.

"So," Jack began, "we never got a chance to catch up on old times. How's life been treating my little sister?"

Fi closed the book and set it on her pillow. "Pretty well, actually. I've been getting better at that whole math thing. I also made a few friends in Seattle. Joined the drama club."

"I always knew you'd find a tribe someday."

"Haha, Jack." Fi brushed her brother's taunt off as if out of habit.

Jack smiled and sat on Fi's chair, clicking her laptop open and on. It was a habit of his, seeing how long it would take before Fi told him to get off her computer.

"I missed you, baby sis." Jack turned to direct a wan smile at Fi. "Though, Annie did manage to keep things entertaining."

"So I heard," Fi chuckled. She straightened up on the bed and brought her legs under her. "Clu and Carey recounted nearly everything."

Jack nodded and logged onto the Internet to check his email. "I'll bet they did. It kept everything interesting, I suppose." Junk, newsletter, junk, junk, old OSSN newsletter, Gabe, junk, junk. He deleted the emails, not even bothering to look at Gabe's letter. I was a forward anyway.

"I hear you dismantled an antique phone?" Fi was leaning forward in her seat, watching her brother closely.

Jack faltered a moment, remembering the unplugged, ringing nightmare. He regained his composure quickly and smiled across at Fi. "It was giving me lip," was his short reply. He then turned back to the computer and typed a quick search: The Tell-Tale Heart.

"Did you ever read any Edgar Allan Poe stories, Fiona?"

Fi nodded. "One of my favorite authors."

"Outside of Agent Mulder?"

Fi laughed and stood to join Jack at the computer.

"Tell-Tale Heart," Jack mused. "It's the story of a man who goes mad with guilt, swearing up and down that the heart of the man he killed lies buried in the floorboard, beating… A great story. A thriller in less that twenty pages. That's why I broke the phone."

"Golf-ball guilt?" Fi smiled at her brother's shocked face. "Mom told me it was from Mr. Applebomb's estate sale."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "Pretty simple explanation, I think."

"It might have actually happened…"

"Or… it might have been my imagination. Please, Fi. Don't overcomplicate this one."

Fi nodded, putting her hands up in surrender. "Okay, I won't."

Jack smiled and closed the laptop. He slowly reached over and touched the ring on his forefinger. "Though, I have to admit. It was weird…"

Fi sat back down on her bed and picked up her book again. Jack took a quick glance at the cover. Mysteries of Scotland.

"Still hung up on Spunkies, eh?" Jack put on his best Scottish accent.

Fi turned sharply and stare at Jack.

"Hey, don't freak. It's me, your brother, remember?" Jack pulled the ring off his finger. "Here. I just remembered that Annie wanted me to hold this for you."

Fi took the ring and examined it closely. "It still has the engraving on it."

"What? You think I'd mess with your ring like that?" He put a hand to his heart. "I'm hurt."

Fi slipped the ring on and looked back up at Jack suddenly. "Bric-"

"Ah, please not yet!" Jack slapped a hand over Fi's mouth. "Now, shh, wee Duckie. Just listen a bit, eh? I needed to bring you back into this stuff, because it happens that someone needs a wee duck like yourself to help them out."

"What do you want?" Fi suppressed the urge to make him leave as he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Well, what I want has little to do wi-"

"Jack! Fiona! It's lights out. We'll be in town by morning, so get to sleep." Molly hollered across the bus.

Irene Bell, Clu and Carey's mother, spoke up then, a little quieter than Molly. "Clu. Carey. Take the hint, boys." The two loudly groaned and went to find sleeping quarters.

"Well, wee duck," Jack whispered, "we'll be continuing our talk tomorrow, then."

"Can't we just go to the Nexus, like before? Stop time and all that?"

"It's too dangerous, Fi." Jack's voice returned to normal. "Don't worry. You two can talk again tomorrow." Jack stood and hugged Fi tightly. "Missed you, sis." He then turned and went to the front of the bus to talk with their mom.

End of Chapter One…