Denial Within Reason
By: The Brat Prince
A/N: Okay, I have to say I feel justified in writing this fic, but somewhat nervous about venturing into new domain. Aka, Disney. I feel like I'm defiling my childhood idols, or something of that nature. And this isn't even a slash fic! But, since there is such obvious tension between my two favorite SW charas, it is only natural that I write about it. For those that have just tuned in, this is an Annie/Jack fic, one of my first non slash fics in …a very long time. As I mainly stay in the secluded worlds of Harry Potter and Digimon as well as my own originals, I apologize right now for any obscure wizarding references which I will try not to make. Now, on to the show. Reviews are appreciated, as is constructive criticism. Flames are welcome as well, as they make me ponder the maturity of America's youth, including my own. Again, R+R. ~Moony
Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own it. But wasn't that obvious?
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Her name was Annie, and she was different. The normal laws of the human race did not seem to affect her. Times of stress didn't evoke the normal reactions of most people he knew. Nothing surprised her, although her curiosity was never quenched. She wasn't happy without an adventure, and quite frankly, no one wanted to see her unhappy. Sadness didn't suit her sky blue eyes or peachy complexion. And yet it followed her around like the plague in the form of the worst kind of sadness; loneliness.
When she had first joined the Phillips family, she had not really stuck out with her stranger attributes, but blended in. She had been everyone's mental replacement for Fiona. It was her sunny attitude that had really separated her from the brunette. Even in the midst of the strangest mystery yet, she kept a kind aura that sucked everyone in. And yet only he had ever been really for her. Then again only he had ever been really against her.
He had seen something in her that reflected an ugliness in himself. His disbelief seemed like a sin next to her almost saintly faith in anything supernatural. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't lead himself to believe there was something greater than himself, at least, not something benevolent. If there was, it would have saved his father. And were it belligerent; well then, Annie's saintliness wouldn't exist.
This was the logic of Jack Phillips. It was shattered one stormy day in late June.
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Molly Phillips was becoming a household name in the United States. She was the rock and roll lover of bluegrass and jazz, the perky chick with a guitar everyone saw on bus stop posters. It was well known that her tour was coming to an end, especially to her kids, adoptive and non. Jack and Annie didn't particularly want the tour to be over. It wasn't that they hated the return to high school, but both had been raised with wild souls, meant to roam the world. They hated being caged in one spot for too long. That was why they were going to make these last stops the best ever.
The next hotspot was supposed to be Boston. But the hall where she was supposed to perform had collapsed in a mysterious fire. They were told by the performance manager that they could relocate in two weeks, but for the meanwhile, the tour would just have to take a brief hiatus in some nice little Massachusetts town. They chose Salem. Annie had been there once during Halloween; the place had been crazy.
"I loved it! It was like a party that went on for the whole week. Like Mardi Gras- except without the nudity." She enthusiastically told everyone. When they arrived, it wasn't quite what they had expected.
"Dude, it's like…a ghost town." Clu, who had unexpectedly joined them in the last few weeks muttered.
Jack patted him on the back sympathetically, "That's because we're parked in an alley buddy." In actuality, the town wasn't the party Annie had mentioned, but was a quaint little New England town. Like most of Massachusetts. The only extraordinary thing about the place was a reoccurring theme; witches.
Every sign was adorned with the image or silhouette of an old woman with a pointy hat and broom, some with long noses, some quite normal looking. Cute boutiques and scattered convenience stores, as well as the occasional museum dotted the streets, and a healthy amount of pedestrians and cars passed by the giant blue bus. Molly and Irene jumped out of their transport of the last week and almost giggled.
"It's so cute!" Irene squealed. Ned gave his boys an enigmatic eye roll.
"Look at the shopping!" Molly replied, bursting with energy, "I don't think this stop was a bad idea after all."
Jack, Clu, and Carey exchanged looks that read: 'boring girly stuff', while Annie just looked around with great curiosity.
"Okay, who wants to explore?" Molly demanded. Irene raised her hand in the air with a passion, and Clu, being his normally oblivious self said, "Dude, sounds cool."
It was only then he realized 'exploring' meant shopping. Or in his case, carrying the bags. A pained look crossed his face. Ned sympathetically grabbed his arm and pulled him after Molly and Irene, who were already dodging cars to make into a store called 'Two Dogs Working'. Carey shrugged, and started off in a different direction. It seemed he had spotted a young, leggy blonde.
This pretty much left Jack and Annie to themselves, "So, you want to really explore? I heard there's a graveyard where you can see the headstones of the witches that were hanged. Or there's a museum." Jack started amiably. Annie nodded.
"Sounds cool." They walked out of the alley into the sunlight, oblivious to the muffled cries of Clu, who had already accumulated two large shopping bags and a box.
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