Jack wasn't thinking about the groceries in his backseat – or even the road.

Instead, his mind wandered back to another car ride he had taken with his father not too long ago, when they were discussing his plans to enlist in the military. Back when he was eager to finally start creating a Reagan legacy of his own.

Back when his mother was still alive.

Jack blinked hard, trying to shut out the scene replaying through his mind.

Sitting in English class, idly poking holes in his eraser while the teacher explained a passage he'd hardly skimmed over. The call down to the principal's. His father standing there, looking like the weight of the world had just crushed him.

"No. No, you're lying."

"I wish to God I was. I'm so sorry, Jack."

But Jack knew his father would never lie to him. And the anguish on his face – just like when Uncle Joe had died - that couldn't be faked. But it had to be. How could it be real?

He'd listened numbly as Danny explained the circumstances of Linda's death. How the helicopter had crashed into the power lines seven minutes after takeoff. How she'd been dead on arrival, along with everyone else on board. He'd heard the words, but he couldn't process them.

It was only until family dinner when he'd seen his mother's empty seat, and his father violently shove his chair over and disappear upstairs, and the desolation on everyone's faces, did the truth finally sink in.

His mother was dead.

Jack vaguely remembered the sound of shattering glass and crashing objects as he'd unleashed hell's fury upon his room, ripping posters from the walls and throwing or smashing anything he could get his hands on. He hadn't even felt the pain when he'd put his fist through the mirror.

Some days, he could fool himself into believing that he was fine. He'd laugh at some dumb thing his friend had recorded on Snapchat, return fire at his classmates with a paper ball, just go about his day as usual.

And then it'd hit him again like a ten-ton weight – always without warning.

He'd gotten into a brief argument with his great-grandfather for refusing to go to church the week after his mother's funeral.

"I know this is painful, but I trust in God's plan for us. We will pull through this together, just like we did when Joe died," Henry had said, trying to comfort him. "Pray to him for strength."

Jack had resisted the urge to scoff. If there was a God, why had he let his mother die? And Uncle Joe? And the Kents?

Behind Jack, someone blew the horn, then swerved to pass him. Jack leaned on his own horn and yelled obscenities out the open window, not giving a damn that passing pedestrians briefly looked up at him, or even if the man had a gun in the car.

So much the better if he did. Simply end it on the spot.

No such luck.

But no matter. The desired result would just come a little later.


"Danny."

"What is it, Dad?" Danny responded shortly as he downed the last of his milk and put the cup in the sink to deal with later. He already recognized the reprimanding tone in his father's voice.

"How long are you going to keep pretending that nothing's happening?" Frank asked bluntly.

"I'm not pretending anything," Danny snapped, starting to stalk out of the room.

"Danny," Frank repeated.

Despite himself, Danny paused, his back still to his father.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but you're going to listen."

Slowly, Danny turned back around to face his father, his very demeanor screaming impatience.

"Sean hardly says three words to anyone. Jack is barely passing his classes, getting into fights at school, and he's gone diving into the bottle. Yet you shut yourself away like everything will somehow resolve itself."

"I spoke to Jack about it, alright?" Danny replied hotly. "I trashed all the alcohol in the house, the boy's mother isn't pressing charges, Jack won't be expelled, it's all good."

"It is not 'all good'," Frank replied pointedly. "You're not the only one who lost something that day, Danny. You lost your wife, but your sons lost their mother. They need you to be there for them. You can't expect them to carry this burden all on their own."

"Well right now, I can't even carry it!" Danny yelled, his thin hold on his patience finally snapping. "Get Jamie to play shrink with them. I'm not the one to lean on, alright?"

Frank sighed deeply as Danny stormed out of the kitchen.


"I don't feel like it."

"Come on, Sean, just one game. Please," Jack implored his brother.

"Fine, if it'll get you to leave me alone!" Sean snapped. He put his phone down and snatched up the remote.

"I win," Sean gloated, thirteen minutes later. "Seriously, dude, all you have to do is glide to make it into that tunnel!"

Jack smiled. "Good game, Sean."

The day passed by in its usual monotonous way. But this time, Jack wasn't dreading family dinner.

It had regained a mocking semblance of normality. Danny was silent and brooding as usual. Henry occasionally tried to brighten the mood with a bit of light conversation, and Erin and Jamie discussed political or law-related matters. But everyone was still painfully aware of the elephant in the room.

Or, more accurately, the elephant that wasn't in the room.

"So how long will you be staying here, Aunt Erin?" Sean asked, as he forked some meatloaf.

"A day. Two max. Luckily the water main break wasn't very severe," Erin answered.

"Our home is starting to resemble a disaster shelter, Francis," Henry remarked lightly.

Frank gave a Mona Lisa smile from under his mustache, and Nicky chuckled. Jack forced a smile.

It was true. Frank and Henry already had a full house with Danny and his sons crashing there until the Reagans could close the secret sale on the new house, which they intended to present to Danny as a surprise.

Nicky risked a sly look at first Erin, then at Jack and Shawn.

"Who wants to help me do the dishes?" Erin asked. "Oh, come on, I did the cooking."

"Some of the cooking," Henry corrected. "I made most of that meatloaf."

"I'll help you," Jack offered, standing up.

"Thank you, Jack," Erin said, with a pointed look at everyone else still seated.

"So how was that test?" Erin asked, as she stood side-by-side with her nephew at the sink. He scrubbed and she rinsed.

Jack gave an apathetic shrug. "Okay."

"You mean you failed." Erin sighed. "Jack, you're about to start college applications. If you keep messing up - "

"Jeez, what are you, my mother?" Jack snapped before he could think, slapping a plate into Erin's hands with such force that it nearly slipped out.

Jack instantly felt a pang at the mention of the word, and at the wounded look on Erin's face.

"Excuse me?" Erin retorted, with her customary sharpness.

"I'm sorry," Jack muttered sincerely.

"I understand," Erin replied, a bit milder.

They finished the last of the dishes. Jack dried off his hands, then looked up at Erin. Despite her tone, there was a touch of sympathy in her sharp brown eyes.

Jack was so tired of those pitying looks. So tired of people tiptoeing around him like he was an unstable bomb. So tired of being the poor motherless boy everyone at school blabbed about.

"Good luck on your case tomorrow," Jack told Erin, dropping his gaze. "Put that guy away, alright?"

Then, on impulse, he hugged her.

"Oh," Erin said softly, surprised.

Jack felt her stiffen in surprise before she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him in return, for the first time in his memory.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked concernedly when they pulled apart. "I can't remember the last time you hugged me."

I could say the same to you.

"Yeah," Jack lied. "I just...I guess I just miss her hugs, you know?" He used the most believable excuse he could think of.

Erin nodded, not entirely convinced that there wasn't something else. But Jack was already walking away.


Hey, guys! (Yes, I'm a mess, always writing multiple stories at once. I promise I'm going to update the Avengers one after college applications. This one's meant to be very short.) I'm don't know if Frank lives with Henry or not. I'm just assuming that he lives alone and they eat Sunday dinner at Frank's house. Can someone please clear this up for me? And please feel free to point out any plot holes or other errors!

Thanks!