Chapter Fourteen: Christmas at Home (part I)

Christmas at home had been wizard.

Jack couldn't say it had begun well. First, Dad had gone for a short business trip exactly when Jack had to go home, so the redhead had to go home by bus. But after a long, hard argument with his mother, and a short detention from his teacher for overusing the school phone, Roger had agreed to pick Jack up so they could go home by train.

Jack hated going with bus, and he knew Roger despised it as well. They went to the airport by bus, and then they had flown and got stranded. They knew it was quite irrational, but unless there was an emergency—for example Ralph's trial—Jack refused to go by bus. He was used to go by his bicycle, and he didn't want it to change.

Second, Samneric, Ralph, and Aunt Becky (that was how Jack and Roger called their mother) were out of town for visiting their relatives. Aunt Becky had taken Ralph to her relatives for Halloween and they liked him. When Ralph had come home, Jack had got a bunch of letters about Ralph's new relatives in his dorm. Jack found himself happy when he saw Ralph happy, but he didn't really want Ralph to know that.

Third, Roger had a girlfriend. Her name was Susannah something, and Jack called her Sue for short, much to Roger's annoyance and Jack's mirth, because he wanted it to be his own special nickname to her. She once helped Roger with his panic attack, along with Ralph, and they became close afterwards. Roger rarely wrote Jack a letter, but when he did, he wrote about this girl and Jack knew she could be Roger's 'the one'.

It wasn't like Roger truly abandoned Jack, of course. Jack knew they were best friends, even with Roger's silence and Jack's reluctance to admit such an... absurd thing like that. They had been friends since ever, and they doubted a girl would break them up. But Roger obviously was spending more time with her, and Jack still needed time to get used to it.

Sue was actually Ralph's partner in a class, and she was ecstatic to hear about Jack and Ralph from Roger and Samneric (Jack would talk to them about this). She even suggested a double date after Christmas, much to Jack and Roger's shock. Both had refused the idea blatantly, and Jack knew Ralph would say the same.

Fourth, there was this news.

After arrived at home, Roger went out to go with Sue, leaving Jack with Mum. She was cooking when they had arrived, and she burnt their lunch when she was too busy hugging her sons and asking about their trip home.

Jack decided to change his clothes and walked downstairs. She appreciated his help, and they were busy cooking afterwards. They were silent, but finally Mum broke it.

"Jack, I have to tell you something," she said solemnly, almost sullenly.

Jack put down the plate he was holding. "What is it?"

"Someone from the orphanage came and gave you something. He told me about your mother."

Jack's heart jumped to his throat. "My mother?"

"Your biological mother," Mum said stoically, a tone Jack had never heard. That reminded him to the confrontation in the hospital, a year ago, with Ralph's father. "Her name was Theresa Jacqueline Merridew, nee McDonald."

"Was?"

"She died three months ago."

Suddenly Jack could feel anger burning his insides. "And now you tell me?!" he shouted, couldn't control himself anymore. "After her death, now you tell me?!" His vision changed to a dark, dingy room of his orphanage. His head started to spin, and he could feel Mum's warm hands on his shoulder and slowly he found himself back in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said. "Now, come on, we'll talk about it."

Mum took him into the living room and sat him down. She was gone for a while, and finally back with a large brown envelope in her grip. She sat next to the shocked boy; the solemn look was still there. Then she started the story of Jack's missing childhood.

"Your family were English, and you were born in London, but your parents went to New York for your father's business trip. Your father, Jackson Christopher Merridew Senior—"

"I was named after him," Jack whispered, his voice sounded hollow with another memory. "One of the keepers knew I have a 'Junior' behind my name, but she died and I forget."

"Yes. He was a businessman, and your mother was an art student, she was twenty-one then. However... they went to America and... and..."

Jack saw her face hardened, although he could see a sympathetic look from her eyes. Dread filled Jack's insides; he knew he wouldn't like the story.

"...their plane crashed. Your mother was the only survivor."

Why must it be so ironic?

Jack wanted to say that, he really did, but no voice came out. All this time, he actually followed his family's footsteps. Their plane had crashed, just like his had been. He had survived, just like his mother had been. This fact, this similarity, didn't make him feel any better.

Mum continued as if she hadn't seen his still reaction. She pulled out a piece of paper and read it. Jack didn't have any interest to read together with her. "She made it to New York, but she had a permanent memory loss. The doctors couldn't cure her, and finally she was given to a family to foster."

"Permanent memory loss?"

"Yes," Mum answered, voice barely above a whisper. "She didn't remember anything, even her name. Her name was Jennifer St. Clare in there. But she dreamed every night. She dreamed about you, Jack."

"Me?"

"She didn't know who you were, but she wondered why you kept coming into her mind, and growing up as time progressed. She drew you often, because she was an excellent artist. However, she remembered nothing until the day she died."

"So..." Jack was speechless. "How did she know me?"

"She had a strong feeling towards you. She thought you were someone she loved." Mum stopped. "She loved you so much, even though she couldn't remember you."

Jack blinked several times. He wasn't crying, because... because he wasn't. "I guess."

"This is her letter for you." Mum shoved another piece of paper. Seeing Jack's reluctance, she relented. "Do you want me to read it for you?"

Jack managed a shaky nod.

"Alright..." Then Mum started.

Dear the redheaded boy in my dreams,

I don't know you, but I know I love you. I've been in love with you since ever. I see you every night, in my dreams. I saw a little boy at first, but you grow up. Now you're a teenager, maybe around fifteen or sixteen years old. You have a red hair and freckles, like I do, and blue eyes, unlike me. Maybe from your father? I can't remember who you are, but you're the reason why I'm still alive now. If you remember me, I'm so sorry that I can't. I hope you're fine.

My name is Jennifer, and I live with the St. Clare family in New York. As I'm writing this, I'm not well anymore. I mean I think I'll die soon. I don't want to die before I tell someone about you, the boy that has kept me alive all those years. You are the one that give me strength when I feel down, and you are the first thing I saw when I woke up in the hospital all those years ago. As absurd as it was, that's the truth.

If I have a fortune somewhere, a quarter of it will go to you, while the rest go to the St. Clares. Dear boy, I love you, and thank you for being my first anchor to reality. You have introduced me to the strong feeling called love, and that makes me can open up with other people in here.

Love, Jennifer St. Clare

After Mum's calm voice finished saying the name, Jack had tears on his eyes and he let them because he just didn't care. He looked down at the floor, not wanting his adoptive mother (it had been a while since he called Mum that) to see it. His tears suddenly landed on a piece of paper Mum had shoved into his vision. He gasped softly when he realised that it was his own face.

It was his mother's picture of him, and Jack could see himself in it.

He saw his eyes, his hair, his freckles, his smile, his... his everything. He couldn't help but to wonder how someone who never met him could knew his face so perfectly. He finally looked up at Mum, whose eyes were watery as well. "How could it...?" He couldn't finish the question.

"After she died, Ennis St. Clare, her foster father, came to the hospital where she had been hospitalised after the crash. He found her pictures of you, and he wanted to know who you were. Your mother didn't know she was 'adopted', thus she believed that the St. Clares were her original family until she died. The nurses told him she maybe came from England, because of her accent when she came there for the first time. Mr. St. Clare started to look here and finally he came to your orphanage, and finally they came to me."

Jack couldn't say anything. And he wondered if he supposed to. They continued to sit down in silence. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by a smell. And a womanly shriek.

"NOT AGAIN!"

Mum, again, had burnt their lunch.

A/N: The next part comes ASAP! Sorry for the long wait, but finally my exams are done! YAAY! :D

Anyways, this answers the question about Jack's family. Hope you like!