Disclaimer: I don't own the Brady Bunch

Hey! Sorry for the long wait time I have been swamped with work...admittedly I work at a fast food restaurant, but listen I come home and sleep ok lol Also sidenote any seemingly flirty behavior is unintentional on my part, I don't ship any of the Bradys with each other that's icky.

Jack woke up with a start, his hazel eyes looking up at the ceiling. Today was Christmas Eve, the first one outside of room and the first one with his family. He wished Lucky were here, ever since he'd left Lucky didn't come around anymore and that made him a little sad. He loved his family, but a small part of him missed Room too. It had been home for a long time, he'd always felt safe there with just him, Pa, and Alex. Maybe one day they could visit Room, maybe it missed them too and he could show his family all his treasures in Room. Like Eggsnake, who was their fanciest friend, and blobby spoon who was their blobbiest friend, and Lucky who was their furriest friend. That would be for later though, because while he missed Room he still had the whole world to see. He got on his knees and sat up, Uncle Bobby was laying face down on his bed snoring, Alex was curled up still sleeping, while Pa was on his bed he made a small noise before rolling over onto his side. That was one thing Jack liked about outside, Pa felt safer here than in Room, he smiled and laughed more, and he didn't cry anymore like he used to. He got up, and went downstairs to get some cereal when he saw Grandma up and making lunch.

"What're you doing grandma?" Asked Jack curiously.

"Making a lunch for your Aunt Marcia." Said Carol with a smile.

"Is Aunt Marcia ok?" Asked Jack and Carol smiled fondly.

"Both Aunt Marcia and Mickey are just fine, I think your father will be bringing you in later to see them." Said Carol, as Jack sat on one of the stools to survey what Carol was doing. "What're you doing up so early?"

"I always wake up early." Said Jack as a matter of factly, "You know what I think?"

"What?" Asked Carol, and Jack continued.

"I think Mickey was super excited about Christmas and meeting everyone so that's why he crashed down from Heaven because he wanted to hurry up and be here." Said Jack, and Carol smiled fondly at her grandson. "Grandma?"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"Can you cut my hair?" He asked.

"What for?" Asked Carol, and Jack glanced up at her with those wide innocent eyes that reminded her so much of Peter.

"Well, Aunt Marcia needs my strong more than me, because she's gonna be in the hospital with Mickey." He replied, and Carol raised her brow.

"Your what sweetie?"

"My strong, like Sampson. She'll probably be lonely...even with Mickey. Like how Pa was lonely in Room even with us. So can you give it to her?" He explained and Carol nodded in understanding.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked and Jack nodded."Alright, I have been wanting to cut that hair for a very long time, let's go."

She gently led Jack up to the bathroom and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. The five year old looked at both doors, he thought it was cool how there were three doors instead of one although he thought it was a little weird how the bathroom's toilet was almost invisible but that was how grandpa had made the house. His grandma gently brushed his hair and tied it into a ponytail.

"You know, I used to cut your father's, aunts' and uncles' hair too. Of course, your Aunt Jan only ever wanted her hair trimmed, she used to have long hair that reached down to her waist and she never let me cut it only a small trim and that was it. " Explained Carol.

"Aunt Jan must have had a lot of strong." Said Jack with a nod making Carol chuckle. "Do you think this will work? Will my strong be Aunt Marcia's strong?"

"Yes, we all have the same strong deep down inside of us, and we all help each other stay strong." Explained Carol, as she began to cut his hair. Jack shut his eyes tightly, as the scissors were cutting his hair. He looked up as his grandma presented him with his hair. "There we go. Do you like it?"

"Yup, thank you grandma, I love you." Said Jack and Carol smiled hugging her grandson. "Come on, why don't we go downstairs and have some alright?"

"Ok." Said Jack, as he held his grandma's hand and followed her downstairs, once she was done evening out his hair and cutting it better leaving it much shorter than before but he liked it. Even Pa thought it looked good, though he was abit surprised to see his hair was now much shorter. Later at the hospital, Jack and Alex had their little noses pressed up against the glass staring at the babies in their bassinets as the adults were cooing over which one was Mickey. Honestly though Jack couldn't really tell, because all the babies looked the same. They went back to Aunt Marcia's room, where she was resting on the bed.

"Hi, I like your hair." Said Marcia softly, as she ran a hand through Jack's dark hair and Alex plopped herself on Marcia's bed. "Grandma gave me your strong, thank you for that."

" I hope my strong helps you a whole lot."Said Jack, making Marcia chuckle.

"There you are, I was wondering where you'd ran off to." Said Peter, as he walked in before turning to his older sister. "How're you feeling?"

"Giving birth takes a lot out of you, I'm very tired but very relieved and happy." Said Marcia, as Peter sat next to her.

"Yeah, I know how that feels maybe not entirely the same but...sort of." Said Peter making her laugh, as Alex went over and cuddled up to her aunt. Marcia gently patting those wild untamable curls. "If you ever need advice, I'm here if you need it."

Because his kids are a little older and raised in a solitary room or not, he does have experience with things like temper tantrums and the endless questions that children often ask. Marcia smiled and nodded grateful for that, that he was indeed here. She smiled and held his hand, gripping it tightly.

"We'll miss you Auntie Marcia." Said Alex and Marcia giggled kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be there in spirit." Said Marcia softly, when everyone else came in Wally holding Jessica as Nora brought Mickey in. Marcia smiled, holding her baby boy in her arms and Alex and Jack crept ever closer. He was so small and pink with a small tuft of dark hair, little eyes looking everywhere. Marcia sniffed and sighed happily, as her son was in her arms safe and sound. Wally gently set Jessica down and Marcia held her close. "Say hi to your baby brother Jessie."

"He so smoll." Said Alex, making Marcia giggle.

"Pa." Whispered Jack, as he hopped off the bed and stood behind everyone feeling a small rumbling in his tummy before tugging on Peter's sleeve.

"What is it kiddo?" Asked Peter, as he knelt in front of him.

"Can I get something from the vending machine?" Asked Jack, and Peter smiled softly.

"Ok, come on." Said Peter gently brushing some of his hair back as he stood and Jack held onto Pa's hand tightly as they went to the vending machines just around the corner in the hallway. "Ok, what do you want?"

"M&Ms." Said Jack, and Peter got the candy when someone came up to him.

"Excuse me, are you Peter Brady?" Asked the man, who was wearing a suit and his salt and pepper hair combed back.

"Yes, who are you?" Asked Peter curiously.

"I'm Edwin Bruinn, I'm a reporter for Channel Five News and we'd love to have an interview with-"

"I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude, but I'm gonna stop you right there. I have no interest in doing interviews at this point in time, I just want to get the trial over and done with and then move on." Said Peter, and Jack looked up at the man before looking up at Pa curiously. "Besides, there's really nothing to tell."

"Mr. Brady, I understand but, in America alone there are at least a million children abducted. Many of those children don't make it back alive, yours is one of those rare cases where the missing child comes back safely. Some families don't receive that type of closure, and infact many children either never come back at all or are found dead. Your story, provides people with hope that someday their child could come home. This interview, could not only give a family that sense of hope it could also potentially save a child who might see that and try to come home themselves." Explained the man, and that did make it sound appealing. The man handed Peter his business card, telling him to call him if he changed his mind before leaving.

"What's going on Pa?" Asked Jack, as Peter sat down in one of the chairs next to the vending machines.

"Nothing kiddo, just some people want to ask me questions about Ol Nick and Mean Lily and what happened in Room." He explained.

"Why do they wanna know?"

"Well, people are very curious and they want to know what happened...how it happened...why...in all honesty though I'm not sure why it happened." Explained Peter softly, as Jack sat on his lap and cuddled closer to Peter hugging him.

"It's ok Pa, you don't have to be scared anymore, I'll protect you." Said Jack making Peter laugh.

"Why don't you go back with everyone else ok? I'm just gonna clear my head a little. I'll be back in just a moment." Said Peter, and Jack nodded before going back to the room with everyone else. Peter stood up, and went to take a walk thinking about what the man said. He had no idea if those statistics were accurate but if they were, then maybe he could help. He sighed softly as he rubbed his temples maybe he should talk to his family about this. He passed by an empty room with the tv on the news when he heard a voice on the television.

"- And in other news we have with us Abigail Levac, the sister of Nick Levac who along with his wife, is currently awaiting trial for the 1975 kidnapping of Peter Brady." Said the reporter. "Now Ms. Levac, you believe that your brother is not guilty?"

Not guilty? Peter turned and stepped into the room brown eyes looking up at the television in shock.

"Indeed, my brother would never hurt a living soul, and the things this man has accused him of are shameful. My brother is a sweet, good, wonderful man who has always been nice to my nieces and nephews. He's like a father to them, and if you ask me this Peter Brady is just stirring up all sorts of trouble, my brother is being framed." Said the woman and that made Peter's blood boil.

"What about the fact Peter and his children were found on your brother's property?" Asked the reporter.

"That was under my sister-in-law's name, so really it was her property. My sister-in-law had some dark fantasies and she was always goading my brother into doing things he didn't want to do, she was the one who masterminded all this and it's clear she and this Peter boy are working together to drag my brother through the mud. My brother is a good, Christian man, who attends church and coaches little league games. He would never hurt someone, much less kidnap a teenage boy and hold him captive for seven years." Said the woman, and Peter stood there his anger bubbling to the surface as he clenched his hands tightly into fists.

"What about the fact your brother had a rumoured infatuation with Peter Brady?" Asked the reporter which made Peter want to throw up.

"Clearly Peter must have seduced my brother in some way, like some sort of male lolita type." Said the woman and Peter tossed the first thing he grabbed at the tv. It was a pillow so it didn't make much of an impact but it sure made him feel better. He sat on the bed, hands clasped together resting his chin on them still watching. "That's how it is with some of these missing kids. They seduce good, hard working people, and then frame them for acting on their impulses when really it was the child acting like some little harlot. It's clear that in this case, Peter was the one who did something to attract my brother's attention and lure him away from God's light. Peter Brady is the devil who seduced a good man and tempted him to sin."

The tv turned off and Peter turned to see Greg standing there with the remote.

"Jack said you were gone to clear your head." Explained his brother as he sat next to him. "Pete, all those things she said you know none of that stuff is true."

"I know, but...it actually does explain a few things." Said Peter and his brother looked at him as if motioning for him to go on. "Whenever...she wasn't around and he came to do what he wanted. He would be mad at me, but it was almost like he was talking to himself, and pinning the blame on me..y'know the ironic thing is, just before another reporter actually wanted to talk to me. How my story could give another family or a kid hope."

"What do you think?" Asked Greg, and Peter shrugged. "Pete, listen. It's your decision, but I gotta tell ya one thing that made these seven years unbearable was wondering what happened to you and where you were. I remember I used to have nightmares about us finding you dead in a ditch somewhere or buried under someone's crawlspace or a basement. Thank God that wasn't the case...but somewhere out there there's a family thinking that something like that is happening to their child. If I saw an interview of someone who was found...it would have made things easier."

"I'll think it over." Said Peter with a nod, and Greg patted his shoulder.

"Don't listen to what those idiots like his sister say either, you did nothing wrong." Said Greg, and Peter hugged his older brother who hugged him back.

Later, once they were home Peter told his parents what happened and they were understandably livid about the situation.

"-I'm starting to think the whole interview thing is a good idea though I mean, after the holidays of course." Said Peter, sitting across from his parents in the living room while Bobby and Cindy were with the kids in the family room, watching cartoons and eating cookies.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Asked Carol in concern.

"You don't have to if you feel you can't do it, you can wait until you think the time is right." Said Mike encouragingly.

"Well...I don't know if I'm ready but I think it's the right time. I mean, people are going to say what they want and think however they want. Maybe by setting the record straight everyone will have a better understanding. Besides, Greg said that doing this would provide people with missing kids or even a missing kid themselves with some hope." Said Peter who was indeed unsure, but on one hand providing hope as well as providing his account would be better than letting his attackers' sister slander him. His mother gently held his hand, and kissed his forehead gently running a hand through his dark hair. "It'll be ok."

"I still can't believe she would say such awful things, you were a fifteen year old boy when it happened for heaven's sake." Said Mike, still angry at the woman and what she said. His son was innocent, just an innocent boy whose life had been disrupted because of some horrid monsters and here she was acting as though Peter himself was the one to blame. That wasn't right.

"I'm just glad she didn't say anything about Jack and Alex, that would have been much worse." Said Peter, before sighing and taking a deep breath. "Anyway, I um I'm gonna go check on the kids."

"Alright son."

"Alright sweetheart." Said Carol and Mike with Peter going upstairs. Carol placed a hand on her husband's knee as he wrapped an arm around her. "You know, a part of me, a very small part understands where she's coming from. He's her brother and no matter what happens he will always be her brother. However, it doesn't mean she has the right to excuse what he did to Peter, to the kids, to our family. If any of the kids ever did what he did...while I would love them I'm not sure if I'd ever have it in me to stand there and ridicule a victim...especially if it was a child."

"Well our children would never do this to anyone, but believe me if one of them ever had...I agree I'm not sure if I'd have it in me to stand by them for hurting a child." Said Mike softly. "Which is why even with the whole mindset of 'he's my brother and I should be there for him.' I still can't understand why she would. Or even why she would suggest such horrible things about a fifteen year old boy, Peter would never do anything to hurt anyone and he certainly would never have done the things she suggested."

"We know that, maybe this interview is a good idea. I can't stand the thought of people seeing that and heaven forbid agreeing with her." Said Carol, because the thought of people thinking those sorts of things about Peter it crushed her heart. Mike gently kissed his wife, showing that he agreed with her. In the kitchen, Peter stood in the doorway of the family room, where his children and younger siblings were. They were watching one of those weird Rankin Bass holiday specials, this one was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The kids were enthralled, Cindy and Bobby a little less so.

"-So is Tracy coming over?" Asked Cindy curiously.

"She might come today or tomorrow it all depends on her really." Said Bobby, and Cindy gave a little shrug. The kids gave a small shush sound making Peter almost chuckle. Bobby and Cindy stifled a laugh as well. "I hope Peter won't be mad about...you know what."

"Oh because it's going to slobber and shed everywhere? What were you thinking getting that type of...you know what?" Asked Cindy, and Peter raised his eyebrows...what sort of dog were they getting?

"I didn't know what...you know who was? I assumed it was big!"

"So you get the biggest...you know what?" She asked.

"Bob, Cindy...a word?" Asked Peter and the younger two were startled for a moment before following their brother to the kitchen. "How big is the dog?"

"It's...a St. Bernard." Said Bobby and Peter's jaw dropped.

"A...Bob!" Exclaimed Peter incredulously.

"Well you didn't know what Lucky was, and I pictured a big dog! Besides it's not like Tiger was a small dog and we managed." Said Bobby, and Peter folded his arms over his chest.

"He wasn't a St. Bernard though, do you know how big those things are, and how much they slobber, how much they shed?" Asked Peter and Bobby shrugged.

"Ok I goofed but I already bought the dog so it's not like I can return it it's not a sweater." Said Bobby and Peter rubbed his temples.

"I told him it was a bad idea." Said Cindy, when Carol and Mike came in having heard the commotion.

"What's going on?" Asked Mike.

"Y'know the dog you told me to get? I got a St. Bernard but look on the bright side they're great dogs and they've been known to rescue people and they're super loyal." Said Bobby immediately trying to defend himself.

"And guess whose gonna be stuck taking care of it until the kids are old enough to understand taking responsibility for their own pets." Said Mike, motioning to himself, Carol, and Peter. "I went through that with Tiger, and he wasn't that big."

"I think we're missing the point though that it will make the kids happy, I mean they wanted a dog and Uncle Bobby provided them with one. They're not gonna care, and really isn't making people happy what Christmas is all about?" Asked Bobby, his family however weren't totally convinced but it seemed they weren't angry with him so there was that. Later that night, the house was full with Greg and Nora, Jan and Phillip there since Marcia was still in the hospital resting she couldn't exactly be there but she had called them to let everyone know she wished them a Merry Christmas. Jack looked up at the tree, so big and covered in lights and tinsel and decorations, with Alex standing beside him.

"Christmas is real Alex, and Santa's gonna come tonight." Said Jack and Alex nodded.

"He binging toys."Said Alex with a nod.

"Maybe he'll bring Lucky." Said Jack with a yawn.

After dinner, Peter tucked the kids into bed. Greg and Nora up in the attic, and Jan and Phillip asleep down in dad's den, the house was pretty full tonight. Jack and Alex were perfectly asleep in their bed. His brown eyes looked at the both of them and gently kissed their temples. He sighed before going to sleep having a lot to think about.