Three Days

By Dannette

He lost his sister on the eve of Christmas, and now he has three days to change history, and hopefully save her


***

"Wake up Jack." Molly said, looking down at her son with a smile on her face.

Jack groaned, he didn't want to wake up, he looked up and froze when he saw his mother's bright smile, she was smiling? "Mom?" Jack questioned, rubbing his eyes, he pushed the covers off of his body, swinging his legs over with ease. "What is it?"

"Well if you're ever going to make it to Seattle to catch your sister by surprise, you better get ready so I can get to you to the airport." Molly said, pulling her hair in a pony-tail. "Don't worry, I didn't tell her that you were coming by. She's going to be so happy to see you, you two haven't seen each other in months." Molly mused, tapping her foot anxiously.

Jack stared at Molly, as if she grew another head, his eyes held a pained look in them. What was she talking about? "Mom --- " Jack stopped, he looked over to the wooden table next to his bed and froze when he saw the clear crystal ball. A sudden rush of memories flew through his head, the Nick guy showing up, saying that Jack had three days. Jack rolled over in his bed and grabbed his eletronic calendar, his eyes widened when he read the date. "Three days before Christmas Eve." Jack hushed out.

Molly stared oddly at Jack. "Yeah, and yesterday was four days before Christmas Eve, what's wrong Jack? And why aren't you getting ready? Your flight leaves pretty soon, I hope you know." Molly said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be downstairs." Molly said, she stared at Jack for a few more seconds, before hestitantly sighing and walking out of his room, to give him some privacy.

Jack watched his mother go, he watched her hestitantly leave the room, but his dark eyes weren't focused on her for long, soon they were back at the clear crystal ball. He grabbed the crystal ball, and the minute it laid in the palm of his hands, an image danced inside of the crystal ball. It was of him and Fi, outside of Mad Max's house. Jack smiled, remembering that day, that day he had come so close to telling Fi he loved her back, but the words always came so hard, so hard to just say three words. Jack bit down on his lip, he had always been mister logical, but looking down at the crystal ball that held an image of him and Fi, Jack felt him throw away all of his logic. Could he possibly believe in Nick? Could he be open minded to save Fi? Could he change history?

***

"Tell your sister I said hi." Clu said, burying his hands in his coat pocket, even though they were in the airport which was supposedly heated, Clu could still feel the cold December air, he shook his head and stared at Jack, and automatically noticed how his best friend looked. "Are you okay man? Why, so nervous looking? It's just Fi, you're going to go see." Clu replied slowly.

Jack waved a dismissive hand as he waited for the plane to arrive. "It's been a year."

Clu nodded. "She'll be surprised to see you, you just make sure you guys make it home in time for Christmas."

The words seemed like a slap in the face and Jack didn't know why they did. The word 'Christmas' didn't have a magical glow to it anymore, it actually felt like a word that had betrayed his trust, that had caused him pain. Jack tightened his coat and nodded slowly, he looked down at his hands and looked at the crystal ball, it currently was blank looking, Jack bit down on his lip as he shoved the ball into his coat pocket, he turned to Clu. "Can I ask you something?" Jack asked.

"Sure." Clu said, trying to understand what had his friend so uneasy.

"Why did you always follow Fi on her stupid little journies? Did you really believe in what she was chasing after?" Jack asked.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no." Clu answered. "I guess I always followed her, because to just be near your sister would have made me happy, she's my best friend, and that comes with no explanation. Some of the stuff she was chasing after seemed sort of ... unbelievable, but she always had this spark in her eyes, she was always so curious to find something out there and it just rubbed on me, I mean I knew that maybe all this stuff would lead to us getting hurt, but I never cared, I just wanted to be near her."

Jack smiled softly, he looked up when he heard a female voice boom over the microphone and echo through the airport. "That's me, I'll see you later Clu ... and we'll be home for Christmas." Jack said, walking off ... "Hopefully." Jack said to himself.

***

Jack leaned against the gate of the high school, as he watched the kids pile out of the school, his dark eyes scanned through the crowd to find Fi. His eyes widened when he saw Fi, she was standing next to two blonde girls, the three of them laughed over something. Jack watched Fi wave to some other girls, her long brown hair with red tint was up in a bun, her black backpack was hefted over her left shoulder. She didn't look any different then she did last year when he saw her, but staring at his little sister, by two years, after just yesterday having to deliever a speech at her funeral, just sent him through shock. Jack looked down and pulled out the crystal ball, he watched it glow brighter then it had ever glowed, a collage of images of Fi flew through it, they swirled together so fast, that all the images became one constant image. Jack slipped the crystal ball back in his coat pocket, and went back to staring at Fi, she wore a black short sleeved t-shirt with baggy pants, not too baggy, just enough space to be comfortable. Jack smiled, a year had passed by and she still had the 100 watt smile, as Jack used to call it.

"Jack?" Fi said, her dark eyes coming in contact with someone she swore was Jack.

Jack's smile widened when he saw Fi looking at him. "FI!" Jack said, waving Fi down.

"I gotta go." Fi said to her two blonde companions, she ran over to the gate, her body in complete shock in seeing Jack. "What are you doing here Jack?" Fi asked, smiling at her older brother. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but it's just a shock to see you here, I thought I was going to come down to Hope Springs in three days?" Fi asked, a bit bouncy. Her green alien head earrings rocking back and forth. "Hey hold on okay?" Fi asked, she smiled, she did a sort of bounce before running off.

Jack turned around when a few seconds later Fi was on the other side of the gate and standing next to him. "Hey." Jack said, smiling. "I know we both agreed for you to come down on Christmas Eve, but I thought I would surprise you by coming here to see you. What your big brother can't show up to see his little sister?" Jack said, teasing slightly. He played off the role of the calm, teasing older brother ... but inside his heart was racing hard, god only if she knew what would happen to her in three days ...

Fi grinned and hugged Jack. "Aunt Melinda is out ... "

"Of town, I know." Jack replied.

Fi stared at Jack oddly. "Hey, how did you know?" Fi asked, as her and Jack began walking.

Jack tensed up a bit. "Aunt Melinda called mom, before I came here, so it gave me more of a reason to see you. I thought we would start Christmas a little early this year." Jack replied, he grinned and grabbed FI's hand and pulled her in front of him. "When was the last time we went ice skating together? Just me and you?" Jack asked, smiling softly, when Fi smiled up at him.

"A while." Fi answered.

"Want to?" Jack asked.

Fi smiled, she nodded, all intentions of further asking Jack why he really was here were thrown out the window, as she and Jack walked side by side, heading towards the closest ice skating rink. There was something different about Jack, he was acting like he did when they were younger, before everything got messed up between them. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate Jack being here, because she did, but deep down she knew something was going on, but right now she wasn't going to question his motives.

***

"You told me I could fly if I tried hard enough!" Fi exclaimed as her and Jack skated side by side. "I believed you! I was like 7!"

Jack laughed. "That doesn't mean you had to climb up on the roof and try to jump off! You made mom flip out, she was screaming like a lunatic. Clu was like screaming for you to get down, and all Carey could say was 'cool'. I had to climb up and get you, just because I said something was true, didn't actually mean it was! I'm the older brother, I was supposed to torture you."

"I didn't know that!" Fi said, skating backwards, so she could face Jack.

Jack smiled, he then grew serious. "Can I ask you something?" Jack asked.

"Sure, go ahead." Fi replied, seeing the sudden serious look painted on Jack's face. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Why did you go?" Jack asked. "Last year, it wasn't because of Annie was it? I mean, why did you decide to move to Seattle? Was there something I could have done to prevent your decision? Or was it something you knew you had to do?" Jack asked.

Fi bit down on her lip. "It was something I had to do Jack, you couldn't understand."

"You could make me." Jack replied, quickly.

Fi stared at Jack, and frowned, she had been able to push thoughts of Jack's odd behavior before, but now she couldn't. "What's going on Jack? You show up out of the blue and expect me to take the excuse that you just wanted to surprise me as the truth? I'm not that seven year old girl anymore Jack, there is something going on with you, I can feel it." Fi replied.

"You couldn't understand." Jack answered.

"You could make me."

Jack stopped skating and looked Fi in the eyes. "Do you realize how many times we fought when we could have been trying to realize the reason why we fight? Fi, life is short, believe me, I know that more then anybody and I know that I don't want to lose you. Things happen Fi, awful things happen, and take it that this trip to see you, is my only chance to make you see how precious life is, how short we really do have. I can't tell you, but Fi believe me when I say this ... I love you." Jack replied.

Fi stared at Jack in amazement but also in confusion, what was going on with her older brother? Why did he look like he was about to cry? "I love you too Jack, we're family and nothing can change that." Fi replied, but somehow she didn't think that reached Jack completely. "I'm not going anywhere." Fi replied, as she began to skate anywhere, she frowned when Jack didn't say a word.

Jack skated past Fi, as he tried to get a hold of his emotions.

***

Jack looked around Fi's room as she took a shower, he stopped at her closet, he saw a big, old looking book. He reached up and took the book out, he smiled softly when he saw that it was some stupid spell book Fi had always thought was real. Jack brushed his fingers against the image of some sort of dragon on the front, supposedly called a 'Strangeling'. Jack reached in his pocket, pulling out the crystal ball, he looked at the image dancing inside of the ball. It was of Fi, she was wearing a witch hat, screaming, to the side there he was wearing a knight outfit, and in front of him was the 'Strangeling'. Jack widened his eyes, he remembered that day, he could hardly see a thing, but he had never thought Fi and M & M had been telling the truth. Jack put the crystal ball down and opened the book, he flipped through the book and caught sight of a spell, he looked at it quizzically.

"That was the spell she did to close her eyes away from the paranormal." Came Nick's voice behind Jack.

Jack whirled around, he stared at Nick oddly. "What? And how did you get here?" Jack asked.

"Haven't we learned yet Jack?" Nick asked, flipping through the page with a flip of his hand, yet his fingers never touched the book. "Your sister did a spell, right before she left, to close her eyes to the paranormal, she did it to save your family. Then she left, that was why she left Jack. And for the how question, open your eyes up to the possibilities." Nick replied.

Jack stared at the pages of the book being flipped without nothing moving them. "I don't believe in this ... this is not real."

"Jack, day one is almost over." Nick replied. "I came here to give you advice, you know ... the perfect Christmas gift doesn't have to be something that costs money, you could always give your sister back a gift she already had in the first place." Nick hinted.

"What?" Jack asked, he then looked down to see the pages stop flipping to a certain spell 'To See The Unseen'. Jack looked up to ask Nick something else, only to find that Nick was no longer standing by his side, actually Nick was nowhere seen. Jack frowned, but then he looked back down at the spell book, he picked the book up, he then glanced to the bathroom Fi was in. Jack read the ingridents the spell needed, he sighed; his whole life he had been the logical one, but as he looked down at the book, he knew he was about to take a plunge into something killed his father and many times almost killed his sister, and despite how scared he was to take the plunge, he knew he was taking it not for him, but for someone more important, his baby sister, for Fi.