Requested by Crazy Fan :)

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Extended Family

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Jack lounged across the back of the Bennett's couch, foot tapping along to the Queen album playing in the background. It was a Tuesday. The kids were at school. Mrs B had the day off. Jack probably should have been off doing something productive, but it was kind of nice to just lie around doing nothing.

Mrs Bennett danced past him, singing to Bohemian Rhapsody, voice rapidly changing in pitch as she attempted to hit all the parts. Jack snorted at her, thoroughly enjoying the show. She retaliated by dusting his face as she moved over to the TV. It was hard to tell if it was punishment for the laugh or because he'd once again ignored her strongly worded suggestion to 'sit like a normal person, for god's sake'. He coughed out a mouthful of dust and glared at her, but she was ignoring him.

"Hey," he called out.

"Hmm?" she hummed in a breath between lyrics.

"We should do something."

"I am cleaning the house. You should do something." She punctuated her words by swiping the duster along the top of the TV.

Jack rolled his eyes. "We should do something together."

Mrs B glanced back over her shoulder. "There's a second duster in the cupboard."

God no. "Only an adult would think cleaning is fun."

"It can be if you try hard enough," she gestured pointedly to the stereo, and then tapered back off into lyrics. Jack gave her a very flat look.

"Okay, Mary Poppins."

"I'm not taking criticism from you about cleaning until you stop sleeping in trees."

That was… a fair point.

"I'll tell you what," she said after a moment, pausing with her hands on her hips. "You help me finish the housework, and I'll do whatever you want to do after."

"Anything?"

"…Within reason."

"Deal."

Mrs B looked like she was regretting it already. Jack didn't give her a chance to change her mind, leaping off the couch to go grab the other duster.

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"Are you sure about this?" Mrs Bennett asked nervously, arms wrapped tightly around his neck and hands clinging to the fabric of his hoodie in a death grip. They hadn't even moved yet.

"You said anything," Jack pointed out.

"Within reason!"

"You think this is unreasonable?" He could think of an entire list of things that could be classed as 'unreasonable' just off the top of his head. This was not one of them. "I thought you'd be excited." She'd turned into a babbling mess when she'd met North, after all. And while this didn't quite hold the same weight, he'd still expected a similar reaction.

"You can shut your eyes if that'd help," he suggested. Why she'd want to miss out on the spectacular view, he'd never know, but apparently a fear of heights was pretty common amongst humans (and Bunny).

"Okay," she scrunched her eyes up tight and tucked her face into his shoulder. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Hold on tight."

The wind surged between them, easily plucking them off the ground. Mrs B was a little heavier than Jamie and Sophie, but he had no trouble carrying her, and the wind showed no signs of strain. Maybe it was just a magic thing.

It wasn't a particularly long flight, so Jack deliberately took a round-about route, hoping to get Mrs B used to it enough that she'd stop hiding. And she did take a peek at one point, only to squeak and cling tighter, nearly strangling him. Unfathomable. How were they even related?

The meadow was as unchanged as it ever was, not that Jack had expected it to have now. Mother Nature might have been unpredictable at her core, but it was a predictable unpredictability that did not extend to her own personal garden. It was a space that could not exist anywhere else – perfectly balanced between natural and planned, and eternally trapped between all four seasons. It had always awed Jack, and as their feet touched down on the soft grass and Mrs Bennett finally dared to open her eyes, he was a little proud to note his own feelings were perfectly captured on her face.

"Oh, wow," she breathed, releasing her death grip in favour of slowly spinning, attempting to take it all in. The plants varied so significantly that there was no clear way to determine where they were. Even harder for Mrs Bennett, who had shied away from an aerial view. Jack pinpointed the exact moment she spotted the castle, her eyes widening impossibly further. "Where are we?"

Jack grinned. He started towards the castle, Mrs B falling into step beside him. "Somewhere no mortal has ever been before," he said dramatically.

Mrs B faltered. "Am I allowed to be here?"

Jack shrugged, not stopping. "Probably not." He'd never been explicitly told one way or the other, though that could potentially be because no one had ever considered the possibility that anyone would want to bring a mortal to Mother Nature's parlour.

Mrs Bennett was not reassured in the least. "Jack…"

He looked back over his shoulder at her, still not stopping. The threat of being left alone was enough to encourage her to catch up, even as his promise ("It'll be fine") did nothing to quell her unease.

"Seriously," she whispered as they reached the doors. "Why are we here?"

Jack knocked three times. "I want you to meet somebody."

There was barely a second before the doors swung open. The sprites that manned them stared up at him with the same mild distaste they always had. The distaste only increased when they caught sight of Mrs B, who apparently could not see them. Jack didn't bother with introductions.

"Where's Mom?" he asked, even as he stepped past them and into the entryway. Mrs B hovered close beside him. From the expression on her face, she knew they weren't alone, but she said nothing.

"You weren't invited," one of the sprites informed him.

"Never stopped me before."

The sprite scowled.

"Second floor parlour," the other one said. "Why did you bring a human?"

"Thanks." Jack led Mrs B further into the castle, ignoring the question.

The entry hall was lined by a pair of gently curved staircases, both constructed from the living roots of a tree that grew at the very heart of the castle, and decorated with vines and flowers. Mrs B ran her hand along the railing reverently as they ascended.

"Who's 'Mom'?" she asked quietly, as if speaking at normal volume was blasphemous. There was something in her tone that made Jack glance back at her. Her face was unreadable, but Jack thought there was something… pinched about it.

"Who do you think?" he teased, leading her down the hallway at the top of the stairs. "A meadow, a castle, lots of plants, called Mom…?"

They stopped outside an arched wooden door almost completely concealed by blossoming vines. Jack rapped his knuckles against the frame.

Mrs Bennett stared at him. Then, in a soft whisper, "Mother Nature."

"Enter!"

Jack pushed open the door.

It was a lesser used parlour – Mom usually preferring the grandeur of the one at the far end of the first floor, with its French doors – but it was elegant in its own way. The window in this room was small, but it was open, fluttering the lace curtains and letting in the bees and the heavy scent of flowers. A small white table in the centre of the room was set with tea and various finger foods (such a common sight that Jack suspected all Mom ever did was drink tea and snack). Mother Nature herself sat in the seat on the left, teacup in hand. She only had one guest, sitting opposite her. Both looked up and beamed when they caught sight of him standing in the doorway.

Jack slammed the door shut.

Mrs Bennett startled, gaze snapping from the now closed door to Jack and back again, as if she could see through the wood into the room beyond. "Jack…?"

"You know what? You were right. We shouldn't have come." He grabbed her wrist, laughing nervously as he started dragging her back the way they had come. She let herself be tugged along, not physically resisting, but still trying to work out why he'd suddenly changed his mind. Behind him, he heard the door open again, and picked up his pace.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" a voice called.

"Jack?" Mrs Bennett tried again. It was unclear if she had heard the voice or not. "What's wrong?"

A gust of hot wind, and suddenly their path was blocked. Jack stopped abruptly, staggering when Mrs B, unable to catch herself in time, stumbled into his back.

Lleu frowned down at him, hands on his hips. "Are you running away?"

"Uh…"

"From me?"

Sometimes it was hard to tell when Lleu was genuinely offended, and when he was just being dramatic. Usually it was both. In this particular instance, Jack had absolutely no idea. Fortunately (or unfortunately), he was spared from coming up with an explanation when Lleu inevitably spotted Mrs Bennett standing awkwardly behind him.

"Who's this?"

Jack glanced back at Mrs B helplessly and sighed. She still looked very confused. "Mrs B, this is Lleu, the summer spirit. Lleu, this is Mrs Bennett."

Mrs B blinked, her eyes widening as she finally saw what Jack could see. Lleu was equally surprised.

"Wait, are you Jamie's mom?"

"You know Jamie?" Mrs Bennett frowned.

"Oh, yeah! Big fan," Lleu grinned. Then, to Jack, "So how many moms do you have now?"

Jack spluttered. "She's not my mom, she's my niece!" he cried at the same time Mrs B asked, "How many do you have?"

Jack stared at her. Mrs B stared back.

"Niece?" Lleu drew their attention back to him. "I'm an uncle?"

"What?" they replied simultaneously.

"I have a niece," he beamed, wiping a tear from his eye. "And a nephew? And another niece? This is the best day of my life!"

"I think I understand now," Mrs B said quietly.

Jack nodded solemnly.

Lleu gasped. "You have to meet your Grandma Mom!" Without warning, he grabbed Mrs B's arm and tugged her back down the hallway, much like Jack had done previously. She stared back at him helplessly, but there would be no stopping Lleu now.

Jack sighed again, and trailed after them.

Mom was still exactly where she had been when they reached the parlour. She glanced up from her teacup as they entered, apparently not at all fazed by their abrupt departure.

"Come in!" she beamed, setting down her cup to gesture at the chairs tucked into the table. "And who might this be?"

"Mom, I'm an uncle," Lleu stage whispered, shoving Mrs B forward gently so she was standing directly in Mother Nature's line of sight. Mrs B looked like she didn't know if she should bow or speak or just faint.

Jack quickly moved to stand by her side. "Hi. Sorry. I wouldn't have come if I'd known you were busy."

Mother Nature waved flippantly. "I'm never too busy for you, Jackie-bean. And you know Lleu adores you."

Jack stared at her for a long moment. "…Jackie-bean?"

Lleu snorted. "She's been trying out nicknames," he explained. "I'm Lulu."

"The article said it was a good way to bond with your children!" Mom countered defensively.

"She's also been getting into human magazines."

She swatted at him, as if the knowledge that she read human magazines was some great secret, and then shoved him towards the seat he'd previously occupied. "Sit, sit," she beckoned Jack and Mrs B. "I want to hear all about this uncle business."

Mrs B was still kind of frozen, so Jack gently directed her to a chair before taking his own opposite her. "This is, uh, Mrs Bennett – you remember Jamie? She's his mom. She's a descendent of my sister."

Mom's smile only grew. "How lovely to meet you!" she said, offering a hand out to Mrs B, who shook it like it was made of glass. "I am Mother Nature, but feel free to call me Seraphina. I suppose this means I'm your grandma, but 'grandma' makes me feel old."

"You are old," Lleu said around a mouthful of teacake.

"Lulu, don't talk with your mouth full."

"Nice to meet you," Mrs B said, a little more colour to her cheeks. The shock was starting to wear off.

"Would you care for some tea?" Mom reached for the delicate terracotta teapot.

Mrs B met Jack's eyes across the table, as if asking for permission. Jack shrugged. He wouldn't make her stay if she was uncomfortable. She nodded, albeit a little hesitantly, and offered a quiet 'thank you'.

"Now tell me, just how on Earth did Jack manage to earn an adult's belief?"

That seemed to be all the nudge Mrs B needed. A wry smile split her face and she glanced in Jack's direction. Before she even started, Jack knew he was not going to come off well in this retelling. It might not have been so bad if not for Lleu sitting right there, looking for all the world like he wished he had a pen to take notes.

Jack slunk down low in his seat. Well, at least Mrs B and Mom were getting along. He watched her carefully, taking in the way her smile only grew the further into the story she got (and he was right he really was the bad guy in this story), and felt a rush of affection for her. She'd always reminded him of his mom – his real mom – but ever since that first night when she'd really seen him, she'd become almost like a… like a second mom to him (or a fourth? He had so many). And maybe… maybe he was okay with that.