A/N :

Natalie : Glad you liked it! Actually this was supposed to be a oneshot but then I got more and more ideas.

Q-A the Authoress : Haha, I wish I was rich and could afford a chaffeur! But I live in a big city with a very good public transport system so I never regretted not getting a driver's license.

Anniewaterbabyc : I'll try to update at least once a week. ^^

Silvia Moretti : I like plucking at people's heartstrings. ;D

Duskinator : They didn't notice the wound right away because he was standing in front of them so they didn't see his back. Same here, nothing more entertaining than some nice angst. Though I wouldn't like to see drastic scenes like those in an actual movie, I think that would be too much to handle.

SaiyanPrincess : There's a lot more to come. :)

Gentle-Valera-Fox : Yeah, it's quite common but that doesn't make it any less creepy.

mrsspecialk : Wow, that surely was a LOT to read! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks to Shamangirl1, Hamato Miwa, AyameKitsune and Xion5 as well!


Fire sizzled in the antique stove, illuminating the room together with a few candles. It was past bedtime, but the Overlands couldn't tear their children away from the joyful games they were playing. They looked so happy and several more minutes of staying awake wouldn't do any harm. Jack and his one year old sister sat on the ground in front of the stove where it was pleasantly warm. In each of his hands he held a wooden animal, a wolf and a horse. The carving looked pretty amateurish but the basic shapes displayed the species well enough. For Jack's first tries and considering his age they were quite impressing, though.

While not counting as poor, his family wasn't rich either and a lack of big towns nearby also meant that there weren't many toys around. So he had asked his father to show him how to carve sculptures out of wood and practiced for weeks. Many pieces of wood were thrown away until he was finally happy with the results and gave them to his little sister on her first birthday.

Right now he was telling her an imaginative story about how the horse saved the wolf's live when he was a puppy and years later when it was attacked by adult wolves one of them recognized his former saviour and protected it from his pack.

The small girl listened to her brother and stared at him with wide eyes, hanging to his every word even though she probably didn't understand it all. Ever since her birth the two siblings had been inseparable. Mrs. Overland smiled at her cheerful offspring while she leaned back in her rocking chair and sewed one of Jack's shirts. Reckless and wild behaviour often resulted in torn clothes but she was used to it by now. Her husband was sitting next to her and reading one of the scarce books the village possessed. Literature wasn't a priority in those times but whenever someone could get their hands on a new book they sooner or later showed up at their house to lend it to , who was known for his liking of worthwhile stories. With the book in his one and a pipe in his other hand, as well as his beloved children playing together in harmony, he seemed completely at ease.

Only Jack's talking and the faint crackle of the fire could be heard in the otherwise silent cottage, the night outside being as peaceful as the scenery inside.

"But the wolf's friends didn't want the horse to escape because they were hungry and it was an easy prey. They attacked it despite his plea to spare it so he did what he felt was right and fought against them, he couldn't allow them to hurt the creature who had saved his life. He was the strongest of the pack and while they were in the majority he managed to defeat them. When they retreated back into the depths of the forest they yelled at him that they didn't accept him as their leader anymore, because he was a traitor. The horse uttered its apologies for what had just happened and thanked him for what he had done. While knowing he could never return to his pack, the wolf knew that he had done the right thing. So he joined the horse, who didn't have a family either, and they became the best of friends."

Jack put the two wooden animals on the floor in front of him and raised his arms up in the air.

"The end!"

Squeals of laughter left his baby sister's mouth, her tiny hands clapping in joy, showing her approval of the evening entertainment. It was all she could do so far, since she hadn't started to talk yet and couldn't simply tell him how much she loved his stories.

"Now that you're done, it's about time for you two to go to bed."

"But mother, I'm not even tired yet!" the chocolate-haired boy protested.

"I don't care, it's way past bedtime already." Mrs. Overland replied matter-of-factly and set her finished sewing aside.

"Please, just 10 more minutes?"

"No."

"How about 5 more minutes?"

"No, Jack."

"2 more minutes?"

"Jaaaack, I said no." the brunette woman sighed at her son's stubbornness.

The one year old next to them was still giggling in amusement, earning her a raised eyebrow from her brother.

"Hey Becky, you shouldn't be happy about it. Sleeping is boring!"

"Jack, that's enough now." his father eventually chimed in, his voice deep as usual, holding that special tone that made it obvious how much he cared and yet oozed authority.

"Faaather, please!"

"Jaaack!" the older man spoke, this time louder and firmer.

"Jaaack!"

Suddenly three pairs of eyes widened, no one said a word. Not trusting their own ears, the two adults and the 9 year old boy gazed at the toddler who was still sitting on the floor and smiling brightly.

"Rebecca, what did you just say?" Mrs. Overland asked disbelievingly and knelt down next to her daughter.

"Jaaack! Jack! Jack! Jack!" the small child repeated and giggled happily.

"You can talk!" the woman exclaimed and took her in her arms, lifting her up in sheer joy.

"You're her first word." Mr. Overland shot a heartfelt smile in his son's direction before continuing to beam at his daughter and wife.

Jack's features lit up, his grin almost reaching his ears at the realization. There couldn't have been a better gift for him.


"Giddyup, horsie!" Becky shouted as she sat on her brother's back, who trudged over the lush green grass on all fours.

Now and then he raised his body up so he stood on his knees, waving his arms about and neighing like a horse. His almost 3 year old sister laughed in joy every time he did that and clung to his neck to not fall off. It had turned out to be her favourite game and the sunny afternoon in the middle of summer was perfect for playing outside. But after a while even the energetic Jack got tired from carrying his sister around for who knew how long and dramaticaly collapsed on his stomach.

"Horsie! Horsie, get up!" the toddler urged her noble steed and patted his back.

"Horsie tired, horsie needs a nap." Jack mumbled into the grass defeatedly.

"Nooo, get up! Come on!" the volume of the little girl's voice increased and, while it wasn't enough to hurt her brother, her hands were pushing onto him with more force now.

The boy was still laying on the ground like dead, pretending to be fast asleep and refusing to move a single muscle. Well, except the faint grin on his face. When Becky realized that ordering him to stand up again wouldn't work she suddenly got another idea. More drastic, but it was worth a try. The older Overland was doing his best to suppress the triumphant smile when his sister finally climbed off of him. However, the moment of victory didn't last long. All of a sudden the air was knocked out of him as someone jumped on him with all their might.

"OOMPH!"

"Haha, horsie awake!" the brown-haired girl yelled and continued to move up and down while sitting on his lean back.

"Go, go, go!"

"I think you just killed the horsie." the boy groaned with a dramatic voice and remained lying on his stomach.

"Nooo! Horsie's still talking, not dead!"

Right on cue Jack became quiet, stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth, closed his eyes and stopped moving again.

"Horsiiiiieeeee!"

No reaction.

"Horsie! Heyyyy! ...Horsie? Come on, wake up!" the toddler's cries became more desperate by the second while she kept tugging on her brother's collar.

"HORSIIIEE!"

When realized he had gone far enough, he didn't want to traumatize or seriously scare his sister after all, Jack turned around so she slid off his back and landed on the soft grass beneath them.

"I'm aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" he exclaimed and bent down to tickle the younger child without mercy.

High-pitched squeals of laughter filled the clearing while the sun shone down on the two siblings, the warm rays of light embracing them as if to encourage their playful shenanigans.


One of the worst storms the small village had ever seen was currently raging on in the middle of the night. The wind howled loudly, like a spooky animal, rain pounded against the windows and thunder roared from the dark cloudy sky.

All of the settlers had retreated to their cottages, trying to get at least some sleep and praying that the damage the violent weather caused wouldn't be too big. Storms weren't unusual and neither were the unpleasant consequences.

Inside the home of the Overland's, 5 year old Becky was lying hidden beneath the blankets of her bed, her head under the pillow and hands pressed on it to drown the noises coming from outside. She hated storms, they scared her, but this one surpassed everything she had experienced so far. After a particularly heavy thunder she hesitantly pulled the blankets away, not really wanting to leave the pretended safety of her hiding place, to check if her brother was so troubled about the noisy weather as well. To her astonishment he was sleeping soundly, limbs spread out at ease and expression peaceful, as if he wasn't even aware of what was going on around him. The young girl's nervous gaze drifted to the little window in the wall between their beds, where nothing but rain and darkness could be seen. Looking through the room she desperately searched for something to distract her from her fear, but all she noticed where blurry shadows, increasing her anxiety. Besides that, there wasn't much.

Their room was barely big enough to fit two wooden beds, which their father had built himself, and a simple chest of drawers. Only a curtain was separating them from the main living section of the cottage, but having an own room wasn't something to be taken for granted in those times, so they were very grateful for it, no matter how moderate it was.

A sudden bolt of lightning startled the brunette girl, causing her to shriek and pull the blanket over her head again. Several roaring thunders and frightening lightnings later she realized that the storm wouldn't end anytime soon. Her fear reached its limit and she couldn't take it anymore. With trembling hands she removed the blanket and slid out of her bed, tiny feet carrying her towards the bed of her brother.

"Jack?" she whispered but he didn't respond.

"Jaaack?"

This time she placed her hand on his shoulder and shook it slightly, but he still showed no sign of noticing her. He was really sleeping like a rock. When another thunderbolt illuminated the room her actions became more urgent and both of her small hands grabbed his shoulders and shook him, her voice getting louder as well.

"Jaaack!"

And then, after what had seemed like forever, he finally opened his eyes. Tiredly he stared at his sister through half-closed lids, still making the impression of not having a clue about the squally weather.

"What's wrong?" he muttered groggily and on the verge of succumbing back to sleep.

"The storm, I'm scared..." she admitted feebly, both embarassed about sounding like a coward and at the same time hoping he would be able to comfort her.

Only now the older boy seemed to notice what was going on outside and lifted his head slightly to look through the window.

"It's just some rain, nothing to be afraid of." he stated with a gentle voice, and even in the darkness she could see the caring smile on his face.

"We're safe here, it can't harm us."

"But-but it's so noisy. I don't like it." the brown-eyed girl whined.

Just when Jack opened his mouth to further reassure her, heavy thunder filled the air and made her wince and gasp in horror. Witnessing her reaction he had no doubt that simply telling her that the storm was harmless as long as they stayed inside wouldn't be enough to calm her down. And he was tired, deathly tired.

"Come here." he muttered softly and raised his blanket with one hand.

One more bolt of lightning shot down in front of the window and before Jack had registered it his sister had jumped into his bed and pressed herself against his chest. Only now he noticed that she was trembling with fear. It alarmed every single part of his protector instinct.

"Ssshhh, it's alright." he whispered and wrapped the blankets around her lean frame, stroking her back soothingly.

"I'm here, nothing's gonna harm you."

Soon later she relaxed, feeling completely safe in her brother's arms and being convinced that he would protect her. Even though he barely managed to stay awake, Jack waited until she dozed off to make sure she was fine. Only when she was finally sleeping peacefully he allowed himself to close his eyes as well.


A/N : Is it weird that I usually can't stand children ( because there are so many spoiled and ill-behaved brats among them ) but writing about Jack and his sister makes my heart soar? I know many fans call his sister Pippa because Jamie's friend has that name and her voice actress also voices the sister, but that didn't sound very official so I thought of a name myself and chose Becky because...she looks like a Becky to me. :P