Ahhh...aftermaths of parties. Some good, some bad.

It was Saturday afternoon when Jackson finally woke from the black out. His mother was sitting in his room at the edge of his bed with a bowl of water and a wet cloth.

"Mother…"Jackson start to say trying to get up but his mother rushed over and pushed him back down.

"It's okay Jackson everything is okay," she said patting his head with the cold cloth, "everything will be okay, you are safe." She whispered softly to him.

He pushed her hand away getting up despite her efforts to keep him down. He tried to recall what happened after he woke up…how did he manage to get in front of the doors? He was pretty sure he was by his car…There was no logical way to explain that…but Jackson worked his brain as his mother fused over him.

"Mother I am fine," he snapped a little too harshly making his mother freeze for a second.

She finally broke out of it making Jackson sink down when he caught her gaze, "Don't use that tone with me mister. I am not the one blacking out from parties!"

Jackson hung his head, he didn't do anything wrong…why did she always get mad at him when he didn't even really understand what he did wrong. Jackson didn't say anything as she cleaned up.

"If you are fine then get up do what you want." She walked to the door, "do not come complaining to me when you are hurting." Slamming the door he heard her stomp her way down stairs.

Jackson flinched at his mother's sudden outburst. Of course he was more then used to them…every time he woke up in some ally or random street and he would call her, she would always be mad when they got home…quiet car rides means trouble when he got home. Of course she would make sure he was physically fine, but then she would leave to make him try to figure out what happened. With no help at all, not even a word of how he might have gotten there. Jackson pulled his knees to his chest and just sat in his bed, trying to figure out what he did this time. She let him go…so why is she mad? He didn't go and do drugs…he never even thought about it. Drinking was another thing that Jackson never cared for. So what did he do? He felt warm liquid form in his eyes. All he did was try to get home…he could have blacked out while driving. Why was she not happy that he was alive and not in a ditch somewhere? He let the tears flow as he curled in a ball. He just wanted his mother to be happy…better yet to finally be proud of him for once. Everything he did seem not to matter to her. Not since his father; Jackson clinched his fists as he remembered his father's last moments. How he stood there and did nothing. He let his father die and did nothing! Everyone says that he would have been killed to if he got involved, but it was Jackson's fault he father was even there! So that makes him the murdered…not directly, but if he was stronger than all of that would have never happened!

A few hours later Sydney walked slowly into Jackson's room to see her son curled up on top of his covers not moving. Sydney hated when she got like that, but her Hyde side was hard to control when she was so emotionally involved. But she never hurt anyone more than her son when that part of her came out.

"Jackson…Sweetie?" She called walking over to him when he didn't move. She placed her hand on his side making him jump and move away looking at her with wide eyes. She closed her eyes and smiled a comforting smile at him. She has seen that look before…but not in awhile.

"It's okay…" She whispered pulling him into a hug which for once he accepted without complaint but didn't return.

Jackson felt the warmth of his mother's hug, but at the moment he didn't know how to react. As much as he wanted her to leave…he didn't want to be alone anymore. "I am so very sorry, sweetie," she told him as she held him.

He closed his eyes as he felt tears coming again…how he missed this. The love he forgot existed. But he didn't want her there…he couldn't get the over the feeling that she left him when he needed her most. How she shut down…how she moved from place to place running…running from what he didn't know. All he knew was that the longer she held him the madder he got. Slowly forcing his way out of his crying mother's grip, he wiped his tears away taking a deep breath. Finding his black rimmed glass to put them on, he got up a little stiff from not moving for a while he turned to face his mother. "What did I do?" He asked as his mother as she looked at her hands.

He stood there waiting for his mother to speak first, but when she didn't he walked over to the window, "leave me alone mother," he said quietly. There was no sharpness, he wasn't being mean or demanding it was almost emotionless. Sydney closed her eyes when he said that…new assault of tears were threatening to come out. "Jackson…" she started when he stopped her.

"I just want to be alone. You never had a problem with leaving me to deal with things before…so why is it different now?" He said not looking at her; he knew he hurt her when he said things like that to her. But he was just so mad and confused he didn't care at the moment.

"If…that is what you want." Sydney said not wanting to get in a fight with Jackson again. As much as it hurt her she got up and walked out slowly closing the door behind her. She didn't know what to do…Moments like this she wished there was a manual to being a mother…better yet a single mother who had a son with an alter ego, who not only lost his father…but watched him be murdered.

Jackson listened to his mother walk out of his room before he dropped to his knees, no tears. He was done with crying…done feeling sorry for himself. He walked over to his dresser where he placed it when he promised Deuce and Heath he wouldn't cut anymore. He placed his hand on the handle of the door, he didn't open it…As much as he wanted to go back to that moment…as much as he needed it he removed his hand and walked to the window. Opening he let the cool wind blow in and over him. Breathing it in slowly and then out again, he was strong, he thought to himself. He climbed out the window and started to walk in the afternoon sunlight to the casketball court.

It was empty expect for a few pigeons who were squawking and fighting over some unseen food. Sitting in the middle of the court he just let the sun warm him.

"Jackson?" A small voiced sounded behind him making him jump and turn around.

"Daculaura?" Jackson breathed out trying to catch his breath.

She giggled as she bounced over to him, "What are you doing here?"

Jackson snorted, "I could ask you the same thing."

She pouted a little, "I was just wondering." She walked over and sat down on the bench. Jackson felt bad at the small amount of rudeness he showed to her so he walked over to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude…it's just been a stressful day." Jackson rubbed his wrist thinking about his mother.

Daculaura smiled, "Oh it's no problem. Everyone has stressful days! Especially after parties!"

Jackson moaned and placed his head in his hands. "Please don't remind me."

Daculaura tilted her head to trying to understand why Jackson reacted that way. "You didn't have a good time?"

Jackson realized that she must not have been there for his entrance after it ended...He was happy for that. She didn't start to ask a million questions. "I did have a good time…" He wasn't completely lying.

"Well that's good!" She said moving her umbrella over her a little more, "so why didn't you want to be reminded of it if you had a good time?"

Jackson closed his eyes as he remembered running out on Frankie…how he must have scared her. "I kind of left Frankie…" He said as she gasped.

"Why would you do that? That's tots mean!" She scolded as Jackson tried not to laugh, even when being scolded by a teenage vampire wasn't funny enough but when that vampire is a pink happy go lucky one was just a funny thought to him.

"Um…hello I am talking to you!" She said poking Jackson in the arm as he tried trying to make a straight face, "if you aren't going to take dating Frankie seriously then you shouldn't date her!" She shouted making Jackson stop laughing.

"We aren't dating." He said defending himself, slowly calming down from the mental image of her trying to be scary.

"But do you like her?" She said not backing down.

"Well yea, bu-"

"But nothing mister! You better treat her like a princess because she doesn't need her heart broken by some cruel person!"

"But I didn-"

"Didn't what?"

"If you let me finish!" Jackson shouted getting a surprised look from Daculaura, "I didn't mean to run out on her…I wasn't feeling well and tried to go home when I blacked out." She gasped at the last part but he went on talking, "and when I came to the party was over and I didn't even really know what happened since I couldn't stay awake long enough…the last thing I remember was waking up in my bed."

She placed her hand on his shoulder, for once she didn't know what to say. She could apologize but she wasn't really being mean. She just doesn't want her ghoulfriend hurt by some guy. "I guess I am sorry for being so harsh to you."

"It's fine, I should explain to her what happened. Maybe she won't be to mad." Jackson could see this not ending in his favor but he still had to try. Draculaura hugged Jackson from the side making him jump again in response, "that's always a good place to start but she is out of town with her parents for the weekend." Jackson groaned again when she hugged him again. "Don't worry Jackson she will be back Monday."

"I am not worried about her not coming back," he complained to his hands, "it is the fact she will reject me in front of the entire school."

She sat there just thinking for a second when she giggled, "Frankie isn't really into dramatics. So you should be good there."

Chuckling he thought of Deuce and Cleo who seemed to fight only in sight of other people, "yeah she could be like Cleo."

"See already looking on the positive side of things." Her coffin shaped phone started to ring, answering it before even looking at she got up and walked out of earshot. Jackson sat there trying not to watch her talk so he took to watching a few ants crawling away from him. "That was my father," she said walking back over to him, "he says I need to get home, but thanks for sitting and talking to me it was nice."

"No thank you," Jackson said before he waved good bye to her. Who would have thought that talking to a slightly over dramatic vampire would make him feel better? Watching the sun sink lower in the sky he thought of Frankie out with her parents doing whatever Steins did. Laughing a little at the thought of them going to a lake and shocking people…not on propose of course…but thinking of Frankie in a bikini made Jackson blush, good thing there was no one around to question him. Taking out his phone he noticed it was getting late and he should head home…no need to get yelled at for sneaking out and for being out past curfew. He would explain to Frankie Monday, Deuce and Heath tomorrow. He had a feeling that this weekend is not going to be fun at all…of course it would be better to know that when he got home he wouldn't get grounded for the rest of the weekend for back talking his mother. At least she has a reason to be mad at him for once.