#the ending surprised me lmao. didn't think it would go there but baby jacquie is FULL of surprises

[safyresky]

The Monster Under the Table

Jack had had a particularly quiet day today.

At least, by his standards.

Oh, sure, he could've messed with the heatwave on the west coast. He had thought about it. But he hadn't been feeling it and had better things to do across the world, anyway. One nasty, crop killing blizzard later, he had found himself a mite bit peckish.

Then he had had crepes. Lovely crepes, with a delightful ganache. Then he thought he'd stop by the house, see how the parental units were faring with the little terror. It was, after all, almost dinner time back in Crystal Springs. They'd be passed out on the couch in no time and then, it'd be his turn with said little terror, and you know, today just seemed like the perfect day to mess with a heatwave and blame an actual child.

Bonus because said actual child would enjoy the ever loving snow out of it.

It was a win-win-win, in Jack's books.

Needless to say, when he walked through the door and saw Blaise, frazzled as can be, jacket missing, one suspender down, the other up, shirt unevenly buttoned and hair out and tussled beyond beLIEF, it was...not what he had expected.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," he said immediately.

Blaise looked up, startled, and then..relieved? That was sort of new. The man came rushing down the hall towards him, panicked.

"Jack!"

"Dad!"

"I'm in deep soot," he said, grabbing Jack's shoulders and nearly picking the man up off the floor.

"And I would just like to reiterate, that I did not do it. Can you please put me down."

"Right, sorry," Blaise said, placing his son down and rushing off into the front room.

Jack followed behind carefully, watching as Blaise threw blankets and cushions, looking underneath every piece of furniture in the room.

"So, um, what exactly is it?"

"Huh?"

"What's going on? You look bad. I didn't realize you were that grey. Goddess of the Springs! Am I going to go grey instead of white?!"

"Only time will tell," Blaise said, looking behind a bookcase. "We need to focus, Jack," Blaise said, lifting a table up.

"On ah, what?"

Blaise placed the table down, panicking. "I lost your sister."

"You what now?"

"I lost Jacqueline!"

"How?!"

"I don't know! One minute she was giggling on the kitchen counter while I was making dinner," Blaise said, hands out furiously in front of him, "and the next, she was gone!" he said, hands briefly lifting and swinging downwards, landing on his other side. "Did you finally manage to teach her how to keep quiet?" Blaise asked, eyes narrowing.

"I keep TRYING and it does not work. Honestly. I've lost count of how many times we've almost run afoul of an ordibeing—"

"THE STOVE!" Blaise shouted suddenly, rushing back into the kitchen.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Jack glanced around the room. In the kitchen, there was a hiss. The sound of the pan lifting from the stove top, vegetables mixing around. With a sigh, Jack headed towards the kitchen.

"Smells good," he said, looking around the room.

"Oh, good! Good. I thought I'd burnt it," he said.

Jack looked around the kitchen floor. One of Blaise's pant legs was hitched up, the other at a respectable level. Hiding a smirk and swallowing a snort, Jack turned around, eyes scanning the floor underneath the kitchen table. He stopped short, blinking.

Shhhh, he heard in his head.

What are you doing under there? He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Being q u i e t. YOU said I couldn't! But I can! Daddy can't find me, she replied, and Jack could hear the big old smirk he was sure she was wearing under there.

Whistling as Blaise salvaged dinner, Jack leaned back like, a lot; then he leaned forward like, a lot, looking under the kitchen table.

Yep. Devious grin as she watched Blaise slowly lose his mind from the depths of under the kitchen table.

Jack chuckled. How long have you been under there?

Seven whole weeks!

"How long have you been looking for Jacqueline?" Jack asked, casually, leaning on the island.

"An hour? Half? I've combed the entire floor! She couldn't have made it far, unless she can teleport already." Blaise shot up, panicked. "Lady above, can she already teleport?!"

"Dad. She's not even five hundred yet. Calm down. She can't do sleet."

Jack could feel her getting huffy over their new connection. He smirked in her general direction, sticking out his tongue.

He didn't need to see her to know she had done the exact same thing back.

Blaise breathed a sigh of relief. "Right. Okay. So she definitely couldn't have gotten far."

"Just, just breath, Blaise, alright?" Jack said, patting the man's shoulder gently. He pried the pan out of Blaise's hand. "And fix your shirt Dad, seriously. What is this. What is happening here."

Blaise squinted down at the mismatched buttons, the suspender, and the uneven pant legs. "I don't know how this happened," he said, taking a moment to fix his shirt.

Jack sighed. So what's your game plan, hmm?

My what?

Game plan! You know, what are you going to do? Pop out and scare him? Make him go crazy? What do you want to do?

Ehehehehe. Scare him! Scare him! Scare him!

How?

Um...I'm gonna...GRAB HIS FEETSIES.

How? He's all the way over here, and you're alllllllll the way over there, Jack teased, holding his head in his palm as he stared at her peeping out from under the table, a small smile on his icy face.

Can you help me? Please? Bring daddy over here! Please please please???

She was making such a cute face underneath that table. It could melt the iciest of hearts.

Well. Almost.

But it was convincing enough for him.

Alright, fine, I'll help you. Get back under there! We'll be right over.

She grinned, cackling in his head again as she slid back under the table, disappearing into the darkness.

Popping out from his slouch, Jack watched as Blaise righted his pant leg, glancing around for his jacket. Jack walked over to the backyard door, chillfully, making a big show of surveying the yard. "The back's unlocked," Jack said.

"It's WHAT?"

Blaise was beside him so fast, Jack swore he saw the glint of a steam cloud vaguely shaped like the man by the oven. He slid open the door, glancing around carefully. "If your mother finds out I lost your sister, I'm probably doomed."

"Nah, I'm sure you'll be fine. Anyway, she's not out there," Jack said.

"How would you know?" Blaise said, pulling his head back in and sizing up (down, given the height difference) Jack, in a look that was much more familiar to the Legend.

"Snow's undisturbed," he said, lazily pointing at the fresh blanket on the deck.

"She could've covered her tracks."

"I'd notice. Also, once again, she's four hundred. She's not that smart."

I'm gonna throw melty snow down your back.

I'd like to see you try, little flurry.

I'm gonna! Two whole times!

Jack rolled his eyes. "Dad. Come on. Come over here. Have a seat," he said, pulling a chair out from the side of the table.

"I need to find your sister. I don't have time to have a sit!"

"But you need to!" Jack insisted, as Blaise walked over to the chair, hands on his hips. He surveyed Jack with a frown. "Seriously, Dad. I think you've been looking for her for too long. You just need to, to, sit down and, and, take a moment, you know? Recenter yourself, that sort of thing, and, you know, once you've calmed down a notch," he said, thinking now's your shot, "give it another go! I'll help you," he said.

Blaise dropped his hands. He opened his mouth, ready to reply, when—

"RAWR!"

Out from under the table popped two little hands, grabbing onto his ankles as she roared. Blaise's hair lit UP, hitting some of the highest highs Jack had seen in a while.

Blaise jumped back, fists lighting up as he looked down under the table. "Jacqueline?!"

"Ta-da!" She said, the ground freezing as she slid out from under the table, doing a twirl and sticking her little arms out.

"Found her," Jack said, picking her up with a grin.

"I scared you, daddy!" She said excitedly, nearly falling out of Jack's arms as she threw herself forward, pointing with her whole entire tiny body. "Ehehehehe."

"You scared me so bad," Blaise said, completely extinguishing and grabbing her from Jack, heart racing, voice weary. "Lady of the Springs! The two of you are taking years off of my life," Blaise said, squishing Jacqueline tightly. "And I love you for it."

Jack blinked, taken aback.

"I love you too, daddy!"

"Gross," Jack said. "The both of you."

Blaise and Jacqueline shared a very similar conspiring look.

"Don't. Do not—AH!" Jack yelled, as Blaise grabbed him in a hug too, sandwiching Jacqueline between them. "Disgusting," he said, as something cold and melty went down his shirt.

"I told you so," Jacqueline said with a grin.

Jack smirked, appreciating the squish of her cold little arms around his shoulders. "That you did."