Jamie slipped an arm around Eddie as the two cuddled, hoping for just a few extra minutes of peace. Moving Connor into the house and then getting him used to being called Luke was harder than they thought since Madi and Serena were now sharing a room after Will claimed he was not gonna sleep in the same room as Luke. “DAD,” they heard screamed and then a few seconds later ,”MOM.”
Eddie pushed him away and looked at the alarm clock wondering how her kids could be up so early on the weekend but would become dead weight when it was time for school. Putting on her robe she exited the room and Jamie followed her having to rush forward and pull Serena away from Madi where the two were having a go at each other.
“Enough. Enough. Madeline Henry Reagan you know better than to hit your younger sister,” Jamie scolded and sighed when Madi pulled her arm out of his grip and said,”It’s not my fault she doesn’t have any manners.” Serena stuck her tongue out at Madi who looked at her parents as if to scream,”SEE!”
“She’s younger than you. You should have more patience, Madds,” Eddie said before turning to Serena and saying,”And you little Missy best put that tongue away unless you want to go to the naughty corner.” Pouting, Serena crossed her arms and said,”It’s not fair. Madi’s been up all night on her phone and then yelled at me for moving around this morning.”
“You are such a rat,”Madi says as she glares at her sister before groaning when Jamie turns to look at her and said,”Madeline, that phone is not something you need to have. If you can’t behave responsibly then maybe you shouldn’t have it.” Madi looks hurt before arguing tiredly,”You always take her side. But next time you need anything done, ask her and not me.” She then turns and runs to her room, closing her door letting them know that she doesn’t want any company right now.
Jamie sighs and is about to go after her when he hears a yell from Luke’s room and a curse thrown out in the air. “LUKE JOE CONNOR,” he yells and sure enough a quite sorry flows to him before they can hear Will laughing. “Go,” Eddie says to him and then holds onto Serena’s hand so they could talk, as well.
Jamie sighs before going to Luke’s room where he’s surprised to see that Luke’s hands and feet were duct taped as he squirmed around on the floor. There was a scarf tied around his eyes and he looked close to tears from what Jamie could tell. “Hey, hey, it’s me Luke. It’s Dad,” Jamie soothed when Luke started bucking under his touch. He settled down long enough for Jamie to untie the scarf and remove it but winced when Jamie had to get the tape off.
“Okay, settle down,” Jamie said when Luke got up muttering about how he was going to murder the little pipsquek. Luke sits back down and justifies his actions,”I didn’t even do anything. I just woke up and I couldn’t see anything. When I fell off the bed is when I cursed. Sorry about that.” Jamie nodded his head and said,”Its fine. But let me talk to Will before you decide to murder him alright? He is your younger brother.” Luke rolled his eyes and admitted,”Fine,” before getting up to go to the bathroom.
Sighing, Jamie goes to Will’s room and knocks on the door. “Come in,” Will says and Jamie sends him a scrutinizing look before Wil starts to squirm and claims,”It was a harmless prank,” not wanting his Dad to be upset with him. Jamie sighs and lifts up the 12 year old to place him on the bed and sits down by him. “Will, what you did was not harmless what if Luke’s powers started to act out,” Jamie said as he made sure his son was looking at him. Scoffing, WIll crossed his arms over his chest and muttered,”OF course, his stupid powers.” Jamie glared at him and maneuvered him so that Will was sitting on his lap and said,”Hey, now. None of that. Want to tell Dad what’s really wrong?”
SIghing, Will leaned into his Dad’s touch and played with his fingers before saying,”Do you love Will more than me because he’s cooler than me?” Hiding a smile by kissing the top of his son’s head Jamie said,”Of course not. I love you and Madi and Serena and Luke equally. Besides, having powers doesn’t make Luke cooler.” Will didn’t look convinced until Luke entered the room and said,”Dad’s right. I mean, I can turn the lights on or off without trying but I’m pretty sure I can’t sneak up on someone older than me quiet enough to duct tape and blind them.” Will ducked his head into Jamie’s chest but Luke just shrugged and said,”But I would really like it if someone could teach me how to play that XBOX downstairs properly because it really doesn’t look good that I lose so much.”
Will smiled as he said,”Really, you want me to teach you?” At Luke’s nod he got off Jamie’s lap and ran towards Luke pulling him by the hand downstairs. “Breakfast, first,” he called down the stairs and then sighed before walking towards Madi’s room. But before he could enter Madi slipped out wearing her nice Sunday clothes and said,”I called Grandpa and he said I can stay overnight since tomorrow is the last day of school and he can drop me off.” Jamie grew annoyed and scolded her,”You should have asked first.” Madi raised an eyebrow and argued icily,”Mom knows. You were too busy, as usual.” Jamie glares at her and raises a finger as he says,”Drop the attitude because I can still ground you which means you start off your vacation with no plans.” Madi sighs before taking a deep breath and then exhaling, smiling she says,”Ok, Father. Excuse me.”
Sighing, Jamie moves and watches as she walks down the stairs sitting on the side as her siblings all talk and eat together. “What’s wrong,” Eddie asks as she slides up next to him, wrapping an arm around his torso. Shrugging, Jamie says,” Is it every Dad or just me that can’t get through to his kid?” Eddie smiles and places a chaste kiss on his shoulder blade as she says,”Madi loves you and you love her very much.” Jamie sighs before shaking his head as he asked,”Yeah, but does she know that?”
Eddie sighed and whispered,”It’s up to you to show her that, babe,” in his ear which makes him nod before they’re in the car for Church and then Frank’s house. “Hey, Maddi,” Danny says as he stands in the kitchen and tries to decide between beer and some of the homemade juice that Nikki brought over.
“Hi,” Madi says, wanting to just curl up under her covers and never come out. Before she could actually leave the kitchen though Danny had swooped her up and put her down on the kitchen table saying,”Uh oh, I sense a little bit of teenage angst.” Madi shakes her head and says,”I’m fine, I just- it’s Dad again.” Danny crossed his arms and lowered his voice to reassure her,”He loves you.” Madi scoffed and admits,”Apparently, he loves everyone else just a little bit more. I mean, I want to be coddled and spoiled by my Dad like Serena is. But no, I have to be sensible and mature and patient. It’s not fair and now that Luke’s here I don’t have to be that sibling. I can be reckless and do stupid things because Will and Serena they can look up to Luke because I am so tired, Uncle Danny. I don’t- I can’t do it anymore. I’m just so tired,” Madi cried as she broke down in tears and Danny grabbed her, giving her a tight hug.
Hugging her Uncle just as tight Madi let out sobs and gasps as she closed her eyes to find comfort in her Uncle’s shoulder. “Ohh, Madi, sweetheart. Why didn’t you tell anyone,” he asked as he gently eased away and wiped her tears. “How could I? Everytime I try to bring up anything, Dad,” cuts me off and Mom tells me it’s all in my head,” she admits and Danny sighs before brushing her hair back and giving her a kiss on her forehead.
“What do you say you go to rest while I help with dinner and I can come wake you up when it’s ready,” Danny offered and Madi nodded, sniffling before hopping off the counter and going into her uncle’s room. A few moments later Jamie and Eddie came into the kitchen laughing at something and Danny looked over his shoulder at his baby brother before turning back around and making a fist on the table.
“Eddie, could you give Jamie and I a few minutes,” he asked and Jamie’s eyebrows crinkled as he looked at his wife. Eddie set down the food she brought and squeezed Jamie’s arm before leaving the kitchen to check in with Frank and the kids. “What’s wrong, Danny,” Jamie asked and Danny squeezed his eyes shut before blurting out,”Jamie, did you know that Madi is hurting?” Jamie dropped the carrot that he had taken out of the bag and asked,”She is? Where is she?” Danny reached over and none too gently smacked him over the back of the head before saying,”No, you goof. I mean, she just went upstairs crying because she thinks you don’t love her.”
Sighing, Jamie shrugged and helplessly admitted,”Danny, I’ve never hit her or abused her.” Danny turned around with fire in his eyes as he smacked Jamie in the shoulder and said,”If you did, we wouldn’t be talking right now. At least not with words.” Jamie leaned back and looked at his brother questioningly and Danny sighed before saying,”Madi and Nikky both grew up in front of me. But with Nikki she was always with you or Erin and I was always busy with Jack and then Sean. But with Madi she grew up in front of me. I was there and I held her first after her parents. Jamie, I care about Madi a lot and knowing her she is exactly like you,” Jamie raised an eyebrow and Danny shrugged,”Don’t act like you don’t know, Jamie. She sucks it up. She never says anything. And that’s not okay. It’s not her job to set an example for her siblings that’s up to us, up to you and Eddie, not her. She should be a kid. She’s 16 years old and she’s never snuck out to a party or invited a boy or hell a girl over. Damn it, Jamie you’re losing her. Fix it.”
Grabbing the beer from the fridge Danny made to leave when Jamie softly asked,”How do I fix this, Danny?” Danny took a long sip from his beer before repeating the same thing Linda had always told him,”Talk to her. Don’t rationalize her feelings we hated that as kids,” he paused before rhetorically asking,”How would it be fine now?” Nodding, Jamie grabbed two cupcakes from the fridge and made his way upstairs. Knocking on Danny’s door he waited for Madi to call out a muffled,”Come in,” before entering.
“Hey, sweetie,” he says and doesn’t miss the way Madi pulls her blankets closer as she sniffles and tries to wipe her tears. “I was just about to come down,” she explains trying to hide her tears but Jamie shakes his head, sitting on the edge of the bed before handing over a cupcake. Madi takes it with a small smile before muttering”Uncle Danny always knows.” Jamie looks upset as he takes a deep breath and admits,”I’m sorry, Mads.” Madi looks up confused as she slid the wrapper off the cupcake and Jamie smiled as he said,”I shouldn’t ask you to be responsible for your siblings, But, Madi, when I look at you I still see this tiny, little girl that I wanted to protect from anything and everything,” his voice shook as he took her hand in his and said,”Sweetheart, when you were born I fell in love with you so much more than I did with Serena and Will because I lost my son the same day I got my daughter. And I became selfish because I didn’t want to lose you. And I thought if I teach you right from wrong by using your younger siblings it would be better but it’s not. I’m so sorry, babygirl you didn’t deserve that.” Madi had tears streaming down her face as she hugged her Dad and Jamie 'oomphed’ but returned the hug just as tight.
“And, hey, at least one good thing came out of it,” Jamie said when the two eased out of the hug and Madi tilted her head to the side as she looked up at her Dad. Jamie placed a kiss on her forehead and said,”I know that my daughter is going to grow up to be a beautiful, smart, respectable young woman.” Madi laughed despite the tears she cried before and cuddled into her Dad’s side when he moved to sit next to her and leaned against the headboard.
“Even when I screw up, Dad,” Madi asked and Jamie hugged her tightly before reassuring her ,”Especially when you screw up, Madds.” Nodding, Madi stayed cuddled into her Dad’s side, closing her eyes as she muttered,”I love you, Dad.” Jamie bit his lip as he closed his eyes and finally heard his daughter admit that she cares about him just as much as he does her.
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