Chapter Text
“...I did this jump and it was amazing, and I slid under a car and it was awesome!” Jamie’s voice echoes down the hall to the laundry room, where you’re sorting through the dirty clothes basket. “Then I was flying down this hill and was like whoosh whoosh whoosh through all these cars, and then the sled hit this—this thing, and I was like way up in the air!”
You sigh to yourself, abandoning trying to find Sophie’s favorite stuffed animal at long last. Judging from the lack of crying that was echoing down the hall earlier, Jamie is doing a good job keeping her distracted from her missing best friend. You push up off of your knees and give the laundry room one last once-over for it before starting back down the hall.
“And then BAM!” Jamie shouts, making Sophie squeal with delight. “The sofa hit me, and—and see?” You lean in the doorway just in time to see the young boy pull up his lip and show off the new gap in his teeth. “Mah tooth came ou’!”
You smile and settle on the end of Jamie’s bed next to Sophie, readjusting her fuzzy fairy wings as you do. “Sounds like Jack Frost decided to have some fun with you.”
Jamie screws his face up in confusion. "Who's Jack Frost?"
You glance at Sofie and after confirming she’s too busy flapping around the room like a bird to pay any attention, lean towards Jamie and whisper conspiratorially: “How about after I tell you after I put Sophie to bed?” His brown eyes widen as he grins, and you smile as he nods enthusiastically. “Okay. I’ll be back in just a minute.”
You push up off the bed and playfully scoop Sophie up into your arms, a hard task with all of her wiggling about. “Say good night, Sophie!”
“Good night, Jamie!” She laughs, waving at her brother over your shoulder.
Jamie chuckles. “G’night, Soph.”
You bounce Sophie up in down in your arms and her excited squeals go with you as you carry her down the hall to the bathroom. She insists you brush your teeth with her (which you pretend to do with your finger) and after making sure she flosses and brushing through her long, incredibly tangled blonde locks, you usher her toward her bedroom across the hall.
“(y/n)?” Sophie asks.
“Hm?”
“Are you gonna be here for breakfast again tomorrow?”
The rare full sentence from Sophie makes your hands falter only for a moment before you continue carefully extracting her fluffy pink fairy wings. “I don’t think so, Soph.”
She pouts and falls dramatically back onto her pillows. “But why? I like when you’re here for cereal.”
You smile softly and brush her choppy bangs out of her eyes. “I’m gonna sleep at my own house tonight, but I’ll be back on Monday after school, just like usual.”
“‘Kay.” She yawns as you pull the covers up to her chin, tucking the blankets in around her sides. “Promise?”
“Promise,” you affirm.
“‘Kay,” she repeats. “Night night.”
“Night night, Soph.” You lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her hair. “Sleep well.”
You stand up and double-check that her fairy nightlight is shining warmly in the corner before padding quietly out of her room. The door closes gently with a soft click behind you, and your lips quirk up at the little fairy name tag hanging on the front of her door.
You can’t wait to tell Jamie about Jack. Hopefully, the kid who believes in everything will also believe in him.
But when you get back to the eldest Bennet sibling’s room, he’s already fast asleep. The flashlight he was going to use to catch the Tooth Fairy is clutched loosely in his hand, casting a spotlight on his bedroom wall. Your heart sinks a bit at the sight, but you shake off the twinge of sadness just as quickly as it came, trying not to dwell on your missed opportunity.
As quietly as you can, you walk over to the bed and gently pry the robot light out of Jamie’s hand. He rolls over onto his side the second it’s gone but doesn’t stir beyond that. You click off the light and set it on his bedside table before taking the container with Jamie’s tooth and tucking it carefully under his pillow.
You know the Tooth Fairy would still find it next to his bed, but being cautious never hurts anyone. Especially not a little boy who’s expecting to wake up to a coin from the Tooth Fairy tomorrow.
A Tooth Fairy that you definitely believe in, despite having just turned seventeen.
You know to anyone else your age, it sounds ridiculous that you’ve believed in most mythical creatures ever since you can remember: You’ve woken up to gifts on their respective occasions every year since you were born, and they’ve continued coming even after your parents stopped being there, so the belief never left you. Although the Sandman is less solid in your mind, you still ask him for good dreams almost every night.
Most nights, you certainly need them. Especially before you met Jack.
He likes to say that you found him, but it’s definitely that he found you. You met him three years ago during the most trying time in your life, and you’ve been practically inseparable ever since, save for when the wind calls him elsewhere, or Summer days that get too hot.
And to this day, you’re the only other person that sees him. You’ve given him someone to go through his immortal life with and he’s done all he can to chase the darkness away.
Jamie is your biggest prospect for Jack’s second believer—his room is decorated wall-to-wall with drawings and photographs of creatures of the unknown. You’ve only been babysitting for the Bennet's for about a year, but have looked after many of the other neighborhood kids before them. They’ve all played their fair share of practical jokes on you (just like someone else you know) and you have high hopes that after telling Jamie about Jack, his little circle can grow by more than one. Especially if you break out the story on Easter with Jamie backing you up.
Shaking yourself out of your thoughts, you tuck Jamie’s blankets around him before heading out of the room. You make sure to close his bedroom door quietly behind you and walk back to the laundry room to throw the young boy’s dirty snow clothes in the wash.
Abby is laying outside of Sophie’s door when you finish and you reach down to scratch behind her ears. “C’mon, big girl.”
She follows you down the stairs and you’re surprised to see Mrs. Bennet doing the dishes when you turn the corner to the kitchen. “You’re home early,” you greet.
She jumps at the sound of your voice. “(y/n)!” You smile teasingly despite her scolding tone and her eyes twinkle behind her glasses. “How were the kids?”
"Wonderful, as usual," you reply, keeping the smile on your face. You walk toward her and start drying the dishes that she's washed. "They're never a problem, Mrs. Bennet."
“See, you say that, but sometimes I don’t know if I believe it.” She chuckles dryly and the two of you lapse into a comfortable silence, doing the dishes together like any other night.
You make menial conversation as you put the dishes away, and once you put the last of the plates in the cupboard, you turn around and find Mrs. Bennet holding a cluster of bills out to you. You open your mouth to protest but she interrupts you with a raised hand before you can: “You’re taking it,” she insists, closing your hand around the money as she does. “You’re so good with the kids, (y/n), and I have enough to pay you this week, so you’re taking it.”
Your cheeks flush and you can’t help the half-smile that comes across your face. “Thanks, Mrs. Bennet.”
“Thank you, (y/n).”
You glance up at the microwave clock and your face falls when it reads exactly nine o’clock. “I should probably be getting home.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay the night?”
You look back at Mrs. Bennet, taking note of the way she’s pointedly not looking at you. It’s common knowledge around Burgess that your Aunt is hardly ever around, but she returned last night from her latest trip to Europe, so you’d rather not completely ignore her while she’s home. Plus, you’ve already stayed at the Bennet’s twice this week after babysitting much later than this.
It's time to face the music.
"I'm sure. Thank you so much for the offer, though," you reply, shouldering your backpack and walking to the front door as you do.
"Of course. You know you're always welcome here." Mrs. Bennet follows you to the front door and hugs you gently after you pull on your coat and boots. She opens the front door for you and you step outside. “Good night, (y/n).”
“Good night, Mrs. Bennet! I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Make sure you put on your hat!” she warns and points at the knitted monstrosity currently clutched in your hands. “Wouldn’t want Jack Frost nipping at your nose.”
You smirk to yourself and do as you’re told. She has no idea.