2:6 The Power Of The Moon

It was a full moon in Sunset Valley and strange things were happening.

There was an eerie green glow coming in through the windows as Jackson announced to Mercedes that he was all packed and ready to leave.
"I've said my goodbyes to Summer, it's just you now..." The two friends stopped and smiled at each other. They had been such a huge part of each others lives for four years now, it was sad that they had to part ways.

Mercedes unexpectedly pulled Jackson into a tight hug. He couldn't remember them ever hugging before, but it was nice.
"Take care of yourself, Jack" Her voice was cracking, as if she was going to cry. Jackson took a deep breath to hold back tears of his own.
"I'm only moving a few streets away. You're always welcome at mine, and I will have to come here to take care of you and Summer!" Mercedes laughed.
"Yeah, and you'll be my first call for a babysitter too!" They pulled away from each other and smiled as they remembered all the good times they'd had together. Jackson picked up his bags and said one last goodbye.
"Just go!" Mercedes said, fanning her face to stop the tears "Please!" Jackson silently laughed at her as he left the door.

As he stepped into the cab he took one last look at the old house.
"Goodbye, 58 Waterlily Lane" He muttered to himself as the car pulled off.

It only took a couple of minutes to reach his new house, 60 Maywood Lane, as it really was only a few streets away. As he went up the steps to the front door, he suddenly realised he was living alone. No more crying baby and Mercedes slamming doors. No more Mercedes being loud in general. As he stepped into the house he realised how quiet everything was. He quickly unpacked his small amount of posessions and headed to his first night in bed.

He didn't notice the odd-coloured man peering in the back patio doors...

_____

He was awoken at 6am by a woman at the door. She said she was from city hall and wanted to check he was going to graduation.
"Yes, I'll be there" He snapped. He really wasn't a morning person, and hadn't even realised 6am existed before now.

True to his word, he did attend graduation. He was voted most likely to become president, though he thought it would just be because he was the most popular person in the debate club.

He got home, and again realised how quiet everything seemed. So he called up Lisa.
"Hey chick, do you want to come see the new place? I have something important to tell you too." She said she'd be right over and they hung up. She was still at her parents house which was literally down the road.

He quickly made some salad when she arrived, he hadn't really ever cooked before. Mercedes had always managed to mooch meals off people at the hospital and they had just reheated them before eating.

He decided now was a good a time as ever and got down on one knee.
"Lisa Bunch, will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife?"
She was shocked, which surprised Jackson a bit. He had wanted to do this while they were in high school, but another couple in their year had got engaged the day after he bought the ring, and he didn't want to look like he was just doing it because it was the 'in thing'.

"Oh my God! Seriously Jackson? Of course I will!" She held her hand out and he slid the ring onto her finger. A perfect fit.

_____ 6 months later _____


It was two weeks before the wedding, and Jackson was heading to bed as he had work the next morning. He had started working an apprenticeship at city hall in the Mayors office. It was what he had moved here for and was happy to finally be doing it.

As he turned off the light in the hallway he heard a banging at the door. It was 11pm, who could this be? He turned the light back on and headed to the door.

It was Lisa. She was sobbing uncontrollably and had huge glittery pink wings.
"Babygirl are you ok?"
"Oh my God, Jack." She tried to contol her tears long enough to explain. "I was at work, at the spa, and some woman came in and wanted a manicure, so I did a manicure and she told me I did it wrong and completely flipped out! She pulled out a wand, of all things, and chanted something and then my back hurt really bad and then..." She broke down again and Jackson pulled her close.
"Babygirl, I love you. I will always love you, no matter what any witch does to you. In thirteen days you will be my bride, or my fairy bride I don't care either way. I love you wings or no wings, forever and always."








Mercedes and Jackson really did never cook. Do you remember the first party they had? Loads of people bought food and they lived off that the entire time!

Lisas' sudden transformation to a fairy was really annoying. I'd just installed Supernatural and I know the game changes NPCs and townies into supes at random, but seriously! She was at my house and suddenly grew wings! I had to rack my brain to find a way to explain it, lol.

Also, I'm not very good at the romantic soppy stuff, so sorry if the last scene is crap.

Next ->

2:5 A Birthday And A Birth Day

Mercedes' pregnancy was going quickly. She was in a lot of pain most of the time, and so constantly spend days in the bath or in bed.

One afternoon, when Jackson got back from school, she finally got a phonecall from Chris. From what Jackson could hear, it didn't go well. He didn't feel right listening in so went to his room until she hung up.

At dinner, she told him what Chris had said. He didn't want anything to do with the baby, as he apparently didn't believe it was his. They all knew this wasn't true, just an excuse to avoid the responsibility of parenthood.

Dinner continued and the topic changed, the university had suspended Mercedes' exams until the baby was 6 months and told her she could stay in the house and when Jackson left they wouldn't give her a new roommate as nobody would want to live with a baby anyway.

After dinner, Jackson sat down to do his homework.
"Do you need a hand?" Mercedes smiled as she sat beside him slowly, her stomach was huge now and she struggled to sit in chairs let alone the floor.
"Sure," Jackson returned her smile. He didn't need her help and they both knew that, it was just a way for Mercedes to fill her evening now she couldn't go out and most of her friends didn't want to see her.

_____

Mercedes woke up late the next day, Jackson was already at school. Morgana had rang her the night before as she was getting into bed, telling her she was throwing her a baby shower at her apartment this afternoon. She looked down at her stomach and realised she was due any day now, and had nothing ready. She'd been putting it all off because she hadn't really believed it was real. Until now. After the baby shower she would have to go shopping and get whatever else she needed.

_____

That day was also Jacksons birthday. Mercedes had planned a party for him already and when he returned from debate club all his friends were already waiting for him.

"Surprise!!" They all yelled at him as he walked through the door. He was surprised, he had had no idea. He caught Mercedes eye and smiled a thankyou to her as he headed for the cake.

Everyone gathered as he lit the candles. Nobody noticed Mercedes waddling quickly out the front door.

She had suddenly felt very sick and thought the fresh air would help. Almost as soon as she stepped outside she felt warm liquid running down her legs. Had she just wet herself? Then sharp pains all across her stomach let her know that the liquid had been her waters breaking and she was now in labour. Not wanting to ruin Jacksons' big day, she quickly called a cab and headed for the hospital alone.

Jackson noticed Lisa pointing and laughing at him. She had been joking for weeks that he was a couple of weeks older than her and would be old and grey while she was still a fresh-faced teen. He rolled his eyes at her and noticed some water leaking under the door. He looked out the window and realised it wasn't raining, so assumed somebody had spilled a drink.

Besides, he was a full-grown adult now. He would be graduating tomorrow and wasn't going to let a spilled drink ruin his big night.

The party was dying down and almost over when Mercedes reappeared.

"Where have you..." Jackson began. He didn't need to finish he question as he soon noticed the baby in her arms. "Oh my God, Mercy! Did you not think to tell anyone you were in labour?"

"I didn't want to ruin your party. It took me ages to plan!" She smiled weakly at him. She was really tired, as anyone should be after giving birth. Jackson shook his head. She was such an idiot sometimes.

"Introduce us then."

"This is Summer." She smiled, holding the child up to her face and giving her newborn daughter a gentle kiss on the nose.

Next ->

2:4 In It For Life

After a couple of hours in her room, Mercedes invited her best friend Morgana over. She'd been the one who'd told her about Chris and Samantha, her room mate. She was also studing medicine and so they saw each other every day on placement at the hospital.

Mercedes told her friend about how she'd been sick all morning, and had had to keep running from her room to the bathroom. Morgana agreed they needed to talk and the two went inside. Mercedes politely asked Jackson to go out for the rest of the day so she could have a 'girly day' with her friend. He agreed and rushed off to Lisas' house.

Lisa seemed very pleased to see Jackson, and whispered to him that her parents had gone out and taken her little sister too, leaving just her two older brothers inside. They were busy playing computer games as she pulled him inside, sneaking past the boys quietly and up the stairs.

She led him up two flights of stairs to the attic, where there was a double bed, a dresser and small ensuite bathroom. The guest bedroom, nobody came up here.

It wasn't long before she charmed him into the bed and they spent hours enjoying each others company before she announced that her parents would be back soon. He pulled his clothes back on, gave her a peck on the cheek and sneaked his way back out the house.

When he got home, Morgana was dancing around and Mercedes was just finishing dinner. Jackson was surprised to see Mercedes in baggy clothes.
"I may as well tell you now, Jack." She sighed "I'm pregnant. I'm not sure what this means for my degree, or our living situation, but there's no point hiding it from you." Jackson was shocked. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy for her, or sorry for her that she was now stuck with a part of him for life. Mercedes read his expression. "Don't worry about me." She smiled. "Me and Morgana have already talked most of the stuff through today. And I don't expect you to know what to say or how to feel, but you need to know because there will be a lot of changes."
"And I'll be here to help you, Mercy. You've been a friend to me since I moved here, and made me feel welcome from the start. I'll help you even if you have to move out." Mercedes started to well up.
"That's so sweet, Jack. Lisa is so lucky to have you." She sighed, wiping a tear away from her cheek "Oh, if you were a few years older she'd have to worry." she joked, attempting a smile.

Jackson spent a good hour in the bath just thinking. Mercedes was really in it deep now. He wondered what her university would do about her degree and her living situation. These student houses aren't geared up for children, and there was no way she had enough money to afford her own place. And him. He graduated in a few days and things were moving pretty fast with Lisa now. He felt like he'd made a commitment today. He was glad she'd made the first move, he'd wanted to for a while now, but hadn't wanted to push her.

He could hear Mercedes go to her bedroom and slam the door.
"Come on Chris, pick up!" After a couple of tries she realised he wasn't going to speak to her.

She texted him instead and hoped he'd read it before he deleted it. He needed to know, even if she didn't ever want to see him again.



Yes, that was Jackson doing the stride of pride as he got home... Not sure how well you can see his face, but he's grinning like an idiot haha!



Next -> 

2:3 Love And Hate

Lisa came home from school with Jackson almost every day now they were dating. They'd do their homework together and then just sit around listening to music and talking.

Parker was Lisas' close friend, they had been friends since childhood and Jackson had become good friends with him too by now. He popped in during one of their study sessions and told the couple about a new tavern that was opening that night. He said that it should be a fun night and they agreed the three of them would check it out.

"That's good!" Parker grinned. "The cab is waiting outside." Jackson and Lisa smiled at each other. Parker clearly had had no intention of either of them saying no to the idea anyway. They put their homework away and headed out to the tavern.

The boys played fooseball together with a couple of strangers, while Lisa looked on. She soon realised Parker was better at it than her boyfriend so chose to cheer for him. Jackson didn't feel hurt by this because the two were so close. After Parker had well and truly beaten him, he offered to play Lisa. She refused, saying it wasn't a game for girls.
"And besides, curfew is in half an hour and we have school tomorrow." She looked at the two boys, hoping they would take the hint and leave with her to avoid trouble. They did and they shared a taxi to their own homes.

The next day was Friday, and the second Mercedes got home from work, she was on the phone inviting people to go clubbing with her that night. After a lot of positive responses, she shouted to Jackson, who was in his room doing his homework, to invite some people too and join them before she ran to the bathroom to begin getting ready.

The pair arrived at the club early. Mercedes ordered some drinks and urged Jackson to have one. He was a little skeptical as he was still underage.
"What the barman doesn't know, can't hurt" she winked "Besides, you're not going to get arrested, this place is empty!" Jackson shrugged and took a drink from the bar. She was right, they were the only two in the club besides the barman.

Lisa arrived minutes after Jackson finised his drink and pulled him to the dancefloor. Mercedes smiled at the young lovebirds and ordered herself another drink while she waited for her own friends to arrive.

Jackson and Lisa were too involved with each other to notice Mercedes was still standing alone at the bar. Ordering drink after drink, getting more and more drunk as she began to realise all her friends had stood her up.

Jackson eventually went over to the bar to order some food for him and his girlfriend. Lisa had clearly had some alcohol at some point, although he hadn't seen her drink any here. She proceeded to jump onto the bar and start dancing while Jackson ordered their meals. He caught Mercedes eye quickly, she didn't look happy but neither said a work to the other as she rushed off to the bathroom while tears started to run down her cheeks. Jackson contemplated going after her. He didn't like seeing his friend upset, but Lisa started to wobble and looked like she might fall off the bar so he turned his attention back to her. He sat her at a table and she ate hungrily at her pizza before running off to throw it back up. He phoned a taxi for her and pulled her outside, hoping the fresh air would sober her up a bit before her ride came.

Just as Lisas' taxi pulled off the police appeared.
"You do realise it's 3 in the morning. Where is your chaperone?" Jackson pointed to the club behind him and the officer escorted him inside to find Mercedes. It soon became apparent that Mercedes had left at some point and so Jackson was bundled into the squad car and driven home.

When Jackson finally woke up the next afternoon, he went into the communal area to find Mercedes in a foul mood.
"Are you ok, Mercy? You disapeared last night and..."
"Do I look ok, Jack? No. I'm not ok. Just leave me alone!" There was a knock at the door and she stormed off to answer it as Jackson moved to the bathroom to clean up.

He could hear her talking angrily to a man outside. He recognised his voice as that of her... boyfriend? He had stayed the night a few times anyway. He heard the front door slam shut and he moved to the kitchen to have some breakfast.

Just outside the bathroom door, Mercedes was once again wrapped up in that mans' arms. Jackson awkwardly avoided looking at the couple as he went to the fridge. That man must have had a way with words, as minutes earlier Mercedes looked as if she could rip someones head off. After breakfast, Jackson excused himself and headed off to Lisas' to check how she was doing after the night before.

The next morning, he was woken by screaming just outside his door. Mercedes was yelling at the man from yesterday.
"Chris! I can't believe you!" So that was his name. "I was standing alone at that bar for 6 hours!! And then I find out you were bedding down with some random girl off the street?! Am I not enough for you? Can I not keep you satisfied?"

"Baby, listen, who are you going to believe? Me? Or some rumours?" Jackson pulled on his clothes and headed for the kitchen to see if he could help out his friend. She had been really upset that night and he knew she hadn't meant to snap at him the morning after.
"They're not rumours! I trust my best friend over you any day. It was her room mate Chris, she saw you!! How can you deny that?"
"It wasn't what it looked like..."

Jackson burst into the kitchen, and immediately wished he hadn't. He quickly turned his attention to the over-filled kitchen bin. Mercedes was stomping towards the door and Chris grabbed her arm. She swung round and hit him around the face a few times before pushing him out the door.
"I never want to see you again!" she screamed and quickly slammed the door shut. She took a deep shakey breath and tried to hold back tears.

She started for her room and Jackson stopped her.
"I'm here if you want to talk..." He trailed off. Would he really be any use? He'd never been in this situation before and had no idea what to say. "Or I could call Lisa over if you want to talk to a girl?" He added, thinking that Lisa would know what to say in this situation.
"Thanks, but I'm ok for now." Her voice was breaking and she was looking towards her door, longing to just shut the world out and cry herself to sleep. "Maybe tomorrow. You're sweet though, marching in here to save me from a monster" She almost smiled as she said that last bit, but it quickly faded and she went straight to her room, slamming the door behind her as always.



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