Chapter Text
"What's it like there, Jack?" Tom asked as they settled into their seats.
"Hot, humid, sticky. You get eaten alive by mosquitoes if you ain't careful. But it's home." Jack shrugged, "I'm biased."
"Sounds better than Cronwell," Alex said, buckling his seatbelt.
"As long as you don't fall into the bayou and get chased by a gator, it will be." Jack laughed.
"Gator?" Tom asked, voice going higher, "They have those?"
"Yeah, but we used to just throw fish guts at him, and he'd leave." Jack shrugged, "It's the Florida ones that are crazy."
"Right." Tom didn't sound convinced.
"What are they like?" Alex asked, "Your family?"
Jack looked over at him, "You don't have to be nervous, Alex. They'll love you."
"But what are they like?"
"I'm actually not related to Sarah. We grew up on the same street like sisters. She married my brother, so technically, she's my sister-in-law, but we always say cousins 'cause we're so close, and we grew up together." Jack grinned, "We used to get into wild trouble, her and I. Her brother swore she was gonna get him arrested chasing after her to keep her safe."
"She still married to your brother? Doesn't that make it wired? Your best friend married to your brother?" Tom asked tactlessly.
Jack's smile dimmed, "He died in a car accident when their youngest was a few months old. It was hard for both of us. But I had just gotten into law school here, and she made me go. We fell out of contact soon after, the time difference, the stress of school, and single parenting. I haven't seen her in over ten years. We started chatting again a few months ago, and it's like we never stopped. She's still family. No matter how much time passes."
"That sounds nice." Tom said quietly, "I'm sorry I asked. I didn't know."
"It's okay. It's been a long time." Jack smiled again, "Haven't met the new guy, though. But Sarah has nothing but good things to say about him. It's James this and James that!"
Alex laughed at Jack's scrunched-up face at her own words, "He can't be that bad if she likes him."
"From what I can tell, he worships the ground she walks on, and she's blissfully happy again, which makes it fine by me."
"What do they do?" Tom asked.
"Sarah runs the family business of fishing, catering, and a restaurant. Sam and James work in the private sector with the US Army." Jack waved her hand, "Or something like that."
Alarm bells went off in Alex's head, "US Army?"
"I think? James is an expert in some sort of private military field from when he served, and Sam was a paratrooper. Sarah wasn't really clear, and I wasn't paying attention." Jack shrugged.
"Wasn't clear or deliberately leaving things out?" Alex asked, paranoia cranking up.
"We were both tipsy; she probably left some stuff out, and I probably wasn't listening completely. I'm sure it'll be fine, Alex. Not everyone is like Cray." Jack shook her head.
"She's right, Alex; besides, America has like a huge army. No wonder a lot have people have been in it." Tom shrugged, "Maybe they'll have some cool stories."
"Maybe." Alex tried to push away his gut reaction of paranoia as his gut said it was important, "So what's the house like?"