I'm Adopted: Vengeance Edition.

Brian's POV

Zack was like a walking zombie. Jackie was in rehab in Santa Barbara. The band was completely on hold. Maddy was living with Jackie and Zack's parents. And Matt was AWOL most of the time, but he was around enough so we knew he was alive and not drinking. After Jackie's outburst at his house, which was only three days prior, he went into no booze mode, and Zack admitted Jackie to a facility.

"Hey."

"Hi." Zack embraced Jackie in a hug as she walked over. She only had two hours of visiting time per day, the rest of her day was spent in meetings and programs.

"I'm surprised... you came." She looked at him, tucking her hair behind her ear, her hand was bandaged from breaking bottles at Matt's house.

"I missed you." I smirked and hugged her "We couldn't just drop you and leave."

"You could have, easily." She giggled a little "Well come on, I'll show you around."

Zack took her arm and they walked infront of me. I hung back and observed. She was still fidgeting, I mean it was only three days, but she seemed happier. Or at least seemed. She walked us through the yard, which was filled with flowers. There were other patients walking around, most too young to believe they belonged. It was sad, when you thought down to the reality of this. None of them wanted to believe reality. So they turned to drugs.

"Brian?"

I stopped and looked up as Jackie stared at me, a question hanging in her eyes "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"I was wondering if you wanted to walk with us." She laughed.

I shook my head. "Keep showing Zack around, I'm gonna go to the car for a minute."

"Ok, we'll be around if you need us." She smiled, giving me a hug. I placed a friendly kiss on her cheek, knowing how tough this was for her. We pretty much dragged her into the building she was resisting so badly.

I replayed the images in my mind as I walked down the parking lot to the car. I leaned against the door and lit a cigarette, trying to wrap my brain around the past year and a half. Jackie had moved home, gotten pregnant with Matt's baby, and then.. well.. here we are.

I suddenly felt my phone vibrating and took it out, "Hey."

"Where the hell are you?" Matt asked.

"Uhm... Out with Zack why?" I asked, flicking my cigarette out.

"I just went over to see Maddy and no one's home." He sounded upset "Do you guys have her?"

"No." I mentally kicked myself, bringing Maddy sounded like a good idea but a terrible one at the same time.

"Well... Did Jackie take her?" He asked "Like out or something? Or do her parents have her?"

"How in the name of fuck am I supposed to know, Matt??" I groaned "Jesus, I don't know everything."

"Oh. Well will you two be back soon?" He asked "I want to go over this song-"

"Matt!" I shouted "We aren't writing music, we aren't working on the band, we're on hold for God's sake." I closed my eyes "Just stop. You need to get shit together first, no ones in a good enough state of mind to fucking work on the band. Everyone's pretty shaken up."

Matt was silent for a minute "Have you talked to Jackie? Is she ok? I haven't seen her around when I go over to see Maddy..." He sounded more sad that angry.

"Uhm... no, I haven't heard from her. I'm not over there a lot actually. Usually if I go over it's just to pick Zack up to get his mind off of everything."

"Oh... ok." He stopped talking "Wait."

"What?" I asked.

"I haven't even seen her car there. Is she... did she... did she move out?" He asked.

"Matt..." I sighed "Just stop."

"Stop what? Wondering if she's ok?"

"She's fine, I promise you that."

"Where the fuck is she?" He asked angrily.

"Brian!" Zack shouted from across the parking lot "Come say bye! She has to go!"

"Bri?" Matt asked "Say bye? Who's he talking about?"

"Gotta go dude, bye." I hung up, knowing that would come back to bite me in the ass later, and bolted towards the entrance.

"Who was that?" Zack asked as we walked up to where Jackie was talking to a nurse.

"Who do you think?" I asked and rolled my eyes. He sighed. "Jackie!" I hugged her from behind and spun her around.

"You know what I Was talking to Zack about?" She asked.

"Uhm... sibling things?" I asked, earning a punch in the arm "Ok what?"

"I want you all to come next week, I'll have it scheduled so we can go out or something for lunch."

"Jackie-"

"It won't kill me Brian." She laughed "It'll be fine."

"All as in who?" I asked as Zack lagged behind, clearly they already had this conversation.

"Well you and Zack, obviously. Jim, Johnny, Michelle..." She paused "I have to apologize to her for being a douche. And Jason Berry, Mattie Berry, the crew. I just... want to see normal people." She looked around and laughed "And it'd be cool to see the techs again."

"Oh the techs huh?" I laughed "Jason?"

"Just the whole crew again." She smiled.

"Whole crew?" I asked, she nodded "No one else?"

"I mean... Mum and Dad would be cool too... but not at the same time as you guys." She laughed.

"Ok." I glanced over at Zack as he shook his head "We'll see you then hun, just call us ok? We're always up to talk." I pulled her into a hug and she kissed my cheek back. "Love you kiddo."

"Love you guys too, I'll see you next week." She smiled and walked into the main building as we left.

"What was that?" I asked "The crew... Just minus Matt?" I asked.

"She didn't mention his name at all, or Maddy actually. I brought him up once, like if he could come visit or if she wanted him to know she was here, and she kept going like I hadn't even opened my mouth." Zack shrugged as we got into the car. "It's like... Like she's completely blocking them out. I mean... She needs to come to terms with Maddy, which I know is going to take her some time and I know she will. That's one thing she can't run from. But Matt..."

Zack paushed to cuss out someone on the highway. "That's something she can block out and doesn't have to take care of for eighteen years." I finished for him.

"Exactly. And he knows that.. What'd he say on the phone?" Zack asked.

"Where we were, he's working on music." I shrugged as Zack nodded his head "Then asked where Jackie was lately cuz he doesn't see her around and her car's never there."

"So he's catching on?" Zack asked skeptically.

"I don't think that she's in rehab. He thinks she moved out. But apparently your parents took Maddy out, cuz he went over to see her."

"Ya, they took her to his parents, duh." Zack laughed "He's a fucking moron sometimes.

"Well... I mean... he somehow managed to fuck up his life with Jackie so clearly he's a moron." I laughed as Zack nodded, laughing under his breath "I don't know, Zack, how are we going to get everyone together next week without him knowing?"

"So he knows?" Zack asked "We all went out. He still won't know she's in rehab, where she's living. Just that he wasn't invited."

"Sometimes... I see where Jackie gets her genius." I laughed as Zack turned into his parents driveway, where Matt's car was sitting.

"Ah fuck." He groaned "Here we go."