A Little Laughter Left In Me... (Laughing Jack x Reader)

~Departure and Planning~

You knocked on your parents' room's door, and your stepmother answered by opening it. She looked groggy, but she smiled as she pulled you into a hug.

"Be safe out there, sweetie, and if your father causes any trouble let me know." You giggled as she winked.

"I will." You replied.

She gave you a few kisses on your face and told you she loved you, then you told her the same before she went back to bed.

You quietly shut the door and made your way downstairs, hearing a familiar bark as you reached the bottom. Miles was at your feet within seconds, whining anxiously as he jumped up to place his paws on your leg so that he was higher up. His ears were drooped and his big blue eyes looked up at you with worry.

You sighed and knelt down, holding him in your arms as he cuddled up against you for dear life.

"It'll be okay, Miles. I'll be back before you know it." You whispered into his fur.

You sat by his side in front of the stairs for a few minutes before your stepfather came back inside. He paused when he saw you two.

"Aww... you two are like peas in a pod, huh?" He looked like he felt bad that he was causing you to separate from him for a while.

You smiled slightly and nodded, and Miles rubbed against you, silently asking for you to hold him again. You held him by one arm, saying:

"He's the best dog I could ever ask for."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once everything was packed, you gave Miles one last hug, hoping to savor the feel of his soft fur for as long as possible.

"I love you." You whispered to him, and he made that familiar sound as if he were saying the same thing. You gave him a good-bye-kiss on the head before backing away from him and slowly shutting the front door, all the while he kept whining in protest.

You sighed as you approached the black van, it was an older model but still ran pretty well, it had a few issues in the past such as headlights going out and the battery needing to be changed, but besides that it was still a good car.

You hopped into the passenger seat next to your stepfather, and he started up the car.

"Be honest, how're we feeling about this?" Your stepfather asked, his aged brown eyes looking over at you as you waited for the car to warm up.

You held your arms and shivered a little, then smirked and jokingly replied: "Pretty cold." To which he laughed and gave you a look. "About our trip, silly."

"Well... I'm gonna miss mom and Miles, but... I'm excited." You smiled.

"Me too." He smiled back, looking relieved.

It felt like an eternity, but warmth finally started to fill the van, rescuing you from the torturously freezing winter air.

Your stepfather backed the van out of the driveway and drove off, and you watched from the rearview mirror as your house slowly disappeared in the distance.

You leaned back into your seat, already worried about how Jack was doing now that you were gone, but then you felt your drowsiness catching up with you.

"Get a nap in, honey. I'll wake you up when we're getting food." Your stepfather chuckled, patting your shoulder gently.

You smiled sleepily, then let your eyes drift shut, your last thoughts being of Jack and Miles.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You got breakfast at (Favorite Breakfast restaurant), then continued on. All the while you couldn't help but wonder what mysteries you may come across upon arriving at the true destination.