Protect Me, Love Me - Chapter 18 (Part 2)
Chapter 18
“Part 2”
Disclaimer - I do not own Four Brohters
Pairing - Bobby/Jack
Rating - M
“Talking”
‘Thinking’
(blah) - Translation at beginning of chapter
x-x-x-x
- Translation
Jack? Tuuc! O khraal duun tuuc!! - Jack? Stop! You need to stop!!
A’gh tuugec A shuuch’d huukhaan o… - I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…
A’gh tuu tuugec ogaar Xander - I’m so sorry about Xander
A’gh tuu tagaal - I’m so scared
A muul, A muul o’kaan tagaal… - I know, I know you’re scared…
Ar’t huuc duun rhaa osh khruul… - It’s going to be ok now…
x-x-x-x
~~~~~~~~Time Change
Looking in his baby brothers room Bobby sighed, what could he do? Was the thought that ran through his head.
It’d been two days and the coroner was still trying to figure out what Alex had poisoned himself with. Maria and Christopher had gone home a few hours after everything had happened; Christopher telling her what had happened. The Flyer ‘council’ now knew about Alex and Jack being Flyers.
Hell, Bobby didn’t even know there was a council but Seth said that there was a separate one for both Swimmers and Flyers.
Seth said they had their own kinda law for their own people and they were not happy that Jack and Alex were able to be kept secret, especially when it became apparent that 1) there was a cult out there killing and torturing Flyer children. And 2) when they found out just how powerful Jack was.
Bobby had asked what the big deal was with that and Seth had gone quiet and shook his head saying “It’s just not fair… he doesn’t understand… I told him this would happen.” Then had walked away, leaving Bobby pissed and frustrated.
The entire time that Jack had been in the hospital ‘ma had stayed by his side, as did Bobby. The only difference being was that Bobby never went back into the room; it hurt to be there… hurt to look at his baby brother and know there was nothing he could do for him.
~~~
Bobby stood outside Jack’s room with Angel and Sofi. He hadn’t said a word to Sofi and Sofi hadn’t even started a fight, not saying anything to him except when she went out to get food; asking him what he wanted.
There was a Flyer in with Jack now… this was the seventh one that had come by. They varied from empaths to telepaths and they would go in for a few hours and try and get Jack to come back into the present.
The one Flyer said Jack had taken into himself part of Alex’s death as well as his own pain, then when Seth and Kerra got there, he as overloaded by everyone’s emotions.
So he did what anyone would do in that sort of situation… he hid from the pain, going deep inside his mind. There had been so many different Flyers going in and out and none of them had been able to even brush where they were saying Jack was.
“Bobby?” Angel’s voice startled him, so much so that he jumped, and he glanced at Angel. “Ya?” he said, his voice sounded tired and dry; probably since he hadn’t left that spot since he first got there. The doctors and nurses had tried to get him to leave but Bobby glared and then this Flyer came and said some mobo-jumbo about it being Flyer business.
Angel nudged him again and Bobby shook his head, rubbing his eyes, “What, Ang?” he asked and saw Angel lick his lips, “I was just… maybe you should try talkin’ to him, you know? I mean Jackie always used to listen to you.. maybe you can get to him.” He said voice low with uncertainty.
Bobby frowned “Ang, if all these fucking Flyers and even Seth can’t reach him what makes you think I will?!” he snapped, though he immediately regretted it when he saw Angel’s eyes go dark with pain and hurt then Angel look down.
He quickly grabbed Angel around the neck and pulled his little brother into a hug. “Ok… I’ll try ok?” he said softly and felt Angel nod against his shoulder.
When he went to walk away he felt Angel grab his arm again. “What?” ha asked and watched Angel take out his rosary from his pocket, the one Jack kept hidden under his pillow. Snorting Bobby gave Angel a wary smile before turning and going into the room.
The Flyer looked up at him then glanced away from the bed, patting his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. The Flyer was old and graying and Bobby wondered whether he was more powerful then Jack.
The old man smiled at him and chuckled “No… I’m afraid I’m not as powerful as your little brother here.” He said and Bobby blinked then glared. “I apologize I’m just very tired and plus… you think to loud.” He said, laughter in his voice, but Bobby just glared harder.
“Evelyn I’m going to have to go lay down for a while… his mind is filled with … well its like a very big maze and each dead end is filled with very… troubling memories. It seems he’s had something that he used to use to ‘protect’ him but I cannot find out what it is. Now, I just need some time to catch my breath, I’ll be back in a few hours.” He said before leaving slowly and Bobby noticed he was limping; though he didn’t say anything.
‘Ma looked over at him and gave him a watery smile; her eyes were puffy and she looked tired. Jack though… Jack was in the same spot as he was when they brought him in. Every time someone tried to move him they would go sailing through the air.
“Hey ‘ma… could I …” he trailed off and shifted but she seemed to understand what he wanted and stood up. She hugged him, kissed his cheek, and left “Maybe I should go get some coffee…” he heard her mutter to herself.
Bobby looked at Jack and slowly came into the room “Hey… you know, I knew we needed to talk and I guess now I can, since you ain’t gonna be jumpin’ up and interruptin’ me or runnin’ out.” He said with a glare of annoyance.
He sat in the chair his mother got up from and leaned back, putting his feet on the bed, with a sigh. “I’ve been standing outside this fucking room for two days CrackerJack… I would really like to go home soon.” His voice filling the room in a soothing, yet sarcastic, tone.
He was quiet for a while as he remembered Jack’s words the last time they spoke.. or yelled really. “You called me the ‘enemy’… why Jackie?” he asked as he let his feet fall from the bed and he leaned towards his youngest brother.
“I remember when you used to climb into bed with me and clutch this until you fell asleep.” Bobby said with a small smile, holding up the rosary to show him. “Did you know I got it tattooed?” he questioned and pulled down his collar to show the inked rosary; which went around his neck and trailed down between his breast bone to stop above his rib cage.
Standing slowly he leaned over the bed and kissed Jack’s forehead, surprised when nothing made him fly off the teen like it did to anyone else. Bobby took Jack’s hand and put the rosary in his palm before closing his hand around it.
“I’m not leaving this time Jackie…” he whispered softly. He was walking out the door when he felt it, and he turned around to look back at Jack. He stood frozen to the spot, staring at the scene in front of him with disbelief. Jack was rocking back and forth, clutching the rosary to his chest, like he was praying or something.
~~~~
In the waiting room the two Flyers from the council, Kerra, Seth, Evelyn, Jerry, Camille, Sofi, and Angel stumbled and rocked as a vibration moved through the hospital. “Jack!” Seth’s voice called as he ran to his younger brothers room, Kerra right behind him.
Everyone stood outside the room and watched, transfixed, as the room seemed to shake. “Jack?” Evelyn called to him and at that moment every window, every piece of glass, shattered in the room.
The only thing was none of the pieces fell, they stayed suspended in air, and when everyone looked closely they saw that the glass was turning and twisting and looked like it was melting. “Oh, fuck…” both Kerra and Seth whispered as they realized what was happening.
Seth jumped to action and ran to the room, grabbed Bobby’s shirt, and yanked him clear out of the room. It seemed that’s what started it; blue fire seemed to come out of Jack, in a bubble at first, getting bigger then lashed outwards in a movement that startled everyone into jumping backwards.
The fire, though, didn’t leave the room.. it seemed to take up the entire room and they could barely make out Jack who, in the mists of it all, sat rocking back and forth clutching the rosary, in his hands, to his chest.
“Bobby what’d you do?!!” Angel screamed at him, eyes never leaving his baby brother. “I didn’t do nothin’ I just put my rosary in his hands!!” he snapped back and everyone turned to look at him.
“What!?” he barked and Seth blinked “You were able to touch him?” he asked and Bobby nodded, cautiously, and he could practically see the wheels turning in Seth’s head.
It wasn’t until things started to shake in the hallways that Seth moved forward. “Seth!?” Kerra barked, eyes narrowed, and Seth looked at her “I can do it…” he said back to her before turning to the door again.
~~~~~~~~ Seth’s POV
Seth closed his eyes and centered himself. He pulled up his coldness, his ice, and took a breath trying to keep it steady. One wrong move and Jack could kill him, without ever even knowing what he was doing.
Stepping inside the room he watched as the fire seemed to reach out and touch him but his ice formed a sort of shield around him. As he got closer to his brother the fire seemed to be getting hotter and it was taking everything he had to push through the flames.
He got to the foot of the bed and called out to his brother in their language “Jack? ((Tuuc! O khraal duun tuuc!!))” Seth called over the roaring of the flames.
Shaking his head he said what he knew he should have said when he first met up with him again. “((A’gh tuugec A shuuch’d huukhaan o…))” he whispered tears filling his eyes.
He spoke again when the flames seemed to recede a little. “((A’gh tuu tuugec ogaar Xander)) …” he whispered and knew he got through to Jack.
A sob filled the room and the fire seemed to give one last pulse before it slowly seemed to just… disintegrate. “((A’gh tuu tagaal…))” Jack sobbed bending in half and Seth grabbed at him pulling him to his chest.
“((A muul, A muul o’kaan tagaal.))” he whispered as he ran his fingers threw his baby brothers hair.
Hugging Jack closer he listened to the heartbreaking sobs that filled the room. Jack’s sobs were large and heavy and so full of anguish that it broke everyone’s hearts.
Jack’s body shook uncontrollably and it felt like at any moment Jack would shatter into a million pieces. Kissing Jack’s head Seth whispered “((Ar’t huuc duun rhaa osh khruul…))” he whispered into Jack’s hair, rubbing his back.
~~~~~~~~Jack’s POV
Two hours after he came back into himself Jack was in the car with his ‘ma and older brothers going home. He hadn’t spoken a word since he ‘woke up’ and really none of them expected him to. Evelyn parked in the driveway and all of them got out into the snowy weather.
It’d been snowing since Xander…, since that night, Seth had told him. Walking, head bowed and shoulders slumped, Jack walked inside and walked up to his room without a word.
Going to his bed he curled ontop of the blankets and cried. He curled into a ball and tried to keep his crying silent but he knew everyone could hear him. He clutched the rosary to his chest and cried harder. Everything hurt and it felt like a part of him was missing… gone.
Xander was the only one who knew about everything in his life… every secret, everything… Xander was Jack’s everything as he was Xander’s, and now he had no one!
He didn’t hear his bedroom door being opened but he felt his ‘ma pulling him into a hug. He gripped her tight and cried into her shoulder. He wanted to scream but he couldn’t all he could do was hug his mother and cry.
He must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes again it was daylight and he groaned lightly. Making a face Jack sat up slowly; his mouth tasted like something died in it, his body was sore, and his face was stiff. His entire being slumped and he hunched into himself a little as he remembered what happened.
Reaching over Jack pulled out his pills and threw four into his mouth then grabbed a water bottle, which he kept in his bedside table with his pills, and washed them down. He sat there for a few minutes wondering if he should even get up.
Glancing over at the clock he saw it was 12pm and that’s when he smelled grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Swallowing again Jack slowly stood up, only to have to grab onto the wall when his legs shook.
Going to the bathroom Jack turned on the water to scalding and pulled off his clothes, shivering in the cold air. Jack stood under the burning water and leaned his forehead against the tile and cried. His sobbing was dulled some what by the running water but he trembled and shook; his body burning and his heart screaming.
He waited for the water to turn freezing before he got out trembling, this time from the cold. His lips were blue and his face pale as he wrapped a towel around his waist but he didn’t care.
Walking into his room Jack just stood there as his mind was over run by memories of him and Xander… not even bad memories because they had a lot of good ones. Sniffing Jack closed his eyes and counted to ten before he opened them again.
Sighing, though it came out a choked sob, he went to his dresser and pulled out boxers, black sweats, a long sleeve plain black shirt, and pulled it all on. After pulling on his hoodie and socks he walked down the stairs.
It all seemed surreal… like that day didn’t even happen, like it was a nightmare. But when he went to touch the bond that he and Xander used to share he came up empty. It was like touching an open sore and it burned when he touched it. He walked into the kitchen silently but froze, eyes widening, as he saw his mother, Bobby, Angel, and a Flyer eating at the table.
End Chapter
OK… here it is… Well? What do you think? I know some are gonna be very mad but this happened for a reason and as time goes on, and more story gets out, you’ll understand. The next chapter will be up in a few minutes!
I hope no one leaves ‘cause this happened… that’s what I was kinda worried about, that I’d lose some readers but this had to happen.
~shadow