Four Brothers
Title: Gone 11/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Future Bobby/Jack
Rating: R for violence, swearing
Disclaimer: Characters not mine, no harm intended.
Summary: AU. Jack's been taken, a pawn of Victor Sweet's game.
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xx
The man stood in the doorway of Jack's room for a long moment, hesitation clear on his face. Jack lay sleeping on his bed, his face strained and worn; tear tracks visible on his pale skin. The man sighed and stepped into the room, letting the door close with a muted thud behind him. He approached the bed, wiping his hands off on his denim jeans. Jack sighed in his sleep, a tear trickling down his cheek.
The man swallowed dryly as he looked at Jack, guilt heavy in his dark eyes. Jack opened his eyes abruptly, as if he'd sensed someone in the room with him. "Bobby?" he whispered.
"Nah...It's...well shit, I don't even know if you remember me," the man said. He crossed the last few steps over to the bed. "I...I was in the basement with you."
Jack blinked rapidly, staring up at him. He gripped the blankets, fighting his urge to cringe away. "But Victor's dead!" he blurted out.
The man sighed once more. "Easy, kid," he said. "I ain't gonna hurt you. Victor's gone, I don't hafta answer to him."
Jack nodded shakily, his wide eyes fixed on the man's face, uncovered before him for the first time. "You...why are you..." he trailed off, licking his lips nervously.
"I wanted t' see for myself, make sure you were alright," the man said. He wiped a hand over his head, tugging his knit hat off. He sat in the chair close to the bed, his dark brown eyes amused.
"Aw, come off it, kid, I'm not that ugly, huh?" he asked, smiling crookedly.
Jack shook his head immediately. "No, I just...I didn't think I'd see you again," he said.
The man held his knit hat in his hands, his plain brown hair shining a bit in the dim room. "Me either," he said honestly. He rubbed his chin, drawing Jack's eye.
"I'm...the doctors said I'm gonna be ok," Jack mumbled. "I'm s'posed to be going home tomorrow."
The man nodded. "I swear, that bullet took ten years offa my life," he said. "Happened so damn fast, and fuck, I thought you were dead. You looked dead."
Jack smiled humorlessly. "I don't remember much at that point," he said. "Maybe its better that I don't..." he looked away, his hand rising to touch his neck. He made a soft sound when his hand touched nothing but skin, no comforting weight of his necklace there for him.
"Yeah," the man said, his knee jumping a bit. "I thought your Bobby was gonna rip Victor's head clean off."
"He probably would've," Jack mumbled. "He's gone now..."
"Gone? Yeah, it's best that I'm not here when he gets back," the man said. "God only knows what he'll try an' do."
"He doesn't know you were the guard," Jack said dully. "I didn't tell him."
The man breathed out, nodding. "I jus'...I had to see that you were alive," he said. "I never wanted to hurt you, an' I'm sorry about the time I slapped you."
Jack looked back at him. "S'fine," he said. "I shoulda just kept my mouth shut."
"No, that don’t make it ok," he said. "I shouldn't have been slappin' you around."
Jack closed his eyes briefly. "I'm alive," he said, his voice uneven. "I'm gonna be fine. You can go."
"I'm not askin' for some kinda forgiveness, Jack," the man said. "I did what I had to, my girl woulda been next after you, and she never did shit. I couldn't take that chance."
"I never did shit either," Jack said, angry tears in his eyes. "You kidnapped me, outta my fuckin' home. You might not have killed my mother, but another guy jus' like you did. So what the fuck do you want from me? Some kind of relief, is that it? You say you don't want my forgiveness? Good, cause you aren't gettin' any from me."
The man toyed with his hat for a moment. "If it was the other way around, an' someone like Victor had that kinda control over you, you'd see it from my side," he said quietly.
Jack snorted softly. "Don't excuse it," he said. He gestured to his shoulder. "How many others have there been, huh? How many other guys ended up like me or worse?"
"Too many," the man muttered. "Fuck...Alright, I'm sorry, Jack. I did what I had to in a bad situation. I did what I could to help you, and I wish like hell it'd never happened to you. You're a good kid, I see that."
Jack wiped at his face with a clumsy hand. "You should go," he said. "Bobby might come back soon."
The man nodded and tugged his hat back on. "He's gonna take good care of you, right?" he said. Jack nodded silently. "Good, if he doesn't, you come an' find me, and I'll fuck him up for you."
Jack laughed a little. "How am I gonna find you?" he said. "I don't even know your name."
The man smiled slowly, the smile making his sharp features soften. "It's Daniel," he murmured. "Jeremiah knows Evan, Evan knows me. That's how."
Jack touched his bare neck again. "I...I'm grateful," he whispered. "You did help me, I know you did and you didn't have to..."
Daniel nodded. "I did what I could," he said. "You take care, Jack."
Jack offered him a weary smile. "I will," he said. Daniel touched Jack's forehead suddenly, his thumb pushing some of the messy hair back from his eyes. He dropped his hand just as fast and walked out of the room.
Jack watched him go, his stomach churning uneasily. He curled up as best he could on the bed, his hand rubbing along his neck as he drifted off to sleep.
xx
Bobby dropped Jack's duffel bag on the unmade bed and grabbed a few of the shirts from the end of the mattress, Jack's scent reaching him as he stuffed the clothing into the bag. His nose twitched, unshed tears prickling under his eyelids. He swallowed and grabbed a pair of socks that looked clean enough, tossing them into the bag along with a pair of jeans.
"You bringin' him home now?" Angel's voice startled Bobby, breaking him out of his silent thoughts.
"Yeah," Bobby muttered. He tugged the zipper closed and shouldered the bag. "Doctor's dischargin' him this morning." He walked out of the room.
"Bobby..."
Bobby turned and looked at him, his shoulders tense. "What? I'm late, Angel, I gotta go," he said impatiently.
"You stayin' after he's home, right?" Angel asked, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.
"I'm thinkin' about it," Bobby said, his eyes darkening with irritation.
Angel shook his head. "You bolt, an' I'll drag you back by your hair, Bobby," he said.
"Fuck off," Bobby snapped. "I don't need you lecturin' me."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Bobby Mercer was afraid of something," Angel said softly. "What Jack's been through, no one should hafta. An' you runnin' off, you're gonna make it worse. So I won't let you do it."
"You gonna stop me?" Bobby asked with a glint of barely banked fury in his eyes.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, I will," he said. "You an' Jack, this whole dancin', two steps forward, one step back shit that needs to stop."
Bobby clenched his teeth. "Me an'..." he blew out a frustrated breath.
"How 'bout you let me an' Jack deal with this on our own?" he said, picking his words carefully.
Angel eyed him. "Long as you aren't runnin' out the door, s'fine," he said.
"You just keep that bitch of yours away from me and things'll be just fine," Bobby snarked.
Angel rolled his eyes and walked away. Bobby shouldered the bag again and hurried down the stairs, already late for picking Jack up.
xx
Jack sat in his wheelchair, staring out the window of his room. He heard the door open behind him and tensed, overwhelmingly aware of Bobby's presence in the room. He closed his eyes and focused on the way his heart skipped a beat when he heard the footsteps approach him.
"Jack," Bobby said, his voice echoing in the silent room. "I...brought some of your stuff."
Jack nodded and opened his eyes again. "Thanks," he mumbled, his voice strained.
Bobby set the bag down on the bed. "You, ah, need help getting dressed?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "No," he said flatly. "Just...go find the doctor? I want to go."
"Yeah...." Bobby said. He left the room, the tension heavy and suffocating Jack with each breath he took in. The door opened again, Doris entering the room, humming softly.
"Alright," she said. "Let's get you dressed and ready. We're kicking you out now."
She smiled at him as she pushed the wheelchair over to the bedside. Jack glared at her. "I can dress myself," he said petulantly.
"I don't doubt that, Jack," she said, helping him sit on the bed. "But with your shoulder, it's going to hurt using that arm. Don't be stubborn now, let me help you, hmm?"
He sighed and nodded. "I know," he said. "You're healing up very nicely," she said. "It won't be long before you'll be back to normal."
Jack bit the inside of his lip. Normal...He wasn't sure he'd ever been normal. He helped as much as he could, a hiss escaping when he stretched his arm too far at one point. "Fuck!"
"Easy," Doris chided him. "There's no need to rush."
"Sorry," he said, gritting his teeth. Once he was dressed, Jack leaned against his pillow, his fingers twitching.
Doris checked him over. "You have the prescriptions, everything you need?" she asked.
Jack smiled slowly. "Yeah, I do, stop fussin' already," he said. "I'll be fine."
"I'm entitled to fuss," she said. "My mother always says that I get too attached to people and damn it if she wasn't right about that."
"Does your mom have little sayings?" Jack asked, watching her refold the clothes from Jack's duffel bag.
She chuckled and nodded. "Lord, does she ever," she said. "Funny little lady that she is. The best one is 'it's better than a kick in the butt with a cold boot.'"
Jack laughed quietly, his shoulder aching when he did so. His laughter faded when he saw Bobby in the doorway. Bobby looked at him, his face carefully blank, and a look in his eyes that made Jack's throat close.
Doris cleared her throat. "Ah, Bobby, you're just in time," she said. "Jack's dressed and ready to go."
Bobby blinked, startled when she had spoken. "Yeah...Doctor's comin'," he said.
Jack lowered his eyes. He couldn't look right at Bobby, not then. The tension was heavy in the room, a palatably thickness in the air. Doris zipped up Jack's duffel bag, the sound harsh in the silence around them.
"Ok, so you're packed up," she said. "I'll say good bye now, seeing as I have a whole wing of people to get to this morning still."
She leaned in, hugging Jack carefully. "You take it easy, Jack, I mean it. If I hear you've been running around any time soon, I'll smack you upside the head with my mother's slipper," she teased.
Jack grinned a little. "Yes ma'am," he said, attempting a solemn expression.
"Good," she said, ruffling his hair gently. "Bye, Jack."
Jack's smile faded when she walked away from the bed, her knowing eyes on Bobby's for a moment. The moment stretched on, seemingly silent conversation between the two. Bobby broke the eye contact and stepped into the room, Doris passing by him.
Jack gripped the blanket on his lap, twisting the material between his fingers. He felt small, weaker almost whenever Bobby's moods changed. Despite their height difference, Bobby's rage frightened him.
Bobby sat in the chair, an uneasy silence between them until the doctor came in.
Jack tried his best not to fidget in the car, his nerves already uneasy from Bobby's continued near silence. Bobby lit a cigarette as he drove, blowing the cigarette smoke out the window. Jack reached over and flipped the switch, soft music playing from the old radio, waiting for the inevitable complaint from Bobby for daring to mess with the presets.
Bobby said nothing. He flicked the cigarette out the window, his eyes empty. Jack huddled closer to the door, a single tear running unnoticed down his cheek.
xx
Author: veiledndarkness
Pairing: Future Bobby/Jack
Rating: R for violence, swearing
Disclaimer: Characters not mine, no harm intended.
Summary: AU. Jack's been taken, a pawn of Victor Sweet's game.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
xx
The man stood in the doorway of Jack's room for a long moment, hesitation clear on his face. Jack lay sleeping on his bed, his face strained and worn; tear tracks visible on his pale skin. The man sighed and stepped into the room, letting the door close with a muted thud behind him. He approached the bed, wiping his hands off on his denim jeans. Jack sighed in his sleep, a tear trickling down his cheek.
The man swallowed dryly as he looked at Jack, guilt heavy in his dark eyes. Jack opened his eyes abruptly, as if he'd sensed someone in the room with him. "Bobby?" he whispered.
"Nah...It's...well shit, I don't even know if you remember me," the man said. He crossed the last few steps over to the bed. "I...I was in the basement with you."
Jack blinked rapidly, staring up at him. He gripped the blankets, fighting his urge to cringe away. "But Victor's dead!" he blurted out.
The man sighed once more. "Easy, kid," he said. "I ain't gonna hurt you. Victor's gone, I don't hafta answer to him."
Jack nodded shakily, his wide eyes fixed on the man's face, uncovered before him for the first time. "You...why are you..." he trailed off, licking his lips nervously.
"I wanted t' see for myself, make sure you were alright," the man said. He wiped a hand over his head, tugging his knit hat off. He sat in the chair close to the bed, his dark brown eyes amused.
"Aw, come off it, kid, I'm not that ugly, huh?" he asked, smiling crookedly.
Jack shook his head immediately. "No, I just...I didn't think I'd see you again," he said.
The man held his knit hat in his hands, his plain brown hair shining a bit in the dim room. "Me either," he said honestly. He rubbed his chin, drawing Jack's eye.
"I'm...the doctors said I'm gonna be ok," Jack mumbled. "I'm s'posed to be going home tomorrow."
The man nodded. "I swear, that bullet took ten years offa my life," he said. "Happened so damn fast, and fuck, I thought you were dead. You looked dead."
Jack smiled humorlessly. "I don't remember much at that point," he said. "Maybe its better that I don't..." he looked away, his hand rising to touch his neck. He made a soft sound when his hand touched nothing but skin, no comforting weight of his necklace there for him.
"Yeah," the man said, his knee jumping a bit. "I thought your Bobby was gonna rip Victor's head clean off."
"He probably would've," Jack mumbled. "He's gone now..."
"Gone? Yeah, it's best that I'm not here when he gets back," the man said. "God only knows what he'll try an' do."
"He doesn't know you were the guard," Jack said dully. "I didn't tell him."
The man breathed out, nodding. "I jus'...I had to see that you were alive," he said. "I never wanted to hurt you, an' I'm sorry about the time I slapped you."
Jack looked back at him. "S'fine," he said. "I shoulda just kept my mouth shut."
"No, that don’t make it ok," he said. "I shouldn't have been slappin' you around."
Jack closed his eyes briefly. "I'm alive," he said, his voice uneven. "I'm gonna be fine. You can go."
"I'm not askin' for some kinda forgiveness, Jack," the man said. "I did what I had to, my girl woulda been next after you, and she never did shit. I couldn't take that chance."
"I never did shit either," Jack said, angry tears in his eyes. "You kidnapped me, outta my fuckin' home. You might not have killed my mother, but another guy jus' like you did. So what the fuck do you want from me? Some kind of relief, is that it? You say you don't want my forgiveness? Good, cause you aren't gettin' any from me."
The man toyed with his hat for a moment. "If it was the other way around, an' someone like Victor had that kinda control over you, you'd see it from my side," he said quietly.
Jack snorted softly. "Don't excuse it," he said. He gestured to his shoulder. "How many others have there been, huh? How many other guys ended up like me or worse?"
"Too many," the man muttered. "Fuck...Alright, I'm sorry, Jack. I did what I had to in a bad situation. I did what I could to help you, and I wish like hell it'd never happened to you. You're a good kid, I see that."
Jack wiped at his face with a clumsy hand. "You should go," he said. "Bobby might come back soon."
The man nodded and tugged his hat back on. "He's gonna take good care of you, right?" he said. Jack nodded silently. "Good, if he doesn't, you come an' find me, and I'll fuck him up for you."
Jack laughed a little. "How am I gonna find you?" he said. "I don't even know your name."
The man smiled slowly, the smile making his sharp features soften. "It's Daniel," he murmured. "Jeremiah knows Evan, Evan knows me. That's how."
Jack touched his bare neck again. "I...I'm grateful," he whispered. "You did help me, I know you did and you didn't have to..."
Daniel nodded. "I did what I could," he said. "You take care, Jack."
Jack offered him a weary smile. "I will," he said. Daniel touched Jack's forehead suddenly, his thumb pushing some of the messy hair back from his eyes. He dropped his hand just as fast and walked out of the room.
Jack watched him go, his stomach churning uneasily. He curled up as best he could on the bed, his hand rubbing along his neck as he drifted off to sleep.
xx
Bobby dropped Jack's duffel bag on the unmade bed and grabbed a few of the shirts from the end of the mattress, Jack's scent reaching him as he stuffed the clothing into the bag. His nose twitched, unshed tears prickling under his eyelids. He swallowed and grabbed a pair of socks that looked clean enough, tossing them into the bag along with a pair of jeans.
"You bringin' him home now?" Angel's voice startled Bobby, breaking him out of his silent thoughts.
"Yeah," Bobby muttered. He tugged the zipper closed and shouldered the bag. "Doctor's dischargin' him this morning." He walked out of the room.
"Bobby..."
Bobby turned and looked at him, his shoulders tense. "What? I'm late, Angel, I gotta go," he said impatiently.
"You stayin' after he's home, right?" Angel asked, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.
"I'm thinkin' about it," Bobby said, his eyes darkening with irritation.
Angel shook his head. "You bolt, an' I'll drag you back by your hair, Bobby," he said.
"Fuck off," Bobby snapped. "I don't need you lecturin' me."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Bobby Mercer was afraid of something," Angel said softly. "What Jack's been through, no one should hafta. An' you runnin' off, you're gonna make it worse. So I won't let you do it."
"You gonna stop me?" Bobby asked with a glint of barely banked fury in his eyes.
Angel nodded. "Yeah, I will," he said. "You an' Jack, this whole dancin', two steps forward, one step back shit that needs to stop."
Bobby clenched his teeth. "Me an'..." he blew out a frustrated breath.
"How 'bout you let me an' Jack deal with this on our own?" he said, picking his words carefully.
Angel eyed him. "Long as you aren't runnin' out the door, s'fine," he said.
"You just keep that bitch of yours away from me and things'll be just fine," Bobby snarked.
Angel rolled his eyes and walked away. Bobby shouldered the bag again and hurried down the stairs, already late for picking Jack up.
xx
Jack sat in his wheelchair, staring out the window of his room. He heard the door open behind him and tensed, overwhelmingly aware of Bobby's presence in the room. He closed his eyes and focused on the way his heart skipped a beat when he heard the footsteps approach him.
"Jack," Bobby said, his voice echoing in the silent room. "I...brought some of your stuff."
Jack nodded and opened his eyes again. "Thanks," he mumbled, his voice strained.
Bobby set the bag down on the bed. "You, ah, need help getting dressed?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "No," he said flatly. "Just...go find the doctor? I want to go."
"Yeah...." Bobby said. He left the room, the tension heavy and suffocating Jack with each breath he took in. The door opened again, Doris entering the room, humming softly.
"Alright," she said. "Let's get you dressed and ready. We're kicking you out now."
She smiled at him as she pushed the wheelchair over to the bedside. Jack glared at her. "I can dress myself," he said petulantly.
"I don't doubt that, Jack," she said, helping him sit on the bed. "But with your shoulder, it's going to hurt using that arm. Don't be stubborn now, let me help you, hmm?"
He sighed and nodded. "I know," he said. "You're healing up very nicely," she said. "It won't be long before you'll be back to normal."
Jack bit the inside of his lip. Normal...He wasn't sure he'd ever been normal. He helped as much as he could, a hiss escaping when he stretched his arm too far at one point. "Fuck!"
"Easy," Doris chided him. "There's no need to rush."
"Sorry," he said, gritting his teeth. Once he was dressed, Jack leaned against his pillow, his fingers twitching.
Doris checked him over. "You have the prescriptions, everything you need?" she asked.
Jack smiled slowly. "Yeah, I do, stop fussin' already," he said. "I'll be fine."
"I'm entitled to fuss," she said. "My mother always says that I get too attached to people and damn it if she wasn't right about that."
"Does your mom have little sayings?" Jack asked, watching her refold the clothes from Jack's duffel bag.
She chuckled and nodded. "Lord, does she ever," she said. "Funny little lady that she is. The best one is 'it's better than a kick in the butt with a cold boot.'"
Jack laughed quietly, his shoulder aching when he did so. His laughter faded when he saw Bobby in the doorway. Bobby looked at him, his face carefully blank, and a look in his eyes that made Jack's throat close.
Doris cleared her throat. "Ah, Bobby, you're just in time," she said. "Jack's dressed and ready to go."
Bobby blinked, startled when she had spoken. "Yeah...Doctor's comin'," he said.
Jack lowered his eyes. He couldn't look right at Bobby, not then. The tension was heavy in the room, a palatably thickness in the air. Doris zipped up Jack's duffel bag, the sound harsh in the silence around them.
"Ok, so you're packed up," she said. "I'll say good bye now, seeing as I have a whole wing of people to get to this morning still."
She leaned in, hugging Jack carefully. "You take it easy, Jack, I mean it. If I hear you've been running around any time soon, I'll smack you upside the head with my mother's slipper," she teased.
Jack grinned a little. "Yes ma'am," he said, attempting a solemn expression.
"Good," she said, ruffling his hair gently. "Bye, Jack."
Jack's smile faded when she walked away from the bed, her knowing eyes on Bobby's for a moment. The moment stretched on, seemingly silent conversation between the two. Bobby broke the eye contact and stepped into the room, Doris passing by him.
Jack gripped the blanket on his lap, twisting the material between his fingers. He felt small, weaker almost whenever Bobby's moods changed. Despite their height difference, Bobby's rage frightened him.
Bobby sat in the chair, an uneasy silence between them until the doctor came in.
Jack tried his best not to fidget in the car, his nerves already uneasy from Bobby's continued near silence. Bobby lit a cigarette as he drove, blowing the cigarette smoke out the window. Jack reached over and flipped the switch, soft music playing from the old radio, waiting for the inevitable complaint from Bobby for daring to mess with the presets.
Bobby said nothing. He flicked the cigarette out the window, his eyes empty. Jack huddled closer to the door, a single tear running unnoticed down his cheek.
xx