Title: Mend My Shattered Soul
Summary: Bad things happen to good people. A tragic accident triggers old memories that thrust the past back into the present. Before, During, and After the movie. Rating May Change.
Rating: T may change to M.
Pairings: Jack Mercer/OC

Author's Note: Yes, I have rewritten the story. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CHANGED. It may not look like it, but certain aspects are different. I stretched everything out so it is more consistent. There is sexual tension between Haley and Jack as opposed to their instant connection in my first draft.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything pertaining to Four Brothers, nor do I own any of the lyrics used for some of Jack's songs.

Mend My Shattered Soul
By: RedHot911

Chapter One

Jack Mercer: Man of Steel

Jack Mercer walked through the sea of people as he tried to escape the bedlam he had gotten himself into. Andrew Davis had invited him to the party, and all though he didn't know him very well he decided to attend anyways; he did, after all, need something to do on Friday nights. He promptly climbed the flight of stairs, that was swarming with drunken teenagers who had sex drives that were about to explode. And as Jack walked through the hallway, the various moans erupting from the various rooms indicated to him that some already had. He finally found a room without a sock or hair tie hanging off the doorknob, and opened it jubilantly. Slamming it shut, he walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"All partied out already?" A sultry voice asked as Jack turned his head and locked eyes with a girl with long, brown hair spraying perfume in the air. She scrunched up her nose in disgust and while fanning the air said, "Well, if that's not what French whore smells like then I don't know what does…"

Jack ran his fingers through his hair before standing and approaching the white door. Jack was never one to be incredibly patient. He had had enough of kids his own age this evening; especially the drunk idiots. He didn't need to be in a room with one, not tonight. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude," he began placing a hand on the golden doorknob. "But I really need some privacy."

"Well, if you haven't noticed," she started as she walked out from the dark corner and into the vivid moonlight that shone brightly through the windowpane. Placing a hand on the glass, she continued. "We're currently in the master bedroom of the biggest house in Detroit." She turned and leaned her shoulder on the nearby strip of wall. "There are plenty of other available rooms if you want some privacy." She retorted as she made imaginary quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

"I really don't have time for this bullshit tonight. As you said, we're in the biggest house in Detroit!" He said irritated as he tightened his grip on the doorknob. "So if you don't mind!" Jack yelled as he yanked on the doorknob; unintentionally un-attaching it from the wood door. "Fuck!" Jack shouted as he stared at the knob.

"You idiot!" The girl yelled as she ran over to him and pulled the knob from his grip. "What did you do?" She questioned as Jack slammed his head on the door, and she attempted to somehow reattach the knob to the door.

"I just pulled!" Jack answered as he pounded on the door. "Somebody, open the door!"

She threw the doorknob across the room and sat on the floor; leaning her back against the white-paneled door. Shaking her head she whispered, "I can't believe I'm stuck in here now!"

"We're stuck here now," Jack corrected as he looked down at her.

Shaking her head defiantly, she suddenly stood and walked over to the window. "Not if I can help it," she muttered opening the window.

Jack stood up straight, with wide eyes," What are you planning on doing?" He asked as she stuck her head out the window and looked around.

"I'm planning on climbing out of this window…" She glanced back at Jack, and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. "Somehow." She moved her head back inside the house and bit her lower lip. "I just need to reach that branch…"

Jack walked over to her and looked out the window. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "There is no way that you could ever reach that branch, small fry."

Quickly turning her head to him, she shot him a bold look. Clearing her throat she shifted uncomfortably and pushed her hair behind her ear. Pulling down her shirt she responded, "Watch me."

Jack crossed his arms and pursed his lips. Oh this ought to be good. He thought to himself as he watched her lean half of her body out of the window, reaching for the branch. Her fingers barely grazed the wood, and Jack let out a small laugh, causing her to reach further. More than halfway out the window she finally grasped the branch.

"Got it!" She exclaimed triumphantly. She tightened her grip and eased the rest of her body out of the window. "Told you I could do it," she bragged as she now had both hands on the branch.

Jack looked down at the ground with a smile on his face and nodded his head. Seconds later he heard a loud crack, and his head shot up.

"Oh shit!" She yelled as the branch broke and Jack lunged forward grabbing her waist and pulling her back inside the room. Landing on his back, he got the wind knocked out of his.

"Damn it!" She yelled as she escaped Jack's grip and threw herself on the bed.

As he regained his breath, Jack moved on his knees to the opposite side of the bed. Climbing on it, he clutched his stomach and said, "Who's the idiot now?"

Her jaw dropped, and reacted to the statement by pushing Jack off the bed. "It's still you asshole. You're the one who broke the fucking doorknob."

"I can't help it that I'm incredibly strong," he stated with a grin.

"Yeah, well you might as well be the next 'man of steel'," she said sarcastically as Jack laughed.

"And you might as well be the next Miss Congeniality with your grace and charm."

After ten minutes of utter silence and after her anger subsided, she shifted and rested on her side looking down at Jack, who was still lying on the floor. "Who are you anyways?" She asked.

He stared up at her for quite sometime, before propping himself up on his elbows. "Jack."

"Jack? What, no last name?" She inquired cocking her eyebrow.

"It's Mercer. The name's Jack Mercer."

"Oh," was her response as she stood, walking over to the door and began pounding on it. "Hello is anybody out there! Hello!" She hollered.

Jack placed his fingers on his temple. "Could you not?" He asked seemingly annoyed.

"Well, can you like—kick it down or something?" She asked crossing her arms.

Jack squinted his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think so…"

She threw her arms up in defeat. "Fantastic…" She replied cynically.

Jack stood and looked at her. "The only way we're getting out of here is it we work together." He stated as he moved closer to the door. "So…" He began as he waited for her to say her name.

"Haley."

"Haley, we're going to have to work together. So…" Jack shook his head slightly looking around the room. "Any suggestions?"

"The last time I had an idea I almost fell out of a window," Haley answered as she began to examine the door. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah. Right." Jack began to tap his foot as he himself mimicked what Haley was doing and stared intently at the door.

Haley placed her index finger to her lips and started to tap it against her lower lip. There must be some way to get this damn door open! She thought to herself as Jack's tapping began to cloud her thoughts. Haley turned her head quickly and looked at Jack. "Could you not?" She asked annoyed by his foot tapping.

"Sorry," Jack apologized as he knelt down beside Haley. "Got any ideas yet? Just make sure that they don't involve you hanging half way out of something and nearly falling to your death." He said with a grin as Haley narrowed her eyes at him.

Haley threw her hands up in defeat. "We're stuck here!" She exclaimed as she leaned her back against the door once again. "There's over twenty people here and no one can hear us…this is unbelievable."

Jack rubbed his chin and stood up quickly. "There has to be a way out of here. And we're going to think of a way together," Jack extended his hand to Haley.

She stared at it for a moment, before sighing and taking it, allowing him to help her up. What else could she do? He was right; they had to work together. Jack led her towards the window once more, and they both simultaneously gazed out of it. Haley looked up at Jack, "We're not going to be able to get out this way." She admitted as he sighed and nodded.

"Some master bedroom," he muttered as he made his way towards the door. "There's not even a bathroom connecting to it…"

Haley's ears perked up. "What did you say?" She questioned as Jack gave her a strange look.

"I said," he began. "There's not even a bathroom connecting to the room."

Haley made her way to the other side of the room; flicking on the lights as she passed by the light switch near the door. She placed a hand on the doorknob and flung it opened. Poking her head inside, she turned on that light, but emerged seemingly disappointed. "There's a bathroom alright. There's just no other door inside of it," she pointed to the door she was standing next to. "This is the only one."

After three hours of screaming and pounding on the door, Haley and Jack sat slumped against the door for the hundredth time that night. Jack's head was lazily tilted to the side and Haley was banging her shoulder on the door, still trying to get someone's attention.

Suddenly as felt a warm hand on her bare arm and she stopped and looked at Jack. His blue eyes piercing her auburn eyes as he gently said. "It's no use. Everyone has either left or passed out. Nobody's going to get us out of here until morning." Stubbornly, Haley brushed off his hand as she shifted her weight and leaned her back against the door.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily.

"Almost one a.m." He answered as Haley groaned.

"I'm exhausted," she stated. "Are you?"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack nod. "Yeah," he answered vocally as they stood. "I'll take the floor." Jack offered as he walked over to the bed and took a pillow.

"The bed is big enough for the both of us." Haley said as she took off her shoes and laid on it. "Besides it's not like we're going to do anything," She said with a yawn as she curled up on her side.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked still standing next to the bed.

Haley nodded as she felt her eye lids begin to get heavy.

Jack placed the pillow back on the bed and laid down on his back. Remembering that the light was still on, he sighed and stood to turn it off. Once he was back on the bed, he soon fell asleep.

"Jack..."

"Jack..."

"JACK!"

Jack's eyes popped open and he sat up straight in bed. His head darted towards the voice that so loudly had woken him up that morning. The sunlight shone through the sheer curtains and brightly illuminated the pallid room. He rubbed his eyes and ruffled his hair as he slung his long legs over the side of the bed.

"C'mon, let's go." Haley commanded as Jack stood, his ripped abdomen lengthened as he stretched yawning. "Here," she threw him his shirt that he so carelessly took off and flung on the floor. "Put your shirt back on."

Jack drowsily caught it and pulled it over his head. "Did someone open the door?"

Haley shook her head. "Not yet…" she replied quietly as she looked at herself in the mirror.

He looked at her quickly before clearing his throat. "You look fine," he said, his voice raspy and low.

She smiled as blushed slightly as a mischievous grin crept across her face. "Thanks…I just wish that I could say the same about you," she retorted slyly with a smile as Jack stared at her shaking his head. She let out a small laugh and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," she said as she turned her attention back to the mirror.

Jack began fixing the bed as he softly sang, "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you…" He felt her eyes burning a hole in the back of his head. But he couldn't help himself, so he sang louder. "You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about," He grinned and looked up at her. "Don't you? Don't you?"

Haley's face was twisted in disgust. "Carly Simon? A hardcore rocker like you knows Carly Simon lyrics?"

"My Ma was a big fan," he claimed as she laughed and sat Indian-style on the floor.

Haley nodded in disbelief. "I'm sure. I bet you own all of her albums, and know all of the words to all of her songs."

Jack sat on the floor next to her. "You're right. I do," he joked.

Haley picked at her nails uneasily and abruptly stood making her way towards the door. She knocked on it, hoping that someone would hear, and then proceeded to bang on it.

Jack stood and gave Haley a confused look. "You aren't----"He started as he leaned on the door. "Scared of me, are you?"

"Scared? Of you?" Haley rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "No!" She said defensively.

Jack opened his mouth to speak when the door suddenly opened. Andrew Davis peeked his head inside the room. "Finally…" Jack muttered as Andrew caught sight of the doorknob on the other side of the room.

"What the hell is going on here?" Andrew question angrily. "Haley?" He shot his looks over at her, as she nervously cast her eyes on the floor. "What the fuck are you doing here with him?"

Jack looked at Haley, perplexed by Andrew's fury dripping from his words. Taking a chance, Jack answered for her saying, "The doorknob came off, and we've been stuck here since last night."

Haley's head shot up from the sudden answer escaping from Jack's lips. It was the truth, just seemingly sugarcoated. "Where the hell have you been?" She shot back. "Why didn't you look for me?"

Andrew's shoulders moved up and down as he began to breathe heavily. Clenching his teeth he moved out of the doorway. "Get the fuck out," he mumbled motioning towards the hallway with a jutted thumb.

Jack and Haley complied as they filed out of the room as quickly as possible. Once they hit the streets and were about a block away, Haley let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that," she apologized as she pulled her jacket tighter around her. "Andrew can get a bit---crazy sometimes."

"Are you two together?" Jack asked bluntly as he approached Haley's car.

Haley thought about it for a moment before responding. "We were." Haley opened her door and sat down on the driver's seat. "It was nice meeting you; maybe I'll see you in school."

Jack laughed and stuck his hands into his pockets. "School is a conspiracy to drain us of our youth."

Haley grinned and before closing the door said jokingly, "See you around Jack Mercer…man of steel."

"Woke up yesterday, with you on my mind. So afraid of running out of time. So come around again and I'll show you what I mean, and you can tell me exactly what you need. And we can talk all night…"

Jack bit the end of his pencil as he continued to write in his composition book. "Come in," he called when someone knocked on the door. He looked up and saw his mother step inside and he quickly put his composition book and guitar down.

"Where were you last night, Jack?" she asked sincerely worried.

"Sorry, I forgot to call." He jutted out his jaw. He couldn't possibly tell her the whole truth. "I stayed the night at Andrew's house. I was really tired after the party and I just spent the night there."

Evelyn's eyes carefully examined her son's as she tried to search for a reason not to believe him. Satisfied with his answer she nodded her head and exited the room.

Jack smirked to himself, reminiscing about the night. Realizing that he hadn't brush his teeth or tamed his hair all day, he quickly stood and walked over to the mirror on his wall. His clothes were disheveled, but that wasn't what he was worried about. Gazing at his hair, he ran his fingers through it and said to himself, "I don't know what Haley is talking about, I think it looks good."