Author: veiledndarkness

Title: The Flames of Lies

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: None, really, though it is somewhat implied, potential Bobby/Jack

Summary: Bobby only wanted to help. Or so he thinks. A sequel to The Cold Lesson.

Warnings: Usual disclaimer. I do not own these men. It's a shame, really.

000

Bobby walked through the door, whistling lowly as he slipped his coat off. Angel, still smirking, brushed past him with laugh. Bobby watched him walk away, a puzzled frown on his face. Jerry and Angel had laughed all the way home, ignoring his repeated demands to know what was so damn amusing.

Jerry smiled widely and shook his head, walking full speed to the kitchen, his stomach leading him to the fridge. Bobby shrugged it off and turned to go upstairs, only to run smack into Jack, who was perched on the last stair, a worried look clear in his eyes.

"What did you do?" he asked, gnawing on his fingernail anxiously.

Bobby smiled. "Somethin' that should have been taken care of a long time ago. Did you ever plan on tellin' me that someone was beating you up?" he said, his smile fading.

Jack looked off to the side. "Maybe," he said softly.

Bobby grumbled to himself. "See, that's the problem. You hold this shit in instead of sayin' something."

Jack stood up, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You blow it out of proportion, that's why!" he shouted. "Every fuckin' time! I would have dealt with it!" he yelled as he stomped up the stairs.

Bobby threw his hands up. "Some fuckin' gratitude!" he yelled after Jack. "Brat."

He resisted the urge to stomp into the kitchen himself. He slammed the fridge door shut after grabbing a bottle of beer and angrily twisting the cap off. Evelyn wandered into the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker, her movements slow and calm.

Bobby watched her, feeling a tight ball of anger burn low in his stomach. "What are you so happy about?" he snapped.

Evelyn opened a drawer and pulled out a paring knife. She sat down at the kitchen table and began to cut an apple into quarters. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked before eyeing his untouched beer.

"It's a tad early for beer Bobby," she said, a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"Breakfast beer," he said shortly, his anger still simmering. Evelyn nodded.

She held out a slice of apple to him. After a moment, Bobby sighed and took the section, chewing on it thoughtfully. "Bobby, did you ever consider that perhaps Jack is old enough to deal with some problems himself?" she asked gently.

Bobby swallowed and grimaced. "I knew that was coming," he said sourly.

Evelyn smiled. "I know you just want to help Bobby, but Jack is not a child."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Oh, and 15 makes him an adult?" he snorted.

She held out another slice of apple to him. He chewed quickly, still stewing over Jack's reaction. "It's not his age that's important; it's that you still want to protect him when he needs to learn things for himself."

"Of course I want to protect him!" Bobby exploded, standing up so fast that his chair fell over backwards. "I protect them all because we're family. And yeah I keep more of an eye out on Jack when I'm home. So what? Is it a crime to care now? He doesn't have the first clue how to protect himself!"

Evelyn pointed at the chair that he had knocked over, a small, unspoken reprimand on her face. "I'm glad that you try to keep him safe, but you can't always be here to save him, Bobby," she said softly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," he whispered. A pink tinge covered his cheeks. He picked the chair up and placed it carefully back by the table.

"I gotta go Ma, I'll be late for work," he muttered. She nodded. "Just think about it, would you?" she called.

Bobby shrugged as he grabbed his coat, not realizing till he was starting up his car that he had left his beer, still untouched on the kitchen table.

000

Jack sat on the lower roof edge later that night watching the sun set slowly. He stiffened slightly when he heard his window open further and saw two legs swing out onto the ledge.

"What do you want Bobby?" he asked tiredly.

Bobby sat down beside him, propping his arms on his knees. He sighed softly before speaking.

"I'm sorry," he said lowly. "I only wanted…" he sighed again. "I only wanted to keep you safe."

Jack scoffed. "I'm not a baby, Bobby. I can take care of myself."

"I know," Bobby nodded. "But I can't help but wanna hurt anyone who hurts you. And that guy was at least 20! What the hell's he doin' beating up small kids?" he said, outraged at the idea.

"He knew you were my brother, so he thought he'd make a name for himself," Jack shrugged. "It happens a lot."

"Fuckin' street bragging rights more likely," Bobby spat. "I hate those punks."

"I don't need you to fight my battles Bobby. Let me do things for myself," Jack said after a moment of silence.

Bobby stared at the sun as it set. "I don't want you hurt," he said softly.

Jack frowned. "Would you be so quick to jump in if it was Angel or Jerry? Or is it just me?"

Bobby bit his lip. "I always try to help," he said, avoiding the direct question.

"But not right away. You think I don't notice; that I'm too young to know. Why me?" Jack persisted, his stomach fluttering at the look on Bobby's face.

Bobby stared harder at the fading sun. "I don't know," he admitted quietly.

Jack edged closer to Bobby, bringing his body close to him, his nerves jumping.

"Tell me," he whispered urgently. Bobby glanced at Jack and felt his stomach drop.

'Damn those eyes,' he cursed to himself. In that moment he saw a glimpse of Jack, only a bit older, more sinfully good-looking.

"It's nothin' Jackie. You're my little brother, I don't want to see you hurt," Bobby said, pushing down on his instinct, ignoring the empty feeling in his heart at the hurt look on Jack's face.

"Fine," Jack sighed, scooting back over a few inches, the distance between them seemed miles wide.

Bobby felt the burn in his eyes and he blinked rapidly, willing the tears away. The sun set in a burst of color, illuminating Jack's face. Bobby caught his breath as he saw pain in his face, pain and love, with the reds, oranges, and yellows exploding against the sky.

'Someday I'll tell him,' he vowed. 'But not today.'