Just a heads up. This fic and more can be found on my Ao3 account. That account gets updates first.

It wasn't really well known, but Jack and Angel Mercer went way back. Jack and Angel had been brothers for far longer then they had been Mercers. They had met as kids when they were still Roman Pierce and Brian O'Conner, helping gangs and other thugs steal cars. It was by the grace of God that the two hadn't been killed before Evelyn Mercer got her hands on them.

Angel closed his eyes and tried to ignore the ache in his chest. Even the thought of his wonderful mother was enough to make him want to cry. Taking deep breaths, Angel looked at the address scribbled on the napkin he had shoved in his pocket right before he had boarded the plane. Bobby had called at the last minute and told him where he was supposed to pick up Jackie.

Bobby wasn't very helpful when it came to explaining just what his brother had gotten himself into. In fact, Angel was more or less entering the situation blind and hoping for the best. Not the best plan by far, but it was the only thing they could do for now. All he had been told was that he was to pick up Jack in L. then later was he given the address.

Leaning his head back against the uncomfortable airplane seat Angel let his mind wander to his first meeting with Jack back when he had been Brian.

Angel, then Roman had been nine and little Brian had just turned seven. Their parents lived on the same block and Brian hid out at the same park Roman did when things got loud or painful. There were three kids on the neighborhood who used the park as a home when things got too rough at home.

They had carefully split the playground into three distinct territories for when they were all there at the same time. Rome since he was oldest, got the tunnel and the tower. That meant he stayed dry when it rained and cool when it was hot.

The second oldest, a redheaded girl, got the lower part of the play structure, so she stayed dry as long as it didn't rain too hard but when it got cold she felt it.

That left little Brian the youngest in the jungle gym area. It had little shelter expect for a few places that were mostly covered but it did him little good.

No one ever talked about the set up nor did they complain, it was just how things were, and everyone knew it. It wasn't until one day everyone on the block could hear yelling and shouting from the O'Conner house but that night Rome didn't see Brian. Why it wasn't all that unusual at first, eventually after nearly a week of no Brian, that he started to worry. Rome really didn't have a reason to worry, he didn't know the kid, and they definitely weren't friends, but still there was something about him that made Rome worry.

He wasn't sure if it was luck or what that started the fight between his momma and her newest man, but Angel would always remember that if they hadn't have fought that night, he wouldn't have found Brian bleeding out in his tunnel from a knife wound to the gut. Brian would have died alone in the park, and never would have become a Mercer.

"Please take your seats and buckle up, we will be landing in 15 minutes."

Angel startled out of his daydreams and buckled his seat belt ready to get off the damn plane and to find his brother. He almost lost Jack once, he wasn't going to let it happen again.

EARLIER THAT DAY

Jack sat up with a start. The unfamiliar room combined with the lack of memory of the night before was enough to cause Jack's breathing to accelerate far too quickly to be healthy. With in seconds Jack's mind was creating horrible scenarios and ideas for what had happened and where he was. It wasn't a deep voice from his left side spoke up that he remembered anything.

"So, Jack, I think you own me some answers." The voice of Dominic Toretto purred from Jack's bedside.

Jack's eyes widened impossibly and it call came back to him at once. The deal with the cops, the races, the phone call. His mother. Jack felt all the air leave his lungs and all he could hear was white noise. He could vaguely feel Dominic move around him but that didn't matter. His mother was dead.

Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. The word kept repeating itself in his head over and over again. It felt like he was dying and Jack didn't care. It wasn't until his vision started graying at the edges that he felt it, two large hands gripping his shoulders and shaking him. Dom, it had to be Dom.

He could feel his chest burning and without conscious thought his mouth opened and he was gasping for breath. Dom stopped shaking him and instead stood up and Jack could see his mouth moving. Jack couldn't understand what the man was saying but he could see the relief on his face.

It took nearly ten minutes for Jack to fully come back to himself his breathing was still a little too fast and his eyes a little too wide but in the end he was a calm as he was going to get. That's when Dom started again.

"So, once again. Jack. What the hell has been going on here?" The big man seemed to reaching his limit and Jack couldn't help but compare the man to Bobby in that moment. Luckily because of the comparison Jack knew that he needed to start talking and talk quickly.

"I'm not a cop!" Was the first thing he blurted out, ignoring Dom's look before plowing on. "They arrested me and said, I was going to prison!" The thought of prison was enough to make Jack frightened. He had seen the type of people that go to prison, and he was well aware that he wouldn't even last a day.

"One of them, an FBI guy, said that to stay out of prison I needed to do this for them." Jack was staring at Dominic willing him to understand. Jack wasn't a snitch, he wasn't a narc, he was just trying to survive. "I still wasn't going to do it, but then they brought up my brothers." Jack's fingers tightened in the blanket eyes still on Dominic. "Jerry has to girls, man. I couldn't let them get mixed up in my mess."

–

After the panic attack Dominic wasn't sure what he was expecting. This wave of desperation that the kid (He had a hard time seeing Brian/Jack as anything other then a scared kid after last night) let loose was not anything like he was expecting. Dominic listened patiently, he listened when the kid said they were planning on sending him to prison and when Jack mentioned they threatened his brothers. Dominic was a hard man, but he wasn't unreasonable.

Some part of him felt for the busta, he knew what it was like when people used your family against you, but Dom wasn't just going to let this disappear. His people were in trouble.

"Okay, here's the situation we've found ourselves in Mercer. Because of some stupid shit, you've gotten yourself into everyone is in danger here. Me, my team, and your family." Dominic glared at the kid and Jack seemed to shrink in on himself. "You and I are going to sit, down, you are going to tell me everything that the cops know and what their plans are." Jack nodded and Dom nodded back. "Oh, and call you brother."

With that Dominic stood up pointed to the phone and left the room without a backwards glance.

Jack let himself relax a little when Dominic closed the door. Looking around the room gave Jack no hints to where he was, he thought that he would still be in the Toretto house but he couldn't be sure. Jack sighed and slid out of the bed he had woken up in and picked up the phone. Dialing the last number he had for his oldest brother. Two rings and a grouchy Bobby Mercer answered the phone.

"What?" Jack felt himself relax for the first time in weeks when he heard his brother's voice.

"Bobby." Jack said waiting for his brother to recognize his voice.

"Jack! What the hell you little fairy? What the hell happened last night? Where the hell are you?" Bobby screamed at his youngest brother.

Jack tilted the phone away from his ear a little and winced at the volume that his brother had used. "Calm down Bobby, I'm fine. I'll explain everything when I get home." Jack felt his stomach begin to tie itself into knots. He hadn't even considered what he was going to do about the cops, or about his mother's funeral. "Bobby?"

Bobby Mercer heard the change in his brother's voice right away and swore softly. "Damn it Jack, what did you do?"

"I messed up big time, Bobby, I don't know what to do." Jack confided in his brother. "I don't know how I'm going to get home...I."

Bobby cut him off, "Angel is coming to get you. I need an address. You and will talk about your stupid ass self getting into trouble so far away from your brothers when he drags your little fairy ass home."

Jack didn't even have time to reply before Bobby started again. "Tell me where you are, Jack."

Hurriedly Jack scanned the room, looking for anything that would tell him where he was, of course since he was in a room alone there was nothing that stood out to him. Jack looked at the night table next to the bed saw piece of paper with an address scribbled onto it. It looked like Dom was better prepared then he was. Jack read the address to Bobby twice before they said good bye, Jack told in no uncertain terms that he was to wait for Angel before doing anything stupid and to get home before the funeral.

With dread settled in his chest like a rock Jack hung up the phone and looked at the door. He knew he would have to leave eventually but that didn't make it easier.

Angel hated LAX, there were too many people, too much noise and not nearly enough taxis. Luckily it was easy enough to find the place where Jack was staying even if the taxi there did cost too much money. He was a veteran for God's sake, where was the love? The discount?

Slamming the door to the taxi Angel grumbled about the price but he left the car lighter money wise and found himself staring at nice house. It wasn't anything like his momma's but it was nice, in a different way.

Shouldering his bag up higher he headed to the door knowing that he needed to find his kid brother before the dumb ass did anything else stupid. Angel didn't know the story, or even have an idea about what had happened. All Bobby had said was the Jack did something stupid and needed to be picked up. Or that was that Angel heard anyway. Last he had heard, Jack was playing rock-star in New York.

The black man walked up the steps and eyed the door before knocking hard, twice.

It only too a moment before the door opened up and Angel felt a smile cross his face. Jack had good taste, a beautiful woman with long dark hair greeted him. "Hello there ma'am. I'm looking for my kid brother, Jack."

Letty looked the stranger up and down before smiling back, her smile was all teeth and promises of pain. "Dom! The cop's brother is here."