Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own the Four Brothers or anything from it..otherwise, Jack would have been mine...
Claimer: Marie's my character...blah blah blah...
Rating: PG13 for language (later for violence)
A/N: Okay, since I won't be updating until either Sunday or Monday, I'm putting up two chapaters. Thanks again to all those who have read and reviewed. Enjoy chapter 4...and if you're waiting for twists, well, there should be quite a few,I think...and one at the end.
The Fifth Mercer
Chapter 4: Lights Out
Nine thirty arrived sooner than Marie had expected. Evelyn was sitting in the dining room knitting. Jerry had gone over to his fiancée's house to prepare wedding details. Marie learned that Jerry and his fiancée, Camille, had a daughter, Danielle, who had been born the previous month. Bobby, Angel and Jack were sitting on the sofa and Marie was perched on the armchair beside the fireplace. They were watching the hockey game: Detroit Red Wings vs. Ottawa Senators.
The four were practically screaming every time Detroit had a close call, and every time a player was down, they would start to get angry that no penalty was called. The score was currently 3:2 for Detroit, but this was the third period and Ottawa could still win. There was a perfect opportunity for centre man, Robert Lang, to score a goal- the goalie was out of the net and the Senators still on their side of the rink. Lang was in position, a one-on-one with the goalie. He was preparing to shoot, he aimed, the puck flew into the air, past the goalie's gloved hand and---
Darkness.
A sound like a whip cracking echoed outside. A blinding white light flooded the house for a spilt second- the same split second that Bobby and Marie were unknowingly staring at each other. And in that brief second of illuminating light, he had seen absolute fear in Marie's shining eyes.
Ever so calmly, Evelyn called out to her sons and Marie, "Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, we're good Ma. Some storm," Bobby answered. He tried to look at Marie again, but he couldn't see her. The fire in the fireplace had died out and only a few weak flames licked the burnt-out wood. Marie was staring at those flames, and figured if they couldn't get any light, then the fire might do them some good.
She got off her armchair and began to feed a log to the fire. Almost instantly, the fire devoured it. She placed two more logs on top until the fire roared back to life and then sat on the floor, her back against her abandoned chair, her body enveloped in the warmth of the flames. Jack slid off his seat and sat across from her, his back against the sofa.
He watched her and he could tell she didn't know he was there. She was lost in some other dimension, and he knew that she was thinking about how life in this place would be. Bobby and Angel seemed to get the same feeling and also slid down to the floor. Evelyn had gone upstairs with a flashlight to get some candles.
Angel sat beside Jack and Bobby made his way to Marie. She definitely wasn't registering their presence, so he sat down beside her, also leaning against the chair. Jack and Angel were looking at her eyes; Bobby was watching her hands. The fire was dancing inside those bright blue orbs, but there was no light. They were still cold, no matter how hot the fire got. Marie's eyes remained emotionless and cold.
Her hands were absent-mindedly tracing lines on the floor. But these were no ordinary lines. To the three boys around her, they thought she was simply fidgeting, but in reality, she was tracing and retracing every mark-every scar- on her body. Whether they had been put there by her or someone else, she was drawing them out on the carpet. Several loud knocks on the door made everyone look up.
Marie looked to the door while Jack, Angel and Bobby rose. Evelyn didn't hear a thing because she was up in the attic.
"Stay here," Bobby warned Jack. He gave Jack a 'watch-her' look and Jack nodded. He remained standing, but stayed in the doorway of the family room.
Again someone knocked loudly. Then, "Bobby, open up the damn door. It's cold out here!"
Relief flooded the four inside the house and Bobby opened the door. He gave Jerry a hug and proceeded back to the family room.
"Who do y'all think I was?" Jerry asked chuckling.
"I dunno, just precautions is all," Bobby answered. He looked at Marie, then to Jerry and they both nodded. Marie's eyes were once again glued to the fire, expect this time she could hear them.
"Hey, you alright?" Bobby asked her, resuming his spot beside Marie. She took a minute to answer.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, s'all."
"Watcha thinking 'bout?" Angel asked. Marie tore her gaze from the fire and looked sadly at Angel. Then she smiled, but instead of a warm, soothing smile, Angel and the others could tell it was pained and full of hatred.
Jerry decided to take a seat on the sofa –since Bobby, Jack and Angel were now on the floor- and looked at Marie's flawless face. She had perfect olive coloured skin, perfect lips and a beautiful smile (not to mention perfect white teeth). Her straight brown hair, with its red and purple highlights fell past her shoulder to her mid-back. Her well-manicured, long nails were painted jet black and Jerry noticed she wore three rings.
Two on her right hand, and one on her left. They were caught in the glow of the fire, and he could make out every detail. The two on her right hand were silver rings. One was on her fore-finger- a simple silver band with a faux diamond in the middle- and the other was on her ring finger- a silver band ring with a Celtic design.
The ring on her left hand was on her middle finger. It was a solid gold band with a high set ruby in the middle and about ten tiny diamonds around it. He stared at Marie's rings for a minute or two. Then he gave Angel a slight nudge on his arm.
"Hey, Angel, you remember when Ma gave Amanda that ring for her birthday?"
Angel laughed and so did Bobby and Jack. "Yeah, I remember."
"And so does the little fairy," Bobby added, pointing at Jack and laughing.
"Man, drop it," Jack told Bobby and the others.
"If you were here then, Marie, you'd be rubbing that day in Jackie's face for the rest of his life," Jerry said, still laughing. Angel hit him to make him shut up, but only caused all four brothers to start laughing like madmen.
Only Marie remained silent and still. Bobby, the first to recover, nudged her.
"Hey, what's going on in that head of yours that you ain't stop thinking yet?"
Marie smiled a genuine smile. "Memories," she stated simply.
"What kind?" Jack asked. Marie giggled.
"The best memories of my life, with these," she put her hands up in front of her and Jerry and Angel burst into laughter again.
"What'd you do? Bust a couple of faces?" Jerry asked
"Yeah, more than a couple."
"Yeah, like whose? Some punk ass kids that pissed you off?" Angel inquired, smiling broadly.
"Angel, the kids who saw these in their face didn't know who was looking back at them in the mirror. I busted more than kids faces. A cop's once…"she trailed off, still smiling, relishing the moment.
"Bull shit," Bobby laughed. "You punched a cop?"
"Yep. Hands-off ya know. Ain't anyone gonna arrest me, that's for sure."
"How many times you been to jail?" Angel asked.
"More'n you can count of your fingers…I dunno, I never served a sentence, except once where Diane made me."
"How long?"
"60 fucking days of-"
"HELL!" the five said in unison. They all laughed. "You've all seen the bad side of the ropes too?"
"Girl, ain't you see that white boy beside you? You lucky you ain't a dude, otherwise, this guy'd be busting you up!" Jerry said. Marie laughed out loud.
"You make me sound evil," Bobby smirked. "I'd never hit a girl, you know that Jerry."
"Yeah, we know. But if she was a dude, there'd be a wrestling matching in the middle of the room."
A creak told them that Evelyn was coming downstairs. "How's everyone? Are you all nice and warm?"
"Everything's good, Ma," Bobby reassured.
"Excellent," she said, placing a candle on the fireplace mantle. "Dear, if you'll come with me a second," she looked at Marie who nodded. She rose and stepped over Bobby, following the older woman into the kitchen.
"Wonder what Mom's talking to her about," Jack mused.
Bobby smiled almost evilly. "She talk to you yet?"
"No, why?" Jack asked confused. Jerry didn't pay attention, and Angel, knowing where this was going, started whistling and playing with the carpet.
"Ma's ain't had a chat with the fairy yet? Surprised…"
"About what!" Jack asked, entirely stumped.
"You know about what. She's probably telling Marie in there that she's to young to be thinking about any of this and that you're probably gonna try to-"
Bobby didn't complete his sentence as a flying pillow hit him square in the face. He grabbed it and threw it back at Jack. He started laughing and so did the other three.
Marie re-entered the room and somberly walked to her spot beside Bobby. They noticed she wasn't smiling, and any prior feelings of happiness had been washed away.
"Marie," Bobby's tone was serious, "What's the matter?"
Pause.
"My parents are back," she simply stated. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away.
"But you're staying here, Ma said so," Bobby argued.
She looked him full in the face. Why did he care so much? "They're coming for me tomorrow, Bobby. They're here to take me home." Another tear fell to the floor and in a single second, all the happiness Marie had felt, vanished.
The four brothers exchanged glances and simultaneously felt that if Marie left the house, a part of them would be gone too. They didn't know why, but Marie was different- she was family, and she wasn't even a Mercer- yet. And unexpectedly, Marie felt Bobby hug her as she fell into his embrace, crying.
The four surrounded her- they were her barrier. If anyone wanted to get to her, they would have to get through them. And tomorrow would be no different a day.
I'll be updated ASAP, but until then, you have two chapters to read and I have many more to write. No flames, please review.