Authors Note: I know it's been awhile and I sincerely apologize for that. But nevertheless, here's a new chapter.

Chapter 6

Winning Hearts and Losing Minds

The cold rain pounded hard on the streets, accompanied with thunder rumbling in the distance, as Jack ran down the block to Jerry's. His worn leather jacket as his only source of protection from the harsh rain, Jack was soaked down to his socks. As he rounded the corner, Jack finally found himself within a few yards from Jerry's house. Running towards the only house on the street that had the American Flag hanging on its front porch.

Jerry; always the model citizen.

Knocking twice, and then another three times for someone could finally open the door Jack was shivering in his boots. Until finally, Camille opened the door, with a puzzled look on her face as soon as she saw Jack.

"Jack? What are you doing here? Jerry said that you were at a friend's house-"

"Yeah about that," said Jack cutting her off as he rubbed his damp hands together, "Things weren't going so well, so I was just wondering if I can dry off and stay here awhile."

"Oh, okay. Sure. Come on in, you're a mess." said Camille who's confusion was still etched on her face.

Stepping into the foyer of the house had Jack realized that out of all four brothers, it was Jerry who had managed to shed his past and reinvent a new life for himself. He had a wife who loved him, two adorable daughters and a nice place to call his own. But what did he have? Nothing. A couple dollars in his pocket from performing at dives like "The Nine". How far was that going to take him? When would it be his time to have something worth holding onto? The last person, who actually meant something to him, was just killed in cold blood. Maybe he should follow suit and just spare himself the suffering, in killing himself now, before someone else does.

"Jack? Hey Jack? Jack!"

"Wha?" said Jack, as he felt Jerry's hands on his shoulder shaking him.

"You okay man?" asked Jerry, mirroring the same puzzled face as his wife.

"Uh...yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"No, no it's nothing. Just Camille said you looked a bit dazed....and not to mention the fact that you're in my hall dripping wet."

"Oh." Replied Jack, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Yeah, sorry about that, it's, it's just pouring out there and-"

"Nah man. It's cool. Come on upstairs, and let's see if we can find you some clean clothes." said Jerry as he took off up the stairs while flashing his gopher like grin.

Reluctantly Jack followed, as a feeling of dread tailed at his feet.

News. Blah.

TRL. Blah.

Hannah Montana. Oh how I'd liked to cut that little bitch a new-

Ring.

It's three in the afternoon, who the fuck is calling?

Ring.

Ah screw it; I'll just let it go to voicemail.

Ring.

Sorry bud, I'm incommunicado.

After several rings, the machine beeped, and alas I was left in peace to wallow on my ass all day. But life is never that easy when you're April Pearson. Oh no, something always has to come and fuck your day up. A prime example as someone just began banging on the front door.

Getting off the couch, and strolling towards the door, hoping it was anyone but Fowler. Not that I'd love to go another round or two with him, and upgrade to the loaded gun nestled on my hip under my large hoodie. Looking through the peephole, I laughed at who it was.

Paulie. Oh, my little Paulie.

Opening the door, I watched with amusement as Paulie sulked through the door, drenched from head to toe, clenching a battered black umbrella in his hand.

"So, guess ol' faithful didn't come through tonight" I said gesturing towards the ripped fabric and bent wiring that had once been an umbrella.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Paulie, wiping his glasses on the old handkerchief he always carries, hidden in his pocket.

"Come on Paulie, don't be a sourpuss."

Throwing the dilapidated umbrella onto the ground, Paulie plopped himself on the couch. "How many times do I have to tell you April, to not call me Paulie? My name's Paul. Not Paulie. So quit it, I'm not in the mood."

Sighing, I sat next to him, staring intently as he took off his boots, followed by his socks and began to wring them, dripping water on the floor.

With me and Paulie it's complicated to say what we do and don't have. I found Paulie downtown four years ago at Rocco's. A small dingy bar, filled with dealers and their addicts, and pimps with their whores. After multiple calls and letters informing us that we were behind on our electricity and gas bills, Andrea and I had now been living in the dark for two consecutive weeks. At the time, Andrea was working at the travel agency down on Clove road. And I was, well....I busy shoplifting from the local Wal-Mart.

But our bittersweet symphony had decided to play when Andrea quit her job, after her boss decided to make a pass at her, and just couldn't deal with rejection. And I was caught red-handed by the new sales clerk punk loading tampons on aisle six, and banned forever from the store. Andrea always asks me from time to time how I avoided being arrested, but I swore myself I would never tell her. Knowing Andrea, she frown upon the fact that I had made out with the middle aged manager and gave him the last baggie of coke I had.

Which Andrea would never find out anyways, as she'd probably go on search and destroy mode. And the last thing I want to do is lose the last brain cells I have. Yeah, maybe I like to keep some in the house for safekeeping, at hand whenever I need to take the edge off. But an addiction? Who do you think I am?

So there I was, sitting on a stool that was three-fourths packing tape, one-fourth stool as I chugged down my third cup of vodka, when a strange blurry figure sat next to me. Having enough things on my mind, I wasn't in the mood for getting hit on by any creeps tonight.

"Listen pal, I don't care what kind of loving you need, but if you know what's good for you, you'll fuck off."

A low chuckle was the only retort I got.

Glancing over at him, all I saw were a pair of blue eyes in the shrouding darkness. As I lowered my gaze I noticed that his shirt was sliced into rags. And in the middle of the rip was a poorly hidden bullet wound, gushing blood, dying his shirt into a dark musty burgundy.

"Crepes, what the hell happened to you?" I managed to whisper, my breath hitched in my throat.

"Oh you know…just fun and games." He swatted my hand away, brushing me off as if getting shot in the abdomen was just an everyday occurrence.

"No big deal? Listen, I don't know what kind of dope you're on, but your red blood cell count is lowering by the minute!"

"Hmm, lemme look at your hands."

"What the fuck you-" I managed to say before he silenced me as he grabbed both my hands, inspecting them thoroughly.

"Yup, you're fit for it."

"Fit for what?" I irritably whispered, snatching my hands back, beginning to inspect myself in order to know what the hell this guy is talking about.

"Oh come on, here I am bleeding to death, and you're not even going to give me a hand and patch me up."

"No."

"Didn't you ever want to be a candystripe when you were little?" He gave me a small pleading smile.

Dammit. Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

"Hey April? April? APRIL!"

"What, what, what! Fuck, we're not in a strip club dumbass, no need to yell." I massage my temples, feeling a migraine coming on. Glancing towards Paulie, I notice he's in a pair of dry, clean boxer shorts.

"Where the hell did you get those?" I said as I gestured toward the black shorts he had on.

"Oh. Uh, one day I left a bag of spare clothes here when the studio was being fumigated for bed bugs."

"Oh right. Okay." My head soon began to spin, and oddly enough I was sober.

"What's with you April? Shit, I swear you're so fucking weird." He muttered.

"Shut the fuck up Paulie, before I end up kicking your ass. And I was just reminiscing about old times."

His ears perked up as he asked, "Old times?"

"Yeah. The day we met to be exact."

"Aww, April who would have thought you to be so nostalgic." said Paulie as he grabbed me by the waist pulling me in closer.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Just thinking about how I saved your scrawny ass that day at Rocco's. Where you came up to me on your knees saying 'Help me! Help me!'"

"What? I never did that. You're such a motherfucking liar."

"Whatever you say, Momma's boy."

His eyes soon turned to a dark midnight blue, an indication that he was feeling guilty as he spurted out, "You know if I could take back meeting you that day I would."

I stood up from the denim colored couch standing directly in front of him. "And why's that?"

"Because then you wouldn't have turned into this crazed killing machine you are now."

"I'm not some crazed killing machine Paul, come on." I said rolling my eyes.

"April you killed your own father!"

My whole body tensed as his words reverberated through the confines of my head. Fury soon began to build up inside, bubbling till the point of overflowing. "How do you know that?"

"I just do. Well, uh, it's just that people at the hatch were talking and I heard your name, so I asked Juke for the address and then—"

"Just drop it Paulie. I don't care how you know. Just let it be, please." I said cutting him off. The anger pumping through my veins had kicked my adrenaline up, my heart soon thumping wildly. I had to release this energy that was building up, transforming itself into a raging ball of fire.

"Okay, Okay, I'll drop it." said Paulie defeated. His facial expression exactly alike on the day we first met, his complexion beyond pale, drained of life.

"Pants off." I muttered, not able to stand the agony raging inside me bull, along with the tension in the room that had amounted to near toxic levels.

"What?" said Paulie, shaking his head.

"You fucking heard me Paul." I sat back down on the couch, before glancing back on the clock that hung above the television set. 4:13pm.

Paulie pulled me close to him once again, grabbing a tight hold of my hands, threading his fingers with mine. "I'm tired of being your play thing Abe; I want something more that just sex. You know that."

"Yeah well, we can't always get what we want, Paul." I whispered, averting his gaze. "So……does that mean you're saying no?"

His silence stung the air, making the room seem smaller than it appeared. Until he whispered, "No."

And after that, it was just asses and elbows.

It's 6:43pm and if I don't haul ass I'm going to be late. Putting on my all black Pumas I grab my bag and head out the bedroom door. I glance back over at Paulie who's sleeping soundly under the tangled mess of bed sheets. That was always the problem with me and Paulie; we were always trying to fight for control. Trying to gain power over the other. Him trying to get me to finally let him in, and leave this life I've constructed behind. While I was just pulling the strings in order for him to stay, no matter how much it hurt him. I glided back over to his side and swept his damp hair away from his eyes. I chuckled; he always get's so sweaty during sex. I scribbled a note on a Post-It and stuck it to his chest, saying I'd be over at Jerry's babysitting.

And ten minutes later I'm parked in front of Jerry's humble abode. The rain had let up and the sky had turned into a dingy gray, a sure sign that the storm had passed. Getting out of the car I take in Jerry's yard, which is littered with toys of all shapes and colors. I walk past a couple of wet ragged dolls and a Disney princess bike as I climb up the rickety steps and ring the doorbell.

As I wait, I peek towards the side window where the curtains aren't fully drawn. Examining it, I see littered Blue's Clue's tapes, a couple of teddy bears, a coloring book, and a guitar? But before I could take a second glance the door swings wide open and I'm face to face with a 6'2 goofy smiling, shaggy haired, Jack.

Who's apparently wearing a pink feather boa?

Of all the questions one could ask, my smartass says:

"What the fuck are you doing here? And what the hell is that doing around your neck?"

Ah, fucking perfect.

Next Chapter: Our soon to be more than acquaintances are going to be.........babysitting together? Chaos is sure to ensue. Stay tune.

So please review, it really helps in motivation, and please review if you have any suggestions or questions. Thanks.