Chapter 7

The two weeks that Tori was supposed to stay with me flew by and before I knew it Seth called to set up plans to come get Tori.

"Hey sis."

"Hey, Seth. How was your vacation?"

"It was amazing. We're both sunburned but we had a blast. Is Tori ready to come home?"

"She doesn't want to leave but she does want to see you." I smiled when Seth huffed in annoyance.

"Wait...you mean she actually had a good time with you? What did you do?" Seth asked in disbelief.

"Yes she did. We partied and got drunk every night." I said sarcastically. "No really, we just did what we would normally do and went to a couple of concerts. We really got to know each other and we have a lot more in common than I was expecting."

"Really? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing but I'm glad that you didn't kill each other. So, can you bring her back tomorrow night and maybe bring that boyfriend of yours along so that we can meet him."

"Only if dinner is involved. I might not be able to convince him otherwise." I grinned at my little joke. I knew that Jack wanted to meet my other family and was only waiting for them to get back in town before he did.

"Alright, we'll all have dinner together and I promise I won't grill him too much." I could hear Seth's grin through the phone.

"Fine. We'll be there Saturday at 6 or so alright?"

"That works for us. See you then sis." I flipped my phone shut and went to go find Tori. I found her in the guest room.

"Hey. Your mom and dad are home."

"Yeah, I know. I just got off the phone with mom."

"They want you to come home tomorrow night and they want to meet Jack." I said nervously.

"They will love him. You know they will." She said reassuringly.

"I hope so. You know how he is when he is in one of his moods though." I sighed remembering our first fight last Sunday.

I had decided to go to the regular family dinner because Jack had asked me to be there. I walked in the front door and Bobby smiled at me. "Jackie-poo is in his room but I wouldn't go up there if I were you. He's in one of his moods."

"Sure Bobby, whatever you say." I ignored his advice and went upstairs anyway. It had been a couple of days since I had seen Jack and I missed him. I stood outside his door for a moment just listening to him strum a few chords on his guitar and then I knocked lightly on the door.

"Bobby get the fuck away from my door. You know I don't feel like dealing with your shit right now." Jack practically screamed through the closed door.

"I'm sorry Jack. I guess it isn't a good time." Jack flung the door open and I stepped back in surprise.

"Kat? I didn't know you were here. Bobby just got to me this morning and I haven't been able to write any new music like I told the guys that I would." He looked at me apologetically and I smiled at him.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. I've just never heard you yell before so it kinda threw me off there for a minute."

"Yeah, well it's something that you are going to have to get used to, especially if we stay together for very long."

"What do you mean, IF?" I looked at him, not really believing the words that he had just said.

"Eventually you are going to want someone who is good enough for you and I won't ever be that guy Kat."

"What are you talking about…Good enough? Who said you weren't good enough for me?" I glared at him.

"Bobby warned me to be good to you because otherwise you might leave me." Jack said, defiantly.

"Bobby? What does Bobby know about our relationship? It's not a question of being good enough or even being good to me. I love you Jack Mercer. You and NO ONE else. You are everything that I have ever wanted so don't you DARE go trying to convince yourself that you aren't good enough or that you don't deserve to have something good happen to you." I noticed that I was almost growling when I finished what I was saying and clamped my mouth shut before I said anything that I might regret.

"But I don't deserve you Kat." Jack looked down at the floor and I saw a single tear course down his cheek.

"I'm just as screwed up as the next person. I have my demons just like everybody else, I'm just better at hiding them than most people." I reached out to try to hug him but he turned away from me.

"I think it's best that you leave now before either of us gets too attached." Jack said as he grabbed his guitar and stared strumming randomly.

"What the fuck? You just dumped me? You know what, that's fine with me. I don't need to be with someone who doesn't want to be with me. I was doing just fine before you come along Jack Mercer and I will be...fuck this." I screeched as I fled down the stairs. Bobby looked up as I reached to bottom stair.

"Kat…what's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"What the fuck did you say to Jack? You know what, I don't want to know. You get your ass up there and apologize for whatever dumb-ass thing you said to Jack to make him break up with me." I started sobbing uncontrollably and Bobby jumped up coming over to me, wrapping his arms around me.

"He broke up with you? Why in the fuck would he do something so stupid as that? He loves you."

"He said hic that you sniffle told him that he should be good to me or I might leave him." I glared down at him accusingly.

"I didn't mean anything like that. I was just teasing. You know how I am. Would you take his dumb-ass back if I can beat some sense into him?"

"Yeah, just don't mess up his face. It's the reason I love him." I smiled weakly at my own joke. Bobby let go of me and was walking up the stairs as I was leaving. I heard Jack's bedroom door slam and screaming ensue just as I shut my car door.

At about midnight I hear a tentative rapping on the front door. I ignored it, thinking that whoever it was would just go away if I didn't answer.

"Kat? I know you're here. Your car is in front of the building. Please open up?" Damn it, he sounds upset, I thought as I walked toward the door. He rapped again, harder this time and after hesitating for a moment I opened the door.

"What do you want Jack?" I sighed and folded my arms under my chest, waiting for his answer.

"Baby I…"

"I'm not your baby Jack Mercer." I glared at him and he winced as if I had slapped him.

"Katrina, I'm sorry. I woke up this morning in a really foul mood and Bobby kept teasing me about how I wasn't good enough for you…man enough…all of that old shit. I started thinking about how he was right. All of the things that I did at my old foster homes and how you shouldn't be with someone who did that stuff. Bobby was right. I don't deserve you but I want you anyway. I love you Kat and I want to be with you."

"Jack, whatever you did is in the past. I love you, every messed up inch of you. We are good together and…"

"And what?" Jack looked down at me, hope shining in his eyes.

"I want to be with you too Jack."

I smiled. Whoever said make-up sex is the best knew what they were talking about.

"What are you so happy about?" Tori asked.

"Nothing, just thinking. You probably want to start packing if you are going to be ready."

"Whatever. I didn't bring that much with me." At that point my cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey beautiful. What's up?"

"Nothin' much. You?"

"I have to have a reason to call?"

"No, you just usually do."

"Well, this time I do. Can you come over for a while tonight?"

"Sure. When?"

"Right now?"

"I'll be there in a few." I smiled and flipped my phone closed. "I'm going over to Jack's. I don't know when I'll be back. Call me if you need anything, ok?"

"Sure. Hey, can Micah come over tonight?"

"Alright. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." I grinned at her.

"So that leaves nothing off limits right?" Tori giggled as I glared at her and left. Fifteen minutes later I pulled up outside of the Mercer's house as Angel ad Sofi were leaving.

"Hey Kat." Angel said, holding the door open for me. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure. Jack wanted me to come over so I'm here. Where are you guys going?" I had just noticed that they were both dressed very nicely.

"I'm taking Sofi out for dinner and dancing." Angel grinned at me.

"I'll bet Bobby got a kick out of that one. Ya'll have fun." I walked into the house and heard Bobby cursing. "Watch your language Bobby Mercer."

"Hey Kat. I didn't know you were here. Fairy's in his room." He turned back to the hockey game that he had been watching and I went upstairs. I knocked gently on the door and Jack opened the door.

"Hello beautiful."

"Hello yourself. What's up?"

"I missed you." Jack said as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"Was that all? You could have said that over the phone and saved me the trip. But then I wouldn't have been able to do this." I said as I kissed his lips and pushed a piece of hair off of his forehead.

"But you missed me?" Jack looked down at me, questioningly.

"Of course I did. But seriously, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah, kinda…it's not really important but there's this reporter that's doing a piece on the band and I wanted you to tell me if what I picked out to wear was good or not." Jack studied his feet sheepishly and I laughed.

"You're actually asking for my opinion on clothes? Jack, you know what you like and what looks good on you. What do you need me for?"

"Our manager wants us to wear something that screams "punk rock without looking cheap"." He made the quotation marks in the air as he said that and I giggled.

"Your manager sounds…interesting."

"Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass but she seems to get the job done so we're not complaining."

"So what did you pick out?" Jack waved vaguely towards the bed and I walked over to examine his choice. He had chosen a long-sleeve knitted sweater that had black and red horizontal stripes with a pair of faded jeans.

"I should really see them on to judge accurately." I winked suggestively at him and he reached for the hem of his sweatshirt. "I'm just kidding. That looks great. When is this interview anyway?"

"We're meeting tomorrow at Joe's at 5:30. Willyougowithme?"

"Can you repeat that last bit?" I smiled faintly as Jack looked up from his study of his socks and blushed.

"Will you be there with me, not in the actual interview, but there at the bar?"

"Of course I'll be there. Where else would I be?"

"I don't know. I thought you might have somewhere more important to be or something."

"Oh shit. I'm supposed to take Tori home and then have dinner with my brother and his wife. Well, we were supposed to have dinner with them. I guess it will just have to be postponed until some other night when my boyfriend isn't being a Rockstar." I smiled up at him and he laughed.

"Will you call them and push it off until Sunday? You know I want to meet your family but this is really important to the band."

"Absolutely. I'm sure they'll understand and if they don't then they'll just have to get over it. Let me call and tell them what's up before Andrea goes crazy with the whole baking/cooking/cleaning thing."

The interview went off without a hitch and all of the guys were really excited about the article coming out, even though it was only in the local paper.

The following day Tori, Jack and I all piled into my car and drove the half-hour back to Tori's house. Seth was the first one out the door and he hugged Tori tightly, telling her just how much they missed her. He looked up to see Jack standing there, nervously shifting his weight from one side to the other and running the chain on his wallet through his fingers.

"You must be Jack." Seth said looking him up and down then holding his hand out to shake. Jack smiled that infectious grin that he is so good at and Seth smiled back at him. "You don't look quite so…rough…as Bobby."

"You've met Bobby?" Jack looked at me confused.

"Yeah. Remember that I told you that Bobby used to come visit me on my birthday? Seth met him a couple of times then…back when Bobby wasn't quite so…refined."

"Bobby…refined?" Jack laughed so hard that tears pooled in the corners of his eyes and he was gasping for air.

"Ok, maybe not refined but he is much better at keeping that famous temper under wraps." I glared at Jack as he continued to laugh.

"Sure…whatever you say Kat."

Noticing the tension radiating from me Seth ushered us in the house. After meeting Andrea, we all sat down to dinner and before we knew it, it was time to leave.

"It was nice meeting you Jack. Hopefully it will the be the first of many such occasions." Andrea said.

"You read too many Jane Austen novels on vacation, didn't you?" I smiled and hugged her.

"Yeah, probably." We all said good-bye and Jack and I got into my car. I pulled out of the driveway and Jack leaned over, kissing my neck, just under my ear. I jerked away from him and glared at him out of the corner of my eye.

"What's wrong?" Jack looked at me, confused.

"Never mind." I growled at him. He laid his hand on mine where it rested on the gearshift and I swatted it away.

"What the fuck?" Jack glared at me. I had never refused any kind of contact with him before but I was pissed.

"You shouldn't be like that about your brother. Especially in front of people who don't know him."

"Wait…you're pissed that I laughed at you calling Bobby refined? He's about as refined as an elephant in a china shop." Jack was laughing again and I punched him in the shoulder.

"He's much better than he used to be. You know that. I've been trying to get Seth to warm up to him for years but he has always hated him. I don't know why…he just has. I was trying to make sure that he didn't hate you the way that he hates Bobby."

"They don't hate me. Dinner went fine so you can calm down." Jack pushed a piece of hair that had fallen in my eyes back behind my ear.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"Yeah, you did but it's ok. You were just being a Mercer." Jack grinned at me and I laughed.

"I guess I was wasn't I?" We pulled up outside of my house, went in and went straight to bed.