I'm sorry that it takes so long for me to update now. I'm writing my final essay for school and I'm struggling a lot with it. But please just bear with me for two more weeks then I'll have much more time to write! Lucy, I know you're waiting and trust me I'm not going anywhere lol. Anyway hope ya'll like this one! I don't own four brothers or the song which is "I'm in here" by Sia.

Outside the Mercer house it was a pretty peaceful morning with everyone going about their business. Inside the house was another story.

"Your fucking with me right?"

"What?"

"What do you mean what? I'm not blind, I can still fucking hear and see ya know, even though I must admit that I wanted to scratch my eyes out last night when she walked around half naked! For fucks sake man, you want me to off myself is that it? Cause if it is..."

Angel sighed. Sofi had stayed over last night and judging from Bobby's rant had walked around...less clothed during the night.

"You think I can't do anything about it right now but you just wait"

"Yeah yeah..." Angel muttered and left the room, choosing to spend his morning in the kitchen with Jack instead. Bobby had been in a bad mood all morning, cursing everything and nothing. He took a seat at the table and leaned his head in his hands. "Do something"

Jack was making scrambled eggs while sipping his coffee. "What do you want me to do?" He mumbled distracted.

"Make him shut up! Please, if every morning is going to be like this I'll move in with Sofi's mother"

Jack snorted "No you wont"

"Fine. Maybe I wont, but he'll be getting something hard against that thick skull of his soon"

"It's only been an hour" Jack finally looked up and focused on Angel.

"I KNOW!"

Jerry entered the kitchen and collapsed in the chair opposite Angel with a groan. Angel pushed his cup off coffee over to him. "You stayed here last night?"

"Eh yeah..."

"What the...? Oh hell no, ANGEL! Get your ass in here or I swear to God I'm coming to get you and then I'll shove my foot so far up your ass that the fucking laces will tickle your throat!"

Jerry glanced up at a laughing Angel when Bobby's rant came to an end "What did you do?"

Angel was fully laughing now as the curses from the livingroom increased "I hid one of Sofi's bra's in his blanket while he was busy telling me how much I suck"

Jerry felt a rare smile light up his face. That was pretty funny.

"He's supposed to be taking it easy" Jack pointed out.

"Hey he deserved it Cracker, admit it"

"I admit to nothing" Jack declared somberly, knowing it was best not to.

"Damn right you wont" Bobby called out.

Jack scoped some omelett on a plate and poured a glass of orange juice before leaving the kitchen. Jerry and Angel glanced at each other, then the omelett before getting up and taking some for them selves.

Bobby sat at edge of the bed with the table in front of him when Jack came in carrying the breakfast. He placed it down in front of him slowly.

"Looks great Jackie" Bobby gave him a small thankful smile that made Jack beam."Wait, no coffee?"

"Not for another week at least" Jack responded while turning on the TV and taking a seat in front of it. His foot stuck on something and looking down he saw a purple bra entangled with his foot. He lifted the foot up for Bobby to see, the bra hanging on it. "Did you have to throw it on the floor?"

"Can't reach the garbage can from here, I mean I'm good, but I doubt even I can through that kind of curveball. Besides, I thought maybe you should see one so you know what they look like"

"Fucker" Jack kicked the bra away and it landed somewhere near the diningroom table. "I know what they look like"

"Sure you do sweetheart"

Jack walked back to the kitchen with a sigh and came back with a glass of water and some pills. "Don't forget these"

Bobby rolled his eyes "Nurse Jackie"

"Just take them man"

Bobby rolled his eyes and looked down at the pills Jack was holding. His chest hurt like a bitch, not to mention his head, but he'd be damned if he admitted that to anyone. He made a big show of putting the pills in his mouth and swallowing. He opened his mouth ironically when Jack looked suspicious.

"All gone nurse"

"Good boy" Jack quickly ducked out of the way and the pillow hit Angel in the face as he came up behind Jack at just the right time.

Angel brushed some dust from his mouth and dropped the pillow on the bed. "Still in a good mood I see..."

"Don't push me man" Bobby warned "Your still on thin ice with the underwear thing. Are you really so tired of her that you'll try to dump her on your own brother? And it's not going to work, it dosen't matter how many bra's you throw my way".

"I give up!" Angel pulled on his jacket and grabbed the car keys.

"Hey if your heading out can you pick up a couple of things?" Jack asked quickly, seeing a way of getting out of grocery shopping.

"Sure. A gag?"

Bobby snorted. "Jackie dosen't like that shit Angel"

Angel rubbed his fingers against his temple slowly.

"Wait a sec" Jack went into the kitchen and soon returned with a pre-written list.

Angel took one glance at the long list and let out a groan. "We really need all that?"

"If we didn't I wouldn't have put it on the list" Jack replied, speaking slowly as if talking to a child. He was just happy that he'd found someone else to do the shopping.

"Smartass" Angel muttered.

"Stop talking about asses girls and get yours out the door Angel" Bobby yelled.

30 seconds later Angel Mercer was seen speeding away from the Mercer house, almost running over another car in his haste.

"Was that Angel?" Jerry stuck his head around the corner.

"Yeah he's doing some shopping" Jack answered, flipping through the channels quickly.

"Jack" Jack looked up at Bobby who was now laying back in the bed, the pills starting to kick in "just pick something"

Just to tease Jack zapped a few times more, shooting Bobby a grin "Fucker" Bobby mumbled before closing his eyes to rest them a bit. They opened when Jerry took a seat at the couch next to Jack. "Hey Jer, did you sleep here last night? I could swear I saw you coming downstairs this morning?"

"Yeah" Jerry let out a little cough and exchanged a look with Jack. Even in pain and on meds Bobby was sharper than a hawk, and he knew he stood little chance of actually hiding anything from him. That didn't mean he couldn't try to sweeten the sting a little. Not telling the whole truth is basically the same as lying, a voice whispered. Well, never let it be said that the Mercer's didn't know how to bend the truth a bit... or a yard. "We're having some problems and needed some time apart, so I'm staying here for now"

Bobby's eyes sharpened at once "And your okay with that?"

"I am, we really do need to think things through, it's just for now" Was it really? Jack shot him a look that said he was stupid if he thought that Bobby would buy that and he was probably right so he continued before Bobby could speak. "It'll be good for us and I'll still see the girls".

Bobby sighed and looked down before meeting Jerry's eyes again. "Look man if this has anything to do with what happened then.."

"No no" Jerry cut him off. "It's been brewing for a while" That at least was true.

Bobby looked like he wanted to ask more, and Jack didn't believe for a second that he bought Jerry's story, but he could see how tired he was even though he tried to hide it.

"Hey" Jerry looked over at him "can you give me a hand with some of Bobby's stuff? Thought we could move it down here"

"Yeah sure" They stood up just as Bobby's eyes opened again.

"Don't bother, I'll be up there soon enough"

"Not for at least a week your not" Jack muttered.

"Hey can you get my hockey stick while your up there?"

"What for?" Jack shot him a suspicious look.

"Nothing special, just want it here"

"Bad idea" Jerry told him as they were walking up the stairs.

"Tell me about it"

Three hours later Angel returned with the groceries. Bobby was asleep and Jack was working on a new song, or he was trying. He couldn't seem to get it just right.

"Where's Jerry?" He asked as he put the bags on the kitchen table with a relieved sigh.

"Home"

"You mean the home where he's not living anymore"

Jack looked up from his guitar. "He told you?"

"Not that, but some other things. While we were at the hospital things were tense between them" He shrugged and took a seat, hoping that the bags would unpack themselves if he ignored them long enough. Or that Jack would do it, whatever came first.

Jack stood up and started putting the groceries away. "I didn't know that" he mumbled quietly.

"You were... kind of distant" Angel chose his words carefully, not wanting to sound like he was blaming him for it. He didn't of course, but you never knew what Jack would think. He had this disturbing ability to turn everything into his own fault. "Don't worry about it. We all had a lot on our plates"

Jack didn't answer him. Angel listened carefully to be sure that Bobby hadn't woken up when he came in, it was quiet. "Can we talk?"

"About what?"

"Everything" Angel responded.

Jack froze for a second, before he continued moving. "There's nothing to talk about Angel"

Angel regarded him silently for a few seconds, the way he held himself, the way he was always so tense. Jack needed help, and they couldn't afford to wait any longer before adressing the problem. "You killed a man Jack".

His little brother turned then and gone was the empty look in his eyes, and in it's place was a blue fire that burned Angel. He would have looked away if he hadn't seen that look in so many other peoples eyes, seen it in his own eyes when he faced the mirror. He knew it.

"He wasn't a man" Despite the fire in his eyes his words were cold as ice. "He may have looked like one, walked like one and talked like one, but other than that he was nothing, exactly as he is now".

"Does that make it different?"

"You tell me Angel" Jack challenged him "You and Bobby killed two men right in front of me remember. Did you think about right or wrong then?"

"No" Angel replied steadily "You know I don't regret that Jack, I told you. But you know I have killed people before. I know that you know, cause you were always smart enough to know what we were doing those times you couldn't tag along".

"I dosen't matter anymore. I killed him, he's dead, gone for good. He got exactly what was coming to him. Let it go"

"I can't let it go, cause you haven't" Angel shot back at him "If it means so little then why can't you stop thinking about it huh?"

"What the fuck do you know about my thoughts?" Jack replied but the fire had left him and he was just so tired.

"I know you need to talk to someone, and I know that Bobby's usually the one to do this but..."

"Don't say one word to him about this" Jack hissed.

Angel glared at him "Are you crazy? Of course I'm not going to, I like my head where it is"

"Good" Jack put the rest of the groceries away before taking a seat. When he spoke his voice was hesitant and low. "Can we not do this now?"

"Then when Jack?"

"Later. Just not...today. Okay?"

He really shouldn't agree, but he couldn't stop himself from nodding. All it took was that broken look in his eyes and Jack would have him do anything. He wanted so badly to never see that look in those eyes again. Jack picked up his guitar and started playing a little while jotting down notes. Angel knew he wanted to be alone and lose himself in his music, but he wanted more time now, more honesty. "Working on something new?"

"Yeah but I don't know, it's not really working out"

"Let me hear" Angel encouraged.

And Jack played and sang softly, quietly.

I'm in here. Can anybody see me? Can anybody help? I'm in here, A prisoner of history. Can anybody help?

He stopped and dragged a hand through his hair, looking up at Angel with an insecure look in his eyes. "Don't know what it'll be, I'm not getting it through my head right".

"It sounds great, it'll come to you" Angel smiled when Jack chuckled and put his fist out for Jack to bump. "Hey, we stick together right? Nothings gonna break our stride and all that shit?"

Jack looked at him funnily "Are you qouting a Matthew Wilder song?"

"Who's that? I thought it was Blue Lagoon?"

Jack shot him a slightly disgusted look and Angel shrugged.

"Sofi likes it when I do, says it makes her feel special"

"Figures"

"Hey Jack"

Angel's voice stopped him his step. "Yeah?"

"When we do talk, it has to be about everything. Sweet, the guard at the hospital, Fowler..."

"Yeah" Jack nodded before turning and walking up to his room. He just wanted to be alone for a while.

Like it? Please tell me you do! Or not, if you don't of course... "Break my stride" was a hit in 83 or 84? Performed by Matthew Wilder if I'm not totally wrong. Blue Lagoon made a cover a couple of years ago, 10 or something.