"So the great Jack Collins fainted at a little blood loss, I'm disappointed."
Jack, Charlie and Josh sat in the living room a day after what had now been labeled "the incident". Jack reclined on the couch, his bare chest covered in white gauze. He complained that his shirt made him hot, and therefore sweat, which made the medical tape loose it's stick.
"Hey, I prefer to call it passing out and not fainting thank you," Jack retorted to Charlie's comment. "And it was not a little blood loss. A little blood loss it a knife slicing up your face or arm, this was ten inch claws digging into my shoulders and then across my chest."
Josh grinned and kicked his shoes off. He admired Jack. Even though he came off as hard and cold, and was a vermin, he had a big brother attitude. Josh knew that Jack, though he acted like he did not care for anyone but himself, would lay down his life for any of them, except maybe Sterling. But lately he worried about Jack. He had lost more and more color from his face and when he seemed to think no one was looking, he would put both hands on his head and his face would twist into the most pained look. He also had lost his once ravenous appetite, and as a result, had lost weight, an unhealthy amount of weight.
Xander entered the room, a strange look rested on his green eyes. An equally strange looked passed over Jack's face but disappeared quickly and a smirk, very much like Xander's, appeared in it's place.
"Rough night Xander?" He asked.
The bloodshot eyes turned on him and sent chills up his back. Xander's presence commanded fear, but Jack fought with all his might not to show it. Xander loomed over Jack for a moment glaring at him. He could see the hate radiating from Xander. It looked as though he would kill Jack then and there, but instead, he turned to Charlie.
"You're a tough kid Charlie," he said. "Not many people survive what Paul did to you. I thought we had another murder on our hands." To Jack's great discomfort, Xander sat down in the last armchair.
"He did get me pretty good," Charlie said. "I can still feel it."
"Paul was here?" Josh asked. "Why am I never informed when things like this happen?"
"Maybe you just don't pay enough attention," Xander said coldly.
Josh felt the sting of his words. It only confirmed what people thought of him. They acted like he did not know anything, that he had all the naivety of a new born child, as if they had to protect him from the world. Well he did not like not knowing. He grinned and tried to brush away the ice from Xander's words.
"I guess I'll have to ask more questions then," he said.
Jack let out a groan and all three head whipped in his direction. His hands held his head and his eyes squinted at the pain.
"Jack, you OK?" Josh asked.
Jack's hands dropped back to his sides and he looked at them as if he just remembered they were there. "Yeah, sorry, just a head ache."
"Let the whole world know why don't you?" Xander mumbled under his breath.
"Do you have something to say to me?" Jack asked.
"Watch it vermin." Xander growled his green eyes flaring. "I've killed before and I'm willing you add to the list."
Jack stuck up his middle finger and Xander dove on him, twisting his arm behind his back and smashing his face into the ground. Jack felt the gauze rip away from his skin. It burned as the blood flowed from his newly opened wounds. But not two seconds later, he felt Xander's weight lift off. He sat up holding his burning chest to see Charlie holding Xander down.
"Let it go," Charlie commanded, emphasizing each word. "It's not a fair fight and you know it."
A look of confusion and bewilderment plastered itself to Xander's, and pretty much everyone else's, face. How did Charlie do that? He could not even see. Charlie made yet another daring move; he backed off and stretched out a hand to Xander, who was too baffled to know what to do. But respect passed across his face and he took the hand. He threw a look of hatred at Jack, and then left the room.
"You don't get it do you? Josh said. "First you toy with Sterling and now Xander? Do you have a death wish or something?"
Charlie raised a hand to Josh, and then turned to Jack. "Come on, you have to get those bandaged up."