Alright? Hey, hey. Sorry, I've taken like forever to update. My bad. Been sooOoo busy with school stuff and other pointless crap. I'll try update quicker, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for all your reviews, I appreciate them and love hearing what you think. Please continue to review and I hope you enjoy Chapter Five. XD

Chapter Five – This Is Different

Jack ran until his lungs stung and cried out for air. He doubled over, hands on knees, wheezing. The tears had long dried from his face, his cheeks red from exhaustion and his hair stuck up even more from the bitter wind. He stumbled into an alley and slid down the grey, stone wall, sobbing into his knees. He had been happy for a full twenty four hours and now, one dream, one stupid goddam nightmare had completely rid him of all feeling of happiness and trust. He shuddered and felt his stomach churn uncomfortably. The teenager pulled the jumper sleeves over his hands and wrapped his arms around himself, noticing the cold for the first time. The man in his vision haunted his mind, his sardonic laugh echoed in his ears. Jack covered them with the palms of his hands.

"Go away!" He screamed. "Leave me alone!"

One flashback always led to a chain reaction and sure enough his mother's sharp tongue and even sharper slaps found their way into his head. Then, his father's brutal murder, then the loneliness of the foster home, the rejection, the bullying, nightmares, drugs, sad, lonely holidays and finally the abuse of his last foster parent; still fresh in his mind. Grief and dry sobs ripped from the boy's throat as he sank his fingers into his hair. The pain in his chest intensified, his mind was spinning, his heart thudding violently within him and then in a quick flash, Jack slipped into a wave of unconsciousness.

"Damn Jack! Where the hell are you!" Bobby slammed his fist into the middle of the steering wheel in frustration. Angel had his upper body out of the car window calling his brother's name over and over. Jerry had been phoned straight away; one foot had gotten its way inside his front door before he had to come back. He was now patrolling the streets by foot, while Evelyn stayed at home in case Jack returned or called.

It had been two hours since the youth had run away and those two hours felt like a lifetime to the Mercer family. Bobby was still confused as to why Jack had suddenly just fled from him. He seemed so settled and at peace before – why the sudden change? The oldest Mercer brother growled loudly in irritation and slowed the car down as they circled the park, like a pack of lions stalking prey.

"Jack! Jack!" Angel bellowed. He sighed and sank back into the passenger's seat, with a miserable look on his face.

"Bobby…"

"No! I don't want to hear it! We're not giving up yet, Angel. We'll do another circle and then move on."

Angel remained silent and nodded.

A loud bang of a bin lid crashing to the ground and a cat screeching awoke the boy, his eyes snapping open. Jack climbed to his feet, pushing off the stone wall and feeling disorientated. People had started emerging from their houses now – walking to work, or to the shops, some strolled along, dogs trotting in front of them. The teenager knew he was lost. He had run some distance and his mind had been too thickly coated in the visions of his nightmare that he knew that it would be impossible to retrace his steps back home. He felt like crying all over again, but inhaled deeply and rubbed at his red, puffy eyes. As the adolescent walked out of the alley, a tall, stick-thin man rammed straight into him.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, kid." The boy looked up, squinting. The man reminded Jack of Shaggy from Scooby-doo. He frowned and said, "You walked into me."

The stranger glared, but his features softened slightly as he noticed the redness round the kid's eyes and the glistening tear tracks.

"You ok?" He asked, without realising the question left his mouth. He was stared at for a few moments and then the boy's gaze shifted out to the road.

"I just want to forget." Jack whispered. The man smiled awkwardly, but he patted his shoulder sympathetically and made a move to walk away, when an idea struck him. He bent down to Jack's height and smiled mysteriously.

"What if I told I had something you could take to make you forget?"

"Like drugs?" Jack looked him in the eye. He might look young and naïve with those big, light blue pools and blonde, unruly hair and pale, flawless skin, but he had seen more than any adult should and he knew how the real world worked.

"I prefer to call it medicine. Pain relief almost."

The teenager looked around nervously. He had tried some substances when he was thirteen and the outcome hadn't been pretty. He turned and glanced down the dark, gloomy alley and then back into the dark, misleading eyes of the young, scruffy man.

"Ok." He said, nodding. "Ok, I'll give it a shot."

Jerry reached into his jacket and flicked open his phone as it played that annoying, high-pitched tone Angel had insisted he kept.

"Jerry. It's me. Have you found him?" Bobby sounded on the edge of losing all reason. He didn't envy Angel for being in the car with him. Please let them both have seatbelts on, he prayed.

"No, Bobby." Jerry sighed, ducking his head. He paused for a moment. "I haven't found him. You'd be the first to know if I did, you know that."

"What we going to do? It's been hours."

"From what Ma told me, he just flipped out. He probably needs some space. Look, we'll find him."

"Yeah, but he was a complete wreck. He shouldn't be on his own." Bobby went quiet. "Later." He hung up and Jerry tucked the phone back inside his pocket.

"Come on, Jack. Help me out here."

"What's your name?" The man lit a cigarette, cupping his hand round his face as the flame torched the stub.

"Jack." He told, lighting up too and taking a long drag.

"Well, I'm Starks."

"Starks?" Jack scoffed and suppressed a giggle.

"Problem?" He asked, defensively. Jack chuckled, shaking his head and blowing out smoke between his lips.

"Let's go meet my friends."

Jack fell into step behind Starks and allowed his thoughts to float away like the smoke from his cigarette. He knew this was wrong, was dangerous, but he needed the risk, the distraction.

Fifteen minutes of power walking and Starks halted outside a building. The boy had just enough time to pull himself back to reality before he crashed into the long coat of the man.

"We're here." He didn't sound like someone who was meeting friends. Jack looked about skittishly and decided maybe this really wasn't such a great idea.

"Starks, man, maybe I should just go…" He started to walk backwards pointing over his shoulder with his thumb, but the man had surprisingly quick reflexes and grabbed him, yanking the boy towards him.

"We're here now." He hissed, turning suddenly nasty. He planted a hand on Jack's shoulder. He swallowed and looked up at Starks.

"Don't give me that look. I've seen them all before. You wanted to get something for your pain, right? So, I brought you to the doctors."

The place they stood before certainly did not look like a GPs office. It was a grubby, crumpled building with graffiti all over the door. Jack mentally cursed as he realised his phone wasn't in his pocket. He must have left it at home or lost it. He felt guilty at the last thought. Evelyn must have saved up hard to get him such a nice, up to date cell phone and he had lost it already.

They made their way up stairs when Starks knocked five times solidly on a door further into the building.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice demanded. Oh man, wailed Jack silently. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

"Starks."

There was a pause and then the door opened. Jack was pushed forward slightly and he peered into the dimly lit room.

"Kingler?" Starks called out quietly.

"Who the hell is this?" A thirty year old, well built man with olive skin and sandy brown hair walked forwards. He towered over the teenager and a cigar hung from his lips.

"Uh, Jack. I just met him. He says he interested in the stuff."

"How old are you?" The man's voice was quiet, but commanded one hundred percent attention.

"Fifteen." Jack tried to sound casual, but his voice was dry and it came out a squeak. The man laughed loudly, making the adolescent jump from the sudden volume change.

"You brought a kid? Well done, Starks." The man clapped and shook his head smiling. Then, like the flick of a light he grabbed Starks and grasping his collar he whispered something in his ear. Jack didn't catch what he said, but the Shaggy look-alike started trembling and his eyes widened.

The man threw Starks to the ground and marched up to Jack. Placing two hands under his arms he picked him up with a shocked yelp from the boy. That's what terrified him the most. The man just picked him up like a small child, like he weighed nothing. He must have been even stronger than he looked. Placing him on a small table, the man smiled.

"I don't like bending down to talk to people. I like to look right into their eyes."

He gave Jack the creeps, but he remained standing on the table, his fingers fidgeting with the bottom of his jumper.

"Now, son. Do you know what that useless piece of crap was talking about?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Drugs?"

The man ruffled his hair and looked like a proud father. He put two hands on his shoulders.

"What would a boy like you want drugs for?"

"Starks said they would make me forget some things." The youth watched Starks climb to his feet and straighten his jacket.

"Did he? Well, what things do you want to forget?"

Jack looked at him straight in the eyes, his own eyes filling up slightly. Then, in a small, frightened whisper one word slipped from Jack's mouth that made his conscience shut down.

"Everything."

"Bobby! I think I know where he is." Jerry rattled down the phone. "I spoke to some guys I know on the street and they said they thought they saw someone fitting Jack's description follow that Starks kid – that psycho guy that worked in the supermarket - down Ceram Street about an hour ago."

Bobby did a U-turn at fifty miles an hour and Angel splattered against the window.

"Bobby!"

"If you're right Jerry, our little brother is in serious shit."

"I'll meet you there in ten minutes."

Starks watched from a distance as Kinger spoke quietly to Jack. The teenager was shaking, but his face was expressionless. He stared into space, gaze averted past Kinger's shoulder.

"So, Kinger. Do I get what I asked for?" The man attempted a smile and stepped closer. He wanted to quench his addiction; he didn't know how long he could last without his 'medicine'.

Kinger stopped talking and turned his head slowly to glare at him. His eyes were dark and cold and he moved like a shark racing to a wounded creature. Starks blinked and there he was in front of him, his breath, flicking his short bangs from his forehead.

"I'll tell you what you'll get." He whispered lowly. The man punched Starks between the eyes, temporarily blurring his vision and then with a vicious slap, sent him flying out the door and tumbling down the stairs onto the street.

The young man was bruised, bleeding and stunned from the fall. He lay gasping on his back on the cold pavement, a little blood trickled from his mouth, down his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut and failed to sense the three, angry men glaring down at him. When he opened his eyes, a little fearful yelp left his lips, before Bobby grabbed him and hauled him to his feet.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Starks asked, his eyes darting from one irate expression to the next.

"You know who." Bobby's face was millimetres away. Starks swallowed realising he had had enough of being beaten and bullied for one day. With a nervous glance into the building, he didn't have enough time to take another breath as Angel punched him in the abdomen and threw him to the ground.

"You better pray he's ok. You better get on your knees and pray, boy."

Bobby took the stairs two at a time and threw his whole body into the door. It crumpled under him and gave way to his weight. Two men flanking Kinger growled and stepped out from the shadow.

"Jack!" Jerry saw him, sitting motionless on a chair with a large man hovering over him with what looked like a needle and heroin.

"Jack. Get away from that shit." Angel yelled. Bobby wasn't so calm and with nostrils flaring and eyes wide, he tackled one of the men to the ground and punched his face, until the blood and bruises covered the fair skin. Angel and Jerry took the other guy and soon all three brothers were breathless and stood three feet away from their youngest sibling.

"Jack!" Bobby grabbed Kinger by his collar. The man smiled politely.

"You better not have pumped any of that crap into him."

Kinger shook his head and waited until Bobby released him.

"My apologies for causing such an upset." He spoke softly and straightened his shirt. "I had no idea he was a Mercer." He sighed and stared at the floor for a long time. "I told that idiot to bring me some people, you know, to try this out." He waved the bag filled with heroin in front of him. "He brought me a little boy." Kinger started laughing hysterically. "Go on, kid. Go home with your brothers. Oh, and please send the young man Starks up to see me if he is still on the street."

Bobby rolled his eyes. The man was clearly insane, but he just wanted to get Jack home, so he placed a firm hand on Jack's shoulder and led him outside.

They made it out to the street - Starks had scampered off. Bobby bent down on his knees and stared into Jack's eyes. He didn't know whether to slap him or hug him. He was so mad, yet so relieved he was safe. Bobby's scowl slipped from his face as Jack's blue eyes filled with warm tears.

"Hey, hey. Come on, buddy." He wrapped an arm around him.

"Please don't hurt me." Jack tried to pull out of the embrace, but then Jerry and Angel all kneeled down and hugged him too.

"Jack, this is different. This isn't a stupid foster home. You're part of a family now. We'd never hurt you." Jerry soothed.

"How do I know it's different?"

"You have to trust us. Accept us as your family. Come on, fairy. I don't just break down doors for anyone." Bobby smiled. Jack wiped at a stray tear and after looking at his brother's smile for a moment, his words sank in and a slow grin spread over his face. Angel laughed loudly and slapped Jack's back. Jerry helped Bobby to his feet, chuckling.

"Let's go home and get some of Ma's chicken soup. What do you say?"

"Let's go home." Jack agreed, smiling and nodding.