AN: Thanks again so much for you reviews! You guys are so great! I've noticed that a number of you are commenting that you're confused, which is perfectly fine at this point. If Bobby and Jack are confused in the story, you should probably be a little confused too. However, you'll start getting some answers in the next chapter, and by the final chapter, it should all be cleared up (I hope)! This chapter is mainly to showcase my original character, Chad, because he has a larger role to play later in the story. I hope you like it, enjoy! And thanks again!

Immediately upon waking, Jack identified the smell of burning...something...coming from the direction of the kitchen. He scrunched up his nose, refusing to open his eyes as his mind protested being awake. His body, however, felt heavy, like he'd been lying motionless for too long. Rolling over and burying his face in the pillow, he moaned when he heard a loud crash.

"Fuck," came the soft curse immediately following the noise. Jack smirked, starting to wake up a little more as he rolled over onto his back, finally opening his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, a strange sensation washing over him. His body felt like it was tingling...but not like when he sat on his feet or slept on his arm for too long. This was a feeling of...contentment. Happiness at the simple things surrounding him. The TV on mute so as not to wake him, the blanket covering his legs, breakfast cooking...or overcooking...in the kitchen, a mishap with the pans and the mumbled annoyance that followed...

It was all too normal for Jack, who realized at that moment that his life had never been, and would never be, normal. There would never be an older brother or mother or father cooking in the kitchen while he slept on the couch...if he slept on a couch, it was at Chad's, and the only smells were the lingering odors of weed and sex and spilled beer. In the past, a crash in the kitchen meant only anger and perhaps a beating later. The TV was usually on too loud, and the blankets were, if offered, ratty with holes too big for them to do any good.

Jack frowned. As good as this all felt, it also hurt. A lot. Because he knew that he could never have it. This was a dream, an unattainable fantasy that was cruelly shoved in his face, only to be snatched away yet again. So is the way of the foster kid...

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Bobby called from the kitchen, seeing that Jack was awake. He was holding a pan in one hand, a spatula in the other, and was grinning from ear to ear. Jack had to grin as well. "It's breakfast time."

Jack sat up, stretching his arms above his head and tossing the blanket to the other side of the couch. He stood, yawning, shuffling into the kitchen to watch Bobby finish the cooking. There was a stack of pancakes on the table, sitting next to a plate of blackened bacon. That explains the burning smell.

"Do you usually cook?" Jack asked, not able to hide the smirk in his voice as he sat down at the table. He picked up a piece of bacon and inspected it dramatically.

"No, I don't, so consider yourself lucky," Bobby said, picking up the last of the pancakes with his spatula and placing them onto the stack.

"Yeah, lucky," Jack said, raising an eyebrow and holding up the bacon for Bobby to examine. Bobby stared at it thoughtfully for a moment, before plucking it out of Jack's hand.

"Don't eat that," Bobby said, picking up the entire plate of bacon and dumping it into the trash as Jack laughed. "It's lunch time, anyway. Grab a pancake or two and I'll drive us through McDonald's."

"Wait, what time is it?" Jack asked, about to reach for a pancake. He looked around for a clock.

"Um, around 12:30, I think," Bobby said, laughing when Jack's eyes got wide. "What's the matter? Usually don't sleep that long?"

"Shit, no!" Jack suddenly jumped up from the chair. "I have band practice!"

"When?"

"Now!"

"What?" Bobby asked. "You have another gig tonight or somethin'?"

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he ran upstairs, searching frantically for his shoes and his jacket. He found them and slipped them on, almost falling down the stairs as he tripped over his laces. When he got back into the kitchen, Bobby was staring at him like he was crazy.

"Jesus, Jackie, where's the fire?" he asked, watching as Jack sat down and started tying his shoes. "So you'll be a little late, big deal. Slow down. Eat. You were hungry last night, you can't tell me you're not hungry now."

"I don't have time," Jack mumbled, finishing with the right shoe and moving on to the left one. "Chad's gonna be pissed, he's always pissed when one of us is late." He jumped up as he finished tying his shoe, hurrying towards the door. "Thanks again for letting me stay here, and for breakfast. Bye!"

"You didn't even eat anything!" Bobby yelled, loping after him. "Wait!"

But Jack was already out the door, leaping down the steps of the front porch and towards the street. When he got to the end of the walk, however, he stopped, looking left and right bewilderedly. He had no idea where he was, and no idea how to get to Chad's from here. The only thing he knew for sure was that the rain had turned to snow sometime last night, and the ground was covered in a fresh blanket, a couple of inches deep.

"Hey, dumbass!" Bobby shouted from the porch, and Jack turned around to look at him. He was dressed in only a thin t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, and the toes of his stocking feet wiggled in the cold. "Calm the fuck down, already. I'll give you a ride. Just...hold on."

Jack took a deep breath, stuffing his hands in his pockets as Bobby turned around to go back into the house. He wondered impatiently what time it was now. If he was more than a half hour late, Chad was going to kill him...

"Okay." Bobby was back, this time sporting a pair of tennis shoes and a hoodie, slightly out of breath. "Let's go."

Jack followed him wordlessly to the car, his fingers itching for a cigarette. He opened the door and slid into the passenger's seat, leg bouncing.

"You've got fuckin' issues, kid, I'm tellin' ya," Bobby mumbled under his breath, scooting in and shutting the car door. "Do you always do everything to the goddamn extreme?"

"Huh?" Jack asked, distracted, his eyes and mind wandering, and Bobby shook his head.

"Nevermind. Where to?"

"Back to the bar," Jack said, chewing anxiously on his thumb nail. "It's right around there."

"Alright," Bobby breathed, starting the car. He swatted absently at Jack's hand. "Don't bite your nails. That's gross."

Jack placed his hand between his knees, leg still bouncing. Bobby looked over at him and smirked, pulling out onto the road. "Do you ever stop moving?"

"No," Jack replied, not really putting much thought into his answer. He looked around for something familiar to tell him approximately how far away they were.

"You should put that energy to use," Bobby continued. He looked away from the road and over at Jack again. "Play some hockey with us."

Jack snapped back to reality in an instant, looking over at Bobby. "Really? When?"

"Today," Bobby said with a shrug. "Jerry and me and some of the boys from our neighborhood are playin' a little friendly game. You should come."

"I don't have any gear."

"I do."

"Really?" Jack asked again, dumbly. He couldn't believe Bobby was inviting him somewhere...

"Yes, really," Bobby laughed. "What's the matter? I thought you said you played hockey."

"Yeah, I do...I mean I did," he stuttered, smiling. "Just not in a while. And I didn't think...I don't know..." I'd ever see you again?

"Yeah, well, there ya go," Bobby said, looking back to the road. "I'm not lettin' you get away that easily, Cracker Jack. There's still way too much about you I don't get."

Jack smiled again, not being able to help himself. He'd never been one to make friends easily...being a loner did have it's disadvantages...and, if he was being honest with himself, he'd have been crushed if he'd never seen Bobby again. If he felt like he could trust Bobby in only a day...well, that wasn't something he was willing to give up so soon. There weren't a lot of people in his life that he could trust.

"Oh, yeah, by the way," Bobby said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wad of bills. He handed it to Jack, who took it tentatively. "It was on the house."

"What?" Jack asked, looking at the money for a moment, then recognizing it as the bills he'd given Bobby to pay for his drinks last night. "Oh...no, you should really keep this. Not just for the beer, but for letting me stay and everything..."

"Bullshit," Bobby said, refusing to take the money. "You're not paying for that."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, looking out the window as he started to recognized the buildings around him. "Because I can...oh, there!" He pointed out the window to a house a couple of yards down the road. "That's my stop."

Bobby pulled into the driveway, shifting the car into park. "Alright. I'll pick you back up here in..." he looked at his watch, "an hour? Is that long enough?"

"Yeah, that's good," Jack said, opening the car door. They never practiced long, anyway. Chad had way too short of an attention span for that. He stepped out onto the driveway, placing his hand on top of the door. "Thanks again."

"See ya later, fairy," Bobby said as Jack shut the door, and Jack flipped him off as he backed out onto the road.

He blew warm air into his hands, suddenly realizing how much colder it had gotten since last night. He'd definitely have to get some warmer clothes before he went out to play hockey with Bobby and the guys. All of his clothes were left at Chad's usually, so he could stop by to change or shower or do laundry when he wanted to...unless, again, Chad was particularly angry about something that day. Then his clothes would be shoved in a backpack and he'd carry them with him, wherever he went.

Jack let himself in the front door, bypassing the kitchen and giving an awkward nod to the blonde girl sitting on the couch in the living room. Must be the girl he took home last night, Jack thought, opening the door to the basement and hurrying down the stairs. When he got all the way down, though, he noticed something odd: there were no instruments set up. And none of the other guys from the band were there. Just Chad, sitting on the couch, with...the same blonde girl? But hadn't she just been...?

"Way to show up on time, asshole," Chad said, his voice showing no real signs of anger as he looped an arm around the girl on the couch, flicking his long, greasy brown hair out of his eyes. She giggled. "Where ya been?"

"Sorry," Jack said, taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the couch next to Chad. "I overslept. Where's everyone else?"

"Michael and Eric went home," Chad replied, and Jack suddenly felt extremely guilty. Was he that late? "I sent them home," Chad continued. "No practice today."

"What?" Jack asked, suddenly confused. "Why not?"

Chad sighed, standing and ambling over to Jack with his arms folded across his chest. "Because," he said, "Toby called. No show tonight. The bar manager cancelled on us, the bastard."

"Shit," Jack swore, folding his arms as well. "Why?"

"Didn't say," Chad said, reaching out to pat Jack on the arm. "Don't worry, man, we just got paid last night. That should last you for a while, right?"

"Right..." Jack mumbled, not believing his own words. They hadn't gotten paid much at all last night, and Jack was in desperate need of a good income. He hadn't a decent meal in...too long, as his stomach reminded him, growling again. I wish I'd grabbed one of those pancakes.

"Hey, like I said, don't worry," Chad said, smiling, ignoring Jack's rumbling belly. "I've got a surprise for you."

Food, please? "What?"

"Oh, just a little something." Chad was grinning devilishly, hands behind him as he backed up towards the couch. "Actually, two somethings. Two blonde, identical, somethings." The blonde on the couch giggled again in response, waving at Jack.

Oh, Jack thought, suddenly feeling very awkward. That explains the girl upstairs, then. "Chad..."

"Come on, man, when's the last time you got laid?" Chad asked, sinking down next to the girl again and wrapping his arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck. She squeaked excitedly. "This is Maria. Anna is upstairs, waiting for you."

Jack sighed, shaking his head. It wasn't that he'd never had sex before...he just didn't want to have it now. And he hadn't had it since he'd run away. It was always awkward, forced, and he always got...nervous. Too nervous. Being homeless and living on the streets, he had more important things to worry about, anyway. Things like where his next meal was coming from, where he was going to sleep, if he was going to survive the night...

"I don't think so," Jack said, and Chad rolled his eyes. He leaned over, whispering something in the girl's...Maria's...ear, leaving her to squeal over it while he stood up, coming over towards Jack. He wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, leading him towards the other side of the basement. When they reached the wall, he turned around, grabbing Jack by the shoulders and making them face each other.

"Jackie," he started, and Jack immediately realized that the way Chad called him Jackie and the way Bobby called him Jackie were very different. "Are we cool?"

"What?" Jack asked, shifting under Chad's gaze. His dark green eyes had a way of intimidating Jack, piercing him like a knife. "Sure. Of course we're cool."

"Are you sure?" he persisted, his eyes questioning. "Because lately it doesn't seem that way."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Jack questioned, shrugging him off.

Chad cocked his head to the side, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. You'd have to tell me."

"Well," Jack started, forcing a smile, "I don't have a reason that we wouldn't be. So I guess we are."

"I guess we are," Chad repeated slowly, nodding. "Am I still your best friend?"

"Yeah," Jack blurted automatically, for the first time ever questioning, in his mind, if that was true. "Yeah, of course you are."

"Okay, then answer me this," Chad began, and Jack suddenly felt tense. "Where did you stay last night?"

What? Why the hell does that matter? "At a friend's."

Chad snorted. "You don't have any other friends, Jack." Ouch, Jack thought, determined not to flinch and show Chad how much that statement...that true statementstung. "Which means you probably went home with a girl last night...which makes me wonder, why won't you take this free ass that I'm handing you, if you just went and got some yourself last night?"

"What?" Jack asked, stunned. "I did not go home with a girl last night."

"A guy, then? Don't worry, I'm not prejudiced." Chad raised his eyebrows and smirked, showing most of his teeth in a way that made Jack want to cover his neck for fear of attack.

"Wha...no!' Jack stuttered, suddenly realizing the meaning of Chad's statement. "No, I did not...I mean technically I did...but not like...no!"

Chad laughed, throwing his head back. "Okay, okay, chill. I get it. So where did you stay last night?" He paused, looking thoughtfully as Jack tried to recompose himself. "With that bartender?"

"Maybe," Jack mumbled. "What's it matter?"

"Oh, Jackie, come on," Chad laughed again, colder this time. "He was like, what, thirty?"

Jack suddenly realized he didn't know how old Bobby was. "I'm not sure."

"Jesus Christ." Chad shook his head. "What good do you think can come of a thirty year old befriending a sixteen year old, huh?"

Jack shrugged. "You're 21."

"That's different," Chad said, placing a hand on the wall beside Jack's head. He was taller than Jack, but not by much. Jack figured that he'd be taller in a year or so; Chad was done growing, while Jack, at sixteen, still had time. "That's not as big of an age gap. And we've known each other a lot longer. We're practically brothers, right?"

Wrong. Jack didn't answer. Chad sighed. "I'm just lookin' out for you, okay?" Jack nodded, looking down at the ground.

"I trust him," he mumbled and Chad chuckled.

"You think you do," he said, pushing himself upright again. "Anna's waiting. You goin' for it?"

"No." Jack was suddenly surer than ever about that. "You take her, too, if you want. I'm just gonna go watch TV or something."

"Whatever, man," Chad said, walking back to the couch and grinning at Maria. "More for me."

"Chad...Chad, yes! Oh, yes! Oh, Chad!"

"Oh, shut up," Jack mumbled, turning up the volume on the TV as he rubbed a hand across his face. He'd been sitting on the living room couch, listening to Chad and the blonde girls go at it for the past 45 minutes now, and he was getting very tired of it. He sighed, reaching into the bag of potato chips he'd stolen off of the kitchen counter, disappointed to find it empty.

"Yes! Yes! Chad, please!"

"Yes, please," Jack murmured again. "Please shut up." He flipped through the channels idly, not really looking for anything in particular, just something to distract him from the sounds coming from the back room. Because he could hear every sound...every shift, every breath, every moan...

The honk of a car horn outside suddenly shook Jack out of his self-induced stupor, and he jumped up excitedly, grabbing the backpack he'd packed with a couple changes of clothes and slinging it onto his back. He wanted to stay at Chad's as little as he possibly could, only when it was absolutely necessary.

"I'm leaving!" he called, not expecting Chad to hear him. Running outside, he slammed the front door, and jogged up to the car. He noticed that someone was sitting in the front seat, so he opened the back passenger side door and slid in. "Hey."

"Hey," Bobby replied, shifting the car into reverse and backing up. "You remember Jerry?"

"Hi," Jack said and Jerry turned around, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Jerry's so graciously pulled himself away from the family today to play a little puck with his poorly neglected best friend," Bobby said pitifully, and Jerry swatted him on the back of the head. "Ow! What the fuck, Jerry?"

"You deserved it," Jerry said, grinning. "It's not nice to be a smart ass. Or didn't your mother teach you otherwise?"

"Hey, don't start talkin' shit about my mother," Bobby warned playfully. "You know she could kick your ass any day."

"That is true." Jerry shook his head, chuckling. "And you're not poorly neglected. You're purposely ignored."

"Do you want me to kick your ass, Jerry? Because I already thought you had a wife to do that..."

"Alright, that's it, the gloves are comin' off! You better watch your ass during the game, Mercer."

"Only because it's so pretty," Bobby smirked

"Whatever, man," Jerry laughed, looking out the window. "Camille was happy that I was gettin' out of the house, taking a little time off."

"I've been tellin' you to take some time off ever since you started that little business project of yours," Bobby said, his voice suddenly taking on a different tone.

Jerry shook his head. "Bobby, come on. Don't start in on me about that. Not now."

"Why not now, Jerry, huh?" Bobby asked, and Jerry just sighed. "Why not?"

"Because you're not even supposed to be involved, Bobby."

Bobby snorted sarcastically. "How can I not get involved? If you're gonna run around trying to get yourself killed..."

"Stop being dramatic. I'm not trying to get myself killed."

"Really? Because getting involved with Victor Sweet..."

"I'm not involved with...what the...?"

"What?" Bobby asked as Jerry stopped, staring out the front window. He followed Jerry's gaze as he parked the car, then suddenly fell back against his seat. "What the fuck?"

"What?" Jack asked, suddenly intrigued. He'd been silent the entire car ride, listening to Jerry and Bobby argue (both playfully and not so playfully) about things he didn't understand. It made him feel painfully left out. He looked out the window, and saw a tall man walking towards them, carrying a large duffel bag over his shoulder and wearing jeans, a sweater, and a set of dog tags around his neck. He followed Jack and Bobby out of the car curiously. Angel?

"Angel?" Bobby and Jerry asked simultaneously, gaping at the man walking towards them. He smiled.

"Hey, there," Angel said, grinning. "I'm home."

Eva Deanna: Aw man, and that sounded like the beginnings of a very cute story...oh well. Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

Ebz: Gotta love platonic brotherly love...it's my favorite! And I promise, next chapter the questions will start being answered (although nothing will be fully answered until the last chapter). I really appreciate the compliment about my grammar, I try so hard to make everything perfect...I'm quite the perfectionist when it comes to my writing. Anyway, thanks for reading, more updates soon!

Ella: Bobby and Jack are too cute, I loved their relationship in the movie, and I just had to write something about them. I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reading!

Ophelia Hyde: It's really been quite easy for me to develop their relationship as the story goes on, because I definitely think that they had the strongest relatonship in the movie. What's been difficult is writing the other characters, especially Angel in the next chapter...I'm glad you thought my characterization of Evelyn was good, though! And your writing is not rubbish! I think I recall reading a one-shot of yours recently that was very good. I might try to write romance again, but not in this fandom. I like focusing more on the brotherly aspects here. Thanks for reading, glad you liked!

Rogue21493: Hurrying, hurrying! Glad you liked it, more updates soon!

I believe in you: I'm glad you like it, next update very soon!

Death by Teacup: Thank you very much. Like I've said before, I love writing Bobby. He just has such a strong personality (thanks partly to the wondeful Mark Wahlberg) that it's easier to portray him than other characters. Glad you liked it!

xXJackxXmy3rdXclassXrockXStarX: I'm glad it's easy to follow and understand, I always worry about that. That's such a compliment, that you felt like you were in the story, thank you so much! When I read, I like to immerse myself in the story, too, so I'm glad you feel that way! Thanks again!

Brittney Rose: It's okay that you're confused now, because Bobby and Jack are still confused in the story. Your questions will start being answered in the next chapter, though! I love Jack, too, so much, and I love writing him! I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reading!

deathhasleftandwillnotreturn: I'm glad you liked it. Thank you very much, and I definitely will continue with this story, I'm having such a great time writing it!

Sparks Diamond: Yay again for the brotherly love! I'm glad you like this story, and the next update shold be soon! Thanks!