AN: So first of all, I would like to apologize to everyone for the slow update. I planned on posting this a couple of days ago, but my mom suprised me with a trip to Chicago to visit my best friend, and I wasn't able to use the internet until today. Hopefully you guys aren't too angry with me, and didn't die from the suspense of my cliffhanger! Secondy...I'm speechless about your reactions to the last chapter! Thank you guys so much! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as well! Thanks, again, for reading!

"Hey, Mercers. Anyone home?"

"In here, Jerry," Bobby called from the living room couch as Jerry pushed open the front door, shaking the snow from his coat as he did so. Folding his newspaper, Bobby swung his legs off the couch, motioning for Jerry to take a seat as he entered the living room. "It snowing harder?"

"Hell, yeah," Jerry mumbled, removing his coat and tossing it toward the recliner, watching it fall a couple of inches short. He leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment before looking over at Bobby. "How's it goin'?"

Bobby shrugged. "Fine," he said, the corners of his mouth turning upward in a slight smile. "Thought you said you weren't comin' around for a while."

Jerry smiled as well. "Yeah, well...I'm not always a man of my word. How's Angel?"

"Dunno," Bobby sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I haven't seen him all day."

"You two still fightin'?"

"We can't really be fightin' if we're not talking," Bobby reasoned, shaking his head when Jerry gave him a critical look. "Don't give me that, Jerry. It's gonna take a fuckin' miracle to get Angel to settle this. He's a stubborn piece of shit, you know that."

"Yeah, almost as stubborn as someone else I know," Jerry replied, nudging Bobby's shoulder. "Admit it, it's not all Angel's fault that ya'll aren't talkin'."

"Well, it is all Angel's fault that Jack ran off."

"What?" Jerry asked, surprised. "Jack's not here?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nope. He jumped out of the fuckin' window last night while Angel was bitchin' to me in the hallway about how Jack ain't family and obviously not worth our time."

"Wow," Jerry murmured. "He upset?"

"Angel or Jack?"

"Both."

"Angel's been avoiding me all day, so I'd say that's a fuckin' resounding yes," Bobby stated harshly, although his eyes betrayed his sudden worry. "Jack...I dunno. I've been waiting for him to come back, maybe after he had some time to cool down, but no luck. I'm about this close to goin' out there and looking for him."

"I'm sure Jack'll be fine," Jerry reassured. "He lived out on the streets before you came along."

"Yeah," Bobby sighed. "But he told me some pretty heavy shit yesterday, and was kinda worked up over it...I just don't want him to do anything stupid right now."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure. I..."

Bobby stopped talking immediately, looking up, and Jerry turned to see Angel standing in the hall, shoulders hunched against the wind as he closed the door. He turned to the two friends, eyes betraying his momentary shock at seeing Jerry, before his face became a mask of stoicism again. "Hey, Jerry," he said without emotion, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck.

"Hey, man," Jerry replied, noticing the way Bobby was avoiding Angel's gaze. "How you doin'?"

"Fine," he replied stiffly, and Jerry noticed how much he sounded like Bobby when he said it. "Just got back from Sofi's. I'm a little tired, think I'm gonna go take a nap."

"Okay," Jerry said, disappointed. He'd wanted to talk to Angel, maybe find out what was bothering him. Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow. "I'll see ya later, then."

"Later," Angel mumbled, not even looking at Bobby as he wandered upstairs to his room. When the door slammed, Jerry let out a long, low whistle.

"He's not doin' too well."

"Ya think?" Bobby asked sarcastically, although he didn't look up from his hands. "I dunno what the hell's wrong with him."

"Bobby, I know this probably ain't what you wanna hear right now," Jerry began, waiting until Bobby looked up at him curiously, "but did you ever think about asking him?"

"Of course," Bobby spat. "But you know as well as I do that you can't just ask Angel anything. You hafta fuckin'... back into if from fifteen different directions. Besides, if he really wanted to talk, he didn't have to piss me off in the process and insult the hell out of Jack."

Jerry nodded silently, mulling over what Bobby said thoughtfully before speaking again. "You know, I'm sure what Angel said about Jack was uncalled for. I know he's not a saint or nothin'." Bobby snorted in response, and Jerry smirked a little before continuing. "But maybe...I can see where he's comin' from."

"What are you saying, Jerry?"

"I'm saying," Jerry turned, facing Bobby fully, "that maybe Angel needs a little attention right now. He just came back from war, Bobby. And...maybe he sees Jack as a threat."

Bobby eyes narrowed, confused. "A threat to what?"

"A threat for your attention. Think about it, he's only nineteen. Practically still a kid. He's had to grow up pretty damn fast, and you and Evelyn are the only family he's got. And Jack...I don't know. Angel just needs to be around people he can trust right now."

"He can trust Jack," Bobby insisted. "If I trust Jack, he should know he can, too."

"Come on, Bobby, don't expect him to just assume these things," Jerry warned. "Angel doesn't trust easily."

"I know," Bobby sighed, looking up towards the direction of Angel's room. "Should I talk to him now?"

"Nah, let him sleep," Jerry said, and Bobby nodded.

"I'll just talk to him after I get off work tonight," he affirmed, looking around the room and running a hand restlessly over his hair. "Well, I can't sit around anymore." He stood, walking over to the closet to grab his coat. "I'm gonna go look for Jack. Wanna come?"

"Sure." Jerry stood as well, picking his coat up off the floor. "Do you plan on searchin' all of Detroit or do you have a place to start?"

Bobby shrugged into his coat, grabbing his keys off the couch. "We'll start at Chad's."

Chad reclined back onto the arm of the couch, flipping through the TV channels, half-heartedly looking for something to watch while his mind wandered. He thought briefly about the events of the morning, reassuring himself that he'd done the best thing for Jack. He had, indeed, wondered why Jack had such an outburst about his calling John, but he figured it was just some kind of hormonal overreaction. He is only sixteen, after all. Fuckin' teenagers always blow shit out of proportion.

Yawning, Chad stopped on a random station, tossing the remote to the floor and letting his arm hang over the edge of the couch. It'll be nice to get the kid out of my hair for a while, anyways, he thought, reaching for a blanket and pulling it up over his legs. Not that I don't like him...he's just too immature. Chad never did understand why Jack ran away, and because Jack never offered to tell him, he figured it was something stupid and trivial that Jack was just too embarrassed to share. That's admitting guilt, and I'm sure that's the last thing Jackie would wanna do.

Chad's only real concern was that Jack might be angry enough to quit the band, in which case they'd be out a lead guitarist and vocalist. Although, Eric's been eyeing up the lead vocalist spot for a while now. And he's older than Jack, a hell of a lot smarter, too. Smirking to himself, Chad felt comfortably satisfied with his decision that morning. Calling John Davis helped everyone: it helped Jack get a permanent place to sleep, it helped Chad, as he was no longer forced to provide a temporary home for Jack anymore, and it helped the band in providing them with a new, smarter, and probably more talented lead singer.

The telephone rang, snapping Chad out of his self-induced ego boost as he pushed himself off the couch. Reaching the phone in the kitchen on the third ring, Chad jumped up onto the counter, sitting on the edge and twisting the phone cord in his hand. "Hello."

"Chad?" the rough voice replied, and Chad immediately recognized it as John Davis'. "It's John again."

"Hey, man," Chad said, slightly confused as to why John would be calling back. Maybe Jack's bein' a pain in the ass and ran off again. "What can I do for ya?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for returnin' my boy to me. I really did miss him a whole lot. More than you know."

"No problem, Mr. D," Chad replied, although he knew that another 'thank you' wasn't the only reason John had called again. "Is there somethin' else on your mind?"

John laughed. "You're a bright kid. There is somethin' else you could do for me. And there's somethin' in it for you, too, of course...something green, and a good amount of it, if you're interested."

Chad grinned. He was always up for making a little extra cash. "Of course I'm interested. What's up?"

"It's real simple. I'm gonna give you an address that you'll write down on a piece of paper. Then, tonight, you're gonna deliver it to a man named Bobby Mercer. He works at the bar close to where you live. You're gonna tell him Victor Sweet says that what he's lookin' for is at that address." John paused, letting Chad soak up the information. "You got all that? Think you're up to it?"

"Sure," Chad agreed, although he was a little skeptical. "But how do I know this Bobby guy's gonna be working tonight?"

"Trust me, boy, I know," John assured, his voice full of a humor that Chad didn't understand. "I have friends who make it their business to know. Just ask for him at the bar, give him the address...24 Sullivan...and tell him what I told ya."

Chad scribbled the address down on the back of a receipt. "24 Sullivan...give it to Bobby Mercer. Okay." He paused for a moment, staring at the name thoughtfully. "Bobby Mercer...he works at the bar..." Is this the same bartender that Jack knows? Chad suddenly remembered mentioning the bartender to John on the phone earlier that morning, saying that Jack had been hanging around with him, that he was a lot older than Jack, and that he seemed like he might be up to no good. "Is this the guy I mentioned this morning? The bartender who's friends with Jack?"

John hesitated, leaving the conversation in silence for a couple seconds before taking a breath and continuing, his voice lower. "Listen, Chad...that's none of my business who this guy is, and it's definitely none of yours. Victor Sweet's business is his own, and he doesn't like other people fuckin' around with it. Understand?"

"Yeah," Chad said, slightly startled by John's reaction. "I was just curious..."

"Don't be. You live right next to the bar, so it'll be easy for ya. Just go there, give him the address, and leave. I'll stop by and give you the money sometime this week."

"Okay." Chad didn't like the tone of John's voice, and he was suddenly apprehensive about carrying out John's instructions. I could use the money, though. And its John...Jack's father...he wouldn't be involved in anything dangerous. "You can just have Jack drop it by next band practice."

"Jack won't be coming to your next band practice," John insisted quickly. "He's quitting the band."

"Oh. Okay." It wasn't that Chad hadn't expected it...but he had expected Jack to come over and tell them himself. Fuckin' pussy. "Well, whatever. Tell him I guess I'll see him around, then."

"Give Bobby the note at eight tonight. That's when he's working." Chad heard a click, realizing that John had hung up. He pulled the receiver away from his ear, looking at it suspiciously. What the hell did I just get myself into?

He pushed that mentality aside, sliding off the counter and making his way back to the living room. Don't worry about it, he thought to himself. You'll deliver the address, make a little cash, and...

Chad almost jumped as the doorbell rang, and he stopped his progress to the couch, turning towards the door and eyeing it apprehensively. None of my friends ring the bell, and I'm not expecting anyone...

He hurried to the door, first looking out the window to see who was standing on the porch. Two guys he didn't recognize – a short white guy wearing a leather coat and a hard expression on his face, and a taller, skinny black man wearing overalls under a heavier jacket – stood in front of the door, shuffling impatiently. The shorter one reached out and knocked, leaning over to peek inside the window and see if anyone was home. Pulling away, Chad reached for the doorknob, opening it slowly.

When the door was open, he eyed the two men cautiously, keeping one hand on the side of the frame. "Can I help you guys?"

"You might be able to," the shorter man said, keeping his hands in his coat pockets. "Are you Chad Robinson?"

Chad raised an eyebrow, leaning heavily against the door. "Who's askin'?"

"My name's Bobby, and this is my friend Jeremiah. We're lookin' for a kid named Jack. He's been staying at my house for the past couple of nights, and he ran off yesterday, and we were just a little concerned. He mentioned you were a friend of his, and we figured he might be here, or that you might know where he was."

"I know where he is," Chad began, then paused for a moment, looking Bobby up and down. "Do I know you?"

Bobby glanced warily over at Jerry, who shrugged. He turned back to Chad, mimicking Jerry's action. "I don't know, man. Listen, I really need to get goin', I gotta work tonight, so if you could just let me know where Jack is..."

"Do you work at the bar down the street?" Chad persisted. "Are you Bobby Mercer?"

"Yeah..." Bobby's voice was guarded as he glared at Chad distrustfully. "Is that a problem?"

"No, no," Chad shook his head, not believing his luck. Now he didn't have to go all the way to the bar tonight to deliver the message. Bobby had shown up right at his doorstep...looking for Jack. He remembered John's words...You're gonna tell him Victor Sweet says that what he's lookin' for is at that address. "You're looking for Jack, you said?"

Bobby sighed edgily. "Yes, I did. Now if you could just tell me where he is..."

"I have something for you," Chad interrupted, turning to go back into the house, but Bobby stepped up, grabbing his arm.

"Listen, I don't really have time for this shit, okay?" His voice was deliberate, serious and down to business. "So just tell me where Jack is, or we can stop this little question game right now and I'll be on my way."

"Jack's not here," Chad said, pulling his arm out of Bobby's grip. "He went home with his dad. Just wait here for a second, I have to..."

But Chad couldn't say anymore, because Bobby had leapt up into the house, pushing him around against the wall and holding him there with a crushing amount of strength. When he spoke, his voice was a low snarl. "What did you say?"

"He...he went home with his dad." Chad cursed himself mentally for stuttering, not wanting Bobby to know that he'd been startled by his abrupt actions. "What the fuck is your problem, man?"

"What the hell are you doin'?" Jerry asked, following Bobby into the living room, but Bobby only waved his hand in reply.

"You're gonna tell me why the fuck he's with John Davis," Bobby growled, turning all his attention back to Chad, "or I'll fuck you up so bad you'll wish your sorry ass had never come near Jack."

"Bobby, what the..." Jerry shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "Leave him the fuck alone."

"I got this, Jerry," Bobby shot back. His head whirled around, and he glared at Chad with a dangerous glint in his eye. "You better start talkin', asshole. If you think I'm bluffin', you're gonna have a..."

"Okay!" Chad pushed Bobby's shoulders with as much strength as he could muster, slipping out from under Bobby's grip. Who the hell does this guy think he is? And how does he know John? "I don't know what right you fuckin' think you have, barging into my house and..."

"I'd shut the fuck up if I was you," Bobby interjected, suddenly reaching back and pulling out a gun from his waistband, pointing it straight at Chad. "Talk."

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Bobby," Jerry groaned. "Think about what you're doin'!"

"Oh, I am thinkin'." Bobby's voice was calm, but his eyes were wild. "I'm thinkin' that if our new friend Chad doesn't tell me why the hell Jack is with that piece of shit John Davis, I'm gonna put a bullet through his skull. I'd suggest that you," he jerked the gun in Chad's direction for emphasis, "open your mouth and give me a goddamn explanation, right now."

Chad chose his words very carefully, not wanting to anger Bobby so much that he'd actually fire the gun. He kept his eyes locked on the weapon, his hands out in a defensive gesture. "Jack is with John because I called him and told him to come pick Jack up. John is Jack's father..."

"Foster father," Bobby spat.

"Okay, okay, foster father. Jack's sixteen. He's too young to be living on the streets. He needs a father, and I called his...his foster father...and now he's goin' home. Where he belongs."

Bobby was silent as he lowered the gun, and Jerry took the opportunity to snatch the weapon out of Bobby's grasp. Bobby just glared at Chad, fists clenched at his sides.

"Happy now?" Chad asked, his hands descending now that Jerry had the gun. "If you'll just wait here for one fuckin' second, I have..."

Yet again, Chad couldn't finish his sentence, because Bobby had punched him in the eye, much harder than Jack had that morning. Twice in one damn day. He doubled over, clutching the left side of his face, and Bobby found this the perfect opportunity to bring a knee into his stomach, pushing him to the floor.

"You stay the fuck away from Jack, you hear me?" Bobby snarled, looming over Chad as he curled up on the ground, moaning. "I don't want you anywhere near him again."

"Bobby!" Jerry began, but Chad, pushed himself to his knees, glaring daggers at Bobby, an arm around his stomach.

"That's fuckin' fine with me!" he panted, his other arm waving wildly. "He was a goddamn nuisance, anyway! Now get the fuck outta my house before I call the cops!"

"You better watch yourself, Robinson," Bobby warned as he backed out of the living room, pointing at Chad, Jerry pushing him along. Keeping his eyes locked on Chad until he was out of sight, Bobby slammed the door, leaving Chad to kneel on the floor, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Bobby Mercer...the same Bobby Mercer that John mentioned. He knows Jack...he's looking for Jack...he's the bartender that Jack mentioned. But why is Bobby so worked up about Jack going home? And what does this Victor Sweet want with Bobby? Is Jack the thing he's looking for?

Chad grabbed the side of the couch, struggling to get to his feet and stumbling back to the front door. He suddenly felt compelled to deliver the address to Bobby, no matter how much he hated him at that moment. Wrenching the door open, he saw Bobby already driving away.

"Shit," Chad swore under his breath, slamming the door shut. He slumped against the wall, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. Bobby has to be looking for something else...not Jack. Why would some guy named Victor Sweet have Jack? John has Jack. Jack's fine...

But suddenly, Chad had an overwhelming feeling that Jack wasn't fine. He rubbed his hands together anxiously, limping to the kitchen and sitting down at the counter. He picked up the phone, dialing the number to the bar down the street. Like John said, it's really none of my business what's goin' on. I don't wanna deal with this. Just deliver the message, and get the cash. Someone else will take care of this.

"O'Malley's."

"Hi, I'd like to leave a message for Bobby Mercer."

"Name?"

"Chad Robinson."

A brief silence…. "And the message?"

"Tell him to go to 24 Sullivan. Victor Sweet says he'll find what he's looking for there."

pwrhungryjr: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, Chad's not quite the definition of a good friend...there's always one of those backstabbers lurking about.

Dicefreak: The internet is a tricky little bastard sometimes, isn't it? Drama, drama, drama...I love drama, and I think fights are the best way to create it! I'm glad you liked it and thought it was realistic. Yeah, Angel said some not so nice things about Jack...hopefully they'll get that all worked out, yeah? Poor Jackie, sleeping in the cold...I must stop putting him through these things, but then there'd be no story! I'm also glad you liked the twist with Chad. I've always wanted to write an OC, and I was so nervous about how this one would turn out. All in all, I'm really pleased with everyone's reaction to him, so thank you! And yay for cliffhangers! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

mackie: Thanks, I'm really glad you like it! Sorry for the less than super fast update...I'll do better next time!

Embry: Poor, poor Jack. Things will get better eventually! Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it!

jill: Ah, cliffies are what make the world go 'round, I say. My apologies for the slow update! Hopefully the suspense didn't kill you, that would be horrible! Thank you so much!

Miroku loves Mel 4 ever: lol I like your commands to the characters...I can't promise you they'll listen though, they definitely have minds of their own! Updates sooner next time, I promise!

rekirika: I'm glad you like it! I, too, love brotherly relationships, and I thought Four Brothers definitely had one of the best I've seen. Thank you so much, I'm glad this story is keeping your interest!

uandme72: Poor Jack is quite the tragic character, we'll see if we can't make things better for him sometime. More soon!

Nina: Hehe, I am quite evil, aren't I? With what I have planned, I'll probably become more evil soon...Chad and John are quite vile, aren't they? Maybe I'll make nice OC's next time...maybe not. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Sparks Diamond: I'm glad you liked it, thank you! I really hoped that this story would keep peoples' interest. Once again, sorry for the slow update! Here's your next chapter, hope you enjoy it!

Skydance1110: Thank you so much, that's an awesome compliment! I really appreciate it! Angel and Jerry will definitely show up and interact more with Jack and Bobby (especially Angel), and both will have a large role yet to play. Trust me, Jack will become important to them, too. Thanks again, the next update will come sooner!

Minka: Wow, that's quite the review you left! Thank you so much! Yes, I took a break from fan fiction, too, for a while, and I definitely know what you mean about the Legolas syndrome. As a former avid reader of Lord of the Rings fics, I finally got fed up and stopped reading them all together. I have noticed that Jack's character has been getting that treatment, and I obviously didn't want to do that as well. Jack has a sensitive side, but I don't think he's a complete pushover, and I'm glad you like my portrayal of him. I loved writing the Chad-Jack fight scene, and I can say that I already have another ass kicking Jack scene in the works! And wow, thank you for the compliments about Bobby's character, although without the movie character, I'd have no basis! But thank you so much! That really is a wonderfuly compliment. Let's see, the odd feelings...they will come into play again, and Angel will definitely be contributing more later on, as will Jerry. Don't worry about ranting and raving, I love long reviews! Thanks so much again!

anime-queen46: Yay, indeed. Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Ophelia Hyde: Woot for cliffies! Sorry to leave it at such at suspenseful part, but my evil side made me do it! I was always a big fan of cliffhangers, they keep you interested and keep you reading. Sorry so much for the slow update, babe! Next time I'll be better, I promise. Chad really isn't the brightest crayon in the box, and I'm glad you caught on to that. I wrote him as a kind of antagonist that's not exactly morally worthless, but isn't really all that smart, angers easily, and doesn't want to be involved if he doesn't have to (which all ends up getting him and everyone else in trouble). Angel will get better eventually, but I'm glad you understand where his jealously is coming from. Glad you liked this chapter, more soon I promise! Thank you!

jenny: Chad is quite nasty...and I don't think Bobby likes nasty, does he? We'll see...thanks for reading and reviewing!

risatine: Ack, horrible cliffies are my speciality! Sorry for the slow update, I'll be quicker next time! Thanks!

Wolf10: Don't die! Although, I can't promise less suspense...Yeah, Chad's just unobservant and a pretty crappy friend, isn't he? And I'm glad that everyone understands Angel's jealously, I was worried I might anger some people with that. Thanks for reviewing, updates sooner next time! And yes, I know how you feel. The internet hates me, too.

nina: I just love everyone's reactions to Chad! Is it odd that I really like that everyone hates my character...oh well! That's what I was going for! Angel and Jerry are going to be in it more, I promise. They have roles yet to play. Thanks so much! Sorry for the slow update!