So, I'm updating quickly because my sister says that she hates to be left hanging on a story.

And if she doesn't review every single chapter I'll never let the brat get her hands on another cigarette.

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews.

Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Four Brothers doesn't belong to me, whoop-de-freaking-doo.

Enjoy!

Evy and Amelia sat on the porch roof smoking their way through another pack of cigarettes. It was nearly midnight and everyone had gone home or gone to sleep. The snow had stopped finally and the sky above them was clear and filled with stars.

Amelia sighed and laid back. "It's so nice out here, even though it fucking freezing," she said.

Evy nodded. "Tell me," she said after a moment.

Amelia took a long pull and sat up. "You know that Jack came here because Gramma died, right?"

Evy nodded. "I know that now, but I didn't then."

"Okay, well here's what else you don't know." Amelia took a deep breath. "Bobby came back to get revenge. Gramma was killed in a liquor store hold up and Bobby wanted to find the murderers and kill them."

Evy nodded. That sounded like something Bobby would do. Even though he wasn't overtly violent these days, that thug soul was still there.

"So, they found out that it wasn't a random killing like the cops had told them," Amelia continued. "It turns out that two guys were hired to kill Gramma. They found out that it was a guy named Victor Sweet.

"At that time, my dad was trying to work on a project to redevelop some of the old factories downtown. Sweet was the head gangster then, he ran all the business. When my dad wouldn't let him in on the project, Sweet got it canned."

Amelia paused and took a few pulls on her cigarette. "Bad time, that," she said. "I can remember Dad being really uptight. He lost everything to that project." She shrugged off the memories and continued.

"Anyway, Gramma found out and tried to go after Sweet through the police. Turns out she got caught by a dirty cop who sent the police report to Sweet. When Bobby and the others moved against Sweet, he sent guys to shot up Gramma's house and kill them."

Amelia turned to look at Evy then. "That's when Jack died," she said quietly. "Someone lured him out of the house and shot him. He died under that street lamp." She pointed at the pole on the other side of the driveway. Chills ran up Evy's spine as she imagined her father there, life ebbing out of him.

"Why do they blame themselves?" Evy asked her cousin.

"I'm not supposed to know any of this," Amelia said. "I found all this out by eavesdropping on my parents." She looked seriously at Evy. "I can give you all the gory details, but are you sure you really want to hear?"

Evy nodded and Amelia continued. "Jack didn't die with the first shot," she said. "He survived to the end of the gunfight. The whole time he was screaming for Bobby, begging him for help. My dad still hears it in his sleep sometimes and I'm sure the others do too. Bobby thinks Jack's dead because of him. Bobby figures that if he hadn't come back, hadn't pushed so hard for revenge, that Jack would never have been in danger. Dad feels like it's his fault because he was the one that brought Victor Sweet into our lives. Angel blames himself because he couldn't run to Jack and help."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Evy stared at the lamppost, an anguished scream of pain echoing in her mind. "I don't think it was their fault," she said quietly.

Amelia gave a grim sort of smile. "Uncle Jack wasn't like any of them. He didn't have the stomach for violence that Angel and Bobby did. He was almost innocent in a way," she added softly.

Evy blinked back tears. She knew that her father had lived a hard life, her mother had told her that his childhood had been very dark and painful. It was unfair that he had died so violently after everything he'd been through. It was worse than a crime, it felt to Evy like total proof that God didn't exist.

Amelia hugged Evy, rocking her gently as she cried. "I'm so sorry, Evy," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

- - - -

Bobby whistled happily to himself as he came downstairs on Saturday morning. He could hear Evy and Amelia playing hockey outside while the other kids in the neighbourhood cheered them on. Angel and Sofi were in the kitchen, talking and laughing quietly together. Everything felt safe, comfortable, and wonderfully complete.

The phone rang as Bobby dropped onto the couch to read the paper, reaching over, he answered with an almost welcoming, "Hello?"

"Where the fuck is she, Mercer?"

Bobby sat up, recognizing Kevin Brown's rough voice. "Didn't I tell you not to call me anymore?" he snapped.

"The kid is mine, Mercer, mine," Kevin snarled. "If I find out you're hiding her, I swear to God I'll kill you and everyone you care about."

Bobby snickered. "I'd like to see you fucking try."

"Oh yeah?" Kevin's voice became smooth. "I must say, Amelia and Daniela are beautiful girls. Never woulda known that Jerry was the father if I didn't see it with my own eyes."

"Stay the fuck away from them," Bobby shouted. "Stay the hell away from my family!"

Kevin laughed. "We'll talk soon Mercer. Once you've decided if one little slut is worth the lives of all your brothers and their families."

Bobby held the phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He looked up at Angel, his face twisted in anger. "We need to find out why this guy wants her so bad," he said between clenched teeth. "I don't give a damn if we need to use torture, that kid is going to tell us everything."

Angel nodded, knowing that it was best not to question Bobby when he was in a mood like this. "I'll call Jerry," he volunteered.

"Good," Bobby replied. "Tell him that now would be a real good time for Camille to take the girls and go visit her mother."

Angel nodded again and walked into the kitchen to make the call. Bobby turned and looked out the window, watching his nieces playing in the street. "This shit shouldn't be happening," he whispered. "Why can't this shit just stop?"

- - - -

"Alright, I'm here and Camille is getting ready to go," Jerry said as he walked into the living room. "Where's Amelia?"

"Sofi took her and Evy to the bookstore when she took Jake to practice," Angel answered.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" Jerry dropped into the chair by the fireplace and stared at his brothers.

"We need to get Evy to tell us why Brown wants her back," Bobby said. "He called me today and he knows about Amelia and Daniela."

Jerry sat up. "Are you telling me that he's here?" he demanded. "Evy told us that he wouldn't come here, are you saying she lied to us?"

"I don't think he's here," Bobby said. "But I think he's got people watching us."

"So he might know that we have Evy?"

"I don't think he does," Angel said. "He would've made a move by now if he knew where she was."

"What do you have planned?" Jerry asked.

Bobby shrugged. "We need to get her to tell us the truth, the whole truth. She can't keep anything back from us anymore. We need to know what it is that she has that makes him so desperate to get her back."

"And how do you plan on getting her to tell you?" Jerry snapped. "She's already proved pretty well that she don't wanna talk about it. What's going to change?"

"Nothing," Bobby said flatly. "Only difference is that now we're going to force her."

Jerry took a sharp breath. "She might just leave if you try," he told them.

Bobby looked over at the picture of Jack in the dining room. "Either way the problem is solved," he replied quietly.

Shorter chapter this time, but just because I really wanna get to the next one cause it was soooooooo much fun to write. Wow, I'm going to seem really nuts after you read the next chapter. I promise, I'm not totally nuts, just flirting fairly close.

Please review! Fifty gold pieces to the best rave review!