Hey my fab. readers, hope your all well! A new chapter so soon after the other one? Well it's just because I adore you all. I don't own four brothers.

"What about this one?"

Jack looked up from the tree he was inspecting and towards where Angel was standing. They'd been shopping for a tree for almost an hour, mostly cause Jack seemed to find something wrong with them all, at least according to Angel. Jack had responded that Angel could be the one to clean out the termites then. He knew he was being difficult, but for some reason it felt very important to find the perfect tree. Like a perfect christmas tree would make everything wrong go right, like a christmas miracle. He scoffed. He hadn't even believed that shit when he was a kid. Definitely not when he was a kid. Trudging over to Angel he could see the tree salesmen rolling his eyes. Fucker should be happy they wanted his fucking trees and that they didn't stuff him into one.

The tree Angel had found was actually pretty nice. "Yeah, this one is good"

Angel let out a sigh of relief and gestured to the man lurking behind the trees. "We'll take this one"

"Great! Want some help pinning it to the roof?"

"Nah we're fine"

And so, almost 40 minutes later when they'd managed to get the thing attached to the roof of Jerry's car they took off, having decided it was best to save the shopping for a day when they didn't have a tree on the roof screaming 'steal me please'. They arrived home and after another 20 minutes managed to take the tree down, Angel ending up in the snow on the sidewalk and Jack with twigs in his hair. Lugging the thing inside proved to be harder than they thought, but eventually the tree was standing somewhat proudly in the livingroom. Jack looked towards Bobby's bed and had a small panic attack when he realized he wasn't there, but a snicker made him look towards the window, and sure enough, there seated in a chair was Bobby, Jerry trying to hold back his laughter next to him. They'd obviously been watching him and Angel struggle with the tree, and found it hilarious.

"He made me" Jerry defended himself.

"Yeah well, thanks for the help" Angel muttered, brushing the snow off his behind.

Bobby laughed, and Jack looked up sharply, his heart jumping a little in his chest. "Tree looks good though, now can one of Santa's little helpers move it to the corner?" Fucker.

Getting the tree in the foot was easy enough and soon it was standing in it's usual spot while they observed it quietly.

"Hey what about some coffee and gingerbread?" Jerry asked cheerily, looking like it was his job to get everyone cheery for christmas. "if think there's a few left from last year"

"Aren't they old?" Angel asked.

"How come there are any left?" Bobby added.

"Cause I hid them" Jerry bragged brightly.

Bobby rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face. "Look at that sneak"

Jerry only laughed and went to get coffee and the hidden treasure. Jerry may be the 'good' brother, but they were all Mercer's, a comforting thought.

Bobby stood up from his chair and took a step forward, swaying a little. He was still weak, something he hated intensely. Before he knew Jack was at his side, holding his arm, helping him walk towards the bed. The first reaction was to push the unwanted help away, but it was Jack, and he just wanted to help him, even if it drove Bobby up the wall, he had to at least try to accept it. For now at least... since he'd probably keel over otherwise. "Thanks" He muttered as he was seated on the bed. Leaning up against a stack of pillows. Jack didn't answer but Bobby could see the effect on his face by that simple word. That was the thing with Jack, he took to everything. Absorbed it like Jerry with his cookies for rainy days. Bobby told himself to try and be a little more grateful.

"Here we go" Jerry came in with coffee and the year old gingerbread, which Angel sniffed suspiciously, before swallowing it in one bite.

Jack turned on the radio and changed the channel until he found one that was playing christmas music, and as it was turning dark outside they drank their coffee til the tones of Silent Night, which felt kind of weird, seeing as Evelyn wasn't there. Not for the first time since he'd learned of her death did he feel that overwhelming sadness. He missed her so much.

Silent night, holy night... All is calm, all is bright

It felt strange. His Ma was gone, and Bobby was pretty sure he'd never see her again. His mother wasn't the type of person who'd end up where he was probably reserved a seat. It hurt, a lot. The wound her death had left hadn't even had a chance to begin to heal when Jack and himself had been shot, and then all that other shit happened. It felt like they'd barely had time to think, much less spend some time together. They were all scrambling around trying to find some footing and avoid going over. Evelyn was gone, and Bobby knew that it was always going to hurt, but he still had his brothers, and that was a whole fucking lot more than he deserved, but he wasn't going to question it. They still had each other, that was the only thing that mattered right now. And this sitting around silently, trying to keep a lid on wasnt' them. "How about those decorations then?"

There were a lot. More than a lot. Evelyn had loved decorations and the box was full of it. Bobby was leading the team, the self appointed leader, while the rest of them dug things up and tried to place it where it had always been before. Jack was pulling some glitter out and inspecting it carefully.

"Find something you like fairy?" Bobby teased.

"I don't remember where this one used to be?" Jack answered, deciding to ignore the fairy comment for now.

"Over the door" Bobby answered, grinning as Jack tried to pin it there without much success.

"What about this one?" Angel held up some weird garling thing, full of lights.

"Stairs" Jack answered.

A thump and a string of curses 5 minutes later told them that Angel had some trouble decorating the stairs, which, like most of everything else, Bobby found hilarious.

"No wonder Ma always came to me first" he snickered.

"Well you are the oldest" Jack countered and ducked as a pillow was thrown his way with surprising accuracy, seeing as the thrower was recovering from being shot.

"Watch it fairy, or Santa's not gonna let you help wrap the gifts this year"

"I'll go with you to the store" Angel offered to Jack, already drooling at the thought of christmas dinner. Besides he needed to buy something really nice for Sofi, and Jack was the best one around to ask. "Hey can we go to the mall?"

"Why?" Jack looked sceptic. He hated the mall, it was full of people.

"I need to buy some christmas gifts" Angel explained carefully in a too calm voice.

"What's wrong with the corner store? I assume it's for La Vida Loca? Just buy her some gum, that'll keep her mouth busy and your all set, and the rest of us can enjoy christmas in silence". Yes Bobby was on a roll. Being stuck inside was doing things to his head that wasn't good for anyone, least of all his brothers.

"Can you shut up man?"

"I don't like the mall" Jack said, looking every bit like a sullen teenager.

"Oh come on honey, I bet if your good you'll get to sit on Santa's lap, you'll like that right?"

"Fuck you Bobby" Jack glared, and Bobby laughed. It felt just like it used to.

"Easy tiger"

"I don't feel like going to the mall anyway, go with Jerry"

Jerry had been quiet up until now. "Sure I'll go, need to pick up a few things anyway"

Angel nodded. Jack was his first choice but Jerry was not a bad second. He had afterall had a wife for several years. Well he used to at least. He shuddered at the thought of Bobby buying girlfriend gifts. That could only end on a bad note, and with him single.

Things don't always turn out the way you think though, and that's how all the Mercer brothers found themselves at the mall two days before christmas. Even Bobby, who'd refused most of his painkillers before going, claiming that he needed a clear head if they were going out into the city. They had all asked him several times to stay home, and Jack offered to stay with him (and not just to get out of a trip to the mall), but he refused. He didn't say anything, but when he'd woken up that morning he'd felt worried about his brothers going by themselves, to the mall of all places. He knew it was probably related to all the shit that happened, and they'd been out buy themselves since then. They'd fucking faced gangsters without him for crying out loud, but just this day he wanted to come. If only to keep Jack from groping Santa.

"I'm in hell" Jack mumbled as they stood in the entrance, gazing out at the sea of people hurrying around, carrying loads of bags and screaming dirty words at anyone who tried to grab something they thought they'd already claimed as their own. Bobby nodded. He definitely agreed with that. "Want me to take you back?" Jack asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

"Nah" Bobby tried to ignore the pain in his body as he shifted his weight. He'd stumbled on the way in, and slapped Angel's hands away as he tried to steady him. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea ever, but he'd be damned before he admit it. "Let's just find someplace to sit that's not covered in kids or grandpa's"

"Or people. At all." Jack added.

Angel turned to them, a solemn look on his face that reminded Jack of that scene in Saving Private Ryan. "We're going in". And Jack thought for a second that he would salute them, but then he and Jerry turned and entered the crowd of people milling around.

"He really has to stop that shit" Bobby remarked. "it's getting weird"

Anyone longing for christmas? I know I am. Next update will be pretty soon I think, heading to London next week for a few days, so no updates during those days. But if I'm on a roll I might be able to post 2 chapters before that. If not, well then I promise at least one.