Four Brothers
May. 1st, 2009 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veiledndarknessTitle: Another Life 12/?
Author: veiledndarkness
Rating: R
Pairing: None
Summary: You can change your name, but you can't change who you are.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no harm intended, no profit made.
Four Brothers/Death Sentence Cross-over
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
XX
Eddie dumped Billy into the backseat of the car, grunting as he did so. "Ya shoulda listened t' me, kid," he muttered under his breath.
Billy curled up into a ball, shaking hard. "Eddie...Eddie, do it, jus' do it, I don't want 'im t' be the one t' off me," he begged.
"Don't ask me that!" Eddie slammed the door shut, waiting for Bones.
Billy let out a small sob. "I'm sorry, Bobby," he whispered. He clutched his head in his hands, his knees to his chest. He lay on his side, trembling violently.
The car door opened again a moment later, Bones' hand reaching down and yanking a fistful of Billy's hair. Billy whimpered, his scalp aching. Bones lifted him up; his face flushed a dull red.
"Billy boy, y' take a good long look at that house now," he turned him to the side, pressing his face to the glass. "You ain't never gonna see it again. Y' went an' fucked up for the last goddamn time."
Billy trembled harder. "Dad..."
"Don't ya call me that!" Bones slammed Billy back against the seat, rocking him with a meaty slap. "Y' listen to me, an' listen good. You ain't no Mercer, ya never will be! You're a Darley an' you fuckin' better act like one."
"Y-Yessir," Billy whispered, clutching his bruised cheek. A tear ran over his fingers.
Bones spit on the ground, shaking his head. "An' stop that fuckin' bawlin', ya pussy. Darley's don't cry."
"Boss," Eddie jerked his thumb back at the house. "We oughta bolt. The little one, he grabbed a phone, I saw 'em."
"Fucking punk…shoulda wasted 'im first."
Billy sat upright, horrified. "No! No, leave Jackie outta this!"
Another slap sent Billy reeling backwards. "You shut the fuck up! I oughta grab 'im too; punish him in front of ya. You wanna see me break 'im?"
"No," Billy gagged at the thought. He sniffled and crawled over to the door where Bones stood, his large stomach blocking the view of the road. "Please...don't hurt 'im, he's only a baby, he don't know better."
Bones eyed him. "What's it t' you, huh? Ya fuckin' or somethin'?"
Billy shook his head. He knelt in front of Bones, shaking all over. "No sir...he's a kid, he didn't mean nothin'. Please...I wanna go home."
"Hmm, well since ya wanna go back so bad..." Bones put his hand on Billy's hair, holding his head for a moment. "A' right, but if ya leave again, he's the first one t' die, clear?"
"Yessir," Billy whispered.
Bones stroked his hair and smiled. "See, Billy boy, s' all gonna be different now. Gonna get ya back home where you belong, train ya right." He let go of him abruptly and slid into the seat, the car groaning under his weight.
Billy crawled back onto the seat and curled up in the far corner, as far away from Bones as he could manage. He stared out the window, shuddering when the car pulled onto the road. He rested his hand to the window, the tears running down silently.
From the upstairs window, Evelyn's room, Billy could see Jack, could see the misery and fear in his eyes, even from the car.
XX
Jack took the fact that Bobby was too busy ranting downstairs to notice him and used it to his advantage. He hurriedly tugged his jeans on, a long sleeve shirt and then his hooded sweater, the one he'd claimed as his own, and had once belonged to Bobby. He pulled the box out from under his bed and grabbed the small bundle of money he kept in there. He stuffed that into his pocket and grabbed his keys, small switchblade and wallet.
He crept out the window in his room and shinnied down the drain pipe until he landed on the ground. Without another thought, he scurried around the front of the house, opening the front door long enough to grab his boots and coat from the racks, the wail of sirens in the distance drowning out the sound of Bobby shouting.
Jack started off down the sidewalk in the direction that the car had gone, a determined frown on his face. He'd get Billy back, one way or another.
XX
Billy stared out the window, watching the houses and street signs race by. He sat, curled up still on the seat, drifting in and out of an uneasy sleep. He listened a bit to Eddie and Bones discussing him, their voices pitched low. Billy rubbed at his swollen eyes, his stomach knotting up more with each mile they passed.
He awoke with a start some time later, blinking owlishly in the blackness of the night. Eddie lit a cigarette, the flame from his lighter glowing brightly.
"Up kid," he muttered around the cigarette in his mouth.
Billy uncurled his long legs, his limbs protesting the sudden movement. "Where are we?"
"Does it matter?" Eddie glanced at him and got out of the car. He pushed the seat forward, giving Billy space to climb out.
Bones appeared around the corner of the shabby warehouse, a key grasped in his hand. "Get 'im in there."
Eddie fisted his hand in Billy's thin shirt, dragging him forward. Billy shivered, the cool night wind biting into his bare feet and arms. Eddie brought him inside the warehouse. "Do y' self a favor an' shut up," he mumbled. "Don't make it worse."
Billy inhaled sharply, wrapping his arms around his chest. He stared at the dirty cement floor, willing himself to stay calm. Bones slammed the door shut, locking it.
"Well," he said cheerfully. Billy cringed. Nothing good ever came from that voice.
"Where do we start, huh, Billy? You wanna tell me what in the fuck ya thought y' were doin'? Huh?" Bones walked closer to him, enjoying the reflexive flinch from the boy.
"I..." Billy stuttered. "I...I didn't..."
"Oh, you done somethin', boy," Bones poked his shoulder. "Ya went an' told a bunch o' people some things, an' you know what else? Now, they wanna press charges on me. Now, they wanna say I was abusin' ya."
Billy took a step back, his chest hitching with an unsteady breath. "I didn't...they saw! They made me show 'em everythin'."
Bones gripped a handful of Billy's shirt and yanked, ripping the flimsy material. "Saw this?" he shouted, Billy's scarred chest on display.
Billy crossed his arms again, embarrassed. "No...Don’t!" He turned away from them, angry tears in his eyes.
"Don't ya dare tell me what t' do!" Bones moved fast, knocking Billy down to the floor, pinning him to the ground with one big boot. "Those are reminders! Proof o' what happens to ungrateful lil' shits like you, who bitch out an' suck on any fucker t' stay alive. Cut from the same cloth as that dumb cunt mother of yours."
"Shut up!" Billy screamed back at him, incensed. "Y' shut up about her! She's gone cause o' you!"
Bones tipped his head back and laughed, laughed hard and long, the sound wildly mocking. "Poor little baby, missin' his bitch mama. She never gave two shits 'bout you, Billy boy. She hated you cause o' what I did t' her. Ya think y' were born outta love?" He spit on Billy.
"No..." Billy moaned and squirmed under his boot. He struggled to breathe right, his chest tight with pain. "You're lyin'."
"Am I? Oh, am I, Eddie?" Bones glanced at him. "You were there; ya saw everythin' I did to her. An' I paid her real good afterwards. She tried t' get rid o' you, but I wouldn't let her, oh no. I needed my boy, needed t' pass all this on. An' what do I get? Some halfwit faggot that runs away like his own bitch mama did."
Billy cried out, shaking when the tears fell again. "I hate you," he whispered, his voice strained. "I ain't no Darley; I don't wanna be no Darley."
"Too fuckin' bad," Bones spat at him and yanked him up. "T' morrow, I'll start ya punishment. For now, ya shut the fuck up or I'll kill ya myself."
"Kill me then," Billy hung from his grip, blood trickling down his lip from where he'd bitten clean through. “Why wait, Daddy?” he laughed as the tears and blood mixed together.
Bones growled and dropped him to the ground. He unbuckled his belt, breathing hard. “Ya asked for this,” he said, the belt hanging from his hand, long and wide, just as Billy remembered.
He let out a breathy sob and turned over, tensing for the first blow.
XX
Jack kept up a fast pace, almost jogging. His breaths echoed in the dead silence of the night. Dim light from the street lamps guided Jack’s way, illuminating the path that Billy’s father had taken. He stared up the street, his chest tightening.
Billy…He’d looked so frightened, so pale. The tears on his reddened cheeks, the way he’d hung from the giant’s shoulder…Jack shuddered and ran faster. They had no right to steal him, none at all, he thought furiously.
He skidded to a stop in front of a gas station, panting quietly, his hands on his knees. The convenience store attached to the gas station gave off a white glow, the glass doors frosted over from the cold. Jack shivered and jogged over; wishing like hell that he’d remembered his gloves.
The door chime went off as Jack stepped inside. The clerk behind the counter looked up from his magazine and frowned, staring at him. Jack stuck his chin up, unconsciously mimicking Bobby. He pushed his shoulders back, stretching up to his full height.
“Kinda late to be wanderin’ kid,” the clerk leaned back, eyeing him. “You lost?”
“No, not exactly,” Jack rubbed his chilled fingers together. “I need a map or somethin’.”
The clerk raised an eyebrow slightly. “A map? How old are you anyway?”
“Old enough to know you don’t got to know nothin’ about me,” Jack glared at him. “You got a map or what?”
“Christ, calm down,” the clerk huffed and turned to the plastic display cases behind him. He pulled a few maps out. “Which one you want? Detroit?”
Jack nodded. He shifted impatiently from foot to foot. The longer he waited, the further Billy would be taken away. The clerk handed the map to him, a distrustful gleam to his eyes.
Jack unfolded the map, reading it over carefully. “Which highway do you take to get outta Detroit if you wanted to go to Boston?” he asked after studying it for several minutes.
“Boston? Look, kid, that’s awfully far an’ it’s the middle of the night. Where’s your family?”
Jack took a crumpled five from his pocket and tossed it at the clerk. “Thanks,” he muttered as he exited the store. He ignored the shout behind him and started jogging down the road, clutching the map tightly in one hand.
XX
Billy lay on the floor of the warehouse, drifting in and out of consciousness. He licked his cracked lips and winced, hot coppery blood flooding his mouth when the cuts reopened. He spit a mouthful of blood out and shuddered.
“Stay down.”
“Wha…” Billy croaked. He could hear Eddie, but couldn’t see him. “He gone?”
There was a comforting pressure on his side and he could smell spices. Billy leaned back into the touch, hitching in a breath. Eddie stroked Billy’s hair, his broad, roughened fingers soothing him slowly. “Sleepin’ for now,” he grunted. “You oughta sleep too.”
Billy shifted, pain rocketing up his back and ribs. He gasped, tears stinging his eyes. “God, ah…God,” he let out a feeble moan. “Eddie…y’ got somethin’, I need somethin’, anythin’,” he begged.
Eddie tucked his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver flask. He spun the lid, opening it. With one arm, he scooped Billy up and settled him in his lap. Billy gasped for air, his back on fire from the whipping. Eddie put the flask to his mouth, tilting it.
“Drink, small sips.”
Billy whimpered, sucking back small mouthfuls of the liquid. It burned, scorching a path down his throat. He wheezed and buried his face in Eddie’s chest, trembling. Eddie rocked him as gently as he could, making soothing sounds.
“Don’t be wakin’ him, he ain’t gonna go any easier, so you dummy up good, Billy.”
“Lemme go, please…Eddie, I don’t wanna go back,” Billy pleaded, sniffling back more tears. “I don’t…I can’t do it no more.”
“Why you gotta ask me for shit I can’t do, huh?” Eddie sighed, running a hand through Billy’s hair. “I’m a part o’ this too. I can’t jus’ do that.”
“Please…Evelyn, she likes me, she wants me there, I…Bones’ll kill me…”
Eddie shook his head. “Sleep,” he said, “G’ on now.”
Billy closed his eyes, shaking. “I can’t do this, I can’t.” He turned away from Eddie, drowsing from the alcohol. “I don’t wanna go like this.”
“None o’ us do, Billy,” Eddie muttered, rocking him carefully.
Billy drifted back off to sleep, his face lined with pain.
XX
Author: veiledndarkness
Rating: R
Pairing: None
Summary: You can change your name, but you can't change who you are.
Disclaimer: Not mine, no harm intended, no profit made.
Four Brothers/Death Sentence Cross-over
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
XX
Eddie dumped Billy into the backseat of the car, grunting as he did so. "Ya shoulda listened t' me, kid," he muttered under his breath.
Billy curled up into a ball, shaking hard. "Eddie...Eddie, do it, jus' do it, I don't want 'im t' be the one t' off me," he begged.
"Don't ask me that!" Eddie slammed the door shut, waiting for Bones.
Billy let out a small sob. "I'm sorry, Bobby," he whispered. He clutched his head in his hands, his knees to his chest. He lay on his side, trembling violently.
The car door opened again a moment later, Bones' hand reaching down and yanking a fistful of Billy's hair. Billy whimpered, his scalp aching. Bones lifted him up; his face flushed a dull red.
"Billy boy, y' take a good long look at that house now," he turned him to the side, pressing his face to the glass. "You ain't never gonna see it again. Y' went an' fucked up for the last goddamn time."
Billy trembled harder. "Dad..."
"Don't ya call me that!" Bones slammed Billy back against the seat, rocking him with a meaty slap. "Y' listen to me, an' listen good. You ain't no Mercer, ya never will be! You're a Darley an' you fuckin' better act like one."
"Y-Yessir," Billy whispered, clutching his bruised cheek. A tear ran over his fingers.
Bones spit on the ground, shaking his head. "An' stop that fuckin' bawlin', ya pussy. Darley's don't cry."
"Boss," Eddie jerked his thumb back at the house. "We oughta bolt. The little one, he grabbed a phone, I saw 'em."
"Fucking punk…shoulda wasted 'im first."
Billy sat upright, horrified. "No! No, leave Jackie outta this!"
Another slap sent Billy reeling backwards. "You shut the fuck up! I oughta grab 'im too; punish him in front of ya. You wanna see me break 'im?"
"No," Billy gagged at the thought. He sniffled and crawled over to the door where Bones stood, his large stomach blocking the view of the road. "Please...don't hurt 'im, he's only a baby, he don't know better."
Bones eyed him. "What's it t' you, huh? Ya fuckin' or somethin'?"
Billy shook his head. He knelt in front of Bones, shaking all over. "No sir...he's a kid, he didn't mean nothin'. Please...I wanna go home."
"Hmm, well since ya wanna go back so bad..." Bones put his hand on Billy's hair, holding his head for a moment. "A' right, but if ya leave again, he's the first one t' die, clear?"
"Yessir," Billy whispered.
Bones stroked his hair and smiled. "See, Billy boy, s' all gonna be different now. Gonna get ya back home where you belong, train ya right." He let go of him abruptly and slid into the seat, the car groaning under his weight.
Billy crawled back onto the seat and curled up in the far corner, as far away from Bones as he could manage. He stared out the window, shuddering when the car pulled onto the road. He rested his hand to the window, the tears running down silently.
From the upstairs window, Evelyn's room, Billy could see Jack, could see the misery and fear in his eyes, even from the car.
XX
Jack took the fact that Bobby was too busy ranting downstairs to notice him and used it to his advantage. He hurriedly tugged his jeans on, a long sleeve shirt and then his hooded sweater, the one he'd claimed as his own, and had once belonged to Bobby. He pulled the box out from under his bed and grabbed the small bundle of money he kept in there. He stuffed that into his pocket and grabbed his keys, small switchblade and wallet.
He crept out the window in his room and shinnied down the drain pipe until he landed on the ground. Without another thought, he scurried around the front of the house, opening the front door long enough to grab his boots and coat from the racks, the wail of sirens in the distance drowning out the sound of Bobby shouting.
Jack started off down the sidewalk in the direction that the car had gone, a determined frown on his face. He'd get Billy back, one way or another.
XX
Billy stared out the window, watching the houses and street signs race by. He sat, curled up still on the seat, drifting in and out of an uneasy sleep. He listened a bit to Eddie and Bones discussing him, their voices pitched low. Billy rubbed at his swollen eyes, his stomach knotting up more with each mile they passed.
He awoke with a start some time later, blinking owlishly in the blackness of the night. Eddie lit a cigarette, the flame from his lighter glowing brightly.
"Up kid," he muttered around the cigarette in his mouth.
Billy uncurled his long legs, his limbs protesting the sudden movement. "Where are we?"
"Does it matter?" Eddie glanced at him and got out of the car. He pushed the seat forward, giving Billy space to climb out.
Bones appeared around the corner of the shabby warehouse, a key grasped in his hand. "Get 'im in there."
Eddie fisted his hand in Billy's thin shirt, dragging him forward. Billy shivered, the cool night wind biting into his bare feet and arms. Eddie brought him inside the warehouse. "Do y' self a favor an' shut up," he mumbled. "Don't make it worse."
Billy inhaled sharply, wrapping his arms around his chest. He stared at the dirty cement floor, willing himself to stay calm. Bones slammed the door shut, locking it.
"Well," he said cheerfully. Billy cringed. Nothing good ever came from that voice.
"Where do we start, huh, Billy? You wanna tell me what in the fuck ya thought y' were doin'? Huh?" Bones walked closer to him, enjoying the reflexive flinch from the boy.
"I..." Billy stuttered. "I...I didn't..."
"Oh, you done somethin', boy," Bones poked his shoulder. "Ya went an' told a bunch o' people some things, an' you know what else? Now, they wanna press charges on me. Now, they wanna say I was abusin' ya."
Billy took a step back, his chest hitching with an unsteady breath. "I didn't...they saw! They made me show 'em everythin'."
Bones gripped a handful of Billy's shirt and yanked, ripping the flimsy material. "Saw this?" he shouted, Billy's scarred chest on display.
Billy crossed his arms again, embarrassed. "No...Don’t!" He turned away from them, angry tears in his eyes.
"Don't ya dare tell me what t' do!" Bones moved fast, knocking Billy down to the floor, pinning him to the ground with one big boot. "Those are reminders! Proof o' what happens to ungrateful lil' shits like you, who bitch out an' suck on any fucker t' stay alive. Cut from the same cloth as that dumb cunt mother of yours."
"Shut up!" Billy screamed back at him, incensed. "Y' shut up about her! She's gone cause o' you!"
Bones tipped his head back and laughed, laughed hard and long, the sound wildly mocking. "Poor little baby, missin' his bitch mama. She never gave two shits 'bout you, Billy boy. She hated you cause o' what I did t' her. Ya think y' were born outta love?" He spit on Billy.
"No..." Billy moaned and squirmed under his boot. He struggled to breathe right, his chest tight with pain. "You're lyin'."
"Am I? Oh, am I, Eddie?" Bones glanced at him. "You were there; ya saw everythin' I did to her. An' I paid her real good afterwards. She tried t' get rid o' you, but I wouldn't let her, oh no. I needed my boy, needed t' pass all this on. An' what do I get? Some halfwit faggot that runs away like his own bitch mama did."
Billy cried out, shaking when the tears fell again. "I hate you," he whispered, his voice strained. "I ain't no Darley; I don't wanna be no Darley."
"Too fuckin' bad," Bones spat at him and yanked him up. "T' morrow, I'll start ya punishment. For now, ya shut the fuck up or I'll kill ya myself."
"Kill me then," Billy hung from his grip, blood trickling down his lip from where he'd bitten clean through. “Why wait, Daddy?” he laughed as the tears and blood mixed together.
Bones growled and dropped him to the ground. He unbuckled his belt, breathing hard. “Ya asked for this,” he said, the belt hanging from his hand, long and wide, just as Billy remembered.
He let out a breathy sob and turned over, tensing for the first blow.
XX
Jack kept up a fast pace, almost jogging. His breaths echoed in the dead silence of the night. Dim light from the street lamps guided Jack’s way, illuminating the path that Billy’s father had taken. He stared up the street, his chest tightening.
Billy…He’d looked so frightened, so pale. The tears on his reddened cheeks, the way he’d hung from the giant’s shoulder…Jack shuddered and ran faster. They had no right to steal him, none at all, he thought furiously.
He skidded to a stop in front of a gas station, panting quietly, his hands on his knees. The convenience store attached to the gas station gave off a white glow, the glass doors frosted over from the cold. Jack shivered and jogged over; wishing like hell that he’d remembered his gloves.
The door chime went off as Jack stepped inside. The clerk behind the counter looked up from his magazine and frowned, staring at him. Jack stuck his chin up, unconsciously mimicking Bobby. He pushed his shoulders back, stretching up to his full height.
“Kinda late to be wanderin’ kid,” the clerk leaned back, eyeing him. “You lost?”
“No, not exactly,” Jack rubbed his chilled fingers together. “I need a map or somethin’.”
The clerk raised an eyebrow slightly. “A map? How old are you anyway?”
“Old enough to know you don’t got to know nothin’ about me,” Jack glared at him. “You got a map or what?”
“Christ, calm down,” the clerk huffed and turned to the plastic display cases behind him. He pulled a few maps out. “Which one you want? Detroit?”
Jack nodded. He shifted impatiently from foot to foot. The longer he waited, the further Billy would be taken away. The clerk handed the map to him, a distrustful gleam to his eyes.
Jack unfolded the map, reading it over carefully. “Which highway do you take to get outta Detroit if you wanted to go to Boston?” he asked after studying it for several minutes.
“Boston? Look, kid, that’s awfully far an’ it’s the middle of the night. Where’s your family?”
Jack took a crumpled five from his pocket and tossed it at the clerk. “Thanks,” he muttered as he exited the store. He ignored the shout behind him and started jogging down the road, clutching the map tightly in one hand.
XX
Billy lay on the floor of the warehouse, drifting in and out of consciousness. He licked his cracked lips and winced, hot coppery blood flooding his mouth when the cuts reopened. He spit a mouthful of blood out and shuddered.
“Stay down.”
“Wha…” Billy croaked. He could hear Eddie, but couldn’t see him. “He gone?”
There was a comforting pressure on his side and he could smell spices. Billy leaned back into the touch, hitching in a breath. Eddie stroked Billy’s hair, his broad, roughened fingers soothing him slowly. “Sleepin’ for now,” he grunted. “You oughta sleep too.”
Billy shifted, pain rocketing up his back and ribs. He gasped, tears stinging his eyes. “God, ah…God,” he let out a feeble moan. “Eddie…y’ got somethin’, I need somethin’, anythin’,” he begged.
Eddie tucked his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver flask. He spun the lid, opening it. With one arm, he scooped Billy up and settled him in his lap. Billy gasped for air, his back on fire from the whipping. Eddie put the flask to his mouth, tilting it.
“Drink, small sips.”
Billy whimpered, sucking back small mouthfuls of the liquid. It burned, scorching a path down his throat. He wheezed and buried his face in Eddie’s chest, trembling. Eddie rocked him as gently as he could, making soothing sounds.
“Don’t be wakin’ him, he ain’t gonna go any easier, so you dummy up good, Billy.”
“Lemme go, please…Eddie, I don’t wanna go back,” Billy pleaded, sniffling back more tears. “I don’t…I can’t do it no more.”
“Why you gotta ask me for shit I can’t do, huh?” Eddie sighed, running a hand through Billy’s hair. “I’m a part o’ this too. I can’t jus’ do that.”
“Please…Evelyn, she likes me, she wants me there, I…Bones’ll kill me…”
Eddie shook his head. “Sleep,” he said, “G’ on now.”
Billy closed his eyes, shaking. “I can’t do this, I can’t.” He turned away from Eddie, drowsing from the alcohol. “I don’t wanna go like this.”
“None o’ us do, Billy,” Eddie muttered, rocking him carefully.
Billy drifted back off to sleep, his face lined with pain.
XX
