Avs: Revised.

Chapter Four

Fresh eggs, sautéed sausage patties, and fat buttermilk pancakes served beneath a pool of honey syrup. It was by far the best breakfast she ever had. Evelyn sat on her left at the end of the table, and Jack made faces at her while stuffing it with dripping pancakes. Angel devoured his food silently but kept playfully elbowing her arm off the table. Jeremiah sat across from him and laughed at the ridiculousness of their behavior while Bobby sat opposite Evelyn and listened to her talk as he bit into a thick brown sausage.

"Movies, huh?" Bobby chomped into his toast. "Rough business. Sure you can handle it?"

"I handle you, don't I?" Rose smiled when the brothers laughed. "I think I can manage."

Angel nudged her arm again and motioned his head at her plate. "You gonna eat your sausage?" Rose handed him a piece, and he chomped it straight out of her hand.

"It's such a surprise to have you here for breakfast, Rose," smiled Evelyn, casting a look at Bobby. "Bobby always did have a way with the ladies."

"Ma," Bobby moaned then pushed eggs into his mouth.

"Oh sweetheart, don't worry. I won't tell her about the other girls you've brought home."

Rose's eyebrows rose, and Bobby snapped his head up. "Ma," he said sternly.

Evelyn laughed and patted Rose's arm. "I'm just kidding, honey. Bobby never brings girls home."

"Never?" Rose questioned, surprised.

"Nope. Thinks they have no reason to meet the rest of the Mercer family, silly boy."

Rose smiled but avoided Bobby's investigative look. So she was someone different. It made her giggle inside, and she glanced at Bobby inconspicuously, but he was back to stabbing his breakfast. She laughed aloud when Jeremiah deliberately bumped Bobby's arm, and Bobby's fork of eggs flopped back onto his plate. Bobby smacked Jeremiah's head, and they flung their arms at one another like they intended to fight. If they hadn't been laughing, of course.

Rose checked the clock on the wall behind them and crossed her silverware over the plate. "Well, I gotta get goin. Tons of homework and Mom's probably dying without me." She got up and hugged Evelyn then squeezed Angel's shoulder as she passed and winked at the brothers across the table. She came behind Bobby and drew her arm around his neck. "I'll see ya later."

Bobby turned slightly and touched her waist. "Sure." He lifted his head and kissed her slowly. Cat calls ensued, so he pulled back. Rose waved and left, but not before the brothers laughed at Bobby and he chucked food at them.

Rose twirled her keys and hummed a bright tune. It was nice to know things in her life were beginning to look up. She was used to seeing things in black and dark grey, rarely ever optimistic or honestly happy, but now she could smile sincerely and be with people she truly considered friends. Things were settling into place at last. All she needed now was to resolve things with her mother, and she would be free to move in with her dad—no strings attached. The thought made her vault up the apartment building steps and fling the door open excitedly.

She tossed her jacket and keys onto a table and headed across the room to open the blinds. Pretty soon, she would have a house full of light rather than this dingy apartment they kept so closed up. "Mom!" As usual, there was no response. In all honesty, she preferred that; otherwise, another fight might ensue, and she did not need her mother ruining her good mood just yet.

Suddenly, something cold seeped between her toes, and she jumped back. She squinted down through the darkness then scowled. Not again! How many times was that woman going to flood the bathroom before she remembered to the turn the damn water off!

She hurried up the soaked stairs, down the hall, and into the bathroom. The steam threw her back, and she swatted at it like a bug. It dissipated quickly, probably just lingering mist from what used to be hot water, and she crossed the room to the flooded tub. "Damnit, Mom! Forth time this month!" She swatted the curtain out of the way and grabbed the nozzle.

But she didn't turn it. Her eyes were glued on the water, dark as red velvet. Ghostly, well-manicured toes protruded through the surface and barely missed scraping her chin. She had not paid too much attention to it before, but now her mind registered the dark color of the water on the floor.

Oh Jesus.

Long, eternal minutes passed as her eyes slowly—very slowly—crept up the tub. Her mother's face showed from the nose up, the rest submerged in the coagulated water. The dark strands of hair snaked down her pale cheeks and floated like spiders on the flood. Her eyes were open, still bright, but unnatural, like a manikin manufactured without eyelids. The lacerations were soiled in the water, but Rose could imagine them.

Could imagine the pain as those dead eyes watched her mouth open and scream.

"Yes, she's doing great," smiled the hospital receptionist into the phone. "Yes, sir, she's going to make it. You're most welcome. Goodbye." She hung up the phone and jumped as Bobby slammed his hand on the desk. She gawked. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Scythe," he barked. "A woman with the last name Scythe came in here, with a daughter."

She paused then nodded solemnly. "Oh. Yes. Um, the daughter is just down the hall, sir."

Bobby sprinted away, dodging patients and staff along the way. He had never run so fast in his life, but he had never been this worried before either. She sounded horrible on the phone and screamed at him like he was deaf, but the message came in loud and clear: her mother killed herself. She hung up when the paramedics showed up, but he heard the final wail of fear before the line went dead. Then he ran.

Just let her be all right. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, just let her be okay! His shoes squeaked against the tile floor when he halted.

She sat silently on a brown sofa across the waiting room. Her hand cupped her mouth, and her head was turned away from him, but those brown eyes were a million miles away. She looked pale, and her rich dark hair that had been so tightly pulled back that morning now dangled in clumsy strands around her face. He noticed her other hand rested palm-up on the armrest. It trembled unnaturally, and red globs stained the skin. Shit. She was safe, but far from all right.

He clenched his jaw and carefully approached. "Rosie?"

Rose blinked and gazed at him. Her eyes were hollow at first, like dead wood, then started tearing up. She pressed her hand against his stomach, keeping him at arm's length when he tried embracing her. She firmed her jaw and took several steadying breaths. "I'm…I'm all right. I just need to collect myself."

Bobby sat down at a distance but set his arm behind her and watched her clear her eyes with the untainted hand. "What happened?"

Rose sighed calmingly and stared into space again. "She tried to kill herself, cuts all over her body. Then she drowned herself. To make sure, I guess." She scoffed lightly. "Bout time she succeeded at something." The irritation instantly vanished, and her lips pressed together in restraint. "It was me. I did this to her." She met his eyes at last. "Didn't I?" She asked it like her mind was made up, but he shook his head resolutely.

"No. She made a choice, Rosie. Nothing you did could've changed that."

"I could've given her some damn money to buy that fucking alcohol! She probably would've settled for that instead of—" She choked on the words and snapped her eyes away. "Insteadof…" Bobby scooted closer, but she instantly jolted away from the closeness.

She wouldn't shut him out at a time like this; he'd never let her.

He grabbed both sides of her face and forced her to stare straight at him. "This. Is not. Your fault. Trust me, I've known my fair share of similar situations, and there's nothing you could've done. If it wasn't now, it would've been later." She tried not to cry but couldn't hold back, and he wiped the tears with his thumbs. "This isn't your fault, Rose. It's not."

Rose sobbed and collapsed against him, burying her face and shrieks into his broad chest. He held her with both arms and pressed her closer. God, she cried so loud. He would not blubber for that witch but had to press his face in her hair to keep from crying for the witch's daughter. "You believe me, Rosie?"

She nodded roughly against him but couldn't speak between those horrible screams.

Derrick hurried down the hallway and apologized to several people he bumped then grabbed a passing doctor. "Excuse me! I'm-I'm looking for Rose Scythe. She's a teenager who came in with a woman who—" He faltered. "Her mother tried killing herself." The doctor glanced sideways, and Derrick followed his gaze. Rose sat sound asleep in that boy's arms, and the boy watched him darkly.

He faced the doctor again. "The mother?"

The doctor pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Derrick gawked then sighed as the doctor left. He wouldn't miss her, not at all, but Christ, she was still the mother of his only child. She was still someone important, even if he hated her. Now she was gone. Not just dead, but killed by her own hand. She had completely transformed into a woman he knew absolutely nothing about. He did not know that woman in a hospital bed, cold and lifeless somewhere in this building. She was just some loony. But the doctor was sorry, sorry for his loss. A loss he did not feel but had to live with for the rest of his life. He would live it through his daughter's nightmares.

He sighed again and scuffed across the room to the kids on the couch. He kneeled down in front of his slumbering daughter. Her face was almost entirely buried in the boy's side, and his firm arm kept her safely secure against him, though her own arm was tucked around his abdomen. "How long has she been asleep?" he asked quietly without meeting the boy straight on.

"Not long," the kid replied flatly.

Derrick paused, watching the red swells of her eyes rest softly against the boy's navy shirt. "Rose told me about you. You're Bobby Mercer, right?" The boy nodded. "Thank you. For being here for her." The kid did not answer but tucked his fingers tighter against her skin.

Derrick touched Rose's nose then scooped her cheek. "Rosie," he spoke a little louder, and she stirred a little. "Rosie. It's me, Dad." She slowly opened her eyes, and he forced a smile. "Hi, sweetie."

Rose stared at him then lunged forward and threw her arms around him, breaking down into tears again. "Daddy!"

He pulled her clear off the couch and into his arms, squeezing her hard against his body. "Oh, Rosie. I'm so sorry."

"I can't believe she did it!" she sobbed. "I can't believe she really did it!"

"I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry." Derrick looked at Bobby, and the boy's body tensed at her screams. He must have sat through them once already, and Derrick could not blame squirming at the sheer pain of them. "I love you."

Derrick sat at the kitchen table stirring the glass of scotch with his finger. His discarded tie served as the coaster, but he rarely sat it down long enough to matter. He downed the last sip then poured more from the bottle at his elbow and ran his other hand through his unruly hair. This was not what he wanted. No matter how bad he wanted things to change, he never wanted it to end this way. Fucking Christ. He took another swallow.

Sarah came in and sat across from him. She had seen better days, too, with her shirt wrinkled from Rose's tears, and the lines on her face were more prevalent than usual. They were not laugh lines, either. "She went to sleep quickly. Must have cried her eyes out, she's so exhausted."

They should be so lucky if her tears were truly finished.

Sarah reached across the table and squeezed his hand around the glass. "Derrick, when do we tell her?"

"She knows," he replied flatly. He should not have told her so soon but hoped it would help her recover faster. It hadn't yet.

"How did she take it?"

"I don't know. She just sat there until I brought her home."

She sighed and massaged her forehead. "This isn't really how I wanted it to be."

Derrick shook his head and took another drink. "Welcome to the club."

Things were quiet at the Mercer house. The boys sat around the living room watching television without their usual commentary or physical abuses. They just sat and stared, and Bobby knew why. They didn't give a damn about whatever might be on TV; they wanted to know what was going on at the Scythe house. He called every day the past two weeks, but either no one answered or Rose was not available. He would have gone over if he knew where the hell her dad's house was.

She had not been in school either, and people were talking. They didn't know anything, so it was mostly just gossip that Rose's mom drowned. No one knew anything about the suicide or her mom's involvement with questionable guys, least of all their rocky relationship. Black-eye Alex asked about her once in a while but otherwise kept his interest quiet. Samantha never came back, not that she would have given two shits about anyone but herself. Camille and Sofi knew the truth but never asked questions. Good thing, too. He didn't know if he had any real answers to give.

Evelyn came in and switched off the TV. "All right, boys, time for bed." They usually argued, and Angel managed a grunt, but they pulled themselves up and shuffled silently for the stairs. Like he said, who was watching the tube anyway?

"Bobby," she called, and he turned back to her. "Stay for a minute. I wanna talk to you about something."

Bobby glanced at his brothers' retreating backs then scuffed back into the living room and sat on the couch. She sat in the chair beside him, set her hands in her lap, and met his eyes seriously. He raised an eyebrow, and she suddenly took his hand in hers. "I know that this is a very difficult time for you and Rose, but I want you to remember, no matter what happens, you have to try and see things from Rose's perspective."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He tilted his head curiously, and his eyes instinctively narrowed. "What're you talkin about, Ma?"

"Just remember." She squeezed his hand. "Promise me."

He paused then nodded. "Yeah, sure, I promise, Ma."

Evelyn smiled and patted his hand then released him. "Go on then. Get some sleep."

He got up but glanced over his shoulder when he reached the stairs. She still sat on the couch staring at the floor and wringing her hands together. Why did she say that?

Bobby continued to think over Evelyn's words, but the meaning still eluded him. He wanted to see Rose. Despite his exterior, he was worried about her. Not just because she was beautiful or good in bed or a great friend of the family or even that he was in love with her. There was no reason. He just wanted to see her, had to see her.

And the next Friday, he got his wish. His brothers and the girls left school behind the crowd. They were fed up with the rumors, even if they were subsiding.

"Oh my God."

Bobby looked at Sofi then ahead, where a familiar set of brown eyes and long, dark hair stood against the landscape of white. He stared at her, waiting for her to vanish like so many of his visions of her lately. But the girls ran forward and threw their arms hysterically around her, and she laughed at their fussing. Was she real this time? Jack elbowed him roughly, and they walked over as well.

Rose could not free herself of the girls' clinging hands but smiled at them as they came up. "How are you guys?"

"Who cares about us?" scoffed Sofi, hugging her arm like a crush.

"Yeah, girl, how're you?" Camille added with a squeeze of her shoulders.

She looked good, much better than before. Her hair was fixed and styled beneath a cute white toboggan, and her complexion returned to normal. She even wore makeup, light but enriching. He couldn't tell at all that her life had been changed forever. Her dark eyes caught his, and he smiled. "We were worried about you."

She blushed, and an adorable grin crossed her face. "I'm much better, actually. Much, much better."

"Why haven't you returned our calls?" Sofi prodded. "We only called your house like a thousand times, but your dad always said you were unavailable. What have you been up to, playing hooky, huh?"

"Leave the girl alone, baby," Angel said dryly. "If she wanted to tell you, she'd tell you, okay?" Sofi hissed at him, and he curled his lip back.

Rose pressed her lips together then cleared her throat. "Uh, do you guys think I could talk to Bobby alone for a sec?"

The girls exchanged looks, but Jeremiah threw his arms up and pulled them away from her. "A'course you can! We'll go on ahead, and Bobby can catch up later." He ushered the unhappy girls away and tipped his hat as they left. Angel patted her shoulder and winked as he left.

Jack shuffled up to her awkwardly then tackled her in a hug. She choked at the impact then laughed and patted his back. He pulled back and grinned. "It's good to see you again, Rose."

Rose ruffled his hair and waved him off then looked at Bobby. It was instantly awkward, and it should not have been. Why would things be awkward between them? Was she really okay? "I uh, wanted to thank you. For being there at the hospital."

"No problem," he replied. She kept looking at his chest or the school, anything not to look him straight in the eyes. That was not like her. What was she hiding? He did not like the way it made his blood boil and his heart burn.

"Bobby," she started again. "I didn't actually come here to catch up with you guys." Was he being paranoid? She looked so damn uncomfortable! But then she met his eyes. "I came here to tell you I'm leaving."

Bobby frowned, and the burn in his heart intensified. "Leaving?"

"Yeah."

Yeah? What the hell kinda answer was "yeah"? Was he just supposed to settle for that? Was she expecting some sort of mature "all right" or some shit? "Like, how? What do you mean?"

"I'm moving in with my dad," she said simply. "But he's leaving town, so we're leaving to Los Angeles."

He opened his mouth over and over, but nothing came out. She was leaving him? No, she would not do that, not now. Not after all they had gotten through. It took every ounce of his willpower not to clutch his jacket, and he glared. "When?"

"Today. Our plane leaves in a few hours."

He racked his brain for something to say, something to make her stay—she had to stay! She absolutely could not leave him! "But, why? I mean, I understand about your mom and everything, but leaving isn't gonna solve anything."

"This isn't my choice, Bobby."

Bullshit! "It is your choice, Rosie!"

"No." Rose's eyes glossed, but she kept her composure. He pressed his lips together to keep from responding to her building tears, and she forced a small smile. "It's not."

He was losing too quickly. She couldn't just leave like this. "And what about us?"

One of those tears fell now, but her face never changed. How could she be so fake? How could she be this way? "I don't know. I mean, it was just one night, right? And we don't really know each other all that well. We'll get over it."

He scoffed and snapped his eyes away. That was too much, even for her. Jesus, that pain in his chest was getting killer.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. It's just the way it has to be." She must be insane. But he couldn't stay here. He did not want to see her face or pretend like he was okay with whatever bullshit she was trying to tell herself. And he sure as hell did not want her to see how deeply she planted that knife in his back.

"I get it." He met her eyes one last time and forced every ounce of malice of he could muster to the forefront of his gaze. It must have worked, because she recoiled. "Have a nice flight." He meant it, somewhere inside, but marched past her without another word. His shoulder shoved her away, but he should not have touched her. Their contact made him reach up and grab that spot over his heart, squeezing in agony at something he couldn't touch.

If he walked a little slower, he might have seen her collapse in the snow and cry until her salty tears broke through the snow to the pavement below.

Time passed. A lot of time. Rose's life in Los Angeles aided her desire for movies. She started out in small parts for commercials and movies then worked her way into leading roles. She did not stay there, however. Soon her career led her to become a writer and director known casually for her photography.

Bobby left Detroit soon after graduation and acquainted himself with the wrong people. It was not long before he ended up in jail. Jeremiah cleaned up his act after graduation and married Camille. They had two daughters, Daniela and Amelia. Angel went off into the military and was not heard from again. Jack set out to continue his love for music, and he actually became pretty popular in his short-lived rock career.

But the family was reunited once more after the murder of their beloved mother, Evelyn Mercer.

To Be Continued…