TITLE: Blame

RATING: T (language)

SUMMARY: Bobby's not the only one blaming himself for Jack's death…

A/N: Short, sweet, and to the point. Hope it ain't too short for you guys! Just something that I thought of. I think it needs to be short. The brothers wouldn't make a big production of sharing their feelings and all that. Even this discussion would probably be a rarity.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Four Brothers…all rights are reserved…yada yada yada.

Please read and REVIEW! I have a plethora of ideas of short stories and one shots for this fandom (some already scribbled out on sheets of paper seeing as I currently lack much computer usage and only slim internet opportunities) Should I post them? Have you heard enough from me and just want me to disappear from fanficiton altogether? Let me know.

"Alright, Jerry, that's enough," Angel huffed.

"Enough what?"

"How long are you gonna do this self-loathing, Bobby-like, 'I killed Mom and Jack' bullshit?"

"What are you – "

"It ain't your fault. Period. Get over it."

"Get over it? Areyou serious man?"

"It wasn't your – "

"It was my fault!" Jerry snapped suddenly. "And you know it! If I would've just paid Sweet –"

"Then you'd be Victor Sweet's bitch like that city official, and then maybe you'd be dead."

"Well, I shoulda' done something, man! Mom went to Fowler because of my business. She was murdered because of me. Jack – if we all hadn't been trying to kill each other, we would've noticed him leave – or something! They were Sweet's boys who killed him! Tell me how this ain't all my fault!"

"Jerry, you were trying to stay straight, to do right. That's what Mom always wanted us to do, 'cept you're about the only one of us that listened. She was proud of you, man. I know it. She went down to that police station to protect her boy. You know Mom. You threaten one of her sons and you threaten her. She woulda' done the same for any of us. You know that Jerry. Fowler turned the report over to Sweet. He did that. Not you. You never told Mom about your business. And Jack? Damn it, Jerry. You're right. If we hadn't been tryin' to blame and kill each other, than maybe he wouldn't have – I don't know. But – yeah, you're right. But that wasn't you, man. That was me 'n Bobby. That ain't on you. That's on us. On me. I'm the one who started lookin' into your shit without talkin' to you first. I told Bobby. We took the bribe back."

"Angel, what happened to Jack wasn't your fault."

"Your're right, it ain't. But it don't mean I don't think it every damn day. Don't mean I don't go through all the fucking 'what if's' in the whole damn world. We could go round in damn circles forever, man. Your fault. My fault, Bobby's, Jack's Sweet, Fowler, Green, everybody. You know how many guys I watched die in the Marines? Dudes bleedin' all over themselves and you. Guys half blow up, shot up, calling out for us or their women. It was scary shit, man. And there were plenty 'a times where I wondered if something I did could've been done different. Maybe if I would've done this or that. you think on it long and hard enough and you can blame yourself for just about anything and everything. You make yourself crazy. Jerry – all this – it ain't my fault. And it sure as hell ain't your fault either. You stop that shit right now. Alright?"

Jerry nodded and cast his brother an unusual warm glance as an unspoken 'thank you.'

"You know," Jerry began with a raise of his chin, "you can be pretty smart – for a little brother."

"Yeah, yeah," Angel rolled his eyes and swatted at Jerry's head. "And you can be pretty fucking dumb for a big brother."