Bobby sat on the couch, ignoring the newest boy in the house in favour of watching a movie. Evelyn had asked him to have some 'time off' from school until she got Jack enrolled. She had to go to work, and she couldn't very well leave the boy home alone or with strangers. She had only just promised him that she would take care of him from now on.

When she had asked him to stay home from school to welcome his newest brother this had not been what she was planning. With Jeremiah, and then again with Angel, Bobby had been almost forceful in welcoming them to the family. He didn't give them a choice about feeling accepted and cared for – he made them see that they were Mercers now.

She was about to step into the lounge room to introduce them, get them interacting, when Jack took a cautious step closer to the couch – to Bobby. "What are you watching?" his voice was timid, but there was curiosity as well.

Bobby glanced over his shoulder at his Ma and winked at her, letting her know he had it all under control. "Godzilla, but not one of those new crappy versions. It's the original and only real Godzilla movie." He left it at that, focusing, or appearing to focus, back on his movie. Giving the flighty younger boy the room to decide what he wanted to do for himself.

When Jack sat on the other end of the couch, on the very edge, Evelyn sighed in relief. For a boy who spent most of his time trying to convince the world that he was just a violent hockey player, her Bobby sure did know how to handle foster kids. She often found herself going to him when she couldn't figure a kid out. Bobby always knew how to approach them, and what would startle them. He was better than most of the social workers she knew. Not that he would ever agree with that assessment.

Jack looked ready to run given the slightest reason, but he was looking between Bobby and the tv screen. When he sat back a little during the ad break, Bobby glanced at him. "Do you like Godzilla?" Jack's eyes widened – worried about giving the wrong answer. "Oh, never seen if before? I'll let you watch it through before I let you answer that. Jerr and Angel don't like it, bunch of sissies."

He saw Jack relax a little and threw a grin his way. He needed to be reassured that he was allowed to have his own opinions in this house. And that a disagreement wasn't going to end in bruises and blood.

They watched the rest of the movie in silence and Evelyn went back to her baking. When she heard the credits rolling she went back to check on them. Jack had moved closer to Bobby throughout the movie so that he could ask him questions. The kid spoke so quietly he ended up having to sit four inches away from Bobby so he could be heard over the tv.

"So, what do you think? Am I still the only one in the house who likes Godzilla?" Bobby asked, turning slightly so he could look at Jack.

The younger boy shook his head. "No, I like it." He paused for a minute before tentatively asking Bobby another question. "Will the others hate me because I like it?" he whispered.

Bobby laughed, shaking his head. "No, Jackie, the guys won't hate you cos you like a different movie to them. They might tease you a little, but I'll have your back." He paused for a moment, watching the worry disappear from the younger boy's face. "Now, Ma's been baking all morning – what do you say to some cookies?"

He waited until Jack made a move to stand before he also stood. Sudden movements, or anything that would make him look intimidating were going to be setbacks with Jack, he knew it. Better to let the kid lead the way, show him his comfort zones, than barge all over them and lose the chance of his trust.

"Can we really have a cookie? She won't mind?" he asked quietly, staring up at Bobby.

Bobby knelt down in front of him so that he wasn't standing over the kid. "Jackie, you listen to me for a minute, and listen good ok?" he waited until Jack nodded before he continued. "I know you've been in bad places before, places where they wouldn't feed you, where they hurt you." Jack's eyes widened in alarm and he took a step back.

"I know that because I was the same, so were Jerr and Angel. No one wanted us or gave a damn about us until Ma took us in. Jackie, in this house, you are safe. No one will hit you and no one will keep anything from you. There's food in the kitchen and you help yourself. If there's anything Ma doesn't want us to eat, that she's saving for special, she'll label it.

"If you need something; tell someone and we'll do anything we can to get it for you. If we step wrong around you and trigger something, you tell us so we can learn. Did Ma tell you what your new surname means for you?"

Jack slowly shook his head, taking a step forward again, lulled by Bobby's words and voice and the earnest look in his eyes. No one had ever gone to the trouble to explain new houses to him before. And no one had ever knelt down to talk to him.

"Mercer's look out for each other. We protect each other and defend each other. If someone at school gives you trouble, you come tell one of your brothers and we'll set them straight. If you're scared of something, you tell us and we'll try to fix it for you. If there's something you want, we try to get it. You're not a bother in this house, Jackie, you're special here. You're our baby brother, ok?"

Jack nodded, eyes wide with wonder. He had long ago given up on believing what people said but Bobby…everything about him screamed honesty. "That's right, baby brother, I don't lie to my family. There's not many things I stand by, but being honest and protective of my family is unbreakable."