A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted on this site... But anyways, here's one of the latest stories I've been working on. It's not finished (and please don't expect it to be for a while), but I am still currently working on it. Reviews are much appreciated, along with constructive criticism. Thanks for reading! :D


"Jack

"Jack? Jack, wake up, honey."

The small, thin boy looked over the tall black woman, his eyes locked in his perpetual stare of nothingness. He stared just long enough to let his social worker that he wasn't sleeping.

"I'm sorry, Jack. It's hard for me to tell, you know," Tanisha Durgan said softly. "Are you cold? I can turn the heat up."

Jack shook his head slightly, and then turned to gaze back out the window.

"Jackie… This house is gonna be different. I promise, honey," Tanisha said, glancing at him, taking in his unruly blond hair, vacant blue eyes, and the mess of bruises. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know, Jackie," She whispered, tears in her eyes. "If you'd just talk to me, baby."

But he stayed silent. Tanisha didn't really expect anything different anymore.

She sighed. "Jack? Jackie, are you paying attention?" She asked, glancing over at him again. She waited until his eyes focused on her to continue. "Miss Evelyn, she's a real nice lady. I stayed with her myself when I was your age. Well… maybe a little older. She's a sweet woman, Jackie. She'll take good care of you. But you're going to have some brothers. Jack, I need you to listen to me, sweetheart," She said firmly as Jack's gaze slipped towards the windshield. She paused until he looked at her again. "You're going to have some older brothers. I don't know if Bobby and Jerry are still at home, but I know Angel is. They're… they're bigger boys. A little rough around the edges. But they'll never hurt you. I promise you that. They're all good people. Hey, come on, now, I'm almost done, and then we'll be finished with the speeches. These are all good people, Jackie. I've known them for a long time. I don't know why nobody thought of placing you here sooner… But just give it a shot. For me?"

Jack shrugged a noncommittal shrug, which, Tanisha knew, was probably the best she'd get out of him. She smiled sadly.

"You're a good kid, Jackie boy. Just try to get some sleep, ok honey? If you want, you can crawl into the backseat if you'd feel better."

Tanisha sighed as Jack just shifted his head, and glanced out the window again. Tanisha swiped a tear from her eye, and picked up her car phone, dialing the number she knew by heart.

"Hello?" Came a sleepy voice after a few rings.

"Ma? It's Tanisha. I need a favor."

"Tanisha? What's wrong?" Evelyn Mercer asked, sounding more awake instantly.

"I… I got a boy here… He needs a place to stay for a while. I can't really talk about it right now," She stressed, glancing over at Jack.

Evelyn knew what she meant. Thirty five years of being in the social worker business had taught her all the little meanings. "Of course. Bring him over. I'll wake the boys up, and have them set up a room for him. We can talk over a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, Ma. I'll be there in an hour; I'm coming from the other side of the city."

"I'll have everything ready in half an hour. There can't be too much traffic at three o'clock in the morning," Evelyn said with a chuckle.

"Ok. I'll see you in a bit."

Tanisha hung up the phone slowly, and glanced back at Jack. "It's ok, baby… Everything will be okay."

"Boys! Boys, I need you to come down here!" Evelyn called, although she knew it was a worthless approach. She'd have to go up and shake them awake. She sighed as she made her way up the stairs, one hand on the railing.

She'd never say it to her boys, but she definitely wasn't getting any younger. The doctor had given her a prescription for her arthritis just yesterday. She'd fought him and fought him, but he –and the pain –had eventually won out.

"Jerry?" She called out softly as she entered her younger sons' bedroom. "Jeremiah, I need you to wake up," She whispered, kneeling by the bottom bunk, and shaking the occupant's shoulder gently, and he slowly sat up.

"Ma? What's wrong?" The nineteen year old asked, his eyes glazed over with sleep.

"Nothing's wrong, we're having a guest. I need you boys to help me set up a room for him," Evelyn said softly. "Can you get Angel up while I get Bobby?"

"Yeah, sure thing, ma," Jerry said, yawning as he threw the blankets back, and scrambled up to the top bunk.

"Thank you, Jeremiah," Evelyn said with a roll of her eyes. She knew exactly how Jerry would wake up his youngest brother, but, she admitted to herself, it was the only way to get Angel out of bed. She winced as she heard a loud thunk, and cursing, knowing that Jerry had flipped Angel's mattress.

She knocked loudly on Bobby's door, waiting for a response before opening the door. She knew he would be awake instantly. He was a light sleeper.

"Who is it?" He called out gruffly.

"Bobby, I need you to get up," Evelyn called opening the door slightly and stepping in.

Twenty-two year old Bobby sat up, his bare torso still causing Evelyn to wince, even after ten years. Bobby glanced down, and noticed it himself, cursing quietly as he reached under the bed for a shirt.

"What's up, ma?" He asked roughly, his eyes blinking to adjust to the light from the hallway.

"Tanisha's on her way over. She's bringing a guest," Evelyn said quietly. Tanisha was well known to Bobby, although Jerry and Angel would be too young to remember the social worker. She had been one of Evelyn's first foster children.

"Now? Is it that bad?" Bobby asked, throwing off his sheets. He was continuously warm, and couldn't stand to sleep with an actual blanket.

"I don't think her bringing him over now is, in and of itself, 'that bad'. I think it's a lot of 'that bads' added up."

Bobby sat up, swinging his feet off the bed, cursing softly. "This another hopeless case you're supposed to miraculously save?" Evelyn nodded, and Bobby groaned. "Great. Just what you need."

"It is. That's why I have you three," She reminded with a soft smile.

Bobby smiled back sadly. "Yeah, I guess if you can fix me, you can fix anybody, huh?"

"I didn't have to fix you, Bobby. I just had to show you where to find the glue," She said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, the gorilla glue," He said mischievously.

"Oh hush," She said with a small smile. "Get up and help your brothers get the spare room ready."

"Sure thing, ma," He said, pushing himself up off the bed. He gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek as he walked past her. "Just take it easy, ok? You can't handle another one like me or Angel." His eyes looked past her guiltily.

Evelyn patted him on the shoulder. "You'd be surprised what these old bones can handle, Bobby. Go help your brothers."

Bobby nodded, and took off. Evelyn stayed still for a minute, and glanced around the room sadly, contemplating what her oldest son had said.

Bobby had been her first 'impossible' case. The first case where she thought she might not be able to do anything. His temper, lack of trust, and paranoia had all only been increased by being put into the fostering system. He'd been placed in over eighteen familial homes, and seven group homes from the time he was ten to fifteen, mostly due to his fists., He had physically injured seven of his nine psychiatrists. Evelyn herself had received her fair share of bruises during the first month of Bobby's stay. When he felt cornered, his animal instincts would take full reign, and his fists would swing until there was nothing left to swing at. It had taken the better part of a year for Evelyn to get through to him.

She shuddered. She hoped this boy wasn't that bad. Not for her sake… but for his own.