Wow, we've just topped 100 reviews, thank you so, so much! As always, a big thank you to those I can't respond directly too!

Special thanks to Bee on this one considering the trouble we've had with the next few chapters! Also a thank you to Sam1 and Angel-Sue76 (and her brother!) for their advice regarding the middle part of this - you'll know which bit I mean!

John kept his head down as he worked steadily through his homework. He knew that every time he looked up Flich would be glaring at him from across the room, almost daring the young teenager to try something so that he had an excuse to keep him in for longer. The man was certainly not happy that Samson had interfered to reduce John's time in detention but because of the circumstances surrounding the Tracy family, he'd had no choice but to back down. That didn't mean he was prepared to make it any easier for the young genius though. Every teacher had always maintained that John Tracy was an absolute delight to teach, his thirst to learn outdoing nearly everyone in his year put together. Flich, however, now knew differently. The younger Tracy was just as bad as his older brother, and that boy had been a menace ever since he had first set foot in the teacher's room.

John, for his part, hated the man almost as much as Flich hated him. He had never liked him even before all of this, due to the stories he had been hearing from Scott about his time in the lessons. The one good thing that had come from it all, however, was that it gave him a chance to work in peace. His father, grandmother - and even oldest brother when it had been left to Scott – had always kept the house as quiet as they could straight after school, giving the boys a chance to get on with their work in relative peace. But what with having four brothers, Gordon being one of them, the house was never really that quiet. Over the last few days, however, John was finding that he was practically back on top of his work, using the hour or so that he had in the school without anyone else around to his advantage.

Desperately trying to keep his head down, John found that he paused as he heard the door creak open slightly. Pen frozen above the page, the blond carefully peered up through his eyelashes, trying not to move his head. He didn't recognise the woman who had come in, but judging by her attire and the fact that she was handing Flich a note, he could only assume that she was one of the many staff working on reception. To his confusion, she glanced at him before leaving the room. Unable to hide his curiosity, John lifted his head properly and, sure enough, immediately met Flich's gaze.

"Your father rang. He can't make it. He wants you to get the bus." His message delivered, Flich immediately turned back to his pile of marking, not really caring whether it caused trouble for John or not. His fingers clenching around his pen, John swallowed hard. He knew it! He knew that having their father back was too good to last, that the man would soon be swallowed up by his work and start finding excuses as to why he couldn't come to pick his son up from school. He had promised that he wouldn't leave the boys on their own again, but John had always had his doubts. The man had practically forgotten they existed before, why should he carry on playing the father now one of them was beginning to get better?

The silence that fell was a stony one for the rest of the time John remained in the room. After what felt like an age of trying to keep his temper under control, Flich finally allowed the young teenager the freedom he had been waiting for all day. This was the last day of having to stay behind and John was out of the door like a flash before the teacher could come up with an excuse to keep him in for another week. John knew he would have to keep his head down even more in lessons over the next few weeks: Flich seemed determined to carry out the full extent of his punishment. And if Samson stopped him keeping John in for that next incident, then he would have just found other excuses to do so.

Meandering out of the school, John automatically glanced around before sighing. He wasn't used to going home on his own. He had always been with Scott, and the one time he hadn't before the incident, it had only been for a few moments before Gordon had kept him occupied. And even this week, with no getting the bus because of Flich, Jeff had always been waiting as soon as he got out of school. Feeling slightly nervous all of a sudden, John swallowed hard, mentally pulling himself together as he set off down the road to where he knew a bus would be arriving in only a matter of moments. Luckily, having left school at this time each day during the week, John had grown used to his father getting stuck behind the same vehicle each day. It was only the comforting thought that he would soon be on his way home that stopped John freaking out completely. He was surprised that Jeff hadn't phoned his grandmother to come and get him, but he supposed she had her hands full. Scott would have had to collect the younger ones again if Jeff wasn't leaving his office and she would have to settle them down whilst keeping an eye on Virgil. Shaking his head to try to stop himself getting into an even bigger temper – for he knew precisely how the old woman would take that – John came to a halt at the bus stop with a heavy heart, just as the bus pulled in.

Thankful that he didn't have to wait, John immediately climbed on, sitting himself near the front and by the window. Despite Scott being the one really freaking out in enclosed spaces, John found that he himself wasn't particularly comfortable any more. He couldn't say why, but he had a strong feeling it was because of Scott. His older brother had never been scared of anything for as long as John could remember and seeing something visibly causing a reaction in Scott was beginning to affect his younger siblings, giving John a slightly uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach as the bus pulled off. Telling himself that he would soon be home, John breathed in deeply through his nose, regaining control of his emotions once more. He was still angry at his father, especially considering how uneasy it was making him feel having to travel on his own, but he knew that in all reality he would soon be home safely with his brothers.

Repeating the thoughts over and over again, John found that the ride was beginning to go slightly quicker as he began to relax. Just as he did so, however, he felt something hit him in the back of the head. Glancing around, he immediately caught sight of the small piece of paper lying crumpled on the floor under his seat, undeniably the missile that had struck him. His eyes narrowing, John glanced back up the bus, only to duck as another piece came whizzing out of nowhere. That one missed him, but the third didn't, hitting him squarely on the forehead. Following the sound of the laugh, John felt the roof of his mouth go dry as he caught sight of Harry Spencer lounging across two seats at the back of the bus. Catching John's eye, he raised his eyebrows almost challengingly as he threw another piece of paper at the blond. With instincts that came with having three younger brothers, John managed to catch the flying ball, staring impassively back at Spencer, who, in turn, narrowed his eyes dangerously.

Knowing that crossing him was a bad idea, John quickly hit the button that would make the bus stop and jumped to his feet, using one hand to propel himself forward so that he was right by the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he tried not to show how much better he felt at seeing Spencer still sitting there, smirking at him mockingly. John knew that the older boy was aware he was the reason behind John's sudden departure, but the blond didn't care. He just wanted to get as far away from the boy as possible. Considering his anger at his father, he knew that it would be a bad idea to stay anywhere near Spencer; he would most likely do something that he would regret. Not only that, but he refused to do anything that would cause Spencer to turn on Virgil. The boy had only just begun picking himself back up again, the last thing he needed was to have the school bully on his case.

Jumping down, John felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he walked away from the bus. As it drove past him again, he smiled softly. All he had to do now was walk the last part of the journey home. He only hoped that his grandmother had lost track of the time slightly. He knew it was no good hoping that Scott wouldn't notice his timing, but it would be nice not to have them both on his back about his irresponsibility. Besides, considering his own attempt at walking home only a week ago, John knew there was less chance of Scott telling their father. Something John certainly wasn't in the mood for considering how he was feeling towards the man at this given time.

With each step he took, John felt his heart getting lighter and lighter. He could do this, he knew he could. And then he would be the one who was there for Scott, able to help out his big brother because he himself knew that he was able to overcome the same challenges.

He couldn't have been walking more than five minutes when he suddenly felt something crash into his back. Just about staying upright, John turned his head, only to stumble to the side as he was pushed again from the right. Swallowing, he looked around again, this time to see Spencer standing next to him.

"Didn't think you'd get away that easily, did you, blondie? And look, no brother here either. Just you and me, and a nice walk home with no one around."

"Leave me alone, Spencer," John muttered quietly, keeping close to the fence. He didn't particularly want the boy to have access to his left side, not when he had been plucking up the courage to leave the sling off next week.

"Why?" Spencer responded with a cruel laugh, shoving John into the fence again before dropping back behind him and pushing him forwards before the younger boy had managed to properly regain his balance. Landing on his knees, John winced as the action jarred his shoulder, but without saying a word, he got back up again, only to quicken his pace.

"Can't run away from me, blondie," Spencer mocked, lengthening his own stride to match John's. With a sinking heart, John knew he was right. Not only was Spencer the same age as Scott, he was roughly the same height as well. And the blond had enough trouble keeping up with his big brother's long strides on a day-to-day basis. There would be no way he could outrun Spencer. Glancing around him, John knew within a matter of seconds that there was no one around who would be able to help him. As he fell again from a particularly harsh jab in the back, only to then be hauled back up and thrown to the side, he didn't see the curtains tweak on a nearby window overlooking the street.

TBTBTB

Matt sighed irritably as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the front of the store. He wasn't even sure what he was still doing there, it wasn't like he was on duty. But sparing the radio next to him a quick glance, he couldn't help but smirk. Even off duty, he was still tuned into the station's frequency, just waiting to see if anything came through that he could help with. They had received a tip-off that something was about to happen with the store, but after the officers actually on duty had found nothing and left, Matt found himself pulling up to keep an eye on the place himself. What could he say? He was bored. The job was his life; he had nothing to go home to. And ever since he had been given a new partner whilst Paul recovered, he found that he was just getting more and more frustrated. The new guy was good at his job, there was no denying that. But he simply wasn't the friend Matt was used to patrolling with. It wasn't the same without Paul.

Wondering whether he should go and pay his friend another visit whilst everything was quiet, Matt reluctantly started the engine, pulling smoothly out of the parking lot and hitting the main road again. Teasing more and more speed out of his car, the young officer smiled as he leant back in his seat. He found there was nothing more relaxing than taking his car out for a spin. She was the only lady in his life at the moment, and Matt knew he spoilt her rotten. Not that he could help it even if he tried, he had always had a thing for cars.

The crackle of the radio quickly brought him out of his musings, and, with a quick check of his mirrors, he swung the car over to the side, bringing her gracefully to a stop in a way not many could manage. After a couple of moments of intent listening, however, he swung back out again, changing direction with a smile on his face. An incident regarding two teenagers and a fight had just been phoned in by a concerned resident, and, upon hearing the location, Matt knew he was closer than any patrol car. The least he could do was bring the situation back under control until they got there. Besides, he really was bored.

By pushing his car to an even greater speed, Matt brought her sharply into the next road, seeing the figures of the boys up ahead. He hated having to break things up between teenagers, their attitude that the whole world was against them really annoyed the officer. Teasing the gas just a little more, Matt shot off down the street, skidding to a stop next to the boys and jumping out of his car almost before he had got the key out of the ignition. As he rounded the vehicle, he paused momentarily, his eyes narrowing. One of the boys was standing threateningly over the other, who had his back to Matt where he sat on the floor. But even from the back, there was something familiar about him.

"Okay, boys, that's enough!"

Immediately, the one standing turned and Matt was hard pushed not to groan out loud. He had had dealings with this one before.

"Oh yeah, what you gonna do about it, officer? Not like you're on duty, is it?"

"Back off, Spencer," Matt warned quietly, his eyes darting between the aggressive stance of Spencer and the huddled figure on the floor. He had no idea whether the younger boy was hurt or not, or whether he had arrived in time to stop Spencer going too far. He had seen what this kid was capable of in the past, and wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"Or what?"

"You know what, kid," Matt responded, his tone deadly quiet. He wished he was on duty, because then he would be able to deal with the troublesome youth here and now rather than having to wait for the patrol car to turn up. He could hear it in the distance though, and knew that he only had a couple more moments of stopping things escalating before the guys reached them. Glancing down the road to see if the car was in sight yet, Matt almost missed Spencer moving. Sensing the movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned just in time to close his hand around the swinging fist. In one smooth movement, he twisted Spencer's arm behind him, pushing the youth over his car and casually holding him there.

"Okay, Reynolds, back off now, mate!" Hearing the slightly amused tone of a voice he knew, Matt relinquished his grip, smirking as he stepped back from the scowling youth.

"Did you see that?" Spencer demanded, straightening up and glaring at Matt for all he was worth. "He assaulted me!"

"That's not what we saw, kid. How many times are we going to have to speak to you?" As one of the officers walked over and led Spencer to the car, the other crouched in front of the boy still sitting on the floor. Moving over himself, Matt reached the pair of them as the teenager was helped to his feet. There was still something familiar about him, and as he turned around, Matt felt his mouth drop open in surprise.

"John!" Hurrying forward, he ran his eyes anxiously over the youth. He had spent hours protecting one Tracy or another; it was only instinct now to check they were alright. "What are you doing out here on your own, buddy? Where's your Dad?"

Immediately, John scowled at the mention of his father, but he had to admit, he was still too shaken to be able to make accusations. He had really thought he was in big trouble before a squeal of tyres had announced someone's arrival and, on recognising Matt's voice, had stayed where he was, knowing that everything would be alright now the man was here. If there was one person in the entire world he would pick to protect him, it would be the young officer. Not only was he responsible for killing the man who was the reason behind the sling still supporting his arm, he was also responsible for saving Scott. Whilst Jeff wouldn't say precisely what had happened, John had picked up enough to know that if it hadn't been for Matt's quick reactions, he would now be the oldest Tracy brother.

"Don't know," he muttered quietly, his eyes flickering over to where Spencer was being addressed by the other man. "He sent a message saying I had to get myself home. And then he came and..."

"It's alright, son," the officer soothed, his gaze flickering questioningly over to Matt. "We've met Spencer before; we have a clear enough idea of what happened. We might need to speak to you in a few days time, but are you okay getting home now?"

Watching John with narrowed eyes as he swallowed hard before nodding, Matt knew the young Tracy was lying.

"I'll give you a lift, John. I've been meaning to stop by and see how you guys were doing anyway."

"Are you sure?" John eventually managed to whisper, feeling a sudden rush of gratitude towards the man. Whilst he knew that there was no way the police were going to let Spencer follow him, the thought of having to walk the rest of the way on his own still had given him the shudders. He wasn't sure who he had been trying to convince that he was ready for this when he had jumped off the bus, but he certainly hadn't persuaded himself.

"Sure, buddy. Let me just sort a couple of things out here and we can be off."

Leaning against the fence, John let out a breath of relief as Matt and the other office walked back towards the cars. Before he had time to comprehend what was happening, however, Spencer broke free of the other man and came sprinting over. Grabbing the front of John's shirt once more, he slammed the younger boy against the fence.

"You're gonna regret this, blondie. You and the kid."

His breathing quick and frantic, John swallowed hard as the police reacted, grabbing Spencer and pulling him away. As they forced him into the back of the police car whilst they sorted things out, John shut his eyes, trying to hide the tears building up.

"John?"

Feeling a gentle hand on his good shoulder, the teenager looked up again to find himself gazing into Matt's concerned face. "Come on, bud, let's get you home."

Using one hand to support the slightly shaky boy, Matt helped John over to his car, letting him slide in before shutting the door. With a quick nod at his colleagues, he rounded the vehicle and slipped in himself.

For a few moments, silence fell across the car, John only making a couple of comments regarding directions. If he was honest, he was desperately trying to suppress the memories of the last time someone other than his father had been driving him. It had been a silent journey then as well, though again he'd been the only one speaking in order to give directions.

Eventually though, Matt smoothly drew the car onto the driveway. Immediately making to climb out, John visibly jumped as a hand stopped him.

"How long has that been going on, John?" Matt asked quietly, his eyes radiating with concern as he took in the slightly ashen complexion of the boy next to him. John looked almost as bad as he had done the last time the officer had seen him, and that was back in the hospital a month ago.

"Long enough," John muttered, refusing to meet Matt's eye and instead gazing at the house, wondering absently where everyone would be. Virgil would no doubt be in his room; this was the time of the day when the eleven year-old had been going for his nap. Which would naturally mean Gordon would be downstairs, he was having a hard enough time keeping quiet as it was. It was only as he let his eyes roam from the house onto the driveway that he suddenly undid his seatbelt, climbing out slowly. He had been thinking about the last time he had seen Samson's car, but he certainly wasn't expecting to see it sitting in the driveway of his own house.

"John?" The teenager didn't register Matt's call, didn't notice as the man climbed out of the car, brow crumpled in confusion as he watched the expressions flicker across John's face. "John, what's wrong?"

"That's not our car," John mumbled, sending himself sprinting for the door as he scrambled for his key at the same time. Within seconds, he had jammed it somewhat frantically in the lock, almost getting it stuck as he twisted it desperately before speeding into the house, barely noticing Matt on his heels.

"Grandma? Scott? Anyone?" Hearing footsteps, John put his bag down with just enough time to catch Gordon's usual hug, but the boy was lacking his usual energy. Following him into the lounge, John frowned when he saw Virgil sitting on the edge of the sofa. He looked pale, but it wasn't due to the exhaustion that had been haunting the eleven year-old. Frowning, John moved further in, letting his eyes roam the room as he did so. There was no sign of either his grandmother or his eldest brother. Nor his father for that matter, but John would have been more surprised if Jeff had been home.

"Virg, where is everyone?"

"At the hospital, John."

Barely hearing Matt come in behind him, John could only stare at his brother, the rest of the room almost seeming to faze out, Virgil's concerned face being the only thing he could see.

"W..what?"

"John, are you okay? Hey, boys." Finally making his presence known, Matt smiled around at the children, receiving a grin back from Gordon and a slight smile from his immediate older brother. Alan was sitting at Virgil's feet, practically on top of them, paying absolutely no attention to the older people in the room.

"Matt?" Hearing his name, the officer spun around, gaping in astonishment to see Samson standing there, a child that could only be his own son clutched in his arms and a frown on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Giving John a lift home," Matt responded evasively, sparing the teenager a glance. His earlier comment had made Matt realise that no one else knew about what had been going on, but he knew that it was far from his place to say anything.

"What are you doing here?" The officer immediately shot back, knowing that whilst he was trying to cover for John, there must be something much bigger going on for his presence to be needed. John hadn't mentioned anything else going on with the family, but considering Matt knew the teenager was hiding things, he wouldn't have been at all surprised if the bullying wasn't the only thing the blond was keeping in.

"Giving Gordon and Alan a lift home. And keeping an eye on them."

"Where's Dad?" John broke in, his eyes roaming the room. He knew that Jeff hadn't been able to pick him up, but he had expected his grandmother to at least be at home looking after the younger ones. Whilst he knew that his father could be that irresponsible – his past actions proving the point – John knew that his grandma would never have simply let Samson look after his younger brothers without being there herself. Unless something had happened...

"You don't know? John, I left a message with the school, did you not receive it?"

"I got nothing until the receptionist came in at the end of my detention." John responded, glancing towards Virgil with confusion reflected in his eyes.

"I told them to pass it on. Damn people probably didn't realise Scott has two brothers at the school, and knowing Virgil was already at home, probably didn't think to check it. I'm sorry, I should have told you myself."

"Told me what?"

"John, what message did you get from your father?" Samson asked, hitching his son further into his arms as he spoke. He certainly hadn't intended to keep John in the dark, that was for sure. But having been called away in something of a hurry, Samson had only time to stop by reception and ask that the message be passed on that Scott had been taken to hospital. As a result of Virgil's absence all week, he was more than likely to be the first name that came up when the woman had searched Scott's siblings, and knowing firsthand how distracted they could be, Samson knew that she had stopped there, not realising that there was another brother still at the school.

"He just said he couldn't pick me up," John muttered, suddenly feeling guilty. He had spent the whole afternoon being mad at his father, determined to think that the man had once again placed his job over his family. He should have known better though. Jeff had promised them all, individually as well as together, that it would never happen again.

"John, you might want to sit down for this... Scott collapsed. He has been taken to hospital. Don't worry, he is going to be just fine, you know how tough your brother is. But they are keeping him in, just to make sure." What Brian didn't want to tell him, however, was precisely what Jeff had reported to him when he had phoned home to talk to Virgil to tell him the news. He certainly didn't want the children knowing that their big brother was being kept sedated for a day or so to stop him collapsing again.

Swallowing hard, John found himself on the edge of the sofa, absently looping his arm around Gordon's shoulders as the redhead pressed himself into his brother, wanting one of the older ones to make things all better again. They had told him Scott was staying at the hospital, just as they had all done before, only Gordon didn't know why. All he knew was, just like before, his biggest brother hadn't come home.

"John, Virgil, come on," Matt suddenly declared, pulling his keys out of his pocket and striding towards the door as he spoke. The two boys automatically climbed to their feet, following him out without knowing precisely where they were going.

"What are you doing?" Brian called, setting his son down next to Alan and letting the two boys immediately engage each other in a game as he reached out a hand to stop Gordon scurrying after the older ones.

"Taking them to their brother," Matt responded shortly, opening the door and gesturing for the two boys to go out first. He had seen firsthand what had happened the last time John and Virgil had been separated from Scott, and had no desire for a repeat performance.