Jeff groaned as he looked at the newspaper two days later. Front page news…he couldn't believe that the tabloids screwed it up so bad. Alan had come back in from the park earlier crying because a bunch of kids that recognized him from the picture were calling him a charity case and had been teasing him for it. Gordon had gone with Alan as he'd been attempting to go through a trust exercise Pastor Wood's suggested and they hadn't even been able to start before Alan had begun crying and wanted to go home as he told Gordon.

Pictured below: John Tracy, second son of Jefferson Tracy with abandoned youngster. Sources say the youngster pictured with John Tracy is one of many children left within the foster system in our small county. Apparently a fun day at the fair was in store for the lucky child who was treated to a day of fun.

Jeff scrubbed a hand over his face as he fished around in his pocket for his cell phone. It would appear that some damage control was in store. Reading further in the article made Jeff's blood boil as the reporter talking about Alan referenced him as a cast aside in the foster system and Jeff wanted that article and picture removed from the newspaper…yesterday. His son was not a charity case. Alan was his and always would be.

John entered the kitchen with a groan. He'd been dealing with his own form of damage control by trying to stem Alan's tears. The youngster was incredibly sensitive and he'd been a mess when he and Gordon returned from the park.

"How is he John?" Jeff asked as he prepared to call his lawyer to discuss measures to get the picture and article revoked.

"He's finally asleep. That glass of warm milk from Ms. Woods did the trick." John said as he sank down into a seat at the table. "Perhaps a little nap will make him feel better. Virgil is in there to keep an eye on him for me for a few minutes."

"Why don't you go catch a nap yourself? You could use the sleep." Jeff suggested lightly. He could see that since returning to the Wood's home that John had been getting a touch more sleep than he had been getting. Alan seemed to have fewer nightmares here and so he'd managed to sleep through the night also allowing John to sleep more.

"I'll be fine. I just wanted to apologize for getting us into this mess. If I'd been keeping aware of my surroundings like I should have been I might have noticed that reporter and could have disguised the both of us accordingly." John apologized, truly feeling like he was at fault for their picture having been used in the tabloids.

"Don't apologize John. It's not like you attracted their attention with a large neon sign or anything. You were having fun with your brother, there's nothing wrong with that." Jeff said as he lowered his phone.

"But sir…" John started to say before being cut off by his dad.

"No buts John. You didn't do anything wrong…neither did Alan. You were at the fair having fun. You can't get in trouble for hanging out at the fair." Jeff said as he nodded silently to himself, positive that John was finally going to listen to reason. John dropped his head in defeat before accepting his father's words. A comforting hand on John's shoulder made the elder blonde look up to meet Scott's cobalt blue eyes.

"Go, take nap. You look exhausted." Scott chided with a fond smile. John nodded slowly once more before leaving the kitchen with his head hung low. Once John had left the room that gave Scott and Jeff a few moments to figure out how this was going to affect their family. "How are we going to fix this?"

"Well, I'll tell you what I'm not going to do. I'm not going to allow this photo and article to further damage this family. I am going to contact my lawyer and get him on the scent of the lowlife who published this hurtful article." Jeff said with determination glistening in his eyes. "No one is going to harm my boy again, not if I have anything to say about it."

Scott wisely stayed quiet. He could see his dad was out for blood and Scott had to admit that he was too. That article was unnecessary…and it was revealed to the press just after Alan was removed from foster care and it was finalized that Alan had been found and returned to his family. The reporter that got that picture should have known that was Alan and not some child…some cast aside as they'd so graciously put it.

"I'm going to see if John's gone to lie down. Be back in a little bit." Scott stood with little else said and left the Wood's kitchen.

… … … … … … …

Stopping outside of Alan's previous bedroom at the Wood's home, Scott hesitated when it came to knocking. He didn't want to disturb Alan and John if the both of them were in fact sleeping, but his big brother instincts were screaming at him to check on his little brothers. Alan had been more than distraught when he and Gordon had come back and it'd taken lots of hugs, kisses, more hugs and comforting words just to quiet the kid's heartbreaking sobs. And John, he'd been lusting for blood the moment Gordon revealed what it was that had upset the kid so.

Knocking ever so softly, Scott opened the door and entered the semi-darkened room to gaze upon his brothers. The tear tracks had dried on Alan's cheeks and John held the boy to his chest. Both were sleeping soundly, Alan emitting a soft whistle between his teeth. Smiling adoringly at his baby brother, Scott grabbed the blankets at the foot of the bed and covered John and Alan up before leaving the room. He didn't wish to disturb them if they were only just asleep. Perhaps a nap would mend the hurt and make the rest of the day bearable for Alan. Gently closing the door, Scott went back downstairs and located Gordon on the front porch swing with Virgil. Both boys were swinging back and forth slowly.

"So…care to explain what happened in greater detail now that Alan's asleep?" Scott asked as he looked upon his younger brother.

"It happened the same way it did when I told dad. Alan and I were at the park; Alan wanted to get on the swings and asked me to give him an underdog. I went ahead and we'd been playing for a while when a couple guys about my age approached us. One of them yelled to his friends that 'hey it was the charity case'. I defended Alan and told them they had the wrong person and they just laughed. They said they never forgot a face and that Alan was definitely the charity case from the newspaper." Gordon hung his head in shame. "I made Alan get off the swing and I was going to take him somewhere else in the park away from those jerks and they started insulting Alan to the point of making him cry."

Scott bristled as did Virgil at the recounting of what happened to Alan and Gordon when they were at the park. It was uncalled for what happened and if Scott had been there he'd have given those guys what for.

"I told Alan we were coming back here and we started to head back and those jerks kept calling after Alan despite him already crying openly. I turned around and told them to piss off and leave my little brother alone and immediately brought Alan back. He didn't really turn on the heavy waterworks until we came into the living room." Gordon said as his head dropped further. He was feeling like a poor excuse for an older brother for not having been able to protect Alan very good. A warm hand on his shoulder made the red head look up into the warm and caring eyes of Scott.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this. You did the best you could." Scott reassured.

"No I didn't. Maybe if I'd punched their lights out I could have gotten them to back off, but as it was I failed Alan and I failed you guys at protecting Alan." Gordon moaned as he scrubbed a hand down the side of his face.

"No you didn't. If you'd have punched their lights out, I can assure you that might have sent Alan in another one of his episodes." Gordon, Scott and Virgil turned at the new voice to see Stacy. She was carrying Sally on her hip, her black hair hanging down around her shoulders. She smiled sadly before walking forward and taking a seat on the front porch step. "Yelling isn't the only thing that can make Alan revert back – violence does it too."

"How do you know that?" Virgil asked softly, mildly aware that Jeremiah and Jeffery were peering around the door jamb.

"Because once I slapped Jeremiah, in front of Alan…during a game of charades mind you and Alan went off into his own little world – covered his ears, wailing about how he was a good boy. It scared all of us, because that was one of the first episodes any of us experienced with Alan. It took a glass of ice cold water in his face to bring him out of it." Stacy said as she played pat-a-cake with Sally. "That was probably the first, but not the last attack we'd bore witness to. Every other time he had an attack, it always involved either yelling – particularly from adult sounding voices or violence in some kind."

"You can't forget belts do it too." Jeremiah chimed in, stepping out on the porch to join Stacy on the stoop. "We got rid of all belts in this house the first time Alan dropped like a lead weight at the sound of a belt being run through the loops."

"Belts? Why?" Scott asked, afraid of the answer he might hear.

"Because Alan was beaten with them, Ray and occasionally his other foster parents would give him a lick with a belt if they didn't approve of something he was doing…but Ray ruined Alan. Beat the kid so hard he developed scars where the leather bit through his skin." Jeffery said before Stacy cleared her throat, trying to change the subject.

"That's why if we have baggy pants, we wear suspenders…so we aren't scaring Alan." Jeremiah said as he lifted the strap of one of the suspender loops.

"How bad was this Ray guy?" Scott asked, wishing he didn't have to know.

"The guy came from the depths of Hell, what more do you want me to say?" Stacy said as she stood up, going inside and slamming the screen door.

"Sorry about Stacy, she doesn't really like talking about Ray." Jeremiah said as he motioned to Jeffery to go check on Stacy.

"Why, I mean I can understand if she's pissed about him hurting Alan…but?" Virgil asked timidly.

"Because her father…he kind of knew him. Let him do some things he shouldn't have and Stacy got taken away when she tried to kill herself. She…has this bond…with Alan. You know? Both of them, indirectly and directly knew each other because of the same bastard…so Stacy feels very protective of Alan." Jeffery paused momentarily before he stood. "Excuse me."

Scott, Virgil and Gordon all sat in silence as what Jeffery said sunk in. Ray was lower than scum apparently. And it wasn't just Alan he'd harmed, but Devon, Stacy and who knows how many others. It was frightening to imagine.

… … … … … … …

Stacy stormed into the den and placed Sally in her playpen before running upstairs. Jeffery was downstairs calling for her, but Stacy refused to answer. She ran to her bedroom and locked the doors, a major no-no in the Wood's house considering all of them were either flight risks or troubled. Stacy fit into the category of troubled and she looked at herself in her mirror, despising what she saw. Her reflection showed a girl, lanky black hair, glasses, blue eyes. Removing the many bracelets she often wore, Stacy looked at her arms and the hundreds of scars that covered her arm.

If it hadn't been for Ray, for her dad…she might have been happy. But instead she'd been made miserable for two years of her life. She'd hated herself, wanted nothing more than to die and she'd almost succeeded, but the hospital discovered the bruises when they'd been stitching her arms after that last attempt. They'd brought in a psychologist and someone from the child welfare office and they'd talked to her about what happened. She'd explained everything and how happy she'd been when Ray had been locked away. She said she'd felt bad that another child suffered at Ray's hands as well, but at least he or she…they had the balls to call authorities while she just let it happen. She'd never forgive him for what he did to her, she'd die happy if he rotted in prison.

"Stacy?" The girl looked up at the meek voice and spun on her heel when she saw Alan, hiding behind her stuffed panda she kept on her bed. The boy looked positively sick and it tore at Stacy heart when it occurred to her that even in Alan's dreams – Ray was there, abusing him, beating him, neglecting him, hurting him in any way possible because he was just that kind of crazy. It didn't matter that he'd been locked up, placed in prison behind bars for the child abuse and murder of his wife. Ray was still haunting Alan's dreams and on occasions Stacy's as well.

"Come're kid." Stacy opened her arms to Alan and watched as Alan scrabbled off her bed and into her arms. Stacy's arms had been Alan's safe haven before he'd gone back to live with his biological family. Stacy hugged Alan tightly, hoping that her embrace would keep Alan safe, keep the nightmares at bay. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Alan needn't say anything. The tears glistening in his eyes as well as the catch in his breathing was enough to answer Stacy's question.

"We'll get through this kid, we've got to." Stacy said as she sank to the floor, Alan held tightly in her arms. She'd protect Alan fiercely, like a mama grizzly bear defending her cubs. Alan was still just a baby in her mind, regardless of him being three years younger than her.

… … … … … … …

Scott, Virgil and Gordon were left to wonder what the connection between Stacy and Alan was before coming to the conclusion that the only connection was their involvement with Ray. The man was apparently as deadly as a Black Mamba and both Alan and Stacy had survived whatever Hell they'd been put through.

As they continued to wonder what further connections Alan and Stacy had, they just barely heard the call for lunch time from Ms. Woods in the kitchen as well as John's urgent call for Alan.

… … … … … … …

John woke up almost an hour later, noticing the comforting weight of Alan in his arms was gone and the bed beside him was cold. He'd sat up hurriedly as his eyes scanned the room for his little brother. The bathroom door stood open and John hurried for the bathroom, the kid usually hurled a couple times after a particularly traumatizing nightmare but he found relief was non-existent when there had been no recent sign of Alan anywhere within the section of housing upstairs.

"Alan?" John padded out of the bathroom to quickly check beneath the bed as well as in Alan's closet. Those two places seemed to be Alan's main hiding spots when he got scared and nobody was there to comfort him. "Alan, come on…where are ya buddy?"

When there wasn't an answer, John felt his anxiety grow. Alan could usually and did usually answer him when John called for him. If the kid wasn't anywhere within his bedroom, he had to be somewhere within the house…right? Striding from Alan's room, John hurried downstairs to see if maybe Alan had gone down to get lunch. Sliding on socked feet around the corner, John came to a screeching halt as he took notice of Alan's continued absence.

"Guys? Where's Alan?" John asked, his voice quavering as his anxiety shot through the roof.

"Isn't he still taking a nap?" Jeff asked as he set down his coffee cup.

"No, he's gone. I don't know where he'd have gone." John said as he scanned every nook and cranny there was possible. This was like a dangerous game of Minesweeper to John.

"Have you checked the bathroom?" Scott asked before he even though of sitting down for lunch.

"Yes, I've checked Alan's room, his bathroom, beneath his bed and just about everywhere else and I can't find him anywhere!" John said with minor alarm.

"Jeremiah, have you seen Alan?" Pastor Woods who was helping to set the table for Ms. Woods.

"No, but he might have gotten up and be with Stacy and Jeffery…especially if he had a nightmare again." Jeremiah said as he gazed at the pastor.

"Wait, why would Alan have gone to Stacy or Jeffery if he'd had a nightmare, he's got John as his bodyguard." Gordon asked, the pit of worry in his gut growing just that little bit more.

Jeremiah looked at Pastor and Ms. Woods carefully before nodding silently.

"Because they know what it's like…to be beaten within an inch of your life." Jeremiah said as he gazed sadly at the table, the older brother instincts chastising him for not being better able to protect his own little brother especially from their dad. "John, do you remember…one thing we talked about after that landslide?"

John was taken aback by Jeremiah's question. Of course he'd remembered, but they'd talked about so much it was hard to figure out just what Jeremiah was getting on to.

"What about?"

"How Jeffery and I came to be fostered by the Wood's? Remember?" Jeremiah was referencing to one of the times they'd been trying to keep each other awake. Somehow they'd gotten onto the morbid topic of how they came to be involved with foster care.

"I barely remember, care to enlighten me?" John admitted, blushing in shame that he'd actually forgotten something they'd discussed during bouts of unconsciousness and consciousness while waiting for help to come.

… … … … … … …

John shifted with a grimace as his dislocated shoulder moved from where he'd placed it in the fashioned sling. Jeremiah had a hoodie tied about his waist and Jeffery took it to build John a sling so that he might be able to cradle his bum arm. He bit his lip as his back resisted the movement to keep from crying out as he tried to change positions of his legs so that Alan might rest comfortably against him. The younger boy had been in and out of consciousness and it was beginning to scare John how Alan seemed so out of it even when he was awake.

"How's your arm Jer?" Jeffery asked as he rummaged through his backpack for a bottle water to split between him, John, Jeremiah and Alan.

"It's okay. Hurts like a bitch but I bet nowhere near as bad as what dad did to you." Jeremiah mumbled incoherently. The pain was making him delirious and he was finding it hard to remember where he was, who he was with just what the hell happened to him. "Did dad get drunk again?"

"No, we don't live with dad anymore…remember? We've been living with the Pastor and his wife for the last few years." Jeffery said as he pillowed Jeremiah's head against his own lap.

"What's he talking about Jeffery?" John asked softly, taking to stroking Alan's hair delicately.

"Our past." Jeffery said, not wishing to open that can of worms any further. "It's a long story."

"I have more than enough time if you want to explain." John said as he lifted the hand tenderly stroking Alan's bruised face to gesture at the situation they were in. "We've got a while until rescue crews show up."

Jeffery had never hated his older brother more than that moment.

… … … … … … …

"Anyway, long story short…our father came home drunk. Found that Jeffery and I had missed the bus to go to school and he flipped out. He grabbed Jeffery and broke his arm with how hard he grabbed my brother. Jeffery began crying and begging dad to let him go and dad just got angrier." Jeremiah said, tears slowly building in his own eyes as he remembered the last time their father had beat either of them.

Pastor and Ms. Woods placed sympathetic hands on the boy's shoulder but he continued on.

"Dad said, if you don't quit crying…I'll give you something to cry about. And when Jeffery kept crying, dad threw him on the floor and began to beat the Hell out of him. He gave me a licking too when I tried to save Jeffery but I was too little. When dad finally quit, there was so much blood and Jeffery was so still – I was afraid he'd killed Jeffery. Dad left and I was left holding Jeffery, begging him to wake up. Then our neighbor who'd taken a liking to us came over and he and his wife rushed me and Jeffery to the hospital when they found us. CPS was called and the neighbor came over to visit the both of us until it was certain we were going into foster care. About a year later we were placed with mom and dad and haven't looked back." Jeremiah sniffled as he finished retelling the harrowing experience with his and his brother's own abuser.

"What about your biological mom? Didn't she ever try to stop your dad?" Gordon asked timidly.

"No, Jeffery and I found her not long ago…maybe two years ago and she was in a rehab center for cocaine. Told the both of us that she never wanted either of us because of how we were conceived and that was why she'd turned to hard drugs." Jeremiah said a cold look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Gordon said thinking nobody should ever have to be abandoned by a parent let alone abused by one also.

"Don't be. They're not my mom and dad…by blood maybe but my real mom and dad are Pastor and Ms. Woods. They showed Jeffery and I love and compassion and raised us to tell right from wrong. Even if we don't always follow their lessons, for the most part we mean well." Jeremiah said before excusing himself from the table. "I'm going to go see if I can find the munchkins."

"You'll have to excuse Jeremiah, recounting the abuse can be difficult for him and his brother." Pastor Woods said softly. He felt bad for all the children he'd ever taken into his home, but usually they all got better and never let what happened to them in the past dictate their futures. Alan, Stacy, Jeffery and Jeremiah – even Sally were all welcomed into his home with he and his wife.

"Dad, do you have the key to Stacy's room? She locked the door." Jeremiah asked as he strode into the kitchen, worry on his face that Stacy was breaking one of the rules in the Pastor's house.

"Not again." Pastor Woods stood up and removed the key to Stacy's room from the hook and handed it to Jeremiah. "Here you go son. Yell if you need help."

Jeremiah nodded before leaving the room; as Pastor Woods sat back down to finish the rest of his meal.

… … … … … … …

Jeremiah put the key into the lock and slowly turned the knob. What he found wasn't even remotely worrying. Stacy was sound asleep on her bed, Alan pulled tight into her arms and Jeffery who'd gotten into the room somehow and was asleep leaning against the foot of Stacy's bed. Shaking his head to himself, Jeremiah removed the key and went into the room. Stepping up to the bed, Jeremiah woke the three of them with promises of food.

"Hey guys, lunch is done."

The three of them stirred and one by one they each woke up.

Jeremiah grinned as three sets of eyes glared up at him groggily. Gently shaking each individual person from their personal stupor he repeated his earlier statement to them.

"Wakie-Wakie…lunch is done."

"Heard ou the first time." Jeffery groaned as he stretched like a cat. Jeremiah smiled fondly at his little brother, glad that he had been okay and glad that the both of them were out from under their father's iron fist.

"Then? Come on, get up and out of bed you old lazy bones." Jeremiah goaded his little brother into sitting up.

"You're older th'n me." Jeffery grumbled as he sat up from his impromptu nap. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, he just sat down on Stacy's bed – comforting and talking to Alan like he and Stacy often did together and the three of them fell asleep. He had to admit, he felt refreshed.

"Yeah, I'm older by a couple minutes. But seriously if you three don't come down and eat, I'll eat it all myself." Jeremiah coaxed before pulling Alan and Stacy's hands to force them to sit up. The three of them yawned and crawled off Stacy's bed before following Jeremiah down the stairs.

"Hey there you guys are." Pastor Woods spoke as he noticed the sleep ridden faces of the three kids. "Have a nice nap you three?"

Three groggy nods answered back, that and a growling stomach. Pastor Woods heard the growling stomach and chuckled softly. "Come on kids, come sit down and have a bite."

Ms. Woods stood to retrieve a couple plates, before she dished out the food and served the three kids that sat at the table rubbing their eyes sleepily. "Tuck in kids."

Alan lifted his fork and speared the sausage and macaroni and cheese. Taking a small bite, Alan supported his head on his fist as he tried to stay awake. He still felt tired and he knew it was the many weeks of improper sleep he'd been getting.

"So Alan, how about after lunch how about you, your dad and I go out for a stroll with Sally? You know she likes going around the block in her stroller." Pastor Woods said in offer to go out try a trust exercise with Alan and Jeff. He tilted his head in question when Alan shook his head. "Why not son?"

Alan mumbled quietly, not wishing to be heard. He kept his head down his eyes staring mournfully at the food on his plate.

"Alan, look at me please." Pastor Woods softly commanded, making the boy look up timidly. "You will be with your father and I…we won't let anyone bother you. And besides, don't you want to go out while it's nice and cool to check out the preparations in town for the Fourth of July fair?"

Alan stuck out his bottom lip as he looked back down at his macaroni and cheese. He did want to go to check out the set-up of the Fourth of July fair, but that was at the park and it was at the park where he was called a charity case and teased by the older kids.

"Alan, rest assured your father and I will not let anyone bother you. This is just going to be a day for the four of us…you, me, your dad and Sally." Pastor Woods coaxed, trying to get Alan to agree to come out with him and Jeff. The boy needed to learn to trust his father and to do that, they needed to put Alan in situations where he had to rely on his father to be of help. It was how they'd gotten Alan to trust the pastor and his family.

"Promise?" Alan asked timidly as he lifted his gaze to see his dad and Pastor Woods nod.

"We promise Alan…no harm will come to you nor will we let anyone bother you." Jeff said which was echoed by Pastor Woods.

"Okay…" Alan said softly before pushing his plate away and excusing himself from the table. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Everyone just sat there mutely, disbelief that Alan had not only agreed to go somewhere with two adult men, but had also just left a plate full of food to get cold and inedible. Ms. Woods cleared her throat before she removed Alan's plate from the table.

"I'll just put this away for him for now. I'm sure he'll be hungry again in a little while."

John moved to get up, but a hand on his arm made him pause. One look over told him that Jeremiah had stopped him and with a nearly imperceptible shake of the head, John settled back in his seat – dutifully finishing his lunch.

… … … … … … …

Alan entered his old bedroom and closed the door silently, before pressing himself against said door. He exhaled a shaky breath. He didn't want to go out, but he knew this was something the pastor had done with him a while back when he'd first come to their home.

Tightening his fist just enough, Alan swallowed deeply the tears that wanted to be released. Instead he bowed his head before he determined that this was something he needed to do. He had to do this, no matter how scared he was. It was the least he could do for causing pain and problems in his dad's family. Ray's voice echoed around in his head before Alan shook his head sharply.

'Leave me alone!' Alan covered his ears to block the voices floating around in his head. It wasn't just Ray's voice in his head, but some of his other foster parents.

AN: So I know I said I might post every now and again but 18 credits was way too much, I dropped one of the 5 credit classes and am now back down to 12 credits *whew*, the romance I mentioned in my last author's note has become almost something kind of frightening and I broke it off with him before we even got started now if only he'd leave me alone (in other news I will be posting more as with the lesser course load I have more time now for writing...do i hear applause, whoops and hollers? Okay, nothing from the peanut gallery? Okay time to go crawl under a rock and split time between homework and writing.

You can expect to see me on here every now and again, but since I got such awesome reviews last time; I'll be nice and post a chapter. Also, I will be keeping the poll open until the first of February. So anyone who hasn't voted, you can find the poll on my account home page.

Ya'll are the awesomest of awesome and I love your reviews, they make my day better and my smile surface from non-existent to existent.