Finding a Home Chapter 13, a four brothers fanfic

Here's the deal…There are going to be times when jack is scared of the mercer's but there are going to be times when he isn't. I figured he wouldn't have ended up there if he wasn't a handful in more than the "scared" way. I mean he is supposed to go to a place for the emotionally disturbed but not just because he is scared, also because he has severe anger issues.

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Chapter 13

Jack started walking down the street, he had no clue where he was going and he didn't care. With any luck he would get lost, everyone would forget about him and he could live the rest of his life on the streets. He was kicking at the snow, since there was nothing else to kick or hit. I hate everyone, I hate the Johns, I hate CPS, I hate my parents, I hate myself, I hate Skyler for not knowing how to fight for herself. After Jack thought that he cursed himself and recanted I don't hate Skyler, I could never hate her, and she is the only person that I will ever have, even if she isn't here. If she hadn't been with me all these years I would have given up. I need her. He kicked at more snow. I have been selfish with her though. I should have let her go. I should have called the cops long ago. Everyone knows little tiny kids have a better chance of finding families. I was scared though, I didn't want to be alone. He stopped walking and looked around. He had obviously gone a long way because all the houses were behind him and he was standing across the street from a liquor store. He shrugged his shoulders and continued walking. I can't mourn Skyler anymore, she is gone. They will never give her back. Dad told me this would happen. He told me no one in their right mind would keep us together. He flinched at the memory. From now on, I don't have a sister, I have no one, I am all alone. Jack the loner. He felt tears coming to his eyes at the prospect, he thought he had come to terms with this decision when he first made it in the restaurant, but it still brought him pain. Letting go of Skyler was hard because in a way it was like letting go of a part of him, without that part of him what was there to live for?

Jack was pulled out of his reverie by a tap on the shoulder, he flinched inwardly, thinking it would be some perverted man asking him for his "time", but was surprised and a bit angry to see Bobby.

Bobby put his hands up, indicating he "came in peace', "look, sorry if I pissed you of or frightened you back there, I didn't mean to, Jerry and ma are always telling me I need to learn some social skills."

Jack looked up at this kid, who was always trying to act like an adult, as if he was an imbecile.

"Look, I-uh- the Johns, they are good people and I know what you heard must have sucked and all that, but Ma explained the circumstances to us and the Johns are just trying to do what is best by you."

Right Jack thought dismissively, and then he started walking away from bobby. They send a Marky Mark impersonator to give me advice.

"AH kid come on don't walk away from me, I am not that bad."

Jack stopped. "Okay." He finally said.

"Look, I don't know how long you have been in the foster care system, but before I met ma I had been in it for years, what I am trying to say is the Johns want you to find a family and my Ma will do that for you. Hell, we may become your new family and if not, Ma will make sure you don't go to anymore shitty homes."

Jack looked at Bobby Skeptically and raised an eyebrow "Seriously?" it was all he could say, this boy wanted him to believe that some woman had his best interest at heart, that deserved a laugh and Jack probably would have laughed if he weren't so busy trying to force himself to give up Skyler.

Bobby raised his eyebrow at the kid. Ballsy kid. He had met him a while ago when he had played a hockey game with Ryan, the kid seemed afraid of his own shadow, now he seemed like he wasn't afraid of anything. "Yeah seriously, Ma is a great woman, the best damn woman I know, she listens and she doesn't lay a hand on you, not even when she is pissed at you." Bobby smiled. He had a lot of experience with the last part. He had done and still did a lot of stupid shit, Evelyn would yell at him, give him the silent treatment or the worst possible one, look at him with disappointment, but she had never once hit him.

Jack sighed. "So what, I am supposed to go live with you and that lady and those black boys?"

"Those black boys are my brothers and they have names, Jeremiah and Angel, and yes, eventually, if CPS will let you, you will come live with us. Of course, given the way you acted ma will want to make sure you want to live with us."

Jack shrugged his shoulders "Whatever. Now what? You take me back to that house and all the adults yell at me?"

Bobby laughed "I don't know kid. The Johns feel bad, Ma feels even worse, they will probably be glad as hell you decided to come back. You are coming back then?"

Jack shook his head. "It's better than being homeless I guess."

"Follow me then kid."

"I have a name you know." Jack said slowly.

"Yeah I know, but every time I use it you flinch."

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As Jack was following Bobby he thought about what Bobby had said. He never knew he flinched; it wasn't as if he did it on purpose. Why do I flinch? Probably because Bobby has an extremely deep voice just like my dad, no matter how hard I try I always look like a puss. No wonder dad always treated me like shit, who wants a pussy for a son? Jack then began panicking about the way he had treated Bobby. Sometimes when he got angry, lately anyway, he would say and act in ways that he shouldn't. Bobby didn't seem to mind too much but hell he could just be bidding his time, waiting for a time to strike.

Jack started getting very antsy, he messed up, he shouldn't have had an outburst; Bobby could say that everyone would act cool but people lie. He started walking slower and slower but it did nothing, they got back to the Mercer house in five minutes flat, obviously he hadn't traveled all that far. They entered the house and the warmth was a plus to returning. Probably the only good thing?

"Ma, Mr, and Mrs. Johns, he's back." Reflexively Jack hid behind Bobby, in all reality Bobby would probably turn him over once the adults entered the room but hell, he was the only substantial thing to hide behind. Besides, outside he had treated him decently. He could have been playing you boy, so don't get to trusting.

Evelyn Mercer was the first one to meet them and she had a warm smile on her face but it was etched with worry. The Johns were not far behind and their faces looked even more troubled than Evelyn's. When the adults entered Bobby stepped aside but he didn't leave Jack's side completely he obviously knew that Jack felt some level of comfort with him.

"Jack," Evelyn said "we are so glad you came back." Jack nodded his head. "We didn't mean to upset you. The John's wanted to talk to me first and then we were going to talk to you; given the circumstances, maybe we should have talked to you first. We are sorry."

Jack looked at this woman, she had extremely kind blue eyes, and he really wanted to believe that she was being sincere. He looked at the John's too and he could see the concern in their eyes too. But how do I know if it is real?

Evelyn started talking again "We were just talking about the fact that CPS feels that over the past six month's you have not progressed any and they want to send you to one of the rehabilitation centers for children. The John's don't think this is right so they thought CPS would give you another chance if you came with me; I have been known for rehabilitating those that are beyond help." She said this with a twinkle in her eye and looked towards Bobby.

Jack didn't know what to say or do. He had no clue what a rehabilitation center for kids was but the man from the movie radio kept flashing before his eyes(I mentioned this movie in an earlier chappie, I know the movie does not fit in to this timeline but I couldn't think of any other movie to use). He definitely did not want to be stuck around a bunch of those kids, I may be angry but I am not mentally challenged. "I don't want to be put into a rehabilitation center." He finally stated.

Evelyn looked at him with a smile. "That solves all that then. I promise you I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't have to go to one." Evelyn knew she should say something along the lines of 'I will do everything in my power to help you but sometimes CPS doesn't listen" but she couldn't bring herself to tell this boy anything other than what she had.

"Why can't I stay with the John's?"

Evelyn looked at him intensely as if she were searching for something deep within him. He began to squirm under her gaze and then she began to talk. "You like the John's?" Jack nodded his head, uncertainly, in agreement. "I thought so. You know they are moving?" Jack nodded his head again, remembering what Dr. Allen had told him. "Yeah, well, right now they live a couple miles from us, not even walking distance at least for Harmony and you but they are moving pretty close to us, they seem to think that this neighborhood is a better place to raise their kids." She smiled at this, of course, the John's were right. The area they were living in was no place to raise kids, well their remaining kids, but moving around here was not going to be an answer to their problems. "So, when they move, if you are living here by then, you can go visit them all the time. I am sure they would like that." The John's nodded their heads in agreement.

Jack knew Evelyn was evading his question but he didn't know why; what didn't she want to tell him? Couldn't the John's just ask CPS to evaluate him and prove that he was stable enough to continue living with them? If CPS would approve of him living with Miss. Mercer, why wouldn't they approve of him continuing on with the John's? "Why can't I stay with the John's Jack asked again?" He knew he sounded like a sniveling brat but he didn't want to move again and moving in with a bunch of older boys seemed quite disastrous.

"I guess nothing gets passed you huh?" Evelyn said with a smirk. "The thing is, CPS doesn't think that the John's are capable of taking care of you. However, we think that CPS might be willing to give me a shot, but, if you don't want to come live with me we can figure something else out." Evelyn saw a look of confusion flash through Jack's face and her heart went out to him. She, herself, could become confused by CPS and their rules. Everyone knew that some kid's took longer to adjust and in her opinion six month's was not nearly enough time to adjust; but according to the John's, CPS was concerned over the fact that Jack's behavior was becoming worse instead of better. Since arriving at the John's his anger had enhanced and he talked very little. CPS couldn't allow that.

Jack thought about this for a minute. He didn't really want to change houses but obviously he did not have a choice and this lady seemed nice enough, if things got too bad he could figure it out from there couldn't he? "I-I if I can I think I will come stay with you."

Evelyn clapped her hands together gleefully and smiled "I am so happy. Aren't you excited Bobby?"

Jack, who had forgotten Bobby, looked over at the young man. "Gee ma I don't know another Jarhead running around the place, I don't know if I can handle that." He said it with extreme seriousness but he had a twinkle in his eye that let Jack know he was just joking.

"Oh Bobby, be nice." Evelyn said, admonishing him.

Jack went home with the John's that night and Evelyn Mercer told them all that she would call them with news on what CPS had to say.

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Evelyn Mercer woke early the next morning. If she wanted to talk Walt, the supervisor of CPS, into letting Jack stay with her she would have to get to the office early. She needed to review Jack's case and get an idea of what she was up against. Since it was so early in the morning, 5:00 am, she decided not to wake the boys; she would call them at 7:30 and make sure they made it up for school.

Once she had dressed and made herself a cup of coffee she hurried out the door. Walt was, at times, a hard guy to convince so she needed to have good arguments and lots of time. CPS had barely informed the John's of their plan to remove Jack so that gave her a month, at least, to persuade him. When a child was not an immediate danger CPS usually did not remove them extremely fast.

Evelyn drove downtown, the music blaring in her car, she made it to her office in record time but it was pretty early, traffic didn't usually get bad until 6:30. She jumped out of her car and walked briskly to the front doors. At this hour no one would be around and it was a little creepWalt was, at times, a hard guy to convince so she needed to have good arguments and lots of time. CPS had barely informed the John's of their plan to remove Jack so that gave her a month, at least, to persuade him. When a child was not an immediate danger CPS usually did not remove them extremely fast.

CPS headquarters was a decent sized building, it was a bland building: consisting of cement with a few windows thrown in. Since she was arriving so early she knew she would have to use her key to unlock the door; so she grabbed it out of her purse before she made it to the door. Nothing like be prepared. Evelyn Mercer was not one to be frightened but she knew that certain precautions should be taken, such as taking her key out before reaching the door so her attention would be focused on her surroundings instead of finding the damn key. You never wanted to live or work in a "shabby" area and not take precautions.

Evelyn unlocked the front double-doors and then locked them which was policy if you arrived before 7:30 in the morning. She took the stairs two at a time and made it, somewhat breathlessly, to her desk at 6:00am. Good timing, gives me about two hours to get to know Jack's case better and hopefully in learning about him I will get some insight on how to work with him and get him to trust me.

Evelyn was the type of person that did not look at a kids file and think "I know this child like the back of my hand" because the bad things that happen to a child or a person for that matter do not define them. However, whenever she took in a child she liked to look at their background because she believed that if she knew some of the awful things that had happened to them than she might be able to communicate with them better. For example, a kid who had been locked in a closet or basement probably would not like sleeping in the dark and a kid who had been neglected by their parent might not understand certain gestures or body language: a hug, a hand shake, shrugging of the shoulders. In that case Evelyn would help the child start to understand or get the child, who might be afraid of the dark, a night light.

People told Evelyn that she got too involved and that reading the extra files (kids she decided to take in) must get to her. She never knew what the right response to that was. How did she explain that reading the files on kids she decided to foster was horrible and hurt her heart but she felt it was her obligations to do it? So that she could better help them and get them to trust her. In reality she never understood the foster parents who decided not to read the case files (the John's for example). Some people were content with listening to the Social Worker assigned to the child's case but that was not enough for Evelyn.

Evelyn had asked for Jack's file yesterday before she left to go home. Abby had called and told her there was a child that "needed her" and of course Evelyn had taken the 'bait". So when she arrived at her desk there was a decent sized file on her desk with the name Kramer, Jack.

She pulled her chair out, sat down, got as comfortable as possible and started reading.

The file contained horrible things, nothing she hadn't come across before, but still horrible:

Young boy, Nine years old, Jack Kramer, had bruises all over his body and after x-ray's it was apparent that he had some healed broken bones. We cannot at this time determine that the broken bones were caused by his parents but that will be looked into. After a medical exam the doctor was able to determine that Jack suffered from sexual abuse, due to the damage the doctor noted the sexual assault occurred more than five times but we cannot determine exactly how many times. We tried talking to the boy but he would not speak about his parents. He seemed confused, scared, and worried.

The first part contained medical jargon, the noted, observable, immediate medical effects of the abuse. The next part went on to explain how CPS found out about the children:

CPS had gotten many calls from neighbors complaining about the Kramer parents but whenever we went out everything seemed up to par so there was not much for us to do. November 1, the police received a call from a young boy, Jack, claiming that his sister was being hurt.

Oh god, Evelyn thought wearily, Jack has a sister. The John's hadn't mentioned anything about this; they had said that Jack had been removed from his last foster home because he had become very violent. Could his sister be the cause of his distress?

The police arrived on the scene and noted that a 'wild' party was taking place. They entered the premises and went to find the boy who had made the call while the other officer went to look for the boy's sister. The officer who went to find the sister was shocked to find a man committing sexual acts with the little girl, who was very unresponsive "Almost like she had disappeared into her own world". The man was detained and explained that he had paid for the 'service' of the child.

Evelyn was shocked, how horrible, but why did they separate the kids? She read some more and learned that Johanna had been their Social Worker. What a great woman. Evelyn mused over this for a minute, Johanna had suffered a terrible loss, she had recently married and not long after her marriage her and her husband had been in a terrible car accident. He had died and she had decided to take a sabbatical but, luckily, she had returned. Then she got to the part about the kids being separated:

Jack and Skyler seemed to be very close and they seemed to have a healthy relationship. We had no problem keeping them together, that is CPS's goal in the end, but after being with the Matter's family for some time there was an incident where Jack attacked his sister and Michael, the youngest Matter son, the incident was a bad one and we decided it was best to separate the kids.

This didn't seem right to Evelyn; of course, it was not unusual for kids to get angry at one of their siblings in situations like this and start abusing them but something did not feel right about it. Evelyn jotted down the names of the Social Workers who had been assigned to the kids after Johanna, Mark Rogers (I don't remember if I gave him a last name in my earlier chappie but I couldn't find it) and Maria Gonzalez. She smiled at Marks name, he was a good kid, he really wanted to help the kids he came across and for the most part he did, you could not save them all and he knew that but he never went into a case thinking it was impossible. However, Maria's name made her cringe, she was the type of person that the job had gotten to and who had grown cold. She did the job because she had no other choice; when you have three mouths to feed what else are you to do? She quit caring about the kids long ago and did whatever CPS told her; never questioning and never fighting for the kids.

Skyler had been given Maria which was a plus for Jack but not so good for Skyler. The only reason Maria's name was in the file was because after she had placed Skyler she made an official report in Jack's file stating that she believed "The two kids should not be reunited. Jack has a negative effect on his sister and makes her do whatever he wants. Skyler needs to learn to do things for herself and if she is under the same roof as Jack this cannot and will not take place." This didn't seem right to Evelyn, they hadn't even evaluated the two kids to see what their relationship was really like and yet they still separated them? She definitely needed to talk to Johanna and Mark and see what they had to say.

She looked up from her desk and realized that it was 7:45. I didn't call the boys, it was too late to call them now because they would be at school or they should be. People had already began filing into the office but no one had bothered saying hello; this didn't bug her in the least because if anyone would have tried bugging her they would have gotten the silent treatment or a simple 'shh'.

She needed to talk Walt into letting Jack stay with her and she also knew that she need to talk him into reuniting Skyler and Jack. However, she didn't want to overwhelm Walt because then he would say no to both things and that would leave Jack even worse off. I'll talk him into letting Jack live with me and then I will talk to him about a reunion later on.

When 8:00 came around Evelyn walked to Walt's office, knocked lightly, got the usual 'come on in', and entered. When Walt saw Evelyn he smiled warmly and motioned for her to sit down. Evelyn did just that.

"So, Evelyn what do you want to talk to me about so early in the morning?" Walt was used to talking to his workers but he knew, due to the fact that when he came to work Evelyn was already examining a case, that Evelyn had a bone, of some sort, to pick with him.

Evelyn smiled warmly, "I want to talk to you about Jack Kramer." She immediately put Jack's file on Walt's desk. Walt didn't even glance at it, obviously he knew the case. "The boy does not need to go to a rehabilitation center."

"Evelyn, the Johns are not helping him and the truth of the matter is that no other foster family is willing to take him. We can't place him somewhere that is not appropriate and the families that are good at dealing with him cannot or will not take him. We did not come to this decision on a whim. He has nowhere else to go."

"He can't stay with the John's? The boy seems to like them and they like him."

Walt shook his head. "No he can't, like I said, the John's are not helping him. I am sure you went over his file and I am sure you noticed that his behavior has not improved any, if anything it has gotten worse. He is uncooperative, he is angry and impulsive."

Evelyn nodded her head, she had seen all those types of notes in Jack's file. "Maybe he is acting that way because we separated him from his younger sister." She said it a bit angrily.

Walt flinched a bit at this and nodded his head. "We separated them when they had the little dispute to keep the girl safe and Maria filed the paper saying it was best for them to stay apart."

Evelyn snorted out her disgust. "You know as well as I do that Maria does not really take into consideration what her clients need. I think you need to reconsider this whole separation thing." Walt was ready to protest but Evelyn stopped him. "I don't want to fight about this right now. You said Jack has nowhere else to go except to the rehabilitation center and I disagree with you, I will take him. I was going to try and get you to let him stay with the John's but obviously that is not an option so I want him to stay with me."

Walt looked at Evelyn for a minute without saying anything. "Fine, but it is a trial basis. This kid needs to show some type of improvement. You know, the D.A. is giving us shit because neither of the kids has been prepared for the trial against their parents?"

"Well, the file said that the grand jury indicted both parents and the preliminary is in six months, so they have time. Let me take Jack and he will be prepared for the trial. I will make sure of it. This boy needs a place where he feels safe and loved. I think the John's could provide that for him but it will take time and obviously you don't have it. Let him stay with me and my boys and I know we will be able to prepare him and make him realize that he is loved."

Walt nodded his head in agreement. "Fine, but like I said a trial basis but if he does not show improvement in six months he has to go to the rehabilitation center."

Evelyn nodded her head in understanding, walked to her desk and made the call to the John's.

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One week later:

Jack was standing in front of the Mercer house once again and a feeling of deep anxiety was surging through his body. What if the three boys were really cruel? What if Ms. Mercer was cruel? What if, what if, what if, he finally sighed. He did not have the luxury to think about the what if's, he had to think about the facts. The facts that had presented themselves so far were that Evelyn was a decent woman and her boys hadn't laid a hand on him the few times he had run into them. If anything else was going to happen he would have to deal with it then.

The Johns getting his things out of their trunk, they had told him to go in but he was a bit reluctant. Finally he made his way into the house there was no way to avoid the inevitable. He walked up the steps and was greeted by Ms. Mercer's warm smile. "Hi Jack, how are you?'

Jack nodded his head indicating he was okay.

"That's good," Ms. Mercer said. "CPS, the Johns and I decided that this was a good decision. Mark, your social worker, will be here later to check up on u?'

Jack nodded his head indicating he was okay.

"That's good," Ms. Mercer said. "CPS, the Johns and I decided that this was a good decision. Mark, your social worker, will be here later to check up on you and make sure that you have settled in okay."

Jack nodded his head again. He didn't feel like talking, in fact, if he were forced to talk he would probably throw up. A feeling of unease had washed over him and it was causing his stomach to hurt. This was definitely way to good to be true and as soon as the John's left Ms. Mercer would throw him in a closet or in the garage or some other dark place to teach him who was boss. Oh well, if she does that I will run away, I don't ever want to be treated badly again. Over the past couple of month's Jack had come to some conclusions about his life, he may be a horrible child and he may deserve punishment but that didn't matter anymore, he would never let anyone hurt him again, he would fight for his life and dignity. He would never ever cower again.

Evelyn ushered Jack to follow her inside. He did so reluctantly, looking back at the John's and seeing if they were on their way in as well. His observations showed him that the John's were by the car talking silently, obviously they were trying to give him and Evelyn some privacy. He sighed in frustration and made his way inside.

Evelyn shut the door behind them and walked towards the kitchen, she didn't say whether or not he should follow but he didn't want to go exploring and get in trouble so he followed her, silently, to the kitchen.

"Jack," She said soothingly. "I wanted to talk to you alone about some things."

Here's the part where she tells me I am worthless and she only took me in because I had nowhere else to go. He stared her down and then nodded his head in understanding. Evelyn noted that his demeanor had changed dramatically before going on. "I just wanted to tell you that I am glad to have you here. I know that you have gone through a lot but I promise that you are safe here and you can stay here as long as you want." He wasn't looking at her; his eyes were focused on the floor. "Jack, please look at me," He did so reluctantly, "No one is going to hurt you ever again. I know you have trouble believing me but I promise you that much."

Jack nodded his head but he didn't truly believe it. He was also cursing himself for being such a wussy, why couldn't he listen to people without cowering and worrying that they were going to yell, hit or degrade him in some other way? So much for my resolution to never cower again.

Evelyn smiled and continued "The boys will be home soon, so you can either wait to see your new room till then or we can look at it now."

Jack was frozen to the spot, what is the right answer? "I want to- I want whatever you think is best."

Evelyn smiled. This boy was going to be a tough one. He tried to appear tough and in control of everything but he wasn't. He was definitely strong in certain way, dealing with everything he had been through, but he was falling apart, scared and not in control. Just from the short time she had been around him she knew that he did not have control over his emotions and that was definitely a problem. However, what could a person expect? When a child goes through such hard things they learn that their emotions do not matter and they lose control over their emotions. "Well, I think it would be a good idea for you to get a look at your room. You will be sharing with Angel. Bobby and Jerry share a room as well. We have an extra room but I like to use it for the emergency placements."

Jack nodded and followed Evelyn up the stairs. "Also, I thought, before you get situated you should know the rules."

Jack nodded his head but realized that Ms. Mercer couldn't see the movement so he said "okay."

"My rules are pretty simple. If you want to go out you need to let me know. You can come to me no matter what and I will listen to you and try to help and lastly no lying."

Jack nodded his head, pretty easy?"Okay.'

"Good, no one seems to have trouble following those rules and I think you will be excellent at following them, you seem like a nice boy."

Jack wanted to laugh at this, how could he be a nice boy? He was a horrible child just like his parents had told him repeatedly. He was responsible for his sister and him being separated and he would be responsible for anything that happened to his sister since all this stuff had occurred. He was responsible for what happened in the ally that night months ago and he would be responsible for anything else that happened to her in his absence.

They made it to the room that he would be sharing with Angel and he cringed. It was a small room with a bunk bed a desk and a closet. How was he supposed to share a room with someone in such small quarters? He also wondered what bed he would get the top or the bottom. He hated heights and even though the bed wasn't that high off the ground it was enough to freak him out.

He looked at Evelyn sheepishly "Which one do I take? Top or bottom?"

Evelyn stared back at him "Angel has the bottom but if that is a problem I am sure he can change to the top."

Jack suppressed a cry. He couldn't ask someone he didn't know if it would be alright for him to take the bottom. That would imply one of two things; it would either imply that he was a wussy who couldn't deal with heights or it would imply that he expected to be catered to. "I- the top is okay." He practically whispered it and he saw Evelyn look at him skeptically but she didn't say anything.

"Well, you want to come help me with dinner? The John's will bring your stuff up here and the boys will be home eventually. If you want you can stay up here and rest or you could come downstairs and watch a movie."

"I- can I help you cook?" Jack liked cooking. He used to make things for Skyler when they would be left at home by their parents. He was a little worried about helping Ms. Mercer but he missed cooking and decided to take a chance.

Ms. Mercer smiled. "Of course you can, it's spaghetti night tonight."

Jack smiled at Ms. Mercer. Spaghetti had been Skyler's favorite meal. Whenever Skyler and him would go to their Grandpa's he would cook it for them. That was, of course, before grandpa had abandoned them.

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Jack and Evelyn began cooking, the John's dropped Jack's stuff off in his new room and said their goodbyes and Evelyn's three sons' came home. Jack tensed a bit when he heard the boys come in but Evelyn put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, smiled and motioned for him to continue with what he was doing.

A few minutes later Bobby, Angel, and Jeremiah came into the kitchen. "Need any help?" Jeremiah asked.

Evelyn looked at her son with a smile on her face. "No, I think Jack and I are fine here. Why don't you boys go watch some television and I will call you when dinner is done."

All three boys nodded their heads and left. "Jack," Evelyn said. "If you want you can go watch television with the boys."

Jack was surprised by this. Why was this woman making it appear as if he had a choice in what he did? The John's were similar to this woman but they still made him do things because they thought it was best, not because he thought it was best.

Jack nodded his head. He would prefer staying in the kitchen with this woman who seemed to care about what he wanted. If he went and watched T.V. with the boys, they might do something to him that would make him hate living there and at the moment, he was happy with his housing and he wanted to hang on to that happiness a little while longer.

Jack knew it was stupid to feel safe because sooner or later that safety would go away, but he couldn't help it, as much as he tried to tell himself it was fake, there was something about this place and this woman that made him feel good inside. It was a goodness he hadn't felt in a long time, not since Skyler had been ripped away. Stupid boy, you are going to get hurt sooner and later. This woman doesn't care and sooner or later you will be hurt and then you will feel like a dumbass. How could you let yourself fall for all this Bullshit? You must be losing your mind. Jack shook of his thoughts and started bringing the food to the kitchen table like Ms. Mercer had directed.

Once everything was done, she called the boys to the dining room; once everyone had gathered they all stood and said grace and then began stocking their plates with food. Jack was a little nervous about this because he didn't want to take too much and get into trouble. He remembered how his own father was about food, only allowing them to eat small portions; it was his father's way of reiterating that he had control of their life, essentially he had control of whether or not they lived or died. Jack decided the best course of action would be taking only a small portion; that way he could ensure that he wouldn't get into trouble. Hopefully.

He took a small amount of food and passed the bowl on to the next person, Jeremiah, he took the bowl of spaghetti from Jack and started piling some on his plate. Jeremiah then looked down at Jack's plate and sighed. "You're gonna want more of Ma's spaghetti, it's the best spaghetti out there." Jeremiah than put a huge pile of the spaghetti on Jack's plate.

Jack looked at the plate with trepidation; Jeremiah had put more food on his plate so it must be okay to eat it but what if Ms. Mercer got angry? Jack didn't mull over this too much though, looking at the delicious food made his stomach growl and he realized that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Since coming to the foster homes his appetite had grown and his ability to go without food for long periods of time had diminished as well, if he didn't eat at least some of the heaping plate of food he would end up getting sick. Weird as that might sound, given the fact he used to go days without food, it was true; it was as if his body was rebelling and was not going to allow itself to go hungry again. Finally he took a bite of the spaghetti and the fusion of garlic, tomato and basil was like nothing he had ever tasted before. He ended up eating the whole plate of food and then some. The funny thing was, no one got mad at him for 'pigging out' or 'hogging' all the food. If anything, they encouraged him to eat as much food as he wanted.

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After dinner the group watched television, it was an interesting show but Jack was exhausted and ended up falling asleep. Jack wasn't one to dream but that night he did. His dream was about his father and a time when he had been 'bad'. The dream was blurry and skipped from scene to scene but it still seemed so real; the fear and anger were so real that it truly felt as though he was back in his father's hands. His dream father was coming at him with a belt and dream Jack was trying to scream for help and trying to run away but to no avail. When his dream father started hitting him with the buckle end of the belt Jack woke up.

Jack was shaking uncontrollably and he realized he was in a foreign room and it was dark. Where am I? He couldn't remember where he was, at first he thought he was still at the John's but something didn't seem right; the bed he was in was different. Jack moved around restlessly and then decided to get out of bed, however when he went to get up his feet were dangling in the air and he completely flipped out. He started screaming, a very loud and somewhat blood curdling scream. He backed himself in the corner and tears were falling from his eyes. I hate heights, I hate heights.

Soon lights came on in the room and Ms. Mercer, Angel, Jerry and Bobby were all staring at him. He cringed away from them all and tried to bury himself deeper into the corner of the bed.

"Jack, what's wrong?" Ms. Mercer asked. Jack shook his head; he didn't want to talk about it. "Listen to me Jack, you are safe here, if something happened that made you feel uncomfortable I need to know. Did you have a bad dream?" Jack nodded his head wearily. Yes he had a bad dream but there was nothing any of these people could do about it. "Jack, it was just a dream, you are safe here." Ms. Mercer finally said. He shook his head again, no he was not safe he would never be safe, he didn't deserve safety.

Evelyn started walking towards the bed, when she was standing right next to it she put her hand out. "Jack, give me your hand and I will help you down." Jack shook his head and his eyes bulged. How was he supposed to get down, he was too terrified to move. "Jack, come on, I will send the boys to get you a glass of water and you and me will talk. I will stay here with you until you feel safe." Jack shook his head again. He was too high up, he couldn't get down. "Jack?" Evelyn questioned.

"I hate heights." He finally said in a whisper. He didn't care if he sounded like a baby. He hated heights and he would not move from the spot. He was safe as long as he didn't move.

Ms. Mercer reached a hand up "I will help you down. I promise I won't let you fall. You don't even have to look at the ground while you are getting down; you can look at me the whole entire time."

Jack didn't want to move but he knew he couldn't stay up there all night and he also knew that this woman would not leave the room and go back to bed until he was safely off the bed. Jack started scooting towards Ms. Mercer's hand and then she felt her arms reach up and grab him. His body tensed some "Don't worry, look at me, okay." Ms. Mercer said and he did just that, he looked into her caring eyes and nothing else. Before he knew it both his feet were gently resting on the ground.

"Now that wasn't so bad was it?" Ms. Mercer smiled and then looked towards the three older boys who had been watching the scene quietly. "Bobby, Jerry, Angel, go downstairs and get Jack some water." The three boys nodded their heads in unison and then walked out of the room.

Once Evelyn was sure the boys had made it downstairs she turned her attention to Jack. "Jack, can you tell me why you are afraid of heights?" Jack nodded his head. No, he could not tell her, it was too hard to talk about. "Please Jack. It will help me to know and it will help you to talk about it."

Jack sat in silence for a while. "Fine." He said in a defeated voice. This woman seemed kind and she obviously wanted to hear his story. He should give her something. Besides if he refused her angry side might come out.

Jack slowly began telling Evelyn why he was so afraid of heights.

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I hope you all liked this. I was going to end it sooner but I wanted to show a little bit of the relationship between Evelyn and Jack. In the next Chapter there will be more interaction between Jack and the brothers. Also, I know you are all waiting for the siblings to be reunited and I thought I would tell you that they will be reunited soon. I am not sure exactly which chappie but it will be fairly soon.

Sorry that this Chapter took longer to get up but I have been busy with school. All my teachers have decided to bombard me with research papers and what not. It is so very annoying. I also had this stupid writer's block for a day or two; I know how I want the rest of the story to go but sometimes I lose the ability to get the event onto paper.

I hope I am making the characters fit with their portrayal in the movie. I know there hasn't been much interactions between Jack and the brothers but I figure that the brothers would want to give him space and I also was focusing more on Jack and Evelyn's relationship. However, the few times I did write one of the brother's in it I hope they were close enough to the movies portrayal.

Thank you to the people who reviewed, it was cool. Please read and review for this chapter as well.

Lastly, and sorry for talking so much, if there are any grammatical errors I am sorry but I don't have the time to go over this story. I could go over it and check but then it would take even longer for me to update. So this is just an apology for any mistakes you witness.