Wow, I feel like it's been such a long time since I've updated this story. Sorry about this. This one takes me a while to write.

Thank you so so much to everyone who reviewed! I love the reviews so so much! They literally make my day every time I read them!

So for some I guess there was a little bit of confusion. This story is not part of my other series. This is a stand alone piece. In my other series, the boy's aren't related by blood. But feel free to go read those ones! They are so much fun for me to write. Which is kinda terrible, but it's true.

Enjoy!

"Jack... maybe I should go talk ta him-" The red headed boy tried as he watched Jack pace slowly back and forth in front of them. But he was cut off.

"No one yells at my brothers but me, Albert," Jack stated as calmly as he could. He then looked back down at the box in his hand. Without warning, it was thrown to the ground in anger. Jack bit at one of his nails for a moment before taking a deep breath. He looked around at his friends. Most of them sat in silence in the red seats now. Davey was one of the only ones left standing, along with Crutchie who was over to his left.

The young fourteen year old was still furious. Davey was trying to calm him down with a hand on his shoulder. But Crutchie picked up the cigarettes when Jack had thrown them. No one could stop him before he was hastily limping down the isle way to the door his brother had stormed out of. His crutch slammed to the ground with every step he took and Jack was sure he'd never seen his baby brother move faster.

Jack glanced back giving his boys a stern look. "Stay here," he ordered, his arms crossed over his chest before he followed Crutchie out the door.

Davey stood still until the door closed and all three boys were out of the room. He heard yelling, muffled by the walls and he watched every boy in the room get up and move closer to the door. Only Albert, JoJo, and Romeo stayed seated, respecting Jack's orders for them to stay put. "Does this happen often?" He asked, curiously, not exactly knowing what to do and feeling a bit out of place.

JoJo gave a bitter laugh off and adjusted Romeo in his lap so he could turn around and speak to the new boy in their little, makeshift shelter. "You mean Race bein' an idiot?" He scoffed. "Yes. But Jack yellin' at him for it is neva' this bad," he explained, listening to the shouts that were still happening from the other room.

"I ain't eva' seen Crutchie so mad," Romeo added, recalling how the older boy had become red in the face with anger when he found out what Race had been hiding.

"He had every right ta be that mad," Albert concluded, looking back at Davey and then at his friends. "Race's been clean for six months. If they catch him smokin' again he'll be in big trouble," he told his two friends. Then he looked back at Davey. "They don't always get along, but Jack is just tryin' ta make sure the system has no reason ta move Race or Crutchie away from him," the red head explained. "He loves them more than anythin' in the world," he sighed, listening to the argument outside calm down a little bit.

Davey nodded at that. "I can tell."

Crutchie busted through the door, almost sobering at the scene he found in the hall just out side of the center of the theatre. His brother was sitting up against the wall, opposite of the door. His back was pressed to the wall and his knees were pulled up to his chest. His arms encircled his knees and Race's chin rested on his arms. The fifteen year old's red rimmed eyes looked up when his little brother entered the room. It was a heartbreaking scene. And Crutchie's anger almost melted away. But then his fingers curled around the box in his hand. He barely even noticed his oldest brother walk into the hall behind him.

"What the hell, Race?!" Crutchie yelled, after knowing the door had been closed. "Do you remember what almost happened when Wiesel caught you with this the first time?!" Race sniffled, more tears making their way down his face, but he didn't speak as he looked away from the angry face of his baby brother and the disappointed glare of his older one. "Race you almost got thrown in Juvie!" Crutchie cried.

Race wiped his nose on his sleeve as he sniffled again. He couldn't look at his brothers. So he chose to look further down the hall as he held himself, trying his best to protect himself from being hurt. "I didn't use 'em-" He was barely able to finish that sentence as Crutchie cut him off again.

"You were going to, Race!" He screamed, making his brother wince at the volume of his voice. "You had every intention of usin' 'em, admit it!" The gimp no demanded, getting dangerously close to his older brother in his rage. Jack held the small boy by the shoulders, trying his best to hold him back from hurting Race.

"What's the difference?!" Race finally yelled back, glaring up at Crutchie. "Huh?!" He asked again when his little brother didn't answer. "Snyder's gonna kill me anyways!" He screamed at them, angry tears falling freely from his eyes. He didn't move from his spot and he was glad he didn't when Jack was the one that advanced on him. If he'd been standing up, the fight they were having wouldn't have been only a vocal one.

"What the hell is that supposed ta mean?" Jack asked, advancing on the boy. "You plannin' on lettin' him?! You plannin' on followin' our mother?!" Jack screamed, snatching the box from Crutchie's hands. "This is what got her hooked, Race!" He yelled, shaking the cigarettes in Race's face. "Do ya want ta be taken away?!" Jack asked. "Do ya want that, Race?!" He repeated when his brother didn't answer.

Race broke at the question. His face crumbled into quiet sobs as he let his head fall onto his arms. Jack squatted down in front of him, not laying a hand on him, trying not to frighten him any further. "Who did ya get these from, Race?" Jack asked, not as loud but still demanding. Race didn't respond, so Crutchie stepped forward again.

"Answer the question, Race." He ordered, glaring down at his older brother.

Race took a shaky breath and laughed, bitterly. He stuttered for the right words. He wished for something to say that would just make this go away. He hated it when he and his brothers fought. But he came up with no excuse. "I lifted 'em from Weasel's pocket a few days ago." He finally muttered. Closing his eyes, leaning his head back against the wall, waiting for the inevitable shouting that would soon follow his confession.

Crutchie brought his hand up to his face, covering his eyes and sighing as the gravity of the situation hit them all. Jack scowled at his brother. He took in a breath, as if he was about to speak, but stopped himself and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. The he opened his eyes and looked back down at his brother that wouldn't meet his eyes. "Do you have any idea what you could've done, Race?" Jack growled. The boy scratched the back of his head, sniffling, not answering his brother. "Do you know what Weasel will do if he finds out you stole a pack of cigs from him?" He asked. "He won't just move you, Race. He'll take Crutchie away too. You know that! One more slip up and it's over!"

"So fight for Crutchie!" Race screamed, breaking under the scolding from his big brother. "Make sure they don't take him away from you! You'd be happier without me anyways!" He yelled. The brothers were shocking into silence after that. But Race took a deep breath and continued, in a low, quiet voice. "You wouldn't have ta worry about me doin' anythin' stupid no more." He sobbed, letting his head fall onto his arms.

Crutchie didn't even notice the tears that were falling from his own green eyes at the statement. He just looked up at Jack, not knowing what to say. Happier? Without one of their brothers? How could he say that?

Jack watched as his kid brother's thin frame shook with sobs. "Hey..." He whispered, done yelling. Done scaring his already frightened little brother. "Race..." He tried again when the fifteen year old didn't look up at him. He gently touch the boy's arm, pushing the flinch to the back of his mind as he pulled Race's arms away from his face, forcing the kid's face to be visible. "Hey, look at me." He spoke in a normal tone, curling his index finger under his brother's chin, forcing him to look up at him. "How on earth could you say that we would ever be happy without you?" He asked, his face portraying so much hurt at that comment. "Race... you're our brother."

"We just want ya ta stop bein' such an idiot." Crutchie explained in a harsh voice. Race was able to master his natural glare again in that moment and look over at Crutchie. But before Race could make whatever sarcastic remark he had on his tongue slid out of his mouth, Crutchie stopped him. "Why'd ya steal 'em?" He asked, calming down a bit, lowering himself down next to Race's right side. He set his crutch down next to him and waited for the answer.

Race looked down at his hands. He knew his two brothers were staring at him, waiting for an answer, so he finally sighed. "I was sick of feelin' hungry all the time." He stated, not even glancing up. "Same reason I did it before." He explained. "And today... I was so cold, Jack..." He looked up at his older brother and shook his head. "I just wanted ta feel warm..."

Jack sighed. He then sat down next to his brother, bringing the boy into his arms, resting his chin in the kid's blond curls as he rested his head on his chest. "Why do you insist on tryin' ta get through these things yourself, kid?" Asked in a whisper, looking over to his baby brother and seeing the hurt in his eyes. "No more, you hear me?" He asked, sternly. "I catch ya with these killer sticks again, I'll soak ya inta next week. I will not lose you the same way I lost Mom... and I will not lose you to the damn system," Jack got out in a whisper.

Crutchie sniffled. He wanted so baldy to be able to stay mad at his older brother who had been hiding such a thing from him. But he found himself thinking about the past week. "You was givin' up your food for me, weren't ya?" He asked.

Race chose not to answer his baby brother's question. He only, stretched out his arm, welcoming the kid into his embrace. "Please stop gettin' sick, kid," he begged, quietly, earning a small smile from the boy.

"Stop bein' so stupid," Crutchie shot back as he leaned into the hug, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. Race just chuckled.

"Ya got me, kid."

And Jack smiled down at his brothers. His family he never wanted to let go of, before a thought hit him. What if he couldn't have custody? What if when he could finally fight for them, he lost? His smile fell as he realized there was only one thing he could do. He would win. He had to.

When Jack opened the door to the room, he rolled his eyes as all their friends immediately jumped away from the wall, throwing their hands over their faces, starting up fake conversations or just flat out walking away. "Thanks for the privacy, fellas," Jack spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. When Race walked in, Crutchie holding onto his arm with his free hand, the entire room went silent. Everyone stared at him like they were waiting for something to happen. So Jack shook his head. "Move on, boys. Nothin' ta see here."

Davey was amazed when all the boys listened to Jack, like he was their leader or something. He walked up to the boy who had lost his brothers in the crowd. Jack sighed. "Sorry 'bout that, Davey," he apologized. "Sometimes... my brother... he just doesn't know what he's doin'." Jack gave a small laugh.

Davey just shrugged. "He's lucky ta have you then." He stated. Then he pulled out his phone as it was vibrating in his pocket. He read, what Jack assumed, was a text message, before his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Jack. I gotta get home. The folks are waitin'."

Jack's small smile seemed to fall at the statement. Folks. Jack wished everyday, not for himself, but for his family, that he could say they had folks to go home to. But he nodded. "Let me walk ya home. I dragged ya over here. Least I could do is show ya the way back." He stated.

Davey almost turned him down, but he thought it over and nodded. "Sure." So Jack walked over to his two brothers who were sitting in the midst of their friends. He brought Crutchie, who was sitting on the edge of the stage again, into his arms and pressed a light kiss to his head. Then he walked around the kid to Race who was leaning up against the stage next to the gimp.

"Take care of him." Jack ordered as he brought his gambling brother into his arms.

"Of course, Jack." Race nodded. He knew the drill. But Jack pulled away from him and held him by the shoulders before leaving.

"Hey, I love you, little brother." He said, before pressing a brotherly kiss to his the blond boy's temple.

Race was shocked for a moment before he smiled and said, "Love ya too, Kelly."

Davey and Jack walked down the street, back to their apartment complex. Davey seemed to not be able to stop talking along the way. Not that Jack minded. Honestly, the boy was just confused as to why this kid from next door actually gave a damn.

"So what's with the names?" The taller boy asked, genuinely curious. "I mean, Race, Crutchie, JoJo, Finch?" He listed. "Why not use their real names?"

Jack smiled at the memories of the boys' names. "Racer and Crutchie give out the names," he stated. "They used ta do it ta the men our mother would bring home. We neva' knew their names." Jack watched as Davey nodded, so he continued. "I gave my brothers their nicknames. I've been callin' Chris Crutchie since he was born. He's always had a bum leg, but it wasn't till Crutchie was all we called him, that he actually accepted the fact that he'd neva' be able to walk on that foot," the boy explained. "And Race is a bit of a gambler. Been doin' it eva' since he was five years old. Won his first bet on a horse he was watchin' on TV ta a man ma brought home with her. So I started callin' him Racetrack. Race for short."

Davey nodded. "Then they started callin' all their friends by their nicknames?" He asked, confused.

"Well... Davey, all these boys have had it rough. Most of 'em don't live in homes that treat them so good," Jack told his new friend with a heavy heart. "When they hear someone screamin' their name, they don't like it too much," he explained. They kept walking down the street, passing a local coffee shop on their way, not noticing the man inside that looked up at them as they made their way past the window. "So my brothers gave them all names that describe them, and that make 'em feel safe."

Davey smiled at that and stopped on the corner of the street. "Your brothers sure are somethin'," he said, turning to Jack. The older boy nodded his head and smiled back at him before Davey took a quick look around. Then he saw a man walking out of the coffee shop, looking directly at them. "Ya know that guy?" Davey asked, not taking his eyes off of the man.

Jack was confused. What guy? But then he turned around and his instincts kicked in. "Run for it," he hissed to his friend before grabbing the taller boy's wrist and dragging him down the street. Wordlessly, Davey followed. After they'd turned many corners and ducked behind some trash bins, Jack held Davey back up against the wall of the alleyway they landed in with his left hand on the boy's chest, pushing the both up against a wall. Jack waited for footsteps to be heard running past them before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ya wanna tell me what that was about?" Davey demanded, straightening himself up as they both caught their breath.

"Snyder." The word was nothing short of a growl as Jack stood up as well, making sure that the man was gone.

"Snyder?" Davey repeated, disbelief evident in his voice. "Head detective of the police department, Snyder?" He asked. "Why are we runnin' from him? Jack he could help ya if ya asked. He's the best cop known ta the city!" Davey tried, but Jack just looked at him like he was annoyed with that being said.

"Trust me, Dave," Jack scoffed. "Snyder ain't gonna help. He ain't the saint everyone thinks he is."

Davey squinted at Jack in confusion. "What are ya talkin' about?"

"What are ya, deaf? He's dirty!" Jack yelled, pointing his hand in the direction the old man had run. "I, of all people, should know," he sighed, thinking about the past few years of his life. His life in that awful home.

Davey stared for a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. "He's your foster father," he concluded, pinching the bridge of his nose. Everything made sense now. "That's why you won't go to the cops. That's why your so scared ta do anything." Davey heard Jack scoff, but he spoke the truth. Those three boys were terrified of the police. And now Davey knew why.

"Do yourself a favor, Davey. Stay clear of him. He'll make your life a living hell if you let him." And the two boys continued to walk home, trying to forget that when Jack walked through the front door, nothing good would be waiting for him on the other side.

That was fun. Thank you guys for tuning into this story!

As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya kids!