-1Disclaimer: If you seriously don't know by now you are an idiot

I wanna say thanks to all my loyal readers (aka Sweets and Chill lol) for stickin with me on this one. I have some very strange ideas in my head, ideas that just might work.

---

The cold September wind cut harshly against Skittery's exposed face as he walked down the street. He pulled his hat down farther over his ears, and began to blow into his clasped hands. He reached a all to familiar street in Queens and slowly and silently began to climb up the fire escape. He reached the window he was looking for and softly rapped on the window with his knuckles.

Peter was cradling his sobbing younger brother in his arms when he heard the tapping on the window. Figuring it was just the rain he ignored it without even looking up, trying to comfort his crying brother. But the tapping became louder and more persistent, the more he ignored it. He gently set Matty down on his bed and walked over to the window. He was shocked when he saw his oldest brother, crouched on the fire escape, desperately trying to get someone's attention.

"What the hell do you want" Peter asked, as he silently opened the window

"Is that any way to treat your oldest brother?" Parker shot back

"It is when he left you for a year" Peter shot back, turning back to Matty

"What's wrong with him?" Parker asked, jerking his head towards the weeping bundle in Peter's arms, that was the youngest of the family, Matthew.

"Dad" Peter answered flatly

Parker nodded and then asked "How bad?"

"Pretty bad" Peter said beginning to rock Matty back and forth "I think his wrist might be broken."

"Petey, who are you talking to." Matty said through tears

"Its just Parker" Peter answered, still rocking his little brother.

Matty's head immediately snapped to attention, and he leapt out of Peters arms to Parker. He wanted to scream and shout, because his brother was finally home, but he knew that it would only mean that his Daddy would hurt him again. So he silently hugged Parker with every ounce of strength left in his beaten body. Parker picked him up off the ground and sat down on Shane's bed with him in his lap. He then pulled Matty away from him, to get a good look. When he had left, Matty was barely 6 years old. Now he had grown so much, his face had filled out, and he had gotten taller. He barely recognized him anymore.

"So what is this that Shay tells me, she caught you drinking?" Skittery asked, his face suddenly serious.

"Donny and Daddy do it" Matty answered, his eyes darting to the floor to avoid Parker.

"And do you see what no good bastards they are now? Do you wanna be like that?" Parker asked

Matty shook his head

"Matty promise me you will never drink again." Parker said, lifting his chin up so that he was looking him in the eyes.

Matty nodded again "I promise Parker"

Just as he said that Shane, the third oldest of the boys, walked through the door carrying a Drunk and passed out Donny on his shoulder. Shane had always been the strongest of the boys, probably even stronger than their Dad, but yet he never fought back during his beatings.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Shane asked when he saw Parker sitting on his bed

"I asked him the same question, but I haven't gotten an answer yet" Peter said, laying back down pushing his wire rimmed glasses up on his nose

Shane slowly eased the unconscious Donny onto his bed and made his way towards Parker

"Well?" He asked "You gonna answer us, or are you to good for that to?" Shane spat his words as if they were poison.

"Its Shay." Parker answered quickly. All the boys snapped to attention immediately, Peter sitting upright in his bed again.

"Is she okay?" Shane asked, his eyes softening at the thought of his only sister

"No" Parker answered truthfully. "Before she left here, she got cut, it was pretty bad. She came to see me, and Blink fixed her up a little, but then she went to Brooklyn with Flash and Rhythm. After three days I started getting worried about why I hadn't seen her, so me and Blink went down to Brooklyn to check on her. The cut on her stomach is really infected, she need to get to a doctor." Parker paused a little to see how his brothers were taking the news…

"Well why don't you take her than?" Matty asked, not quiet understanding why Parker had stopped talking.

"Well if we do, the people there will ask questions, like who her parents are. No doctor is gonna care for a street rat with no money. And we cant tell them are real parents name, cause she is underage, and they would send her back here. I don't even wanna think of what Pa might do to her." He said his voice beginning to trail

The other boys all nodded agreeing that he couldn't tell them about their parents.

"I want you boys to come to Manhattan with me" Parker said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence between them. "I know that Shay really misses all of you, and I don't want you staying here with Pa anymore. Now I've seen what leaving you with him resulted in, ise cant do that to you again."

The boys all nodded, and none of them objected. The quickly grabbed and extra set of clothes each, stuffed them into their bags, and in no time where out the window. After a long debate on weather or not to bring Donny with them, Shane carried his still unconscious body over his shoulder.

------

Blinks eyelid began to get heavy and he was near sleep, when he felt Shay's hand move in his. He looked up to see that she was finally awake.

"Morning Sunshine." He said, a grin on his face from ear to ear.

Shay just smiled and asked "How long have I been out?"

"3 days" Blink answered

"WHAT!" Shay screamed

Blink began to laugh and said "I'm just kidding, you've barely been out 4 hours.

Shay ruffled his hair a little and looked him in the eye.

"Blink you look like shit." She finally said truthfully "Have you slept lately?" She asked, truly concerned about her friends well being.

"Not really" Blink answered truthfully. He should have lied, but something about Shay made it impossible to.

"Come on" Shay said, lifting up the blanket she was lying under, so Blink could crawl in next to her.

"You sure?" Blink asked

Shay nodded and said "Come on I am getting cold either get in or don't"

Blink smiled and gladly joined Shay in her bed. He was out in less than five minutes. In his sleep, he turned over, placing his arm around Shays waist. She knew she should move it, but he was so warm, and it just felt so right. She petted his dirty blonde head, and then wrapped her arms around his waist as well. Her head pressed against his chest, soaking in every bit of his warmth, letting it bask over her. In no time she was asleep in his arms.

-----

Rhythm walked slowly down the Manhattan streets, not even sure how he got there in the first place. One moment he was lying in his bed, thinking of Shay, and the next he was outside, coming to see her. He couldn't just barge in the Lodging House doors, run up the steps and take her in his arms. What if Skittery was still there? He would be dead in nothing flat. So he silently crept into the alley next to the Lodging House and jumped onto the ladder of the fire escape. He reached the window of the bunk room, and felt his heart being ripped from his chest. There she was the girl of his dreams….in the arms of Kid Blink. Not only in his arms, but in his bed as well. He wanted to cry, but there were no tears left in him. Instead he just sat there, staring, wishing he could be Blink right now. He heart mangled and tattered, he once again headed home for Brooklyn.

---

"Ta hell is wrong with you?" Skittery screamed as he walked in the bunk room door. Blink was startled awake, and fell out of the bed onto his butt on the cold hard floor. The noise from his fall woke up Shay

"Where'd ya go Blink?" She asked, unable to see him on the floor beneath her.

"Ta hell is wrong with you?" Skittery asked again.

"Skits, this isn't what it looks like.." Blink began getting up to his feet.

"It looks like youse in bed with my sista!" Skittery screamed, as he pushed Blink back down to the floor

"I swear Skits, I didn't do nothing! She said I looked like shit, and I needed to sleep. She told me to get in with her Skits, but nothing happened. I was just sleeping. Youse the one that told me to stay with her!" Blink said, backing up towards the wall.

"I told you 'ta stay with her Blink, not sleep with her!" Skittery yelled

Blink looked pleadingly into Skittery's eyes, know that anything he said, would not get through Skittery's head. He saw what he saw and that was it. There was no use in talking anymore.

Skittery looked down at Blink, scared on the floor backed up against the wall. He looked up at his own fist that was raised. It was like he had just been shot through the heart. What had he become? He was no better than his father, taking his angers out on anything that he could. He looked down and saw the fear that was in Blinks eyes - I mean eye sorry - and saw a look he himself had had in his eyes on all to many occasions.

"Blink, I'm sorry" He said, extending his hand out to help him up.

Blink just stared at it for a minute before grabbing it. "Damn Skits, I thought pregnant dames where the only ones who had mood swings!" He laughed, as he dusted off his pants. Skittery let a little smile come onto his face, before turning to sit down on Shays bed.

"I brought you something." He said his smile beginning to widen.

"And what would that be?" Shay asked, not even attempting to sit up.

Skittery just smiled and yelled towards the door "Come on in boys, she awake."

"SHAY!" Matty screamed as he ran to his sister

"MATTY!" Shay screamed, as Parker helped her sit up in her bad. Matty jumped up next to her and wrapped his little arms around her neck.

"Ise missed you!" He said into her shoulder

"Ise missed you to!" Shay said, kissing the top of his head. Peter helped Shane in through the door with Donny as Matty was clinging to her neck

"Hey boys" Shay said, grinning from ear to ear

"Hey ya sis" Peter said, coming over and kissing her on her forehead.

Shane threw the still unconscious Donny down onto the nearest bed before coming over to see Shay to.

"Hey ya Shane" Shay said to her twin

"Hey ya Shay" He answered back

"Oh wow!" Blink suddenly blurted out "You two is twins aren't you?" The boys and Shay all laughed

"Yeah Blink this is my twin Shane."

Blink looked confused for a second before asking "Wait, I thought you said you were the third oldest.?"

"Yah" Shay laughed "I am, by six minutes!"

Blink laughed a little, before Jack came into the bunkroom, with some people Shay didn't recognize.

"Hey ya Twitch, hows you feelin?" Jack asked from the doorway

"Not the best I have ever felt, but still okay I guess." Shay answered

Jack smiled and started to introduce the people he was with

"Tis here is Davey, me best pal, the walkin mouth." Jack said, pointing to a boy with curly brown hair and really pretty blue eyes

"And this is Les, Sarah, Ester and Mayer (sorry if I spelled those wrong) Jacobs, theys gonna be you family for now."

Shay smiled as each of them came over to shake her hand.

"Speaking of introductions" Shay said pulling herself up in her bed a little more. "Jack, and Jacobs family, I would like you at meet my family. This knuckle head is my twin brother Shane." Shay said, pointing a finger in his direction. Shane tipped his hat to them, and made no effort to do anything further.

"This is my youngest brother Matty" She said, gesturing towards Matty who was still sitting net to her on the bed.

"The nerdy looking one over in the corner is the brains of the family Peter" Shay said, now pointing towards Peter. Peter blushed a little when Sarah looked at him, and then just tipped his hat as well.

"Youse all know Parker" She said pulling on her oldest brothers hat

"And the drunk and passed out idiot over there is my other brother Donny" Shay said, pointing disgustedly at the bed next to her. Donny snored in response.

"And I am Kid Blink" Blink added, feeling a little left out. Every body in the room laughed, until Jack finally asked

"Youse all ready to go to the hospital now?"

"why's cant we just call the doctor here?" Skittery asked, not wanting to make his sister move if she didn't have to

"Don't you think they would get a little suspicious, about why you where here, when you should be at our apartment?" David answered

Skittery nodded a little

"Yah you idiot, why didn't you think of that?" Shane said playfully, slapping Skittery in the back of the head.

"Blink, youse take her left side, Shane you take the right, and we'll get her on down to the Hospital." Skittery said completely ignoring Shane

Shane just glared at Skittery for a moment before saying "I can take her fine by myself" His gaze then shifting over to Blink, sizing him up.

Blink threw his hand sin the air, not wanting a fight "You wanna take her fine, no skin of my back."

"Fine" Skittery answered "Peter, Matty Blink stay here and watch over Donny. If he wakes up, get him some coffee."

The three boys all nodded and watched the parade of people walk out of the lodging house, Shane leading the way with Shay in his arms

------

Gonna stop here cause its late. May not update till this weekend, stupid WASL testing. Hope you liked it, leave reviews. This chapter was kinda pointless I know, but hey it had to be written

CTB

Skids