brighteyes421: I love Jack and his brothers so much. Thank you so much!

Shadow: It's interesting to me that you don't like Jatherine. Are you a Javid person? I read a lot of those. And they're not bad. I think I just like Jatherine better. Though, me and my friend bexlynne were talking about how Jack could totally be bi. It makes a lot of sense. But I'm glad that you liked this! Thank you so much!

Alright! Here's chapter two! It takes place a year later! I hope you enjoy!

It was freezing. It was freezing, and Jack was going to kill him and bury him in the snow, and Race didn't care. He had to do this. It wasn't a choice anymore.

The window was so cold Race feared it might break when he knocked on it. He should've grabbed Jack's gloves. Lord knows Jack would reprimand him later for going out in the cold like he did. Jeans, a long sleeve t-shit and the only jacket he owned, not exactly warm enough to protect him from the blizzard. His shoes and socks were soaked through and the beanie on his head didn't do much to keep his hair dry.

But it was all worth it when the window slid open.

"Race!" a small voice squealed, a mix of pure joy and a plea for protection meeting the nineteen-year-old's ear.

The child was small, barely five. He had deep brown eyes and black hair and a smile that made anyone around him melt. "Hey, Gio!" the young man laughed, reaching in to hug the small child close to his chest, partially because of how much he missed him, and partially because he needed the warmth, no matter how small of brief it was. "Merry Christmas, kiddo..."

The boy didn't respond, only nuzzled himself further into the embrace as Race shivered against him. "It don't feel like Christmas, Gara..."

Race knew exactly what he meant. "I know, bubby... I know..."

Before he knew it, he was sitting on the ledge of the window, his legs inside the child's bedroom for all the warmth he could possibly soak up with a sobbing child clinging to his chest. "P-papa says I ain't been good... says Santa ain't comin'..." he whimpered out, letting Race smooth his hair back and cradle him to his chest. "I wus bad, but I dunno wh-what I did wrong..."

"Giovanni, how many times I gotta tell ya that Pa don't know what he's talkin' bout?" the young man almost scolded. He hated that this child listened to that man that he still sought approval from. He was too young to realize that he couldn't be controlled forever. "I happen ta know that you's been a very good boy this year..."

"Really?" Giovanni whispered, lifting his head up so he could look his big brother in the eyes. Half brother, that is. But they were closer than any brothers Gio knew, that was for sure.

"You bet your ass, kiddo..." Race promised. "Ya rememba' my pal Jack?" He laughed at the nod he got in response. Jack was often brought up when Race was with his little brother. He would always talk about the things the big brother did for him and how Jack had gotten him out of this hellhole. "Well... my pal Jackie ain't neva' had Santa skip his house. Santa's a friend a' his."

"For sure?" Giovanni asked, his eyes as wide as plates as he looked up in awe at his big brother. By now the kid knew that Race lived with Jack and had ever since Jack had gotten that call from him all those years ago. Six years, now that Race thought about it. If Jack had been two minutes later, Race might've never opened his eyes again.

"For sure, pal!"

"I wish I could go with you's..."

God help him.

"Ya got a coat, fratellino?"

When the small child, confused and a little frightened when he saw how stressed his big brother was, shook his head Race glanced up quickly to the door, making sure no one was coming, before he shrugged off his own coat and wrapped the thing around his baby brother, scooping the boy up in his arms. He tried to ignore the scrapes on the boy's face and the bruise on the side of his chin. "Race!" the boy squealed. "What're ya doin'?"

"Shshshsh..." Race hushed, swinging his legs out the window and back out onto the fire escape. "I thought you wanted ta meet my big brotha' Jack, kiddo..."

When the boy gasped in excitement, Race could only know that he had to. With Giovanni snuggled up tightly to his chest, he shut the window behind them and managed to get them to the ground before he started running.

Jack was going to kill him.

"My God, Racer! You scared us half ta death!"

Race flinched at the shout. He felt Giovanni grasp onto his shirt even tighter than he had been before. Race was shivering. It was freezing. Jack was rushing up to him the second he walked through the door, Katherine not too far behind. Both of them were covered in flour and sugar. Race knew they were making cookies before he snuck out. Clearly it took them a while to stop making out and realize no one was there to make a snide comment as Crutchie had probably closed himself in his room to wrap gifts a long time ago.

"Race is back?!" Speak of the Devil.

"Where the hell were ya, kid?! It's been over an hour!"

"Not to mention it's freezing out!" Race glared over at Katherine when she spoke up. He knew it was freezing out and he knew he wasn't wearing his jacket and he knew what he'd done was bad.

"Jack, I-"

Before Race could finish a sentence, the boy in his arms sneezed. And Race's eyes widened along with Jack's and Crutchie's, while Katherine watched, thoroughly confused. "Antonio Michael Higgins, tell me you didn't." Jack's voice was almost desperate.

"I had to..."

Giovanni wiggled our from beneath the jacket that was still held around him. His eyes widened at all the adults around him. He pressed further into Race who held him tighter and shut the door behind them with his heel.

"Racetrack... do you have any idea what you've just done?" Race hated it when his brother sounded like that. So disappointed.

Katherine, on the other hand, completely melted at the sight of the boy in Race's arms. "Who's this?" she asked quietly, trying her best not to frighten the boy even further. She could see the scratches and bruises on his face. She wasn't an idiot. Race knew that Jack had told her, if only briefly, about his relationship with his father.

"It's okay, Gio..." Race murmured, leaning down to his brother's ear. "This is Katherine. Katherine, this is Giovanni, my baby brother..." he introduced, gently kneeling so he could set the boy on the ground. The boy stayed shyly at his chest, not wanting to leave his embrace. But by the look that Race saw in Jack's eyes, he knew he couldn't stay. They needed to have a talk. "Gio, why don't you go into the kitchen with my friend Katherine while me n' Jack talk, okay?"

Katherine slowly reached a hand out to the boy, only for Giovanni to turn right around and grip onto the front of his big brother's shirt. "Hey, it's okay, buddy... I'll be right there, I promise." The child still wasn't completely convinced, but Race ran a hand through his hair and pressed a quick kiss to his head before lightly pushing him towards his big brother's girlfriend.

Katherine gave Jack a look, as if to tell him to be gentle despite not entirely knowing what was happening, but being the smart girl she was, figuring it out pretty quickly. Then she took Giovanni's hand and lead him into the kitchen, saying something about making cookies, very gently to the boy who did give her a hesitant smile in response, but looked back at Race, probably wishing he'd just follow them in. The young man just nodded at the child with an encouraging smile before the pair was safely in the kitchen, not about to witness whatever was to happen next.

In all honestly, Race hadn't really known what to expect. He knew his big brother wasn't happy with him. But the thing he expected least of all was the warm embrace he was forcibly yanked into and the blanket that was wrapped tightly around him. The Italian shivered and finally felt himself wanting to collapse at the sudden heat. "Charlie, c'n ya crank up the heater?" The other boy was gone in a second, leaving Race alone with his big brother. It wasn't until Crutchie was out of sight that Race melted completely. He let his head fall onto Jack's shoulder and he let the older man run hands up and down his back to try and warm him up.

It was freezing.

"What were you thinking, Racer?"

There it was. The disappointment.

"I couldn't leave him there..."

It was a year ago that Race had found out. Five years after running away and seeking protection with Jack, Race had gone back to the prison he'd been trapped in for the majority of his childhood because he'd wanted to see the man that he'd left behind all those years ago. He thought maybe he'd be upset about losing his only son. He thought maybe the man would even be dead without his only child to take care of him after being manipulated and beat time and time again. Instead, he'd slipped in his old bedroom to find another little boy in his old bed. At first, he'd thought maybe a new family had moved in. That is, until Race had seen the kid...

He had his father's eyes.

The child had only been four at the time. He was still so innocent. Race thought maybe he'd be okay. After all, his dad hadn't started hitting him until he was at leash seven... after his mom left... after years of cleaning up the drunk man, helping him out of bed and into the car since he was barely seven years old. Then, little Antonio had dropped a glass plate and gotten smacked across the face. He'd expected an apology. It wouldn't be the first time. Normally his papa would hold him after that and apologize like mad. Not this time. This time, he didn't stop.

That's when the actual beatings started.

"I didn't wanna see him like you saw me..."

Bloodied, beaten, broken and completely ruined. That's how he was when Jack saved him. He couldn't wait for it to get that bad. Not when it was Giovanni they were talking about.

Jack pulled back, holding Race at arms length as he shook his head, an angry disappointed look still in his forest green eyes. "Racer, you know damn well that this is kidnapping. You could go ta jail for this!"

"Jack, I couldn't leave him!"

"You damn well coulda!"

"Like you left me?" Race challenged, standing his ground and clenching his jaw. "Like ya left Crutchie?"

With wide eyes, Jack shook his head. "That was different any you know it!"

It wasn't. Not really. Sure, Jack has saved them both from dying, but let Giovanni get a little further down the road and they'd have to do the same thing. Jack could've gone to jail too. But he hadn't. Because they were smart about it. They only told people who needed to know. That was it. Race was almost positive his father still didn't know where he was.

It couldn't get that bad for his baby brother.

"I can't just leave him there..." Race said again, more determined, his eyes locking in on his big brother's, almost daring the older man to argue with him.

But Jack, knowing how dangerous this was, just shook his head, putting his hands on his hips and watching his little brother shiver. "He is too young for this," the man sighed. "We got through because you was old enough ta go out on your own an' your pa was used ta you not bein' home. They's gonna notice that their five-year-old is missin' on Christmas Eve."

"I think you's givin' them too much credit-"

"Don't be a smart ass right now, Antonio! You walked two miles through a blizzard and took a five year old out of his house on Christmas Eve! This isn't a joke!" Race flinched. He knew it wasn't a joke. He knew that all too well. Charlie still wasn't in the room, knowing it was a bad idea to interrupt an argument like this when Jack was so worked up.

"Could we talk about this later?" Race pleaded, not wanting to get into a yelling match with the man he'd looked up to since he was ten years old.

"No, Race! We can't! You know damn well what could happen if ya don't-"

"Please stop..." a small voice interrupted. A little boy ran in between the two young men, wrapping his small arms tightly around his big brother's legs and squeezing his eyes shut, like he was bracing himself for impact. Race reached down to run a hand through his hair, whilst giving Jack a heartbroken look. "W's he gonna hit you, fratello?"

Without even thinking, Race shook his head. "Of course not, G..." the boy swore, kneeling down and taking the kid's face in his hands. "Giovanni, this is my big brother, Jack. He would never, ever hurt me..."

As much as Jack wanted to be angry and frustrated and scared for his friend right then, his heart melted at the words. It had taken years for Race to stop gasping every time Jack brushed up against him. It took too long to get Race to stop waking up in the middle of the night and cleaning the kitchen. It took Jack too long to get used to waking up to screaming in the middle of the night. So those words made a warmth fill up in the man's chest.

"Hey, kid..." Jack smiled gently, sitting down on the ground in front of the pair. Katherine was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching silently, and Crutchie was doing the same from the bedroom door. Giovanni snuggled into Race's chest when Jack extended a hand to him. Jack's smile saddened just a little bit and he lowered his hand. "I ain't gonna hurt Race. I promise... n' no one here is gonna hurt you either, okay?"

With a look up at Race for confirmation the boy nodded his head. Jack smiled at him and gave Race a pointed look that said this conversation wasn't over before standing back to his feet.

"Jack?" a hesitant voice asked as Jack turned, about to go back into the kitchen.

The man stopped, turning back to the boy and nodding at him. "Yeah, Giovanni?"

The child stood for a moment, shyly, his little arms around his torso, not knowing if he should speak or not. But after Race nudged him a bit, he felt brave enough to talk. "'Tonio says Santa always comes ta yer house... is that true?" It was so clear that the child didn't believe the big man was coming. It was so clear he was scared he'd done something wrong.

A laugh escaped Jack's lips as he nodded. "Of course it is, pal! Santa's a friend a' mine!" he assured. "But we still gotta make cookies f'r him tonight. I ain't the best at decoratin' 'em though... wanna help me an' Kathy?"

Race's heart absolutely melted when his baby brother grinned and nodded in excitement. Jack extended his hand for the child to take, and the kid looked up at his big brother for permission before he took it and let Jack lead him back to the kitchen, taking Katherine along with him. Race watched them go, his heart aching a little bit as he thought about taking Giovanni back to the hell he'd just taken him away from.

Crutchie smirked at the older boy still standing in the living room, holding a blanket tightly around himself as he tried to get himself to stop shivering. "How long've you been savin' your tips, Racer?"

A small smile made its way to the Italian's lips as he turned to his younger friend, limping up to him from the room they shared. "Three months..." he admitted with a shrug. It had been hard. He'd known since he'd first met the kid that this would happen eventually. It was his baby brother and he'd missed out on spoiling him for the first four years of his life.

Now was the time.

"Ya think your pa'll come lookin'?"

Race shivered at the thought. "I don't know..." he sighed sadly. Part of him wished he would. At least maybe he'd care enough to look. Maybe he did actually love Gio, and maybe he did want to spend Christmas with him and maybe he'd just been drunk when he'd told the boy Santa wasn't coming. The other part of him never wanted to see that manipulative, abusive, son of a bitch ever again.

"'Tonio! 'Tonio! Jack says we c'n eat cookies! C'mon!" Before Race knew what hit him, Giovanni had rushed back into the room and grabbed his hand. Crutchie just smirked at him and followed them both into the kitchen, wanting to meet the boy he'd heard so much about.

"Jesus, Jack... what the hell didja do ta the kitchen?"

It was a mess. There was flour everywhere and burned cookies on the stove. But the cookie that Giovanni was happily devouring actually looked alright.

"Look, it ain't my fault!" Jack defended, laughing when Katherine glared at him and threw even more flour at him. "She's the one that kept distractin' me!"

"Race, c'mon!" Giovanni ordered from the table. Race rolled his eyes and sat next to his brother, letting Crutchie sit down on the other side of the table, smiling at the small child.

"Hey there, kiddo... my name's Crutchie. You must be Giovanni, right?" With a mouthful of sugar and frosting, the content little boy nodded his head and leaned closer to his big brother. "You must be real excited 'bout Santa comin' tonight..." Giovanni nodded eagerly.

"Yeah? Did you ask Santa for something special?" Katherine asked, pouring the small boy a glass of milk and smiling as she watched Race run a hand through the kid's dark hair. All she got was a nod in response. The boy was busy licking his fingers and looking at how the sugary substance was turning his hands as green as the frosting.

"What'd ya ask for, buddy?" Race asked, praying whatever it was was one of the many presents the boy would get the next morning.

"I already got it..." the kid admitted, reaching for a napkin and then pretty much downing the milk Katherine had gotten for him.

"Ya did?" Jack asked, shoving another pan of dough into the oven and starting a timer. This kid was one of the cutest little kids he'd ever seen. He hated himself for getting angry with his friend for taking him out of the home that they all knew was bad news. But the sad truth was, what he'd done was bad. It was illegal. But at the moment, Jack couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Mhm... but Santa didn't get it f'r me... I don't think Mama sent the letter..."

With a sigh, Race smoothed the hair out of his brother's face and grabbed a napkin, helping the child clear up his hands. "Well what was it, fratellino?"

"I wanted ta spend Christmas with you..."

The whole room sobered at that. Giovanni went about his business, frosting cookies and drinking his milk, clueless to the tears in Race's eyes and the shock of his big brother's friends. Race just stared down at the boy for a long while, wondering if he'd imagined that. All he wanted was for his little brother to feel loved and safe. So, after a moment, the young man recovered and brought the child tightly into his arms. Giovanni just smiled and nuzzled himself into the embrace of the only person who'd ever looked out for him.

"I love you, kiddo..."

"Ti voglio bene, 'Tonio..."

It wasn't until a few hours later, when little Giovanni was snuggled up and warm in Race's bed, that Race sat down in the living room with a bag of gifts in his arms, waiting for his three best friends to just say something. They were all staring, debating on whether or not to speak. Eventually, Katherine just sighed.

"Would you just adopt him?" she asked, like it was obvious and they'd all been thinking it. Race looked up, shocked and taken aback. "Don't act like you haven't thought about it! I've known you for a year, Race. When you want something, you go behind Jack's back and you get it and when he tries to tell you you shouldn't have, you wait for whatever you did to be justified."

Wow. She had him there.

"Damn, Ace... that kid's already wrapped around your finger, ain't he?" Jack laughed.

With a chuckle, Race added, "he has a way with the ladies. Everyone falls in love with him..."

Crutchie's eyes widened and he and Jack made eye contact just in time for him to rush out a name. "Romeo!" Jack tried to argue with him, but Crutchie shook his head. "I said it first, Jack! Ya don't get credit for this one!"

The name made sense, Race had to admit. Romeo. The kid had some charm. "Romeo... I like it..."

Plopping down on the couch next to his best friend, Crutchie shrugged. "So... whaddya say, Racer?"

"Katherine's got a lawyer friend..." Jack added with a smile. "If ya wanna do this, ya gotta do it right... I didn't with you kids an' I regret it everyday..."

Race shrugged and nodded. "I wanna do it..." he whispered, a smile spreading across his lips.

And that night they celebrated by eating cookies and spreading presents out under the tree. It was the first of many Christmases that would spend, shushing themselves as they watched Christmas movies together and tried not to wake the sleeping child in the backroom, dreaming of flying reindeers and a man in a big red suit. "Merry Christmas guys..."

"Merry Christmas..."

And a Merry Christmas it was, indeed.

Alright so there's gonna be one more part to this story. I hope you guys enjoyed this!

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, kiddos!