4

"Who's that?" Jack asked loudly, peering out the glass in the front door.

"Whoever it is probably just heard you." Jerry said pointedly, coming to stand next to his older brother.

Jack pushed himself off the couch and stood next to Jerry, "Oh man, I know her! Can she see us?" A look of panic spread across his face.

"I had it replaced," Jack said off hand, "its one way."

"It's still not sound proof." Jerry commented, sighing and walking into the living room. He plopped down in his favorite chair and watched Sarah flick haphazardly through the channels.

"Who is she Jack?" Bobby asked, clearly still annoyed with the random woman's presence on his stoop. "Is she with the hospital?"

"What? No," Jack answered, "She's with the adoption agency."

He paused, tearing his eyes from the door's window he looked at Bobby in shock, "Why would she be from the hospital? Oh man…did you not pay my medical bills?!"

"Not yet princess…those doctors charged too much."

There was more pounding on the door. Bobby sighed, frustrated.

"Bobby," Jack said incredulously, "I was dead."

"Yea, and damn expensive."

"Bobby," Jerry hollered from the other room, "You gonna answer the door or what? She ain't going away man."

Bobby grimaced. Jack retreated back to the couch, throwing him self heavily next to Sarah.

"Who is it anyways?" She asked, settling on sports.

"Miss. Hollandays. I don't know if you know her she's from the…" Jack stopped talking.

Sarah had shot up from the couch the moment he'd said his old social worker's name, and she had continued to run into the connected dining room, grabbing her bag and bolting into the kitchen.

Jerry threw up his hands, "Always a circus around here man."

"Sarah?" Jack asked, pursuing her into the laundry room, "Going somewhere?"

Sarah didn't answer, just finished lacing up her converse and hopped onto the washing machine. She scooted over to the window applying strength to make it open. It didn't budge. She cursed lightly.

"I thought you said people weren't lookin' for yah?" Jack asked, trying his best to hide the smirk at the fact the window had been locked; last night, by Bobby. Sarah hadn't noticed yet.

She huffed, giving the window a final push before giving up and sinking to the floor.

"I," she said, looking up at Jack, "Didn't think they were anymore."

"Who's after you?" He asked straight, crouching down to meet her eye level, "Your old family?"

"No," she shook her head, "Never. Just the agency, and I thought they stopped weeks ago."

"How long have you been at this?" He asked, and then shook his head to cancel the question as he heard shouting from the front room. "Hey will you promise me you'll stay here? We'll get rid of her and then we can talk…if you want. I doubt Ma would want you walking the streets of Detroit with only your duffle and twenty bucks."

Sarah's eyes shot up off the floor, "You dug threw my wallet!"

Jack smiled, shrugging, and stuck out his hand.

Sarah accepted apprehensively, shaking it.

"I'll be right back," Jack promised and shot out the laundry door, leaving it open only a crack behind him.

"And I'll be here." Sarah answered, though she figured he was most definitely out of hearing range.

She smiled, in spite of her self, and began folding the heaped piles of clothes that lay chaotically around her.

~*~

"And I'm telling you she ain't here!" Bobby shouted at a red-faced, heavyset middle-aged woman. Though, with her grey hair, she looked more aged then middle.

She huffed, turning a glaring eye briefly on Jack as he entered the room, she took a deep breath, "All I'm saying," she pointed a pudgy finger at Bobby, "Is that if you see a girl, named Sarah, if she stops by, or tries to contact you in any way, then alert the agency. She's alone, probably scared, and in danger."

"What kind of danger?" Jerry asked, thoroughly interested now.

He was standing next to Bobby. Probably to make sure Bobby didn't jump Miss. Hollandays…or to stop her from punching him. Jack smirked to himself. She had always had a way with people.

"Let's just say," Miss. Hollandays answered icily, collecting a business card from her worn black leather clutch and handing it to Jerry, "Sarah didn't leave many friends in Detroit."

Jerry took the card, not looking at it, not putting it away; he just held it. Bobby was too busy glaring at the woman to notice the transaction much.

"What does that mean?" Jack chipped in, instantly regretting he'd reminded the dragon lady of his youth he was in the room.

"She didn't have a good group of friends," She replied, looking from one brother to the next, "The lot of you should know a thing or two about that I suppose."

"She lived here alright," Jerry stated, "And I don't remember any trouble."

"Yes, well," Miss. Hollandays let the words hang stiffly in the air, "You know where to reach me. I'll let myself out."

She brushed past Bobby and Jerry; who put a hand on Bobby's shoulder to make sure he didn't make any last ditch movements towards the woman. The door shut with a slam.

"You knew her?" Bobby asked, turning on Jack.

"Yea," he sighed, "She was me and Angel's social worker."

Bobby snorted. "If she had been mine, I would have torched the agency."

"You did," Jerry sat back down in his favorite chair, sports highlights still playing across the T.V. screen.

"Yea," Bobby huffed, "But I would've done it a lot sooner then 12."

He paused, "Where's Sarah?"

"Right here," She flopped back on the couch.

"You hear everything?" He asked sharply, crossing his arms and peering down at her.

"Yup." She looked cautiously from the T.V. screen to him, "And thanks…for covering for me."

"Who'd you piss off?" He asked. Jack shifted uncomfortably.

"Other then Miss. Hollandays?" She said, flippant, "no one."

""If people are gonna start coming after you, I need to know." Bobby stated matter of fact.

"No one's coming after me." Sarah replied. Convincing Bobby, he cursed under his breath about their recently departed visitor and something about needing coffee and lumbered into the kitchen.

Jack sank into the couch next to Sarah, "Thanks for staying."

"I didn't have a choice," she smiled, turning her eyes away from his, "turned out the window was locked."

Jack smirked; he wasn't convinced. The way her eyes had flickered when she said no one. The way her body remained slightly tensed after Bobby had left the room and the conversation had stopped. Then again, maybe he was just being overly cautious. Being shot can do that to a person.

But he still wasn't convinced.