Disclaimer: I own nothing except Shad and technically I got his name of a street sign in Leonardtown.

AN:Rad and his brother are close, but not that close. They share purely brotherly affection.

Chapter 1

Shadrach White sat quietly in the dark, watching his baby brother sleep. He should probably be asleep in the Bailey's guestroom himself, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave his brother's side. Not yet anyway.

When the Baileys called him a few days ago to tell him that Rad was missing he felt like the ground fell out from under him. His baby brother was his whole world; had been since he was old enough to realize his parents weren't worth a damn and that Bradley would die of neglect if he didn't step up and take care of him.

Now he just needed to be reassured of his brother's presence.

Shad ran a hand through his own blonde hair, a feature he and Rad had inherited from their father, along with their blue eyes. Luckily that was where the resemblance ended.

Shad frowned when he heard his little brother whimper in his sleep. A nightmare most likely. Rad had had those all the time when they were still with their father. Hopefully this one wouldn't be as bad as some he'd had before.

"Stop!" Rad tried to yell, but his father's arm was wrapped too tightly around his chest. So he was forced to watch helplessly as the police shoved Shad into the back of their cruiser. This couldn't be happening. Shad promised that Daddy wouldn't find them. He promised him that they were safe from him.

"Shad," was all Rad managed to whisper out as he watched the police car pull away.

Suddenly the scene changed and he was standing the middle of a dark room. He felt his father standing behind him. Then he heard that cruel voice in his ear.

"Let this be a lesson boy. Never run from me!" his father hissed.

Rad woke up to his brother shaking him. It took a moment for him to realize where he was. 'Another nightmare' he thought.

"You ok okay baby bro?" Shad asked. Rad nodded. A moment of silence followed.

Shad finally broke it. "What was this one about?"

"When Dad found us in that roach motel in Phoenix," Rad sighed. That had been the first night they'd ever spent apart since Rad was born.

"Don't worry Bro. He's never gonna be able to do that to us again," Shad promised pulling Rad into a hug. Pulling back he asked "You going to be alright?"

"Yeah," Rad said. He reached out to grab his brother's arm when Shad got up to leave. "But … could you stay with me? Just in case?" he asked. Their parents hadn't been big on spending money "needlessly" so Rad had never had his own bed. For as long as he could remember he'd shared a bed with Shad. But that had ended when Rad was placed with the Baileys.

"Ok," Shad smiled climbing into bed. Things hadn't changed that much. If this made Rad feel safe then he had no problem with staying for the night.

Shad smiled when he felt Rad snuggle into his chest and drift off to sleep. He wrapped an arm around his brother holding him close. Nothing would get to his little brother while he was around.

"Ooooh," Sideswipe giggled watching the falling stars. He probably should have still been resting. He had after all had a rough couple of days, with his abusive ex showing up, his human friend getting kidnapped, thinking Hot Shot and Sunny were dead, and getting kidnapped himself. But he'd been waiting for this meteor shower for weeks and damned if he was going to let Spindle's attack ruin it for him. Hell if Rad's foster parents weren't being so protective right now the boy would probably be out here watching too.

"Are you sure you don't need to be resting?" Blurr asked from his spot next to him.

Sideswipe met Blurr's concerned look with one of amusement. "I can rest after the shower ends Blurr. Besides, I've been resting since I got out of the infirmary this afternoon," he complained.

"You were kidnapped today Sideswipe."

"He only had me for a few hours Blurr. If anybody need a good week of R&R it's Rad," Sideswipe pointed out.

"Sideswipe--"

Sideswipe laid his head on Blurr's shoulder and looked innocently up into his loves optics. "I'm fine as long as I'm with you," Sideswipe whispered softly.

Blurr smiled underneath his battle mask. He wrapped an arm around Sideswipe's shoulder pulling him closer.

Carlos was tossing and turning. He just couldn't get to sleep.

When Rad went missing he swore to himself that if he ever saw him again he'd tell him how he really felt. And then he'd lost his nerve when Rad was rescued. The story of his life.

Four years ago he met Rad when the blonde boy moved in with the Baileys. Rad had been on the swing on the Baileys' back porch and Carlos had been bringing back the book his mom had borrowed from Mrs. Bailey.

The new boy was sitting on the back porch just staring out into space. He was the first boy the Baileys had brought home in a long time. They'd had others but they never stayed very long. But his mom said this one was staying for a few years, maybe even until he became an adult.

"Hi," Carlos has greeted cautiously, remembering that most of the Baileys' boys were easily startled. This boy wasn't, he just slowly turned his head and met Carlos' gaze with almost lifeless blue eyes.

"Hi," the boy had answered.

"What's your name?" Carlos had asked.

"Bradley Rad White," Rad had answered.

"I'm Carlos Lopez," Carlos had stuck out his hand to shake. Rad had stared at him strangely. "You're supposed to shake it."

"That's what dad did when he was sealing a deal" Rad had said with distain.

"Was he a salesman?"

"If you count selling coke and weed to stupid teenagers, then yeah. He's in jail now."

"Oh…do you miss him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"He's an asshole."

Carlos had blinked at the use of language. He'd never heard a kid talk like that. Only grownups were supposed to cuss, not kids.

"You said a bad word!"

"Did not. I was using it as an adjective."

"Huh?"

"Never mind," Rad had turned his attention back to the sky then ignoring Carlos.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Carlos had asked noticing that the boy held it strangely at his side.

"Nothing's wrong with my arm," Rad had growled.

"But—"

"Nothing's wrong!" Rad had yelled before getting up and running inside.

Carlos had understood then that someone had hurt Rad. Mr. Bailey had told him that the kids he and his wife took care of were from households where their mommys and daddys hurt them.

Their first meeting had hardly been the expected start to such a strong friendship but it was. They'd grown close. So close it was only logical that deeper feelings developed in at least one of them.

But Carlos doubted Rad would ever see him as anything other than a friend.

AN: R&R