Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Justin's Dog. Angel, Jay, Ricky and the rest of the DeSantos clan too, but they don't appear much.

WARNING: This is slash!!!

Authors Note: Most defiantly AU (Alternate Universe). Justin is a DeSantos, and he's gay. Don't sue me, its artistic license.

Authors Note 2: This has been getting me through day to day life lately. As I said in one of my other stories, I have been to hell and back over the past months, and it's only just starting to get better.

Authors Note 3: yes I know that they are supposed to go over to their friends house over night, then I wrote about the tournament, but they might have been planning to go to the tournament, then go over to their friends house. It could happen. I probably haven't explained it very well.

Flame is you like, I will just ignore you so there's no point.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small boy lay on his side, tears running down his face. Nobody was home, save his dog, who was listening to his master cry. The dog padded across the floor then leaped onto the bed where the boy lay. He snuffled around his head before licking his master face, licking away the tears. The boy wrapped his arms round the big dog and cried into its coat.

It stayed like that for a long time. Then the boy looked at the clock and realized that his family would be back in under an hour. He got up and dragged himself to the bathroom. He turned the shower up to hot, stripped then stepped under the spray. He scrubbed at his skin until it was red, but he still felt dirty. He stared at the wall and let the tears flow freely down his face, the water washing them away.

The shower ran cold. He turned it off and changed into some clean clothes. He looked around his room. It was clean as usual. His homework was done and he'd finished his chores. There was nothing to keep his mind off what had happened in here.

He walked down the stairs. His brother had rung him saying that they were going over to their friends house over night, so there would he no need to cook. Packing! he thought. He raced back up the stairs and ran through a mental check list of what he was going to need for an over night stay. A change of clothes were thrown into the bag along with a few CD's, some stuff from the bathroom. He zipped the small bag as the big Husky still sitting on the bed watched.

The boy looked at the clock again. 15 more minutes silence. He knew for a fact that there was nothing on TV at this time in the afternoon, so that was pointless. he sat down on the bed again and the Husky beside him snuggled into him. The boy looked down into the big dogs eyes and started to cry again. Again, the dog licked away his tears, as if telling him not to cry.

He heard a car pull up and the front door slammed. Soon the house was full of noise. A set of five year old twins raced through the kitchen and into the dinning room, begging another to help them with home work. A twelve year old bolted up the stairs, ran into his room, then raced back down the stairs again. His own twin bounced up the stairs, closed the door, then turned her music up full ball and started to dance. Another boy walked lightly up the stairs, walked past the open door and closed his with a slight click.

The boy sighed and the Husky looked up at him again. Then he heard the foot steps that he dreaded. His two older brothers. They would know something was wrong. They would ask him to tell them, and he would have to. And once he was done, they would turn their backs on him; tell him that he was weak.

He got up, closed and locked the door. If they couldn't get in, he wouldn't have to tell them. He sat down on the floor and put his hands over his face, and ignored the voices asking to let them in. He heard them hammering on the door, calling, asking if he was alright. The music went off and his twin stopped dancing to poke her head out the door. He could hear her telling them that he was okay, that he had had his door open just a few minutes ago. The music went back on and the boy tried to make out the words, rather than listen to his brothers, pleading with him to come out.

The Husky jumped off the bed, and without the boy noticing, reached up with a paw and turned to lock, opening the door. He looked back at his master before pushing the door open, letting the two people in. They raced over to the boy on the floor and crouched in front of him.

Rocky and his older Brother Ricky hammered on the door to Justin's room. He began to panic. Justin never locked his door. The music in Angels room went off and she stuck her head out.

"What's wrong Rocko?" She asked with a frown on her face.

"Angel, this is very important," Said Ricky, "was Justin's door closed when you came up here?"

She shook he head. "Why? His door locked." Rocky nodded, still pounding on the door. "Have you ever thought he might want some privacy? I know he's a very open kid, but everyone has their secrets." she said, before shutting her door and turning on her music again.

"Great help she is." Said Ricky.

Then they both heard the lock click, and the door swung outwards and opened to revile Justin's Husky, Muse. He walked out and looked up at them as if telling them to go in. Rocky pulled the door open a little wider and saw Justin curled up in a ball on the floor. He ran over two his side and knelt down beside him. Gently he put a hand on his little brothers shoulder and was surprised to feel him flinch and pull away.

"Justin." He said softly as Ricky knelt beside him, "You okay?"

Don't want to talk about it....Go away.... go away.... go a-a-way.... Both Rocky and Ricky felt it in their heads. They both knew that Justin was powerful in all of the mind powers, but it was still a little odd to have voice in the back of you head, talking to you. He wrapped his arm around Justin's shoulders.

"If you won't talk to us, will you talk to Adam? You're hurting, you need to talk."

NO!!! Rocky suddenly felt dizzy and he hoped that Ricky hadn't had the thought slam into him at the same force. Rocky looked at his older brother and Ricky left to go and ring Adam.

Rocky pulled Justin to his feat and half lead, half dragged the boy over to the bed. He lay him down and grabbed a rug to put over him. There was something very wrong with his brother and he was going to find out what. He could see the silent tears running down his face, soaking his pillow. He didn't like this. Not only did Justin not want to talk to him or Ricky, he didn't even want to talk to his boyfriend, Adam.

As Rocky watched Justin, he became aware of the marks on his face. There were three long scratches and a slight bruise on his right cheek. He ran his hand gently over the marks and Justin flinched.

"Who did this to you Justin?" he asked, using the same soft tone he would use to sooth one of the twins.

I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!! he practically screamed into Rocky's mind.

Rocky gasped. "Okay. I get it. You don't want to talk about it." He whispered in pain. Justin closed his eyes as more tears escaped them.

"Just leave me alone." he whispered, "just leave me alone"

Half an hour later, there was a banging on the front door. Ricky opened it.

"Where is he?" asked Adam.

Ricky pointed up the stairs. "Just be careful. He's likely to give you a brain hemorrhage." He warned.

Adam nodded and walked up the stairs, before knocking lightly on the door. Within moments, it opened. Rocky beckoned him in, then left. Adam looked around, then his eyes fell on the figure, sitting on the bed with his knees curled up to his chest.

" Hey." Said Adam with both his thoughts and his mind.

Justin looked up, more tears coming to his eyes. He got up, crossed the room and wrapped is arms around his boyfriend. Adam hugged him tightly.

"Now, I've just got a very frantic phone cal from Ricky. He said that you were extremely distressed. Refusing to talk or even move. That's not like you Justin. What's wrong?"

"You know, that's the third time that someone's asked me that. But.... this is the first time I'm happy to hear someone say it. I....I don't want to talk about it..... because it hurts....too much to say. But.... I.....I do want to tell someone, but..... I feel as if I can't say anything. It....it hurts and I can't say anything." He whispered into Adam's shirt. Adam held on tighter as each word slipped from Justin's mouth.

He too had mind powers that aloud him to enter peoples mind. The think their thoughts, feel their feelings and hear what they had heard. So he slipped into Justin's mind to try and find an answer to the boy's pain. He could feel the pain radiating off his boyfriend. He could feel it seeping through his mind, filling every corner and every crevice. It wrapped around his heart and clutched at his lungs. It made him feel sick, and it made him wonder how Justin had handled this, no matter how small the space of time. As he slid further through his memories, he found a solid foundation, a path as it always been whenever he found himself in Justin's mind.

Every persons mind was different. Most of the time that Adam had entered someone's mind, he felt as if he was floating. But with Justin, it was much different. With Justin, it was like walking through a huge library. But the books were constantly moving and changing, as Justin's mind thought things through.

Adam lifted the boy off his feet and placed him gently on the bed, then lay down beside him. Justin curled into him, still sobbing.

Why are you in here? he asked quietly, realizing that someone else was in his mind.

To help you through this. You said you can't talk, why don't you show me?

It's hard to even think off it..... came the whisper that echoed in his mind. But I'll try.

Justin wrapped his arms tightly around Adam, trying to tell himself that he was going to be alright. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't believe it. He started to rummage around in the back of his mind where he had sent the memories of earlier that day.

Adam held the boy close, closing his eyes and listing to what Justin wanted him to hear and see. An image flashed through his mind. He could see a street; it was just outside the school. Justin must have walked past it to get to the Youth Center. He expected the next memory to be of their hang out there, but instead it was a sensation of being pulled backwards and being shoved roughly into an ally and falling to his knees. He turned and saw someone that he didn't know, but maybe it was someone that Justin had meet. He was being pulled to his feet, still looking at the teen boy in front of him.

The memories faltered.

It's alright Justin, your doing well, your safe. Adam comforted. He heard Justin whimper before the memories started again.

He was shoved up against the wall

They stopped again, Adam felt a great surge of pain.

Keep going. Show me what happened.

I cant

Yes you can Justin. You were a Ranger when you were ten, you can beat this pain. You can make it go away. You can do this, I know you can.

Justin shifted so he was closer to his boyfriend and Adam held him tighter.

Your safe.

He felt all the fear again. He was shoved up against the wall. The memories faltered for a second, then keep going. He was turned and slammed head first into that wall. He could feel hands on his sides, holding him against the bricks. Justin had struggled and he felt a hand slap him across the face. The face came closer....and kissed him.

Justin whimpered again and fresh tears rolled down his face. He felt so ashamed, so embarrassed.

Adam lifted a hand and brushed away the tears.

"I'm so sorry Justin." He whispered to his boyfriend. "No one should have to go through this. Especially not you." He kissed the top of his head as he felt the younger boy sob.

Help me

I will. I promise I'll help you. I promise. He whispered. Your safe now.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Justin said quietly. "Please don't, it will only makes thing worse."

"But I can help you. I know that we can get through this"

I can't

Adam was shocked. Justin never gave up. He always kept going, no matter what. He would never say die. After every fall he got up. After every humiliation be bounced back with a smile on his face. He never quit and often, it got on Adams nerves.

Tears ran down his face as he heard the words. He had to keep Justin going. He had to make him see that life was still worth living. He shouldn't give up after one kiss.

"I know this is going to sound heartless, but you can't give you just because of a kiss. You've" He stopped as another memory played out in his mind. He gasped and shut his eyes as the truth hit him. Justin hadn't just been kissed, he had been raped.

"No" He whispered. "Oh god." Justin held onto him tighter, his nails digging into the older boys back.

"Please don't hate me." He whispered as he cried.

Adam paced a kiss on his forehead as he too cried. "I could never hate you baby. Not ever if I wanted to. And something like this wouldn't make me. It only makes me realize how lucky I am to still have. I still be able to say I love you. Let me help you."

Help me. Please Help me. I want to die

"No Justin. You can't die. I won't let you die. Let me help."

I want to die

NO!!!

Justin whimpered.

"I know you want to die, but you can't. Your going to get through this. I want to help you, but your not going to die. Your not."

I want

"....to die. I know you do. But you not are going to. You're going to live baby. You're going to live and I'm going to help you. I'll be here no matter what. I want to tell you something. And your probably not going to believe me. But it's true. And I think it might help you get through this. It might make you see that you can keep going."

Justin released his grip slightly, but he still held on. He nodded. Adam rubbed his back. He didn't want to tell his story. He wanted it to stay hidden. He wanted to forget. But he knew that it would help him, help both of them, to heal.

Adam kissed the top of his loves head lightly and took a deep breath. "A little while ago, you asked me where the scar on my wrist came from." Justin nodded. "When I was thirteen, I tried to commit suicide." Justin's head snapped up to look at him. Adam could see all the pain and sadness in them, but even more so, he could see questioning.

"Why?" He whispered.

"I thought my life wasn't worth living, and it probably wasn't. My mother was dead, I'd just moved into a new city, I had no friends, and on top of that, my father" He stopped, tears falling down his face again, "my father abused me. Every night he beat me. He whacked me across the back with his belt. He punched me till I begged for him to stop. But he never did. Until I learned to fight. That's when I first met Rocky. He saw some of the bruises and thought that I was getting beat up at school, so he took me to a self defense class and I started to sort of stand up for myself. About three months after that, dad was beating me and I hit him back. He just hit me harder. Soon after I became a ranger and I had a new excuse for the marks."

"But when I met you, you weren't like that."

Adam nodded. "Just before we met, dad was beating me and I let him have it. He hasn't touched me since."

Justin relaxed a bit. "What about the other wrist?" He whispered.

"I didn't just try once. The second time, Rocky found me. He called an ambulance and took me to hospital. I never told him why I did it though." He went silent, listening to his loves breathing. He let the boy hear what he had just said.

"I never would have thought that you would do something like that."

"I would have never thought that you would ever want to commit suicide. Never in a million years. I not like you."

"But this has never happened before." He winced was shifted slightly. Adam noticed.

"Hurts?"

Justin nodded and whimpered. Adam tightened his grip on him.

"It's going to hurt for a long time." He whispered. "But it will get better. It will. But let me help, and you'll get better quicker." Justin nodded

Please help me. I want your help now.

"Get some sleep, your safe now." Despite the soothing, Justin remained tense in his arms. But soon, exhaustion overtook the boy and he relaxed in his arms. Adam buried his nose into his loves hair and sighed, glad that he still had him. He slowly removed one arm from around the boy then grabbed the blanket on the end of the bed wrapping him in it.

He laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, praying that he would still have his love in the morning.

Adam opened his eyes feeling the boy in his arms struggling. He looked down and could see through the darkness that his eyes were firmly shut. Suddenly, blue snapped open and a scream escaped the tortured lips. Adam wrapped his arms around the boy as he heard three or four people running towards the door.

He heard someone knocking on the door.

"Adam? Justin?" Came Rocky's worried voice.

"It's okay Rocko. Everything's fine." Adam called back. The door opened slightly and Rocky's head poked round the door. Adam beckoned him in.

He sat on the edge of the bed an put a hand on the shaking boys back. "You really okay?" Justin shook his head. Rocky glanced at Adam and Adam shook his head.

"We saved some stuff from dinner. I can bring it up stairs if you like."

Adam nodded. "Thanks." He said has he looked at the clock on Justin's bedside table. It was 10:00 pm.

As Rocky walked to the door, he turned around again and looked at the two on the bed. He was worried about Justin. He looked so frightened and alone, even though he had Adam. He closed the door and hurried down the stairs. He wished he knew what had happened to make Justin like this, but he wasn't going to push it.

The phone rang as he walked past it and he grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Rocky? It's Tommy. Is Justin okay?" Rocky could hear the concern in his friends voice.

"Yes and no." He said carefully. "Why?"

"There's a tournament on tonight. I told him a couple of weeks ago that it was on. His match is about an hour away and he's not here. He never pulls out. I was wondering if he was late or if something had happened."

Angel walked past into the kitchen and Rocky grabbed her arm. "Hang on a minute Tommy." He put the phone on the counter and grabbed some stuff out of the fridge.

"Take this up to Adam and Justin for me. Ask Justin If he still wants to do the comment tonight and run back with the answer." Angel nodded, grabbed the stuff on the counter and ran up the stairs.

"You still there Tommy?" he asked as he picked up the phone again.

"Yup, and I heard what you said. Your house echo's a lot."

"I know. When Angel puts the music on up in her room, you can hear it all the way down in the garage."

"Hey!" Said Angel as she came down the stairs. "Justin says if he can go in a rematch, he won't go tonight, but if that's not possible he still do it."

"You hear that?" Asked Rocky.

"Yeah I heard. He can do a rematch in a couple of days and I can still get him into another tournament if he wants to."

"It might be best if he sits this one out Tommy. We aren't all that crash hot right now." He said nodding at Angel. She went back up stairs.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. And its not really my place to tell anyway. He's that upset." The phone was cordless. So he walked into his room and closed the door, wanting a little more privacy. "I'm really worried about him. He wouldn't talk to me, he didn't even want to talk to Adam." He said as He flopped down on his bed.

"Do you think he told Adam eventually?" Asked Tommy, starting to become concerned too. He was sitting in the back of the gym at the Youth Center, watching the match going on in the ring. Jason was sitting next to him, reading the program for that nights round. He looked up when he heard the worry in his friends voice.

"What's wrong?" he said quietly. Tommy shook his head. The crowd cheered as one of the competitors flipped the other and his attention snapped back to the match.

"I think he has, but I don't know. I hope he has." Rocky rubbed a hand over his face. "I wish I knew what is wrong so I can help him, but he just refused to talk to he. I tried to talk to him and he has given me the worst migraine. And now Angel has chosen the time to tell me that we are out of Nurophen."

"That would be right."

"Yeah, just typical of her. Tell me at the last minute."

Tommy laughed. "I've got to go and get ready for my next match. Call me tomorrow and tell me how Justin's going, okay."

"Yeah, I will. I'll see you later."

"Later." Tommy hung up the phone. He sat still for a moment, thinking about what Rocky had told him. It worried him. Justin wasn't one to let thing's get him down. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" asked Jason. Tommy turned to him.

"I'm worried about Justin"

With in three hours, Jason had called Billy, who had called Zack, who had somehow got hold of TJ, who had spoken to Carlos, who had let slip to Andros who had been talking to Ashely, who had spoken to Cassie, who had called Kim, who had called Ashia, who had done a three way chat with Kat, who had called Rocky. Biggest mistake in the world.

"How the hell did you find out about that?" He almost yelled into the phone.

Kat winced, so there was something wrong with Justin. She hadn't believed it at first. Everyone knew Justin was bullet proof. "I heard it from Asiah and Kim. They heard it from Cassie and Ashley, who got it from the boys"

"Who got it from me. Tommy called me and I told him."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know. He won't tell me anything. I'm his brother and he won't talk to me."

"It hurts doesn't it? To have someone who's hurting and not telling anyone I mean."

Rocky sighed. "Yeah, it does. I wish I could help him, but I can't."

"I think everyone who knows does. Their calling around in the middle of the night, trying to find out if he's okay. Everyone care's about him, just like you do, and only one person can help him."

"Adam."

"No. Himself. He's got to tell someone to get help, so in away he has to help himself first. I hope he does tell Adam, so he can get help."

"So do I. But in the mean time, we need to support him. It's got to take something really bad to make him upset."

"Worse than really bad. I hate to think what has happened to him."

"We're all here for him though. And he's got to realize that soon. He's got to talk to someone. He has to, or it's going to get to much for him and destroy him from the inside out." Said Kat as she bit down on a nail. She was worried, and she hated to think what Justin's close friends were feeling. They were probably going through hell. "If there's anything any of us can do, call us."

"I will, but right now it's up to Justin and Adam. They've got to get this under control before something bad happens. Spread the word around that I don't want anyone to pry. We'll have a ranger meeting as soon as possible to put our heads together and see what we can do to help."

"Dito. I call you again later, kay?"

"Yeah, see yah."

"See yah." They both hung up and Rocky sighed. He had hoped to keep this quiet. "Bummer." He whispered as he ran his hands over his face. He looked at his watch, 1:00. he could hardly believe what had happened in the space of 10 hours. He curled up on his side with his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He fell asleep with thoughts of Justin's plight running through his mind.

Adam and Justin sat cross legged on the bed, their knees touching. On the bed side table, there was one empty plate; a container of food and two half empty mugs of coffee. Angel had just told them that Justin could do a rematch later that week and now they sat looking at each other, Adam trying to get Justin to eat.

"Just try. You don't have to eat it all." Justin shook his head and twisted round to put his bowl down. Adam leaned forward and took it from him, pulling him back round to face him. Justin avoided his eyes. He stared at his hands.

"I can't eat it. I'm sorry, but I can't." He whispered.

"Okay, we'll leave it for now, but you've got to have something later." Justin nodded as Adam put down the plate. He closed his eyes momentarily.

It's okay Justin. Your safe. He felt arms wrap around him.

I wish I felt that way. He tried to lean forwards, but pain shot through him and he gasped. Adam uncoiled and placed an arm around his back. Justin let himself be supported and he closed his eyes as Adam gently laid him down. He rolled over onto one side and Adams arms were there waiting for him. He wrapped his arms around the solid form and willed him self to sleep. Adam watched him, hoping that this time there would be no nightmares. He knew there probably would be, but he had to hope.

He kissed his love's forehead and wondered what the new day would bring. He knew that the next couple of days would be painful and full of tears, but he hoped there would also be a time when he would smile, or just be at peace.

He hoped.

Rocky was trying to sleep when the phone rang, again. He groaned and reached for it, and as he did, he looked at the clock. 3:00, and he still hadn't had any sleep.

"Hello?" He asked in the brightest voice he could muster.

"Rock-o? It's Carlos. Is Justin okay?" Carlos was sitting in the middle of the bridge on the Mega ship with all the space rangers around him.

"No he's not and I know everyone's worried but you've got to stop calling. He's going to feel even worse when he finds out everyone knows something's wrong." He said.

Carlos was silent for a moment. "He should know we're all there for him though. He told me just a few weeks ago that sometimes he feels really abandoned." He waved off Ashley who was hanging off his arm and walked down the hall to his room. He shut the door with a click on TJ's nose. "And I can understand how he can feel like that. For the first few months after we left, we made no attempt to contact him. We did abandon him, and I don't think any of us want him to feel like that again. He's one of our best friends, and now we're really worried."

Rocky walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. "I know how you feel Carlos, we all abandoned him for a time, none of us intentionally, but it did happen. But there is something that I am sure about. Justin isn't going to want the whole world to know something is wrong. He hates to off load things on others. And above all, he hates to be a burden. I think that's why he has trouble trusting people." He said as he flopped back down on the bed. He opened the bottle with one hand and drank deeply.

"Your right. He never trusted any fully, I wonder if he even trusts Adam."

"I think he's starting to, but I don't know. I really don't know." Rocky started as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Look Carlos, I've got to go." He said looking out the door.

"Okay. I'll hear from you later."

"Bye." He turned off the phone before Carlos had a chance to answer. He walked out the door just as he saw Adam pick up his keys of the counter. Justin was standing beside him, wrapped in Adams oversized jacket.

"Where are you going?" He said quietly as he walked towards them. Justin spun round and backed into the counter and Adam caught him as he slid towards the ground. He whimpered as he sank to the floor and Adam went with him. He looked up and gave Rocky a death glare.

"I'm taking Justin back to my place. I don't think he wants to be here."

"I don't." Justin whispered quietly. "I want to get out of here."

Rocky crouched down beside his brother, and then looked at Adam who was still giving him a death glare. For the first time, he noticed the small bag in his hands.

"How long are you going to be gone?" He asked.

Adam shrugged. "I don't know. As long as it takes for Justin to settle down I guess."

Rocky nodded and help Adam pull Justin to his feet. He walked with them to the hall and as they silently stepped out the door, He put a hand on his Asian friends shoulder.

"Call me." He whispered. Adam nodded and helped Justin into his black four wheel drive. The car started and for the first time, Rocky was thankful for its quiet engine. He watched as the car drove down the street and turned the corner and disappeared. He walked back inside and closed the door, shutting out the cold night air.

Adam kicked to door to the house closed as he carried the shaking boy up to his room. Once there, he lay his bundle down on the bed and curled up around him.

"I'm so frightened." Justin whispered. "Why did this happen?"

Adam kissed the top of his loves head. "I don't know. All I know is that if I see the basted that did this, I will kill him." Justin's arms tightened around him and he sniffed.

"I'm still so frightened.....Help me?"

"I will, I promise. I promise. You're okay now. Hush."

Justin sobbed quietly as Adam murmured sweet nothings in his ear. Finally, just as dawn broke, he fell asleep and Adams arms. Adam listened to the deep breathing of the younger boy beside him and sighed. So much had happened in the space of just over twelve hours. So much pain and anguish and suffering. He had managed to stop a suicide, spill his guts and break the speed limit twice in just one night. And he knew that things were just getting started.

He looked down at his love sleeping and thought of something. Justin should probably report what had happened to him. The idea hadn't even crossed his mind till now, and he didn't like it. Even if Justin could identify who had done this to him, there would he the trauma of gathering evidence, interviews and a court case to boot. But he knew it was going to have to happen.

He hissed in annoyance and Justin stirred slightly in his arms.

"Shhh. It's okay, everything's fine." Blue eyes thick with tiredness opened to look up at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, just thinking. There's nothing to be worried about."

But your worried, and that makes me worried. Adam smiled.

"I was just thinking about stuff that was weighing on my mind, that's all."

Justin put his head on one side. Adam sighed. He took a deep breath, hoping that this wasn't going to cause either of them to much pain. "I was just thinking.....I was thinking about whether to..... to talk to the police about this or not." Justin paled and bit his lip. "It's your choice, but I think you should tell them"

"I know. But I frightened to. I know he could do this again, but...... he threatened me to keep quiet. That's why I didn't want to tell anyone."

Adam tightened his grip on him and buried his nose in the frightened boys hair. "when your with me, he can't hurt you, just remember that. I'll be there if you decide you want to go to the police, and I'll stay with you no matter what." He paused for a moment, "There's an officer that I know that can probably help you. He help me when I was going through some tough times. If you want, I can call him and ask him to come over."

Justin shuddered slightly. "You're sure he won't be able to hurt me when you're here?"

"I'll kill him if he try's." Justin could see that he was deadly serious by the tone of his voice.

"I think, I think I want to talk to that officer. It's going to take a lot of effort, but I think I want to tell someone."

Adam reached for the phone, picked it up and dialed.

I could tell you that this is where the story ends. For in some ways, it is. But in others, is just the beginning. Justin did tell the officer what happened, and it turned out that this guy had done this before, and got away with it because of the rule of double jeopardy. But this time, he was trailed, and sentenced to life imprisonment. And Justin was happy, well as happy as he could be under the circumstances. He celebrated his sixteenth birthday just over a week after court case, and finally he told everybody what happened

"........Happy birthday to you! Hip, hip! Hooray! Hip, hip! Hooray!" Everybody yelled. Adam gave Justin and quick kiss on the cheek and Zach wolf whistled and was promptly talked by Tommy and Jason. Everyone was laughing as the three of them who were rolling around on the floor tickling each other. The attention was turned away from Justin and Adam for a moment and for the first time that evening, Adam realized that Justin wasn't really all that happy. He wrapped an arm around the boy's waist and Justin sighed and leaned into the hug.

"What's up?" he whispered in his ear.

"Just thinking."

"'Bout what? It's your birthday, you shouldn't be upset."

"'Bout telling them. I think it's time I shared the secret."

Adam nodded and held him tighter. "Tonight the night, huh?"

Justin took a deep breath, "Yeah."

They waited for things to settle down a bit and then called everyone over to sit next to the fire. Justin curled up on the couch, half in Adams arms as everyone gathered round. They were still bantering, and it seemed like the only people who actually realized something was up, was Tommy and Jason. Tommy watched his young friend, a kind yet concerned look on his face. Jason had much the same thing on his face, though a little less emotion. Justin gave them a faint smile back.

"You ready?" Adam asked quietly. Justin took a deep breath, closed his eyes and nodded.

"Guy's," Adam raised his voice and the room fell silent, "for a long time, I'm pretty sure that you have know that there was wrong with†with Justin. There have been a lot of thing's happening over â€the last few months, and it has been very for the both of us. I sure rumors have been going around for a while now, theories on what might have happened." He paused and looked around. All he saw where caring and concerned faces, waiting for him to continue. He looked down at Justin who was staring at the floor, clutching him tightly. "Justin's decided†that he wants to tell you guys what happened." He wrapped his arms around him, giving him support as he felt the boy take a deep breath.

Still looking at the floor, Justin tried not to cry as he thought of what to say. He took another deep breath and began. "About two months ago....... I was walking over to the youth center...... when someone dragged me....... into ally." He said his voice barely above a whisper. He stopped, fighting the tears that threatened to fall, and sniffed. Adam could feel him shaking. "He...... he grabbed me....... and he" The tears started flowing and Justin wiped them away, trying really hard not to sob. He took another deep breath and felt Adam arms tighten around him again. "He raped me"

Someone gasped and Justin started to cry again. He buried his head in Adams chest and cried. Soon, he felt other people wrapping their arms around him talking to him. It had taken so much for him to say those three dreadful words, but now it was out in the open, and he felt, as sad as he was, that a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

For the first time in a long time, he felt safe. All his friends now knew what had happened and they would all help him. Finally, he was safe.

The End!

Authors Note 4: That took me a lot of time to write. Now that I have got some emotions off my chest and out of my head, I feel a lot better. See yah later!