A/N - This story is a collaboration from the mind of fellow WAT fan Kimberleah with a little Laoisbabe thrown. This is Kimberleah's first fan fic so be kind. Hope you enjoy.
SCHOOL DAZE
Chapter 1
Life was good these days for Jack Malone. It was the happiest he had been for some time. Being part of Sam and Finn's lives had a calming effect on Jack. It felt natural. It felt right. He now looked forward to each evening, spent in the company of two of the most important people in his life. It beat evenings in front of the TV, alone. Little did he know how soon his life would be turned upside-down.
He marched into the bullpen on the morning of February 4th and quickly asked for everyone's attention.
"Listen up everyone! We have a missing 15-year-old boy. His name is Thomas Pearson," Jack began, looking around as he did so. "Where's Danny and Elena?" he asked those already assembled.
"Flat tire," Viv stated.
"Okay," Jack said, throwing his eyes to heaven. "Martin, you and Samantha head to Queens to the kid's home and speak to his parents. Viv, you and I will check out his school."
Jack also phoned Danny and asked him and Elena to check the registered sex offenders in the area and work on the parents' financials, when they finally did make it to the office. Soon after making that call, Viv and Jack were in the car and on their way to the school.
As Jack drove, he and Viv chatted, mainly small talk, asking after each other's families.
"How's Reggie doing these days?" Jack enquired.
"Pretty good, thankfully. He's finally settling into school and his teachers tell me he's doing really well," Viv told him.
"That's great, Viv. He's a good kid," Jack said with a smile.
Viv tentatively asked after Jack's daughters, Hanna and Kate, who were now living in Chicago with his ex-wife. She knew how difficult it was for him not seeing them every day.
"Maria tells me they're getting on great in school. Hanna's developed a bit of an attitude, but I guess that's only to be expected at her age. Kate is much more grounded and studious," Jack said, trying not to sound as lonely as he felt.
Meanwhile, Martin and Samantha had arrived at the Pearson home in Queens. Thomas Pearson, Senior and his wife Janet sat side by side on the sofa in the living room, trying to offer support to each other.
"When was the last time you saw Thomas?" Martin asked.
"He went to his room early last night, around 8pm. He said he was tired," Mr. Pearson told him.
"Do you know if he was upset about anything?" Martin asked him.
"Not really. He never really talked about things like that with us," Mr. Pearson answered.
Martin got the impression that he was holding something back and decided to press the issue, his silence coaxing more from the father.
"We don't really talk much," he admitted with guilt. "He's quiet, studious. I guess we don't have much in common."
Martin could relate to the boy, having had a strained relationship with his own father as he was growing up.
Mrs. Pearson offered the agents some coffee. They both accepted and Samantha followed her to the kitchen and offered to give her a hand. It was also her opportunity to speak to Thomas' mother alone.
"Yesterday evening. He came back from his friend's house at around 7pm and grabbed some supper and went up to his room. He wasn't there when I went up to wake him this morning," she said, fighting back the tears.
Sam couldn't help but feel sorry for the distraught woman. But Sam needed to remain objective and not allow herself to get emotionally involved. She had a job to do.
"I'll need a list of his friends and their addresses, including the boy he visited with yesterday," Sam told her. Mrs. Pearson nodded, as she took the coffee mugs from the cabinet.
"I'm also going to need to see Thomas' room," Sam informed her.
"Of course," she said, only too happy that the FBI was pulling out all the stops to find her son.
Mrs. Pearson directed Samantha to Thomas' bedroom. When she walked in, a feeling of apprehension descended over her. The décor was very depressing and morose. The walls were plastered with dark, violent images. She found his computer and turned it on. From a brief glance at his Internet history, she could see that he was taking part in an online game involving murder and other violent acts. He had also downloaded several disturbing videos as well as regularly chatting in an x-rated chat room. Sam was starting to develop her own sense of this boy, and it wasn't the innocent teen that the parents thought they knew.
Having arrived at Thomas Pearson's school, Jack and Vivian immediately sat and talked with the principal and then the boy's teacher. They also interviewed the school counsellor, trying to find out if the boy had visited him and whether he could divulge anything that may be relevant. The story each told was pretty much the same. He was quiet, a bit of a loner, didn't like to get too involved in school life other than show up for classes. He had never been in any trouble. The principal was escorting the agents to the second floor to check Thomas' locker when Jack turned suddenly, after hearing the unmistakable pop of a gunshot.
"Stay here and call 911," Jack ordered the principal.
Vivian and Jack ran back in the direction where the shot had come from. It came from downstairs. Then they heard another and another.
"Jack, we have no weapons. What are you going to do?" Viv asked, reminding her boss that they had checked their weapons in at security, in accordance with school policy.
"I've no idea," Jack replied undeterred, his heart beating a mile a minute.
They continued towards the stairs, which they had climbed only minutes earlier. The next shot sounded much closer, definitely on their floor. They slowed as they approached the corner of the hallway. Jack held his arm out to keep Vivian back as he peeked around the corner. Immediately, Jack recognised the person with the gun. It was Thomas Pearson.
"Damn it!" he exclaimed, as he turned back towards Viv. "It's Thomas Pearson."
As they stood shielded by the corner, Pearson was trying to get into a classroom. They could hear the screams of the students inside. As Pearson tried to gain access to the classroom, he had his back to the agents. Jack saw this as his window of opportunity and knew what he had to do. Without a word to Viv, he took off sprinting across the hallway towards the teenager, with the intention of disarming the kid. After all, Jack was much larger than the gawky teen. For a second, he thought he was going to get to him without him noticing, but at the last second, Pearson heard his footsteps and swung around. He raised his gun and released a volley of shots towards the looming figure.
"Jack!" Vivian screamed, as a spray of blood erupted from Jack's back.
His momentum carried him slamming into Thomas Pearson, knocking them both to the ground and sending Pearson's weapon sliding along the hallway. Summoning strength from his inner rage, Jack swung at the youngster, thumping him in the face and immediately rendering him unconscious.
Viv stood there, transfixed, unable to move for a moment. So much had happened so quickly. Jack dropped the listless boy back onto the ground and as his last ounce of adrenalin dissipated, he collapsed, face-down on top of him.
Viv quickly regained her composure and ran to where the two lay. She could see a dark stain growing on the back of Jack's coat. She rolled him off the teenager and was amazed to see that he was still conscious. He groaned as the agony of the movement tore through him. His breathing was ragged and beads of sweat were already forming on his brow.
"I've got you, Jack. Just hang on, okay?" she said, in an effort to comfort her injured colleague. By now she was on her knees beside him.
Vivian felt sick when she realised that Jack had multiple wounds, at least three that she could see. She knew his shoulder wound was a through and through, so that shouldn't be life-threatening, she presumed. However, her heart sank when she saw the shocking wound in his abdomen. He was losing a lot of blood from it. She immediately removed her jacket, rolled it up and pressed it against the wound, drawing an agonised moan from Jack, who was by now struggling to stay conscious.
"Just stay with me, Jack," she pleaded, the emotion in her voice breaking through.
With one hand, Viv took out her cell and dialled 911.
"I'm an FBI agent calling from Jefferson High. There's been a shooting. I have an agent wounded and possibly other civilian casualties," she began to explain.
"Help is on the way, M'am," the operator informed her. "We've received numerous calls from the vicinity. Just stay calm and we'll have help to you as soon as possible."
"Okay, but hurry. He's losing a lot of blood," she said, knowing in her heart how incidents like this work. First they had to secure the building before allowing any personnel inside. That could take a while, time Jack didn't have.
TBC
