I really make Stephen...a jerk, don't I? I like him... somewhat. Note, another back-story, more on Becker's and Connor's side. Back to the school days, this one is! Enjoy this chapter because I enjoyed writing it! :)

Chapter Four.

1:55 PM, Detective Constable Quinn's:

Danny opened his eyes and wished he had never woken up. Another bad dream about his little brother. The brother he was supposed to protect. Patrick, kidnapped in plain view and Danny couldn't stop it. He was only a twenty two year old man and by the time it had happened, it was too late to react. It was stupid. He knew it was his fault and he had been spending the rest of his life trying to find him, even so far as becoming a cop for that one reason. His brother.

He rolled out of bed and threw on his uniform, ready to start the day. He ate a quick breakfast and left the house. Everything was the same to Danny...nothing really ever changed around Primeval Boulevard. It was in a relatively safe neighborhood, he didn't do a lot of arrests and Stephen was only talked down to and threatened. Never anything more. Never anything less. So he picked up a walking stick and just started to patrol with a earpiece hanging around his neck and a black box in his pocket.

2:00 PM, Hilary Becker's:

Becker rolled over, he wasn't sleeping. He hadn't slept. His mind was a jumbled mess and he was anxious. Scared, even. He was going to be deployed soon and he wasn't sure if he was ready to jump back in action. Not when his newest neighbor, Jessica Parker just got in. He found that he was...attracted to her. But no...no. He wouldn't love. He was a soldier and he refused love. Love always...left. People died everyday and he was going to be one of them soon enough...

He snapped his eyes opened and took a deep breath.

"Becker...just calm down. You haven't died yet and you won't die this time." He whispered to himself and threw his legs over the side of the bed. His hair was a tussled mess, his eyes red with bags under them. He felt like such a mess.

Becker put a black shirt on, jeans, and some boots and opened the door for fresh air. He was going miss the comforting neighborhood that he loved so dearly. Not that he would ever admit it. He didn't confess his love. He was done with it. Too many bad things involving love in his life that he was finished with. Just too many...

Seeing Mrs. Lester gardening, he decided to go talk to her. He needed to get some things off his chest. He needed to talk and she was the one to go to.

"Hilary, it's nice to see you!" She smiled as he tapped her shoulder.
"Becker. My name is Becker." He reminded her.
She shrugged. "Well, what brings you around here, Becker?" She empathized his name.
"I need to talk." He told her.
"What about?" She put down her shovel and turned her body towards him, to look in his eyes.

"I don't know if you heard, I suppose it's been the word on the street," He started. "But I'm being deployed. Next week."
"Oh, you know, I think Danny might've dropped by to mention it." Ruth said.
"I don't think I'm ready..." Becker shrugged. "I really don't."
"You made it through so many wars."
"I know," He nodded. "But what if I don't make it through THIS war? What if...I...pass?"
"In the end, whether that be next week, or a hundred years away, all that matters is if you had good-innings."

He swallowed hard and really thought about his life. School was...rubbish. He lied, he said he liked school, but…it was less than the truth. He liked being mates with Connor and Abby, but…he could pass on a lot of things.

"Hey, you fairy! Get over here!" An older boy yelled.
Becker slowly turned around. He was only fourteen.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Hilary!" The boy grabbed the front of his shirt.
"Wha-what did I do?" He stammered.
"I saw you talking to Connor Temple. You know 'im?" The boy glared at him.
"Uh...yeah, I'm in a few of his classes...w-why? Is he bad?"
The boy laughed. "Connor? Bad? He couldn't be bad if he tried! He's a nerd, a loser, a geek..."
"So what did I do?" Becker looked at the boy, scared.
"Connor is our target. Anyone socially related to him, is our target as well." The boy raised his eyebrow. "You a nerd too? A fairy?"
"I-I didn't even know he was...gay..." He shook his head. "But I'm not. I'm not either. I like to think I'm quite cool."

The boy chuckled. "I'm Stephen. Stephen Hart and you will fear me, Hilary."
"If it's possible, I'd like to be referred to as Becker."
"I'll call you whatever I like, you duffer!" Stephen punched him in the stomach.

Becker lost all his breath in an instant.
"Anyone else wanna take a turn at the bender, aye?" Stephen looked at the boys around him, all tough. They were his crew.

The beating seemed to go on forever. Becker was surprised no teachers came out to help him, it was after all in the middle of the hallway during classes. He was left there, bleeding and hardly breathing. He felt like his airways weren't working right with everything else. Tears streaked his face. He couldn't understand. Why him? What did he ever do? He was a new student sure, he had a girl's name alright, but-just why was this boy, this Stephen Hart kid, so aggressive?

Becker slowly went to the boy's toilets. Not only did he need to clean himself up, since he didn't dare go to the nurse. Stephen warned him not to, warned him that she'd ask how and he couldn't tell. But he also felt...sick. He felt like he had to throw up. His stomach hurt profusely.

But he wasn't alone. He found Connor in there, blood running down his chin, tears rolling down his face. He was shaking all over, his breath was short and sharp, he was in bad shape. He was having a panic attack, Becker could tell. He would know one by one look, his father often had panic attacks after coming home from the war.

"Connor, hey, mate, are you alright?" He asked caringly, sucking in all his pain.
"Stephen-Stephen..." He cried.
"Mate, we've got to get you to the nurse."
"I'm-I'm throwing up blood...I've got...internal bleeding...and...and I'm having a panic attack..."
"Come on, Connor, we've got to get you out of here."
"No." He shook his head. "No, I don't want to."
"Dude, you've got to go or you'll die!" Becker shouted.
"I don't care anymore!"

Becker racked his brain for something to make this boy stand up and go the nurse with him, but hardly anything came.

"Do it for your mum!"
"My mum is alright without me, I think."
"What about your dad?"
"He can be a pain in the arse...and he cares, but he'll live..."
"Your brothers!" He worriedly shouted. "Anyone!"
"My brothers hate me! They're half the reason for my problems!"
"Abby! Do it for Abby!" Becker was nearly crying, seeing a fifteen year boy in this much pain.

Connor stopped crying, he nearly stopped breathing.

"Abby Maitland. You have to do it for her..." Becker repeated slowly, realizing Connor was having a better reaction.
"Sh-she needs me..." He mumbled.
"Yes." Becker nodded. "Do you want me to go get her? What class is she in?"
"Get her..." Connor told him. "English...Mr. Webber's English."
"Okay. I will be right back. Don't move and breathe. Just keep breathing and breathe deeply. It'll help."

Connor just agreed and stayed put on the floor against a stall. Becker ran through the halls to the English class, he didn't care about the trail of blood on the floor from his nose and he hoped the janitors wouldn't mind either.

Out of breath, he tore open the door and nearly screamed "I need Abby!"
"Mister Becker, why do you need her?" Mr. Webber asked, but then looked at him. "Lordy, what happened to you?"
"There's an emergency." He yelled, ignoring the question. "Connor needs her really bad!"
"Temple? What's wrong with Temple?" Mr. Webber put down the poetry book and looked fearfully at Becker. "Hilary, tell me."
"He's got internal bleeding and-and he's having a panic attack!" He cried out. "He's in the boys toilets and all he wants is Abby!"

Abby practically ran out the door, closely followed by Mr. Webber.

When they arrived, Connor had his head to his knees, blood staining his shirt and dried blood on his hands and face.
"Temple, what the hell did you do?" Mr. Webber asked him, while studying him over.
Connor was shaking, he couldn't control himself. "I-I got in a f-figh-fight."
"Who did this to you?" He asked more specifically.
"Stephen. Stephen Hart."

"I will kill him!" Abby claimed. "I'll rip him to shreds!"
"No, don't do that...Abs. Not for me." Connor shook his head.
"Why? Why wouldn't I do that for you? You are a magnificent boy and I love you."
Connor's heart nearly fluttered out of his chest. "Love?"
"Yeah, we're buddies." Abby smiled. "Pals."
"Yeah..." He faked a smile.

"Temple, we need to get you to the nurse. You'll probably end up in the hospital." Mr. Webber explained.
"I don't want to go..." He mumbled.
"Why?"
"They'll get Stephen in trouble..."
"And what's so bad about that?"
"He'll come after me ten times harder! He'll try to murder me!" He complained. "All I ever wanted was to be accepted in this school. To be more than a nerd, but Stephen doesn't help at all!"
"Don't worry, we won't let Stephen hurt you again." Mr. Webber reassured.

"Con, calm down. Everything is going to be alright. I promise you that." Abby took her hand and wrapped it around his. "Now let's go."
Connor nodded, realizing he had no choice now that Abby was involved.

"Hilary," Mr. Webber said. "You did a great job. Now, did Stephen get you too? Is that why you're…bleeding?"
"Oi, thought you couldn't notice." Becker smiled, ending up sniffing up some blood. "Yeah, he got me. I masked my pain because...Connor seemed to be in such a worse state."
"Come on, we'll all just head off to the nurse then. Get a tissue though, the janitors don't enjoy scrubbing down blood from the hall."
"Sorry." Becker gave a slight laugh, though it hurt his stomach.
"It's fine. You did a good thing. A great thing. Temple wouldn't have gotten help any other way. We've dealt with him like this."
Becker just nodded, the teacher guiding him to the health office, as he tried to keep his head down to stop the bleeding. His dad said it best that way.

At the nurse, she cleaned Connor up, but nothing was stopping his stomach wanting to throw up. He felt absolutely, positively sick. Unfortunately, he was used to throwing up. It was a side effect of his anxiety, and this internal bleeding and being punched in the stomach repeatedly did not make matters any better. Becker stood by him in the toilets, making sure he was alright as he threw up his guts.

"Mate, I'm sorry that this happened." Becker called from outside the stall.
"I'm used to this treatment. It's no big deal..." He replied. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this because of me." After another minute of Connor puking what was left of his breakfast, lunch, and he was sure his previous dinner, he flushed and grabbed a paper towel, popping a mint in his mouth. It wasn't going to make his breath smell much better, but anything was better than the smell and taste in his mouth. The bleeding hadn't stopped completely, but...that would be dealt with in this hospital. The ambulance would be coming soon and he absolutely hated the hospital, he'd been there too many times.

"Is it true?" Becker asked, looking at him. "That you're..." He wasn't quite sure how to say it without sounding mean.
"What? That I'm a loser?"
"No, no," He shook his head. "That you-get on with...boys?"
"No." Connor grumbled angrily. "I'm not gay! And I actually really like Abby...so belt up!"
"That's just what Stephen told me. I'm sorry."
"Stephen told me you were gay. Doesn't mean I believe it." He splashed his face with cold water and went out to wait for his hospital visit.

Becker prepared for a whole year of bullying and Stephen was suspended for two months. But that didn't stop his crew from pushing Connor and Becker into the same locker, calling them benders and fairies, trying to get them to admit they were dating.

After high school, he became a soldier. He realized that was the only thing he wanted to do. It ran in the family. They were all military men and women. His dad, his uncles, one of his aunts, his grandfather, everyone he knew he lived in constant fear of dying one day. That's where he got his fear of love...when his uncle said he loved him and never came back...

"Hil, hey, are you alright?" Ruth questioned, putting her hand on his shoulder.
He got brought to the present. "Huh? Oh yeah...fine. Thanks..."
"For what?"

"For telling me I'd be fine. I appreciate that."
"Is there more you want to say?"
"I think I really like...Jess."
"Lovely, little Jessica?"
"Uh-huh." He gulped and repeated "Lovely, little, Jessica..."
"Then maybe you should talk to her. Ask her out. I'm sure you two would get on great. Level each other out."
"Yeah...maybe..." He quietly said. "Bye..."
"Best of the British to ya, be safe wherever you're going."
"Uh-huh." He nodded and walked off, he had always been terrible with talking. He was socially awkward.

2:30 PM, Danny Quinn's:

"I'm surprised you haven't named that thing..." Becker smiled and practically tackled Danny at Gregg's Bakery. Of course he was holding his famous walking stick. It was what made him feel comfortable for some reason. For Becker, it was his guns, for Danny, it was a stick. Which sounded quite silly, he knew.

"Oh, what you don't know is that I have, soldier boy." Danny joked around. "Just like you named your guns, obviously."
"Oh yeah," Becker nodded and winked. "I've got that Betsy and Hope at home."
"And it's not a thing! It's a she. Her name is Molly." He flipped his hair dramatically.
"Oh, stop dreaming. You ain't got hair to flip!"
"As if you do."
"No, I don't." Becker looked at him strangely. "After all, I don't enjoy flipping my hair."

A minute later, both the men started laughing.

"I'm going to miss ya, mate." Danny admitted. "Don't die out there, aye? I don't need another one..."
"I'm sure he's out there somewhere. Don't give up hope."
"It's hard to believe when it's been fifteen years."
"I know, but it'll be fine. Everything that's supposed to happen will work out."
"Then why haven't Connor and Abby got together yet?" He cracked a smile.

"It'll happen." Becker nodded. "But I heard they got in an argument. Abby gave me a ring. She skipped out of movie night."
"Oooh." Danny said, swallowing his coffee. "For what?"
"Stephen." Becker said with grudge in his voice.
"No!" He claimed. "She didn't! Stephen? The punk kid that Connor demands I arrest for old crimes?"

"Yeah. The same Stephen Hart that lives on our street and plays rugby by himself. She ditched Connor for a date."
"Oh, Abigail..." He rolled his eyes. "She'll learn. Jenny and I have been betting they'd get together since they were eighteen!"
"How much is the bet worth?"
"Eh...just twenty quid each." He shrugged.
"Not a kiss?" Becker teased.
"I don't like her!" Danny claimed.
"Yeah, okay." He nodded, rolled his eyes, and stole a piece of his doughnut.
"I don't. Jenny and I are just friends!"
"Really, really good friends." Becker raised his eyebrow and winked.

Danny punched him.

"Ow!"
"Need to better than that to be in the army, Captain." He smiled and bit a piece of his chocolate doughnut.