A/N: Three chapters in – soon to be four – and people still like what I'm writing. 8'D Reality never ceases to amaze me. A big THANK YOU to anyone who has read this story, like it, and review it. I greatly appreciate any criticism given by you guys. I've never written a fan fiction story that I've like as much as this one. Not even my stories Um and The Killing Joke come close. Is that good or bad? Anyway, R&R. Enjoy!

Taint

There is sacredness in tears. They are not the marks of weakness, but of power. They are messengers of overwhelming grief and of unspeakable love.

Washington Irving

Fidgeting under Officer Orton's gaze, John looked around the office, trying to think of a good excuse to use. He hated the thought of lying to the man, but what other choice did he have? After all, regardless of how much he liked him, John didn't know him well enough to trust him. At least, not now…not yet. Suppressing a sigh, John shrugged nonchalantly – or in a manner than he hoped looked nonchalant – and looked back at Officer Orton.

"I just…didn't want to go to class."

"Bullshit." The bluntness of that one word, and the force that was used to say it, made John's eyes widened and he looked at the officer with a slightly alarmed expression. The man was frowning and he looked a little angry.

"You and I both know that that's a lie, John. Now tell me what's going on with you kid." He stood up and walked away from his desk, circling it like a predator, and John was his prey. Orton came around the desk and stood behind John, leaning on the chair as he bent down to speak close to the blonde's ear.

"I've seen you in the hallways, John. I've seen how you interact with your fellow classmates, with your teachers, and even with your two new buddies. I can see everything, and your behavior just isn't normal. No average teenager would be acting like you, and I want to know why."

John frowned. So, Officer Orton had been watching him every time he was here. He didn't know whether to feel excited or angry, but anger was definitely winning. Who did this man think he was? Did he think it was appropriate to watch students so carefully? And what business was it of his if John didn't act like a normal teenager? Who would act normally if they had to live a life like John's? Gripping the arms of the chair, John tried to keep the anger out of his voice as he spoke.

"What's it to you if I don't act like a normal teenager? And why are you watching me anyway?"

"Why? Because it's my job to keep an eye on you kids. To keep you safe and out of trouble. And in my line of work, I've become an expert at reading people, and I know for a fact that you're hiding something. So tell me."

"I don't trust you." The words left John's mouth before he had time to think. Panic started to flood his being; what had he just done? He most definitely didn't want to get on Officer Orton's bad side, and he had probably done just that.

He felt the officer stand up and make his way back to his desk. With fear in his eyes, John hesitantly looked up at the man, and was incredibly shocked to find a smirk on his handsome face. Placing both hands on the desk, Officer Orton leaned over his desk and stared down at John.

"So. You don't trust me? And if you did, then you'd tell me what's been going on with you?" Unable to speak, and not entirely sure where the man was doing with this, John nodded his head meekly.

"Well then, we'll just have to change that. Instead of going to study hall every day, come here. We'll get to know one other very closely, or until you decide to talk. I'll tell your study hall teacher about our arrangements. Starting tomorrow, you will report to my office instead of going to study hall, is that understood young man?"

John nodded once again, causing the smirk on Officer Orton's face to widen slightly.

"Good." He looked over his shoulder to catch the time. "Second period's almost over. You head on to your third period class."

Picking up his backpack, John stood up on shaky legs and opened the door.

"Oh, and John?" The blonde looked up at the officer, unsure of what to do or say.

"Don't tell your godfather about this until I say so. He and I have a…history."

Upon seeing the confused look on the teen's face, Orton held up John's personal file and nodded a silent good-bye.

"So, you got to know Officer Orton while you were in high school?"

"Yes. I went to see him in his office every day after that. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After a while, he became my friend." The prosecutor nodded in understanding.

"I see. So you went to his office every day? And he told you not to tell your godfather? When did your godfather find out about your relationship with Officer Orton?"

John tried not to react to the word 'relationship' as he began to describe his days with Officer Orton, and what happened when Wade found out…

It was nearing the end of the school year, and John wasn't too thrilled about going on summer vacation. Summer vacation meant that he'd be forced to spend most of his days with Wade, and 'quality time' was something he needed less of. Ever since that night months ago about club money, Wade had been treating his godson like a live-in whore. He would often mock and make snide remarks as he was doing his worst to John , and, quite a few times, he had several friends come over to watch. His one friend, Michael, even participated once, something that still made John sick to his stomach. John hated when Wade's friends came over, even if they didn't say anything to him at all. He just hated them.

If it wasn't for Cody, Ted, and Randy (only John was allowed to call him that), the blonde might have given up. After avoiding Cody for a few days, John finally approached him and told him a little bit of what happened. He told his light-hearted friend that his godfather was unemployed and had a nasty temper, which he unleashed when John asked him for money for archery club. Cody understood, but he was still suspicious about the details. When asked what exactly had happened, John successfully avoided every question.

This made him feel guilty, but he just couldn't tell him anything more than that. He knew that Cody would do something about it, and John didn't want anything to happen to his friend, so he kept quiet.

Randy, on the other hand, was hard to lie to. The first few weeks of spending study hall with the resource officer were trying. Neither one was willing to move an inch, and it felt like they were making little progress. At least, it felt that way to John. However, during the third week of their meetings, John let something slip.

As usual, Officer Orton was asking him questions, trying to get to know the blonde better. John had grown tired of the question-and-answer session after day two. He was afraid that he'd let his guard down and let something slip. And during the third week, he did.

"So…what's life with you godfather like?" That was something new. Normally, the questions would revolve around likes and dislikes, classes, subjects, sports, movies; anything a normal teenager would want to talk about. However, as the older man had already stated, John wasn't a normal teenager. But this question was different, and it made John tense, something that the officer noticed.

"Is he nice to you? I've had a few run-ins with him; mainly for drinking and drugs, but if he was named your godfather and legal guardian, he can't be all that bad, I guess. Although his accent leaves something to be desired."

"I hate him."

Just like that; Officer Orton would make him blurt out things just like that. Most of the time, during these session, John would remain as quiet as a mouse, until the man managed to get something out of him. And usually, John would just blurt stuff out without thinking about it. Like right now. That simple statement made Officer Orton shut up and he studied John with his piercing gaze.

"What do you mean John?"

John stayed silent, refusing to say anymore. But deep down inside, he knew that Orton would ask more questions, questions that related to Wade and what he's been doing to his godson since his parents died. Dread began to seep into him from every pore on his body and the tension in the room grew even heavier, if that was even possible.

"Does he.. Does he hit you?" Right on the money. It's almost like the man could read his mind. John tensed a little more, keeping his eyes focused on the desk.

"Does your godfather…do things to you?" More tension set into John's body, and he wanted to run away from the office right then and there. But he couldn't move. He could barely even breathe.

"What does he do to you, John? I can't help you unless I know."

Every single horrible moment in his life replayed in his mind. The first time Wade had raped him; the second time a few months later when he had fallen into a false sense of security; the first time Wade hit him; the first time he was beat; the first time Wade had 'lent' him out to his disgusting friends… All those memories and more came flooding into his mind. It was as if someone had recorded them and placed them all on a disk, and John was being forced to sit and watch it. Then, suddenly and without warning, John felt a strong pair of arms wrap around his body.

Looking up, he saw Officer Orton's shocked, anguished face and John suddenly realized that he was shaking and crying. Without saying a word, he held onto the older man tightly, feeling, for the first time in a long time, safe and secure within the warmth of the embrace. A hand was gently stroking his blonde hair and soothing words were being whispered to him, in an attempt to calm him down. After a few minutes, the older man pulled away, straightening himself up, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry kid… I just… I don't know what came over me." John nearly smiled; Officer Orton looked rather cute when he was embarrassed.

"It's okay… I don't mind. Really." Orton sat back down in his chair and stared at John with a thoughtful expression on his face. A few minutes passed before he spoke once again, this time with regained composure.

"You know, since you are a minor, I technically have to report this." John's eyes widened and his head snapped back up to meet the icy blue gaze of the man before him.

"Please don't. I have nowhere else to go, and if Wade gets in trouble because of me…something bad might happen. So please…please don't do anything."

"Okay, okay. Calm down, John." He sighed heavily. "I won't report it, even though I should. However, you have to do something for me."

"What?"

"I want to see you every day during summer vacation. We're going to continue our meetings during the summer; I want to keep my eye on you, but unfortunately, my station is this school. I'm not allowed to be out on patrol unless my chief tells me so. How do you like that?"

John thought for a moment. He hated summer vacation because it meant that he'd be forced to stay inside the house, or out in the enclosed backyard, with Wade every single day. However, if he had something to do, somewhere else to go, then he'd be free, even if it was only for an hour or so. But how would he be able to persuade Wade to let him go outside of the house?

"But my godfather won't let me leave the house unless I'm with him and him alone. So how can we meet up?"

The smile that spread over Officer Orton's face made John shiver, however it wasn't unwelcome, not by a long shot.

"I have my own idea on how to fix that. Just wait and see."

About three weeks later, at around six o'clock on Wednesday, the doorbell rang at John's house. He was washing up the dishes in the kitchen, a punishment along with his black eye, for ignoring Wade when he got home. Looking over his shoulder, the blonde's mouth nearly hit the floor when he saw Officer Orton standing on the porch, trying to smile pleasantly at Wade, whose entire body had gone rigid. While he couldn't see his godfather's face, John guessed that his expression was set in shock, anger, or both. Orton's voice broke him out of his trance and he turned slightly to get a better view of the two men.

"Nice to see you again, Wade."

"What are you doing here, Officer Orton?" John tried not to flinch at the malice that was dripping from Wade's voice.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to question you or anything. This is actually about your godson, John." Wade shot a look of pure fury over at the blonde, who bowed down his head and turned back to the dishes, still listening to the two.

"What about him? Has he done anything? Because if he does, I can assure you, Officer that it will be taken care of."

"He hasn't done anything bad. I'm the resource officer at his high school, and I've taken him under my wing, so to speak, to keep an eye on him. You know, to keep him out of trouble and to make sure he doesn't end up…well…like you. Chief Wiley has approved of my taking him for a few hours every day over the school's summer vacation. I just thought I'd stop by and let you know that, starting on June 8th, John is to report to the high school every weekday at 10am sharp. I'll bring him home when we're done."

There was a long pause, an uncomfortable silence that John knew he would regret as soon as Officer Orton left. He knew that Wade was both processing what the officer told him and how to punish his godson on getting the attention of his most hated enemy.

"Should he not show up, I've been given permission to contact child services and remove him from your household, something which would hinder your status in John's family and your community, I'm sure."

After another few minutes, Wade finally answered.

"That's… That won't be necessary. John will be at the high school every day then, if that's what you and Chief Wiley want." His oily voice made John squirm. Wade was such a slimy bastard… There's no way Officer Orton would by that pile of crap.

"Good. Well, since everything's settled, I'll be going. See you at school tomorrow John!" He waved and left with Wade slamming the door loudly behind him.

The look on Wade's face told John that he'd be in for another rough night as soon as the dishes were done. Although he silently thanked Officer Orton for coming over, he also cursed him. Cursed him for bringing about even more pain and suffering, and the worst part of it all was that the man thought he was actually helping. Oh, how wrong he was.