SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS
Andaere: Glad you think so. Sorry if this isn't soon enough. Yeah, I figured it was about time. Well, I thought it fit. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Yeah, it's very bad. You'll see. Read on and see. I thought so too. I'm gonna try to put her in a little more. Hope this is soon enough. Thanks.
DISCLAIMER
Belongs to Stephen J. Cannell and Fox. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize. The conversations between Dennis/Tom and Margaret/Jump Street happen at the same time.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a room with white walls.
"Wha--where am I?" he muttered.
"Tommy, thank goodness," a voice said in relief.
"Booker?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, I'm right here, man," Booker assured.
"My mom. My mom!" Tom cried, starting to rise.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy," Booker stated, pushing him back down.
"My mom. Did they get my mom?" Tom questioned.
"She's fine. She called your physician, Robert McCoy. He got the bullet out before the dead man's blood could do too much damage. But he did say he wanted to keep you for forty-eight hours just to be on the safe side," Booker assured him.
"Dr. McCoy worries too much," Tom chuckled.
"Well, you had us all worried," a voice stated. Tom and Dennis shared a look, and then turned to look at the doorway to see the rest of the team. Tom frowned worriedly. How much had they heard?
"Hey. When did you guys get here?" Dennis questioned.
"Just a few seconds ago," Doug answered. Tom sighed in relief. Their secret was still safe. The other officers walked into the room.
"Tom, what happened?" Judy wondered.
"Yeah, man. Why'd those guys attack your house like that?" Doug added. Tom fell silent and his eyes clouded.
"Come on, man. We can trust them," Dennis encouraged.
"I don't know," Tom said.
"I do," Booker replied. Tom looked at Dennis, and then with a sigh, he nodded.
"What?" Doug questioned.
"We were being hunted," Tom answered.
"What?" the others chorused.
"The killings--they're all vampires. Someone is killing us off," Dennis continued.
"We're probably being sold out by somebody's protector. We find them, kill them, and there won't be anymore problems," Tom determined.
"Thomas Aaron Hanson, Jr. Is that what we've taught you?" a voice scolded. Everyone turned to see Margaret Hanson.
"We're being hunted, Mom. We have to do whatever's necessary," Tom insisted.
"Tommy, no. That's not how your father would act," Margaret reminded him.
"And look what that got him! A bullet in the chest!" Tom shouted. The woman's face crumpled. "Mom. I--I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," he apologized.
"I, uh, I need a snack," Margaret said, and then walked out to a vending machine, the others--except for Dennis--at her heels.
"What was that all about?" Doug asked.
"I can't believe he had the nerve to talk to you like that," Judy added, as the woman got herself something.
"Oh, Tommy didn't mean it. He's just--He's always been--very stubborn--when it comes to being hunted," she told them. In the room, Dennis sat on Tom's bed.
"Tommy, what was that all about, buddy?" he questioned. Tom stared at the bed. "Come on, man. Talk to me," the other officer encouraged. Tom's eyes clouded.
"What do you mean 'hunted'?" Judy asked from the hall.
"I was sixteen when my father was killed. The bullet--it--it was laced with holy water and dead man's blood. He didn't even stand a chance," Tom told him.
"Well, I suppose Tommy told you about his father being killed," Margaret said.
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
"Well, it turned out that the bullet contained holy water and dead man's blood. Separately, they're both quite dangerous. Together, they turned out to be lethal. My husband didn't make it," Margaret continued.
"You know, that still doesn't explain your attitude towards the others," Dennis puzzled.
"I did some digging and found out that a protector of ours--Henry Phillips--had sold us out," Tom replied.
"So, what does that have to do with Tommy being so hostile towards us?" Judy wondered.
"We found out that that Henry Phillips had out-ed Tom. Tommy was crushed at the betrayal," Margaret said.
"I--I'm not sure I understand," Judy confessed.
"Yeah, what was the big deal?" Harry added.
"Henry Phillips was our protector. And he sold us out. He got my husband killed," Margaret stated.
"Protector? What does that mean?" Capt. Fuller questioned, finally speaking.
"It meant that he was supposed to watch out for us--keep us safe," Margaret answered.
"And instead he opted to tell the guys who shot your husband that he was a vampire," Capt. Fuller realized.
"Exactly," Margaret nodded.
"So that's why you've been so hostile lately," Dennis realized.
"Yeah, I--I guess I have been kind of harsh on the others," Tom said.
"Under these circumstances, I can't really blame you, man," Dennis commented. They fell silent. Meanwhile, in his office, Raymond had just been briefed on the result of the shooting.
"What?" he asked.
"Tom Hanson survived," his shooter repeated. Crane slapped the man across the face.
"You idiot! I specifically told you to make sure he was dead!" he shouted.
"I'm--I'm sorry, Sir. Next time--" the man began. His voice trailed off as Crane backhanded him.
"There's not gonna be a next time," he said. Then, he took out a gun.
"Hey. Wha--what are you--" a shot rang out, interrupting the question.
"I guess it's true what they say: if you want something down right, you better do it yourself," he said to the dead body. Then, he began loading a gun.
