Disclaimer, I don't own High School Musical or any of the characters associated with it.
Author's Notes: this will be a cross with Bones. It's not a traditional bone's story, but it's not posted for bones. So I don't care. Enjoy.
Author Note 2 . I suffer from dyslexia and lack a beta reader. So if my spelling/ grammar really offend anyone would they like to volunteer?
Author's note 3. Apologises if this chapter is confusing. Basically italics are flashbacks; writing under a character's name is them telling their part of the story. If you need any more help, hit the button and let me know. Also apologises if the language or images in this chapter offend anyone. There is child abuse here I must warn you. The language please allow for the stress of the situation.
Virtual Cookies to angelbecca913 and bj lucas for their wonderful reviews. They really do make me write faster.
Chapter 6
Deanna
"My mum was born in Hill Valley California. The town was founded in 18th Century, but it came into its own during the fifty's as a home for returning service men. Even when we were born it was still small town, apple pie America. At the same time it was a town of great wealth and great poverty within a few miles. We were in the middle of it.
"I don't know much about my mum's early life. I got the impression, but it was nothing more you understand that alcohol played a big part in it. I do know that her brother and best friend died in 1968, and that the family kinda fell apart, if it hadn't already.
"What I do know is by the time she was 10, she was in the system.
"She went through a series of foster homes, and... I'm sorry there is only one word for it got fucked up, physically, sexually emotionally.
"This was during the sixties. It may have been a brave new world, but child abuse was still a taboo subject.
"As a result when my mum went to New York, to for fill her dream of been a Broadway star, she was damaged goods. It was there that she met my Dad."
Troy
"I don't really know how my parents met. I know it was in New York when he was at college and she was trying to make it, but more than that I don't know. Dad doesn't talk of her, and while she was alive mum never spoke of it. After he left her never referred to him except as that bastard," he blushed slightly at the language.
"They fell in love. As children of the fifties they married quickly, that my whole family has never left me in doubt of, and had Deanna within a year. There's two years between me and Deanna, and two between me and Jake. Sam's the baby with four years between him and Jake. I think they tried for one in-between Jake and Sam, but she miscarried. Maybe that was what started it."
Deanna
"I don't know whether mum was drinking when she met dad, I suspect she was, but I don't know. I do know that by the time Troy was born she was an alcoholic.
"Dad loved her. Of that I've no doubt. I can remember long periods of her vanishing, which I now know would be for rehab. It never lasted long. I think I was about 5 when the violence started.
"At first it was nothing much. Dad would just have a black eye that he claim he'd got by walking into a door, or that he'd banged it at practise. But things got worse when it was decided after Jake was born that we'd move back to Hill Valley.
"I think mum had some notion that this would save her marriage, but ultimately it made it worse."Troy
"Dad was still with playing pro back then. That mean he was away a lot.""you know how Taylor was about Chad and the cheerleaders?" he didn't wait for Gabriella's nod, in fact she was no longer sure he was even aware she was in the room."Well that's what it was like. Mum was convinced dad was cheating on her even when he swore he wasn't. The violence and the drinking intensified, 'specially after she miscarried."Deanna.
"What," Deanna asked, regarding "did my dad tell you about his and mum's breakup?"
"That he left."
Deanna nodded slowly.
"Least he told you the truth."
Ten year old Deanna sneaks down stairs for a glass of water. It's as she's reaching for it that she hears the strange noise. Wandering out into the hall in her nighty she sees her dad standing there, his suitcase in hand.
"Daddy?" she asks, still half asleep.
He turns looking at her shamefaced.
"I'm sorry princess." He says gently. "I just can't take it anymore." They standing gazing at each other for a moment, then he steps out the door. She doesn't know it'll be five years before she sees him. "Jake and Sam still think mum threw him out."
"And Troy?" Dr Brennan asks. Deanna ducks her head.
"Troy only found out the truth this summer."
During high school musical 2
"Hey" Deanna says, coming to Troy's room. She had just noticed her father leaving and had, though she would never admit her been impressed with what he said.
Troy continued to throw the ball in the air and made no response.
"There's something you need to know." Deanna said, messing with socks in an open draw. "About dad. Mum didn't kick him out. He left."
"What?"
Deanna turned forcing herself to look at him.
"He walked out on us, Troy, of his own free will."
"So been a jerk and abandoning people you care about genetic!" the anger and bitterness in his voice shocked her. She hadn't expected him to be O.K. about it, lord only knows she wasn't but this wasn't what she expected either.
"What? No! No Troy! Dad left because he was afraid to fight for what he wanted. He loved Mum. He never stopped. We both know that, it's partly why my relationship with Lucille is so bad. But he couldn't handle what the alcohol was doing to her. If he'd stuck around... troy, you remember, we both do that right up till the end there were times when Mum, not that...thing the drink created, was around, times we could believe she beat it. But he wasn't strong enough to fight for it." She looked her brother in the eye.
"You're a lot stronger than dad is Troy. Don't be afraid to fight." She got up to leave.
"Hey!" Troy called after her. She turned in the door.
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"
Deanna shrugged. "I don't know" she admitted. "It just seemed easy to live the lie."
Troy
"After dad left things got worse. Sam was diagnosed, which increased the stress. The violence then started on us." Gabriella face was shocked. She tried to take Troy in her arms, but he was too tense.
Deanna
"By the time I was 14 I was getting beaten up pretty much every night. School started picking up on it, and the police were called several times. But My Mum was still in that woman. She'd, when she was sober, still sing the old Broadway songs with us. Still teach us dances. Still be mum. And when she couldn't be I had to."
She swallowed.
"I think mum hated what was happening. She was becoming what she feared most and she couldn't stop it. She kept trying to beat it, but she was too strong." Tears were streaming down her face, and Booth almost suggested they take a break. But then he took a look at Dave. He was holding her hand, but she didn't seem to notice. She needed to tell them all this. She needed to let it out.
"Things got so bad, that the night she vanished I'd finally agreed to go along with Dave's plan. There's a charity out in Hill Valley. It aims to keep families together despite everything. I planned to take the boys there. Then tell mum either she got some help or..." she trailed off. "I don't what or was." She admitted. "I couldn't tell anyone cos we'd end up in the system." She shook her head.
"It never came to that. In the worse way possible."
"Trying to leave were you? Trying to show me up as a Bad mother!?"Deanna lay there, trying to roll with the punches. She made no sound, experience having taught her that it would only make it worse.
"Mum, Please! Deanna Didn't mean!"
Troy NO! She longed to call out, but even breathing hurt. Dimly she heard the sound of breaking glass, Troy whimpering in pain. She tried to drag herself to her feet. Then she saw the knife.
"I need to go to the bathroom!" Deanna said urgently, fighting to stop herself throwing up. Booth hurriedly told Brennan to show her where it was, and the two women almost ran from the room. The two men sat facing each other.
"Don't know whether to thank or hit you." Dave stated. "That's more than to my knowledge she's ever told anyone about what happened, including me." He gazed at his hands for a few minutes.
"It's all my fault." He said in pain.
Dave
Deanna and I had been dating for about a year. My mum and her mum had known each other like forever. As a result when Betty started hitting them I knew about it. "You could tell how bad it was by how long elapsed between the beating ending and Sammy's call. It was always Sammy and he always called me. Poor mite think it's the only number he knows. But that night things were different.
"Sammy called me while it was still going on.
" Sammy?!" he gripped the phone to him the receiver slippery with sweat.
"Dave. I'm scared." The kid's voice confirmed this. "I think she's really going to hurt time."
Bearing in mind what had happened on previous occasions, Dave acted fast.
"You and Jake go hid someplace safe O.K.? I'll be there as soon as I can!"
He ran out to his car and drove like a manic down the quiet streets, his mind full of all the horrendous stuff that could be happening as he was doing this.
The block was quiet and the house looked deserted. He pushed the door and it opened with on resistance.
"Hello?" he called into the house.
"Dave!" two small bundles collided with him
"Troy's in the kitchen I can't get him to wake up!" Jake's voice was full of fear and Sammy wasn't making any sense.
"Where's your mum?" he asked, determined to protect these kids.
"She left after she saw the blood."
Blood?! Dave felt like his heart had left his body.
"You know how to dial 911?" he asked Jake who nodded. "Go do that. Then go outside and wait for the ambulance. I don't want you coming back in here."
As the boys left he made his way to the kitchen. Troy lay in the middle of it, blood seeping from the many small cuts on his face and arms. There was broken glass all around him. As Dave approached he moaned softly.
"Come on Troy. Wake up. It's wakey time, not sleepy time." He helped troy into a sitting position, despite his protests.
"Where's Deanna Troy?" he asked, trying to see his girlfriend. He then noticed Troy's eyes were fixed on a spot not far from the stairs. A dark red stained the brown carpet.
"Oh Betty!" he said desperately. "What have you done?"
"She was stabbed. And it was my fault. I didn't realise that Sammy was calling from upstairs. So he had to go down stairs to get to the one safe place he could think of. I shoved them into the middle of that war zone. "She had a knife. She went for Jake for it and Deanna got in the way. She got it in the stomach. Needed two transfusions and nearly a hundred stitches to stabilise her. She's still got the scar. Troy broke a few ribs and got some pretty mean bruises. His face was also cut up quite a bit and he had some head which need hospitalization.
" And it was all my fault!"
Troy
"It wasn't the first time she'd caused scaring. You remember you asked me about that scar on my stomach, the one I told you I got falling off a wall?"
"She did that?" Gabriella asked unable to believe.
Troy nodded. "With a broken bottle. It was the first time I need hospital treatment. I gave them the same story I gave you. Don't think they believed it, but they had no evidence so..." he trailed off and properly looked at Gabriella for the first time.
"If you want to walk out that door and never see me again I'll understand. You can tell the guys whatever you want that I cheated on you or-"
He was cut up in mid sentence as Gabriella pulled him in for a kiss. "I'm not going anywhere." She said.
Deanna POV
As we left the FBI building, Dave draped his coat around me, my jacket having got covered in vomit. I overheard what he said to the agent.
People can think what they want. We're not together because of fear, or pity or guilt. We were meant for each other!
This is why I whisper to him as he helps me in the car. "It wasn't your fault."
TBC
