Chapter Ten

Allie woke up early the next morning, having not slept very well the night before.

She had stayed in her room all night, still fuming over her brother and Danny's actions and the way they had treated her in front of Dean. It was embarrassing and frankly not something, she wanted to remember. She could only hope that Dean had the good sense not to bring it up to her when she saw him again.

Allie dressed in knee length green and blue flannel skirt and blue sweater. She brushed her hair out and left it hanging long down her back, before going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth and heading downstairs.

"Morning, Al." her father said as she entered the kitchen. He was dressed in a pair of dirty coveralls and drinking a cup of coffee, "You're up early."

"I didn't sleep very well." She said, sitting down next to him at the table.

"You didn't? Did the bubbly two-some keep you up?" he asked, referring to Lori and Missy.

Allie smiled and shook her head, "No," her smile faded, "No, that wasn't it."

He put his cup down, looking at her sincerely, "Al." he said simply.

She hesitated before she spoke again, wanting to tell him, but not wanting him to be mad at her for what she had done.

"Dean kissed me last night." She said, focusing on the hard service of the table as she spoke. She could hear her fathers breathing halt for a moment while he absorbed the news.

She looked up when she heard his throat clear and saw that his expression was far from the angry one that she had anticipated. It was soft and with the hint of sentimental smile,

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that something girls your age look forward to?"

She nodded, realizing the truth in his words, "I guess it is."

"Would you mind sharing with your old dad why you're not?"

She swallowed, pausing for a moment, "I'm not sure."

"You're not?"

She sighed heavily realizing she was caught in her lie, "It's Rafe."

"Rafe?"

"Morning."

Both Allie and her father looked up at the sound of Rafe's voice from the kitchen doorway. Allie's mouth fell open in shock when she saw Danny standing there next to her brother. There was a large bruise on his left cheek and the side of his lip was swollen.

"Good god, Danny, what happened?" Jake McCawley asked, standing up in shock.

Danny shook his head, "I'm fine-"

"You're not fine. Who did this to you?"

"Dad," Rafe interjected, "I think you know."

Allie saw her father sigh heavily,

"Right." He turned to Allie, "Al, can you excuse us?"

She nodded and got up from her seat. She passed between Danny and Rafe on the way out, squeezing sideways between the two, her back to Rafe and her front to Danny giving her a clear and close view of the damage. She paused for only a second giving Danny a sympathetic look, but left just as quickly when Danny noticed and began to turn to her.

Her quick steps carried her away from the kitchen, through the dining room and up the stairs to her room. She fell down in her desk chair, not believing what she had just seen. If she assumed correctly, it was Danny's father who had done that to him and it pained her to even think of it.

How could a father do such a thing to his own child? Never in her life had her father ever laid a finger on her or her siblings and for the life of her, Allie could not understand what could have infuriated a man so that he would want to harm his own flesh and blood.

Allie sat there for a long time, thinking about Danny and his father. She assumed that her father had finished talking to the boys after 20 minutes had passed, but she remained in her room, caught up in her thoughts.

In the end, it was Lorraine who pulled her out of them, "Allie?"

Allie looked up and to the door where Lorraine stood, "What is it, Lori?" she asked with a sigh.

"Can I borrow your red sweater?" she asked, hopefully.

Allie nodded and pointed to the dresser. Lorraine went over and opened the second drawer, pulling out the sweater. She started to leave the room, but then suddenly turned around, "How about your new skirt from Aunt Millie?"

Again, Allie nodded.

Lorraine, realizing she was on a role, pressed on, "Your red socks?"

Allie nodded and Lorraine smiled,

"How about your gold locket?"

"I said…wait, my locket?" Allie turned towards her sister, who's face was shining with a devious grin, "Lorraine, SHOO!"

Lorraine ran from the room giggling all the way into hers across the hall. The click of her door shutting was followed by footsteps coming up the stairs. Allie turned back to the door just in time to see Danny pass her door. It was almost as if he was a ghost, the way he passed by her door with a silent glance and it made Allie shiver. She heard him go into Rafe's room, which was next to hers and her head fell as she realized how mean she had been to him over the past week. He needed her now; he needed every last friend he could get.

Sucking in her pride, she rose from her chair and left her room, walking only a few feet down the hallway to Rafe's room, where she knocked on the door.

There was no answer, but she knew that Danny was in there. Hesitantly her hand went to the doorknob and taking a deep breath, she turned it.

The door opened to reveal Danny sitting on one of the two beds in Rafe's room, his head buried in arms, which were propped up on his knees.

"Danny?"

He looked up when he heard her voice, however his expression remained frozen. Allie felt like leaping across the bed that separated them and embracing him warmly. Instead, she stood at the door, her hand still on the knob, at a loss for words.

It was silent for a long time before Danny finally spoke, "Do you want something?" he asked, rather gruffly.

It snapped Allie out of her daze and she quickly answered, "I just came to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine." He replied, turning away from her.

She knew he was lying, and cautiously moved towards him, perching herself on the end of the bed, "It was your dad, wasn't it?"

He nodded, still not facing her.

Allie's head fell and they were again silent. Allie realized she had to make the first attempt if she wanted any kind of peace between the two of them. She looked up,

"I also came to apologize for what happened."

Her words grabbed his attention and he turned to her, "Which time?"

"Both." She answered, "I overreacted when I knew that you were only trying to look out for me and it was wrong."

He paused then nodded, "Apology accepted, but I owe you one too. It was wrong of me to invade your privacy like that."

She nodded, "I appreciate that."

"So we're made up then?" he asked after another moment of silence. She nodded in response,

"I guess so."

"I still don't like him though, Allie, and you're not gonna convince to me to do otherwise."

Allie shook her head, "I don't want to talk about that right now, you're the one I'm worried about."

He let his legs fall flat on the bed, "I'm fine."

She focused on the bruise on his cheek, "You don't seem fine."

Noticing that she was looking at the bruise, he brought his hand up to cover it, inadvertently revealing his bandaged hand,

"Oh god," she exclaimed, "Did he do that too?"

"No," Danny immediately dropped his hand, hiding it under his other, which was also bandaged, "That's from something else."

Allie was visibly shocked and reached out, taking his right hand into her own two and grazed her fingers across his skin, She felt so horrible that this had happened to him,

"From what?" she asked.

"Just something." Danny replied, feeling a strong tingle run throughout him as he felt her fingers on his injured hand.

"Allie…"

Allie looked up at the sound of his hoarse voice, catching his beautiful eyes staring directly at her.

She felt strange, as if he could see more than just her, but her heart and soul as well. The world around her stopped turning and it seemed that everything became as petrified as stone and she and Danny were the only ones left.

"Allie!"

Reluctantly Allie pulled her eyes off Danny and turned towards the sound of Lorraine's voice that was coming from the hall. Lorraine soon appeared in the doorway, but to her shock, Allie saw that she was not alone. Dean was with her.

The smile on his face immediately faded when he saw Allie sitting there with Danny, who Allie knew he didn't trust. The atmosphere between the three of them became suddenly uncomfortable and Allie pulled away from Danny, standing back up and focusing on Dean,

"Hi." She said in a voice that nearly cracked.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking from her to Danny and then back to her again.

Allie shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing."

"You were holding his hand." He accused.

"What's it to you if she was?" Danny fired back.

"My girlfriend, that's who!"

Danny rose from the bed, "So now you're coming to her defense?" He sauntered past Allie and over to Dean, "It does make sense, I guess, after all last night when she really needed you, you didn't give a damn, but now that you stand to lose something, you're suddenly more alert."

"You wanna start something, Walker? Looks to me like you've had your share of fighting since we last met…" he leaned closer to Danny, "Doesn't look like you faired too well either."

"Shut up." Danny told him through clench teeth. His tone frightened Lorraine who backed away from the two boys and over to her sister.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Dean asked with a sly look on his face, "I'm sorry I meant no offense, but if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of the guy that did this to you, I'd like to shake his hand."

"DEAN!" Allie screamed, shocked that he would say such a thing.

Danny on the other hand took a different approach. With his injured hands he grabbed Dean by the collar of his jacket and shoved him against the doorframe,

"SAY IT TO ME AGAIN, ADAMS! I DARE YOU!"

"That's enough!" Allie told them, moving to their sides quickly, "Danny let him go."

"Yeah Danny, let me go." Dean mocked. Danny responded by thrusting him hard against the wall.

"Danny, I said let him go!"

"What's going on up there?" Allie heard her father ask from the foot of the stairs.

Danny quickly released Dean, "Nothing." he called back.

"Right." Dean said, straightening his jacket, "C'mon Allie, let's get out of here."

Allie looked back at Lorraine and pressed a finger to her lips, silently telling her sister to keep this all a secret. She nodded back and Allie, knowing she could trust Lorraine turned back to Dean and nodded,

"Okay."

"Allie!" Danny said, stopping her, "Don't!"

Allie looked into his eyes and saw there was actual fear in them…for her. She suddenly thought then that maybe Danny did care more about her than she previously thought, but before she could dwell on it anymore, Dean took her hand and pulled her out of Danny's gaze and down the stairs.