Kelcb26 - well, there isn't any PJ in this chapter and I don't think it will make you cry but I hope you like it anyway. I'm glad you think I'm getting Jack and Doug's emotions right.

Anne918 - Thanks for reviewing. I promise to start answering the questions you posed in your review soon (maybe even this chapter but you'll have to read to find out).

PhoenixFirefly - calling my Doug stupid huh. I guess I'll forgive you seeing as you're other reviews have been so nice and you redeemed yourself with your ppss. I can live with ambiguous. Okay, my turn for a shameless plug. I have a one-shot Pacey/Doug story posted called A Knife in the Dark. Only two pepole have reviewed so far so if you get the chance I'd like to hear your opinion of it. Thanks for reviewing.

C-Chan96 - Sorry to say you're going to have to wait at least one more chapter for the dinner at Bessie's. I was kind of going to gloss over it but since your curious I'll actually devote some time to it. Brown does make another appearance in this chapter thought so maybe you'll start getting how Brown is factoring in although I will worn you that I didn't come right out and say it yet.


"Jack are you going to talk to me?" Jen asked. She was sitting in the passenger seat of Jack's car as Jack drove them home from the hospital. Jack had yet to say anything since they left the hospital.

"What would you like to talk about," Jack finally said. He knew he wasn't being fair to Jen. She hadn't done anything but try to be supportive and here he was taking it out on her.

"Well for starters, what just happened back there Jack and don't tell me nothing. I'd rather you keep ignoring me than have you tell me that," Jen told him.

"Let's just say that Pacey isn't the only Witter who is blaming me for what happened," Jack told her.

"Oh, Jack he didn't," Jen said feeling for her best friend. It wasn't easy to have someone you loved in the hospital to begin with but when you do you wanted to be there for them. It didn't seem like Doug was going to let Jack be there for him though.

"He didn't come right out and say it but I knew what he was getting at," Jack told her as he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Man, why didn't I see this coming. I knew something was bothering him but I just let it go, figuring that he was still uncomfortable with the thought of us. I remember how hard that was for me Jen even after everyone knew I was gay."

"You can't blame yourself for this Jack," Jen told him.

Jack pulled into the parking lot beside their building and parked the car. He turned the car off and got out.

"Where are you going?" Jen asked him when she saw that he wasn't heading toward their building.

"For a walk. I need to think," Jack told her as he headed across the road and down toward the beach.

Jen watched him walk toward the beach and then with a sigh headed toward the building. Mrs. Leery was watching Amy and she wanted to let her get home to her own family. After all if she started working at the Ice House then she was going to be imposing on Mrs. Leery to watch Amy quite often.


"Hey Brown," Jeff Taylor said putting his hand on his partner's shoulder as he walked into the employee break room at the police station. Startled Derrick Brown jumped at his touch. "Woah, somebody's jumpy today," Jeff commented.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," Derrick told his partner.

"About anything in particular?" Jeff asked.

"No not really," Brown replied not at all interested in telling his partner what he had just been thinking. He didn't know his partner that well but he did know that his partner would never understand. Especially in light of everything that had happened lately.

"Okay, suit yourself," Jeff said as he sat down across the table from his partner and handed him the sub that Jeff had just picked up for him. "So what do you think? Do you think that Ted is right in thinking that someone from the police force is behind the attack?" Jeff asked as he started to unwrap his own sub.

"I guess," Derrick said with a shrug. He wasn't at all comfortable with giving his opinions or questioning his superiors. He had just graduated from the academy. What did he know?

"Oh, come on you got to have some kind of an opinion," Jeff told him trying to get his partner to talk. It was times like these that Jeff regretted ever having agreed to being a training officer.

"Is this really the best place to discuss this?" Derrick asked. "Weren't we told not to let anyone else know the details of the case?"

"Relax," Jeff told him. "Does it look like someone else is going to overhear us? There is no one else in the room," Jeff said gesturing around the empty break room. "So tell me you're opinion about what we know so far. Consider it a teaching exercise."

'Great, now I'm being quizzed' Derrick thought as he tried to figure out exactly what to say to his TO. He didn't want to come off sounding stupid. He still had hopes of actually making it through his probation period. Luckily though the door to the break room opened and a couple of their fellow officers walked into the room. 'Saved by the door' Derrick thought to himself.

"Hey, Jeff," Phil 'Smitty' Smith said as him and his partner Dru Valentine.

"Hey, guys," Jeff replied. "Have a seat," he told them indicating the two empty chairs at the table.

"Don't mind if we do," Dru said sitting down in the chair closest to him as Smitty walked around the table and took a seat in the other chair. "Ah come on Brown. Don't look so disappointed. I'm not that bad of a person to be around," Dru said slapping Brown on the back.

"Yeah, Dru's a great guy as long as you keep him away from your girlfriends," Smitty commented.

"I thought we decided to let that go?" Dru asked his partner. "Besides, like I told you before I saved you from disappointment. She might look good but she was terrible in bed."

"So you slept with her twice," Jeff commented.

"I was giving her the benefit of the doubt," Dru told them. "I thought maybe the first time was nerves. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"More like no one else would sleep with you," Jeff replied to which Dru just shrugged.

"So speaking of girlfriends when do I get to meet this new girlfriend of yours Smitty?" Dru asked his partner.

"No time soon," his partner replied. "Find your own victims from now on."

"Ah girls love me."

"No girls love your charm," Jeff said. "Once they get to know you they tend to run the other direction."

"I'm just too much for them," Dru commented.

"Yeah, that's why that Jen girl has turned you down three times since she has been back in Capeside," said Jeff.

"She just doesn't know what she is missing," Dru said confidently. "She'll come around just you wait and see."

"I'd give up on her, Dru," Smitty told her. "I mean it should tell you something when a girl would rather hang out with a gay guy than you. Speaking of which, what's everybody's opinion about what happened last night?" Smitty asked. All three knew exactly what he was referring to.

"I hate to say it but I saw it coming. I mean, Doug is my friend but this town just isn't ready for that kind of alternate lifestyle. I mean we might have a McDonalds but Capeside is still a little behind the times," Jeff commented.

"That guy had it coming," was Dru's comment. "He always has been way too uptight and serious for his own good anyway. There were probably people who wanted to beat him up before he even came out of the closet."

"I can't believe you just said that about your friend's brother. Not to mention the fact that he is our boss," Derrick said shocked that Dru had even made that comment. Not to mention the fact that his partner's comment already had him uneasy to begin with.

"Hey just calling it how I see it," Dru said with a shrug.

"Yeah, besides I wouldn't exactly call Pacey Witter Dru's friend," Smitty commented.

"Dru here spent his senior year at Capeside High tormenting Pacey and his friends," Jeff said.

"I didn't torment them, I just added a little spice in their lives. There is a difference."

"I'm sure Pacey and the others would disagree," Jeff said. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Sorry to put an end to this stimulating conversation but our lunch break is over. Let's go Brown," Jeff told his partner standing up and gathering up his trash.

"Okay, catch ya later Jeff,"Smitty told him.

"Later guys," Dru told them as Jeff and Derrick tossed their trash into the trash can and left the break room.

The two of them walked out of the police station and toward their squad car in silence. It wasn't until they reached the car that Derrick felt it was safe to bring up what he wanted to.

"Dru's comment was a little suspicious in light of everything that has happened, don't you think?" he asked his partner as Jeff opened the driver side door of the squad.

Jeff looked over the roof of the squad car at his partner. He was actually surprised that Derrick had even said anything. Expressing opinions hadn't exactly proved to be one of Brown's strong points so far.

"Nah, not really. Doug busted Dru a couple of times back when Dru was in high school. Minor offenses. Everyone knows there isn't exactly any love lost between the two of them but something like this isn't Dru's style," Jeff told him getting into the car and pulling the door shut. Derrick climbed into the passenger side without saying anything. "Besides, if Dru is up to something he likes to take credit for it. How do you think Smitty knew about Dru sleeping with his girlfriend. Dru was bragging about it the next day."

"Still, we were told to report anything suspicious no matter how minor it might seem," Derrick reminded him as his partner pulled the car out into traffic.

"True," Jeff said slowly. "Hey look, if it makes you feel better go ahead and report it. If I'm asked I'll admit to having heard it too."

After that the two of them fell silent. Derrick looked out the side window. He hated being the one to rat on people but Hipkins had said to report anything suspicious that was said by anybody and saying that Sheriff Witter had the beating coming to him definitely sounded suspicious in his book. Still, he was knew here and it wouldn't be good to ruffle too many feathers. Jeff was probably right. He knew their fellow officers better.

Still, if Hipkins was right and someone in the police force was involved in the attack then how well could any of them be sure that they knew anybody.


After walking up the beach and then back again, Jack found him sitting on the end of the dock once again. He replayed his conversation with Doug through his head trying to figure out what went wrong. Was there something that he could've said that could have changed how things worked out?

He heard footsteps on the dock behind him. "Please, go away Jen. I don't feel like talking about it right now," Jack said without looking behind him. It wasn't Jen who replied though.

"If I was Jen, I might actually listen to you," the person said. Jack knew the voice without looking and it belonged to the last person he had expected to see today.