Note: Thank you for the reviews. They inspire me to keep writing this even though it has very little to do with the actual TV show. (I'm already thinking of how I can bring some of these OCs into a present day sequel.) And poor Danny is not out of the woods yet.

When Danny returned to school the following Monday, he decided to stop engaging with the students at Brentland. His philosophy was to lay low and focus on school until he graduated. He knew it would be lonely, but he couldn't risk getting involved again in the sticky social order of the school. He saw Payton several times, but avoided making eye contact with her. He also avoided Katie because he was so ashamed of what he put her through after Homecoming. Even if she was nicer to him than anyone, she was still one of them.

Danny's new anti-social policy worked well for him for a couple of months. While at school, he went to class and spent any free time in the library. He did a lot of reading. He was especially interested in trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life in college and after. He read about various careers and became especially interested in law enforcement. He liked the idea of being judged on physical as well as mental acumen. But he knew he didn't want to be a policeman. He spent too many years running from cops as a kid. Then he came across an entry for the FBI in a book called Promising Careers. His interest was peaked. He liked the idea of law enforcement without the funny uniform, and it was the complete opposite of how his brother turned out. With that knowledge, Danny became fairly certain that he would major in Criminal Justice when he started at NYU.

In January of his senior year, Danny turned 18. Sandy made him a birthday dinner. He was so thankful for his time with the Taylor's. However, during the birthday dinner, Danny noticed that both James and Sandy seemed preoccupied. They didn't say anything, but he could tell something was wrong. He didn't ask them what was going on because he didn't think it was his business. Even though, he'd been with them for almost two years, they still had boundaries between them.

A week after his birthday, Danny came home from school to find the Taylor's meeting with Sheila, his caseworker. When he walked in, they all looked up at him with sad expressions.

"Hey. Hi, Sheila. What's going on?" Danny asked as he felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach.

"It's good to see you, Danny. You're looking well," Sheila said hesitantly. "Come sit down. The Taylor's and I have something we need to discuss with you."

"Is it my brother? Did something happen to him?" Danny asked fearing the worst.

"No…no…it's nothing like that. Raffi is fine…the last I heard," Sheila replied.

Danny sat down as his eyes traveled from James and Sandy to Sheila. "What's up?"

James started. "First, Danny, let me just say…the last year and a half has been like a dream for us. You've kept your end of the bargain and then some. You've grown into a fine, young man. And that's a testament to your hard work."

"It's been easy to do the right thing…being here. You make it easy," Danny said sincerely as he smiled uneasily.

Sandy looked down and seemed to wipe a tear from her eye.

James continued. "Our son, who lives in Arizona, has purchased a retirement home for us. The cold winter is harder and harder on my arthritis. We didn't think we could afford to move out there so soon…or we never would have committed to taking you in."

"You're moving?" Danny asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Danny."

"I…um…I understand. You want to be close to your kids and grandkids," Danny said stoically even though his heart was breaking. "When do you leave?

Sheila chimed in. "This area of Brooklyn is a pretty hot property for homebuyers, Danny. The Taylor's didn't even have to list the house. They already have a buyer. They close in two weeks."

"Two weeks?" he responded trying to control his emotions. "What…What…am I going to do? Where will I go?"

"Technically, you've aged out of the system. It would be impossible to find foster care or a group home for an 18 year old."

"I've asked every friend I know if they have an extra room, but no one seems able to help," Sandy said sadly.

"What does this mean?" Danny asked almost desperately.

"There's a shelter you can go to temporarily. I would suggest finding a job as soon as possible. I have some leads for you. Maybe you can make enough to rent a room somewhere. I'll help you find something, Danny. I've also made some inquiries to find you some government assistance, but I don't know if that will work or not."

"A shelter…" Danny couldn't say anything else. Essentially, he would be homeless in two weeks.

"You can't imagine how terrible we feel about this," James said as he held his wife's hand. "We just don't have much of a choice…"

Danny looked up at them and felt sorry for them. "Don't…don't feel bad. You have your own family to think about. And you've been really good to me. I couldn't have stuck it out at Brentland without you. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"You and I should talk about your options," Sheila said.

"Can we talk about it tomorrow? I…um…I have a really big test I have to study for," Danny said as he stood up and started backing out of the room.

"Sure…tomorrow."

"Thanks," he said quietly as he turned to go to his room. Danny made it to the stairs of the basement. He closed the door and sat on the steps. He put his head in his hands as he felt the tears rolling down his face. He didn't want them to see him cry. He didn't want them to know how much this hurt. As many times as Sheila told him that the Taylor's weren't looking for another son, he felt like a part of their family. Once again, Danny was let down. He felt like no one really wanted him.

Two weeks later, Sheila escorted him to the Raven Street Shelter. As soon as Danny walked in, he knew he couldn't stay there. Places like those were recruitment grounds for area gangs. But he didn't tell Sheila this.

"You're going to be fine, Danny. All you have to do is sleep here. You have school and then the job at the supermarket at night. It's just a warm place to sleep until we can find you something else. And remember, you can move into the dorms at NYU in June. It's all set up. This is just temporary."

"I know. Don't worry. I'll be fine," Danny replied trying to sound brave.

Sheila left him with the shelter supervisor who showed him his bed. He was in a room with nine other people. Sheila was wrong about it being a warm place too sleep. He froze all night. He slept with his back to the wall…praying no one would bother him. In the morning, he couldn't even take a shower before going to school because the water was shut off. He arrived at school feeling cold and miserable.

Later that day, he was in the library pretending to study, but actually just trying to figure out where he could live instead of the shelter.

"Hi, Danny," Katie Mason said as she approached his study carol.

"Hey," he responded not in the mood to talk. He and Katie had barely spoken in the last three months. He missed talking to her, but felt it was better to keep his distance. He could tell it hurt her when he would ignore her.

"Um…I was wondering if you ever read that book…the one I gave you."

"Nope. Didn't read it. You need it back?" he replied coldly.

"No…no…I wanted you to have it. I just was hoping you got a chance to read it."

"I've been busy."

"I'm sure you have," Katie responded in a small, timid voice. "Are you OK?"

Danny looked up at her and saw the genuine concern in her eyes, but didn't want to tell her the truth. "I'm great…just great."

"Maybe we could get some coffee after school…"

"No. Look…you really helped me with that Shakespeare stuff and after Homecoming. So thank you. But we aren't friends. So you don't owe me anything…"

"I'm just worried about you."

"Well, don't worry. I'm fine. I just want to be left alone."

"Sorry to bother you," Katie said quietly and then walked away.

That night, after work, Danny returned to the shelter. He checked the showers to see if they were fixed. They were fixed, but he saw some very dangerous looking men waiting outside the shower area. So he didn't go in. Then before going to bed, he was approached by some gang members vowing protection if he would join them. Danny tried to act cool. He knew that rejecting them outright would mean a beating. So he told them he would catch up with them the next day.

The following morning, Danny went to Brentland extra early. The school wasn't even open yet, but Danny picked the lock on the basement door. He knew how to get in from his previous basement interludes with Payton. He made his way to the locker room and took the longest, hottest shower on record.

At work that night, Danny asked another stock boy if he knew of any places he could squat for a few nights. The boy told him about an abandoned building a few blocks away. He said that the most trouble he would find there were some junkies. Danny figured he could handle junkies much easier than gang members. Danny bought a sleeping bag with the meager amount of money he saved and then found a corner of the abandoned building. The stock boy was right about the junkies, but Danny also found that some prostitutes did their business there as well. Danny found a small room with a lock on it. So every night he would lock himself in the freezing, cold room and sleep with one eye open.

And so Danny's routine became sleeping in the abandoned building, showering in the Brentland locker room at the crack of down, going to school and then going to work. For the most part, it worked well. He carried a small switchblade with him to threaten any junkies or johns that got too close. He did this for two weeks, and then one day as he was leaving the locker room after his morning shower, he ran into Katie.

"What are you doing here so early?" Danny asked her trying to sound like he belonged there that early.

"Play practice. It's the only time to rehearse. The better question is: what are you doing here at 6:30 in the morning?"

Danny thought quickly. "Training. Baseball starts in a few weeks. I'm just trying to get in shape."

"The coaches don't open the gym until 7. How did you get in there?" she asked skeptically.

Danny couldn't tell her about picking the locks. "They gave me a key. Uh…the coach wants me to be ready for the new season."

Katie looked at him with a confused expression. "I'm surprised you are still going to play. I thought you were done with Brentland interaction."

She was right. Danny didn't plan on going out for baseball again, but he couldn't blow his cover. "No. I like to play. It looks good on my transcripts."

Katie nodded. "Well…good luck."

"Yeah…you, too. I mean with the play," he said as he quickly walked away.

A few days later, Katie was waiting for him again outside the locker room. When he saw her, he sighed heavily.

"What's going on, Danny?"

"What do you mean?"

"You aren't training for baseball. You don't have a key. And I went by your house yesterday after school. The Taylor's don't live there anymore. Where are you living?"

"We moved-as if it's any of your business. Why are you always on me? I told you to leave me alone, Katie."

"I care about you. I care about what happens to you."

"Oh, please. Don't waste your time. I'm out of here in four months, and then you'll never see me again. I doubt I'll ever travel in your circles," he responded angrily and then brushed passed her.