Demons from the Past

by Olivia Sutton

Part 6 of 7

Disclaimer: This fanfic is written for fun, for the enjoyment of other fans, and for reviews, but never for profit, so please don't sue! Based on the new (2000-2001) version of Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, copyright to the BBC 2000-2001. (previous version copyrighted 1969 by ITC).

PLEASE PLEASE NOTE: the individuals, places, and institutions portrayed in this story are absolutely fictional, no real person or persons are meant to be implied or suggested in this fanfic. Any resemblance to real people, teachers, schools or anything or anyone else is absolutely a co-incidence and accidental.

Warnings: Again, dealing with adult topics, adult situations, and violence (including the aftermath of violence). Please do not read if easily offended or under-age. This story is reluctantly rated R, no one under 18 admitted without parent or guardian. And if you are under-age, for god's sake don't tell me. 'Nuff said.

Demons from the Past

by Olivia Sutton

Part 6

Jeff stood in the hallway outside Williams flat. Marty stood next to Jeff. Marty looked at Jeff then at the door and said, "Jeff, wait a minute."

"What?" asked Jeff.

Marty looked at him, "Jeff, wait, maybe I should pop in there first and make sure..."

Jeff looked at him, "Marty? Are you sure? You don't know what he's doing in there."

Marty nodded, then said, determined, "Jeff, I'll go in there, first, and look around, all right?"

"All right, Marty."

Marty disappeared. A few minutes later he re-appeared, shaky, a terrified expression in his eyes, "You can't go in there, Jeff," he said.

"What? Why? What's in there, Marty? Is he hurting someone, now, another boy?"

Marty shook his head, "No, but you can't go in there. Jeff, you can't, I won't let him hurt you!"

"Who? Is Williams in there?" Jeff looked at Marty's terrified face, "Marty, What's wrong?"

Marty had slid onto the floor, and was still shaking. Jeff knelt next to Marty, putting a hand on his arm out of instinct. His hand passed right through Marty and Jeff pulled back. "Talk to me, Marty, what is so terrifying about that flat?"

"The...the man in there..." Marty stopped, hiding his face in his hands, and began to shake harder.

"Marty, you're scaring me, just talk, why don't you want me going in there?"

Marty looked up at Jeff, his eyes filled with fear and sorrow, "Jeff, the man in there, he's... he's The Monster. That's him, the one who... He did it to me, Jeff, him!"

"What? What is he doing here?" Jeff asked in shock.

"I don't know, Jeff, I don't know, but that's him, I swear it!"

"Are... are you sure, Marty?" Jeff asked again, not completely comprehending what Marty had said.

Marty nodded, his voice like a child's, "Uh-huh. Jeff, I had nightmares about that face for over twenty years... it's him, Jeff, it is. It's, it's him," Marty's voice shook on the last phrase.

Jeff looked at Marty and nodded, then said, "I'll get him, Marty. He deserves to be punished for what he did to you, and to Clive." Jeff stood, his face determined, and started walking towards the door to the flat.

"NO! Jeff, no, don't. If you go in there, he'll hurt you! Jeff, please, just get out of here! Come on, let's go!" Marty was on his feet, ready to run down the hall away from the flat.

Jeff turned to Marty, "Marty, listen. He won't be able to hurt me, all right? I can handle him, and I'll hurt him for what he did to you! God, Marty, he never... he did a runner, there was nothing I could do, nothing my parents could do, we couldn't see that he was punished. Now he will be."

Marty looked at Jeff, then slowly nodded, "I'm coming with you," then he appeared directly in front of the flat door. Jeff nodded at him, then kicked open the door.

Jeff rushed into the flat, through the broken door, the first room, a living area, was empty, Jeff cautiously entered the room and moved towards a hallway at the other end of the room. Jeff crept down the hall, cautiously pushing open doors as he went, the first door was an empty bathroom, but the second door was the bedroom. When Jeff pushed open the door, he saw that a man was in the room, lying on the bed. The man was half asleep, he had salt and pepper hair, a round, pudgy face, and beady black eyes.

Jeff rushed towards the man on the bed, "You bastard!" he screamed. The man woke up.

The man pushed himself up on the bed, and yelled "Who are you?"

Jeff reached the bed, grabbed the man by his shirtfront, and threw him back down on the bed, slapping him hard. "You absolute bastard! You get your kicks destroying young boys, don't you? How could you?" Jeff grabbed him again, throwing him off the bed, into a wall. Marty cowered at the entrance to the bedroom, watching Jeff, terrified by his mate's angry outburst of violence.

The man hit the wall, and slid onto the floor, dazed, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm the best mate of a boy you hurt twenty-four years ago! I'm also a detective who's investigating the disappearance and murder of Clive Worthington! And, I talked to Mark Daley and other boys at the school, I know all about Williams, and all about you, Ed. So give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you now!"

"What boy?" sneered Ed.

"Does the name Marty Hopkirk mean anything to you?" Jeff yelled, his face red with anger, as he grabbed Ed 's shirtfront and shook him.

"Marty Hopkirk?" said Ed, "Now, there's a name from a while ago. I never forgot him though. My little Marty."

Marty shuddered where he stood, hiding his eyes with his hands.

"Your little Marty? - you didn't own him, Ed," Jeff spat out the name viciously, "You had no right to hurt him like that!"

"He... he wanted it, his tight little arse was asking for it. He was sweet!" Ed paused, then said, "I enjoyed taking him."

Marty glared at Ed, then disappeared from the doorway and reappeared next to Jeff, "Jeff! Get him, please! Hurt him, Jeff, for me, hurt him!"

"Bastard!" Jeff yelled, then he hit Ed with his fist again, sending him back into the wall.

The man looked at Jeff, scrambled up and ran from the bedroom. Jeff ran after him, cornering him again in the kitchen.

"Get out of here!" Ed screamed at Jeff, when Jeff entered the kitchen.

Jeff rushed the man again, but the man reached behind him, pulling out a kitchen knife, he slashed at Jeff.

"Jeff, look out!" yelled Marty.

Jeff looked over towards Marty, then screamed as the knife hit his right arm. Bleeding, Jeff turned, pushing the man into the kitchen counter, forcing him to drop the knife. Jeff hit him again, with his left hand, saying, "That's for Marty!" The man went down on the kitchen floor, next to the knife. Jeff backed up, looking at the man on the floor, apparently unconscious.

Jeff backed up further, then dropped to the floor, holding his bleeding arm with his other hand.

"Jeff!" yelled Marty, looking at his mate sitting there bleeding, "Are you all right?"

Jeff nodded, "I think so, Marty, I... I need a doctor though. But I don't think it's serious. We got him, Marty, we got him." Jeff's voice became weaker as he talked, and he slid down on the floor, eventually losing consciousness.

Marty looked on, seeing Jeff collapse. "Jeff!" Marty paced between the two unconscious bodies for a second, then nodded, and possessed Ed. Taking Ed's body, he picked up the phone and called 999 anonymously asking for police and an ambulance, then he picked up the kitchen knife and took the body into the bedroom. Marty lay down on the bed. I'll get you for what you did to me, I'll get you.Marty pulled off the man's shirt, then took the kitchen knife, and with the man's hand wrapped around the handle, Marty prepared to thrust the knife into the man's heart. You deserve this! You deserve this and more, he thought.

Suddenly he heard Wyvern's voice, You can't do that, Marty!

"Watch me!" shouted Marty, angrily, letting go of the possession.

Standing next to the man on the bed, Marty concentrated hard on the knife that lay on the man's chest, pushing with all his might, Marty changed the position of the knife until it was vertical instead of horizontal. Concentrating hard, he pushed the knife into the man's chest, stabbing him in the heart, pulled it out again, and pushed it in a second time.

Exhausted, Marty disappeared, returning to Limbo and Wyvern for a second, before reappearing next to Jeff in the kitchen.

Jeff lay, still unconscious, on the floor of the kitchen. Marty sat next to him, quietly, waiting for the police to arrive.

A few minutes later, there were a bunch of shouts from the hall. Hearing the noise, Marty waited until the police and Jeannie entered the flat, through the broken door, then he disappeared, returning to Limbo to recharge fully.

Two uniformed police officers, DS Charles Cooper, and Jeannie all burst into the flat. Jeannie ran to Jeff, and knelt next to him, "Oh, no, no!" she said, as she reached towards his body to feel for a pulse.

Cooper stood next to Jeannie, while the others began to search the flat. "Do you know him?" asked the officer.

"He's my partner, Jeff Randall," Jeannie pressed her hand into Jeff's neck, "He's still alive, we need to get him to hospital!"

He nodded, calling for an ambulance on his walkie talkie.

Meanwhile there was a shout from the bedroom, "We have a body over here!"

DS Cooper left the kitchen and went to the bedroom where the shout came from.

Jeannie, kneeling next to Jeff, in the kitchen, held his hand, touching his face with her other hand, "Jeff, come on, wake up. Jeff!" then she said quietly, "Why couldn't you have been more careful, Jeff?"

With a groan, Jeff woke up, "What happened?"

"Jeff?" asked Jeannie.

"Help is on the way, sir," said a uniformed police officer, returning from the bedroom.

Jeannie scrambled closer to Jeff, carefully pulling him into her arms, "Jeff, I told you to be careful."

"We got him, Jeannie, me and Marty! We got the monster, Jeannie. Marty and I..." Jeff calmed down, and settled quietly in Jeannie's arms.

Jeannie looked at Jeff, then at the police officer who was looking at him strangely, "Jeff, you're delirious. But you'll be all right, you'll be fine, Jeff."

An ambulance crew arrived at the flat and was directed to the kitchen by the police.

"What happened here?" said the EMT, moving towards Jeff and Jeannie, "Ma'am, let go, lay him back down so we can work."

Jeannie nodded, cautiously laying Jeff down. Jeff smiled at her, "I'll be all right, Jeannie." Jeannie backed off, sliding down onto the floor nearby herself.

The paramedic began examining Jeff, wrapping his arm in gauze to control the bleeding. The EMT and paramedic talked quietly to Jeff, asking him questions, taking vitals, and treating him.

Meanwhile, the detective-sergeant, Cooper, returned from the bedroom, and asked Jeannie, "You all right, Miss?"

Jeannie nodded, and stood, "I'm fine," then she looked at him, "Who are you?"

"DS Charles Cooper, ma'am," he said, properly, "I'm in charge of the crime scene," he said, and smiled at her, softly.

Jeannie smiled back, tightly. Cooper had sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, and broad shoulders. He worn a navy blue suit, with a light blue shirt and grey tie.

"What do you know about what happened?" He asked, flipping open his notebook.

Jeannie took a deep breath and then answered, "We...we're private detectives, we were hired to find Clive Worthington, who went missing on Monday. He... Jeff found him in a warehouse, um... when he found him..."

Cooper nodded, "We know about that, miss, What brought your partner to this flat?"

"Jeff decided to keep investigating, so he... he talked to some boys at the school, and..." Jeannie broke off, crying.

Cooper said, "Take your time, miss, I know this is distressing."

"We need to stablise him, then take him to hospital," said the paramedic.

"I need to go with Jeff," said Jeannie.

"Just a few more questions," he said, "What brought your partner to this flat?"

"The boys... the boys at the school gave this address. Jeff told me all those five boys had been hurt, you know, the ones I brought to the station? They'd all been hurt, at this address. I don't know anything else."

He nodded, "Do you know who the other man is?"

"What other man? Jeff and I were suspicious of..."

He interrupted her, "Would you be able to identify the body?"

Jeannie paled, then looked at Jeff. An EMT was inserting an IV into his hand, Jeff nodded at Jeannie, "I'll be all right, Jeannie, go ahead, do whatever the police want, okay?"

Jeannie nodded at him, "If you're all right, Jeff?" then she spoke to the EMT, "He is all right, isn't he?"

The EMT nodded, "He seems to be. Once he's stable we'll take him in to hospital to be checked over."

Cooper nodded from Jeff and the EMT to Jeannie, "It shouldn't take long, and we can finish later, at the station. But come with me, now."

Jeannie nodded and followed him to the bedroom of the flat. Outside the door, he paused, "Have you done this before?"

"Done what? Seen a body? Um, funerals, and... Jeff and I are private detectives, but we normally don't..."

"I see, well, try not to touch anything in the room. The forensics team will have started, so anything that's taped off, stay away from, okay? Go straight over to the bed, mind the other officers, and again, please don't touch anything, at'all."

Jeannie nodded. He led her into the room, she walked, gingerly to the bed and stood still.

"Miss, do you know this man?"

Jeannie looked at the body covered in blood and then said, "N... No. I don't. I don't understand, we, Jeff and I, suspected someone, but this isn't him. I've never seen this man, at'all."

"Come with me, then," he said and led her from the room. Once outside DS Cooper said, "You don't know him?"

"No, no I don't. I don't understand, Jeff said..."

"He said, what, miss?"

Jeannie took a deep breath, "The... those boys, the ones I left at the station, they... Jeff told me they were being hurt, abused, by a teacher at the school. We thought he was behind what happened to Clive. But that wasn't him, and I've never seen him before."

"Could your partner have killed him?"

Jeannie glared at him, "NO! Jeff wouldn't! And he was hurt, he's bleeding, he should be in hospital! Maybe, in self defense, maybe he could have hurt someone, if he had to, but that..." Jeannie nodded at the door, "I need to go with Jeff to hospital."

"All right, all right. Do you know anything at all about the dead man?"

Jeannie shook her head, "No, I don't! I said, already. But I'll tell you this. He must have something to do with Clive Worthington's kidnapping and murder."

DS Cooper nodded, "All right, you can leave with the EMTs now, but we will probably have more questions later."

Jeannie nodded, following the EMTs, and Jeff who was strapped to a trolley. The EMTs moved Jeff out of the flat and down the hall, and Jeannie followed. The four left the block of flats, and went outside to the ambulance.

As Jeff was loaded into the ambulance, Jeannie said, "May I come with you?"

The EMT nodded, "Yes, miss."

Jeannie nodded, then got in the ambulance. Jeff was loaded in as well, with an EMT, and then the ambulance pulled out into traffic and rushed to the hospital.


The ambulance quickly reached the A & E department of Central London Hospital, and an unconscious Jeff was unloaded and taken in to the treatment area. The EMT took Jeannie to the side, "Miss, you'll need to wait in the designated area, not in the treatment area," he pointed to some plastic chairs against a wall.

"What's wrong?" Jeannie asked, her hand on the EMT's arm. "Why has he lost consciousness again?"

"I don't know, miss, it didn't seem like a very severe wound, but he shouldn't have lost consciousness, so the doctors will need to do tests."

"But he'll be all right, won't he?" Jeannie looked towards where Jeff had been taken for treatment, then at the EMT, "He has to be all right!"

"They'll do everything they can. Now, please, go and sit down, someone will speak to you soon, all right?"

Jeannie nodded, "Thank you."

The EMT nodded back, then joined his paramedic partner, and returned to his ambulance.

Jeff lay on a table, a saline/dextrose IV inserted in his hand, in the A & E treatment area, surrounded by doctors and nurses, who shouted orders back and forth. With a groan he woke up, "What happened?"

"Do you know your name, sir?"

"Jeff, Jeffrey Randall. What happened?"

A nurse smiled at him then asked, "What do you remember?"

Images assaulted his brain, "Marty... I mean..." then he stopped talking.

Another nurse started an IV of a unit of blood.

Marty appeared in the treatment area, "Jeff, listen, you can't mention me. Not now, Jeff. It's important."

Jeff nodded, then he said, "I...I was investigating Clive Worthington's murder. His mates at school, they... they were..." Jeff stopped.

"Sir, what do you remember about being hurt?"

"I went into the flat, and that man, he attacked me."

Marty nodded at Jeff, "Good, Jeff, that's good, don't say anything else."

"Sir, you collapsed. Do you remember anything about that?"

Jeff thought a moment, "He... he stabbed me, well, slashed me. I hit him, and I saw him unconscious on the kitchen floor. Then everything went black."

The nurse nodded, "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Eating well, sleeping enough, like that?"

Jeff shook his head, "I've been working a very difficult, intense case. I suppose not, not really."

The nurse nodded again.

Marty looked intently at Jeff, "Listen, Jeff, you'll be all right, but just do not mention me. Please."

Jeff flicked his eyes at Marty, acknowledging him, then asked the nurse, "Jeannie, have you called Jeannie? She should know, I'm in hospital."

The nurse spoke to another nurse a moment, then said to Jeff, "Who's Jeannie?"

"My partner," Jeff paused, then said, "She's blonde, good looking, tall... um..."

"She's outside, Mr. Randall, you can see her in a bit.

Jeff nodded, then tried to relax through the rest of his treatment.


Jeannie sat in a white, plastic chair, outside the A & E treatment area, waiting, and wringing her hands. Oh Jeff, be all right, please be all right. I don't want to be alone.

A brunette, female doctor approached Jeannie, and she stood. "Is Jeff all right?" she asked.

"I'm Doctor Virginia Grant, Are you Jeannie?" the doctor asked.

"Yes, Jeannie Hurst. Is Jeff all right?"

The doctor nodded, "He's asking for you, Miss Hurst. He'll be fine. He needed stitches in his right arm, and we've given him a unit of whole blood as well as a normal saline/dextrose IV."

Jeannie nodded.

"Mr. Randall seems to be suffering from exhaustion, as well as the knife wound. He's dehydrated and his blood sugar was very low."

Jeannie nodded, "He's been working very hard. We both have, but... this case was personal for him, and it took a lot out of him, I tried to get him to slow down a bit, but..."

The doctor nodded, "It's not your fault. What do you mean, it was personal for him?"

Jeannie looked away, and at that moment, Marty appeared, "Jeannie, don't... please, I know you can't hear me, but if you care at all for Jeff, please, please don't say anything."

Jeannie shook herself, then said, "No, I'm sorry, I just meant that we, we'd never worked on a case like this before, that's all. And..." Jeannie took a deep breath, "He and Marty hadn't worked on a case like this either, not that I know of, anyway."

"And Marty is?"

"Oh, he's... he was my fiancé, he and Jeff were partners, partners in the business, until... Marty died." Jeannie said the last words quietly, then she added, "Do you really need to know?"

The doctor shook her head, "Not really. So, Mr. Randall was working hard? Not eating regularly? Not getting enough sleep?"

Jeannie nodded, "Why? I mean, why do you ask?"

"It explains the exhaustion. We think that the only reason he collapsed was exhaustion, miss. The wound wasn't severe enough to cause him to lose consciousness. And I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't confirm that nothing else could have caused his collapse."

Jeannie nodded, "Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded, "He's being moved to a side room off the ward. Once he's settled in, you can see him."

"Thank you," Jeannie nodded.

"You're welcome," said the doctor, "Now, I have other patients, please excuse me," then she turned and walked off.

Jeannie nodded at the doctor's back, then sat.


A few minutes later, Jeannie followed a nurse to Jeff's bedside. Jeff seemed to be asleep, so Jeannie sat quietly next to him.

Jeff turned in his sleep, then woke up, "Jeannie?"

Jeannie nodded, "Hi there, Jeff, how are you feeling?"

Jeff sat up in bed, pulling up his blanket as he did so, "Better, Jeannie, it doesn't even hurt."

Jeannie nodded, "It will itch later, though. Jeff, What happened?"

Jeff took a deep breath.

"Come on, Jeff, Who was that other man in the flat?"

Jeff looked at her, but didn't answer.

"He's dead, Jeff, whoever he is. I... they wanted me to identify the body, but it wasn't Williams, who was it?"

Jeff took another deep breath, "That man, Jeannie, that man was... he was Marty's rapist."

"What!" Jeannie shouted in shock.

Jeff took another deep breath, then said, "His name was Ed, and he... he was Marty's mother's boyfriend. I... I don't even remember his surname, Jeannie, I only met him once. Most of what I know about him came from things Marty said."

"Then how did you recognise him?" Jeannie asked.

Jeff closed his eyes, and wasn't even surprised when he opened them and Marty was sitting at his bedside across from Jeannie, "I... I don't know, Jeannie, but I did. Somehow when I saw him, I just knew who he was. I asked him about Marty and he admitted what he did. Then I hit him."

Jeannie nodded, "Jeff, I... I don't like asking this. And I swear it, Jeff, I swear I won't tell the police, because I know what that man did to Marty, but... Did you kill him, Jeff?"

"No. Well, I don't think so. After he slashed me with a kitchen knife, I hit him, again, knocked him out. But I think he was still alive."

"Where?"

"Where what?"

"Where did you hit him?"

Jeff looked at her strangely, "In the face, Where do you think I hit him?"

"No, I mean, in the flat. What room? It's important, Jeff, honestly."

"The kitchen. Jeannie, What's going on?"

Jeannie let out the breath she'd been holding. "And you never stabbed him with a knife?"

"No. Jeannie, What are you on about?"

"Look, Jeff, the other man in the flat was dead when I got there. You were unconscious and bleeding, and the other man was dead. The police wanted me to identify him..."

Jeff interrupted her, "I remember that, somewhat."

"The body was in the bedroom. He'd been stabbed, twice, in the chest. I didn't think it was... I mean, I didn't think you'd... But then, if he was the one that hurt Marty..." Jeannie began to cry.

Jeff nodded again, then looked sharply at Marty. Marty avoided his eyes, and began to pace next to Jeff's hospital bed.

"Who was he? I mean, how was he connected to Clive Worthington and the boys at the school?"

Jeff looked at Marty, mentally wishing he wouldn't pace so much, then turned and looked at Jeannie, "I'm not sure, Jeannie, but he's the one that actually killed Clive."

"He admitted that too?"

Jeff hesitated, "No..."

Jeannie looked at Jeff, "I'll support you, Jeff. Whatever happened, whatever you did, I know it was what you had to do. And I'll support you."

Jeff looked at her, "I didn't kill anyone, Jeannie. Now, I'd like to get a bit more sleep. I'm very tired."

Jeannie stood, then moved closer to the hospital bed, and touched Jeff's shoulder, "I know you didn't, Jeff. We'll get to the bottom of this. Honestly."

Jeff nodded at her, then watched her as she left. Marty took Jeannie's place at Jeff's side.

"Hi, Jeff," said Marty, sheepishly, sitting in the chair vacated by Jeannie.

"Don't you 'Hi Jeff,' me, Marty. Now, what are you on about?"

"Jeff, this is a hospital! Do you have any idea what would happen to you if a doctor or nurse saw you talking to yourself?"

Jeff looked at Marty, then grinned in a silly way, "They'd assume I was auditioning for Harvey?"

"Very funny, Jeff."

Jeff sobered, then said, "I know, I'm sorry, Marty. What happened at the flat?"

Marty looked away.

"Tell me, come on."

Marty nodded, then stood and approached the bed. "That was him, Jeff."

"I know."

"I... Jeff, I..."

Jeff waited, quietly, for Marty to continue.

Marty looked down, then looked into Jeff's dark brown eyes, "I killed him, Jeff. He'd cut you, with a knife, and you were unconscious. He was unconscious too, from you hitting him. Thanks for that, by the way, so I took his body and I... I killed him, Jeff."

"You... you took his body?"

"I possessed him. And I... Jeff, I had to do it. I had to."

Jeff nodded, "It's okay, Marty."

Marty stood and began to pace, "I wanted revenge. Revenge for what he put me through," Marty paused, looked at Jeff, then said, "For what he put us through, Jeff, you and me." He reached the bed, and sat carefully on the edge of it, "And, and he did murder Clive, Jeff. Trust me on this, I know it was him," he got up and began to pace, again. Jeff nodded, watching Marty pace.

"With you unconscious, and him, too, I... I took advantage of the situation, and I... I stabbed him, Jeff, twice."

"Will the police think I did it?" Jeff asked.

"The police will think it was self-inflicted."

Jeff looked in shock at Marty, "I didn't know you could do that. You possessed him and made him..." Jeff left off, shuddering at the thought.

Marty stopped and answered, "Not completely, Jeff. I was going to do just that, but Wyvern wouldn't allow it. So I... Watch this, Jeff," Marty concentrated on a tray on Jeff's bedside table. The tray wobbled and then rose in the air, before crashing to the floor. Marty looked at Jeff, embarrassed and then said, "Well, it's very difficult. But I was able to move the knife and his arm, after I took his shirt off. Jeff, please don't... don't hate me for what I did. Please."

Jeff looked at Marty in shock, "I don't hate you, Marty."

Marty looked down, contritely, then said, "I couldn't take that, Jeff, if you... Please, don't hate me."

Jeff looked up at the ceiling and then at Marty, "I don't hate you, Marty. I would have... if I had been able to, I would have done the same thing," Jeff paused and grinned tightly, "Well, not the same thing, the same way, but Marty... I would have... I could have..." Jeff paused again and then said, "Getting even with the man that hurt you. Hurting him, even killing him, is something I've wanted to do for years, Marty. Practically since it happened to you. I almost lost you then, and... Marty, you are me mate, me best mate, and I... I..." Jeff faltered, then said, "Marty... what you went through..."

Marty nodded, "That's why I had to do it, Jeff."

Jeff looked at him in sympathy, then said seriously, "Marty, I would have done it for you, I want you to know that."

Marty nodded, "Thank you, Jeff. That means a lot, Jeff, it does."

"Marty, are you in trouble because of... because of what you did?"

Marty smiled, darkly, "Well, it didn't exactly earn me any brownie points."

Jeff looked at him, shocked.

Marty moved closer to Jeff, to his side, and then said, "I can handle what happens, Jeff. This was... it was something I needed to do."

Jeff nodded again, "Will they take you from me? Stop you from being a ghost?"

Marty shook his head, "No. I thought that might be my punishment, but no, not permanently, anyway. But I can handle it, Jeff. As long as you, and Jeannie, and my baby are all right, I can handle any pain or anything, okay? I can even handle... not seeing you for, um, some time."

Jeff looked at him in surprise, "Not seeing me?"

Marty looked away, then looked down and avoided Jeff's eyes, "Possibly."

Jeff looked at him, "I'm sorry, Marty."

Marty looked up, his eyes, hopeful, "Thanks, Jeff."

Jeff nodded again, then yawned.

"Shush, Jeff, go ahead and go back to sleep. Okay?"

Jeff nodded, sleepily.

Marty looked at him as he closed his eyes, "I love you too, Jeff, man, I do. Good night." Quietly, Marty disappeared.


The next morning, during visiting hours, Mark Daley knocked shyly on Jeff's hospital room door, then entered upon Jeff's call of "Come in".

Mark walked quietly and shyly to Jeff's bedside and sat down.

Jeff looked over at him, "Mark, this is a surprise. How are you?"

Mark smiled softly, "I'm fine. How are you, Mr. Randall?"

Jeff sat up straighter in the bed and answered, "I'm all right, Mark. It was just a little cut, I'm going home later today."

Mark nodded, but didn't answer.

Jeff looked at him and sat, "Mark?"

Mark took a deep breath, "They... the police... they came into the school and took Mr. Williams away," he said quietly.

Jeff nodded.

"The police, the teachers, they said they were sorry and nothing like that would ever happen to me or any of the others, ever again."

Jeff nodded again.

Mark teared up, then murmured, "But Clive's... he's... he's gone."

Jeff said softly, "I'm sorry, Mark. I wish I could have found him earlier, I do."

"It's my fault! If I had only said something earlier..."

Jeff made himself more comfortable on the bed, then said, "Mark, it wasn't your fault."

"It was! Why did I wait? Maybe I could have... maybe you would have found Clive sooner, before he..." Mark choked up and began to cry.

Jeff moved himself out of the bed, then gently touched Mark's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Mark. What you saw, it only would have confirmed that he was kidnapped, anyway."

Mark looked up at Jeff, his eyes red from crying.

Jeff took a deep breath, then said, "Mark, it wasn't your fault. Honestly, it wasn't."

Mark's lips quivered, then he asked, "Why did you help us? You were the only one that really listened to what we had to say, me and Brett and Malcolm, and everyone. You listened and you believed us."

Jeff took a deep breath, then moved back and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. "Mark," he started, closed his eyes, and took another breath, then opened his eyes, and said, "Mark, you're not the first person that something like this has happened to. What Williams did to you boys, it was... it was criminal, Mark. But things like that have happened before, to other people."

Mark looked at Jeff, then asked, "Did it happen to you? Did someone touch you like that, down there?" Mark made a vague movement with his hand towards the center of his trousers.

Jeff gulped, and tears came to his eyes, "Not to me, but to my best mate. He was... he was your age, Mark, he was fourteen and..."

Mark looked at him, in astonishment, "Really?"

Jeff nodded, "Me mate was called, Marty Hopkirk, and his mum was a widow. Her boyfriend... he hurt my friend, Marty. He was hurt, like you were, Mark. His mum's boyfriend," Jeff paused, then said, "touched him."

"Wh...what happened to your mate?"

Jeff looked off in the distance, then returned his attention to Mark, "He... he was all right. When he told me... I ..." Jeff thought a moment, then said, "We told me parents, and Marty came and lived with my family. I'm not going to lie to you Mark, it was difficult. Especially, at first, for Marty it was difficult. He had nightmares, and that made him afraid to sleep. He didn't eat enough. He even fainted at school. But he also got help, Mark. And he grew up, and he even found a woman he wanted to marry."

Mark nodded, then said, "Wait... you're talking about him in the past tense. He's gone, now, isn't he?"

Jeff slowly nodded, tears in his eyes, "We... we were both detectives, Mark. And Marty... Marty was murdered whilst on a case. But that was... he was older then, an adult. It had nothing to do with... it wasn't because of the abuse he suffered as a teenager, Mark. It was completely separate. I still miss him, though."

Mark nodded, again, "And I miss Clive, I do."

"And that's okay, it really is," said Jeff, then he added, "If you ever want to talk, Mark, phone me or call on me, all right? I'll be there to listen to you."

"Thanks, Mr. Randall."

Jeff dried his eyes, "Mark, are you okay? Someone is... you have someone to talk to, right? A counselor or somebody?"

"Um-hum, yeah. All of us do. And the police said that even if we have to testify in court against Professor Williams, we can do it, um... I didn't understand completely, but we don't have to stand before HIM in open court. Um, a deep-ah, a dep-a, I don't remember."

"A deposition?" asked Jeff.

Mark nodded, and pushed his hair out of his eyes, "I think so."

Jeff nodded, and smiled tightly, "Mark... I... I'm sorry I didn't find Clive fast enough to save him, I really am."

Mark looked at him, "Oh no, that wasn't your fault either, Mr. Randall, at least you tried, at least you listened. And Professor Williams is going to prison, for a long time the police said."

Jeff nodded, then got back into bed to lie down.

"Are you tired?" asked Mark.

"A little bit, but you can stay if you like. It's good to have someone to talk to."

Mark nodded, saying more to himself than to Jeff, "It is, isn't it?"

The two sat quietly, then began to talk with each other, until finally a nurse came and told Mark, visiting hours were over, and he left. After he did, Jeff snuggled himself back in bed, until he finally fell asleep.

TO BE CONTINUED