This is a one-shot little story that came into my mind after "First Day On A Brand New Planet" aired.
Enjoy.
Dan got into his car and drove home slowly and carefully for once.
He had to be careful, his hands were still shaking slightly and he couldn't keep his eyes off of them.
Just a few minutes ago, they had been around his son's neck, choking him.
His son.
Who had saved his life.
Dan glanced out the window at the night sky. The city lights were still on, so the stars weren't really visible.
Dan loved the nighttime. He wouldn't tell anyone that, it would just make all the monster and vampire jokes easier to laugh at, because they had some element of reality to them.
Reality. Everything he was trying to escape.
He should have known about the fire. Three months ago, when he woke up in a hospital bed and rememebered that someone had tried to kill him, he was shocked. Outraged, even.
How dare someone try to kill Dan Scott?
It only figures something like that would drive Dan Scott into confession, even if he did confess his need to kill the person who wanted him dead.
As memories returned to him, he felt that need grow stronger and stronger. Finally, that night by the fire, he could see Lucas there.
Honestly, he wasn't surprised to remember Lucas standing there. Lucas had no reason anymore to care about his father, did he?
Probably not. But there was always hope in the back of Dan's mind.
The thing is, it was easy to place Lucas as the arsonist. Motive, and all that.
However, all Dan had one tiny fragment on that night in his mind, playing over and over.
He could see Lucas standing there, as flames erupted all around him in the darkness, casting light on his face.
The problem was, his expression didn't have the malice of a cold-blooded killer.
There was no malice at all, only confusion, internal conflict.
His own son, his first-born son, was confused, because he honestly had no idea whether or not his father was worth saving.
He was wondering if his life would be better off without Dan.
It probably would be at this point, but Dan didn't want it to be that way.
He never wanted it to be that way. Although that was something he never admitted either.
Truth was just a weakness, just a flaw. Lying was ideal, a second nature.
In all honesty, that little fragment of time, where Lucas and him were alone, surrounded by flames, gave Dan an out. Finally.
He could lie to himself again, justifying every action he took against Lucas. After all, Lucas had tried to kill him. Or so he would claim.
I should have let you burn…A stronger man would have.
There he goes, lying again. It just came out of him, without him even thinking about it.
Slowly, he pulled into his driveway and stopped his car, sighing.
His hands were still shaking.