Warning: Slash (homosexual content), rape, depression, suicidal thoughts– and whatever other angst I can manage to work in. If you don't like this, don't read it, for flames only serve as a source of amusement for me.
Disclaimer: As much as I would kill to own Tom Hanson and Dennis Booker, I don't. And I don't own the rest of Jump Street, either. Too bad for me.
rosepetal - Thanks sooo much! I hope I get some more reviews too, ;) but don't worry, I'll update regardless.Doesn't mean you shouldn't review, though.Got a LOT more of this fic written and just waiting ;) There will be plenty more interaction with Booker and Hanson ... plenty more ;) And it'll just get angstier from here. Oh, and did I mention there actually will be a case or ten, too:-P
Chapter 3
Booker knocked on Fuller's open door, conscious of Hanson's presence behind him. "You have a few minutes, Captain?"
"This about Bartero?" Dennis blinked; those were his exact words from the day before.
"Yeah, it is."
"Come on in. And close the door."
As he walked in, he felt Tom's hand brush gently against the small of his back and felt infinitely better for the simple gesture. He waited until Fuller was sitting behind his desk and then jumped right in. "Hanson lied to you yesterday." Out of the corner of his eye he saw his boyfriend tense.
The Captain just raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"About not having an alibi," Booker clarified. "The night of that bust, we went back to my place. Hanson, he, uh, spent the night." Having gotten the words out, he took a deep breath and released it slowly, watching for the Captain's reaction and not knowing quite what to expect.
Fuller looked skeptical and when he spoke, Dennis realized he'd misinterpreted his hesitation and nervousness. "Look, guys, I understand where you're coming from. But we have to do this the legal way."
"Captain, it's true," Hanson said softly.
The Captain glanced between them, frowning, and nodded. "Okay. Let's say it is. But first of all, that may not be enough. You guys were partners on this case. This guy wins and he walks, and it makes sense you wouldn't want to see that happen. That's all the motivation in the world for you to lie. Never mind the obvious motive, trying to keep you alive and out of prison." He glanced over at Hanson for a moment, then looked back. "Second, just because Hanson crashed at your place doesn't mean he didn't leave and come back while you were asleep. I know it's a stretch, but that's what his lawyer will say and you really can't fight it."
"Yes I can." Booker took another deep breath, becoming keenly aware of the fact that he was shaking a little. He glanced toward Tom, saw him take a step forward, but shook his head and turned back to Fuller. "If Hanson had left, I'd have known. I usually notice when the person I'm in bed with gets up."
Hanson spoke again. "I lied twice, Captain. About the alibi, and about whether I was dating anyone." Dennis turned toward him and Hanson walked over, dropping his hand down. Booker reached for him, giving it a gentle squeeze and not quite letting go.
"Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?" Fuller asked.
"Yeah," Booker said. "Me and Hanson, uh…"
The Captain shook his head. "Just answer a question for me?" Dennis frowned but nodded. "Do the five of you go home at night and try to come up with new ways to make life difficult for me?"
Booker cracked a smile, but Hanson apparently missed the point. "Due respect, Captain, but I wouldn't say you're the one whose life has just become more difficult."
"It was a joke, Hanson. Maybe a poor one, and I apologize."
Dennis glanced at Tom, giving him a small smile, and his boyfriend looked suitably abashed. "Sorry."
"Forget it.'
"What now, Captain?" Booker asked, releasing Hanson's hand.
"I'll pass the information downtown. There's a chance that they may not believe you," he warned, and Dennis stared at him, incredulous.
"What cop in his right mind – especially a cop who goes into high schools – would admit to being gay if he wasn't?" he exclaimed.
"You have a point, and it probably won't be an issue. My guess is that when he's confronted with evidence, Bartero will break down."
"Captain, if he does tell the truth, how, uh, public is this going to get? I mean, if he backs off, it won't become an issue, will it?" Hanson asked.
Booker could see a little compassion in Fuller's eyes. "Not likely. City Hall won't want the accusation getting out – whether it gets dropped or not. But it'll probably make the rounds through the department fairly quickly, so be prepared for that."
He folded his hands and looked at them both. "There will be people who won't like this – at all. And the whole program will probably get more heat from downtown. But you both must have known that before getting involved."
Dennis sighed. "Yeah."
"If I have anything to say about it – and I will – neither of you is getting pulled out of Jump Street. And if anyone's giving you a hard time, let me know and I'll take care of it."
"We can handle—"
"I mean it, Booker. You have a problem with anybody, and you let me know. Understood?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Go get some work done. I'll call you in when I know something about Bartero."
"Thanks."
On the way out, Dennis felt his boyfriend's hand on his hip for just a second. They separated only moments later, but he watched Tom as he crossed to his desk, not missing the glances Hanson sent in his direction.
-------------------------
Hanson was halfway to Booker's desk when Doug stopped him. "I'm just running out to grab lunch. You want to come?"
He looked past Penhall to Dennis, who'd raised his head at Doug's words, and stifled a sigh. He and Booker needed to talk; they hadn't said a word to each other after walking out of Fuller's office. But at the same time, if he turned Penhall down, things would get tense. Unless…
"Actually, Booker and were heading out." With his eyes, he pleaded with the other man to go along with him. "Trying to figure out how to deal with Bartero."
Behind Doug, Dennis stood. "Yeah, you ready?"
"Oh, uh, okay. Maybe tonight, pizza and beer or something?"
"Sounds good." He clapped Doug on the shoulder and then looked to Booker again. "Set?"
"Yeah."
Hanson couldn't help but notice how ill-at-ease his lover looked. As Doug walked off, he moved closer to Dennis. "You okay?" he asked softly, brushing his fingertips against the back of Booker's hand.
"Yeah. Let's get out of here, huh?"
They headed to a pizza place a good distance from the Chapel, taking a table in a back corner. "Why are we really here?" Dennis asked once they'd given the waitress their order and had their drinks in front of them.
"You okay?"
Booker gave him a quizzical look. "Why?"
"Man, even your mother doesn't know, and you just came out to our boss." He studied his boyfriend's face carefully, trying to pick up on any feelings he might be fighting with but unwilling to give voice to. "Are you okay?"
He was quiet for a long moment. "Yeah. I mean, I'm not really keen on Fuller knowing, or anybody else, for that matter. My image and all, y'know?" He grinned and Tom returned it, knowing by now what a defense mechanism it was. "Guess I better get used to the idea, though."
"That's the other reason I wanted to talk to you," Hanson said, keeping his voice low. "Fuller's right. Half the department'll know by the end of the week. How do we deal with that?"
"Well, what can we do? I mean…?"
"How out of the closet are you prepared to be?" Tom asked slowly.
"I don't know." Dennis shifted uncomfortably, and Hanson could tell that at that moment he wanted to be anywhere but there.
"I'm not too thrilled about the whole world knowing, but part of me is kind of glad, because it's making us stop hiding. I'm kinda tired of it."
"Tom…"
Hanson interrupted him. "I know, I know. I'm the one who got dumped because he wasn't ready to come out, remember? But, still… aren't you sick of it?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to deal with all the crap that comes with being out, Tom."
"Well, we're going to be getting that now no matter what we do. So…"
"What, do you want to walk into the Chapel holding hands?" Booker snapped, and Hanson sighed.
"No. But I want to tell Judy and Ioki and Doug."
As he'd expected, Dennis was silent for a long time – long enough for the waitress to bring their food and leave again, and for them to get half into their meals. But when he finally did speak, the words were far from what Hanson had thought they would. "They hate me."
"What?" Hanson did a double-take. "What are you talking about?"
"Doug and Judy both seemed to think I went to your place yesterday to harass you, to rub it in or something. Doug actually asked me if I told you no one believed Bartero was telling the truth, as if I'd let you sit there thinking…" he trailed off and Hanson reached across the table to take his hand.
"They don't hate you," he said quietly. "Distrust you, maybe. But that's as much my fault as anyone else's, considering how I acted when you first showed up."
"Yeah, well, I just can't see them being thrilled that you're sleeping with me." Dennis looked down, toying with what was left of his slice of pizza before tearing a piece off the crust. "And I guess I'm kinda scared to know how they'll react. Doug is so damn protective of you, you might as well be dating him instead of me, and…"
Hanson raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"
Shrugging, Dennis kept his eyes on his food, but he couldn't hide the flush that colored his face. "Aren't you nervous about how they'll react?"
"A little. Not as much as you are, apparently." He paused. "Dennis, I'm being serious now. Are you really that scared?"
He finally raised his eyes. "I'm not scared."
"Right."
"I'm not."
"Uh huh." Tom frowned. It wasn't that he couldn't understand. He could. He'd been scared shitless when he came out to his mother, and for a long time he'd been terrified of what his father would have thought, if he'd been alive to be there. But finally, he and his mom had had a long talk, and she hadn't absolved his fears, but she'd calmed them a little.
Dennis hadn't had that. The only people who knew about him, other than Hanson, were a handful of ex-lovers and a number of nameless patrons of a few gay bars in the city. "Dennis, you survived Fuller knowing—"
"So far," he interrupted.
Hanson snickered. "Okay. So far. Doug… he's a pussycat. Yeah, there are times he'd like nothing better than to take a swing at you," he paused as Dennis raised his eyes and glared, "but he won't do it for no reason. Ioki won't care and Judy, well, I think she'll be fine."
"Hoffs says I haven't acted like much of a friend." Hanson stared at him, incredulous. He'd never known Booker to act so insecure.
"That's because we've both been trying to act as distant as freakin' possible, Dennis." Tom couldn't keep his voice as low as he really wanted it to be. He sighed and moved his other hand to rest on Dennis's for just a second. "They're going to find out anyway, and I think it'll be easier if we tell them instead of waiting for it make it through the grapevine."
Booker sighed and finally nodded, eyes still down. "Okay. When?"
"Today? Tonight? I don't know, any time. I just, especially Doug. He's my best friend, and he's still my partner, nine times out of ten."
"You finished?" Tom started, meeting Dennis's eyes. "Eating. You done?"
"Oh. Yeah. Dennis—"
"I'm okay. Tell Penhall." Booker pushed his plate toward the center of the table and stood. "Let's go."