Chapter 8.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fosters. I do own the character of Daniel Evans.

AN: There will be violence in this chapter. This shows how far Danny will go to protect Jude and Connor. It might not be the most realistic thing, but I think it reads good. The next chapter will deal with the family's reaction to what happened.

Connor's POV:

We were at the mall, just hanging out and having fun.

Jude had went to the bathroom, but he hadn't returned

I was walking to two the food court, two days after Danny confided in Jude and I about his past, when I heard a commotion.

"CONNOR!"

I turned to see a girl from my algebra class running down the hallway at full tilt.

"You need to come quickly!" she said frantically as she slid to a stop in front of me. She grabbed my hand and started dragging me along

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Jude got beat up!" She shouted, "The baseball team followed him here. They ambushed him and dragged him out into the parking lot."

Rage.

"WHAAAT!?" I screamed.

"Danny saw it, he stepped in and went crazy," She continued, "When I left, Jude was on the ground, and Danny was squaring off with half the team with his walking stick! You have to stop him before somebody gets hurt! GO!"

I ran full speed through the mall, knocking over several people. I flew through the front doors and hurtled down the sidewalk and didn't stop until I caught sight of them.

They were backed into a corner.

Jude was no longer on the ground. He stood back to back with Danny.

Danny was brandishing his walking stick in one hand, while Jude held his knife out in front of him, shaking like a leaf. With the other hand he tried to wipe away the blood that was dripping from his nose.

Several members of the baseball team were on the ground, either unconscious or clutching a body part moaning in pain. I noticed a discarded baseball bat laying next to one of the downed players, so I picked it up and ran through them to stand next to the other two thirds of our trio.

"Jude, call your mom. Call Stef," I tell him, "We'll hold em off."

He obeyed, and produced his phone.

Two of the baseball idiots, Jeremy and Noah, moved from either side to stop him, but I swung the baseball bat at Jeremy, while Danny met Noah halfway.

I missed, but it sent him careening back into his buddies, knocking them over.

Danny didn't miss. He caught Noah in the side of the head, sending him to the ground. He kicked him in the stomach, sending him back further.

Another moved forward with a piece of heavy pipe to engage Danny. The player, Jack, swung at his head, but Danny's fencing skills shone through as he blocked the hit, and wacked him in the side of the face.

"Come on!" Danny taunted, looking deranged, "YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!"

Jude rejoined the fray, and was immediately accosted.

"She and Mike are on their way." He said, ducking a punch, and throwing a kick, before slashing out with his knife and sending his opponent scrambling away.

Then things got worse.

I noticed another, Jason, advance on Jude, who's back was turned. I saw something silver, and my eyes widened.

I knew Jason. He was a thug, and a coward, who had spent two stints in Juvie. He was older than everybody else in our grade because he always got into trouble that resulted in him repeating the grade. His little brother Nathan was on the baseball team, and was standing in the crowd with the others.

I ran towards Jude to get him out of harm's way, but it was too late.

Jason grabbed Jude, and put the knife to his throat.

"IF ONE MORE PERSON MOVES, MINIFAG HERE GETS IT!"

Out of the corner of my eye I see Danny grind to a halt. I hear sirens in the distance. I pray for help to come sooner. The rest of the baseball team take off running.

"DROP THE STICK AND THE BAT AND BACK AWAY!" Jason screams. Danny grabs me by the shoulder and pulls me back, as we both do as we're told.

"What're we gonna do?" I ask him, horrified.

"I'll figure something out. But we need help." He said shakily.

No sooner had he said it than a police car careened into the parking lot. Stef and Mike got out brandishing their guns.

"DROP THE GUNS! OR HE DIES!" Jason screamed, his eyes shining with the light of insanity.

Stef and Mike put their guns on the ground and stepped in front of them, trying to talk some sense into Jason. Danny pulled me to stand behind them. I looked at him in time to see him glancing down at the gun Mike had just discarded.

"When I give the signal, run to Jude." He whispered to me. I look at him worriedly.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Whatever I have to do." He said shakily...

...And he reached down and picked up the gun.

"NO!" I whisper shouted, "There has to be another way!"

"I'm hoping I won't have to use it," Danny tells me, "But if he moves to stab Jude... I won't hesitate. Don't worry. I know how to use it."

He put the gun inside his jacket, and lunged around Mike and Stef.

"LET HIM GO!" Danny screamed at Jason. Jason sneered at him.

"What if I don't?"

Danny's hand flew into his jacket and drew the gun, aiming it directly at Jason's head.

"I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

Mike and Stef whipped around, realizing immediately that Danny had picked up one of the guns. Stef secured her gun, and readied it.

Jason's eyes flew between us.

"I DOUBT YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO USE THAT THING, EVANS!" He shouted.

Danny flicked the safety off, and pulled the slide back.

"YOU WANNA TRY YOUR LUCK?" Danny shouted back.

Jason whipped his gaze between me and Danny, then back to Stef and Mike.

He reversed the knife in his grip, and place the tip against Jude's chest, right above his chest.

"You should have kept your mouth shut, faggot."

He raised the knife... and Danny pulled the trigger.

BANG!

I ran forward and grabbed Jude as Jason fell to the ground, clutching his destroyed hand, screaming. I looked back at Danny, to see him moving towards Jason.

He approached him and pointed the gun at his head.

Jason looked up at the gun, right into the barrel.

"DO IT!" He taunted.

Danny stared at him.

"I should." He whispered.

"THEN DO IT!"

Danny's hand twitched.

Jude and I stood and walked up to stand behind Danny.

"Don't." Jude says.

"He deserves it." Danny says.

"He's beaten. He's done. He'll be in jail for a long time. Let him go." I tell him. Danny looks at both of us, before finally lowering the gun.

We turned our backs and started to walk towards Stef and Mike, who stood twenty feet away.

Jude and I made it halfway to Stef when I heard Jason scream.

I saw him out of the corner of my eyes. I saw him reach for the knife with his other hand, rise and sprint at Danny. Danny saw it too and whipped around, but it was too late.

Danny fell to the ground, and the gun flew from his grip. It landed just out of his reach. He reached for it, and then Jason on top of him. I could see Jason's lips moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying.

Danny threw a punch at him, knocking him to the side. He crawled towards the gun, and grabbed it. He rolled over.

Jason stood over him with the knife in his good hand and raised it above his head for a killing blow.

A final gunshot rang out.

Jason dropped to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.

There was a single bloody hole were one of his eyes used to be.

Danny crawls back, and Jude and I rush to meet him. I grab the gun from him, as he starts shaking. I hand the gun to Stef, who hands it back to Mike. He holsters it and proceeds towards Jason's body. Stef and I help Jude and Danny towards the police car. She opens the both of the rear doors of the patrol car. Jude sits on the driver side, Danny slides into the middle seat, and I slide in next to him. Jude and I put an arm around Danny's shoulders as he starts shaking. Stef sits in the driver seat and radios for backup and an ambulance before turning to us.

"Are you boys alright?" She said calmly, but I could see the horror and worry in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to do that." Danny whispered, horrified with himself, "I didn't... I didn't want to kill him. I just reacted. He was going to kill Jude, and then he was on me, and I wasn't thinking, you have to believe me!"

"WE DO!" She rushes to assure him, "You're not in any trouble, sweetie. Don't worry. It's was self defense. The car's dash camera will show that. It recorded the whole thing."

Jude wrapped Danny in a fierce hug.

"You saved my life." He whispered to him.

Danny looked him in the eyes.

"I told you before," Danny said, "I told you after I told you about Giddy that I would protect you both, no matter the cost. I was serious. I owe you two everything."

I put my hand on his shoulder, and squeezed.

"You saved Jude's life," I told him, "You'll never owe us anything again."

Jude nodded his head in agreement. A single tear streaked down Danny's cheek.

"Thank you." he said.

We wrapped him in a hug, as Mike got in the car.

"Ambulance and backup are here," Mike says, "I called Lena and told her what happened. Let's get them home."