A/N: I finally updated! I'm sorry it took so long, I had a bit of writer's block at the beginning. Also, I won't have access to a computer from November 21st to November 25th, I'll be off celebrating Thanksgiving. So I tried to write a long chapter to make up for it! Thank you everyone for reviewing, the new ones and the ones that have stuck with me from chapter one (not very far yet, I know, but it'll get more impressive) and here are my responses to the anonymous reviewers:
MK: Really? I haven't. It does seem like a lot of the cute celebrities are (or might be) gay, though... And you're right. Thanks. Here's the next chapter!
rubydoo: Thank you! And yeah, I noticed that Doug always does that, so... Yeah.
LilaGrace: You're welcome! Thanks! And yeah, I don't want to give anything away, but you'll see what happens! And don't worry, this isn't going to be a Tom/Judy fic. Although I'm not sure what it is going to be, I'm pretty sure it won't be Tom/Judy. Thanks, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
Jesina: Thanks! And you're absolutely right, for everyone who commented on the gay/lesbian thing, sorry. Had a little brain poof there. I fixed it.
simone: Thanks so much!
Disclaimer: I still don't own anything at all, execpt for the plot, which is barely anything, and my journal where I write most of my story down.
Chapter Three: Quadruple Shit
Well, here he was – Tom Hanson, the gay man. Winging it. Improvising. Pretending. He was at some fancy restaurant with one of his closest female friends. On a date. And it was really, really awkward.
At least, it felt awkward to Tom. Judy didn't seem to notice. It was weird, Tom reflected, how one person could feel awkwardness so acutely and the other person didn't seem to be aware at all.
The dinner had gone pretty well, with conversation topics ranging from work to favorite movies. Now it was time for the bill, and Tom was paying. As they waited, Judy was staring adoringly into Tom's eyes as if she could drown herself in them. It was freaking Tom out.
He hadn't known she liked him that much. He had thought it was only a little crush that would disappear if he set things straight or acted like a jerk during dinner. Instead, the crush had intensified.
The bill finally came, and as Tom paid, Judy said, "Why don't we go to my apartment afterward?"
Tom looked at her, deciding what he should do. "Okay," he finally said. He'd be able to tell Judy his true feelings at her apartment.
"Great." Judy gave Tom a beautiful toothy smile. Tom returned the smile uneasily, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
Judy was the happiest she had been since her boyfriend had dumped her. She had Tom all to herself. As she drove to her apartment, she side-glanced at him. He was running his hands through his hair in that adorable way he had when he was anxious. Was he as nervous as she was?
They would have a great time – she knew it. Dinner had been amazing; with Tom acting like a true gentleman, paying the bill and everything.
And now they would go to her apartment and get more intimate. They would start with kissing. And then, maybe, hopefully, Tom would stay the night. In her bed.
They were at Judy's apartment. Tom looked around, interested. He had never been to Judy's apartment before. It was funny when he thought about it. He had been to Doug's a million times, Harry's, and even Booker's… but maybe not by entirely legal means. But that was a different story.
"Like it?" Judy chimed in, seeing him looking around.
Tom glanced again at the white walls, the clean but tiny rooms. He saw a pair of boots in the corner of the room and smiled; he could tell a girl lived here. "Yeah," he said. His smile disappeared as he remembered what he was going to do. He liked Judy, as a friend. He hated to hurt her, but he couldn't let these false promises go on. He shouldn't have even started them.
"Sit." Judy pointed to a cozy purple sofa on one side of the room. She was oblivious to Tom's intentions and inner turmoil.
Tom sank into the comfortable sofa without a word. Judy sat next to him. They just sat there for a while, unmoving, staring into each other's eyes. Then Judy leaned forward, lips open and eyes closing, getting closer and closer to Tom.
"No," Tom said. Judy pulled back.
"What?" She asked, confused. She didn't understand. Tom had accepted her offer to dinner, had gone with her to her apartment, had sat on the couch with her, and had sent all the right signals. Now as she leaned in to kiss him with perfect timing, he had refused. What was going on?
"Jude, I have something to tell you," Tom began. He wasn't going to tell her about the gay thing. No way. Two people (who weren't ex-boyfriends) knowing about it were more than enough. He could simply say that there was no chemistry. It would be the truth.
"Yeah?" Judy asked slowly, thinking the worst.
"Well, you're a really nice, pretty girl and everything, but, um, I don't date people I work with. I mean, I've always been like that. And, uh, I'm just... not attracted to you." Then he threw in the big cliché, "Can't we just be friends?"
It was that last line that did it for Judy. She had had enough of listening to this crap. "'Can't we just be friends?' Did you get that speech from a cheesy movie or something? What is wrong with you, Tom? You and Doug have been acting weird every since we had that celebratory dinner after we finished our case. And now, now you allow me to take you on a date, and bring you to my apartment, and now you tell me you're 'not attracted to me?'" Judy was so mad, so hurt, she could hardly think straight. She couldn't believe Tom. And to think that she had once been so smitten with him!
"I'm sorry," Tom said quietly. Judy jumped; she had almost forgotten he was still there. Tom had just sat there biting his lip throughout the whole outburst.
"Sorry isn't good enough," Judy snarled.
"You sound like Fuller!" Tom said and laughed. Judy couldn't help smiling – she had thought that too. But she couldn't let Tom see her smile. He had to pay for his actions. She changed her smile to a glare. Tom held up his hands and managed to control his laughter. Judy couldn't help thinking the holding up the hands part was a bit of a Doug-like gesture.
"I know, I know, sorry. Bad timing. Not funny."
"Well? Answer my question, Tom. Why did you let this go on for so long?"
"I just… didn't want to hurt your feelings."
Oh god, how lame. Had Tom been reading some romantic novel lately or something, and was quoting from it? "Please, Tom, drop all that. You should have stopped it before it started."
Tom knew now that coming to the apartment and even going on the date had been a mistake. He had gotten himself into this situation and now he had to get out. "I know," he repeated. "I… I should probably go now."
"Yeah. You should. Have fun." Judy glared at Tom's (sexy) back the whole time until he had left her apartment. She only relaxed when she heard the sound of his car leaving. Then she lay down on the couch and began to cry her heart out.
It was the next day and Tom had arrived to work early. He had hoped that he could get ready to go undercover at Hamurst as 'Tom Harris' before Judy came. He didn't want to see her after what had happened the night before at her apartment. But he should've known Doug wouldn't be so early.
Judy and Harry had already arrived. Tom had said a rather uncomfortable hello to Judy, but she hadn't even responded. So Tom was just loitering around his and Harry's desk, waiting for his partner.
Finally, the door opened and Doug came striding in, looking rushed.
Tom opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Doug said, "I know, I know, I'm late."
"Actually, no, you're not." Tom checked the clock. "Two more minutes and you would've been, though."
Doug rolled his eyes. After a really annoying, traffic-jammed drive to the Chapel, he didn't want to deal with Tom's particularity. "Whatever," Doug replied. "Let's go see Fuller."
Doug and Tom were in Fuller's office, but for once, they weren't in trouble. Fuller had already briefed them on the case and who to get close to – Andrew Ryans and his friends. Tom would be going in as Tom Harris, a 'bad boy' who get expelled from his old school and had something against gay men. Doug would be Doug Price, Tom's cousin who would also try to get into the 'gang'. They would be going in unarmed.
"All clear?" Fuller asked. Tom and Doug nodded. "Okay, then," Fuller said. "Go, and good luck."
They had arrived at Hamurst. It was a large, long, gray school. It looked depressing. Doug could easily imagine homophobes, druggies and criminals attending Hamurst High. And the staff were to busy dealing with important matters such as overflowing toilets to bother. Well, we're here to help, Doug reminded himself.
He glanced at Tom, who was looking his 'bad boy' part in a black leather jacket with his favorite gold hoop earring. Doug was worried about him. The whole drive to the school Doug had tried to discuss the dangers Tom would be facing and how to avoid them, and Tom hadn't said a thing. He had just shrugged and tried to steer the conversation in another direction. It wasn't like the homophobes would be able to tell Tom was gay, Doug had reassured himself. It wasn't like Tom advertised it. Still, Doug was worried.
They were going to history class. Possibly the most boring class in a series of boring classes. Luckily, as part of their cover, Tom and Doug didn't have to pay attention. And they got to be late.
Tom waltzed into history ten minutes after the bell rang, with Doug close behind. The history teacher, Mr. Z, looked away from his teachings about World War II or the Great Depression or something like that and focused on the new arrivals.
"Sorry we're late, Mr...Z," Tom apologized with a dazzling smile. "We just transferred in. From Arkwood."
"That is no excuse," Mr. Z said. He reminded Doug of a french fry. Tall, skinny, and greasy.
"Yeah, yeah, we know," Tom replied, rolling his eyes. He received a few snickers from the bored class, obviously glad for this interruption from history.
"Well, Mr.…."
"Harris," Tom supplied.
"Well, Mr. Harris and Mr.…."
"Price," Doug spoke for the first time.
"Price. Take your seats over there at the back, and don't make any more interruptions."
"'Kay." Tom led the way to the back and Doug followed, scowling. He had thought that he would be the main speaker and Tom would be the inconspicuous backup, but Tom seemed to have turned the tables on him. Didn't Tom know what inconspicuous meant?
Tom slid into a seat and Doug followed him. Immediately Tom was flagged by the student in the seat next to him.
"Hey, man," the boy said. He had close-cut brown hair and sharp features. "That was awesome. What's your name?"
"Tom Harris," Tom replied, nodding in the boy's direction. "Thanks. What's yours?"
"Andrew Ryans," he replied.
Tom and Doug exchanged glances. They had sat down right next to the suspect. What a lucky coincidence!
"So," Ryans continued, "Mr. Z is hecka gay, don't you think? Look at the way he dresses!"
Tom glanced at Mr. Z, who was wearing tight-fitting pants and a suit. You can't tell if a guy's gay by the way he dresses, Tom wanted to say. Gays don't have a separate dress code. Instead, he said, "Yeah. Hecka gay."
"Yeah," Doug echoed to the right of Tom. Tom realized he had kind of left Doug out. Doug was supposed to be the main talker and Tom the safe little backup, not the opposite. But Tom wanted to prove to Doug that he could do this case, and wouldn't be recognized or have any emotion problems or crap like that. It was somewhat stupid, but Tom had his pride. He could do this case.
"Oh, hey, didn't see you there. What's your name?" Ryans asked.
"Doug. Doug Price. Tom's cousin," mumbled Doug. Tom had never seen him so quiet and subdued before.
"Well, hi, Doug." Ryans greeted Doug and quickly turned back to Tom. "What do you think about gay guys?" Ryans asked unexpectedly.
Tom was startled. Already, here was the open door to get into Ryan's gang. This was a really easy case. Too easy, the paranoid part of Tom's brain claimed. Tom ignored it.
"Uh," Tom responded, "they're like aliens, man. Fags. Stupid, dirty spots on the world that don't deserve to live."
Tom could feel the intense gaze of Doug examining him as he spoke and knew Doug could see the pain in his eyes, how he meant the exact opposite of what he said. How he was going against all his beliefs by saying that. Tom felt so much like saying, ''Gay' guys are just people, and you're stupider than you look if you really think homosexuals are sinners just because of their sexuality.' But he kept his mouth shut, only opening it to spit out fake bile and hate against gays like the worst hypocrite in the world.
Everything about this case reminded Tom of the other homophobe case he had done the year before. It almost exactly like this case. He hoped that he could bust Ryans and his gang before they did any more damage.
"Tom?" Ryans said. Tom realized that he had missed everything that had been said after he falsely declared his hatred of gay men.
"What? Sorry, I kinda spaced out for a while. History is so boring."
"No problem. Listen, we're gonna go and deal with some fags tonight. You wanna come with us?"
"Tonight?" Ryans nodded. That was early, but Tom and Doug could manage to brief Fuller and still arrive on time. Tom glanced at Doug. "Can Doug come?"
Ryans frowned. "I guess. He could be our guard or something, make sure no one sees us."
Tom could tell Ryans didn't want Doug to come. It would be better if he went in alone, with Doug following.
"No, he doesn't have to come. He has stuff to do anyway," Tom said. When Doug looked at him angrily, Tom mouthed, 'backup'. Doug got the hint and nodded, but Tom could tell he was upset about the whole situation.
"Great. See you tonight, then," Ryans said as the bell rang.
Tom nodded. "See you tonight," he confirmed.
"Backup?" Doug asked angrily. "You can't go in alone!"
"I won't," Tom replied, sounding bored. "You'll be the backup. All I have to do is call and you'll come running."
"I know what backup is. But you seem to have forgotten that I was supposed to lead and you were supposed to follow, not vice versa."
Tom shrugged. He didn't feel one bit guilty. "What's done is done. Ryans liked me better anyway."
As Doug opened his mouth to retort, Tom interrupted him. "I'll be fine, Doug. I'm a trained police officer. I can take care of myself."
Doug knew this was true. He remembered the countless times he had watched Tom go up against and beat someone much bigger than him. Tom looked like a harmless kid (with a lot of attitude) but he was more dangerous than he looked.
Although Doug was still annoyed about the fact that he was only backup (and that Tom had correctly interpreted his anger as worry for Tom's safety… they knew each other too well) he finally saw sense. Tom was right; he could take care of himself. "Okay," Doug sighed. "Let's go tell Fuller."
"Thank you," Tom said, and Doug could imagine him thinking, Finally.
They were outside the Jumpstreet Chapel. Tom had been going in to brief Fuller on what was going on when Doug had pulled him away to 'discuss' some issues. Now that the 'discussion' was over, Tom and Doug walked into the Chapel. Only Booker was still inside, working on something. Tom brushed by him without acknowledgement and Doug followed suit. Tom knocked on Fuller's door and waited.
"Come in," Fuller said. Tom opened the door, and Doug… followed. He seemed to be following Tom a lot these days. Doug closed the door behind him, and Tom began to update Fuller.
Doug tried to listen, he really did. But it was boring. He started spacing out, thinking about Tom and the case. Doug's police instinct told him something bad was going to happen. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.
"Penhall?" Fuller's commanding voice snapped Doug back to the present.
"Yes?" Doug asked, hoping Fuller hadn't said anything important. He hadn't been listening.
"You got that? Hanson will go with the guys. You'll follow him. He'll have a radio. If he radios for help, jump in. You'll be with three others, which should be enough. You'll have a gun but Hanson'll be unarmed. And he won't have any wires, they're too likely to be discovered. Hanson, you'll just have to hide your badge, radio, and handcuffs somewhere the homophobes won't notice."
"Okay," Tom said. Doug nodded in agreement.
"All right then. It's about time to go. Be careful," Fuller said. As Tom and Doug left, Fuller hoped they would be okay. He really cared about his officers, and he had noticed how strangely Tom and Doug had been acting. Hopefully, Fuller thought, everything will be straightened out after this case.
"I'm Greg. Greg McKar. You with Ryans?"
Greg was muscular, with black hair in a crew cut. He looked like the kind of person that beat up gay guys for fun (at least to Tom).
"Yeah," Tom answered shortly. "I'm Tom Harris. Will Ryans be here soon?"
"Yeah," McKar responded. They fell silent.
Tom hated even pretending to be going along on this gay beating. When he thought about it, last year's case had been just as bad, but he hadn't fully realized his sexuality then. He had been with Amy. He had been a bisexual. But women hadn't aroused him in a while. Now he just felt… gay.
About ten minutes later, Andrew Ryans came, along with a well-built blonde boy. They would be leaving soon. Tom hoped Doug had enough time to get his backup together. Tom had a feeling he was gonna need it. At least there were only three guys to bust and overcome.
"We'll meet up with Rod when we get to the alley," Tom heard Ryans say to McKar. Never mind, thought Tom, four. He could still do four… with help.
"I don't think you've been introduced yet," Ryans said, coming over to Tom, the blonde boy following. "This is George Evans. George, this is Tom Harris." The blonde boy, George, nodded at Tom. They shook hands.
"Okay," Ryans said. "It's time to go. We're gonna go into this alley, which is next to some gay bar called 'Rainbow Pride' or some crap like that. We're gonna meet up with the last of our gang there, Rod Parkins. Then, when we see one of 'em come outta the bar, we give that fag what he deserves."
"Yeah!" Everyone yelled, Tom joining in half-heartedly at the last second, his mind elsewhere. Rainbow Pride. The name rang a bell. He had been there before.
Everything seemed wrong about this. They were going into a dark alley. Tom wasn't supposed to do that. And Tom had no way of telling Doug the change of plans… He'd just have to figure it out. Tom couldn't radio for help so early, when he didn't need any help. Another thing was that the case just seemed too easy. Yeah, and if I see a black cat I'm gonna drop dead, Tom mentally chided himself. I'm being paranoid here. Nothing's gonna happen.
"Let's go," Ryans said.
Tom pushed away all this dark thoughts and forebodings and followed Ryans and his friends. He would just bust them tonight and the case would be over. Things could go back to the way they had been and there would be four less homophobes in action.
They had arrived at the alley. It was dark, dismal, and small. Tom, Ryans, McKar, and Evans had to squish in to fit.
Soon after they arrived, another boy stepped out into the feeble light of the moon. No, not a boy, a man. He looked older than the others did. Tom couldn't see the newcomer very well. He was shrouded in shadows. Something about him seemed familiar, but that couldn't be right. This was Rod Parkins. Tom didn't know him.
"Is he the one?" Ryans asked. He stepped back so Parkins could see Tom better. "Yeah," Parkins said. He had a deep, gravelly voice. This is weird, Tom thought. What were they doing? Evaluating him, making sure he was fit to beat up gays?
Tom stepped forward. He might as well introduce himself if no one was gonna do it for him. "Hi. I'm Tom Har –"
"Yeah, I know," Parkins interrupted. "Tom Hanson."
Tom gaped at Parkins, utterly shocked. How did Parkins know his real name? Suddenly Tom realized why he recognized Parkins. He had been the friend of a friend of a suspect at some school. They had ended up arresting the suspect and the friend.
"Yes," Parkins continued, "Tom Hanson, the smooth undercover cop, who arrested my friend."
Awww. Shit! His cover was blown. Completely blown. It was time to radio for help. Tom reached into his jacket pocket to find his radio and call for help, but it wasn't there. Double shit! Where had he put his radio?
"Looking for this?" Parkins teased, holding up Tom's radio, along with his badge and handcuffs. He must've had one of his cronies pickpocket them or something. Triple shit. I hate people who go to great lengths to get revenge, Tom thought rather hypocritically.
Tom started backing up, and he hit a wall. Quadruple shit. Tom suddenly realized that he was in serious danger. Three muscular teens and an extremely angry and strong-looking adult surrounded him. Tom remembered what Fuller had said in his first briefing about the conditions of the victims of these kids surrounded him now. Concussions. Broken bones. Death.
Oh god no, not death! Tom still had so many things to do and so many things to say, to Doug, to Judy, To Harry, to Fuller, to his mom, even to Booker.
At least only one of the four had real motivation to beat Tom up. Besides, he was a trained police officer. He could get out of this. He always did.
"I knew I recognized him!" Evans suddenly said. "I saw him at that stupid gay bar we're next to, but we let him go 'cause the guy next to him looked weaker. Remember?"
"Yeah," McKar said, nodding in agreement.
"Great!" Ryans exclaimed, grinning evilly. "Now, pals, we're got ourselves a gay undercover cop. Let's give him what he deserves."
Great. Now Tom was surrounded by four motivated men. But maybe, maybe he could still talk his way out of this. "Guys –" Tom began.
"Shut up," Parkins snapped. "C'mon, let's get going already!"
And then the beating started.
Although Tom had pretty much lost all hope, he tried to fight back. McKar aimed a punch at him. As Tom raised an arm to block it and kicked McKar's leg, Ryan's punch hit him in the stomach. It really hurt. Tom didn't know how much more of this he could take. He was hopelessly outnumbered; and Parkins had some hard club as a weapon that he was trying to whack Tom with. As Tom turned around to punch Evans, Parkin's club hit him in the leg. Tom thought he heard something crack. No longer able to support himself, Tom slid down. On the ground, Tom knew it was really over. The ruthless beatings continued and Tom was unable to retaliate. Tom heard many cracks and foggily wondered just how many ribs and other bones had been broken. After a while, Tom lost count. He was aware of Parkins hitting him with all of his strength on the head, and harsh laughter. After a while, he realized that the boys had left, and he was completely alone in the dark alley.
Then all he was aware of was the pain. It blocked out any coherent thoughts and muddled everything. There was a searing pain in his head, it was hard to breathe, and his left leg hurt. It all blended in to a haze of aches and pain around his entire body. Tom knew he was in really bad shape and needed a hospital, but there was nothing he could do.
Tom tried to say, "Help!" but all he could manage was a harsh, animalistic croak that hurt his throat. He would just have to wait, and hope Doug would find him. Doug… Where is Doug? The thought swam hazily around in circles in Tom's mind. Where is Doug? Where is Doug?
Finally, Tom began to sink into the lovely black mattress of unconsciousness. It didn't hurt so much anymore. It was just a dull, pounding ache. He closed his eyes. His last, surprisingly clear thought was, This wasn't the way I expected to die.
A/N: Things don't look too good for Tom, do they? I'm sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger ending, I know how annoying those are. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. For every review I get I'll post the chapter one day earlier! JUST KIDDING. I'm not like that. I might be more motivated if I get reviews, though, so please read and review! And I know I said I'd put in Booker and Ioki in the third chapter, but I lied. They'll be in the fourth one, I swear! Writer's oath. Well, thanks for reading, and please review!