Chapter 8: Caught in crossfire.

Derek wanders aimlessly a few yards away from Danny's house, his feet shuffling on the pavement as he ponders where to go. He didn't want to leave to begin with, and only did so because Danny asked him to, especially with that Jackson kid who's been all up in Danny's space. Jackson. Just thinking about him has Derek all rattled, it makes his skin crawl with rage. He knows Jackson wants Danny, his Danny. Derek has never once felt so territorial in his life; it almost worries him how the jealousy brings out the bloodlust in him.

Derek doesn't remain far from Danny, even his uncle advised him to stay near his mate. 'Mates heal faster around one another,' his uncle had said right before Derek left. 'Something to think about, right, Derek?' That's why Danny healed so fast. That's why Derek healed so fast last night. It makes horrible sense and Derek can only accept it. He figures that since Danny's wounds haven't completely healed yet, he might as well stay around to speed up the healing process, all the while cursing his uncle for injuring Danny in the first place.

So Derek just wanders in the neighborhood, trying to take in his surroundings, to be more familiar with it. He doesn't know why, but he feels it's important that he does. So that he can find his way around better if he ever needs to get to Danny quickly. It's all houses, spaciously arranged with neat lawns, custom mailboxes and white picket fences to delimit each area. So much space for so few people, it makes Derek uncomfortable. He left this little town life a long time ago, left for a big city with his sister as soon as the accident happened, so he's not used to this lifestyle anymore.

Danny doesn't leave his thoughts for long and Derek knows for sure now he's in too deep. He won't settle for anyone but Danny, he can feel it in his gut, every instinct in him tells him that Danny's the one. His uncle could very well be right. But what else does being mates entail? Do they have to make it official? Derek has no idea and he was too dazed by all the information his uncle had provided him with to ask for more. He makes a mental note for next time. Peter is probably trying to convince Scott to help them right now. Even though Derek has lost all track of time, he figures it's been at least two hours since he left his uncle alone, two hours during which he mostly watched Danny sleep peacefully.

He misses the boy already and can't help but turn around and go back to Danny's house, making sure he is not seen by anyone as he climbs up the fence to get to the backyard. He makes his way up to the rooftop with ease and soon finds himself crouching on the Bordeaux tiles covering the roof a dozen feet away from Danny's bedroom window. As he peers through the open window into Danny's room, what Derek sees feels like a punch to the gut and cuts his breath off for a few seconds. Danny is asleep, arms wrapped around Jackson's slender body.

Derek brings up a hand over his chest, fingers fisting over the shirt that Danny gave him, the shirt that smells so strongly of Danny it makes Derek dizzy. It's excruciating to see Danny like this—with someone else—so much that Derek can hardly breathe. He feels betrayed, heartbroken even and he wants to get angry at Danny but Derek can't even muster up one ounce of resentment towards the teenager. He expects the pain from seeing his mate being intimate with someone other than him, after everything his uncle told him.

What he doesn't expect though, is to see Danny sit up with a start in his bed, mirroring Derek with a hand over his fast-beating heart and. Right this instant, Derek can feel it, the bond between them, he can hear Danny's heartbeat crystal clear, can hear Danny's ragged breathing, can see the pain written all over Danny's face. They're connected, and any doubt Derek might have had left are gone for good now.

Danny suddenly appears within the window frame and their eyes meet, Danny's kind brown eyes reflecting Derek's pain and incomprehension. Why is Danny doing this to him? What is the exact nature of Danny's relationship with Jackson? Derek doesn't know, and the incertitude is killing him. Danny closes the window, hiding behind the curtains, and the avoidance is just rubbing salt on the wound.

Derek tries to calm down. Despite how crappy he feels right now, he hates the fact that Danny's suffering just as much because of him. Derek somehow manages to weaken the link between them, he just focuses on anything else but how Danny's feeling and it seems to work. At least he thinks so. But his own agony doesn't end, and he wants to know what's going on between the two teenagers. He moves silently, coming back down from the roof and landing stealthily on the grass. Derek listens in on the conversation between the two boys and is happy to hear that Danny's completely healed as he makes his way back around the house to reach the front door, which he left unlocked when he left earlier. What he hears next squeezes his heart just a little bit more, Danny saying he doesn't want anything to do with him feels like yet another knife wound to his already damaged heart. Derek tunes out pretty much immediately after hearing that, he doesn't think he can sustain more rejection. He should just get the fuck out of here but he keeps holding on to Danny, even after all the pain he's been inflicted so far. He can't seem to help it, Derek just needs him.

When he reaches the top of the stairs, he can see Danny's room, the door is open pretty wide and this time, what Derek finds is too much for him to handle. Danny and Jackson are kissing and Derek feels like his chest is being ripped open. He feels dizzy and falls down to his knees, his hand leaning on the railings near the stairs but the pain is overwhelming and everything just goes black from here.

—

"Please don't tell me you're a vampire," Danny says half-jokingly, trying to hide the fact he's scared shitless at the prospect of having his best friend in love with him. It hit him like an alarm. What was he thinking? Why did he even kiss Jackson? Why did he let it go that far?

"What?" Jackson chuckles nervously; Danny can feel—can hear—Jackson's heart beating fast and loud. It's puzzling, he's never heard it so clearly before, and he knows it's not his own heart beat; he knows what it feels and sounds like.

"I mean, I don't want my life to be turned into a twilight movie, it would be pathetic," Danny explains, cringing at the idea of him being that girl whom is fought over by a creepy vampire and a clingy werewolf, a girl who screams at night over her crush on said creepy vampire. He's freaking out and at this point, any distraction is welcome. He regrets kissing Jackson. He really shouldn't have.

"No, I'm human, rest assured," Jackson says, pulling Danny into a hug and laughing wholeheartedly as he rests his head on Danny's shoulder. Danny has no idea what he should do in this situation. There's no guideline for this, no textbook he can read to handle this kind of situation. He can't say the words back to Jackson—he just can't—he doesn't even know what he feels right now, less alone tell his best friend he loves him too. See, this is what he was fretting: the awkwardness of potential feelings between two best friends when only one is in love with the other. The truth is, he always protected himself from this, from falling for Jackson; but he never thought their roles could be reversed. If he's honest with himself, he's fought even harder because he knows that if he did fall for Jackson, he would fall way too far to ever crawl his way back. He's had fantasies. Of course he has, he's a guy and he has needs. He's a teenager for God's sakes and probably the only teen out in Beacon Hills, it's not like his choices are unlimited. And his best friend just happens to be one of the best looking guys in high school, so of course he's noticed Jackson's looks. But no matter what, there's always been that façade, that wall to mask the attractiveness, to make Jackson look…brotherly. And that wall is still up.

Eventually, Danny opts for his preferred course of action: say nothing. Jackson pulls away and they look at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before clearing their throats almost simultaneously.

"What time is it? Are you hungry?" Danny asks, looking around his room for the time even though he knows there's no clock. He feels so out of place, so ill at ease all now with Jackson around. He sees his phone on the bed and walks over, past Jackson, to check the time. It's already over half past six. What time was it when he came back? He doesn't even know.

"No, I'm good," Jackson replies and as he turns around, Danny sees Jackson looking down at his feet. He seems…embarrassed. Upset. And Danny can't shake the feeling that he's the cause of that. Jackson takes Danny's face in his hands and crushes their lips together again, the movement starting out brusquely but the violence of it fading out as the kiss softens and they relax in each other's arms. No, stop it, Danny thinks. He's really doing this all wrong. Jackson bucks up his hips against Danny's, his arms sliding up Danny's back underneath his white tee. Things are going so fast that Danny reacts late; he pulls away and holds Jackson at arms' length, looking straight at his best friend's confused face. He's not ready to do this, he definitely is not. Kissing Jackson is weird enough. Having sex with him would…it would just make everything worse; Jackson's already screwed everything up as it is. There would be no going back from that.

"What are we doing, Jacks?" Danny asks, even though he knows damn well what they were doing and what they were about to do.

"I…I don't know," Jackson mumbles, looking unsure now, almost upset. This is definitely not what Danny intended. But he doesn't want…okay, it sounds cheesy, but Danny doesn't want his first time to be a quick fuck, to be the result of an impulse, a need. And God knows Danny needs it. Derek has been building his sexual frustration up like a pro in just two days, has teased Danny several times now without Danny getting any actual release. Danny almost wishes he had slept with Derek. He wouldn't be that horny and he certainly wouldn't have made out with his best friend that many times. He wouldn't be stuck in this situation wishing he could just fuck Jackson. Fuck! Danny's a mess and he's not thinking clearly.

He wants his first time to be special. Or at least, he told himself he wouldn't have sex with strangers. He wants dates. He wants to know there's going to be more. Jackson isn't anyone though. Not a stranger, yes, but he isn't anyone either. Jackson is his best friend, one of the few people on this planet who know Danny better than anyone. The stakes are high here and Danny doesn't want to screw up. Dates. They should go on dates. Jackson just came out to him; they can't jump into bed right after that, right? Danny needs time to assess whether a relationship with Jackson could work. He's not even sure he wants to date Jackson. He's not even sure Jackson's ready to come out to everyone, let alone date a guy openly. This is a bad idea, Danny realizes as he thinks about it. Damn it, why did he kiss Jackson? He wasn't thinking clearly, obviously, he just…it's stupid, but he just wishes Derek was here. No. No Derek. Danny shakes his head, trying to clear his mind and compose himself.

"Danny!"

Hearing his Dad screaming his name snaps Danny out of his thoughts, and with only an agreeing look, Danny and Jackson move out of his room to go greet his father downstairs. Danny isn't prepared for the sight in front of him right out of his room. His father is crouching over Derek's unconscious body in the hallway, just near the top of the stairs. Danny's mind goes blank as he stares at the man lying on the floor, his heart jumping in his chest.

"Care to tell me what this man is doing here, son?" his father asks as Danny approaches them, Jackson on his tail. Shit. The last thing Danny needs right now is for his parents to know about Derek.

"I…I have no idea," Danny lies and curses silently for being such a bad liar. His father, though a few inches shorter than him, has always intimidated Danny. He's a well respected doctor at the hospital and is known for being patient but quite scary too. Danny knows that very well. His father has somehow always played the good cop, his mother being the bad cop who always nags to get things done—though she hasn't done much nagging for the past few years since Danny and his sister have grown up. However, being the nice parent of the two, the rare times Danny's father does get angry, it scares the shit out of him. He has a way of terrifying Danny with his calm voice and scrutinizing looks.

"Really? Because he keeps muttering your name, and his face just happens to look a hell of a lot like that murder suspect the police has been looking for lately," his father pins him on the spot with one of his legendary stares—he has a way to look at Danny with something halfway between a glare and a kind look at the same time. Danny never knows how to feel in those situations but he usually just feels like shit.

"It's hard to explain," Danny offers lamely but honestly, it is hard to explain.

Derek chooses that exact moment to open his eyes and they look lost, flickering right and left until they settle on Danny's own eyes. Derek reaches up with one hand and Danny takes it instinctively, feeling the need for comfort coming from the other man. The simple touch ignites something in Danny, a craving for more. Derek looks so…vulnerable, so hurt that Danny forgets all his resolutions on the spot and gives in to Derek's pleading gaze. Danny can tell Derek's upset because of him, he's certain it has something to do with what happened between him and Jackson. He kneels beside the other man, ignoring his father and Jackson, bringing Derek's hand to his lips, whispering apologies for hurting Derek.

"Dan, you shouldn't," Jackson says weakly behind him, a hand on his shoulder. In spite of all his reasoning, all the arguments he made in his mind to stay away from Derek; Danny finds it hard to put in practice. Jackson's right, Danny shouldn't touch Derek. Derek is a werewolf for Pete's sake, and Danny remembers now that what he feels for Derek is probably fake, the result of something supernatural.

"I'm calling the police," Danny's father says and stands up, prompting Danny to stand up as well, his hand gripping his father's wrist to stop him.

"No, don't," Danny says, earning himself a disapproving glare from this dad.

"Have you lost your mind? That man is a criminal!"

"Trust me, Dad, he's not!" Danny counters more passionately than he intended, the fear of having Derek arrested seizing him. Fake or not, he cares about Derek, he cares and he knows Derek cares for him too. It's strange, but he feels like they belong. And Danny can't risk putting Derek in danger.

"Danny, I can fight my own battles," Derek says, now standing beside him, his arm just an inch away from making contact with Danny's and Danny feels anxious at the proximity. Derek purposefully avoids meeting Danny's gaze, instead focusing on his dad. "I didn't mean to impose or cause you any trouble sir; I will be leaving, feel free to call the police if you want."

"Get the hell out of my house; I don't want to see you here again."

"Understood," with one last glance at Danny, Derek runs down the stairs and Danny's feet move on their own to follow the older man. He feels helpless, he feels like he can't breathe if Derek isn't around, like Derek is his only reason to live. It's not normal, Danny gets that, but he can't help it. He doesn't understand why this is happening to him, why all of a sudden Derek's become so crucial to his survival when a few minutes ago he seemed fine without the older man. But Danny doesn't care; all he can think at the moment is that he doesn't want to leave Derek's side.

His father stops him before he can even put his foot on the first step down the stairs, his grip firm on Danny's forearm.

"Where do you think you're going?" his father demands with his calm voice, sending shivers down Danny's back. Danny's paralyzed on the spot, his father's bright eyes are scaring him a little bit.

"I can't leave him," is all Danny can think to say and he almost regrets letting the words out when he catches a glimpse of the disappointed look on Jackson's face. Danny hates being put in that position, he's just hurting everyone around him. He wants his old life back, when he was just Danny, the gay guy that everyone likes because he's harmless and nice. Still, he doesn't think he could go back to being his old self either; the one nobody pays attention to beyond the nice gay guy etiquette. With Derek, he feels…wanted, he feels needed. He feels like he finally belongs with someone.

"Danny, listen to your father," Derek tells him from the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him. "I…I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

That's just it for Danny; he loses it as he watches Derek turn around and leaving.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Danny jerks his hand free from his father's grip and reaches the bottom of the stairs in no time, catching up with Derek just when he gets to the front door. He feels like all his senses are on alert; he's never felt so alive before.

"Daniel, you better come back here, right now," Danny hears his father threaten but ignores it, grabbing Derek's hand as they cross the threshold out onto the porch. The sky is crimson, and the neighborhood is devoid of people, announcing the end of the day.

"Danny, don't do this, I don't want you to be in any more trouble because of me," Derek says once they're outside, his hands cupping Danny's face and his eyes boring into his. Derek's face is so hypnotizing Danny could stare at the man before him forever; and his touch is plain magnetizing. He can feel Derek's heart beating fast, can hear it just as well as if it was his own, and it's an amazing feeling.

"I'm sorry I kissed Jackson," Danny apologizes, and flinches at the flash of distress that goes through Derek's eyes, his heart speeding up as their hips connect. He wants to kiss Derek so bad, wants to beg for forgiveness. It's a serious 180 Danny's pulling here, he realizes that, but it's beyond his own will at this point. Derek makes him feel alive,

"Dan?" Jackson's right by their side, standing in the frame of the open front door, his voice breaking. Shit. Jackson just heard what he said. Danny's father suddenly appears, gun cocked in his hand, pointing it at Derek.

"Hands off my son," Danny's father orders, the tone of his voice leaving no place for discussion.

"I swear to God, Dad, if you hurt him, I'll kill you myself," the words escape Danny's mouth before he can think it through, having moved his body quickly between Derek and his father's handgun. Danny's always hated that stupid gun, has always thought it stupid for a doctor to own something that can kill people. Danny can hardly believe this is happening. What has he been reduced to? Here he is, defying his own father and his best friend for…for Derek. His…Derek. He doesn't even know what Derek is, Danny is powerless to what he's feeling for the werewolf, and he wishes he could explain it but he can't.

"God damn it, Danny, I'm not playing around!"

"Dan, this is insane, why are you doing this?"

Why is he doing this? Danny's not sure. It feels like his brain is switched off and he's been acting on autopilot the whole time. But at the same time he does know what he's doing. He's protecting Derek. And he doesn't know if this is the work of the adrenaline pumping through his arteries or something else, but Danny feels great right now in his body. He moves with ease and he moves fast, he can see Jackson swallowing in slow motion, a drop of sweat sliding slowly down his best friend's temple. He can hear his father ragged breathing, can hear Derek's steady heartbeat behind him. All of his senses are heightened, and it's both daunting and amazing.

"Danny, this is getting ridiculous," Derek whispers close to his ear, his arms wrapping around Danny's waist. "Let me go, we'll see each other soon, I promise."

Danny turns around in Derek's arms, looking at the older man's shining blue eyes. He kisses Derek right on the spot, glad that he's as tall as Derek, covering the werewolf from his Dad's menacing gun.

"You're lying," Danny mutters as their lips part, foreheads touching and breaths mingling together. "I'm not leaving you."

His last words have barely escaped his lips that another deafening sound reaches his ears, making Danny's heart stop.

A gunfire.

tbc...

This update took some time. Mostly because I didn't get much time to write, what with all the preparations for my departure from NY, the jetlag, and all the paperwork that's been waiting for me at home. And school starts this week, so...yeah. I'll try to write regularly as best as I can.

A big thank you for all of you who have been following this story, thank you for reading, for reviewing, I really appreciate it, it makes it a pleasure to write.

As usual, let me know what you think, it will help me keep this story going!

Oh also, if you see catch any typos, do let me know! I can't catch all of them. And if you have any constructive criticism that you feel can make my writing better, feel free to give it, I feel like I'm always writing the same thing...

Anyways, enough with the ranting. Good week to you all!