Valentine's Weekend 2016: Part V.

Elliott saw his father's fist being pulled back, and involuntarily cringed in anticipation. He was hurting, and he was desperate for the pain to stop, but he also knew that there was no sense whatsoever in revealing his younger brother's location. He would keep his stony silence, and take his secret to the grave. He knew that Cooper and Grace would protect his brother from harm, assisted by Ms Ramirez. Then in the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement - and suddenly his father was no longer looming over him, but flying sideways across the room as something landed on his back, throwing him off balance, at least momentarily. Then his father was tottering back, tumbling forward to land heavily on Elliott's chest before he could move. That was when Elliott saw to his horror that it was not a cop on his father's back, but a person he had been praying would not get caught up in this. Beats had one arm around his father's neck, and his face was like nothing Elliott had witnessed before. It was almost feral with the rage that he felt at the man…

His dad was strong though. He thrust himself back up, and on his feet again, he began to swing himself round in an attempt to throw Beats off. The young man was tenacious though, and wasn't going to allow himself to be thrown off easily; he scratched and clawed at Mr Gilbert's face, drawing blood, whilst his legs were kicking at the lower back of the man that he had nothing but hatred for. Elliott summoned up all his strength, and pushed himself back up off the bed, ignoring the pain that was shooting through his body. He had just done so when Beats finally lost his hold, and he was thrown to one side, bodily crashing into the wall. Elliott took his chance, and lunged at his father, who was still staggering with the momentum of throwing Beats off, and pushed him to one side. Mr Gilbert fell to the floor with a crash, but as he did so, his arm swung round and punched Elliott hard in the chest. The blow caused something to snap audibly as it caught his son.

Whatever had just snapped caused Elliott to howl in pain. His father smiled with delight as he fell to the floor next to him, his body racked with agony. The older man was quickly on top of him again, his weight intensifying the pain in Elliott's chest, and leaving him gasping for a breath. He saw his father's hands moving towards his throat, and his own he thrust up out of instinct to try and block them. As he did so, however, pain radiated through his body. He though through it nonetheless, trying to keep fighting his father off, all the time wondering where Beats was, and why he had not returned to join once more in the fray. Then again, he thought, he had hit the wall very hard, and had probably been knocked out in the process. He hoped and begged that he would come round soon, but not for his own benefit; if Beats was still out for the count when his father finished with him - well, it would be likely that two bodies would be found in the apartment, not just one…

That horrible image caused his concentration to lapse just momentarily, and that was all the time that his father needed to gain the upper hand once again. He grabbed Elliott's left arm and forced it back awkwardly, and then there was a pop. Suddenly the pain he was in was white hot, and he knew that his shoulder had probably been dislocated. He screamed in agony, but only for a few seconds. His left arm now useless, he could not stop his father's hands clasping shut around his throat, and as he squeezed, Elliott was left gasping for any air at all. "Say goodbye to the world, faggot. You're off on your way to hell, and as for your friend; don't worry, he will be right behind you. As for your brother, I will find him, and he will return to the normal, decent path he should be walking. If he is too far gone, then he will just have to follow after you…" Elliott could feel his own tears running hot down his cheeks, as inside he prayed harder than he had ever done for help. He felt several draughts and he knew who and what it was. It was probably too late for him, but if they could save his brother and Beats…

Kurt and Blaine had been forced by the rules to stand and watch helplessly from a distance for some time. Those rules stated that they could not intervene to assist their friends, so they had no option but to stand and wait. They were not alone; Finn had appeared and had admitted quietly that he had whispered to Beats to check out the car outside, in the hope he would twig; he had not broken the rules, as Beats had already been curious, and so it did not count as a direct intervention. He had only given him a push in the right direction. Then Wes had arrived, having suddenly been bombarded by Beats' thoughts in his head; he had taken his leave of Thad quickly, and had not told him the reason why. His heart was now in turmoil as he had to stand and observe, fighting back his natural instinct to help his boy and protect them; indeed, if Finn had not placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, Wes would probably have darted over to help. "I can't take much more of this!" he gasped as Elliott screamed. "I know what the outcome is, but still…"

"Wait, did I just see Beats' eyelids flutter?" said Kurt suddenly, and all of their attention became focused on him. As they moved again, that gave them the signal that they needed, and now they were able to fly into the room.

The cool draught was enough to rouse Beats, whose head was pounding - but when he saw what was happening just feet away, his heart was torn in shreds. He could see the man that he loved so much, and the fact that the life was being drained from him… His body ached, but he knew that he had to overcome that pain and help him; he had to… He saw four angels through fuzzy eyes, and he was sure that he had also just heard the sound of cars screeching to a halt outside. He hoped it was the police, that someone had called them, but he had no time to waste and wait to see if it was. He pulled himself back onto his feet, and threw himself back into the fight.

Elliott had begun to see stars in his sight by then. As he struggled to breathe, his vision had begun to fade away. If this was to be the end of his life, then it was so unfair… Then the hands around his neck were knocked loose, and his father was yelling in pain. Beats was once more upon his father's back, his fingers jammed into his eyes. If it had been a refereed fight, then he would have been dismissed for committing such a terrible foul, but it was not, it was a battle of life and death. Beats hand was being grabbed at by his father, and once he had hold of it, he twisted it hard at the wrist, causing Beats to yelp with pain for a moment, before he sunk his teeth into the flesh of Mr Gilbert's neck, causing the older man to howl in agony. His father was using all his strength though, and he had by now got back onto his feet, Beats clinging on, his legs beating a tattoo on his back as he tried to stop the bigger man.

Elliott could hear running feet now, charging up the stairs outside, and his heart felt light as he realised that Dani had heard, and had called the police. It was all about to be over… Then he heard a scream, and he turned just in time to see Beats flying through the air again. He watched in horror as he slammed into the wall head first this time, causing the plaster to crack and fall away with the force of the impact. As Beats slumped to the ground, limp as a rag doll, and completely motionless, Elliott saw his father advancing on him once more, his face full of a murderous rage. It wasn't over yet, and Elliott felt a coldness spread through his veins as he realised in horror that if his father did kill him now, then his beloved Nate might already be there waiting for him…

It happened so quickly this time that Elliott did not have time to even attempt to raise his good hand to try and fend him off. His father's hands closed around his throat again, and once more he found himself struggling to breathe. His head began to spin as his air supply rapidly diminished, as his body, worn out by injury, began to give up. There was a look of satisfaction on his father's face, which made him think that his own face must be showing signs that his struggle to survive was coming to an end. He could feel himself starting to drift away, and he thought how easy it would be to just stop struggling and just accept that it was all over….

"Police! Take your hands off him NOW!" came a strident female voice; a voice that Elliott could barely hear above the buzzing in his ears. His father didn't hear it either, or more likely, chose to ignore it, his goal being so close; there was no let up in the pressure that he was applying in any case. Elliott's vision was starting to dim when suddenly the hands on his throat went loose, and through barely open eyes he saw his father being hauled off him by the female cop whose voice he had heard earlier, her nightstick in use to keep the man that was partly responsible for his very existence from hurting him any more. He was acutely aware that she would not be alone; that there had to be other cops in the room. He moved his head and saw that one of them was bent over the motionless form of Beats, whilst at his side a third was calling in for immediate medical assistance. It was that that sent Elliott into a panic; the grim realisation that Beats was not moving. He had lived to tell the tale, albeit battered and bruised, but what if his Nate had paid the price instead? He went into a full blown panic attack, trying desperately to get up, to get to his boyfriend, to help him; but his stressed body could no longer cope and as the cuffs clicked shut on his father's wrists, he passed out into a black and empty world.

From their vantage point on the far side of the room, four angels had watched in horror as those final moments before the arrival of the police had played out. They had known that the two young men where going to live, but that had not stopped them feeling horror as the fight went on. The moment that Beats had flown through the air for the second time, Blaine had burst into tears, and Wes had panicked. Ignoring the conventions, he had dashed across the room the moment that he landed on the floor, taking the hand of his hurt Warbler, checking his wrist for a pulse, and sighing with delight when he found one. His joy was muted though; he was alive, but Wes had no idea how badly Beats had been injured. He had hit the wall with a considerable force as evidenced by the plasterwork, and Wes had no way of checking how bad those injuries he could not see might be.

When the cops appeared, Wes had to make a retreat and leave Beats to their care. He wished he could have stayed there to hold his hand as they checked him over but that was just not possible. He stayed within earshot though, and his face paled markedly when he heard the cop request that the medics bring a neck brace and a spinal board. In his mind's eye he suddenly saw Beats sitting in a wheelchair, his spine shattered. Wes felt so responsible for it all, as if he had let him down. If it wasn't for protocol…

"We couldn't have stopped this, Wes. It isn't your fault. If Beats was as badly hurt as you are imagining - and I have known you long enough to be able to see what is going on in your head, so don't deny it - then Elizabeth would have told us," said Finn.

As Finn placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, Kurt looked up from where he was holding a still upset Blaine, and said "He's right. It will be ok, or we would know. Mom would have said…" Wes nodded, knowing that they were right, but that did not stop him feeling so helpless…

Elliott was out cold for just over a minute; when he came too, the female cop that had arrested his father was now leaning over him. Her face, which he had glimpsed before had changed from one that was full of rage to a softer one; more concerned and motherly. "Don't try and move; you've had a traumatic experience, and your body just needs you to rest until we can get you properly checked over. Now, if you can, could you tell me exactly what has gone on here? Why don't we start with your name…"

"It's Elliott. Elliott Gilbert… Is he ok? Is Nate ok? Please tell me he is going to be ok…"

"I'm assuming that Nate is the guy that we found slumped down by the wall? I take it that the two of you are close?"

"He's my boyfriend… We were just having a romantic day, and he had to go out to the store and get something, and then my dad turned up…"

"Your dad… That man that has done this to the two of you - he is your father?"

"Yes, yes he is…" rasped Elliott, then he started to cough, his throat feeling raw. "Nate came back, and tried to help me, and he ended up… He has to be ok. Please make him ok, bring him back to me, please…" Elliott began to sob, and the cop could no more than take his hand and squeeze it tight. She sighed as she thought how the events here today were not that uncommon; this was not a first for her. The world was still so full of intolerance and hatred…


At the Spotlight, Dani had recovered a degree of her composure, and was able to make her way back out onto the floor to start work again. Her mind was not 100% on the job in hand, however. She was worried sick about Elliott and what might have happened to him, but there was nothing that she could do; there was no-one else around to take charge of the place at the moment, and there would not be until Sam arrived in a short while to start work, whilst Rachel performed her usual Sunday matinee. She found herself waiting for that moment anxiously; she would be running out that door the second that he crossed the threshold. She stopped looking at her watch or the clock, as the minute hands did not seem to be moving forward. It was as if the world had frozen around her and only she was still moving at her usual rate.

Then the door opened, and she glanced over in hope and expectation - but what she saw made the blood run cold through her veins. Normally she would have been overjoyed to see them, but knowing what she did, the last person that she had wanted to see coming through that door was Josh Gilbert. There he was though, and now he was walking across the room, smiling, approaching the spot that she stood in, rooted to the spot, at the counter. She wanted to run into the back, to not have to be the one that told him what was happening, but she couldn't budge, and as she reminded herself, she wasn't a coward…

"Hey Dani! I know that Ell said that he and Beats were going to be 'busy' and to just stay near Murray Hill, but Scott and I are hungry, and it is so hard to find food as good as we can get here up there…" Josh had begun so confidently, but now as he saw the tear tracks on her face, his voice trailed off. Before anyone could speak, the door opened again and Sam rushed in, taking off his coat, all the time apologising for being late, but he had been forced to walk around an extra block on his way from the subway as there was a street sealed off with police tape…

He realised his mistake at once when he saw Dani's eyes widen, and Josh turned to look first at one and then at the other. "What's going on? Why have you been crying Dani? What street is sealed off, Sam?" Josh demanded, as Scott, quickly making the necessary conclusions, placed a hand upon his shoulder.

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Dani got there first. "I got a call, from Elliott… Your dad turned up…"

Sam gasped as he realised what street had been sealed off; and that was all it took for Josh to drop his bags of shopping, and turn on his heel, running out of the door. Scott was right behind him, and after throwing the keys at Sam with an apologetic look, so was Dani, not even pausing to grab her coat before she left. Sam was left to stand in shock, dazed by the enormity of the situation that he had inadvertently wandered into. He hoped that everything was ok, and prayed that there were still only four angels that he knew; that there were not now five, or he realised, six… For him, the whole idea of Valentine's Day had just taken on a very sour note. It was supposed to be about love after all, not anger and hate.

Josh Gilbert, his coach at school had remarked, would never be a star athlete; his boyfriend, Scott De Marko, might be in time. It didn't take Scott long to catch up with Josh then, to run at his side as they headed in the direction of the little apartment he had been to once. He was vigilant, ready and prepared to throw an arm in front of Josh to stop him if, in his haste to reach his brother, he decided to pay no attention to the busy traffic of the city. Elliott had always said he could walk to work in under ten minutes at a comfortable pace; two teenagers could cover the same distance in around three if their motivation was strong enough. The moment that they turned that final corner they could see the police cars, the ambulances, the small crowd of onlookers… Suddenly, Josh stopped in his tracks. Scott stopped and turned to look back at him, and was instantly concerned by how pale he had become.

"What if he is really hurt Scott? I brought dad back into his life, I brought him here. He didn't know or care where Ell was until I came along. This is all my fault; if anything bad has happened to him, or…what if Beats…?"

"Look, Josh, I might not know your brother that well, but what I do know is this; he would say that you were talking total nonsense just now, and that none of this is down to you. The only person that is to blame for any of this is your dad; he is an idiot and a bigot, and if he has done anything to your brother or Beats, then he will be the one that is punished."

"You're right, that is what Ell would say, but if Beats is hurt…"

"It's not your fault," said an out of breath Dani, who had arrived just in time to hear his final words. "You are not to blame for any of this, ok!"

Josh didn't reply, as his eyes had widened as he looked up the street. Dani turned and saw for herself the two paramedics carrying the stretcher out of the apartment building. Josh was suddenly back off again, running up the street, and Scott and Dani could only follow. As they approached, a second stretcher was brought out of the door as the first was being placed into a waiting ambulance. Then there emerged from the door a sight that caused Josh to stop, freeze for a moment, then cower in fear. He had just seen the man that had been dragged out between the two cops…

"That's him, isn't it? That man is supposed to be your dad, the man that should love and protect you, no matter what," said Dani. Josh couldn't even speak to reply; Scott nodded in response as his boyfriend hid behind him. "What is it with men of his generation not being able to deal with and accept the fact that they have a gay son? I mean, Jeff's natural father dumped him at an orphanage; Nick's father is constantly trying to destroy him; Blaine's father was the same, from what I've been told. Why can they not just accept the truth and be glad that their child is healthy and happy?"

"My dad is ok about it now, but he wasn't at first," said Scott quietly. "He couldn't even look at me for days after I came out to them. Then one day he realised that I hadn't suddenly grown two heads, or scales; I hadn't changed at all. I was still his son, I just wouldn't be bringing a girl home with me. I was lucky, I guess. My dad could deal with it."

"My dad is just a redneck bigot." The declaration from Josh caught the other two by surprise. "He doesn't so much as bat an eyelid to my sister's promiscuity, but me and Ell, we aren't straight, so we are abominations. I want him out of my life for good, and I need to show him that I am not afraid of him anymore."

"You do," said Dani, "but right now…" She didn't even get the chance to finish speaking before Josh was striding forward, head held high, chest out, in the direction of the police line. All she and Scott could do was follow.

"Hey, dad! If you have hurt either of them, I want you to know that I will make you pay for it! I am not scared of you anymore!"

Mr Gilbert looked up, and on seeing his son, tried to pull away from the two police officers that were now restraining him. "You should be afraid, Joshua. Afraid of me and of the fires of Hell. That is where you are heading for, you little deviant. You, your faggot brother and his friends. I am going to get you fixed boy, before it is too late. Restore you to your place in our good, American family."

"Elliott is my family; he is all the family that I need. He didn't throw me out onto the streets on Christmas Day! If he hadn't been around, if Beats hadn't managed to get us back in contact, then who knows what might have happened to me, not that you care! For all your talk of family, you seem to have forgotten the one key element of that; unconditional love. I don't just want them to throw the book at you - I want them to throw the whole darn library, because you deserve it! I'm happy, and I don't need or want you, mom, and my whore of a sister. I have my brother, I have Scott. Hopefully, after today, I will never have to see you again!"

"Don't bank on that, you disobedient little fag! I will find you, and I will make you pay for this! You will all pay for this!" That final threat was enough for the cops to drag him, still protesting, to the patrol car, and force him in. they would be taking him to the station to face assault charges. As the car drove past the three people at the barrier, his face was visible at the window, his mouth set in a snarl. Dani couldn't help herself and raised one finger to him as he passed, and then, he was gone…

"Excuse me young man, did you just say that was your father?" The female voice made the three recent arrivals turn back to the barrier, to see a cop standing right beside them. "Yes, I'm Josh Gilbert. Elliott is my brother. Please, is he ok? What has he done to him?"

The cop asked for some ID, and Josh pulled out his driver's licence, then nodded. "Your brother is battered and bruised, but nothing too serious. He has taken some damage to his ribs; his shoulder was also dislocated, but the paramedics have already fixed that for him. He won't recover from this overnight, but physically he will be ok, in time."

There was a loud sigh of relief from Dani at that news, and Josh broke into a smile, before he suddenly remembered that his brother had not been in the apartment alone. "What about his boyfriend? I take it that was him on the other stretcher?"

The police officer nodded, then spoke softly. "The other young man took the worst of it. He is currently unconscious, and has been since we got here. I believe that he was thrown against the wall, and given that the plasterwork is damaged, it must have been with some force. They will both be taken to Beth Sinai for treatment - if you hurry, I can get two of you in the second ambulance."

Josh nodded, and grabbed Scott's hand, before turning to Dani with an apologetic look. "It's ok. You two should go. Give them both all my love, and tell Ell that he owes me several shifts for this one… No, just joking. Tell him to get well soon." Josh nodded, and then he and Scott were hurried away. The first ambulance was already gone and in less than a minute, the second was following it. The small crowd that had gathered began to move off, as the police began to remove the barriers and tape. Dani stood there for a moment, then sighed. This wasn't how today was supposed to turn out for the two young men. It should have been joyful, but it had instead descended into a near tragedy. At least they were both alive… Suddenly, she realised what she had to do now. She turned, and began to walk quickly back in the direction of the diner. She had a whole host of phone calls to make. Flint had to be told what had happened to Beats first off, and then there were all the other partners and friends to inform. Worst of all, somebody, probably Flint, was going to have to make a call to Beats' parents…