Part of Little Danny Universe
Warning: Very strong warning for child abuse. This
story deals with child abuse and all its consequences.
It doesn't paint a pretty picture folks so read it
with caution. There is violence and for awhile it is
graphic so no flames, you've been warned.Now on with
the story.
"You ok kid?" a hand landed lightly on Danny's
shoulder as he pulled himself to his feet. He brushed
the dust off his jeans angrily and looked up, glaring
as his nemesis Robert ran triumphantly across the
playground.
"I'm fine" he ground out, fighting the urge to run
after Robert to finish the fight.
A tissue was held firmly to his nose. "You're bleeding
everywhere. You'd better go see the nurse."
"I said I'm fine. It'll stop in a few minutes anyhow."
He finally turned to see a curly haired boy, a little
smaller than himself. He sighed as he recognized the
new kid in their class.
"S...sorry..I didn't mean to bother you" the boy
stuttered, "I...I just...I thought..."
Danny smiled. "It's ok. I'm sorry I yelled. He just
makes me so mad. I'm Daniel ."
The other boy smiled shyly. "I'm Jason. I..I just
moved here."
Neither boy noticed their teacher Mrs. Davis had moved
up behind them. "Daniel Jackson! What in heaven's name
happened to you?"
Daniel grinned helplessly as his teacher ushered him
hurriedly to the classroom. the curly-haired boy
stared wistfully as Daniel was led away.
*******************************************************
Daniel spied Jason almost immediately as he entered
the crowded lunchroom. The new student was seated
alone at the far end of one of the long lunch tables.
"Mind if I sit here?" Danny greeted, dropping his
lunch bag on the table. Jason looked up startled.
"N...no, I just didn't ...expect you'd want to."
"Where's your lunch?"
"I forgot...didn't ask for money."
Danny opened his brown bag and happily pulled out two
peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. He handed
one to Jason and reached back into the bag to find
grapes and a pack of snack cakes.
"Here, Mama always packs extra. She says I don't eat
enough."
Brown eyes stared longingly at the offered food. "I
guess it would be ok."
"Cool, dig in. Want some milk too? Its chocolate."
"Sure, that'd be great." the boy reached hesitatingly
towards the grapes. Daniel poured some of his milk
into the cup of the thermos and pushed it towards
Jason. The snack cakes were opened and half was given
to Danny's new friend.
"I think Mama could feed and army with all the food
she packs sometimes."
"Must be nice" Jason half muttered." She sounds like a
great Mom."
"She is." Daniel agreed, popping a couple of grapes
into his mouth. He watched with interest as Jason
devoured his meal.
"Thanks" Jason murmured as he polished off the
sandwich.
"You're welcome." Daniel grinned, "Did you just move
here?"
"Yeah, my Dad and me did. My Mom died about a year
ago."
"Hey, I'm sorry. My parents died a couple of years
ago. Kat is my new Mom though. She and George are
getting married next month, then we'll all be a
family."
"George? You call your Dad George?"
Daniel nodded. "He won't be my Dad til next month
though. My real Dad died when my Mom did."
"That's awful. So who is Kat?"
"She's adopting me."
The other boy frowned slightly. "You're adopted?"
"Well, I will be once her and George get married.
They've been dating for a long time now."
"Does...does he hit you?"
Daniel's eyes widened at the question. He looked
horrified at the thought.
"Hit me?! Heck no, he'd just about kill anyone who
tried it. He and Kat love me."
"That's good."
Daniel eyed the boy suspiciously. "does your Dad hit
you?"
"N...no, course not. He just...he loves me too."
Daniel nodded understandingly then continued eating in
silence. He finished half his sandwich then started to
wrap up the other half when he noticed Jason staring
at the remaining half. Daniel's eyebrows drew together
thoughtfully as he held out the sandwich.
"You want this? I can't eat anymore."
Jason snatched the sandwich and wolfed it down. Daniel
frowned slightly as he noted the threadbare shirt and
torn jeans that Jason wore. "You'd best wear a coat
tomorrow. The news guy said it might snow."
"Don't have one."
"Huh? No coat?"
"It...it's still packed. I'll be fine.
Daniel frowned worriedly but said nothing.
************************************************
Kat tucked Daniel's lunch into the brown bag. She'd
learned early on that Danny preferred to take his own
lunch over those offered at the school. She smiled as
Danny hugged her waist.
"Hey Mama, what's for lunch today?"
"Ham and cream cheese. I packed extra."
"Cool, what's for dessert?"
She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Chocolate chip
cookies, and a banana for afternoon snack."
"Can I have two."
She looked surprised for a moment. " Extra? Sure I
suppose. You want a soda for your drink? I just bought
root beer last night."
"Two?"
"Two sodas?" Kat cocked her head at him "That's a bit
much sugar don't you think?"
Daniel grinned disarmingly. "I was gonna share the
other one with Jason."
"Who is Jason?"
"He's new. He and his Dad just moved here from
Chicago."
Kat pretended not to notice as Daniel slipped extra
cookies into the bag.
"Well, put in another can I guess."
She received another quick hug. "Thanks Mom."
*************************************************
Danny swung his backpack down beside his desk. He
smiled over at Jason who was hunched over in his
chair. His friend looked ill and Danny reached out,
concerned.
"You ok Jason? You don't look so good."
"Fine" Jason growled, his arms held tightly around his
body. Daniel frowned as his eyes surveyed the smaller
boy. A dark smudge around the boy's wrist caught his
attention but he said nothing.
***************************************************
Daniel sat beside Jason at the lunch table. "You ok?"
He questioned worriedly as Jason coughed violently.
"I'm fine."
The lunch was unpacked and Daniel handed a sandwich to
Jason. "Looks like you forgot your lunch money. I got
tons of extra stuff today if you want to share."
Jason nodded and reached for the sandwich. Daniel
noticed the dark smudge again, but said nothing as
Jason pulled down the sleeve of his shirt to cover the
bruise.
"There's a couple of root beers in my backpack if
you'd like one."
"Your Mom must really love you. She always makes sure
you get plenty to eat."
Danny shrugged, "I guess so. Like I told you, she
worries that I don't get enough."
Jason adverted his eyes. "My Dad...he don't get paid
for a couple of weeks. We're kinda low on cash til
payday. I guess he'll go to the store after that."
"You guess!" Daniel was appalled. "I sure hope he
does. You gotta eat!"
Jason's chin jutted forward angrily "We'll get by. We
always do."
Daniel felt the heat of Jason's anger. "I'm sorry. I
wasn't thinking. Hey" he brightened "I was gonna tell
you, I have a couple of jackets that don't quite fit
anymore. You think your dad would mind if I loaned you
one? I think I even have some jeans and shirts Mama
says I can't wear anymore. She tells me I'm growing
like a weed."
Jason seemed mollified by the apology. He eyed Daniel
suspiciously for a moment then shivered.
"I...I guess it would be ok to borrow them. Only til
Dad gets paid though."
Relief flooded Daniel's features and he grinned.
"Great! Are you riding the bus today or do you walk?"
"I walk, we only live a few blocks away."
"Me too. I live on Park street. Where are you at?"
"Down on Maloney. i...I'm pretty sure I pass Park to
get home."
"Great, we can walk together and stop by my house. You
need to call your Dad?"
"Nah, he won't be home til late, some time after
dark."
"Ok, meet me after class. You'll like my house, it's
huge!"
Jason smiled shyly, "Are you sure your mom won't care?
I don't want to get you in trouble."
"Heck no, she won't mind."
********************************************
"Mama, I'm home!" Danny called out, dropping his bag
in the hallway. "I brought Jason with me."
Jason looked startled as George stepped into the
hallway. Danny gave George a quick hug.
"Hey Danny, Kat's not here. She should be back after
awhile."
"When did you get back George? I missed you."
"Just got here." He gave Danny another affectionate
hug and tousled his hair.
" George, this is Jason. He's new."
George smiled and held out a hand to the smaller boy.
Jason shook the proffered hand solemnly.
"Where are you from son?"
"Chicago sir, we, that is my Dad and I just moved
here."
"Well, I hope you stick around for awhile."
Daniel tugged impatiently at Jason's sleeve. "Come on,
let me show you my room. you like games?"
Jason's smile was bright as he followed Daniel through
the huge house.
"Wow, are you guys rich or something?"
"Rich? I don't think so. Kat got all this from her
father when he died She writes stories for little
kids."
"That's cool." He looked around at all the toys in
Danny's room. "How come she's adopting you? Didn't she
have any kids herself?"
"She did have a son, but he was killed by a drunk
driver. My aunt Trina brought me here awhile back. She
told me and Kat we needed each other. Now George is
here too and we're all getting married soon."
"What...what if he changes?" Jason looked
uncomfortable. "He might get mean later. What does he
do to you when he gets mad?"
"I...I've never seen him mad at me. He's like my Dad,
I don't think he'll ever change."
Jason looked doubtful."I hope not. He seems like a
really nice guy."
"He is" Daniel smiled. He hesitated for a moment then
reached out and caught Jason's wrist gently."Jace, why
do you have a bruise? Did someone hurt you?"
The arm was drawn back angrily. "Nothing happened, I
was goofing around and fell. No one hurt me."
"Ok." Daniel frowned. "I was just worried."
"Don't be. I can take care of myself."
****************************************
Over the next few weeks, Daniel and Jason grew closer.
Jason had taken to stopping by Danny's home every day
after school Kat and George had both grown fond of the
boy too. They also had both noticed how increasingly
protective Daniel had become of his friend.
"Daniel, is Jason safe at home?" Kat questioned one
evening as she, George and Daniel watched tv. Danny
didn't answer immediately, but then he sighed.
"I don't know Mama. He says everything's ok, but then
there's times he acts like he's hurt or scared. I
really just don't know."
George squeezed Daniel's arm reassuringly. "Would you
like me to go by and check on him son?"
Blue eyes lit up hopefully. "Would you George. I was
kinda worried about him today. It was like he didn't
want to go home or something."
****************************************************
George drove down the dark street trying to read
numbers that had either worn down or were gone
entirely. He frowned as he heard yelling coming from
one of the houses. He stopped the car and walked up to
the front door. Jason's voice echoed at him from the
house, but he couldn't make out the words. Someone
else shouted and the sound of breaking glass was
followed by the child's cry of pain. George knocked
firmly on the door. the shouting stopped and the front
door swung open.
"What so you want?" the stench of alcohol was a slap
in George's face. He peered through the doorway and
saw Jason sitting on the floor, a thin trail of blood
creeping across his face.
"I came to see your son. I'm Daniel's father."
"Who the fuck is Daniel?" the sound of Danny's name
sounding like a curse coming from the man before him.
"He's my son. He's also your son's best friend."
"Best friend? Hah!! this brat ain't got no friends.
Who'd want to be friends with a loser like him?"
George watched the boy cowering against the wall as
his father slammed the door closed. He knocked again
and heard the child shrieking in pain. The door
shattered as he kicked it in. His fist connected with
the man's face when he saw Jason being kicked. Jason's
father fell in a heap at his feet. He scooped up the
injured child and carried him to his car. Jason
whimpered softly.
"It'll be alright son. We're going to the hospital
then we'll get Trina out to see you."
"Can't...can't breath right. It hurts."
"I know son" George comforted helplessly" but we're
going to get you some help. this won't happen again."
He winced as he saw the deep cut on the boy's face.
From the way the boy was holding his ribs, George
suspected that one or more were broken.Jason huddled
miserably in the seat next to him as George stroked
the boy;s face gently. "Ok Jace, I know your chest and
head are hurt, but I need to know if you're hurt
anywhere else."
Jason nodded hesitantly and held out his left arm.
Bruises were already forming.
"Where's Danny?' Jason questioned softly.
"He's at home. He wanted me to check on you. he was
worried."
"My...my Dad, will he be alright?"
George sighed. After all the boy had been through he
was still worried about his father. It was with a
sense of relief that he pulled into the emergency room
entrance.
**********************************************
"Is he going to be ok Aunt Trina?" Daniel questioned
as he sat beside his friend's bed. Jason looked up
sadly.
"Jason will be coming home with me for now."
"My Dad?" Jason questioned.
"Your Dad will be in jail for awhile." Jason let out a
soft cry and Trina hugged him. "He needs help kiddo.
This way we can get it for him."
"He...he hurt my Mom. It was way worse than last night
though. He hit her and she fell down. We...we left
right after that."
"You left? You mean you and your father?" Trina felt a
flash of apprehension at the sudden revelation.
"Mom...Mom didn't move. She was hurt real bad I guess.
Dad locked me in my room for the night. When he let me
out the next morning Mom was still on the floor." He
turned tear filled eyes to George and Trina. "I
think...I think he killed her. I think he was gonna
kill me too."
Trina's face hardened. "George, I think you'd best get
Danny out of here for awhile."
"I'm sorry" Jason cried. "Please...I'm sorry. don't
make Danny not be my friend anymore. Don't make him
hate me!!!"
Daniel scrambled into the bed next to his friend and
pulled him into a hug. They rocked together for
several minutes as Daniel whispered reassurances to
Jason.
"I don't hate you Jace. I don't hate you. I could
never. You're my best friend."
"Jason, honey, I just need to talk to you alone for a
few minutes." Trina stroked his head gently. Jason
shook his head vehemently.
"No, you're gonna take him away!!!"
Daniel eyed Trina fiercely "I'm not going Aunt Trina.
Jason needs me. I...I already know some of what you're
going to ask him. You've had to ask me the same
questions before. Remember?"
George patted the boy's hand gently. "Let him stay
Trina. They need to be together right now. Danny needs
to be here for Jason."
"This is highly irregular...against all the rules..."
"I'll be quiet Aunt Trina. I promise." he continued to
rock his friend. Trina nodded sharply and took out her
notebook.
"Ok Jason, I need to ask you a few questions."
**********************************************
Daniel and Jason remained inseparable for the next
several days. Trina and Jason stayed in a room at
Kat's house so Daniel could be with his friend. George
assumed the position of protector to both children.
One afternoon Trina pulled George aside.
"They've identified Jason's mother. Her body was found
last year in an apartment in Chicago. She was
strangled and raped. They identified her by dental
records."
"So he's going to be charged with her murder?"
"Yes, based on the story Jason has told us and the
evidence they already had."
"What's going to happen to the boy?"
"For now he'll stay with all of us. I talked to a
judge in the children's court and explained the
situation. She agreed that right now Jason is in the
best possible place."
"And later?"
"There don't seem to be any friends or family coming
forward to take him.'
"Kat might..."
Trina shook her head. "That might be possible, but to
be honest, well, I'd like to keep Jason. he's going to
have a rough time for awhile and there's going to be
times he needs someone who's focused only on him. I
don't want Jason's demons to hurt Danny any more than
they already have."
George sighed in frustration.
"I don't get it Trina. How could anyone do something
like that? Jason has been in a living hell for so
long."
"I know George. I don't know how anyone can do this to
a child, but I plan to make sure Jason is safe from
now on."
***********************************************
Daniel bounced on his bed. Days of inactivity boring
him to tears. He perked up as he heard someone drive
up outside.Window blinds separated as he peered out
the window. He glanced over to see Jason asleep in the
bed. Quietly he crept from the room.
"George, it's the mailman. Can I go get the mail?'
The older man grinned. Danny had been restless for
days. "Sure son, you need to get out for a bit. Is
Jason asleep?"
"Uh huh. I'll just be a minute."
"Take your time Danny."
***********************************************
Daniel stood silently for a few seconds enjoying the
warmth of the sun on his face. He'd been staying home
with Jason for several days, but he was tired of being
inside. He pulled the mail from the box and started
inside. Suddenly he felt a hand clamp over his mouth
and he was drawn up against a hard chest.
"Where's my boy kid?" he heard a voice hiss. He fought
to escape the iron hold. His neck was pulled violently
to the side and something cold pushed against his
head. He bit down on the hand over his mouth and was
rewarded with a split second of freedom. Kicking back
as hard as he could, Daniel pulled away from his
captor. He screamed for George as he ran for the
house. The front door flew open and Daniel sprinted
for all he was worth. He was almost there when a gun
shot shattered the air. He felt a blinding pain, then
darkness.
*****************************************
George watched horrified as his son fell unconscious
to the ground. Jason's father waved a gun wildly as he
kicked at the motionless boy.
"Where's my boy?" the monster had knelt beside Danny
and had a gun to the child's head. "give him to me or
your kid dies."
George started towards Danny, but stopped when he saw
the gun being cocked.
"Don't come any closer. Just get my kid and I'll
leave."
"I can't do that" George growled. "I can't let you
hurt him again."
"Then your brat dies!"
"'Noooo" The cry came from behind George and another
shot cut through the neighborhood. Jason's father fell
forward as George hurried to Daniel's side. Kat
emerged from a side door to see her fiance cradling
Daniel to him. She turned to see Jason standing at the
front door still holding George's gun unsteadily in
both hands. She hurried to his side and gently pried
to gun from him. She threw it to the ground and
carried Jason to George's side. Daniel lay motionless
in George's arms, a growing pool of blood dripping
from his chest. The wail of sirens pierced the air as
George pulled off his own jacket and pressed it to
Daniel's chest to stanch the flow of blood.
*******************************************
Kat was numb as she held her son. It had been touch
and go as the surgeons struggled to repair the damage
from the bullet that had ripped through Daniel's small
body. A chest tube bubbled next to the bed and IV's
snaked from both arms.George embraced her as she wept.
"I could have lost him."
"But you didn't. We didn't. He'll be alright."
"How did that bastard get out? How the hell did he get
a gun?"
"He overpowered a guard. He took the gun after he
killed him."
The door clicked open and Trina led Jason into the
room. The boy trembled as his eyes filled with tears.
"Danny..."
Kat reached for him and he threw himself into her
arms. George held them both.
"I...I'm sorry. I...tell Danny I'm sorry." Jason
sobbed.
"No baby, you have nothing to be sorry for. You saved
him." The child shuddered as she held him.
"You won't want me here. It's because of me..."
"No!" George forced the boy to look at him. "It's not
because of you. You saved our son. I...I can't thank
you enough for that."
"I'll have to go to jail. I...I killed..." he choked
off another sob. Trina came to him and knelt beside
him.
"You're not going to jail Jason. We talked about this,
remember? You saved Daniel's life. He will be ok. He
just got out of surgery, but he will be alright." She
pulled the boy to her and he clung desperately.
"You're a part of our family Jace, and nothing will
change that. If it weren't for you we wouldn't still
have Daniel."
***********************************************
It was several weeks before Daniel slept in his own
bed again. Kat found herself reverting to the early
days and sleeping in the rocker in his room. Many
times she would wake up to find Jason curled into the
bed beside Daniel. Usually George would carry the boy
back to his room, but by morning they always seemed to
be together again.
"What are we going to do?" Kat questioned one morning.
George shook his head and smiled. He pulled his future
wife close and kissed the top of her head.
"Well, for now I'd say we raise our sons as best as we
can."
"I can't ask you to..."
"You didn't ask me to do anything. This is my choice.
My decision."
"Are you sure? this is a pretty big step."
"I'm sure. We have enough love here for a whole house
full of kids."
"Yeah, but do we have that much patience?"
"I suppose we'll find that out as we go."
***************************************************
The end for now....
