darker_london | Admissions (Danny, Val)

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Admissions (Danny, Val)

After spending the afternoon with Cai, and talking to Melissa at the graveyard, Danny was feeling a little more brave. He had broken down and cried in Cai's car, and maybe that meant he could face his mother's fear when he told her his news.

A few weeks ago, Danny had thought he might have seen his uncle from afar. Yesterday he had seen him again in the park, and he was now 95% sure it had really been his uncle Gregor. He had run the moment he had spotted the man, and made sure he wasn't followed at the same time. Then he had notified the police, who had found no one matching his description.

Oh god, his mother was going to panic.

Danny went to find her in the kitchen and instead of calling her name, he simply moved over to her and touched her hand. "Mum," he said gently. "Mum, I have to talk to you."

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Taking a break from marking papers, Val was sitting at the kitchen table staring out the window and into the garden while she drank her coffee. This time of year was exhausting for the kids, Val knew that, but she felt it in her own bones as well, in a different way. She knew well now what stressed students were capable of. It was all too easy to imagine someone snapping under the pressure and going on a violent spree in the halls. It hadn't been because of exams last time, but sometimes she saw the haunted, exhausted look in the eyes of a student and it worried her.

So when Danny came in with that tone of voice, those gentle movements, those concerned eyes, she assumed right away that it was about his exams. She remembered being stressed out by her own, but she also thought it was worse now in some ways. "Sure," Val said, squeezing his hand gently. "You want a drink first?"

He hated so much that he caused his mother such pain. Deep down he knew it wasn't his fault, but almost every detail of their lives revolved around him and his issues and his therapy and his meds. There was no way she could really have a life while taking care of him, and as much as he would love to move on so she could take time for herself, he was too terrified to be without her. She was his rock.

Which was why he hated that he had to tell her he had seen Greg.

"No, I- I'm not thirsty. Mum." Words failed him and he chewed on his lip for a moment before sliding into a chair beside her. "Mum, uhm...I was in the park yesterday and- And something bad happened."

So not exams. Val's expression moved from sympathy to confused concern, her heart already beginning to feel a little faster. Something bad. There were so many options that her mind couldn't even begin to settle on one of them. "What happened?" she asked him.

"O-okay. Uhm...you're going to freak out, but-" He didn't know how to end that sentence, because he was freaked out himself. "I sort of- I saw Greg, Mum. I saw him in the park. He didn't see me, at least I don't think so, but I know it was him."

Val felt something dark and violent clutching at her throat, cutting off every blood vessel that ran to her heart, her heart which missed its next beat and made her head swim. And then she was up on her feet, grabbing for the phone and dialing the police.

His mother hadn't even said anything, she had just jumped up and it made Danny jump too. "Mum, wait!" he called out, rushing to her side. He was fairly sure she was dialling the police, and he didn't blame her. "I called the police! I called them right away, but he was gone already."

Val hung up suddenly and looked at him in disbelief, unable to work out how to deal with this. She'd already dropped the phone onto the bench and then grabbed Danny by the shoulders, terrified. "Why didn't you tell me!?" she demanded, shaking him a little.

His mother had never shaken him like that before and it shocked him so much he very nearly burst into tears. The expression on his face was still one of deep hurt and a little fear, and she hadn't even shaken him that hard.

"Mu- I- I didn't know how to!" he wailed, hoping she wasn't going to shake him more.

Noticing what she was doing and the look of fear on her own son's face- directed at her - made Val stop and wrap her arms around him. "I'm sorry!" she said, on the verge of tears. "Danny, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- I'm just- I don't - fuck!" She kissed his head, over and over, trying to work out what she should do. She would call the police, even if Danny had already talked to them. She'd call the police and then... she'd... she'd... she couldn't think more than that first step right then, she could only hold Danny close to her as though that would fix everything.

Danny had to admit that the moment her arms were around him, he felt just that little bit safer. He embraced her back, clinging just a bit too tightly. "I thought I saw him a few weeks ago," he admitted, "but I decided I was just seeing things. But I know I wasn't yesterday and I'm really scared. I'm really scared, Mum."

Shit shit shit shit.

Val's brain couldn't even process. She needed a moment to gather herself but how was she supposed to do that when this was happening? She had once been so stupid and blind and she had done this to her son, she had let someone violate and destroy him and there was nothing that could ever make up for that, and now that monster was back in their lives and Val couldn't deal with it.

But she had to pretend that she was strong, pretend that she wasn't afraid, for Danny. She drew back just enough so that she could look at him. Her eyes were red and threatening tears, but she could pretend that wasn't the case. "It's okay, sweetie. It's going to be okay. He's not going to get anywhere near you, I promise. Right now I need you to go upstairs and pack a bag, okay?"

Pack a bag?! "Wait, w-what?!" he asked, his voice a little higher than he meant for it to be. "Pack a bag for where? For how long?" He couldn't leave Rachel alone right now, could he? Not when she had just discovered her step-sister was a demon.

"I don't know where yet," Val admitted, "but anywhere away from him, anywhere he can't find us. And until... until the police have him, until I know that you're not in danger. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"But we can't just leave!" he said, though the desire to was kind of high at the moment. "You have students still and I have prom and- I'm scared, but I don't want to run away. I think- I think I just shouldn't go anywhere alone. I don't want to be alone for a really long time."

School. That damn school. "Exams are done," Val said quickly, thinking on the spot, "and they can find someone to fill in for me for the last of the year, or they can cancel PE and just fire me, I don't care. And prom? Prom is not something you're going to get yourself killed for! Prom is just a dance!"

She was freaking out harder than he expected about all of this. Danny reached for her hands and he looked up at her worriedly. "Mum, I'm not going to die," he said, leaning up to kiss her cheek. He could see the tears threatening to fall, right behind her eyes. "I'm not going to feel safer if we go to some random place and stay in a hotel surrounded by strangers."

Mum, I'm not going to die, he said, but they both knew death wasn't the only thing Greg could do to him. A small sob tried to get out of her throat and she hugged him tightly again. "How did you get so brave and sure? How did you become such an adult while my back was turned?"

He hugged her back and then he shook his head. "Oh god, I'm not. I'm not brave or sure, but I- I want to stay here. My friends are here and Rachel's here and our lives are here. But I don't want to be alone. At all. If you go in to school, I am going with you and sitting in your office until you're done. Because I- I don't want him to find me."

"I'm not leaving your side," Val told him firmly. "I don't give a damn what they means about my job or any of the rest of it. And I'm installing new locks and you're not leaving my sight until he's behind bars right where he belongs."

She took hold of his hand. "Come on," she said, "Let's double check everything is locked and shut."

Maybe a normal teenage boy would be horrified by the idea of his mother following him around everywhere, but Danny was perfectly happy to hear that. "Thank you," he breathed. "Yes...locking all the things. Mum? If he does get me, will you make sure they find me?"

The sheer idea of it-

Val grabbed him again, holding him tight. "I will not let him near you," she swore to him. "I'll die myself first. He'll have to come right through me to even look at you."

Danny breathed out hard and then he wrapped his arms around her neck. "Yeah, you're not allowed to die either, okay? That'd leave me with Dad, and no one wants that. Should we uhm- Do you think you should call Uncle Max, maybe?" He was glad he hadn't had to spend time with Max since Greg had been discovered, but he could help here. "He could help look, maybe?"

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Admissions (Danny, Val)

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