October
1989

By the time the two police officers stopped asking Danny questions, it was late. The clock ticked towards midnight and the sky outside was lit up with stars. They told him he was free to go home, and Danny thought that he might be sick. Home. He wasn't sure that even existed anymore.

As he walked out of the police station, he saw Peter getting pulled out of the back of a police car, hands cuffed behind his back, tears streaked down his flushed cheeks. Danny froze, watching his best friend and the only family he had ever known, get dragged towards his own doom.

When Peter's eyes caught Danny's, they were full of desperate pleading, "Danny!" He yelled helplessly, "Danny, you have to help me! Please-please, Danny-please." He cried, and Danny's world slowly fell apart around him.

Danny realised he was crying too and wiped his cheeks with his sleeve, "I'm sorry." He breathed out shakily.

Peter's eyes widened in alarm, "D-Danny?" Realisation slowly settled over him, "Danny, no." Peter cried out, "No! What did you do?" He exclaimed, "What the fuck did you do, Danny?"

Danny watched as a police officer grabbed Peter's shoulder and forcefully nudged him forward, escorting him into the police station, his cries fading away, getting drowned out by the sound of Danny's heart shattering into pieces. I'm sorry, he thought. I'm so fucking sorry, Peter. I love you. I really fucking love you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry-

He fell to his knees, his chest tearing itself open with guilt, hurting him like a fresh wound that he wasn't sure would ever heal. He cried out in despair, losing his ability to breathe as tears fell endlessly down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, slumped outside the police station, crying and hyperventilating. He was slowly losing all the soft parts of himself that he actually liked, watching them escape and fly away into the night. Until all that was left were the rough parts; the brutal sharp pieces that tore him apart from the inside out.

He eventually regained control of his limbs and stumbled back through town, stopping abruptly when he saw three dark figures, clothed in shadows, swaying back and forth. They were laughing, clinging onto one another, beers clutched in their hands. When Danny realised who the middle figure was, burning hot rage took ahold of him, and without thinking, he lunged forward.

"What the fuck?" Snowy exclaimed in confusion as Danny shoved him against a wall, then immediately started hitting him. There was no control in his swings; just mindless rage guiding him forward as he threw clumsy punches until his knuckles ached and Snowy's friends were dragging him away.

Danny was thrown to the ground as a boot collided with his ribs. He cried out in pain but he didn't want the beating to stop. He welcomed the pain. He let it wash over him and take control of his entire body. It was relief. And when the boys finally stopped, he whined, begging for more, "Don't stop." He groaned, clutching his ribs as he stumbled to his feet.

When they stared at him in confusion, he lunged for Snowy again, too weak to cause any real damage, but still attempting to reach for his neck, wrapping his fingers around his throat and squeezing as hard as he could. Of course, he was pulled off again a moment later, a fist colliding with his jaw, then another, then another.

When the boys finally grew bored, they left him alone, bruised and bloody, curled up on the side of the road like an injured dying animal.

He managed to make it back to the trailer eventually, though he wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had left the police station and watched his best friend get dragged away from him, heartbreak written across his face. Danny's body ached and his skin burnt but it was nothing compared to the pain that struck him like an arrow through the chest when he finally made it through the door, and knew he had to confront his fate.

Scott and Jenifer's were stood in the living room, pacing, confused, Hannah crying in Jenifer's arms. When they saw Danny enter, they froze, eyes widening. Scott instinctively leapt towards him, but stopped before their skin could touch, "What happened?" He asked quickly, desperately. He noticed the bruises on Danny's face and the blood dripping from his split lip, but Scott didn't have time to ask about that right now. There was too much going on and he couldn't understand any of it. "The police took him and they wouldn't tell us anything." He gushed, "They wouldn't let us come and you were gone and Mum was gone and..." He gulped, "What happened?"

Danny didn't look in either of their eyes; he couldn't. He simply told them the story he had told the police.

Danny and Peter had gone to collect Jenifer's things. After a heated argument, her stepdad had gotten angry and started waving a knife in their faces. In self defence, Peter had grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and stabbed him.

The police had believed his story. Scott and Jenifer had to believe it too. They had to.

"No." Scott was saying, shaking his head hopelessly, "No, Peter wouldn't. He wouldn't. H-He wouldn't. He-"

"Scott." Danny choked out, "I was there."

"I don't believe you!" Scott backed away from him, his back hitting the wall, tears springing from his eyes, "He wouldn't do that! Peter would rather die than hurt someone!"

Jenifer had paled, the baby in her arm still crying, though she made no attempt to comfort her. "I-I don't understand." She choked out.

"I'm sorry." Danny was defeated and exhausted, though he was sure he would never sleep peacefully again. "I handed the knife over to the police; it had his fingerprints all over it. I'm sorry."

"He wouldn't." Scott said again, "That's my-" His voice broke, "That's my brother."

"Scott..." Danny reached out to touch him.

Scott flinched, terror in his eyes, "Don't fucking touch me." He hissed, "Don't-don't come near me."

Danny dropped his arm to his side. Scott's words would have hurt him if he wasn't already completely dead inside, "Okay." He whispered.

"Scott." Jenifer frowned at him, "Why are you...?" She looked between him and Danny, "You can't blame Danny-"

"I will blame Danny." Scott snapped, eyes flicking back to meet Danny's gaze. They were cold in a way Danny had never seen before. "I know my brother." Scott said icily, "He's not capable of this."

Despite everything, Danny felt his anger rise to the surface. He had no right to feel this way, not when he was guilty, not when Scott's hatred was justified. And yet, Danny couldn't help the rage that bubbled beneath his skin. "You think I'm capable of this?" He took a step forward challengingly.

Scott didn't back down, "I don't know." He seethed, "But I know that Peter isn't."

"Are you fucking serious?" Danny demanded, "I'm your boyfriend-!"

"Stop!" Jenifer clutched onto her baby like she was a teddy bear, like she was her lifeline, "Just stop! As soon as Susie gets home we'll go to the police station, we'll get this all sorted out. There's no point turning on each other!"

Scott shook his head, still glaring at Danny, "Get your stuff and get out."

"Scott." Jenifer's voice was gentle, "We don't know that-"

"If he's not guilty, then that means that Peter is!" There was fear in his voice now; desperation. "A-And if my brother... If he could..." He took a shaky breath, "I have to believe that Peter is innocent, I have to." He cried, turning to Danny with something almost apologetic in his gaze now, "I'm sorry." He breathed out, "I'm sorry, Danny, but that's my brother. I have to...I have to stand by him. I have to."

Danny swallowed hard, and nodded stiffly, "I'll get my stuff."

Suddenly, the word family no longer made sense. The word home. The word love.

Nothing made sense in that moment.

The only thing he knew was that he was alone.