Sorry for the wait. Editing this took a little longer than I thought it would. The chapter is mainly laying groundwork for the conversations/confrontations coming in the last half of the story. I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I also wanted to say that the grammar and speech for Georgia is a little all over the place on purpose. I'm trying to be as close to how a typical three year old would talk as possible.

Thanks for all the feedback to the previous chapter. I appreciate it. :-)

Shawn wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there. It wasn't until he noticed Auggie looking at him like he was an alien that he figured he'd better say something. "Hi, Auggie," he choked out. "Do you remember me?"

"Uncle Shawn."

He almost cracked a smile at the, 'duh, of course I know who you are, dummy,' subtext in the kid's tone. Almost. "Right…that's right."

"Who are you?"

Shawn was startled when she spoke. He stared at the girl, more than a little unnerved to find her watching him with equal intensity. For as much as she favored Eric, there was something about her that was distinctly her mother. Shawn felt as though she could see right through him, which was ridiculous because she couldn't be any more than, what…three, four years old? How long ago was it that Angela called him out of the blue one night and asked, in a rather panicked state, if he believed she had what it took to be a good parent? A short time after that conversation he heard she'd given birth and was now in fact, a mother.

"Hello, mister, I ask you a question," Georgia repeated, clinging tightly to her doll. "Who are you?"

"Auggie," Topanga called out, "what have dad and I said about opening the door without a grownup?"

"It's just Uncle Shawn, mom."

"Shawnie!" Cory ran from the kitchen and dashed across the apartment. He leapt over the coffee table and nearly took out Josh and Eric along the way. He shoved the kids aside and pushed Shawn back out into the hallway and closed the door behind them. "I'm so sorry."

"What's going on? Is that- are Angela and Eric-?"

"I didn't know they were going to be here- no one did except Josh. They decided it would be a fun surprise to just fall out of the sky and drop in on us like the freaking Wicked Witch of the East."

"I can't do this, Cor, I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't be in the same room as them. We'll get together another time."

"But, Shawn-"

"I thought they weren't going to be here anyway. You said they claimed Easter." He took a few steps back until he was up against the wall. "So me and you will ring in the New Year together, right? Because I sure as hell am not staying here."

"But Shawnie…" He didn't want his best friend to leave and spend Christmas alone and- if history was any indication- he'd either leave town or spend the night drinking. "You know what? No, no you're not leaving."

"Excuse me?"

"You promised you'd spend Christmas with me and you are keeping your promise."

"Cor-"

"Nope, I've made up my mind. You were supposed to come to my parents' Labor Day barbecue but bailed at the last minute."

"You're still hung up on a lame barbecue that happened four months ago? I had to work."

"Topanga's birthday dinner? Thanksgiving?"

"Work." He ran his hands through his hair and wondered if the people whose front door he was leaning against would mind if he ran in to borrow their fire escape to get away. "Don't give me that look. Oh, like either one of you would pass up a free trip to Puerto Rico!"

"Riley's birthday party two weeks ago," he challenged quietly. "She wrote out all the invitations herself- even to family she knew would be here without an invite. It was her idea to decorate the envelopes with stickers of things people loved." Cory thought back and remembered his daughter didn't want to send him an invitation. She was so convinced Uncle Shawn wouldn't come. He made her send one though, fully believing he would want to celebrate his own goddaughter's milestone birthday as she entered her teen years. In the end Riley was right, Shawn was a no show. "Do you know how long it took us to track down just the right camera themed stickers?"

"I had to…" He sighed. Being around Cory and Topanga reminded him of what he didn't have. He didn't get the Kodak family moments when he was a kid and it seemed the gods conspired to keep them from him even now. Shawn tried to convince himself that he preferred to be alone- no responsibilities, no one to check in with- ultimate freedom. And he told himself that was why he pushed away any possibility of happiness. He had completely reverted back to his high school dating patterns with one or two special exceptions. In reality he feared that he was fated to forever walk this lonely path. "What do you want from me?"

"Spend Christmas with us. We hardly ever get to see each other anymore. The kids don't really know their Uncle Shawn. Keep your promise and be here."

"When I made that promise I didn't know about the surprise guests."

"Neither did I, but come on. There's plenty of other people to talk to. Just pretend they're not here."

Shawn leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. Could he be in the same room with Angela and Eric after all these years? It hadn't ended well the last time. "I'll give it a shot, but I can't guarantee anything."

Cory exhaled in relief. The battle was half won if he came inside. "I know." He turned around when the door to his apartment opened and Riley and Maya were standing there. "See…told you Shawn was real."

Maya narrowed her eyes. "I'm still not convinced. Maybe he's a hologram or you paid a really convincing lookalike."

"Do you want to see our infamous handshake? We'll do the handshake, right Shawnie?"

"Infamous? According to who?"

"According to me!"

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Oh, no."

"Dad, you're wanted inside," Riley said, focusing her attention solely on her father- an action that didn't go unnoticed.

"For what?"

"You have to apologize to Georgia."

"Why?"

"When you made the mad dash to your boyfriend you pushed the little kids out of the way and they went down," Maya filled in the blanks. "Auggie's fine. Georgia cried. Her tights ripped when she fell and boy is she mad at big, meanie Uncle Cory the Grinch."

"Big meanie Uncle Cory?"

"Don't forget the Grinch part."

"Uncle Eric added Grinch…not Georgia."

"You took out the kid," Shawn exclaimed, "of all people?"

"It was an accident! To be fair it sounds like I took mine out, too."

"There's something to put in your next Christmas newsletter."

"Girls, go inside."

"Okay, fine, but I'd better see what all the hype is about because right now? I'm not impressed with him."

"Hype, what hype? What have you been saying about me?"

"Told them only the best stuff." He could see Shawn was uncomfortable being treated by the girls as though he was an exhibit at the zoo. "Go," Cory said, shooing them towards the door. "We'll be right there."

Riley pulled on her friend's arm with one hand and opened the door with the other. "Let's go."

"What the hell was that about," Shawn asked as soon as they were alone again.

"Oh, don't mind them. They're us." Cory wrapped his arm around his shoulders and steered him towards the front door." Quit stalling, buddy. People are excited to see you…some for the first time."

"Cor-"

"Nope, it's time to shut up and give the people what they want."

"You mean give you what you want?"

"I represent the people."

/

"Don't worry, sweetie, grandma's going to have your tights fixed up in no time." Amy worked the thread through the needle and got busy with the repair. Georgia looked so depressed in her mother's arms, resting her head on Angela's shoulder. Her pout seemed permanent.

"Grandma gonna make them all better?"

"Not only will they be all better, but thanks to Aunt Toto's Christmas patches, your tights will be Christmassy, too."

Topanga cringed at the Aunt Toto label, but it's what Georgia had called her since she could speak. She personally blamed Eric. Who but him would come up with Toto? Her only consolation was that the moniker was slightly better than her father's childhood nickname for her: Tippy. "It's not a problem. They were leftovers from Riley wanting to make her own holiday shirts." She looked up when her daughter and Maya came into the kitchen. "How's it going in the hall? Tears and hugs?"

"No! You completely dramatized what it would be like. They're just talking."

"It sounds like dad is trying to convince Uncle Shawn to come in."

Angela sighed and gently ran a hand over her daughter's back. Her breathing had become slower and more steady, a sign she was getting sleepy. "We should've called first instead of surprising you. Josh didn't say Shawn was coming. Neither did Mr. Feeny."

"No, honey, you have every right to spend Christmas with your family."

"So does Shawn, and well…you've been his family much longer than mine."

"Stop it. You are both members of this family and we love you both," Amy reiterated. "Is the situation complicated, yes, but life is complicated and messy. Staying bogged down in it does no one any good."

Riley and Maya stared at each other, confused. "Aunt Angela, why would Uncle Shawn care if you're here?"

She turned to Topanga. "You've never told them?"

"It's never really come up."

"When we were in high school and college with your parents Shawn and I dated. We were on again and off again, and on again and off again for a few years."

"Really?"

"Were you serious?"

"Yeah, we were. We were a lot alike and tried to help each other deal with some pretty heavy stuff."

Georgia raised her head from her mother's shoulder. "Mama has a boyfriend? But daddy is your boyfriend."

She kissed her daughter's cheek. "No, baby, daddy's not my boyfriend. He's my husband."

"Then who is your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," she said through chuckles. "I have daddy. I love daddy."

"Then who is the mister outside of the door that I never met in my whole forever life?"

"He's Uncle Cory's boyfriend," Topanga replied, smiling at Georgia's little kid talk. She missed hearing little kid speech. It was cute the way they tried to put their thoughts into words. Auggie's been outgrowing that ever since he started school.

"What happened with you guys?" Riley was beginning to feel a little glimmer of hope that maybe it wasn't her who kept Uncle Shawn away. Or at least it wasn't just her. "Why did you break up?"

"Riley, that's not an appropriate question," she lectured to the teen. "It's none of your business. Sometimes things don't work out and relationships end. That doesn't make it anyone's fault. It just is."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Angela reassured her niece with a smile. "I moved away to spend time with my father. We had a lot of lost time to make up for. And then-"

"Your dad ditched you when you were a kid," Maya asked.

She was slightly caught off guard by the question. "My dad, no. He was in the army and had to travel a lot for work. My moth- the woman who gave birth to me…she bailed. I haven't seen or heard from her since I was ten."

"Oh. My dad's the one who walked out on me and my mom…she's never around. Most of the time it's like I barely have half a parent."

"I'm sorry." They shared the sad, lost smile that only those who had been through it would understand. "For what it's worth, I'm sure you're going to be okay." Angela cuddled her daughter a little closer. "Just make sure you keep yourself surrounded by the people who really love you- whether they're blood or not."

"Thanks, I'll try." She cleared her throat, already uncomfortable with the amount of personal information she'd shared with Riley's aunt. "So what happened? Between you and Shawn, I mean."

"Life happened and we grew up. Like Topanga said, it wasn't anyone's fault. We wanted different things and drifted apart." That was the most diplomatic way she could think to describe Shawn's ultimatum masked as a proposal. From across the apartment she had a bird's eye view of the door opening and Cory and Shawn coming in. Her ex looked as though he'd rather be anywhere but here and she couldn't help but feel partly responsible.

/

/

"It's good to see you again, Shawn."

"You, too, Mr. Matthews."

"How have you been?"

"Busy. You know…working and stuff. Did you get my latest postcard?" Mr. and Mrs. Matthews had all but ordered him to send a postcard from every assignment, if for no other reason than to know he was alive and okay. He listened. He didn't really have a choice. After he skipped a few he found himself on the receiving end of quite the lecture.

Alan laughed. "Yes, we got it. I think you may be the first person to ever send a postcard from Wisconsin."

"Where else are you going to find cows wearing sunglasses and standing in front of huge beer steins?" He had gone to the cheese state to cover this new vacation spot that promised to get you back to nature and at one with the elements. It lived up to its promise. Shawn had more fun than he expected and that he'd probably ever admit to and was already planning a trip back- this time strictly a vacation, no work involved. The people were very friendly and welcoming.

"The only things missing were those giant cheese hats people wear to Packers' games."

"That was a different postcard. I thought the steins were funnier than the hats." His gaze wandered to the youngest Matthews' son and realized he actually had to look up. "Geez, Josh, are you ever going to quit growing?"

"Don't be jealous. Or, you know what, be jealous," he said with a smirk on his face. "That works for me."

Eric stood back as people greeted Shawn. It had been years since they were face to face and he had no clue what to say. The last time they saw each other- at Mr. Feeny's retirement party- it had ended in disaster. He found himself on the receiving end of a fist to the face and Shawn was told to leave after the incident. He felt bad. For as much as Shawn was Cory's best friend he considered him a close friend, too. They shared an apartment on multiple occasions- with Jack in college and once again for a few years when they came to New York. It simply made sense for them to live together and share expenses in such a pricey city. They had been real friends- which was why Eric went to him when he realized his relationship with Angela had potential to get serious. That was the most confusing part. Shawn gave his blessing and told him to go for it, so he did. And he later got punched in the face as a result.

"Daddy, come see!"

Georgia's voice rang out loud and clear, cutting through any other conversation going on at the moment. Eric was grateful for the distraction as it would buy him more time. Truthfully he was more concerned about the effect this could have on Angela than anything else. He didn't want anything said that would upset his wife. It was a tired stereotype, but pregnancy amplified her emotions and made her more sensitive than she would be otherwise. If her current pregnancy bore any resemblance to when she was expecting Georgia, her body would not react well to the emotional stress Shawn- or Cory, or anybody else- could cause.

"Daddy!"

"I'll be right there." He briefly locked eyes with Shawn before turning on his heel and heading for the kitchen. There he found his daughter standing on a chair while Angela snapped a picture. His mom, Topanga, Riley and Maya had since moved to the living room and they were alone...well, as alone as they could be with this open floor plan. "What are you shouting about? Inside voice, remember?"

"Pots and kettles, babe," Angela said with a small grin.

"Look!" Georgia held up her the ends of her green and white polka dot dress to show off the knee of her newly repaired tights. "Grandma made them all better."

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. It didn't take much to make her happy. "Grandma's good at that. They look super cool. I love the glittery snowflakes."

/

Shawn couldn't help but be drawn to the scene in the kitchen. They were so domestic, so normal. And their gentle smiles and body language bespoke the true nature of their relationship. There was none of the awkwardness he liked to pretend existed between them. They were a couple- a family- in every sense of the word. The worst part was he had no one to blame but himself.

Eric paid him a visit not long after Angela returned to Philadelphia. She had moved back to take care of her father who, in a rather cruel twist of fate, was diagnosed with cancer shortly after retiring from the army. Eric was also living in Philly again. Despite quickly landing a decent job doing weather and traffic on a popular morning radio show, New York never felt like a good fit. Nobody was surprised that he was the one to move back home. He came to Shawn and talked about how much time he and Angela had been spending together- how close they seemed to be getting. But he didn't take him seriously. It was Eric after all. Even after he grew up and got his act together, it was difficult to see him as anything other than insane.

Shawn assumed it was simply a crush. That or this was his friend's way of reminding him that Angela was a beautiful, smart, strong woman with kind soul and that she wouldn't be available forever. Some other guy would come along and be ready to offer her the world and he'd better get his ass in gear if he wanted any hope of getting back together with her. Either way, Shawn expected this to end with Angela letting Eric down easy; to appreciate his friendship but rebuff the potential for something more. To say it didn't work out the way he thought it would was an understatement of epic proportions.

Despite all the conversation and familial harmony around him, he couldn't quite tear his attention away from the scene playing out in the kitchen. His heart sank when Angela stood to refill her water glass. The swell of her stomach was impossible to miss.

/

"Is Santa going to visit tonight even if we are not at home," Georgia asked her parents in a muffled tone.

"Don't talk with a straw in your mouth, please. But, yes, Santa is coming. Remember, we left a paper trail."

"What is that?"

Eric lifted her up off of the chair. "She means that we wrote the letters to Santa and told him where we were staying, remember?"

"The papers I draw my name on?"

She had been determined to sign the each letter herself. "Yes."

"Then you should say that, mama. No trails."

"That's right," he agreed. "Don't make thing so complicated."

She shook her head humorously at her little family. Eric would forever marvel and go on about how much Georgia was like her, but to Angela it was father and daughter who were the true peas in a pod. Georgia had definitely inherited her father's sense of humor and glass half full mentality, something she was grateful for. "I'm sorry. I'm sure Santa got all the letters we sent to him."

"Is it almost time to eat? My tummy is loud and rumbly."

He lifted her higher and put his ear to her stomach. "You're right. I think the dinosaur is awake. And boy, does he sound angry."

"Daddy," she exclaimed through a string of giggle. "I no have dinosaurs in my tummy!"

"Uh-oh, Is it a lion? 'Cause I'm afraid of lions."

"You're silly, daddy."

Angela took a packet of her girl's favorite cheese crackers out of her purse and gave her one. "Here you go, little miss. Feed the dinosaur. Dinner will be soon. Why don't you ask Auggie if he wants to play?"

Riley had been meandering out on the outskirts of the activity in the living room and heard the conversation going on in the kitchen. "I have some old toys she might have fun playing with. Do you want to see my stuffed animals, Georgia?"

"Yes!" She wiggled out of her father's arms and ran to her cousin. "Do you have hippos? Hippos are my most favorite aminal."

"I don't have stuffed hippos, but I have a game where we all get to be hippos. You have to feed them really fast because they are super hungry."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She took her little cousins hand. "It's a lot of fun. Maya, we're going to my room."

"Have a good time."

"You're coming with us."

"Why? Out here is where all the action is." She was practically on pins and needles waiting to see how the evening would go down. Not only did she want to see if this Shawn person lived up to the hype, but he also used to date Angela? And Angela is now married to Eric? The drama that could unfold was better than any schoolbook she's ever read. Heck, it would probably be more entertaining than television. "I'm staying here."

"We need four players. You're coming."

Maya sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win this one. Riley wasn't one to shy away from making a scene and if the adults asked why she didn't want to play a game, she'd have to admit that she wanted to spy on their conversations. "Fine, we'll play Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Come on, Auggie," she said, grabbing the little boy's arm, "you be our fourth player."

"You're playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos," Josh asked. "I want in on the next round."

She beamed at her crush. "Why wait? You can be our fourth." She pushed Auggie aside. "Sorry, buddy, you've been cut."

"Hey!"

"Everybody takes turns playing the game," Topanga lectured. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes."

"You've been preparing for this meal for two days," Cory pointed out. "How is it still not ready?"

"Do you want Christmas dinner or the box of Cheerios in the cabinet?"

"Christmas dinner, please."

"Then don't rush me."

/

/

"Ha-ha, Team Uncle Josh wins again! High five, Georgia." Josh leaned back in an exaggerated fashion when she slapped his hand. "Geez, not so hard, Wonder Woman. How did you get so strong?"

"I drink my milk. And when I make a mess mama and daddy make me put my blocks away all by myself."

"Blocks are heavy. No wonder you're strong."

"It's my turn to be on Team Uncle Josh," Auggie said.

"Get over here, pal." In order to give the little kids a fighting chance against Riley and Maya, Josh took turns teaming up with them. The first few rounds of Hungry, Hungry Hippo had been stacked in the girls' favor. Now things were still stacked, just the other way.

"That's not fair! You guys keep winning."

"Tough luck, Riley."

"You know," Maya began, doing her best to simultaneously smile and flutter her eyelashes, "I wouldn't mind being on Team Josh." She prayed she looked cooler than she felt.

"Wow," Riley muttered.

"I don't know, Maya, it looks like you've got this game down. Maybe if we play Monopoly or the Game of Life."

"Kids, dinner," Amy's voice was heard echoing down the hall.

"He wants to buy property with me and he's in for the long haul," she whispered.

"Where did you get that?"

"Monopoly and Life? Those are long games full of discussion about the future and commitments."

Riley stared at her friend as though she had lost her mind. She was relieved her uncle was preoccupied with Auggie and Georgia. "Maya, go eat something. Your hunger has made you lightheaded and delirious."

/

"Why are there place cards with all of our names on them," Alan asked. Everyone had been filing over to the table to eat when they noticed the cards on the plates.

"Because," Amy began, placing her hand on Topanga's arm," we thought it would be more fun this way."

Riley found her card and realized she and Maya would be sitting directly across from her father and Shawn. While she was anxious to ask him questions, she was hesitant to sit near someone who has never given the slightest indication that he cares about her. "Mom, any chance we can change up the seating chart?"

Topanga, however, was preoccupied with matters in the kitchen and didn't hear the question. "Has anybody seen the big slotted spoon?"

Maya sat in her designated spot. "Why do you want to switch? These are perfect seats."

"What are you basing that decision on?"

"We're dead center of the table and directly across from Shawn. He'll be trapped and have no choice but to answer your questions. Think about how much of a jerk he'd be if he ignored you in front of all these people."

Somehow Riley didn't see it being that easy.

Meanwhile, Eric was getting Georgia situated at the table when he spied Shawn heading for the front door with his phone to his ear. He realized this was his chance to talk to him alone without Cory in their business. Neither he nor Angela had gotten a chance to say a simple hello because his brother was running interference. "Mama's getting your food. I'll be right back."

"But, daddy, I wanna sit with you."

To Georgia, sitting with someone at mealtime meant she was in your lap and picking food off of your plate instead of what was on her own. It also meant you had about a 230% chance of having food spilled on you. "I'll be back in a minute. I promise."

"Okay."

After making one more Cory spot check, Eric slipped out into the hall. There he found Shawn still on the phone, his back to him.

"Jack, I already said I'm willing to get together for lunch on the twenty-sixth. I'm at Cory and Topanga's right now. Why? Because I don't know your mom, stepdad, and sister that well and I don't want to spend Christmas day with strangers." He ran a hand through his hair. "I know, but your wedding is still a while off. There's plenty of time for me to meet her later." He turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Eric. "Jack, I'll call you later…Yes, I will….I will!" He sighed into the phone. "Fine. Bye."

Eric wasn't sure how to start the conversation. Hi seemed pathetic and yet when he opened his mouth to speak, "Hi," is what came out. "You know, she's really nice," he added after his lame greeting fell on deaf ears.

"Who?"

"Jack's fiancée, Tabitha, she's nice."

"You met her?"

"Last year, yeah. She's some kind of brainiac scientist."

Shawn couldn't pick his brother's fiancée out of a line up, but Eric's met her? "Is this why you came out here?"

"Not really."

"Then why?"

"Me and Angela…we didn't know you were coming. We're not trying to ruin your Christmas or anything."

"Uh-huh."

"We wanted to surprise everyone because there's no guarantee she'd be given permission to fly later on since sh-she's pregnant. We're having another baby."

"I figured. She's showing already, so…." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "…kinda hard to miss."

"Right. Look-"

"Just spit it out, Eric! What's so important that you had to follow me out here?"

"If you have anything negative to say about me or Angela: say it to me. I don't want you to give Angela any crap. She needs to stay calm. It's not good for her to get upset."

"What does that mean?"

"Just don't upset her. And if you do say something… please don't say it in front of Georgia. She's completely innocent in all of this and has nothing to do with our drama."

Shawn nodded. "You really think I'd be mean to your daughter?"

"Not on purpose, no, but Georgia's a very friendly kid. She loves to talk to people. Sooner or later she's going to start a conversation with you."

"And?"

"Talk back to her and be nice. Don't stare at her with your mouth wide open like you did when you got here. Between the way you looked at her and Cory knocking her over, Georgia thought she did something wrong."

"Sorry."

The front door to the apartment opened and they both expected to see Cory standing, but instead it was Alan,

"Everything okay out here," he asked. He knew Eric and Shawn had some things to discuss, but the longer they were gone the more concerned he became about their confrontation turning into a repeat of Mr. Feeny's retirement party. That didn't seem to be the case. There was no yelling. No one had a black eye.

"Yeah, dad, it's fine."

"Yep. Fine."

"Okay, then I suggest you both get inside before Cory comes running out demanding a transcript and footnotes."