HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I'M WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER AND IT SHOULD BE UP IN A FEW DAYS. HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Jonathon huffed loudly, lifting the steel bar into its stand, hearing the clang of the weights on either end as he shifted balance. He sat up and wiped his hair off of his sweaty forehead. It still wasn't enough. He still wasn't capable of relaxing.

All he could think about was Shawn. All he wanted was for some kind of progress between the two of them, but he couldn't help but feel like every time they took a step forward, they'd take another two steps back. Like Jonathon would move forward and Shawn would edge away twice the distance. He'd tell him how he feels, show him how much he cares in every way he could think of, he'd swear on everything that ever meant anything to him that he'd be loyal to the kid, but nothing was enough to make Shawn reciprocate. Not even in the slightest.

Jonathon pushed himself up onto his feet and grabbed his towel out of his gym bag. He wiped his face, taking in the empty room and when his vision was no longer blocked by the white fabric, he realized that it was no longer empty. "Alan?"

"Jonathon. I'm so glad I finally found you." He breathed, crossing the room towards him.

"Something wrong?" Jonathon asked, not liking the look on Alan's face. "Wait. Is it Shawn? Is he okay?"

"Wow." Alan sighed, ruffling his hair, nervously. "Well, this is never anything that a parent wants to hear. Not really easy to say..."

"Spit it out, please."

Alan gave him a long, hard look. "Shawn's been arrested."

"WHAT?!" Jonathon wasted no time. He grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, not caring that most of its remnants fell to the floor through the open zipper.

"Wait." Alan stepped in his path. "You've got to stay calm now, okay?"

Jonathon looked at him in disbelief. "Yeah I'm always calm when people I care about get arrested. Don't worry."

"No, come on. As fathers, and I am referring to you as a father because that is what you are now, we tend to blow things way out of proportion and it just makes everything worse than it already is. You just gotta keep your cool."

Jonathon frowned. "What exactly do you think I'm going to do?"

"I'm not saying... Look, you just can't go in there looking to kick somebody's butt, okay?"

"Well, I'd sure like to get my hands on Shawn. What the hell was he thinking? What'd he-?"

"Yeah, you know what? It's probably not Shawn you'll be upset with." Alan reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Come on, I'll explain on the way."

"Where are you taking me?"

"To jail." Was his cold response.

Shawn felt tears well up in his eyes and his lips begin to quiver. He didn't want to go to jail. He wasn't a criminal. He'd made a mistake. It was a bad idea. He was scared and lonely. And there were some very creepy men in the holding cells last time that he really didn't want to encounter again. "Why?"

"Because you assaulted that boy. You're a danger to the public." Detective Adams informed him in his raspy voice.

Shawn wanted to argue with him, but he knew that if he opened his mouth that he would start to cry.

"What? You don't have any smart aleck remark for me this time?" The man was watching him through his rear view mirror. His partner whispered something beside him, but Shawn couldn't decipher what it was. Nicky ignored him. "What's the matter with you?" He raised his voice.

"Nothing!" Shawn wailed, now unable to stop the tears from escaping from his eyes. All Shawn wanted was his bed. He didn't care if he had to cry himself to sleep again or have another dream about his dad, he just wanted to be safe in his bed.

"Nick, enough!" Chris' voice was louder now, but still a whisper.

Soon enough, the car did stop and Shawn was let out of the back seat. He looked around as he got out, realizing that they had arrived at the police station. "No!" He cried, trying to resist Chris who had hold of his arm, his wrists still cuffed behind his back.

"Hey, it's okay, kiddo." Chris offered, gently, sending Nicky a look.

"Please, I won't do it again! Just let me go!" Shawn begged, gasping between sobs.

"Are you sure? Because the fact that you did it in the first place tells me everything, Shawn." Nicky came around to their side of the car and took his arms in his hands. He bent down so their faces were level. "You saw me walk into that restaurant and then you hit him. You weren't even fighting. You were just trying to get my attention, weren't you?"

"No!" Shawn yelled, realizing that this didn't make things better for Jonathon, knowing that Nicky already didn't like him. "It's my fault. Please, I just want to go home."

"Shawn, it's okay. You don't have to be afraid. You can tell me what's going on. I promise I can help you!"

Shawn paused, studying the man in front of him, wondering if he could truly trust him. He wouldn't disappear from his life. He kept reappearing every time he thought he'd seen the last of him. Perhaps he was trustworthy after all. "You'll do anything?" He sniffed.

"Anything, buddy." Nicky said softly, the frown disappearing from his face.

"Let me see my dad."

"Shawn hit Cory?" Jonathon gasped. "Why would he do that? He would never do that!"

"Cory would barely tell me anything." Alan shook his head, letting his right hand slide off the steering wheel to rest in his lap. "But I'm telling you, I've known Shawn since he was in diapers and not once has he ever turned violent. It's just not his way."

"Yeah, well, he's been going through a lot lately. He hasn't really been himself."

Alan cranked his wheel, making a very wide right turn, not bothering to brake. "How so?"

"Well he clocked me in school a few weeks ago, turned some desks over, and then there was the incident at the police station."

"It happened just as the cops got down the stairs. It just doesn't sound right."

"Oh my God." It only took a few seconds and then Jonathon understood. "Does this thing go any faster?"

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