The next morning, the first thing Jon did was ring Alan Matthew's. He was way in over his head on this one, and he needed some advice from the best father he knew.

He explained the whole situation to Alan who let out a low whistle when he finished.

"Well, I can tell you that if Cory pulled something like that, he wouldn't be sitting very comfortably at breakfast."

Jon nearly choked.

"You would spank him?" he asked, his tone a little incredulous. "Even at his age?"

"If he pulled something like that when he was already grounded, I absolutely would."

Jon was silent for a few seconds, thinking.

Then he shook his head, even though he knew Alan couldn't see him. "I can already tell you I wouldn't be comfortable with that, and I don't think Shawn would be either." he said quickly.

Alan chuckled softly. "You'd definitely both need to be on board, otherwise its not going to work. If you did it, you would need to do it properly."

"Would Chet have used that as a consequence?"

"Oh, I'm sure he would have for some things. But curfews and parties were not big on Chet Hunter's not-to-do list."

Jon sighed. "I think I'll stick to grounding."

"As long as you're sure. You're his guardian Jon, you're the one who is teaching him right from wrong. If you go too lightly on this infraction, who knows what it's going to be next time, and then where does that leave you? What leg do you have to stand on then?"

Jon let out a humourless laugh. "You do have a point there. But, we are both still learning, and there a few things I didn't exactly get right last night."

Alan listened as Jon told him all about the kid's panic attack and their discussion.

"I think you'll know the right thing to do for Shawn. Just... don't be too hard on him, I happen to have a soft spot for that boy."

Jon smiled at Alan's fond tone. "Thanks Alan."

Once he had hung up, Jon took a deep breath and went into Shawn's room, knocking before he entered.

Shawn was sitting up in his bed, looking very sheepish.

"You doing okay?" Jon asked as he went over and sat on the end of Shawn's bed.

Shawn nodded.

"Jon—I'm sorry about last night. That wasn't fair on you."

Jon nodded. "I'm glad you are able to see that, because I don't want to have to go over this again Shawn. When I ground you, I expect you to respect that."

Shawn nodded quickly. "It won't happen again."

Jon took a deep breath. "I hope not. But to make sure it doesn't, you are grounded for another three weeks. School and home, that's it. No TV, no radio and no Cory, which means you will be staying at school with me until I'm finished."

He knew the last one would cut Shawn the deepest. Most of the time (unless he had done something worth a stricter grounding) he was allowed to still see Cory. It was unavoidable sometimes for Jon to not send him to the Matthew's if he worked late.

"You're also going to bed early in those there weeks, and you're spending the rest of the weekend in your bedroom."

Shawn's eyes widened and he frowned deeply. "Come on man, that's too much. I didn't do anything that bad."

Jon frowned back. "Do you think I want to do this Hunter? Believe me, this isn't going to be a fun time for me either, but you broke our rules last night. You deliberately went out to a party you knew you weren't allowed to go to, while you were grounded, and you were brought home by a cop. Something that has already happened, and that I have already had words with you over. So, tell me. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't deserve this."

Shawn couldn't.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

Jon nodded. "I know you are, kid. And I've already told you that you're forgiven. We will get the three weeks over with and then be back to normal, okay?"

Shawn still wasn't happy about such a serious grounding, but he nodded slightly. Jon was right, he had really messed up, and if he was honest with himself, he felt awful for making Jon question the respect he had for him, especially because Jon was one of the few adults in his life that not only had his respect, but had actually earned it.

Jon scooted closer on the bed, putting his arm around Shawn and pulling him close. As irritated as he was, Shawn didn't pull away.

After a little while, Jon moved so that he could look into Shawn's eyes.

"I don't like having to deal out consequences buddy, you know that. But I'll ground you every weekend until you're 21 if that's going to keep you safe, and keep you from making decisions that end with you being brought home by the cops."

Shawn didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.

"Because, I might not be your dad, kid. But I love you like a son."

Shawn's face crumpled then, and Jon wondered if he shouldn't have said those words. If it was too soon.

But then, Shawn launched himself at Jon, his arms wrapping around Jon's middle, face buried into Jon's shoulder, and the kid started sobbing. Deep, desperate sobs.

Jon spoke low, whispering reassurances as he used both hands to rub the distraught teen's back.

Shawn had never felt more sad, safe, and thoroughly terrified in his life. The mix of emotions made him feel very vulnerable, and he desperately tried to calm himself down.

For Jon to have said that sentence like that, with no ulterior motive, with nothing to gain, and no expectancy of anything being said back in return... that meant more to him than he could ever put into words.

He couldn't say it back, not right now anyway. But he knew Jon didn't expect him to, and that thought made him feel much safer than he had in years.