As Shawn and Abi sat in the backseat of the taxicab, he drifted into a whole new world of thought. He glanced over at Abi, who was in a universe all her own, and he made a mental run-down of her personality. She was a strong woman in most respects, yet so easily stirred if messed with in the right spots. A slight grin crept across his face – she was a drifter and a stray, much like he was. Out of the blue it hit him: he was not a stray anymore. He had a family, friends, and a home. Man, I never thought I'd see the day. I actually like life as a house pet. He chuckled softly as he thought of his life and how he had gotten to where he was. Life was good. Life should be this way for everyone. Especially her… As he drifted deeper into the far corners of his mind, he subconsciously made it his vocation to bring her into the world of which he had become so fond. Little did he know that she was not the one who would be broken.

Shawn turned his thoughts back to Angela. He couldn't wait until she came home! But would she be coming home to him? Did she really still care about him after all this time?  Don't even think it, Shawn. You know she still loves you and she would never forsake you! That caused him to think further than he ever had before. What was it that was keeping them apart? What…or who?!

"Shawn?" Abi's words brought him back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Isn't this your house?"

"Oh, yeah." The cab had stopped on the curb outside his apartment complex. He grabbed some of the bags and slid out after Abi. He barely had the energy to climb the stairs to his home, but his sleep-starved mind held fast to the luring image of his bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Abi had had so much fun that night. This has to be heaven she thought. She now had a few friends who accepted her for who she was. She felt kind of weird accepting all this good treatment from them that she didn't deserve. But how long could this all last? This could all be a dream. I could wake up tomorrow morning back in the alley. No food, no clothes, no Shawn, no Topanga, no Fuzzy-head. But there isn't much I can do about it. I can just hope and pray.

Shawn checked his answering machine – "No new messages." Big surprise he thought. Angela, where are you? *sigh*  He looked over at Abi. She was still holding the bags. "Abi?"

"Yeah?" she returned from thought.

"You can just put those over there. I'll clear a drawer out tomorrow."

"Oh, thanks."

"Something on your mind?"

"No," she fibbed. It seemed the whole world was on her mind, she just didn't want to talk about it.

It appeared that Shawn had picked up on that vibe because the next words he uttered were, "Abi, don't worry."

"About what?" How does he do that?

"About this. You wont be seeing your alley for awhile."

"What are saying, Shawn?" Abi was so excited. The next thing he said could mean Heaven or Hell for her and the suspense was more than she could stand.

"I'm saying," Shawn began. He could sense her anticipation and it was fun holding this over her head for a few seconds. "I'm saying you can stay here as long as you'd like, if that's alright with you."

All color drained from her face as her chin hit the floor. She just stood there for the longest time staring. Shawn was a tad anxious. "Abi? Are you okay?"

All at once, a huge smile burst onto her face and, before Shawn could do a thing, she ran, jumped, and hugged him. The blow was so hard they both went toppling over onto the floor, but she was unphased. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shouted in his ear. She was hugging him so tight that Shawn could barely breathe.

"Abi," he forced out raspily. "Abi, sweetie…Shawnie can't breathe."

"Oh, my God, Shawn! I'm so sorry!" she said releasing him in worry.

He took a deep breath threw his head back laughing. Abi was puzzled, but soon she realized why he was laughing and joined him. Soon both of their faces were beet-red and tears poured from their eyes. The gasped in big breaths, trying regain their composures, but they could not stop roaring.

Eventually, they were able to calm down and, with a heaving sigh, Abi fell from her position of straddling Shawn's abs to the floor next to him and laid her head on his chest. Almost subconsciously, Shawn brought his arm around her back and let his hand rest on her wrist. They both lay there until they regained a moderate supply of oxygen to their brains.

It was no surprise they felt an enormous amount of fatigue. It was almost 10:00 now and neither of them had gotten much sleep last night. In fact, Abi had already drifted off to unconsciousness. Shawn figured he should get her into a bed and find one for himself, but he didn't want to move. He glanced down at her angelic face. He saw the serenity she was experiencing. He watched her body expand and contract with every breath she took. No, this is how he wanted to fall asleep tonight – with this precious bundle in his arms.

He reached over, grabbed the blanket that was already falling off his unmade bed, and covered them with it. Then, he let his eyelids rest and wafted into a perfectly tranquil slumber.