a/n- thank you so much to Jeff's Favourite Skittle who is my only reviewer so far. I'm really glad you like this. sorry if this isn't very long. Song by Our Lady Peace

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I'll Be There For You

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Jeff helped his best friend into his Rover and climbed into the driver seat. He looked across at Shannon as he started up the car and pulled onto the highway. Shann had a bruise forming around his right eye, a bright red cut scraping through the forming purple colour. His lip was busted, also to the right and it looked as if he hadn't cleaned his face or attempted to wipe away the blood or tears from last night. His hair was dishevelled from his ponytail, and he openly let it fall onto the side of his face to cover it.

"D'ya wanna listen to the radio, Shann?"

Shannon shrugged his shoulders heavily, his gaze falling to his feet. Jeff and Shannon rode in silence for a while, neither of them really knowing what to say. Shannon's head eventually lulled to the side, leaning against the window in sleepiness. The sky above them opened up and the rain that had been threatinging to fall all morning let go and pattered against the car. Jeff turned the radio on low, somewhat careful that if he turned it up too loud, Shannon might wake up if he had fallen asleep.

Jeff drove, listening to the radio play softly.

"A little white house, It's everything we've dreamed about. I wanted you to know. I'm hanging up my ego.

We shouldn't have to fight. Or worry 'bout the bills tonight. I wanted you to know I wanted to be your shadow.

The mystery is gone So bring back the sun. We'll bury this hate And build it with love.

The grass wasn't greener I found I wanted you to know I dug you up a rainbow.

I know, I know, I failed you. I hope, I hope, we get to. Sunny days again."

Jeff looked over at Shannon again. He was leaned against the window still, his chest rising and falling in his sleep. He seemed....sound. The radio turned another song on, but it was a bit too fast for the mood, so he pushed in a tape and sang along softly. When he came to a fork in the road he turned to the left, *away* from the airport. Maybe a little road trip would be good for the both of them. He pulled into a truck stop around five o'clock to look at a map.

It would be about a seven hour drive to get to Cameron. Jeff leaned his head back against his seat and listened to the rain patter for a little. What the hell was he suppossed to do? Would Shannon want him to tell anyone? Would he be able to keep it to himself if he couldn't tell? Jeff shook Shannon's shoulders lightly.

"Shannon. Wake up, Shann. Wake up real quick."

Shannon moaned, but woke up anyways, "Don' touch m'shoulder, Jeffy, hurts."

"Sorry, Shann, I didn't know."

"S'right. Waddaya want?"

"You wanna go sleep in the backseat?"

"Mmm, Jeffy, guess so."

Shannon tiredly climbed into the backseat and settled onto it , turning till he was comfortable enough. He sighed as Jeff started the ignition again and got back on the road.

"Jeffy, how long'll it take and where're we goin'?"

"It'll take about seven hours and we're goin' back home to Cameron."

"Jeffy, y'know I don' havea house out there no more. M'brothers're still workin' on my new one."

"You'll stay with me, Shann. You didn't think I'd let you stay with anyone else, didya?"

"Thanks, Jeffy."

"No problem, Shann. Get some sleep, you look too tired."

Shannon inhaled deeply and settled back to sleep. Jeff drove through a Taco Bell and picked up some food and drinks for the ride. He eat quietly, singing along to the radio every once in a while. Shannon was quiet for about three hours, with the exception of moaning every once in a while or turning to get comfortable again. The sky got darker, it seemed, with every passing minute, which couldn't make Jeff's mood any better, either.

Why would Kevin do this? If he truely cared about Shannon, he would never hurt him. If Jeff had Shannon as his own, he wouldn't touch him without permission. Jeff slammed his hand down on the steering wheel. Dammit! It made him so angry that Kevin would do this to his best friend, the person who was with him through up and downs. Shannon cared so much about Kevin that he was blinded by love. Why couldn't he have just seen earlier that Kevin was only with him for pleasure.

Shannon could fend for himselfat any other time, but when it came to someone he loved...it was a totally different story. Shannon didn't fall for someone easily, but when he did, he could be persuaded to do anything by or for that person. And it drove Jeff nuts that the people who knew this, knew he liked them, and took advantage of him. If Jeff could, he would give Shannon the world, and these people just want to take it from him.

Jeff heard Shannon stir in the backseat and smiled at him through the rearveiw mirror, "Have a good nap."

"Man, Jeffy, Ah feel like Ah could sleep f'rever right now, but Ah can't. Y'get what Ah mean?"

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah." Shannon replied, climbing back through the front seats and buckling himself into the passengers side, "Man, it's really startin' ta pour out there." he said.

"Yeah, for about an hour now. I've had to pull over about three times already."

"Mmm." Shannon said, looking out the sunwindow.

Shannon jumped as a clasp of thunder exploded overhead.

"Dammit," he said, "Ah hate it when thunder sneaks up on you like that!"

"Yeah, me too. I got you some tacos and a sodie if you want." Jeff said, pointing to a bag and sodie in the holder.

"Ah'm not real hungry right now. Maybe later."

"I got Matty's new number if you wanna talk to him."

"Why?"

"Dunno. I was just wondering, it's still about four hours till we get back into Cameron."

"Ah don't really wanna talk to no one but you, right now."

"So...what exactly happened?" Jeff asked cautiously.

Shannon swallowed hard and looked back to his feet again.

"I understand if you don't wanna. I just-"

"No. Tha's alright. But, y'can't tell anyone. And definately not Kevin or anyone who would tell Kevin Ah've told."

"I won't Shann. You know you can trust me."

"Ah know, Jeff.....Um. Momma called me while Ah was trainin' at the gym with Kidman and them and she said that Daddy seemed to be coming down with something. She asked me if Ah could come by and stay with Daddy while she went to go get Daddy's prescription and get Doctor Millhouse so he could see if Daddy just had the flu or something. Ah didn't have any time to call Kevin cause...well, cause Ah had to take care of Daddy.

Then, Ah tried to call on my way home, but my cellphone was dead. When Ah got home, Ah tried to be real quiet cause he seemed so sound asleep that he could have been out for hours. Ah don't know why Ah thought he wouldn't notice Ah wasn't there, but Ah still tried to sneak in. Ah thought he was asleep and in bed, but he jumped me from the side. The rest is pretty self- explainitory." Shannon explained slowly and quietly.

Jeff shook his head, "Do you still love him?"

"Ah don't know, Jeff, Ah don't know."

"I don't know why you wouls stay with him, Shannon. Honestly, I don't. I think you should have left him at the first sign of trouble, much less when he started to hit you and lecture you."

"Ah love him, Ah guess."

"No, Shannon."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean I don't think that you love him."

"What're you talking about, Jeff?"

"Now, don't get angry at me, Shann. I'm just thinking that you don't really love him, you just want to be loved."

"Jeff..."

"I think that you want someone that you like to be with."

"Ah don't...."

Shannon bit his lip and inhaled deeply, hunching forwards to place his face in his hands.

"Shannon, don't cry. Don't cry."

"Ah'm sorry. Ah can't help it, Jeffy. Ah think your right. Ah'm pathetic aren't I?"

"No. No, Shannon." Jeff said sternly, "You're not. You're just a little confused, don't you dare say you're pathetic. You're not."

Shannon bit his lip again and stopped crying. They rode in silence for a while, and Shannon fell back asleep, leaning against the window.