Well, here I am apologising again for not having updated for awhile – sorry!  Thanks for all the reviews guys, and keep them coming!  Suggestions and tips are more than welcome! 

Lacey :)

Jonathan arrived home at five that evening, pleased to see that Shawn was already there and had started on his homework.  The battles to get Shawn to sit down and study were getting less frequent, and for that Jonathan was grateful.

"Hiya, Jon," Shawn said, taking a break.  He leant back in the dining table chair and took a swig out of his cola can.

"Hey Shawn."
"So?  Did you talk to Feeny?  Has Jess got a job?" Shawn asked, a hopeful look spreading across his face.  The old Jessica Porter charm, Jonathan thought with a inward laugh, seemed she could charm anyone.

"I did talk to Feeny," Jonathan replied, heading for the kitchen to put the jug on for a cup of coffee. 

"Well?  Come on?  What'd he say?" Shawn was practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

"He said he'll see her tomorrow, so perhaps you should give her a ring and let her know?" Jonathan suggested.  As much as he would've liked to talk to Jess himself, he didn't want to talk to Chet – he had a feeling that the man wouldn't be so pleased with Jonathan, of all people, ringing up to talk to his girlfriend.

"Sure."

Shawn dialled the number, and Jonathan tried to pretend he was busy reading the paper while Shawn talked, but not a word of what he was reading was actually going in, he was much too interested in what Jess would have to say – perhaps he'd overstepped his welcome by talking to Feeny…

"Oh, isn't she?" Shawn said after waiting for a response from his father as to if Jess was there.  "Where is she?  Will she be home soon?  I have some news for her!"

There was a little more silence on Shawn's end, and Jonathan was itching to ask where she was, but managed to hold his tongue.

"Well, okay then.  Tell her to ring me when she get in, okay Dad?"

The boy went on to talk to his father a little more before hanging up.

"SO?" Jonathan asked almost the second Shawn hung the telephone up.

"So what?" Shawn asked, playing the same waiting game as Jon had done earlier when he'd wanted to know if Jon had talked to Feeny.

"Shawn," Jonathan warned.  Shawn knew that look well enough not to push it any further.

"Dad says she's down the pub – doesn't know when she'll be in.  He didn't sound too pleased…perhaps they had a fight.  Didn't sound too serious though," Shawn replied, slipping back into his seat at the table.

"The pub?" Jonathan asked, a little surprised, and then wondered why he would be.  Going down the local had been quite a regular thing when he and Eli had been in England.  "Would that be Murray's Bar?"

"How would I know?  I guess, that's near the trailer park," Shawn replied, and then glanced up from his books and peered at Jonathan, weighing up what he was thinking.  "Are you going to go down there?"

"Me?  Go down there?  Nah," Jonathan replied, but he was already putting his coat on.

"Then where you going?" Shawn asked, raising one disbelieving eyebrow.

"Uh, back to school.  I forgot the senior assignments." And with that he was gone.  Shawn didn't believe a word of it, but couldn't help but smile.  He was so glad that Jess would probably be working at John Adams.  Even though he had only known her a day, he was hoping that she and his father would get married and then she could be like his new mother.  The idea of a real family appealed to Shawn.  Not that he disliked living with Jonathan, but it was always hard to have to tell people why he was living with Jonathan, and the way people judged him because of the fact that his mother had run off and his father was a deadbeat really hurt.

Pulling up to the curb outside The Realm bar and grill Jonathan swore this was the last one he was going to try looking for Jess before going home.  Course, that's what he told himself before the last three he'd tried.  He headed for the door as he took his helmet off.  Once inside he glanced around rather disappointedly.  He was just about to turn and leave when he spotted her, sitting over in the corner, talking to two other women.  She looked quite beautiful sitting there, her long black hair pulled back from her face, showing off her features, the blue shirt she wore enhancing her eyes so that even from across the room Jonathan could tell they were colour of the sky.    Suddenly losing his nerve, and went to escape, but was too late.

"Jonathan!" she called out, and Jonathan feigned a look of surprise.

"Jessica, hi," he said, wandering up to her table.

"Get yourself a drink and join us," she more insisted than asked.

"You have company, that's alright, I really should be…"
"Don't be silly!"  The look of enthusiasm that lit up her entire face was not something Jonathan wanted to crush.  Finally agreeing, he placed his helmet on one of the spare seats.  Then taking her order for a medium white wine, headed for the bar.  The other two women, whom Jess had introduced him to, and whose names had promptly slipped his mind, politely declined his offer.  When he returned to the table they both rose from their seats, and left, muttering they had to be somewhere, leaving Jess and Jonathan to it.  Jonathan got the vague notion that perhaps Jess had asked them to leave, but he couldn't be sure.

"It's good to see you again, Jonathan," Jess said with a warm smile.

"You too.  So how have you been?  I mean, really?"

Was that a look of sadness he saw catch at the edge of her face, or just his imagination?  Jonathan really couldn't be sure – it was gone practically before it had arrived.  Perhaps it was just wishful thinking on his part.

"Fine, thanks.  And yourself?"
"Good.  Shawn mentioned to me this morning that you were looking for work here?" Jonathan said, not wanting to intrude any further just yet.  He played with the straw in his bourbon and cola before finally discarding it in the ashtray lying in the middle of the table.

"Yeah.  Not much luck so far though," Jess replied, obviously a little disappointed.  That little pout and the way she looked tonight stirred up all the old feelings Jonathan had for her, and they hit him like a truck.  In fact it took Jonathan several seconds to comprehend what they had been talking about.

"Huh?  Oh, that's too bad," he replied, and then his brain defrosted.  "I mean, I talked to the principal at John Adams, where I work.  He says he might have something for you, if you'd like."
"Really?!" she all but squealed.  "That'd be brilliant!"

Jonathan grinned, glad he'd done the right thing.  "He wants to meet with you at 10 tomorrow morning."

"Great!  Oh, I am so relieved.  I mean, I know this doesn't mean I've got a job, but it's one step closer.  Chet will be thrilled."  Jess sipped at her wine, while Jonathan's heart deflated at the mention of Chet Hunter.  He forced a smile.

"So, how are you and Chet?  When did you meet?" Jonathan enquired, hoping that something, anything would be wrong with their relationship, and that he might one day get a chance to tell her what he should've done all those years ago.

"I met him not long after I arrived here, actually.  I was down one of the pubs, looking for a place to stay, and Chet offered.  I was sort of desperate, and it was really a godsend."
"Forgive me, Jess, but I never imagined you living in a trailer park," Jonathan regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, they sounded so … nasty.

"Me either," she almost whispered.  "My how things change, huh?"