A/N:  First off a HUGE thank you to Shawna for betaing (is that a word?) this chapter for me!!  I'd also like to thank those who's reviewed so far (especially Dark Pixie, who's reviewed every chapter – there shall be some (R rated) nastiness to come, I promise!) – I really do appreciate the feed back.




"I'm telling you, Shawn, I saw them kissing in his class!" Cory insisted in a hushed voice.  He, Shawn and Topanga were sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria, trying to force down what the school considered to be a nutritious lunch.

"No way, Cor, Jess is Dad's girlfriend.  Must've been someone else," Shawn replied dismissively, poking his fork at a rather dodgy looking block of green jello, and shuddering at the way it wobbled on the tray.

"Are you sure, Cory?" Topanga asked, realizing the seriousness of her boyfriend's accusations.  She glanced over Cory's shoulder rather guiltily at the staff table beyond.  Mr. Turner was sitting at his usual table with Mr. Williams and Mr. Feeny.  Jessica Porter was nowhere in sight.

"Well, I think so.  I mean, it was definitely Turner, but I suppose it might not have been Miss Porter …" Cory was suddenly feeling a little less sure of himself.  After all, he'd only seen the back of her, but he couldn't think of any other teacher in the school who had such dark hair.

"See Cor?  There is no way it was Jon!"  Shawn insisted.  However, he was having doubts too.  He knew for a fact that Jonathan had never come back to school the other evening when he had ensured Shawn he wasn't out looking for Jess.  When he'd arrived home, he didn't have the assignments he'd said he was going to pick up.  Shawn had brushed it off at the time, but thinking in bed later that night, he'd had to wonder what exactly Jon had been doing instead.

"Hey, where's Jess?" Eli asked, when he took his seat at the staff table in the cafeteria.  He placed his tray on the table, and when no one answered his question he looked up at Jonathan.  "Jon?"

Jonathan didn't even glance up from his newspaper.  "How the heck should I know?"

"Whoa, sorry buddy.  It was just a question," Eli said, taken aback as he sat down.

"Miss Porter is in her classroom working," Feeny replied, shooting Jonathan a questioning look.  "I saw her on my way down here.  I asked her to join us, but she said she really wanted to get the work for her afternoon classes sorted."

"Oh, well.  Never mind.  So how…"  But Jonathan didn't hear another word his best friend said.  So Jess was in her classroom, avoiding him.  This could not be a good sign.  Surely, if she had viewed the whole fiasco as nothing, she also would've come to lunch.  And if she had been interested in pursuing it further, she would also have joined them at the staff table.  So, thought Jonathan, she must be really upset with me.  Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Hey, Jon, you alright?" Eli asked, interrupting himself.

"Yeah.  Fine.  Look, I'm not hungry, and I've got stuff to do.  I'll see you both later." And before either Feeny or Eli could say another word, Jonathan strode determinedly from the cafeteria.  It was time to get this matter straight before it drove him insane.  He was so confident in what he was going to do, until he reached the doorway of Room 234, and saw Jess sitting at her desk, scribbling on a piece of paper in front of her.  Her long dark hair was down, and partially obscuring her face.  Jonathan stood and watched her for a few moments, trying to get his courage back.  He literally jumped when she slammed her pen down on the desk, and scrunched the piece of paper into a ball in frustration. Unfortunately the act of heaving the rubbish across the class into the bin raised Jess's line of sight, and she saw Jonathan standing in the door way.

"Jess, I…"

"I'm quite busy at the moment, Mr. Turner," she said harshly.  The words stung Jonathan, but the fact that she called him Mr Turner, and not Jonathan, hurt the most.  She'd barely bothered to look at him either, just pulled out a fresh piece of paper, and picked up her pen again.

"I just wanted to apologize for yesterday.  It was out of line and…"

She looked back up at him, and there was a nasty glint in her eyes.  "Really?" she said sarcastically.  "Well, I am so glad to hear you don't consider kissing your workmates acceptable, Mr. Turner."  Jonathan had lost his nerve, and was about to leave when he caught a glimpse of something that made his stomach sink.  He marched up to her desk and she stared at him in surprise.

"What the hell do you think…" He reached out and pushed her hair back from her face, and there, sure enough, was a bruise running from her temple almost to her jaw.  It was a deep purple, obviously quite fresh.  "Get your hands off me!" she yelled at him.

"Jess, you can't let him…"

"This is none of your bloody business, Jonathan!" she snapped at him.  "Get out of my classroom!"  Tears had welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall down her face.

"Why did he hit you?" Jonathan persisted, ignoring her demand that he leave.

"Jonathan, I said get out!"  This time Jess did not seem so sure of herself, and seeing her eyes flick over his shoulder to the doorway beyond, Jonathan turned around.  Feeny was leaning against the doorway, apparently taking in the heated exchange before him.  Jonathan felt his face burn as he wondered how much Feeny had actually heard.

"Everything all right, Jonathan?" he inquired, his brow furrowed.

Jonathan glanced back at Jess, who shook her head at him ever so slightly.  Jonathan sighed and turned back to the principal.

"Just fine, George."

"Very well then, I need you to give me a hand out in the courtyard – seems Harley and his thugs are now trying to sell stolen drainpipes."

Jonathan looked back at Jess, and whispered "I will discuss this with you later."