"So..." Topanga began nervously, crossing her legs and staring at her hands, "What do we do now?"
"Well, for one thing," Shawn replied, "We can't tell Corey."
Topanga nodded reluctantly, refusing to stare at him. "I can't believe we were so stupid. Cory's never going to trust me again. We've been married for less than a year; I'm sure he never expected something like this to happen."
"Are you sure it's mine?"
She paused, choosing her words wisely. The guilt she felt was what made her want to tell Shawn the possibility that the child she carried inside of her might be his, but the honest truth was... she wasn't sure.
"I really don't know, Shawn. I mean, I'm two months pregnant. As far as I'm concerned, this baby could be either yours or Corey's. I just wanted to tell you, because... Because it's only right that you know. That you know something like that can never happen again. Even if the baby is Cory's, there's just too much drama that comes along with something like this."
"I don't even know why it happened," Shawn said, remembering that night two months ago.
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Topanga cried in his arms, her voice shaking. "He just left," she said again, not knowing what else to say, "We've never fought like this before. You know we've had our little spats in the past, but this is our first major fight since the wedding. I thought that marriage would stop these petty fights."
Shawn tried to calm her down, patting her hair and wiping tears from her face. "It'll be okay. You know how Cory is. If he really believes in something, he can be stubborn. I'm sure he'll be back."
"He packed an overnight bag, and said he was going home. HOME! To his parents! I love his family and everything, but... It's like we're in high school again. I love him, I really do; but does he HAVE to resort to his parents when things go wrong? Is this how it's always going to be?"
"We're still young, Topanga. We all still have a lot of growing up to do."
"Well, maybe we were too young to get married. Maybe we should have waited longer. Or maybe we're not even meant to be together. Maybe we should just get a divorce now instead of putting each other through the torture of fighting."
"No, don't say that," Shawn held her closer, smelling the sweet scent of her hair, "Everyone knew from day one that you and Cory were meant for each other. All through high school, we knew you guys would get married, have lots of kids, and grow old and senile together. And don't deny that you didn't know it."
"Yeah, well, there were several times when I thought we didn't have a chance," she sighed, breaking away from Shawn's comforting embrace and sitting on the couch. "Sometimes, I'd just get to thinking..."
"Maybe you should stop that," Shawn joked, happy to see Topanga smile somewhat through her tears.
"I know, I think too much. But I just always thought that sometimes... we just weren't meant to be. Do you know what I mean? Like something was always trying to push us apart. And even now, with this fight. I just wish Cory could see things the way you do."
Shawn nodded, then took a seat next to Topanga on the couch. She had stopped crying, and was now staring intently at the carpet. Her face was no longer red, and her hair fell in such a way... She looked beautiful, Shawn thought.
"Like you and Rachel..."
"What?" Shawn asked, startled.
"We always thought you guys were meant for each other. You faced your own problems, and came through. But she left you... Oh, I'm sorry, Shawn. That's cruel of me to bring it up."
"No, it's okay... Really, it is. I mean, it's true, isn't it? She just up and left me. Because I got fired from that job."
"I know. It's not your fault, either. It was awful of her to leave you just because of that. It's not like you weren't going to get another job."
"But Rachel and I aren't you and Cory. Obviously, it just wasn't meant to be. YOU guys... YOU guys are meant to be." He reached out, turning her chin toward his face, and looked deeply into her large, beautiful eyes.
"I don't know, Shawn... I don't know."
And then they were kissing. Neither knew why; it was so sudden. But Topanga, for some reason, had decided that Shawn was what she wanted at that moment. She loved Cory, but she didn't want him. Shawn had been there for her, through thick and thin, through every fight with Cory, through every problem she had ever faced, and she wanted him to be there for her forever. She knew that if Cory wasn't going to stand up for her and support her decisions, Shawn would always back her up, even if he didn't agree. To Topanga, that was true friendship, and she had never felt more attracted to Shawn than she did right at that moment.
After a few moments, Shawn broke away from the kiss. "You know, this is probably a bad idea," he said, looking into her eyes.
Topanga took his hand in hers, and looked up at him with an intense fire burning behind her eyes. "A bad idea was not realizing just how sweet you are to me sooner," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips...
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"What the hell were we thinking?" Shawn asked, combing his fingers through his shaggy hair. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"We didn't know, at that point, that Cory would come home the next day and apologize for being so insincere."
"I just wish we hadn't taken it... so... far... If we had only been smarter. It was bad enough we kissed. Why did we-?"
"There's no going back now, Shawn. Cory and I aren't ready for a baby right now, but the damage has been done. I just wish that was all I had to worry about. Now I have to think about whether the baby's even Cory's."
"Have you even told him that you're pregnant?"
Topanga shook her head. "I was planning on telling him after I told you. I know that's not what the typical pregnant woman does... not telling her husband right away... but I thought I should let you know what's at stake here. I'm really worried."
"Don't be worried. It'll all work out for the best."
"And this will never happen again, right?"
"Definitely. Never again."
"Well, for one thing," Shawn replied, "We can't tell Corey."
Topanga nodded reluctantly, refusing to stare at him. "I can't believe we were so stupid. Cory's never going to trust me again. We've been married for less than a year; I'm sure he never expected something like this to happen."
"Are you sure it's mine?"
She paused, choosing her words wisely. The guilt she felt was what made her want to tell Shawn the possibility that the child she carried inside of her might be his, but the honest truth was... she wasn't sure.
"I really don't know, Shawn. I mean, I'm two months pregnant. As far as I'm concerned, this baby could be either yours or Corey's. I just wanted to tell you, because... Because it's only right that you know. That you know something like that can never happen again. Even if the baby is Cory's, there's just too much drama that comes along with something like this."
"I don't even know why it happened," Shawn said, remembering that night two months ago.
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Topanga cried in his arms, her voice shaking. "He just left," she said again, not knowing what else to say, "We've never fought like this before. You know we've had our little spats in the past, but this is our first major fight since the wedding. I thought that marriage would stop these petty fights."
Shawn tried to calm her down, patting her hair and wiping tears from her face. "It'll be okay. You know how Cory is. If he really believes in something, he can be stubborn. I'm sure he'll be back."
"He packed an overnight bag, and said he was going home. HOME! To his parents! I love his family and everything, but... It's like we're in high school again. I love him, I really do; but does he HAVE to resort to his parents when things go wrong? Is this how it's always going to be?"
"We're still young, Topanga. We all still have a lot of growing up to do."
"Well, maybe we were too young to get married. Maybe we should have waited longer. Or maybe we're not even meant to be together. Maybe we should just get a divorce now instead of putting each other through the torture of fighting."
"No, don't say that," Shawn held her closer, smelling the sweet scent of her hair, "Everyone knew from day one that you and Cory were meant for each other. All through high school, we knew you guys would get married, have lots of kids, and grow old and senile together. And don't deny that you didn't know it."
"Yeah, well, there were several times when I thought we didn't have a chance," she sighed, breaking away from Shawn's comforting embrace and sitting on the couch. "Sometimes, I'd just get to thinking..."
"Maybe you should stop that," Shawn joked, happy to see Topanga smile somewhat through her tears.
"I know, I think too much. But I just always thought that sometimes... we just weren't meant to be. Do you know what I mean? Like something was always trying to push us apart. And even now, with this fight. I just wish Cory could see things the way you do."
Shawn nodded, then took a seat next to Topanga on the couch. She had stopped crying, and was now staring intently at the carpet. Her face was no longer red, and her hair fell in such a way... She looked beautiful, Shawn thought.
"Like you and Rachel..."
"What?" Shawn asked, startled.
"We always thought you guys were meant for each other. You faced your own problems, and came through. But she left you... Oh, I'm sorry, Shawn. That's cruel of me to bring it up."
"No, it's okay... Really, it is. I mean, it's true, isn't it? She just up and left me. Because I got fired from that job."
"I know. It's not your fault, either. It was awful of her to leave you just because of that. It's not like you weren't going to get another job."
"But Rachel and I aren't you and Cory. Obviously, it just wasn't meant to be. YOU guys... YOU guys are meant to be." He reached out, turning her chin toward his face, and looked deeply into her large, beautiful eyes.
"I don't know, Shawn... I don't know."
And then they were kissing. Neither knew why; it was so sudden. But Topanga, for some reason, had decided that Shawn was what she wanted at that moment. She loved Cory, but she didn't want him. Shawn had been there for her, through thick and thin, through every fight with Cory, through every problem she had ever faced, and she wanted him to be there for her forever. She knew that if Cory wasn't going to stand up for her and support her decisions, Shawn would always back her up, even if he didn't agree. To Topanga, that was true friendship, and she had never felt more attracted to Shawn than she did right at that moment.
After a few moments, Shawn broke away from the kiss. "You know, this is probably a bad idea," he said, looking into her eyes.
Topanga took his hand in hers, and looked up at him with an intense fire burning behind her eyes. "A bad idea was not realizing just how sweet you are to me sooner," she said, kissing him lightly on the lips...
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"What the hell were we thinking?" Shawn asked, combing his fingers through his shaggy hair. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"We didn't know, at that point, that Cory would come home the next day and apologize for being so insincere."
"I just wish we hadn't taken it... so... far... If we had only been smarter. It was bad enough we kissed. Why did we-?"
"There's no going back now, Shawn. Cory and I aren't ready for a baby right now, but the damage has been done. I just wish that was all I had to worry about. Now I have to think about whether the baby's even Cory's."
"Have you even told him that you're pregnant?"
Topanga shook her head. "I was planning on telling him after I told you. I know that's not what the typical pregnant woman does... not telling her husband right away... but I thought I should let you know what's at stake here. I'm really worried."
"Don't be worried. It'll all work out for the best."
"And this will never happen again, right?"
"Definitely. Never again."