Of course I wandered around for a while waiting to meet up with Shane. I was so confused I was having fun getting to know Shane but Daryl had been there for me for so long and knew me better than anyone. I just didn't know what the situation was with either of them. The tension that had been growing between Daryl and I was almost stifling and now Shane and I were developing a friendship that seemed pretty flirty allot of the time, like the way he was always finding some way to touch me even a little. I was definitely attracted to both of them but was terrified if I chose one I'd lose the other. Once I got tired of wandering I headed into the diner to see Shane already seated. He smiled as I sat down, "Got you some coffee thought it'd clear your head up." I thanked him and before I knew what was happening we'd been talking for two hours. He was smart, funny and downright charming. I let out a stifled yawn as Shane glanced at his watch. "Wow it's really late would Daryl freak out if I brought you home?" "Probably but he's not the boss of me" I mumbled. He smirked evilly, "Well alright then darlin' hop in and I'll take you home." We'd been driving along in comfortable silence for a couple minutes when I felt Shane's hand hesitantly touch my bare knee. I looked at him quickly to see him staring straight ahead at the road, his brows furrowed together as he awaited my reaction. I decided to throw caution to the wind as I laid my hand over his. I saw that ruthless grin break onto his face as he glanced at me, "You really all that tired?" "No not too bad why?" He was concentrating on the road again, "Was thinkin' maybe you'd wanna come back to my place, watch a movie or something?" I weighed my options carefully. On one hand I was still mad at Daryl but I also knew he'd be worried and furious when I didn't come home. On the other hand I currently holding hands with a very attractive man who I was looking to get to know better. "Yeah that sounds good to me." Shane wove his hand into mine as we turned around heading toward his place. After another short silence I could feel him staring at me so I chuckled, "Something you want to ask me Officer Walsh?" He laughed a little before turning serious. "I's just wondering how much trouble you're going to catch from your boyfriend for this." "Neither of the Dixon brothers are my boyfriend, I don't actually have a boyfriend. Daryl's my best friend has been for years and Merle is the loud mouthed drunken big brother I never wanted."
Shane smirked again as we pulled into the driveway of a small but nicely kept up house. He laid his hand in the small of my back as he ushered me into the house. "You aint like a you know right?" I turned toward him, "I'm not a you know...what terrorist, space alien, post op transexual?" He laughed loudly before looking into my face with those beautiful whiskey colored eyes, "No what I mean is are you a virgin?" I felt my face burn at the intimate turn our conversation had taken. I tried to look away but Shane took my chin in his large hand turning me to face him. "Hey it's not important I was just thinking that's all." I was still trying to avoid his gaze. "No I'm not a virgin. Not that I'd be embarrassed if I was but I'm not. You grow up the way we did you don't stay a kid for long you grow up fast and I'm rambling now." Shane lightly ran his hand over my cheek as he shook his head with a smile. "What?" I asked feeling self conscious. "Just amazing how different you are since we first met. Never would have thought I'd be inviting you over." I laughed with him now starting to relax as we walked into the living room. "I wanted to slug you so bad that first day in the hospital. All I wanted to do was escape and then you were acting all polite and concerned, I didn't know how to react so I fell back into what I know." "Smart mouthing people?" He shot back. "Haha yes smart mouthing people. It'd always worked for me in the past. Very few people ever wanted to help out kids like us so when you were all concerned I spazzed." Shane shook his head lightly. "Well I was worried about you all. I hadn't really dealt with something like that yet and you were so frustratingly stubborn I kinda got riled up." "I know I shouldn't have yelled and carried on like I did but like I said it was the first time I'd had to explain myself. Normally in the hospital they put us back together and sent us home no questions asked." Shane was listening quietly as we sat on the sofa in his living room. I saw him shaking his head angirly so I asked, "What?" His eyes clouded for a moment before he looked at me seriously. "Ya'll never should have had to go through all that. One of them at the hospital should have seen the signs, done something or said something to ya'll." I just shook my head, I'd always known the truth that people didn't want to get involved so they didn't. "They didn't want to get their hands dirty. I don't fault any of them for it, I wouldn't have wanted to tangle with us either. Hell I still can't believe you and that doctor did all you did." Shane was averting his eyes as he quietly asked, "You don't still hold it against me, ya'll getting split up into foster care?" I sighed heavily. I could tell by his voice this wasn't the first time he'd thought about this. I laid my hand lightly on his shoulder. "Listen Shane I never held it against you. Yes I was mad as hell when we got split up but not mad at you. I was pissed at those scumbags for putting us all in that situation. You did what you thought was best for all of us and it was the right call. Who knows if Carey and I would still be alive if we'd been left with Steph and Jim. So no I don't hold anything against you never did." Shane turned toward me with a sly grin on his face, "Well alright then I've got to ask you one more thing." "Shoot" I chuckled. Shane was trying hard to look me in the eyes but I was starting to get nervous so I was pretending to check his place out to avoid his gaze. "If you didn't hold anything against me then why'd we always tussel before?" As he spoke Shane slowly moved into my line of site so I'd have to look at him. I felt another deep blush working it's way up my neck as I had no choice but to look into those whiskey colored eyes. "Umm uh why'd you have to ask me that?" I mumbled embarrassed. "Just cause I've always thought we fought all the time because you blamed me for calling social services about ya'll. So if it ain't that then I'm stumped. I smirked at him trying to decide to tell him the truth or try to think of some bullshit to end the conversation. "Well if you really wanna know I guess I always started a fight because I didn't know what else to do. I don't know how to act around people who aren't like me and mine. After all we've been through here you come this handsome, charming, well spoken cop who actually seemed to give two shits what happened to us, and you didn't just fuck off as soon as social services was done with us. You kept showing up helped me find my kids, congratulated me on graduating pretty necklace and all. I've never really been around anyone like you so I tried my hardest to push you away until you made it pretty clear you weren't going anywhere. Besides for the longest time I thought D….Daryl was gonna take a swing at you everytime you came around." Just as I finished my sentence and Shane opened his mouth to say something my cell phone (a graduation gift from me to me) started ringing. I knew without looking that Daryl had come home, found me gone, and was panicking.
After several rings Shane nodded toward my pocket, "Might be somethin' important." I shook my head with a small laugh, "No it's just Daryl panicking because I'm not home." "He's gonna come looking for you if you don't answer isn't he?" I smiled lightly, "Yes but he'd never think to find me here and he'd never go to the station so I'll be good until I decide to go home. It won't be all that bad as long as I make it home before sunup." Shane let out a sigh as he flopped onto the couch next to me. "What's the deal between you two anyway? He was always up to the hospital after your accident, then you move in with them and you two are always together." "Listen Shane I like you I do but I don't know Daryl has always been there. I fall down he's right there to pick me back up again. He can relate to the way the kids and I were raised in a way no one else can because he's been there himself. I'd trust him with my life. It's just sometimes because he can be a little over protective and such so I don't really have any other friends. So it's just me, Daryl and Merle until I get ahold of Casey then I don't know what we're gonna do. I'm rambling again." Shane was watching me closely as I spoke. "So does he have a claim on you or anything?" "I wouldn't be here with you if he did" I said matter of factly. Shane let out a breath as he stood up, "Well how about a drink, you thirsty?" I followed him into the kitchen trying slyly to check out his place as I walked. It was a bachelor pad for sure sparsely furnished but it was clean with little details around that made it feel homey. My phone started ringing in my pocket again as Shane rooted through his fridge. I huffed loudly as I grabbed it, "Yeah?" I barked not really wanting to deal with Daryl's possessiveness right then. "That's how it's gonna be? I come home find you missing and it take you five calls to answer the damn phone." I could tell Daryl had an idea who I was with and he was pissed. "Listen D you freaked me out this afternoon so I took off for awhile to cool down. So what's the big fucking deal?" The line was silent for a beat as I heard him pacing around our bedroom. Shane set an iced tea down in front of me as he looked at me trying to keep my emotions in check. "The big fucking deal is Jenna where'd you be without us….without me, huh?" I hung my head feeling my stomach drop. "Can we not do this Daryl. You know damn well where I'd be if it wasn't for you and Merle but that's got nothing to do with this. We had an issue this afternoon I needed to get outta the house for awhile. I'll be back before work tomorrow." He snorted loudly. "That's all you got to say huh you'll be back before work. So we're not going to talk about Deputy Dog showing up and touching all over you?" I hung my head knowing I couldn't win this conversation. "First off don't call Shane that and secondly what's there to talk about. He's a friend of mine and he wanted to congratulate me on graduating. I don't see what's so wrong about that." "No I guess you wouldn't would you? Where are you I'll pick you up." I shot Shane a side glance as I debated my options. "I've got a ride home D. I promise I won't be too late." There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone and the sound of something being kicked. "We're gonna talk about this when you get home." "I know, bye" I huffed as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket.