New Chapter is up. Word of warning: There is some language and talk of sex. You have been warned.

Chapter 26: And She Was

Ronnie had returned home that Friday. The doctors had given her a clean bill of health; although they suggested that she continue the last of her physical therapy. She wanted to continue with a psychologist instead; the fears and nightmares of the assault continued to plague her mind. She knew that she was doing better in the physical but felt troubled over the mental damage. Those scars would take longer to heal over.

Ronnie was going to go back to school that following Monday. She knew that the people causing her major issues would be gone and that was a positive. She had kept up with her assignments and wouldn't lose any time in her classes; another positive. She truthfully did care what people thought and she wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. Many of her friends told her over and over that what other people thought was just that. Gabe had told her that deep down; Veronica knew the truth about Veronica. That's was all that mattered.

Easier said than done in her mind.

Ronnie had enough of being stuck in the house all day Friday so she decided to head out and do something fun on Saturday; even if it was just her alone. She had gotten dressed in jeans and a heavy sweater (cursing that she was still too young to drive anywhere) and had made it downstairs. She slipped on her hiking boots and was just about to grab her coat when the doorbell rang. She walked over and looked through the peephole. A smile came to her face to the visitor as she opened the door.

"Hey there handsome."

Shane smirked at her. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel; a leather jacket completing the ensemble. There was only one way to say how he looked in her opinion: he looked cool.

"Hey yourself beautiful. How are you doing today?"

Ronnie shrugged. "I'm doing better." She said, reaching for her wool pea coat. "Feels like the walls are closing in; so, I'm getting out of the house for a while. Gabe's off with Alyson, so he won't be home for a while."

Shane snickered. "Why is it every time I come over here you automatically think I'm here to see him? I mean he's the closest thing to a best friend that I have." Shane looked at her, causing her to blush. "I'm here to see you."

This caused Ronnie to smile. "I'm not all that…"

Shane put a finger to her lips; causing her to relax and sigh. "Don't say that you're not beautiful. You are beautiful inside and out. I don't want to hear you talking negatively about yourself again. I really don't like you talking like that."

The doorbell caused Spinner and Jane to come into the kitchen. They watched the conversation and their interaction. Spinner was about to go closer when Jane stopped him. He turned towards his wife; which she shook her head to stop him. Jane decided to speak up from the kitchen.

"Who's at the door Ronnie?"

Ronnie turned towards her parents. She motioned for Shane to follow her. Shane turned and closed the door behind him. He followed behind Ronnie and the two stopped at the kitchen counter. Spinner went to the coffee pot and started another pot. Jane took out four cups from the cabinet.

"How are you doing Shane?" Spinner asked.

"I'm doing well Mr. Mason, Mrs. Mason." Shane smiled at the two. "I'm surprised to see the two of you home on a Saturday."

Spinner nodded. "I took the weekend off. I wanted to spend time with my family."

Jane smiled at the two. "I just finished a major case. I'm glad that my team won and I'm looking forward to have some time at home."

"I know it's hard to spend time with your family." Shane agreed. "I'm glad that I have two wonderful parents that want to spend time with me."

Ronnie turned to Shane. "Things are going well at home?"

Shane nodded; turning his attention to Ronnie. "As a matter of fact; that's part of the reason I'm here." His smile caused Ronnie to smile as well "Dad just asked mom to marry him and she said yes."

Ronnie eyes lit up as she pulled Shane close to her and hugged him. Shane laughed and hugged her back. Spinner looked at Jane in confusion while Jane just smiled at the two of them. She turned and got the coffee cups filled up. She brought them back to the counter. The two broke the hug and Ronnie was so happy for Shane.

"I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you and them!"

This caused Shane to blush a bit. "Well thanks beautiful. I figured that you should know; since Gabe and you were a bit of a help on that."

Spinner turned towards Shane. "Really? How did the kids help on that?"

Shane told them the story about what happened when Ronnie had attacked Elizabeth. This caused Ronnie to shrink a bit and the three to smile at Ronnie. He mentioned that part of the discussion they had was about the three Milligan should talk things over and try to work out in the long run. In the end; the Milligan family had started to become a family again.

"Impressive." Jane managed to say. "I'm glad to hear that things are going well."

"Well thank you Mrs. Mason." Shane smiled. "I texted Gabe and Alyson as well. They were happy to hear this as well. I figured that I'd come and share the news with you three as well."

"This is a cause for celebration." Ronnie exclaimed; turning to her parents. "Can I take Shane out for a little while? I promise that I'll be home for dinner."

"Veronica…" Jane started. Spinner put a hand on his wife's shoulder this time.

"If you plan on being home by dinner; I think it's a great idea." He turned to Shane. "Would you like to join us? I'm sure that Gabe will be bringing Alyson as well."

Shane scratched his neck. "I don't want to be an inconvenience Mr. Mason."

Jane smiled, catching on to what Spinner was trying to do. "It's not an inconvenience at all Shane. We would love to have you here."

Shane nodded. "I'll let my parents know about this. I'm sure they wouldn't mind an evening alone without me there." He stood up and walked into living room to call home.

Ronnie turned to her parents and spoke to them at a low level. "You guys don't have to invite him. He said he didn't want to inconvenience us."

"Veronica; I think your father's right. We don't mind having your friends over for dinner." Jane smiled at her daughter conspiratorially. "Besides, I have a few questions for the man that is interested in our daughter."

"Mom…" Ronnie was about to complain; when she heard Shane end his phone call.

"My parents said that they didn't mind for me staying for dinner. That's to say if the offer still stands." Shane said as he came back to the kitchen counter. The Masons nodded in affirmation. "Then I guess I'll stay for dinner. Thank you very Mrs. Mason; Mr. Mason."

Ronnie turned towards her parents. "So, we should be home no later than six?"

Spinner smiled at the two of them. "Six thirty should work. That'll give me enough time to figure out what to make." Ronnie smiled at her parents. She took Shane's hand and they headed towards the door. They put their coats on and walked out the front door.

Spinner turned towards his wife. "Okay, what's going on with those two?"

Jane smiled at her husband. "I think it's two people that really care about each other. I think that they're trying to find each other."

"Kind of like how we found each other?" Spinner grinned.

Jane nodded. "Both times." She pulled closer to her husband. "So, do you have to start dinner right at this moment?" She gave him a seductive look.

Spinner gave her a goofy grin. "I think I have a couple of hours before I have to really start anything." Jane smiled and slowly walked to their bedroom. Spinner shook his head and headed towards their room; closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile...

Ronnie was sitting in on one side of a cushy loveseat. She was watching Shane coming back to their secluded little area; two large mugs of steaming hot cocoa in his hands. She had to admit that the last three hours had been fun. She had talked Shane to going to a small coffeehouse/bookstore that was several blocks from her house. She wanted him to spend time with her doing something that she enjoyed. They had looked around for a solid hour. She had picked up a couple of books that she was interested in but didn't purchase any of them. She had decided that she had tortured Shane enough and suggested that they find a place to sit and talk. They had done that for the last two hours; not discussing anything of importance.

At first; their talk was mild banter. The subjects were things that were talked over during a get to know you situation. This lead the talks to more serious subjects. It was Ronnie that started this type of questioning; much to Shane's surprise. He found himself answering her questions and she would answer his. This went on for about another hour. Finally, he excused himself and had been gone for a half an hour.

"You've been gone for a while." Ronnie commented. She stretched in her seat.

"Sorry honey; had to take care of something." Shane replied. "I hope you don't mind that I brought back some hot chocolate for us."

Ronnie shook her head as she took the mug from him. "I love the hot chocolate here. They make it with just a hint of mint to their mix. It's really good."

Shane took a gentle sip of his. "Mm, not bad." He placed the mug on the coffee table in front of them as he took his seat. "So; what pressing questions do you have for me now?"

Ronnie watched Shane take another sip and asked her question. "What's it like to have sex with Tricia Parker?"

Shane had almost spit out his cocoa. He placed the mug down and looked at Ronnie in astonishment. She had merely taken a sip from her mug and watched him curiously.

"What makes you think I had sex with her?" Ronnie gave him a look; causing Shane to put his hands up defensively. "Okay, busted." He looked at her for a moment. "Why are you asking me this?"

Ronnie merely shrugged. "Curiosity mainly." She sat up a little. "When I was attacked; Tricia never hurt me. She actually was trying to embarrass me more than anything. She had teased me I guess, sexually I mean." She took another sip. "I was kind of turned on with her. Of course; Juliette ruined that."

Shane shook his head. "She didn't hurt you?" Ronnie shook her head again. Shane took a breath and continued. "Sex with Tricia was like an overacted porn film." Ronnie looked at him confused. "She would grab at pillows or the bed and just moan loudly. Some of the things she would shout during was a bit much."

"What? You didn't get turned on by a "Give it to me" or a "Fuck me harder"?" Ronnie asked with a devious grin on her face.

Shane stared at her for a moment. He laughed nervously. "I never want to here that from you again. What's this with you swearing of all people?"

"Shane; I'm fifteen. I've been raped and never actually had sex. I have seen porn before." Ronnie stated matter-of-factly. "So, I swore; it's not the end of the world."

"The little things about you that surprise the hell out of me." Shane said; shaking his head. "Anyway, the actual act itself wasn't all that great. It's everything beforehand that was worthwhile."

"Really?" Ronnie asked. "What's so good about foreplay?"

Shane gave her a look. "You see it in a film and it's not all that glamorous. Being intimate with someone; you actually take the time out for them to get pleasure and vice versa." He looked at Ronnie uncomfortably. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Do you know why I'm bringing this all up?" Shane shook his head at Ronnie's question. "I had a lot of time to think in the last two weeks. I was laid up in a hospital bed recovering from a brutal attack. If I wasn't in physical therapy or talking to a shrink; I was thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" Shane asked; very interested in her answer.

"I was thinking about a lot of things. I was thinking about my relationship with my parents and my brother. I'm not hiding from them anymore; not that I did with my brother. But I was also thinking about my other close relationships. I'm talking about Alyson, Emily and you."

"What about me?"

Ronnie turned to him. "It was something you said to me in the hospital. I don't want to be afraid of what ifs. I'm done with being afraid of everything. I say we take a chance on us. I want to try for us to be boyfriend and girlfriend. If it works; fantastic. If it doesn't, then we gave it our best shot."

Shane actually smiled at this. "You're serious. What about being bisexual? What about Nikki? What about everything that just happened?"

Ronnie took a deep drink from her mug. "These are things I've thought about. When it comes to the bisexual issue; I have a feeling that me being on both sides of the fence is okay. I'm attracted to both sexes but I'm okay having a one on one relationship with a person. I'm mainly talking about you Shane."

She adjusted in the love seat and continued. "As for everything that's happened; I'm taking it day by day. There are and will be some scars that won't heal. Some scars will heal in time. I will take each issue day to day."

"As for Nikki; I'm not sure what to do. When and if I see her Monday; I'll talk to her. It's the only thing that I can do for now."

"Wow." Shane smiled again. "You've really thought this out."

Ronnie smiled back. "You doubted me?" This caused the two to laugh out loud. "So, what do you think about us? Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

"You know my answer Veronica."

"I would like to hear that answer, Shane."

Shane smiled. "I would like to be your boyfriend. That is; if you will be my girlfriend."

Ronnie didn't verbally answer. She leaned into Shane and gave him a kiss on the lips. They traded a few kisses back and forth for a couple of minutes. They broke apart and Ronnie rested upon Shane's chest. They finished their cocoa and continued to talk for a few more hours. When they left the bookstore to return to the Mason home; they walked hand in hand.

So, it finally happened. Veronica and Shane are NOW boyfriend and girlfriend. I hope this makes some of my readers happy.

I've been planning this for a while and I hope that this is the way you saw it as well. Things will change in time; the world of Degrassi always changes. Hopefully you've enjoyed this for the time being. I've enjoyed writing it so far...

Stay tuned to see what happens next.