Chapter 14

The next day, after getting the girls ready for school, Jesse and Danny tried searching for Allison again.

They called the police and filed a missing person's claim. But after that, they didn't know where else they could search. They tried thinking of everything she loved. They tried checking by the theatre where she and Joey saw the opera and every park in San Fransisco, but she wasn't anywhere.

They checked the homeless shelter again to see if she went back there. She didn't. They walked around in the alley where Joey found her living on the streets. She wasn't there either.

After that, Danny had to go back to work and left Jesse on his own.

Where else could he check? If she had quit her job and was going to skip town, she'd need money right? He decided to check the banks. He drove around to every bank in the city asking if someone of her description had withdrawn all her money. All day he asked. He knew she had to have taken her money with her. Finally, one bank said she did. She had come in two days earlier and withdrew all her money. He asked if she had said anything else that would tip him off on where she went. She hadn't.

Now he knew she had taken all her money, but he found out nothing else and wasted the whole day searching for a lost cause. When he went home that night, he told Danny of his little progress.

"Well, what else do we do now?" Danny asked hopelessly. "We've checked everywhere she could be. I can't just drive to Arizona trying to find her!"

"Now we wait," Jesse said decisively. "Maybe she'll change her mind and come back."

They stood there in silence.

Then Jesse became upset. "I can't believe she would do something like this to Joey," he said dejectedly. "What did he EVER do to her? Nothing but try to help her and if she can't see that, it's a good thing she left."

"Jesse," Danny said, trying to calm him.

"No, I mean it! That's a really mean thing to do, just walking out on him when he pretty much just saved her life and he's hurt like this. Why dump something else for him to worry about on him right now. He doesn't need this. He did nothing to deserve this."

"Yeah, but you have to think of it on her side," Danny suggested. "She feels bad that she brought this upon him. She thinks that if she leaves, it will make his life better because he won't have to worry about all of her problems."

"But do you know how infatuated he is with her?" Jesse yelled. "Joey is so in love with this girl, I've never seen him so crazy about someone. He's not going to get over this easily. Her intentions may have been well for herself, but what about for Joey? Was she being serious in this relationship, because he sure was. She needs to think of other people besides herself now."

"Well, she's lived on her own for so long, maybe she's not used to worrying and caring about other people."

This left Jesse with no response.

"I guess you're right," he said. "I shouldn't be so mad at her. But if she ever comes back I'm going to tell her what I think of what she did."

"Normally you're not so defensive when it comes to Joey," Danny pointed out.

"I heard Joey cry on the phone! Anyone who makes Joey cry, really hurt him and I never want to hear him like that again. It's so not like him. It scared me." Jesse turned away trying not to show how this affected him.

Danny just stood in silence letting Jesse talk.

Then Jesse turned to Danny. "But what about you? Why are you defending her?" he said accusingly. "Joey is your best friend, not mine. You should be defending him more."

"Yeah, well I also have three girls of my own and I just wouldn't want to think of them having to be on their own," Danny defended himself. "Of course I hate the thought of Joey hurt and feeling badly, but I also don't like the thought of someone trying to hurt my daughters like her step-father did."

"Yeah, I understand. I sometimes think of the girls as my own and what it'd be like to have my own kids some day."

"You'll be a great father someday," Danny said placing his hand on Jesse's shoulder. "So will Joey come to think of it."

"Do you think we should tell him we can't find her?" Jesse asked.

Danny sighed, thinking of how hurt Joey would be. "We've left him for two days worrying about her; I think we should tell him that we can't find Allison, but the police are looking."

"Brace yourself that might be hard to take."

"Yeah, well, he needs us now that he doesn't have her."

The next day, Danny and Jesse went to the hospital to check up on Joey. When they got to his room, they found his bed full of papers and Joey looking like he didn't sleep a wink.

"Joey," Danny said astonished. "What happened? It looks like a paper factory exploded in here."

Joey looked up expectantly, his eyes bloodshot and his hair a mess. Apparently, he hadn't slept since he read the letter she gave him. He started bombarding them with questions about Allison's whereabouts.

"Joey," Danny said regrettably, "we can't find Allison. No one knows where she is."

Joey's face fell.

Jesse explained what they had done for the past two days and that he filed a police report. He had thought they would find her or some trace of her. Then Jesse picked up a piece of paper from Joey's bed. It was covered in scratching and doodles and a poem for Allison. He looked at more and they all had some kind of writing on it about her or a half-attempted drawing of her.

The poem Jesse read was this:

If every word I said
Could make you laugh
I'd talk forever
I asked the sky just what we had
It showed forever
If the song I sing to you
Could fill your heart with joy
I'd sing forever

Forever, forever
I've been so happy loving you

Let the love I have for you live in your heart
And be forever

Forever, forever
I've been so happy loving you

If every word I said could make you laugh
I'd talk forever

Forever, forever
I'll be so happy loving you

Jesse looked up, astonished that Joey wrote a poem.

Joey saw the shock on his face. "I can't stop thinking of her," he explained pitifully. "I tried sleeping, but I just see her face in my mind constantly. What am I going to do if they don't find her?"

"They'll find her," Danny reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Either that or she'll come back to us. She wasn't that heartless to leave us here on our own. She's part of the family now."

"I just wish she had known how much we cared for her. Problems and all, I'd take her any day."

"I know," a strange voice said.

The three startled men turned around to see who spoke. Allison was standing in the doorway looking sickly and distraught.

Joey jumped up from bed, bandages and all, and ran the best he could over to her. They gingerly hugged and kissed passionately.

Joey started crying, embracing her and stroking her hair. "Never leave me like that again," he told her, giving her another gentle squeeze. They broke away. "What made you come back?" he asked sadly.

"I hitch hiked half way to Arizona when I realized: who else am I going to find as good as you?" she looked up sheepishly. "You helped me in so many ways." She gazed into his eyes and put her hands on his shoulders. "You were my first real friend, you found me a family, you appreciated me in ways no one else did. I owe you my life." She sighed smiling. "How could I run away from that?"

Joey beamed at her, tears streaming from his eyes, and kissed her again.

She sighed. "I've had a lot of time to think," she continued, "and I've decided I need to take control of my life. I can't just run away from this again, I need to testify against my step-father. Then I won't be living in fear anymore. I need to put this to rest, so I can live my life." She looked around the room. "My life here; my life with all of you."

Danny and Jesse smiled at her. Joey hugged her.

"Well, with that note you almost gave me a heart attack," Joey said getting his sense of humor back, "so it's a good thing you came back or you may not have had me to share your life with."

"Oh yeah," she looked down. "Sorry about the note. I was just so upset that I caused you so much pain, I thought you'd be better off without me."

"No way," Jesse butt in. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused me? I had to try to track you down because of this guy right here," he motioned to Joey. "He was a complete basket case, even though you were gone only three days."

"It was the thought that I may not ever see you again," Joey told her. "I don't know if I could handle that."

She smiled and kissed him. They pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes.

"Well," Danny said, clearing his throat. "We're glad you're back, Allison. We'll leave you two alone now."

Jesse and Danny smiled and left. Allison led Joey back over to the bed, so he could lie back down and rest. She saw the poems he wrote to her. She looked up stunned.

Joey blushed. "I…I couldn't stop thinking of you," he stuttered. "I felt like my life was ruined without you. I love you."

"And you have no idea how much I love you," she told him. She kissed him on the forehead and lay down next to him on the bed. "Do you want to watch some Bugs Bunny cartoons?" she asked. "It feels like years since I've last seen a cartoon."

Joey smiled and squeezed her hand. "Nothing would make me happier than to watch cartoons with you."

A/N: I know Joey doesn't really write forever, but isn't it a cute thought? Aww! Yeah so, I'm thinking there will be one more chapter. I could probably just leave it like this, but I think I'll make it a little cheesier. I haven't actually written the last chapter, but I have an idea.