Every night for the next three weeks, Cena went to the same Starbucks café in order to think. He had not seen Allison working there since that last night he had kissed her and was starting to miss her even though he hadn't known her for very long. Cena sighed as he sipped his latte and read the new WWE magazine. As he flipped through the pages, he was in another zone. He was so far gone that he had not seen Allison when she came into the shop and sat down at the booth in front of him. It was when one of the other waitresses had called out her name that his head snapped up and he saw her. Her back was to him but he could tell it was her. He grinned as he stood up and went over to her booth, taking a seat across from her.

"Allison?" She jumped at the sound of his voice and her face turned bright red before she looked down at her hot cocoa.

"Hi," she mumbled. Cena frowned for a moment thinking maybe he had caught her on a bad day.

"I'm…I'm sorry Allison. I just…I've missed seeing you here the last three weeks or so and I just wanted to say hello but if I am intruding…"

"No, no, no, it's nothing…" She held her head up slowly and turned away just as quickly but not quick enough. It only took Cena a second to realize what was wrong. She had a big bruise under her right eye as though she had been hit. She also had a small cut under her left eye which she seemed to have tried covering up using some make up. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to hide it well. Cena could feel his hands getting clammy from frustration. He hated and I mean HATED seeing women bruised up. In fact, he hated having to get in the same ring with women and often exercised extra care when pushed to do inter-gender tag matches.

"Oh, no. Allison let me your face."

"No, I…" Cena reached over the table and grabbed Allison's chin, turning her face around. She looked a mess.

"Oh, God." She just stared at him looking like a frightened child. The longer he stared at her, the redder her face became as if she were embarrassed. "Get up. Come with me. I don't want anyone to see you like this."

"No, Shawn…" He got up from the table and then took her by the hand, leading her towards the exit. When they got outside the coffee shop, Cena steered her towards his Explorer and made her get inside. Then he whispered something to the driver before they took off down the road. There was a brief moment of sustained silence but Cena wasn't having that. He needed to know what happened to Allison otherwise he'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Allison, I'm not trying to get into your business or anything because I'm a very private person and I wouldn't want people all up in my business, but I want to know what happened to you."

"It's…nothing," she whispered, staring out the window.

"Allison please…as your friend…" She looked at him curiously before turning her attention back to the window. Cena sighed as he leaned back in his seat. So I guess she's not going to talk. She must be scared to death. Cena reached into his coat pocket which was draped over the back of the passenger's seat and pulled out a small index card and a pen. With luck, he managed to scribble his cell number on it before tossing the pen aside.

"Here. Take this." He handed her the card and she stared at it completely dumbfounded.

"What's this?" she whispered.

"It's my cell number. I want you to call me whenever you feel like talking about it. I don't care what time it is or what day it is."

"But…why would you…?"

"Because I'm your friend. Believe it or not, the day you saved my shirt put you on my friend's list for life. You're a sweet gal and even if your other friends treated you like a dog, at least you'll have one friend that gives a damn."

"I…well…thank you," she whispered. She still did not look up at him and that had Cena worried.

"You know, you can look me in the eye. I give you my word that I won't bite," he chuckled in a vain attempt to lighten the mood, but still she would not look up. Her self-esteem seems to have been crushed…and after all that pep talking I went through the last time. Taking a chance, Cena reached over and started playing with strands of her hair, lightly brushing the side of her face. "You are such a beautiful girl. I don't know why someone would even dream of hurting you," he said softly. It was at that moment she burst into tears. Cena threw his free arm around her and she just sobbed even harder into his shoulder. He ran his fingers through her hair and down her arm as she sobbed.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here. I'm here for you. Let it all out," he whispered. She went on crying like that for several minutes never noticing how the driver kept circling the same block around her school. Cena had told him to do so until he got a little something out of Allison.

Cena had no idea how long they had been circling that block. It was when the alarm on his phone vibrated that he realized that he and Allison both had fallen asleep. He signaled his driver to stop in front of her dorm but then realized that it was probably best to just take her back to his place. He didn't want to wake her and even though his driver was fully capable of carrying her to her room, if someone saw them then it would have look odd. Plus, he had no idea who had hurt her and he sure as hell wasn't going to take the risk of making her stay all alone tonight. She needed him tonight as a friend and he was going to take care of her the way a real friend should.

It wasn't long before he was in front of his condo watching his driver carry Allison in his arms and into the house. He instructed his driver to carry her into his bedroom and lay her on the bed. After he bid his driver a good evening, he quietly undressed until he was wearing nothing but some shorts and a tee then he quietly climbed onto the bed next to her. She shifted in her sleep, turning to her side and throwing an arm around him causing him to stiffen. Oh man…He chuckled as he attempted to make himself comfortable, sliding his free arm underneath her head to cushion it and it wasn't long before he too was fast asleep.

---

Allison's alarm on her cell phone went off at six the next morning. She groaned as she reached over at her bedside table reaching furiously for the phone but with no such luck. In fact, she couldn't seem to find the table. She sat up quickly, eyes trying desperately to adjust only to find that she wasn't in her room. She looked around trying to figure out what was going on but a loud snore made her jump and remember events from the night before. She was in Shawn's condo…and he was sound asleep next to her. I must have fallen asleep during our drive around town…She smiled down at him taking in his gorgeous body. Even though he was wearing a tee, it was tight and clingy, outlining his rock hard abs that were nice and lean. She watched him sleep a few moments more before easing off the bed and up the hall into his living room. She had to get home quick otherwise she was going to be in more trouble than she wanted to be in. She took the cell out of her sweater pocket and dialed a cab before easing out of his condo quietly.

---

Cena awoke about three hours later, the sunlight creeping through his blinds and into his face. Damn…I have got to remember to close the curtains. He stifled a yawn and then rolled out of bed slowly and incoherently making his way towards his bathroom when he stopped suddenly. I could have sworn…He turned around quickly and noticed that Allison was gone.

"Damn," he mumbled. He had temporarily forgotten that Allison spent the night but then again, there was no way of knowing whether or not she actually stayed the whole night. He hated that she was gone for he was still curious as to why she had bruises on her face. He had planned to question her about it this morning in hopes that a good night's rest would have loosened her up a little. I have to go look for her. With that thought he headed towards the bathroom to shower and dress.

---

---

Allison was really quiet as she crept into her father's house. She closed the door to the kitchen quietly and hung her sweater on the coat rack before heading up the stairs. She didn't get half-way up the stairs before the lights to the kitchen were flipped on and she knew then that she had been caught dead. Oh no…

"Allison? Where have you been?" her father asked. She turned to face him and as usual he was wearing his so-called 'angry face'.

"I…well…I went to get coffee and then I stayed the night with a friend," she stammered.

"Did you get my permission to stay with a friend?"

"N…no but I…"

"Who is the one helping pay your tuition? What is your mother doing for you? Do you want me to take you out of school? I could use you here during the day helping your step mother cook and clean the house."

"No. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Yeah, you're right. It won't." He walked over to her and slapped her across the face. She bit her lip to keep from crying out before running up the stairs. "GO TO YOUR ROOM AND STAY THERE! DON'T YOU BRING YOUR ASS OUT OF THERE UNTIL I SAY SO!"

She ran up the rest of the stairs into her room, slammed the door, and then slid to the floor sobbing.

I hate my life! Why do I have to suffer so? Allison took out her cell phone and ciphered through her contacts which were few in number. Jared…Martin…Mom…Shawn…

"Shawn," she whispered. Should I call him up? Would he answer? She spent a minute debating whether or not to call. It was either Shawn or no one. She couldn't possibly tell her mother or brother what was going on. Her mother was just getting a good job and she didn't need grief about her college tuition issues. Then there was the fact that her father didn't beat her often so was it really worth making a big deal over? She got up off the floor and stood in front of her mirror. Her face was slightly swollen and the bruise under her eye was no longer standing out. I'll be ok. She climbed onto her bed and took out a book to read. It wouldn't be long before she had to go and start cleaning the house before her step mother got home.

---

---

Cena emerged from his humongous restroom about an hour later dressed and ready to go. He called up his driver and told him to get the Explorer ready. He was going to ride around until he found Allison. Besides the fact that he wanted to know what was up, he liked having her around. He couldn't explain it but he just did. He grabbed his keys and opened the door but did not go on out. Instead he just stood there shocked.

"Hi John."

"Carmella?"