Cena sat in his Explorer and waited until he saw the familiar almond-haired girl walking his way. She sat down on a bench near a park fountain and stared down at the ground. Cena smiled to himself, extremely happy that he had parked right in front of the bench. He got out of the Explorer and she smiled.

"Shawn!" She ran over to him and threw her arms around him being careful not to hurt his shoulder.

"Hey baby girl. It's good to see you again." He led her back over to the bench and they sat down, watching the beautiful marble fountain spew water in silence. Several seconds passed before Cena finally broke the silence. "Hey…tell me what's bothering you. You sounded so upset over the phone."

"It's…nothing. I've just been having a bad day that's all." She looked down at the ground and let out a sigh.

"Allison…I'm not…I know it seems like I'm trying to get all up in your business but I'm not. I just care and I'm trying to get you to trust me. I know I may not look like the most trustworthy of people but have I ever given you a reason to doubt me before?"

"No," she mumbled. Cena let out a sigh. She was not going to bulge so he needed to take the initiative. He reached over and grabbed her chin, making her look him in the eye. He was almost sorry that he'd done it. The first thing he noticed was the black eye and the cut under her right eye.

"What…happened to you?" he asked softly. She pulled away from him and started to sniffle.

"No…nothing. I just…"

"You just tripped and fell, cutting your eye in the process right?"

"Something like that."

"Yeah so how do you explain the black eye?"

"I…"

"Allison, who's hurting you? Tell me who's hurting you and I will go take care of it. If it's those little shitheads from a few weeks ago then…"

"NO! No…you can't help…it's not them. Don't worry about it."

"If you don't put an end to it now then it will only get worse. Trust me. I know because I used to watch my mother get beat. I was young and weak back then but now…I won't stand for it."

"I…I shouldn't have called you."

"Wait…what? Why not?"

"I don't need a lecture right now alright! I need a friend."

"And that's what I'm trying to do—be a friend, but you won't let me."

"I can't…Shawn, I'd rather you not get involved. It's…It's complicated."

"Is your mother…?"

"No…she doesn't live with us."

"Us being…?"

"My father and stepmother," she mumbled.

"I see," he replied softly. For the longest time Cena sat there in silence listening to Allison cry. He put his arm around her for comfort and it wasn't long before she was fast asleep. I don't think she's sleeping at home. His driver Don had sat in the vehicle watching them all day. Cena motioned for Don to come and scoop Allison up and put her in the car. She opened her eyes but only for a moment as she was being placed in the back of the Explorer. When she was settled in the back comfortably, Cena got in front and Don drove them back to his place.

-----------------------

When Allison finally awakened, she realized that she was not at home. Oh God…where am I? She looked around the dimly lit bedroom and frowned. Where have I…?

"I see you're finally awake. Not getting much sleep at your place huh? I wonder why?" he asked sarcastically. She looked up to see Cena standing at the foot of the bed. He was wearing some red silk boxers and a white tee. He looked so damn delicious, but Allison shook the thought just as quickly. She had to get home before it got too late.

"Um…what…what time is it?" she asked weakly.

"It's almost 11:30."

"PM?"

"Yeah!" he chuckled.

"Oh…oh shit. I…I gotta get home," she stammered, rolling off of his bed. She hurried towards the door but he held her back, grabbing her by the arm.

"Hey…what's really going on? It's so…I know you probably need to get home and all but don't you think that you'd sleep so much better if you just stay here? Don't get me wrong, I have no problem seeing you home but…I was watching you sleep earlier and you just seemed so exhausted."

"I…I know but it's nothing I can't handle…I mean, I'm sorry but if I don't get home…"

"You'll be in trouble right?" She stood there silent for a moment lost in thought. She really needed to get home but at the same time, she really didn't want to go. Earlier that afternoon, she had snuck out of the house while her father was passed out on the couch just to go to the park. She had grown tired of being trapped in her bedroom…and she was tired of being afraid but what choice did she have? If she went back, there was that small chance her father would still be asleep on the couch but if not, there was just no way she'd ever live it down after staying out all night. Was it really worth the risk, especially since she still had no idea who Shawn Michaels really was? Right now, all she knew about him was that he was a really nice guy who lived alone in a big condo. Family? Friends? Job? Not a clue. "Allison?"

"Huh? Sorry…I was just…"

"Naa it's cool. So are we going or staying?" She looked up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. It was just too hard to say no.

"I…I'll stay…"

"I was hoping you would. The house is kind of cold and dead without a warm woman lurking about," he said grinning. She managed a weak smile as she stared at the floor.

"Um…so…I don't really want to sleep in my jeans," she managed.

"Oh yeah. Well…I have a ton of things you can sleep in but I'm pretty sure most of my shorts are too big to fit around that pretty little waist. So um…would just a tee shirt work for you? I promise not to…"

"Yeah a tee shirt will be fine. Uh…I'm going to go wash up…if that's ok."

"Sure thing. There's some lady stuff in the bathroom. I sent Don to the store earlier just in case. Knock yourself out. I'll leave you something on the bed and I'll wait for you out front." She nodded her head and walked off. Cena looked in his closet and pulled out a Falcon's jersey. He didn't have a whole lot of clothing in the house since he'd never really lived in it so a jersey would have to do. He laid it out on the bed and headed up the hall towards the kitchen. Soon as he did, the phone rang which was just the distraction he needed to keep from thinking about Allison.

"Yo?" he answered.

"Cena. It's Shawn."

"Shawn! Hey what's up man?" he said, lowering his voice.

"Oh nothing much. Just thought I'd give my former partner a call to see how he is doing."

"Well…I'm making it. It's frustrating as hell not being able to get in the ring, but I think I'm finally getting used to not being on the road so much. This place…it sure is full of surprises. If it wasn't for surprises then I would have lost my mind a long time ago bro."

"Surprises huh? Like what?"

"Well for starters, an ex girlfriend is in town looking as beautiful as ever. You might remember seeing her occasionally two years ago."

"Hmmm…I don't…"

"Carmella. She was in the diva search contest about two years ago."

"Oh, ok. Her. Yeah…she was a looker alright. I really thought she was gonna win too but that just goes to show you how unpredictable our wrestling fans can be. So what's her deal? Why's she in town?"

"Said something about wanting to check up on me. She's a big wrestling fan now. She heard about my injury on the show so she popped in a few days ago to see me."

"Is that all she wanted?"

"I guess…I mean I offered to take her out for a coffee but she was busy that day. I haven't seen or heard from her since. But then that's probably my fault. My mind has been on other things."

"Wrestling?"

"No…not exactly. You see I met this girl…a college student named Allison."

"Uh huh…"

"I kind of rescued her from an abusive ex boyfriend only to later find out that she's also being abused at home."

"Yikes! No wonder you've been distracted. Did she tell you all of this?"

"No…it's just guess work but I know I'm right. She called me earlier today to come keep her company and when I found her, she had a cut under her right eye and it was black. She won't admit it but I think it's cuz she's afraid. I want to help her Shawn but she won't let me in," he huffed sounding frustrated. He pounded the counter with his fist and let out a sigh.

"Trust issues."

"Whadaya mean?" he asked impatiently.

"I mean her trust meter has been shattered to bits. If she won't tell you anything even though you presume to already know, then it means someone has hurt her so bad in her past that she's afraid to ever trust again. Sound familiar?" he inquired.

"Alright. So what next? How do I get her to trust me?" Shawn just chuckled.

"I've never seen you so…persistent to help someone. I know about your past and all but is there more to this than you're telling me?"

"No…what makes you think that?"

"Well…you know how things started with me and Kim. Look at us now—just months away from getting married…I hope."

"Youhope?" he asked curiously.

"Rhi."

"Say no more. Listen Shawn, there's something you should know. I…kinda told her a fib. Not a big one…well, ok. So maybe it's a big one but you have to understand it was completely…I assumed that we'd never see each other again."

"Assumptions got me in the mess that I'm in now. So…what did you…?"

"She thinks my name is Shawn."

"Oh…well…"

"She thinks my name is Shawn Michaels." There was a long pause before Shawn burst out laughing. "Shawn? Hey man…I'm being serious here."

"Oh man. You are in…wow. So…she thinks you're…me?"

"Yeah."

"And…I'm supposed to be you?"

"Yeah…well no…fuck I don't know. She…doesn't know that I wrestle and all. All she knows is that I'm an injured man with a driver named Don who lives in a dead condo in the suburbs."

"So much for building up trust. Not trying to be a party pooper, but um…what's going to happen when she finds out your name isn't Shawn?"

"I…don't know but hopefully she'll find out from me rather than someone else. I'd just…it was hard enough convincing her to stay the night with me…"

"Wait. Whoa. She's staying…the night?"

"Yeah…you see I don't want her like that man, it's…she probably hasn't slept in days and I don't want to see her all bruised up again. She's too cute for that."

"Cute?"

"Well…you know…"

"Say no more. You like the girl…"

"I don't…"

"That's what I told myself about Kim. Anyway, I hope things get better. Keep me posted about this situation. This is…too good," he laughed. "My quick advice?"

"Sure."

"Be her friend and protector tonight. Be her hero the next time. Be her lover the next...if she lets you. Somewhere in that chain of events a confession and apology is needed, although I wouldn't recommend indulging the truth in the heat of passion."

"Yeah, yeah…hey…Lover? Wait Shawn…"

"Just kidding…or am I? Talk to you later bro. My beloved is calling me."

"Aight." He hung up the phone and headed back to the living room. Allison was not there. I guess she's still showering. He made his way back down the hall only to find her standing in the bedroom, staring at the wrestling posters on his wall. Thank God none of them are of Shawn and me. He quietly entered the room and eased up behind her. He was now standing close enough to smell the fruity shampoo in her hair.

"Allison?" he whispered. She jumped turning around to face him with a scared look upon her face. It wasn't quite the reaction that he was going for or expected. "Hey…it's just me," he said frowning.

"I…I'm sorry. Just…a bit jumpy."

"I noticed." Now that they were inches apart Cena couldn't help but to pay close attention to her. She didn't finish drying her hair after showering so it was still wet and wavy, very sexy in his opinion. The jersey that he gave her to wear came down just inches from her knees; the glimpse of her creamy thighs just enough to tease a man. He could tell that she wasn't wearing a bra because her nipples were perky through the sheer fabric of the jersey. She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him, staring back at the posters.

"You're…a big wrestling fan huh?" she asked softly.

"Yeah…I got a lot of friends who wrestle."

"I…never really had a chance to get into it. My brother is a big wrestling fan though. All he talks about is The Undertaker or John Cena," she said with a smile. Oh…no…

"Really now?" he asked, trying to mask the nervousness in his voice. Keep cool Cena…

"Yeah. He tried to get me to watch once or twice but I was always so busy with other things that I never got the time to sit and watch."

"Well you're not missing much right now," he said grinning. "Besides, if you're gonna get into wrestling, you have to go to a live event."

"Me? A live show? I haven't the time or the money."

"Well…you never know. You may get a chance to go someday and if you're lucky enough, you just may go to the big one, Wrestlemania."

"Maybe," she replied sadly. She turned around and was about to head towards the bed but she bumped into him. "I'm…I'm so sorry," she stammered. He cupped her face, not caring about the broken shoulder, and lifted her head.

"Hey…I am really worried about you. You don't have to apologize to me so much. So you bumped into me? It's no big deal. Besides, I'm a big guy. Your little bump didn't phase me…well…not in a bad way anyway." He combed his fingers through her wavy hair and smiled. "I need you to trust me Allison. I'd never hurt you." She nodded stiffly before he pulled away.

"So…I'll let you get to bed now. You're tired and I want you to get a good night's rest aight? I'll be in the guest bedroom if you need me."

"Shawn? Wait…don't…go. I…don't like being…alone," she said softly. Her face turned red, probably out of embarrassment but Cena didn't care. As long as she was happy and comfortable, he was willing to do whatever it took to keep her that way.

"Alright. Would you rather I slept in here on the floor? I ain't got no problem crashing on this poodle hair for carpet," he grinned.

"Uh…well…you…don't have to. I know you wouldn't…but if you…" He crossed the room, dimming the lights and climbed into bed, motioning for her to join him. She crawled in bed on the opposite side next to him and lay there stiffly. They both laid there in silence for at least ten minutes before Cena called her name.

"Alli?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're not comfortable," he whispered.

"I'm…ok…"

"Come here," he whispered. She rolled over placing an arm across his torso. Then he lifted his arm so that she could rest her head on it like a pillow. "Better?"

"Much," she whispered. He kissed her forehead and minutes later he could feel her warm breath on his side as she rested peacefully next to him. A guy could get used to this…He laid there in bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep because he had a lot on his mind, most of it concerning Allison and the advice from his partner. Allison was a beautiful and sweet girl and he was sure that he cared for her, but what exactly was the feeling? True he could easily see himself making love to her after tonight but he was no where near being in love with her…was he? No. He was certain of it. Right now, all he wanted to do was be her friend and protector and right now he seemed to be doing a damn good job of it. Now if only he could get her to confess…but then it hit him. Maybe he could follow her home the next day. He needed to see if his theory was correct and if it was, he needed to schedule a time to pay her folks a visit. As long as he was around, Allison was not going to be hurt ever again.

Allison awoke about three hours later after having a bad dream. She opened her eyes and stared into the dimly lit room with tears in her eyes. It wasn't even a second later before she felt Cena shift beside her turning on his side facing her.

"Hey. Are you alright?" he whispered.

"Yeah…bad dream. Sorry to have wakened you."

"Naa, it's cool. I wasn't sleeping anyway."

"Why not? Can't sleep?"

"No…just got distracted watching you." She sat up and propped her head on her fist, staring back at him.

"Watching me? I don't think I'm all that interesting."

"But you are…baby girl."

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly. She stared up at him wondrously and he was put into a trance. Before he knew it, he was leaning forward brushing his lips against hers, teasing them lightly until they parted allowing his tongue sanctuary. Her lips slowly started to respond and he deepened the kiss, getting lost with her. He had the strongest urge to run his hand down her tummy and in between her thighs but then he was snatched back to reality. He couldn't—not now anyway for his left arm and shoulder were still in that damn cast. He tore his lips away from hers and cursed under his breath. He was so pissed off in more ways than one. For starters, he had no business kissing her when she was in so much pain and so vulnerable. Then he was even more pissed off because had his arm not been in that damn cast, he would have shown her just how much attention he could pay to her. That was for damn sure.

"Allison...baby girl I am so sorry. I didn't…I wasn't trying to take advantage of you."

"No…it's ok. It…happens…has happened more than once if I'm not mistaken," she replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, guess you're right. Uh…Alli, I think I'm gonna go sleep in the guest bed. It's nothing personal. I just…"

"I understand…yeah…probably for the best," she whispered. He kissed her one last time on the forehead before rolling out of bed and down the hall to his guest room. Once inside, he closed the door and sat on the end of the bed, staring at the floor. The words of his former partner ringing in his ear…

Be her friend and protector tonight. Be her hero the next time. Be her lover the next...

"Some friend I am…" he grumbled. Earlier that night, the idea of being Allison's lover was just laughable but the more he was with her the more he was being pulled towards her like a magnet…and he wished it would go away. He liked Allison a lot but right now he needed to focus on getting better so that he could get back in the ring. That was easier said than done though. He was still determined to help her no matter what the cost because it was Allison's time…her time was now.