A/N: so as there is no confusion the bold separator is a flashback.

Fair Ain't What I'm looking For

Chapter Eight: How His Walk Was A Shallow One

"Spit it out, now, Nika," Shawn slammed his cane into the ground.

"I got word from up top that David's sister was seen she's moving bushes and looking behind trees, at this rate," he stopped as Shawn flung his hand in the air, he honestly thought Shawn was going to hit him.

Fletcher spoke before Shawn could open his mouth, "We'll take care of it."

"You damn well better!" yelled Shawn.

The five of them headed down the hall, Shawn kept glaring at Robert.

Fletcher ushered Robert into the library, "Look, just watch Robert for me, we'll be back."

"Just go already, take care of her before she does us!"

Robert flinched at the loudness of Shawn's voice. Anthony simply grabbed a notebook from the shelf and wrote something down in it before following Fletcher out to keep watch and take notes.

"Anthony….." called Shawn as he sat down.

He paused and briefly smiled at him, "Yeah, Shawn?"

"I'll see you when you get back," he tapped his cane on the ground staring at it.

"Yeah," Anthony continued to smile as he shut the door.

Shawn tried to relax, but couldn't help the tenseness in his upper back and shoulders. He stared over at Robert who opened his mouth then snapped it shut immediately. Shawn rolled his eyes. It really made him uncomfortable to sit in the same room with Robert by himself.

"You uh, play cards right?"

Robert nodded then quietly said, "I'm hungry."

"I'm not your goddamn baby sitter!" growled Shawn looking annoyed.

Robert flinched, shaking somewhat visibly.

Shawn sighed, the last thing he needed was for Robert to freak out, "Fine, I'll fucking make us something."

They stood and walked out the study, Robert trailing behind silently listening as Shawn ranted about his inability and lack of interested in learning how to cook. Shawn lead them into an extravagant kitchen and pulled something out of the fridge and sniffed it. Cringing he tossed it in the trash.

An hour later the two of them were sitting in the study at a table to the right. Shawn finished off the rest of his food and suddenly felt the strongest urge to sleep. He shook his head and realized he was straining his eyes, he started to blink. He was finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

He yawned, it was the strangest thing though, it really looked like Robert was smiling….

-X-X-X-

The five of them sat in a circle silently eating. It took them nearly three weeks to get wherever here was. When they first arrived Shawn had warned them.

"This whole place…." He shook his head, "be careful, I did what I could but, some of them are still down here."

"Them who?" asked Ryan glancing around.

"I don't know!? Don't even get me started!" Shawn visibly shivered.

"Shawn, there's blood-" started Anthony.

"Everywhere….." whispered Nick.

"What the hell happened down here?" Chris tugged his jacket closer to himself.

"L-look," Shawn paused, realizing he was starting to panic, "I did what I had to do, and I'd damn well do it again if I had to just to get away from that- that hell hole. Do you get me?"

"But-"

"No! No buts, either we're in this together or not at all."

"….like a family?" Nick was staring down at his clenched hands.

Ryan looked up and stared around their small group of friends, then back at Nick, "Yeah, like family, Nick. Like a real one."

Anthony stared up at Shawn sullenly, something had obviously been off, he could tell the second he laid eyes on him. He reached up and grabbed Shawn's hand and gently tugged him down and slid his arm around his back. Ryan subconsciously slid his arm around Nick.

Chris rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"Your fault," said Ryan smirking.

"It's never too late you know," supplied Nick.

"Yeah, uh, not gonna be my thing, ever," he felt mildly guilty when Anthony pulled his arm from Shawn, who in turn looked very annoyed.

Something echoed in the distance and all conversation stopped. They all turned to Shawn who was looking off down the hall and shivered. His breathing started to become irregular. He abruptly got up and grabbed a sharp ended cane laying against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Ryan stood upon Chris and Anthony doing so. Nick stayed planted on the floor.

Shawn spared them a quick glance, "I'll be right back."

The look on his face was so, void, none of them know what to say. It honestly scared them. Shawn had always been somewhat cold feeling, but he always showed how he felt if you looked at him. This was new, no body had any idea what to do and they were content to let Shawn do…..whatever it was he was going to do.

"You're going by yourself?!" asked Anthony.

"You gonna stop me?" he paused and looked at them, "didn't think so." Then he headed down the hall.

"So…you're just going to let him go then?" asked Ryan glancing down the hall then back at Nick.

"Anthony, seriously, go after him. Two is better than one and god help us, because that look he just had…" Chris's voice trailed off.

Without saying anything he ran down the hall. He was scared out of his mind and for a brief moment wished he'd just stayed locked in his room. But Shawn had done this for him, for them. This was going to be home from now on.

This was theirs. This cold dark deceivingly empty looking place was theirs. It would keep them safe from the world. And they would be family, they'd celebrate holidays, they'd celebrate birthdays, and they'd make being alone in this empty place worth every second till it had to end.

"Shawn?" he had no idea where he was, he just kept calling out his name.

Finally he turned a corner, the only one left, and Shawn him. Shawn had his arm raised cane in hand. He just kept clubbing out whatever was crouched on the ground in front of him. Blood was spattering everywhere and Shawn didn't even seem to notice or care that he was covered in it.

"Shawn!"

He swung. Blood went flying.

"Shawn!" he ran behind him and grabbed his wrist.

Shawn swung him off and into the nearest wall and swung again at the figure. A jewel feathered mask flew off…..what looked like a person.

"Shawn," Anthony coughed as the wind was knocked out of him, "Shawn, he's dead, stop already!"

Shawn finally just dropped the cane, he took a few deep breaths and shuddered, "Oh god…."

He glanced down at his hands and furiously shook his head. He abruptly turned around and jolted back, he looked highly confused.

"Shawn?"

"What ….uh," he frowned looking somewhat panicked, "what the hell happened?"

"Shawn, you just killed someone….."

"…..I don't even remember….." he looked at the cane.

Footsteps came down the hall and the other three boys all stopped abruptly. Ryan immediately turned Nick around. Chris stared in shock at the body on the ground then at Shawn who was colorfully spattered with blood.

"We should probably get it out of here….."

Shawn just stared at him.

Anthony reached for his hand, "We should probably clean you up…"

Shawn stared at the body on the ground and clenched his eyes shut. He looked ready to scream, but wouldn't and then he started to shake.

"Shawn."

"No…..no….."he opened his eyes, smiling sardonically, starting to laugh, "just…..no…."

Anthony didn't even bother to say anything and dragged Shawn down the hall and into the room and into the nearest bathroom and let the water start to run.

"Shawn, look at me," Anthony pulled his face towards his.

"…" he looked everywhere but at him, looking so very confused.

"Look at me please, Shawn."

"I- I can't keep doing this Anth-thony," he was frantically shaking.

"Doing what Shawn?"

"That's exactly the p-problem, I don-n't know what!" he flung his arms in the air, frustrated.

"It's going to be ok now," said Anthony calmly.

"Y-you don't know that!" Shawn yanked himself away from Anthony.

"I do."

"No you don't!" he pointed accusingly, "You don't know what I've seen. You don't know what I've been through. YOU HAVE NO FUCKIING IDEA ANTHONY!'

Anthony didn't bother to respond, he picked Shawn up and dropped him into the now clear running water.

"Anthony, what the hell!?"

Anthony pushed his head under the running water.

"Will you stop that!" Shawn yanked his hand away.

"Shawn?"

"WHAT!?" he struggled to sit up.

"I love you…"

Shawn stared at him, really looked at him, like he was looking at him for the first time, "That's the first time you've said that out loud."

"I know," said Anthony just staring down at him.

"I love you too, so much it drives me crazy, don't ever hate me ok?" he smiled up at him.

"I promise, no matter what…we should probably get you out of those clothes."

"You should probably make sure the others don't think I'm crazy," he started pulling off his shirt.

"Heck, I think you're crazy," he only meant it jokingly but the look on Shawn's face made him regret saying it.

"Go fuck yourself Tony," he chucked his wet shirt at him, "get the fuck out."

"Shawn, that's not-"someone banging on the door interrupted him.

"Hey you guys, Nick can hear you arguing, tone it down, and nobody thinks you're crazy, just stressed," said Ryan from the door.

"Not your business, Captain One-eye! Now get out!" he chucked his shoes at him.

"Oh my god Shawn's naked!"

"Shut the fucking door!"

"Shawn are we good?"

"Get out…"

It was a strange first night and none of them would forget it. Not the journey, not the events that took place, all the work it took to clear out the entire place to make it livable. All the bodies…. This was home now.

-X-X-X-

When Shawn opened his eyes he came to the daunting realization he was not in The City. What he built, who he tried to protect and keep safe, and it all amounted to this. With much trouble he sat up. His head pounded furiously while his vision became slightly unclear. He closed his eyes and calmly took a few deep breaths. When he opened them again everything was in focus. The person across from him was in focus.

"Nice to see you're finally awake," he sat in a chair, hands folded over his legs.

Shawn glared, "Where the hell are we?"

"Saint Morning Hall of course," he reached over his shoulder and tugged the blinds to the only window up, light poured in the small room.

"God shut the damn thing!"

"The moment they find out you're missing The City will be in chaos. Amazing, huh? What one missing mentally unstable person can do to a place…"

"I knew you weren't as touched in the head as you made yourself out to be."

"Sure fooled everyone else good."

"So what the hell you getting out of ruining hundreds of lives?" Shawn took notice of the shadows under the only door.

"Oh me? Me and Fletcher got a free ride out of here to the only place we'll be able to live happy in," he smiled.

"Did Fletcher know this whole time?"

"Fletcher was never a good liar, plus he has too much of a conscience. He never would have been okay with this."

"Can't imagine why….." muttered Shawn.

Robert stood and headed to the door.

"You better sure as hell hope this was all worth it, because when I get out of here and I find you-"

"Idyll threats my dear King of Rhapsody, you better hope you're still alive after I'm gone," he opened the door and slipped out.

"What the fuck is going on?!"

The lights went out.

-X-X-X-

A/N: So another chapter another day. Now we're getting somewhere lol. Hope you liked this chapter.