Bold italics are from the episode Stormy Weather season 3, episode 16. This story takes place immediately after the episode.

"So what if your mom wanted to date Mr. Turner? It probably never should have affected us. I think we acted immature," Shawn said.

Dana nodded. "People should date whoever they want to date."

"Totally agree. Let's put this in the past and move on."

"My mom does."

"So does, Mr. Turner," he told her. "He's meetin' a date here tonight at Chubbie's. Isn't that great, Dana? Dana?"

"Mr. Turner's hitting on my aunt!"

"We're gonna be cousins!"

It was a terrible thought.

However, that wasn't Shawn's biggest concern. His biggest concern was why Jon was sitting at a table with Dana's aunt.

That wasn't who he was supposed to be out with.

From that point on, Shawn had trouble focusing on his date. Not that it mattered. Dana was so disturbed by the fact that her aunt was apparently dating his guardian that she was no longer interested either.

The teens sat at their table sullenly sipping their sodas when a flash of long fiery hair coming down the stairs caught Shawn's and Dana's attention.

"Oh, hey," she said, perking up a bit. "Miss Andrews is here."

Now that was who Jon was supposed to be with.

He watched curiously as Audrey walked past the couple. She didn't seem to notice them. Jon, on the other hand, noticed her and was doing a terrible job pretending otherwise.

Shawn chewed on his straw, not being subtle in his own staring at his teachers.

"I think I wanna go, Shawn," Dana said distraughtly. She pushed back her chair and started to stand up. "I can't watch this."

"Hang on," he said, grabbing her hand.

Dana looked down at him in frustration, but he didn't see this. His eyes were following Dana's aunt who didn't seem bothered that Jon was clearly focused on someone else. Her eyes kept darting to the staircase that led customers down into the hangout spot. He smirked a little when he realized that something was up.

"Mr. Turner isn't actually with your aunt," he reassured her.

"How can you say that?" she asked, pointing at the couple who were laughing together as she sat back down.

"He's not payin' attention to her."

"Who's he paying attention to then?" she asked skeptically. Huffily, she folded her arms over her waist and glared at the English Lit teacher.

Shawn bit his lower lip as he wondered if it was safe to say anything to her. He wanted to tell her, but they had such different ideas about what dating should be that she might consider a relationship between Jon and Audrey to be morally reprehensible. Worse, she might report them.

He tested the waters by saying, "Someone he can't really hang out with publicly."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Can we please go?"

"Just a minute."

Shawn saw Dana's aunt's eyes lit up on one of her glances at the stairs. A man with sandy blond hair about Jon's age walked down and joined the throng of teens. Shawn sat up straighter as he intently watched the man.

He was a stranger who was clearly looking for someone.

And he found her.

Shawn smirked.

The man approached the table where Dana's aunt sat with Jon. Her aunt's face broke into a large grin when she saw him. She immediately stood up and followed him to another table. Jon, who didn't seem upset that his date wandered off with another man, stayed where he was for several minutes then got up and walked past Shawn's table.

When he saw them, he winked at Shawn and said sarcastically with a hand over his heart, "Date dumped me. Whatever am I gonna do?"

Shawn grinned as Jon went straight to Audrey who was in the booth behind Dana's aunt. The man she was with stood up and went over to Jon while Dana's aunt turned around to chat with Audrey like old friends.

With his mouth hanging open, Shawn watched the weird scene play out then started to quietly laugh.

It had been a setup all the way around. Now he was curious about Dana's aunt and what she was up to.

Dana watched the couples without understanding what was happening. She turned to Shawn in confusion. "What's that all about?"

Turning slightly in his chair, Shawn chewed on his straw, thinking about what to say. So far only Cory and Topanga knew about Jon and Audrey. He did really like Dana and wanted to include her in everything he did, but this was one subject he wasn't sure he should.

Mostly because she did get really freaked out over who Jon dated.

"Shawn?"

"Jon," he said dropping the formalities which he did only because she did, "was never here to meet your aunt. He was here to meet Audrey."

Dana looked over at the teachers. "Miss Andrews?"

"Yeah, but, Dana," he said seriously, taking her hand and dropping his voice low. "You can't say a word about this to anyone."

"Why not?"

Shawn shifted nervously in his seat. "They aren't supposed to be together outside of school."

"Why? Oh-"Her eyes went wide as understanding sunk in. "Because she's his student teacher."

"Right. Feeny would freak."

Dana took her hand away from him. She seemed more upset than before. "So was Mr. Turner ever really into my mom at all?"

Shawn shrugged. At the hurt look on her face, he quickly said, "I'm sure he found her attractive and stuff. It's just that he dates a lot to cover for the fact that Audrey spends so much time with us."

In truth, he wasn't sure what Jon really thought about Dana's mom. He never asked. He just wanted the dating to be over because she was Dana's mom and because she wasn't Audrey.

Dana looked entirely unconvinced by his story. She watched the teachers for a moment then said, "Miss Andrews is sweet."

"Yeah, she is," he agreed, leaning back in the chair, and running a hand through his hair. "So don't worry. Your family is safe from Jon."

She turned quickly back to him with a look of guilt. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Shawn rolled his eyes as he took his straw out of his soda to chew on it. "Sure you didn't."

The first note Audrey found that week was awkwardly stuck in her keyring like it was one of her keys. She smiled as she carefully tried to remove it without tearing it.

It tore anyway.

She gently rubbed the torn corner between her thumb and forefinger trying to smooth the injured paper out.

To.

That's all it said. To.

The paper, other than the torn corner, was smooth and appeared to be a part of a larger piece of paper that had been cut with scissors.

She gave the paper a quizzical smile, tucked it into the interior pocket of her purse, and headed into Jon's classroom.

"Mornin'," Jon greeted her as he sat on the top of his desk. "How're you?"

"Pretty good," she replied, stopping in front of him. "Considering that Shawn called at three in the morning to ask me when his report for you was due and what it was supposed to be about. "

Jon shook his head and sighed. "Sorry about that, Aud. I wouldn't tell him when it was due because he refuses to keep track of his assignments."

"When did he stop using your plan book to figure out assignment due dates and tests and quizzes?"

"When I started hidin' it from him."

She couldn't help but laugh and wonder where he was putting it that Shawn couldn't sniff it out.

"Do you know he actually got upset with me for not havin' the lesson plans for his other classes, too?" Jon said in exasperation. "Said I was makin' more work for him." He rolled his eyes as he stood up and dropped his plan book on the desk.

Audrey laughed again as she walked around his desk to sit in his seat. Jon stood and followed her, keeping his eyes on the open door in case anyone walked in. Lightly he let his fingers brush her hair. She felt his touch and smiled up at him.

A large group of students passed by the door, making Jon jump back from her. T.K. Kiner popped her head in and gave them a wave and a knowing wink. Audrey had taken quite a liking to Harley's little sister, but Jon felt she was far more streetwise than any kid her age should be. She made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"Shawn's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks." Audrey's voice pulled his thoughts away from T.K. and back to her. "Have you thought about what you want to do for him?"

Jon sat back on the edge of the desk with a thoughtful frown on his face. "I've thought about it a lot, but I've come up with nothin'. I have no idea what any kid would wanna do for their fifteenth birthday. I spent mine shootin' pool and eatin' pie from John's Pizza with your dad. Somehow I don't think Shawn's gonna wanna do that."

Audrey wrinkled her nose and pressed her pen against her lips. "I don't know. He might. We could take a weekend trip into the City."

Jon shrugged as he considered this. "He might like that. What do we do there though? I know the pool halls, but I still don't think he's gonna wanna do that."

"Then why don't you let him plan his birthday? Tell him what he can and can't do, let him take it from there."

"Ah, now there's an idea!" His eyes lit up at the suggestion. "That way he'll get somethin' he wants. And I won't have to worry about messin' it up." The thought of not having to stress over Shawn's birthday came as such a relief to Jon that he stood up, leaned over the desk, and took hold of her arm. Without thinking, he said, "I love you, Aud. You're a lifesaver!"

Audrey looked up at him in surprise.

Jon's eyes went wide as he realized with horror what he had said. "Your idea. I love your idea," he said quickly turning away from her in embarrassment. "Your idea is great. Best idea ever."

She gave him a small smile and a funny look but was prevented from saying anything as students began to trickle into the room. Jon had never been happier to see them in his life. He straightened his tie and got away from the desk as fast as he could.

Shawn and Cory were the last two to trudge into the room. Shawn dumped his books in the general direction of his desk and missed it completely. He stepped over the books on the floor to get to Audrey.

"Hey, Mama."

Audrey regarded him through narrowed eyes. While he frequently called her 'mama' outside of school, he only ever called her that in school when he wanted something Jon wouldn't approve of.

"Where'd you leave your homework this time?" she asked him.

Shawn gave her a guilty grin. "Somewhere in my room?"

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a look that said, 'try again.'

"Okay." He huffed his bangs out of his face. "It's on Jon's desk under the answerin' machine and I have like three things left to do. Can I go home and get it?"

Audrey stared at him. "Why do you even ask me stuff like that?"

"Because Jon'll say no."

"And you think I'm going to say?"

"That you love me and want to see me get a good grade," he said seriously.

Audrey smiled at him and lovingly patted his cheek. "I love you and wanna see you get a good grade."

Shawn's face lit up in a grin.

Still smiling at him, Audrey tipped her head to the side and said in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Mr. Turner."

An indignant look overtook the teen's face. "Traitor," he hissed. "Why are you turnin' me in?"

"Because I love you and I want to see you get good grades throughout your academic career." She stood up and walked around the desk. Putting her hand on his shoulder she steered him to his teacher. "Don't try to play me against Jon, kid," she whispered in his ear. "It'll never work."

Shawn glared at her for just a moment, then he rolled his eyes, and shrugged. A small smile kissed his lips. It was annoying that it was almost impossible to manipulate the two adults to his benefit, but in a weird, confusing way it was also kind of nice to know they couldn't be easily swayed.

It was not nice getting lectured by Jon out in the hallway once again, but it didn't last long at least. Then, once homeroom was over, Shawn made sure to tell Audrey goodbye before he left for his next class. He didn't want her to think he was upset with her.

As Audrey helped Jon prepare for their next class, one she would be teaching, she found another note like the one she found in her purse. This one read: the.

The?

It was strange, but with the next class coming in she didn't have time to think about it. She slipped it into her purse and forgot about it.

Shawn stopped by Jon's classroom on his way to his last class of the day to drop off his missing homework he redid during study hall.

"Here," Shawn said handing the paper to him. "Am I still gonna lose points on this?"

"Of course," Jon said glancing at the work. At least this was legible, unlike yesterday's assignment.

"Why? I got it done before the day was over."

"It was due this mornin', not some time before the day ends."

Shawn wrinkled his nose. "Well, if you'd Iet me go home and get my stuff you woulda had it this mornin'."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Then you and the assignment woulda been late."

"There really is no pleasin' you with this school stuff is there? " the teen huffed irritably. " Where's Audrey?"

"Bathroom."

Shawn made a face.

"Listen," Jon said standing up and walking to the front of the desk. " Audrey and I've been talkin'. "

"About something interestin' I hope. You guys have the worst conversations."

"You admit to eavesdroppin', huh?" his teacher countered sarcastically. He then added, "We were talkin' about you."

"So very interestin' then," the teen grinned.

Jon gave him an exasperated look. "You've got to get a handle on keepin' track of your assignments."

"I know. I know." Shawn shifted the bag on his shoulder and the books in his arms. "Not an interestin' conversation, by the way. Way more borin' than usual."

Jon could tell by the look on the teen's face he was ready to walk out of the classroom. Briefly, he wondered what was in the book bag if Shawn was carrying his books. "Birthday," he said pointing a finger at him.

Confused, Shawn turned around, looking for a kid named Birthday.

"Yours, Hunter," he sighed.

"Oh," Shawn said, perking up. "What about it?"

"Aud and I were talkin' about you plannin' what you wanna do."

"Really?" This idea caught his attention. He never thought too much about his birthdays. They usually passed without fanfare from anyone but Cory and Topanga. It was an afterthought to his parents who rarely got the day right if they remembered at all. "Cool."

"Yeah, but," Jon said tapping the corner of The Crucible on his desk, "there are gonna be some rules. Aud's comin' over tonight to discuss it with us. But I thought you'd wanna tell Cory and Topanga on your way out."

"Yeah, definitely," Shawn said with a smile as he turned to leave. "Thanks a lot."

Jon returned the smile then his face turned serious. "Shawn."

The teen looked over his shoulder at his teacher.

"Keepin' track of your assignments is part of the rules for this."

Shawn rolled his eyes. "Of course."

At lunch the next day, Shawn sat with Cory, Topanga, and Dana at a table they'd manage to keep to themselves.

"Alright," Cory said rubbing his hands together gleefully. "This should be a blast. A party chaperoned by the coolest teacher in school and his lovely student teacher."

Topanga gave him a reproachful look. She immediately thought of the chaperone-less parties they attended in the past that centered heavily on make-out games. Considering that she and Cory were not dating anymore, she worried he would see this as an opportunity to engage in things she was no longer comfortable with. "What exactly do you think will happen with Mr. Turner chaperoning that won't happen with someone else?"

Cory gave her a sheepish look. "I'm pretty sure he won't straighten my collar or kiss me in front of everyone. Or ask for just one dance." He shuddered at the thought of the first boy /girl party he had with his parents watching. While his father was happy to stay in the background, his mother was not. "At least, I hope."

Shawn pushed the unidentifiable meat around on his tray. "Jon gave me a set of rules to follow but it's nothing too bad. Just things like no goin' off alone with a girl, invitin' a bunch of random people, no spikin' anythin', nothin' that would draw the cops' attention. Basically, nothin' illegal."

"When do you want to have your party, Shawn?" Dana asked. "Your birthday is in the middle of the week."

"Yeah, I know," Shawn pushed the end of the fork against his lips as he thought. "It'd have to be the weekend."

"Do you wanna have it before or after your actual birthday?" Cory asked.

"Before, definitely. Probably the Saturday before."

Topanga frowned and pulled out her school planner. "Oh," her face fell. "The Saturday before your birthday is Valentine's Day."

"It is?"

She nodded.

"So weekend after then?" Dana suggested.

Still pressing the fork against his lips, Shawn narrowed his eyes as a plan started to take shape in his mind. "Valentine's Day…" A dreamy look came over his eyes. "Would you guys be interested in a Valentine's Day party?"

The three with him enthusiastically agreed. Shawn made a quick note that Topanga's eager agreement meant that she did not have plans for the holiday. He hid a smile behind his hand hopeful that his best friends would be getting back together sooner rather than later.

"Rules or not," Cory said, "Mr. Turner will be way more fun at a Valentine's Day party."

"Yeah," Shawn said sitting back with that dreamy look on his face. "See, I don't want him to be there."

"You don't?" Topanga asked, growing concerned with what Shawn had in mind for his party.

Dana looked equally concerned. "He won't let you have a party without adults there will he?"

"No," Shawn said shaking his head.

"Why don't you want him there?" Cory asked.

"Because I've got big plans for him," Shawn said with a secretive grin.

Cory, Topanga, and Dana exchanged looks.

"Like what?" they asked in unison.

"You guys ask your parents if you can come over to my place tomorrow around lunch. We need to start makin' plans."

Most.

That was the word on the next card Audrey found tucked in her day planner.

It was on the same paper as the other two words, but this blue square was tinged with a little bit of red at the bottom corner.

The most to.

She had to scratch her head at this curious message someone was trying to send her. As she reached for her purse to put it with the others, Shawn bounced through the classroom door ready for his day at John Adams High to end.

"Are you comin' home with us after we go our separate ways to throw off suspicion?" he asked, putting his books down on Jon's desk.

"Nope."

Shawn's face fell. "Why not?"

"You and Jon are going to pick some things up from the store and then," she glanced at the open door behind him then lowered her voice to a whisper, "come over to my place for dinner."

A bright smile spread over his face. "Awesome," he whispered back.

Going over to Audrey's gave him an idea.

"Hey, Aud, if Jon's says it's okay would you mind if Cory, Topanga, Dana, and I came over to your place to plan my party?"

"Oh, party?" She looked pleased. "Is that what you decided on?"

"Yeah," he nodded licking his lips. The real plan he had in mind threatened to slip out so he immediately said, "Your place is bigger that Jon's so we could spread out more and not be in your guys' way."

"It's fine with me, if it's all right with Jon."

"Thanks, Mama."

Audrey arched an eyebrow.

"That's all," he said putting his hands up. "Just thanks. I turned in all my work today."

Audrey laughed and shooed him out of the room. Once he was gone, she stood to gather her belongings and make sure that everything was in order for Monday morning. Jon had gone ahead of her and was waiting for Shawn in the parking lot.

As she turned off the lights, Audrey remembered the hair scrunchie she left in Jon's desk drawer and went back to get it. She picked up the hair tie and heard a soft crinkle of paper under her fingers. She shrugged, put the hair tie in her pocket, and headed for the door. The crinkling sound continued into the hallway, so she stopped and pulled the scrunchie out of her pocket.

It was another blue word.

Beautiful.

Audrey looked at it in confusion for a moment as she thought about when these notes started appearing. It seemed every time Shawn was around another one showed up.

She smiled. That kid never quit trying to come up with ways to make her stay with him and Jon.

If only he realized he didn't have to work so hard.