"All the secrets of the world are contained in books. Read at your own risk."

― Lemony Snicket

Shawn found no rest that night. The text message hounded him into insomnia.

After leaving the Skylight Diner, he and Jon went to Amsterdam's. They shot some pool and played a few rounds of darts. The awkward conversation was forgotten and he discovered that he truly enjoyed spending time with the superintendent. So much so that Shawn could see Jon challenging Cory for the title of best friend although he'd never tell Cory that.

It was only the text message looming over them that marred the evening for Shawn.

He almost told Jon about it right there at the billiards table. He wanted his father to tell him it was a joke; that there was nothing to it. What Shawn feared the most was the possibility that there was something to it. What if it had to do with the past Jon was so desperate to keep from him? The superintendent couldn't handle anything more being thrown at him. Right or wrong, Shawn was determined to uncover the validity of the text on his own. If it was some idiot teenager playing games, he could handle that. If it was more serious, Shawn promised himself he'd go straight to Jon, even if it meant confessing about the hidden app.

1 AM. He opened DeAndre's app and read the text again. It was the not knowing what it meant that drove him to the point of being physically ill with worry.

3 AM. He managed to talk himself down from the mental ledge he'd climbed out onto and ground himself in reality by writing his article on Jon for the week. With his mind on overdrive, he wrote it up within an hour. He hoped that when he went to proof it later it would make sense.

The burner phone laid on the desk. Shawn bounced his knee at rapid pace trying to distract himself from reaching for the text again. He couldn't resist the phone's call.

Dustin Crowley. 1977.

Jon would have been 15 or just about in 1977. Shawn tried to remember everything he knew about Jon's life before he met him, but it wasn't much. Most of what he knew was told to him by Eli. Very little came from Jon himself. Shawn got up from his desk and began to aimlessly wander the house as he tried to recall anything he could about Jon's past.

o0o0o

Shawn was standing in the middle of the apartment when Audrey walked in. He looked like his best friend just walked out on him.

"Shawn?" Audrey said worriedly as she hung up her purse and coat. "Are you okay?"

He stared at her. "You're late."

" I told you would be. I had a paper to finish."

"She came over and you weren't here."

Audrey went over to him and gave him a quizzical look. "Who?"

"Melanie."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I thought Jon was picking her up."

"Are you okay this?" The teen's voice was thick with unspoken accusation.

"With what? Jon going out?"

Shawn folded his arms over his stomach.

Audrey gave him a small smile and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Hun, we've been through this before."

"This is totally different!" he snapped. He couldn't understand why she wasn't upset. "He's never gone out with someone he was gonna marry."

Audrey flinched and her gray eyes flickered between light and dark. She was clearly bothered by the situation. "Shawn, would you like Cory to come over? I don't have anything planned for us to do tonight."

"No," he said, flopping onto the couch as despair overtook him. "Topanga is over at his place. I just wanna watch TV."

"Bring me you're homework first."

While Audrey checked his homework, Shawn stared at the television screen without seeing anything. He was lost in the labyrinth of his emotions. His guilt over pushing Jon into going out with an ex-fiancée and his intense fear of losing the family that was so close to being his forever waged war within him.

Why had he been so careless with his words? He didn't mean any of them. He was only giving Jon a hard time. If he'd had any idea who the answering-machine girl was he'd have kept his big mouth shut. He always had to sabotage anything good that happened to him.

Then there was Audrey. Shawn cast a forlorn look at the student teacher who was busy with his schoolwork. There was no way would he trade her and what they had for any amount of money. A panic arose within him. Melanie looked so pleased with Jon and Jon with her when they left. What if Jon took him seriously about moving in with Melanie? What if Jon decided that Melanie was the one who got away and not the other way around like Eli said? Audrey would leave because of something he'd done. His actions would drive her away just like he drove his mother away. He sank his upper teeth into his bottom lip in attempt to hold back the cry that wanted to escape. Mentally, he cursed himself over and over for being so stupid and worthless.

Audrey finished looking over Shawn's home work. When she turned to call him to correct some hastily done work sheets, she was horrified by what she saw.

"Shawn what are you doing!?"

"Huh?" He stared at her not understanding her concern.

Audrey rushed to his side and grabbed his hand. "You're bleeding!"

Shawn looked down at his hands and saw his thumbs were red and raw where he had been unconsciously picking the skin away from the nails.

"Come here." Audrey took him to the sink in the kitchen and began to wash his hands under the cool water. She took the first aid kit from its spot by the refrigerator and retrieved the band aids from it. Tenderly, she bandaged his damaged digits. As she did, she noticed the rest of his fingers. The nails were chewed down to the quick and the skin around them were in various stages between freshly torn and months old scars. Gently, she wrapped her fingers around his and looked up at him. Her eyes were brimming with concern.

"What's bothering you, Shawn?"

He stared at her and blinked as he tried not break. She had no idea how he'd betrayed her.

"Shawn?"

He meant to tell her that he was just nervous about the situation he and Cory had gotten themselves into with Frankie Stecchino, but what came out was beyond his control.

"I'm sorry, Audrey. I had no idea he'd actually go out with her. I was just wanted to know who she was. Jon never tells me anything and I just wanted to know."

Audrey's brow pinched together in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I'm the one who got Jon to return her call," he confessed. His voice grew shaky as fear of her reaction took hold. "I convinced him to see her. I thought she was a rich snob and that it'd be fun to watch her go head to head with Jon. I didn't know she'd be so much like him. Please don't leave. I didn't mean it when I said I wanted to go with her because of the money. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it. Please don't go." Shawn was numb. He was so numb that he didn't feel the tear that escaped down his cheek.

"Oh. Shawn." Audrey took his face between her hands and gently wiped away the tear with her thumb. "I think it's for the best that Melanie came to town when she did."

Shawn looked appalled. "How can you say that?"

"So Jon won't wonder what if," she said with a heavy sigh.

Surely she had not thought this through. Or she had and this was her excuse to get away from him. "But what if he decides he wants to be with her?"

"Then that's what he decides." Confidence faded from her and suddenly she didn't look much older than him. "I can't force him to be with me."

She's already givin' up and she's really gonna leave, he convinced himself. Throwing up his hands in despair he cried, "What happens to us if he does?"

"We go on," she shrugged. "I'll always be here for you. You know Jon will be, too."

Shawn ran his hands into his hair and gripped a fistful of locks tightly in each fist. "I don't want it to be like that! I want what Jon promised! That we'd be together for good!"

"I want that, too." Audrey's voice was beginning to crack. She had put as much thought into the situation as Shawn had. "We just have to have faith that things will work out the way they're suppose to."

Audrey put the first aid kit away and led Shawn to the kitchen table to correct his schoolwork. As he worked, he hoped Audrey had enough faith to cover them both because he had none to contribute.

Jon came back much later than expected. Shawn, who was leaning against Audrey's shoulder and clutching her hand as they sat on the couch, gave him a nervous glance. Jon didn't say anything and neither did anyone else. Eventually, the teacher walked behind the couch and tapped Shawn on the shoulder.

"Hey, bud, school tomorrow." Jon's voice was uncharacteristically somber. "Get to bed."

Shawn looked to Audrey. She kissed his cheek and told him that she loved him. He hugged her hard. As he walked past Jon, it occurred to him that this could be the last time they were together. A sudden feeling of desperation came over the teen when he heard Audrey take the keys out of her purse as she prepared to leave. A sob welled up, lodged itself in his chest, and solidified there.

"Aud." Jon caught her hand as she got up from the couch. "Can you stay? I need you."

Shawn was so relieved to hear this that without thinking he threw his arms around his teacher. Jon was taken aback and it took a moment for him to respond. Uncertainly, he put his arms around the boy's shoulders. Shawn gave him a small, grateful smile then left without a word.

Audrey sat back down in her usual spot. Jon joined her. He looked back in the direction of Shawn's room.

"What was that about?"

Audrey studied his body language and saw how tense he was. "Do you want to talk about tonight?"

Jon looked away quickly and rubbed his lips with side of his finger. "Not right now."

"Then I'll tell you about Shawn when you are."

He glanced at her and nodded. They sat together in silence for what seemed like hours to Audrey before Jon put his arm around her and pulled her close. She gave a small sigh of relief. He never spoke to her, however. He just kissed her hair and held onto her.

The first and only time Shawn heard about what happened at dinner with Melanie was the next day when Jon came back from doing some work on his truck. Eli was with him and he was telling the media arts teacher about the dinner. Shawn flippantly asked if they were moving to Connecticut to hide his fear for his future. To his great relief, Jon said they weren't going anywhere.

Audrey was due over later as well so Shawn took this to mean that everything was okay with their family and Melanie was firmly in the past where she belonged. With this worry gone, Shawn was able to focus on Jon's words about first impressions. This led to a new guilt: the way he and Cory had been treating Frankie Stecchino.

Shawn was about to head to his room to call Cory and inform him that they owed Frankie an apology when a knock came at the door. He stayed out of curiosity because unless Audrey lost her key, it wasn't her. Jon got to the door first and who Shawn saw walk in made his heart drop.

It was Melanie.

Eli jumped up to greet with her with a hug and a kiss. Shawn glared daggers at him for this betrayal. Jon didn't say anything at first. He just looked deeply concerned.

"Hey, Jonny." Melanie's grin was wide as she greeted him with a kiss that was not returned.

"Hey," the teacher returned without emotion. "What're you doing here?"

"Well," she said, a little disappointed by his lack of reaction. "I wanted to tell you in person that I've decided to stay."

"Stay?" Jon glanced at Shawn who looked upset.

"Isn't that great?" She held her hands out to both of them.

"Yeah." Eli agreed wholeheartedly. He was the only one who seemed happy to see her. "I think it's great, Mel."

"Yeah, great." Jon said flatly.

"How. Long?" Shawn asked through clenched teeth. As far as he was concerned she had already overstayed her welcome.

Melanie didn't catch his tone. Grinning, she walked and reached out to him. "I'm not sure, but long enough to really get to know Jon again and you, Shawn. I really want us to be friends." She looked over shoulder at Jon. "Real friends this time, Jonny."

Shawn took three exaggerated steps away from her. He folded his arms over his chest and said nothing.

Melanie turned back to him in time to see this. She was confused by his response. "Shawn? What's wrong? You seemed so happy to see me last time."

Shawn knew that anything he said would land him in big trouble with Jon so he played sullen teenager.

"Look, Mel," Jon put one hand on the doorknob and the other on his waist. "It's great you're stayin' but I didn't know. Shawn and I have plans."

"Oh, okay, sure," she said, clapping her hands in front of her. "I'll see you later tonight? Dinner?" She walked over to Jon and leaned close. "On me?"

"Not tonight."

"Tomorrow?"

"Call first." He held the door open, clearly indicating that he wanted her to leave.

"Right." Disappointed, Melanie let her hands fall to her side and she walked dejectedly to the door. She didn't understand "her" boys reaction to her announcement; last night had gone so well and she thought they'd both be happy about her staying.

"Jon, what was that about?" Eli asked as soon as the woman was gone. "You've got a second chance with Mel and you were kinda rude to her. "

"Audrey's comin' over." Jon was still holding the door open.

"So?"

"So you gotta go, too."

"Okay, fine," Eli sniffed at his friend's strange attitude.

After Eli left, Jon turned to Shawn with a scowl and said, "You were kinda rude."

"So were you," teen shot back. He jumped over the back of the sofa and bounced on the cushions.

Jon sank into the other end of the couch. "I was worried Audrey would walk in and I'd have to explain why she was here to Mel and why Mel was here to her."

"I didn't want Melanie to stay. "

Jon twisted around so he could be see the boy. "About that: you were ready to leave with her last night."

Shawn stared at him, incredibly hurt. "I was messin with you! I thought you knew me well enough to know when I'm serious and when I'm not." Suddenly, he felt furious that not only did Jon not know him that well but that Shawn didn't know him very well either. His teacher had after all withheld his own history from him.

"You were pretty convincin' last night."

Shawn glared him. "I am not givin' up Audrey for her."

"Who asked you to?" Jon snapped back. He slammed his heels against the coffee table hard enough to make the furniture move.

Shawn was about to give a rude response when the student teacher walked in. He jumped up and onto Audrey while maintaining his glare at Jon.

It only took her a moment to assess the situation. "You two've been arguing again, huh?"

Shawn made a face at Jon and held onto her.

Jon leaned his cheek against his fist. "He's mad at me because I didn't throw Mel out."

"Mel?" Audrey frowned slightly. "I thought she left this morning for Connecticut?"

Jon shook his head and stood up. To Shawn he said, "Could you go to your room and let me talk to Audrey, please."

"Fine."

Shawn, of course, didn't go into his room and shut the door like Jon wanted him to. He went to his room, stepped in, stepped out, and closed the door loud enough to be heard. Then he took up his position at the beginning of the hallway to listen.

After Shawn left, Jon sat on the back of the couch and held his hand out to Audrey. She took it and he pulled her over to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his head against her collarbone. They stayed like that for a long while before Audrey asked,

"What's wrong?"

Jon sighed into the fabric of her sweater. "Mel's plannin on stayin. She says she wants to get to know Shawn and me. She wants to be friends. For real."

Audrey held in her breath. She didn't like where this was going. "How long?"

"She didn't say."

Jon turned his head so that his nose was tucked under her chin. She ran her fingers through his hair as she tried to control the fear that coursed through her at the implication of what Melanie staying meant. Fighting back tears, she said very quietly, "Do you want to start seeing her again?"

Jon frowned, wondering where she came up with that. He pulled back enough so that he could see her eyes. "No," he said adamantly. "That is not what I want."

Audrey pursed her lips into a tight line. "Are you sure?" This was not a question she really wanted an answer to; she was afraid of the answer. Hesitantly, she reminded him, "She was your first girlfriend. There's a lot of history there; a lot of firsts."

Jon laid his head back down and grabbed a hold of her hair. Letting the strands run through his fingers, he admitted, "She isn't anything like I thought she'd be and that does make me want to get to know her better. But I don't wanna get back together with her."

She rested her cheek against the top of his head. "How do you know unless you get to know her?"

"Because I know!' He said harshly enough to make her jump. He sighed and said more gently. "I just know."

Audrey should have asked him how he knew but she didn't.

"She's persistent," he went on, "just like she was then. She won't let this go until she gets her way. I don't think it will take long for her to leave, though. She may not be takin' Daddy's money anymore but she's still Daddy's girl. I'm not willing to go back to that world even a little, but she still has one foot in the door. If she can't get me to budge on that, she'll leave."

"What you want me to do?"

Jon straightened up and ran his thumb over her cheek. He saw the fearful look in her eyes and he regretted even more what he was about to ask of her. "Stay away from here until she leaves. I have no idea if I can trust her with you or not. I won't take the chance that I can't."

"Okay."

She was growing quieter and that was a bad sign. "I don't like this, Audrey," he insisted, "but I feel like I have to entertain her. If I don't do this, then she may end of goin' back home and complain' about me. I don't want anyone from there to come down here. There's a reason I don't have much contact with them." Jon put his hands on either side of her face and said seriously, "Maybe I'm wrong about her. Maybe she's changed. But I can't risk us."

"Okay."

"Hey!" The word was encased in frustration, but the frustration was directed at himself. "I do not wanna get back together with her."

"I believe you."

"Do you?" Her eyes told him everything she wouldn't and she did not believe him.

Why should she? He thought bitterly. All I do is hide her away while I go out with other women. I wouldn't believe me either.

Audrey tried to maintain eye contact with him, to be stoic and unemotional. But it was too much for her and she looked away. That was when he kissed her; a deep kiss unlike one she'd never experienced before.

Unfortunately, Shawn did not see this. By the time Jon took the initiative to let Audrey know how he really felt about her, the teen had gone back to his room. They had been talking so quietly that he couldn't hear anything anyway.

Shawn lay on his bed frustrated, scared, and hurting.

Melanie spent every minute of the next five days that they weren't in school with them and that meant Audrey stayed away. Half way through the week, Jon signed Shawn out of school an hour early. Audrey had a meeting with her supervisor and was not in school for the afternoon. She picked Shawn up and they spent the rest of the afternoon and evening together. Jon, of course, could not participate.

The longer Audrey stayed away, the more resentful Shawn became of Melanie.

Melanie tried incredibly hard to win Shawn over from buying him his favorites CDs to attempting to cook meals for him after Eli told her Shawn like his mom's cooking. But Melanie was not a cook nor a baker. She tried because she thought it was important to Shawn, but her attempts just hardened him against her. The half cooked, crunchy lasagna that kept him up all night with a stomachache didn't help her case either. Still, she kept trying to be the happy homemaker.

Jon wasn't much help to him. The English lit teacher drifted in and out of being interested in Melanie to not caring much about anything. His attitude combined with Shawn's made for some spectacular arguments over nothing. At one point, the two were arguing over placement of the forks in the cutlery drawer as they were putting away the dishes. Another time they fought over the angle of the TV antennae with both insisting that a minute move to the left or right made a difference in picture quality when it had no effect on anything.

School wasn't much better even with Audrey there. Shawn held a grudge against his media arts teacher for encouraging Melanie's interest in Jon and became mouthy and uncontrollable in Eli's class. While the class found his running commentary on the media projects funny, Eli did not. Shawn found himself in Mr. Feeny's office, not once, but three times that week. And that made Jon's mood worse.

Then everything came to a head the night Melanie dared to overstep her bounds. It was the fifth night she stayed over, sleeping on the couch. Shawn hated her audacity; Jon did not invite her to stay, she just assumed she was welcomed. She settled herself in their home while they were at school. Jon felt that he couldn't kick her out for reasons Shawn didn't understand.

That fifth day she planned a trip to the zoo for the three of them. Shawn flatly told her the zoo for little kids and stupid even though they'd gone with Audrey two weeks earlier without protest. He hated every moment Melanie tried to play family. Dinner that night was take out that she insisted be put on proper dishes. It was after dinner that Melanie issued the command that brought out the worst in him.

"Jon and I are going out tonight, Shawn," she told him, as she cleared the table of her plate and Jon's.

Shawn scowled at Jon who was staring at Melanie in surprise.

"We are?"

She smiled and reached across the table to take his hand. "I have something special planned for us, Jonny."

Jon balked. This didn't sound like a friend-type of outing to him. "I don't have anyone to stay with Shawn."

Melanie gave him a funny look. "He's 15. He'll be fine. You were practically living on your own at that age. Don't you remember what you were doing?"

Jon nearly choked on his cola. What he'd was doing was the last thing he wanted Shawn to do. Ever.

"Besides," she went on. "He'll be too busy to get into trouble."

Shawn glared at her suspiciously. He hated that she was sitting in Audrey's seat and he hated that tone of authority in her voice that was now directed at him. Ignoring her, he told Jon, "I'll go to Cory's.

"No, Shawn," Melanie said, pulling herself up to her full height. She leaned over the table towards him. "You will stay here and do the dishes. You've been really slacking on your chores around here and that will change tonight. I want everything, including your room, to be picked and spotless when we get back. You can do your laundry tomorrow."

Shawn's jaw dropped. He was too stunned to react right away. Who does she think she is? He raged internally. Audrey?

Jon began to protest when he saw the look on the teen's face. "Melanie, that's not your deci-"

Melanie put her hand up to silence him. He didn't bother to hide how much this offended him.

"Jon, I understand why you've let this go," she said sympathetically. "You have a lot to do at school and you have the extra burden of a student teacher. You don't have to do everything on your own. I'll take care of this for you."

To say that Audrey was a burden was the final straw. Shawn clenched and unclenched his fists then snapped, "I'm not gonna to do anything you say, witch."

Foul language was a no both at school and at home and was something that Shawn had accepted for the most part. There were, however, times when the powers over him were present and he would skirt the language prohibitions by swapping out profanity for milder versions. Witch was one.

Witch was not what he said.

Melanie was shocked and hurt. She looked to Jon to step in. Jon didn't look particularly upset. He did, however, walk over to Shawn and get within an inch of his nose. In a low voice he hissed, "Say it again and I'll call Mom and you can repeat to her what you said to Melanie."

Shawn paled. Mom was code for Audrey.

Jon sent him to his room and made the excuse that he couldn't go anywhere with Shawn in such a rotten mood. He mumbled something about running away and cops and Melanie accepted this. She also stayed in that night.

The threat to tell Audrey was all the punishment Shawn got for his words. On Saturday, Jon took him to Chubbie's without Melanie tagging along. Audrey would be joining them later since it wasn't unusual for students and younger faculty members to both be at the burger place on the weekends.

"How much longer is this gonna go on?" Shawn asked, kicking the table leg enough to make the table shake.

Jon stirred his milkshake but didn't drink it. "Not much longer. I think Mel's about had it with us."

"You mean with me."

"Us." Jon caught him by the ankle when his foot slipped and kicked him.

Shawn winced under his grip and Jon released him. Tucking his feet back out of the way, he asked, "How do you know?"

Jon went back to playing with the milkshake. "Because as much as Mel's changed she's also the same. She'll try once more to win you over then she'll be gone."

"Doesn't she get that I'm not interested?" he grumbled. He picked up the the ketchup bottle and gave the bottom of the glass a violent slap over his fries. " How much clearer can I be?"

Jon chuckled. "You've been pretty vocal, that's for sure."

Shawn continued to throttle the condiment bottle. The ketchup didn't care and wasn't about to be rushed. "Why does she care so much whether I like her or not? I'm not the one she wants."

Jon shrugged but didn't disagree.

"Why her?" he asked. He gave the sauce one last chance before slamming the bottle back onto the table.

Jon caught the ketchup before it spun off of the table. "What do you mean?"

"Why'd you pick her and not some other rich girl?"

Jon shrugged again. "Our families were really close and we'd grown up together. I dunno. I didn't put much thought into things like that back then."

"What did you put thought into?"

Jon frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "Lots of stuff I shouldn't have."

"Like?"

Jon never really gave him an answer. He talked about his parents and how much he didn't want to join the family business. Shawn stared at him with annoyance. "You didn't answer my question."

"Didn't I?" Jon wadded up a napkin and spun the paper ball between his hands. "Nothing worth tellin'. I wasn't very likable then."

"Melanie liked you."

"Melanie liked who she thought I was. She didn't even really know me."

That certainly sounded familiar. "I don't understand why you won't talk to me." Shawn scowled. He glared murderously at the defiant ketchup bottle as he reached for it again. "I had to find out from Eli anything about you. And if she hadn't kept callin' I never would have known anything."

Jon squinted at him and moved the ketchup bottle out of the teen's reach before he could break it. "Shawn, Eli first told you about my family two months ago and apparently you both forgot that. Then I told you about Christmas with my folks. I even mentioned Melanie to you first. You just didn't ask any questions. I figured you weren't interested."

"Well," Shawn sniffed resentfully. "I was very busy then. How do you expect me remember stuff like that with everything that was goin' on?"

"Stupid me." Jon shook his head and tossed the napkin ball at him.

Shawn didn't respond to the incoming projectile because he saw Audrey coming down the stairs to them. Once she was seated in the booth next to Jon, a little ray of light broke through the darkness that liked to follow Shawn everywhere he went. Suddenly, the ketchup bottle was no longer his mortal enemy.

Originally, Melanie planned on staying a month or more but nothing had gone as planned. By the end of her first week in Philadelphia she was ready to call it quits. Dealing with a troubled teenager was harder than she dreamed. She had no idea what to do as Shawn resisted any attempt that she made to be friends. She couldn't understand him. She couldn't handle him. But she also couldn't leave without trying once more to find some sort of common ground with him.

Her opportunity to spend time with Shawn alone came on Monday night when Jon announced that he would be staying after school the next day to run the National Honor Society club and a few other extracurriculars as part of the experience his student teacher needed for her resume.

"I'll stay with Shawn for you," she informed Jon. She didn't expect this to be a problem.

Irate, Shawn jumped up ready to go to war. Jon gripped his shoulder and push him back down on the couch. He wasn't in the mood for a fight.

"Well," he shot Shawn a warning look, "that won't be necessary, Mel. I was plannin' on sendin' him home with Cory."

Melanie crossed her arms over her waist. "I'd like him to stay with me."

Jon shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Melanie refused to be told no. "We need to get to know each other," she insisted.

Shawn glared up at them. "Do I get a say in this or are you two just gonna plan out my future. 'Cause if you are, I'm outta here."

Jon glared at him, then picked up his book bag and tossed it to him. "C'mon. We're gonna be late for school."

"It's settled then," Melanie said. "Come straight here after school. Don't be late, Shawn."

Shawn pushed past Jon and angrily stomped out of the apartment.

Later at school, Jon grabbed him by the shirt tail and pulled him into a vacant part of the hallway. "Suck it up for one night, okay?"

"I don't want to," Shawn snapped, pulling away from him. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm 15."

"You stay with Audrey all the time," he snapped in exasperation. "You tell me you can't be left alone and I have to get someone to watch you."

"That's because it's Audrey!" Shawn couldn't believe the man was so dense. "I'm not stayin' with her."

Jon narrowed his eyes and put a hand on his waist. He put the other hand against the wall. "You want her alone in the apartment by herself. She's likely to rearrange everythin' to her taste while we're gone. You want her in your room?"

Shawn was taken aback. "She can't do that."

"She's been hintin' at movin' things around since she got here."

"That's your fault," the teen retorted, shoving a finger at his teacher. "You shoulda kicked her out."

"You know I'm getting' real sick of your attitude," he hissed. Jon closed his eyes and took a deep. Once he was calmer he said, "I'm tellin' you she won't be here much longer."

"A few more days and she can claim squatter's rights!"

Jon almost asked him why he knew about squatter's rights, then decided that he didn't want to know. "Yeah, well, if she doesn't decided to go on her own, I'm gonna tell her to go."

Shawn turned his head and the English Lit teacher saw how upset he really was and he felt bad for the kid. Gently, he took hold of Shawn's shoulder and turned him to look him in the eyes. He dropped his voice so that only Shawn could hear, "I miss Audrey, too."

Shawn wasn't convinced. He made a face and rolled his eyes. The bell for the next class rang right on time. Jon was done dealing with the attitude.

"Besides," he muttered as he pushed past the teen. "One night alone with you will have her packin' her bags before I get back."

Shawn turned to watch his teacher leave. A sly, smirk slowly spread over his face. Jon had just given him a beautiful idea.

The English Lit teacher wasn't gone an hour when Melanie found herself in over her head with Shawn. She could do nothing to make him happy nor could she get him to participate in any of the activities she had planned. All she heard was sullen grunts or "that's not how my mom does it". When she tried to talk to him about his mom and he would snap "wouldn't you like to know" then ignore her until the next time she tried get him to do something.

Finally, she sat down on the couch next him, unable to hold her frustration in anymore. "What will it take to make you happy, Shawn? I'm running myself into the ground trying to figure you out."

Shawn glanced her, then turned his attention back to the TV. "You really wanna know?"

"Yes." Melanie leaned over closer to him in hopes that they would finally be able to get somewhere.

"Be honest about why you're doin' all this."

Melanie opened her mouth to reply then closed it. She looked baffled. After a moment she said, "What are you talking about?"

On the surface, Melanie wasn't nearly as bad as Miss Tompkins. She was pretty much the opposite, save for one thing. He gave her the opportunity to confess; to prove she was better than the social studies teacher. "I'm talkin' about the real reason you're tryin so hard to get me to like you."

Melanie put her hand over her heart. "I care about you, Shawn."

So she is a liar, too, just like Miss Tompkins. Shawn rolled his eyes. "You don't wanna be honest. Fine. Leave me alone."

Melanie was silent for a while then quietly said, "I hope to be a part of your life, Shawn. We've got to make peace."

Shawn turned to face her with a skeptical look. "You want me to like you because you think if you win me over, you'll win Jon over. That it?"

She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. Shawn knew he read her correctly.

Melanie stared at her hands and said, "You need a mother, Shawn."

"Got one, thanks."

"You need one that's here for you, Shawn. Not one's that running around all over the country."

A deep hurt melded with anger burned within him at the mention of Virna. "I have a mother who's here for me," he retorted with a vicious edge to his voice. "You aren't needed or wanted."

"Shawn," she reached out to him to brush his hair out of his face. He jumped back as though she'd slapped him.

"Don't touch me!" He perched on the arm of the couch, ready to run. "You wanna be my mom but you can't even be honest about why. I've got no reason to trust you. No reason to believe that you won't ship me off to boarding school and outta your life once you get what you want."

Melanie flinched and looked embarrassed. Shawn glared at her. He was right about her wanting to send him elsewhere, too. She was as bad as Miss Tompkins.

"Okay," she said, defeated. She tapped her fingers together as she leaned forward again. "You want me to be honest. Fine. Yes, I hope that if you and I can get along, then Jon will want to try our relationship again. I know that if we can't be friends then he won't consider it."

"Well," Shawn said bluntly. "I'm tired of people like you either tryin' to push me outta Jon's life or fake likin' me to get to him. So let's quite playin' games."

"All right." Melanie held her hands out to signal her surrender.

"You want Jon?" Shawn pulled his feet up onto the arm of the couch so he was squatting on the arm.

"Yes," she said softly.

"You wanna impress him?"

She nodded.

Shawn should have felt bad for what he was about to do, but there was no remorse in him. He hated being lied to and he hated being used. He waited until she looked at him, then he gave her a haughty smirk. "He'll be real impressed with someone who can't tabs on one kid for one night."

Melanie's eyes went wide when she realized what he was saying. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Shawn jumped off the couch. His feet hit the the floor with a thunderous thud.

"What are you going to do?"

"Haven't decided," he told her casually as he put his leather jacket on. "Of course, the last time I went out like this, I found some spray paint and got brought home by the cops. Huh." He paused in thought then shrugged. "We'll have to see what happens tonight, I guess."

With that Shawn was out of the apartment before Melanie could get off of the couch.

Shawn had no plans to take off into the night. Instead, he headed to the roof and found a spot where he could clearly see the street and Melanie's BMW below. He squatted down so he couldn't been seen by anyone who might happen to look up. With great delight, he watched her run into the street, frantically calling his name and searching in and behind the dumpsters and trash in the streets. He laughed in response to her panicked calls. Finally, she got into her car to go to look for him. When she was gone, Shawn headed back to the apartment and settled down to wait for Jon to come home.

Two hours later, his teacher came back incredibly aggravated. He was both relieved and furious to see Shawn sitting on the couch as though nothing was wrong. Thankfully, Audrey came with him and stood in as a mediator between them. She let Jon cool down before dealing with Shawn who had little remorse for the trouble he caused. It was a means to an end as he saw it. He was only sorry that Audrey was annoyed with him too.

Apparently, after over an hour of trying to locate him, Melanie called Jon in tears and told him what happened. Shawn let Jon chew him out; he knew that was coming. Although, once his teacher heard his side of the story, he cooled off some and informed Shawn that he was grounded for the weekend for pulling such a dirty trick. For Audrey, Shawn was appropriately contrite and accepted his punishment without protest.

Neither of the trio, saw Melanie follow them in. As he apologized to Jon and Audrey, he saw out of the corner of his eye, the other woman quietly watching them. Shawn knew better than to say anything to make the situation worse for himself so he simply wrapped his arms around Audrey and held on as he locked gazes with Melanie.

As Melanie observed them, she realized who the mom was that Shawn talked about. She wondered if this was also who Jon almost referred to several times before catching himself and changing the subject.

"Jon?" she asked when they stopped talking to Shawn. She gestured to the young woman. "Who's this?"

Jon looked at Audrey and pressed his lips into a thin line, unsure of how to respond. Audrey, expecting to be introduced as his student teacher stared at the floor and said nothing. Shawn started counting backwards from ten. At one, he was going to answer the question if Jon didn't.

"This is Audrey," the teacher said slowly. He looked down at Audrey and put his arm around her waist.

Shawn let go of her so Jon could step in between them.

Jon pulled her close to him. Surprising them all, he said, "She's my girlfriend."

Melanie's mouth fell open. After several moments of silence, she squeaked out, "I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

"You didn't ask."

"You never mentioned her."

"It's complicated, Mel," he acknowledged. He slipped a finger through the belt loop on the waistband of Audrey's jeans. "I'm not gonna go into. But Audrey is my girlfriend."

Melanie was silent. Then she threw up her hands. "Well, this has been a waste of time, hasn't it?" Embarrassed, she turned away from them so they wouldn't see the tears that were building up.

Without letting go of Audrey, Jon took a step forward. "You said you wanted to be friends. I took you at your word."

She nodded. She got herself together and turned to look at Shawn. "I guess you weren't the only one I wasn't being honest with, Shawn."

Shawn stood with his hands in his pockets and for once didn't say anything.

Melanie grabbed her purse from the couch. As she reached the door she turned back and tried once more. "Jonny, are you sure you don't want to give us one more try? We were so good together once."

Jon shook his head, put his free arm across Shawn's shoulders, and pulled him closer to them. "If we're being honest, no, we weren't. I do like who you've become. You're a great person." He watched her brush away the tears that were falling. In a strange way, it saddened him to see her like this. He almost preferred the haughty, socialite attitude she once embodied. Wanting to make sure she understood that there was not even the slight chance of him changing his mind, he said, "I love Audrey, Mel. She's the one."

Melanie's brow crumpled; even though they were once engaged, those were the words she could never get him to say to her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and wished them all well before she left.

Shawn stared at Jon. Waves of tremendous relief washed over him. To hear him say out loud that he loved Audrey was the reassurance that Shawn desperately needed. They were safe and so was he. So was their family. At the same time, great annoyance swept over him. After all that they'd gone through together, this was the way Jon chose to tell them?! Shawn didn't bother to hide his indignation.

Audrey, however, didn't care. She wrapped her arms around the man's waist and looked up at him with wonder. She wasn't sure heard him correctly, though. Did he really call her his girlfriend and say that he loved her?

Jon, suddenly aware that Melanie wasn't the only one who heard his confession, felt embarrassed by the attention that he was now the center of. His heart rate increased dramatically as he realized exactly what he'd said out loud. He glanced at Shawn, then focused on Audrey. With a deep exhale, he said, "I do, you know."

"I do? You know?" Exasperated, Shawn threw up his hands. "Is that the best you've got?"

Jon was nervous enough without Shawn's critique. He gave the teen a withering look for interrupting his moment and Audrey motioned for Shawn to hush.

The English Lit teacher started over; his voice shook even more. "I do." Jon frowned. He didn't understand why it was so hard to say what he felt. He took a deep breath and stopped thinking. "I do love you, Aud."

Audrey's eyes lit up in delight. A thousand emotions flooded through her and she could barely contain herself. Softly she answered, "I love you, too."

"It's about time," Shawn mumbled under his breath. He had trouble containing his happiness. They were so close now to becoming a real family. They just had to make it to the end of May. That was only a month and a half away.

Jon smiled and pulled Audrey into a deep kiss. Shawn grinned so wide his cheeks began to ache. He counted to ten then threw his arms around them both, nearly toppling all three of them to the floor.

0o0o

That was it. Shawn never really found out anything about Jon's past, not even when that past came to visit for a week. He grunted in frustration. If Jon wouldn't tell him, then who would? He had a feeling that Audrey wouldn't be the one. His eyes drifted to his laptop screen. He wondered how much of his mentor's past was out there in the digital world. Clicking on the browser icon, Shawn settled in to do some research.

Two hours later the only mention of the name Crowley associated with New York City in 1977 was an article announcing that the son of Crowley Enterprises had won a scholarship to Harvard. No first name of the son was given. His search on Jon returned results only as far back as 2000 and did not tell him anything he didn't already know.

After few minutes of staring at the screen, Shawn texted the one person he knew who was excellent at research.

After breakfast, Shawn met up with Topanga at the New York Public Library in the Micro-form Reading room. Cory already had plans with Riley and Auggie and was unable to meet with them.

Topanga greeted him with a hug and a concerned look. "Have you gotten any more texts?"

Shawn shook his head. "Not yet."

Topanga sighed as she took a seat in front of one of the computers in the room. "I hate to admit it but it's a good thing you've got that app."

Shawn ran a hand through his hair before he sat down next to her. "I almost wish I didn't," he said with a sigh. "I haven't been able to sleep since the text came in."

Topanga gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze. "Can I see it?"

Shawn handed her the phone it was housed on and began to pick at the skin around his thumbnail as she read it.

"This could be a prank, you know," she said with a shake of her head. "Some dumb kid whose mad at Jon over something or just bored and looking for trouble."

"I thought about that. I wish that's all it was. But I don't think it is."

"Why not?"

Shawn took a deep breath and told her about the conversation that he tried to have with their former teacher. Topanga looked deeply troubled.

"Do you know anything about Dad when he was a kid?" He frowned and push his chair back from the PC table. "You and Cory know so much about him that I don't."

Topanga heard the slightly bitter edge in his voice. "No, I don't. And I don't think Cory does either." She paused, then said, "I've only heard Jon mention his parents in passing. We've met them once. They aren't easy people to talk to so I've never been to ask them about anything really."

Shawn tapped the corner of his phone on the table. "I have a bad feeling that this text is linked to that time in his life. He would have been about 15 in 1977; the exact time he doesn't want to talk about."

"Well," she said, looking around the micro-form room. "We're in the best place for answers. Let's see what we can find."

The problem with being in the best place for answers meant that there was an overwhelming amount of resources to scour through. Topanga sat at the computer putting Jon's name and Dustin Crowley's through the system. Shawn scanned the local papers from Greenwich Village in spring of '77. Time passed quickly. Before long it was after two and Topanga had to leave for her exercise class at the TMPL Fitness Club. Neither had found anything. Discouraged and frustrated, Shawn stood up and shoved his chair hard enough that it slammed the table Topanga was at and earned him sharp reprimands from those nearby.

"Well," Topanga sighed, "We may not have found anything today, but I'll use my access to the Research Library as much as I can. Why don't you search the internet archives by newspapers. I think most have gone digital with their old stuff."

Shawn nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets.

Just as she was about to stand up, Topanga sat back down. "Oh, hey, look at this."

"What?" Shawn leaned over her shoulder and squinted at the screen.

"Here's a Dustin Crowley."

"When is this from?"

"March 15, 1977. The Village Voice. Oh," she said in disappointment. "The article is missing. There's only a poorly scanned photo and a caption."

"What's the caption say?"

"Local teens arrested on alleged drug running charges. Four of the seven have been released into the custody of their parents. From left to right: Dustin Crowley, 19; Ansel Andersson, 18; Michael Fry, 16; Jay Andrews, 15..."

"Andrews?"

Topanga looked up at him. "Does that tell you something?"

Shawn shook his head. "Not really. It's just that Andrews is Mom's maiden name. Any other ones?"

"Angelo Sartori, no age given."

This caught Shawn's attention. "Angelo Sartori? Are you sure?"

Topanga looked at the name again. "Yeah, that's right."

"Now that's a name I know," he said straightening up. "He was a friend of Dad's and Mom's." Shawn scribbled down the information from the article. "I wonder if anyone in the City hangs onto to old newspapers?"

"Wouldn't hurt to check it out." Topanga glanced at the clock on her phone. "Look, Shawn, I hate to do this, but I've gotta go."

"Yeah, yeah." Anxiously, Shawn pushed back the front of his hair. "Thanks, Topanga, I really appreciate this."

"I love them, too, Shawn," she smiled as she hugged him. "Thanks for including me. I'll fill Cory in on everything."

After they said their goodbyes Shawn headed down to the main desk to see if anyone had a lead on who might have old Village Voices newspapers.

Jon spent his Sunday afternoon on the phone trying to reach the administrators of the schools the new hires came from. Five files lay out on his desk in front him. All five were incomplete. Credentials were missing with portions of the resumes redacted. Jon had never seen educator profiles like these in his career. As he waited for his call to be picked up, he glanced over the names again: Barrett Pennington, Jarrett Pennington, Alistair Remington, Abigail Remington, Victor DeMarco.

"Hello?"

Jon turned away from the files to focus on the phone call. "Hi, this is Jonathan Turner, superintendent of New York Public Schools. Is Josiah Williams available?"

"Yes, speaking." The man on the other line sniffled as though he had a cold.

"I'm sorry to bother you. But I'm looking over the resumes of new hires in my district and I need to check references."

The principal laughed. "You're working Sundays, too? I just got finished with my own reference checks. Who are you calling about?"

"Barrett and Jarrett Pennington."

The line went dead.

"Hello?" Jon stared at his phone and grumbled under his breath. He redialed the number and waited. No one picked up.

No one wants to talk about them. That's not suspicious at all. He sighed and rubbed his neck, then his temples. That headache was beginning to build again.

This was the fourth call he'd made concerning these people and the fourth time he'd been hung up on. Jon pressed his lips into a thin line and put his foot up on his desk. With a sigh, he picked up the list of former employees and tried again. Another four calls and someone was finally willing to talk to him.

"You have the Remingtons in your district now?" The woman on the other line sounded distressed.

"Yeah," Jon confirmed. "And I can't get anyone to talk to me about them."

The woman was blunt with her instructions. "Run a background check on them. Then get rid of them before they get their hooks into the parents and your community. If they do that, then they'll only leave when they want to. There won't be a thing you can do about it."

"What happened at your..." Jon stopped speaking because the woman hung up on him.

He tossed his phone on his desk and put his hand over his mouth as he mentally went over his options. It was too late to order any background checks on these people. He'd have to wait until tomorrow. That wasn't good enough, though. His mind wouldn't rest until he did something so he began an internet search.

Nothing.

He searched by school districts then by schools. Nothing. The last search he attempted was on Victor DeMarco. Results appeared but not for the man he was looking for. Just as he was about to give up, Jon played with the spelling of DeMarco and entered D'Marco. One result came up. A newspaper article from the Oregon Mail Tribune with a picture of the current vice principal at Julia's school.

Victor D'Marco was let go from Valley High as principal after allegations of inappropriate conduct with students surfaced.

Jon sucked in a sharp breath. The rest of the article would not load no matter what he tried to get it to come up. Finally, he stopped and pushed his chair away from his desk. Unsure of what to do he stood up and began to pace. He worried about what might be hidden in these people's backgrounds. He worried that the man fired for such seedy accusations was at his daughter's school. He worried most that he wouldn't be able to get rid of them no matter what he uncovered because he didn't know who hired them to begin with.

The more he thought about it, the more the concern became entwined with something akin to fear. For the first time since he'd taken the position, Jonathan Turner seriously considered resigning.

In spite of running behind her initial schedule, Topanga still managed to be early to her spin class. She greeted the front desk staff warmly as she signed in.

The girl at the counter, whose name tag read Sky, tucked a lock of bright pink hair behind her ear and smirked at her. " Are you going to be taking Leslie's next session or are you going to finally switch it up?"

Topanga laughed out loud. She was notorious at the TMPL Fitness Club for signing up to other group fitness classes only to get bored and rejoin the spin class. "Sky, what would be the point in signing up for anything else?"

She continued to talk to girl until the room her class was held in opened up. As she talked someone came up behind her and rudely pushed past her. Topanga whipped around to say something but stopped when she saw that the woman next to her was Katherine Tompkins. The blonde was carrying on a conversation with another woman and did not see Topanga.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. Topanga let the woman's rudeness go in favor of looking over her shoulder at the sign-in screen she stood at and watching to see which class she signed into. Pilates with Mika. The smirk grew.

After Katherine left, Topanga turned to Sky and said, "You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I'll try something new after all."

Sky chuckled and rolled her eyes in good humor. "What'll it be this time?"

"I think I'll try Pilates."

Sky blinked and looked at her like she was crazy. "You hate Pilates."

This was very true. Topanga grinned as she watched her former teacher leave the lobby. "Yeah, but I think I'll actually be able to get something out of it this time."

"I think you should tell him." Audrey sat at the end of the couch in the downstairs living room rubbing her husband's head. His headaches were becoming more and more frequent, but he refused to take the time to go to the doctor.

Jon's eyes were closed, but he grimaced at the suggestion. "No, Audrey. I don't want him to know. If I tell Shawn, then I'll have to Julia one day. No."

Audrey rested an arm on the back of the couch and leaned her cheek against her fist. "I think you'd feel so much better if you told someone what happened back then."

"I did," he scowled. "I told you. I don't need to tell anybody else."

She sighed and gently stroked the frown lines from his forehead. She was deeply concerned about his mental health. Audrey kissed him several times, then sat back and said, "Why don't you go on up to bed? You're gonna need all the sleep you can get for tomorrow."

Jon opened his eyes, took hold of her hand, and pressed her palm to his lips. "Come with me."

She smiled. "Let me finish up down here and then I'll be up."

Audrey watched him go up the stairs until she couldn't see him anymore. Then she got up and finished the night's checklist. She was about to head upstairs to her husband when Shawn came into the living room looking troubled.

"Can I talk to you?"

She saw the deeply disturbed look in his eyes. "Of course." As they went to the couch, she texted Jon to let him know she'd be a while longer.

Shawn settled down next to her in Jon's spot. "I'm havin' some trouble fillin' in the gaps in my memory."

"Oh?"

"You met Dad before you started student teachin', didn't you? I can't remember the details."

Audrey ran her fingers through his hair. "Jon spent a significant amount with my father when he was a teen. We met several times that I can remember and several times that I can't."

He turned his head to look at her. "Why not?"

"I was too young," she smiled ruefully. "He lived with my dad when he was 15."

"What?" Shawn sat up abruptly. He'd never heard this before.

She nodded, surprised that he didn't know. "From 15 to 18."

Shawn frowned and sat back. A shadowy silhouette of a memory was beginning to take shape. "So did he take care of you? What about your mom? Where was she?"

"No, Jon never took care of me," she told him as she resumed massaging the top of his head. "My grandmother was very ill during that time and my mom spent most of the first three years of my life in England taking care of her. I was with her. We came back when we could to see Daddy until she passed."

"He lived with your dad for three years?" The silhouette memory took on a clearly defined outline. Somewhere he had heard this before.

"Mmm-hmm."

Shawn's mind was racing as he tried to put all of the pieces of the past he had together. So far he had that Jon lived a wild life then moved in with Audrey's dad who straightened him out. His mouth twisted into a frown of concentration. When he met his teacher, Jon was a young, single man with no experience with kids outside of the classroom. It never make sense that he would be the one to take in a troubled teen like he's been. At least, didn't make sense until now.

"What about his parents?" Shawn had a million questions but he didn't know what to ask first. "Didn't they care?"

"They didn't know. Not until after he turned 18."

"How did they not know he wasn't living at home for three years?"

She smiled slightly. "That's the perks of boarding school." At Shawn's quizzical look, she explained, "Jon was becoming a problem back in Connecticut, so his parents decided to send him to a boarding school. Jon agreed to go if the school was in the City. Collegiate School was one of the oldest and most prestigious boys schools at the time, so his parents sent him there."

"If he was at a boarding school, how'd he end up stayin' with your dad?"

"Money talks," she said simply. "Jon's parents became very big financial contributors to the school. And Jon was very charming and charismatic. He could talk his way in and out of any situation. As long as he maintained his grades and was in class on time, no one asked where he spent his nights."

Shawn turned his head to look at her. "I'm confused. Where did Melanie fit in? I thought she was with him all that time."

Audrey shook her head. "Jon lived a double life for a long time. He was the preppy son of Blake and Jacklyn Turner by day and was slummin' it in my neighborhood at night. I don't think Melanie ever knew about that." She paused, frowning slightly. "In fact, I know she didn't or else she would have broken up with him long before she did."

Shawn leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I remember meetin' her and the week she spent with us. I just never found out much about her and Dad; he wouldn't talk about her."

"I think for your dad, once something is in the past. That's it. He doesn't revisit unpleasant things." Audrey started to rub his shoulder when she saw him tense up. So many of his mannerisms and reactions reminded her of Jon.

"How long did they date?"

"On and off until college. After he left Daddy and met Eli, Jon gave up trying to live two lives and committed to living life on his terms. That's when Melanie dumped him."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what it is he doesn't want me to know about?"

Audrey was quiet for a long time. She was deeply conflicted over what to tell him. She very much wished Jon would let him know about that time in his life. But at the same time she was afraid it would open old wounds that he wasn't capable of dealing with now.

"I do. But Shawn, don't ask me to tell you," she implored, "I promised Jon long ago that I'd never tell anyone. I will not break that promise."

Shawn nodded. He didn't expect her to tell him. He was just looking for some sort of consolation that this thing Jon didn't want him to know about wasn't a big deal. He leaned back and took her hand. More than anything he wanted to tell her about the text and have her reassure him that it was nothing. Instead, he said, "I was lookin' at some stuff on Greenwich Village back in the day. Your family goes way back here doesn't it?"

"Several generations, yeah."

"Is Jay Andrews related to you? A cousin or something?"

The look on Audrey's face frozen long enough for Shawn to see the look of recognition in her eyes.

"No," she said firmly. "He's no relation."

"Who is he?"

Audrey gave a small shake of her head.

"Mom?"

"No one, honey." She gave him a tight smile. "He doesn't exist anymore."

Shawn blinked. That was such a strange thing to say. He pressed further, but Audrey wasn't talking. He sighed. "Did Dad ever see your dad again?"

She gave him a curious look. "You don't remember?"

Shawn frowned and stared at his hands. Then a floodgate in his mind opened and he looked up at her. "We went to visit him on the class trip, didn't we?"

0o0o

The United Hospice of Rockland was in New City about 45 minutes from where the class was staying in New York City. Mr. Feeny had given Audrey special permission to visit her father. Shawn doubted that he and Jon were supposed to go with her, but they went anyway.

Jon seemed particularly nervous about meeting Audrey's father. Shawn didn't understand why. It would be different he'd never met the man before; fathers could be a great hindrance to dating daughters. However, Jon already knew Audrey's dad so Shawn didn't see what the big deal was.

When they arrived at the hospice, he was expecting a hospital and was surprised to see a building that looked more like a big nursing home. It looked even more like one on the inside. This came as a great relief as Shawn hated hospitals and doctors with a passion.

Front desk staff greeted Audrey warmly and gave her an update on her father: no change. A nurse told them they could go on back to Mr. Andrews' room. He was waiting for them.

"Hi, Daddy," Audrey ran over to her father's bedside and gave him a kiss. "How are you?"

The man lying in the hospital bed gave her a weak smile. "Much better now, Princess."

Audrey gave him the flowers they'd brought and spoke to him for awhile. Shawn stood by Audrey's side, unsure of what, if anything, to say. Mr. Andrews saw him and very slowly moved his eyes to the boy. The man's eyes were gray like Audrey's but very clouded. Shawn gave him a tight smile. Mr. Andrews lifted his hand a few inches off of the bed and pointed to him. Shawn looked over his shoulder to see if Jon was behind him.

The man gave a raspy laugh at the boy's reaction. "This must be Shawn."

Shawn was surprised, but pleased, that he knew his name. "Yeah," he said. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Andrews."

The man closes his eyes coughed. He frowned and shakily moved his hand back and forth. "None of that now. Call me Richie if you can't call me Pops yet."

Shawn wrinkled in nose at this. "Pops?"

"You're her kid, aren't you?" He looked at Audrey.

A smile tugged at the corner of teen's mouth. "Yeah."

"And you know, she's my kid, right?"

Shawn couldn't help but grin. He ducked his head shyly and put his hands in his pockets. "Okay, Pops."

The man smiled then turned to Audrey. "Where's J?"

"Hiding," Audrey laughed.

"I am not." Jon stepped out from behind the door. Shawn gave him a wicked grin and laughed, too.

Richie gave him a warm smile. His eyes teared up when he saw the teacher stand behind his daughter and Shawn.

"It's good to see you, J. It's been a long time."

"I know." Jon leaned between Audrey and Shawn to take the man's outstretched hand. "I'm sorry about that, Richie. I shoulda come home sooner." Jon felt guilt-stricken by his lack of care for his former mentor. "I don't know why I stopped writin'."

"You're here now. And I stopped writing you. Or Audrey did. She took my dictation until she," he paused as looked as his daughter. Audrey shook her head slightly. "Until she got sick."

"Sick?" Shawn asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Audrey gave him a tight smile and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Jon couldn't help but stare at his former mentor. The once larger than life Magnum PI look-alike was now so frail and thin. And looked so old. Richie was propped into a sitting position by the bed that was partially raised. His once bright eyes were now dim; his hair and mustache were just gray wisps of their former self. Jon just couldn't believe that this was his hero. Richie had been invincible, untouchable. He was a real life Superman. How could this be him now?

Richie gave him a moment then asked, "You still go by Jonny?"

Jon shrugged. "Not really. A few people call me that. It's either Jon or Jonathan now."

"Which do you prefer?"

He smiled. "I prefer J."

Richie shook his head slightly with a smile that said he didn't believe the young man."I hear you're teachin' now?"

"Yeah," Jon said. "Out in Philly. Finally made it into a classroom like you wanted. I guess you know Audrey is my student teacher."

"I do." He smiled slightly. "Funny how small the world is, isn't?"

The teacher nodded. "I'm so sorry about Lizzy, Richie. I wished I'd known when it happened. I would have come home."

Richie waved this off. "You were traveling. In Europe, if I remember right. I didn't want to call you back."

"But still..."

"But nothing." Even in his greatly weakened state, Richie still held an authority over the younger man Jon didn't argue with him. "You'd come so far by then. I didn't want anything to set you back. Comin' back to the old neighborhood then woulda been bad idea."

"Yeah," Jon conceded. "Probably."

"You in contact with anyone from back then?"

"Naw," he said. "Eli and I are still best friends, but no one from here. No one but Audrey." Jon paused and a frowned pinched his brow. "We went to John's last night. Ran into Angelo."

Richie didn't look happy to hear this. "Don't get involved, J. Don't go back to that. Not even to relive the good times. There are some things that never change."

"Says he's been clean four years."

Richie snorted. "By who's calendar?"

Jon pursed his lips. "You sayin' he's not?"

"Did he look clean to you?"

Jon considered this, but he didn't know so he shrugged.

Richie sighed and his voice softened. "I still know what's goin' on out there. People from my Venus days still come to see me."

Jon lit up at the mention of the Venus. "Best times of my life were workin' there for you."

"Best times, huh? Some of most disgusting, too. You remember that stall you had to clean?"

"With a toothbrush," Jon laughed. "Man, I still smell that puke late at night sometimes. Worst punishment you ever handed out."

The men continued on like this. Shawn was fascinated by the back and forth. They clearly knew each other very well at one point. And Jon acted like the son who'd come after a long time away and was eager to gain his father's approval again. What intrigued Shawn even more were the stories behind their words. He was dying to know the details.

After awhile Richie took Audrey's hand and smiled at her. "I'd like to talk to J alone, Princess. Why don't you and Shawn grab somethin' to eat."

"Okay, Daddy," she hugged him and gave Jon a pleased smile before she took Shawn by the hand and led him to the door.

"I don't wanna go," Shawn told her. He looked back at the men who were already in deep conversation. "I wanna hear what they're gonna talk about."

Audrey pointed to the hallway. "And they don't want you, too. Now come on."

Shawn spent thirty minutes wandering around the hospice with Audrey. The care center turned out to also house an assisted living facility. They stopped and talked with several residents, many of whom thought they were their grandchildren. Shawn actually enjoyed slipping into role of different kids and chatting with the residents about their lives. The staff commended him for his kindness and said that many of their people never had any family come to visit and told him that he just brightened their lives for a long time to come.

Shawn rejoined Audrey in a walk around the facility feeling good about himself. Finally, she let him go back to "Pops".

When they returned to the room, Richie sent Audrey away again, this time with Jon. It was Shawn whom he wanted to stay. The teen was delighted by this.

"So," Richie said. There was a rosy flush to his cheeks now and he looked much more alive than when Shawn left with Audrey. "My daughter has told me that you're livin' with J right now and have been for awhile."

"Yeah," Shawn said wondering how much the man knew. "My mom kinda took off and my dad went after her."

"You hear from them much?"

"No," he sighed as feelings of abandonment washed over him. "He's called like once in all the time I've been with Jon. I'm not even sure where he is." The only thing Shawn knew for sure was his dad wasn't anywhere near Air Force One. "Mom's never called at all."

"How do you feel about that?"

Shawn blinked. Other than Jon and Audrey, no other adults consistently asked him how he felt about what was happening to him or what he wanted. They just told him what to think and how to feel. Audrey and her family must be teen-whisperers or something weird to ask him how he felt about things all the time.

"Unwanted. Sometimes I think that Dad found Mom and that they're out there makin' a new life for themselves. I don't think either of them is gonna come back. They don't want me." Shawn couldn't explain why he was telling the old man anything, but there was something about him that made him want to talk. Maybe it was because of Richie's connection to Jon.

Richie nodded. "J says you've been in some trouble."

"Yeah," he huffed his bangs out of his face, "been brought home by the cops a few times. Jon's always bailed me out. I've given him a pretty hard time, too. I'm kinda surprised he hasn't sent me back to the Matthews."

Richie studied him for a long, then said seriously, "Shawn, J's told me about your situation. He won't kick you out. Trust me when I say, J is the best possible person for you to be with right now."

"Why's that?"

"Because he's been where you were headed. There's nothin' you can say or do that will shock him. No point in tryin'. There's nothing he can't understand."

Shawn badly wanted to ask Richie about what Jon was like at 15, but he hesitated. He really wanted Jon to be the one to tell him. "You guys were real close, huh?"

"Our paths crossed during a time when we both really needed each other. He's like a son to me."

Shawn felt as though the older man was somehow giving him a glimpse into his own future. "Cool," was all he could say.

Richie took his hand. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Shawn."

"Yeah, me, too, Pops," the teen blushed. "I wish I could hang out with you more. I have no idea what the Venus is but it sounds really cool."

The man laughed." My daughter, my son, and my grandson all here with me. My Lizzy would be over the moon to see you all together."

An odd teary lump rose up in the teen's throat at being called Richie's grandson. Audrey had a weird family. It was so quick to adopt random people into it. But he loved the family all the more for that quirk.

"I need you to do somethin' for me, Shawn."

Shawn smiled. "Anything, Pops."

"Don't let those two mess things up."

He grinned. "They are really good together. Apart though, Jon really needs some work."

The man laughed a raspy laugh out loud. "You know, I raised J for awhile."

Shawn's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Like he lived with you?"

"Three years," Richie nodded. "While Lizzy was takin' care of her mom back in the UK."

"I didn't know that."

"Now you do."

Visiting hours were over and Audrey and Jon came to collect him. The conversation was just getting juicy and he hated to leave with the story unfinished. He felt such an intense connection to the man in the bed that he spontaneously hugged him at the last minute. His attachment was illogical but Shawn couldn't help himself.

"Love you, kid," the old man said with tears in his eyes.

Love? Audrey's family was beyond weird.

Shawn scrunched his nose up and his own eyes suddenly filled with tears. How could you have any attachment for someone you just met?

"Love you, Pops, too. See ya soon." Shawn meant every word he said.

Richie pointed at him. "You remember what I told you."

"I will. Always."

0o0o

Audrey stood up and went to the hutch were the photo albums were kept. She took out an album and brought it over to him.

"These are some of the pictures that my dad took during his time managing Venus," she told him as she sat back down. "This," she opened the cover and gave him a wink. "is the one I took of our dads. We did go to see Daddy on that trip. We also went to see him when you guys came to visit me that summer."

Shawn took the photo album and stared at the picture of Audrey's dad with his curly hair and Magnum PI mustache. Next to him was a very young Jonathan Turner, so young Shawn almost didn't recognize him. It was strange; the kid in the photo looked more like Grayson than Jon. He frowned, trying to recall the second trip. He couldn't, so he focused on what he could remember.

"Did Pops call Dad Jonny or J?"

A delighted yet sad smile spread across Audrey's face. "You remember! Daddy would be so pleased to hear you call him that." Her voice was tinged with sorrow. "On the streets, Jon went by Jonny. In fact, your dad had everyone back in Connecticut calling him Jonny; it was kind of like a private joke to him and would make him laugh anytime Melanie or his mother called him that. If they that had only known..." She rolled her eyes. "Daddy hated that nickname because of the association it had with the group of kids your dad ran with so he refused to use it. He called him J instead."

"People still call him Jonny, though."

She nodded. "Yeah, sometimes I do, too. It's not something that bothers Jon; he just doesn't find it funny anymore."

Shawn was quiet for a while, lost in thought. Jay Andrews. Could the caption on The Village Voices article have been written incorrectly? Should it have been J Andrews? When he was younger and got into trouble with the police, he gave his name more that once as Shawn Turner. When asked for his father's name he always gave them Jon's name. Did Jon do the same thing back then? He began to pick at the skin around his thumb again as he puzzled over this. He felt a small, warm hand close over his.

"You still do that, huh?"

He nodded and sighed. "Mom, why did Dad live with Pops?"

Audrey frowned. "Your dad got into some trouble and needed guidance. Daddy offered help and he accepted."

"What kind of trouble?"

She gave a weary shake of her head. "That's not my story to tell. I can't make Jon tell you either."

"I know," he said taking her hand again. "I wouldn't ask you to.

"Shawn?"

He looked at her and saw a serious worry in her stormy gray eyes. "Jon's got a lot more added to him this week with these new hires. This is not a story he needs to tell you or anyone else right now. I understand why you want to know, but now is not the time."

Shawn nodded his understanding and leaned over to hug her. "I get it. I don't wanna stress him out more."

"If you hang around through the summer when he can take time off," she said hopefully, "he might be more open to talking."

Shawn smiled at her not so subtle hint, then the smile faded. Jon had promised to tell him when they went to Philadelphia. He must not have told her about that. "I'm not goin' anywhere, Mama," he promised. "I kind of like it here."

Audrey grinned. She kissed his cheek then said, "I told your dad I'd be up as soon as I could. But if you still need me-"

"No, go on, I'm good. Really."

Shawn stayed in the living room for awhile looking over the pictures. It was getting late and he had an early morning the next day. He went to the hutch to replace the album but something told him to hang on it. He checked his burner phone then headed to his room.

No texts from Katherine or unknown numbers came in that night. Shawn still couldn't sleep.

Next: Another text. Shawn does some investigative work and runs into the Boogeyman. Literally. Jon is working on his own mystery and asks Audrey to help him. Julia and Cory struggle under the changes at their schools.

For those still following this story, are you liking the turns it's taking?

I would really like feedback in that area if you don't mind. If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment here, feel free to PM. Thank you.