Okay, so I know I said after the previous update there would only be two more chapters to this particular storyline, but in typical me fashion I'm struggling to trim down all the details so it may be three chapters...if no one minds. ;-) Plus, I find that the chapters for this work best slightly shorter than my updates for other stories for some reason.

Thank you for being patient with me as I trade off updates for different stories. I find it helps prevent story burnout for me. (If anyone reading this is also a reader of Good Things Come, don't worry. I haven't forgotten that. I had been suffering a little bit of editing burnout on that particular storyline and needed a break.) And, as always, thank you for your feedback and messages. :-)

"...and then I walked in and found them making out on the couch."

"I'm sorry," Angela said, patting his leg. "That had to suck." This was her first time learning how Jack and Rachel got together, or how Eric found out anyway.

"I just couldn't believe she picked Jack over me, that I lost. I'm ten times more fun than he is, right? Can you imagine Jack on a road trip?"

"Lost? What are you-"

"But he won the bet."

"What bet?"

"We made a bet to see who could win Rachel."

"Are you serious? You guys treated her like some trophy?"

"I know, I know. We're pigs. If it's any consolation I feel really bad about it now. We were wrong. I get it."

She could continue to vent at him for treating a friend like an object, but his remorse seemed genuine. "The thing that bothered you most was "losing" to Jack?"

"I guess." He covered his mouth and tried to hold in a yawn. "Why?"

The yawn didn't go unnoticed. Eric had been yawning and rubbing his eyes a lot in the past hour or so. Still, he seemed hesitant to let her drive. "Nothing, I just think if you'd really wanted to be with Rachel the most devastating part would be watching her with someone else, not that you lost a ridiculous bet with your friend."

He was quiet for several moments. True, it had bothered him to see Rachel with Jack, but not like he thought it would. The thing that bugged him the most was "losing" so to speak. "I wasn't really in love with her, was I?"

"It doesn't sound like it."

"And to be honest, I pretty much focused on making Jack look an idiot instead of trying to make Rachel fall in love with me." He glanced at Angela. "So, what...I loved the competition? That was the fun part?"

"Maybe."

"Does that make me a terrible person?"

"No. Don't get me wrong, it's not your most shining moment, but you're not a terrible person."

"I don't know if I should be relieved I didn't love her or pissed that I wasted so many months thinking I did."

She put her hand on his arm. "Be relieved and learn from it. You can't change the past and if you spend too much time looking back and analyzing things you could miss the next opportunity that comes your way."

"Smart advice, of course you're also trusting that I'm not too stupid to see when opportunity is in front of me." He yawned again.

"Eric, you're not stupid. You're a creative thinker. You are also very tired and I insist you let me drive for a while."

"No, I'm okay. Maybe we'll stop for coffee at the next exit. That will perk me up."

"Come on. You've been doing all the driving and we still have a couple hours left to go. Take a nap."

He hesitated. "I don't know."

"What did Cory tell you about my driving? You cannot take the word of someone who would be outrun by an elderly person with a walker."

"Are you a bit of a speed demon?"

"Compared to Cory, yes, but then who isn't? Baby Josh probably cruises in his stroller at a faster speed," she quipped, making Eric smile. "Remember what I said about the elderly person and the walker? I didn't pull that example out of my ass. It actually happened."

"Oh, I believe you. I've been in the car with him."

"Then let me drive."

"Angela, it's my dad's car."

"I know."

"If anything happened to it, I'd rather he be mad at me, not you."

"Why do you think something could happen?"

"I don't, it's just on the off chance one of us were to hit a deer or skid to the side of the road or get rear ended I would want it to happen with me behind the wheel."

"That's a long, rambling way of saying you don't trust me to drive."

"Dad doesn't even like when my mom drives his car." He hated having the seat position messed up and his preferred radio stations changed. "He handed over the keys without me asking- and I wasn't going to even try. That's huge for him. He trusted me in a way he hasn't in a long time."

"I get that, but answer one thing for me."

"Shoot."

"How do you think he'll react if we get into an accident because you were falling asleep when you had a passenger with a license and was very well rested from her nap? You're a bigger hazard than I am right now."

That never occurred to him. His dad would go ballistic if he fell asleep behind the wheel. Eric sighed, watching as lightning lit up the sky in the distance. They were closing in on the storms he'd hoped to avoid. He really did need to close his eyes for a little bit. Exhaustion and bad weather were difficult enough to combat by themselves, together they were downright dangerous. "Fine, we'll switch at the next exit."

"Smart move, if something did happen you wouldn't only have your dad to worry about. Mine would want to kick your ass, too."

/

/

Shawn tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. His thoughts kept drifting to Angela. Ever since he'd found out she took off with Eric of all people he was unable to focus on anything else. He glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand: 2:48. It was much too early to go out and do anything; or too late, depending how you looked at it. "Cory," he called out in a loud whisper. "Cory?" He reached under his bed, pulled out a flashlight, and shined it on his best friend's face. "Cory, are you awake?"

Cory bolted upright in bed. "No, clowns, no!" He was blinded as soon as he opened his eyes. "Ah!"

"Relax. No clowns." He turned off the flashlight and switched on the lamp. "It's just me."

"Shawn?" He rubbed his eyes as they tried to adjust. "What are you doing? What time is it?"

"Almost three."

"Oh, okay. Nice chatting with you. Nighty-night." He fell backwards onto his pillow.

"Cory, get up!"

"This had better be good," he grumbled, sitting up again. After pulling all-nighters for the past week cramming for midterms, the exhaustion had caught up with him. "Did you have the clown dream tonight, too?"

"You know we never have the clown dream on the same night. That would just be weird."

"Any weirder than both of us have the exact same recurring nightmare?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then what is it? Spit it out."

"Was Jack right?"

"If I say yes can I go back to sleep?"

"Damn it, Cory, I really need to talk."

"You're buying me breakfast tomorrow."

"Fine."

Cory sighed before kicking the covers off and moving to sit at the edge of his bed. "All right, what is it?"

"Do you think Jack was right about me pushing Angela away?"

"You have been hounding her these past few weeks."

"It's not like I'm alone. You told me to do it! You've been saying how meant to be we are and said I shouldn't quit."

"Then I guess I'm hounding her, too, by trying to get you guys back together."

"Where does Eric fit in?"

"I didn't know they were hanging out until you did, Shawnie."

"What do you think they're doing? What kind of relationship do they have?"

He fought to keep his eyes open. "I have no idea and frankly, I don't want to think about it too much."

"You really think they're...that they-"

"I don't know." He rested his elbow on his leg and held his head in his hand.

Shawn was frustrated with his friend's lack of answers. "Can't you give me anything else?"

"It's three in the morning. Forgive me for not prepping for this verbal pop quiz," he snapped. "Even Mr. Feeny has the decency to wait until the sun is up."

"Sorry if my life crisis is bothering you. It's not my fault bad things keep happening to me."

"Oh, cut the crap, Shawn."

His jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" Even a mild swear was rare from his friend. Cory still said fiddlesticks when he stubbed a toe.

"You did this to yourself. You're the one who broke up with Angela to see what else was out there. You wanted to meet new people. I told you to stay with the girl you loved, who loved you. I warned you that you were throwing away one of the best things in your life, but you didn't listen." Cory was fairly certain he'd regret most of this rant in the morning, but he was working on about two hours of sleep. The filter between his brain and mouth weren't awake yet, leaving him unable to phrase things in a Shawn-safe manner. "You can't have it both ways. You can't have Angela around only when you feel like it. She's not a winter coat you put in the back of the closet because it's out of season."

"You're against me now, too?"

"I'm always going to be on your side and root for you and Angela to get back together."

"I sense a "but" in there."

"But yes, maybe Jack is right. Maybe all you can do now is back off and see if she comes back to you."

"And if she doesn't?"

"I don't-I don't know." While Shawn was his best friend, he also remembered how hard Angela took the breakup, however much she tried to hide it. She'd trusted him enough to bare her true feelings and all he did was use that information to try and force a reunion. In hindsight Cory can see that he wasn't being a very good friend to her at all. It was almost laughable considering all the work he put in to convince her that they really were friends, not just people who hung out due to circumstance.

Shawn switched off the lamp and lay back down without saying a word. He heard Cory burrowing back underneath his blankets and when he said nothing else, assumed he had fallen back to sleep immediately.

"Shawn?"

He jumped. "Yeah?"

"Just give her time. She'll come around."

"You think?"

He wanted to give an emphatic positive to the question posed, but all he could muster was a lukewarm, "Maybe."

/

/

Angela spotted the sign welcoming her to Lexington in between sheets of rain. It began to pour not long after she took the wheel. She wasn't sure she had ever seen rain like this before, certainly had never driven in it. The car ahead of her only had one working brake light and while she wanted to get around it the wind seemed to be working against her. She briefly glanced to Eric in the passenger seat. If it wasn't for the occasional snore or mumbled gibberish she'd swear he was in a coma. How was it possible for a person to sleep that soundly? Between the claps of thunder, cracks of lightning, and the howling wind she thought for sure he'd be awake.

After another hour or so of tense driving, Angela realized that the driver's side of the car was drooping lower at an exceptionally quick pace. They must've hit something at some point; a bottle, a rock, a piece of glass. "Eric?"

He shifted around in his seat. "Hmm…yeah?"

"I think we have a flat tire."

"There should be Band-Aids in in the glove box to fix it," he mumbled, still half asleep.

She shook his shoulder. "Eric."

He opened his eyes. "Okay, I'm up. What is it?"

"We've got a flat."

Eric noticed the same thing she saw earlier: the driver side was definitely lower. "What did you do?"

"What do you mean, what did I do? I didn't do anything except navigate the monsoon for the last couple hours."

"Oh, wow, when did it start raining?"

"It's been a while. You were out of it. How are you such a heavy sleeper?"

He shrugged. "It's one of the few things I excel at. I did a sleep study once to analyze dreams, boy was the lady running it impressed. The poor mouse on the other hand-"

"I'm sure that's a great story, but tell me later. What are we going to do about the tire?"

"Where are we? We've got to be close to your dad's, right?"

"We passed Lexington about an hour and a half ago. But before that the highway patrol was diverting cars away from a washed out road, so we're behind sched…ooh, what does that sign say?"

He leaned forward. "Welcome to Elizabethtown. Population…"

"We don't need to know that. It's too far to drive on a flat, right?"

"I think so," he began, fiddling with the GPS device from his dad and comparing it to the old-fashioned map. "Yeah, we're still almost two hours out. It's not safe, especially in this weather. I'd say keep going until the next exit, but I don't want to risk driving on the rim when it's like this." Eric shook his head, wishing weather conditions were better, or at least that it was daylight. "Just pull to the shoulder when we get to an overpass. My dad's got an emergency kit in the trunk. There should be some flares in there."

"Okay."

/

"Angela, get back in the car," Eric said a few minutes later. "We don't both need to get soaked and be targets for lightning."

"I'm not sitting and doing nothing while you fix it. I know how to change a tire, too." They practically had to shout to hear each other over the rain.

"But- damn it!" The flashlight kept falling to the side. Perfect. They had tried to find a light to park near, but it seemed they were out due to the storm. Now they were on a deserted highway in bad weather with absolutely nothing around them for miles. Angela's phone wasn't getting a signal so they couldn't even call for a tow truck. The only thing working in their favor was being under the overpass, though with the wind they may as well be standing out in the open.

"Here." She picked up the flashlight. "I'll hold it steady."

As he got to work loosening the lug nuts, Eric found a new appreciation for his dad's insistence at teaching basic car repairs when he got his license. Dad even made him change a tire with the sprinklers going at him to simulate rain. He claimed it was a technique they used in the navy, but Eric occasionally wondered if he just enjoyed making things challenging sometimes.

Angela felt useless standing there holding the light, but she'd just be in the way if she tried to help. Eric seemed to know what he was doing. She kept looking up, both mesmerized and terrified by the lightning that crawled across the night sky.

"Almost done," he shouted, placing the wheel cap back on. Eric was gathering the tools together when he heard a loud horn. Just ahead, in the oncoming lane, was a semi struggling to keep straight. It kept drifting into their lane seemed to be headed right for them. He grabbed onto Angela's jacket with both hands and pulled her down, taking cover near the trunk. The truck whizzed by, running over a wrench, but sparing them and the car. They were drenched by the wave the truck left in its wake. "You okay," he asked a few moments later, noting her dazed expression. "Angela?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered slowly. "I'm fine." It had just registered with her brain to run when Eric pulled her out of the way. "Thanks."

He nodded, a little stunned by the incident himself. They sat there for a minute, trying to regain their bearings.

"We should get up. No need to be roadkill for another truck."

"Right." Eric stood and held out his hands to help Angela to her feet. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"I'm definitely awake now," he responded in an attempt to crack a joke. It was either laugh or freak out over how close they came to serious trouble.

The remainder of the drive was nowhere near as eventful, for which they were both grateful. Daylight was breaking as Eric approached the base. It was still raining heavily, but the wind had died down. "Where do I go?"

"Just drive up to the gate. They'll ask to see our I.D.'s and your registration. Then they will probably send us to the visitor's center for a pass for you. I'm not sure if my dad alerted them to my flight cancellation, so they may no longer be expecting me, but I still have my military I.D. so I should be okay."

"You're what?"

"My military family I.D., this way I can access other parts of the base when I'm with dad." She took it out of her wallet. "See? It kills me that this picture is better than the one on my license."

"Both pictures look good to me. They need to know ahead of time who is coming?"

"It's quicker if they have a head's up. It's a military base, not a hotel. They need to know who is here."

"Right."

/

/

"I'm such a terrible person, Topanga," Cory ranted. "I yelled at Shawn. I crushed his hope of getting Angela back. I think I even swore at him."

Her eyebrows shot up. He showed up at her aunt's house just before seven a nervous wreck. "Wow. What happened?" She listened as he explained the events of the previous night. "Cory, honey, you were right. I'm so proud of you."

"Are you out of your mind?! It's Shawn! He doesn't need me to be right. He needs me to be there for him."

"And you were. I think at this point Shawn needs someone who will tell him the truth, no matter how much it hurts."

"The rest of the world does that enough. I'm the one who tries to keep him positive and looking toward the future. And right now that future is a reunion with Angela."

She put her hand on his knee. "Cory, it needs to be right for both of them, not just Shawn. If they work it out someday, great, I will be happy and support them. But he really hurt Angela and she has made it clear that a reunion isn't what she wants, at least not right now. Respect her and her decision, or else we may lose her as a friend for good."

"Don't you think you're exaggerating a little?"

"Do you see her around? She took off and only left a note. When's the last time she agreed to hang out with us?"

"I guess it's been a while. But, Shawn-"

"You said the right things last night. He needed to hear them. Maybe, coming from you, he'll actually listen."

"But I want to help him get Angela back. I want us to be two couples surviving college together. They're supposed to be like us."

"Cory, we're us and Shawn and Angela are…were Shawn and Angela. They can't be us like we can't be them."

He laid his head on her shoulder and muttered, "Everyone should be like us."

"If the whole world was like us, it would be a pretty boring world."

"But it would be a dependable world."

"As long as we can depend on each other, that's all I need." Topanga leaned forward for a kiss, but was left hanging when he got up. "Hey, what-"

"Why is Angela hanging out with Eric? Why is he hanging out with her? I've never seen them speak to each other."

"I don't know, but they seem to be spending a lot of time together."

"But they have nothing in common. Eric's an idiot and Angela-"

"She obviously sees a different side to him."

"Oh, Eric doesn't have a different side! It's nutty, nuttier, and nuttiest. Those are his modes."

"Not always."

"Fine, but the last year or two at least. I don't know what's going on with him. He acts like he's in preschool instead of college."

"College can do weird things to people. You have to stop wondering why they are spending time together and accept it. They've been hanging out for months and kept it private for a reason."

"But you said she always told you when she went out with Eric."

"Yes, but I thought the idea was just as crazy as you do and laughed in her face every time. It's only in hindsight that I realized she never once laughed with me."

He sat back down on the couch and ran his hands over his face. "What if they're dating?" He practically choked on those words. "What do I tell Shawn?"

"Advise him to be more careful in his next relationship and treat the girl better."

/

/

"Here we are," Angela stated. "Apartment 3E."

Eric smiled at the barely contained excitement in her voice. He hadn't known what to expect when going through all the checks to get to this point, but she had been fairly accurate when going over what would happen. The only surprise was when they briefly searched the car, though he supposed it made sense. They ran into a few officers who knew her and watched her grow up, and for that reason Sgt. Moore wasn't alerted to their presence so she could surprise her dad.

"I hope he's awake. He's normally up with the sun, but even he occasionally sleeps in. I didn't realize we'd be getting here this early."

"Even if he's not, I'm sure seeing you out weighs missing a few hours' sleep."

She grinned at him. "Thanks."

"It's true."

"No, I mean really. You have no idea how much this means to me." She threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for getting me here."

Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the hug with equal intensity. "You're welcome," he whispered into her hair, which was damp and cold against his cheek. "Do me a favor," he asked, speaking up.

She pulled away enough to see his face. "Yeah?"

"Let's not tell your dad about changing the tire and the semi until after we're sure he likes me. That is, if he's as scary to other people as you've made him out to be."

"Oh, he is," she teased. "But you don't have to worry."

"Really?" He was suspicious. She had, after all, built up quite the daunting image.

"You brought me here. Those are guaranteed bonus points in your favor." She spun around and rang the doorbell. "Watch."

It only took a few moments, but when the door opened and Sgt. Moore laid eyes on Angela, the look on his face was priceless. Eric took a few steps back, allowing father and daughter a bit of privacy.

"Hi, daddy."

"Angela?"

"Surprise!" She dropped her bag and welcomed the bear hug she knew was coming. The one where he lifted her off of her feet, momentarily making her feel like an eight year old again.

"What are you doing here? I thought flights were canceled."

"They were, but I had a little help from a friend."

It was then he noticed that they weren't alone in the hall. There was a boy…well, young man, standing there. He was soaked to the skin. Then again, so was Angela. "Who's the boy," he asked, placing his daughter back on her feet.

She grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him closer. "Dad, this is Eric. He drove me."

"All the way from Philadelphia," he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "In this weather?"

"Yes, sir." He held out his hand. "Eric Matthews. Nice to meet you."

Alvin's eyes narrowed as he realized where he had seen him before. "You're the one who interrupted my daughter's graduation, singing like a lunatic."

He stared up at the man. Angela failed to mention her father was a giant. "You remember me?"

"Let's just say you made an impression."

"Aw, thanks."

"I'm not sure that's a compliment."

"Dad, be nice," Angela warned.

"Sorry." He accepted the handshake. "Master Sergeant Alvin Moore. Well, both of you get in here. No need for them to charge me for water damage to the carpet out here." He closed the door behind them. "Why do you currently resemble drowned rats?"

"We had a little bit of car trouble." She briefly explained what had happened, being sure to include that Eric got her out of the way of the semi. "Between the downpours and being splashed by the truck, well…"

"You should've stopped somewhere to change. You could catch pneumonia staying like that. Angela, you know where your room is." He turned around and pointed a finger at Eric. "And you."

"Yes, sir?"

"Bathroom's right through there." He noticed that his clothes weren't just wet. They were muddy as well. "Plenty of hot water if you need a shower, too."

Eric visibly relaxed. "A hot shower sounds great, thanks."

Angela picked up his bag and gave it to him. He wasn't going to bring it in, planning on finding a hotel later, but she had insisted. "Use all the hot water and I'll kill you," she said with a smile.

He nodded. "Right."

"I'm going to head to the commissary and pick up a few things. Anything in particular your friend likes to eat?"

"No, he's not picky. And why are you saying friend like that? Eric and I are friends."

"Sweetheart, the boy volunteered to drive you 850 miles. Why would he do that if there wasn't something else on his mind?"

"He's a good person. He knew how much I needed to see you, how much I wanted to get away from things at school. He had to get away from stuff, too."

"Who's bothering you at school?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing that I can't handle. Besides, I came here to forget about annoying things, not dwell on them."

"We will talk before you go back."

"But not today."

"All right. So…I'm going to the commissary before the rain picks up again."

"Okay." She turned to go to her room, but saw her dad still lingering near the front door. "What is it?"

"Separate rooms."

"What?"

"Stay in separate rooms until I get back; unless you're in the living room or kitchen."

Angela burst out laughing. "We're friends."

"As far as I'm concerned, he's just a boy alone in my apartment with my daughter." Alvin stared at her. "Separate rooms."

"I got it. You're insane, but I got it."

/

A while later Angela came back out to the living room after her shower and discovered that Eric had fallen asleep on the couch while watching the local news. She glanced at the screen when the weatherman came on. Surely her dad would agree to let Eric stay until the storms passed. It wouldn't be right to send him back out in search of a hotel. There was no harm in letting him crash on the couch for a few days. He looked so comfortable already. She startled when he shifted in his sleep and wondered how long she'd been watching him. When he crossed his arms, Angela realized he might be cold. She took the blanket from the back of the couch and covered him. He stirred slightly and opened his eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I thought you might be chilly."

"Thanks," he murmured, giving her a small smile. "That was…thanks."

"Go back to sleep. I'll save some food for you."

His eyes were already closed. "Cool."