...0o0o0...

"The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other."- Mario Puzo

Claudette was a fairly new restaurant in the center of Greenwich Village. It was a cozy, romantic bistro inclined to the food, wine, and spirit of Provence. At almost 6, the restaurant was beginning to fill up giving the place a warm, buzz from the people and their conversation.

Jon scowled at the print on the fancy, decorative paper in his hand. He hated French food. He found that out in his early 20s when he went backpacking through Europe and spent three very long weeks in Paris. The misery of that leg of his journey was largely due to the fact that he could never acquire a taste for French food.

Katherine was apparently oblivious to his displeasure as she leaned over the table unnecessarily to ask, "Have you decided on what you want, Jon?"

His scowl deepened. "Tell me again why couldn't we go to Topanga's?"

"Oh, come on, Jon," she sat back with an exasperated sigh. Sometimes, she thought he was far too attached to his former students and should put much more distance between himself and them. "Topanga's is so... so quaint. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cute and all, but it just doesn't have any at atmosphere. It's pretty much a kid's hangout."

The page of his menu flipped forcefully against the cover. "It's not quaint," he grumbled. "It's great. We don't need atmosphere to work on the the budget report. There isn't enough light or room to work. Why are we here?"

She bit back another sigh. He was getting agitated and she didn't want to accidentally provoke him further. "Because you need to get away from work for awhile."

Jon rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Great. Are you gonna start on me about that, too?"

Although she wondered who he might be referring to as she was convinced it was not someone from his own family who cared enough, she ignored the comment. "Jon, I'm just worried about you. There's been a huge change in you over the last eight months and I'm very concerned," she told him with genuine care. "You're exhausted all the time. You have so much on your shoulders that you won't let anyone help you with. Then you have to go home to all those kids..."

"I'll have help next week," he said abruptly, still glaring at the menu.

Katherine looked surprised, especially since he said this as though he didn't already have help, namely her.

"What do you mean?"

"Shawn's going to be with me all week."

"You're kidding?"

At the tone in her voice, he looked up and frowned. "No. He texted me while we were still at the office. He's going to be doing a piece on me for his job."

That was just about the worst thing, Jon could have said to her. Having Shawn Hunter tagging a long for an entire week shifted her mood considerably and a dark cloud fell over her. "Just great," she muttered.

"What?" Her boss was frowning at her.

"Nothing," she said brightly, pointing to the menu. "Just trying to decide."

"Oh."

Their waiter arrived to take their order and Jon was no more in a mood to eat than he was when they first arrived, so Katherine ordered for them: gnocchi Parisienne, lamb kefta, oysters, and a chinon blanc. Jon thought the wine was excessive but said nothing. He just hoped she was really hungry because he had no intention eating anything other than the bread.

After ordering, Katherine, eager to have a real conversation with Jon and finally get some answers to her questions, closed the folder with the budget report in it and pushed it to the side. "So, when did you adopt Shawn?"

Mildly irritated there would be no work getting done, he replied, "What makes you think I adopted him?"

"He calls you Dad, doesn't he? If you didn't adopt him, why would he call you that?"

Jon looked pleased. He couldn't recall actually hearing Shawn call him "dad", but perhaps he had been so busy lately that he just hadn't noticed. He suddenly felt guilty about his earlier jealousy over Shawn referring to Audrey as "mom".

He shrugged. "We never made it official. But he's always been a part of the family. He's always had a room at the house. I've always considered him my kid."

"Always?" Katherine couldn't hide her disbelief. "Even back then?"

His brow furrowed at her reaction. "Yeah, I did. I had the paperwork all ready to go. It...it just didn't work out."

"Why not?"

For the first time all day he looked directly at her. There was a hard look in his eyes and a sharp edge when he spoke. "You really wanna go there?"

Katherine bit her bottom lip and shook her head slightly. "I'm just surprised that you considered him to be your son back then is all."

"Why is that so shocking?"

"I don't know." She was about to wade into waters they had not been in in two decades. It was a dangerous thing for her to do, yet she couldn't help herself. She needed answers to the questions that had long plagued her. "You just seemed to be so desperate to avoid any kind of real commitment and it seemed so convenient that Shawn just happened to need a place to stay. I mean, it really worked out in your favor."

There probably was no positive way to phrase what she was saying, Jon most certainly took exception to the way she said it. "Let me get this straight: you thought the reason I took Shawn in was so I'd have an excuse not to commit. So I could say can't go out tonight because of the kid. Sorry you can't move in because of the kid. Is that about right?"

It sounded awful when he said it, but that was what she was saying. The nod she gave him was barely perceptible.

Jon was stunned. "I had no idea that you thought I was such a jerk that I'd use a kid like that."

Now that was not a thought that had ever occurred to her. She did not want him to think for a moment that she ever thought so poorly of him. "I didn't think that at all, Jonny!"

Immediately, she heard her slip. He visibly recoiled at the old nickname that was reserved only for those closest to him. "Jon," she corrected herself quickly, before he would start to insist on her calling him Mr. Turner outside of the office, too. "I just thought you were being nice and it gave you an excuse not to deal with me."

"Nice?" he scoffed, clearly offended. "Taking in a stray dog is nice. Shawn was a good kid in a really bad situation through no fault of his own. I was in a position to help him and I did. I also happened to really like him. Unlike a lot of the adults in his life who couldn't be bothered to get to know him."

"Look," she said softly, trying to regain control of the conversation and steer it back into a neutral territory. She should have known that when the topic was Shawn Hunter there was no such thing. "I just figured if you didn't want to get married you wouldn't want to be a father either. The whole thing with Shawn just really surprised me, that's all."

Jon was not convinced. He well remembered their conversations back then and how they would often ended in an argument over one of two things: Shawn or marriage. "What are you really gettin' at?"

"I'm not getting at anything," Katherine paused. That wasn't entirely true, she just didn't know how to ask, so she finally just blurted out, "I just...I've always been curious as to why you chose Shawn over me."

Jon sat back and stared at her for a moment. How long had it been since they last spoke of anything outside of work? Years? And yet it was still the same old conversation. Back then, he'd always shied away from voicing his thoughts fully in order to avoid the unpleasantness and keep whatever peace he could between them. But it was no longer 1995 and she no longer had sway over him. "I didn't know what all I was getting into with Shawn because he has a lot of issues to work though, which you would have known about had you ever bothered to ask or to listen to me when I tried to tell you. I didn't know what I was doing. The only experience I had with kids was in the classroom. I needed support. That was all I ever asked of anyone. But very few people gave me that."

"I did!" she countered passionately.

"No you didn't," he retorted in irritation. "You never wanted to hear about Shawn, much less help me with him. There was only one person who supported me fully."

Katherine bowed her head so he wouldn't see her reaction to the name. He would have to go and bring her up. "Audrey," she spat the name out as she looked back up at him.

"Yeah, Audrey. The youngest one there and she was more reliable than anyone else. No one understood that then. I don't think anyone cared to."

"And, of course, Shawn adored her," she replied bitterly as though Audrey had deviously turned Shawn against the secretary.

"You know why he adored her? Because she paid attention to him; she included him. You never showed the slightest bit of interest in him. And he picked up on it real quick."

Jon was teetering on anger and shutting down on her she knew. Katherine sat quietly, trying to figure out how to regain control of the night before it was wasted completely. This wasn't the way she wanted things to go. When she went over this in her head, things went far more civilly.

"You know," Jon said thoughtfully, dropping his voice low. "There is one thing I've always been curious about."

"What's that?" The change in his tone made her look up, hopeful that the conversation would improve.

"If I had given in and we got married- what about Shawn? Would you have made me chose between you two? Would you have made me re-home him?"

"That's not fair!" she exclaimed, annoyed with him for the first time.

Fairness was not something Jon was terribly concerned with at the moment. "Well?"

"He would have been an adult in a few years," she murmured after a long moment. "I would have managed."

"Oh, so I'd have had to kick him out a minute after he turned 18. Oh, man if only I'd had know that then we could've gotten married," he quipped sarcastically, picking up his water glass and giving the liquid a swirl.

There was a part of Katherine that wanted very badly to snark back at him but she refrained from doing so. If she did she would only prove to him that she was the same insecure person she had been back then. That was not the image she wanted to project so instead she said, "Jon, I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to start a fight. I just need closure I guess. As ridiculous as that may sound to you because you've been married so long with all those kids and Shawn..."

"Shawn is one of all those kids," he corrected her brusquely.

The old adage was true after all: the more things changed, the more they remained the same. Shawn Hunter, although it had been two decades and he wasn't even there, was still a wedge between them making even a polite conversation difficult.

"Right," she said humbly. "I was just so hurt by your unwillingness to commit to me but you did so easily with Shawn who was much more difficult than I was. I've just never understood it."

That, Jon thought, was a matter of opinion. And it was not one he shared with her. "You know, Kat, the problem was, it was always about you and what you wanted. You walked out on me remember? How could I possibly commit to someone who was unwilling to support me when I needed it the most?"

….0o0o0...

Shawn tossed the deck of Uno cards haphazardly onto the top shelf of the closet and dashed back over to where Audrey was on the couch. It was nearly midnight and Jon was still out on his date with her. The thought soured Shawn's mood and he grumpily slouched down into the couch.

Audrey regarded him with a sideways glance. "You look just like Jon when he gets back from his dates. But you haven't left the house so what's your problem?"

Shawn wrinkled his nose in annoyance even though he was pleased with the comparison. "He's still out and it's almost midnight."

"He'll be back soon," she assured him. His expression didn't change so she leaned over and said conspiratorially, "And if he's not, I'm taking his bed and he can sleep on the couch when he gets in."

The idea made Shawn smile and he jumped up. "I'll go get him a pillow and a blanket."

Audrey laughed. "You need to get to bed yourself, Shawn."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," she responded firmly.

"There's no school tomorrow," he whined. "It's a holiday."

"I don't care," she replied, motioning towards the bathroom. "You and Jon are both so cranky when you don't get enough sleep. Go get ready for bed."

Ten minutes later Shawn made it back to living room. Audrey was waiting to point him in the direction of his bedroom.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"Kinda."

She folded her arms across her waist. "Go brush."

He walked up to her until he was nose to nose with her. Squinting his eyes, he regarded her steadily. She stared back at him with the same intensity. While he had every intention of doing what she told him he couldn't make it that easy on her. "What are you, my mom?" he challenged.

"Well, I'm not your babysitter," she shot back, wrinkling her nose at him.

"Oh no?"

"No. Babysitters get paid to watch other people's kids."

"And moms?"

"Get nothin' to watch their own kids."

A smile was starting to crack his serious façade. "Which are you?"

"Well," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I'm not getting paid to watch someone else's kid am I?"

The grin broke fully through. "Okay, Mama, I'll brush my teeth for real this time." He kissed her cheek.

"Ug!" Audrey yelped, getting the full aroma of minty toothpaste and something pungent. "Use mouthwash, too! What have you been eating?"

Shawn shrugged. "Pickle potato chips."

"The whole bag?"

"Nah, there's a couple chips left."

"Go brush your teeth!" She shooed him away and turned go to the kitchen, no doubt to retrieve and throw away the empty bag of chips that was stashed somewhere in the cabinets.

After he came back and checked with Audrey to make sure his teeth were cleaned to her expectations, Shawn asked, "Can I at least stay up until Jon gets back?"

"No," she told him, picking up the TV Guide. "I am not dealing with two cranky people on my day off. So unless you don't want me to come back over later..."

Shawn shot up from the couch and jumped over its back. "Goodnight!"

Audrey couldn't help but giggle. She got up and pulled Shawn into a big hug almost pulling him over the couch's back. "Goodnight. I love you."

It was very rare that Shawn ever heard that phrase from anyone. When he did there always felt like there was a condition attached to the affection. But it was different when Audrey said it. When Audrey said it he knew she meant it, no strings attached.

"I love you, too, Aud."

The apartment was still for only a few minutes after Shawn went to his room before it's front door suddenly opened and shut. This used to make Audrey jump when she first started watching Shawn while Jon was out, but it was becoming such a routine occurrence now that she hardly noticed anymore. Jon, as usual, looked unhappy. Audrey quietly watched as he took off his jacket and tossed it carelessly at the couch. She caught it before it could slide off onto the floor. With the jacket secure, Audrey shifted her position on the couch so she was facing the kitchen. Resting an arm on the back of the sofa, she pulled her legs up underneath her and waited. After a few minutes of frustrated fussing in the kitchen, Jon joined her, slumping down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

"How'd things go with Shawn?" His eyes were closed and he was scowling.

"Good. He hasn't been in bed long. He's probably listening at his door."

Jon turned his head slightly and raised his voice in the direction of the boy's room. "Goodnight, Shawn."

"G'night...dang!"

"Go to bed, Hunter!"

"Fine."

Jon shook his head, but he was smiling. He knew that Shawn had not gone back to bed and would probably fall asleep, drooling against the door frame. Again. He leaned his head back and sunk down into the couch until his head and neck rested on the back of the sofa. He put his feet up on the coffee table and groaned.

Audrey put her hand on his forehead. "Sounds like you had another fun outing tonight."

"Oh, it was just great," he responded sardonically. "Same as usual. The exact same thing. Everything was going fine, just fine. Good even. And that's when I know that it's gonna come up; it's only a matter of when. You know she's gotten into this thing of bring it up in public. And not in public away from people, but when we're surrounded by people. It's awful. Why would she do that?"

"How do you feel when she does?" Audrey asked, taking her hand away from him and resting her fist against her cheek.

"Humiliated and trapped," he sighed sounding defeated.

"I think you have your answer then."

Jon turned his head to look at her with an inquiring gaze.

"Doing something like that in public is supposed to humiliate you so you'll go along with whatever she wants to avoid the public's judgment," she told him seriously. "Manipulation 101."

"Is this a class you can sign up for?"

"Not that I know of," Audrey shook her head. "It's taught to daughters by their mothers and other female influences. And it is almost always for the purpose of using men."

As outrageous as it sounded, Jon considered this. He then gave her a worried glance. "Did your mother teach you?"

"My mother taught me what it was and that it was wrong and would've have beat my butt if she caught me doing it."

Although he only knew the woman through photographs, the thought of her picture perfect mother being anything other than picture perfect amused him. "I think I would have liked your mom a lot."

Audrey smiled as she absently ran her fingers through his hair. Finally she asked what had been on her mind for quite some time. "Why are you still going out with her?"

"I dunno." He rested his arm on her knees. "At this point, I honestly don't know. I can't stand the pressure to get married but I also can't stand the tears. I just wish she'd back off. Let me figure out how things are going to go with Shawn. I've asked her and I've pleaded with her to stop. But she just won't do it."

Audrey was quiet for quite awhile, thinking. Her fingers were still entwined in his hair. "I don't have much experience when it comes to dating," she paused and corrected herself. "Actually, I don't have any, but it doesn't sound to me like Katherine really loves you."

"It doesn't?" It had occurred to Jon that, at the very least, he and Katherine had very different ideas of what love was.

She pursed her lips together, carefully gathering her words. "Every time you come home, you're in a bad mood, unhappy, frustrated. You shouldn't be like that. From what you've told me it sounds like your entire relationship revolves around her and what she wants and making her happy."

Jon closed his eyes again. "Seems like that to me, too."

"When you plan a date, do you ever do what you want to do?"

"Rarely," he harrumphed. "And not without great protest."

Audrey pulled her fingers out of his curls, much to his dismay. "If you could do whatever you wanted on a date what would you do?"

He knew the answer to this, but he held back on responding. Would she react the same way as Katherine if he told her honestly what he wanted to do? No, of course not. This was Audrey he was talking to after all. "It's been a long time since I've bothered to think about that. I dunno. It'd be nice to go to a football or hockey game every once in awhile. I mean, I know a lot of women hate sports and think it's stupid. But I kinda like to go and forget about everything else for a while. I mean we wouldn't have to go to a game all the time. It wouldn't even have to be once a month. Just, you know, occasionally."

Audrey raised her eyebrows and regarded him with sympathy. "Why are you being so defensive? You don't have to explain yourself. If that's what you want to do that's what you want to do."

He let out a sigh of relief. "I guess I feel like I have to."

"Why?"

"Because Kat gets upset when I suggest stuff that I like because she doesn't like it. And I don't like doing a lot of the stuff she likes. I don't enjoy most theater or performance art" He shot Audrey a worried look. "No offense, but I don't enjoy the ballet, either."

"Oh you don't, do you?" Audrey gasped at him in mock horror and gave his shoulder a playful punch. "So you were just pretending to be happy to see me perform last weekend in my first dance recital in three years?"

"No, no," he laughed, blocking her punches with his palm. "Shawn and I really did enjoy that. But it's because we knew you. Every other ballet all the dancers look the same. I don't know what's going on and I don't care."

"But you like my recital. So did you like that story it told?"

"There was a story?" He looked bewildered.

She lightly smacked his arm. "What did you think of the other dancers then?"

"There were other dancers!?"

She punched his shoulder again and laughed along with him. "Okay, fine," she said pretending to be put out. "You don't like the ballet. What else?"

"I really don't like doing most of the stuff Kat does but I have to do it anyway. And with the right attitude or she's mad. If we ever do what I wanna do, which is almost never, she makes me feel like a jerk for wanting to do something she doesn't like and has a lousy attitude the whole time. It makes me wish we'd just done what she wanted to do."

Absently, Audrey smoothed the collar of his sweater. "Jon," she said seriously. "Can you be yourself around her?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"No, not fully. Not if I want to keep her happy." There were plenty of areas of his personality that he put a lid on or tried to remember to change because, according to his girlfriend, those were his problem areas. It wasn't that Jon thought he had no flaws, he knew he did, but it seemed overkill to him to expect a person's entire way of doing things and aspects of their personality to change according another person's dictates. This was a one-way street, naturally. He was the only one in the relationship that needed to change.

"Are you seriously considering marry someone you can only sort of be yourself around?"

He shrugged. "I guess that's why I'm fighting the whole commitment thing so hard."

"You know," Audrey said softly. "My mom often did things my dad loved to do that she didn't like. He loved to golf. She hated it. But she loved him and loved being around him. So she would go. Not all the time. But she would go and watch him do what he loved and try to participate. My mom, on the other hand, loved ballet. My dad did not."

"Are you kiddin'?" This came as a surprise to Jon considering Audrey's level of involvement in dance for most of her life. Her father, as she told it, was her biggest supporter and was a near constant presence in her dance life.

"No, he really hated it," she laughed fondly at the memory of happier times in her family's life. "But he loved my mom and he loved me. So he would go. Because he loved her and seeing her happy. You know," she said thoughtfully. "If my parents had had the type of relationship you and Katherine have, I think my dad would have been relieved when she died, not devastated.

My parents' marriage was far from perfect. They had their issues, more than I was aware of at the time because I was so young. But they also had a deep love and mutual respect for one another. I don't see that in your relationship with Katherine. I don't think Katherine loves you. I think she loves the idea of marriage and kids and the life she wants. And you happen to be the one who checks all of her boxes."

Jon was quiet for a long time as he thought about what she had said. Unlike Katherine, she didn't require him to keep talking. They sat in comfortable silence while Audrey resumed massaging his scalp. He had often wondered if Katherine really did love him for the very reasons Audrey stated or if there was something wrong with him for not being able to align with her life. These thoughts weren't ones he felt he could ever voice to Katherine. When the conflict between them first arose, he tried to but was immediately labeled a misogynist and a selfish man. However, it was the 90s, the rules had changed, and what did he really know about women and relationships anyway? Yet it was Audrey who brought this up, not him, so maybe he wasn't as far off base as he worried he was. He felt a sense of validation and a confidence to put an end to the marriage discussion permanently.

As he sat there lost in thought, he could feel Audrey's fingertips slipping through his hair as he began relax fully. Drowsiness settled over his eyes. He moved closer to her although there was already no room between them and rested his head against her shoulder. If only she wasn't so young. If only she wasn't his student teacher. If only... Her hair fell around his shoulder like a curtain. He fell asleep fully content and at peace. When he awoke hours later, he found himself laying on the couch, a pillow under his head and blanket over him.

Audrey was gone and the contentment and peace had gone with her.

….0o0o0...

"I would have eventually," Katherine said, snapping Jon back to the present. "Shawn was a difficult kid for me to understand and deal with. I just needed time."

"I didn't have time," he retorted sharply. "And neither did Shawn. As young as she was Audrey was more mature than you were. I couldn't deal with drama from the one person who was supposed to be my partner and help me." It seemed to him that Katherine had spent a significant amount of time rehashing their past over the years. Jon could not say that he ever revisited that particular time in his life unless it was directly related to Audrey or Shawn. Even then there were parts he simply chose not to think about. But if Katherine was determined to relive this part of their lives, he saw no reason to sugar coat it. While she might look back at their former relationship with a rosy-colored view, he most definitely did not.

"Everything fell apart after Audrey was sent back," he told her coldly.

A bright flush colored her cheeks as she realized where he was taking the conversation. Katherine wanted to stop him as this was the one area of the past she did not want to acknowledge, but she remained quiet as she did not want to make him more upset that he already was.

"You want closure," he snort derisively. "Shawn and I didn't get any. We didn't even get to say goodbye to her. You know, Mr. Feeny wasn't going to do anything but send her back for full treatment. He was going to bring her back the next school year as a teacher if her doctors cleared her. But someone just had to take it to the board. Do you know I almost lost my job because of that? No contact with Audrey for a year. It ruined everything. Shawn and I never recovered from that. It didn't matter that I was able to get Audrey back, the damage was done and I lost Shawn."

Jon waited until the waiter had served before he continued still incredibly aggravated with the woman across from him. "I've only just gotten him back. And if you think for a minute I'm going to tell him he can't come with me this week because it makes you uncomfortable, then take the week off because Shawn's gonna be there."

Katherine didn't know what to say. She truly had no idea what had happened after Audrey was removed from John Adams High. It had most certainly not been her intent to get him into trouble. It was a poor choice on her part to say anything to their principal and then to the school board, one that had nagged her relentlessly over the years; it weighed heavily on her conscience as her motivation had been one of pure selfishness and retaliation. It was no wonder Jon never spoke to her again after that. It explained why he wasn't happy to see that she had been hired as his secretary. As hard as it was to listen to him, it was necessary. She now knew what she needed to do. She had to win his forgiveness and his friendship. Anything beyond that she simply couldn't think about.

Shawn discovered very quickly that he had been far too confident in his ability to find Jon in a city as large as the one they lived in, especially when of them wasn't answering any text messages. Even though Julia told him Katherine hated her suggestion of Topanga's for dinner that's exactly where he found himself simply because he didn't know where else to go. And Shawn really didn't want to be there. Had Topanga herself been in he would have just called her to find out if Jon was there. But Topanga was working on a difficult case for her law firm and had taken the week off. Katy was running the bakery in her absence.

Katy Hart was the reason Shawn stood out side of the business trying to see through the windows if his father was there so he wouldn't have to go inside and face her. However, he was beginning to draw some strange looks from passersby. Since he did not have time to be detained by police who would mostly likely not buy his "looking for my father" story, Shawn summoned up all of his courage and went inside.

He was noticed immediately.

Katy had been on the lookout for him everywhere she went since their first date. Nerves took over as she watched him enter her workplace. She finally approached him after she finished up with the customer she was with. His back was to her and he seemed very tense. He also appeared to be looking for someone.

"Hey there, stranger," she greeted him gently, trying to remain casual. She reached out for the sleeve of his leather jacket. Shawn very nearly jumped out of his skin at her touch and it was all she could do not to laugh.

Anything he thought of to say to her, to explain his absence and lack of communication fled him and Shawn found himself stupidly stammering out excuses. Katy kindly waited for him to finish, still struggling not to laugh. She found his torrent of words and his raw jitteriness endearing. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one who was a bundle of nerves.

"Shawn?"

"Yeah?" he answered cautiously.

"It's okay," she told him sincerely, very much wanting to put him at ease.

"It is?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Um," he stammered uncertainly. "Could you tell me what's okay so I know that I'm thinking of the same thing that's okay as you are?"

Katy could hide the grin this time. "I know why you haven't been around."

He was clearly surprised. "You do?"

"Topanga told me," she answered. "She said you've decided to stay put and that you went back to your family. She said you've been getting to know them again."

Shawn felt like a heavy weight he didn't realize he'd been carrying had been lifted from his shoulders. He exhaled and stood up a little straighter. "Yeah, I am. I know I should have texted and all, but it's been so crazy."

"Yeah, I can imagine. Your folks have five soon to be six kids?"

"Right. And I've been gone so long..."

"Shawn," She gave him a warm, affectionate smile. "I'm really happy for you."

"Really?"

When Topanga told her about the details of Shawn's return to his family, Katy felt an overwhelming sense of relief to know that she'd finally fallen for a man who was intent on getting his priorities in order. That she had fallen for a man who was trying to rectify his past mistakes; one who was more committed to his family that to his love life. Topanga had warned her that this would be an unpredictable process, but Katy was prepared to wait it out and see what might happen. Besides, she knew Shawn's father and, if Shawn was anything like him, the wait would be worth it.

"Yeah. I've met your dad," she told him. "He's a really good guy."

"Yeah he is," Shawn was surprised by this information and tried to recall if Jon had mentioned meeting Katy before, but he couldn't. "You've met him?"

"Yeah," she said sheepishly. "Your mom was a sub in Maya's art class a while ago and she kind of walked in on your dad kissing your mom one day after school, only Maya didn't know who he was. She sort of got him put on administrative leave for-"

"Using his position of authority to coerce a teacher into a romantic relationship," he finished, finally remember Jon's recounting of his first meeting with Maya Hart. "He told me about that."

Katy grimaced, embarrassed. "Your dad was so gracious about that. Maya loved your mom and thought she was protecting her. Your parents invited me over for dinner after every thing got sorted out. They were so good to us. But when Maya found out who Mr. Turner was to you, she was too embarrassed to go with me so she hid at Riley's." She laughed. "Your dad pretended not to know who she was the next time they met. I can't tell you how much it meant to her to be able to start over with him."

Shawn smiled broadly, then became serious. "You're really not upset that I haven't been in contact?"

"No. I get it," she said empathically. "I mean don't think I'm a pushover or anything, but this is a real good reason not be in touch. Actually, it makes me think that finally I picked a good guy if his family is that important to him."

"They are," he assured her. In talking to her, he almost forgot why he was in Topanga's to begin with. He still had no had idea where to find Jon. He studied the pretty woman in front of him for a moment. "Katy, when I said things are crazy it isn't just the kids."

"Oh?"

"Can we talk? I need some help."

"Yeah, sure." She led him over to a hidden booth in a corner of the restaurant.

"I'm looking for my dad," he said once they were seated.

Katy wasn't sure if he was joking or not. "Huh?"

Shawn clasped his hands in front of him and leaned against the table. "Backstory: my dad's secretary is his ex-girlfriend who he was dating at the time he met my mom." This immediately piqued Katy's curiosity and as she listened to Shawn's story she became more intrigued with his family. The more intrigued she became the more worried she became.

"I don't know where they could be," he ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. "I just don't think that Dad would go too far from the office or home as tired as he is. I was hoping that they'd come here anyway since it's halfway between the two."

"Hmmm," Katy squinted her eyes and thought about Shawn's dilemma for a moment. As he had been talking she was developing the character of Katherine Tompkins. If she was Katherine what would her motivation be, what would her actions be based on those motivations?

"Uh, Katy?"

"You've given me a role," she shushed him. "It'll just take a moment for me to slip into character."

It took Shawn a moment to figure out what she was talking about. When he did, he smiled. Katy was an aspiring actress and as such was always working on honing her craft whether she was in an actual acting class or simply at the cafe during a slow period.

"So my boss is the love of my life." She saw Shawn cringe at this, but she had to authentically play this part, so she pushed on. "I've taken this job because I want to be apart of his life again. He's a workaholic who's family life is suffering because of it. His young wife is pregnant again and his long lost son has finally returned home."

Shawn couldn't hide his disdain of this description, however true it might be. It just made a bad situation sound like a terrible soap opera and that just made everything worse.

Katy went silent. She ran through the listing of all the nearby eateries within a four block radius and what they were like. Then her eyes lit up. "Claudette," she announced, grinning triumphantly.

"Who's Claudette?"

"Not who, what. It's a quaint little French bistro that open up last year. It's two blocks away from here."

Shawn hated to burst her bubble as she seemed so proud of herself, but he saw a major flaw with her conclusion. "My dad hates French food."

"Even better," she grinned.

That made no sense to him. "You've lost me."

"Well," she explained, leaning forward. The drama was exciting to her. "She isn't going to take him somewhere out right romantic or anything like that yet. So by taking him somewhere with food he doesn't care for it says two things. One she hasn't been paying close attention to his likes and dislikes and two it really is about work."

Shawn shook his head. "Still lost."

Katy tilted her head to the side, sending errant curls that had slipped out of her ponytail cascading over her shoulder and smiled at his cluelessness. "So Claudette can easily be a place to hang out with friends, have business lunches or dinners, or a romantic date night. So she gets him there under the pretense of work- it looks like the place for that- then the table is a little too small to spread out paperwork, the lightening is a little too dim to see the text any way, but you've already got the table so..." She held her hands out, palms up, with an expectant look.

"Okay, I found you again," Shawn said, finally understanding. "I better get over there then. Because if they're not there, then I'm back to square one."

Katy slid out of the booth and motioned for him to follow her. "At this time on a Sunday night that place is getting full," she said, looking back at him over her shoulder. "Since your dad doesn't sound like he'd have the patience to wait for a table, reservations would need to be made."

In the back of the bakery was a phone. Katy looked up the number for Claudette on her phone and dialed it on the business line. "What's the woman's name again?"

"Katherine Tompkins."

Katy gave the name to the receptionist. "No one? Okay. Well, then- Wait, is there a reservation under the name Jonathan Turner?"

She glanced at Shawn as a concerned look settled onto her features. "Okay, then. Thank you." Katy hung up the phone, but was slow to face Shawn. There was a frown on her face when she finally looked at him. "There's a reservation under your dad's name."

"He didn't make it," Shawn said instantly. He felt panicked. "There's no way he would have. Absolutely no way."

Katy chewed on her bottom lip. "She could have easily made a reservation in his name." She gave him a look of earnest apology. "Either way it was planned, Shawn."

Shawn let his palms slap against his thighs in frustration. "I've gotta go, Katy. I wish I could make things up to you, but right now-"

"Don't worry about it, Shawn. Take care of your family."

"Thank you."

"Shawn?"

"Yeah?"

"Take your time with them." she told him. There wasn't time to go into the details of why that was so important to her, but she hope that it came across to him anyway.

"I don't know how things are going to turn out," he warned her. There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Or how long it could take."

"I'm not going anywhere," she shrugged with a small smile.

"Good." A frown crossed his face. "But what about Maya?"

"She's a minor. She can't go anywhere."

Shawn gave a short laugh. "Not what I meant."

"I know what you meant." It took everything in her not to kiss him right then for his concern about her daughter and his absence from her life. "She'll be fine. I'll make sure she understands how important what you're doing is. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Katy."

"Yeah. See you around, Hunter."

Shawn grinned feeling much warmer as he headed out into the cold unknown.

The temperature decided that night was a good night for dropping into the single digits without warning. Shawn did not appreciate this at all, especially when he had to stand in line waiting to get up to the door of Claudette just to inquire about certain guests inside. The line could not possibly move any slower than what it was and his impatience was growing by the moment. Every minute that passed was one more minute that she had alone with Jon and the thought of that made Shawn more frustrated with the queue. He considered jumping the line since it was not a table that he wanted, but he didn't want to risk a scene that might delay him more, so he opted to call the restaurant from his place in line.

It took several minutes for the phone to be answered. "This is Amelia at Claudette. How may I be of service?"

"My name's Shawn Hunter. I-"

"Shawn Hunter?" Amelia sounded confused.

"Um, yeah. Look I'm standing in line but I need-"

"Shawn Hunter?"

"Right. Like I was saying I just need some-"

"Shawn Hunter?" Amelia seemed to have a strange fascination with saying his name.

"Uh, yeah. That's what it says on my driver's license." What on earth was this about? He never guessed he might need to verify his identity just to check on a reservation.

"What do you do for a living?"

At this, Shawn gave his phone a funny look and checked the number to make sure he had called the right place.

"I'm with NYC Lifestyle-"

"I knew it!" Amelia cried as though she had just guessed the right answer for a cash prize. "I knew it was you! Come in, come in. We'll have a table ready for you ASAP."

"But I don't want a-"

The beep of an ended phone buzzed in his ear. Shawn stood there dumbfounded for a moment not sure what to make of the bizarre conversation. He leaned out of line, wondering if he should go upfront and risk giving up his spot . A young brunette, Amelia he guessed, waved frantically at him from the front of the restaurant as an older man stood by her side with a skeptical look on his face. Shawn felt very weird about this, but it was imperative that he find Jon, so he took a deep breath, stepped out of line, and made his way to the door trying to ignore the disgruntled looks and mutterings of those who had waiting before him.

Once inside the restaurant, it took him way too long to convince the receptionist and her manager that he did not want a table and only want to see if his father was still there. The manager confirmed that Jon was there and began to escort Shawn to his table. An entourage was the last thing Shawn wanted to accompany him over to the table, but he couldn't get them to leave him alone until he promised to mention them to the lifestyle blog about a possible feature. Finally, free of the unwanted attention, he turned his focus to the mission at hand. Standing off to the side of their table just out of sight of them both he watched while Katherine happily blathered on about nothing Shawn cared about. Jon was difficult to read. He seemed tired as he always did, absently stirring whatever it was he was eating and glancing at the files by his side which Shawn guessed was the budget report that wasn't getting done. He was engaged in the conversation with the secretary, but not overly so. He seemed neither happy nor upset, just weary.

Just the sight of them alone together was enough to make Shawn see red. If Katherine felt it was okay for her to always invite herself to Cory and Jon's lunches, she should have no problem with him showing up unannounced to dine with them. Shawn smirked. He couldn't wait to see the look on the secretary's face when she saw him, but he took a quick moment to text Cory a pic of the two at the table and let his best friend know what was about to go down. He knew Cory would take as much delight in this as he did.

Shawn approached them from Jon's right and he allowed his inner fifteen years old to take over. Slipping into that rebellious, arrogant teenage persona was just like slipping into his old familiar leather jacket that had been with him since that age.

Katherine saw him first. Her mouth opened slightly and look of surprise and something else reddened her face. Shock? Awe? Anger? Shawn wondered amusedly. With all the irreverence he could manage, which was quite a lot, he grinned at her as he greeted Jon,

"Hey, Dad."

Jon turned and looked as surprised to see him as Katherine did, but unlike the secretary, he also looked relieved.

"Shawn!" he exclaimed, pushing away the plate he'd been playing with. "What are you doing here?"

Shawn played up the careless teenager act and shrugged as though he had simply been wandering about the City and chanced upon them. "I was just looking for something to do and Jules let me know you were out. So I thought I'd come hang. If you don't mind."

"No, not all. Have a seat," Jon told him, pulling up the chair the manager had left nearby for Shawn.

"Great. Thanks." Shawn helped himself to the bread sticks that were sitting close to Katherine's plate. He tossed her a sugary sweet smile. "Hey, Miss Tompkins. It's so nice to see you."

The secretary's eye narrowed and she regarded him suspiciously. She knew he was lying about being happy to see her, but she didn't know why he was acting like he was.

"How'd you get in?" she asked him suddenly. "It's booked."

"I've got connections," he shrugged as though he didn't have a care in the world. He turned his attention to Jon and poked at the plate in front of the man. "What is that?"

Jon scowled at the food. "It's Gnocchi... lamb... oysters something. I don't know. You want it, it's yours."

Although French food was not his favorite, Shawn didn't dislike it at much as Jon did, but he saw no reason to let Katherine in on that secret. So he made the most disgusted face he could and pulled back from the plate. "Gross," he choked out, locking eyes with the unhappy Ms. Tompkins. "I'll pass. Jules was pretty upset she couldn't come with you guys, but I think she's gonna be glad she didn't."

Shawn did not miss the change in the woman's demeanor when he mentioned his sister. She looked very uncomfortable all of the sudden.

"I really should call Audrey and let her know where I am," Jon murmured disquietly, looking anxious.

"You don't need to," Shawn said, keeping one eye on the woman across from them. "She knows we're meeting up."

"She does?" Jon seemed surprised, most likely because he didn't know they were meeting up.

Shawn looked his father and gave him a knowing smile which Jon returned. "Mmm-hmm."

Katherine saw the look that passed between them. It was one she had seen so many times back then when they had their boys only club. And the name Audrey always preceded that look.

"I still should call," the superintendent remarked. He seemed to be looking for an excuse to leave the table. "She might want us to pick up dessert or something."

"Yeah, I never thought to ask about that." Shawn shrugged casually, helping himself to another breadstick. As he reached for the baked item he "accidentally" knocked his hand into Katherine's wine glass causing some of the liquid to slosh out. She glared at him. He smiled lazily back. "Oops, my bad."

Jon quickly slid out of his seat and stepped into the quiet area away from people to make his call. The moment he left, Shawn dropped his teenage lackadaisical act and glowered at Katherine. She, too, dropped her complacent demeanor and matched his glare.

"What are you doing here, Shawn?" she demanded, leaning forward with her palms on the table as though she was trying to steady herself.

"I'm here to get my dad," he retorted, tilting his chin up so that he was looking down his nose at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to work on the budget report with Jon. And he has to eat sometime."

"Oh, yeah," Shawn sarcastically rolled his eyes. "You're really concerned about his eating."

"Yes, I am," she insisted a bit too strongly. "Is that really so hard for you to understand?"

"It wouldn't be if he didn't hate French food."

"It's an acquired taste. He'll get used to it."

He'll get used to it? Shawn was taken aback by her audacity. "Planning on making this a weekly date are you?"

Katherine glared at him.

"If three weeks in Paris wasn't enough time to acquire a taste for the food, no amount of time with you is going to do it either."

She frowned slightly as though she didn't know what he was talking about.

Shawn shook his head. "Or didn't you know he spent that long in Paris? Or that he hates French food? Or do you just not care because you're determined to turn him into the man you want him to be?"

The man before her had been no doubt be offensive as a teen, but somehow he manage to far surpass that obnoxiousness in adulthood.

"What is your problem?" she hissed, realizing that they were beginning to draw looks from those nearby. "You're the one who showed up uninvited."

"What's your problem?" he snapped back, purposely not lowering his voice. "You're the one who sent my sister home crying because you told her she couldn't spend time with her dad."

"This isn't a place for a child."

"This isn't a place for a secretary and her married boss."

Katherine gritted her teeth together, trying to regain the composure she was in danger of losing. Finally, she said in slightly sad tone, "Is that what you think this is about? Who are you getting your information from, Shawn? Julia?"

Shawn shrugged. "She's one of 'em."

"Yes, well," she said with a heavy sigh as though she was resigned to always being misunderstood. "Your 'sister' isn't exactly the most accurate source of information."

The insinuation riled Shawn but he wasn't about to let her know how much. "What are you sayin'? That she's a liar?"

"I'm saying she is an awful lot like her 'big brother'."

Shawn stared at her in contempt. He always knew she didn't like him and this was pretty much an admission.

"Why, thank you," he snarked with proud smirk.

"It wasn't a compliment," she said flatly.

"Oh, it's a criticism of my dad's parenting skills then," he laughed. "I bet Dad'll love to hear that."

It was evident that his calling Jon "dad" greatly bothered Katherine and he made note to do it as much as he could when she was around.

"What? That's not what I meant at all!"

"It must be," he said, feigning innocence. "Since I haven't exactly been here to corrupt my baby sister."

"You can twist the littlest thing..." she growled, gripping the cloth napkin that lay in her lap and twisting it viciously.

"Alright," Shawn said darkly. "Let's stop playing games then. You don't like me and I don't like you. Agreed?"

Katherine folded her arms across her stomach and glared at him.

"Dad already knows you can't stand me so you might as well admit it," he cajoled her. "It'll make you feel better to say it out loud."

He waited not really expecting her to say anything. She didn't.

"Anyway, why did you really bring him here?"

"I told you already," she snapped, her voice rising again. For someone reason, the people around them only stopped to look at them when she raised her voice back to a normal level. They ignored Shawn. "We have work to do and he needs to eat."

Shawn made a contemptuous face at her. "So you brought him to a place where the tables are too small and the light is too dim to work?"

"I didn't know that at the time."

"Sure you didn't," he said in mock agreement.

Katherine wanted nothing more than for Jon to return and save her from this laborious conversation with the spoiled brat across from her. But her boss was still immersed in his phone call.

"Shawn, I don't care what you think." She sat back against her seat. "We needed somewhere to eat and work and this was the first place available."

Her former student looked bored. He rapped his fingertips against the fabric draped table at an annoying rhythm. After awhile, he sat up and rolled his eyes again. "Uh-huh. So that's why you had a reservation made under Dad's name."

Katherine stared at in him in shock. There was no way anyone could have known about that. It was impossible! "How did you find out?"

"I've got a friend," he said mysteriously, "Who is very, very good at what she does. Why would you do that though? Why not make the reservation in your name. Unless..."

Suddenly, an intense dread fell over her. "Unless what?"

"Unless you're hoping to make this look like it's his idea to go out to dinner. You know, in case family tries to find out where he is and what he's been doing. This would look very suspicious, especially if word ever got back to his wife." He quietly folded his hand in front of him and leaned his elbows against the table. With an arch eyebrow and a hard glare, he waited for her to respond.

She ignored the accusation and steered the conversation in another direction. If there was anything in him that wasn't self-serving then perhaps she could appeal to that side of him; a side she wasn't sure he possessed. "I'm trying to take care Jon," she said earnestly. "In case you haven't noticed, he isn't taking care of himself and neither is anyone else. He needs to get out from under the enormous stress he's under and since no one else in your family seems to care enough to help him out, I'm trying to do it."

"And how would you know what anyone is my family thinks or is trying to do?" Shawn was struggling to keep a lid on his anger. He wasn't about to let her get the best of him, however.

"I just know, alright. You wouldn't understand."

"Woman's intuition?" he scoffed. "Oh, no. no. That can be a good thing. So it must be desperate woman's intuition, right?"

While he was aiming for the straw that would make her snap, he had no idea how close he was to hitting that nerve. Anger flared in her eyes and she brought her hand down on the table making the silverware jump. "What gives you the right to talk to me like that?"

Shawn leaned forward and dropped his tone low. "The moment you started trying to step into my mom's role you made yourself fair game."

"Oh, your mom," she said bitterly, rolling her eyes. She held back on saying what she really wanted to say. She wouldn't give him any more ammunition to use against her. "You don't know anything about me , Shawn, and yes, I know you don't care. I know you can't understand what my relationship with Jon meant to me. And I still care about him. In a different way than I did then." She probably emphasize this point a little too much. " I refuse to let Jon break down in front of me which is what is going to happen if someone doesn't intervene. You wanna hate me for that? Then go right ahead."

Shawn bit his tongue to refrain from unleashing his anger at her gross assumptions about his family, specifically Audrey. And he saw what she couldn't see: Jon was returning to the table. So he said quickly and menacingly, "Then let the games begin, Katherine."

It was unfortunate, from his point view, that she saw Jon appear at the table before she could respond. Katherine sat back from the table, staring down at her hands that were folded in her lap. Shawn scowled at her, tapping his fingers at a slow, methodical pace against the wooden tabletop.

Jon saw the look on Shawn's face and the anger on Katherine's and he knew that something had happened between them. However, he had no desire to find out what it was so he acted oblivious.

"Shawn," he said lightly. "Audrey just wants us to come home." He watched for a reaction from his secretary. "You mind driving back?"

"Nope," Shawn rapped his finger three times at an accelerated tempo before pushing away from the table. "Not at all."

Jon sighed when he saw the budget report file still laying untouched on the table as Shawn stood up. "You mind helping me with this tonight?" he asked, pointing to the documents with a displeased frown.

"Of course not, Dad," Shawn grabbed the file and popped it nonchalantly against his palm. "We'll get it done no problem."

"Thanks," the superintendent let out a sigh of relief. He stole a worried look at Katherine. She far too quiet for his comfort. "Listen, I'm going to pay and we'll head out."

"You know what?" Shawn said suddenly in a way that made them both look at him curiously "Let me get it. Please."

Jon shrugged, not overly surprised by his son's generosity, just caught off guard by it. But Katherine was surprised. Very much so. While not the most expensive place in NYC, it also wasn't the cheapest. It never occurred to her that Shawn might not only be self-sufficient but also successful. That was certainly not the trajectory he was on when she and Jon parted ways twenty years prior.

In actuality, Shawn was sending a message to Katherine. If Jon paid, Shawn figured that it was possible she might later try to use the receipt as proof he was ditching his family responsibilities for her. After all, she did make the reservation in his name. Shawn wanted to make sure there was no way she could twist this situation into something it was not. And if by some small chance he was wrong about the woman, so what? Shawn wasn't exactly concerned about burning bridges were she was concerned.

As he leaned over the table to pick up the check, Katherine resentfully growled at him, "This isn't over."

With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he smirked, "I am so glad to hear you say that."

There was no such thing as a short drive home when you were in New York City during rush hour even if you only lived a few blocks away from where you were. Shawn kept glancing back and forth between Jon and the car in front of them. The man next to him was slumped down in his seat, bleary-eyed and worn out, yet still wide awake. Shawn thought this was strange. If it had been him he would have been out cold and most likely snoring. But then he had never been under the kind of pressure Jon was under. Although there were times it felt that the weight of the world was on his shoulders, it had not ever been on his shoulders in the same way.

"You okay, Dad?"

Jon sighed. "Yeah. I'm just really tired."

"Hungry?"

The superintendent laughed. "Very. I can't wait to get home to Audrey's food."

Traffic began to move again, then immediately came to a halt. Shawn tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel wondering if he should say anything to Jon about being out with Katherine instead of coming home with Julia. He decided to say nothing; it was clear that Jon had not been not into the "date" like Katherine was. As much of a relief as that was, Shawn felt there was still an imminent danger laying just beyond them. He worried that he may have angered Katherine too much. The problem was, he really didn't know the woman; he never had. He had no idea what she was capable of doing. Maybe she would do nothing. Maybe the idea of having to go up against him was enough to make her back off. Yet for all he knew, Katherine was as devious as they came and would be out to pull Jon away from his family if for no other reason than to get back of him for his interference. Shawn made a face. Antagonizing her may not been the smartest thing to do. And what about Jon? He knew that he would never willfully cheat on his wife or turn his back on his family. He did know Jon that well. But Katherine, if she chose to, could certainly make things a nightmare for them all and cause irreparable damage to his parents' marriage.

"You okay, Shawn?"

Unconsciously, his drumming on the steering wheel had taken a very loud, angry beat.

"Yeah," Shawn said quickly. "Just trying not to get annoyed with traffic."

Jon nodded. "I'm glad you showed up when you did. It would have been a bad idea for me to drive home. How'd you find me anyway? I didn't even know where we were going."

Shawn smiles "Katy."

"Katy Hart? How'd she know?"

Shawn paused. It was tempting to rat Jon's devious secretary out, but he didn't see what that would accomplish other than to add more stress to his father. "Since Topanga's is halfway between home and the office, I thought you'd go there, even though Julia said she suggested it and was shot down." He glanced at his father. "Katy suggested Claudette because it was close by. Lucky guess, I suppose."

"Yeah," Jon agreed. "Whatever it was, I'm glad you showed up."

"Me, too."

"You know, Shawn. You don't have to do the budget report with me. I know you've got things to do. It's my job, I'll deal with it."

"I don't mind, Dad," he insisted adamantly. "Besides, if I'm gonna be with you next week, I do need to do what you do as much as I can."

The superintendent was quiet for awhile. When he finally spoke again, his voice was thick with emotion. "When did you start calling me Dad?"

Shawn had to really think about that. He honestly wasn't sure. There were times when he was a kid that he referred to Jon as his dad, usually when Audrey was around and he would call her mom. Although he frequently daydreamed about them adopting him and would refer to them as Mom and Dad in his head, out loud he would play the titles off as not so subtle hinting for them to get together. Then there were times when he was around people who didn't know him that he would give the impression that Jon was his father. At some point in his late twenties, he started referring to Chet Hunter as his biological father and when, on rare occasion, he mention his dad to other people, he was always referring to Jon.

He shrugged. "I dunno. A while I guess. Does it bother you?"

"No, no." Jon leaned his head back against the headrest and sighed. "It's nice to hear you feel that way."

Shawn smiled. "You always have been. Doesn't make sense to call you anything else."

In the twilight and flickering taillights of the cars casting shadows all over, Shawn didn't see the look on Jon's face something akin to relief, mingled with a touch of regret.

Perhaps, the older man thought with melancholy, I didn't mess up as bad I thought I did.

What happened?

It was nearly 45 minutes after leaving Claudette that Shawn finally made it home and was able to answer Cory's flood of text messages.

We are at officially at war.

War? We need to meet ASAP. I want details!

When can you come over?

I'll ask the wife and let you know.

Shawn chuckled at the last reply. He was about to put his phone away and head done to dinner with his family when his phone buzzed again. This time it was Katy.

How did things go?

Okay. He's home now.

Good. I'm glad.

Thank you btw! When things calm down I promise I'll take you out and tell you all about it.

Can't wait!

Claudette?

There a minute delay before she answered again.

Can we go somewhere else?

Sure. Why?

I hate French food.

Shawn laughed out loud.

Oh, she'll fit in great here.

The thought came out of nowhere and stuck him strangely. She'll fit in great here. Here. With his family. It was a bit uncomfortable to think about, but oddly enough, it didn't bother him the way it would have just over a month ago.

I'll take you anywhere you want to go.

It was nearly seven when Audrey called everyone to the table. Even though it was late and the kids were bordering on hangry, it seemed as though a darkness had lifted over the Turner household. Things seemed bit more normal. The chattering was back as the younger kids filled their parents in on whatever came to their minds. As tired as he was, Jon was more engaged with everyone than he had been in some time. He was more openly affectionate with Audrey it made all the difference in her. Her smile helped to push the darkness further away.

Once the house quieted down, Julia found Shawn in the living room gathering his tablet and phone before heading to Jon's office to help with the district budget report. He had not had a chance to talk to her earlier and he was glad she stayed behind. Julia, however, was not in a mood to talk. She approached solemnly him with those gray eyes wide and unblinking until she was almost nose to nose with him. Without warning, she grabbed onto him, clutching him in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace. It took a moment before he realized that she was crying. The siblings stood there for a long time until Julia was cried out.

Finally, she turned her chin upwards to look at him. "Thank you, Shawn. Thank you so much."

"Yeah, you're welcome, Jules."

"I'm so glad this is over," she slumped in his arms, worn out from worry. "I thought it'd be fun to take on Miss Tompkins. But I don't want to, Shawn. I've been watching the Parent Trap over and over. The movies make this look like fun. But it's not and I hate it. I'm so glad it's over."

But it wasn't over and Shawn hated to have to break the bad news to her. But he had to; he couldn't rightly keep her in the dark and he knew he would need her help.

"Jules," he said quietly. "Dad left the table when he called Mom, so I stayed and confronted Miss Tompkins."

Julia's eyes filled with tears again as she looked up at her brother. Worry crashed over her with great intensity.

"We were right about her," he informed her regretfully. "I wish we had been wrong but we aren't. It's not over, she said so herself."

Julia suddenly looked fearful. "What are we going to do?"

"Just what we planned. You, me, and Cory. We start tomorrow."

I just want to say thank you to everyone who is continuing to read this. I appreciate you spending your time here, I really do. To Ghostwriter and lizettevanessa: I cannot adequately express what your faithful reviews mean to me. I always look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you.