Originally, Amy wanted to wait until after dinner to deliver the news about the outcome of the hearing to Shawn. However, Shawn had other plans and literally jumped on Jon's back, the moment he walked through the door. Still reeling from everything that happened in the last three hours, Jon had no idea how to tell Shawn and, without any time to prepare, his delivery of the news was blunt and cold.

Shawn stared at him in stunned disbelief for a moment then said in annoyance, "Buncha idiots. They can't dictate what you do off the clock. And if they can, what is wrong with you that you agreed to those terms? You can't be that desperate for cash."

It was Jon's turn to stare at him. Then he clenched his jaw in frustration and snapped, "Shawn, this isn't a joke. No contact. One year. Otherwise I lose my job and my teachin' license."

Shawn scowled and shrugged. "So what? If you get caught, it's not the end of the world. Audrey can work until you find something else. You can sign a permit so I can start workin'."

A work permit at fifteen. That's exactly what Richie did for him at that age. The aftermath of his time with Audrey's father left him with years of regret for more or less turning his back on his father figure.

He couldn't bear the thought of history repeating itself with Shawn.

The reality of what the next year was going to look like began to sink in and it made him feel like a caged animal, restless and aggravated. "Shawn, this isn't a movie! It's real life. I lose my career over this, I'm gonna have a hell of a time findin' something else."

"No one in their right mind is gonna write you off because you dated an adult!" he scoffed. "The school board are idiots and anyone with half a brain will think so, too."

"I didn't date her!" Jon growled.

The urge to run crept up around his shoulders.

"See!" Shawn threw his hands out towards Jon. "Sounds even stupider with context! How do people that dumb even get on the school board?"

The teacher in him wouldn't let him ignore the question. "Voted in," he replied grumpily.

"Oh." Shawn blinked then frowned. "Well, that explains it. And who were the morons who voted them in?"

Jon groaned and tried to walk away from the teen.

Shawn wrinkled his nose then returned his attention to Jon. "Anyway, who's gonna know if we go see Aud this summer?"

Jon glared at him.

"What are they gonna do, tail you? Bug the apartment? That's deranged if they do." Shawn paused. "And illegal."

Jon shook his head. His gaze kept drifting to the door. "Shawn, I can't risk it."

"Why?" As the word left his mouth, Shawn's eyes narrowed. Hot anger flooded him as he realized what Jon might be attempting to do. "Are you tryin' get out of marryin' Audrey?"

"What?! No! Shawn, don't start that."

"Then what's the big deal about going to see her?"

Jon put his hands on his waist. Just once he wished Shawn would shut up and accept what he was saying without giving him a headache. "The big deal is if I screw this up any further I'm gonna lose you too."

Shawn had a retort but not for that. He gave his teacher a curious look. "Lose me? How? I'm not gonna ditch you."

"I got busted for supposedly messin' around with my student teacher," Jon told him with a heavy sigh. "I have losin' my license hangin' over me if I have any contact with her. I lose my license and that's it, Shawn. No way is any court gonna allow me to be your legal guardian or anything else."

The teen considered this for a moment. His teacher looked so lost and upset over this that it made him shiver in the warmth of the Matthews' living room. He still wasn't used to adults who worried so much over him. And worrying over losing a job was foreign to him. Chet never worried about keeping a job in order to keep him, often quitting the same day he got hired.

Shawn shivered again.

"Okay," he said finally. "I get that, I guess. What I don't get is what this has to do with the summer? Unless the school board is gonna have you followed, why can't we go to New York, get things settled with Aud, then come back here and pretend nothin' happened?"

Jon stared at him for a moment as he processed what the teen said. Shawn's responses lately had been unpredictable, and he struggled to keep up with him. "What?"

"We go get Aud, Jon." Shawn got on his knees on the couch and laid out what he thought was an obvious plan. "Then sign my paperwork. You guys get married. Forget a fancy proposal, okay? I know Aud doesn't really care about that stuff. Then start my adoption stuff. I know Pops isn't doin' good, so Aud stays behind with him and we come back here and go on like Aud's just a memory."

Sighing seemed to be the only form of breathing he had been doing lately, but still he sighed again. Jon felt uncomfortable with how much this idea appealed to him. He wasn't sure Audrey would appreciate the fantasy aspect of Shawn's plan.

It wasn't really a plausible plan.

Was it?

"So for nine months we don't talk to her?" he asked skeptically.

"You don't talk to her. I do. Nobody's gonna tell me who I can talk to."

"Not talkin' for nine months isn't a great start to a marriage, kid."

Shawn gave him a mischievous smirk. "On the weekends, I stay with Cory while you go to a weddin'."

Jon shook his head as a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Can only use that lie so many times."

Shawn shrugged nonchalantly. He could tell Jon was warming up to his idea. "Then tell people you're hangin' out with your best friend and helpin' him get moved into his new place."

A small laugh escaped him, and he arched an eyebrow. "Get moved?"

"C'mon, Jon, we all know Eli does not want to teach'."

"Yeah." Jon rolled his eyes in amusement. "He pretty much decided that on day two."

"Really? Took him that long?"

Jon grinned.

"See?" Shawn poked Jon's shoulder. "Think about it, Jon, we don't even really have to lie to anyone. I'm sure Feeny and some others will ask how we're doin' at first, but they'll forget about it 'cause they've got their own stuff goin' on and we won't say anything. Anyone asks why you don't date you tell 'em you've got your hands full with me and have to watch me every second of the day, so I don't end up in juvie."

Jon gave him a sharp look. "I thought we weren't gonna lie."

"How's that a lie?"

Jon started to laugh when a dark invisible weight settled over him and he recalled Audrey's words to move on. Recalling that conversation swallowed up the hope of Shawn's plan and filled him with anger and bitterness at the unfairness of his situation.

Kat was the one who lied ruined his future with Audrey and used her position to harm a student, his kid. But he was the one being punished. And for what? Wanting to be a husband? Wanting to be a father? No matter what happened to Kat, her punishment would not be anywhere near as severe as his.

"Jon?"

He looked up and saw Shawn giving him a look of curiosity and concern. Anger and bitterness joined together, and Jon had to turn away from him. The teen was a reminder of what he was going to lose.

"Shawn, this is a nice story," he snapped harshly. "But that's all it is. It's a story and not real life. We have to move on and forget about everything else."

"Move on? Forget everything else?" Shawn couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What are you talkin' about? You sound like you want us to forget Audrey."

Jon clenched his jaw and his fist, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He glanced at the door he very much wanted to walk out. "Feeny called her and put her on speaker. He talked to her for me. She backed out, Shawn. Told me to get you and to move on. To find someone who loves us both.

Shawn's jaw dropped.

Confusion wrapped around him, followed by fear. Fear gave way to anger.

"Liar," he spat back bitterly. He was deeply hurt by his teacher's sudden callousness. "She would never leave us."

Jon glared at the floor and shrugged. "It's what she said."

Outrage flared in his eyes. "She would never leaveme!"

Without Audrey to anchor him to the place he needed to be, Jon was ready to revert to his old ways and the look on Shawn's face was enough for him to walk. "Look it's over, Shawn. Audrey backed out."

Panicked consumed Shawn. He didn't understand why Jon suddenly turned on him and Audrey. It terrified him that one of the few adults he trusted was betraying him in this way. He'd had nightmares about something like this happening.

He just didn't know what he'd done that was so bad that Jon would leave him. So he did the only thing he knew to do- he lashed out.

"I don't believe you! You're a liar!" he shouted at his teacher. "You'rethe one who backed out and you're blamin' her."

Jon whipped around and pointed a finger at him. "No, I'm not!" he shouted back at him.

He'd already been punished for things he never did; he didn't need to hear false accusations from his kid.

Shawn wasn't done. He could hit Jon where it hurt as hard Jon could hit him. "As soon as this stupid school year is over I'm gonna go to her and I'm gonna stay with her! Forget you!"

The words hit with intended damage, and he responded in the same manner as Shawn.

"She'll send you back! She told me to take care of you!"

"Yeah, well I don't wanna live you if that's the case!"

Jon gave him a look of disgust. "Shawn, c'mon. Grow up a little."

"What are you sayin'?" he scowled suspiciously at him.

"I'm sayin' sometimes things don't work out the way we want. This is one of those times. You just gotta accept it."

"No, I don't. I won't. Why aren't you fightin' this?"

This conversation had rapidly spun out of control and Jon had no idea how to get it back. The desire to even try had left him. He just didn't see how this was going to work out with just him and Shawn. They didn't do well in the beginning when it was just the two of them and Jon tried to be the parent. He had no reason to believe he could do it on his own now.

He needed Audrey.

But she was gone.

And so was his hope for their future and he heard himself coldly spit back, "There's nothing to fight for!"

While that's how he felt, he hadn't meant to say it out loud.

Shawn stared at him like he'd slapped him. He'd been hit once before and yet an open palm against his cheek didn't hurt nearly as much. His vision clouded up suddenly and he struggled to bring Jon into focus.

"We're not worth fightin' for?"

The pain and fear in Shawn's voice made him recoil and take a step towards the door. He couldn't have this conversation right now; he wasn't ready for it. The more he was forced to try to explain, the worse he made things.

He inched even closer to the door.

"Look, I gotta make a choice," he said defensively. "I can go after Audrey, try to patch things up, and lose my career and you. Or I give Audrey up so I can keep you. I can't do both."

Anger flared up and set Shawn's cheeks on fire. "That's a cop out!" he cried as his voice rose in volume. "You could do both! I told you how!"

Jon's thoughts were reeling. Shawn's anger, fear, and confusion increased his own making it impossible to think. Add to that the weight of responsibility on him and he felt like something within him was on the verge of breaking.

"If you don't do what I told you, then you're a liar who doesn't care about me or Audrey!"

Jon stared at him for a long moment and watched the future he so desperately wanted cease to exist.

"It's a fairytale, Shawn! Okay?!" he shouted back. "We lied and snuck around and look at the way things turned out! It's over! Everything is over!"

Enraged by this, Shawn jumped onto the couch and tried to grab Jon, but his teacher stepped out of his reach.

"No, it's not!" he screamed, jumping once on the furniture then off and lunging at Jon. "You're just too much of a coward to fight for our family!"

And then it snapped.

"We don't have a family!"

Shawn's jaw dropped. Numbness engulfed him. Time stopped. Even Chet had never said that horrible.

And he'd said a lot of horrible things to him.

Jon's chin dropped to his chest. Anger gave way to guilt. Horribly, unrelenting guilt. Unable to take the pressure anymore, Jon turned abruptly and left the Matthews' home slamming the door behind him.

The sound of the door jerked Shawn back to life. He ran to the door and threw it open.

"You know what?" he screamed with the rage that was in him. "I hate you, you coward!"

A strong pair of hands clamped down on his shoulders and pulled him back inside.

"You do not," Alan said firmly. He kicked the door closed while maintaining his grip on the teen.

"Yeah, I do," Shawn spat, struggling against him. "I really do. I hate him. I don't want him. He's as bad as Chet. Worse!"

"HEY!" Alan roughly turned Shawn to face and gave him a slight shake to get him to focus.

"What?" Shawn fought harder to get out of his grip. "You gonna defend him?"

"Yeah, I am, kid."

"I hate you, too."

"Hey!" Alan put his hand on the back of Shawn's neck and forced him to look him in the eyes. "Did you hear anything Jon said?"

"Yeah," he replied bitterly. "I heard him say we don't have a family. I heard him blame Audrey for his cowardice."

Alan was unimpressed. "That's what you heard?"

"Yeah."

Alan shook his head, then locked eyes with Shawn. "Then you weren't listening," he said firmly. "I was there when Mr. Feeny called Audrey."

A strange look of fear and curiosity overtook the teen's scowl. "You were?"

"Yeah. Audrey said exactly what Jon said she did."

Shawn couldn't accept this, even if it was Mr. Matthews telling him. He wriggled around trying to get out of the man's grip. "Audrey would never leave me. Never! Mr. Matthews, why would you lie to me?"

Alan held onto him and once he stopped squirming, he told him, "Shawn, I know you think you have the answer for Jon and Audrey's situation, but there is a lot at stake here. Jon really could lose his career if he breaks this ban. And he really will lose you if that happens."

"That's what he said. And I told him I wouldn't ditch him." Shawn paused as his last words to Jon came back to him. A shiver of guilt ran up his spine.

"This is about your adoption, Shawn. He'd have to adopt you solo." Alan's expression softened as he realized that for all of Shawn's street smarts there were areas of life he simply knew nothing about. "The Courts are already against single men adopting kids. If Jon loses his career over an improper relationship with his student teacher, that's all they need to prove he's an unfit parent. He won't have a chance of getting you."

Shawn blinked as the explanation sank in. "Oh. I didn't know that. Okay. But why did Audrey say to move on? Why did Jon say we don't have a family?"

Alan sighed. He shifted his hands to the teen's shoulders and gave him a fatherly squeeze "Jon is hurt and confused right now. He just lost the love of his life and could lose this kid he really loves. He's afraid of losing everything."

While the explanation made him feel better in some ways, it made him feel worse in others. In his eyes, Jon was invincible. If he appeared he didn't have an answer or explanation for something, it was because he was trying to teach him something. It never occurred to him that his teacher was human after all and not Superman with a curly mullet.

"Audrey is hurting and confused, too" Alan went on. "She also lost the love of her life and this kid she really loves. Her dad is in ICU. To her, she has lost everything."

Shawn dropped his head as guilt kicked him hard. After all they'd been through together, he really should have realized how hard this was on the adults.

"Yeah, I guess I wasn't listening," he admitted sheepishly. "I should have realized what a big deal this separation is. I mean, I've seen what Cory's been through after he lost Topanga. And this is just as big as that."

The absurdity that a teen love affair could be on the same level as an adult relationship made Alan chuckle as it reminded him of how young Shawn really was. He came very close to telling him that what Cory and Topanga had was nothing compared to what Jon and Audrey had, but the thought made him pause. Shawn's steadfast support of Cory though his breakup with Topanga reminded him of what a good friend Shawn had been to Cory over the years.

Instead of dashing his hope that his friends would get back together, Alan tightened his grip on Shawn and pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah, maybe even bigger," he said. He pulled slightly away from Shawn so that he could look him in the eyes, but he kept an arm around him. "I don't know how things are going to turn out, Shawn. I can't promise you it will be the way you want it to be. But I can promise you that this family will be there for your family no matter what. And if the worst happens, you'll always have a place with us."

Shawn looked up at his best friend's dad and gave him an appreciative smile. He knew Mr. Matthews meant what he said. And it meant a lot to him.

But he wasn't a Matthews.

He was a Hunter.

Possibly a Turner.

And that's just the way it was.

But he kept it to himself; he didn't want to hurt Mr. Matthews' feelings or seem ungrateful.

He wasn't.

He just knew what was meant to be.

Cory and Topanga.

Jon and Audrey.

And him with them.

His brother.

His sister.

His father.

His mother.

He wouldn't accept anything else.

He couldn't.

Thank you for reading and for the comments. I appreciate you spending time with me!