Disclaimer:  I don't own any of the characters except the ones I created.  So 
please don't sue me.
Rating:  PG-13
Author's Note:  In this fic, Shawn moved away six years ago.  The teens are 
all seniors.  Abby and Brady are back in this one.

"I can't believe he's coming back."

"I know.  I bet he's still gonna be the same loser he was six years ago.  A 
goody-goody boy scout."

"We don't know that.  He could be totally different person for all we know."

"Come on Phillip.  Do you even believe that?  The guy's so squeaky clean he 
makes me want to puke."

"He could be a completely different person now Jason.  A lot of stuff can 
happen in six years."

"Whatever."

Phillip shook his head and walked to the middle of the school's quad to see 
if Shawn had shown up yet.  He had to admit to himself that he was a bit 
apprehensive at seeing Shawn again.  They had called and e-mailed each other 
while Shawn was at boarding school, but Shawn had never relly shared 
information about what his life was like there.  He seemed hesitant to talk 
about his personal life.

Phillip broke out of his reverie long enough to see Chloe Lane walking his 
way.  ~Be smoothe Phil.~

"Hi Chloe."

"Hi Phillip."

"So, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to my locker."

"Oh, well... that's great."

"Uh huh.  Bye."

"Bye."

~So much for smoothe.~  He kept watching as Chloe walked away from the quad 
and to her locker.  Philip stubbornly refused to admit having feelings for 
her.  Although, in his weaker moments, Phillip would finally let down his 
wall and let himself wallow in self-pity for doing absolutely nothing when it 
came to getting Chloe.  He was Phillip Kiriakis, captain and quarterback of 
the varsity football team, star pitcher of the baseball team, and the most 
popular guy at shcool.  but when it came to Chloe Lane, he became the biggest 
idiot, and he hated himself for that weakness.

~~~Lockers~~~

Chloe smiled at some classmates as she walked by them.  It still surprised 
her that they had accepted her.  It had helped that Belle, Abby, and Phillip 
had stood up for her though.  Belle and Abby had become her best friends and 
confidantes.  She trusted her secrets with them and new that they wouldn't 
laugh or make fun of her.

"Chloe babe.  How about you and I go out Saturday?"

"Lance babe.  How about you go play in heavy traffic right now?"

Lance's friends burst out laughing and congratulated Chloe on a great 
comeback.  Chloe smiled brilliantly.  She had gotten made fun of when she had 
first come to Salem High and it felt good to no longer be put down because of 
the type of person she was.

She continued down to her locker and laughed when she saw her locker.  Belle 
and Abby had gotten a group of their friends together to decorate lockers for 
Homecoming and they had done a great job.  Her locker was covered in 
streamers and balloons.  Across the top someone had stenciled her name in 
blue and yellow letters.  She opened her locker cautiously so she didn't 
somehow mess up the decorations.  Lauhging lightly when she saw the sign 
Belle and Abby had hung on the inside:
'We're going to make sure you have some school spirit, even if it kills us.  
Best Buds, Belle and Abby'  

she grabbed her books and shut her locker.  Turning slightly, she caught the 
eyes of a guy standing at another locker down the hall.  ~He's cute.~

"Hi."

"Ummmm... hi.  I'm having a little problem and I waas wondering if you could 
help me out."

Chloe smiled.  "Will wonders never cease.  A guy actually asking a girl for 
help."

He smiled suddenly and a gleam came into his brown eyes.  "A woman of wit.  I 
like that.  Actually, all you have to do is tell me if a teacher's coming."

Chloe nodded her head after a moment's hesitation.  He smiled then unbuttoned 
his shirt.  She blushed hotly in embarassment.

"Woah, you can't just start undressing in the middle of the hallway!" she 
whispered fiercely.  He just laughed and turned away.

Chloe had to admit that he did have a nice body.  He was at least six foot, 
with dark hair and laughing brown eyes.  His broad shoulders were shaking wih 
his silent laughter as he turned away and reached into his locker.  His body 
was lean and had well-defined muscles.

He had grabbed a white wifebeater and put it on.  Smiling and shaking his 
head at her reaction, he turned back around.  "You can stop looking for 
teachers now."

She just stood and gawked at him.  "You just undressed in the HALLWAY!"

"No, I didn't undress.  That would mean that I was fully nude."

"Could I at least find out what your name is?"

"Shawn Brady."  He stuck out a hand and she shook it reluctantly.

"I'm Chloe Lane.  God, i cannot believe I'm actually introducing myself to a 
guy who stripped in front of me and in our hallway."

"Like I said, I wasn't fully nude."

chloe shook her head in amazement.  "Have you no shame?" she asked jokingly.

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and leered.  "Absolutely none whatsoever."

She started laughing and he joined in.  That was how Phillip, Belle and Abby 
found them.
Phillip looked at the guy standing next to Chloe suspiciously.  They were way 
too chummy for his liking.  He'd never even seen the guy around school and he 
knew everyone.

"What's so funny?"

Chloe calmed down a bit and smiled at Shawn.  "Nothing.  We were just talking 
about..."

"Clothes."

Belle and Abby looked at the new guy puzzled.  There was something vaguely 
familiar about him.

"I didn't think that guys liked talking about clothes."

"I'm not the average guy."

Chloe smirked and smacked Shawn's arm.  Shawn looked down at her in mock 
anger.

"I'm offended.  I don't think I did anything that warranted a physical 
assault."

"Right.  I was offended about two minutes ago.  I even saw your tattoo."

"You saw that?"

"Hello.  Pretty hard to miss."

"So, what'd ya think?"

"It's pretty cool.  I like it."

"Thought so."

"And then there's your whole cocky attitude."

Abby interrupted their sparring.  "Do you two know each other?"

Shawn smiled widely.  ~Geez.  Even Abby doesn't recognize me.~  "Oh yeah.  We 
go way back.  We've even seen each other half naked."

Mouths were agape at that comment.  Chloe shook her head and said, "Only in 
your dreams."

"And what good dreams they would be."

Phillip rolled his eyes.  "So who are you anyway?"

Shawn was interrupted by Jan.  "Who's the hottie?"

"This is the new guy," Belle replied.

Jason was standing behind Jan and looked at Phillip.  "When's Brady gonna get 
here?  I wanna see the loser in all his geeky glory."

Chloe's temper rose at Jason's comment.  She harbored no good feelings for 
Jason.  Especially since he had made it his mission to ridicule her at every 
opportunity.  She was about to make a biting comment when Shawn stopped her.

"Yeah, you look really tough.  I'm sure he would be really freaked out if you 
called him a loser."

Belle smirked at Shawn's mocking tone.  Jason was oblivious to it and his 
chest swelled.

"Yeah.  The guy would probably pee his pants if he knew I was looking for 
him."

"Definitely.  He'd probably pee his pants if he thought you were going after 
him."

Abby smiled at that.  Jason still had not grasped the fact that Shawn was 
mocking him.

"I know.  I can't wait to get my hands on him."

"Woah there.  I know he'd pee his pants if he thought you were coming on to 
him."

Jason finally realized that Shawn was mocking him.  "What?!"

He tried to look menacing as he walked over to Shawn and went nose to nose 
with him.

"Well, yeah.  What am I supposed to think when you keep asking about the guy 
and then say that you not only want to go after him but also want to 'get 
your hands on him'?"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Shawn Brady.  And I'm thinking that you're Jason."

A startled quiet settled over the group.  This was Shawn Brady?  The kid who 
had been what could be considered a Stepford child was standing before them 
in a white wifebeater, well-worn jeans, and boots.  A gold earring was in his 
left ear and the hair that had always been well-kept was messy and tousled, 
as if he had just run his hands through it.

"Shawn?!"

"Good to know that you can finally recognize me Abby."

"Oh my gosh!"  She ran to Shawn and he caught her in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you again cuz."

"I missed you."

"Me too."

Phillip stood stunned for a moment.  He was still a bit confused about what 
had happened between Shawn and Chloe but suppressed the feeling.

"Hey man.  How's it going?"

"Pretty goo."

"How long have you known Chloe?"

Shawn studied him for a moment.  He could sense the underlying feelings 
Phillip had for Chloe and decided to take it easy on him.

"We just met about fifteen minutes ago.  She helped me out."

Jan spoke up.  "What exactly did she help you out with?"  This was perfect.  
She was going to have the best gossip for the week.  Not only was Shawn Brady 
back, but he was a total hottie.  ~Good thing I broke up with Jason last 
year.~

"He needed someone to be a lookout for him."

Belle was confused.  "Why would he need a lookout?"

"He decided to change his shirt in the middle of the hallway."

"Is that where the whole half-naked thing came from?"

"Got it in one Phil."

Belle looked at him closely.  She did have to admit that Shawn had changed 
remarkably.  ~He's really hot.~

"Where's this tattoo you guys were talking about?"

Shawn lifted his shirt and revealed the tattoo on his left pectoral.  Right 
above his heart was a black sun.  Jan and Belle were gaping at his muscles 
and Abby nudged Belle hard.  Belle let out a startled yelp and glared at her.

"That's pretty cool.  When'd you get it?"

"At the end of my freshman year."

At that moment, the bell rang and the group split up.  Jason was fuming and 
Jan was giddy with happiness.  Belle walked away with Shawn while Chloe, Abby 
and Phillip walked to class together.

"So how do you like Salem High?"

"I think that my senior year's gonna be full of some very good things."

He looked down at Belle and she blushed.

"What was boarding school like?"

"A learning experience."

"Really?"

"Yeah really.  You've grown up Belle."

"You think so?"

"I do.  Miss Isabelle Black has definitely matured."

She looked up and saw him looking down at her with open admiration in his 
eyes.  She felt a blush coming on.

"Pervert."

"No really.  You've got this ... quality that makes you seem older.  It kinda 
makes me feel like you've got this sophistication that makes other girls seem 
like ... well girls."

"And you've got this quality that makes you seem like a rebel."

Shawn smirked and put an arm around her waist.  He leaned closer to her and 
whispered, "I hope you like that quality."

Belle shivered at their close proximity and Shawn just smiled.  ~I definitely 
know this year's gonna be full of good things.~

~~~One Week Later~~~

Belle and the others were gathered at the Brady's house looking for Shawn.  
It had been one week since he had started school, and he was the talk of the 
school.  Girls were dropping hints left and right about their availability 
while guys were showing more possessiveness.

"Hi kids.  What's going on?"  Hope let the teens in and looked at them 
puzzled.

"We're looking for Shawn.  A bunch of us are going to dotCom and we thought 
he would want to come with us."

Hope smiled at them.  "That's very sweet of you.  I hate to tell you that you 
made the trip here for nothing though."

Belle smiled apologetically.  "Sorry that we bothered you Hope.  Could you 
tell him to call one of us when he gets home?"

"You don't understand.  Shawn's got his own apartment.  Just go down Third 
Avenue.  His building's right there.  It's apartment 1120A."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The teens walked out and started talking.

"Since when does he have an apartment of his own?"  Phillip was a bit 
surprised that Hope and Bo were letting him love on his own.

"It is a little weird.  Maybe he'll tell us."

They got into their cars and drove to his apartment.  They were a bit shocked 
to see a doorman greet them and even more shocked to see the luxurious lobby.

"How can he afford this?"

"Who knows."

"Come on kiddies.  Let's go up."

They all crowded into the elevator and rode it to the eleventh floor.  Chloe 
became a bit uncomfortable at how close Phillip was standing behind her.  He 
had brushed against her side as he pushed the button for the eleventh floor 
and she had been dismayed at the shiver that had run up her spine.

Abby was nervously smiling at Brady and wringing her sweater sleeves between 
her hands.  Brady smiled down at her actions and brought a hand around hers 
to still their movement.  Abby looked up startled and held her breath as he 
leaned close to her.

"Just relax."

"I can't help it."

"The only person who really has to be nervous is Belle.  She's finally going 
to see her new boy toy's living quarters."

Abby giggled as he arched his eyebrows and tapped Phillip's shoulder.  He 
leaned over slightly and laughed at what Brady had said.  Nodding his head, 
he whispered the comment to Chloe.  This got her laughing and Belle quickly 
turned to find out what was going on.

"What's so funny?"

"Abby's just tearing her sweater to shreds."

"I don't see how that's funny, but it's okay.  I completely understand why 
you would think that was funny since you are the one with mental issues 
Brady."

"I resent that remark."

"We're here children."

They stepped out of the elevator and turned to their right.  Three doors 
down, they found the right apartment.  Phillip knocked on the door and a 
moment later, Shawn's muffled voice could be heard through it.

"I'm coming!"

He opened the door and smiled at the faces that greeted him.

"Hey you guys.  What's going on?"

"We should ask you the same thing.  Why didn't you tell us you had an 
apartment?  And a very nice one at that."

"It never came up."

"Oh."

Brady was looking around the apartment in wonder when he remembered why they 
were there.  "Listen, we're going to dotCom and we wanted to know if you 
wanted to go."

"Sure."

~~~dotCom~~~

The teens walked into dotCom when Jan immediately called them over.

"Hey!  Sit over here."

Belle sighed and rolled her eyes.  "Do we have to?"

Shawn put an arm around her shoulders and said, "Behave Isabella."

She gave him a disgruntled look and nudged him with her elbow hard.  He gave 
a small grunt and laughed as she tried to walk out away from him.  He grabbed 
her around the waist and started tickling her.

"Be nice Belle."

Belle was almost in tears she was laughing so hard.  "Okay, okay.  Stop it!  
I'll be nice."

"Was that so hard?"

Belle smiled up at him and caught her breath at the look in his eyes.  His 
eyes were shimmering with laughter and affection.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Come on Belle.  You were just staring at me.  Do I have something on my 
face?"

"No.  I was just ... looking at your earring."

"Right."

They had finally made it to the booth and Belle noticed that there wasn't 
enough room for both of them.  Shawn got a mischievous gleam in his eyes and 
smiled devilishly.

"Sure there is."

"Shawn, no there isn't."

"Yes, there is."

"No, there isn't."

Brady watched the exchange in silent satisfaction.  He knew that Shawn 
wouldn't hurt Belle and he was glad that they were getting along so well.  
Most of the time anyway.

"For the last time Shawn Brady, no there isn't!"

Shawn pulled her onto his lap and almost burst out laughing at the look on 
her face.  She sat there in shock until she could feel his breath brush her 
cheek.

"Told you so."

~~~Lockers Before School~~~

"What's up with you and Belle?"

Shawn smiled at the thought of Belle. "I'm not sure."

"Come on Shawn. She was sitting in your lap just the other day."

"Yeah, but I pulled her onto my lap."

Phillip rolled his eyes. "And she could've just gotten up and grabbed a chair 
at any time, but she didn't. You guys already act like an old married couple 
anyways. You might as well be going out."

Their conversation was cut off as the girls and came over to them.

"Hi Shawn!" Jan let her eyes wander up his body slowly. The guy was just way 
too hot to be single.

"What am I? Chopped liver?"

"Hi Phillip. So, I was wondering if you were gonna be busy this Friday Shawn. 
There's a new movie playing at the Cineplex and I thought that maybe you and 
I could go together."

Shawn leaned against the lockers and mulled it over in his mind. "I can't. I 
promised Belle that I'd take her to dinner and a movie. Hey, why don't we all 
go together?"

"No thanks." Jan glared at Belle and walked away.

"What's her problem?" Phillip watched her walk away in confusion.

"See Chloe, I told you that guys were completely oblivious to everything."

Chloe laughed and agreed with Abby. Shawn threw Phillip a look and Phillip 
just shrugged his shoulders.

"What?"

"Hello. The girl's been panting after Shawn since his first day."

All eyes turned to Shawn as he tried to duck behind Belle. She reached behind 
her and grabbed the collar of his shirt. He yelped in surprise and went along 
with her as she dragged him in front of her.

"Way to go Brady. Hide behind a girl."

"Shut up Phil."

"Speaking of girls. Since when are you and I going to dinner and a movie?"

"Since I asked you."

Belle pinched him. "When would that have been? I must have completely missed 
it."

"Belle, do you want to go to dinner with me? I might even spring for a movie 
afterwards."

"Be still my beating heart. That was romantic."

Shawn faced her fully and she backed up against the lockers. He followed her 
and placed a hand beside her head.

"Do you want me to be romantic about it?"

"Well, it'd be nice."

He leaned closer to her and stroked her cheek. "Would you be willing to make 
a guy's dream come true? I would love to take you to dinner and a movie 
Friday night. Say yes. Please?"

Leaning back a bit, Belle looked up into Shawn's eyes and smiled. "That's 
much better. I'd love to."

Instead of speaking, Shawn leaned down and slowly kissed Belle. She 
practically melted when he brought his arms around her to pull her closer to 
him. He ran a hand through her hair and smiled slightly as she sighed. One of 
Belle's hands was busy playing with the hair on the nape of his neck, while 
the other was pressed against his chest.

"Hey, cut it out you two. I'm gonna go blind."

Belle pulled away first and buried her face against Shawn's neck in 
embarassment. Shawn smiled into her hair and kissed her temple. Turning 
towards Phillip, he glared at him in mock anger.

"Thanks for ruining the moment."

"I'm just looking out for the younger students at Salem High. They don't need 
to see two h---- seniors going at it in the hallway."

"Pardon me for wanting to kiss a beautiful girl. I'll be sure to restrict my 
PDA's to handholding."

"I resent being called a 'horny senior'. He kissed me first."

Chloe and Abby burst out laughing. Chloe stopped laughing long enough to 
choke out, "Right. You really looked like you hated him kissing you."

"I didn't say that."

Shawn looked down at her. "Are you saying you enjoyed that?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm actually hoping it's a big yes."

"You're brilliant."

"I know."

Belle rolled her eyes and laughed as Shawn started to pout. "Your arrogance 
knows no bounds."

"But you like me anyways."

"Who told you that? You should tell them you don't like it when people lie to 
you."

Shawn wrapped both arms around Belle. "If you don't like me, why did you 
agree to dinner and a movie with me?"

Belle winked at Chloe and Abby. "I'd have to be an idiot to turn down free 
food and a free movie."

Shawn pulled away and grabbed his chest as if shocked. "I think that I've 
been insulted. My heart's breaking. Belle Black is only using me."

Belle smiled at his antics and grabbed onto his hand. He smiled when she took 
his hand.

Phillip looked at them and made a gagging noise. "Spare me from the 
lovebirds."

"Me too. I think I've seen enough of this lovey-dovey stuff for a lifetime 
Phillip."

"Why, thank you for agreeing with me Chloe."

Abby saw the look that Phillip gave Chloe and smiled. She was happy that 
Chloe had a good guy who liked her. Shawn and Belle noticed the look and 
shared one of their own. Smirking, Shawn slapped Phillip on the back. 

"Am I seeing a love connection?"

"No."

"Are you nuts?!"

Phillip turned to Chloe. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that a 
girl would be insane to have to date me? Is that it? I'll have you know that 
plenty of girls..."

"Shut up Phillip."

"No, I won't. She just insulted me."

Belle, Abby, and Chloe rolled their eyes.

"Furthermore, I wouldn't date her either."

"Fine."

Shawn walked over to Belle and took her books from her. She looked at him 
confused and tried to take them back.

"I need those."

"I know. According to the boyfriend handbook, I'm supposed to carry your 
books."

"And according to the girlfriend handbook, I'm not supposed to let some guy 
do things for me out of some twisted sense of chivalry."

"And according to your handbook, you're supposed to indulge your boyfriend in 
his brief moments of gentlemanly conduct. Enjoy it Belle."

"Okay. Don't strain yourself."

"I won't. The only way I could do that is if you made me carry your bags when 
you go shopping. I think I'd lose my arms from the weight of thirty bags 
filled with shoes, clothes and makeup. I shudder at that thought."

She smacked him on the arm with her purse as he laughed. "Jerk."

"But you like me."

"I don't know why."

"I'm handsome, smart, funny, charming, and irresistible."

"Don't forget egotistical."

"Look in the mirror lately? With you as my girlfriend, I've got everything to 
be egotistical about."

Belle smiled and leaned into Shawn. "You're sweet too."

"Thank you. I try."

They laughed and continued down the hallway with Chloe and Abby trailing 
behind them shaking their heads in amusement.

"You do realize that they're going to be this sickening all the time now."

"I know. At least we can still steal Belle away for some shopping."

"Yay," Chloe said with fake enthusiasm.

Abby smiled. Chloe had yet to learn how to enjoy the fine art of shopping. 
"And on the plus side, we can force the guys to come along and make them 
carry our stuff. Just picture Phillip standing in Mason's surrounded by 
shoes."

"I've got to be more optimistic about things," Chloe said smiling.

Abby laughed. "Stick with me and I'll make sure Phillip suffers through 
plenty of shopping trips."

~~~Friday Night~~~

"I think Jan's following us."

"What?"

"Casually look behind you. She's in the blue dress."

Shawn pretended to look behind him at the listing of movies and sure enough, 
Jan was trying to look inconspicuous. Laughter started to bubble up inside 
him. Belle smacked him on the arm. "Don't laugh at her. She's been after you 
since you got here. She hasn't even gone out with anyone else since she and 
Jason broke up."

He stifled his laughter and put his arm around Belle. "Let's go in."

They walked in and Shawn patiently waited in the long line for food. Fifteen 
minutes later, Shawn was hastily making his way over to Belle. They rushed to 
the right screening room and chose seats in the back.

"What's this movie about anyways?"

"I don't know."

"Perfect. We go to a movie we know nothing about."

Shawn turned towards her. "Do you really want to see much of the movie?"

Without waiting for a reply, he leaned closer to give her a kiss. They were 
oblivious to everything around them until they were rudely interrupted.

"Hi guys! What a surprise!"

Jan's overly perky voice had cut through Shawn's dazed fog and he broke the 
kiss. Belle looked a bit angry, but plastered a fake smile on her face. "Jan, 
it's nice seeing you. Who are you here with?"

"Well, I was supposed to meet Jason here, but he hasn't shown."

"Oh."

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Without waiting for an answer, Jan sat 
herself down on the other side of Shawn. She tried to lean against his side 
but found that Shawn was already leaning over towards Belle. Belle laughed 
lightly at something Shawn whispered to her. Jan sat seething as she watched 
them.

Just then, a scream erupted from the movie screen. Belle groaned in 
disappointment. ~A horror movie? Great, you get to make an idiot of yourself 
by freaking out at the movies.~

She closed her eyes as the killer stabbed a girl and left a bloody mess. She 
winced and turned towards Shawn. Shawn felt her lean towards him and saw her 
bury face against his shoulder. He smiled. ~Shoulda known that she'd hate 
scary movies.~ He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer 
to him. "Hey, it's just a movie."

"Save it. I so do not want to see Mena Suvari get hacked into tiny little 
pieces."

"Okay. Just keep your screaming to a minimum. This is a good movie." 

She pinched his side and he jumped a bit. A sullen Jan was trying to get as 
far away from the two of them as she could.

"Where's Jan?"

"I don't know."

They watched the rest of the movie in companionable silence. Belle was 
relishing the feel of Shawn's strong arms around her and Shawn was just 
enjoying having Belle in his arms. 

But as with all good things, they must come to an end. Shawn had been a 
perfect gentleman the whole night. They were both standing on in front of the 
Black's house. Shawn leaned in to kiss Belle as she wrapped her arms around 
his neck. Belle's back was against the door and then she felt nothing but air 
against it. She fell back and landed with a thump on the floor. Shawn had 
caught himself on his forearms and looked up to see Brady and Marlena 
laughing hysterically while John was trying to give him a stern look.

"I suggest you not hit the doorbell with your arm next time Shawn," Marlena 
chortled.

Shawn blushed crimson. One thing he hadn't planned on was getting caught 
kissing Belle and then ending up on top of her while her family laughed at 
him.

He murmured a quick goodbye and silently prayed that a hole would open up and 
swallow him. He was shaking his head over the turn of events and was walking 
through his front door before he noticed that someone was standing behind 
him. A silent laugh seemed to erupt from nowhere and Shawn gaped at the 
brunette behind him in surprise.

"Well, well. Looks like little Shawn Brady's all grown up and living on his 
own. Does your little girlfriend stay here often?"

Shawn's jaw tightened in anger. "Don't you ever insinuate that Belle is 
anything like you. Stay away from me and stay the Hell away from Belle."

She leaned in closer to him and ran a finger down his chest. "Don't threaten 
me lover. I'll see you soon. Maybe I'll see your girlfriend too."

She walked away and Shawn slammed the door. He angrily threw his jacket 
across the living room and sat down heavily on the couch. ~Why is this 
happening to me? I'm different. Being with Belle is going to change me. I 
don't need this right now.~

He noticed that Mrs. Rollman was staring at him. "I'm sorry you had to see 
that."

"It's okay sweetie. I'm going to go now."

She walked out silently, leaving Shawn with his thoughts.

A wail came from a room in the back and Shawn made his way over to the second 
bedroom. A little girl was standing with the help of her crib railing. She 
immediately quieted when she saw Shawn walk into the room.

"Hey baby girl. Why are you crying like that?"

He gently picked her up and began rocking her. With the baby still in his 
arms, Shawn walked into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a 
bottle of juice. The baby cooed softly when Shawn held the bottle up for her.

"It's okay now Lyssa. Daddy's here. Hopefully Daddy's girlfriend won't end up 
hating him when he tells her about you."

Lyssa stared up at him with deep blue eyes and smiled around her bottle. 
Shawn sighed and gently rocked his daughter. ~Don't hate me for this Belle. 
Please don't hate me.~ 

~~~The Park~~~

Belle was walking through the park with Chloe, Abby, Phillip, and Brady. 
Actually, Phillip and Brady were lagging behind and complaining about the 
number of bags they had been 'forced' to carry. She snorted in disgust at 
their actions. Phillip had practically ripped Chloe's arm off taking her 
shopping bags after she had said they were too heavy. Brady's reaction had 
almost been the same. Abby had almost tripped when they had walked out of 
Kendall's and Brady had taken the bags without her consent. Not that the 
girls minded. Those bags were getting heavy.

"Isn't that Shawn over there?"

"Where? Yeah I think so."

"Quit drooling Belle."

"Bite me Chloe."

An appreciative sigh came from Belle. ~I have got the best boyfriend.~ 

"Is that a baby he's handing the basketball too?"

Phillip laughed at the ridiculous picture before him. Shawn had indeed handed 
the basketball to Lyssa. It was almost as big as her. Shawn just smiled and 
lifter her up. He carefully carried her over to the basket and held her up as 
she tried to lift the basketball. Laughter erupted from the group when the 
basketball rolled backwards and hit Shawn on the head.

"Are you trying to give daddy a concussion?"

Belle's laughter immediately stopped. ~Daddy?~
She quickly made her way over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He 
whipped around in surprise and gulped at her angry expression.

"What's going on here?"

"I was hoping that this would wait. Belle this is my daughter Alyssa."

He waited for her to start yelling to do anything. Instead, she stood staring 
at him and Lyssa in shock.

"You have a daughter? Why didn't you tell me that?"

"What was I supposed to do? Say, I haven't seen you in six years, but I'm 
completely head over heels in love with you. By the way, this is my daughter."

Belle stopped short. "You love me?"

"Yes I love you. I've loved you since we were five and you gave me a popsicle 
because I dropped mine. I've loved you since we were eight and got married. 
And I fell in love with you all over again."

"If you love me so much, why didn't you tell me about Lyssa?"

"Because I couldn't risk losing you."

"You wouldn't have lost me Shawn. How could I not love someone that's so 
important to you. She's your daughter. I would never expect you to choose 
between the two of us. It would be selfish and wrong."

Shawn closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Lyssa's eyes had fastened on 
Belle's hair and she reached out to touch it. Belle looked at Lyssa in awe as 
she pulled on a lock of her hair. She giggled and started to babble in her 
baby's voice.

"She likes you."

"Good. It'd be hard to date you if your daughter hated me."

"You still want to be with me?"

"Hello stupidity. Of course. I love you too. Even though you are so 
completely dense."

Shawn smiled happily. Lyssa was squirming in his arms and reaching out 
towards Belle. ~That's weird. She usually doesn't like strangers.~

Belle was a bit surprised to feel Lyssa's arms wrap around her neck. She 
looked down into a pair of blue eyes. Lyssa cooed and began tugging on 
Belle's hair lightly. Belle laughed lightly and leaned her forhead against 
Lyssa's.

A knot formed in Shawn's throat as he looked at the two of them. They both 
looked so much alike it was uncanny. They both had the same silky blonde 
hair, and clear blue eyes. For some reason, their smiles were even the same. 
If he hadn't known better, Shawn would have sworn that Belle was Lyssa's 
mother.

"So this is Alyssa?"

"I call her Lyssa."

"If you don't mind my asking, who's her mother?"

"I don't even know that. I found her in a dumpster a few days after she was 
born. I took her to the police station a couple of days later and filed for 
custody. I got laughed at, until I called an old friend of Victor's who's a 
lawyer. They agreed to give me custody since I had already turned 18. I have 
to meet up with social services every two weeks and give them a full report 
about my life. It's a good thing that I've got a really good part-time job at 
Titan."

"She's not your biological daughter?"

"No. After I held her for the first time it was like I just knew. I wanted to 
be her father."

Belle felt her love for Shawn grow as he murmured those words. Not too many 
guys her age were willing to take on the responsibilities of fatherhood. 
Heck, not too many guys her age were willing to take on the responsibilities 
of feeding gold fish.

Phillip and the others made their way over.

"This is my great-neice?"

"You bet."

"Awesome. I'm an uncle."

"So am I."

"You are not Brady. You're not related to Shawn."

"He's going out with my sister. I'm an honorary uncle."

"Well I get to hold her first."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Who says?"

"I do. I'm her closest relation."

"I get to hold her first."

"I do."

"No, I do."

Shawn sighed in relief. His friends accepted Lyssa. ~Thank God for small 
miracles.~ Although, he would have to do something about Phillip and Brady's 
little war. 

~~~dotCom~~~

"She is absolutely adorable."

"I know." 

"Did you see the way she smiled when Shawn let her pet that puppy in the 
petstore?" Belle was bouncing Lyssa on her knee. Chloe smiled at the two.

"She looked so cute when she smiled like that."

Phillip and Brady were still arguing about who got to hold Lyssa.

"I get to hold her next."

"No you don't. You held her for like ten minutes."

"I'm her great-uncle."

"Hello, I'm like a second cousin or somthing."

"Shawn which one of us gets to hold her?" Shawn snapped his head up and 
turned away.

"Don't ask me that. Go over there and see if the girls will let you hold her."

"Good idea."

They both walked towards their booth jostling each other. Jason and Jan 
walked over when they say Phillip and Brady sit down.

"Who's the kid?"

Phillip looked at Jason suspisciously. "This is Lyssa."

"Cute. Are you guys going over to Lacy's? She's having a huge party."

Brady looked at the others and answered. "Actually, we were just going to 
spend a day together. You know, hang out and maybe go check out a movie."

"With who?"

"With me." Shawn had walked back to the table after ordering them all drinks. 
Lyssa heard his voice and held her arms out to him. Shawn picked her up and 
rocked her gently.

"Are you guys taking the kid with you?"

Belle rolled her eyes at Jan. "First of all, her name's Lyssa. Second, yes 
we're taking her with us."

Jason looked at them as if if they had suddenly turned into aliens. "Why? Do 
her parents force you to do stuff with her?"

"No, I'm not forcing them to take her with us."

Jan's jaw dropped. ~He's got a kid?~ "You've got a kid?"

"Yes."

Jan was practically bursting with happiness. She was going to have the gossip 
of the year. The school's resident hottie was a father. A very cute father.

"I've gotta go." Jan excused herself and walked away.

"Just wait til the other cheerleaders hear about this." She murmured to 
herself.

Jason looked at the group sitting at the table and rolled his eyes. "Lame. 
I'm gonna go."

"We won't be missing you Jase." Phillip called after him.

"Jerk," Abby muttered under her breath.

Brady laughed and pulled Abby into his side. She blushed, but stayed resting 
against him. Chloe leaned into her. "Stop blushing. You're the color of a 
tomato."

"So what do you guys want to do now?"

"I'm going to hold my niece and then we can go take her to a movie." 

Phillip took Lyssa from Shawn and made a face at her. Lyssa broke out into 
giggles and began to baby babble. Brady let go of Abby and focused his 
attention on Lyssa. Shawn had a hold of her hand and was making silly faces 
at her.

Belle, Abby and Chloe looked at each other then at the scene in front of 
them. "They are going to be great dads."

Abby and Chloe nodded. "If they ever let their wives near their kids."

"I know. I mean, Lyssa's not even Phillip's daughter and you can tell that 
he's going to do everything he can to spoil her rotten."

"God, do you realize how bad they're going to be when she's older and starts 
dating and stuff?" asked Abby with horror.

They laughed at that thought. They then sobered and watched the guys play 
with Lyssa. The guys were enraptured with her.

"Who's the cutest little girl in the world?"

"Can you say Uncle Brady?"

"She can't even say Daddy yet."

Chloe looked at Belle and Abby. "I've come up with a theory."

"Share with us Chloe."

"Men become absolute idiots when it comes to babies."

"But Jason was less than cheery to see Lyssa."

"Let me rephrase that. Men become absolute idiots when it comes to babies if 
they love kids."

"Nice theory."

Abby nodded in agreement. She looked over at the guys who were all trying to 
get Lyssa's attention. "Now we just have to figure out how to get their 
attention away from Lyssa and back on our day."

~~~One Month Later~~~

Shawn and Belle's relationship was finally going smoothly. Shawn was waiting 
for the other shoe to drop. Belle just thought he was being paranoid. He 
couldn't help himself. Sarie's threat was still fresh in his mind. He didn't 
know what he would do if Belle ever found out about boarding school. That was 
the only dark aspect of their relationship. Whenever Belle brought up the 
subject came up, Shawn would answer vaguely or change the subject. Belle was 
getting suspiscious though and Shawn knew that he would lose her if she ever 
found out.

Phillip had finally broken down and asked Chloe out. They were dating 
happpily now. Well, sometimes. It was just natural for them to fight and be 
arguementative with each other. Shawn thought they were messed up and Belle 
just thought it was cute. This was the secret to Chloe and Phillip's 
relationship. Phillip loved their fights for only one reason. The more they 
fought, the more they got to make up. It was a twisted theory he had, but 
Chloe didn't seem to mind.

Then there was the situation between Abby and Brady. Things had changed 
drastically in that month. Abby had gotten a boyfriend and spent most of her 
time with him. This was driving Brady up the wall. He couldn't be in the same 
room as Abby and Ben. But the one thing he hated most about Ben was that he 
could make Abby happy. Brady had always pictured himself as the one that 
would make her smile and laugh. Instead, he had to play the role of the good 
buddy who was there for her. It sucked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shawn and Belle were watching a movie at Shawn's apartment late one night 
when the doorbell rang. Belle got up and went to answer the door.
She opened it and found only a small package addressed to her. ~That's weird. 
Why didn't they just leave it at my house?~ 

Belle went back into the apartment and set the package down on the end table 
by the door.

"What was it?"

"It was just some package for me. I'll open it at home. Let's finish the 
movie."

She went into the living room and sat down next to Shawn. He pulled her 
closer to his side and turned the movie back on. Little did they know that 
the package would change things drastically. 

Belle arrived home later that night and opened the package. It appeared to be 
a diary of some sort. ~Who would give me a diary?~ She opened the diary and 
saw a picture fall out. It was Shawn. He was kissing some girl. That was when 
she noticed that the diary was filled with writing. 

Belle grew even more confused. She opened the diary to the first page and 
began to read.

***Dear Diary***
Today has been the best day. I'm finally in high shcool! And I saw the cutest 
guy today. He even smiled at me. He's in my Geometry class and his name is 
Shawn Brady.

Belle shut the diary and looked at the package closely. Only her name was 
written on the packaging. ~This can't be from the girl in the picture. Can 
it?~

She picked the picture up again and looked at it closely. Shawn did look 
different. There was something about him. Then there was the girl. Belle had 
to admit that she was beautiful. She had long, flowing dark hair. And she 
looked very cozy sitting in Shawn's arms. They were both smiling at the 
camera.

Belle put the picture down and picked the diary back up.

***Diary***
Shawn is really nice. He talked to me and everything. I think he's pretty new 
to the area. He doesn't seem to know much about Westwood. 

The rest of the entry was blotted out. As Belle flipped through the diary, 
she noticed that this was true of almost all the entries. Upon closer 
inspection, she noted that all of the entries had to do with something about 
Shawn. Anything not about him, was obviously blocked out.

She looked at her clock and noticed that it read 1:36. With one last look at 
the diary. Belle changed and went to bed.

A figure standing outside her bedroom nodded in approval. ~Keep reading 
little girl. It's going to get more interesting.~ 

~~~The Next Day~~~

The ringing phone startled Shawn out of a peaceful sleep.

"Hello?"

"Good morning Lover. Your little girlfriend seems to have enjoyed my gift."

The click of the phone ended the phone call. 

"Damn you Sarie. If this hurts Belle..."

He ran a frustrated hand through his already tousled hair. He looked over at 
his alarm clock and sighed. 5:28 a.m. This was a perfect way to start a day.

After laying in bed for another moment, he got out of bed and went into the 
bathroom to take a shower. He got out of the shower and wearily looked in the 
mirror. His foggy image looked back at him. This was what he had done for 
months after his sophomore year. He would look in the mirror and search for 
some aspect of the young man he had gone to Westwood as. There was no hint of 
innocence or naivete. He sighed as he rubbed his hand through the foggy 
image. He didn't want to relive it all. He didn't want Belle to go through it 
either.

Fifteen minutes later, Shawn was out the door with Lyssa in his arms. They 
made their way to the park. Shawn watched as Lyssa happily played in the 
sandbox.

~~~The Black's House~~~

Belle had already had breakfast and taken a shower. She was upstairs changing 
when she noticed the diary sitting on her nightstand. She tried to fight the 
urge to read it. The pull was too great and she opened it.

~~Dear Diary~~
Shawn talked to me again. He is the sweetest guy I know. I've heard some 
rumors about him, but I personall don't think they're true. Who could think 
anything like that about a guy who's as great as he is.
One thing I heard is that he supposedly slept with some girl on a dare. He 
wouldn't do that. He's way too sweet. And he's only a sophomore. Just like 
me. No one our age does stuff like that.

Belle reread the passage. ~Why would anyone spread rumors like that? Anyone 
who knows Shawn could never believe stuff like that.~ But some part of her 
mind was doubting herself. ~This is ridiculous. I'll just call him.~

She picked up her phone and dialed his number.

"Hi, you've reached Shawn and Lyssa. We're not home right now so please leave 
a message. And if this is John. I din't do it."

She hung up and looked back at the diary. ~Shawn would never do anything like 
that. Right?~ 

~~~The Park~~~

"Shawn?"

His head snapped up and his eyes met Belle's. She was holding the diary in 
her hands and Shawn inwardly groaned. He would have to tell her everything.

"This came to me the other day and..."

"Let me explain."

"Okay."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The memory of what had happened 
was fresh in his mind.

"Her name was Jasmine. She was a sophomore just like me and in a couple of my 
classes. I really liked her and I thought she liked me too. We got to talking 
and when I asked her out, she said yes. I was walking on cloud nine for the 
rest of the day. There was a party about half way through the year at some 
guy's house. We decided to go. It was the worst decision I ever made. There 
was beer and a lot of other harder stuff there."

He dropped his head down and cradled it in his hands. Belle touched his 
shoulder and cringed when he flinched away. Shawn looked up at her finally 
and she saw the tears forming in his eyes.

"I passed out about half way through the party and I woke up when the 
screaming started. God, I've never heard anything like it Belle. She was just 
screaming and screaming. I tried to get upstairs, but the guys wouldn't let 
me."

"Shawn..."

"NO! Do you know what they did to her? They raped her. I was her date and I 
didn't even stop them. She was so nice Belle. A really sweet girl. I finally 
got upstairs and when I saw her I started to throw up by the bed. She just 
looked so hurt. I tried to wrap her up in a blanket, but she wouldn't let me 
touch her. She just laid there with tears streaming down her face. Her eyes 
were glazed over and she wouldn't even look at anything but the ceiling. I 
finally sobered up by then and I went back downstairs to see the guys. I was 
pissed! They had no right to do that. Someone had called the cops and they 
were all down there talking. A bunch of them said that it was my idea. You 
know, something different to do. The cops looked at me like I was some kind 
of pervert. I kept saying that it wasn't my idea, but they took me down to 
the station anyways. They finally let me out the next day after other people 
said that it wasn't my idea and I didn't even know what they were going to 
do."

The tears were flowing down his face as he continued to speak. Belle's throat 
tightened and she fought down a wave of nausea at the thought of some girl 
being raped by a bunch of drunken classmates. 

"What happened Shawn?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "What do you think happened? Their rich daddies 
bought them off the hook."

"What? They weren't punished?"

"No. But I was. Her parents wouldn't let me near her. They didn't even let me 
go to her funeral." He saw her shocked expression and continued, "She 
committed suicide a week after it happened. I remember her father yelling at 
me, telling me that it was my fault. It was. I didn't do anything to stop 
them. I was too damn wasted! Do you know how hard it is to look at yourself 
in the mirror when you can't even stand the sight of your own face? I do. I 
would get out of the shower and try to avoid looking in the mirror. After a 
while, I just broke down and looked at myself. You know what I saw? I saw 
some drunken idiot who let his girlfriend get raped by other drunks. I saw 
her face when I got upstairs. I saw her mother sobbing at her wake. I saw her 
father yelling at me."

Belle turned away. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back around.

"Are you proud of your boyfriend now? Look at the person I am Belle. Could 
you ever love me now?"

She couldn't look him in the eye. She saw him in his own tortured existence 
after the rape. The guilt waying down on him and finally burying him. How 
could anyone survive that?

"I guess I got my answer. I couldn't fall asleep for the next three months 
after everything happened. I had to see a shrink and take sleeping pills. 
They don't help. Not when the only thing you see is a living nightmare."

He got up slowly. And walked over to the sandbox. He picked up Lyssa and held 
her to him for a moment. He sighed heavily and put her in the stroller. 
Without a second glance, he walked away.

Belle sat on the bench staring after him. Her emotions were swirling around 
inside her in a confused ball. Part of her wanted to just tell him that she 
loved him unconditionally, while another part of her was saying that he had 
allowed it to happen, that he had done nothing to stop it even when he had 
the chance to. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. Did she 
just make a big mistake? 







tbc