(Let's see who dares to reply to this and how? I though it might be fun to see who has the guts.)





Wow, what a fucking night! Drinking, boozing, racing, clubbing, hopping the fence of Santiago's dairy farm and trashing the barn with cow pies and then leaving tire tracks in his corn fields. Hot damn, what did they drink again? Did someone spike it with something else? You would think that was it, but nope, there was more. Not only did they live it up that night and do some pretty stupid shit, but they insisted on continuing on with rampaging the local high school for old times sake....and it wasn't even their high school....it was the thought that counted though, wasn't it? Then there was the diner, which they barely escaped the cops, and then the forest preserve....oh, God, that poor family of raccoons but it was hilarious to see them tripping over their own feet and walking into trees. Well at least they got to see what happens when raccoons drink a bottle of tequila..... And Oh my God, what about that chick at the club, dancing to whatever that song was that was playing. It was hard to tell because of the Spanish language but almost sounded like a electric tech house circus revival by Barnum and Bailey to which the chick was dancing like some God awful insane asylum chick that looked like she was going through spasms and convulsions. It was just too fucking hilarious and what made it even better, was that she laughed at herself too. That chick was fucking awesome, the night was fucking awesome! The only thing that was bad......





....is that not one thing mentioned above could be remembered that following morning. Oh, and let's not forget the insane fucking migraine that came with that highly non addicting hangover.



Shawn woke up that morning, gripping at his head immediately with a small growl. 'What the fuck happened last night?' he thought to himself as he couldn't remember a damn thing. He sat up in bed and let his feet touch the floor. He was shirtless, no big deal or anything out of the norm, but when he stood from the bed, he was ass naked. Still....not too much of a shocker, he shrugged it off as he walked to the bedroom bathroom and took his morning leak. Next came the overdose of Tylenol to accommodate the migraine and then it was out back to the bed to lay down. Unfortunately, he didn't quite make it that far, when he realized there was woman in his bed and just as naked as he was. The sheets were over her body, her breasts just barely to be seen and one leg as naked as it can be. Sexy legs, but still naked. Soon, his eyes traveled up to see who this beauty was and then....he smiled. No fucking way.....He couldn't believe who it was but did the naked victory dance anyhow. Did they really? Today was already starting to look up, but how would he explain this one to the crew and would they even believe him?



He walked up to the bed and laid down next to her. Soft whispers made it to her ears as Shawn spoke, his breath as cool as the morning breeze that blew in through the window. "Good morning beautiful."



(I dare you!)

Tessa felt the movement on the bed. It didn't really register in her alcohol fogged brain what it was. She was just glad that it wasn't spinning circles and her stomach didn't seem to be lurching sending her running for the bathroom. Her eyes stayed closed and she willed herself to stay asleep. She didn't want to get up. Her head was pounding and she just wasn't ready to get up and face the world just yet.

Still half asleep she thought she was winning the battle to drift off back into sleep when the bed moved again. Then she heard a soft voice very close to her ear. She grumbled something like "Go away. Sleep." And she rolled over clutching the bed sheet to herself and tried to resume her plan of going back to sleep. That's when she realized two things.

1. Who the voice belonged too.

And

2. She was completely naked under the sheet.

Jolting up to a sitting position her eyes flashed open. She wrapped the sheet around her tighter and looked down at the man lying there. Yep, it was him. Yep, he was fucking naked too. Well, shit.

"Shawn!"

The exclamation of his name was blurted out of her mouth. She couldn't help it she was so surprised to find herself in this particular circumstance. Then the headache gave a thump and reminded her it was there.

"Shit. I mean. Good morning."

Tessa tried to manage a smile. She had a feeling that it came out as kind of a sheepish half grin. Taking a deep breath she tried to clear her head a little. This was unexpected but that didn't mean it was a bad thing, right?

"So, I guess we had a good time last night if the thumper of a headache is any indication. Oh well, plus this..."

She moved her hand back and forth between the two of them. Trying to indicated the fact that they were both naked and it was obvious sex had happened.

Apparently crazy drunken sex but still. She just wished she could remember what happened. Damn, she must have tied one on last night. Tessa was no stranger to partying but to full on not remember the night before, that was a new one on her. A bit tentatively she spoke again. Not wanting to offend him for not remembering.

"Uh... my memory is a little fuzzy. What the hell did we do last night?"

"Go away. Sleep."

He backed off a little and looked at her with that million dollar smile of his. "So I suppose round two is out of the question?" he said laughing a bit and standing from the bed. Still naked remind you, but having no shame in the least. He reached down into one of the drawers under the bed and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and putting them on. 

"Shawn!"

In his head he could only think one thing...."I certainly hope that's the way it came out last night." he said with a small thrusting motion. He then sat on the bed next to Tess, even tried to reach over and brush his fingers across her bare leg, but she sat up so quickly and wrapped the sheet around her tightly. 

"Shit. I mean. Good morning."

He chuckled a bit, bringing back his hand to rest on his knee. "If it bares any consolation, I'm just as surprised as you are." he said softly. Although, he really wasn't as surprised as he made it out to be. Tess was the first one he met when moving to L.A., she was the first one he bought a drink for at that club, and she was the first one to offer him an invitation that soon introduced him to Dom and the crew. Seemed like there were a lot of firsts happening with Tess and he wasn't referring to losing his virginity. That would have just been awkward.....

 "So, I guess we had a good time last night if the thumper of a headache is any indication. Oh well, plus this..."

Well didn't she sound so excited....

He may have been too plastered to remember, but apparently no one was complaining....until now it seemed. He kinda rolled his eyes a bit as he looked away. A disgruntled tone ushered the words, "I guess so." he said now standing from the bed. That would be as far as he'd let it go though considering the confusion in what really happened. Hell, for all he knew, and probably just his luck, they probably tried to have sex and passed out before anything could happen. Wouldn't she be thrilled if that's what really happened....?

"Uh... my memory is a little fuzzy. What the hell did we do last night?"

He tried to remember for the life of him but nothing but a splitting migraine came to mind. Noticing the same with Tess, he moved towards the bathroom getting his next best friend, Tylenol and a glass of water for her. As he exited the bathroom he spoke with confusion in his own voice. "Had a good night with Zach Galifianakis?" he laughed a bit as he joked using an actor from the Hangover movie. "Honestly, I have no idea....". He decided he would test the waters here and continued, "...but if you would rather just forget all this happened and not say nothing about it again, then I guess I can respect that." he said motioning between them as she did earlier. He certainly didn't want to forget it, but if that's what she wanted, then, well, he really didn't have a choice, now did he? Shawn wasn't the asshole type of guy to go blurting things out like that if the female didn't consent. Now if she was alright with all this, then maybe he could brag about this a little. 

He stepped to her side of the bed at the moment and handed her the Tylenol and glass of water. "Here, take these. Sometimes it helps, most times it doesn't, but it still helps to try." he said. He then took a seat across from the bed in a close by chair, putting his bare feet up on the foot of the bed and his hands behind his head as he leaned back a little. "Just for your info though, I'm not ashamed of any of this. After the last year, we had to of known it was gonna happen eventually." Shawn had a bit of an ego, but that wasn't the attitude he was trying to give off right now. He was more or less just trying to say that out of everyone here, he was glad it was with her. Just in his own unconventional way. Maybe that came out a little wrong......After all, he didn't want to get slapped and see her leave. "Sorry, I didn't meant that the way it came out.....I just meant that I'm glad it was you I was waking up next to rather than someone else. I mean, really, how inappropriate would this have been if it was with Mia or Piper?" And that was true....What if Jack found out? And with Brian .....gone.....dead was such a bad word when referring to friends, that would have just been.....

(( gonna try and use your format so it's easier to follow for us.))

Tessa maintained her spot sitting on the bed for now. Her eyes followed him as he moved. Damn this guy was a cocky one, but then again... she'd always known that about him. She frowned a bit as he put some sweat pants on and the tone of his voice changed. What, was he disappointed? In her? or... because she couldn't remember. Maybe he thought she was disappointed?

She sighed and ran a hand through her bed tousled hair. The other hand still holding the sheet up to her chest. Tessa couldn't help but laugh when he made a reference to The Hangover film. Then she nodded her head as he admitted he didn't remember either.

"...but if you would rather just forget all this happened and not say nothing about it again, then I guess I can respect that."

His comment had her blinking a few times before she narrowed her eyes a bit. Watching as he came back out of the bathroom for the second time.

"Hey, wait a minute. I didn't say that." She replied With a shake of her head. Something she regretted as the headache flared up and rattled her brain again. With her free hand she rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

"Here, take these. Sometimes it helps, most times it doesn't, but it still helps to try."

She was grateful when Shawn came over and gave her some Tylenol and water. Taking the items, she swallowed the pills and took a long drink of the water. Then another long drink before setting the glass on the nightstand.

"Thank you," she said softly watching as he moved away to sit in the chair. Starting to feel like he was keeping his distance from her now. Hells bells, this isn't how this should have gone. Her shoulders slumped a little as she tried to think. Pushing at her memories to try and make them come to the surface but they just weren't there.

"Just for your info though, I'm not ashamed of any of this. After the last year, we had to of known it was gonna happen eventually."

What was that supposed to mean, she thought. Her eyes scrunching up and lips twisting a bit. Just as she was about to say something he continued.

"Sorry, I didn't meant that the way it came out.....I just meant that I'm glad it was you I was waking up next to rather than someone else. I mean, really, how inappropriate would this have been if it was with Mia or Piper?"

Well, that was still rather vague. Was he glad it was her just because it was her or because she was single and he wouldn't piss off an angry boyfriend or take advantage of a grieving widow?

Now that she'd had a bit of time to wrap her head around it, a bit of the feisty Tessa was coming back to her. She tugged at the sheet until it came off the bed. Standing up she held it together in front of her and walked over to stand in front of him. The train of the sheet dragging behind her.

"Glad it was really me? or just happy that you weren't gonna get your ass kicked by someone?"

She stood up straight, proud. Not withering away. Facing up to him wanting to know the answer, the truth.

"For the record, I'm not ashamed either."

To emphasize her point she opened her hand and let the sheet fall away from her body. Pooling on the floor at her feet. She paused for a moment to make sure he got a good look at her. With a small smirk on her face she then moved toward him. Not sure what he was expecting from her. She sat in his lap. Straddling him, one knee on the side of each of his thighs.

"So, let me see here. Neither one of us is ashamed so that's good. But, what does it mean?"

She let her body sit back, resting on her heels. Her hands holding onto the arms of the chair. Eyes never wavering from his.

"If you want to write this off as a drunken one night stand? You need to tell me now. We can walk away, get a good chuckle from it and that's that. However..."

Tessa lifted herself just slightly, enough so she could lean forward. Her upper body not quite touching his but it was oh so close. She let her face tilt down, lips touching his neck with soft kisses traveling up until she could whisper in his ear.

"We could also try to decide if it was something else. And in that case... maybe see to going that second round. Find out what we missed. Because, you know it had to be good."

She nipped at his earlobe with her teeth quickly. Then sat back again, her eyes heavy lidded. Her tongue sweeping across her lips. It was up to him now. She really wasn't the one night stand type. Sure, a drunken roll in the hay maybe. But, she didn't want to make more of it if that's all it was too him.

He couldn't help but see her stand from the bed and tug at the sheet to pry it off the bed. Watching her struggle with it slightly, he was proud in a manner of speaking because his military training still had him tucking sheets under the mattress in a tight fitting professional manner. As she approached him, he brought his legs down in front of him and looked up at her. In a way, he was rather shocked to see her standing before him and in fact, he was almost preparing himself for a slap across the face and seeing her storm out. Even more surprisingly, neither of those happened and instead, his eyes got bigger as she allowed the sheet to fall to the floor and let him see her fully. If he wasn't too busy running at the mouth, his jaw would have hit the floor.

"Now this I'm sure to remember." he said openly as she stood in front of him seeming proud.

"Glad it was really me? or just happy that you weren't gonna get your ass kicked by someone?"

"Would it be wrong to say both?" he laughed a bit shyly.

"For the record, I'm not ashamed either."

Well that was good. At least they were both on the same page here.To prove her point like it needed proving, Tessa was climbing in his lap, straddling him with her naked frame. Sadly to say, it didn't take him long to rise to the occasion and considering he was wearing nothing but a pair of sweats, there was no way she couldn't feel it pulsating under her. My God, she was beautiful but some how, some way, he'd find away to fuck this up. He always did. When was his last steady girlfriend? Before High school?

"So, let me see here. Neither one of us is ashamed so that's good. But, what does it mean?"

Ah shit! There it was.....the famous what does it mean question. It wasn't that he didn't like Tess. That was far from the truth because he liked her since the first time he met her at the club. It was one reason why he tried to get rid of his buddy that night cause he was being a douche bag. The only question he had for this, was why now? Why did it take a year and her having a drunken night with him for it to get to this question? Yeah they talked, but nothing of hooking up or getting together, so why now?

He tried desperately to control himself from taking her to the bed and raping her. Really, he did because the way she was looking at him, the way she was sitting on him, teasing his manhood with her woman regions so close to his, she was being just down right gorgeous and sexy. His hands couldn't help themselves and had to reach out to touch something, something at all, anything and the closest thing were the soft tender skin of her bare thighs. Of course his hands had a harder time saying no and eventually moved up to her hips and finally rested while she continued.

"If you want to write this off as a drunken one night stand? You need to tell me now. We can walk away, get a good chuckle from it and that's that. However..."

However what? There was a however in there? She was just being evil now, torturing him like this, in this manner. His fingers began to rub and massage her hips and thighs in a relentless anxious fashion as if he was growing impatient. She sat forward, teasing him even more as her breasts were just within tongues reach, right there and ripe for the taking. All he had to do was stick his tongue out a bit and lick and li....but his thoughts were soon moved by the sudden touches of her lips as they moved up his neck and to his ear....

"We could also try to decide if it was something else. And in that case... maybe see to going that second round. Find out what we missed. Because, you know it had to be good."

The sweet tease in her voice, the way she flaunted her body at him, Fuck this! What could it hurt to see where this was going to go? He could be a one woman guy, it couldn't be that hard and she was already driving him mad. In one quick motion as she leaned back away from him, he used those same hands on her hips to move up to her back and pull her forward. His lips crashed into hers like they had been through a seven year drought. His sexual desire kicked into overdrive and soon, he was standing to his feet, hoisting Tess up with him. Trying to kiss the girl, take your pants off while moving to the bed was fucking impossible.

Fuck pants!

Soon it just became them both crashing into the bed, the weight of them both, breaking it underneath them as the legs gave out and the mattress and box spring came crashing to the floor. From here, everything went rated 'XXX"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene fades to black~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene fades back in~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both were naked, worn out and still catching their breath as they sat and held one another in what Shawn could only explain as a tangle up pretzel. The bed was broken, covers and sheets were all over the place and both had battle scars from the last hours bed war. And it was truly awesome, probably and most likely the best he'd had in years, but he felt guilty about the ending. and he had just apologized for it. He broke his number one rule to respect any woman when it came to the bedroom and he should have stopped. He wasn't regretting it in the least, but he wanted her to at least know he was sorry. They should have thought about it before they started, he should have reached over in the nightstand and pulled one out before they started but the passion, the heat, the anticipation had got the better of both of them.

"Pardon? What's wrong? Did I do something? I thought... What have you got to be sorry about?"

He felt her lean back, he even felt her looking at him right now, so he pulled his face from the crook of her neck and seeing the size of what he left on her shoulder. He sensed the tone in her voice and had to think fast, so he used the mark he left on her neck even though the though in his mind still remained with plenty of What if questions. "I kinda left a mark on your neck that would be considered a state in the U.S." he replied softly with a smile. Hell yeah he wasn't going to ruin the moment, not just yet. He seen the look on her face, the worry in her tone and he could picture it already that she was wondering if she did something wrong. He wasn't about to tell her, Yeah, I think that was a baby making session right there, and not expect her to flip out. She didn't seem to think about it or worry so maybe she was on the pill. He didn't know. Why make something bad out of something that is no big deal. At least not without knowing the facts first. He looked again at her neck and laughed a bit. It was literally the size of a baseball or close to it. It covered just above the bottom of her neck to just above her shoulder. "I don't think cover up will do the trick this time unless you own your own industrial supply house somewhere."


He then looked her in the eyes like he had all morning so far and leaned in for a kiss but placed it on her chin. "Has anyone ever told you how awesome you are?" he said softly and then placed a soft kiss to her lips. "That was truly amazing. I don't think that has happened in over a year." he said trying to keep specifics out of it if this was going to be a thing between them. Specifics were never good to share so that was as far as he was going with it. He wasn't even going to correct the situation that she might think he hadn't had sex in a year. Let her believe what she wanted although if asked, it had been at least six months. The last time was in L.A. so he wouldn't lie if asked. He just hadn't had awesome sex like that in a a little over a year. He adjusted her legs a bit and laid back into the broken bed hoping she would follow suit. There was no way he was going to attempt to walk after that. He was gonna give it a few. 

"I kinda left a mark on your neck that would be considered a state in the U.S."

Tessa raised an eyebrow at him when he finally responded. She scrunched up her face a bit in thought and looked over to where he indicated on her shoulder. Blinking a bit at it, but then she laughed.

"That's what you're sorry for?"

"I don't think cover up will do the trick this time unless you own your own industrial supply house somewhere."

Tessa shook her head and looked at the love bite on her shoulder again. It was indeed quite a spectacular one. Nothing was going to cover that thing up except a seriously high turtle neck. Which, she was not about to go to those lengths to hide it. Let people talk, she didn't really care.

She brushed the side of his neck where she had left a mark of her own on his skin. Smiling a soft smile at him. The worry that she had done something wrong drained away.

"I kinda put a mark on you too. But, it's quite small and dainty."

Shrugging her slight shoulders to indicate that the mark didn't bother her. And it didn't. Not in the least. There was no shame at all about what they had done. They were grown, consenting adults. Maybe they had gotten carried away, but so what? It was nobody's concern but their own.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm not ashamed for people to know. Even if I get teased and blush a lot. It was totally worth it."

The smile grew wider when he kissed her on the chin. It got even bigger turning into a grin when he spoke.

"Has anyone ever told you how awesome you are?"

She was grinning into the kiss as he kissed her lips.

"That was truly amazing. I don't think that has happened in over a year."

They seemed to be in total agreement on at least part of that statement. It had been truly amazing. There wasn't time for her to respond yet though because he started moving again. Carefully she followed him as he laid back. They were still intimately connected so she moved slightly to let them gently break away from that. Albeit a bit reluctantly she did this. Already missing that feeling between them. She shifted though so they were still close. Her body half laying on him, resting her head in the crook of his neck, their legs entwined. One armed draped around him as he held her. Her voice got a little more quiet, a gentle but serious tone.

"If we're being honest? It's never been like that for me. Ever. I mean... not that I haven't had enjoyable... well let's just stick with, 'That was truly amazing,' and leave it at that."

Now she felt herself blush a little. She certainly didn't want to talk about her past sexual experiences right now with him. Not that she had that many to begin with. She was sure he was much more experienced and probably had a list a mile long which she didn't even want to think about.

"Doesn't really matter anyway... Anything before this is not important, right? It has nothing to do with right now. What we're doing, what's going on between us."

Turning her head she kissed his chest. Moving up she kissed his neck while lifting her head to look at him. Not sure what she wanted to say. Sure, she had given him a choice and it seemed he had given her a resounding answer in response. Still, she didn't want him to feel like he was stuck with her just because of sex. Even though it was the best sex she'd ever had. And she did want this to be something with them, together. He had to truly want it too though. That was important. It wasn't worth a lick if it was only one sided.

Even though he seemed to be on the same page, she needed to be sure. For all she knew it could have just been her lack of experience. Maybe he had mind blowing sex all the time with other girls. Okay, well... I guess he didn't ALL the time. From the way he said it and from what she knew of him, he was no monk. Gah, stop thinking about it Tessa. It's not what matters.

Stopping her thoughts from running away from her she reached up and touched his face softly. A quick gentle kiss on his lips as she looked into his eyes.

"There is an us now? This was something... more... right? I'm not the only one that feels it, am I?"

Shawn helped guide her down and felt the separation between the two. In a way he was sad to have it happen but then again they were done, weren't they? He slipped his arm under and around her while she got comfortable, half laying on him and half on the bed. The feel of her sexy smooth legs entangling themselves with his was a good feeling to have after so long without it. She talked and he listened but seemed to listen a little bit more carefully when she started going on about how good it was and how she'd never felt anything like it. Honestly, it was an ego booster at first. With all the guys she'd possibly been with and he's the first to make it feel that good? That made him feel accomplished. Like his goal in life had been completed . He couldn't help the grin that practically formed from ear to ear as he stared up to the ceiling. She was complimenting him and he was too busy gloating in it at first to say thank you. But once she kissed his chest, it snapped him out of it and whispered the words to her.

Within moments she was pulling herself up to eye level and giving him that gaze as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to phrase it. Looking slightly concerned himself now, he asked, "What is it?"

"There is an us now? This was something... more... right? I'm not the only one that feels it, am I?"

He looked puzzled for a moment and then looked her straight in the eye with the most serious look upon his face that he could muster. "Before I can answer that, I'll have to consult my girlfriend first, " he paused a long moment before raising his hand and looking at with an inquisitive look, "....she wants to know if it's alright if I dump you for her." he immediately placed his hand to his ear as if he was listening for an answer and then looked to Tessa. "She's not happy but I don't really give a shit." he said with a smile to his face. He then pointed between them and spoke up, "You gave me a choice, I chose, and I'm a man of my word. Besides, between the fact that I've liked you since we met and the little baby making session we just had," he said now pointing to her womanly parts, "....cause that WAS baby making material right there, why would I just say no?"

He reached up and took her cheek within her hand and pulled her in for another kiss to her lips. "We said we'd see where it goes, so let's do it. After what we just did, we should see if anything comes out of it." he said hoping she knew what he meant. "I might be around a lot longer than we think." he said with a half hearted smile and a small faded chuckle. It wasn't that he was against kids, or having them, but he wasn't ready for it at this point in his life. Not only that, but if it wound up coming about that she did end up pregnant, things wouldn't go so smooth when he had to tell her his real line of work, that is if he even had a chance at salvaging it. Honestly, no one here would approve of it, but as long as he could hold out, then things would stay good. 

Tessa laid with him feeling satisfied and content. Even if they had started talking about the whole "us" thing. Her fingers traced little random patterns on his torso as she lay listening to him.

"Before I can answer that, I'll have to consult my girlfriend first..."

Her eyebrows lifted in question as he started to look at his hand. What the hell was he doing? She wondered. Then he spoke words to the hand apparently. She was starting to think he had gone insane or was playing a game with her.

"....she wants to know if it's alright if I dump you for her."

The expression she wore now was definitely a WTF look. Yeah, he was talking to the hand. He even brought the hand up as if it would answer him. Shaking her head she was still a might confused. When he finally looked at her and said:

"She's not happy but I don't really give a shit."

She saw the smile on his face and the penny finally dropped. Oh my God. What a dork he was. The laugh rolled out of her. She gave him a little push in the shoulder, nothing major just a tap and rolled her eyes for emphasis.

Tess sighed a soft sigh, a thoughtful sigh. Not because something was wrong just because suddenly it seemed things changed in the blink of an eye. His voice was more serious as he continued.

"You gave me a choice, I chose, and I'm a man of my word. Besides, between the fact that I've liked you since we met and the little baby making session we just had,"

He's like her all this time? Why hadn't he ever said anything. Tessa started to ponder than when... Whoa back that train up... baby making session? Say whut, whut? Her eyes just widened and looked at him. The wheels spinning in her brain to think, to remember.

"....cause that WAS baby making material right there, why would I just say no?"

Her mouth dropped open before she clamped it back shut, chewing on her lower lip. A hand came up balled in a fist and taped against her forehead as if she just remembered something important. And she had.

"Oh shit." She said softly. Not even sure if it was loud enough for him to hear.

She was about to freak right the fuck out when he started kissing her. That gave her a moment of respite. Then he broke the kiss and all she could do was look at him.

"We said we'd see where it goes, so let's do it. After what we just did, we should see if anything comes out of it." he said hoping she knew what he meant. "I might be around a lot longer than we think."

It took her a few to get her thoughts together. She sat there still as if someone had pressed her pause button. Oh god she had messed up. What was she going to do? How could she have been so stupid. Now it was her turn to say it.

"I'm sorry..."

Rubbing her face with her hands she took some deep settling breaths. She felt like she was about to burst into tears but she gathered herself together. Taking another deep breath she let it out slowly. Looking up at him.

"Oh god. I really am sorry. This is my fault. I didn't... I didn't even stop to think. I mean... usually, it's covered. I get the Depo-Provera shots. Things just kind of got lost in the mix of moving to a new country. I haven't found a doctor here yet and well... to be honest, it hadn't been needed for awhile. I got caught up in it all and I didn't even think."

She paused again. Blinking her eyes that were starting to brim with tears. Her voice a bit shaky as she spoke now.

"What do we do if I am? I don't think I'm ready for that. I wanted this to be good, Shawn. Discovering what's between us. How deep it goes. Spending time together. It wasn't on purpose. Not some kind of ploy to trap you."

The guild consumed her. She sat up one the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. Rocking herself and scared to death.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not a big de......" then his eyes grew wide open for the moment, hopefully without her seeing it. Did she just apologize? For what? Was she going to admit to something he wasn't going to like? Sorry for what?

"Oh god. I really am sorry. This is my fault. I didn't... I didn't even stop to think. I mean... usually, it's covered. I get the Depo-Provera shots. Things just kind of got lost in the mix of moving to a new country. I haven't found a doctor here yet and well... to be honest, it hadn't been needed for awhile. I got caught up in it all and I didn't even think."

What the hell was going on? What was her fault? Stop to think of what? Depo-Provera, wha? Shots? For what? Doctor? Really? After the deed is done, now he finds out she has something wrong with her? He slowly looked down to his junk and mouthed the words, I'm sorry to it. I didn't know. He noticed her starting to get all emotional and even he was now. What the fuck was wrong with her? Crabs? Chlamydia? The clap? It was curable if that's what it was. Anything else, he was going on a rampage. like now. What he hell was she talking about? Son of a bitch! Just when you thought you knew a person.....

"What do we do if I am? I don't think I'm ready for that. I wanted this to be good, Shawn. Discovering what's between us. How deep it goes. Spending time together. It wasn't on purpose. Not some kind of ploy to trap you."

Holy shit! He had to take a breather now. She did know what he meant after all.....Wooossaaah! Hold up....she wasn't on Birth control? Son of a bitch! She fucked him! She really fucked him. Teh words he said about being around longer, the baby making session, Baby material? That was playing around cause he thought she was on birth control. He thought that's why she held onto him in the last moments. He was joking cause he didn't think he really had anything to worry about. What the fuck was he going to do now? Shit! The only thing he could do. The only thing his old man taught him to do. Be a fucking man and own the fuck up.

He sighed, and sat up in the bed with just as much of a worried look on his face. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. He was trying to show her that he cared, that he understood and was compassionate to her needs. He laid his head on hers and finally spoke, "It's cool. You go get the vaccuum. We're gonna suck that shit right out."

Of course he was joking though. That didn't really work.....did it?

"I'm joking." he said with a smile. Forced and believable, but with a smile. "We're just gonna have to change some things. Like for instance, this life we live. Gonna have to get our own place and deal with the cards we're dealt. I'm not going anywhere. Believe me.My old man would kick my ass from the grave and I'm also not like that kind of guy either.."

He even contemplated telling her about his real career but that would be a dumb move if it came up she wasn't. Better hold off on that until they knew for sure. "We can get a place right off the beach with the money I have from the last job. I'll sell my car and bike and we'll do what we gotta do. I ain't worried" He was lying his ass off when he said he wasn't worried. Sell his car? His bike? God this was awful.He should have just pulled out, tossed her across the room, and not care what she hit in the process. What he wasn't lying about, was being the man his father raised him to be. He'd take his lumps and responsibilities and own up. That was a fact. Didn't mean he had to like it it though.

Lost in the myriad of her own thoughts, Tessa hadn't noticed the various expression changes that had flashed across Shawn's face. She was already beating herself up for the error in judgement. It was a mistake that could ruin everything right now. Just when she thought she had found something it could all vanish. She was half waiting for him to start yelling at her. To tell her to get the fuck out. Cut her loose on her own to deal with it. She was mentally preparing herself to get up and walk out the door. Looking around the room to try and see where here clothes were so she'd be ready to grab them quickly and go.

That didn't happen though. Because, she found herself being pulled close to him. Wrapped up in a cocoon against his solid form and strong arms. This was all it took and she melted into him. Wrapping her own arms around his middle. A few of the tears leaked from her eyes but she kept trying to blink them back.

"It's cool. You go get the vaccuum. We're gonna suck that shit right out."

What did he just say? Tilting her head up to look at him she squinted her eyes, wrinkling her nose. It was a look that said are you fucking nuts? All her voice could manage to say at the moment though was:

"Seriously? Shawn."

Tessa rolled her eyes at him and shook her head in droll amusement. As if something like that would work. For fucks sake.

"I'm joking."

He was making jokes. Trying to play it off. That was better than anger. She didn't know if she could handle him yelling at her. Making her feel worse than she already did. He also wasn't taking off it seemed.

"We're just gonna have to change some things. Like for instance, this life we live. Gonna have to get our own place and deal with the cards we're dealt. I'm not going anywhere. Believe me.My old man would kick my ass from the grave and I'm also not like that kind of guy either.."

She found herself at a momentary loss for words. He was accepting it. Talking about getting a place of their own. Changing the way they lived their lives.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Stood out like a beacon of light. It was the one thing she needed to hear right now. Enough to buoy her hopes that not everything was going to come crashing down around her. If she was pregnant then they would deal with it together. Whoa... hold on there, that was an important distinction right there. Even as Shawn continued to talk about what they could do. Adjustments to be made. She reflected on that distinction.

"We can get a place right off the beach with the money I have from the last job. I'll sell my car and bike and we'll do what we gotta do. I ain't worried"

The thing of it was, this was still an IF scenario. It wasn't assured to be true. What, they had a fifty-fifty chance at this point? There was the possibility that she was not pregnant. Maybe they should try to focus on the fact it could go either way. Try not to over react.

She took a deep breath and managed to smile at him. A small, soft, warm smile. It was genuine. That he was here and holding her spoke volumes to her. He was doing everything to ease her mind. Even though he said he wasn't, she knew that he was worried. She could tell. She was worried too. They needed to put first things first though.

"Shawn. I can't let you sell your car or your bike. We need to step back a moment. I may not be pregnant at all."

Looking into his eyes, now she was the one that was doing the searching. You could add this scare and conversation to the things that were pushing them closer together. More intricate connections bonding them with each other. You didn't go through moments like this without there being some kind of permanent link being made. This moment would always be something significant in their lives.

"We have to find out for sure. I think you have to wait at least a few days. This just happened so I don't think there is a test out there that can tell you if you're pregnant within hours of conception."

She shrugged a bit. If there was she certainly didn't know about it. Her arms tightened around him. Tilting her head and stretching up she kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thank you, Shawn for not bolting on me over this. I'll call a doctor or a clinic. Tell them the situation, find out when I can go in for a test and if I'm pregnant we'll deal with it. If I'm not, I'll get the shot and we'll bet set. Hopefully, this is something we will never have to go through again."

That really was all they could do. Right now everything was up in the air, in the hands of the fates. Was she scared? Hell yes she was. This was completely unexpected. She hadn't ever thought seriously of becoming a mother. She wasn't ready for it, yet. But, if it came down to it. She'd put her big girl pants on and deal with the consequences. That was one of those things that went along with being 'consenting adults'.

"Shawn. I can't let you sell your car or your bike. We need to step back a moment. I may not be pregnant at all....."We have to find out for sure. I think you have to wait at least a few days. This just happened so I don't think there is a test out there that can tell you if you're pregnant within hours of conception."

He knew that all to well. It almost ruined him before college with that one chick from Miami. God, now she was hot.....'Hey, Fuck tard, you just had sex with someone way hotter. STFU! and get back to the point.' This wasn't his first scare and it probably wouldn't his last. So when she went on about not selling his shit and about not finding out till later and all that jazz she talked, it wasn't something knew to him. 

"Thank you, Shawn for not bolting on me over this. I'll call a doctor or a clinic. Tell them the situation, find out when I can go in for a test and if I'm pregnant we'll deal with it. If I'm not, I'll get the shot and we'll bet set. Hopefully, this is something we will never have to go through again."

Without thinking before he talked, he spit out," 8 Weeks" and then he realized what he said. Well, there was no point in hiding it now and besides, since they were making this a thing, no secrets, right? "I never said anything about selling my car and bike tomorrow. I was just talking in general. I know there's a chance you might not be pregnant and I also know from experience that there is a 50/50 chance of nothing happening. I'm not freaking out cause I've been in this position before." he said letting go of her so that this way she could now run out the door if she wanted. "Back when I was about to start college, I hooked up this chick from Miami. She was bangin' and she had a thing for me. Well, shit got crazy that night and well..." he pointed to the room as it was along the same scenario. We both freaked out cause we had our future careers on the line. She went to the doctor and he told her 8 - 10 weeks before a test would even read anything. Suffice it to say, we were both nervous wrecks for the entire summer. We almost didn't sign our acceptance letters and mail them back."[/color] he stood from the bed now and started to pace a little. Finally he stopped and leaned back against the dresser. "We got lucky and lived happily ever after...separate and haven't seen one another again." he said, now looking at her. "So if you want to bolt on me, I'd understand. I should have learned from my last mistake. It's one reason I came up with the three R's and live by them. I disrespected you by assuming things I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry."

"8 Weeks"

Tessa blinked at him as the words came out of his mouth. It caught her off guard. That was enough for her not to connect it to what she was saying.

"I never said anything about selling my car and bike tomorrow. I was just talking in general. I know there's a chance you might not be pregnant and I also know from experience that there is a 50/50 chance of nothing happening. I'm not freaking out cause I've been in this position before."

She nodded as he spoke. Taking in what he was saying. It made sense, putting some thought into it just in case. Then she went still at that last sentence. He'd been through this before. She chewed on her lip and said nothing as he went on.

"Back when I was about to start college, I hooked up this chick from Miami. She was bangin' and she had a thing for me. Well, shit got crazy that night and well..."

She blinked again as a twinge of jealousy rang through her. Giving herself a looking over when he said "bangin'" and it made her feel self conscious. When he motioned around the room her heart sank. She got the picture. Apparently he did have some experiences in mind blowing sex.

"We both freaked out cause we had our future careers on the line. She went to the doctor and he told her 8 - 10 weeks before a test would even read anything. Suffice it to say, we were both nervous wrecks for the entire summer. We almost didn't sign our acceptance letters and mail them back."

Tessa folded her arms across her chest. Now sitting up fully while they talked. Her eyes cast down to the bed. Feeling the waves of emotions hitting her again. Trying not to let them show. She watched as he got up and moved around the room.

"We got lucky and lived happily ever after...separate and haven't seen one another again."

Finally she shifted again, pulling her knees up to her chest. Wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her chin on her knees. She took a deep breath. Trying to focus. What he was talking about had nothing to do with her. She had to remember that. He didn't even know her then. This was years ago when he was in college. Yeah, but... surely there had been more recent girls. But, you had no claim on him, she had to remind herself. Even if it was in the past, the thought of him being with someone else bothered her. A natural reaction she supposed. Some kind of possessive instinct coming out. Her rational side started to get a hold of her though. All of this was just so new and was hitting her hard.

"So if you want to bolt on me, I'd understand. I should have learned from my last mistake. It's one reason I came up with the three R's and live by them. I disrespected you by assuming things I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry."

"I don't want to bolt. I want to be with you."

Turning her head on her knees she laid her cheek against them so she could look at him standing over at the dresser. Far from wanting to run away from him. She just wanted him to hold her again. Their past was nothing and she knew that. Her emotions were just all stirred up. He was with her right here, right now. That's all she wanted.

"It was both of our mistake. We both should have stopped to think. Don't take this all on you. You didn't disrespect me. I was a completely willing participant."

She got up from the bed herself now. Not bothering with trying to hide herself with the sheet this time. Stepping in front of him she looked up at him.

"Whatever happens... we'll deal with it. Maybe it wasn't in our plans but it's not the end of the world either. Right? At least I don't think so. If it turns out that I am... then we'll have a beautiful, amazing, little human being that we created together. I'm pretty sure things could be worse than that."

Stepping up closer to him she put her hands on his chest. Still looking up into his eyes. What she really wanted was him to put his arms around and hold her close. But, she didn't want to push him if he needed some space.

"We just had a really amazing experience together. We also found out that we have something between us, maybe we always have since we met. We are just taking it to another level. It's new and exciting. I don't regret what we did. No matter what the consequences end up being here. I have not one regret about it. I'm happy we finally discovered how we felt about each other."

"Whatever happens... we'll deal with it."

He watched her stand from the bed and walk over to him, a certain sway to her hips, but not that alluring sway but still sexy as hell. God, she was hot. She stood in front of him and placed her hands to his chest trying to reassure them both that things would be fine. She mentioned only moments ago that she wasn't going anywhere and neither was he.

"We just had a really amazing experience together. We also found out that we have something between us, maybe we always have since we met. We are just taking it to another level.

He reached up and placed his hands over hers listening and she was right. Why hadn't they seen this earlier? Why hadn't he asked her out before? 'Cause you're a big fucking pussy, that's why.' That was the first thought that came to him before he finally nodded and spoke up.


"You're right..... " he paused a long moment "....it was really amazing, wasn't it?" he smiled looking down to her. She was considerably shorter than he was as he stood nearly 6'1". His hands moved hers off his chest and he took them in his. "I think we'll be fine. Let's just take it a day at a time and see what happens. Somehow....I think this is gonna be more fun than we can imagine." he said giving her a wink.

He gave her a gentle push away, but kept her hands within his and leading her away from the dresser towards the night stand. He released one hand and opened the top drawer, reaching in and grabbing something. He then looked to her with a certain look and then to the open bathroom door, then back to her. Grabbing both her hands, she might have felt the small wrapped object between their hand as he pulled her towards the bathroom.

"How about....we jump in the shower and I show you what it's like to forget how to walk." he said with a waggle of his brows as he shut the bathroom door behind them.

(Thread closed - will continue in Home is where the Heart is)