Shawn woke up in his bed and found that some random girl was still sleeping next to him. He sighed and got up to get dressed. It was Saturday and Topanga and Cory were going to be coming over later that afternoon. Elliot was 18 months old now and they had made a routine that Shawn would take care of Elliot on Saturday afternoons so that Cory and Topanga could have some time to themselves.

He looked at the woman on his bed and decided to wake her up. He was never rude to the girls he slept with, but he never wanted anything more from them than a good night. The cute, perky blonde got dressed and kissed Shawn on the cheek, leaving her number on the nightstand.

Shawn walked her out the door and then went back to his room. He tossed the slip of paper into the garbage where he had put all the other numbers he'd been given over the years.

He scratched at his healing cuts and went to take a shower. He'd always hated the itching the most. As his cuts healed they were always painfully itchy and it was, in Shawn's opinion, the worst part about cutting himself.

As the heat of the water quelled the itching, Shawn heard a loud knocking at the front door. He turned off the shower and put his robe on. Cory and Topanga were early and Shawn didn't want them to see that he was still cutting himself. He had been having trouble finding a publisher for his book and he felt like maybe he got his hopes up too much. The cutting kept him calm and less anxious about getting his book published.

He dried his hair with a towel as he walked to the door as he heard another round of knocking. "I'm coming, hold on guys, you're early."

Shawn opened his door and stared at his new reality. The towel fell from his hand as he tried to process what was happening.

"Hello Shawn." Angela stood in the doorway staring at her ex-boyfriend and love of her life.

By the grace of God, Shawn found his ability to talk again. "Angela… what are you doing here?"

"I've moved here to New York… can we talk?"

Shawn stared for a moment before he moved aside to let her in. He picked up the towel and closed the door behind her.

"Um. Make yourself at home. I'm gonna go put on some clothes."

Angela nodded and watched Shawn go into his bedroom. He wasn't sure that this was actually happening. It had been 4 years since he had last seen Angela and he was still broken. He put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt before walking back out and sitting on the couch across from Angela.

"Do you want something to drink or anything…?"

Angela smiled politely. "I'm fine Shawn…"

There was a silence between them and Shawn couldn't tell if it was comfortable or awkward. After a moment he decided to get their conversation started. "Well, you look good. Europe was good to you."

"Yeah Shawn, it was… It just didn't have you."

"It took you 4 years to figure out that I wasn't there?" Shawn didn't know what to say. He was happy to see her. He was still in love with her and he didn't think he would ever get over her. But he was also still angry at her for leaving him.

"No, it's just… I needed that time to figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life. I had a chance to explore the world and I wanted that."

"Well I'm happy you got what you wanted." Shawn was shutting down. He wasn't prepared for this. Over the years he had gone over what it would be like when Angela came home, but now that she was here, he couldn't figure anything out.

"Shawn I don't know what to do… I still love you so much, but I really hope it's not too late."

"You left me Angela." Shawn's jaw got tight. He hated that she could just come back and claim to love him again after all these years.

"I know and I'm sorry-"

"No. You left me. You told me all those years ago to give into my feelings for you and to trust you to love me, so I did. I believed that you wouldn't hurt me, but-" Shawn grew angry with himself as he noticed he was beginning to cry. "But Angela… you left and you took my heart with you. I will always love you Angela. I have never stopped loving you. I needed you and you broke up with me to spend time half way around the world. What am I supposed to do?"

Angela watched Shawn sort through his anger and cry. She slowly started crying and she covered her mouth with her hand.

When she didn't speak, Shawn kept talking. "I want to be with you so badly, but I don't know how to do that anymore. We spent years together putting me back together after my childhood. But when you left, I broke again Angela. I have had to start over…without you…"

"Please… Shawn…I hate that I left you. You have every right to hate me or to never forgive me. But I know that I need you too and I want to spend my life making it up to you. You never deserved to be hurt the way that I hurt you. You deserved so much better than what I could give to you."

"I don't hate you Angela. Don't you get it? I hate myself for still loving you. I would give anything to just kiss you right now and forget about all of this, but I don't know how to trust you anymore."

They sat in silence for another 5 minutes until they heard a knock at the door.

"Damn it," Shawn wiped his face with his shirt sleeve and stood up. "Hold on a minute," he called to the door.

He looked at Angela on the couch and then walked to the door. He opened it enough to see it was Cory, Topanga, and Elliott, just as they had scheduled. They couldn't see the couch from the angle they were at, but Cory instantly knew something was wrong.

"Tell me," Cory stated. "What's wrong?"

Shawn didn't answer. He just opened the door wider and stepped aside, revealing Angela sitting on the couch. Topanga nearly dropped her child but regained composure as she slowly entered Shawn's apartment.

"Hey guys," Angela said as if she'd seen them last week.

Cory didn't move from the doorway. He was furious at Angela for what she had done to Shawn. Shawn could see Cory was preparing to yell or lash out. "Cory, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Cory looked over at Shawn and his anger was replaced with concern as he realized it was more important to help Shawn. He walked with Shawn into the bedroom, leaving the girls to talk.

"Shawn, what's going on?"

Shawn closed the bedroom door and explained the conversation he just had with Angela. "I don't know what to do Cor. You know I still love her-"

"Shawnie, we were the one who had to pick up the pieces after she never came home. I want you to be happy and I know you love her, but I can't keep watching you get hurt. I don't want there to be a day where I'm not there to save you."

"I know. I know I'm a mess Cory, but I need her. I just, what if we can't fix this?"

There was a knock on the door and Topanga entered the bedroom.

"Shawn? You don't need to take Elliott today if you want to just-"

"No, no, you two go out. I don't want to talk to Angela right now, but I don't want to be alone. Elliott is just who I need right now."

Topanga nodded and left the room again. She walked back to Angela and saw how Elliott had quickly taken to her.

"Topanga, he's a beautiful baby. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier."

"Yeah, we're all sorry about that."

Angela didn't know what to say. She knew coming back was going to be difficult. She had stayed in touch with Topanga, but it was difficult and it eventually boiled down to calls on holidays and gifts on birthdays.

"Angela, I don't think Shawn is ready to talk to you today. He is going to babysit Elliott for us this afternoon, so just give him some time okay?"

The boys walked out into the living room and Angela stood up and looked at them. She could see the masked fury that Cory desperately wanted to unleash on her but was holding back for everyone's sake. She noticed the sadness that seemed to envelope Shawn's entire body.

"Um. I left my number on the coffee table. Just call me if you want to talk Shawn." With that, she left the apartment and Shawn sunk down into the armchair. Elliott tottered over towards him and held onto Shawn's knee for balance. Shawn felt the small hand on his knee and picked up the toddler.

"Are you sure about this Shawn?" Cory asked as he watched his friend carefully.

"Yeah. I'm going to be okay for now. I just need to think about things by myself and Elliott always has the best advice." He chuckled and tickled the boy's stomach.

Cory and Topanga smiled and left the apartment to the sound of their child's laughter.

Once Shawn was alone with Elliott, his smile began to fade. He pulled the child into his arms and hugged him. Elliott was receptive of the action and began to snuggle into Shawn's chest. Shawn kissed Elliott's forehead as tears fell down his cheeks.

"No crwying Shaw," Elliott said as he looked up at Shawn's face.

Shawn laughed. He loved the way that Elliott talked. "Thanks Buddy. I'm just very happy to see you."

Elliott laughed and uncoordinatedly climbed off of Shawn's lap. When Elliott had made it to the floor, Shawn stood up too. He and Elliott would spend the day reading, coloring, and watching cartoons. Just the way Shawn loved spending his Saturdays.

Shawn didn't call Angela until Wednesday that week. He had cut himself each night as he thought about what he was supposed to do. He finally knew he had to say the things he never had the chance to say to her.

She agreed to come over to the apartment that evening to talk, and Shawn anxiously awaited her arrival.

Angela showed up at Shawn's apartment after dinner. She was quiet as she sat down on his couch again.

Shawn sat back in his armchair and closed his eyes until he was ready to say what he needed. "Angela. I want to try this again." He paused and saw her nod to continue. "I have never stopped loving you. I spent so much time trying to feel as alive as you made me feel. I needed you then and I need you now, but we're both different people now. We haven't been together for two years and we haven't seen each other in four. I am glad you got to go have your time with your father and live your life out in the world. I know I let you go, but if I had known what was going to happen, I never would have let you leave."

Angela didn't say anything until she knew it was a good idea for her to speak.

"I don't regret going, but I regret not coming home. I had a wonderful time, but I was scared to come back. I knew that if I came back, we would be back together and that would eventually mean marriage and kids and it scared me so much Shawn. There was so much out there and I loved you but hated that I had told you to trust our love when I couldn't do the same."

Shawn laughed at himself and looked to the ceiling as he found God's irony so very clever.

Angela had a look of confusion on her face. She hadn't expected for Shawn to laugh. "What?"

"I nearly asked you to marry me before you left."

"You what?" Angela was shocked.

"Yeah. I talked to your dad. I was going to ask you to stay with me instead of going to Europe with him… But I knew it was better for you to go. You talked me out of it without even knowing it."

Angela was speechless. She never imagined that Shawn would have wanted to get married back then. She didn't know what her answer would have been.

"I've dated other women, but no one can fill the space you took up. If you're really going to stay, we can start over, or at least start somewhere in the middle."

Angela smiled. "Nothing would make me happier Shawn. I came back for you."

They both stood up and finally hugged. Angela let him go and looked at his face. After all these years she could still see the emotions written on his face. The happiness and worry collided in his eyes and his smile. She gently brought his head towards her as she kissed his soft lips. He was lost in the familiar comfort of Angela's lips as he tried to communicate 4 years of pain, regret, anger, and love.

He broke the kiss and rested his forehead on hers. "Cory might not like this."

Angela didn't open her eyes; she was still reveling in the kiss she had longed for. "I have a lot more repair work to do with people."

"I'll talk to Cory first okay? How about we go out this Friday night with Cory and Topanga?"

Angela opened her eyes and smiled. "Sounds perfect Shawn. I'll meet you here."

They said goodnights and Shawn leaned against the door after Angela had left. He couldn't tell which emotions were strongest inside of him. He was lost in a sea of love, happiness, fear, and worry. He opened the door after a minute or two and walked over to Cory's, knocking rapidly.

As soon as the door opened, he walked into the apartment and paced the floor.

"Hi, Shawn. How are you? Me? I'm fine. Great to see you too," Cory was sarcastic as he closed the door.

Topanga was sitting on the couch. She put down the case file she was reading from work and looked worriedly from Cory to Shawn and back again. Before either could ask what was wrong, Shawn started speaking rapidly.

"Angela and I talked. We kissed. We're back together. I told her how much I love her. I do. But I'm scared. She says she's here to stay, but she said that last time. People always say that-"

"Shawn. You're making me nervous. Sit down, okay?" Cory led Shawn to the couch and then he sat down in the chair next to the couch.

Shawn took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "We're all going out this Friday. Double date, I need you guys there."

"Of course Shawn," Topanga began before Cory interrupted.

"I don't think this is all a good idea Shawn."

"I know. I thought about it all, I really did. But this is the woman I was prepared to propose to. I can't just let her go again."

Cory and Topanga were silent. Shawn had never mentioned anything about engagement. "When were… propose?" Cory tried to ask.

Shawn stared at the coffee table and told them about how he had originally wanted to ask her to stay 4 years ago and he was going to propose they get married. If she said yes, she'd stay and everything would be perfect. But he could see how much Angela needed to leave and he couldn't do it.

Cory could see how much of a fight Shawn was having with himself over everything. He knew he needed to support Shawn now, and set his own anger towards Angela aside. "You know what? I never gave up on you guys' relationship before, and I guess I shouldn't now. We'll find someone to take care of Elliott on Friday and we'll all go out."

Shawn smiled in relief and felt a shift in his body as the bliss of having Angela back began to outweigh the worry.

"It will be really fun Shawn. I can't wait." Topanga chimed in.

"Thanks guys. I never thought this day would actually come." He stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll see you on Friday."

Thursday seemed to drag on for as long as it possibly could, but when Friday finally came, Shawn had a strong argument for it being the best day of his life. He didn't have to be at work until 10 that morning, but he was woken up at 7:15 to the ringing phone. Groggily, he got out of bed and answered the phone. The whole phone call seemed like a blur as he talked with an editor at Random House who wanted to publish his book. They had received his manuscript and she had fallen in love with it. Somehow, Shawn controlled his excitement enough to set up a meeting for later that morning at 10. As he hung up the phone, he felt happier than he ever thought was possible. He didn't even put a shirt on before he ran over to Cory and Topanga's and pounded on their door. Cory opened the door with his keys in his hand and messenger bag of schoolwork over his shoulder. He was about to leave for work, running late as usual.

He was shocked to see a shirtless Shawn standing in his doorway. "They want it," was all Shawn could say. Topanga walked into the living room with Elliott walking cautiously behind her.

"Cory, what's going on?"

"Don't know hon. There's a raving shirtless man at the door."

Shawn laughed and walked into the apartment.

"Random House. The publisher, they want my book!"

A smile spread across Topanga's face and Cory automatically jumped into his and Shawn's shared happy dance. They jumped around the living room and even Elliot got caught up in the excitement.

"You did it Shawnie! I can't believe everything is perfect!"

"I know Cor! I know!"

Topanga hugged Shawn once the boys had stopped jumping and dancing.

Cory looked at his watch and frowned. "I have to get to work, but as soon as I get home, we're going to celebrate."

Shawn nodded and hugged Cory before he walked out the door. Shawn was left standing with Topanga and a very excited Elliot. He didn't know what was going on, but he was the happiest toddler around.

"I have a meeting this morning with an editor and we're going to work everything out."

Topanga smiled but reached for Shawn's arm. She had noticed in all the commotion that Shawn had fresh cuts on his arm.

"I am so happy about that Shawn, but your arm…"

Shawn's smile faded. He was still happy, but he knew he needed to switch gears for a moment and let her know he was okay now.

"It was just all the confusion over Angela and I couldn't handle it for a couple days. Everything is going to be fine now."

His smile returned. Nothing was going to ruin his good mood today.

He went back to his apartment and called into work. He was going to have to miss work today and was completely content with that fact.

After faking sick well enough for the boss, Shawn went to get ready. He showered, ate breakfast, and dressed in his best work clothes. He left his apartment at 9 AM, hoping that his commute wouldn't be too brutal.

He arrived to his meeting right on time and could barely contain how giddy he was still feeling. He met with the editor and they talked about the process involved in publishing the book. They settled on the royalty fees and then Shawn met the final editor he would be working with directly from now on. They had their own group of people that would be reading and rereading Shawn's book over the course of the next couple months. He would receive an advance in a couple weeks that would serve as the payment for the selling of the rights to his book. The editor would call and set up another meeting or if anything came up that needed changing or clarification.

Overall, the meeting lasted several hours and Shawn was given quite a bit of information and names of agents who now wanted to represent him as well. He got back to his apartment with his copy of the contract he signed and sat down on the couch. It was all so surreal. Shawn could have never imagined that he would succeed so much. He wanted to call everyone he knew, but he was well aware that they were all at work. He knew he could call Amy and Alan though. Amy would most likely be at home and he could call Alan at the store.

Both of them were surprised at the news. Neither of them were even aware that he had been writing a book. Shawn laughed and apologized for not mentioning it. He didn't want to jinx his chances by telling everyone. He said he'd email them a copy as soon as he got off the phone with them. After chatting with each of them for a while, kept his word and emailed them the file. It wasn't the final copy, the editor was bound to make some changes, but he wanted them to read it. He then called Mr. Feeny who had finally retired and was only teaching occasionally as a substitute. If Shawn was lucky, today Mr. Feeny would be at home. Indeed, today continued to be his lucky day and he was ecstatic as he talked with Mr. Feeny about his book. Feeny gave him his most recent email address and asked if he could read it. Shawn obviously agreed and once again, sat down to email his work off to another person who meant so much to him.

He ate lunch and then waited patiently until he could call Jack, Eric, Rachel, and Jon. At 5, Shawn called Jack and Rachel at their apartment. He gave them the news and they were both completely delighted at the success. They congratulated him and then he remembered he hadn't told them the other news either. He paused after telling them he had more news. He finally mentioned that Angela was back and he was back together with her. Shawn could hear Rachel scream in the background. She demanded that Shawn tell Angela to get in touch with her immediately. Shawn agreed and was off the phone with them by 5:45. Cory came into the apartment and hugged Shawn a couple minutes later.

"I still love that you did it Shawnie. I gave all the kids As today in honor of you."

Shawn laughed. "All of them? You should have just given them to the sleeping kids in the back rows."

Cory pushed Shawn playfully and smiled as they sat down to watch Eric on the 6 o'clock news.

As soon as Eric was off the air, Shawn called Eric's cell phone and told him the news. Cory's smile beamed again. He loved hearing Shawn break the news to people. After the call with Eric, Shawn looked at the clock on the wall. He could finally call Jon. School was out and Jon would have his phone on him again.

"Shawn! What's up?"

"I wanted to congratulate you Jon."

"What'd I do?"

"One of your former students is going to be a published author by next year."

"Really?! Cory wrote a book?"

Shawn gave a deep laugh and smiled.

"Oh, Shawn, I knew you would succeed. What you wrote is amazing and I am so proud of you. Make sure I get an autographed copy."

Shawn chatted with Jon more and also mentioned that Angela was back. Jon was thankful that life was finally bringing good things to Shawn. Eventually, Shawn ended their call. He still had a date to get ready for.

His best day ever ended perfectly. The double date was fun and simple, as if the past 4 years hadn't happened. Angela was, of course, overjoyed that Shawn had become such a success. After a wonderful dinner and discussion of Shawn's new life as a to-be-published author and some fun stories of Angela's time abroad, Shawn took Angela back to the apartment and ended his night in bed with Angela. He could hardly believe that his life had taken such a turn and now he was with the woman he loved lost in a passion he thought he'd lost forever.

His book was published a year later which coincided with his proposal to Angela and the birth of Cory and Topanga's second child. A perfect little girl named Riley. His book was a slow success. It wasn't until it hit the teenage audience that he wanted, that it really took off. Nothing was going to keep Shawn from the happiness he worked so hard to create for himself.

His book was released under his pen name, with an acknowledgement to the people who deserved it.

Saving Hunter

By Shawn Matthews

For all those who knew my life was worth saving

That's it. I have nothing more to say about Shawn and his story... At least until we see if he shows up for GMW. I certainly hope he does.