Gabe gets in my car as soon as I unlock it. But I don't instantly get in myself. Instead I turn back to look towards Hunter. He opens his own door and tosses his dance bag carelessly inside the car. Crossing the parking lot I can see him hitting his car with a closed fist, mumbling softly to himself.

It isn't fair... it really isn't fair. She was mine, all those years ago. She was mine.... what the hell do I do now?

I reach out with a hand and tap his shoulder, whispering softly as to not completely startle him.

Hunt, are you okay?

He spins around with wide eyes, instantly pulling me towards him.  "Angel..."

Shhh.... Just kiss me Hunter.

He needs no more prodding than that. Kissing me like he was drowning and I am the only thing there to save him.

As we kiss he spins us around pressing me against his car. My arms automatically wind themselves around his neck, his around my waist.  By the time we separate we are both breathless. Only then do I realize that my feet are no longer on the ground.  While he was kissing me, Hunter actually lifted me off the ground, holding me against his car.

I giggle as I hover in the air. He presses his forehead against mine, whispering softly, "Anderson, what's so funny." I just keep giggling because he doesn't realize what he's done. Finally I am able to get out an answer, although my voice is very breathy because I'm still giggling slightly. "Clarington... I'm tall now..." He pulls back somewhat, cocking his head to the side. This causes his grip on my waist to relax some and I slide slowly down his body until my feet are back on the ground again.

Finally he gets it, face screwing up in a big smile. "Guess I don't know my own strength. But I suppose you HAVE always been my weakness there Angel."  I shake my head and push him away gently, although I'm smiling now too.  "Apparently. I just can't believe we both forgot everything." Stepping back he takes my hand, essentially freeing me from being pinned against his car. "Shay, Shann... I'm sorry about all of that. That I just vanished on you like that. But it's not like we ever exchanged phone numbers or addresses back then. It was just a given that we would see each other at competitions."

I know...

I'm biting my lip, he reaches out and removes my lower lip from between my teeth. I look up at him and his moss green eyes are sparkling, playful. Voice has a teasing note as he speaks again, "Now Angel, if Smythe or anyone else starts in again about how I swooped in and stole his girlfriend away from him am I allowed to bring any of this up? Because technically you WERE mine first..."

I roll my eyes as I push him away, making a move to go back to my car.  He grabs my wrist and spins me around before I am too far away. Sighing, my hand lands on his chest and I push him back towards his car.  Easing out of his grasp.  "Jay, Hunter...  I wouldn't want Sebastian to kill you. Then I'd end up in LA all alone."

He smirks as I step away, starting towards my car again. "I couldn't bear for that to happen. Leave you all alone in that bungalow at the beach." I shake my head as I walk back towards my car. Just as I open my door his voice calls back to me again.

"Angel, when will I see you again?"

I turn back slightly and give him a smile, "Um, I'll have to think about it. Call me, kay? We'll set something up."

He nods, small wave and then gets into his SUV, pulling out of the parking lot and heading in the direction of Dalton.

A smile is on my face as I slide behind the wheel of my car. That is until a voice cuts in.

Gabe.

I almost forgot he was here.

"So Pumpkin, it looks like my digging up old memories was good for you two."

And that is when my mood falls, I glance at my hands resting on the steering wheel, engagement ring glittering brightly in the sunlight filtering through the windshield.

Crap.  Crap crap crap crap crap!!!!

Gabe reaches over and places his hand on my shoulder.  I flinch, shrugging him off as I turn to him.  "Pumpkin?  You okay??"  I shake my head, leaning it on the steering wheel.  My voice is soft, tears welling up already.  "Sebastian....   I'm engaged to Sebastian."  Gabe's hand is on my back this time, rubbing comforting circles on it.  "Shann, I know."

"No Twink, you don't know!  I love Sebastian, I do.  Really I do.  But Hunter....   God I love him too, and now knowing that he was that boy.  That elusive boy, the one who I thought I lost forever...  You're right, we had to have remet for a reason.  Hell we're even going to the same college in the fall, he's going to be the only one I know once I get to California.  And we planned on sharing my off campus housing...  God Damn IT!!!  My life is such a mess and I don't even know where to go from here..."

That's it, I'm openly sobbing in my car.  Gabe pulls me close to him, as close as he can while we are both sitting in our respective spots.  His hands run soothingly up and down my back, murmuring comforting words.  Trying to quell my tears, ease my mind.  Because, well, he's my dance husband.  We've been through so much together over the years, he probably knows me better than anyone else on the planet, even my own family.

After sitting there about ten minutes I finally straighten back up, wiping away the rest of my tears.  I give off a small sigh as Gabe resettles in his seat as well.  "Shann are you going to be okay to drive us back?"  All I do is nod my head, not trusting any words that may come out of my mouth.  I start the car and flick on the radio, just so we have something to break up the silence.  It helps some, soon we are singing along, Gabe even makes me giggle by changing the words up to some of the songs.  Being his goofy, silly self.

Finally we make it back to the house, I pull up into the driveway.  Gabe follows me into the house, both of us carrying our dance bags.  Blaine is sitting on a couch, eyes raising from the book in his hands as we enter the room.  "So how did everything go?  Was their dancing up to your satisfaction Ruiz?  What did you think of Clarington?"

Gabe glances quickly at me and I just shake my head, I slip out of my sneakers and head up the stairs to my room.  But not before I can hear part of their conversation.

...we used to compete against them.  He was 'Jay'.

The Jay??

Yea.  The very same one.

Well shit...

I don't stick around to listen any further.  Trust me I already know the story, and I don't need to wait around for Blaine's judgement.  Once I am in my room I toss my dance bag on the floor, and go to sit down at my closet.  Searching through the few boxes of my things still at the bottom, things I hadn't thought to put out, I find what I am ultimately looking for.  A photo album/scrapbook, clearly marked Shannon's Dance Memories on the front cover.

My fingers skirt over the words before I open up the book.  The first few pages are filled with little photos of Gabe and I, our first two years or so of practice, small competitions.  I flip a few pages until I get to some photos from that competition in October, the Wizard of Oz themed dance.  And sure enough there are photos of the after party, me dancing, laughing and having fun with a boy slightly taller than me, dressed at Prince Eric.

The next few pages, shoot half of the album, intermixed with performance and practice photos of Gabe and I, are photos, tons and tons of photos.  All of me and that same boy, laughing, smiling at each other.  Goofing off, being quite affectionate with each other for as young as we were.  And now that I look closer at these photos I can see it, the boy in all of these photos is Hunter.  And I'm screwed.

Just that moment my phone chooses to ring.

'Bubbly'

Sebastian. I didn't call him to let him know I got back.  He must be freaking out because I'm sure Hunter had made it back to Dalton a while ago.  I take a few deep breaths to steady my nerves before I swipe the phone to answer.

Hi Sebby...

Hello Princess.  I missed you...

His voice is like honey, like a drug calming my mind.  Calming my soul.

The rest of my evening is quite uneventful.  I don't tell Sebastian about what happened, what I discovered.  I'm not sure he would take any of this information well.  Aunt Pam is working night shift tonight so Blaine orders us some pizza, Gabe staying for dinner mainly because it is either that or he will end up eating alone somewhere.  He said he's driving back to Pittsburgh sometime tomorrow while I am at school.  So before he leaves for the hotel he gives me a kiss on the forehead.  Whispering a soft be good and make good choices before he is out the door and out of sight.

Blaine tries to talk about everything but I can't.  I just can't.  This is all too fresh in my mind.  All I want to do is sleep.  So I do.

Dreamless.

Dark and quiet.

For once my mind is blank and I don't have to think.

The school day is a blur.  Until Glee, Mr Schue is still trying to come up with a setlist for Nationals which is rapidly approaching.  Pretty sure we have our group number on lock, and a girls only one as well.  But he is waffling with the solo.  Frankly I think he should give it to Rachel, I've stolen her thunder enough this year already.  And I voice my opinion as such.

As the bell rings signaling the end of class she comes over to me with a smile.  We have our shared study hall next, but lately none of my friends have wanted to talk to me during it.  She follows me to my locker as I switch out some books.  "Thanks for recommending me for a solo Shann, I really appreciate it."

I return her smile as I slip some books into my locker, pulling out new ones and the dance photo album I brought to school with me.  I'm biting my lip as we start to walk to the library, where our study hall is this period.  She follows as I head towards a table far away from where I see Santana, Brittney and Quinn sitting.  "It's nothing, honestly Rach.  But I need your help with something.  Something personal."  She looks at me quizzically as she slips into the seat across from me.  "You're not pregnant are you?"  I shake my head, "No, its not that.  But it may be worse."

Rachel cocks her head to the side, clearly confused, "Shann, you're worrying me."  I pull the album out from under the rest of my books, fingers skimming across the words on the cover.  "I'm worried myself.  Um I wanted to show you something.  Tell you something that Gabe reminded me of this weekend.  But you can't tell ANYONE, are we clear?  No one.  Not Finn.  Not Kurt.  No one."

She looks at my face carefully and then nods her head at me.  "I promise."  I nod and slide the book into the center of the table slowly opening it so she can see the photos inside.  "This is my old dance memory album.  So when I was younger, about 10, I had my first kiss with this boy."  I quickly flip to the photo of Hunter and I, dressed as Prince Eric and Dorothy.  "I used to call him Jay, he called me Shay.  I know it sounds sickeningly sweet and corny."

I flip through the album more, pointing out photo after photo of the two of us together.  She is studying the pictures carefully, as if trying to figure out why I am telling her these things.  So I continue with my explanation, pointing to one last photo.

"This is the last photo of him I had, from after a competition.  We had already changed into street clothes.  And this was honestly the last time I saw him.  Or so I thought.  Tell me Rachel, does this boy look familiar to you?"

She picks up the photo album and holds it close to her face, inspecting every nuance of the photo.  And then she puts it down and looks at me with wide eyes.  "Is that??"  I nod, "Yes Rach, that's Hunter.  Right before he left for military school.  This may have been right after his 14th birthday if I recall correctly.  But do you see my problem now?"

She nods, brown eyes wide as saucers.  Shaky finger points to the photo in the album.  "He was your first love wasn't he?"  I sigh and give a small shrug of my shoulders.  "Apparently.  The proverbial 'One That Got Away'.  We never exchanged addresses or numbers so when he just stopped showing up at competitions I thought I would never see him again.  But here I am now, and he is too.  So what do I do?"

"Honestly Shann, I don't even know what to tell you..."