I don't own Stardew Valley.

Chapter 2. The Ugly Truth.

Shane glared angrily at his alarm clock. 5 a.m. "Ugh." He grunted and pulled the covered over his head. Rosalyn probably wouldn't even be awake yet and yet he was. He could already hear little Charlie bup-bupping her displeasure from the chicken coop. He chuckled to himself softly, she knew what today was, the day he proved to her he actually wanted to be her friend. Shane tossed the blanket down to the foot of his bead and glanced around his room. "I forgot I had to clean..." he deadpanned as he stared at the empty beer cans everywhere. He shook his head and stood from his bed, a beer can falling from between the mattress as well. "I really do live a terrible life..." he sighed, his sad eyes scanning the messy room.

"Alright then... let's get your shit together Shane... you cant live like this anymore." He grumbled as he marched to the kitchen to grab a trash bag from beneath the sink. He rushed back down the hall and back to his room where he began grabbing any and all cans. Full or empty, he didn't care because he wanted them all gone. As he was cleaning his neglected mess, his thoughts travelled back to the night she had found him out in the woods.

:-:Flashback:-:

Shane rolled onto his side, overlooking the side of cliff. The worn ridges in the dirt signifying the loss from over the years. His eyes could barely focus on the raindrops colliding with the grass around him. He thumped yet another empty beer can over the edge as the sound of rain hitting the hollow thing was bothering him. He watched it go over, wondering what it would be like if he were to just... roll off. It was an accident, they would say. He had too much to drink and just... fell. There would be a funeral... and then everyone would forget him. Well, maybe not Jas and Marnie... they were all he had left. And they were definitely better off without him.

He heard movement behind him even through the rain, which made him struggle to roll over to face whoever it was. The footfalls alone screamed human, rather than wild animal. "Shane? Is that you?" his eyes slipped shut and he ran the voice through his head. 'ah... yes... her...' "Shane... are you ok?" her voice echoed to him once more in his drunken stupor and it was... relaxing. Despite the worried tone to her voice, it still relaxed him. "Rosalyn." He greeted, although he wasn't quite sure if that had come out as clearly as he had wanted. "Oh... Shane..." her tone was so saddened now, as if she pitied him.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she sat next to his head. Reaching to brush her fingers through his hair gently. He closed his eyes and sighed, this was a nice feeling... her caressing finger were so gentle and caring... the last time anyone had run their fingers through his hair like this was when he was a young child... it was his mother who had done it. He missed his parents so much... it was unbelievable. He slightly wondered if Marnie missed them as much as he did, but he killed the thought swiftly because he knew she did... she just handled it better.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Shane?" she asked and he scoffed at her. "What do you care?" he ground out and she frowned down at him. Those sad silver eyes shining with unshed tears, he could tell they were tears because she was still holding her umbrella over herself. "What are you gonna cry for? You've got nothing to cry for." He snapped and shoved her hand away from his hair. She stretched her legs out and folded her hands in her lap around the handle of her umbrella. "Rosalyn..." he called and she looked over at him.

"You want to know why I do this?" he asked and she nodded once more, scooting closer with her umbrella to keep the rain from hitting him in the face while he spoke. "It's because I'm too stupid and small to take control of my own life..." muttered and he rolled to face the cliff once more. "Why should I even go on? Tell me, Rosalyn... Tell me why I shouldn't just roll off this cliff?" he managed and she reached over and grabbed his coat, an attempt to stop him if he tried. "Shane... I cant tell you why you should, and I surely cant tell you why you shouldn't... but... how do you think Emily, Jas, and Marnie would feel? How do you think I would feel?" she asked, her voice held more sadness than he'd ever heard from her.

"Rosalyn..." he began but she set down her umbrella and crouched in front of him, but between him and the cliff. She placed her hand on his forehead, to feel for his temperature, and then she ran her thumb over his cheekbone. It was yet another comforting thing for him. "Can you sit up?" she asked through her hair, which was now getting plastered to her form by the rain. "I'm not sure..." he muttered. She offered him a smile as she lifted his arms and tucked hers under his to help pull him to a sitting position.

"I'm going to take you to the hospital now, Shane." She said softly and he nodded. He had given the best of his energy, but he still managed to pass out on her. When he had woke up, she was gone and he was staring Harvey dead in the face once more. "Good morning Shane... you and I need to talk." Harvey said and he had given Harvey a rough time, all the way up until Harvey said a few magic words. "Rosalyn and Emily want me to get you some help."

"I see."

:-:End Flashback:-:

His alarm blaring ripped him from his thoughts and he managed a well tossed can to shut it off. He sighed in relief, hopefully he hadn't woken Jas. If he had, Marnie would have ripped him a new one. He picked up the can he had just thrown and looked around his room. He couldn't actually remember the last time it was this clean. It still stunk of beer, but a little air freshener and some fabric cleaning would do the trick. He decided it was time to get ready to go to Rosalyn's farm and he couldn't help the small excited smile that tugged on his lips. He opened his closet to find his clothes he sets aside for working with the animals. It was supposed to be an especially warm day, so he pulled a stained up white sleeveless shirt out and tossed it on his bed. He dug around a little more and threw a pair of old worn down jeans onto the bed as well.

He yanked the shirt from over his head and his brows furrowed at the slight pudge that poked from his belly. "Ugh... early onset beer gut. Great." He grumbled with a roll of the eyes. He shrugged and pulled the work shirt over his head. He was working on buttoning the jeans when a soft knock was heard on his door. "Yeah?" he called out and the door opened. Rosalyn poked her head in and he rushed to zip the jeans. "Good grief woman. I said yeah, not enter." He chuckled and she blushed lightly.

"I'm sorry." She managed and he rolled his eyes. "Don't sweat it." He said and she smiled at him. "You ready? I thought I would stop by to see if you wanted to help me today. I wasn't honestly sure if you wanted to or not." She said and he ruffled her hair, eliciting a squeak from her. "How'd you get in anyways? Its six thirty in the morning." She blinked at him in confusion before she realized he thought he was the only one awake. "Marnie was up, she let me in." Rosalyn said and he nodded.

Rosalyn slipped out of his room and he followed her. "You two wanna eat here?" Marnie called and Shane looked down at the shorter woman who seemed to think about it for a moment then look to him. "Do you? I can cook, but if you would like to eat before you get moving, we can do that too." She said and he smiled. "I suppose we could eat with Auntie." He said and Marnie smiled at him from the kitchen. "Well lucky for you both, I already have breakfast almost done." She said and watched as Rosalyn followed Shane into the rom silently.

"So, Rosalyn, how do you like Pelican Town? You've been here for a little over a full year now and so you've seen all the festivities..." Marnie asked and Rosalyn pursed her lips for a moment. "I like it... even though it's very lonely. The festivities every season are absolutely lovely, but every day when I go home to my empty house... its saddening." She sighed and Marnie nodded as she handed Shane his food, in which he took no time digging in. "Ah, understandable dear. That's why most people come here to settle down. Do you have plans on settling down with anyone, dear?" Marnie asked as she handed Rosalyn her food, and Shane choked on his food.

He knew what his aunt was doing. He pounded his chest to try and knock the bite of food loose. When he finally regained his air, he sent a glare at his aunt who only rolled her eyes at him. "Um... I'm not sure, actually. I thought maybe Sebastian wanted to settle down with me, but he's just... such a loner half the time. He says he loves me, but he's always spending more time with Abigail and Sam... so I'm honestly not sure if we will settle down anytime soon, but maybe we will one day. I feel like there is a one day in it for us." She said with a soft smile and Marnie held her smile, while Shane dropped his fork and excused himself.

"Shane?" Rosalyn called after him but he was already outside. "Dear?" Marnie began, looking at Rosalyn. "Hm?" "You wont hurt Shane, will you?" Marnie asked and Rosalyn shook her head. "Of course not... I'd like to think he's my friend now, and since I have so few true close friends, I think it is nice that he wants to be my friend as well." Rosalyn said and Marnie nodded. "Treat him with care, but work him silly on your farm, cause if he isn't busying himself, he's trying to drink and he has worked so hard to try and get away from that." Marnie said and Rosalyn nodded. "Thank you for breakfast, I'm going to go find him now." She said and Marnie smiled at her as she took off.

Rosalyn heard his voice, but she couldn't tell exactly what he was saying. She knew he was talking to someone, and she assumed it was probably Charlie. She slipped the door open as quietly as she could, as to not disturb him. "Oh, Charlie..." he sighed as he ruffled the bird's feathers. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked and she frowned as she listened to him. "I want so much, but I don't think I will ever get any of it living here in this little town... if I could start over... maybe I would be a chicken farmer... I think I would love that." He said and Charlie clucked her response to him and looked over his shoulder.

He turned to look at what Charlie had spotted and he locked eyes with her. "How much did you hear?" he asked and she giggled. "Enough, chicken farmer. Let's head out." Rosalyn laughed lightly and he smiled. "Good, you didn't even hear the good stuff then." He taunted and she looked at him funny. "Good stuff? What good stuff?" she asked chasing after him. He held Charlie close to his chest as they ran through the woods. "Now why would I tell you that?" he asked and she huffed at him.

"Because you're supposed to be my friend." She countered and he laughed loudly. "I am your friend, you have to be on a higher status of relationship to hear the good stuff." He chuckled as he broke through the edge of her property. "Higher level of relationship?" she asked, bewildered. "Yeah a higher status." "You mean like best friend status?" she asked and he laughed loudly. "Nah... far from just best friend. It's more of a um... girlfriend or wife status that you get to learn about those hopes and dreams, Rose." He chuckled and she stared at him in surprise.

He looked over at her and she was starting to get that excited glow to her that screamed she was just... overly excited about something... that was why she was the sun. "What?" he asked and she grabbed his hand gently. "Does this mean you've actually thought about your future, Shane?" she asked and he watched her in confusion for a moment then a small saddened smile broke over his lips. 'I'm hoping I wont be around long enough to have a plan for one...' he remembered that night too. He also remembered the hurt looks that all three women had given him. If there ever had been a time he deserved to be slapped so hard he saw stars, it was definitely that night. Although, Rosalyn had never hit him like he thought she was going to... she just hugged him and angrily told him to pull himself together.

"Yeah... I suppose I have thought about a future." He said and her eyes lit up brilliantly. 'but the future I want is with you and no one else, Rose...' he decided to keep that thought to himself, lest she stare at him like he was crazy. She cheered happily and jumped up and down. "I'm so happy for you!" she squealed. "Just wait until I tell Emily!" she cheered and his lips twitched up into a smile. He shook his head and placed Charlie on the ground, who began running around as soon as her feet touched the dirt.

"Oh! Anyways... we should probably get to work." She said and he nodded as he followed her to the chicken coops first to open the small sliding door to release them for the day. Chickens bustled everywhere, they were all excited about the warm beautiful day as well. Charlie hopped over to him and began bup-bupping up at him, it sounded like she was confused. "It's ok girl, they're Rose's chickens, so they're family." He said and the little white bird hopped over to the rest of the flock.

"She really loves you Shane." Rosalyn said with a smile, but that smile faded and an annoyed twitch took to her lips. He couldn't figure out what she was irritated about until a long orange tail wiggled up from the tall grass the chickens were eating in. "THOR!!" she called and the tail vanished into the grass. The cat appearing from the edge nearest them. "What did I say about the chickens, Thor... friends, Thor, friends." She sighed and Shane chuckled. "Maybe you should have named him Loki." He joked and she nodded. "I probably should have." She said with a slight laugh. He looked around and he couldn't help but smile. He definitely felt like he could feel at home here...

"Shane, I need a little help with Bertha here." Rosalyn called and he looked to see her trying to look at the hoof of her only cow. The hoof was curled inwards and needed to not only be cleaned, but trimmed as well. "You want me to hold her, or do you want me to cut it?" he asked and she grabbed the tools she needed. "Alright, I want you to hold her foot so I can get it alright?" she asked and he nodded. He held the cow's foot tightly, but he looked up at her and saw that she had put her hair in a ponytail while he wasn't paying attention. He wondered if she knew how lovely she actually was... she certainly didn't act like Haley, which is about as stuck up as you can get.

In all honesty, Shane didn't think Haley was attractive in the slightest... but he supposed he had never really found any women of the town attractive. The fact that some of them come and go faster than shipments in and out of town had something to do with that. Or the fact he was about four to six years older than most of the single folk of Pelican town. He was 28... he should be the last one trying to wife shop from the younger generations... but... Rosalyn... she was different. She was definitely mature for her age, a tender 23. Sebastian was two years older than her, Sam was the same age as her, and Alex was about a year older. It's odd when you can pretty much tell how old everyone is because there's so few people that live in Pelican Town.

He sighed and released the foot that Rosalyn just finished with. "Any others?" he asked and she looked at Bertha's feet and shook her head. "No... I think she stepped on a rock and it split her hoof slightly, poor dear." Rosalyn said as she patted the cow on the thigh gently. Rosalyn looked over to her small field of peach and pomegranate trees, then back to the goat/ sheep house. "Ok Shane. Goats and sheep first, or fruit trees first?" she asked and he pointed to the goats.

She smiled and grabbed her bucket of tools, her stool, and her empty burlap sack. "Let's go then." She said and he followed her over to the barns. "Ok, so I only have four sheep to sheer, but you can milk the goats, and clip their hooves if you'd like." She offered and he shrugged. "Alrighty then, hop to it." She said and he chuckled as he made his way over to the goats with the hoof scraper and the milking bucket. He pulled the liner over the bucket and grabbed the stool that sat in the corner of the goat house.

He occasionally glanced over at her as she sheered her sheep and he wondered... how much is it going to hurt her when she finds out? He didn't want her to hurt because Sebastian couldn't keep it in his pants or tell her the truth about how he felt. He wished Sebastian would have just told her, that yes... he liked her as a person, but no... he couldn't see a future with her. That would probably go over much better than if he were to tell her that he was sleeping with Abigail the entire time. Shane bit the inside of his cheek as he glanced over at her... her smile was a beacon of light in his dark abyss of a world, and there's a pretty good chance that she will never know...

In this moment, he hated Sebastian. He hated the man with every fiber of his being. The man was smart, brilliant even... and yet... he's still beyond stupid. His eyes softened as he realized she looked up at him and smiled. She was so beautifully oblivious. He smiled back then got back to the next goat in line. When he would release one, another would walk up. She had them trained so very well, and yet not even Marnie could do that in the time that Rosalyn had. The woman was a natural at this farming thing. He glanced over to see that she was still sheering away happily and he couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips.

Yes... he was definitely glad she decided to move here. She was everything... she... he couldn't describe it in any other words than she made his life better starting from the moment she introduced herself to him. He could remember that so vividly as well and it was a life changing event in his life. It almost felt like it had been days ago they'd met.

A hand had brushed the sleeve of his coat and tugged gently. he had whirled around, startling the person who had tugged his sleeve ever so slightly. The shock in their eyes mirrored his own. "Do I know you?" he had snapped and she took a hesitant step back. "Um... no... I just moved here..." she stumbled softly and he quirked a brow at her. "I'm Rosalyn..." she said and held a hand out to him, her eyes shining in determination. He reached and grasped her hand in his, shaking it gently.

"I'm Shane." He said and she smiled so brightly that it had stolen the air right from his lungs. He had never seen someone so happy just to get his name... usually new people hear his tone and avoid him until they move away. "It's so nice to meet you!" she chirped excitedly and all thoughts had fled his mind. 'Nice? To meet me?' he was so confused... "Um... I've been giving everyone gifts, as a hello... but um... I don't know what you like... Shane..." she said and he shook his head to clear his thoughts for a moment.

"Wait... why are you giving gifts? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" he asked and she blushed. "Um... I dunno... I just... I like to give gifts... especially if people like them." She said and he nodded slightly. "Um... I like pizza." He said and her eyes lit up. "I have a coupon to get a free large pizza at the Stardrop Saloon! Would you like to have it?" she asked and he shook his head. "Would you like to get one with me then?" she asked and he blinked at her in confusion, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Wait... what?" he asked and she giggled behind her hand softly. "Come eat with me tonight." She offered and once more he stared at her like she was out of her mind. "But... why? Why me?" he asked and she smiled at him softly. "I would like to be your friend." She said and he swallowed nervously and looked around. No one else seemed to be paying them any attention, so he guessed he could rule out a prank. "Uh... sure I guess." He said and she cheered and danced in a little circle. He couldn't help the small smile that managed it's way onto his lips.

'Beautiful.'

"Beautiful..." he muttered softly, ripping his eyes off of the younger woman who was talking to her sheep animatedly about something he couldn't hear. From day one, she was the only one he had ever felt this way for... and he wanted nothing more than to be the last who could. "Your owner is the most beautiful woman in the world." He sighed and nuzzled his forehead with the little goat who brayed at him and nuzzled back. He chuckled as he looked around and saw the billy goat was nagging at the females to get back in line.

Shane shrugged, she had some well trained goats. She must have trained with them from the moment she got them... he motioned for the first goat to lift her foot and she did. He inspected her feet, saw no breakage or anything and sent her on her way. He flew through the goats swiftly as of checking their feet. Without a single word from him, the billy goat once more herded the females into their respective barn. "Good boy Joey!" she called out and the male goat responded from within the barn. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips at that. She grinned over at him when she heard him laugh.

"I swear you are the animal whisperer." He said and she quirked a brow at him. "And you aren't? you have a fully chicken army, or did you forget, Shane?" she asked with a laugh and he shrugged. "Hey, I've got the chicken thing down, but you've got the everything, thing down." He shot back and she rocked her head and let out a little yeah I guess so. "Alrighty, Shaney, time for the trees." She called, tossing a wicker basket at him and he caught it with no issue, but the unamused look on his face screamed his displeasure of 'Shaney'. She giggled when she saw the look on his face. "I'm sorry Shane." She giggled and he rolled his eyes as he followed her over to her orchard. "So, how are we going to do this?" he asked and she smiled.

"My ladder broke on me the other day when I tried to get out here and pick the fruit, so I figure, short of smacking them out of the tree with my broom... I could get some help getting the fruit down." She said and he looked at her with a face that was completely unamused. "Are you kidding me?" he grumbled as she climbed up onto his shoulders like a monkey climbing a tree. "Look you giraffe, I'm short. And you're clearly tall. It's a solid plan." She said and he chuckled lowly. "Unless I trip." He said and she grabbed his hair in her fists. "Trip and you'll have no more hair sir." She said and he held up his hands in defeat. She ruffled his hair softly and looked down at him.

"It's nice..." she said and he looked up at her with confused eyes. "It has been so long since you've actually sat down and talked to me... I almost thought you didn't like me, Shane..." she said softly as she plucked another peach from her tree and handed it down to him to put in the basket. "No... I do... it's just... I thought you'd believed that rumor someone spread about me..." he said softly. She patted his head softly and handed two more peaches down to him. "Of course not... why would I believe something so ridiculous? Besides, when we met, yeah... you were kind of off putting, but... I suppose it's your way of defending yourself from people who just want to hurt you." She said as she handed him the last peach from the first tree and motioned for him to head to the next one.

He set her back on the ground and grabbed the baskets before following her to the next tree. "Defending myself huh?" he asked as he helped boost her back onto his shoulders. "Yeah... that is how I see it at least. I never learned a good way to defend myself from people taking advantage of me, and hurting me... but you seem to have gotten it down pat." She said and he thought it over. "I wish that was what I was doing..." he sighed and she looked down at him in confusion. "It wasn't?" she asked and he shook his head as she handed him more fruit. "No... what I was doing... was trying to shove everyone away so I didn't hurt them." He said and she frowned down at him, only to pat him on the head once more.

"Oh Shane... I don't think you could ever push me away. I'm your friend remember?" she said and he smiled at her. "Thank you, Rosalyn." He said and she planted a kiss atop his head as she climbed down his shoulders. "Friends take care of each other, and I'm going to help you through anything you need me to alright?" she said and he nodded softly. "As long as I don't corrupt you." He muttered and she sent a glare at him. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, the bite of her tone catching him off guard. "Oh... uh... I sometimes feel like some people are too good to be near me because of who I am as a person." He said and she swatted his hand like a mother would when scolding a child.

"Don't you ever think that or I will tell Emily." She threatened and he held up his hands in defeat. She grinned up at him as she bumped him with her hip while walking past him. "Thank you for your help today Shane..." she said and he scratched his head slightly embarrassed. "Well, it's no problem, really..." he said and she smiled at him. "I mean... I could actually get used to doing this every day. It's definitely better than working at Joja." He grumbled and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Right!? Oh my gosh finally someone else said it." She burst out and he watched her in confusion. "What?" he asked and she ran into her house real quick to grab something.

She came out with a set of scrubs that read, 'Joja Medical'. "Ah, I see. So you came from Joja too." He sighed and she nodded. "It wasn't great. It was terrible. I mean, I loved the medical aspect, but... they had us all working on the computers as well. I mean most places have people who do the computer stuff, but seeing as my specialty was nursing... why was I on a computer while I could have been helping people. Ugh." Rosalyn grumbled and put a hand on her hip. She looked up at him and he had a slight blush on his cheeks. "Shane? Are you alright?" she asked and he nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He mumbled and she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You might need something to eat, it seems your sugar might be getting low." She sighed and he nodded. "Maybe. Uh... I'm going to grab something from my house, and then we can get something to eat somewhere." He offered and she smiled and nodded. "I suppose that would be nice. I'm going to go get cleaned up, see you when you get back Shane." She said and waved him off. He jogged off towards his home, little Charlie in close pursuit. "You have fun today, Charlie?" he asked and his little chicken clucked up at him happily as she ran beside him.

"I'm so glad." He said and slowed his run as he saw the silo come into view over the trees of Cindersnap forest. "Maybe one day... if we are really, really lucky... maybe that could be our home too." He said softly as he picked Charlie up, who clucked even more happily than before. "You too huh?" 'bupbup' "Really? You think so?" 'Bup... bupbupbup...' "I see, I just so happen to agree Charlie... I think I agree." He chuckled as the chicken nuzzled her beak into the crook of his neck. When he walked into Marnie's house, Sam and Emily were sitting at the table with Marnie. "Shane..." Marnie called and he bit the inside of his cheek once more. "He's on his way over there, isn't he?" Shane bit out and Sam nodded. "He's going to tell her... and... we think that since you've been there with her all day..." Sam began, but Marnie cut in. "You should go to her and comfort her."

"I was going to be heading back anyways... I'm just going to change first." He said and they all frowned at him softly. The sadness in his voice was basically tangible. "I have a bit of time because she was cleaning up to get dinner with me. We figured a hard days work deserved a nice dinner we didn't have to make ourselves." Shane called from his room. He pulled on his usual go to outfit, and his typical jacket. He sniffed it, and was disgusted by the intense smell of beer, but he didn't have much else to choose from considering everything smelled like beer, sweat, or Jojamart. He sighed and made his way out the front door. The moment he stepped out, he saw Thor with his ears pinned back and saddened eyes.

He lifted the cat onto his shoulders and took off running as fast he could. Considering his pastimes, it wasn't very fast. When he broke the edge of her property he saw Sebastian standing there in front of the steps. When he got a bit closer, he saw Rosalyn sitting there with her hands fisted in front of her mouth, her hair still slightly damp from her shower. "How could you do that, Sebastian?" she asked and the chime that made his heart flutter in joy was gone. This tone had his heart clenching. He knew she was in pain. He knew so very well what her pain sounded like. "I thought we had something nice..." she managed and Sebastian tried to sit next to her but she slapped her hand to the steps and he stepped back.

Shane couldn't see her eyes due to the fact her bangs that were usually cut to sit right above her eyes in a straight line cut, were covering them. Her head was tilted forwards and so her bangs seemed longer than they actually were. "Rosalyn... I'm sorry... I really am. It happened once... and I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how..." he said and she fisted her hand against the wood of the porch. "Sebastian, the fact it even happened is why I'm saying we are over." She snapped and he nodded.

"I know... I really do... but i-" "Sebastian leave..." she hissed and he frowned and took a step back. "Rosalyn..." "She said leave, Sebastian." Shane ground out and the younger male nodded and pursed his lips. "I really am sorry, Rosalyn..." he said, then took a step back. "Do you think we could ever be friends again?" he asked and he heard the grunt of annoyance from Shane, making him turn towards the older man. "Right now you need to leave, Sebastian..." she managed and he nodded.

"Shane..." Sebastian began, locking eyes with the older man. "Please take care of her... I didn't want to hurt her..." Sebastian muttered softly, but Shane's angry eyes didn't relent. "But you did, and that's what matters. So please leave so I can see what she needs of me." Shane ground out and Sebastian nodded. Shane watched the younger man leave, and the moment he was gone... her sobs rang out loudly. He turned to see her on her knees crying on the ground. "Oh Rose..." he managed as he made his way over to her. He crouched beside her and offered her a hand.

"You can cry, or you can talk about it... or both... it's just whatever you choose. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to leave." He said and she grasped the hand he had offered to her weakly. He sat with his back against the outer wall of her house and she curled up in his lap to cry. "I'm here until you tell me to go." He whispered into her hair as she sobbed into his chest. "I just don't understand..." she sobbed and he hugged her to him tightly. "I know... I know it's hard." He said and she continued to cry into the nape of his neck, her hands fisted in the front of his shirt and jacket. For once the thought of how he smelled of beer was far from his mind. All he wanted to do was make sure she smiled again.

After about an hour and a half of him cradling her, she cried herself to sleep. He looked down at her with his own saddened, tear strained eyes. He didn't want her to see him cry... he didn't know how she would feel, seeing him cry over her, so he tried his best not to. He brushed the hair from her face and he couldn't help the flutter of his heart. Yes... he definitely loved this woman. "I'm going to do everything I can for you." He whispered and nuzzled his face into her neck. He sighed and hugged her tightly to him as he stood. He carried her bridal style into her home and into her bedroom. He did his best to move the blanket without waking her, but once he set her on the bed and pulled the covers over her, he realized that her piercing silver eyes were watching his every move.

"Rosalyn." "You can go Shane..." she whispered and he got down on his knees to sit beside her bed. "Do you want me to stay, Rose?" he asked and she blinked at him in silence. "I want to be alone... but I also don't want to be alone..." she whispered after a while. "Then I'll stay." He said and she grabbed his arm. "You don't have to, though." She said and he offered her a sad smile. "But I want to. I'm your friend, right?" he asked, and she looked away from him to face her wall.

"Go home, Shane." Her tone was a little stronger this time and it caused him to frown. "Ok..." he said softly, feeling slightly betrayed. He didn't understand the sudden shift in her tone. Thor rubbed up against his legs only to look over at Rosalyn and yowl softly. Shane picked him up and set him on the bed, where he curled up beside her legs. He saw that she had once more drifted off and he sighed. He wanted nothing more than to reach and brush the hair from her face, but instead he brushed along Thor's back, fluffing his fur down.

Shane made his way out of her home, taking care to lock the door behind him before he closed it. He made his way home with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. When he got home, Sam and Emily were still sitting at the table with his aunt. "Shane, how is she?" Marnie asked and he turned to face them, the wet spot from her tears still visible even from a distance. "The damn fool didn't know when to stop talking." He snapped and Emily frowned and hugged him lightly. "I told her I would stay and she sent me home. She seemed adamant on me leaving." He said and reached to open his bedroom door.

"I will go to check on her tomorrow... but if he shows his face while she is trying to understand everything... I will show him how I really feel about his dumb decisions." Shane snapped and Sam nodded. "Trust me Shane, I understand. I yelled at him about it today... which is why he decided it was time to tell her the truth." Sam said and Shane nodded. "Now... let's just wait and see if I can fix his screw up." Shane said as he slammed his door shut behind him.

Shane threw his clothes around his room in a fit of rage. Once he stood in nothing but his boxers, he kicked his pants across the floor. He flopped onto his bed angrily. Her sobs wouldn't stop echoing in his mind, and the look of sheer devastation in her silver eyes wouldn't leave either.... He was just so angry... angry because she was hurting... why her? Why did she have to hurt that way? It wasn't fair. "Shane?" Emily called through his door. "Yes?" he huffed and he could hear her sigh from the other side of the door. "If you need anything, just ask, alright?" she asked and he sighed, his shoulders relaxing a little bit. "Alright... if I need help I will ask you all... I know you can help me..." he whispered.

"Elliot can help too, don't forget to ask him as well, Shane... he was friends with Rosalyn." Emily said and he rubbed his eyes. "Was there anyone she wasn't friends with?" he asked and Emily repressed a snort from behind the door. "Do you really want to go into detail on that particular question Shane?" she asked and he rolled his eyes. "I guess not... now get outta here. I have to work in the morning." He snapped playfully and listened for her footsteps to leave.

When everything seemed to settle down, he pulled the covers over him and sighed. He couldn't help but think of how sad and pained she was... "I want nothing more than to see her smile..." he whispered as he shut his eyes to go to sleep.

'Bup... bupbupbup. Buuup.' He repressed an annoyed laugh as he looked at his door. Little chicken toes pittered around the other side of the door. Her head was against the floor, her little eye blinking at him from under the door. "Damn it Charlie. Did no one put you back in the coop?" he asked with a sigh as he pulled himself from his bed to gather his little chicken and take her to bed as well.

'Bup.' "Yes.. Bup bup. I know."