~*~Bound For Life~*~ (Shan)

Rated NC-17

"Jan!" Shawn called through the tiny rented house. He placed the grease-stained bags of food on the tiny dining table near the door, then crossed to the ulgy plaid couch against the far wall. He slumped down onto it, kicking off his shoes before calling for Jan once more.

He had just got off work, picked up dinner from a fast-food drive-through, and changed one of his truck's back tires. It would definately be hard to find the money to get a good tire, but they would manage. They always did.

The pair had got married at the justice of the peace in Salem two days after graduation, followed closely behind with the birth of Jan's daughter. It had been too hard living in Salem, with the stares and whispers everywhere they went, regardless of what they were doing. So they moved. Actually, they ran from Illinois, right into Bum-Fuck Egypt. Or Kansas. Same difference.

Unfortunately, they were graced with the presence of Belle only minutes away from their home. It had been a painful reminder of what Shawn had left behind, but the gurgles and giggles of his baby girl kept him from wallowing in his own self-pity.

Finally, Jan emerged from the bedroom, arms overflowing with laundry. "Hey, hon," she sang, flopping down next to him and throwing the laundry on the carpet. "How was work?"

"It was fine," he replied. He reached down and plucked a towel from the pile and folded it neatly. "Got a flat tire on the way home."

Jan's head whipped around to look at her husband. "What? How are we going to afford that?"

"We'll manage," he muttered, folding another towel and placing it on the tiny coffee table in front of him.

Jan sighed. Yes, they always managed, but times were tough and life was hard. There were many days that she was found in the bathroom at work, sobbing about how her life had been ruined. But, as always, coming home to Shawn and their daughter made everything seem okay.

"Okay. So how much do you think we'll need to set back for the tire?"

"Uh...probably about seventy-five. But I'm not sure."

"I guess we'll cancel the cable again. It's not like we watch television anyway."

Shawn looked over at his wife. She had begun forcibly folding the towels and burp rags, face flushed with embarrassed anger. He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll manage," he repeated.

She calmed and looked into his eyes. They were soft and beautiful, making her stop what she was doing. "I know."

At that moment, a small, shrill cry came from the back bedroom. "I'll get her," Shawn offered, pushing himself off the couch, and stalking into the room.

In the dim light, he could make out the tiny form of his beautiful daughter. She whimpered as he approached the crib, but her face broke into a huge grin. "Daaa..." she gurgled, arms stretching up to beg for hugs. Little did she know that this was the exact way to melt her father's heart.

He scooped her up in his arms, cradling her and cooing a hello. He swiped a blanket from the crib, along with a pacifier, then headed back into the living room.

"Hey, big girl! Have a good nap?" Jan sang to her baby. She stroked a long finger across the soft, pink cheek before picking up the laundry to put away. Shawn flopped back onto the couch, sitting the baby on his knees.

"Say, 'We had a good nap, Mommy!'" Shawn said in a silly high voice. "'I dreamt about Daddy coming home and making me a bowl of cereal!'"

Jan chuckled as she returned from the hall closet. "Faith, tell your Daddy that he's full of it."

Faith laughed gleefully and clapped her hands as Jan plopped down beside Shawn. "Mama!" she giggled. Then she threw herself towards Jan's empty lap.

With the instant freedom, Shawn launched back off the couch. "I'm gonna get Faith's dinner. Ours is on the table. Sorry it's Vernie's again. But I only had a few dollars with me this evening. I'll make something tomorrow night."

"That's okay. I've gotta run to the store anyway."

Shawn rummaged through the small cupboards until he found a small green bowl, plastic spoon, and box of oatmeal. As he poured the oatmeal into a saucepan with some milk, he watched Jan cuddling their daughter. Faith was the spitting image of her mother, complete with a thick head of dark curls and blue eyes. The only thing that Paul had left to scar his offspring with was his dark complexion, which wasn't as dark as it would be years from now.

Shawn's mind wandered from Paul to the night on the beach when he had found Jan, wet from the rain, hurt from the assault, and scared...period. He thought she was pretty then, even if he had just about had sex with Belle. Jan was an attractive girl. But Belle had haunted his dreams and life for too long, far too long. He thought he had finally gotten away from his perfect girl, to move on with his new life, with his wife and daughter. But fate had some more taunting for him. Belle was comfy cozy only a few miles away, and there was nothing Shawn could do about it.

"Shawn!" Jan's voice cleared his head. When he looked down, he saw that the oatmeal had began pouring over the sides of the saucepan and onto the red-hot burner.

"Shit!" he cursed, immediately removing the pan and waving his arm furiously at the smoking burner, all the while causing Faith to whimper in alarm. "It's okay. Everything's fine. I just got a little distracted."

Jan's face fell from its amused glance. He'd been thinking of her again. And why shouldn't he? He left his perfect life to marry a girl who had gotten herself into a horrible predicament, and raise her child as his own. Not only was he entitled to thinking of Belle, if he didn't, she'd have been worried. Faith squirmed in her arms.

"Daddy's fixing dinner, little one. Just a minute," she soothed. But nothing would soothe the guilt building in her own battered body.

~*~

Finally, after four long hours of bathing, washing dishes, and putting Faith to sleep, Shawn crawled into bed next to his sleeping wife. She was snoring softly, something that he had grown to admire, an imperfection that he had a deepfelt pride for. He leaned down and gently pushed the lock of dark hair off her cheek, leaving a tiny kiss in its place.

"Good night, sweetheart," he whispered.

He had just settled down into the covers when she spoke. "You were thinking about her again weren't you?"

He turned to her slowly, not wanting to admit that he had been thinking about Belle for the last few hours. "Jan," he started.

"It's okay, Shawn. If you didn't think about her at all I would be afraid for your sanity. I mean, you two were almost the perfect couple. I ruined your life."

Her back was still to him, curled up on one side, a fat tear rolling down her cheek and falling on her pillow. She felt his arm snake around her, pulling her to him lightly. "You didn't ruin my life, Jan Brady. You made it better. I couldn't have asked for anything more than what I have right now."

She jerked in response. Tears cascaded down her face as she rolled over to meet his gaze. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I wouldn't have done any of this if I had doubts about it a year ago. Believe me."

She looked into his chocolate brown eyes and saw the glimmer of truth that she had grown to trust and love. Seeing it made her smile in earnest, knowing that finally something was going her way...she was in love with someone who loved her back.

"Thank you, Shawn. That means so much to me. I love you."

"I love you, too."

He gathered her into his arms, planting a soft kiss on her pouty lips. When he pulled away, she made a small whining noise and tugged at his shoulders so their lips could meet again. This time, the kiss went deeper, tongues mating in a passionate duel.

He pulled away slightly, looking at her heavily lidded eyes. "Do you want to..."

"Shawn Brady...make love to your wife," she smiled, pulling him back down for another kiss.

He smiled against her lips, enjoying the way those words ran off her tongue...and onto his. He rolled so that he was lying on top of her, careful not to crush her underneath his hardened muscles. Every part of his body had been screaming out in agony only a few minutes earlier; now it screamed out in desire.

She raked her fingers across his back, arching up to meet his dry thrusts, moaning softly into his opened mouth. It had been so long since they had ventured over the line from friends to lovers, and she hadn't noticed how much she desperately needed his touch. Her excitement was peaked, and there was definately no turning back now.

Shawn lifted his hips off of her long enough to push her long, silky, sapphire nightgown up her body. Underneath, he felt that she was wearing a similar pair of panties. This caused him to gasp into her mouth and open his eyes. He watched as her face flushed red, calmed, then flushed again. Slowly, he tore his lips away from hers to pull the nightgown completely off.

Jan tried to avoid his eyes as he tugged her free of her nightgown, a little embarrassed at her tiny stretch marks that found their home on her sides. But, as she looked downward, her eyes came to rest on his plaid boxers, which stood almost straight out to meet her. She inhaled sharply at the sight. As her eyes found his again, she knew that the desire he felt right now was not going to go away.

Lightly, he laid soft kisses on her collarbones, fingers deftly removing the silky barrier between them. She purred contentedly when she was naked in front of him.

"Jan..." he whispered hoarsely, taking in the sight of his wife for only the third time since their marriage. She had grown to be more beautiful since the last time...and more since the first time. He had had sex with Belle a few times before their demise, but nothing had prepared him for what Jan did to him.

Growling, she shoved the boxers out of her way, intent on making him hers. "What? I want you, Shawn Brady. And I want you NOW."

With that, he thrust himself into her roughly, causing her to cry out in alarmed, painful pleasure. The feeling of her warmth around him was almost too much for him to handle. The early morning rendevous in the shower with his soapy hands were nothing compared to this. He moaned loudly, forgetting that Faith slept only one wall away. To quiet him, Jan quickly brought her lips to his, once again arching up to meet his thrusting.

She was spiraling, his hands scouring over every inch of her body, his hardened body pressing into hers with force, and soon, she was bursting in orgasm, floating down on a cloud of sparkling stars.

Her panting breath and urgent movements told Shawn that she was close. Holding her tightly, he let her ride out her pleasure before claiming his. With a deep sigh, he slumped on her, now more tired than ever. It was a peaceful, tingling sleepiness, but he felt that he could drop off into slumber at any moment.

Instead of rolling off of her, he simply shifted his weight so she wasn't holding all of him, their bodies still connected. Then, with arms wrapped snugly around her, he began to sleep. Jan, still floating on a fluffy cloud of orgasm, brushed her lips over his before nodding off to sleep.

Faith would wake them soon, but for now, they were content on staying right where they were.

~*~THE END~*~