Chapter 1

Shane walked around the house, killing time before he had to head out to meet some friends that Saturday afternoon. Actually, a few acquaintances. Even in his junior year of high school, Shane didn't have all that many friends. He wasn't a very social guy, especially with girls. He walked to the laundry room, grabbing a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. Getting dressed, he walked outside to his truck, and happened to look across the street.

He saw her in her yard. Natasha had lived across from him and his family since they were both five. He still remembered the first day they were moving in. He had seen the moving van, and the family. He ran to his mom right away.

"Mommy, mommy! I thought all angels had blonde hair, but I was wrong."

His mother chuckled to herself. "Why is that honey?"

Shane pointed out the window. "Cause that girl looks like an angel."

It was true, Natasha didn't have blonde hair. She had fiery red hair, surrounding a beautiful face with sparkling, Emerald green eyes, a freckled nose, and cutely dimpled mouth. Complete with a gorgeous body, breasts that were at least a large B-cup, and a sweet looking butt. Shane always thought that Natasha had that girl next door quality about her. He wished he could be with someone like her. The truth was that, a guy like him would never be with a girl like her. She was gorgeous, and he was... well, he wasn't the best looking guy. Shane was a big guy, with close cropped dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He usually shaved every other day, so he had a slight patch of stubble on his face.

Natasha was playing in the front yard with her little sister. The little girl, Janie, was as cute as her older sister was at her age. She was only 5 years old, and it was like seeing Nat grow up all over again. She looked up, noticing Shane for the first time since he walked into his yard. She waved at him, smiling warmly. Janie looked up and saw him getting in his truck, and she started to run towards him, giggling. Shane was her favorite babysitter, he was really fun. "Shane! Shane, come pway with us!"

Shane ran towards the street, motioning for Janie to stop. "Janie! Stop right now! Don't come in the street." The girl stopped short, knowing she was in trouble. Shane crossed the street, grabbing Janie, swinging her up in his arms. "Janie, how many times have I told you not to go into the road? You could get hurt Angel."

Janie smiled at Shane's pet name for her. "I'm sowwy Shane."

Shane pulled his cap off, placing it on her head. It almost swallowed her head whole. Shane put her down, and then looked up at Natasha. "Hey Nat, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing good. I've got a lot of studying to do for that Trig test Monday." Natasha was in several classes with Shane. They hung out every now and then, and Shane was actually one of her best friends, and one of the only people she trusted. He had also helped her out with school several times.

"If you need help, I'll help you study. It worked pretty good last time, didn't it?"

Natasha grinned, remembering their last study session in her room. Shane had been twitching nervously and stuttering all night. "That's fine. Your house? 7?"

Shane nodded. He checked his watch. "I gotta get going. I gotta meet some of the guys. See you tonight." Shane hugged Janie then walked across the street. He was opening his truck, when he heard Janie yell at him.

"Shane! You forgot your hat!" She walked to the road, and started walking across to him. She had looked both ways, but suddenly, a truck screeched onto the street, weaving all over the place.

Shane started running. "Janie! Go back in the yard! NAT!"

Natasha looked up from gathering Janie's toys. "Oh my god. Janie!" Natasha dropped the toys, running towards the street. She wouldn't be able to grab her, but Shane was running full blast to the street.

Shane reached Janie with a few feet to spare. He grabbed her under her shoulders, and threw her into the air back towards her yard. The next thing he saw was the sky after the truck hit him, launching him into the air. He rolled off the roof, into the bed, and then saw the road coming at him fast, before landing and blacking out.

Shane woke up slowly. He opened his eyes, and it felt like someone had driven a spike through his head. He tried again, slowly, and noticed people around him. He saw lights, ugly aqua colored walls, and an old wall mounted TV. "Where the hell am I?" Shane asked, trying to sit up. He suddenly became aware of a sharp stabbing pain in his right leg and his ribs. He looked up, seeing his mom and dad.

His mother was crying, leaning in and kissing his face. "OH god, Shane you're awake."

Shane looked at his dad, his eyes asking for some help. "Shane, you're in the hospital. The driver was drunk. You've been unconscious for almost 18 hours. The doctors were worried about you."

Shane looked on the other side of his bed, and saw Nat and Janie. Janie had bandages on her knees and her fingers, and Natasha had a black eye that was swollen up. "Janie? Nat? What happened?"

Natasha was the first to answer. "Well, you threw Janie out of the road. I caught her, but her knee got me in the eye. We both fell, and her knees got scraped up, and her finger was cut a little."

Shane looked upset. "Oh god guys, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt either of you."

Natasha stepped forward, a sleeping Janie hugging her shoulder. "Shane, if not for you, Janie could be hurt right now, or..." her voice cracking slightly, "... maybe even worse. You saved her, thank you so much." Natasha started crying, and leaned in to hug Shane. Janie woke up, rubbing her eyes. She looked down, seeing Shane in the hospital bed, and leaned over, sliding onto his chest. He winced slightly, feeling her weight against his abdomen. Nat moved to pick her up, but he waved her off. He was happy Janie was ok, pain didn't matter.

Shane looked up at Nat. "Sorry I missed our study date."

Natasha laughed to herself. "That's ok, I'll let you slide this time."

"No, no, I said I'd help, and I will. Bring your notes, and I'll help you study."

Natasha looked at him quizzically. "Shane, you're in the hospital. You can't help me study in your condition."

"Unless I got hit in the head, I should be perfectly able to help you out."

Shane's father cleared his throat, getting Shane's attention. "Uhh, Shane. You did get hit in the head. Your head bounced off the windshield, and you landed on the side of your head on the road."

Shane reached up to his head, feeling the side of his scalp and wincing. It was blazing hot, even through the bandages. "Well, we'll see tonight if I'm still all here."

Shane and Natasha sat in his hospital room, going over Trig functions and equations for tomorrow's test.

"So, does he know I won't be in for a while?" Shane asked, wondering who all knew about the accident.

"Yeah, everyone pretty much knows what's happened. The newspaper ran a story earlier today."

"There was a story?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, hold on." Natasha went into her book bag, pulling out a wrinkled, folded up newspaper. "Now Shane, there are a couple of pictures, they're not great. Are you sure you want to see this?"

Shane reached out, grabbing the paper. He looked at it, page one. There was a picture of him, lying on the ground, blood covering his entire face. Then a picture of the truck, the hood dented and the windshield cracked. In the background, Natasha was holding Janie, both crying, eyes red. He put the paper down, feeling his head throb. "But Janie's ok, right?"

Natasha looked on at him, her eyes tearing up. "Shane, you're lying in a hospital bed, and you're still thinking about if Janie is ok?" Natasha got up, leaning over the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close, careful of his wounds. She leaned back up, looking into his eyes. They were shining as clear as ever, even through the bruising and swelling. Then, she leaned down, placing her lips to his, kissing him softly, tenderly. She put her hand on his chest, letting it slide down to his waist. She encircled his penis with her hand, feeling it in her grip. She slowly slid her hand up and down, feeling the skin moving under the sheet.

"Nat, don't..." Shane wanted to tell her it wasn't right, but it felt so good. He was lost in the feelings she was giving him.

"Shhhh, Shane. Just be quiet and enjoy it." She unbuttoned her shirt, not wearing a bra. She guided Shane's hand to her breast, running his fingers over the nipple. She whimpered softly, loving the feeling of his rough hands on her sensitive buds. She reached under the sheets, moving to take his penis in her hand.

Shane let go of her breast and reached down, grabbing her arm at the wrist. She looked upset, wondering what was happening. "Nat, you don't want to do that."

"Yes, I do Shane. You saved Janie, you put yourself in danger, and now you're laid up here in the hospital, all because you helped us. I do want to do that. I do."

"Nat, you're not thinking straight. You only thought of that because of what I did. I'm not the kind of guy you want to get involved with. You're thinking out of pity, not sanity."

Natasha looked at him. His eyes were watering. He shut them tight, but she saw a tear slide past them. "Shane, if you think that I'm only doing this out of pity, then you don't know me as well as you think you do. And I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you run yourself into the ground, and try to tell me why I chose to do what I did." Natasha grabbed her bag and her book, and walked out of the room.

Shane watched her leave, wondering if he had just lost one of the most important things in his life.

After reaching her car, Natasha sat in the driver's seat, crying. She knew that she did want that, she had wanted it for a while. Shane was a great guy, but she had never told him how she felt. Now he thought she was only acting out of pity, and guilt. She drove home, tears streaming all the way.

A few days later, Shane was back at home. He had a few visits from friends and neighbors. Even Janie came over several times a day to keep him company. One person hadn't come to see him since he got home though.

Natasha.

Shane hadn't seen her since that night in the hospital. He found himself thinking about that moment often. Part of him wondered why he didn't let it go on. The other part knew it wasn't right.

Several months passed. Shane had been back in school, and it was now summer. Shane was working in the yard, cutting the lawn and picking up timbers that had surrounded the flower beds. They were redoing the garden, making changes. His parents were out of town, visiting his grandmother. Shane was loading a large timber in his truck when he felt his leg cramp. Dropping the timber, he hit his knees, grabbing his right knee. He readjusted the knee brace. No one knew he wore it except his parents. He didn't want anyone showing him pity for something like this. It was supposed to take the strain off his leg, and it did, for the most part. It still bothered him sometimes, but he was doing so much better than he had been.

"SHANE! ARE YOU OK?"

He looked across the street, seeing Janie standing on their porch. "I'm fine, Angel. Stay there." Shane scooted over to the road, checking both ways. He crossed the road, picking her up in his arms. He carried her to the house, seeing Natasha standing behind the door. "Hey, Nat." He said, setting Janie down.

"Hi, Shane. You're looking better." Natasha was talking in an even tone. Shane wasn't sure how to take it.

"Thanks. I feel better." Shane was swaying nervously on the porch. He knew he needed to talk to her, but he wasn't sure how to start. "Uh, look Nat. I think we need to talk."

"Yeah, I think we do. Janie, can you go inside please?" Janie looked at Shane, rolling her eyes. She walked into the house, singing a song from some kid show.

"Nat, I'm sorry if I hurt you that night, but I'm not sure what I did."

"Not sure what you did? Shane, you accused me of trying to give you a mercy fuck." Natasha looked at him, her eyes showing her rising anger. "How could you think that I would do something like that, Shane?"

"Look, Nat, I want to talk, but we obviously don't need to do this here in front of your sister and the neighborhood. Can we go somewhere later and talk?"

Natasha crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, fine. Come get me at seven, we'll go somewhere and grab something to eat and talk. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you." Shane turned and walked across the yard.

"Shane?" Nat said, prompting him to t urn around. "Don't hurt yourself out there. You're leg could mess up again."

Shane smiled, realizing she had seen him fall earlier. She at least cared enough to make sure he didn't kill himself. "Ok, I won't. See you at seven."

Natasha walked inside, watching Shane go back to work. After a few minutes, he took his t-shirt off, wiping his face off with it. She had to admit, he was built way better than he looked on the outside. She didn't even notice Janie walk up to her, watching out the window with her.

"He's really cute." Janie said, breaking Natasha out of her trance.

"Janie, don't sneak up on people like that!" Natasha said, turning red from being caught staring.

"You still like him, don't you?"

Natasha was startled that her sister had figured that out. "What makes you think I used to like him?"

Janie rolled her eyes. "Duh! Anyone can see that. I wasn't born yesterday." Janie walked off, shaking her head.

"I have got to stop teaching that girl everything." Natasha thought, going back to watching Shane work in the yard.

Shane picked Natasha up at seven on the dot. They drove into town, heading for the local Chinese restaurant. After ordering, Shane and Natasha sat sipping their drinks, neither wanting to start the conversation. Finally, Shane spoke.

"Why did you do it?"

Natasha choked on her tea, taking a moment to collect herself. She had to think about it for a few moments, and decided to be honest. "Because I wanted to."

Shane shook his head. "Because you felt guilty for me getting hurt."

"No. Because I've wanted to for a long time now."

It was Shane's turn to choke. When he had calmed down, he looked up at her, looking into her eyes. Shane had known her for years now, and he had to admit, he saw truth in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Natasha reached across the table, grabbing Shane's hand. "I mean that I have wanted to tell you how I feel for a long time. I've wanted to let you know that I like you, Shane. No, I take that back."

Shane felt his heart sink, thinking she realized what she was saying, and that she was wrong.

"I want you to know that I love you, Shane."

Shane looked up again, and again, he saw honesty in her eyes. "Nat, why? I'm just a plain looking drama geek, you can do a lot better than me. I know Josh wants to take you out. He's the captain of the baseball team. You deserve a guy like that."

"Shane, do you realize that he has a reputation in the girl's locker room for the fastest fuck in the school? And it's not good for anyone except him. Besides, he doesn't have the biggest bat, if you catch my drift."

Shane chuckled to himself at that. The biggest jock in the school was a one minute man.

"Shane, I don't want a jock. I don't want some guy that only thinks of himself and how great he is. I want a guy who thinks about others before himself, who cares about people. A guy that jumps in front of a speeding truck to save his little neighbor." She reached for his hand, rubbing his fingers with her thumb.

"Shane, you're the one I want. You have been for so long, but I didn't know how to tell you."

Shane didn't know what to say. The girl of his dreams had just told him that she loved him. He should have been ecstatic, he should have been jumping for joy. But, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. "Natasha, why me? I mean, are you sure that I'm the kind of guy you want?"

Natasha smiled, standing up to lean over the table. "Shane, shut up and let me show you how much I feel for you." She moved in, kissing him softly, the kiss growing more passionate as they went on. When she broke the kiss, Shane sat there, eyes still closed, breathing harder than normal. Natasha giggled, breaking him out of his trance.

"So, ummm, I think I missed a few of your finer points on that discussion, could you maybe, run it back by me again?"

Natasha laughed, turning to see the waiter bringing their food. They talked through dinner, discussing what was happening. Shane drove her home, walking her to her door. "Now, about that discussion. Could you run it by me again?"

Natasha smiled, leaning in and kissing him again. The kiss lasted longer this time, and Natasha reached around, placing her hand on the back of Shane's neck. Shane jumped slightly, feeling her tickle the base of his neck, the short hairs standing on end. Suddenly the porch light came on, breaking them apart. Shane looked up, expecting to see Natasha's dad looking down on him, ready to snap him like a twig. Instead, when he looked up, he saw empty space. He loo ked farther down, and saw Janie smiling at them, standing on her tiptoes to reach the light switch.

"Shane and Natasha, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I..." Natasha ran towards her, chasing her shrieking off towards her bedroom.

Shane walked back off the porch, laughing to himself. All of a sudden, someone grabbed his shoulder, turning him back. Before he could see who it was, they were kissing him again, giving him a clue who it was. After the kiss ended, Shane looked into Natasha's deep green eyes. Then, he said it. "I love you, Natasha."

Natasha felt her eyes tearing up. "Janie and I are going to the park tomorrow, wanna go?"

Shane nodded, kissing her one last time. He walked back to his truck, backing out of the driveway, and pulling into his, right across the street. He went up to his room, ready to go to bed. Looking out the window, he noticed a light on in Natasha's room. Looking across, he saw her, getting undressed. His jaw dropped, wondering what he should do. She was so gorgeous. He thought back to that night in the hospital, when he felt her body.

Natasha unbuttoned her shirt, letting it slide from her shoulders. She undid her bra, shrugging it to the floor, too. Natasha then unzipped her jeans, letting them fall. She was wearing a pink thong. Shane felt his manhood throb even more. Her butt was so gorgeous, so round. Then, she stepped away from the window. Shane sighed to himself. Suddenly, the phone rang. Shane picked it up, wondering who could be calling this late.

"Hello?"

"Enjoy the view?" Natasha reappeared at the window, smiling, holding the phone against her ear. She was still naked except for the thong.

"You have no idea. You mean you did that on purpose?"

"No Shane. I always get naked in front of my window with the lights on. But you know what? You got your show, maybe I deserve one now."

Shane blushed deeply. "Nat, I don't know. I don't think I can strip in front of a window anyone on the street can see in." He saw Natasha frowning. "But, you know, you can come over if you want to talk."

Natasha was already throwing on some pants and a t-shirt. "I'll be right over." Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Shane opened it, and Natasha jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his wa ist, and her arms around his neck. She was kissing him deeply, and they fell on the couch, still locked in a passionate embrace.