Title: Afterward

Summary: After reconciling, Janet and Eddie try to find their way back to normal. Follow-up to Because

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the folks at October Road and ABC.

Note: Thank you for your kind reviews of my first story "Because". This sequel is dedicated to you and especially the posters at the ABC OR boards. Keep up the good fight for Season 3!

After he emerged from her shower, she silently led him into her small kitchen to clean out the cuts on his face and knuckles from the night before. She takes a long time examining his hands, and applying the antibiotic cream as gently as she can without hurting him. She doesn't cause him any pain. And he's trying to ignore his hangover and the large and tender bruise on his side, close to his stomach, that's hidden under his t-shirt. He focuses on her face instead.

When she's done, she trails her fingers along the parts of his face that aren't bruised and tender, along the stubble that's perilously close to being a beard. She doesn't say a word when her hands drop down. And before he knows it, she's lifting up his t-shirt and inspecting the bruise on his side, and he can feel the soft tips of her fingers moving gently over his skin. He's surprised that she knew, but then he isn't, because she's always had a sixth sense when it comes to him.

"How badly does it hurt?"

He shrugs faintly. "Not too much. I've had worse."

"You sure you didn't crack a rib? If you were in a lot of pain right now, you would tell me, right?"

"Yeah, I would, Janet. Thank you." She nods, seems satisfied that he's okay, as she moves away from him and leans back against the counter, crossing her arms. She says nothing for what seems like an eternity. He can't bear the silence and gingerly starts to stand from his perch on the edge of the kitchen table to move closer to her.

"You look like hell, Eddie. Even without the bruises, you'd look like hell."

"I know." She's studying him again and he can't look her in the eyes, so he looks at his hands. "I don't feel so hot either."

"I can't believe you did that last night. How did you even know about Liam?"

"I saw you out with him one day. Managed to pry information from Phil about what Pizza Girl told him about you two. He wouldn't tell me much, but it was enough to know that you had seen the guy a few times."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, I know I acted like a jealous idiot, but I was just very focused on hurting that guy for being with you. I'm sorry about that, too, you know."

"I know, Eddie, and I forgive you." And suddenly, she's wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and hugging him awkwardly, careful not to put any pressure on his bruises.

In the first few days afterward, every time he left her, he was afraid that she would shut him out of her life again. So he always found himself holding his breath when he knocked on her door. She always let him in, no matter the time of night, and he would smile at her in a way that he hoped looked even remotely confident.

They spent hours being with each other without ever saying a word, falling slowly back into the routine that existed before they broke up. They sleep together at her house every night. And he would wake up with her nestled into him and remember how much he missed that during their months apart. Janet was the same and different. Perhaps because they had been apart so long, he could see how drastically she changed in those months—how he managed to change her. Even after weeks had passed, she still didn't say much and that worried him. Janet, his Janet, was bubbly and cheerful, and had a tendency to babble when nervous or excited or happy. She also had a great sense of humor and laughed a lot. Now, she was quieter, more withdrawn. She didn't smile nearly as much, not the kind of smiles that lit up her eyes and made him smile too because they were so contagious.

Eddie Latekka never wanted to deal with his own feelings or anyone else's for that matter, let alone talk about them. Now what he wanted more than anything for Janet to tell him how he could make her feel better. He still doesn't know if he can handle love, but he does know that he can't be without her. So, he decides to figure it and her out, somehow.

She doesn't want to think about the future or the past or her own issues; she just wants to stay in the present with him, but that's easier said than done. It took all of a week for their un-breakup to spread across Knights Ridge. It was around that time that Marissa Kelly started coming into Sully's at least a couple times a week to have loud conversations about her time with Eddie and wondering out loud why he was back with Janet. Marissa was the last in his quest to date all of the Ridge during their time apart.

Eddie told her that he never slept with any of the girls during their break-up, but she started to wonder if that was the truth. Started to wonder if maybe he had been sleeping with all of Knights Ridge despite what he told her. Started to wonder what that might mean if he had lied. Started to wonder why he was with her. She doesn't want to think about any of it, but no matter how hard she pushes them down, doubts about him and herself keep trying to break the surface. She just wants to be with him and not think. She knows that they that they love each other, but she can't help but worry that love isn't enough.

It was during a particularly rough shift one Saturday that Janet lost her patience for whatever game Marissa was trying to play. Sully's was packed and all it took was one mention of Eddie's name just as she happened to walk by on her way back to the bar that caused her to snap. She dropped the tray she was carrying loudly on the edge of the table where Marissa and her friends were sitting, causing the empty bottles and glasses to go crashing to the floor. The sound was so loud, even over the noise of the jukebox and chatter that it caused everyone in the immediate vicinity to stop and look. She didn't care.

"Do you have something you'd like to say to me, Marissa? 'Cause I'd appreciate if you'd just say it to my face instead of acting like we're still back in high school."

"I heard you and Eddie were back together and I was just surprised is all and wondering why that was…"

"Since you seem to be under the impression that you and he have some deep meaningful relationship, based on what, like two dates, why don't you ask him yourself, Marissa?"

"Maybe I will. Come on, Janet, you can tell me your secret? What did you do? Did you go begging him to come back to you? How desperate did you get?"

Before she could respond, Rooster was there with one of the bouncers "It's time for you ladies, and I use that word loosely, to leave. You're cut off and officially banned. Now get out."

Marissa swaggered out of the bar, while Janet stood there, working hard not to cry. She didn't want to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing that Marissa had managed to hit all the right buttons. After picking up the larger, safe remnants of glass from the floor, she put her chin in the air and continued on toward the bar.

She doesn't tell him about the fight. When she arrives at home, it's after two in the morning and he's there. She finds him sitting up, sleeping in his truck. He still refuses to use his key to her place, even though she told him he could. And she can't help but notice how peaceful he looks while sleeping and she has the strongest urge to kiss him. She quickly pushes that thought aside. She knocks on the window and startles him awake before leading him inside for the night.

They haven't made love since they've been back together. Never anything more intimate than few stray goodbye kisses, even though they sleep together every night. He hasn't wanted to push her on the issue, but it's been almost a month, and they seem to be standing still. Back together, but not completely. He decides that romance is the answer. He tells Janet that he's made a reservation at the Inn, but he doesn't tell her that he's also reserved a room there. Or that he hopes to conclude their evening with the two of them being naked in that room.

He loves her body and has since the first time they made love. Their lovemaking has always been intense. And he thinks that perhaps things can finally go back to normal completely once they make love again.

Best Friend Windows not only managed to secure a big window renovation contract with the new owners of the old Palladino place, but Eddie also managed to snag the landscaping contract for the entire two acre property. With the two contracts alone, Best Friend Windows was finally pushed into the black for the first time. There had been a triumphant air in the office for over a week, which was abruptly shattered when Eddie came storming into the office.

Nick knows immediately something is wrong. Even before their break-up, Eddie's moods had always been tied to his relationship with Janet. He could always tell when they were in the mist of a disagreement. And he could pinpoint the day Eddie and Janet had gotten back together because it was the first day in all the months of their separation that he hadn't come into work belligerent or hungover or both. Things seemed to have been going smoothly since they reconciled, until today that is.

"Hey, what goes on?"

Eddie glares at him and sits down behind his desk. "Janet thinks I slept with Marissa Kelly."

"Oh God, you and Janet didn't break-up again, did you?"

He leans back, frustration evident. "I have no idea. Janet and I haven't, you know, since we got back together. So I took her to the Johnson Inn for diner and got us a room to facilitate the, you know, and she wouldn't. As soon as we got to room, she started acting weird. And then she started asking me about the girls I went out with when we were broken up, which led to her asking me if I had slept with Marissa Kelly. We had an argument, where she basically called me a slut, and then she left."

"Whoa. Well, if it helps explain anything…Owen was at Sully's on Saturday night and Janet got into it with her about you. From what he heard, Marissa had been coming around insulting her and making comments about you. Janet confronted her and the half the bar watched it."

"She never told me about it." He shrugged, "She doesn't tell me much of anything any more. I really don't understand her. I've never lied to her, not once, Nicky, and for her to suddenly start believing that I would lie to her about that. I've never given her a reason not to trust me, so I'm just a little pissed off. Aside from that, we were broken up at the time. And she broke up with me. So I don't understand how she's getting mad at me for something she thinks I did when we weren't even together?" He puts his hands up in frustration.

"That's women. And I have no clue what the hell goes on with them either. Listen, whatever happens, you and Janet need to make up quickly. You two apart is not a good thing."

He used to believe that, too. Now, in his frustration, he's not so sure anymore.

He finds this whole love thing to be incredibly confusing and he's not ready to try and fix things with Janet because despite his penchant for putting his foot in it, he doesn't think he did anything wrong this time other than try to have a romantic evening with her. For the first time in over a month, he doesn't drive straight to Janet's house after work. He drives to his house. Phys and Pizza Girl are engrossed in the news in the living room and he's not in the mood to talk, so he heads up the stairs to his bedroom, pulling off his jacket along the way.

He's surprised to find her there, sitting on his bed, in the middle of his clutter.

"Hey." She smiles nervously, and stands up to approach him.

He's still angry and he moves around her, throwing his jacket on top of the already large pile of clothes on the armchair in the corner of his room. "What are you doing here?" He doesn't look at her, instead he starts sorting through the mail that's accumulated on his dresser.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I had a lot of time to think and I realize how much effort you put into last night and I shouldn't have freaked out. I just don't want us to fight. I love you, Eddie."

He turns to face her for the first time. "Then why are you hiding from me, Janet? I don't understand. Before, you'd tell me everything. God, help me, I even had to hear the neverending story about your aunt's feud with her neighbor. But now, you shut me out? So, I had to hear the backstory about Marissa from Nick? And suddenly, you think I'm a liar and a slut."

"That's not true. I don't think you're either of those things, Eddie." His voice is quiet, rough. She can tell he's working hard to not get upset again and if possible, she feels about a thousand times worse because she knows without a doubt that she's managed to hurt him.

"Then what do you call it, when I tell you I didn't sleep with anyone else and then you feel the need to ask me about again. And you won't let me touch you. Janet, you cringed when I tried to touch you last night."

She sits back down on his bed and gathers her courage, "Look, it was me being stupid. I'm an idiot, okay. I totally admit it. It's just you don't understand. I'm sure of you, Eddie, always have been. You're the bravest person I know. It's just I'm not so sure of me. All my old stuff came back when we broke-up and it didn't go away just because we got back together. Do you know that I spend a least a couple minutes every day trying to figure out what the hell you're doing with me? It doesn't help that it feels like everybody in the Ridge seems to be asking the same question. I hear people talk about us all the time at Sully's. You know the Ridge, everything gets around. I knew about every single girl you dated during our breakup. Every single one. And every time I would hear something about you, I would hope that it might mean that you missed me as much as I missed you, but it never happened and it just confirmed what I felt. You know a lot of the people in this town think you're too good for me and most of the time I think they're right."

"Janet…" He sits down next to her, intends to tell her how foolish that is, but she doesn't let him finish.

"Marissa kept coming into Sully's talking about what a great lover you are. And making all these comments about you being with me and me groveling to get you back, for weeks. And I couldn't tell you about that because then I'd have to talk about the other stuff and it's just too pathetic. I didn't want you to think I was pathetic."

She's on the verge of tears and he doesn't think he can take that. He places his hand on her back, his fingers moving in small circles, to soothe her. "You know what's funny. When we were broken up and I finally got my head out of my ass, I was so afraid you wouldn't want to get back together because you had realized that you were too good for me. I guess we're two of a kind. I love you. Now, please don't cry."

He smiles at her and she niffles, "I really am sorry."

"Forgiven. Now, really, whatever you do, don't cry." And she can't help but smile, moist eyes and all.

Half an hour later, they're lying on his bed and still talking. She makes a joke about the nuclear disaster that is his bedroom. He blames her since she was the one who kept it remotely neat and tells her she needs to start coming over more often. She decides to stop resisting the urge to kiss him. And then she's touching his face, they're kissing as they explore each other's bodies. They make love and it's both new and familiar because they're different now, but also the same.

Afterward, she falls asleep in his arms. And as he lies there, still awake, listening to her soft breathing, he comes to the conclusion that Janet is the most complicated girl he's ever known. She drives him crazy and he wouldn't have it any other way.