Emma Nelson felt the tears slip from her eyes. She leaned against the door-frame, it was now or never.
Soldiers...Soldiers were coming home today, so that should be a good thing, right? The problem...No one knew who would return. The government refused to say.
Emma sat down on the couch and cried. What if he didn't survive. His last letter had been a month ago. But it wasn't enough!
Emma's long time boyfriend, Sean Cameron had left the summer of her Junior year, she missed him so much. She couldn't believe him when he had told her that he was joining the army. It was just a few days before her last year of school, and Sean was supposed to graduate with her this year, and they were supposed to go to the university together. But if Sean was dead...How could Emma live?
"No more tears!" A small voice commanded. Emma looked up to see her younger brother, well, half brother, in front of her.
"Come here Jack," She lifted the four year old into her laid laying her head in his soft blonde curls. She tried to stop crying.
"Emma," He wispered, tugging lightly on her hair.
She looked at him.
"Sean's alive, i know he is, and you need to go him, so you two can be happy again, because no one is happy without you, and you're not happy without him,"
Emma hugged her brother tightly, she loved him so much.
"Em" Her stepfather, Snake, held the car keys out to her. They were the keys to Sean's red honda, the one he had rebuilt with Jay Hogart before ditching his parents in Wasaga to come back to Tornoto and sweep Emma off her feet.
-Flashback-
"Emma, get out of my face!" Peter Stone pushed her roughly, she clutched Manny Santos's hand to keep from falling.
"What's your problem Peter?" Manny snapped, though she was shorter than her best friend, she still pushed Emma behind her.
"You two...you're my problem! Manny, you didn't let me get enough when i was videotaping, and Emma? You're not thin enough! You need to be PERFECT! My girlfriend needs to be perfect!"
Emma felt warm tears fall from her eyes and she took a step towards Peter.
"Baby-" He cut her off.
"Stop eating so much and we'll talk...you need to be perfect."
"I think Em's perfect the way she is...What do you think Jay?" A voice asked from behind them.
"I think lover boy needs to back off my girlfriend and my little sister."
"What the-" Jay Hogart slammed the car door and came toward them, Sean behind him.
"Get in the car Manny," Jay ordered his girlfriend.
"Jason Hogart i will do no such thing" Manny stood her ground.
"Oh yes you will Manwella Santos." Jay picked her up easily.
"Sean" Emma stared at him, her eyes wide.
"Hey-" The air was knocked out of him when she jumped on his, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist.
"I missed you too Em," He laughed and untangled her legs from around his, still holding her.
"Emma...Get back over here!" Peter ordered like she was a dog.
"No!" Sean set her down, pulling her into a sideways hug. "You get out of here lover boy...I'm taking Emma with me," His hand found hers, squeezing it.
"You are?" She looked up at him.
"If you don't mind being my girlfriend again." Sean smiled as Emma's lips landed on his.
"Emma!" Peter yelled again.
She ignored him, and slid her arm around his shoulder, he put his arm around her waist and supported her to his car.
-End Flashback-
Emma smiled at the memory. It was one of her favorite stories to re-live...Sean had come back for what he wanted...and he had gotten it.
"Emma, you need to go..." Her mom, Spike said.
"Alright..."
She took the keys, and walked into the garage. She got into the car and headed toward the airport.
She passed Degrassi, and she remembered the time Liberty had challenged the girls floor hockey team to the boys basket ball team. Sean had just recently become her boyfriend again, and she was excited about their first "fight"
-Flashback-
"Hey Vanzant!" Liberty turned around to see the boys basketball team coming toward them.
Jimmy led the group, then Spinner, then Sean, then Marco. The rest of the team followed.
"Hey Brooks!" Liberty threw back.
"What's this we hear about a certain girls floor hockey team trying to steal our sponership?" Spinner snapped, glaring at her.
"How about your team vs our team...At floor hockey cause we can't play basketball!" Kendra shouted. Spinner rolled his eyes at his little sister.
"You're on," Jimmy smirked at the girls.
"Let's see if you can practice without your star player." Sean grabbed Emma's arms and pulled her up from her seat.
"Sean!" Emma giggled.
"You too Santos." Sean grabbed Manny's wrist in an unbreakable hold.
"They aren't going anywhere!" Liberty had ordered.
Sean ignored her, struggling with Manny's hits.
"You can keep the violent one...But the blonde one is mine," He let brown haired Manny fall back into her seat, and used his free hand to catch Emma's oppsite elbow.
He left with her in tow..Releasing all but her hand.
-End flashback-
Emma laughed and cried at the same time. She had a ton of memories with him...but only the ones where Sean was her night in shining armor came to mind.
-Flashback-
"Peter-get away from me!" Emma hugged her binder closer to her. Peter moved clloser' forcing her to move farther back.
"No way Nelson...You know you want me back." He reached out and grabbed her arm roughly.
"Dude...unless you want to die...Get your greedy little hands off my girlfriend." Sean, who had had a doctors apoiment, had come to pick Emma up from school.
Peter ran away.
-End flashback-
Emma was driving to the airport without even thinking about it. When she pulled into the parking lot, she stopped and grabbed her jacket, slamming the car door. She had picked up Jay on her way. He was there for moral support...For good or worse.
Jay had his arm casually around Emma's shoulder, as a friend sort of gesture, but he was really holding her still. She bounced lightly in her seat.
"Geez Em!" Jay laughed.
Emma said nothing, she still couldn't think straight.
"Emma-" Jay started to say something else but was interrupted by the lady at the front desk, announcing Sean's plane number.
"Come on Em." Jay took her hand and tugged. She rectualltly followed him.
Families screamed as their boyfriends, husbands, brothers, sisters, parents and children ran into their arms.
"Jay-" Hands suddenly flew over their eyes.
Emma's knees buckled. The hand that had touched her was the same electric feeling she always got from Sean...
She turned around, then went limp.
"Emma!" Sean Hope Cameron caught the girls arm before she could fall to the ground.
"Emma? Baby...Are you alright?" She didn't answer.
"Sean." Jay hugged him tightly.
"Jay...Man, i've missed you!" He returned the hug then looked down at his girlfriend...his girl.
"She's had a long day, huh?" He nodded.
Sean rolled his eyes and lifted Emma into his arms.
"She hasn't fainted since..." Jay stopped suddenly.
"Since what?" He looked at him suspiciously.
"Nothing man...nothing..."
"Jay man...Emma's the most important thing in the world to me...You know that...If something happened to her, then i need to know man."
Jay sighed uncomfortably. "Sean...Emma stopped eating again for a while...She's eating now though, I've been making sure..."
He groaned. "Man...When is she goanna releaize that she's the most beatiful girl in the world...That's she's perfect and that Peter is a selfish son of a bitch?"
Jay shrugged and looked down at her.
"Emma, baby girl, can you hear me?" Sean's lips brushed her hair.
"Sean?" Emma looked up at him weakly.
"Welcome back," He pressed his lips to hers, and she smiled.
"Do you beleive i'm alive now?" Emma nodded.
"Good." Sean tossed her over his shoulder, never letting her walk.
They dropped Jay off at Manny's house before heading to the DOT.
"Emma?" Sean stopped the car but didn't unlock the door.
"Yes Sean?" She held his hand in hers.
"I should have said this a long time ago...But...I love you." She felt his hand tighten on hers.
"I love you too."
"Yeah?" He asked with a chuckle.
"I always have Sean."
"Baby, you're the most beatiful girl in the world, you're amazing, and you're perfect...Emma, Jay told me..." He muttered.
Emma's eyes flashed.
"Sean, I'm eating now..."
"You weren't then! Emma, do i have to be here to watch you every five seconds? I can do it now, but i expected you to take care of yourself this year baby girl, you're amazing Emma, and Peter needs a life, I love you just the way you are."
She had tears in her eyes as she slid her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry."
"I love you." He whispered, holding her closer.