Legal Disclaimer: I don't own TFJJ

A/N: Ah, yes, another Jett/Kayla fic from gracie. I can't seem to stop writing these...

A/N2: Hey Nicki, i actually didn't use the name Rose!!! LOL

Learning to Live

Kayla West stood in front of her full-length mirror, dressed for the biggest party in town. "I can't believe I actually agreed to go to this party," she said to herself. She never cared about social things before but now that senior year was coming to a close and she and her friends were about to go off to college, she felt she deserved a little celebration. She was wearing a black skirt that was considerably tighter than anything she'd worn before, a red tube top with a matching black denim jacket, and black thigh-high boots. Her hair was hanging loose in spirals down her back, and for the first time, she had asked her mother to do her makeup. She had told her parents that she would likely stay the night at Riley's after the party.

Senior year marked many milestones in her life. She and Jett had finally admitted their feelings for each other and the ensuing relationship had been sweeter than anything she had ever imagined.

JB had grown up considerably, and now he was taller and more handsome. His figure had changed to accomodate his body building routine, and he and Riley had paired up.

"Kay!" Kate West came up the stairs. "Are you ready to go? Jett and JB and Riley are here."

Kayla nodded. "All right." She bounded down the stairs and out the door... and stopped dead when she saw Jett.

"Whoa," was all she could say. Jett was dressed in black jeans that were just baggy enough, a black shirt unbuttoned halfway to reveal a red muscle shirt. His boots were brand new.

"Okay, who called who to arrange this black and red thing?" Riley called from the car. Jett and Kayla tore their eyes from the sight of one another to look at their friends.

"Coincidence," they said at the same time. JB laughed.

"Come on, Jett, you're driving and if you two spend the whole time staring at each other we're never going to get there."

Kayla climbed into the front seat of Jett's silver convertible and turned around to swat JB on the arm. Jett turned up the radio as they drove down Embassy Highway. Ja Rules's new song Livin' It Up came through the speakers. Everyone cheered and began to sing along as Jett made the turn off Exit 45.

"And, here we are," Jett said as they pulled up in front of Jonathan Highmont's house, the guy who had organized the whole party. Music was blasting from the speakers inside and there were already about fifty people there, dancing. It was about nine at night as the four teenagers entered the party. JB and Riley immediately melted into the crowd of dancers.

Jett handed Kayla a glass of punch. They watched the other people dance for awhile and soon Jett turned to his friend. "You wanna dance?"

Kayla set down her glass. "I guess. Sure." Jett took her hand and led her out onto the floor just as the song I Do came on. It was a slow song, and Jett glanced at his girlfriend, in a sort of request for permission as he slid his arms around her waist. Kayla's arms went up around his neck as she looked up at him.

All I am,
All I'll be,
Everything in this world,
All that I'll ever need
Is in your eyes,
Shining at me,

When you smile I can feel
All my passion unfolding.
Your hand brushes mine,
And a thousand sensations
Seduce me cause I,

I do,
Cherish you,
For the rest of my life,
You don't have to think twice.

I will,
Love you still,
From the depths of my soul,
It's beyond my control,
I've waited so long,
To say this to you...

Kayla felt as if she was floating. The room was pleasantly drifting away to leave nothing but her and Jett, dancing alone in the universe. It was just like she had imagined, dancing with him. He smiled down at her and suddenly, before they knew what was happening, their lips were pressed together. Kayla opened her mouth to try and say something, try to tell him... and the kiss was deeper.

If you're asking do I love you this much...
I do.

The song ended all too quickly. Kayla found herself thirsty and elated. Smiling, Jett granted her request for another glass of punch and got one for himself.

After this glass, they both found themselves wanting more and more of it. "H-hey, Jet-tt." Kayla's voice was heavy and her words were slurred. "Whassa matter with... with that punch?"

"I... I don't... know." Jett's speech was similarly impaired. He slid his arm around her waist. "Ne'er min... let's jus... chill." They made their weaving way to a big sofa and collapsed on it. Kayla started laughing as Jett leaned back on the sofa and let his body go limp.

"You look so cute," she said, leaning over him, her hair hanging down. His smile was slow.

"Not as cute as you," he replied. "You know wha... I think... I think we're drunk."

Kayla laughed again. "That's not possible."

"Oh, I don't know." Jett started to laugh. Soon they were slumped over each other, laughing and kissing. And then somehow they were by the staircase, going up the stairs. They were in a room with a bed... a guest room? Kayla wondered hazily.

Kayla's heart was pounding as Jett pulled her closer and closer, his lips touching hers and moving downward to her neck. The very sensation of it was incredible.

The air on her bare shoulders startled her as Jett slid her jacket off. She made no protest as he unbuttoned his shirt.

They were both drunk; drunker than they thought they were. Kayla leaned back... or Jett pushed her gently back, onto the bed, and the whole world faded away...


The light hit her full in the face-- Kayla groaned and opened her eyes. Her head was pounding, and she squinted. There was something warm next her, and she felt bare skin. She sat up with a scream. What was she doing here? And who...?

"Jett!" she gasped, startling him awake. He sat up too and looked at her.

"Oh, my head," he groaned.

"Oh, my god!" Kayla cried. She grabbed at the blanket around her. "What did we do?!"

Jett blinked hard, and then his eyes widened. "Oh, my god, Kay..."

Kayla started to cry; she didn't know what else to do. Here they were in a strange house, incredibly hung over, and undressed in a bed with no recollection of the night before.

Jett reached for his clothes. Kayla, wrapped in the blanket, tried to rationalize. "Maybe we didn't do anything."

Jett winced and looked at the scratches on his shoulders. "Then what are these?"

Kayla buried her head in her hands. "Tell me this isn't real! Someone spiked the punch last night and we end up here!"

Jett stood up shakily. "I--I'll let you get dressed," he said unsteadily, and walked slowly out of the room. Kayla felt as if she was made of lead, as she stretched out her arm to reach for her shirt. The unreality of it was overwhelming.

She didn't know how she managed to get dressed, but somehow she was back in the hallway. Jett was standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at the many sprawled-out-dead-drunk-asleep party guests on the stairs and in the living room. It wasn't a pretty sight.

"Are JB and Riley still here?" Kayla wondered aloud. Jett shook his head.

"I don't see them anywhere."

"Hopefully they made it home." Kayla still felt awkward.

"Come on, I've got the car," Jett said. "I'll drive you home."

Kayla followed him out the door and into the car. They drove in silence until they reached the West house, when Jett startled her by leaning over and kissing her. "I'm sorry," he said.

Kayla managed a smile and got out of the car. She was sick, sick to her core. This was Jett, the only person she'd ever loved, and here they were, not sure if they'd done anything but still terrified.

Kayla went straight up to her room and shut the door. She sat down on her bed, numbly, and then reached for the phone. Dialing Riley's number, she sat back.

"Hello?" Kayla had never been so relieved to hear her friend's voice.

"Riley."

"Kayla, are you okay? You sound awful. What happened last night?"

"Someone spiked the punch, Riley. And--and Jett and me, we got very drunk and we... we..." Kayla couldn't continue.

"Oh, my god." Riley sat down hard. "Are you sure?"

"I don't remember anything but the scratches on Jett's shoulders told me enough." Kayla was humiliated.

"Oh, Jesus, Kay." Riley paced her room. "You had sex with Jett?"

"Yes!" Kayla wailed, her eyes filling up again. "I didn't know! Someone put some pretty heavy stuff in there and I guess I can't handle it."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" Kayla's head was hurting. "When we started dating, we agreed that someday we would have sex but it would be something we agreed on, not something alcohol made us do!"

Riley sighed. "Kay, I'm here for you, one hundred percent. But I really have to go. My mom is driving me nuts."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

"Okay, and Kayla?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

That one statement made Kayla shiver as she hung up the phone.


Two weeks later...

Kayla was sitting at the dinner table, playing absently with her fork. She hadn't been feeling well and she had a sinking dread that her recent nausea was morning sickness.

She found herself eating at the strangest times of the day, and JB's crack about her "eating worse than a pregnant woman" still made her shudder.

Suddenly, she turned pale. Her stomach did two full flips and she covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom. "Kayla?" her mother called behind her.

Kate West followed her daughter upstairs. "Kayla, honey, are you all right?"

"I think I have the stomach flu or something." Kayla's voice was weak.

"Do you want some medicine?"

"No!" Could she take medicine if she was pregnant? Was she even sure she was pregnant? "No, Mom, it's all right. I'll just take a bath."

"All right, if you're sure." Kate had never been one to push her child. Kayla leaned back against the bathroom wall and closed her eyes.

It was time for her to go to the CVS on Greene Lane and get a test. This was ridiculous. She couldn't take not knowing anymore.

Talking to Jett wasn't awkward anymore, and although they were back to normal, in their loving relationship, things were somehow deepened. The whole party incident had made them even closer, even if they were scared of what had happened.

And last night they had talked for a long time about what would happen. What their futures would be if something... well, if a new life was a possibility...

"I will marry you, Kay." Jett had promised. "I don't care what anyone says; I love you, Kay, and this is our responsibility."

And that promise somehow eased the pressure on Kayla's mind.


"Fifteen dollars?" Kayla was standing at the pharmacy counter.

"Yes ma'am." The clerk was young, probably younger than her.

"All right, then." Kayla pulled out her wallet and counted her money. She handed over a twenty and looked away as the girl gave her the change and the bag containing a pregnancy test. I can't believe I'm buying a pregnancy test at seventeen... Even now her conscience and her ethical senses intervened and she was constantly berating herself.

Even though it wasn't her fault, entirely. Sure, she and Jett had done the deed, but they had been very drunk, and unwillingly drunk. Now she knew for sure someone had spiked that punch. As Riley had said, "Hormones don't get you that drunk."

Now she was approaching the house. She knew her mother and father were out; they were at work. She had called Jett a half-hour before and he was waiting on the stoop as she came up. His smile was heartmelting. "Hey, Kay." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"The moment of truth." Kayla held up the little box and sighed. "I'll be right back." And the bathroom door shut.

A minute later, Kayla emerged, blushing red. "Now we wait a minute." She picked up the egg timer from the counter and twisted the dial to a minute. She looked at the back of the box. "It says here if you're pregnant the square will turn blue. If you're not, it'll turn pink."

She paced the room, and Jett grasped her hand as they waited. About thirty seconds in, the square abruptly turned royal blue.

"Whoa." Kayla said.

"That settles it," Jett said. "You are very pregnant." He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I love you so much, Kay."

Kayla could hardly grasp the enormity of the situation. She was pregnant. There was another little life inside of her. She started to laugh and cry all at once. "This is amazing," she managed through her tears and giggles.

"Yes." Jett sat down on Kayla's bed and pulled his girlfriend down beside him. "This is amazing, Kay. We took a little of you and a little of me and we made a baby."

"Now what?"

"Now I buy you a house." Jett said. "I knew there was a reason I was a TV star."

"All I can say is I'm glad there's money." Kayla sighed. "I have to tell my parents. I don't think my mother's going to keep falling for the stomach flu thing."

Jett took her hand. "Want me to be there with you?"

"Yes." Kayla looked down at her fingers entwined in Jett's. "For some reason... my conscience is killing me. I can't stop feeling like I did something wrong."

Jett lifted her chin to get her to look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Kay. What we did was early, yes, but I don't think it was wrong. When do you wanna tell them?" he asked.

"I might as well get it over with today. When they come home." Kayla managed a small smile. "After all, you can't hide a pregnancy for long."

The hammer fell sooner than she expected.

"Kayla?" Kate and Victor were home at almost the same time. They found Jett and Kayla sitting together on the couch, talking quietly and seriously.

"Hi, Mom. Hi Daddy."

"Hi, Mrs. West. Mr. West."

"Honey is something wrong?" Victor sat down across from the young couple on the opposite sofa, and Kate joined him. "Do you need to talk? You two look upset."

Kayla pressed her lips together and Jett squeezed her hand. "Mrs. West, remember two weeks ago at the party at the Highmont house?"

"Yes." Kate frowned. "You spent the night at Riley's didn't you, Kayla?"

"Umm... not exactly..." Kayla seemed to have trouble getting the words out. "Someone spiked the punch that night." Kayla couldn't look at her parents. "And something happened."

"What exactly happened?" Victor wasn't smiling anymore.

"We didn't realize the punch was spiked, and we just kept drinking it, and soon we were... drunk." Jett said. "And we got a little out of control..."

"And what?" Kate sounded like she already knew.

Kayla bit her lip, and she and Jett faced the Wests. "Oh, my god." Kate covered her eyes. "Kayla, how could you?"

The pain in Kayla's eyes was unfathomable. Jett could do nothing but hold her hand.

"Mrs. West, we're taking responsibility for this," Jett said. "I'm going to buy a house, and we are going to get married. This baby is ours and we are going to raise it that way."

"What about college?" Victor was like a volcano straining not to erupt.

"College has to wait." Kayla said. "It doesn't mean I won't go, it means I need to wait until my baby is old enough for me to leave it with a sitter."

"There's plenty of money." Jett said, and Kate looked wryly at him. "We're going to do this. Like it or not, Mrs. West, Kayla and I want to get married."

"I can't believe you." Kate looked down at her daughter. "I knew something like this would happen if you went to a party. You're seventeen years old, Kayla. You don't know what the hell you want. Don't tell me this is it. You wanted to go to Harvard for art history and design. You've ruined that now."

"Mom--"

"Don't tell me that, and don't you speak to your mother that way." Victor's voice was dangerously calm. "This is your problem, Kayla. And so we," he indicated Kate and himself, "will not be a part of it."

"What are you saying?" Kayla gasped.

"What we are saying, Kayla, is that you are no longer welcome here. Buy your little house and marry your boyfriend but don't you make us any part of it." Kate's eyes were welling up; she was furious.

Kayla looked from her mother to her father in total shock. "Mommy?... Daddy...?"

"Go." Victor said the word in a deep, pain-filled voice. He bit his trembling lip.

Kayla looked at Jett and then back at her parents. This was impossible. How could they do that? She was their daughter, their only baby.

The shock of it all hit her like a tidal wave and she began to sob. She vaguely heard Jett trying to reason with her parents, but to no avail. She felt him take her hand, and the warm night air was like a balm on her tear-soaked face.

"How could they?" She buried her face in Jett's shoulder. "How could they... do that to me?"

"I don't know, Kay." The tremor in Jett's voice was audible. "I don't know."

They made their way to the Jackson house, where Wood and Miz Corretta were already waiting for them. Jett gave each of them a hug and told them Kayla would be staying in the guest room for a while. Both adults had the sense not to ask why upon seeing Kayla. "We need to tell Nana and Dad." Jett said. Seeing the look in her eyes, he said, "Why don't I get you settled in the guest room and then I'll talk to them."

Kayla let him lead her upstairs and into the spacious guest room. There was a whole separate bathroom with a big bath tub. "Maybe a bath will help." Jett encircled her in his arms. "Kay, I don't care what your parents say. I love you, and somehow, I promise we'll make this work."

Kayla bit her lip hard. She heard the squeak of the faucets as Jett drew a bath for her. Her tears blurred her vision even as the steam rose from the water. Jett handed her a towel and turned as she got into the tub. The white bubbles surrounded her as she leaned back. "I don't know how that could happen." Her voice broke. Jett sat himself beside the tub.

"I don't understand it." Kayla continued. "How could they do that to me? I thought... I thought they would understand." This last word drifted into a quiet sob. "If there is anyone I wanted to understand it was my parents."

Jett sighed. "I don't think my father will be too happy but I'm sure he'll accept it and be happy. And I can just see Nana now, helping you with baby clothes and throwing a big baby shower, and making sure our baby is happy." His eyes sparkled as he seemed to look into the future.


Two Months Later...

"Ah, graduation." Jett smiled and leaned back in his father's car. "I thought this moment would never come."

Kayla leaned on his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss that place."

"Me too," Riley and JB agreed. Wood had offered to drive them all to the graduation while their parents got ready.

It had taken a long time, but Wood had managed to persuade Kate and Victor to come to the ceremony. Kayla didn't know this, and she still thought her parents weren't coming. Jett had sat with her for a long time the night before, while she cried herself to sleep. He didn't understand how Victor and Kate could do that; he'd been wondering ever since it happened.

Maybe it was their upbringings? Both of Kayla's parents had been brought up in strict Christian households. They had gone to church every Sunday of their lives, and their parents held the firm belief that sex was for marriage. But were those values so ingrained in them that they would turn on their own child?

He could only hope his dad had done a good job.

When they arrived at the park the senior class was already pretty much assembled. Mayor Beale was on hand, and he was helping Mr. Dupree hand out the gowns and caps.

"So, how do I look?" Jett asked, tipping the mortar-board at a rakish angle.

"Very dashing, Mr. Jackson." Kayla answered, kissing him. She zipped up her robe and pulled the hat on. Riley was playing with the tassel on hers, and JB was trying to unstick his zipper.

The outdoor space set aside for graduation in Wilsted Community Park was decked with white and gold, the Wilsted High colors.

At the signal, the entire 200 seniors sat in their assigned seats and the ceremony began. "First of all," Mayor Beale began his speech. "May I congratulate the parents of these fine young students, and say that without you, your children would not have grown up to the wonderful people they are. I think you deserve a round of applause."

Wood and Jules were in the audience; they clapped and cheered for everyone, regardless. Kayla applauded halfheartedly. Her parents weren't there.

"And now, as we prepare to send these new ladies and gentlemen into the world, I send with them a solemn promise: That Wilsted, no matter how many years into the future we may go, will always be home to you. And I hope that you, in turn, will look to the future with hope and love, because, believe me, they are waiting for you. And now for the presentation of the diplomas."

It took a while but soon Mayor Beale announced, "Kayla West!"

Jett let out a long, loud whistle as Kayla went up to accept her diploma. She turned to face the audience and saw her mother and father sitting there, smiling. The smile dropped off her own face in an expression of total shock. She stood completely still and everything began to move in slow motion; her stepping off the stage and back into her seat, the applause at the end of the ceremony... The only thing that brought her back to reality was Jett's ecstatic hug and kiss.

"We did it, Kay!" he said.

"My parents..." Kayla looked over his shoulder at her mother and father, who were standing somewhat further back. She went to them, and Jett watched her, as they talked, and suddenly Victor swept his daughter up into his arms, spinning her around. Jett caught a glimpse of Kayla's face, streaked with tears and smiling. He smiled and turned to his beaming parents.

"My baby!" Jules embraced her son as if she would never let go. "All grown up and done with high school."

"Congratulations, son." Wood gave Jett a hug. "We're proud of you."

Jett couldn't stop smiling. He looked over at Kayla, who was still talking to her parents. He dragged his parents over to the Wests and Kayla ran up to Jett, the force of her embrace almost knocking him over. "Thank you so much!" she cried. She leaned closer to his ear. "Thank you." Jett threw his father a surprised look.

Wood smiled at his son. "I told her you talked to her parents." Wood said once Kayla was out of earshot.

"Why?"

"Because I did." Wood wouldn't say anything further, no matter how hard Jett pressed him. So he went with it. Kate and Victor were still upset about the baby on the way but they had realized that no matter what, she was their first and only child, and she really was in love with Jett and they really were going to try and make it work.

It would be some time before they could completely forgive their daughter, but it was a start.


Six Months Later...

"I can't see my feet!" Kayla walked into the kitchen of the house she and Jett had bought six months before. Her stomach was round in front of her as she leaned against the counter.

"How's my beautiful girl?" Jett swept into the kitchen, placing a kiss on his girlfriend's lips. "And my baby?"

"He's up and at 'em today, isn't he, daddy?" Kayla put one hand on her extended belly. "He'll be a football player."

Ever since the ultrasound had showed that the baby was a boy, they had been searching for the perfect name. Kayla had suggested Anahu, an African name that meant "he laughs", from the time she had spent in Africa, but they had then agreed on the name Christopher Rashaud West-Jackson.

"Well, only a month to go." Jett looked right into his girlfriend's eyes. "I can't wait."

Kayla sighed. "Me either. So how was the shoot?"

Jett had just started filming his newest movie, Paradox, a science-fiction film. "It was okay." Jett opened the fridge. "Are you thirsty?"

Kayla shook her head. "No thanks."

"Okay, suit yourself." Jett tossed a can of Pepsi into the air and caught it. "So how have you been all day?"

"Jett, I'm doing everything an nine-months-pregnant woman can do." Kayla sat down at the kitchen table. "Which ain't much, let me tell you."

Jett smiled. "Well, just let me know if you need anything."

The smile dropped off Kayla's face suddenly. She bent forward. "Ow."

"Are you okay?" Jett abandoned his soda and knelt by his girlfriend.

"I don't know." Kayla's voice was strained. "Maybe it's just... false labor. The doctor said that could happen. Nothing to worry--" She interrupted herself with a cry of pain.

"Forget it." Jett went for the car keys. "I'm not taking any chances." He scooped his girlfriend up into his arms and carried her to the new van they'd just bought.

They were at the hospital in less than five minutes. As soon as a doctor could see them, they were in a delivery room. "This is way past false labor, Mrs. Jackson." The doctor was holding a clipboard.

"But it's a month early!" Kayla tried to sit up.

"We'll keep you in the ICU delivery room then, Mrs. Jackson, but your baby is on his way. I will send a nurse directly. Do you want some medication for the pain?"

"Yes, I want an epidural." Kayla gripped Jett's hand. The doctor left.

"I'm scared." Kayla said, looking up at Jett. He smiled, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to her.

"I'll be here every single minute," he promised.

Kayla tensed as another contraction hit. They were regular, by Jett's count.

The obstetrician, Dr. Burke, came in with two nurses. "Mrs. Jackson?" Kayla was too tired to correct him. "We're here to move you into a delivery room."

The nurses rolled the bed out of the room, Jett walking beside his girlfriend, holding her hand. The labor pains were sharper, and had it not been for the doctor holding the evilly long needle that would provide Kayla with some relief, the birth would have been much harder.

"Suit up," The nurse tossed Jett scrubs. He put them on quickly and was back by Kayla's side almost right away. She grasped his hand.

"It's really happening." She squeezed his hand and the doctor looked up at her.

"All right, Kay, I'm going to ask you for a good hard push." Dr. Burke was being suited up by a nurse.

Kayla held her breath. There was no pain.

"Good." The doctor was putting on rubber gloves. "Once again."

Jett watched Kayla. She looked calm, but her shaking hand in his betrayed her.

"Very good. Once more, Mrs. Jackson, and you will have yourself a son."

Jett gripped her hand. "I love you, Kay," he whispered, and the cry of his son was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. Kayla was crying before he was even held up.

Clean and wrapped in a white blanket, Christopher Rashaud Jackson was presented to his beaming parents. "Seven pounds, ten ounces, Apgar ten," the nurse announced. "You have yourself a fine son, Mrs. Jackson."

Jett's eyes were filled with tears as he looked at the tiny baby. They had made him; he was theirs and he was a miracle. Kayla was counting the tiny fingers and toes over and over again, as if she couldn't believe he was actually there.

Jett kissed her on the lips. Joy overflowing, he went into the waiting room.

JB, Riley, Miz Corretta, Wood, Jules, Cubby, and to his immense joy, Victor and Kate, were there. "Christopher Rashaud Jackson, seven pounds ten ounces," he announced.

A cheer went up. Jules embraced her son.

"Can we see the happy mama?" Cubby asked.

"I see no reason why not." Jett led the group into the room, where Kayla was waiting with a smile for everyone. JB was holding a huge bouquet of flowers, and Victor's goofy grin made everyone smile.

Kate took the initiative. She leaned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

The occasion was already emotionally charged; Kayla burst into tears and laughter.

Everyone was talking and laughing. Soon, though, a nurse shooed them out until only Jett and Kayla were left. Jett sat next to the bed. "He's amazing."

"He's a miracle, Jett."

"He's us."

Kayla smiled. "It's perfect now."

Jett smiled too. "Not quite." He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket.

Kayla's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Oh..."

"Kayla, will you marry me?" Jett opened the box, revealing one of the most beautiful rings Kayla had ever seen. It was a simple gold band, with one diamond in the center, flocked by two pearl hearts. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes." Jett slid the ring onto her finger and leaned over to kiss her.

"Now it's perfect."

END

Okay, I know, total sap. I can't help it. Did you like?