Disclaimer: I have no rights, whatsoever, to Degrassi the Next Generation or any of its characters. I am merely borrowing them as pawns for this small extension of my imagination.
A/N: Well I'm back! I know we have all been waiting for the sequel to Functional Dysfunction with baited breath and I am so sorry it took me so long. I just wanted to make sure that this lives up to the first story. This sequel brings us to a little more than 6 years in the future of our last story and Ellie is finally going back to school! Of course the drama will be intense, especially with Emma coming back into the picture. Jay and Alex finally have their own house and well… that's all you get I don't want to take away from the fun of reading!
"Ma, I can't find my math homework." A nine year old Mykel said as she shuffled through the many papers in the Cameron kitchen.
"Kelly I told you about leaving your papers out here; you are just risking your father throwing them away. You should know how he is by now sweetie." Ellie said as she handed her daughter the assignment. "You might want to go over your answers for 7 and 12 again."
"Thanks ma!" Mykel said as she grabbed her paper and ran off.
"Hey we're home." Sean called out while their four year old daughter, Shawna, ran to Ellie happily.
"Hey baby," Ellie said as she happily picked up her daughter. "Did you, daddy, and Mikey have a good time today?"
"Yeah, we went to the movies, and the park, and the store, and Daddy bought us toys! All cuz we were good at the doctors!" Sean laughed as he winked at Ellie while carrying their passed out two year old son in on his shoulder.
"Wow, Daddy was very good to you two today." Ellie said as she ran her fingers through her daughter's dirty blonde hair.
"Ya huh, we had so much fun. I want to go to the doctor's every day." Sean shook his head as he placed his son down across the bench in their kitchen.
"Well, school is fun too Shawna." Sean said as his daughter rolled her eyes. She hated school even though she technically was very bright, just like him at that age. "Maybe if it's ok with Mommy, Kelly, Alex and Mikey, we can have a family fun day soon." Sean said as his daughter jumped up and down happily. He and Ellie couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
If you would have told either of them ten years ago, hell, six years ago that they would be the parents of four children, and further more enjoy it; they would have thought you were on hallucinogens. All of their children were special and unique and luckily for Sean on the fourth try he finally got a boy. Life was going very well for the family. Ellie's book Functional Dysfunction was a success. She followed it up with a second novel three years later. Sean and Jay had used some of Ellie's book advancement to open their own Garage and it was extremely successful. Now that Mikey was two Ellie and Sean decided it was a good time for her to finally go back to school. She still had a dream of a higher education, and she was going to achieve it.
"Why don't you go on upstairs and play with your sister until dinner is ready." Ellie couldn't help but smile at Shawna's excitement at the mention of her sister, and before she knew it her daughter's little feet were off up the steps.
"How was school today?" Sean said as he looked through the huge stack of mail on the buffet table.
"Long, tiring, and redundant." Ellie said as she stood up and wrapped her arms around her husband.
"Careful," Sean smiled. "Every time you get frisky we seem to create a child."
"What, you know you tried and wanted it just as much as me." Ellie laughed. "Lexie is at Alex and Jay's house tonight, hanging with her cousins. The girls can occupy each other, and Mikey is knocked out from today. We have time." Ellie said as she began to kiss Sean's neck.
"Well when you put it like that." He smiled seductively as he turned around and pulled Ellie into a deep kiss.
Ding Dong
"Ignore it." Sean said as he kissed Ellie deeper.
Ding Dong
"That's probably Aunt Alex and Uncle Jay… EW you're kissing." Mykel said as she ran down the steps.
"I thought Lexie was staying over there tonight." Ellie said as she broke the kiss from Sean.
"No they called earlier and said they wanted to have fun tonight or something. Taryn and Amy are going to Aunt Lib's house tonight." Mykel said as she pulled the curtain back to peek out the window for her sister and extended family.
"Fun tonight," Sean smirked as he squeezed Ellie's hand. "Wait until I see him at work tomorrow." Sean said as he and Ellie went into the living room after their daughter. "Well what are you waiting for, munchkin, aren't you going to let them in?" Sean asked observing his daughter's strange behavior.
"It's not them. It's some blonde lady, and she is walking back and forth on the porch." Sean and Ellie looked at each other confused as Sean peeked out the curtain before gasping in a huge breath of air.
"Sean who is it?" Ellie asked trying to peak and see.
"You won't believe this," he said out loud as he pulled open the door. The blonde stopped pacing and looked up at him nervously.
"Hi, I'm looking for Sean Cameron." The woman on the other side of the door said as politely as she could.
"Emma? What are you doing here?" Sean said as he pulled her into a hug, despite the confused look he was receiving from his daughter, and the evil look he was getting from Ellie.
"Oh Sean I am so glad I found you. I know it's been a long time." Emma laughed nervously.
"Well, Emma why don't you come in from the cold." Ellie tried to say sweetly.
"Oh Ellie, it is so good to see you." Emma said as she entered the house and pulled Ellie into her embrace.
"Yes well... Kelly will you hang up Emma's coat sweetie." Ellie said as she pulled from the hug uncomfortably. She was still in shock that this woman that she hated so much was standing in her home.
"Thank you Kelly." Emma said as she took a moment to observe her surroundings. Sean and Ellie's home was filled with everything that represented them from art to car parts, and several stray toys that Emma hoped belonged to the red headed girl who was also present in the room with them.
"Emma, it's been so long." Sean said still in disbelief. "We haven't seen you in almost ten years. Man Ellie, when did we see Emma last?"
"Oh you remember, a little after we got married, we were out with Kelly and we ran into Emma at the fall festival." Ellie said with emphasis as they all sat down in the living room.
"Right," Sean laughed. "Emma was trying to stop the festival because it was destroying the animals' ecosystem or something like that." Emma rolled her eyes as she began change the subject.
"Well many things change over the years Sean, like your daughter, I can't believe how big she's gotten." Emma gushed. "How old is she now Ellie?"
"I'm nine, almost ten." Mykel said with a slight attitude. "I mean, I am standing right here." Emma just laughed even though Sean threw his daughter a look. "Call us when dinner is ready Ma." Mykel said as she went back through the kitchen and up the stairs, grabbing her sleeping brother from the bench in the kitchen on the way.
"Us?" Emma asked curiously. Just how many children could Sean and Ellie have?
"Yes, Kelly is our first." Ellie said proudly. "After her is Alexandra, she's six. Then there's our little Shawna, she's four and looks and acts just like Sean, hence the name." Sean and Ellie laughed, Shawna really was her father's carbon copy, even down to her love for cars.
"It only took four tries, even though I love my girls more than anything in the world but the youngest is my little man, Jason Michael, even though we call him Mikey since Jay and Alex are practically an aunt and uncle to the kids."
"Wow," Emma said as she fiddled through her purse. "Haven't you two ever heard of birth control? I mean you're what 31, and you have four children already." Emma breathed a sigh of relief as she triumphantly pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse, the necessary treat she had been searching for.
"Now I'm offended." Ellie said as she looked at Emma coldly. "We don't regret any of our children, we love them and we love each other." Ellie said placing an emphasis on each other. We are doing great financially, and if we want to have twelve children it's not really any of your business." Ellie said as she stood. "I need to go check on dinner." She darted her eyes to Sean as if telling him to get rid of Emma before walking away. "And don't even think about smoking that in our house."
"Emma, what was that all about?" Sean scolded. "That's not like you to say something so rude." Sean looked at Emma as her eyes began to well up. She looked so thin and helpless. What had she been going through these past few years?
"Sean, I am sorry. I guess I was a little jealous is all. You are living a wonderful life and I—I don't have anywhere to go. I've been doing badly lately Sean, and Snake won't let me back in the house. I don't understand why my mom doesn't stand up to him anymore but I have nowhere to go."
"Whoa," Sean said as realization splashed at him. "Let me get this straight you want Ellie and me to let you stay here with us."
"It wouldn't be permanent or anything, just a couple of weeks until I can find a job and get myself together. I'm thinking about maybe moving to the States to live with Manny but that is a last resort. You all are my last hopes for Toronto." Emma was now begging; she knew that Ellie hated her, and she also knew that she shared a past with Sean. She also knew that if Ellie knew the extent of the things that she and Sean shared that she would try to kill her. It was a risk that she was willing to take and a miracle that she was hoping Sean could pull off.
"I doubt that Ellie will agree Emma." Are you sure that we are the only people you have left to turn too.
"Sean I haven't contacted you in ten years, would I have gone out of my way to find you if I wasn't desperate." Emma said raising her voice slightly.
"That's exactly why we don't have any reason to help you. You better listen to Sean and go back and beg your parents,"Ellie said as she entered the living room making it obvious that she had been listening to their conversation. She smiled at Sean before kissing his cheek. "Dinner is ready baby." Sean smiled as he stood up and gave Ellie a kiss. Emma, uncomfortable by their display of affection, decided to invite herself to dinner by walking into the dining room. "Why is she going into my dining room Sean?" Ellie asked as they broke from their kiss.
"Just for a couple of day's baby," Sean pleaded. "I know you heard the entire conversation."
"No Sean I don't trust her and neither should you. She had you thrown in jail or did you forget about that."
"One of the many experiences that helped to sell books babe," Sean smiled. "I know how much you hate her, two weeks and then I'll have Manny come get her."
"No Sean, I just don't buy that she randomly searches for us and has nobody else to help her. I don't buy it. No Sean, No."
"Ellie, there are people who have been a part of your life, that shall remain nameless, who almost killed our daughter and almost destroyed our relationship. I can almost guarantee that Emma will not do either of those things in two weeks. "Sean said in an attempt to put his foot down. Ellie hated when Sean threw the Craig situation in her face. She still didn't trust Emma, or the circumstances, but she felt because of Craig she in a way owed Sean.
"Two weeks and that is it. She stays away from you when I'm not around and she stays out of this house if I'm not here."
"Fine by me," Sean smiled. "I know how hard this is for you and I promise to make it up to you tonight." Sean whispered causing Ellie's pale skin to turn almost as bright as her hair.
"Kids, it's time for dinner!" Ellie called quickly. She loved Sean so much, and her family. She would be damned if Emma Nelson would rob her of everything she had and deserved.