Disclaimer: I own nothing Degrassi, except my ideas...

As the story progresses you'll find out bits and pieces of background information, so be patient, because all will eventually be explained. Hope you like...

Emma rolled off of Jay, exhausted yet smiling widely. She lay on her back, panting, trying to regain some of her usual composure. Jay was the only person to see her like this, free of her etiquette chains, in the throes of wild abandon, caution thrown to the wind. Her face was flush, her body glistening, and yet Jay loved her most when she was like this; messy hair, makeup smeared. Perfect.

But it usually didn't last long, as was evident by her too-brief rest. Suddenly she was propped up on elbows, leaning over Jay's body, checking the time on her bedside clock. She sighed heavily, pulling Jay's t-shirt from the bottom of the bed over her head, and getting to her feet.

She smoothed her hair and looked back at Jay. "Are you planning to lay around all night?"

Jay smirked and shook his head. "This always works better when you don't talk, Nelson."

Emma gave him a look. "Seriously, can you please get going?"

Jay rolled to his stomach, burying his head in Emma's soft pillow. He groaned loudly, stifled only slightly by the fluffy, feathered pillow. He rolled back over, looking at Emma. His t-shirt came just above her knees. He smiled.

"Why don't you quit fidgeting and get back over here?" he asked, hoping she would take the bait. "I'm exhausted and you probably are too. Let's just get a few winks, okay?"

Emma put her hands on her hips, her stance telling Jay he was in for a lecture. "You're not spending the night, Jay."

"You're lucky I don't insult easily, Nelson."

Emma walked toward the bed, sitting down on the edge. She stared at Jay. He stared back.

"Fine!" Jay suddenly yelled, sitting up slowly. "I'm going to have a shower."

"Shower? Can't you do that at your own place?" she asked.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "You got somewhere to be?"

Emma shrugged, but Jay knew her better than that. She was trying to hide something. Jay could smell her fear from a mile away.

"Nelson? Emma?" he pushed.

"Okay, okay! I have...a date," she finally confessed.

Jay let the idea roll around in his head for a while, trying to decide just what to say. The old Jay would have blurted the first thing that came into his mind, and usually pay for it later. But, especially when dealing with Emma, Jay was now trying to think before he spoke, to be sensitive to her issues, of which there were many.

"A date," he stated. "So, like, what am I, some kind of pre-game warm-up?"

Emma hated to admit it, but he actually looked insulted. Had she hurt his feelings? Doubtful!

"I wasn't planning on it ending up this way. But you came over."

"And I never heard you protesting, Nelson!" he exclaimed. "When the hell is this bullshit gonna end?"

"Excuse me?" she asked, her back up and ready for a fight.

"You and I! This, whatever this is we have going on! When are you gonna stop pretending that it's nothing more than some kind of casual agreement? When are you gonna start taking us seriously?"

Emma had to hold back her sarcastic laughter. Jay's face registered nothing but honesty, scaring Emma just a little. "You were the one who said you didn't want anything serious! We both agreed this was just a casual thing! And, FYI, there is no 'us'! We get together to do...this...and that's all!"

Jay slipped his boxers on, getting to his feet. Emma tried to look away, admitting to herself that she was a sucker for his well-honed body. But there was no humour in Jay's face like there usually was. He tugged his pants on, leaving his belt wagging as he approached Emma, still perched on her bed. He got down on his knees in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"I don't want casual, Nel...Emma. I want there to be an us. And I think that deep down you really want that too," he intimated.

Emma tried to look away, taken aback at Jay's honesty. In the beginning, she may have wanted this, but now? Now she was just used to having Jay as a play thing. The power she held over him under the covers was intoxicating. But a relationship? Bye-bye power!

"Can you say something?" he begged. "'Cause I'm sorta baring my soul here, Nelson."

"I don't know what to say."

Jay swallowed, evidence of how nervous he'd suddenly become. He dipped his head, digging deep in his pocket, and pulling out a black, velvet box. He looked up at Emma, flipping the ring box open as he suggested, "Let's get married."

Emma's mouth dropped open as she stared at the beautiful diamond ring in front of her. Jay had gone all out on this one. The ring was gorgeous! A large, princess cut solitaire, surrounded by a ring of smaller diamonds, encased in a golden ring. Emma searched for something to say, but was blinded by the gleam of all those diamonds!

"Okay, so that was wrong," Jay stuttered. He shifted until he was on one knee. He raised the ring box again and took a deep breath before asking, "Emma Nelson, will you marry me?"

"Have you been smoking something?" she asked.

Jay smiled, getting to his feet and sitting beside Emma on the bed. He took the stunning ring out of the box, taking Emma's hand in his. He slowly slipped the ring on Emma's delicate finger. It was a perfect fit. A sign?

"Jay..."

"Don't say no just yet," he ordered. "Wear it around for a while. Try it out. Let it all sink in. Just think about it, Emma."

"What's there to think about? I...we...we can't do this."

He rubbed the back on her hand with his thumb. "And why not? We see each other almost everyday as it is."

"Why do you really want to marry me?" she asked, still staring at the ring.

Jay took her face in his hands. He kissed her gently. "Because I love you. I've loved you for a while. I want to make love to you for the rest of my life. And I want to hold you afterwards. I want to sleep with you. I want to wake up with you. I want to..."

"Stop it!" Emma yelled, interrupting his rant. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but seriously, stop!"

Jay gave her an odd look before smiling at her. He shook his head, got to his feet, and went to Emma's dresser, rifling through until he found one of his shirts. He slipped it on, walked back over to Emma, bent, gave her a soft kiss on the lips, and turned away.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Jay turned at the door and shrugged. "You need time. I know you do. So take it. Take as long as you need. Instead of staying here and getting into some war of words, like the old Jay would have gladly done, and won, I'm playing it smart. I'm leaving. You think about things and when you're ready to talk about this, I mean, really talk, not argue, then call me."

Emma watched him walk out of her bedroom, listening for the click of the door. When it came, she got to her feet, but, realizing that her legs were quite shaky, she sat back down. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking at the ring Jay had placed on her finger. It sparkled when the dim light hit it. Emma shook her head, removing the ring. She gingerly placed in on her dresser before heading into her adjoining bathroom to begin getting ready for her date.

Hope you enjoyed! Please R&R!