Title: Choices and Consequences

Rating: PG13/T

Characters: Liberty, JT, Emma, Manny, Sean

Summary: Liberty and JT's choices have some interesting consequences.

Warning: Contains some spoilers/speculations made on various boards about JT/Liberty relationship this coming season.

Notes: This is a short fic, probably about three or so chapters (that's all I outlined for)… though the chapters are quite long. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Lost and Found

She shut the door behind her and sighed sadly. "It's just you and me kid," she whispered as she lightly touched her stomach.

Adjusting the tote bag strap on her shoulder, she sighed again as she looked out into the dark, rainy night and thought about all that just happened. Everything that she would need to start her life again was in the tote bag. It was weird how something insignificant such as a Degrassi Panther's sports tote bag, the official one that was given to all those involved with sports, could hold all her hopes for the future. The hopes that things will get better, that things weren't as bad as they seem, that she will survive and live a full life despite what her parents had said.

"Damn," she swore when she realized that she didn't have an umbrella with her. She dreaded having to go back in the house for one… to possibly listen to the continuation of her father's angry words and her mother's highly disappointing groans. She didn't know if she could take looking at the proud light slowly leave their eyes when they look at her; for it to be replaced with disgust, embarrassment, and even worst shame to have her as their daughter.

Turning around to face the door, she was about to knock when she noticed a small tin cylinder with two umbrellas in it, a lime green one and another one that was white with black polka dots. She slowly bent down and reached for the white with black polka dots one. Smiling, she slowly remembered childhood memories that were attached to the item: walking down a showery street holding her mother's hand in the spring, standing outside school waiting for her father to pick her up from school in the fall, even days during the summer when her and her family were at the beach and she would use the umbrella to shade herself from the sun… all were memories that were slowly fading away and leaving her. They were memories that she would never be able to laugh and share with her family again… at least not to the extent as they could before, she realized as her smile gradually fell. Opening the umbrella up, she covered her light brown, curly hair and began to slowly walk out into the night.

The more she walked down the street and out of her neighborhood, the more she regretted her decision she made. Maybe her father was right, she was too young… too young to be a mother. She was going to go through it all basically by herself, all alone anyways. Though the baby's father will be there for her, she knew he had his own inner demons to battle.

As the rain started to come down a bit more, she grasped her lightweight jacket tighter to her body and walked a bit slower. "What am I going to do?" she asked herself.

She didn't know where she could go. It wasn't like she had that many options to begin with: Manny was with Emma, who she didn't really care for at the moment; Toby and Kendra were on a date; and JT… he was already having a hard time dealing with their situation. The last thing he needed was to be even more worried about what was next for them.

She chuckled solemnly to herself as she realized how things changed drastically within a year. She was doing good last year with having straight A's, a successful field hockey season, her playwriting skills proved to be successful with the "Dracula" play, and the boy she had crushed in for four years finally returned her feelings. She was riding high into the summer.

"Liberty!"

She stopped walking as a small blue car slowly came to a stop next to her. Glancing over at the stopped car, she gave the driver a confusing look. "What are you doing here?" she asked into his rolled down window.

"We're here to help you," the girl in the front passenger side of the car said. She was leaning over the driver to make her presence known.

Liberty rolled her eyes at the passenger and turned away from them. "I'm fine…" she uttered quietly. The wind sharply blew and Liberty shivered slight as she tightened her grip on her tote bag and umbrella.

"You're not fine Liberty," he said, "please just get in the car." Lifting the hood that was attached to his jacket, he covered his head. "Come on Liberty." Stepping out of the care, he went to the back door and opened it. "If not for us, then do it for yourself."

Her stubborn demeanor slowly crumbled as she shook her head in defeat. "Okay… but I can't go back home. My father just kicked me out," Liberty said as she climbed into the backseat of the car. She closed her umbrella and set it on the floor in front of her, then set her tote bag next to her as she made herself comfortable in the middle seat.

He closed the door and then got back into the car. As he settled himself into the driver's seat, he said nothing as he shared a knowing look with his passenger at Liberty's previous words. Shifting the car into drive, from the park setting, he started down the road to their destination.

His passenger turned around from her seat and looked at Liberty. "Here's a towel and a blanket Liberty," she said as she handed her a fluffy, thick towel and a wooly blanket. "Dry off and then wrap the blanket around yourself to keep warm."

Liberty took the towel and blanket from her and did as she was told. "How did you know where I was?"

She settled back into the passenger seat and looked up into the rearview mirror. She watched Liberty as she finished wiping the water off of her and then wrapped the blanket around her body to fight off the chill. "Danny called Manny and we were with her. She's waiting for us at my house."

Liberty nodded her head slowly. Danny stuck up for her when she gave her father and mother the news of her impending pregnancy. She was thankful to have a brother like him. "Did he give you a reason?" she asked. So far the only people that knew outside of her and JT was her family.

The passenger slowly nodded her head negatively. "What's going on with you Liberty?" she asked. Though they weren't close friends anymore, she was worried about Liberty. She had seemed to change over the last couple of weeks.

Saying nothing, Liberty looked out the window trying to get lost in the designs that the streaks of rain made.

"We're your friends Liberty," he said. Usually Liberty was quick to respond back… knowing how she disliked his passenger.

Liberty continued her silence and snuggled into the warmth of the wool blanket.

Looking at his passenger's worried expression and then Liberty's lost one in the rearview mirror; he began to get concerned too. She was never one to not throw a witty remark back him. That was the nature of their friendship, they would bicker and banter; and interestingly enough they would be there for each other too. "We've been though a lot as friends, Liberty. Are you okay?" His concern was evident in his words.

Turning away from the window, she looked down into her hands. "I'm pregnant," she said as she looked up and stared at him through the rearview mirror.

It was their turn to be silent. They said nothing at Liberty's answer, mainly because not only were they surprised but they had no idea how to respond.

A part of her was glad to get the news off her chest. "Thank you Sean and Emma," she whispered softly before going back to hushed behavior and staring out the window.