A/N: I hate spoilers and love them at the same time. This story is based on a spoiler that was thrown out about Season 7. I'll be playing with it as well as the current storyline and putting my own spin on things. I don't anticipate this being a long story, but hopefully you'll enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Jay Hogart was not a nice guy. Not even by his own standards. So why he was about to do any favors for the blonde Cheerbitch of Doom he didn't know. All he did know was that he was standing outside of Degrassi Community School waiting for Alex to get out so he could talk to her.

He didn't have to wait long to see his raven-haired former girlfriend stomp out of the school looking not only like she might kill someone, but do it with a song in her heart. Again he wondered at the good deed he was about to perform. But seeing Lexi's look and knowing the shit kicking he would receive if he didn't tell her what was going on, well he couldn't just let it go.

"Lexi!" He called to her as he raced to catch up.

She barely turned to acknowledge him.

"What do you want Jay?" There was no trace of her usual attitude, only the anger and the exhaustion that hovered just underneath.

Once Jay caught up to her he took in her haggard look and knew immediately its cause. All the more reason for him to be here.

"You need to come with me for a minute." He stated simply as he took her arm.

"First of all, I have work to do and second I'm a lesbian Jay and want no part in whatever it is you need. I mean come on, where's Mel can't she help you?" Alex sneered as she tried to pull her arm away.

"I'm aware of both your reasons Alex, and as for Mel she is helping me right now." Jay said calmly as he kept moving towards his car, his grip on her arm gentle but still strong.

"What is she packing the drugs for you?" A black eyebrow rose mockingly.

Finally Jay stopped and whirled Alex around to face him. She was shocked to see a serious look on his face for once and even more shocked at his next words.

"No Lexi, right now she's down at Zanzibar trying to keep your girlfriend from drowning herself in tequila."

"What? No way, Paige would never drink like that." Alex said shaking her head fiercely.

Jay looked at Alex somberly for a moment and then began to walk again. He didn't speak as they got to the car and he opened the passenger side door motioning for her to get in.

He settled himself behind the wheel and turned to her, no trace of his usual mockery or pervy self. He was a troubled man right now and unsure of how to handle the situation.

"Normally Paige might not drink like this, but I don't know, something's happened Alex. She needs you and I'm here to bring you to her."

"Why Jay?" The question was quiet and he almost didn't hear it over the sound of his engine starting.

Shifting gears he backed out of the spot he was parked in and shrugged silently.

"I'm not sure Lex, I just know how much it'd hurt you if something were to happen to Paige."

Silence hung in the car, a heavy deafening kind of silence that left Alex gasping for air. She jumped when Jay spoke again.

"Whatever else you think you know Alex, Paige loves you. Of course I only know this because she kept repeating it over and over for a full five minutes while waiting for the bartender to bring her another drink."

"Why didn't you stop her? Bring her to me instead of waiting for me to get out of class?" Alex asked and winced at the look Jay shot her.

"Are you kidding me? Paige would have been screaming rape the minute I even laid a hand on her."

Alex gritted her teeth at Jay's statement. It was a harmless remark but it stung all the same when she thought about what she knew of Paige's experience.

As they continued to drive it started to rain and Jay flicked on the windshield wipers, the squeak of them forcing the rain from glass was the only sound in the car as Alex was left alone with her thoughts.

It didn't take long for them to reach the club but before they could even make a proper stop Mel came racing out of the building a look of utter horror on her face. Her mascara was streaked and it was obvious she was terrified.

"Mel, what is it? What happened?" Jay barked at her trying to penetrate the haze of panic that had enveloped the blonde.

"It's Paige, she's gone." Alex just stared at Mel in disbelief as the rain continued to pour down around them.

"What the hell do you mean she's gone? I left you to watch her until I could get Alex."

Mel shot Jay a venomous look before turning back to Alex.

"I'm sorry; Vlad came over and started harassing me about neglecting my tables. I tried to explain what was going on but he just started chewing me out and by the time I got back over to where I'd left her she was gone."

"How drunk was she Mel?" Alex's gaze hardened as Mel looked away. "How drunk Mel? Tell me!"

"She was trashed Alex. I don't think she would even be able to tell you her name right now." Mel looked guiltily at the other girl.

Alex shook her head and slammed her hand against the dashboard.

"I don't believe this. I don't fucking believe this!" The brunette placed her hand over her eyes to try and compose herself.

"Alex, we should probably go get her. She's got a pretty good lead on us." Mel said reaching for the door handle.

Alex looked back up and turned to her coworker. Her stillness was eerie and the look on her face was completely unreadable. When she spoke her words were calm, too calm.

"Mel, did Paige drive here?" At the blonde's nod Alex seemed to tense for a second and then relax again. "Get in Mel."

Mel scurried to get in the car before she got any wetter, not that that was really possible as she was already soaked.

"I'm sorry Alex, really." Mel said as Jay peeled away from the curb.

"I just don't understand it. What would push her to go this far?" The confusion was too much for Alex and she rested her head against the window, her eyes staring intently out trying to catch any glimpse of Paige's car. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"She's pretty messed up Alex." Came Mel's soft reply. "I mean you weren't kidding when you said Paige looks better off than she is. When I met her she seemed so together, a bit bitchy and judgmental, but she seemed to have a grip on things. But today, "Mel shook her head, "today she just seemed so lost."

"Did she say anything to you Mel? I mean besides how much she loved Alex." Jay asked quietly his eyes focused on the road.

"Not a whole lot. She just kind of sat there and stared at her drink most of the time."

Alex sighed and tried to gather her thoughts.

'Come on Paigey, where are you?' She asked silently.

Suddenly brake lights ahead caught Alex's attention. They belonged to a car that had careened off the road and onto the shoulder. Alex felt her pulse quicken as she recognized the vehicle.

"Jay that's her. Get over there now." Her tone was urgent and Jay wasted no time in complying.

As soon as they pulled up beside the other car Alex jumped out heedless of the rain and the mud.

"Paige! Paige open the door." Alex yelled pounding on the window.

The door swung open soundlessly and Paige looked at her with a glazed expression.

"What do you want Alex?" She asked tiredly.

Alex balked for a moment, unaware that she was shivering as the rain soaked into her clothes.

"What do I want?" She hissed, her voice trembling with too much emotion. "What do I want? Paige, I want to know what the fuck you think you're doing getting plastered and then getting behind the wheel."

Alex was trying to remain calm but the toll this was taking on her especially with the deadened stare that Paige was leveling at her didn't make it easy.

"Paige! Answer me damn it! What is going on?" She was practically screaming now.

"Get in the car Alex, you'll catch cold." Was all she got in return.

Frustration took over Alex's movements and she reached in and unbuckled the blonde's seatbelt and yanked Paige out of the car by her wrist. Paige stumbled a bit but managed to stay moderately upright. Still holding onto her Alex dragged the other woman to the passenger side of the car and opened the door shoving Paige unceremoniously inside. Once Paige was back in the car she slammed the door shut with all the force she could muster. She stomped back to the driver's side and threw herself behind the wheel pulling her own door shut behind her.

"You could've been killed Paige. You could've been killed or you could've killed someone else." Alex growled through gritted teeth.

"Well nobody got hurt so can we please just go home?" Came the slightly slurred reply.

"Fine." Alex bit off. "But when we get home we are going to talk."

Paige snorted in a decisively unPaige-like way. "Whatever."

Not able to come up with a reply that didn't involve a slew of words that she refused to say in front of Paige, Alex decided to keep her mouth shut and just concentrate on driving.

Jay's Car

"You think they'll be ok?" Mel asked shifting up to the front passenger seat.

Jay shrugged as he watched Paige's car pull away. "I dunno. Lexi's already had to deal with a drunk for a mother, I'm not sure she can deal with having a drunk for a girlfriend too."

"You're too hard on her you know." Mel said looking out the window at the falling rain."

"Too hard on who?"

"On Paige, her life's not all sunshine and rainbows."

Jay let out a bark of laughter. "Right, Paige knows what hard times are? Sure Mel, sure."

Mel shot him a look he couldn't read.

"Did she say something to you? I thought you said she just mainly stared at her drink the whole time."

Sighing slightly Mel shifted in her seat.

"Yeah well, what she told me wasn't something for me to repeat to Alex. It's something she's got to say herself."

"Care to enlighten me?" Jay asked as he started the car and turned on the heat as he noticed Mel trembling.

"I don't know her at all Jay, but after today I kind of do at the same time. I don't know, I think if I say anything it'd be betraying her or something." Mel sighed again. "I know it sounds stupid, it's just there's a lot of old wounds she keeps hidden and I guess it's not really my place to expose them to everybody."

"So I get nothing?" Jay pestered.

"No, sorry you don't."

"Great."

TBC….