Hello friends! Thanks for the superb response to the last fic. It was great to be back again and catch up with so many of you :) I truly appreciate the reviews and kind words. This is a little 3-part fic and I was keen to get it out before Monday's episode as I have a feeling that it will conflict with canon at that point (which I never feel comfortable writing unless it is entirely AU). This was an idea that came up in speculative discussion with my friend and commentator RL13436 so thank you to her for her contribution to this plot. Everything will probably change on Monday, but I hope you enjoy this little plot route in the meantime. For my regular readers this may be a little different from my usual focus as I've never written a non-fluff Jesus fic before but I've tried to keep the balance with other family members (especially in chapters 2 & 3). As always, I welcome constructive reviews and look forward to hearing your views and predictions!

Thanks to thesameguest for always being my guinea pig and thanks to BelovedMaeve for helping me kick start ideas for the opening scene. Check out their work because it is awesome.

Enjoy!

Jesus sneaked a look down at his phone even though he knew who the beep had belonged to. He didn't know what was more frustrating, that his moms were forcing him to stay in to finish his stupid project or that Hayley was slowly punishing him for not being able to see her via medium of text.

"I'm going to take that off you." Lena threatened, peering over her own pile of paperwork as Stef adjusted her glasses to check as well.

"Why do I even have to do this now? It's not due for days." He complained, slipping his phone away and flicking his pen on the open book.

"Because as Mama pointed out several times, your competition and extra wrestling practice means you won't get another chance." Stef answered briskly, sensing that even her wife's eternal patience was being tested by Jesus' permanent bad mood these days. They couldn't figure out if it was nerves or simple teenage stubbornness, something made no easier by his insistence that nothing was wrong. As much as Stef liked to dream it was all because of Hayley and that he would soon enough cut her loose, there seemed to be too much swimming behind his eyes for that to be it. Still, that didn't stop her from resenting the grip the girl had over her son. She shook her head hearing another beep from his pocket.

"If I ever get my hands on that girl's phone it's going to end up going for an impromptu swim in the toilet." She muttered quietly into Lena's curls as she broke from her bills and collected their empty mugs. "Accidentally, of course."

Lena hid her chuckle by turning her attentions to the once again distracted Jesus. She extended her arm out as he screwed his face up defensively.

"It's not like I'm sending the texts." He whined, resisting handing it over.

"Oh, don't worry, we all know who is sending them." Stef muttered petulantly as Jesus met her playful teasing with a scathing look.

"This way you can have a break from them and blame me." Lena tempered away from more confrontation. "Come on." She prompted as Jesus finally passed the phone over.

"It's like you're punishing me just because you don't like my girlfriend." he grumbled as Stef smiled through a sip of her fresh tea. "Don't be such a victim Jesus, it's not like you're not seeing her as soon as you're finished. The quicker you get this done the quicker you can hang out with Little Miss - " Stef paused, clocking a warning look from Lena. "...Dancey Pants." she fluffed, acknowledging her pre-emptive scolding with a mischievous eyebrow raise.

Jesus huffed looking down at his page. He wasn't even mad about not seeing Hayley. In some ways he was glad for the excuse, as Lena suggested, but on the other hand he was already on thin ice with her and the only way for their dates to even be bearable these days were to keep her happy. He knew this would not. He'd briefly tried to fight against it but it was almost easier to submit now that she was permanently etched on his skin. She'd probably grow out of it eventually anyway, and it wasn't like he didn't enjoy being with her when she wasn't in a bad mood with him. He had always liked her, and he loved feeling needed. Was there even an alternative? His thoughts were distracted by the doorbell and it had barely finished its ring before he was out of his seat, desperate for any change of scenery.

"If that's her I'm actually going to change our address." Stef glared at his disappearing figure as Lena gently swatted her arm.

As he got closer to the door, Jesus' thoughts wandered into similar territory. She wouldn't actually be hunting him down, would she? That would be too far even for her - he had been clear when he told her that... - he froze with confusion as he took in who was standing there.

"Jesus..." Emma greeted him awkwardly as there was a flurry from the stairs behind him.

"It's for me!" Mariana's voice accompanied the pattering of feet. "Hey Emma!" She smiled as Jesus turned to her, confused. "You invited Emma round?" He blurted out as Mariana shrugged innocently.

"It's not like you guys don't see each other all the time at practice. We have coding to do."

"Hi Emma..." Lena had now appeared looking curiously from the edge of the kitchen. Stef's eyes glistened just behind, quietly indulging the scene as if she were watching a guilty pleasure on television.

"You guys don't mind if Emma and me work on some STEM stuff do you?" Mariana asked as Emma looked between them all, embarrassed at how high profile her entrance had become.

"Of course not. You can come round any time, love." Stef added in with a devilish smile as Lena subtly tapped her shin.

"We'll stay out of your way, don't worry." Emma bashfully acknowledged before looking cautiously at Jesus. "Good practice yesterday, huh? You feeling ready for the competition?" She attempted small talk as he tried to get back his words. He did see Emma all the time at school and he had become used to that. Seeing her in his house at this particular time, however, had caught him off guard and suddenly he found his thoughts getting jumbled.

"Jesus." Mariana prompted impatiently, not appreciating how much time his dithering was taking out of her visitor's time.

"Uh yeh. I'm feeling confident." He stuttered out as boldly as he could, shaking his head. "I hear they're pretty fierce though. They may play dirty." He added with a shrug, trying to endorse his illusion of playing it cool. A moment of silence followed before Emma took charge of it.

"So, upstairs, right?" She looked to Mariana who nodded. Gripping her tablet firmly she moved past her only just remembering to cast a thank you to Stef and Lena who acknowledged it and gravitated back towards the kitchen.

Jesus grabbed Mariana's arm as she moved to follow. Checking Emma had gone, he scowled at her as she yanked her arm back.

"Why wouldn't you tell me she was coming? That's my ex-girlfriend."

"Thanks Jesus, I think I knew that." She scoffed back. "What's the big deal - you see each other all the time and broke up ages ago."

"Hayley's already mad at me - not helped by you quitting the team. What about boundaries?"

"It's not like you ever respected our boundaries when it came to getting with my friends." Mariana put her palm out to deflect blame. "If you have problems with Hayley then that's not my problem. Maybe you should have stayed with Emma in the first place." She added smugly, her eyes bulging, before casting up the stairs, unforgiving.

Jesus sighed, kicking his heel against the bottom step and leaning against the banister. He thought back to his internal questioning and the sudden contrast he had been presented with. There was definitely this alternative. Not every woman in his life was like Hayley or Ana. He had many independent women in his life, as good as he was at being there fore the vulnerable ones. Emma and Hayley couldn't have been more different. That hadn't come without its difficulties but there were certainly many times when they seemed worth it as a comparison. He found himself wondering what Emma would have said had he broken the news to her about Ana. She probably would have known what to do - she probably would have told him what to do. Would he have preferred that? He hadn't ever been entirely comfortable with that role either, but was it better than being berated for letting his attention wander to his own problems? He certainly had always felt Emma's support.

"The sooner you get this done the sooner you have your afternoon back, Jesus." Lena's voice interrupted him from the kitchen. He pushed himself off the banister and fluffed his hair. That ship had sailed either way. He had sealed that off when that pen scratched through his skin. Even if he did ever want to go back to Emma, she would never take him with that. Who would?

"You coming back through?" Stef appeared, suddenly softening when she saw his busy mind processing through whatever was the cause of his concern.

"Come on, love. Zip through it and you and Hayley can get back to doing whatever it is you guys were wanting to do." She threw him a bone of consolation, as much as the words tasted like vinegar. He nodded as she stroked a hand through his hair as he passed.

"What is going on in that head of yours." She whispered to herself as he moved off into the kitchen. She was sure it would come out soon enough, but it didn't stop her wanting to fix it now.

Jesus pulled himself out of his liplock, spotting the clock behind Hayley's head. "I better get going, Coach likes us to warm up before he gets there."

"Can't even spare five more minutes? I'm already losing you all night to that competition." She pouted with a flirtatious glint in her eye.

"You know what competition days are like." he replied softly, kissing her again.

"I do. Not that you made it to mine..." she drew a circle round his chest. It had been delivered in a playful tone but it didn't stop Jesus from feeling a pang of annoyance.

"I explained that." He replied, his voice edging on frustrated but trying to keep it cool.

"You know I'm only teasing you." Hayley replied with a hint of a scold. "I'll be there shouting for you all the way." She smoothed her hands out over his chest noticing his eyes had begun to wander to a group of his teammates coming down the hall, Emma prominently at the front trying to avert eye contact. "Besides -" Hayley commanded back his attention. "I know you'll be there for me at state and at all the future ones. You have our whole lives to make it up to me." She beamed innocently, tracing over his tattoo with her finger, pulling the edge of his singlet back.

"Careful!" He replied, snapping his body away as she looked at him offended.

"Are you embarrassed about it?" She asked, her eyebrows crinkling up to frame her concerned eyes.

"It's not that..." Jesus took her hands, trying to cover. "I just like to have something that is just ours, you know?"

"Mmhmm." She mumbled, unconvinced. "Well I guess you better follow your team." Red flags flying in his brain he leaned in to kiss her again, feeling her slowly relinquish her disapproval.

"I'll see you after the match." He assured her as he pulled himself away, caressing her cheek as he left. Turning away he took a deep breath, his eyes closed. He hadn't felt his heart pump that much since Mariana had discovered the tattoo - now he was even more ashamed of it every time he tried to picture their future. Could he even picture a future with her? He made his way into the hall and put down his bag, beginning his stretches. His mind was abuzz with everything once again, he knew he had to find his focus before tonight but all he could think of was an endless parade of memories. All the times he had to step up and look after Mariana or Ana. He did that because he loved them, in one way or another. He had to put up with their transgressions, even Ana. Her crying still cut him deep inside. How would he feel about her new child? Would that be yet another person in his life he would end up having to protect? What if Ana couldn't keep up her sobriety? He was bound to feel a connection to his half sibling. A duty to them, or at the very least a sympathy if he saw his own childhood be reflected in that child's eyes. Realising his hands were shaking a little he gave his cheek a gentle slap and reached for his water bottle, losing his grip on it as it rolled across the floor.

"Come on, man." he whispered to himself, banging his fists down on his thigh and closing his eyes giving himself an internal pep talk.

"Here." His water bottle was the next thing he saw with a familiar voice accompanying it.

"It sort of hit me on the foot." Emma informed him, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm sorry..." He instinctively replied, shaking his mind clean.

"You seem nervous. Don't worry, you can take them."

Jesus squinted for a moment, not even registering what Emma was talking about. Maybe the competition nerves were seeping in causing his mind to go into overdrive. Maybe this was a form of avoiding those, but then again he honestly couldn't even spare a thought for that.

He scratched the bridge of his nose and took his bottle, licking his lips into a pathetic smile.

"I'm sorry if I was rude the other day." He mumbled, feeling a strange comfort at being with someone who had once been such a soothing companion. She still was in many ways and he felt a strange calmness as he locked eyes with her gentle features.

"You weren't - and I'm sorry for showing up. I thought Mariana would have told you...or that you wouldn't mind."

"It's really OK, it's not like we broke up yesterday. I just had a lot going on and -" he paused, blinking in annoyance with himself. It was too easy to slip into familiarity with Emma. They had always had such a natural ease around each other.

"Is everything alright with you, you seem a little upset?" She asked before noting his discomfort. "Sorry. It's none of my business." She stepped off, raising her palms. "Let's just focus on the match, huh? I think you've got the bulldog. He is super strong and can be vicious but he doesn't have much skill."

"Thanks." He replied earnestly. He wasn't sure if he was thanking her for the tip or thanking her for seeming genuinely concerned. Despite his resistance he felt an urge to tell her. Right from the first few times they spoke he had found her so easy to confide in - first about his ADHD medication and then about his situation with Lexi.

"Well - good luck." She nodded, sensing that the silence was lingering too long and stepping back. He regretted it almost instantly but he found the words tripping out before he could stop them.

"Ana's getting sober. I snuck out to one of her AA meetings." he stopped short of mentioning the baby but he could still feel his stomach churning. Why would he be telling this to his ex-girlfriend?

Emma froze, feeling about as sick as Jesus was. They had been able to be alongside each other but they hadn't properly spoken since their fight about Hayley and the last thing she expected was this. Beyond that however she could see the desperation in his eyes. This was something that he had been harbouring and knowing his stubbornness he had probably been determined to handle it alone.

"That sounds like good news, isn't it?" She queried tentatively, able to tell in his posture that he didn't seem to think so. He darted his tongue along his lip, dicing with whether to continue. If he responded this would be a dialogue. Did he want to get into that? Especially right now. Then again, he couldn't help but feel the pressure was slowly easing, something he had only briefly felt when he confided in Brandon. He wasn't sure how much longer he could sit on all this without cracking. It wouldn't do any harm to take advantage of a friendly ear.

"It is, I suppose. I don't know - I just...she said certain things. Big things...stuff I shouldn't know. That I'm not sure I wanted to know."

"You don't have to tell me." Emma assured him as he nodded in appreciation. "But if it's upsetting you, you do need to tell someone."

"Moms will be so mad I went..." He offered up, his eyes blinking with nerves. Emma took it in with a sympathetic smile.

"Jesus, if it's affecting you this much I think you need to tell them. I'm sure they'll understand. Your moms are super cool." She saw his shoulders dip, showing a mild relief. "I mean come on, it can't be worse than telling your ex-girlfriend." She joked, hoping it might spark a smile. It did, even if it was just the corner of his mouth. The moment was interrupted with their coach's arrival calling them in and barking out various instructions about the bus being ready in a half hour.

"Thanks." Jesus managed to squeeze in before they got into warm up mode. Emma nodded in acknowledgement and the two of them separated. He couldn't ignore the warm feeling he had. Maybe even if things had passed with Emma he could still have her there as a friend somehow, or at least this must be a sign that they could still do more than co-exist. Maybe he could do with a friend who understood him. Hayley wouldn't like it though, but those complications could wait. He took the new buzz of noise around him and the lighter feeling of his shoulders to find his focus. Now he really did have to get his head in the game.

"This team are aggressive! I don't like it." Lena winced as yet another bout of yells broke out after an unpopular decision.

"Do you ever like it?" Stef teased with a nudge. "They do seem to be taking chunks out of them though. Some of their moves really are cutting it close with the rules."

"As if you can tell what's allowed and what isn't." Mariana smirked as Stef knocked her knee with hers along with a scolding look.

"I understand the rules. I'm an officer of the law." She protested.

"Oh yeah? Do you have to learn the rules of the sport before you're allowed to wrestle someone down?" Brandon scoffed as she threw him a look to match the one Mariana had received.

"Come on guys, lay off. You know that's not what she meant." Callie defended her foster mom.

"Thank you, love. At least one of you appreciates me."

"You meant you arrest the competitors who break the rules during the matches, right?" Callie added with a glint as Stef flicked her arm as retribution and the rest giggled.

"Look, it's Jesus' turn!" Jude pointed, bounding up and down as the Adams Foster party began to shout and cheer.

Jesus took a deep breath trying to find his centre as his vicious looking competitor began to grunt and hiss at him. As much as he had struggled to maintain focus before, his mind certainly wasn't wavering now. This guy looked terrifying, much bigger than their weight class would suggest and with a mean spark in his eye. Within seconds of the whistle he already found him overpowering him. He fought back, just making an escape and felt a tug and a scratch as he shouted out. The jeers made it clear that whatever his opponent had just done wasn't sportsmanlike.

"Come on boys, play nice." The referee warned as the hard faced brute gave Jesus a haunting smile that made him shiver. He had to step up, this guy wasn't playing clean.

With a yelp throwing in all of his strength he used the din of the crowd to find his adrenaline for the next few points but it was taking all he had in him as they grappled and fell, switching between deadlock and swift, rolling scrambles. His lead was gained and lost before hopping up again and his moms and siblings winced with every smackdown.

As Jesus rose from another pummel, the room spinning slightly, he steadied himself and took a look at the scoreboard. His competitor's eyes got more full of fire as they took back his focus, both of them knowing that the next round would be the decider.

Jesus felt his heart pounding as the two boys bobbed across from each other. He could feel the sweat pulsing down his brow and almost hear the movement of his opponent's chest. As they flew towards each other it the rest seemed like a blur as his body swayed from feeling completely helpless to a sudden throb of power. He could feel the other student going down but he wasn't going without a fight. As he held him he could feel the air building up in the chest he was hovering above and in a momentary shift of balance he felt their bodies roll again, vibrating in a throng of panting. Unsure entirely of what it was at first there was yell from the ref and the next thing Jesus knew he heard fabric tear and felt a sudden loosening of his singlet around his shoulder. Hearing the whistle he pulled himself away and wiped his face, unable to see through the sweat of his eyes what exactly was going on between the ref and the two coaches. As his brain caught up, he realised a fold of his singlet was hanging down the right side of his body where his opponent has torn clean through in his overly aggressive move.

Before clocking the details of what would happen next, something else caught his eye. Emma's face at the sideline looking utterly bemused with a hint of hurt in her eyes. There was a ringing in his ears accompanied by the buzz all around him, mixed with boos and shouts. He just about caught Hayley in the stands looking at him with a wash of excitement in her face and chewing on her thumbnail. Feeling a pain from his exhaustion he bent down, his hands resting on his knees as he blinked through a series of short gasps before his breathing regulated. As his eyes got focussed he realised just exactly where his uniform had torn. It now acted as a perfect frame for Hayley's name, etched as prominently as ever across his muscles. His heart now pulsed for a different reason. He looked back to Emma, suddenly understanding her expression a lot more.

The final cogs of realisation clicked into place, and before he could stop himself he found his moms' furious eyeline knowing exactly what their gaping mouths were fixated on. The nervous looks of his siblings were enough to confirm that it wasn't the result of the match that had angered them but what had been revealed during it.

Uh-oh. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts/predictions! Chapter 2 coming tomorrow :)