a/n: well look at this. I'm writing more because people said I should. This story is being Beta'd by the amazing and lovely: FashionableRaid. I LOVE HER. You should read her stories because they're AMAZING. Here we go! Read, Review & Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters… Blah blah blah. :)
"I'm coming over," JJ said firmly into the phone, after letting Emily cry for a good ten minutes.
"No, JJ, you don't have to-" said Emily, wiping her eyes.
"No, it's fine, I am. Will just texted me and said he found Declan, wandering around on the next street. He's fine. He caught him just before it started to rain. They're on the way back here," JJ began.
"Oh thank god. I'll be over in a few minutes to grab him. Tell Will I said thank you," Emily said quickly, letting out the breath she had been holding.
"How about I let him stay here for a little bit? He can play football or something with Will and Henry…it'll give him time to cool off," JJ suggested.
"Oh, Jay, you don't have to-" Emily began, but JJ cut her off.
"Stop it, Em, its fine. If Declan wants to stay, he can stay. Will can get them pizza or something, and he can stay until he's ready to come home," JJ said gently.
"I don't know what I would do without you," Emily murmured into the phone, wiping her eyes. She stood slowly.
"I'll be over in a couple minutes with peanut m&ms, red wine and parenting advice," JJ said.
"God, you're the best," Emily said with a small smile.
"And don't you ever forget it," JJ teased.
"Bye, Jayje," Emily said.
"See you in a few," JJ said, and she hung up.
"Oh my god, what am I gonna do," Emily groaned. She walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of Advil from the top of the microwave. She popped two pills in her mouth and swallowed. Then she went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
.oOo.
"Declan," Will said quietly, turning to the boy seated next to him on the passenger's side.
"Hmm?" Declan asked, looking straight forward, not daring to look Will in the eyes.
"Why'd you storm off again?" Will asked. "You know it worries Emily."
"I know. She says it does," He said, avoiding the first question. "Are you taking me back to her?"
"Not if you don't want to. You can stay at my house for a little while. You can hang out with me and Henry. We'll have a guy's night," Will said.
"Ok," Declan said with a shrug.
"So, why do you want her to worry?" Will questioned again.
"She says she worries, but I don't think she really cares. Why did she send you to find me? Why didn't she come out to find me?" Declan asked fiercely.
"Declan, she cares about you, more than you will ever know," Will told him, as they pulled into Will's driveway.
"That's a load of crap," Declan said, climbing out of the car.
"I don't know why you think that, but it's not crap. It's completely true," Will said, following him inside. He unlocked the door. JJ was putting a bottle of red wine into a bag.
"Hi Declan," JJ murmured softly.
"Hi," he mumbled.
"I'm going to see Emily. Do you want to come home or do you want to stay here for a while?" JJ asked.
"I'll stay," Declan grumbled.
"Ok," JJ agreed. "Can I talk to you for a minute, though, before I go?" JJ requested.
"You mean you're gonna talk, and I'm going to listen?" Declan asked, rolling his eyes.
"Kind of, yeah…" JJ said with a smirk. "Have a seat," JJ said, pointing to a bar stool. Will took this as his cue to go find Henry. He left the two alone in the kitchen.
"Emily loves you. Everything she did was to protect you," JJ said firmly.
"I don't think so, but whatever…" Declan said with a shrug.
"You wouldn't know," JJ said, shaking her head. "Every time she's tried to get close to you, you've run, or you've shut her out… you've ignored her. She's trying, but you need to make an effort too, Declan." With that, JJ got up. "I'll see you later, bud..." she said, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly, as she left.
"Bye, Will," She called.
"Bye, Cher," he said, carrying Henry into the room. JJ kissed Henry, then Will, and waved goodbye.
.oOo.
Emily climbed out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and started towards her room to change.
"Em, I'm in the kitchen!" JJ called.
"That was fast," Emily laughed.
"I try," JJ teased. She poured two glasses of wine, and poured the m&ms into a bowl. She brought them into the living room, and then popped in a DVD of Grey's Anatomy. They loved drooling over Patrick Dempsey together.
"Hey," Emily said, walking into the living room.
"Hi, hon," JJ said with a soft smile. She pulled Emily for a gentle hug.
"How is he?" Emily asked, as she let go of JJ.
"He's… stubborn and frustrated," JJ said. "Typical Declan," she added with a laugh.
"God, I don't know how to do this, Jayje. I don't know how to be a parent. There's a reason I haven't had any kids yet!" Emily said, with a groan.
"Yeah, but that would be because you don't have enough sex," JJ said, taking a sip of her wine.
"Ugh, Jesus, Jen, that's the last thing I need to think about right now," Emily said rolling her eyes.
"Sex?" JJ asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, my lack of it," Emily said, sighing. "I just need to work things out with Declan before I can start dating, let alone be having sex."
"You just have to work out the kinks in your parenting methods. Believe me, it's taken Will and me, gee… probably Henry's whole life to work out most of the kinks and we still haven't gotten them all," JJ said.
"Yeah but I don't even have a method because he doesn't want me to be his parent," Emily said. She sighed, and began chugging her wine.
"Easy, there cowgirl. We'll run out, and you'll throw up if you don't slow it down," JJ said, easing the glass away from Emily's mouth.
"What am I supposed to do, Jayje? Give him up for adoption? Have him live with foster parents? Put him in that fucked up system?" Emily said, pinching the bridge of her nose at the thought.
"See, that's what Declan needs to realize. He's only twelve, so he doesn't see it, but you take care of stuff like that. It's the little things that he wouldn't understand, that show you care. I talked to him before I left," JJ said.
"And what did you tell him?" Emily asked, putting her wine on the table. JJ put hers down to.
"That you were trying. And the only way this was going to work was if he tried too," JJ said softly.
Emily couldn't help but laugh, "And what did he say to that?" she asked incredulously.
"He just rolled his eyes," JJ said sighing, laughing as well.
"I guess I just have to try harder," Emily said with a shrug. She snuggled up into JJ's arms as they got comfy on the couch.
"Let's watch some McDreamy," Emily said with a grin.
"Sounds good," JJ agreed, and flipped on the TV. Emily was determined to fix things with Declan… she just had to figure out how.