Chapter 3- Damn it all to hell

Jay cracked an eye open and looked around. Coffee table with beer bottles. Pictures on the walls. Where the hell was he? He sniffed the air and slowly sat up grabbing his head in the process.

"Oh, you're awake."

Jay turned his head to see Ellie, still in her pajamas, spatula in hand.

"What?"

She sighed. "Next time you lose your job…don't get shit faced Hogart."

He grimaced as last nights events came back to him. "We didn't…you know…."

The red head gave him a dirty look. "No we didn't. Asshole," she muttered as she turned around and stalked back into the kitchen.

"Well why else are you cooking then? You just don't strike me as the Betty Crocker type Nash," he said as he slowly made his way into the room.

"Maybe I like to cook. And besides, since when did you have to know everything about me huh?" she said as she turned towards him heatedly.

His blue eyes widened. "Woah. Nice hostility El. What the fuck?"

"You think you know everything huh? You think you know what best for me? Who's best for me? You don't know shit Jay, alright? You don't know shit!"

Jay just stood there, mouth open, staring at his friend who looked completely pissed off and…on the verge of tears?

"Ook…should I ask what the fuck happened here or no?" he asked as he sat down at the table.

"Oh, nothing. Just…remember that guy that I liked that I was dating like…last night?"

"Manning?"

"Yeah, that'd be him. Well he came over this morning. Hence the cooking. Well then he went into the living room. To see you on the couch. In your fucking boxers!" she yelled throwing a spoon at him.

He dodged it and looked at her. "….I'm…sorry?" he ventured.

She shook her head. "You think you're so fucking awesome don't you? Well you are Jay. You're so fucking awesome that the guy that I liked a whole hell of a lot…said that he was done with me. Because of you!"

Jay got up slowly and walked over to the girl who had her back to him and staring at the stove.

"El…" he said softly as he touched her shoulder.

She jerked it away from him. "Leave."

"Ellie, come on!"

"What didn't you get Jay? Leave!"

He grew silent at that and walked back into the living room to get his things. He paused at the front door and looked into the kitchen to see Ellie, someone he had never seen cry, crying silently on the counter.

He sighed and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Jay, what do you mean you don't have a job?"

He sighed and leaned his head back against the chair he was in. "I lost it."

"Dare I ask how?"

"Michelle."

"So you blame your daughter on you losing your job? Nice."

"Well I'm not used to it! I have to get her up, dressed, fed and shit!"

She gave him a look.

"Sorry. Stuff," he said rolling his eyes.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked as she crossed her arms and sat back in the chair.

He sighed and shrugged. "Find a new one as fast as I can."

"I might be able to help you there," Snake said as he came into the room.

Jay just raised an eyebrow.

"Degrassi needs a janitor."

"What? A janitor, someone who picks up all the other peoples crap? Who gets stepped on all day? Thanks but I'll pass," he snorted.

"Have a better idea?"

He glared at Spike, who met his stare.

"How about this Jay, until you get a job, we'll keep your daughter here. Where we can provide for her," she challenged him.

He inhaled deeply and his generally bright blue eyes grew stormy.

"Thought so. Take the job until you find something else. It won't kill you."

Jay closed his eyes, sighed and then blinked a couple of times rapid fire. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth.

"I'll talk to Daphne tomorrow then," Snake said as he walked back out of the room.

Jay just stared at Spike who was smiling in a 'cat that ate the canary' sort of way.

"This is only temporary!" he said.

"Oh I know. I know," she said with a grin.

"Come on Michelle…please?" Jay hung his head off her crib. It was 3 am and his little girl showed no signs of being sleepy at all. Ever since one she'd been awake and kicking…and kicking and kicking.

"I'll take an hour. That'd be good. Please baby? Daddy's has to go to work tomorrow…in a few hours," he corrected himself.

She just looked up at him and laughed while trying in vain to grab at his hair that was leaning down into the crib. He sighed and picked up his head and turned to leave.

"Fine. Then you party hardy over there…I'll party hardy in my bed. How's that sound?" he asked as he left the room.

Not five seconds later she started to whimper and he poked his head back in.

"Are you kidding me? I can't even leave the room? You were just laughing!" he said sounding on the verge of a meltdown. He walked over to his daughters crib and picked her up gently and she smiled and laughed, appearing cute but Jay wasn't fooled.

"You are such a woman you know that? Bitch and moan until you get what you want…joy," he muttered as he walked downstairs to the recliner. He sat down in it and reclined it, while putting his head back against the seat and laying Michelle on his chest with her pacifier. She eagerly took the pacifier and calmed down, snuggling into Jay's chest.

"I will never understand you. Or your gender," he mumbled as he dropped off to sleep.

"…Hello?" he said groggily into the phone.

"Jay, where are you?"

"Sleeping," he replied and went to hang up the phone.

"You were supposed to be at work a half hour ago!" Spike yelled.

His eyes flew open at that and then he remembered his daughter asleep on his chest.

"Uhh…give me a few. Michelle's sleeping so I have to wake her up…." He groaned.

"What happened?"

"She wouldn't sleep! Apparently one in the morning is code for baby party time! It took me hours to get her back to sleep."

Spike sighed. "Bring her over. Fast," she said as she hung up.

Great. Late on his first day. At Degrassi. Do his nightmares ever end?