"Why did you do that, Jay!?"

Jay chased Manny through their apartment into their kitchen, "Because you deserve it!"

"I told you I can't do it!" she huffed sadly, "I can't get up infront of people like that and just sing my songs-"

"We'll practice, baby!" he cupped her face and noticed how panicked her face looked. "You can do it, Dimples. Stop saying you can't."

She smiled to her old nickname. She frowned though and closed her eyes, "Jay, it's so sweet of you but.."

"You're meant be heard, Manny." Jay said sternly. She looked up at him with big eyes. He smirked, "And seen.." his hands moved to unbutton her shirt.

She smiled, rolling her eyes, but let him drop her shirt to the ground and she yelped as he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to the kitchen counter. She giggled, wrapping her arms around him.

(((**))

"Wow, Manny! This is great!"

"It's horrific, Emma." Manny corrected. They were at her apartment instead tonight since Jay was out with the guys. "He's so amazing, and I want to- but the thought of me on stage, singing for a crowd, makes me want to.."

Emma cringed, "Puke?"

"Exactly."

"He's right though! Just practice."

"Em," Manny gave her a dull look, "That won't help my stage fright."

"Ok. What about… singing for a few friends? We can set something up on the roof! Have a little party!"

Manny looked down sadly and she was quiet for a minute. It began to worry Emma. Manny whispered, "I don't think I can do it, Em. I need to tell Jay it won't work."

"Isn't Club Notes a big move for musicians?" Emma asked Manny, "Don't you think he did something big to get you in there?"

Manny shrugged, she had no idea. She had never looked into it. "He said Sean helped him? He had some kind of friend in the business." Jay left out the part where he lost $300 and Sean was forced on a date- but he wanted to keep that from Manny purposely.

Emma softened. Sean helped to get Manny a gig? "Wow…" she drifted, smiling a little. She then caught herself and looked at Manny, hoping she didn't notice. Thankfully, Manny was struggling with her own stuff.

((**))

"Night Emma," Ray-ray waved at her when she walked out of the bar after her shift the next day.

Emma politely smiled back and hugged her arms around herself. She wore skinny blue jeans and a black lace halter top. Her heels were killing her! She always hated walking home late at night but the streets went dead after 3am.

She went to the Diner as usual. When she walked in, she slowly stopped walking as she noticed Sean sitting in a booth in the corner. He was reading a car magazine (of course), and a coffee sat next to it.

Shocked to see Sean again but at 3am this time, she decided to go over and talk to him. I mean, he did help Manny and for some reason, that made her hate him a little less.

"It's late." Sean softened when he heard her voice and glanced up from the booth he sat in. He wore his old grey hoody that Emma remembered he use to wear all the time. It looked worn out, but so did Sean. Her shoulders fell, noticing how tired and pale he looked tonight.

"Yea." His eyes gazed over her outfit. She looked great for being so late. Why was she dressed up? Had she been out?

Emma paused before taking a big step and sitting down with him. "Why aren't you home? Sleeping?"

He looked back down at his magazine, turning a page so he can scan over what was next. "Could say the same for you."

She frowned. "I'm not the one with circles under his eyes.."

"What do you care?" he muttered. Emma felt stung, but said nothing. He was right, she wasn't supposed to care but damn it, how could she not? He then glanced up to sneak a glance at her. "I don't sleep. Not much anyway…"

Emma watched him shrug it off like that wasn't a big deal. "Sleep is important." It caused better mood behaviors and better work management- less anxiety, Emma could name it off if he needed her to!

Sean laughed a bit, turning another page. Emma wanted to rip that magazine apart right now. "Well, my PTSD doesn't allow it."

Emma shook her head unbelievably at him. Why was he joking about all this?! Not taking it seriously!? He needed to take better care of himself! Yea sure, Manny, and all the girls said he was gorgeous and his arms looked like steel- but that was meaningless to her if he wasn't the Sean she knew deep down. The Sean who cared, who was loyal to his friends, who was nothing but gentle to her. A bunch of girls would be shocked to find out Sean was smart too. More than he let on.

Sean finally locked eyes with her, and he saw the panic in her eyes. He had an idea of what she was freaking out about and he winced slightly. "Em," his voice softened, "It's fine. Nothing I didn't expect to happen."

He kept staring at her, and wondered if this look on her face meant she still cared. How could she not? That's what he asked himself every night. How could she ignore the best relationship he ever had with anyone? How could she ignore the pull they had on another? It was almost getting physically painful not to be able to touch her, and have her.

"Right." Emma said and snapped out of it. She snickered with a dark look back in her eyes. "PTSD. 70% chance of getting injured or having permanent war wounds. Oh, and possibly a chance of dying- but that still didn't stop you from going."

Sean furrowed his eyebrows. "Emma, I saved people. I fought for us. I fought for this country-"

She cut him off angrily, "Fighting for us, and fighting for the country are two different things. If you fought for us, you wouldn't of left."

Sean's mouth hung open. They are finally talking about this and ofcourse it wasn't on his good time. He had to be restless and losing 20 hours of sleep now.

"Emma not everything can be fucking peace and rainbows. Some people are damn proud of me!" he nearly hissed, "Would have been nice if you were too."

Emma rolled her eyes, "I've been proud of you for other things, this just can't be one of them. You've known me for forever, Sean. You know I don't support that. Wars only begin by people who start them- you can engage and fight with- or fight against it. Did you really think I'd support you?"

He swallowed, shutting up but he clenched his fists on the table. Emma noticed it, and raised an eyebrow at him. He pierced his lips together and looked away from her. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.

"We'll never agree on this."

Emma shook her head, "Probably not."

His eyes saddened and Emma watched him wearily as he leaned forward on the table again. His eyes stared back at hers. She noticed how much sincerity stared back at her.

"But I'm here. And I'm not going back." He promised.

Emma looked quickly away from him so he didn't spot the tears coming to her eyes. He tilted his head and did though, and his breath caught in his throat. "Too late, Sean."

He looked hurt when she looked back. He shook his head no. It couldn't be too late. Not if she got as emotional as he did about the subject. That had to mean something.

She then wondered if he maybe wanted another chance. Why else would he tell her he wasn't going back? She eyed him and asked, "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to take me back." His honesty threw her off. He snickered out loud, "If hell froze over, I'd want you to say you were sorry for what happened to push us apart-"

"You pushed us apart!" Emma yelled, "Don't you get that?!" He was shocked. He looked around the Diner and noticed another couple by the window glance over.

"You wanted to go to the army and just leave me behind, expect me to wait for you- for how long!? It's been years! You wanted me to do that? How long did you want me to suffer and wonder if you were okay? Yet still after breaking up with you, I had to still suffer and wonder if you were okay."

Sean felt the hardening of a lump in his throat. It was his fault. But the army was the reason he could support himself now, and he learned a lot of great things while over seas. If she could just understand- but Emma wasn't in the mood to understand right now.

"You jackass," she said, getting up. She stood up but turned back towards him. "I cried my eyes out for weeks after you left. I had guys in school that had never come up to me asking me on dates cause I wasn't 'yours' anymore, and you weren't around to tell them to fuck off!"

Sean looked down at the table and fought the inner urge to rip it across the room. She was right. He just..left her. He knew it was going to be hard, but didn't think about just how hard it would be for Emma too. All he thought was she just had to wait- but it was much more than that.

Emma brushed a tear that fell down her cheek and took a deep breath, "I felt empty. A-and Lonely. That's when I really knew you were gone.. and that you didn't care- not really. Not enough."

The conversation faded into uneasy silence. He cursed himself for being so insensitive and blind. He thought about the choices they had both made, and wondered if things could have been different.

"I'm sorry," he said softly but looked up with a worried look as Emma had just turned and walked away. "Emma!"

He chased her out. He grabbed her when she exited back onto the street but he pulled her back into an alley way to be alone. Emma gasped, being pushed up against the brick wall and then saw the look in his eyes as he gazed down at her and brushed his thumb against her wet cheek.

"You know I fucking hate it when you cry, Em."

She bit her lip, and he then grabbed her soft blonde hair and she whimpered, closing her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her hard. And she kissed back. His mouth moved with hers, so full of passion and fire. The burn for another wasn't holding back. His body missed hers so badly it trapped her up against the wall more as he pressed against her and she moved her hips into his back, moaning softly when she did. Her fingers clenched around his arms and they broke off the kiss so they could breath.

Sean continued caressing her hair and they kept their eyes closed, still just taking in the moment of being able to touch another again.

Suddenly, a firetruck went down the street, the loud siren tore them apart. Emma's mouth hung, glancing around and back at Sean who gazed back out the alley and then turned back to her. The sun was up again. How long had they been making out for?!

"I-I got to go." Emma cringed and walked around him, quickly. Sean went to go stop her but he stopped in his tracks, also stunned.

Jesus that kiss was incredible.