Disclaimer: I own nothing Degrassi, especially the JT storyline...

Jay stood at the bottom of the wooden stairs, gritting his teeth. She had this way of getting under his skin to the point that he wanted to hit her, and then in another breath, she could bring him to his knees with simple, honest words. It only took him a few seconds to realize that his knees would be pretty sore if he didn't get up those stairs and make things right with Emma.

He climbed the stairs two at a time, bumping into Liberty just outside of the basement door.

"Sorry," he mumbled, taking Liberty by the shoulders to steady her. "Have you seen Emma?"

Liberty was much too worried to even notice Jay's dishevelled appearance. She looked up at Jay, her eyes wide and panic stricken. "I need you to go find JT."

Jay shook his head. "Sorry, Libs, but I gotta find Emma."

Liberty grabbed onto Jay, her desperation evident in her actions. "He was arguing with that Johnny guy. The one from Lakehurst. He said something to Toby and JT tried to step in. But my man's a lover, not a fighter. I'm just worried since he went to his car to get a CD so long ago. Please? Can you go find him and make sure he's okay?

Jay sighed. "Fine. But if you see Emma, tell her that I'll be right back and not to leave, okay?"

Jay left the house, assured that Liberty would make sure Emma stayed put so he could work things out with her. She was all he thought about as he searched the street, trying to see if JT and his big mouth had gotten him into some trouble that he couldn't get himself out of. But there was no sign of him anywhere.

Just as Jay was about to enter the house from the rear, he spotted JT's car in the lane behind Emma's. He peered around a tree in the backyard, squinting his eyes against the dark. It was then that he heard a moan.

Jay suddenly got the feeling that something wasn't right, as he slowly walked toward JT's car. He swallowed his panic, seeing JT leaning against the driver's side of the car.

"JT? You okay? A bit too much to drink?" Jay asked, bending to one knee in front of JT.

It was then that Jay knew just how serious the situation really was. JT had blood on his shirt and was struggling to breath.

"Where are you bleeding, man?" Jay asked, frantically flipping his cell phone open and dialling 911. JT was not responding. The 911 operator came on the line. "I need an ambulance..."

Two hours later, Jay sat on Emma's couch, the house now empty and silent except for the ticking of an annoying clock on the living room wall. With each tick, Jay worried that this night was going to get a whole lot worse if Emma didn't show up soon. He wanted to hop into his car, to go look for her, but then realized that he had to be here...to give Emma the news.

Jay rubbed his eyes and sighed. He heard the front door squeak open and flew to the entry, eyes large.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked dryly.

It was then that they both noticed just how awful the other looked. Emma's eyes were red and puffy, evidence of the crying she had done while away. Her shoulders were slumped with defeat and if Jay's thoughts weren't preoccupied with other, more serious matters, he would have been concerned.

Emma's eyes flew to Jay's shirt, smeared with something red. "Is that blood?"

"Come into the living room," he ordered. He saw Emma hesitate and raise an eyebrow. His voice softened as he asked, "Please?"

Emma sighed with fatigue, but she followed Jay into her cluttered living room, dreading tomorrow's cleanup. Jay sat down on the couch, beckoning for her to join him. She sat, but on the opposite side, wanting to avoid another situation like they had found themselves in earlier this evening.

Jay leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees, rubbing his hands together. "There's something I need to tell you, Emma."

"I probably don't want to hear it," she replied.

"I'm sure you don't."

Emma raised her eyes, looking at Jay. He looked like he'd been crying. Was that even possible? "Why is there blood on your shirt? Were you in a fight?"

Jay shook his head, finally meeting her eyes. "JT was."

Emma's eyes widened. "Is he okay?"

Jay sniffed and Emma could have sworn she saw his eyes mist over. Panic set in as Jay came closer to her, but still said nothing.

"Jay?" she pushed. "Is JT okay?"

Jay shook his head slowly, reaching out and taking Emma into his arms. "He was stabbed, Emma."

Emma freed herself from Jay's embrace, getting to her feet. "He's in the hospital? I want to go see him."

Jay stood up, slowly straightening his body until it reached its full height. "He's not in the hospital, Em. I don't know how to say this..."

Tears gathered in Emma's eyes as she saw Jay's sad face and his own tears seeping from his eyes. "No," she whispered. "Don't you tell me that he's..."

Her voice trailed off, unable to even utter the words. Jay knew that her legs were about to give out on her. He caught her before she hit the ground, gathering her delicate frame in his muscular arms, bringing both of them to the floor, where they clung to each other, sobbing through their misery.

Jay had no idea how long they stayed like that, tangled up on Emma's dirty living room floor, weeping for their friend. All he knew was that he hadn't felt this helpless since he'd lost his grandmother. It was hard to believe that only moments before he had held JT's body as it slipped away. JT. Jay had ridden him pretty hard in the beginning. Then he'd nearly gotten him killed with the whole drug thing. But this year he'd actually started to like the kid, having shared many laughs with him. JT was in fact a lot like Jay; both were natural jokers, never wanting to face stark reality, instead covering it over with their own unique brands of humour.

"Liberty!" Emma suddenly exclaimed.

Jay pulled away slightly. "She went to the hospital with Toby and Manny. They're all together."

Emma put her hand on Jay's chest, gingerly touching the blood. "How? Why?"

"I found him," Jay said quietly.

Emma's face distorted into one of pain. "Are you...are you...okay?"

Jay swiped the back of his hand across his eyes, muttering, "Not even close. You?"

"JT and I have been friends since elementary school. He was the first boy I ever kissed," she smiled, remembering the day it had happened.

"You kissed JT?" Jay questioned, not a hint of humour in his voice.

Emma nodded her head, blond hair bouncing. "We were in the fifth grade. Manny, Toby, JT and I were watching movies at Toby's place. Someone brought up the subject of kissing. No one had ever done it, so we drew names to see who had to kiss who. JT pulled my name. I can't believe he's...he's gone."

"Last week, JT and I skipped History class and actually went to the Dot for cheeseburgers and milkshakes. It was cool, hanging out with him. We talked about stuff and joked and whatever. I don't exactly do well with friends. But JT...I guess you could say that he and I were..."

Emma saw how much Jay was struggling to get his words out. "Friends? I think JT thought that way too."

"I don't care how long it takes. I'll find the dude who did this and annihilate him," Jay vowed.

"Don't say that. We have enough to go through dealing with losing JT. We don't need to lose you too."

Jay stared at her, too immersed in his grief to let it register that Emma did care enough about him not to want him dead or in jail.

The front door squeaked and their eyes flew to the entry. Manny stood there, tears streaming down her face. When she saw Emma, she flew into her arms, causing Emma to begin her crying spree anew.

Jay stayed long enough to make sure the two girls were not only okay, but also safe. When the dawn was upon them, and both girls had finally decided to try for some rest, Jay quietly went about the house with a black garbage bag, throwing away plastic drink cups. He moved furniture back into place and straightened picture frames before leaving the house.

Tidying up Emma's house still didn't make him feel any better. Without even realizing just how he'd gotten there, Jay was at his apartment building. This night had started out filled with so much potential, but had ended wrought with nothing but pain. No matter how long it would take, or how hard it would be, Jay had to find a way to be with Emma. JT would have wanted him to take care of the first girl he'd ever kissed.

Please R&R!