-1Sorry for the whole Chicago/Cleveland thing, guys! So many people called me out on that mistake! So I'm going to preface this chapter with the fact that I've never been anywhere and I have no idea if there's actually access to the Great Lakes. In this story, you can totally sneak into the water after dark. Also, for the sake of the story, Craig did get Manny pregnant when they went out (which was a long time ago) and she did have an abortion, hence the scar. That's all, enjoy!

The Naked Truth

Lake Ontario, New York

"You have to do it," Jay said matter-of-factly, his grin even more smug than usual. "It's a dare."

"Wrong." Manny glared at him, her own lips twisted into a scowl. "I can choose to pass and be given a Truth question that I have to answer or you win."

"Okay, then, Miss By-the-Rules," he replied, secure in the knowledge that he would be winning either way. There was a reason that he'd agreed to Paige's suggestion of Truth or Dare in the first place, and it wasn't because he longed for more quality bonding time with the group. "What's it gonna be? Truth or dare?"

Manny hesitated, weighing the odds of Jay being a decent person and asking her a relatively easy question against everything she had learned about his personality in recent weeks. There was no way he wouldn't go for the jugular if she chose Truth.

"Ow-ow!" Paige whooped the minute Manny stood up from the blanket they'd spread over the ground. "'Atta girl, Manny!"

She stripped down to her bathing suit, the moonlight washing her skin in a soft glow of light, then paused to give Jay one more killing glare. "Close your eyes."

"Not fair," he protested, although Sean and Craig had already turned their backs respectfully.

"You should've been more specific." Manny shrugged. "You only said I had to skinny-dip, you never said I had to do it with you watching. Your loss."

Jay threw his hands up in exasperation, but grudgingly turned around. He wasn't going to ogle her if she didn't want to be ogled - he wasn't a cretin, for God's sake - but he was most definitely disappointed that she'd found a loophole. Two minutes later, they all heard the tell-tale splash and a soft squeal as the water engulfed her.

"Guys, get in here!" Manny called out another minute, laughter bubbling up over her splashing. "The water's great!"

Jay toed off his shoes with such speed that the others could only stare. "What?" he defended himself. "She doesn't have to ask me twice."

Emma and Paige exchanged glances. "Hey, it'll be something to tell the grandkids," Paige shrugged, peeling off her sweatshirt. Her fingers stalled at the hem of her undershirt. "Boys, no peeking."

Craig pointed at Sean. "That's you, man. I'm the boyfriend. I get to watch."

"Close your eyes," Paige told him, laughing, and, all turning their backs on each other, they stripped down and slipped into the water.

"Oh, my God, it's freezing." Emma's teeth chattered to make her point. "Manny, I thought you said it was nice - Manny?"

She looked around, then saw that her friend had swum a distance away and been joined by none other than Jay. Emma shook her head. As far as she knew, Manny was hurt that Jay hadn't confided in her about his relationship with his stepfather. She hoped her friend knew what she was doing.

XXX

"I knew I'd get you naked by the end of this trip," Jay smirked.

Manny scoffed as she treaded water. "Yeah, you're so smooth. Too bad you had to rely on a game of Truth or Dare to make it happen."

"You know, you've been giving me attitude since Georgia," he observed. They were far enough away from the others that they could talk privately and he was getting pretty sick of her holier-than-thou act. "Is there an actual reason or is it just that time of the month?"

She glared. "You're a jerk, Jay."

"And that's not exactly a newsflash, Manny," he retorted. "It didn't seem to bother you before you saw my scars. What's the matter, you think I'm gonna be a copycat version of the guy who beats me?"

Unexpectedly, her eyes watered up. "Shut up, Jay," she ordered, struggling to get the words past the lump in her throat. "How can you even say something like that?"

"Are you - are you crying?" He sounded incredulous, as if he couldn't fathom why his abusive home life would reduce her to tears. "Manny. Why are you crying?"

Had there been solid ground beneath her feet, she would've turned and walked away from him. Unfortunately, she was in way over her head - literally. Jay had her cornered.

Before she could say anything, he started in again. "You know, if you're feeling sorry for me, it's -"

"Oh, get over yourself!" Manny interrupted. The splashing of their friends in the distance quieted, and she lowered her voice. "Guess what, Jay Hobart? Empathy isn't the same thing as pity, okay?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means -" It meant she wanted to strangle him herself. It meant she cared way more than she should about his open wounds. "It means the only reason I feel sorry for you is because you didn't think you could talk to me about this - about anything. It means I feel even sorrier for myself because I really thought we were closer than that. Okay? You happy now?"

Jay was silent for about a minute, which had to be some kind of record. He wasn't exactly known to think before he spoke. "It's not like ... I didn't keep it a secret because I didn't trust you," he finally said. "I just don't like to talk about it. That's all."

"No, that's not all," she replied hotly. "It's not fair that you come on this trip and everyone else spills their secrets and you just don't have to share yours. And it's not fair that this happened to you, but it's just as unfair for you to deal with it alone. We're all here for you, Jay. We're here for each other. That's what this trip is really about. And if you can't accept that, then, yeah, I really do pity you."

She didn't expect to actually get through to him. In fact, Manny was just about to start swimming for the shore when Jay grabbed her hand and pulled it around his waist. Shocked, she didn't put up a fight as he guided her fingers over the raised scar tissue on his back.

"He uses a belt, sometimes, or hangers." Jay's voice was hoarse, but he kept his eyes on hers. "Once, it was dishes. But mostly it's just fists. And I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know. That's the truth. You're good, and you shouldn't have to hear about this kind of stuff. You're too good."

Manny made a noise that was almost a laugh. Then she shifted so that their palms were touching and squeezed his hand before guiding it to her stomach. Jay's fingers brushed over a long, rough patch of stitched-up skin. "I don't mind your scars, Jay," she told him. "We've all got them."

When he kissed her, he made sure to keep his hand pressed against the mark. It felt perfect.

XXX

"Oh, my God, they're totally making out," Paige whispered excitedly.

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious," Craig shot back, splashing her gently.

"You two sure do know how to ruin a magical moment," Sean remarked, but he was grinning as well.

"Guys." Emma was the only one of them who looked less than pleased. "Can we please, for a minute, process this? Manny and Jay are making out. Is that really such a great idea? I don't want her to get hurt."

She stopped herself before she could say "again", but they all heard it hovering at the end of her sentence. Craig looked down, would have shuffled his feet if he weren't busy treading water.

"Em, she's a big girl." Paige's voice was more gentle than anyone expected. "She can take care of herself."

Emma nodded, but still looked unsure. "I just ... I just want her to be okay. Both of them. All of us, I guess. I just want us all to be okay again."

To his credit, it was Craig that lay a hand on her shoulder. "I think she will be, Em," he assured her. "I think we all will be."

She wanted to say he was right. Looking at him and Paige, and now Jay and Manny, it really did seem that way. But then, always, her gaze shifted to Sean, to the distance they kept between each other now, and she couldn't quite believe it.