"Jay, how are you? Come in, come in," Spike ushers Jay inside the house. Snake appears from the kitchen doorway.
"Jason, what brings you here?" He asks with a curious, yet stern tone in his voice. He is still skeptical about all the time Jay seems to have spent at his house.
"Yes, Jay, what brings you here? We haven't seen you in a couple weeks. You do know that both Lexi and Emma are at work, right?" Spike queries. She looks at him, unlike Snake, with softer eyes. She has grown quite fond of him, and was slightly disappointed since he hadn't been around since he crashed at her house more then two weeks ago.
"Yeah, I know. I wanted to, um, run something by you. Mr. S, you can't flip out." Jay looks at him quickly before he starts talking again. "I know that Emma barely sleeps, and I know that all she cares about is her kid, but she does need a break; she needs a good night's sleep. I know I am the last person you want to see with Emma, but I think if she came over to my place for the weekend that she could get that good night's sleep. Lexi or Manny could come over or something. I don't know, I just think that if Emma got away from here for a day or so that she would feel better. I don't know, it's just a thought." Jay finally stops speaking.
"I don't know." Snake states, after almost two full minutes of silence. Spike looks over at her husband.
"I kind of agree with him Archie." Spike turns her attention to Jay for a minute. "Honestly, I've missed seeing you here. Why haven't you come over since the night you fell asleep on the couch?"
"Um," Jay says nervously, not prepared for this question. "I was just trying to give the girls some space, and I work a lot." His eyes are cast down towards the floor, not wanting to spill the whole truth.
"Jay, I think you are a really good kid." Spike looks at Snake. "Despite you past. If I talk to Emma, and you promise me that nothing, and I mean nothing, will happen to her, then I think it will be good for Emma to get away from the house for the weekend." She turns her attention back to Jay, smiling delicately.
"Whatever you think is best Spike. And I promise, nothing at all will happen to her." Jay tries to keep eye contact with Spike, but Snake was almost throwing daggers with his. "I have to get to work. I'll see you later, thanks for talking with me." Jay gets up and heads out of the house. His first stop: Alex. He gets to her job and searches for her.
"I'm working Jay." Alex states, wiping down the table, shoving the tip money into her apron pocket. She picks up the tray of dishes and starts walking back. Jay tries to keep up with her fast pace.
"I know, I'm just stopping by to say that I just talked to them. I though Mr. S was going to jump out of his chair. Spike agrees though."
"I told you I knew she would. Did you say everything I told you to?" she asks, placing the dirty dishes with all the other ones.
"Yeah, but I don't see what this is going to do." Jay states, raising one eyebrow a little.
"It's going to get Emma away from the house, and don't you want to spend some time with her?" Alex asks, mocking his raising of the eyebrow.
"Well yeah, but she won't do anything." Jay says. Alex starts walking back to the main room. Jay follows suit, having to walk a little faster to catch up with her.
"If that's all you want her for then I wouldn't have given you that stupid spiel for her parents." She snaps at him. She stops walking to turn around and face him.
"That's not what I meant. I wouldn't force her to do anything." Jay says to Alex, hoping she would believe that he didn't mean for it to come out the way it did.
"You better not. She doesn't need to go through it again." Alex half mumbles, pissed that Jay only ever thinks about sex.
"What do you mean 'she doesn't need to go through it again'?" Jay asks. Alex avoids eye contact with him. "You mean-"
"No, that's not what I mean. I swear if her parents say yes to this and you do something to her, I will personally make sure you regret every single movement." Alex turns away from Jay to go back to work.
I walked into my house, Lizzy in hand, and smiling a little. This week I was able to spend a lot more time with Lizzy, and I am extremely happy about that. I sit her in her highchair and look through her food. She is now passed six months old, so I can give her something other then her bottle. She really likes the little Gerber baby mashed apples. I see Lexi come up the basement stairs. "How was work?" I ask, taking a quick look at her.
"Not so bad. Look," Ales states, sitting across from me at the kitchen table. "We've all been kinda talking about you behind your back." I think this is the first time I've ever heard Alex seem any kind of nervous.
"Why would you be talking about me behind my back?" I think back to the high school rumor mill. "Do you mean like high school garbage?"
"No, no," Lexi gets a little chuckle out of that, "I mean me, your mom, Jay, and even Manny." Alex says. I look over at her.
"You mean you and Manny have been talking to each other?" I mock-gasp, totally stunned that the two are 'getting along'.
"Yes, we have." She replies in a mock-annoyed voice. I smile a little. "Anyway, we think it would be good for you if you got away."
"Got away?" I repeat, confused by what she's talking about. Lexi takes a deep breath, so apparently this is something big.
"You are always working, or taking care of one of us in this house, so we think it would be good if you went to Jay's for a night or two, so you could sleep without having to worry about any of us." I look at Lexi blankly. Scooping another little spoonful of applesauce into Elizabeth's mouth, I finally speak.
"I can't go to Jay's. I'm surprised mom even agreed to it, but Jay's? You know I can't be with him. Plus, I'm fine being here. I have to take care of Lizzy." I don't look at Lexi for a reaction.
"Em, I know you don't sleep, and this house is filled with people that can watch Lizzy for the night. Please, just try it, just hang out at Jay's; he won't try anything if that's what you're worried about."
"No, that's not what I'm worried about." I lie a little. "I can't leave Lizzy." I look over at her messy face, and her arms moving around. I smile at her and gently begin to wipe off her face.
"Em, just one night, this is for your benefit, you're tired. You need to get some sleep. Plus, it's only at Jay's place, so you can always come home. That's the reason why we picked his apartment. Now, go pack a bag, you're going tonight."
"What!" I exclaim, which makes Lizzy cry. I pick her up, saying 'I'm sorry', and soothing hush-like noises. "I'm going to bathe her." I walk down to my room, prompting Alex to follow me. "I can't just pack up and leave." I tell her.
"Yes, you can. Look, Lizzy is already fed; you're giving her a bath now, so all that has to happen is she needs to be put to bed. Em, this really isn't a big deal. I get that she's your daughter, but your mom, and Mr. S, and me, and Manny are all here to help you. Now, get that through your thick skull." Alex folds her arms across her chest. Laughing a little at her last sentence, I continue to wash Lizzy.
"Fine, I'll give it a try, but I have the right to come home whenever I feel it is necessary." I reason with her.
"Of course." She replies. I finish giving my daughter her bath and get her changed into her pajamas. Reluctantly, I start gathering a change of clothes and stuff for Jay's house.
"I don't even know where he lives." I tell Lexi. She automatically hands me a piece of paper with directions on it. "You must have had this planned for some time." She smiles a little. "Ugh, whatever, I'm going." I go upstairs and set my bag down on one of the kitchen chairs. "Mom," I say and she looks up at me innocently. "Why are you all plotting against me?" I almost whine, as if I am three years old again.
"Honey, we are not plotting against you." She laughs a little. "I think you have handled everything that happened this past year incredibly well, and I am so, so proud of you." Mom gives me a warm smile. "You need some time for yourself, and Jay, he really is changing. I know he likes you, and I know that you like him too." Mom looks at me, that 'I know all because I'm the mother' look on her face. I shake my head.
"No, mom you've got it all wrong. We do not like each other." I shake my head again. "We are just friends." Mom moves over to me, placing her hand on my shoulder.
"Sweetie, don't fight it. I know it's hard, but it is okay to like Jay. It will take time, but you will get passed it, just take it slow." Mom gives me a kiss on the forehead. "Now, you better get going." She smiles as she picks up my back and pushes me towards the door. I take my bag from her and get into my car. This is so freaking weird. I drive over to Jay's, but I can't get out of the car. A full ten minutes later I finally get out, and then I stand outside of his apartment door for another five. Timidly, I knock twice on his door.
"Your mom and Alex called, asking if you got here yet." Jay says after opening the door. I chuckle to myself. They push me out of the house and then call to make sure I got here. I walk inside, letting my bag fall to the floor behind the door. Jay closes it and we just stare at each other. "I guess you should call your mom."
"Right, right…" I pick up my cell, hitting the number two, speed dial. "Hi… yeah I'm fine… for like ten minutes… I know… I will… no… I didn't say that… but we… yeah, okay… love you too." I hang up the phone and stare at Jay…
Out of Emma's point of view
Jay is confused, due to the fact that he only heard Emma's side of the conversation. Finally, she can't stand the silence anymore.
"So, you all plotted against me, so what do you have in mind?" Emma asks, nervously playing with the bottom of her t-shirt.
"We didn't plot against you." Jay says, "We just thought… that you could use a night of sleep." Jay shrugs it off. "You wanna watch TV or something?" Emma nods her head yes, they have to do something. He starts walking towards the couch, Emma following suit. Abruptly, he stops, causing Emma to lightly hit his back. He turns around, planting his lips on hers. They pull away from each other. Jay turns back around, taking a seat on the couch.
"You are really spontaneous." Emma tells him, taking a seat next to him on the couch. Jay just shrugs again, a little smirk playing at the corner of his lips. He pulls her closer to him, letting his arm rest over her shoulder, as she lays her head in the crook of his shoulder. They weren't watching TV for that long before Emma fell asleep. Jay picks Emma up, trying his best not to wake her, and places her in his bed. He watches her, is he supposed to do something? Like any of those things that you see on TV or in movies, take off her shoes or her clothes and put her in pajamas. Jay shakes his head, he definitely cannot think about undressing her. He left his bedroom, hoping to leave his thoughts behind. Jay turned the TV down and layed on the couch, drifting off to sleep himself.
Emma's point of view
I wake up, a little unsure of where I am, but after looking around the room, it is definitely Jay's. I sit up, rubbing my eyes. I still have my shoes on. I slip my sneakers off, placing them by the door. Out of habit, I start cleaning his room. I can't stop myself, I have to stay busy, and since everyone forced me out of my house, I have to clean Jay's. I do not even know how this kid gets around. He has clothes and random things everywhere. Is it wrong to go through his things? I mean they are out in plain view, but I'm sure he doesn't expect people to clean his room for him, although he is in desperate need for a maid. I put away everything I can, which is pretty hard. He barely uses his dresser, but it's full now. I make my way out of the room and to the bathroom. After going to the bathroom and washing my hands, I clean this room too. I am so freaking weird. I don't know why I can't stop cleaning…well that's not true; I clean because I can't sleep. I could probably make pretty good money as a maid. Finding my way into the kitchen, I try to keep quiet. I need something to drink. Jay has nothing but soda and beer. I chuckle quietly at the thought of Jay having tea. I turn around and there's Jay.
"Crap! Gosh, what is wrong with you?" My hand flies to my heart. "You scared me!" I catch my breath and relax myself. Jay smirks a little so I give him a fake cold glare.
"Sorry. What are you doing up?" He folds his arms across his chest… which is bare. He has to work out; because there is no way that he eats healthy.
"Couldn't sleep," I look around the kitchen. The dark filling me with an eerie feeling, I shudder and shake back my imagination.
"You were doing fine before." Jay looks at me, tilting his head in the slightest degree. I shrug. I hate that people always question my sleeping habits. "Well, let's go back to bed." Jay takes my hand and pulls me with him to his bedroom. He steers me towards the bed, and I sit down while he walks around to the other side and lies down. I turn towards him.
"Is this the first time you've had a girl in you bed… that was dressed?" Curiosity seeps through my mind. I can't picture Jay willingly sharing his bed. Jay looks at me, and then around the room.
"You cleaned my room." He sounds kind of shocked. Whether it's a statement or a question, I'm not really sure. I shrug my shoulders again. "I didn't know I had a floor." Jay smirks and shakes his head a little. "I can't believe you cleaned my room."
"Yes, I'm weird, but I wouldn't have if I was able to be in my own room." I retaliate, with a joking tone. He smirks again, nodding his head in agreement.
"Yeah, you're weird all right. Now, lay down." His eyes move from me to the pillow next to me. I look at him, he better not have just told me what to do. "The reason you're here is to sleep, for a full night, so please just lay down." There's that Jay voice and face that I can't say no to. Laying my head down on the pillow, I roll onto my side to face him. Surprising myself, I reach up and kiss him. After pulling away, I smile up at him, and begin to fall asleep.
Out of Emma's point of view
Jay rolls over, not bothering to open his eyes. He feels Emma and gently puts his arm over her. His hand feels the warmth of her smooth skin. Jay runs his hand up her stomach, stopping when he gets to her chest. Finally opening his eyes, Jay sits up and draws back his arm. He looks at her, not able to take his eyes away. Emma stirs, noticing Jay sitting up so quickly. She opens her eyes to find him staring at her.
"What?" She asks, still sleepy, she tries to concentrate on what he's looking at. She looks down at herself, consciously pulling the blanket over her. "Oh, sorry,"
"No need to apologize, but when did you take your shirt off?" Jay removes his eyes from her body, now that it is covered up, and looks at her.
"I guess I got hot." Emma sheepishly replies, clutching the blanket tighter against her chest. She felt totally naked, even with her bra on. Turning her attention to the clock, she looks around for her shirt. "I'm gonna shower and get to work."
"Work? This early?" Jay queries, lying back down in his bed, allowing sleep to cast over his body. Emma nods, pulls her shirt over her head and gets out of bed.
"You know," Jay starts, closing his eyes." You didn't need to put your shirt back on, once you get to the bathroom you are going to have to take it off again." He rolls over, allowing himself to fall back asleep. Emma just laughs to herself, realizing that putting the shirt back on, was indeed pointless. She took a quick shower, thinking that it was actually luck that Jay happened to put his arm over her, realizing she had taken off her shirt; otherwise she might have been late for work. True, she had about an hour and a half until she had to be there, but there's no point in going back to sleep.
Work was long, a ten and a half hour shift, and I am extremely tired. I feel like something bad is going to happen. Walking up the stairs to Jay's apartment, approaching his door, finally getting to it, and then that something bad happens. I hear someone come up behind me, just as I get Jay's door open.
"Don't scream, I just want to talk to you." He pushes me inside. It was Mike's voice. Mike is the one with his body pressed up against mine. I walk inside, with him pushing me, too afraid to speak. "What is this, you moved out or something?"
"Emma, is that you?" Jay appears out of the room that's a little ways down from his bedroom. Apparently he was working out. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees Mike behind me. "What are you doing here?" Jay walks up to us, attempting to pull me away from Mike. In the process, Mike must have pulled out his pocket knife. The silver blade made contact with Jay's arm, creating a slice, but Jay got me away from Mike. The two start fighting, Jay is making more headway then Mike is. Punching him in the face, Mike falls to the floor, stunned. Jay picks up the house phone, calling 911. He throws the phone down onto the couch, crouching on the floor next to me. "Emma, come on, stand up." He's talking to me, but I can't hear him. I can't move. Everything has stopped. My life is a nightmare that I will never wake up from. Slowly, without thinking, my hand starts to reach for Mike's knife. My brain isn't thinking, it's almost as if I have no control over my body. I can feel Jay looking at me, and as I attain what I was reaching for, Jay's hand comes down on my arm. "No, no, come on Emma, you can't do this."
There's knocking at the door, it's the police. Jay yells for them to come in, quickly pulling my hand back to my lap. He picks me up, sitting me down on the couch. The police take a look around, asking questions, taking notes, and talking to each other. I know one of them is talking to me, but I just can't focus on them.
"Emma, are you okay?" That's Jay's voice. "If you don't want to answer their questions, you can do it later." Jay lays his hand on mine, exposing his arm to me. I see the gauze, seeping blood, and look up at him. Tears wanting to fall, I keep eye contact with him.
"I'm sorry." I apologize, but Jay just shakes his head, letting me know its okay, but its not. "I felt like someone was following me home from work, and when I got to the door, Mike was behind me." I take a deep breath. "I don't want to talk anymore, I just want my daughter."
"Okay, I'll call your mom, and have her bring her over." Jay stood up, escorting the police out of his apartment. I see him pick up the phone, "Spike, look, I know I said that Emma would be safe, but Mike followed her here from work. She's fine, he didn't hurt her, but she wants to see Lizzy. Do you want to come here, or do you want me to bring her home?" He waits for a response from mom, I presume. "Okay and I'm sorry." Jay hangs up, taking a seat next to me. "They are gonna come over. It's up to you whether or not you want to go home." Jay looks at me, maybe waiting for an answer. "Do you want to go home?" He's trying to keep his voice low, almost soft, I can tell.
"I'm sorry for bringing you into this." I manage to muster out. I look down at my lap. My life is a huge downward spiral. When is it going to end? I tried to be so happy and optimistic about me being a high school mother, but nothing is getting better. Will there ever be any upside to this?
I get interrupted by mom and Manny walking into the apartment. Mom automatically gives me Lizzy, and sits on the couch next to me. I hold my little girl, and it's almost as if all my problems fade away, but they won't… they'll never go away.
"Mom," I look up her, tears in my eyes. "Why won't it get better? What did I do wrong? Mom, I tried so hard," Looking down at Elizabeth and the peaceful expression on her face, a tear slips down my cheek. "I stayed positive through all of it, after everything he did, I tried so hard. Why won't it get better?" A couple more tears slide down my cheeks. Mom wraps her arm around me, squeezing me.
"I know honey, we are so proud of you, for how you handled the whole situation." Mom pauses, "I am so sorry you had to go through all of that, but look what you got out of it. Sweetie, she is your daughter, and you are such a good mother."
"No, I'm not, I'm terrible. I'm always working, and she won't have a father figure. I can't let go what happened to me. I don't know how to let it go mom." Tears continue to fall down my face. "I can't… I can't do this… if he won't go away. I'm sick of having nightmares. How can I be a good mother if looking at Elizabeth reminds me of that night? As much as I love her, I just can't get passed it. Why won't it get better?" I hold onto Lizzy, wishing I could get over Mike and what happened. I love Elizabeth, and she is the only good thing in my life, but I can't be a good mother if I'm miserable the rest of the time.
Out of Emma's point of view
Jay and Manny stood between the living room and the couch, listening and watching Emma interact with her mother and her daughter. Tears filled Manny's eyes upon hearing Emma talk about her situation. She wants to go over there, to hug her, to console her, to be her friend, but Jay holds her back. Now is a mother daughter time. Spike gives Emma another squeeze and gets off the couch, allowing Emma to just be in the room with her baby.
"Jay, I think it would be best if she stayed here. I don't think it's safe for her to be around Elizabeth right now." Spike speaks softly, not wanting Emma to over hear. Jay just looks at her.
"I don't know what to do. I mean I-" Jay has no clue how to deal with Emma in the states she's in. Spike cuts him off.
"You'll figure it out Jay, it will come easier then you think." Spike goes back over to Emma, sitting back down on the couch with her.
"Manny, I can't… I don't know how…" Jay trails off, uncertain how to finish the sentence, and the unclear thoughts in his head.
"Jay, I know you like her, and as long as you don't push her into bed with you, you will know what to do." Manny gives a small smile just as Spike takes Elizabeth from Emma. Manny gives Emma a tight hug and whispers that she loves her so much and is so proud of her into her ear. Spike and Manny leave, leaving Emma and Jay alone in the apartment.