Stubborn Love

He hadn't seen her in months, nine months actually and those nine months of looking at blank white walls instead of her face, her eyes, her smile killed him. After his senior year of high school, he was sent away for the drugs. Rehab had been a bitch, well mostly withdraw had been a bitch at the point he figured death was better than withdrawing. Marley was so disappointed in him when she found out that he was using again and she ended it on the spot. She couldn't deal with it again, that's what she told him when he looked at her crystal eyes filled with tears. She told him in a broken voice that she was meant for better things then trying to get her boyfriend clean. He knew she was right but he was clean now and driving through the Holland tunnel, from Pennsylvania where his rehabilitation center was to New York, where she was. He had Santana on speaker phone as he drove, she sighed over the speaker.

"I don't know Jake, seeing her may not be the best thing for her or you." she explained. . "Trust me when I say that she is fine."

"Is she seeing someone else?" Jake asks as his car comes to a stop, there is traffic in his lane, there is always traffic in this damn tunnel.

"No, she hasn't seen anybody, no dates, nothing. She gets back from her classes, complains about her professors and starts her homework." Santana laughs "With that dog you got her at her feet at all times."

Jake gave a smile as traffic started to creep along. "I still need to see her, please Santana…I just need to know if it's still there. I still love her, so much and I need to know if she still feels the same way about me."

"Fine," Santana says, giving in. "She just got back from her classes." She is whispering now. "And not in a good mood…." There is a pause and he strains to hear Marley's voice. "Yeah Marls, Britt said she was getting take out."

"Alright," Santana breathed, getting back to her conversation with Jake "see you soon." Santana says and the line goes dead as traffic begins to move on faster. He would be seeing her very soon.

~G~

Santana is setting the table for dinner as Marley snoozes on the sofa with Rebel at her feet, that dog was the girl's shadow. She let out a breath as she put the water down to a simmer and looked up when there was a knock at the door. She took a deep breath, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked over and opened up the door.

"Jake" She said, looking the Puckerman up and down. "You look like…well you look like hell."

He gave a shrug. "Withdraw will do that to you Santana."

She was silent, pursing her lips as she turned her head to look into the apartment. "Listen, I'm going to tell you this once and only once. You break her heart again and not even the best protection program will be able to keep you safe from me."

Jake gives a chuckle. "Is she in there?" He asks, trying to look over her shoulder.

Santana nodded. "She is sleeping though." She explains. "Rough day in dance rehearsals…there is a girl there who's personality is worse than Kitty's."

"There is someone worse than Kitty?" Jake had to ask as Santana smiled.

"Apparently." She answered and stepped back so he could walk in. But he didn't walk in however. Instead he just stood there as she moved away, letting him see her for the first time in months. "I know it's hard Jake."

He didn't hear her, every sound and every object was out of his view. It was like he was in that tunnel again and his focus was on her. Laying on that red sofa with Rebel at her feet, the dog's head perks up when he walks into the apartment but she doesn't bark. Santana silently closes the door and walks off her another room, leaving them alone. So he sucks in a deep breath and then puts a hand on her shoulder. "Marley?" he whispered. She shifted a little, nuzzling her head into the couch, so he says her name a little louder. "Marley"

Her eyes slowly flutter open and with her clear blue eyes she stares at him, awe and shock written all over her face. "Jake?"

"Yeah" He breathes, waiting for her reaction. She is frozen as her eyes fill with tears, she reaches out and touches his face. It was like she was testing to see if this was real, if he was real. "It's ok Marley"

She bites her lip, nodding slowly and then letting out a ragged breath. "Are you…is everything…" She swallows. "Are you clean?"

"Nine months." He tells her hoarsely. "I-I've been clean for nine months."

Marley doesn't say anything as she sits up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Nine months? Have you met the baby?"

"T-the baby?" He asked his heart seizing, breaking her heart had made him feel horrible but leaving her with a baby? He couldn't think of a word that was worse than horrible. "What baby?"

She blinks. "Serena, Brittany and Santana's little girl …have you met her?"

Just like that all tension left his body. "No, no I haven't met her yet but listen Marley I'm here for you so can you take your focus off the baby and onto what I am about to tell you?"

She closes her eyes and nods. "Yeah sorry, I just didn't sleep last night." She moved down on the couch so Jake had enough room to sit down. "You never called or wrote to me."

"I know, what I wanted to tell you was something that I couldn't write in a letter or tell you over the phone." He took a deep breath. "The thing is Marley you are the most stubborn girl I have ever met. It me a whole year to get you to go out with me and when I finally got you I never wanted to let you go. I cleaned up my act for you and dropped the attitude." He smiled. "I even got you to turn to the wild side a little huh?" She blushed a little and rolled her eyes. "Hey you enjoyed that motorcycle ride." He moved forward and grabbed her hand. "Th-the reason I started using again…I started using because my step-dad reminded me that I would become nothing, that you would move away and leave me in that sorry ass town. He said that I should start 'working' for him again and….God Marley I am so sorry things just spiraled out of control and I thought you were going to just leave me. I didn't know who I was before I met you and I feel so numb without you. I-I know now that I can be anything I want and I know that we broke up but I was hoping we could fix things." He watched her carefully, trying to read her face. "I'll understand if you don't want to but-"

She shook her head and grabbed his face. "Jake listen to me, what we had was very special and I think we with time we can fix it." She was looking right through him again, he could never keep anything from her. "I just need to know that you are the Jake that I fell in love with." She says that so softly.

"Yeah" He whispers hoarsely. "I'm back for good."

Marley smiled, looking at him from under her eyelashes and then scooted closer to him. "Ok" She says. "We need to take baby steps though" and then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug.

Jake nodded against her, catching the scent of her hair, like fresh spring flowers. "Baby steps?" he murmurs into her neck, making her shiver like old times.

"Yes," She breaths and then threads her fingers through his hair, he needed it cut. "Some kids are fast learners." Marley explains and then pulls back. "I just missed you so much."

"I missed you to baby" He tells her and brings her back to him, their lips only inches apart. "So much" Jake confesses and kisses her pink lips.

He was finally whole again