Emma and Jay were in her room, spending some time together before he went in for work. It had been a while since they had the same day off, but they were trying not to complain about it. Elizabeth was upstairs, playing with Jack. The two were standing in front of each other, Jay's hands resting on Emma's waist as the two kissed. Placing one of her hands on top of his, Emma moved his hand up her body. Jay, realizing what she was doing, pulled back, and broke away from the kiss.
"What are you doing?" He asked, giving Emma a quizzical look. Emma just sighed, she had a feeling this was going to not end well.
"You never touch me." She told him, watching his expression slowly change, "So, I figured I'd do it for you." Emma shrugged; hoping that was all there was to it.
"I was touching you… my hands were on you." Jay replied, "I thought this whole thing was supposed to be moving slow."
"It is moving slow… do you not want to go to the next level?" Emma asked, and Jay just shook his head.
"No, you don't want to go to the next level." Jay pointed out. Emma folded her arms across her chest.
"Don't tell me what I want." Emma said, watching him intently. Jay sighed, not knowing how exactly to handle this situation.
"Em," Jay paused, trying to search for words. He didn't speak up once he saw Lizzy scooting herself down the stairs. Emma walked over to her, picking her up.
"We won't talk about this in front of her." Emma told him, speaking in a low, yet normal tone. Oblivious, Lizzy just twirled Emma's hair around her finger.
"Okay," Jay agreed, nodding his head slightly, "I'm gonna leave for work." Jay went to give Emma a kiss, but she turned her head away. Knowing she was going to stay upset for a while, Jay went to go upstairs.
"JJ," Lizzy started crying. Emma was relieved that she finally got Lizzy to stop referring to Jay as 'daddy', but she was a little upset that Elizabeth seemed to be more attached to him than her. Reaching her arms out towards Jay, Lizzy waited for him to take her. He didn't disappoint her.
"I have to get to work; I'll be back, okay?" Jay talked to her soothingly, even though he really didn't think she would understand. Lizzy nodded her head and reached back to go back to Emma. Jay handed her back to her mother, gave Emma a kiss on the cheek and left for work. Sighing, Emma looked at Elizabeth.
"Yeah?" Jay spoke into his phone. He cradled it between his ear and his shoulder as he began working.
"Jay?" Manny asked, making sure she had called the right person because she never had called Jay before.
"Well I don't let anyone else answer my phone." Jay retorted into the phone, too focused on his work to even think about who was calling him.
"Did you see Emma today?" Manny asked, realizing it was Jay once she heard his smart-aleck comment. Jay's ears perked up a bit as he heard 'Emma'.
"Yeah, who is this?" Jay asked, finally acknowledging who it was that was on the other end of the phone.
"It's Manny, you idiot." She answered, "How many other people call you asking for Emma?"
"What do you want, I'm working." Jay ignored Manny's question, since no one ever really called Jay looking for Emma, not even Alex, and Alex didn't sound anything like Manny.
"I asked if you saw Emma today. She seems a little upset." Manny told him. Jay sighed as he took the phone off his shoulder and held it in his hand.
"She's mad at me." Jay replied gruffly as he picked up a heavy toolbox with his free hand. He set it down and cradled his cell phone between his shoulder and his ear again.
"Why, what happened?" Manny asked, curiosity percolating within her. Recognizing Manny's tone, Jay sighed again.
"No offense or anything," Jay started, "But you aren't really the person I'd talk to about this." Jay said truthfully.
"Yeah, but you can, I mean, it is about Emma, right?" Manny questioned, although she tried not to sound like she didn't believe him.
"Yes, it's about Emma." Jay answered. Trying to focus on the job at hand, he cradled the phone back between his ear and shoulder and began working on the car.
"Well… what is it?" Manny persisted; annoyed that she had to repeat her question two times already.
"She's mad because I wouldn't touch her." Jay told her, trying his best to keep his cell in a comfortable spot on his shoulder as he worked with both hands.
"What… I don't think I heard that correctly." Manny sounded confused, and Jay figured she also had a confused look on her face to go with it.
"I was over there today," Jay began, "and she took my hand and moved it up her body. I pulled back, asking what she was doing, and she told me that I never touch her. She said I don't want to go to the next level. Emma isn't ready for the next level." Jay finished and then brusquely asked, "Is that enough detail for you?"
"Jay," Manny ignored Jay's last remark, "You know what happened with Mike--" Manny abruptly stopped talking as Jay cut her off.
"Yeah, I know the jist of it and I don't want details." Jay interrupted, trying to keep his tone normal.
"I know, I just mean that she wants to be able to know that if you do go a little farther with her, that once she can't handle it, and she tells you no, then you will stop. I'm sure she's not really mad at you, and I agree that she's not exactly ready to have sex, but I think she just wants to know you care about her." Manny explicated. Jay nodded in agreement, even though Manny couldn't see him, "Anyway, that's all I called for so later." Manny hung up. Jay let the phone slide from his shoulder to his hand.
Emma knew that Jay was working late so as she got off work, she drove over to the garage. Silently, Emma got out and started walking over to the door. Every time she took a step forward, she would take a step back, but she knew she had to apologize for being so emotional. As she neared the door to the garage, Emma saw Jay in there with a girl. Her first instinct was to run away, or to go in there and yell at him, but she did neither. Her feet were planted on the ground and she couldn't move. Peering around the wall, Emma watched noiselessly.
"Thank you for fixing it so fast." The woman said to him. She looked descent, maybe in her early twenties.
"It's my job." Jay replied, trying not to look at her. Jay had never turned anyone down that threw themselves at him before, so he knew this was going to be different.
"Maybe there's a way I can pay for it." The woman suggested, getting ever so close to Jay.
"Yeah, paying the bill," He couldn't help but to smirk. Now he realized what girls looked like when they acted like this.
"Yeah, but maybe there's something extra I can do, like a tip…" The woman put her arms around his neck as her seductive words left her mouth. Shaking his head a bit, Jay stepped out of her arms. For a moment, Emma didn't think Jay was going to pass her up, especially after going so long without having sex.
"Sorry, but I have to start closing up." Jay told her, walking away as he did so. The woman rolled her eyes, realizing this was a waste of time. Emma leaned against the wall as the woman left the shop, got in her car, and drove away. For some reason, Emma still couldn't move. She felt bad for snapping at him this morning, and now she felt bad for not believing in him. The minutes rolled by before Emma grasped that Jay just turned the woman down, and this morning he didn't take advantage of her when she threw herself at him. Finally, Emma ran-walked into the garage. As she spotted Jay, Emma jumped into his arms.
"What are you doing? I almost didn't catch you." Jay said, but Emma immediately put her mouth to his. Placing her hands on his cheeks, Emma pulled his face to hers as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Holding onto her tightly as the kiss continued to deepen, Jay let his hands rest on the back of her thighs, centimeters from her butt. "Hey, let me finish taking my jumpsuit off." Jay had broken the kiss, in need of some air, and from the looks of it Emma did too. Jay's jumpsuit was hanging around his waist, as he had just slipped his arms out of it when Emma jumped into his arms. He let her go, letting Emma's feet meet the floor. "What was that for anyway?" He asked. All this time, Jay had thought Emma was mad at him.
"It's my apology." Emma watched Jay took off the rest of his jumpsuit. He looked at her, confused, so Emma went on to explain, "This morning… I don't know… I was just… emotional or something… I didn't mean to…"
"I know," Jay told her, not letting Emma finish the rest of her thought. She gave him a warm smile. As he returned it, Jay stepped closer to her, pulling her body into his as well. Smiling a bit more, Emma wrapped her arms around his neck. They locked eyes for a second before they both leaned forward to kiss each other. With one hand on the top of his shoulder, Emma moved her other hand to his hair. Jay's hands caressed Emma's back, pulling her as close to him as possible. The minutes rolled by before the two pulled apart to catch their breath. "Don't you have to be getting home?"
"Oh, yeah," Emma looked at him sheepishly, "I almost forgot." Jay gave her his smirk. He loved the fact that he could make Emma forget what she was doing.
After that, things seemed to go back to normal. However, Emma was a bit clingier towards Jay, and he didn't want anything bad to happen. He didn't want to remind her of Mike in anyway, but he loved that Emma wanted to be around him so much. It proved to him that he was making the right choices, and taking the necessary steps to be with Emma. Emma, on the other hand, had no idea what she was feeling. She felt as if she was all over the place, and it was beginning to scare her. To top things off, her birthday was coming up, her eighteenth birthday. It wasn't as big as Emma thought it would be, not to her anyway. She really didn't care that she was turning eighteen, Emma had other, and bigger things to deal with.
"Mommy," Lizzy came scooting down the basement stairs. Emma turned to face her daughter.
"I thought you were playing with Uncle Jack?" Emma asked, as Lizzy walked over to her. She climbed up the bed, shoving the movie she had in her hand in Emma's face. "Oh, Peter Pan," Emma took the movie. For some reason, Emma thought Lizzy's favorite Disney movie would have been Cinderella or Snow White, or one of those clichés, but it wasn't. Peter Pan and The Aristocrats were on the top of the list for little Elizabeth, along with Lady and the Tramp. Emma liked those movies better than Cinderella and Snow White, so she had no complaints when Lizzy asked to watch them over, and over, and over again. Emma put the movie in and settled into bed with her daughter. It was a nice feeling, to work all day and come home and have Lizzy want to sit with her. To Emma, it was one of the best feelings in the world. These thoughts brought Emma's mind to another someone: Jay. Being with him gave Emma the same feelings, the feeling of being loved, as the ones Elizabeth gave her.
Even though she was tired, Emma tried to stay awake through her hundredth time of watching Peter Pan. She was gently running her fingers through Lizzy's hair as she tried to keep her eyes open. It was getting to be Elizabeth's bedtime soon, so Emma hoped the movie would end and Lizzy would just magically fall asleep. Jay descended the stairs, just ending his shift at the garage.
"Hey," Jay said to both girls as he got down the last few steps. He took a couple more steps to be at Emma's bed.
"Shh! Tink's on," Lizzy shushed, placing her little index finger over her mouth. Jay made an innocent shrug as he bent down to give Emma a kiss on the cheek. Tinkerbell was Lizzy's favorite character; she was absolutely beguiled by the small pixie. Jay walked around to the other side of the bed to sit beside Emma. As he momentarily blocked the TV, Lizzy waved her tiny hands frantically.
"Sorry," Jay hurried to the bed, making sure he was out of the way of the TV. He sat beside Emma, picking up Lizzy so he could be closer to his girlfriend. Lizzy sat on both Jay's and Emma's laps as she focused on the last half hour of the movie. Yawning quietly, Emma covered her mouth. There was no way she could tell Lizzy she had to go to bed until after the movie was over. Glancing over at her, Jay rested his hand on the back of her neck, gently massaging his fingers into her skin. Sighing in reprieve, Emma bent her head down, letting Jay have more access to her neck. Not soon enough, the credits came rolling across the screen.
"Again," Lizzy asked after she yawned. Emma picked her head up; gently shaking it as she watched Lizzy's sleeping face.
"I think it's time for bed sweetie." Emma told her. She got out of bed, picking up Elizabeth, "Which pajama outfit do you want?" Emma held up her pink nightie, and her green one. After just watching Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, Lizzy opted for her green one. After helping her daughter undress, Emma slipped the gown over Elizabeth's arms. With a kiss on the forehead, Emma tucked Lizzy into her little bed, "Sweet dreams sweetie." Emma heard Lizzy yawn as she rolled over to face the wall. In a couple minutes, Lizzy was sound asleep. Jay held out his arm for Emma to climb back into her bed.
"So, your birthday's coming up," Jay said in a low tone. They stayed quiet, not wanting to wake up Elizabeth, "What do you want to do?"
"Nothing," Emma answered truthfully, but went on to explain as she saw Jay's confused expression, "This past year… and a half has been so hectic, I just… I don't know… I just want quiet, you know?" She looked up at him, wondering if she had made any sense.
"You want to be alone?" He questioned, hoping she didn't because he had already requested to be off work that day.
"No, no," Emma shook her head delicately; "I just don't want to do anything. I just want to stay in. I don't want anything really. I mean I know mom and Snake want to do something, but I figure after a little family time, I could just hang out with you."
"Whatever you want to do is fine with me." Jay stated, smiling softly at Emma. He didn't know what it was about her, but whenever he looked into her eyes, he felt something he had never experienced before. Leaning down a bit, Jay let his lips find Emma's. He brought one hand up to the side of her neck, letting his thumb brush ever so lightly across her cheek. Their lips parted, allowing them further room for a familiar exploration.
"Can you stay here tonight?" Emma asked in a shy whisper as they pulled apart. Keeping his hand on her neck, Jay let his thumb brush against the soft skin of her cheek once more.
"Won't we get in trouble?" He queried. Emma loved when he looked concerned. She knew he didn't want to get her into any trouble.
"No, we shouldn't," Emma started, looking down at her legs, "I mean, we aren't… doing anything… plus, Lizzy's down here, and I would never… in front of Lizzy." Emma stopped, feeling as if she was going to ramble on.
"Then I'll stay," Jay gave her another warm smile, making Emma's heart melt. She quietly pushed herself out of bed, knowing Jay was wondering where she was going.
"I have a pair of pajama pants that will fit you, if you don't want to sleep in jeans." Emma bent down, pulling open her bottom draw to pull out the pants for Jay. He stood up, standing behind her and reaching for the pants. To thank her, Jay kissed her tenderly on the cheek. Quietly, Jay unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. Trying not to stare at him, Emma went back to her bed, pulling her covers down. Jay laid his jeans over the chair and went back over to Emma.
"I like this," Jay whispered as he stood behind Emma once again. Placing each hand on either side of her waist, Jay kissed her cheek again. Emma smiled as she finished pulling the blankets down. Turning to face him, she kissed him on his lips, allowing them to linger before getting into bed. Jay got in after her.
"Thank you," Emma whispered softly into his ear. She gave him a soft kiss and rested herself into the curve of his body. Before Jay could ask why Emma was thanking him, she was asleep. Wrapping his arm over her body, he sighed contently. He didn't know he would like this so much.
Waking up with her was an incredibly new feeling for Jay. Never in his life did he feel something like this before. He dreaded having to get up and go to work. Instead of thinking about work, Jay gently ran his fingers across her arm. As he peered over her, Jay saw that Emma was still asleep. Watching her sleep was another new feeling for him. Jay was totally and utterly drowning. Turning his attention to her clock on the nightstand, Jay saw that he had to go in thirty minutes. He didn't want to wake her up, but he did want to kiss her. Lightly, he kissed her shoulder. Emma shifted slightly as she felt Jay getting out of bed.
"Hey, where are you going?" Emma murmured. She rolled over so she could be face to face with him although her eyes were still closed.
"I didn't want to wake you." Jay moved closer to her, "I have to leave for work soon." He told her as he pulled the covers back over him.
"No," Emma said, snuggling in closer to Jay. She put her arm over his waist, hugging him tightly. The hold she had over Jay was unlike anything else. He sighed contently as Emma got as close to him as she possible could right then and there. Draping his arm over her, Jay kissed her lips. As it intensified, Jay slowly stroked her back. Breaking apart for air, Jay bent his head down a bit, resting it in the crook of Emma's shoulder. Emma, on the other hand, wasn't thinking about oxygen. Flippantly, Emma traced the collar of his shirt with her fingertip before planting a kiss on his skin. Pulling his collar down, Emma made more skin available for her. She continued to plant kisses on his neck. All she felt was Jay's hot breath tickling her neck, making her giggle as she kissed his neck. Jay held her tighter. He couldn't believe she was making him this crazy, just by kissing his collarbone. Jay was actually trying to stifle his urge to moan, burying his head into her shoulder.
"Oh," Jay's moan was muffled and sounded faint, but Emma definitely heard it. She smiled as she continued to kiss him. Jay picked his head up, realizing over ten minutes went by with Emma kissing his neck. He came face to face with Lizzy, who was climbing on the bed. "Morning kiddo," Jay said, causing Emma to stop kissing him. They untangled themselves from each other.
"Morning sweetie, ready for breakfast?" Emma asked. Elizabeth nodded her head vigorously as she climbed in between Jay and Emma.
"I guess I should get going." Jay playfully messed up Lizzy's hair before getting out of bed. Emma watched him walk around to her side of the bed, give her a small kiss on the cheek, and headed up the stairs.