Somewhere Out There
A/N: Yes, I love This Brilliant Dance a ton, too, and to the followers of that who followed me here, I'm going to be totally honest: this is A LOT easier to write. But, no worries, there will be a chapter 2 of This Brilliant Dance. Give it time. ;o)
Chapter 9: Come Away With Me
Ashley found herself fighting sleep. Nick seemed pretty cool, she was sure, but what would happen if he found her with Craig in bed? Not good, she decided. She would wait a few more minutes until she went upstairs. With Craig, she found herself not acting very Ashley-like. Making the first move was suddenly her deal. She had tried this once before, many moons ago, but he screwed it up. She wouldn't give him the chance this time. She had picked up one other thing for her trip here: condoms.
When she got them, it was in case he was really against the idea of coming home, and it would take that kind of convincing. Now, she knew she was ready, and she wanted it to be tonight, here, with him. She slowly and quietly made her way up the stairs. At the landing, she went on her stomach and crawled into his room. She made sure to close the door behind her. She crawled up into the spacious bed, laying next to Craig. She made mental notes of exactly how he looked when he slept, hoping she might be able to save this image of him forever.
In a dream or a perfect fantasy, she would awake him with a kiss. But Craig wasn't a light sleeper, and opened his eyes as she stared at him. "Hey baby," he whispered and gathered her in his arms. He seemed to be falling asleep again. She had to admit, that's what the old Ashley would've wanted, to sleep with Craig but not make love to him. But, this Ashley was different. She spent some hard earned money on those condoms, and if not now, then when?
"Craig, I..." she started. "I'm ready."
"For what," he said groggily. She pulled her hands out of her pockets. She lined her hand up with his under the sheets and passed the little plastic wrapper to him. He brought it up to his face, squinted at it, widened his eyes, and then put his hand back under the sheet. "Ash, are you sure?" he asked her.
She smiled. "Craig Manning, I didn't come all this way to sing you a song."
Scene: Back in good ole Degrassi
Craig walked into Degrassi High School a completely different man. Yes, a man. Although the whole subject of his virginity had been dealt with with Manny months before, this time, he felt as though he was truly changed. He was in love and on top of the world.
It was a hard thing to do, leaving Nick. But, Nick admitted later, love always comes first. And he wasn't sure how exactly to deal with a teenager. He thought it would be the same kind of relationship he had with Craig before, giving him things and making him happy, but never knowing how to punish him or help him cope with the kind of tremendous loss Craig has dealt with. Joey admitted later that he knew the whole idea of Craig staying with Nick wouldn't last, couldn't last, because he had felt the pain of losing a spouse, also, and it's not the time to bring a new person into your life to play such a huge role.
Craig wrapped his arm around Ashley and made his way down the hall, slapping Jimmy's hand. "What was that about?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
He kissed her on the forehead. "We're all just moving on," was all Craig said.
It was true, though. Marco had recovered amazingly well. He was supposed to be back in Degrassi in two weeks. After countless hours of talks, Jimmy began to stop blaming himself for the wreck. "It could've happened to anyone," he explained. "I'm not going to say it didn't affect me; it did. I've never paid so much attention to the rules of the road as I do now. But, everytime I come to the intersection, I don't have the constant fear that I'm going to be hit."
Jimmy and Katie did finally admit to each other their feelings. Katie became fast friends with everyone after that, including Ashley, who admitted that a little competition wouldn't kill her. Although after her little stunt, Ashley did get a "C" on the project.
Manny, with the help of a good friend, was able to change herself. She wasn't happy acting how she was, and the abortion had really set something off in her. Craig still hasn't forgiven her, and probably never will. She grew to accept this and move on from him.
A/N: So, that was the end. I couldn't drag it out to 10, sorry. Anyways, I hope the ending wasn't too Disney-ish for you. Check out This Brilliant Dance, and I'll update there later. Hope it was a fun ride for you. :o)
A/N: Yes, I love This Brilliant Dance a ton, too, and to the followers of that who followed me here, I'm going to be totally honest: this is A LOT easier to write. But, no worries, there will be a chapter 2 of This Brilliant Dance. Give it time. ;o)
Chapter 9: Come Away With Me
Ashley found herself fighting sleep. Nick seemed pretty cool, she was sure, but what would happen if he found her with Craig in bed? Not good, she decided. She would wait a few more minutes until she went upstairs. With Craig, she found herself not acting very Ashley-like. Making the first move was suddenly her deal. She had tried this once before, many moons ago, but he screwed it up. She wouldn't give him the chance this time. She had picked up one other thing for her trip here: condoms.
When she got them, it was in case he was really against the idea of coming home, and it would take that kind of convincing. Now, she knew she was ready, and she wanted it to be tonight, here, with him. She slowly and quietly made her way up the stairs. At the landing, she went on her stomach and crawled into his room. She made sure to close the door behind her. She crawled up into the spacious bed, laying next to Craig. She made mental notes of exactly how he looked when he slept, hoping she might be able to save this image of him forever.
In a dream or a perfect fantasy, she would awake him with a kiss. But Craig wasn't a light sleeper, and opened his eyes as she stared at him. "Hey baby," he whispered and gathered her in his arms. He seemed to be falling asleep again. She had to admit, that's what the old Ashley would've wanted, to sleep with Craig but not make love to him. But, this Ashley was different. She spent some hard earned money on those condoms, and if not now, then when?
"Craig, I..." she started. "I'm ready."
"For what," he said groggily. She pulled her hands out of her pockets. She lined her hand up with his under the sheets and passed the little plastic wrapper to him. He brought it up to his face, squinted at it, widened his eyes, and then put his hand back under the sheet. "Ash, are you sure?" he asked her.
She smiled. "Craig Manning, I didn't come all this way to sing you a song."
Scene: Back in good ole Degrassi
Craig walked into Degrassi High School a completely different man. Yes, a man. Although the whole subject of his virginity had been dealt with with Manny months before, this time, he felt as though he was truly changed. He was in love and on top of the world.
It was a hard thing to do, leaving Nick. But, Nick admitted later, love always comes first. And he wasn't sure how exactly to deal with a teenager. He thought it would be the same kind of relationship he had with Craig before, giving him things and making him happy, but never knowing how to punish him or help him cope with the kind of tremendous loss Craig has dealt with. Joey admitted later that he knew the whole idea of Craig staying with Nick wouldn't last, couldn't last, because he had felt the pain of losing a spouse, also, and it's not the time to bring a new person into your life to play such a huge role.
Craig wrapped his arm around Ashley and made his way down the hall, slapping Jimmy's hand. "What was that about?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
He kissed her on the forehead. "We're all just moving on," was all Craig said.
It was true, though. Marco had recovered amazingly well. He was supposed to be back in Degrassi in two weeks. After countless hours of talks, Jimmy began to stop blaming himself for the wreck. "It could've happened to anyone," he explained. "I'm not going to say it didn't affect me; it did. I've never paid so much attention to the rules of the road as I do now. But, everytime I come to the intersection, I don't have the constant fear that I'm going to be hit."
Jimmy and Katie did finally admit to each other their feelings. Katie became fast friends with everyone after that, including Ashley, who admitted that a little competition wouldn't kill her. Although after her little stunt, Ashley did get a "C" on the project.
Manny, with the help of a good friend, was able to change herself. She wasn't happy acting how she was, and the abortion had really set something off in her. Craig still hasn't forgiven her, and probably never will. She grew to accept this and move on from him.
A/N: So, that was the end. I couldn't drag it out to 10, sorry. Anyways, I hope the ending wasn't too Disney-ish for you. Check out This Brilliant Dance, and I'll update there later. Hope it was a fun ride for you. :o)