Disclaimer: Sadly, all I own is this story and finally Degrassi: The Next Generation- Season One on DVD!! So yeah, I don't own the show or it's characters... oh, and I don't own Play- Dough (not that I'd want to...) or the new show "Life as We Know It" from which I stole this title.

Recap: We took a glimpse into the fabulous (okay, a little exaggerated) lives of Ashley and Craig Manning.

-Emma's POV-

I remember it perfectly...

-Flashback-

Caitlin called me at about 7:30 Thursday night... she simply asked if I could babysit Angie tomorrow. I told her of course... I'm not one to pass up a babysitting job... my one source of income. She thanked me and apologized for such short notice. It's fine, I remember telling her.

Friday was your typical school day at Degrassi... nothing exciting.

Friday afternoon I got home at about 3:50 or so... so I quickly did some homework and talked to mom for a little bit... at about 6:30 I got dressed to g babysit. At 7:00 mom took me over to Caitlin and Joey's house.

"Hi, Emma!" Angie greeted, cheerily.

"Hi, Angie!" I greeted back.

"Em, you're a life saver!" Caitlin said as she rushed to find her coat. "Both Joey and mine's cell numbers are on the fridge, in case you need them. Ang needs to be in bed by ten." (at that Angie stuck her tongue out at the back of Caitlin's head)

"We'll be fine, Caitlin, you and Joey just go and have a time," I said, with a wink.

"Okay, well we'd better be off," Joey said, finally entering the room. "Craig should be home at around eleven o' clock or so... we'll be here around eleven- thirty or so. Well, we're running late. Bye!"

"Bye!" Angie and I shouted after them.

Then got in the car and took off.

"What do you want to do?" I asked Angie. Big mistake... she had thousands of things she wanted to do.

We spent the night playing dress up and watching movies and molding Play-Dough and well, you get the picture.

At 9:45 I told Angie she needed to get into her pajamas, which lead to a half hour fight of, "I don't wanna go to bed!" and "But, Caitlin said ten!" But finally I won the arguement. She got dressed and into bed and I read her a story. Then she fell asleep.

I went downstairs and turned on the TV. Nothing on. I looked through their movies... I finally settled on the '80's version of "The Outsiders." After about a half hour of the movie Craig entered the house, almost scaring me half to death.

"Hey, Em," he greeted.

"Hi, Craig," I replied.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Stalking you," I replied jokingly. "I finally got Ang in bed about thirty minutes ago."

"Yeah, that's the hard part," he said, with a wink.

I laughed. "Of course. So what have you been up to?"

"Not much, we went to Jimmy's and hung out," he replied. "I'm gonna go out to the garage, you wanna come?"

The garage was Craig's space. The band's rehearsal space. Craig's hang out. From what Caitlin said, it was where Craig stayed until the wee hours of the morning, which didn't please Joey much.

"I might once Joey and Caitlin get back," I simply replied.

"Ok," he said as he walked out the door.

I sat there, secretly watching the clock for Joey and Caitlin, I hate to admit it but I had this HUGE crush on Craig. I mean, sure he was the guy who'd gotten my ex- best friend pregnant, but he at least wanted to keep the baby, unlike Manny. A sense of hatred filled me, Manny and I still weren't even on speaking terms.

.:Door opens:.

"Hey, Em, we're back," Caitlin said as she came in.

Um... duh?

"Hi," I replied.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"It went good, she didn't want to go to bed, but she finally gave in," I answered.

Joey and Caitlin laughed.

"How was your date?" I questioned.

"It was fabulous..." she started and went on for about five minutes.

"That sounds great," I said with fake enthusiasum.

"Yep, well here..." Joey said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, "forty dollars."

He handed me the money... FORTY DOLLARS?! Normally they paid me twenty for the same amount of time, but I wasn't about to argue.

"That's for coming on such short notice," Caitlin told me.

"Oh, it was really no problem," I reassured her.

"Oh, don't be modest. Do you need a ride home?" she asked.

"No, I can walk," I told them.

"Okay," Joey said. "Thanks again, Emma."

"No problem. Well I'm gonna get going."

"Okay, bye." they both said in harmony.

I walked out the back door, closing it behind me.

They're definately gonna get married soon, I thought.

I contemplated going into the garage or not. I decided for it.

I walked in, and heard Craig playing a song.

Wow, that is so good!

"Oh, hey, Emma," he started, "I thought you'd decided not to come in."

"No, I just stopped to talk with Joey and Caitlin... man, she can talk your ear off!" I exclaimed, with laughter.

Craig laughed, too.

"That she can," he agreed.

"That song was amazing!" I complimented.

"Thanks, I wrote it for Ashley... when we were... you know, going out," he informed me. I could see by the look on his face, it was a sore subject.

"I'm sorry, Craig, but trust me, I know how you feel."

"Oh, how so?" he inquired.

I felt my eyes beginning to burn.

"Sean... broke up... with me..." I said, then burst into a fit of tears.

"Oh, Em, I'm sorry," Craig, comforted, wrapping his arms around me.

For once in a long time, I felt safe... really safe.

"I'm sorry, Craig, I probably look pathetic crying about Sean, when he's broken up with me so many times."

"Don't be. No matter how many times you break up with some one, if you really love them, the love doesn't fade."

I laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you kinda sounded like Oprah, there."

He laughed.

"Gee, thanks," he remarked.

"Anytime."

We kept talking. With each sentence I found myself falling farther into the crush I had on Craig.

"Emma, I just want you to know, you're beautiful and Sean must be out of his mind to have broken up with you... any guy would be lucky to go out with such a great girl- young woman as you."

I couldn't handle it anymore. I kissed him, and it's not like he stopped me. He kept kissing me too.

Then, you can imagine what happened that night, I won't go into details, but I think you get it, eh? ;)

-Two Months Later-

I know I just had it last month, right? I know I did. But I knew I was lying to myself. I didn't have my period last month. I was pregnant, by Craig Manning. I think.

"Manny, what do I do?!" I asked her. We were finally friends again. I'd told her what happened, I think she was a little mad, but I don't think she wanted to ruin our friendship again. "Do I tell him first or take a pregnancy test first?"

"Take the test first."

"Okay, will you come over... you know, for moral support?" I asked her.

"Of course, Em," she replied.

Manny come over and we walked to a drug store about six blocks from my house... no one would know me there. I quickly bought the test, and shoved it into my purse, then we ran back to my house.

I did what the box said then waited fifteen minutes, but I already knew the outcome. I was pregnant. I'd been having morning sickness, I'd missed my period for two months, and sometimes the smell of food made me sick.

.:Ding:.

I looked at the test, just as I knew it would... it showed a pink positive sign.

I broke down, I cried for nearly an hour, Manny by my side comforting me.

I finally got up, fixed myself up, and mustered up the courage to go over to Craig's. Manny decided she'd just walk with me til we got to her house. So I finally reached Craig's and it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

I went to the garage, knowing that's where Craig would be.

I knocked.

"Who is it?" he yelled.

"Craig, it's me, Emma," I shouted back.

"Oh, Em, come on in."

I opened the door and walked in.

"Hey," he said, with a quick kiss on the cheek. I don't know if I mentioned it, but Craig and I are officially a couple.

"Craig, I need to talk to you," I muttered.

"About what?" he asked.

"I- I- I- I think... I think... I think I might... be... be... I mean, I am.... pregnant," I finally spat out.

His face turned from happiness to pure shock.

"But I- I- I used a condom."

"Craig, those don't always work."

I started crying.

"How are we going to tell our parents?" I sobbed.

"Em, we'll figure it out," he assured me, "I promise."

He pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, Craig," I said.

"I love you, too, Emma," he replied.

"We have to tell them soon, I can already see my stomach getting bigger," I told him, lifting up my shirt a little to show him the buldge that was beginning to appear.

"I don't know," he said.

"Don't know what?" I asked.

"How we're going to tell them," he informed me.

"We could tell them all together," I suggested.

"I don't know, maybe we should tell your mom and Snake first?" he questioned, "I mean, it happened to her, too, she'd know what to do about it, right?"

"Well, yeah, but she's always told me that if I got pregnant in high school she'd kill me," I told him.

"Excuse me?!" a voice came from the door. It was Caitlin. Oh, God! "What did you just say, Emma?!"

It was more of a demand then a question.

"Caitlin, please, I... uh... we didn't know how to.... tell you guys," Craig stuttered.

"So you really are pregnant? I heard right?!" she demanded.

I had tears streaming down my cheeks. Craig and I nodded.

"Oh, my, God! I come out here to get you for dinner, and I find out you two got pregnant!" she wailed.

Joey came in.

"Caitlin, what is it?" he asked, worriedly. "What happened?" He looked at us.

"They got... pregnant!" Caitlin yelled.

"You WHAT?!" Joey screamed.

"It's true, Emma is pregnant!" she exclaimed.

"We'll talk about this once Spike and Snake get here!" Joey scolded.

He went inside and called mom and Snake, telling them they needed to get there immediately, it was urgent.

Mom and Snake arrived within minutes, mom carrying Jack. Mom was hysteric.

"What is it? What's wrong? Is someone hurt?!" she exclaimed.

"Why don't you two tell her?" Joey asked us.

We couldn't do it... I thought, we couldn't atleast, but I looked at Craig, his face plastered with terror. Then he opened his mouth and I opened mine. Words popping out.

"Emma's/ I'm pregnant." Our sentences combined.

Mom's face dropped.

-Seven months later-

I found myself in a hospital, saying words I couldn't believe were coming out of my mouth. Craig was holding my hand, reassuring me that it was going to be okay, but I squeezed his hand harder with each contraction. And called him another obscene name with each one, too, which I think scared him, a little, but the nurses told him it was completely normal for me to curse the man who got me here.

Finally, after an excruciating twelve hour delivery, our daughter, Riley Autumn Manning was born. Craig looked at me. His eyes glowing.

"You did it," he told me.

"I'm so tired," I told him.

"I know, get some rest," he said.

But I wanted to hold her. And as soon as I did, I fell in love with the little 6 pound, seven ounce baby.

"Do you want to hold her?" I asked Craig.

"Of course," he replied, taking her into his arms, his eyes full of admiration.

Hey guys,
I hope you like this chapter, I am extremely sorry for taking so long to update. Please R&R. Oh, and the title of this chapter is from the advertisements for "Life as we Know it," which is on tonight, and I really wanna watch it. Well that's all for now,
Ciao,
Shelby