Hey all I'm incredibly sorry about not being having done much with this for such a long time. This chapter hasn't really changed, just a few minor details at the end and a slight addition as well. I'm pretty sure I'll have everything all tied up with no more than two more chapters. Thanks to all those who've reviewed!

Hugs and Kisses

SJ

Chapter Five

"Back to Life"

Snake wasn't sure what was wrong. He had left Emma at Sean's room and had gone to call Spike, when he'd returned Emma wasn't in Sean's room. She was in her own and he could tell that she'd been crying. Something had passed between them and it was something that had not been pleasant, something that neither of them would tell him about. Tracker, who had been looking to start up his own motorcycle repair shop, was still unreachable, so Snake was transporting the two teens home by car. It was a journey that he wasn't looking forward to. It was a journey that Emma was looking forward to even less. She had it in her plans to sleep the entire way home, something she could probably do in her current state.

"You ready to go?" Snake asked as Emma put the last of her pill bottles into her backpack. The hospital had her drugged up for a small infection she'd gotten from hanging around too long in the cell.

"Yeah." She replied. That was the other thing that was bothering Snake. She had suddenly moved to single word answers whenever she could. He took her backpack and allowed her to get into the wheelchair, as was the hospital's policy. A nurse pushing Sean in a wheelchair met them in the hallway and Emma avoided his eyes. He sighed. He had never meant for things to get like this. He wanted her to still be a part of his life but a little more of a distant one. He didn't want her to be close enough to get hurt and now, ironically, she wanted the same thing. She'd been too close and gotten her heart broken. Part of her argued that it was worth it, that for the time that she had been his girlfriend she'd been happy, happier than she'd ever thought possible.

The rest of her said that it had only gotten her to this point, the lowest she'd ever felt. She just wanted to curl up and die. That feeling only intensified when she got into the backseat of the car and found Sean sitting next to her. Deciding, again, that ignoring him would be best she turned her body towards the window and curled up into a ball and tried not to cry. Sean looked at her and wanted to scream. Things had gotten so messed up and now he wondered if they would ever be right again.

"Emma, wake up." Sean called to her. They had stopped at a restaurant near the U.S.-Canadian border and Snake had gone in to get them a table. She'd been sleeping for hours and Sean had briefly wondered if the hospital had given her a sedative. Slowly she opened her eyes and met his, though hers were clouded with sleep.

"Hey, we've stopped." He told her, not moving from his position that put him so close to her.

"Noted."

Sean mentally swore. Somehow she managed to find a way to answer him with single word responses.

"We're at a restaurant. Spike just went in to get us a table and asked me to wake you. So, you coming in?" He had not moved, his face inches from her own.

"In a minute. You mind moving?" She asked icily. He closed his eyes and backed away from her, leaving the car with her still inside it.

Emma sighed in relief when he was gone. She closed her eyes and leaned back into the seat, allowing the tears to flow freely. She couldn't take much more of this and she was sure that breakfast was going to be a trip. There was nothing she could do, though, and that was what grated on her nerves. Sean had made his choice and nothing would change that. With a final sigh, Emma wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled her jacket on over her simple tee shirt. It was time to face the table.

"So, Jack, what do you think of sharing a house with me?" Emma asked the infant as she rocked him back and forth in the room that Snake had painted especially for him. He simple opened his eyes for a moment before shutting them again and drifting off into whatever dream world he experienced. Emma smiled as she placed him in his crib. She loved him in a way she never thought she would. Being a sister had suddenly made her feel so protective and she'd only known him for a few days. Emma looked at the clock. It was time for her to get some sleep. School was going to come bright and early she needed all the sleep she could get if she was going to make it through what was sure to be an intense and emotionally draining day.

Emma awoke to find her alarm clock singing its evil, mechanical song. Slapping it until it was quiet, Emma made her way into her clothing and grabbed her backpack. As she came upon her school she sighed. She was home but something felt off.

"Emma!" Manny exclaimed, catching sight of her best friend. Emma turned around and greeted her with a wide smile that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Oh my gosh! I didn't think that you'd be back so soon."

"Yeah, well I didn't really want to stay home. I felt like it was time to get back to life." Emma told her as they made their way into the building.

"Really, though. Emma, are you sure that coming back so soon was a good idea?" Manny pressed.

"Manny, I can't stay home for the rest of my life as much as I would like to."

"If you say so, Em. Well, how are things with you and Sean? I know that you guys met up down there." Manny asked, hoping that this change of subject would be a good one. She watched as Emma's face changed into one of darkness and pain. Obviously this was not a good subject to change to and Manny immediately regretted it.

"Sean and I broke up while he was in the hospital. He told me that he just didn't care anymore and that he didn't want to be with me." Emma told her closest friend in a monotonic voice.

"Oh, Em. God, he's such a jerk. His only reason was that he just didn't care anymore?" Emma nodded in reply. Manny shook her head as they moved into the front of the school. They continued chatting before separating and heading to their respective lockers. As Emma was turning from her locker a boy knocked books from her hands as he rushed past her?

"Oh, I'm so sorry." He apologized as he stooped down and helped her gather the books that he had spilt.

"Don't worry about it." Emma replied, accepting the ones that he had collected.

"I'm Nathan James, by the way. I don't think that we've met before." He introduced himself to her.

"No, we haven't. I'm Emma Nelson, I just got back to school today." She reasoned for him. He nodded as they began down the hall.

"Oh, were you on vacation?"

Emma looked at him and felt a little of the past few days peel away from her and felt some need to shelter him from everything that had happened to her. So, instead of telling him the truth she replied vaguely, "Something like that."

"So, what room are you headed to?"

"The MI Lab."

"So am I but I don't really know where it is. Would you mind walking with me there?" He asked her. Emma nodded and they continued, chatting about safer subjects like where Nathan had just moved from and how he like Canada so far.

Little did Emma know, but Sean was watching her as she walked with this new boy. He watched the way she brushed her hair away from her face, the same way that he had liked to, and how she laughed at something he said to her. He watched as she threw her head back in laughter, exposing the sweet hollow of her throat that he had kissed many times before. As he observed this he felt an anger grow within him. How could she just act like nothing had happened? You forced this on her, Sean. You were the one that ended things and told Em that you weren't in love with her. You were the one that asked for this. Yet, even though he knew it, it didn't make it hurt any less.

Finally, school was over. Emma quickly hurried to her locker, searching for Manny as she did so. All she wanted was to go home and eat a gallon of ice cream with her mom and Manny and rent a bunch of chick flicks.

"Emma!" Nathan called coming up behind her. She slowed and turned to face him, a genuine smile lighting her features. She found that even though her heart ached for Sean, Nathan turned her focus to other things.

"Hey, Nathan. How are things going?" Emma asked as they made their way to Emma's locker, Nathan already having retrieved his things.

"Things are good. I was wondering if maybe I could walk home with you. You said something about your street this morning and I realized that I live on the street adjacent to yours street." He explained. Emma gave him a startled look. It was a little odd that he had suddenly become a part of her life.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for my friend Manny, if you don't mind." He smiled and together they waited for Manny.

Sean watched them together and felt the envy rise in him for the second time that day. He wanted so badly to be the one for her, but he knew that he could never be anything to her again, just a memory that one day she could look back on with fond memories. He had given that away, apparently to this new boy. Heaving a deep sigh, Sean slowly made his way home, he had homework but his drive to do the simplest of tasks was gone. All he wanted was to go to sleep and never wake up again. That wasn't asking much, was it?