Chapter 3: Meet the Stewpits

Nicole and Emma got to Schuyler-Moore Airport and Nicole gave Emma her plane ticket.

"So where am I heading?" Emma asked.

"San Francisco, California." Nicole responded. "There name is the Stewpits. There're waiting for you right now."

The P.A. went on.

"Flight 101401 to San Francisco leaving in 7 minutes! 7 minutes people! If you're goin' to San Francisco, you better get on that plane!"

"You should get on that plane now." Nicole said.

"Sure…" Emma responded.

She went onto the plane and took one last look at Toronto in the plane window as the plane flew away.

18 hours later (roughly 4:30AM in California time), the plane arrived in San Francisco and Emma boarded off the plane. Meanwhile in the actual airport, Emma's new 'family', the Stewpits were sitting around in chairs. They consist of a father Bob, his wife Ellen, their twin daughters Michelle & Lauren (they are older then Emma by six months) and their youngest son Jeremy (about 12 years old).

"So, tell me, Ellen. Who are we waiting for here exactly?" Pete asked.

"Our new stepdaughter, I think her name is Terri." Ellen said.

"No, her name is Liberty. What are you talking about?"Pete responded.

"Daddy, maybe she's not even a she, maybe she's a male." Michelle said.

"Maybe she's an alien." Jeremy said.

"I wonder why it's taking her so long to get here, we've been it's nearly 4:30."Pete said.

Emma approached the Stewpits.

"Excuse me." Emma said, but they did not hear her. "EXCUSE ME!" she yelled and the Stewpits looked at her.

"Hi, I'm looking for the… Stewpits." Emma said.

"That would be us."Pete responded, yawning.

"Well, I guess I'm your new stepdaughter, Emma."

"Oh, good. This is my wife Ellen and my 3 lovely children Michelle, Lauren and Jeremy."

"Oh, joy. Another sister." Jeremy said sarcastically.

"Well, since she's here. Let's go!"Pete said. As they got up, the Stewpits started to trip over each other and they fell. Emma rolled her eyes.

A couple minutes later, they had left Bruce McDonald Memorial Airport and heading across the Golden Gate Bridge and through the city, when they finally got to Girard Street.

"This is our street Emma, Girard Street." Ellen told Emma.

"Who are the neighbors?" Emma asked.

"Well, there are the Tanners." Pete said.

"Do they have any kids?" Emma asked.

"Well, uh, they have three daughters. Their names are um… DJ… Stephanie… who's the other girl?"Pete said.

"Who knows? There all in collage now anyway." Michelle joked.

"Yeah, her wife died like 15 years ago and their uncle and their dad's best friend moved in with them. I don't know, the uncle has a family now and there living there."Pete said.

"Seems a little unfair to target me of all people then." Emma whispered to herself.

Peteparked the car in the garage and they all walked inside. Emma walked a little slower then the others inside. She knew she missed her family and the Rodriguezs, but she was trying to deny it for now, though.

Meanwhile, about a week later back in Toronto, the others were not taking it well. Daffy was taking to Toby on the phone in the shower (it is a waterproof phone, like what Kramer has).

"What if she comes again for one of us?" Daffy asked nervously.

"Daffy, you need to relax," said Toby "I doubt she'd come back and send one of us away."

"Yeah, I guess your right, bye Tobbes." Daffy said. Daffy was about to hang up…

"Daffy, by the way" Toby said, "You weren't at the mall last night. Are you still not over Emma leaving?"

"Look, Toby. How would you feel if JT moved away?" Daffy asked.

"Well, I have you to entertain me so it wouldn't be total loss." Toby said.

"But he's still your best friend."

"Yeah. So, now that you put it that way. Your right. I can sympathize with you."

"Good to see we're on the same page."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Daffy hung up the phone, put on a bathrobe and went outside to get the paper. However, the paperboy was just passing by when he came.

"Hey, boy! You're a ½ hour late with my paper!" Daffy yelled.

The paperboy threw the newspaper at Daffy's forehead, making him fall. The mail carrier came and put the mail in their mailbox.

"I wonder if these guys know there's a guy on the ground in a bathrobe outside her house," said the mail carrier as he walked off.

Daffy brought in the mail.

"Mail call!" Daffy yelled.

Daffy looked over the mail as he walked into the kitchen where the others were eating breakfast. A couple bills, junk mail, subscription to "Reader's Digest", Directors Guild of Canada form, nothing too important. Then Daffy saw an envelope with the return address:

Emma Nelson

1356 Girard St

San Francisco, CA 94134

USA

"Look at this. Another prankster! Why do people stoop so low as to send prank mail?" Daffy yelled. "This goes in the trash… along with this postcard for Gobo Fraggle! Why are we always getting postcards for a guy named Gobo Fraggle?"

"Daffy, what the heck happened?" Spike asked.

"There was some letter sent from some person named Emma and…"

"…and a postcard for Gobo Fraggle?"

"Yeah."

"I hate when people send prank mail."

"Tell me about it…"

Daffy and Spike paused for a couple seconds and then realized who the letter was from.

"EMMA?" Daffy and Spike said in unison, staring right at each other.

"What about Gobo Fraggle?" Daffy asked.

Daffy and Spike scrambled for the garbage and pulled out the letter.

"It is from Emma!" Daffy yelled excitedly.

"Open it!" Spike said.

Daffy opened the letter and we hear Emma's voice reading it, accompanied by images of what is going on.

Dear Friends and Family,

Just in case you are wondering, I am perfectly fine and I am living with a nice family named the Stewpits. They live in San Francisco, which I am sure confused Daffy when he saw the return address. Anyways, the Stewpits watch a lot of TV. Their favorite show is Beavis and Butt-head.

Emma walks in and sees the Stewpits watching Beavis and Butt-head, and gives a confused look as they watch.

"I AM CORNHOLIO. I need some TP for my bunghooooole. Bunghoooole!" Emma heard Beavis yell on TV.

The Stewpits laugh hysterically.

I do not know what they see in it, but everyone has an opinion. The Stewpits have a great garden and a nice big lawn, if only they did not have a tractor.

Emma is sitting in a lawn chair getting a tan and the tractor (withPete driving) comes and drives all over the place, nearly running over Emma, but she runs and Pete accidentally drives the tractor through the fence and into the neighbor's yard.

I'm surprisedPete even has a driver's license. The Stewpits also keep in shape a lot. They have a treadmill, but it doesn't really get that much good results.

Emma is on the treadmill and Jeremy is trying to jump on it.

"Get off of that treadmill and give me a tur…. AH!" he said as he jumped onto the treadmill and flew off.

The Stewpits eat frequently, too. But their dinners are, let's say, um. Not up to speed with my food preferences.

Peteputs some steak on the table.

"Steak?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, this is what we eat every night."Pete responded.

"Bob, um, I didn't tell you this but I'm a vegetarian."

"You're a pet doctor?" Michelle asked.

"No, vegeTARIAN, notveterinarian. I don't eat meat." Emma told Michelle, trying to be as calm as possible.

"Well, this is all we have. So you will eat it and you will enjoy it!"Pete yelled.

"NO!" Emma yelled in a shockingly deep voice and ended up flipping her fork right above Pete's head.

"Close shave." Lauren remarked.

Well, that's my life right now. I keep telling myself over and over to like it here. Maybe you can figure out what's wrong with me.

EMMA

Daffy closed up the letter and he and Spike looked at each other.

Later that day, Daffy was talking to Manny, Toby, JT and Liberty.

"So, Daffy, have you heard anything from Emma yet?" Manny asked.

"Yes, I have." Daffy responded.

"What does she have to say?" Manny asked once more.

"Well…"

"Yeah?"

"Um…"

"Daffy, speak up!"

"She ended the letter saying 'what's wrong with me?'"

"I knew she wouldn't it there." JT said.

"Well, if you were torn away from your friends and family, I'm sure you wouldn't be happy." Liberty said.

"True." Daffy said. "I was actually going to give her a call. She put her number on the back of the letter she sent me. Who knows? Maybe we can go visit her in San Francisco sometime."

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Emma was trying to adjust to the Stewpits and trying to teach the kids proper behavior, using a re-run of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

"Now, pay attention to the Banks." Emma told them.

"But banks have money and tellers. I don't see either." Jeremy said.

"Banks is their last name!" Emma responded. "Oh my god, I don't watch this show and I know that."

However, the Stewpits used Will's behavior rather then the Banks'. Jeremy, Michelle and Lauren were running around the house acting like Will, annoying Emma.

Then the phone rang, Emma answered it.

"Hello?" she said angrily.

"Um… hi Mr. Stewpit, I'm one of Emma's friends back from Toronto. Actually, she was my BEST friend, though I was 2nd banana to her. So is she here?" Daffy said over the phone.

"Daffy? Is that you?"

"Em?"

"Oh, Daffy! I never thought I'd hear from you again!"

"You haven't gotten away from me yet!"

"So… I guess you got the letter?"

"Yeah. Emma, I'm worried. Are you sure you don't want to come back before anything bad happens?"

"Oh, you know. I was mad that night, you know. I'm perfectly fine."

"Good."

"So, how's everything going in Toronto?"

"Well, everyobdy's missing you, we're all a little sad, ya know? I was wondering if it would be cool if we could come over for a visit or if you could come over here, maybe."

"I'll talk to the Stewpits about it."

"Cool."

"Say, could you put mom on the line."

"Sure. HEY, SPIKE-O! Hasta la vista, Emma."

Daffy got off the phone and Spike came on.

"Hi, Em."

"Mom."

"So, how's San Francisco going?"

"Fine, I guess."

"We're really missing you here."

"Daffy told me."

"Don't tell him I do you this, but he can't even sleep anymore. Not even in the basement. He hasn't been down there since you left, only to get his stuff. He sleeps in the bathtub, he must be desperate."

"Wow."

"It would really be nice if you came and visited. Make us all feel better. You know?"

"All right, mom. Bye."

"Bye, Em."

Emma hung up the phone and later talked to the Stewpits.

"Pete, I'm just wondering." Emma said.

"Yup?"Pete asked.

"Would it be okay if I go to Toronto?"

"Why are earth would you want to go to Toronto?"

"Go visit my family."

"Emma, we're your family." Ellen said.

"No, you're not. You're just my step mom."

"So?"Pete asked.

"Well, I think it would be nice if I could be able to visit my real family and friends."

Petethought for nine seconds.

"No." he said.

"What?" Emma yelled. "Why not?"

"Look, Emma, when… when you came to us. The Helen Peters Adoption place didn't want you to interact with your old family."

"At all?"

"No, not at all."

"But, I can't help not interacting with my family! I love them too much!"

"Yeah, but, you know it might not be good for you." said Michelle.

"She has a point." Lauren said.

"That's ridiculous!" Emma said. "I want to visit my family and if I can't even see them, I want to go back home!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh-aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Funny, very funny." Bob said.

Very late that night, Emma put her stuff in her suitcase, did a MapQuest to get from San Francisco to Toronto and snuck out, intent on not getting caught and planning on heading back to Toronto, she didn't know how, she was just going to. She didn't have the money to get a plane or train ticket, a bus, a taxi and she doesn't have a bike or motorcycle with her. She has no other choice but to walk.

Meanwhile, back in Toronto, everyone at Emma's house was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and having small conversations. Then a big news story came on.

"This… this news just in concerning a 15-year old runaway who answers to the name Emma Simpson." Jon said on TV.

"Phew." Spike said. "For a second I thought it was…"

"Hold on a second, Emma Nelson. Sorry."

"Oh, well. If that's all…" Snake said. "WHAT?"

Jon Stewart continued…

"She left her San Francisco home at about 2 or 3AM this morning and is heading northwest for Toronto in Canada. Here is our correspondent, Kermit the Frog with more info on the story."

Kermit the Frog appeared on TV in his trench coat and hat he wore when he does the news segments on Sesame Street and he was outside the Stewpit's house.

"Hi ho, this is Kermit the Frog reporting for The Daily Show in San Francisco, California with the message that Emma left on a Walkman saying she was heading back to Toronto." Kermit said he went to read a transcript of what Emma said on the message "Dear Stewpits, you guys are great but I'm going back to Toronto. I miss my friends and family too much to stay here. I don't know how long it will take but I will hopefully get back there before the school year starts. If anyone calls, you know where to reach me. Sincerely, Emma."

Daffy, Spike, Snake, Mark and Laura were not the only ones watching. Everyone in her grade back at Degrassi was watching, too. They never thought someone in their grade would make the news like that (NOTE: this is before the shooting, so, yeah…).

"And now here's the family she left, the Stewpits." Kermit said introducing the Stewpits, who were all outside but Pete.Pete thought that Emma locked herself in her room and is knocking on the door thinking she is still in there and telling her to open the door, completely oblivious a news crew is outside his house.

"Are we on television?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah." Kermit responded.

"Wow. We should do something cool!" Michelle said.

"Bob should do his plate-spinning act." Ellen said.

"Yeah, but Mrs. Stewpit, this is the news and…" Kermit tried to say.

"We should put a tape in the VCR and tape this!" Ellen said.

"Yeah!" Jeremy yelled.

"What's a VCR?" Michelle asked.

"I think it's a Velcro Cookie Rocker." Lauren responded.

"Cool! I like cookies!" Michelle said.

They all ran inside.

"Well," Kermit said. "The Stewpits. And I thought it wasn't easy being green."

"I can see why she asked 'what's wrong with me?'" Mark told Spike.

"To complete the picture, let's talk a minute with Nicole Erickson of the Helen Peters Adoption Agency, based in Toronto." Kermit said.

Kermit walked over to Nicole Erickson's car, which she was sitting in.

"Excuse me, Ms. Erickson?" Kermit said.

"Yes?" Nicole asked.

"You sent Emma to the Stewpits, didn't you?"

"Yes, we at the Helen Peters Adoption Agency take great pride in finding the appropriate environment for children and teenagers who may end up getting chaotic lives later on before turning 18. Her original house was not working for us and I'm sure it wouldn't work for her. Hell, she could try and win an old boyfriend back from another friend, become friends with one of the most hated students in her grade and almost get shot by him, have her first boyfriend move or her get an STD from having oral sex. Who knows?"

Kermit whispered in her ear.

"Fran, Fran, just for the movie. Don't spoil anything for next season. The fans don't know all this stuff yet."

"Oh! Oh! Sorry."

They got back in character.

"Anyway, do you think she just didn't like it here?"

"Absolutely not."

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

"I am heading on the road for Emma and bringing her back here where she belongs!"

Nicole drove off.

"This is Kermit the Frog for The Daily Show and at this instant back to you, Jon." Kermit said signing off.

Jon Stewart continued on some other news story, Emma was watching the broadcast in some Target store in Sacramento. She leaned down and snuck out, trying to avoid being recognized. She knew she was wanted by Nicole and Nicole was following the same route as Emma, making sure she gets Emma back to the Stewpits.

The next day, Daffy got everyone together at Degrassi. He had a plan. Everyone was in the Media Immersion lab and Daffy had put up a map. Spike, Snake, Joey, Mark, Laura, Manny, Toby, JT, Liberty, Craig, Ashley, Sean, Danny and David were surrounding the map and Daffy.

"All right, everybody! Here we go! Emma is here." He pointed to California, "Heading here." He moved his finger to Toronto. "Now then, Snake?"

"Yo." Snake responded.

"All right, we're going to take your car. Um, Spike, Laura and I are going along, too."

"Sure."

"Good, now, Mr. Van Zandt. You have a mini-van, right?"

"It's a 7-seater." David said. "Who am I taking?"

"All right, Mr. VZ, your taking Liberty, Danny, JT, Toby and Ashley, you might as well go along, too."

"Why am I here?" Sean asked confusedly.

"All right, Joey, you will take Craig and Sean with you."

"Wait a minute!" Joey said. "Who will take care of Angie? I can't bring her on this trip."

"We've already settled that and Dad is going to be taking care of our very young children. Now, if were get caught up with her in enough time, we should meet up with her somewhere in the middle of Kansas. Any questions?"

JT raised his hand.

"JT?"

"Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?"

"All right, JT. This is serious, one of our friends is in danger, she could get killed or be in critical condition when we find her. We can't let Ms. Erickson get to her!"

"But what about gas prices?" Spike asked.

"Well, it's not my problem." JT said.

"All right, let's do this!" Daffy yelled, almost sounding like a football coach.

"Wait!" Manny interrupted. "What about me?"

"Oh, Manny, I think Snake has space for one more, so you might as well stick with us."

"Oh… no…" Manny said to herself, she knew how much she despised Daffy. Nevertheless, could she go on a road trip with her?

Everyone ran out and went into their assigned cars.

"You think we're gonna find Emma?" Daffy asked.

"I hope." Spike responded.

"All right, you guys," Toby said in Dave's car, "should we play a game of Geography?"

Everybody groaned.

"It's going to be a long trip." David said.

Everyone then drove off, heading off to find Emma.