Chapter 9: Truth, Bitter Truth

Characters:

Rachel Janacek (Sam and Sonny)- 23

Emma Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 17

Gabe Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Maddie Morgan (Sam and Jason)- 16

Katie Morgan (Sam and John; raised by Jason)- 14

Selena Morgan (Stella and Tyler; adopted by Sam and Jason)- 4

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Morgan Corinthos (Carly and Sonny)- 29

Josslyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 22

Courtney Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 17

Connor Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 16

Jacelyn Jacks (Carly and Jax)- 14

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Chloe J Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Christian Hunter (Maxie and Matt)- 17

Lukas Spencer (Maxie and Lucky)- 16

Leah Zacchara (Maxie and Johnny)- 15

Ava Zacchara (Maxie; adopted by Johnny)- 14

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Daniel Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 17

Mia Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 16

Allie Webber (Olivia and Steve)- 14

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Izzie Zacchara (Claudia)- 23

Clay Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 22

Zack Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 18

Hunter Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 16

Brittany Corinthos (Sonny and Brenda)- 16

Brenna Corinthos (Sonny and Claudia)- 15

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Lindsey Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 23

Nate Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 17

Noah Scorpio-Drake (Robin and Patrick)- 16

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Spencer Cassadine (Nikolas and Courtney)- 28

Aiden Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 22

Paige Cassadine (Nikolas and Emily)- 17

Aubrey Crowell (Nadine and Nikolas)- 16

Nattie Cassadine (Nikolas and Brook Lynn)- 15

Colton Cassadine (Nikolas and Elizabeth)- 15

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Haley Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 17

Wes Janacek (Kristina and Kiefer)- 16

Logan Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

Livvie Davis (Ethan and Kristina)- 15

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Molly Lansing Webber (Ric and Alexis)- 28

Addie Lansing (Ric and Elizabeth)- 16

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Cameron Webber (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 29

Jake Spencer (Elizabeth and Lucky)- 24

Brendan Webber (Elizabeth)- 18

Stella Hunter (Elizabeth and Matt)- 16

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Alec Barrett (Brenda and Aleksander)- 23

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Ashlyn Falconeri (Lulu and Dante)- 15

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Lila Rae Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 28

Jamie Quartermaine (Dillon and Georgie)- 18

Tanner Quartermaine (Dillon and Lulu)- 17

Julian Quartermaine (AJ)- 16

Grace Quartermaine (Skye)- 14

xx

Tyler Drake (Lisa and Patrick)- 17

Ian Niles (Lisa)- 15

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Carrie Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 15

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Ryan Rosco (Faith)- 17

Dominic Rosco (Faith)- 14

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Prue Webber (Molly and Cam)- 0

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Henry Spencer (Lindsey and Jake)- 0

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Sophia Janacek (Rachel and Kiefer)- 4

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Kailey Franco (Franco)- 17

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Reed Worth (Maggie)- 17

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Rhiannon Deusa- 16

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Lauren Grayson- 16

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Brianna Edwards- 17

Deceased:

Bella Jacks (Jax and Brenda)- 15

Mason Zacchara (Olivia and Johnny)- 15

Jazzie Corinthos (Sonny and Kate)- 14

Lola Zacchara (Claudia and Nikolas)- 14

Ben Lovett (Ethan and Lisa)- 15

Liam Drake (Elizabeth and Patrick)- 15

Matt Zacchara (Lulu and Johnny)- 17

Joey Falconeri (Dante and Brenda)- 17

Trevor Alcazar (Skye and Lorenzo)- 16

Taylor Corinthos (Michael and Abby)- 14

Parker Ruiz (Manny)- 16

Corey Spinelli (Spinelli)- 15

Bailey Spencer (Lucky and Siobhan)- 15

Max Franco (Franco)- 15

Lily Mir (Leyla and Aleksander)- 15

Emma and Courtney

"Isn't it a little early to go wedding dress shopping?" Courtney asked her older sister. "You don't even have a date set."

Josslyn rolled her eyes. "It's never too early, Court. The dress is the most important part!"

"Actually, I think the date is pretty important." Emma chimed in.

"Would you two just be happy that I allowed you the honor of joining me?" Josslyn joked. Courtney and Emma both laughed and decided to play along with her craziness. They were at a wedding dress shop with Josslyn, Carly, Lindsey, Jacelyn, Izzie, and Rachel to try and find Josslyn's dream dress, but so far, they hadn't had much luck.

"I still don't understand why Rachel is here." Emma whispered to Courtney. She had managed to keep some distance between herself and her older sister and she intended to keep it that way.

"Probably because she's dating Alec. You know Joss and Alec are close." Courtney whispered back. "I don't know, it is kind of weird."

Josslyn was given another handful of dresses and disappeared to try them on while the rest of them sat and waited to give their opinions.

"So did you guys hear that Morgan moved his wedding date up?" Carly asked the group as a way to make conversation. "It's going to be crazy trying to get two of my kids married so close together."

"You know he's just doing it so that people don't compare his wedding to Joss's." Courtney informed her mother.

"I don't think so."

"He literally told Connor and me that was why, and then spoke to Lila Rae on the phone about it. She didn't seem to excited."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Does Lila Rae get excited about anything?" she wasn't particularly close to her cousin, but pretty much every time she saw her, she was in a bad mood or complaining about something.

"Doesn't seem like it." Jacelyn scoffed. "I don't think it matters when Morgan and Lila Rae get married. Their wedding is going to be boring compared to Josslyn and Aiden's."

"Josslyn is just a good party planner." Lindsey chimed in. "They should have pushed it off and then Joss could have helped them."

"I think their weddings will just be very…different." Carly explained. "Morgan and Lila Rae's will probably be a lot smaller and more personal. We all know how over the top Josslyn is."

"What do you think of this one?" Josslyn questioned as she came out of the fitting room. She was dressed in a huge, white gown that was tight around her chest and then flowed out around her waist. The top was decked out in sequins and she looked like a princess.

"You look gorgeous!" Emma gushed.

"You seriously look like you just walked out of a fairytale." Courtney complimented.

Lindsey looked at her best friend. "It looks like it was made for you, Joss. What do you think?"

Josslyn smiled. "I like it a lot. Mom?"

Carly's eyes were filled with tears. "God, it didn't hit me until right now that you're actually getting married. My daughter is getting married." She came over to Josslyn and stood in front of her. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

Jacelyn, Rachel, and Izzie gave their compliments and then Josslyn went over to the mirror. She told them all that she was sure that this was the one she wanted.

"Hey Court, can you call Dad?"

"Why?"

"Because he told me I could only spend five thousand."

Carly eyed her daughter. "Josslyn, how much is the dress?"

Josslyn bit her lip. "$8500."

"Josslyn Jane Jacks!"

"Mom, you just said that I look gorgeous. This is the dress that I want. I need it. I'll just call Dad and beg him."

"That's a lot for a dress."

"I know it is, but it's perfect. It's everything that I was dreaming of."

Courtney pulled her phone out and dialed her father's number. He answered on the second ring. "Hey Courtney. How's dress shopping?"

"It's going great. Dad, Joss found the prettiest dress. She looks like an angel. I've seriously never seen her look prettier. She wants to talk to you." Courtney shoved the phone into her older sister's hand, who put it on speaker so they all could hear.

"Hi Daddy." Josslyn greeted.

"Hello, sweetheart. Courtney said you found a dress?"

"Yes! It's perfect. It flows out and it's sparkly on the top and it fits perfectly. It's exactly what I wanted."

"That's great, Joss. Are you buying it today?"

Josslyn bit her lip. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you said that I could only spend $5000, but this dress is going to be a little more."

"How much is a little?"

"The dress costs $8500."

Jax sighed. "Josslyn…"

"Daddy, I know it's a lot of money. But I didn't expect to fall in love with it as much as I did and it's perfect. I can't imagine getting married in anything else. I just know that if I don't get this dress, I'm going to compare everything else to it. Please, Dad? I love you so, so much and I would really appreciate it."

Carly took the phone out of Josslyn's hand. "Jax, she looks gorgeous. You should have seen the smile on her face when she walked out of the dressing room."

Courtney grabbed the phone next. "Dad, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm leaving a business meeting."

"Stay where you are." Courtney switched the call over to Facetime. It only took a second for Jax's face to pop up on her phone. "Are you ready?"

"Courtney, I…"

Courtney flipped the camera before he had the chance to protest. Jax was silent as he looked at Josslyn, standing in front of him in a wedding dress. Even over the screen, Courtney could tell that his eyes were full of tears.

"Can I talk to your sister?"

Courtney handed the phone to Josslyn, who flipped the camera back so she could look at her dad. "What do you think of the dress?"

"You look stunning." Jax smiled. "Get your dress."

"Really?" Josslyn's face lit up.

"Really. If you are one hundred percent sure that that is the one you want, then go ahead."

"Thank you, Daddy! I love you." Josslyn smiled at him. She said her goodbyes and then gave Courtney her phone back. No one was really surprised that Jax had agreed to the extra amount; Josslyn had always been Daddy's little girl, so it wasn't that big of a shock to see her getting what she wanted.

As Josslyn went to change out of the dress, Courtney and Emma sat down together. "Did you talk to Nate last night?" Courtney asked.

Emma shook her head. "No. I felt awkward."

"You should probably apologize for punching him in the face."

"I don't really know how to bring it up. I don't know why I did it, and I know he's going to question me and try to talk about things that are uncomfortable. Nate isn't the type of person who can just let things go. He's always trying to pry and we're just not close like that anymore."

Courtney raised an eyebrow at her. "Em, you never used to run from uncomfortable conversations. Maybe it's time to face those fears."

"I'm just not ready yet. And especially not with Nate."

"Did something happen between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, that's just the second time you've lashed out at him when you were drunk. It makes it seem like something happened."

"Nothing happened. We're just not close anymore and Nate has a hard time with accepting that and not getting involved with things he shouldn't be involved with." Emma explained. "I still consider him a friend, but there are only two people who I actually need in my life right now, and that's you and Zack."

Courtney just nodded her head. She didn't necessarily agree with Emma's statement, but she could see how Nate's prying would make her uncomfortable. She knew that Emma had been pretty closed off and she didn't respond well to people pushing her, which is why she and Zack hadn't tried especially hard to get her to talk about everything that had happened. But she did wish that Emma would realize that no one was doing anything to make her uncomfortable and they were just worried about her. She hoped that as time passed, some of the wounds would heal and things could go back to how they had been before.

Dream Team Juniors

"It's so nice to be out of the house." Mia said as she sat down at one of the tables in the food court at the mall. Brittany and Maddie took the seats across from her, all three of them setting down their food in front of them. "I feel like I'm trapped inside all the time."

Brittany nodded. "I understand how you feel after I was grounded these past couple days. I can't imagine being stuck inside every day."

Maddie rolled her eyes at their dramatics. "Mia, it's not like you're stuck. You choose not to leave the penthouse."

"Yeah, cause there's nowhere to go! What am I supposed to do while you all are at school all day? Go to Walmart? That's not fun when you're by yourself."

"You're the one who chose to homeschool." Maddie reminded her.

"First off, you sound just like Gabe. Second, I'm glad that I did. After seeing how that Brianna Edwards chick treats all the PCH kids, I wouldn't have lasted long at Madison."

Brittany gave her a look. "You would have chosen Madison?"

"I don't know. Either way, it doesn't seem like it matters. The rumors about all of us seem to travel between both schools. How did that girl even know I was pregnant or about the chlamydia or any of that?"

"No clue." Maddie took a bite of her soft pretzel. "You just got an idea of what Brianna was like. That's how she acts every single day. She treats all the PCH kids like they're beneath her."

Mia shook her head. "I don't get why you guys take that. I mean, I understand the school is really strict about PCH kids getting into fights and everything and only PCH kids get punished, but who cares? I think it's worth it."

Brittany laughed. "Why, so my parents can ground me again? No thanks." She sighed. "I don't even want to go back to school on Tuesday."

"You should drop out and do homeschooling instead! Then we can hang out all day." Mia said excitedly.

"I can't drop out. I'm not going to let them win."

Maddie sighed. "What are they winning, Britt? It's not a game. They're torturing you and getting enjoyment out of it."

Brittany looked at her friends. "It's about being able to take this abuse. I know that I'm strong enough. It hurts, but I can handle it. I'll be fine."

Right at that moment, Gabe, Hunter, and Connor joined them. The six of them had gone to the mall together, but split up to go to different stores. Gabe and Hunter sat on either side of Mia, while Connor sat down next to Maddie.

"What are you guys talking about?" Hunter asked, reaching over to grab one of Mia's fries. She glared at him, but he did it anyway. "Don't act like you don't always take my food."

"School." Maddie answered. "Did you guys find anything?" she wanted to change the subject. She was sick of all of their conversations revolving around Madison Academy.

"I got a few shirts, Hunter got a pair of shoes." Connor replied. "What about you guys?"

"We each got a couple things." Maddie said.

"Things are going to be so different." Everyone looked at Hunter when he spoke, obviously wondering what he meant. "Pretty soon, there's going to be a baby here."

Mia smiled. "Yeah, that usually happens when someone is pregnant."

"But you know what I mean, Mimi. Everything will change."

"Everything already has changed." Brittany stated. "At least this is a good change. Something positive to come out of the mess that was last year. I know it's not ideal to have a baby at sixteen, but I'm excited for you guys. I know you'll be amazing parents and this baby will have a great life."

"Thanks, Britt." Gabe smiled at her.

"I'm just thinking about how hard it's going to be for us to be the way we are now." Hunter continued his thought. "Like we won't all be able to just get in the car and go to the mall. Or have Dream Team sleepovers at the Enchantment. You guys won't be able to go to parties or go out whenever we want to."

"No, we won't." Mia agreed. "But that doesn't mean that our friendship is going to change. You guys might have to get used to coming over to visit us for a little while instead of going out somewhere. And we probably won't be going to parties. But we're always going to be friends."

As the six of them sat there together, thinking of Mia's words, they actually believed it. Their friendship was too strong for something as simple as adding a baby to the group to break it.

Zack

For once, Zack was actually by himself on a Sunday morning. It was unusual, considering that he typically spent this time taking care of a hungover Emma and Courtney. But since they had all spent the night at the Enchantment the night before and no one had drank, there hadn't been a need for that. The girls went dress shopping with Josslyn that morning, so now, he was on his own.

When he was actually dealing with them, sometimes he wished for a break. He wished that there was another person there to help him so that he didn't have to deal with Courtney and Emma all on his own. Sometimes, they annoyed him so badly that he wished he could just drop them off at their houses and be alone.

But now that he was alone, he missed them. Not the hungover versions of his friends or holding back their hair when they puked, but talking to them. He missed hearing their loud voices and laughs and seeing their faces light up when they talked about the things they loved. He missed how Emma was never too far away from him, and how they would cuddle with each other. He missed Courtney's teasing and complaining.

His phone rang, interrupting him from his thoughts. He hoped that it was Emma, but he was surprised to see another name instead.

"Hey Nate." He greeted as he answered the phone. He and Nate had always been good friends, mostly due to the fact that their parents, Sonny and Robin, had known each other since before they were born. Their individual friendships with Emma had strengthened their friendship with each other, but ever since he had gotten closer to the girl, he hadn't spoken to Nate much. It wasn't something that happened on purpose and the two boys hadn't had an issue between them. Zack did know, however, that Nate had feelings and he was trying to figure out his own feelings for Emma. Adding in the fact that Nate always seemed to be with Paige and there was no reason for the two guys to really hang out.

"Hey." Nate sounded uncomfortable and Zack hated that this was what they had become. No one in the Dream Team should ever feel uncomfortable speaking to each other.

"What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Emma."

Zack waited for Nate to tell him to stay away from her. He was expecting him to try and say that he had feelings for her and he wanted to act on them, but there was just silence.

"Okay…"

"I don't know what to do anymore." Nate admitted. "Every time I try to talk to her, she shuts down on me. You saw her punch me in the face on Friday night. I just don't understand what happened between the two of us or what I did wrong to make her hate me."

Zack sighed. "She doesn't hate you, Nate. You know she's going through a lot."

"Do I know that? She won't talk to me." He could hear the sadness in the other teen's voice. "How is she?"

"She's dealing. She went through a lot and she's struggling. I think everyone can see that."

"Does she talk to you?"

"Sometimes."

"I don't understand what I did wrong."

"I'll talk to her, okay? I'm sure it has nothing to do with you."

Nate laughed dryly. "So she just chose to punch me in the face for no reason?"

"I think she was hallucinating."

"All I know is that I miss her and I want her to talk to me again. I just want everyone to be able to talk again."

"We all do." Zack agreed. "I'll talk to Em, okay?"

"Thank you." Nate hung up.

Zack put his phone down and closed his eyes. He didn't really know what Nate expected him to do. Emma hadn't said anything to him about the boy, but he imagined that a big part of her hesitance was because of how close he had gotten to Paige and the fact that Emma and Paige still weren't really talking. It sucked, but there was a lot of tension and Zack wasn't sure he could fix that.

But, he would try. For Emma.

Brittany

Brittany and Hunter walked through the front door, waving to Connor as he backed out of their driveway. They both laughed as they went into the living room together. They saw Sonny and Claudia sitting on the couch together.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad." Hunter greeted.

"Hey guys." Claudia smiled at her son. "Britt, can we talk to you for a second?"

"Oh God, it must be about Brenda." She groaned. "Can't Hunter stay? Maybe his inappropriate jokes will make whatever this conversation is going to be about a little more bearable."

Sonny shook his head. "It'll be better if we have it in private."

"Wow. I can tell when I'm not wanted." Hunter looked at his younger half-sister. "Let me know if you want to go egg her car afterwards."

"Hunter, go." Claudia said, shaking her head at his antics.

"I swear I'll do it. We can TP the house too." Hunter continued as if his mother hadn't spoken. "Whatever you want, Britt."

"Thanks." Brittany smiled at him. "Go upstairs before you get yelled at."

"Yes ma'am." He kissed her cheek. "Come talk to me after?"

"You know I will."

Claudia and Sonny waited until Hunter was in his room to begin speaking. Brittany sat down in the chair, nervous about whatever it was that they had to say.

"So, we have been talking about something and we wanted your opinion." Sonny told his daughter.

"If it has anything to do with spending more time with Brenda, then no." Brittany immediately answered. "I'm happy being here. I want to be here."

"We understand that." Sonny continued. "Britt, you know how important you have always been in our family. Even though you aren't hers, Claudia has always raised you and loved you the same way she did her own children."

"Yeah, I know."

"How would you feel about finally being her child?"

Brittany felt her eyes well up with tears. She looked at Claudia. "You mean, like, you adopting me?"

"Yes." Claudia said.

"You want me that much?"

Claudia got up and sat on the coffee table across from Brittany. She grabbed her hands. "Can I tell you something? When I found out that your father had cheated on me, I was furious. I couldn't believe that he could possibly go outside of our marriage. I was so upset with the fact that he would jeopardize the family we had built for Zack, and the family that Hunter was supposed to be born into. But then, I decided to forgive him because I loved him too much to hold onto that anger and I knew that loving his new baby would be part of that package. When I met you, it was hard. But you grew on me, Brittany, and you became just as important to me as Izzie, Zack, and Hunter. Baby, I have always wanted you to be mine. I have loved you since you were little and I will always love you."

"Claws, you have been the most amazing mom. There is no one in this world who I consider a mom to me more than you. I love you so, so much." A tear slid down Brittany's cheek. "But I don't think it's worth the fight."

"What do you mean?" Sonny questioned his daughter.

"We all know that my mom will do everything she can to fight you adopting me. She won't care that it's what I want. I just don't think the unnecessary argument is worth it. We've all already been through so much; we don't need to go through that too."

Claudia gently held Brittany's cheeks in her hands. "Are you sure? If you want this, then I don't care how much of a fight we'll have. We'll do it."

Brittany smiled. "I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that you're my mom."

Claudia pulled her into her arms and Brittany leaned into her chest. Everything else might be a mess, but at least she knew she had an amazing family.

Izzie and Spencer

"Can we talk about the wedding?" Izzie asked as she came into Spencer's office.

He shut his laptop, giving her his full attention. "Of course we can."

Izzie took a seat in the chair across from his at his desk. "I was thinking that we should just do something simple. No extravagant decorations or a huge reception afterwards."

"Really?" Spencer sounded surprised.

"I just don't think it's necessary. We love each other and want to get married and that's good enough."

"Iz, if you want a big wedding, then I have no problem with that."

She shook her head. "I think we've learned the past few months that something like that isn't really what's important. I just want to be married to you."

"Alright, so what do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could get married next weekend."

"Next weekend?" Spencer was shocked, to say the least. "That's really soon."

"Is that okay? Do you have any business to do?"

"No, I can clear my schedule. Why are you wanting to do it so quickly?"

"We both want to be married before the baby comes. I just don't see the point of putting it off. I think we should just do a nice, simple ceremony in a church."

"If that's really what you want, then we'll do it."

"I was thinking too that Brittany, Brenna, Paige, and Nattie could be bridesmaids, and then Zack, Hunter, Aiden, and Connor could be groomsmen. I'll ask Rachel if Sophia can be the flower girl."

Spencer frowned. "What about Aubrey? I don't want to include everyone in the wedding but her."

"Well I'm leaving out Michael, Morgan, Kristina, and Dante."

"Yeah, but they're older. They won't care."

"If you want to talk to Aubrey about it, you can. I honestly kind of forgot about her." Izzie admitted.

"What are you going to do for a dress?"

"I'll find something simple. We'll pick a color for all the girls to wear and let them choose their own dresses. It should be easy enough."

Spencer studied her. "You really have this thought out, don't you?'

"After losing so many people in our lives, I just want to marry you and start our family."

Spencer walked around to the other side of his desk. "I love you, and you won't lose me. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. And I love you too."

"Alright, I'll start making phone calls about a church and someone to marry us. You start calling people and telling them we're getting married next weekend. Were you thinking Saturday or Sunday?"

"Saturday."

Spencer looked at his calendar. "January 26th, 2013. It's going to be a good day."

Izzie smiled. "Yeah. Thank you for doing this, Spencer."

He kissed her forehead. "I would do anything for you." He put his hand on her stomach. "And this little one. Make your phone calls, okay?"

Just like that, they had less than a week to plan a wedding.

Emma

Emma walked into Greystone after Max allowed her to enter. She opened the front door and came inside, seeing Brittany, Hunter, and Brenna on the couch and Zack on the chair, their attention focused on whatever movie they were watching.

"Hey guys!" she greeted. They all looked over to her.

Emma was actually in a really great mood. She felt happier than she had in a while. She had a good day spending time with Courtney, Josslyn, and the others, and she hoped that nothing would happen to ruin her mood.

"Hey Princess." Zack said. She went over and sat down between Brittany and Hunter. When Emma looked back at Zack, she noticed the strange expression on his face. Almost like she had hurt his feelings. Was it because she hadn't sat with him?

"Did Josslyn find a dress?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, and it's gorgeous! She looks amazing." Emma smiled. She was so happy for Josslyn and the fact that she was finally letting herself be happy with Aiden. "What did you guys do today?"

"Hung out with Lukas." Brenna answered.

"We went to the mall with Maddie, Connor, Gabe, and Mia." Hunter explained for Brittany and himself.

"I just sat around here." Zack replied.

They all started to pay attention to the movie again and Emma focused on it for a while before subtly glancing towards Zack. She had missed him today. The two of them and Courtney usually spent their Sundays together, mostly because she and Court were hungover and Zack was taking care of them. But she had woken up this morning at the Enchantment and left with Courtney and barely spoken to Zack. She missed him.

The movie ended and the Corinthos kids all started to grab their phones and go upstairs. Brittany leaned over, leaving a loud, smacking kiss on Emma's cheek.

"Goodnight."

"Night, Britt." Emma accepted the hug that Hunter gave her. "Night, Hunter."

"It's good to see you happy, Em." He told her.

Brenna gave her a hug and told her goodnight and then followed Brittany and Hunter upstairs. Emma and Zack stood up at the same time.

"Hunter's right." Zack said. "I love seeing you smile and laugh."

"It's been a good day." Emma admitted. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. He was so much bigger than her, but she always felt safe with him.

Zack gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Are you spending the night?"

"Mmhmm."

"Let's go upstairs then."

As they walked towards the stairs, Zack leaned down and picked up Emma's backpack, purse, and her duffel bag. She had stopped by the penthouse on the way over to Greystone and run in to grab some more clothes, even though she was sure that she had left enough stuff here by now to survive. The two of them walked up to his room together.

"Thank you." Emma said as Zack set her stuff down in his room.

"You're welcome. Are you gonna shower?" she nodded. "Go ahead. I've got AP Chem homework to do."

"Me too. Will you wait for me?"

"Yeah."

Emma grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. She got dressed quickly and then walked back into Zack's room. He was lying on his bed with his phone in his hand. When he noticed she was finished, he sat up. Emma pulled over both of their backpacks and they got out their homework.

"I don't understand any of this." Emma admitted.

"We'll figure it out." Zack promised. "Let's work through it. I'll try and help you."

Emma knew that a large part of why she didn't understand was because she kept leaving school early, and even when she did come to class, she couldn't really focus. Even when they were at PCH still, the Crew had missed a lot of school from being at the hospital or at funerals. It just wasn't clicking for her.

She tried not to get discouraged as she listened to Zack explain the concepts to her, but it was frustrating. She was very intelligent and she knew she should be getting it, but it was difficult.

"It's no use." She sighed. "I'm so stupid."

"You're not stupid, Emma." She looked up at him when he used her full name. "Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you are stupid. You can go to the teacher for help. You can get a tutor. I'm sure someone in the Crew could teach you this a little better than I am."

"Zack, it's not about teaching this specific lesson. I don't understand anything about AP Chem. Even when we were at PCH, I couldn't dedicate myself to the class because none of us were ever at school. I need to just completely retake the class."

He shook his head. "Well that's not an option, Princess. You're just gonna have to give a little more effort. You know who's really good at chemistry?"

"Who?"

"Paige."

Emma was quiet. Paige was the smartest one out of the Dream Team, so there was no shock there. But how was she supposed to ask her for help when they barely spoke?

"I think Nate's pretty good too. Have you talked to him lately?"

Emma could immediately tell something was off by the hesitant way that Zack spoke. She looked away from her homework and up to his face. Zack was looking at her as if he was nervous of her reaction.

"Um, not really. Why?"

"Just wondering."

She rolled her eyes. "No you're not. I know you, Zack. What's wrong?"

"Nate called me today. He's worried about you."

"He shouldn't be."

"Princess, we're all worried. It's no secret that you've changed a lot in the last couple of months. We just want you to be okay."

Emma shook her head. "It's different."

Zack frowned. "What is?"

"You don't get it."

"Explain it to me."

"Can we just get this homework done?"

"No, Emma. I don't push you to talk when you're not ready, but this is something that I think you need to talk about. Why can't you talk to Nate?"

"Zack, please." She pleaded.

"Emma." He insisted.

"What do you see when you look at me?" she asked him.

"I see my best friend. I see someone who has gone through a lot. I see someone who is struggling to get back on the right path, but I know she will, because she's strong. I see someone who is so, so beautiful and smart and brave." Zack stated.

"Nate looks at me like I'm broken." Emma finally said. "He looks at me like I'm not me anymore. Like what happened to me was too much and now I could never be the same person again. Paige acts the same way, and I even see it in Chloe J sometimes. Zack, I know that I'm screwed up right now. But I'm not broken. Nate won't even have a normal conversation with me without asking me how I am, or trying to talk about how much I go out. I just can't handle it." She sighed. "I like to be numb. I like to not feel the pain of what's going on, and I know that's wrong, but it's how I cope. I wish more than anything that I could go back to how I was before, but I've changed. I know that you can handle that, and Courtney, and Maddie, Gabe, Mia, Connor, Britt, and Hunter. But I'm not so sure that Nate, Chloe J, and Paige can."

Zack pushed their homework to the side and reached out, pulling Emma onto his lap. "Tell me about your nightmares, baby girl."

She was surprised; that wasn't at all what she had been expecting him to say. But she had already gone this far, so she might as well tell him a little more.

"They're…intense. Most of them are about Joey, but sometimes, they're about when I was attacked by the TMK and buried alive next to Matt's body. They all feel so real in the moment and when I wake up, it takes me a little while to calm down from them."

"Do you have them every night?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Zack rested his chin on top of her head and they sat together in silence for a few minutes. Finally, he broke it. "Can I tell you what I'm thinking?"

"Always."

"I think you're running instead of facing what happened to you. I think that if you would stop and try and heal from everything that went on with Joey, and the TMK, and everything else, then you wouldn't have to be numb anymore because it wouldn't hurt so bad. Emma, I know I don't understand what you went through. But it's breaking my heart to see you pulling yourself further and further away from the people you care about because you're too scared to confront what happened. I'm not just talking about Chloe J, Nate, and Paige, either. I love having you here, but I'm sure your parents miss you and everyone can see the distance there."

"They weren't there for me, Zack." Emma felt a tear slide down her cheek. "They didn't even realize that Joey was beating me. They didn't notice what was going on at all because they were too wrapped up with their stupid miracle baby. I needed them and they weren't there!"

"I know that." He rubbed her back to try and calm her down. "But do they know you feel that way? Your parents have had a lot on their plate lately. They love you so much."

Emma's bottom lip quivered. "I just don't get how I could have done this to myself! Why did I stay with him? That is why I'm stupid. I let him bully me into a relationship where I clearly wasn't happy. All for what? And I still showed up every time he asked me to meet him. What was I thinking?" she was actually crying now.

"You're not stupid." Zack repeated his words from earlier. "You were scared, Emma. Joey was a lot bigger than you, and he was stronger. He manipulated you into doing what he wanted. That's not on you." He squeezed her tighter in his arms as her body shook. "I constantly think about all the times I knew he hurt you. There were too many for me to let you continue to see him."

"You didn't 'let' me do anything. I didn't tell you guys when I was going to see him because I knew you all would be upset, and I had to meet him or else he would be angry. It's not your fault, Zack."

"We can go around and around and place the blame on ourselves, but the fact of the matter is this- Joey is the one responsible. He is the one who hurt you. That's not your fault, it will never be your fault. Do you understand me?" she was silent. "Emma, do you understand me?"

She nodded her head. She continued to cry in his arms, but it felt good to let it all out. Zack held her and reassured her that everything would be okay.

After he knew she was alright, Zack wrote down the last couple answers on his homework, letting Emma copy it onto her paper. Then, he shoved their backpacks to the side and laid down. Emma crawled under the blankets and cuddled into him.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"I would do anything for you, Princess. I know that these conversations are hard, but they need to happen so that you can start healing."

Emma shut her eyes, falling asleep to the rhythm of Zack's heartbeat.

Paige

Paige sat in the living room, her focus on her phone. She was looking through her pictures, trying to find a good photo of her and her father. But she wasn't having much luck.

Despite the fact that Nikolas was always busy, Paige loved him. He hardly ever made time for her, but she didn't care. He was her father, and he had taken care of her by himself since she was ten years old.

She still couldn't believe he was gone.

Sam walked into the room, coming from the kitchen. She noticed her niece on the couch and stopped. "Hey Paige."

"Hi." Paige's voice was quiet.

"You okay?"

Paige looked up at her. "I just keep thinking about my dad."

Sam came over and sat next to her on the couch. "Maybe it'll help to share those thoughts with someone."

The teen sighed. "Do you think he was a good father?"

Sam bit her lip. "Honestly, yes and no. I believe that Nikolas loved all of you very, very much. I think he was a great father to Spencer and Aiden, and even the rest of you when you were little. But when your mother died, something changed inside of him. It was like a piece of him was missing and he couldn't function without her. So he buried himself in his work to try and avoid the pain, but by doing that, he missed out on spending time with his children."

"My parents are gone." Paige whispered.

"It's not fair." Sam pulled her into her arms. "P, you are so strong. You were your mother's entire world, do you know that? She would have stopped at nothing to make you happy. I remember one Christmas you had asked for this specific doll that was sold out in pretty much every store. Your mom went and waited in lines all over town on all different nights of the week to get it for you. She finally got it on her fourth night in a row of staying up all night. But Emily always went to the ends of the Earth for the people that she loved. She would be so proud of who you've become."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Sam kissed Paige's forehead. "And your father, he was stubborn. He was hard to get to know because he was pretty closed off around anyone he didn't know. But once you knew him, you had a loyal friend for the rest of your life. Emily and Nikolas were the type of couple that everyone aspired to be. Sure, they had their issues, but they loved each other through it."

Paige inhaled deeply. "I wish I had gotten more time with my mom. She sounds amazing from what everyone says about her. I…I can barely remember her." She hated to admit that, but it was true.

"You should have gotten more time with both of your parents." Sam agreed. "But I hope you know that you are part of our family. Jason and I love you, and Nattie, so much and we will be here for you. You can always come to me when you're hurting and I'll tell you a story about your parents, okay?"

"Okay." Paige smiled. For the first time since her father's death, it felt like a little bit of the weight had been lifted off her chest and she could breathe again.

Zack and Emma

Zack woke up to the sound of his alarm. He turned it off quickly and that's when he noticed the tiny body pressed into his. Emma's face was still buried in his chest and her breathing was slow and steady, just like it had been last night. That's when he started to wonder if maybe she hadn't had a nightmare since she was in the exact same position as when she fell asleep.

He decided to give her an extra few minutes. He stroked her hair gently as he studied her face. She actually looked at peace and it made him smile. Emma had looked so conflicted lately, even in her sleep, that it was a relief to see her relaxed.

He wished that they didn't have school today so they could just stay like this forever, but judging by Emma's lack of understanding of the homework last night, she couldn't afford to miss anymore classes. He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Time to wake up, baby girl." He whispered to her, rubbing her back as he spoke. She groaned. "C'mon, Princess."

"It's too early." She cuddled even further into him, if that was possible.

"We've got to start getting ready." He squeezed her gently in his arms. "How did you sleep? Any nightmares?"

Emma was quiet for a second and then she sat up. She smiled. "Nope."

"That's amazing."

"I really, really didn't want to talk last night, but I'm glad you pushed me. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and then leaned back down so she could hug him.

Zack couldn't help but hope they were starting to get to a breakthrough. Maybe this was what they needed for Emma to finally see that she needed some help dealing with everything that had been going on. Maybe she would start relying on others and actually talk about what was on her mind.

The two of them got up and started to get ready for the day. They had settled into a comfortable routine and they were able to do what they needed to do without getting in each other's way at this point. Zack noticed that Emma was still in a good mood and it made his hopes for her even higher.

There was a knock on his bedroom door and then Brenna stuck her head in. "Just making sure you guys were up. It's almost time to go."

"Thanks, Bren." Zack responded. She shut the door again and he could hear her going downstairs. "I forgot Brittany is still suspended, so I guess we'll have to take her to school."

Emma gave him a look. "Who said I was driving with you?" she asked, her tone light.

"What could possibly be better than driving to school with me?"

She smiled. "Nothing."

Zack handed her her backpack and they both headed downstairs. Brenna was waiting in the living room.

"Where's Hunter?" Emma asked.

"He left already. He said he wanted to get there early for some reason, I don't know." Brenna answered.

"You hungry, Em?" Zack wondered.

"We don't really have time for breakfast." She replied as she led the way out the front door.

"That's not what I asked."

"No, I'm okay. Thanks." She smiled at him. The three of them walked to Zack's car together, Emma getting into the passenger's seat and Brenna climbing into the back.

As Zack backed out of the driveway, he hoped that Emma's good mood would last. He didn't think it was too much to ask for a nice, simple day.

Paige

As soon as Paige woke up, the first thing she noticed was Emma's empty bed. She had been living with her aunt and uncle for a little over a week now and she was pretty sure that Emma had only been there for one of those nights. It seemed like no one even questioned where she was or if she was coming home. It was honestly kind of strange.

The second thing she noticed was that her alarm had gone off late and now she had to rush to get ready. She only had about twenty minutes to get ready instead of her usual 45. She decided to skip her shower and do it instead when she got home and opted for a ponytail instead of leaving her long, dark hair down.

She exited Emma's bedroom once she was dressed and nearly bumped into Maddie. The younger girl was in her Madison uniform and her hair and makeup looked flawless. She had her backpack slung over her shoulder and she looked ready to walk out the door.

"Are you leaving already?" Paige asked.

"Mmhmm. Madison starts earlier than NYCS." Maddie reminded her. Paige had completely forgotten; with so much going on, she hadn't really paid attention to the fact that Maddie (and Emma, if she was ever home) left for school earlier than her, Gabe, Nattie, and Katie.

"Where's Emma? When I woke up, her bed was empty." She couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, she spent the night at Zack's." Maddie got a message on her phone. "I've gotta go. See ya later, P." she walked downstairs.

Paige felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Of course Emma was with Zack. Why wouldn't she be? She just didn't understand why Sam and Jason were okay with their 17-year-old daughter spending the night with a boy all the time.

"Excuse me." She felt Mia brush past her as she exited Maddie's bedroom and entered Gabe's, shutting the door behind her. Paige just shook her head and went downstairs.

"Hey, are you taking us to school?" Nattie asked from her spot at the table, referring to herself and Katie. Paige thought it was good for her younger sister to be living here; she and Katie were getting closer and it was nice for her to have someone close to her age around all the time.

"Yeah, I will." Paige replied. She grabbed her backpack and slid her shoes on. "You guys ready?"

"Let me grab my bag." Katie ran upstairs.

"You okay?" Nattie questioned her sister.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, you look upset."

"I'm fine, Nattie."

Nattie didn't seem to believe her. "Alright."

Paige knew she had to get better at hiding her jealousy. She had to get over her feelings for Zack.

Gabe

Gabe was searching his closet for a shirt to wear when he heard his bedroom door open and close. He stepped back so he could see who it was; he wasn't surprised to see Mia walk in and go over to his bed. She laid down on top of the blankets, shutting her eyes immediately.

"Morning." He greeted before going back to trying to pick out a shirt.

"Hey." Mia responded.

He finally found a shirt and tossed it onto his bed so he could put on deodorant. Mia was surprisingly quiet; it wasn't unusual for her to come into his room while he was getting ready, but she usually talked to him.

Right as he thought it, she rolled over onto his back and looked at him. "Can you stay home?"

Gabe rolled his eyes before putting his shirt on. "No. Unlike you, I actually get my schoolwork done." He put his jeans on next.

"You can do it tomorrow."

"Sorry, Mimi." He sat down on the edge of his bed to put his shoes on. "I need to go, and you need to do your online stuff."

"Please?"

Gabe was surprised at her insistence and the sound of her voice. He moved so he could sit next to her. "Why do you want me to stay home so badly?"

Mia had her eyes closed again, but they fluttered open so she could look at him. "I don't feel very good."

"Is it morning sickness?"

"I don't think so. My whole body hurts."

Gabe kissed her forehead and felt the heat coming from her body. He stood up and went over to his door. "MOM!" he went back and sat next to Mia. She reached her hand out for his and he took it, kissing the top of her hand.

Sam came in. "What do you need, Gabe?"

"Mia doesn't feel good."

Sam came over and stood in front of them. Gabe could tell just by looking at his girlfriend that she was sick; her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed.

Sam put her hand against Mia's forehead. "She definitely feels like she has a fever. Go get the thermometer, Gabe. Mia, what's wrong?"

"My head and my stomach hurt and my body feels achy." She explained.

Gabe ran down the hall to grab the thermometer. He returned quickly and sat next to her again. "Open your mouth." Mia did as he instructed and he stuck the thermometer under her tongue, holding it still until the number popped up. "101.3."

"Sit up, Mia." The 16-year-old groaned, so Gabe helped her into a sitting position. Sam pulled back the blankets and ordered her to get under them. She did as she was told and laid back down, closing her eyes immediately.

"I'm staying home." Gabe stated.

"No."

"Mom, I'm not leaving her when she's sick. I need to be here in case she needs anything."

"I'll take care of Mia. You're going to school, Gabe."

"There's no point. I won't be paying attention; I'll just be worrying about her all day."

"I will text you if anything happens. Look at her. She's exhausted. She'll most likely sleep all day. You're only at school for eight hours. I think you can handle it."

Gabe leaned down and kissed Mia's cheek. "I love you. I'll see you after school, okay? Don't be shy with asking my mom if you need anything. You need to remember that it's not just about you anymore." He put his hand on her stomach for a second before moving it away. "Text me if you need me."

"I will. I love you too." Mia told him. She reached her arms towards him for a hug and Gabe obliged. They weren't usually huge on PDA, especially in front of his parents, but this was different. "Go. You're gonna be late."

Gabe looked at Sam. "You better text me if anything happens."

"I will, Gabriel. Now go."

He left his bedroom, knowing he was leaving Mia in his mother's capable hands.

Emma

For once, it had been a relatively good day. Emma didn't have any nightmares last night, she had a nice morning, and it was now 5th period and she had yet to have any type of confrontation with a Madison student.

She felt good after her conversation with Zack last night. She really, really hated talking about everything that had happened, but it was different with him. She trusted Zack and she knew he was just trying to do what was best for her. It felt nice to get some of her feelings out. Does that mean she would suddenly start telling everyone about every little detail of last year? No, but she might try and open up with Zack a little more.

The bell rang, signaling that it was time to get to 6th period. She gathered her things and stood, walking towards the hallway. Someone bumped into her and she looked up to see a taller boy standing in front of her.

"I was wondering when I would run into you." He studied her face with a scowl.

"Do I know you?" she asked. She had never seen him before in her life.

"Probably not, but I know who you are."

"Okay…" Emma turned to walk around, but the boy grabbed her arm. She didn't think he noticed how hard she flinched, but she felt the fear course through her entire body. "Get off of me."

The boy laughed. "My name is Brent, by the way. When I was in elementary school, I used to play baseball. I was pretty good friends with this guy, not sure if you remember him, Joey Falconeri?" Emma immediately felt sick to her stomach. He must have noticed because he took a step closer to her. "Our dads coached the team together and we hung out all the time. I knew him pretty well."

"Get off of me." Emma repeated, trying to move her arm away from him. He just gripped tighter.

"I just can't imagine Joey hitting a girl." Brent continued. "You know what I think? I think you're the type of person who lies to get attention. I think that you made up this whole story about him beating you up, then had your friends kill him and someone send him an anonymous message so it could fit in with that whole Text Message Killer thing. I think you are responsible for his death."

Emma felt the rage boil inside of her at his accusations. She ripped her arm away from him, then kneed him in between the legs. She punched him as hard as she could in the stomach and then turned and walked away. She moved so quickly that she didn't see her cousin, Tanner Quartermaine, watching the whole thing.

Her entire body felt like it was lit on fire. There was nothing she hated more than this school and the people in it. She wasn't sure what to do though. Zack had driven her to school, so she didn't have her car to leave. She decided that this was one of those moments where she would have to suck it up, for now.

She walked towards her 6th period with her hands still clenched into fists.

Matt and Elizabeth

Matt Hunter exited his daughter's hospital room when he saw Elizabeth walking down the hallway. He shut the door behind him.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way." Elizabeth sneered.

"We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I don't care what you want. I don't really want to talk to you either, but we have a child together so that's pretty unavoidable. We need to discuss Stella's treatment."

"What do you mean her treatment? She's doing just fine."

"She's not doing fine, Elizabeth. She's been on a ventilator for two months now. She's not improving. We are only hurting ourselves, our other children, and Stella by having machines keep her alive."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Like your other children care about her. That spoiled brat Chloe J…"

"Don't you dare talk about my daughter."

"See, you've always been like this. You've always defended her and never Stella. You don't care what happens to her. It would probably make life easier for you if you only had your bratty twins."

"I said don't talk about my kids!" Matt shouted. "I'm not going to say it again. Elizabeth, what kind of quality of life does Stella have right now? She's being kept alive by a ventilator. She's not going to wake up!"

"Yes she is!" Elizabeth yelled. "She is going to wake up and she'll be fine! She's a lot stronger than you think. She'll wake up any day now."

"If you truly believe that as a medical professional, then you are more delusional than I thought. I'm a neurosurgeon. I've seen her scans. There is little to no chance that Stella will ever regain consciousness. We're just dragging out the inevitable. We're letting her suffer for what? So you can hold onto her for your own selfishness? It's time to let her go!"

"I'm not letting her go. I refuse to turn off the machines. She's my child and I'll do what I want with her."

Matt shook his head. "You need to seriously start coming to terms with this because this," he pointed towards Stella's door, "is the Stella that we're going to know from now on. That beautiful, happy girl that we raised is gone." He turned and walked out.

Courtney

Courtney's day had been relatively uneventful, for once. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, even Emma, except for the end of the day when she randomly got quiet and didn't talk very much. But still, it was better than any emotional outbursts or fights, so Courtney would take it.

She walked into Kelly's with the intention of grabbing some food to go, but she saw Christian Hunter sitting at a table on his own. She ordered her food and then went over to sit with him.

"Do you have any friends?" she asked as she sat across from him.

He smiled. "It's good to see you too, Courtney. Sure, you can join me."

"You know you would love to have my company." She took a bite of one of her friends. "But seriously, why are you just sitting here alone?"

"I don't know, I needed some time to think, I guess. Plus, I was hungry, so I figured Kelly's was the place to go."

"Do you want me to go? I don't want to bother you if you really did want to be alone."

"No, you're fine. Like you said, I would love to have your company." He bit into his burger. "So, how was the day at Madison?"

"Surprisingly calm, actually. It's no secret that the Madison and PCH students don't get along, but everything stayed pretty neutral today. Who knows how long that will continue for though. Brittany's suspension ends tomorrow so she'll be back and she's their number one target."

Christian frowned. "Why? Brittany is one of the nicest people out of all of us."

Courtney shook her head. "They don't care about that. They haven't tried to talk to or get to know any of us. They just judge us based on what they've heard. Brittany dated the TMK, she was attacked, and she had four siblings killed. That makes her a prime target."

"That's disgusting."

"Yeah." Courtney agreed. "She's not handling it well. None of us are. I can't stand watching people be mean to her. Britt is so sweet and she's friendly to everyone. She doesn't deserve that."

"What do you guys do?"

"Well, we've ignored it, we've gotten in arguments, and we've gotten in fights. None of it seems to work." Courtney shrugged. "Guess we'll have to see what happens tomorrow and decide then how we'll handle it."

"How's Emma doing?"

"She was in a pretty good mood today, for once. It was really nice."

"Is she still drinking?"

Courtney had almost forgotten that she confided in Christian at a party a few weeks ago that Emma drinks to stop hurting, and she drinks with her to make her feel better. She knew that was what he was truly trying to get to the bottom of.

"Yeah. On Friday night, we all went to this Madison party and there was almost a huge fight between Mia, Brittany, Emma and the Madison queen bee Brianna Edwards. She had said that Mia's baby was going to be deformed and Britt and Mia flipped, then Emma stepped in. It got ugly pretty quick. I don't even know how much Em had to drink that night, but she had a hallucination or something and punched Nate in the face because she was scared of him, so Hunter took her home."

"Wow. Did that Brianna girl touch Mia?"

Courtney smiled at the fact that his first concern was towards their pregnant friend. "No, but Mia did choke her."

Christian laughed. "She always was the biggest fighter out of The Crew. Does Mia even know that Brianna girl? Why would she be saying that her baby was going to be deformed?"

"No, they had never met. That's the way they are at Madison, Chris. They'll take any information they know and try to turn it around to hurt you. That was an insult they used to try and hurt Emma and Maddie."

Christian just sighed. "What do you mean by Emma had a hallucination?"

"Honestly, we're not sure. One second, she was mad about Brianna and the next, she was telling Nate to get away from her and she punched him in the face. She would only let Hunter come near her and he took her home. It was bad."

"I'm sorry, Courtney. I know how much you love Emma and I know it's hard to watch her go through all of this."

"It's definitely hard, but hopefully today was the first good day of many." Courtney said optimistically. "Alright, let's talk about you. How was NYCS today? Any big drama going on over there?"

"Not really. It's just a normal school. The kids there don't bother us and they're actually pretty cool. Chloe J said you met her two friends from the cheer team this weekend, Rhiannon and Lauren?"

"Yeah, they seem nice. It's strange that Chloe J is out making new friends."

Christian laughed. "She's not really the friend making type, is she? I'm happy for her though. We all need good things in our lives right now to help us heal and if she wants cheer and new friends and Brendan Webber, then I'm good with that."

"So you're okay with Chloe J dating B-Dubs?"

He shrugged. "Is he the guy I would pick for my twin sister? No, but she's a big girl. She can handle herself."

Courtney laughed. "God, I wish Connor had the same mindset as you. If I ever dated someone he didn't really like, he would be all over him. Same goes for Zack, Gabe, Hunter, and Nate."

"They're just protective. Trust me, I'm keeping an eye out on B-Dubs, but I'm trying to let Chloe J do her thing. She deserves that after the year we all had last year."

As the conversation continued to flow, Courtney felt herself smile and laugh more than she had in weeks. Christian was a nice guy, and he was really easy to talk to.

Maybe she deserved something good in her life right now too.

Zack

Zack waited patiently for Emma in his car. She had been in a good mood still when he saw her at lunch time and he was hoping that was still true. He had loved getting a glimpse of the girl he had known for the past seventeen years instead of the sad, angry person she had become in the past few months.

But as soon as he saw her, he knew something was wrong. She had a blank look on her face and her arms were crossed over her chest. She came over to his car and got into the passenger's seat.

"Where's Brenna?" she asked.

"She got a ride. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." She threw her bag onto the floor and turned to look out the window. "Can you take me home?"

Zack felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Why did she want to go home? Had he done something wrong?

"Princess…"

"Nothing is wrong, Zack! I just want to go home!" she yelled.

Silence filled the car as he backed out of his parking spot and headed towards the penthouse. So much for her good mood lasting.

He wanted nothing more than for this all to end. Back in August when school started, he had been sad that it was senior year and everything was almost over. But now, he would give anything to fast forward time to when they were graduated and could finally move on from all of this.

"I got in an argument." Emma practically whispered.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"I got in an argument." She repeated, thinking he hadn't heard her.

"No, I heard you, but I'm confused. What do you mean you got in an argument?"

"Exactly what I said."

"With who? Brianna?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"Some guy."

Zack felt his body tense up. He knew Emma, and he knew that her avoidance was a telltale sign that she was trying to hide something. "What guy?"

"His name was Brent or something. It's not a big deal, Zack. I just don't feel like talking."

"Did you get in trouble?" Emma shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to talk about it. I don't want you to go do something stupid like yell at him. Leave it alone. It's over with." They pulled up to the penthouse. "I'll talk to you later."

"Alright. I…" before he could finish his sentence, Emma had gotten out of the car and slammed the door.

There was definitely more to that story. Luckily for Zack, he knew just who to talk to.

Gabe and Mia

On a normal day, Gabe didn't really hang around school for longer than he had to. But today, he definitely moved quicker than usual. He knew that Paige, Nattie, and Katie had cheer practice and Paige would take the younger two home, so he didn't have to worry about figuring out if they needed a ride. He just shoved the books he didn't need into his locker and then went to his car.

He and Mia had texted a few times throughout the day, so he knew she still wasn't feeling well, but it didn't sound like there was anything life threatening going on. Still, he wanted to get home and check on her.

It didn't take long to get to the penthouse. As he was rushing towards his bedroom, he noticed Emma's door was open. He was surprised to see his older sister sitting on her bed and staring blankly at the floor. Though he wanted to check on Mia, he knew she was okay; his protective brother side won the battle.

"Hey." He said, standing in the doorway. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Why? It's still my bedroom."

"Yeah, but you've been practically living with the Corinthoses. I'm glad you're back."

"Yeah."

"Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"You look upset. Did you and Zack get into an argument or something?"

Emma sighed. "No, Gabe. Everything is fine."

"Emma, you know you can talk to me, right? About anything?"

"I know."

He decided to drop it. He didn't want her to get even more upset, so he would let it go. "Alright. Mia's sick, so I'm going to go check on her."

"Is she okay?" Emma looked concerned and he was almost relieved to see an actual facial expression instead of the blankness that had been covering her face before.

"Yeah, she will be. She's got a fever and she's not feeling well. Let me know if you wanna talk, okay?" she nodded her head.

Gabe went down the hall to his room and opened the door. He wasn't surprised to find Mia buried under the blankets, fast asleep. She looked absolutely exhausted.

He slid his shoes off and went to the other side of his bed. He wrapped his arms around Mia and she turned so that she was facing him. She pressed her forehead against his neck and he could feel that she was still warm.

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Still sucky."

"Do you need me to get you anything?"

"No. I just want you." She scooted closer and Gabe tightened his grip on her.

"Have you taken medicine?"

"I took Ibuprofen at around one, I think." Gabe knew that it wasn't time for her to take more.

"Do you want to go to the hospital and get checked out?"

"No. I talked to the doctor and she said not to come in unless my fever gets higher."

"What about the baby?"

"The baby's fine."

"Have you eaten anything?"

Mia took a second to answer. "I had some toast a little while ago." She tilted her head up so she could look at him. "Who were you talking to?"

Gabe looked confused. "What?"

"Before you came in here. I heard you talking."

"Oh, I was talking to Emma."

"She's here?"

"Yeah. She wouldn't tell me anything, but I think something happened. She looked upset."

"Want me to try and talk to her?" Mia started to sit up.

"No." Gabe pulled her back down. "I want you to get some rest so you can get better."

"M'kay." Mia shut her eyes. "You'll stay with me?"

"Of course I will."

"I feel better when you're here."

Gabe couldn't help but smile. "I feel better when you're with me, too." He kissed her quickly. "Now sleep."

Emma

Emma was taken to get her car from the Corinthoses by a guard. Once she had the freedom to go wherever she wanted, she wasn't sure where she would go. She just started to drive.

She arrived at a little bar about twenty minutes away and walked inside. She didn't recognize anyone and it made it a little easier for her to breathe. No one there expected her to be Emma Morgan. She could be who she wanted to be.

She ordered a drink using her fake ID and then sat at the bar. A few guys came over to talk to her, but she blew them off. She wasn't here to talk to random strangers. She was here to forget.

This was the first time she had drank without either Zack or Courtney being around and it was kind of lonely, but it was still working. With each drink, she could feel the pain fade away a little more until she couldn't feel anything at all.

After a good amount of time passed and she was sufficiently drunk, she paid for her drinks and went out to her car. She sat in the driver's seat and gripped the steering wheel. Her head felt light and her eyes were blurred, but she was ready to go home.

Zack

For the life of him, Zack couldn't understand why Emma was mad at him. He couldn't think of anything that he had done wrong. He knew that she had been in a bad mood earlier because of her argument with that Brent guy, but he didn't get why she had been short with him in the car and why she had chosen to go home instead of going back to his house with him.

He figured that she would cool off after a little bit of time, so he spent the evening doing homework. He saved his AP Chem homework so that he and Emma could do it together, but when it was 10 o'clock and she still hadn't arrived, he started to get a little worried.

To: Princess

You coming over tonight?

He waited for five minutes, but there was no response. He picked up his phone and clicked on one of the contacts.

"Hello?" Maddie answered.

"Hey Mads. Are you home?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is Emma there?"

"No. I thought she was with you."

"No, I dropped her off at the penthouse after school. Are you sure she's not there?"

"I'll go check to make sure." He could hear Maddie moving around. "She's not in her room. Do you want me to ask Gabe and Mia if they've seen her?"

"Yeah."

Maddie must have put the phone on speaker because he could hear their voices pretty clearly.

"Hey, have either of you heard from Emma?" she asked.

"I talked to her after I got home from school." Gabe answered. "Why?"

"Because she's not here and she's not at Zack's. What about you, Mimi?"

"I've been sick in bed all day. I haven't heard from anyone."

"Is Emma okay?" Gabe demanded.

"I'm sure she's just with Court or Chloe J. Have you called them?" Maddie wondered.

"No, I'll do that next."

"Alright. Let us know when you find out where she is." Maddie replied.

"I will. Get better soon, Mia."

"Thanks!" Mia called out.

Zack hung up the phone and immediately called Courtney. She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Zack. What's up?"

"Are you with Emma?"

"No, I haven't heard from her at all today, which is kind of strange. She was really quiet toward the end of the day though, so I figured she had just snapped out of her happy mood."

"I don't know where she is, Court. She's not at home and she's not with me."

"I'm sure she's fine. Have you called Chloe J?"

"That's who I'm calling next."

"Call her. I'll talk to Nate. Let me know what you find out."

"Okay."

Zack called Chloe J last. It took her a few rings to answer.

"Wow, to what do I owe this honor?"

"Are you with Emma?" he jumped right to the point.

"Nope."

He sighed. "Great."

"What's going on?"

"I don't know where she is. I've called Maddie, Court, and now you and she's not in any of those places. She's not answering her phone or any of my texts. I'm worried about her. Usually she comes over to my place by now."

"I'm sure she's alright. Have you talked to Nate?"

"Courtney was going to call him."

"See? She could still be there."

"We both see how she's been treating him. It's pretty unlikely that she went over there." Zack ran a hand over his face. "Maybe I'll drive around and look for her."

"How was she today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."

"She woke up in a really good mood. She didn't have any nightmares last night. She was in a good mood at school too, and then I guess she got into an argument with some kid named Brent. I don't really know the details of that and she wouldn't tell me anything. After that, she was really quiet and she started an argument with me in the car and asked to be dropped off at her house."

"Have you considered that maybe she doesn't want to be found?"

"What?"

"I'm just saying that maybe she had a rough day and she wants to be alone. I'm not saying it's smart, but you know better than anyone how Emma's been acting lately. If she wants to be alone, I doubt you're going to find her. Maybe you should give her some space."

"I need to know she's safe."

"I know that. But maybe she'll come back tomorrow morning. I don't know, Zack. I don't know what else to say. This is Emma we're talking about. When she sets her mind to something, she commits to it. If she doesn't want to be found, you won't find her."

Zack sighed. He felt his phone vibrate and he moved it away from his ear to look at the message.

From: Courtney

Nate hasn't talked to her.

"She isn't with Nate." He told the blonde. "I don't know what to do."

"If you want to drive around and look, I'll go with you." Chloe J offered.

Zack nodded his head, though she couldn't see him. "I'll be there to pick you up in fifteen minutes."

He just prayed that nothing bad had happened to Emma.

What are your thoughts on Emma? Do you want her to be with Zack or Nate?

Brittany chose not to let Claudia adopt her because of the fight it would cause with Brenda. Do you think this was the right decision?

Thoughts on Zack and Emma's talk about Nate and Joey and everything else going on?

How do you think Emma will react to Paige's closeness with her parents?

When do you think Emma will tell someone about what happened with Brent?

Should Matt and Elizabeth pull the plug on Stella?

Potential Courtney/Christian pairing?

What do you think happened to Emma?

Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter!