Chapter 13, part 1: I.D.I.O.T

In your mind I was just a novelty
So does this define how you feel towards me?
Do unto me what has been done to
You feed off the pain that's been reproduced
Fucked with me
I was an idiot

"What do you want from me Tristan?" Emma asks, folding her arms across her chest. Her frustration with him was building, and with the stress and grief of Snake's death, she couldn't take much more. Work was stressing her out. Writing the article on cancer and animal research was harder then she thought it was going to be, but Madeline gave her a week and a half to get it done. Plus, it is the start of a new campaign for the next article. She had so much work to get done, and was falling behind because she was trying to spend a lot of time with her mom, and Jack. This meant that Tristan was getting the short end of things, not that he cared, he just uses it to piss her off. She was standing in his bedroom doorway, waiting for his answer.

"We haven't seen each other in a couple weeks, excuse me for wanting to spend some time with my girl." He shoots back at her. Emma rolls her eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me. You need a drink, or a toke."

"I don't need either."

"It will make you feel better." Tristan's answer for everything is to get trashed. Emma stared at him blankly.

"No, it won't. My dad just died!" Emma gives him a glare. He probably didn't remember that I told him that, seeing as he never listens to me.

"Isn't he your step dad?" Tristan looks at her, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Emma stared at him in disbelief.

"The title of dad or step dad doesn't matter." She tells him, her voice stern. She lets her arms fall to her sides, fists clenched.

"Well, it's not like he was blood or anything." Tristan shrugs it off, at is if is no big deal. Emma looked at him, even more shocked. Backing out of the room, she turned to go to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. I cannot believe he just said that. What is wrong with him? How could he possibly say something like that? Emma picked her head up, looking at her reflection. She was so bothered by what she saw in the mirror. Picking up her left fist, she didn't know what she was doing until she already did it. Pieces of glass fell into the sink, and over the counter top of the sink. A sharp pain ran through Emma's left hand. She looked down at what she had just done. Picking up the glass one by one, someone knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

"Shit, Emma, what did you do?" Zack grabs a washcloth from the linen closet, and carefully picks the pieces of glass out of her hand. Wrapping the towel around her bloody gash, he stopped her from picking up the glass. "I'll clean it up.

"I'm-I'm sorry." Emma whispers, barely able to speak at all.

"Why did you do this?" He asks, his voice softening. Zack makes eye contact with her, gently holding on to her left arm.

"I don't know... I was just so mad... I-" Emma closes her eyes briefly, not able to compose her thoughts.

"Okay, just calm down, does it hurt? Do you want some ice? I should probably find a bandage for it; maybe we have some gauze-"

"Zack, I'm fine, really." Emma manages a smile. Zack looks down at her, letting a little chuckle let out, wondering how Emma can always manage a smile, in the weirdest situations.

"Alright." Zack gives her a slight hug, so Emma hugs him back.

"I'm gonna get home. Here's some money to replace the mirror." Emma takes out her cash, giving some to Zack.

"No, Emma, you do-"

"No, I broke it, I'll pay for it. That is the saying after all; you break it, you buy it." Emma looks down at her hand. "But, I am keeping the washcloth." Smiling at him, she walks out of the bathroom, and out of the house, to her car.

Emma got to her apartment, Manny wasn't home. Emma sighed, not really wanting to be alone. She went to the bathroom, hoping to find a bandage, or gauze, or something to put on her hand. Nothing but Spiderman and wild life band-aids is what she found. She left her apartment, and knocked on Sean's door. Apparently, Sean wasn't home either. Jay answered the door in a loose fitting pair of shorts, and a little sweat glistening off his chest. Emma couldn't help but stare at him.

"Hi... do you have some gauze or antiseptic or something?" Emma asks, pulling her eyes away from his toned upper body.

"Um, I'm not sure. Come in, I'll check." Emma follows Jay into the apartment. Her eyes ever left his back. I feel like such a perv. This must be why guys watch girls walk away. Jay came back out of the bathroom. "I found some gauze and some Neosporin. What you need it four anyway?" He holds the supplies out to Emma, and Emma shows him her hand. "Damn, what did you do?

"I, uh, smashed a mirror." Emma tells him innocently. He looks at her, unable to believe that Greenpeace punched something. Emma took the gauze and the antiseptic from Jay. "Thanks... you mind if I stay for awhile?"

"No, of course not. I'm just gonna take a quick shower." Jay saying that made Emma think of his body again. Focusing on his abs, she nodded to let him know she heard him. Jay turned around, walking back to the bathroom. Emma went over to the kitchen sink, washing off her hand and re-wrapping it. She sat down on the couch, listening to the quietness, and only feeling the slight pain in her left hand. Jay got out of the shower and walked over to the couch, this time in a different pair of loose fitting shorts. He sat down, flicking through the channels on the TV, and Emma just watched him out of the corner of her eye, happy he didn't put a shirt on. "So, what made you punch a mirror?"

"Tristan." Emma replies, a hint of aggravation in her voice. Jay looked at her.

"Well, then he's an asshole." He looked down at her hand, and back up at her.

"Have I thanked you for the ice cream and cookie dough?"

"Yeah, about a million times." Jay and Emma share a light laugh. They kept their eyes locked, slowly moving toward each other until their lips touched. They both pulled away, but went right back to each other. Emma moved closer to Jay, never letting her mouth leaves his. As the kiss deepened, Emma let her hands fall to Jay's chest, loving the feel of his muscles under her hands. Jay lightly pushed Emma down, leaning his weight onto his hand so he wouldn't crush her. He let his other hand hold her waist, squeezing her a little. Jay broke their three minute kiss, in dire need for some air. Looking at Emma as he tried to catch his breath, Emma lightly kissed his lips once more before moving them to his neck, just under his earlobe. She moved her arms under his, hugging his toned, shirtless body to her as she made light kisses along his neck. Jay kept his eyes closed, enjoying her kisses, and began caressing her body. From her waist, down to her thigh, Jay rubbed her. Pulling away from Emma's full lips on his neck, he placed his lips to her, once again allowing the two to lip-lock. Suddenly, the two heard a noise outside of the door. Sitting up quickly, the two straightened themselves out, trying to get their breathing down to normal.

Chapter 13, part 2: Under My Skin

So you want inside of me,
So you want a piece of this,
So you want to tear me down, for your own selfish wants and needs

"Hey guys." Sean's voice broke the silence. Jay and Emma looked at each other quickly, and then Emma stood.

"Hey Sean," Giving him a peck on the cheek, "I have to go, bye." Emma walked out of his apartment. Holy shit I just kissed Jay... that is an understatement, I just made out with Jay. I just cheated on Tristan. I have to break up with him. Emma got in her car and drove back over to Tristan's house.

"Emma, hey, come in." Zack ushers her into the house. "What are you doing back here so soon?"

"I have to talk to Tristan." Emma replies, stepping inside.

"Oh, well he's smoking up with Matt and them."

"Figures, but whatever, this will be quick." Emma walks into the living room. "Tristan."

"Oh, hey, babe, look I've been thinking, and I don't think this is working out." Tristan looks back down to his bong. Emma stands there shocked, he beat her to it.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I came here for. Bye." Emma walks back out of the living room, not knowing whether she should be happy or pissed. Zack follows her out the front door, together they stand on the porch.

"You broke up with him?" Zack asks, trying to figure out the look on her face.

"Actually, he broke up with me." Emma decided to be pissed. After all he put me through, he gets to dump me, that's unfair, stupid jerk.

"You'll be better off without him." Zack's voice breaks Emma's thoughts. She looks up at him.

"Yeah, I think so." Emma gives him a warm smile, happy that he's still being nice to her. Zack leans down, placing his lips softly on hers. He lets his lips linger a bit before pulling back. "Zack, I-"

"I just wanted to kiss you, I like you, and I don't expect anything right now, I just wanted to let you know." Zack looks at her, and all she can see is sincerity in his eyes.

"Keep in touch?" Emma asks, as she takes a step off the porch.

"Of course." He replies coolly. Emma gives him a small wave and walks back to her car. After getting to her apartment, she jumps in the shower, allowing the water to pour over her body, hoping that she could determine her feelings, but it was no use. When Emma got out, Manny was home, with her new movie scripts spread over the coffee table.

"Em, hey, where were you?" She asks, looking up from her script.

"I went over to Tristan's."

"Oh." A not so happy Manny says.

"We broke up." Emma looks at Manny and the small smile forming in the corner of her lips, but Manny tries not to let it show.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he dumped me. He beat me to it, and I'm pissed, I mean I should have gotten to break up with him." Emma walks over to her work bag, pulling out all of her current assignments.

"Well, at least you two are over. He was a major jerk." Manny looks back down at her script. "So I think we should order some Chinese and have a total work night."

Emma looks down at her pile of work. "I agree one hundred percent." Emma gets up and grabs the Chinese menu, already knowing what she was going to order.

-------------------------[Meanwhile-------------------------

"What was Em doing here?" Sean asks, settling down into the couch.

"She put her hand through a mirror a-"

"She did what?" Sean asks, cutting Jay off.

"She put her hand through a mirror. You know, like she punched it. Anyway she came over for some gauze and whatever." Jay looks back over at the TV, not wanting to talk about Emma anymore.

"Why?" Sean, however was not going to let it go.

"I don't know, I don't pry like you do." Jay tells him, still not looking at him.

"Well you should!" Sean retorts. "Is it bad?

"If it was bad, I would have the common sense to take her to the hospital." Jay retaliates, finally looking at Sean.

"Okay, okay, so she's fine?"

"Yes, man, her hands a little cut up, but other than that, she's fine." Jay returns his attention to the TV.

"Why don't you have a shirt on?" Sean queries, looking at him suspiciously.

"Why are you checking me out Cameron?" Jay smirks a little, and turns his head to Sean once more. "I was working out when she came over."

"Why did she leave so quick?" Sean questions again. Jay turned his head away from Sean once again, getting annoyed by all his questions.

"I don't know, go ask her." He replies, not buckling to Sean. Sean stands up and heads into the bathroom. Jay hears the water of the shower and lays his head on the back of the couch. His mind went back to just ten or fifteen minutes ago. He kissed Emma, she kissed back. He thought about the way she was touching his abs and smiled. "I think I'm gonna go work out." He said to himself, getting off the couch and going into the small room that's across from his bedroom.

"Jay!" Sean calls out, unsure of where he went.

"What?" He yells back. Sean appears in the doorway, pulling a shirt over his head.

"I'm heading over to Em's and Manny's, you wanna come?" Sean looks at Jay, and Jay looks at himself.

"Do I have to get dressed?" He looks at his upper body, remembering the way Emma was looking at it.

"A shirt would be nice." Sean rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, dad." Jay mocks Sean, rolling his eyes too. He gets up, grabs a shirt, and the two head next door. As Sean knocks on the door, Jay puts his arms through his shirt. Emma answers the door, watching Jay pull the shirt over his head, and watching it fall down his chest, covering his muscles.

"Hey, want some Chinese? We ordered enough for like ten people." Manny calls out, snapping Emma out of her trance.

"Yeah, come in." Emma says to them, stepping out of the way. Sean takes Emma's left arm softly, looking at her hand. Emma saw the look in his eyes, and knew what he meant. "I punched a mirror, I know stupid, but I was mad. I fixed everything, I broke up with Tristan." Emma's last statement stuck in Jay's head.

"Good, that guy was an asshole." Sean tells her, taking a seat on the couch, picking up a container of Chinese food. Jay grabs a container and a fork, digging into the food, trying not to talk, because he didn't want to, he wanted to kiss Emma again.

"Here, here." Manny agrees.

"Okay, he was, and we're done, so can we not talk about it." Emma takes her seat back on the floor, picking up her pen, and getting right back to work. Jay kept his glance towards her, but making sure to make it look like he was watching the TV.