Disclaimer: I own nothing Degrassi...

Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I hope that I can continue to please. I skipped ahead a bit with this chapter, since I don't want the story to get too long. Hope you enjoy!

Six more months went by and things changed drastically for Sean, Emma, and Jay. Time can sometimes work miracles, smoothing out the rough patches in relationships and life in general. But time never makes you forget. Never.

FLASHBACK

Emma had gone home that evening, to find Sean passed out, lying face down across their bed, snoring wildly. Emma left him to sleep, hoping that she herself would be able to get some well needed rest. Unfortunately, she wasn't even able to close her eyes as the seconds ticked by like hours. She played over in her head just how she would tell Sean what had happened with Jay.

Sean slept in until noon, making Emma even more crazy as she waited, debating whether or not to stir him. And then, completely hung over, Sean took a forty minute shower and ate a slow lunch. He had barely uttered a word to Emma, only asking what time she'd gotten in at.

"I think we should talk," Emma began.

Sean looked up from his cereal that was drenched in milk and spilling over the side of the bowl slightly. "I'm really not feeling all that great right now, Em. Is it important?"

Emma nodded. "It's very important."

Emma sat down at the table, across from Sean, gripping her coffee cup as if it would offer her the strength she needed to get through this conversation. "It's about Jay."

Sean's head popped up and he stared at Emma. "Jay?"

"I want you to know that it was a total mistake and will never happen again."

"Just spit it out, Emma," Sean said, fear growing in the pit of his stomach. He thought about the dance they had shared at the bar last night. He remembered watching them standing on the dance floor, holding each other tenderly, as the music changed from a slow to a fast song.

Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I kissed Jay last night."

Sean swallowed. So there it is. Emma had kissed Jay. Now what? He left the silence hang in the air for eight uncomfortable minutes. Emma knew Sean was processing what she had just confessed, but his facial expression gave nothing away. Emma prepared herself for the worst; for Sean telling her to take a hike.

When Sean finally found his voice, he said the last thing Emma was expecting. "I think we should get married," Sean blurted out.

Emma gave him an incredulous look. "What?"

"I think we should get married," Sean repeated.

"I tell you that I kissed your best friend and you say we should get married?"

Sean scratched the top of his head. "It can't come as a surprise that I want to marry you."

"No, it doesn't. I've been waiting for years for you to propose to me. It's just that I never pictured it like this. It's not exactly romantic."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Sean pushed.

END OF FLASHBACK

Emma and Sean had debated the issue for several hours, but in the end, Emma accepted Sean's offer. They never spoke of the incident with her and Jay again. But it hung over their relationship like a large, dark umbrella, blocking out the sunshine of what could have been.

And, as Sean and Emma tried to enjoy the next step in their union, Jay tried to move forward and forget about Emma.

The biggest change was that Jay was no longer working for Sean, or talking to him for that matter. Sure, he'd been thinking of leaving Cameron's Custom Cars anyway, but Sean's vengeful temper had put Jay's plan into action a whole lot quicker.

FLASHBACK

Jay arrived at work early that Monday morning, hoping to speak to Sean before the other workers arrived. He knew that Emma wasn't lying when she threatened to tell Sean, so Jay prepared himself for a battle royale. He, unfortunately, was caught off guard as he walked in the front door, straight into Sean's fist.

"I guess I deserved that," Jay agreed, rubbing his jaw.

Sean shot him a look, trying to remember a time when he had considered this guy to be his best friend. "I'd kill you if I thought I could get away with it."

Jay nodded his head. "Does this mean I'm fired?"

"Your humour won't get you anywhere here. You're supposed to be my friend, man. How could you do that?"

Jay cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, man."

Jay felt that it was better to say less. Because the truth was, Jay didn't regret kissing Emma. He'd had all weekend to think this over and it dawned on him that what he was feeling for Emma wasn't right, but it didn't feel entirely wrong either. For the first time since Manny's death, Jay wasn't wallowing in the pain of her loss. Now he was stressing over losing Emma. As good of a friend as Sean was, he knew he would risk it all to be with Emma.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Sean yelled, thankful that it was just him and Jay there. He didn't want his other employees seeing him like this. "I get that you're fucked up since Manny. But that doesn't give you the right to try getting with my girlfriend. You don't even like Emma."

Jay could have been honest with Sean; that Emma was all he thought about lately and that he owed her the world for all she'd done for him. But how could he say that to Sean?

"Stay the hell away from Emma or the next time it'll be more than just your jaw!" Sean warned, turning away from Jay. He took a few steps, but stopped outside of his office door. He turned back and said, "Oh, and you're fired!"

END OF FLASHBACK

So Jay went back to Al, tail between his legs, and begged for his job back. Fortunately, Al was not the type to hold grudges. In fact, he was so happy to have Jay back, he put his original offer of Jay buying the business, back on the table. It didn't take a second for Jay to accept Al's generous offer. Four months later, Jay was the owner and operator of a successful mechanic's garage.

Emily was continuing to grow like a wildflower, thriving in her exploration and wonderment of all things new. She had just celebrated her first birthday, the first time Sean, Emma, and Jay found themselves together since that night long ago. To say things were tense, would be an understatement, but the number of people there to send their warm wishes to Emily, made the feud between Sean and Jay less obvious..

And so, time went on. But still, Jay couldn't deny how he felt seeing Emma that day. She had cut some of her long tresses off and the work helped create a sophisticated, more mature look for Emma. Something else was different too. Emma was sporting a large, princess cut diamond ring on a very important finger. Jay felt his breath knocked out of his chest, as he tried to busy himself helping Emily open her hoards of presents, and forget about what he had seen and how it made him feel.

And Emma didn't have to verbalize her emotions to have them felt. Jay looked great. He'd also cut his locks, opting for a closer, more neat cut. Obviously he was taking his business seriously, changing not only his hair, but his form of dress too. He was wearing a button up top and slacks. Even in his casual dress, Jay still looked edgy and sensual. She attempted to hide her ring, that Sean had recently purchased, but realized that Jay's eyes had already fixed to it and now he was avoiding her and anything she may have to tell him.

Sean watched his girlfriend's expression change to one of sadness as she followed Jay's movements. He knew that things in their relationship had been more than tense, and cutting Jay out of his life still hadn't eased his own personal pain over what had happened. At times, when Sean was alone, he would ponder leaving Emma and if that would make him feel better. On certain occasions, when he was feeling completely detached from Emma, leaving felt like the right thing to do for everyone. But, in the end, Sean couldn't deny the love his heart still felt for her.

So three people suffered and not one of them knew how to make things better. All they knew was that life was difficult and the choices they had made weren't making things any easier...

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