A/N: I decided to finally update since I'm severely missing any stories with Peter in them lately..what's with that!? He's probably my new favorite male character! And although it's no more and Emma is back with Sean, Emma/Peter will forever be my favorite pairing. So without further ado, here's chapter 6 of Here We Stand!

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Degrassi, with the exception of Dr. Sloane—he's sort of Grey's Anatomy, but I changed up his field a little!

Share with me the secrets that you've kept in,

because it's cold inside.

-Vulnerable, Secondhand Serenade

Emma awoke grudgingly to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing, realizing what the day was and what this day would bring. She was scared of Peter's reactions to what he would hear, and she was also scared if she would shock herself. She knew she had changed tremendously since those days—it seemed like a completely different person at times, but sometimes, if she really looked, she still saw herself in that person. Whenever she saw these images of herself, she cried. Emma no longer wanted to be that person. She was in love; she didn't need any of that.

Twenty minutes had passed before Emma's eyes before she slipped out of her warm, comfortable bed silently. It was 8:20 in the morning, and the last thing that she wanted to do right now was wake up the sleeping figure of Emma's best friend, Manny. Already clothed in jogging shorts and a tank top, Emma slipped into a pair of tennis shoes and walked up the stairs for her morning run.

"Morning, mom." Emma said, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbing an energy bar before running out the door, feeling the cool breeze hit her face. It was times like these that Emma was so glad to be alive—she always did her best thinking this early and in this early morning dewy weather. Running gave her a freedom nothing else she ever experienced could, and this time she wasn't running to lose weight. She did it to stay fit and for the joy of it. She limited herself to a mile a day—a reasonable amount, without over doing it. Sometimes, she would run by Peter's house, and he would join her on the second half of her run, escorting her home. These were her favorite times. They were together, but not a word needed to be said. They were in sync, and anytime Emma thought of these secret times, she found herself with a goofy smile on her face. As she approached Peter's house, these were the exact thoughts going through her head.

"What's the smile for, darling?" Peter smiled, excited to see his girlfriend.

"You, silly. You know, these are my favorite times. When we run."

"I love them, too. But not as much as I love you." Peter said, before kissing her good morning quickly, and beginning his run, Emma alongside.

Peter enjoyed these times, although he hated the running. He would much prefer that they took a nice walk, but Emma loved the energy, and he would do anything to make her happy. He couldn't believe how lucky he had gotten to have a girl like Emma—smart, charismatic, beautiful, caring, compassionate—he could go on and on with adjectives describing her, but in his mind, one word said it all—perfect. He looked over at her, the glistening sweat on her forehead, the determination in her eyes, her rapid breathing—even like this, he found her the most stunning girl on the earth. 'Sean doesn't know what he's missing.' Peter thought, before focusing on the path ahead and enjoying the little remaining time of their run he had left.

Before they knew it, the pair had arrived back at Emma's house, sitting on her front stoop, ice cold bottles of water in their hands.

"I should get going and shower before this afternoon. It's almost 11:00 now." Peter said, slowly getting up, and offering a hand to help up his girlfriend.
"Okay. I guess I should too. I'm still nervous though." Emma confided, knowing he would never tell.

"I know you are. I don't need to go if you're not ready for this, Em. I can wait. We have all the time in the world, and no matter what happens, I want you to know that it won't break us up. Yes, I might be upset, hurt, maybe a little angry—but I will never break up with you over it. Please look me in the eyes and know that I mean every word I say when I tell you that I love you, and that even though it might scare you right now to hear it, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Em. You're absolutely my everything." Peter said, shocking himself with what he said. Emma was in tears at her boyfriend's speech, realizing how much he truly loved her, and realizing once again how lucky she was.

"I need to go before I cry even more," she laughed. Seeing him smile at her, she knew how lucky she was. "I'll see you later. Thank you for that. I love you." With that, she kissed him with all the passion in her body, hoping to show him in any way she could how much she meant that last phrase.

"I love you, too. See you soon sweetheart." He smiled, reluctantly walking away.

The time passed quickly, and before Emma knew it, it was 2:15. She had been ready to go for close to an hour, but she was absorbed in her new book and the amazing weather. She had been sitting on the swing on her front porch, drinking lemonade, and taking in the sun's rays and the beautiful aroma of the fresh lilacs around her porch. Emma had opted for an outfit she knew was one of Peter's favorites—white Capri pants and a pink tank top with rhinestones he had bought. She remembered the day he bought it like it was yesterday—it was when they first started going out. They had gone into a store because they had seen Manny and were afraid that she would see them. When they went in, however, Emma saw the top and fell in love with it instantly. It was beautiful, but entirely out of her price range at $30.00. Peter, however, saw the glimmer in her eyes, and told her to meet him outside, claiming that it would be better if they left the store alone. A few minutes later, he emerged from the store, bag in hand, and he handed it to her with a smile on his face. This was the moment she knew she loved him.

Smiling at this thought, she walked over to her Jetta, and turning on the air and music, she began the drive over, smiling as she realized what song was playing—Time and Confusion by Anberlin—Peter's favorite band, and also their song. The lyrics were so true and she loved it. Honking, Peter came over to the car and, after kissing Emma quickly, they were on their way.

Quicker than she would have liked, Emma and Peter reached the psychologist's office, just on time for Emma's appointment. The receptionist told her she could go right in, and she walked into the familiar office—elegant and dark, with the rich mahogany desk, the deep maroon leather chairs that you melted in, and the rich oak wood paneling. Dr. Sloane, Emma's therapist, was a handsome man in his early to mid thirties. At first glance, he seemed harsh, but upon talking to him, you realized he was a kind man. Greeting Emma with a warm smile, he motioned for her and Peter to sit down in the two leather seats across from his desk, positioned close enough for Peter to lend a calming hand if needed.

"So Emma, this must be the Peter you have told me so much about. Emma has said lots of things about you, Peter." Dr Sloane began. Peter chuckled a little.

"I hope only good things." He said, looking over at Emma with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Well, I don't mean to spoil the mood in here, but Emma, I think you should begin. You only scheduled a half hour appointment, but I penciled you in for an hour—I know you love to talk." Dr. Sloane chuckled, throwing Emma a teasing wink. Emma laughed at his remark—she loved how down to earth Dr. Sloane was, and how she felt comfortable talking to him—he never judged her.

"Okay," Emma breathed in deeply, prepared for the task at hand. "First things first, please don't interrupt me until I'm done. But don't say anything now either, because I might get afraid and chicken out if you do." She rushed the last part, making sure that she was understood.

"It began after the shooting—when I went to Wasaga with Sean, Ellie, and Jay. I still had feelings for Sean a little, and I wanted to say goodbye. I knew he was going to stay—that's the kind of guy Sean was, and I knew the second that he said Wasaga that everything would be different from that moment on.

"Then we got back, and I didn't know what to do with myself. I tried to join the play and keep my mind occupied so I didn't think of anything—not Sean, not the shooting, nothing. That's when Jay started noticing me and talking to me. He invited me to the ravine, and I thought that going down there would be a good idea at the time. The first time I went down, I was disgusted. But then I kept going down—every night, and not getting into my house until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. At first, I would just go down to get bracelets—doing sexual favors for Jay, and occasionally this other guy I got to know, Kevin.

"Kevin's the one that got me into other things, though. It was no longer just a thrill to give Jay and Kevin head, I wanted more. So I started drinking—casually at first, a beer once in a while, but then it got a little worse—I'd be drinking three or four shots of vodka a night, and then a beer or two on top of that. I never got to the point where I became an alcoholic though, because I got afraid of what could happen and I quit. Around that time, I began to get bored, but it was the only thing that I still had—my friends were turning on me, and I didn't know where else to go. Jay's the one who introduced me to weed. It made me feel free and relaxed, and took away all my worries for a while. But I started to get afraid of that, too. I didn't want to become an addict—I had heard too many horror stories. So I stopped and I quit going to the ravine. Jay and Kevin would call me from time to time wondering what happened to me, but I would never answer, and then they just stopped calling.

"I was so disgusted with myself at that time. I felt hollow and empty—a shell of who I used to be. That's when Manny and I first saw Peter. I instantly found him the type of guy I could like, but I was so afraid to become close to anyone because I thought everyone would be like Jay or Kevin and only want one thing. I remember the party, and Manny going off with Peter. I was so jealous, but I didn't let it phase me. Then he hurt Manny, and we wanted revenge. I went over to make out with him, and get a picture of him topless—our little foolish revenge plot. But when I saw how helpless he looked, I started to do something I told myself I wouldn't—I fell for him." Emma smiled a little, finishing this thought, crying, but not wanting to go any further. She looked over at Peter, and saw tears in his eyes. She went to grab his hand and squeezed it, herself starting to sob, but continuing.

"From then on, everyone knows what happened. Peter was in my life, so I don't feel the need to say the rest and relive it. I was completely honest with him from the moment I fell for him. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She sobbed. Peter stood up and walked to Emma's chair, pulling her up into the tightest hug he could muster. He felt so sorry for his girlfriend, and all he wanted to do was comfort her. He knew about Jay and Kevin, but she had no idea how bad it had gotten. He was not mad at her, no, not at all. He cried though, because he was so upset that someone that appeared that strong could go through that much, and yet still feel so weak. He put his fingers through her hair, and whispered in her ear that everything would be okay, and assuring her that he loved her no matter what.

"Emma, I think that's enough for today," Dr. Sloane interrupted, "But I don't think you should drive home. Peter, would you mind driving her home?"

"That's no problem, Dr." Peter said, putting an arm around Emma's shoulder and escorting her out of Dr. Sloane's office. He opened up the passenger door and helped his still sobbing girlfriend into the seat, helping her put her seatbelt on. Drying his own eyes, he got into the driver's seat and put on his seat belt. Knowing what CD was in her player, he skipped to track 7, and let Time and Confusion play.

"I love you, Emma. That session didn't change that at all. Please listen to these lyrics, they're all true. I hold it all when I hold you, Em. And I'll love you forever. You're strong, you're beautiful, and you're my girlfriend. None of those things changed today. I know you're upset, but please don't be. I love you so much, Emma. It didn't change. I'll keep saying that until I'm blue in the face, and I'll mean it more and more each time I say it. You're everything to me, Emma."

"Can I stay at your house tonight, please?" she asked, as a fragile, crying girl. "I don't want to sleep alone. I want your arms around me. You make me feel safe. Everything is okay as long as you're there, Peter."

"Of course you can, you never even have to ask. I'm always here for you, Emma. You're a strong girl. Just because you were hurt though, it doesn't mean you shouldn't bleed. You need to let your feelings out, don't keep them from me again, please. I love you, I won't think differently, Emma, not ever."

"I'll tell you from now on, baby. Thank you. I love you." Emma said, before putting her seat back and closing her eyes, letting the music take her to another world, and enjoying the car ride to Peter's house, so glad that she had him in her life. "I love you." She whispered silently, just loud enough for Peter to hear, before drifting off to sleep.