Disclaimer: I own nothing Degrassi, but I wish I did...

Thanks for all of the great reviews! A special thanks to mmkayerin...you are such a great reviewer and very inspiring! Thanks for the awesome support and I hope I can continue to make this story a great read for you and all of the others!

Jay leaned back on two legs of the uncomfortable vinyl chair he was seated in, black hat turned backwards, scowl upon his face. He listened as his so-called friends laughed at him, openly making fun of all he had just revealed to them. Why do I even bother trying to make friends when all they do is stab me in the back the first chance they get?

"Sorry, man, but it's funny," Spinner joked, trying to hide his obvious smile. "You and Nelson hooking up in the first place is just bizarre. I always thought so."

"Well thanks for speaking up back then, dumb ass!" Jay hollered, adjusting his hat, even though it ended up in the exact same place on his head it had been in before. "And this has nothing to do with whether or not Emma and I make a good couple. Something is going on with her to make her run hot and cold around me all of the time."

Jimmy cleared his throat. Jay shot a look his way, a non-verbal warning to watch what he was about to say. Jimmy liked the challenge and spoke up right away. "You cheated on her with her best friend. It's no mystery why she doesn't want anything to do with you."

Jay let the other two legs of his chair hit the floor as he glared daggers at Jimmy. Sure, Spinner could be called a friend, but Jimmy Brooks wasn't. Jay didn't have to put up with his shit just because he rode around on four wheels!

"No one asked you for opinion, Wheels," Jay shot back.

Jimmy grinned and shook his head. "That's funny, Hood! You think making jokes about the crippled will make Emma take you back? You didn't deserve her in the first place and she'd be downright stupid to take you back now! Go back to your grease pit, fiddle around with you cars, and forget that you were lucky enough to get someone like Emma Nelson to even look in your direction!"

Jay watched Jimmy wheel away and felt like a piece of shit for making jokes about his situation. He looked at Spinner, who was giving him a look.

"What?"

"What is the matter with you, man?" Spinner asked. "Are you challenged or just ignorant?"

Jay shrugged. "A little from column A and a little from column B. What the hell do I care what Jimmy Brooks thinks of me anyway?"

Spinner threw up his hands. "Jimmy and Emma work together, moron! The art gallery? Jimmy's doing a summer apprenticeship there and Emma runs the kids' summer program. They go for lunch all the time! Stupid, much? He's gonna tell her what an ass you were today and that'll be just another reason for her to give you the shaft!"

Jay had no idea that Emma even had a summer job, but smiled to himself, imagining her with all of the little kids, helping them create pieces of 'art' that were no more than paint smudges and balls of clay. It was so Emma and so one of the things Jay loved about her.

It's funny how your priorities just suddenly change one day when you're not even aware of it. Jay had only cared about cars, chicks, and parties. Then everything in his world changed.

FLASHBACK

"How many kids do you want?" Emma asked, a dreamy look appearing on her flushed face.

Jay rolled over onto his stomach, groaning along the way. "What kind of talk is that? Especially after what we just did." He leaned up, a scared look on his face. "You're not trying to tell me anything, are you?"

Emma giggled and rubbed his tense back. "No. I just like thinking about you and I and our forever."

"Our forever has a while before it begins, okay?"

Emma pursed her lips together tightly. "I'd start it tomorrow if I could."

Jay turned his head, laying it on his arms, looking at the woman he was beginning to love. "Why the rush?"

She shrugged. "Don't you ever just want to get on with things?"

Jay's face broke into a smirk. "I love getting on with some things!"

"Stop it!" she scolded lightly. "I was talking about more than just sex! Don't you ever think about our future?"

Jay knew this conversation would come some day. He just wasn't prepared for its timing. Of course he thought about their future. Sometimes, it was all he could think about. But he hadn't even told Emma how he really felt about her. He thought about how he would do it, but having never said those three very important words before, he worried about how it would be received. He figured that Emma loved him too, but like him, she hadn't mentioned it either.

"Jay?" she asked, touching his arm gently. "I didn't mean to freak you out. I was just talking."

Jay rolled to his side, gathering Emma closer to him, smoothing out her tousled hair. "I know that I don't say the things I always should. I know that you probably wonder how I...you know...um..."

Emma watched Jay struggle with his words. She smiled and traced her finger down the bridge of his perfect nose. "Feel?"

He returned her smile. "Yeah, feel. So, um, just so you know...I...I...I guess I...sort of, love you...or whatever."

Emma's smile widened until her lips could stretch no more. "You love me?" Jay nodded his head. "You...love...me! Jay loves Emma!" she shouted.

Jay laughed. He brought her closer to him until their lips met in the middle, with a soft, gentle kiss; the kiss of first love finally declared. This was the happiest Jay could ever remember being. Maybe Emma was right. Starting tomorrow together seemed like the best option.

"Two, maybe three," Jay finally voiced.

Emma gave him a curious look. "Huh?"

Jay rolled Emma over, gathering her back to his chest, holding her tightly against him. "I think we should have two, maybe three kids. I want a little girl, with long blond hair like her mom."

"And a boy with that sneaky little Hogart smirk."

"He'll drive the girls wild."

"Well I know what that smirk of yours does to me," Emma confessed. Jay turned Emma around to face him, giving her a wondering look. She leaned in, placing her mouth to his ear. "It makes me hot and a little wet," she whispered naughtily, sending chills through Jay's body.

"Now what kind of mother has a mouth that dirty?" he asked, kissing her wildly.

"Your's," she answered, kissing him back.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Snap out of it, man!" Spinner scolded.

"Then help me, Spin," Jay pleaded, suddenly realizing he needed all the aid he could get if he wanted to win Emma back.

Spinner knew just how serious Jay was by the desperate look he bore. Even though Jay was known for being slightly heartless, Spinner didn't doubt that his heart was actually breaking over his separation from Emma.

"Okay, dude. Just don't cry, okay?" Spinner teased. "What you have to do is figure out just what happened between you and Manny. I mean, how can you apologize to Emma and sincerely mean it, if you don't even remember what you did in the first place?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't remember a thing from that night. It's like a total blackout. How do find out exactly what happened without having to talk to Manny?"

"Was anyone else there that night that you remember talking to or being around?" Spinner asked.

A small smile appeared on Jay's face. It grew larger as something came to mind. "Darcy! I remember talking to Darcy that night! I can talk to her and find out if she knows anything!"

Spinner watched Jay grab his car keys and head out the door. He wanted his friend to be happy. A happier Jay was a lot less of an asshole. But Spinner also wondered if sending Jay out to find the truth about that night would help him and his bid to win Emma back, or if it would just end up hurting Emma more than ever before...

Hope you enjoy!