Jemma's Pov:

"Hey Donald what's up?"

"We need to talk about what happened last night."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That would probably hurt.

"How did you find out?" I asked not really all that surprised that he learned I was attacked.

He looked at Michael then back at me.

"He's the sheik?"

"Umm how did you know he was the-"

He cut me off and spoke to Michael. "I'm officer Keef. Is there somewhere we can all talk privately?"

"Michael Jenkins and yeah in my office. This way sir." Michael led us into his office and I sat on his desk while he stood next to me and Donald sat on the couch facing us.

"So the damnedest thing happened Jems. Last night I was patrolling and came across a man that had the crap beaten out of him. A sign was taped to his chest that said 'Next time think twice before you lay a hand on a woman' I took him to the hospital but he refused to tell me what happened. I ran his name and checked his credit history. Guess what I found out?"

I slid a glace at Michael but he looked calm and composed. I turned back to Donald "That he has a subscription to gay anime porn?" I joked

"Funny.. But no. I saw he'd been to The Zone last night. So I went and had a talk with your uncle and guess what else I learned?"

Michael answered this time "That the jerk tried picking Jemma up and when she declined his crude offer he got physical and I stepped in. There was a scuffle and when I thought he was down I turned to check on Jemma and he tackled me from behind and slammed me into her which slammed her into the bar causing her a concussion."

"Yeah. Which brings me to the present. Why didn't you let the police handle this Jems? Why didn't you file a report? You still can and we can pick him up."

I gently shook my head. "It wasn't as serious as it sounds. He was a drunk creep that took things a little too far. I'm guessing that when he tackled Mr. Jenkins into me and the bouncers got on him, he got a pretty good beat down. So I don't plan on pressing charges. I'll have him band from the club and I wont ever see him again."

Donald looked at Michael for a second. "Would you mind giving me and Jemma a few minutes?"

Michael nodded and looked at me. "I'm just next door if you need me Jems."

I smiled. "I'll be fine Mr. Jenkins."

Donald walked over to me and gave me a hug. "I'm glad you're ok Jemma Bean. I'm glad Mr. Jenkins was there to intervene. Why was your teacher there? Wearing a matching costume?"

I chuckled. I figured this is where it was gonna go when he asked Michael to leave.

"Obviously he's my teacher but also a friend. I'm dating his older brother and he deployed a couple of weeks ago. He was supposed to match me for the Halloween shindig but obviously with him being across the world in an active war zone he couldn't and since Skip left Michael sorta filled in for him. So how much of the video did ya see? Did you see my awesome juggling skills?"

I asked like I was trying to show off and not that I was worried he might have seen me and Michael kissing earlier in the night.

He laughed and shook his head "No I missed the juggling. I just saw from incident to the ambulance arrival. You two seem like really good friends." He drawled giving me a speculative glance.

I laughed "Yeah he's a good buddy. He's kinda taken me under his wing since Skip left."

He raised a brow. "I can see you're gonna stick with that story, but it looked like some really deep emotions were running through that boy when he was kicking that guy's ass and then freaking out that you were unconscious. How old is he? How old is his brother?"

"Michael is 22 and Skip is 23 and I was 17 and legally an adult a year ago today. So don't you be stirring up any trouble for my boys. They're great guys and I'm really happy I have them in my life."

He dropped the subject completely. "So any special plans for the Birthday girl?"

I laughed "Not too sure yet. I'll probably just head home and get some rest."

He sighed and bumped my shoulder with his. "You are so lame!" he teased. "When I turned 18 I partied so hard I was drunk for 2 days straight and couldn't tell you a single thing that happened!"

I laughed "I'm not lame, you were just a delinquent!"

The bell rang and we walked out. He walked with me to my next class and kissed the top of my head "If you change your mind about pressing charges just give me a call. And for gods sakes Jems celebrate your damn birthday!"

I laughed "Maybe I'll hit you up for some ideas later." I joked.

He laughed "I bet that Michael character might have a few entertaining ones!"

I gasped "He's my teacher! Dude what's wrong with you? He could get fired if we dated!" I whispered even though the hall had already cleared out.

"Hmm don't get caught then.... I also noticed you forgot to mention you were dating the brother.... Don't worry Jems I'll forget we had this conversation as soon as I walk away. Last I heard you were smitten with the Skip kid!" He chuckled and walked away.

By the time lunch rolled around I was exhausted so I skipped it and went to nap in Michael's office. He walked in ten minutes before class started and woke me up.

"Sweetheart, I brought you a sandwich and soda. You need to eat then you can crash back out. I'll wake you when it's time for your gym class"

I stretched and sat up. "No I'm good. That hour of sleep is enough until tonight. Besides I cant miss the chance to stare at my hot teacher's booty while he writes on the board!"

He laughed "Yeah you and every other girl!" He teased.

"Yeah but, even though all those chicks drool over you, I'm the only one that knows what that butt looks like without those khakis on!"

He laughed "Yep and even though all the guys in class drool over you I'm the only one that knows about that freckle on the inside of your right thigh." He whispered running his hand over my right thigh over my jeans right where my freckle would be.

I giggled and finished my food.

Class was almost over and Michael gave us free time to chat since we worked so hard and finished early. I was talking to Robby Pop when there was a knock on the door. Michael got up to open.

I didn't bother turning around.

"Seriously Jems when am I gonna meet your boyfriend. He sounds totally kick ass and Tina already knows him! That so isn't fair! I'm calling a foul under the best friend handbook!!"

I laughed and patted his head. "How about during Christmas break."

He rolled his eyes and then narrowed them. "That's like another month and a half away." He whined.

It was then that I noticed the quietness of the class and the hushed conversation at the door.

"Just give me a moment. Wait in my office next door. It's unlocked." Michael said. He turned to me and waved me over.

"Don't tell me it's Donald again?" I asked. He pulled me into the hall.

"Jems your dad is here" he said.

"Well why did you make Tom go wait in your office?"

He shook his head "No the other one."

I stood there for a minute. Now is so not the time to deal with this crap.

He looked me in the eye and caressed my cheek. "I know this is not how you pictured spending your birthday but he's just trying to reach out to you. I'm not going to push you either way but he did look pretty torn up. Whatever you decide I'll be here for you."

"You know that is the first time you said anything about today being my birthday. I was beginning to think you forgot about it."

He chuckled "I could never forget the day you were born. That is definitely a day to celebrate. I was gonna pretend like I forgot and then right before midnight give you your gift and stuff."

"That is soo not a good way to surprise your girl on a special day! By dinner time I would have been royally pissed at you!"

He laughed "Well I guess it's a good thing I made a back up plan. Now what do you want to do about Danny?"

"I'll talk to him but I'm not in the mood to jump into all the drama today."

He nodded and the bell rang. "I have a free period now so if you want I can go in with you or you can just come get me when you're done and I'll write you a pass."

I rolled my eyes "Of course I want you with me. We'll just explain that your my boyfriend's brother and blah blah whatever" I said with a dismissive wave making him chuckle as we walked into his office.

My dad or ughh uncle was looking at a picture on Michael's wall. We had a few more of us where you cant tell its me, enlarged and put up in here. Danny had one of us cuddled in the horse drawn carriage with my face buried in his neck. All you can see is my nose down.

I sat down on Michael's desk and he leaned against it next to me. I waited quietly for whatever was coming. Danny turned towards me with tears in his eyes. "Happy Birthday Baby Girl."

I felt my heart clench, he hasn't called me that in years. I nodded my head "Thank you"

He looked at Michael for a long minute then back at me. "It's been over two months Jemma bear. Are you ever going to talk to me again? I mean you didn't even tell me you ended up in the hospital. If Jane hadn't let it slip then I wouldn't have know. I had to beg Donald to let me see the video of my own daughter!" He didn't yell but you could hear the emotions in his voice loud and clear.

I snorted. "I really don't want to do this now." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

He stood up and met my eyes. "Then when Jems? Because you've been ignoring my calls and texts. The only way I know anything about you is checking in with Tom and the guys from the club. Sullivan even called to tell me about how well everything at school is going and that you won first place in your competition."

I sighed. I guess we were doing this now. I glanced at Michael and he inched closer to me and gave my arm a quick reassuring squeeze.

"Fine we'll do it now. There was no reason to answer your calls or texts. There was no reason to tell you anything that has been going on the last 2 months. There was no reason to tell you I was in the hospital last night because you're not my father."

He wiped his eyes and nodded his head "I know that you just found out that I'm not but-" I cut him off.

"NO, I'm not talking about biologically. I'm talking about that day over three years ago that you decided you couldn't stand the proof of your wife's infidelity and began pushing me away! I'm talking about the hundreds of times I tried to tell my daddy about my day and he turned around like I wasn't even there. I'm talking about the fact that you probably have no clue that I'm in the top four percent of my class and managed that with four extras, just hoping one day my daddy would remember I was alive and actually be proud of me. Or the fact that I got early admissions to Ivy league colleges! I'm talking about the thousands of times that you stood by while Terri called me a whore and slut even though I'm still a fucking virgin. I'm talking about the fact that you knew Tom was my dad and if you had just told him he would have fought for me and I could have left the place I was so obviously not wanted! But you didn't. You hated me so much that you kept me there to suffer!"

I was crying by the time I was done. Michael wrapped his arms around me and offered silent support.

"But the worst of it was that you were never around to stop Terri when she started to hit me! I put up with that for months before I hit her back and I'm pretty sure the only reason she stopped was because it wouldn't look good for her campaign if we were sporting matching mother/daughter bruises!"

"Maybe you should go. Jems shouldn't have to spend her birthday reliving painful memories" Michael told him.

He looked at us for a few moments and nodded. He cleared his throat. "Before I go I'd like to say a few things. Then if you never want to see me again, I'll respect that." He took a deep shaky breath.

"Yes your mother told me you were Tom's daughter but that never affected the way I felt about you. I was the one that changed your diapers and saw your first steps. The one that taught you to ride a bike and kissed your scraped knees when you fell. The one you woke up crying for when you had a nightmare. The one that taught you how to dance and that the right boy would treat you like you were heaven on earth. The beginning of your freshman year. Your mother made some allegations about me and you. That is why I pushed you away. Don't believe that I ever once stopped caring. I may have been colder to you on the outside and seemed uncaring to appease your mother's sick mind but I always knew what was happening in your life. I went to the games and saw you dance with the squad. I ordered your Majors competition and Debate videos and I kept Tom a secret because I was selfish. I'd rather have my baby girl around hating me then not at all. If I had known that Terri hit you, I swear to you I would have stopped it and I cant say how sorry I am that I didn't."

He turned back to us before he opened the door. "I didn't want to ruin your day. I just missed my little girl and wanted to see you."

He looked at Michael "Take better care of my baby then I did." Then left. I clung on to Michael and sobbed some more.

"Shh, I gotcha baby. It's okay, just let it out" He cooed to me.

He pulled me to the couch and set me on his lap. Rocking me a little while he murmured that he loved me and everything would be okay. After a few minutes I sniffled and Michael kissed the last of my tears away.

"I don't know if I still hate him" I whispered.

He kissed my forehead "I don't think you ever actually hated him. I think it was just easier to pretend to hate him then deal with all the hurt you felt."

"Do you think what he said was true?"

 He nodded his head. "I read his body language, He was truthful and very sad. I don't think he realized his distance affected you so much. You put on a pretty brave face Sweetheart."

"I never wanted to show him or Terri how much they hurt me."

He kissed me and smiled lovingly. "You only have one more class why don't you ditch and go home and take a nice bubble bath and relax. I'll be there by the time you get out and then we can celebrate the miracle that is you!"

I giggled "You're not supposed to be condoning truancy Mr. Jenkins!"

He laughed. "Well how about you call it a mental health day and I'll talk to Sullivan and have it excused."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was soaking in the bath replaying the events of the last 24 hours. Definitely not a good day. My phone buzzed and I grabbed it. Popping open the text.

Be there in 45. Get dolled up Sweetheart. Takin my girl out for diner and dancing. Love you xxxMike

I called Tina for advice on what to wear and how to do my hair.

"Be there in two shakes baby-doll. Plug the curling iron in."

I hung up and grabbed a towel to dry off and plugged in my hair equipment.

Tina came barging into my room with bags in hand.

"Jeez Tina, you scared the crap out of me! How'd you get in? I could have sworn I locked the door."

She giggled and placed the bags on the bed. "Sorry babe. Mike gave me the key earlier when he sent me on a few errands."

I eyed the bags. "Should I be worried that my boyfriend gave you the key to his house?" I said with fake suspicion.

She rolled her eyes. "No you should be happy your man was thoughtful enough to arrange for your other half to pick you up a few things and come here to help get you ready. Duh!"

"What's in the bags?"

I walked to the bed and started to peek in. She slapped my hand away.

"Not yet Missy! You can put a robe on or hang in your towel until I finish doing your hair and make up. Then you get the bags!"

I shrugged my shoulder and sat down so she could begin.

Thirty minutes later my hair was curled and makeup flawless. She clapped her hands and bounced on her feet. "Ok now for the good stuff"

She pulled out a beautiful midnight blue sweetheart neckline dress that came to right above my knee and gorgeous silver heels that had crystals on the straps.

"These are from Mike for tonight. He gave me his debt card and explained what was needed for your big birthday night! I tried it on and since we're the same size it should fit!"

She reached back and grabbed a pink bag and handed it to me.

"These are from me for your birthday. In case you get lucky"

She giggled as I pulled out a black lace strapless bra and some matching black lace panties.

"These are.... OH MY GOD!! You got me crotchless panties!!" I yelled

She laughed harder. "Just doing my civic duty! Helping out a veteran in need!" She cracked up at her own joke.

"Oh haha how bout you save those for when Skip comes back!" I teased her.

She rolled her eyes. "No need, got my own thanks!" She sassed out.

I laughed and went to the bathroom to put on my new outfit.

"OMG you look so freakin hot! I bet Mike won't be able to resist you tonight!" She said wiggling her eyebrows and making goofy faces.

I giggled and slid my shoes on. "So what does Michael have planned for tonight?" I asked.

"Nice try but I was sworn to secrecy."

There was a knock on the front door and Tina bounced off the bed. "I'll get it you grab your purse."

I grabbed my silver clutch and threw my keys, phone, wallet and touch up makeup in it and followed her to the door. Michael stood there in a tux with a dozen white roses. Awe he remembered those are my favorite.

"I'll put these in water and lock up for you two love birds." She kissed my cheek and grabbed the flowers from Michael.

I wrapped my hand around his arm and followed him out. I felt my eyes bulge. No way!! He got us a limo!!

The driver opened the door and Michael helped me in. "When did you plan all this?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "After you said you didn't really plan anything for your birthday at dinner after competition. I checked with everyone to make sure you were free tonight and started arranging it. I called Tina this morning after you left for school and asked her opinion on if I should postpone it for another day and she said no. So I left my card on the table and the key under the flowerpot and she picked out your dress and shoes."

I jumped in his lap and kissed him. "You my dear are a very sweet man and I love you so much"

He kissed me back and nibbled on my ear. "I love you more than anything Sweetheart"