A/N :

Another one-shot! This is for a round of Bade Prompts' writing challenges.

The challenge was the following: In no less than 1500 words, write this story: "(S)he didn't tell you, did(s)he?"

My prompt was: powerless

Enjoy! (Hopefully)

One could say a lot of things about Beck.

How he was strong willed, talented, artistic, opinionated, never afraid to speak his mind. One could say all those things and more and they would be right.

However when it came to a particular person many of those traits of his appeared to fade, vanish in the back of his mind. Only one would stay clear, prominent and permanent, as if he had had the letters inked on his tan skin.

Powerless

He would forever and always be powerless when Jade was concerned. Everything about her screamed fire and Beck wouldn't have wanted to put that fire out had he had the ability to.

Beck felt his eyelids drift for what appeared to be the thousand time but he forced his eyes open, keeping them trained on the street. The thought that he would be one of those people leaning against their window still, looking down and persistently waiting for their loved ones to be home had never crossed his mind, yet there he was, his dull eyes which were graced with dark circles refusing to stay open for more than 10 seconds. He needed the sleep, he was aware of that. He was also aware that he would be restless until Jade got back home, whenever that would be. Beck needed to know that she was alright.

The apartment that they had picked out together was dark, lacking the warmth and coziness that had made it stand out among the countless ones that they had previously rejected. Beck could feel how cold the window glass was from where his cheek had ended up resting. He didn't mind. The feeling kept him effectively alert, regardless of the fact that he was by then unable to feel the right side of his face due to the numbness the cold had caused. But then again, one could expect no different from a late November evening.

It had been three months since him and Jade moved in. Three months since she had started acting strange.

Beck ran a hand through his disheveled hair and lifted another box, a puff of air leaving his lips at the weight. Balancing the box on his arms, making sure that it wouldn't fall, he slowly started ascending the stairs while mentally cursing his backing down and agreeing to buy an apartment located in an apartment building that didn't have a god damn lift.

He hadn't managed to say no to Jade, or to the way her eyes had widened in delight at the sight of the huge window gracing the living area's wall, even if that meant a sore back and shoulders for him, as he carried the final boxes upstairs.

The first thing he noticed upon reaching their door and entering the wide room, bursting with light coming from the window that they had both grown to love was Jade's back where it was facing him by the kitchen counter. The only item of clothing she was wearing was a shirt of his, one that barely covered the curve of her bottom and resulted in her pale legs being on show, not that Beck minded. The August heat had him with a mere low-hung pair of jeans on, so he couldn't blame his girlfriend for having some skin on show, especially since it was only for him to see, behind the now closed door of their new place.

Jade appeared to be holding a piece of paper tightly in her hands, resulting it to be on the verge of crumbled by the time Beck reached her. He was at an angle where he could only see a part of her face but he could tell that whatever message that piece of white sheet held had the girl he loved so dearly distressed.

Beck slowly sneaked his arms around Jade's waist and he rested his head on top of her long black locks that now fell down to the small of her back, trying to see what it was that had caused Jade to have that expression on her face, what had caused her ocean blue eyes to look glassy. What Beck hadn't expected was to feel his girlfriend stiffen under his touch, seconds before squirming away from him and folding the paper neatly, before placing it in her bag.

"What is that?" Beck raised an eyebrow at Jade's act and moved forward to get a hold of her bag, only to be stopped by the obstacle that was her body coming to contact with his. He took a step back, surprised and Jade did the same, leaning against the counter, tucking a loose stand of hair behind her ear.

"Nothing" she replied, waving her hand in a dismissive manner. Her tone of voice turned even softer as she repeated the same word once again. "Nothing"

"Are you sure? Because you looked pretty ups-" Beck started, taking another step towards her but stopped when he saw something flash in Jade's eyes before she closed the remaining distance between them.

"Positive" she purred, while trailing a perfectly manicured finger down Beck's chest, him soon grabbing a firm hold of her slim waist, bringing her closer, where he could feel her breath on his lips.

Jade leaned forward and captured his lips in a heated kiss, all thoughts concerning that piece of paper fading away the second Jade's shirt hit the floor.

Beck couldn't help it. He had always been powerless against Jade's lips. Her touch was enough to take his mind off of everything.

He didn't come across that troublesome piece of paper once after that evening.

Things started going downhill after that.

So here he was, up late waiting for Jade to return back. It wasn't the first time and in the back of his mind Beck knew that it wouldn't be the last one either. This situation had been going on for weeks. Jade would be absent regularly with Beck having no idea where she was or what she was doing.

At first she would just be a bit late from work. That escalated to her leaving earlier because "they were stuff she had to do" and finally to Beck waking up to a bed whose left side was empty, the sheets cold when his hands would look blindly for Jade in the morning.

No, Beck hadn't been worried that Jade was cheating on him. He knew she'd never do that. He was simply aching to know what it was that Jade wanted to keep a secret from him, and even more so what it was that had her eyes distant and her every move cautious.

Jade had never been the kind of person to look into space, doing nothing. However, not even singing would manage to get her to smile, to really smile that is. Beck had by then grown used to the halfhearted chuckles and the fake grins that made his heart clench, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it.

One word crossed his mind as he straightened his back from where he had pressed his face to the glass after mistaking a young girl walking down the street for Jade, even though he knew deep inside that it couldn't have been her.

Powerless

"So you were alone?" Beck asked once again, pacing back and forth, Andre's tired voice replying seconds later from where his phone was resting on the coffee table, set on speaker.

"Yes, man. How many times do I have to say it?"

"Okay. Thanks I guess. See you later." Beck muttered before reaching over and ending the call. His lips formed a thin line as he ran a hand through his hair, plopping down on the beige sofa looking towards the flat screen across from him. It wasn't even on but Beck didn't mind. He had other things to worry about.

The rattling of keys was heard coming from the door and the sound of the lock turning and the door being opened and closed following close. Jade threw her coat across the room and turned around as soon as it landed on an empty armchair.

She gasped quietly as soon as her eyes fell on Beck, the strange look he was giving her not going unnoticed.

"Hey" she greeted, unraveling a dark blue scarf from where it was resting around her neck, protecting her from the cold that appeared to have come around early that year.

Beck simply nodded, gesturing to the seat next to him, still managing to look at ease.

"I think I am going to take a shower" the words rushed out of Jade's mouth and she started heading for the hallway, leaving Beck behind.

She had almost made it when his firm voice cut the silence, making her stay put on her spot a few steps away from the bathroom door. She had been so close.

"Where have you been?"

"At Noshu, I told you earlier today." Jade replied, her back still turned to her boyfriend. The next time she heard his voice, Beck was surprisingly close, his breath tickling her ear.

"Oh right, with Tori and Andre if I am not mistaken." His voice was unusually low. Causing shivers to run down Jade's spine.

"You are not, mistaken I mean." She said, turning around, coming face to face with Beck, his eyes flashing with something Jade couldn't exactly point out. Hurt? Anger? It could be either one really…

"You are lying" Beck whispered softly, taking a step backwards, Jade no longer able to feel the warmth of his body against hers.

"I..." Jade opened her mouth only to close it right after, averting her gaze from Beck's eyes. He simply raised his hand as an indication for her to not bother.

"Why?"

"I don't know what you are asking me exactly." Jade felt a bit of courage make its way inside her again and she raised her head, as long as a thin eyebrow to Beck's question. She was surprised to say the least when Beck's hand came into contact with the wall, creating a thud as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his other hand.

"I am talking about how you are always gone, how about you won't tell me where you have been all day, avoiding questions and expecting me to pretend like I can't see that something is not right when in reality it looks like things haven't been right in a while!" he raised his voice at the end, making Jade flinch slightly. However Beck's tone of voice changed drastically seconds later, barely a whisper any more. "And now you are lying to me straight to my face…."

Beck took a step back when Jade's hand made to reach him.

"Please" she whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, and it was at that moment that Beck knew that something was seriously wrong. As his arms slowly encircled Jade into a firm hug, her head resting against his neck, he also knew that he wouldn't get to know what it was that night.

"Shh, it is alright. We will be alright." He cooed kissing the top of Jade's head softy, letting his lips linger for a while. The apple scent that Beck had grown accustomed to by then wasn't there. In its place a somehow sterile scent stood out.

Realization drowning on him, the possibility of them not being alright crossed his mind, where it would stay from then and on.

Perhaps, Jade was not the only thing he would turn out being powerless against.

It was past two in the morning and Beck had enough of it. For the past few weeks he pretended not to notice Jade's ways, the bottles of unknown content that she insisted on hiding on the back of her closet, probably trying to keep Beck from finding them. He pretended not to have asked around, not to have read the labels of the bottles, not to have searched through her computer history, not to have cried behind closed doors.

He pretended not to know when he did.

"Please Tori!" he pleaded, his voice tired and his eyes puffy. "Where has she been going?"

He had to make sure, drawing conclusions on his own was guaranteed to make things worse and even if he knew he was right deep down inside, there was still a bit of hope left. Hope that he was utterly wrong, hope that he couldn't read, hope that it was all a big misunderstanding and that his girlfriend was simply preparing for a part, a part that required countless hours of rehearsals, research and emotional preparation.

Tori's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her, the sight of one of her best friends breaking down. That is when she realized.

"She didn't tell you, did she?" her voice cracked at the end, tears threatening to spill.

"Tell me what Tori?!"

Tori's body broke into sobs and Beck didn't need to stay any longer. His suspicions have been confirmed. Putting himself back together as far as that was possible he returned back home, determined to stay strong in front of Jade, much like she was determined to stay until the end.

Beck picked up the phone with shaking hands; dialing the number he had learned by heart slowly. An emotionless voice was quick to answer and Beck held his breath before asking.

"I am calling for Jade West. I believe she was scheduled for surgery at 10 pm"

"What is your name Sir? "

"Beck Oliver, I should be in her emergency contacts somewhere…"

"Ohh…you are the boy she has been talking about" Back's lips formed a small smile at the words but soon focused back on the task at hand. "I thought you weren't supposed to…" the confused voice trailed off…

"I am not."

"I understand." There was silence for a moment before the voice was heard once again. "She is fine"

"Thank you"

Turns out Jade wasn't that powerless after all.

A/N: First of all I would like to apologize for Jade ending up in the hospital for two one-shots in a row, I feel really bad but I can't seem to be able to write hurt Beck so yeah…

I really hope it came out alright, this being my first time being given a prompt and all. It feels a bit rushed but oh well… (I didn't have time alright! I am sad…) Still, I tried my best and I quite like this one-shot.

So what did you think of it? Let me know! Pleaaasseeee *puppy dog eyes* *clears throat* Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Review!