The Jade and Cat Effect
Disclaimer: No I do not own Victorious, nor have I ever claimed to.
Summary: This is a little thing with Jade and Cat. While I will make it so that Jade has a soft spot for our favorite little cupcake, there is no femslash or anything, just two opposites being great friends. There are some insights into Cat's home life and her relationship with Jade.
As strange as it may seem, the notorious Goth of Hollywood Arts spent many a night at a certain red-head's house. Cat Valentine's best friend in the whole wide world was Jadelyn August West, or more commonly referred to (by Cat exclusively) as 'Jadey.' They had been best friends for a long time, too long to count. And while they are polar opposites, it was common knowledge that Jade had a rare soft spot for Cat.
It was another wet night in their city when Jade was spending the night next. She had let Cat pick out the movies all night, which ended up being a stunning array of Disney. Jade never really paid much attention to the movies, and often dozed off. She tried, she really did, but singing princesses did little to hold her attention. More common than not she let her gaze wander around the ever changing house spread out before her. Cat's parents weren't home very often, hoofing from hospital to hospital with Cat's brother, which left the eccentric and wild Cat to care for the mini-mansion.
While the walls (usually) stayed the same cream white, the pictures constantly shifted. There were her favorites, the pictures of her family and her and jade and their other friends that remained relatively constant, only changing frames, while others were added or removed weekly. In fact, the only picture that never, absolutely never moved was a large, 16x10 family picture that hung over the mantle, visible from the entry way.
Jade constantly found herself staring at this picture. She knew it like the back of her hand by now, every detail, every image. There was Cat's father, tall, lean and strict looking with a business-cut hair style. His large, executive hand rested unnaturally on Cat's mother, who stood off to Mr. Valentine's right in the photo. Her face was kind, however it always appeared to Jade to be forced. Her long, golden locks flowed effortlessly down her shoulders, framing her face. Off on Mr. Valentine's other side was Cat's brother, who got his good looks from his dad. Cat's brother was mentally sick, however it wasn't any kind that you could see in a picture. In fact, he looked like someone you might see walking down the halls in any given high school. He too, even, looked too happy. Too excited looking, standing next to his father in a suit that probably took an hour to coax on him, next to his mother in a flowing summer dress.
Cat was Jade's favorite person in this picture, and not just because it was her best friend.
Cat never took a bad picture. Jade was, in fact, convinced it was impossible. But of all her perfect pictures, this one was not the most perfect. Only she looked uncomfortable, awkward, and in Jade's opinion, that was the right way to look. That was how everyone in that picture should have looked, because everything else wasn't right. Cat was the only one in character. Everyone else wasn't right.
Jade had met Cat's family on numerous occasions. Quite honestly, Cat's brother was her favorite. He was cool and easy to be around, especially when he was on his medication. Cat's parents, however, didn't float Jade's boat. Mr. Valentine wasn't fond of Jade, and thought even less of his daughter hanging out with her. He didn't, though, ever pay much attention to what Cat said or wanted, and would often punish her for just being her. He didn't realize that what he called 'unruly' was in fact Cat being Cat. Mrs. Valentine was no better either.
Cat's parents do love their children very much, and are only doing what they assume is right. The only issue is that, at least when it came to Cat, they had no idea what they were doing.
"Jadey?" Cat's voice snapped Jade back to reality. She looked at the flat screen to see the credits rolling to the fifth princess movie they watched that night. She turned her attention to Cat.
"Hmm?"
"I'm tired," Cat announced, completing the statement with a long yawn. Jade chuckled, getting up and turning off the TV. She offered Cat her hand and hoisted her up off of the sofa, getting Cat vertical. Cat groggily stumbled forward, seeking the stairs more on instinct than sight as her eyes were half closed, her pink flowery quilt tangled around her shoulders. Jade followed (after checking to see that all doors were locked), glancing around at more new pictures hung along the wall parallel to the stair case. None of the frames matched, or even threatened to. One was pink, another yellow, another blue with a red butter fly in the corner, and still others were brown and embroidered and bedazzled and sewn. A good few were purposefully hung lopsided and crooked.
Upon reaching Cat's room, Jade set up her bed. Cat's room was almost nauseatingly pink, and it had taken Jade a couple years to adjust to the onslaught of color and sensory overload. It was, though, immense, and Jade had her own full bed on the opposite wall of Cat's bed. Truth be told, Jade spent many more that Saturday nights at Cat's. Especially when her parents were gone on long trips, Jade lived with Cat, keeping the social butterfly company. She had another wardrobe here, with her own toiletries and personal items. The only thing she ever needed to constantly bring back and forth between homes was her laptop and school bag.
Jade made sure Cat was okay before she turned the lights off. Cat was a sensitive, delicate girl and Jade didn't want anything to change that.
"Night Jadey!" Cat smiled, hugging Jade around the waist, being quite a bit smaller that her friend. Jade smiled but didn't laugh, because this was what made Cat comfortable, and what made her feel safe.
Many years ago Jade had asked the question of 'why?'.
"Why do you always hug me before bed Cat?"
"Why did you follow me into the bathroom? I'm just brushing my teeth."
"I'll be right back Cat, I'm just going to get some water. Why?"
Why?
It was a while before Jade got a straight answer. In their freshman year of high school, Cat finally told her.
"I'm afraid you're going to leave and not come back," she'd whispered quietly, so softly Jade had scarcely heard her. Jade didn't want to press for a reason behind the reason, mostly because she already knew. Her parents and brother would pack up for some random hospital some random place and leave a note for Cat to find in the morning. It was on these days Cat was somber, quieter and not nearly as happy as usual.
Jade felt something in her squeeze together as her best friend had studied the carpet, her painted toes, anything but Jade's face. Her eyes had started to water, and before long tears rolled down her cheeks, worming their way onto her pajama shirt. Jade had wanted to scoop Cat up right there, to make everything that made her sad go away, but there was something more pressing first.
"Cat, look at me," Jade had softly commanded. Cat reluctantly lifted her eyes, and found a smile on Jade's face, one that was so genuine and caring that Cat couldn't keep the small grin off her face.
"I will never leave you, Cat," Jade said in a whisper that carried all the truthfulness in the world. "You know that don't you?" Jade never did get an answer. She wrapped her arms around the red head and made sure that Cat knew she was loved, and that even if it was only Jade, Cat would never be alone.
"Night Cat," Jade said when Cat let go, climbing into her bed and nestling herself into the covers. Jade turned off the lights, and walked to her own side of the room, falling onto the bed in her jeans and didn't bother changing. At least, not until she realized she couldn't sleep and put on a pair of sweats instead, Cat already snoring very lightly six feet away.
Jade had no idea what time it was, but that didn't matter. Off to her left, Cat was screaming. It was those horrible, bloodcurdling screams that turned skin to ice and made you want to run and hide. But not Jade.
She sprang up and dashed over to Cat, who had made a tangled mess of her sheets and blanket. Cat had a death grip on her sheets, which were wrapped around one hand, the other grasping for something that wasn't there. In the darkness of the room, Cat actually looking frightening, not at all like a scared, ditzy girl.
Jade tried to shake Cat awake, saying, "Cat, CAT! It's okay, everything is okay!" But Cat was too far in her nightmare, and didn't wake up. She thrashed around, flailing like she was trying to get away from Jade.
"CAT! Cat, whatever you see, it's okay! It's not real!" Jade yelled frantically, desperately trying to wake Cat up. Jade actually jumped onto Cat's bed, pinning down her arms. Cat stilled, and with a start woke up, eyes darting side to side, trying to adjust to the light. Her eyes were filled to the brim in an instant, and Jade climbed off her, trying to calm her thundering heart.
"J-j-jade-jadey?" Cat asked shakily into the darkness. And there was her breaking point. There was that fine line of "Okay, I can do this," and, "Jesus, I couldn't have been more wrong, I can't do this!" Cat dissolved into sobs, and Jade held her tight against her body, cooing soft things in her ear. Cat trembled like a leaf in the wind, and Jade felt the tears dampening her shirt but didn't care.
Shifting smoothly, Jade laid herself and her crying Cat back down on the bed, Cat curled against her best friend, afraid suddenly of the impending dark. She clung to Jade's lacey sleeping shirt like it was a lifeline, saving her from drifting out to sea.
"Right here Cat, right here," Jade mumbled, running her hand up and down Cat's back. When Cat's cries started to subside, Jade pulled the covers over them, untangling the matted knot as best she could.
"Shhh, shhhhh, it's all over now Cat. You're safe, I promise," Jade murmured quietly, smoothing Cat's hair. Cat whimpered, cuddling closer to Jade, as close as she could.
"You, you-you-you, you left," Cat stammered. Jade shook her head.
"No, I promised Cat, I didn't-"
"In the dream," Cat clarified. Well, that changed things. Jade guessed she couldn't promise what she'd do in an imaginary world.
"You l-left because my parents pulled me out of Hollywood Arts, and you said you wouldn't be my f-f-frien-friend anymore-" Cat started. She was working herself up again, tears welling more and more.
"No, no baby Cat, I wouldn't do that," Jade said, hiding Cat's head in the hollow of her neck. Cat whimpered and tried to stop her tears, but that seemed to just make them come out faster. She sniffled and shivered, though it was far from cold in the house.
"You st-stopped coming o-o-over," Cat whispered. She hiccupped and Jade felt her hold on her neck tighten, like Cat was reassuring herself that Jade was still there. Jade hugged Cat tighter too, in response to Cat's need to know Jade was real.
"You stopped, and then my p-parents left the nex-next day, and I c-c-called you, and-and you s-said," Cat's voice dropped dramatically, and Jade had to strain to hear her, "you said you hated me!"
Cat let out a sad, pitiful wail and went limp on the bed, her only movement created by her tears.
"Shhh, it's okay Cat. Don't think about it Cat, I would never, ever do that to you," Jade whispered into her best friend's ear. She pressed a kiss to Cat's temple, an action that was Cat's and Cat's only, and hunkered down beside her friend. Tears were still leaking out of Cat's eyes, but she was calm now, the calmest she'd been since Jade woke her. She sniffled every other breath or so, but was otherwise quiet as a mouse. Or cat.
"Sleep Cat," Jade said softly, adjusting the pillow. Cat used Jade's arm as a pillow and nestled next to her, curling into a little ball. Jade ran a lazy hand through Cat's long red hair, gently unraveling any tangles she came across.
"Love you Jadey," Cat whispered. Jade smiled into the darkness.
"Love you too Cat."
That night, Cat Valentine slept next to Jade West, cuddled against Jade, with one little finger hooked in the knotted bow of Jade's sweats. There was no way she could leave then.
A/N: So, 2,000 some-odd words later, I've decided I have quite a few places this can go, and will be continuing it. Please review, those are always helpful, and tell me what you think. I like this side of Jade, and being the slightly sadistic person I am, I like to play around with these two girls at their weakest. AKA Cat crying, Jade's maternal instincts, maybe (in the future) Jade crying, ect.
Review, review, review. For now, I believe that's it. Thanks for reading!