Author's Note: Hi everyone! So as many of you heard on Twitter a few days ago, I am writing a sequel to The Other Side. I had planned on ending it, but everyone was so sweet about wanting me to continue and wanting to see more of Shiloh, so I decided to give you guys some more. Warning: this story is not going to be just like the last one. The characters are in college now, so they will be facing much more complex issues. I am also expanding my horizon a bit to be able to include storylines for other characters, like Cat, Andre, and Tori. I think you'll notice the major change while you read the prologue, so I'll leave you to it. XoXo.

Prologue

"And have yourself a merry little Christmas now…"

As Judy Garland's soothing voice floods through the apartment, Jade dumps as much coffee as her mug can hold into the cup and begins fixing it how she likes.

"Hey, Jade," Cat calls from the living room, "do you want the lights to go across all four walls in here?"

"Hold on," she responds, walking through the kitchen to appear in front of her. "Yeah. Yeah, that's good. Thanks, Cat."

The redhead grins brightly. "Anything for my best friend."

"Mama, bee-bee!"

While Cat continues her work with the lights, Jade's attention is taken by her daughter. The sixteen-month-old is walking as fast as her legs can take her over to her mom as she holds up her favorite baby doll (given to her by Cat, of course).

"Bee-bee!" She repeats excitedly, waving the doll in her little hand.

"Pretty, Shi," her mother replies, giving her a smile. "Come here; do you wanna help Momma decorate the tree?" Shiloh nods her head and drops the doll to walk towards the nicely sized tree that Jade herself had picked out.

As soon as Jade opens the box of Christmas ornaments, she almost immediately closes it upon seeing the one on top.

"Mama, tee?" Shiloh asks, pointing towards the tree and obviously eager to see the ornaments.

Cat finishes tacking up the last of the lights and comes down from the stepladder in time to see the sigh escape Jade's lips.

"Hey," she offers sensitively as she puts a sweet hand on her best friend's back. "It's okay, Jadey."

Jade's resting the crease in her hand between her thumb and index finger on her forehead to shield her eyes from being seen. After a few seconds, she looks up at her daughter. "Shiloh, go play with your baby doll for a minute, okay?"

The toddler looks confused, so Jade sniffles and continues speaking. "We'll decorate the tree in just a minute. I promise. Go play with Baby," she says, pointing towards where Shiloh had dropped her doll on the floor. When she seems satisfied with this answer and heads back over to her play area, Jade turns to face Cat, who's now sitting on the floor by her.

"I can't do it, Cat."

Cat exhales slowly, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

The girls sit in silence for a few seconds before Jade lifts the box open again. "Look. Look what the very first fucking ornament is, Cat." What she pulls out actually causes the redhead's heart to hurt for Jade. They stare at the picture in the ornament together, a photo of Beck and Jade on their wedding day.

Cat frowns. "How am I going to explain this to her again?" Jade laments as she tries to fight back tears. "It's already shitty enough that I have to ignore her every time she says "dada," but this picture will just bring it all up all over again." She drops the ornament back into the box and lets her face fall into her open palms. "Cat, everything in this damn box reminds me of him. I just wish…" she says before she looks up again. " I just wish he was here. He should be here."

"Jade—"

"You don't have to say anything." She sighs again. "It's fine. I'll be fine," she says, wiping her eyes to prevent any tears from falling.

Cat immediately pulls her best friend into a hug. "I love you, Jadey. You're the best mom in the whole world, and I just know everything is going to work out for you. I love you."

Jade says nothing, but Cat knows how much she appreciates her being there. It's not a common occurrence for Jade to accept her hugs, so when she does, Cat realizes just how much Jade needs her. When Jade's sure her emotions are out of the way and she's taken all of the ornaments with Beck's picture out and placed them into a hidden box, she takes a deep breath.

"Shiloh, baby," she calls, "come here! Come help Momma and Cat decorate." The blissfully ignorant toddler giddily walks over to Jade and curiously begins trying to open the box herself.

Cat smiles sympathetically. "Let's make this tree pretty."

...

"And now, cried Max, let the wild rumpus start."

As she sits in her mom's lap in the rocking chair in her room, Shiloh listens eagerly to the story she's heard so many times before. She presses her hand to the pages as Jade reads to her, babbling about what she sees.

"Mama?" Shiloh says, looking up at Jade for her affirming nod.

"Momma's staying right here, Baby," Jade confirms.

"Dada?" She asks, furrowing her tiny eyebrows.

Jade sighs and kisses her daughter's head. "Daddy went bye-bye."

"Bye-Bye?" She repeats, waving her hand in a goodbye motion.

"Mmhmm… I know you miss your daddy," she says weakly, pulling Shiloh in closer to her. "Momma misses him too."

"Bye-Bye," she reiterates.

"Yeah," Jade breathes. "Bye-Bye."

If you want Chapter One, let me know... Xo