Author's Notes: I originally was going to post this on Valentine's Day, but thought against it due to the overall tone of the story. But, here is Jade's showcase showing her last few hours spent with Jake with a little surprise at the end.

AuDC Productions Showcase: Jade Nguyen/Cheshire

Perfection

There was something wrong with him. A voice in Jade's head continued to remind her of that every minute or so. There was something completely wrong with him tonight. Ironically, the voice in her head's reason for this conclusion was that he was acting too perfect. He was too calm. He was too punctual. He was too aware. And these things- this perfection- is what led her to believe that something was wrong.

Then again, Jake Cross had never crossed the realm of normal to Jade.

"Hey," the computerized voice of Red X called to her. "How about that one?"

The two were scouting a place to have some fun at, he looking for a robbery and Jade looking for some sort of action. Or rather, some more action. This would be their third hit of the night, something that somewhat startled Jade. Normally Jake was very careful to not draw the attention of Batman or Azrael or someone of that sort. But tonight it was like he didn't care. And worse, all of his plans worked exactly as he planned them.

Again, he was acting too perfect.

Jade crouches on the roof and stares at the museum. It was one of the smaller museum's in Gotham but had the priceless attractions that would call to Jake's attention as well as a few guards that would fill Jade's small bloodlust. All in all, it would have been a good hit. But something in her gut told her otherwise.

"The first two weren't enough?" Cheshire asked, pretending to not be interested in the job. She could practically see his face twist in thought. "Something on your mind?"

"Just thinking," He lied and she knew it. "You're right. We should probably call it a night. Pretty sure that Batman is undoubtedly searching for us. And I'd hate to get a mission now."

Cheshire's lips thinned into a line behind her mask. Growing up, there was no such thing as "love" in her mind. Sure, she loved Artemis and her mother, but that was a different kind of love. That was love that she never had a say in. And occasionally she felt something close to that love about her father but never to the same extent as Paula and Artemis. However, Jake had proven that Jade had emotions.

She grew angry at his constant mocking.

She grew happy when he made a fool of Nyssa or Talia.

She grew frightened whenever he was angry and unpredictable.

She felt jealous whenever Artemis or Talia voiced how pleased they were with Jake or Red X.

But most importantly, she felt comfortable with him, and that was saying something. Jade Nguyen did not feel comfortable around anyone; not her mom, her sister, her father, no one. But Jake made her feel at peace with herself. Even when she was completely pissed at him for whatever Jake-like thing he has done, she felt a comfortable anger; anger she could easily calm herself down from that is.

"Sunshine?" Jade realized that Jake had his right hand out extended to her. "You still there?"

"Where are we going now?" Jade asked.

She could practically see the genuine smile behind his mask.

"My place. I'll order pizza and show some reruns of Dexter and Breaking Bad. Sounds like a plan?"

He was up to something. Even as Jade gave a small nod of approval to his plans, she knew that he had a hidden agenda. Things were never this simple with Jake and they never would be. But here he was, offering a simple solution to a simple night. And here she was accepting it as if it was that simple.

"Take a deep breath and try not to scream." Jake said with a small chuckle, pulling Cheshire to his body.

She hated instant teleportation though always respected its uses. It has gotten them out of sticky situations in the past but it still gave her a small sick feeling in her gut. And tonight was not the night to add to the strange sick feeling that she already had.

With trained eyes, the assassin watched her boyfriend study one of his many spoils of tonight's robberies. Currently he was on his back lying on his bed, eying a necklace that held Jade's admiration. It was a priceless piece of jewelry from a Spanish queen or some other form of Spanish royalty.

"What to do with this one…?" He was taunting her and she wanted nothing more than to gain the energy to beat him but was currently unable to. "What do you think Sunshine? Should I sell it or keep it?"

Cheshire, who lied naked on top of the teen boy dangling the jewelry in front of her, crossed her arms beneath her chin and gave him a small shrug of her shoulders.

"I don't care what you do with it," she lied- and quite well- in response. "Keep it, sell it, just stop staring at it already."

"You know," Jake said, his eyes moving to meet hers. "A normal girlfriend would be happy to have something like this."

Jade snorted. "Who said we were dating Junior?"

She saw him give her a hardened look before a smirk came onto his face, his attention now on the necklace in hand. His left hand continued to toy with the necklace, dangling in front of the cat-themed assassin like catnip.

A deep thoughtful hum emitted from his throat and it made Jade reflect on her earlier statement. While it was true that neither of them had officially asked the other out, it was more like common sense that they were indeed dating. It sounded like a stupid teen drama but it was quite important to them; and if not Jake, especially to Jade.

Trust was an issue with her. And if you couldn't trust your boyfriend, who could you trust then?

"Did you want this?" Jake asked, his eyes once again cutting towards his partner.

"If it'll get you to stop looking at it…" Jade muttered.

A smile came onto his face as he undoubtedly knew that she was slowly breaking. Jade wanted the damn thing and she did not want to ask. Asking was not her thing. Jake knew that and was toying with her because that was who he was.

A grade-A asshole.

"Tonight's been pretty smooth, don't you think?" His voice caused Jade to again shrug her shoulders. "Kind of makes me wish that they all ended like this, you know? A few hits and then being able to just lie around."

"You mean after you raped me in the shower?" Cheshire teased.

"It's not rape if you like it. And initiate. And I'm sure encouraging it makes it consensual." Jake retorted.

Jade smirked. Coming back with her favorite Meat Lovers' Pizza and enough artifacts from the museum to sell for weeks, the sex in the shower was definitely a good way to cap the night off. And while she was in the shower first and Jake had joined her, it was Jade that initiated what led them to his room. And now here they were, Jade Nguyen and Jake Cross, Cheshire and Red X, entangled in one another like every other night.

But tonight was not the same. Something was off. And again, that "something" was the fact that it was too perfect of a night for them.

"Too bad all nights won't end like this." Jake said as he reaches his left hand out to drop the necklace on the nightstand.

"There's tomorrow." Jade suggested.

"I wish there was…" Jake replied. Jade gave him a frown, one that he spotted with ease. "Ra's has me doing some training mission. Or rather, Nyssa and Talia do and he agreed with them. I doubt I'll finish it by tomorrow night."

Jade scoffed. "Of course they want you to do something for them. Talia always wants you to do something." Jake merely closed his eyes at the comment which was his signal to change a subject that he detested. She had seen him do so many times before whenever his sister's death came into question. "You do know that if you ever become a 'hero' that this would be the moment that I'd kill you right?"

"No you wouldn't. You still trust me." Jake countered with his eyes still closed.

Jade smirked. "Or so you think."

"I know so." And she did, unfortunately. She trusted him more than he did her that was for sure. "I'd just hate it if we actually fell into the normal routine. You know, marriage, kids, ordinary jobs and all that."

"Picture me a mom." Jade snorts.

"I feel sorry for the poor bastard, especially if I was the dad." responded the chuckling teen beneath Cheshire. "Your attitude. My wits. Our dads being role models? That kid would be fucked up in so many ways possible."

"Not to mention the League…" Jade added.

Now Jake's eyes opened and locked on to hers.

"I may fail at being a good brother or even a boyfriend, but I'd be damned if I let the League of Assassins got their hands on my kid, regardless of who the mother was."

It was at that moment that Jade knew where the line was drawn with Jake when it came to joking about the future. Maybe they would have kids? Maybe they would get married? But he stopped the laughs and what-ifs at the thoughts of his future son or daughter being drafted by the League of Assassins.

"I'd never let my kid go through that either." Jade said quietly, her resolve nowhere near the level of Jake's. She lied in quietness for a moment before her dark eyes hit his with a curious gaze. "It wouldn't be all bad, would it?"

"Kids? With you? Probably not. But that's only because the sex would probably be amazing." Jade's face scrunched up in disgust. "Not sex with the kids! Making the little- What the hell is wrong with you?"

And she laughed. Maybe people forgot that Cheshire had humor and that sometimes she could make a joke that did not involve someone dying, but Jake obviously didn't judging by the grin on his face. It was one of his natural genuine grins that were quite rare nowadays.

Ever since his little "field trip" he has been quite different…

A quick sharp swat on her rear forced a yelp to split her laughs in two, a sharp breath following afterwards.

"Naughty thoughts Jade. You had to be punished." Jake admonishes with his eyes once again closed, his smile never leaving his face.

Jade remained quiet as she stared at the boy beneath her. What in the hell made her attracted to him? She saw what Artemis saw but that was not enough for Jade. The smooth-talking quarterback was more than enough to hold Artemis's attention, but it barely caught Jade's eye. And Red X was just as annoying as every other partner Cheshire has had.

Damn her curiosity. This could be just another great night of bank heists and sex but she just had to know why him; why Jake.

Dark brown eyes connected with darker gray ones once again, this time Jake analyzing Jade. She could feel his hands begin to travel though she had no idea what his true intentions were. Her body quivered a bit as his fingers traced her curves lightly and his eyes seemed to be as attention-grabbing as the necklace he was previously dangling in front of her.

"Too bad all nights can't be like this." Jake repeated, this time with a remorseful tone of voice.

Jade felt her body move on its own accord and yet not, like a puppet being guided without strings. Soon she had slid to the point that their faces were inches apart, her hair somewhat obscuring their vision of each other.

"Enough talking Junior. I've given you your twenty minutes of rest. Now it's my turn to have some fun." Those were the words she said but she knew the words she meant.

His eyes narrowed, a challenge rightfully accepted. Jade rested on her knees and prepared herself for his response. She could see his muscles tense for a moment before relaxing, obviously attempting to scare her of his prowess. It worked as she instinctively grabbed his wrists to keep him beneath her. There was no struggle. There were no words. Just her kidnapping his lips for a moment.

"Tonight was perfect." And those were the words she meant earlier. They had escaped her somehow and now she was a bit angry at herself. The last thing she wanted was to inflate Jake's already large ego some more. "Tomorrow night ends like this, understood Junior?"

He chose that moment to react. His body twisted violently, throwing her onto the bed. Her legs retracted to her body to keep his from pinning her down, her feet being pressed against his stomach. A smirk was on his face to mirror the one on hers before they scrambled again.

It had become a wrestling match that neither wanted to lose no matter what was likely to follow. Pride always seemed to trump most feelings between the two, sex included, so it was no surprise to Jade that Jake actually fought for a dominant position. He always did. And as much as it hurt her pride to even think it, but he was a superior wrestler than she was.

Tonight, however, would be one of the few times that she would win their bout and end up on top once more. It was a bittersweet victory to say the least. Cheshire was not known for mistakes and knew her enemies better than they knew about her. Red X was a tactician, a true heir of Deathstroke the Terminator. He should have had more than ten ways to force Jade's body in any position he pleased. Her speed and agility- accompanied with the fact that she was triple-jointed- were normally bested by his inner patience, strength, and precision.

But not tonight. Tonight she would win because it was too perfect. He was too perfect.

And she'd be damned if she didn't see this tomorrow night.

Jade should have known that perfection did not last long, not in her life. Something as great as that one last night would only be a brief moment. Now she stood in front of the very reason why…

Jake's grave site.

"You're a bastard…" Jade grumbled. It had been nearly two months after his death and yet this was her first time there. She was dressed as Cheshire, though she was here for Jade as she was sure that he would have preferred Jade Nguyen than Cheshire anyway.

"Why did you do it?" Jade asked aloud. "Why didn't you wait for me? Why didn't you call me?! What were you thinking?!" No answers. No goddamn answers! "You're a fucking asshole for leaving us Jake Cross! I hate you…! I fucking…"

She stopped herself and took in a deep breath, her right hand resting against her stomach. Before she knew it, a tear had escaped her left eye. Then one from her right… Finally she was crying. It had gotten to the point that she slowly sat on her knees in front of his grave.

They would leave the League and raise their child somewhere in privacy without the world coming after them. That was the perfect ending to this story. But like Jake, those thoughts had to die sooner or later. And it had to start with the little ball of perfection that he had given her.

Because she was not perfect. Not without him.