Tori's POV

"So wait, you knew about Jade, Beck and Blade?" I sipped my coffee as I sat opposite my best friend, Cat.

Cat giggled. "Uh huh. He was such a cute kid."

I gave her a blank, expressionless look. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Jade told me not to say a word. Plus you never asked. Until now that is." A smile curled across the red heads lips as she fed her eighteen month old daughter, Daisy.

"How did you find out?"

She pursed her lips together. "I went to her house one day, uninvited." She chuckled. "And there she was, breastfeeding." Cat blushed as she said the last word. "And she told me the whole story and made me swear on my teddy bears life not to say anything. So I kept it a secret."

I sighed. How come Cat knew about Jade's big secret, yet I didn't. My heart sank slightly. I thought she had trusted me.

"Hey Aunt Cat." Scarlett walked into the kitchen, ignoring me totally. It had been a few weeks since I'd caught her in the act and I hadn't been able to look her in the eye since.

"Hey little S."

Scarlett walked over to the table, placing her hands onto Daisy's chubby cheeks. "Haven't you got big? Oh Cat she is beautiful."

"I know." Cat smiled, completely oblivious to the fact that my daughter was ignoring me. "Have you been doing much this week then kiddo?"

Scarlett finally looked at me, shooting daggers into my brown eyes. It was Spring Break and she was grounded; much to her disapproval. "I'm grounded." She snarled.

Cat's smile dropped. "What have you done now?" She raised her eyebrow and smirked slightly.

Scarlett laughed at Cat's attempt to be serious. "Mom overreacted to something. She's such a hypocrite." She spoke to Cat as if I wasn't even in the room.

"Enough of that young lady. I was fifteen. You are just fourteen. I never said it was right what I did. And I will discipline you I feel is necessary. And that is the end of it!"

Cat shuffled uncomfortably, moving Daisy onto her lap and distracting the baby with a toy.

Scarlett slammed her hands down on the kitchen side. "I don't give a shit what you think Mom, I love him. END OF!"

"Do not speak to your Mother like that Scarlett." Ryder stood in the kitchen door way in his officer uniform. Immediately she shut up, dropping her death stare to the floor.

"Hi Daddy." She mumbled, twiddling with her hair.

Ryder took his hat off, placing it on the table beside Cat and I. "I can't stop what you're doing, but I cannot say I agree with it. Your Mother and I were in an awful mess because of what happened when we were young and we are only trying to protect you."

Scarlett pulled at a long brown bit of hair in her hands as she sighed. "Whatever."

Ryder rolled his eyes at our daughter. "Go to your room, now."

He didn't have to say it twice before she flew up the stairs and a loud slamming of a door was heard. "Hey beautiful."

Cat giggled as Ryder leaned in to kiss me. I hesitated slightly before letting him peck me on the lips ever so softly. "Have a nice day?"

I nodded. "How was your day?"

He bit his lip slightly. "Yeah it was good." Cat had moved Daisy onto the kitchen side now. The ginger, eighteen month old was kicking her legs and giggling like crazy as Ryder blew raspberries onto her podgy stomach.

"You're so good with babies." Cat gushed.

"Where's my main man Frankie?" Ryder looked around still tickling Daisy.

"He's with Robbie at a birthday party. Robbie has been teaching him how to make Rex Junior talk." The red head rolled her eyes with a slight grin on her face. "I know, I thought he would grow out of that thing by now. I guess some of us never change eh! Well, I better get going. Thanks for having me Tori. It was nice to see you both. Thanks for the coffee." Cat swiftly moved Daisy onto her hip before grabbing her diaper bag and heading for the door. "Say hi to Jade for me!" She smiled before leaving the house without another word.

"Jade?" Ryder said in confusion, moving into the living room.

I'd poured us both a glass of red wine as we slumped on the sofa. "Yep." I gulped.

"As in Jade West?" His voice was sly with suspicion.

Sometimes he was so slow. "Yes, Jade West. The girl we went to school with." my heart started to beat faster as I watched his face drop slightly.

"I thought she vanished off the face of the earth.. I never did like her." He turned to face me with a stubborn look on his face.

I cut him off quickly. "The guy Scarlett is seeing.. That's Jade's son."

Ryder's face dropped to a total glare. I felt his hands grip around my petite wrists. "Our daughter is going around with the likes of Jade West's offspring? No wonder she's gone off the rails. I bet that demented witch has something to do with it!"

"Ryder stop, that's not fair. She's changed. She isn't the same old Jade. She's a Mom like me. And to be honest, her kid doesn't seem half as bad as she was in school.."

"I don't want her anywhere near him. Do you hear me? Don't you dare go soft on me." He finally let go of my wrist, leaving a harsh red mark where his hand had been. Finally he stormed off into the study, leaving me to let loose a few tears before heading upstairs alone. I really hated him sometimes.

….

As the sun set over California, Ryder and Scarlett still weren't talking to me. It was times like these that I wished she was still a little girl again. So I could be her whole world. She would look up to me like I was a Princess. I could read her bedtime stories and braid her hair without her shouting at me. And I could wrap her in my arms when she was scared and make her feel safe.

"Mommy?" A small, very familiar voice squeaked from her bedroom.

Leaving the door slightly ajar I crept in. My feet cold against the wooden floor. "Yes baby?" Her room was pitch black. The only light was coming from the hallway.

A loud sniff came from her bed as I got closer. "Mom." She said softly.

"What is it baby?" I flicked her bedside lamp on, sitting down next to her. The bed curved as my weight unfolded beside her. Her eyes were red and swollen and she was unusually pale. "Are you sick?" I ran my fingers through her dark hair as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She mumbled as she crashed into me. Her arms swooping around my neck and pulling me into a tight hug. She shook in my arms as I tried to sooth her.

"Baby tell me what's wrong. Did he break up with you?" If that boy broke my baby's heart I was going to freak out.

She pulled away from me and wiped her hurting eyes. "No. But he will soon."

Her scared eyes met my worried ones and finally it all connected. The mood swings, the excessive eating, the sickness. I took a deep breath and pulled her back into the hug, never wanting to let her go. "I told you Scarlett. I told you so many times. I thought you knew better than this."

"I know. I'm so sorry." She sobbed into my chest.

"Are you one hundred percent sure?" I let go of her, taking a good look at my little girl.

She reached to her bedside cabinet, pulling out three white and blue sticks. "They are all positive. Mommy help me. I'm so scared. I can't do this."

My hands shook as I stared at the three positive pregnancy tests. It felt like just yesterday I was in her shoes. Panic and fear hurtling through my body at one hundred miles per hour. Scared to move or speak. Scared of the future. Not knowing what to do.

My eyes met hers again. This time, tears fell from both of us. "I warned you Scarlett. I never wanted you to end up like me. You had everything going for you baby."

"Mom, what am I going to do?" More tears fell down her crumpled face as she saw the disappointment in my eyes.

"How far along do you think you are?"

"About six weeks. Mom I'm so sorry. Do you hate me?" She attempted to wipe her tears away.

"I could never hate you." I kissed her button nose.

This could not be happening. History literally repeated itself. I'd wanted so much more for her. She had such a bright future. She wasn't going to waste it all away like I did. But now there was no choice in the matter. She was pregnant.

"Blade is the father?"

Scarlett nodded. "He doesn't even know yet. He's in New York so I can't tell him for another couple of days. Mom what if he breaks up with me? I love him!"

"We'll sort this. Okay? Just go to sleep, think on what you want to do and we'll discuss it all in the morning. Okay princess?"

Scarlett slipped into her pink duvet, tying her hair into a loose braid before lying down. "I'm not getting rid of it, if that's what you mean." I tucked her in gently, wiping away the last of her tears as she whispered to me. I moved into the edge of the doorway so she couldn't see me sigh. "Okay." I replied before flicking the light off.

I drove so fast it felt like I was drunk. The city lights flashed by my car window as the wind swept through my hair. Everything was running around my head so fast I could barely think. Running and racing. Rushing and reversing. Ten minutes later I was outside the house I swore I would never go back to. The large, tall building shadowed over me as I stepped out of my car. My knees buckled as I headed up the pathway and towards the large front door. The house was so intimidating. I had to force myself to knock, and even when I did it was a pathetic tap that only a mouse could of made. The door swung open and suddenly I didn't feel so confident. Jade's famous eyebrow lifted as she saw me. A tiny, brunette baby with Jade's deep blue eyes was attached to her shapely hips.

"I thought I told you never to come here again."

"I was never one to follow the rules." I stated as confidently as possible, stepping straight into her house.

A scoff left her mouth as she followed me into her living room. Her feet clattered across the floor as she stood behind me. "Why are you even here?"

I spun around on my heel. "We need to talk." My voice started to mumble.

She gave me a look of utter disgust as I stood still, just staring at her. "No." She replied. She was totally dolled up, her face coated in thick, dark make up. Her top half of her body was filled in a tight corset and her lower half was covered by only a short black skirt, letting her pale legs be on complete show. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander up and down her body.

I flinched as her harsh voice echoed around the room, making the baby on her hip jump slightly. A loud cry escaped from the little girls lips.

"Now look what you've done!" She shouted.

I watched as she placed the baby down in a playpen. "What I've done? Are you insane?"

"No, are you?" She stood back up, her eyebrow still raised.

"I'm not here to play games Jade."

"I don't play games, remember?" Her eyes sliced through my own. "Why the hell are you here, Tori? We've already talked. We don't need to talk again." The words rung out of her mouth.

I chewed on my bottom lip as I thought of the best way to word what I needed to say. "I think you should sit down."

She laughed. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Why do you always have to be so difficult. This is serious!" I was starting to loose my temper and it was obvious because a wicked smile emerged on Jade's lips.

"Spit it out then. I haven't got all night. I have to be at work later." She rolled her eyes at me and sat down on the sofa.

I smiled briefly because she'd actually listened to me for once. I perched opposite her, our eyes not yet meeting. "You need to stay calm, okay?"

Jade flipped her head back letting out a load groan. "You are killing me. What's the prob?"

"Scarlett's pregnant."

Jade sat upright, her eyes bolting directly at mine, the smirk on her face being totally wiped off. "W-what?"

"Scarlett's pregnant Jade. She's having your son's baby."

Jade shook her head a few times as her brows crossed. "No, no, no." She whispered. "Fucking hell!" She shouted; punching the pillow next to her. "I fucking warned him. I told him not to end up like me! That little asshole. I'm going to kill him!"

I sat awkwardly. My eyes glanced over to the little baby in her playpen, already she looked so much like Jade. Her toothless smile was obviously going to be as beautiful as her Mom's once she got older. She was so sweet and innocent. She was everything my daughter no longer was. I sighed, turning back to face Jade.

"And of all the people for him to knock up, he got your whore pregnant!"

"Jade stop!" I shouted across at her. I was more than sick of hearing her degrade my child. She had no right. "Do you think I'm thrilled about this either?"

"I want nothing to do with you, Vega." She almost hissed at me. Rising to her feet she ran her fingers through her hair. "So what the fuck are we going to do?"

I smiled. I knew Jade was pissed at me and at the situation, but she wanted to deal with it together. "I don't know. Discuss it with them both. See what would be best for them and the baby." I suggested.

Jade nodded in agreement. "For fucks sake." She whispered again. "Look Vega, for what it's worth. I'm sorry about last time and whatever."

My smile grew on my face. "I'm sorry too. I really am." My smile turned weak as I felt my stomach drop. "I miss you."

Her body tensed. "Don't." She whispered under her breath. "We are going to sort our kids out and that's it. Okay?"

I wanted to kick myself. How could I be so stupid and think that she would let me back in that easily. She was still the same old Jade West.

She fell back down against the leather sofa, sighing heavily. "I can't believe this."

"I know, me either. Scarlett's only fourteen."

"I was her age when I had Blade." Jade looked around the room to the photos plastered on her walls, her whole life was spread across those simple four walls. "I was so young." Her eyes fell back onto my own. "We were so young."

Our eyes locked, blue meeting brown. I didn't dare say a word. I just watched as she blinked and breathed slowly, just waiting for what she might say next.

"I mean, they are so young." She coughed, taking her eyes off me again.

"We were young, weren't we?" I questioned, my eyes still focused on her.

Her body moved slightly, I could see she was tensing. Her long, pale legs crossed over one another. "I knew what I wanted." She finally said. Her eyes flicked from the floor to me so quickly it startled me.

Letting my eyes fill with tears I blinked hard to control them. "I'm so sorry." I said once again.

"That means nothing anymore. The damage is done."

"Jade I was scared." I let a few tears drip down onto my face as I whimpered.

"So was I Tori. I was terrified too. But do you want to know what scared me most? Loosing the person I loved more than life itself. The person I lived for, the person I needed and wanted, the person who made me happy and made me feel at home and safe whenever I was with them. It scared me to think one day I'd wake up knowing they weren't mine. Having to watch them move on and have kids and get married. Having my heart break every time I saw them. That scared me so much and yet it happened. My fears came true right in front of my eyes. Why do you think I vanished? I couldn't watch any longer. I couldn't do it." Not a single tear was shed as Jade spoke. Our eyes stayed in contact as every word left her mouth. I could almost feel the pain in her eyes.

"I was young Jade. I was young and scared. I was just a little girl. You can't blame me for that." I sighed. "You didn't even fight for me."

"But I did Tori. I fought for you everyday you just don't fucking know about it!" Tears spurted from Jade's make-up's eyes. Black tears streamed down her pale face, creating patterns across her skin.

"I loved you." I sobbed as I watched her cry. Seeing Jade cry meant that things were bad. Jade never cried.

"Then why did you leave me? Answer me that Tori."

I sat uncomfortably. I didn't really have an answer, not one that I could word well enough to make her forgive me or to make what I did seem acceptable.

"I drove us to Vegas Tori. I'd booked the hotel, I'd booked the chapel, the dresses, the cake, everything. And you left me, at the fucking aisle. How could you do that to me if you loved me?" Jade grabbed her daughter from the playpen, still letting her black tears drip over her skin. "I think you should go." She whispered. "I'm not going to stand in the way of our kids now. If they love each other, who am I to tell them they can't be together? Imagine how it would be if our parents had accepted us?" With that she turned and walked up her staircase, without looking back.

Everything Jade had said echoed around my body. My heart felt broken and heavy. I hadn't felt like way in so many years. I couldn't feel this way. I loved Ryder now, my husband. I couldn't imagine what I would have been like. Except I do imagine. I imagine most days and nights. I imagine it so much it almost feels real. I do love Jade and she loves me, and we're happy. That's all I ever really wanted. That's all I still want, except I can't want it and I shouldn't want it. But I do.

A/N - Did you expect that? Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts and favs! I'm glad you guys like it! Keep leaving reviews as I love hearing what you guys have to say about this! xo