Hello! I've returned with candy!
Well, not really, just another chapter. Maybe next time though. Anyway, I got a lot of questions from my last chapter so I thought I'd answer them in this one. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I'd hate to leave you guys all up in the air.
ep1998- Thank you! I'm glad you like it and thinks it's different. That's what I was aiming for in my own way. And yes, the idea came from a webcomic I read a couple of years ago, but the plot is one I made up. I got bored and I started brainstorming ideas and out of nowhere I remembered this and the story formed in my head and I just HAD to right it. I think invisible web ninjas forced it upon me during my slumber. But at least I know it came out pretty good.
Rosalie Carlisle Cullen- Hmm, I like your quote. And it's true, you should live every day like it's your last. I hope people get that message too. Oh, and I don't know for sure it is going to be a Bade or not, but I threw a little in for you in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!
13Remus'Girl-Jaggie-Bade- Thanks for the review. And to answer your question, I really don't know if this is going to be a Bade or not. I'm sort of playing chapter after chapter. It's just one of those things where not if the author isn't sure…
6StrawberryAngel143- I never read that many AU stories either, but when I started this one, I wasn't even going to post it. But it got so fun I couldn't help myself. I'm glad you like it though!
You see, to answer the one question I'm sure most people are asking: "Why the hell am I reading this?' I don't think I can give you a solid answer. Maybe it's because it's a good story, or because it's different, or… Oh hell, let's just all agree on one, indisputable answer:
I'm awesome. So review. :)
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Chapter 4: For the Love of a Ferret, Just Say Yes
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Beck trudged out of the woods with Cat and a very pissed off Jade at his heels. She was still grumbling to herself while Cat seemed as bubbly as ever. He wondered how they could be friends when they seemed so different.
He led them both up to his blue truck parked by the side of the road.
"I call shotgun!" Cat said excitedly.
"You're getting in the backseat," Jade stated, already opening the passenger seat door. Cat nodded and got in the backseat while Beck revved up the engine.
"Remember what I said..." Beck started.
"We know." Jade rolled her eyes. "No evidence, and listen to you. Can we just go?"
Beck nodded and pulled out. Why was thus chick being so difficult? Did he have to listen to her complain all night?
Fortunately enough, Jade stopped complaining once they were on the road. Unfortunately though, Cat mouth was going a mile a minute the entire drive.
After fifteen minutes of Cat just talking about a hundred different random things, Beck seriously had to consider that this redhead might be trippin' on something way stronger than candy.
"... And that's why my brother decided to paint half his body purple! I told him he should've gone with green since it would've matched his wig better, but he said that green made him hungry even though he doesn't usually eat green foods. He loves ice cream... Oh my gosh, can we get ice cream? I love vanilla but I think I want strawberry, or chocolate. Hang on, I like cookies n' cream, wait, let's get cookies! I love cookies... And the color pink, and giraffes, and pink giraffes, and..."
Beck swallowed down a sigh of annoyance as she went on. He was surprised Cat hadn't suffocated herself with her own mindless rambling yet.
He glanced over at Jade, who was staring out the window, obviously able to drown out her friend from experience.
"Umm, Cat?" Beck said, catching the girl's attention. "Maybe you should be quiet and try to concentrate. We're almost there."
"Oh, right!" She complied, completely becoming serious and for a minute the car was completely silent.
Beck reveled in the silence for the next couple of minutes until he pulled up onto a dark gravel driveway in front of a large white mansion. The light shining through the large windows was bright and everything on the garden outside looked gorgeous.
"It's beautiful," Cat breathed while she exited the truck. Jade and Beck, locking the doors to the truck, followed.
Beck started to tell them the basics as they walked up to the large double doors. Cat seemed to be listening intently, even though Beck couldn't be sure how much was sinking in. Jade however, seemed annoyed at being told what to do.
"And most important thing, don't touch anything with your bare hands. Got everything, Jade?" He asked the goth pointedly, hoping she was actually listening.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes your highness. Would you also like your shoes shined? Or maybe you want me to draw you a bubble bath when we get back?" She asked with fake courtesy.
Beck just sighed. He'd guess he would just have to learn the hard way that arguing with Jade was a one way street.
"I wanna ring the bell!" Cat said once they were on the stone front porch. She pushed the bright doorbell and loud chimes rung through the house. A second later, the girl Beck had met with Andre earlier had swung open the door. Her curly red hair was in a ponytail, and her dark green eyes flashed with annoyance.
"You guys are late!" She said. Jade took no mind and pushed past the girl with some unnecessary force and into the house. Beck and Cat followed.
"Sorry, something came up," Beck said.
The girl shrugged and closed the door. "Living room." She showed them the way through the spacious house where a large white and tan sitting room was. Jade immediately went to the brown leather couch and plopped down, while Cat went over to a display case and started looking at the different rows of trophies and medals.
Beck cleared his throat. "So, you didn't give us much detail yesterday. Is there a certain way you want to die?"
Jade let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Can we please hurry the hell up?"
"Jade, stop complaining."
"What's up with her?" the girl asked, crossing her arms.
Beck looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, she's new. So, did you have anything in mind?"
She was quiet for a moment, then Cat spoke up, turning from the shelf. "Do you swim?" She asked curtly.
The girl looked surprised, but nodded. "Yeah, I'm on a national swim team, but I hate it."
Cat looked confused. "Then why do you swim?"
"My dad. He was a swimming champion and that's all he wants me to be. I've come to really hate it though. I basically live in the water."
Cat seemed to think hard for a minute, then he smiled. "Well, then you can just drown!"
She blinked. "Really?"
Cat nodded. "You want to make your death special, and when they find you drowned, maybe then people will realized you weren't meant to spend your life in the water anyway, since you died in it... Or, something like that."
Beck had to force his jaw shut to keep it from dropping to the floor. That was probably the most thoughtful and insightful thin he had heard from the redhead since they had meant. And he had heard a lot in the short amount of time he had known her. What exactly went through her head?
"I like that idea," the girl said. "But our pool is being worked on so..."
"We can use a bathtub!" Cat squealed. "This house is big, so it probably has on if those big ones."
"Okay, I'll show you where it is." The girl turned on her heels and headed toward the spiral staircase. Cat followed and Jade got up from the couch. Beck couldn't help but smile at the goth.
"Looks like you'll be drawing that bubble bath now, huh?" He said with a chuckle.
"Shut up."
S.U.I.C.I.D.E.F.O.R.H.I.R.E
Beck and Jade finished setting up the bathroom about twenty minutes in. The bubble bath was done, and Cat had instructed some candles to be put up along with some rose petals to be thrown around the floor of the bath tub. They didn't necessarily have any rose petals on hand, so Jade decided to take some from the house plants and cut them up.
"Do you really think it was okay to cut up her mom's plants?" Beck asked as Jade started sprinkling them in the rim of the tub.
Jade shrugged. "Well, where else were we supposed to get them?"
Beck shook his head and headed out the bathroom to get Cat and the girl. He walked into the open bedroom down the hall where the girl stood in a bright teal robe, and Cat stood at the corner, snuggling a white... Weasel?
"Cat, what are you doing?"
Cat looked up. "I'm playing with her ferret. He's SO cute and small and fluffy!"
The girl nodded. "Yeah, my sister got him for me the other day cause the one I had since I was eight just died. I haven't even named him yet."
"Well, the bathroom is ready," Beck told the girl. She nodded and walked to the dresser and pulled an orange bottle out of the top drawer. She opened the bottle and took a few pills.
"I'm ready," she said.
Beck looked at Cat who was still snuggling the ferret. "Okay Cat, put the ferret back."
Cat looked sad but nodded. She set The ferret back in its cage. "Bye little guy."
Beck walked with cat and the girl back toward the bathroom. Jade was standing outside the door impatiently tapping her foot.
She glanced at them. "Are we doing this or not?"
The girl nodded drowsing and Beck guessed the pills she had taken were sleeping pills.
"So we'll just..." Beck started but Jade cut him off quick.
"You mean, Cat and I will go finish it, you wait out here."
Beck rolled his eyes. "Fine, but make it quick. We've been here way too long."
Cat grabbed onto the girls arm gently and Jade followed, closing the bathroom door behind her. He sighed and leaned his back up against the door frame, wondering about their new business recruits.
He had spent the last couple hours of his life with Jade and Cat who seemed like complete opposites, yet they didn't fight and got along great. But Jade and Tori... From his first impression, it seemed like those two did nothing but fight. Just another strange relationship that didn't make complete sense. Trina also seemed difficult in her own way. More into herself and looked really bossy, and along with Jade's attitude an constant snarky remarks, they seemed like a handful to work with. So far, the only one who seemed easy to work with was Cat. But she was just so... Strange. At first glance there seemed to be no real depth to the bubbly redhead, but it was possibly way more to it than that. Something about her just didn't seem ... Right. And that fight Jade and Tori were having earlier about needing money, what was that about?
He was still lost in thought when the bathroom door opened. Jade stepped out along with Cat. Neither of them looked worried, so he guessed they were okay with what just happened, which you can't say for everyone. But it was obvious they weren't the most normal bunch.
"So, everything go smoothly?" He asked.
Cat nodded. "Easy peezie, lemon squeezey!"
Jade rolled her eyes. "It's done. Can we go?"
"Yeah, I guess. We'll just..."
"We can't!" Cat yelled. "What about her ferret?"
"What about it?" Beck said.
"What in hell are you two talking about?" Jade asked.
"Her ferret!" Cat said. "We can't leave him. He's all alone."
Beck sighed. "Cat, we can't take the ferret."
"Why the fuck are you two talking about a rat when we could be gone by now?" Jade hissed.
Cat ignored her. "Oh, please, Beck! I don't wanna leave him. He's so cute and friendly and please, please, please!" She begged, her brown eyes wide and sad with tears at the rims and her pout eerily adorable.
He stood his ground though. "No Cat, we're not taking the rodent."
"I agree with, Beck," Jade said. "Animals are way too much to handle, especially when it comes to you. Remember Mr. Turtle?"
"But that wasn't my fault!" She insisted. "Please! I'll take care of him and everything. Oh please!" Tears were falling down her cheeks now, and Beck couldn't tell if she was really upset or they were just crocodile tears. Either way though, they absolutely were NOT taking the ferret with them.
S.U.I.C.I.D.E.F.O.R.H.I.R.E
Beck waited in the driver's seat out in front of his 'former' client's house for five minutes with a very steamed Jade in the passenger seat. He couldn't say he blamed her, or didn't feel a little annoyance with the whole situation either.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Don't talk to me," she replied coldly.
"Are you really that mad?"
She huffed. "No, I'm not mad, I'm pissed to fuck! Why the hell did you do that?"
He shrugged, not sure why either. "I don't know, it was just... How was I supposed to say no?" He defended, finding no other way to explain.
Just then, Cat opened the backseat and crawl into the car with the ferret in her arms. "Okay, little guy, we're going to take you to your new home!"
Jade rolled her eyes. "I hope that means we're leaving in general."
Beck looked at Cat. "You better hope people don't think the ferret was taken."
She shook her head. "Don't worry. I left his cage door open and opened the back door. Now all we have to worry about is getting him some food, and a cage and some other stuff."
He sighed. "Fine, we'll stop at the pet store."
"Fuck it. I'm walking home," Jade stated, opening the car door.
"If you leave, you don't get your share of the pay," Beck warned.
"What the hell does pet shopping have to do with my job?"
"Because remember, I'm in charge here and if you don't go, I'll say you didn't do your share of the work." He didn't want to have to threaten her with that, but Beck was determined to get through this night with them, even if it was just to keep Andre off his ass about hiring them in the first place.
Jade shut the door with wicked force making the car jerk, and shot Beck a glare that could kill. Good thing it didn't.
"Let's go," he said, putting the car in ignition and heading to the first open pet store he could find, which was twenty minutes away. During the drive, Cat had thought of countless names for the ferret, sharing every one of them. Yet she couldn't figure out which one she wanted.
By the time he pulled into the deserted parking lot, Beck noticed Jade was ready to snap and he was exhausted.
"Let's make this quick," he told Cat, interrupting her idea of naming the ferret after her favorite candy.
She nodded. "Okay!" she held the ferret close and hopped out of the car. Beck and Jade got out of the car more slowly an followed her inside. Beck looked at the time and saw it was past eleven o'clock.
Cat went straight up to the young cashier and introduced herself. "This is my new ferret, and I wanna get him some food, and a cage, and one of those little toys for him and... What else do you think he'll need?"
The clerk smiled happily. "Well, if you don't have anything for him, then you'll need to have a whole bunch of necessities for him. And, if you want, we just got a whole bunch of ferret clothing items! We can try some on him if you like."
The ferret wriggles in Cat's arms as she nodded excitedly, mouth wide in happiness. "Of course! I love clothes shopping!"
"Well come this way," the clerk said, motioning for Cat to follow.
"The others are going to be so pissed off when we get back," Jade commented, watching them disappear around the corner.
Beck sighed. "I know." But it was too late now. He sighed and looked at the large tanks with fish and The shelves by them that had all kinds of fish goods and vitamins. The other had reptiles and a birds which were making loud, obnoxious noise and the entire place like a mixture of litter and wet dog. He wondered how anyone could ever work in this place.
He saw Jade walk over to where the reptiles were and look into one of the cages. He went up to her side and noticed she was looking and large grayish coral snake.
"Do you like snakes?" He asked, hoping to have a normal conversation with the cranky goth for once.
She shrugged. "I guess." She paused for a minute, unmoving and deep in thought. "You know, we're sort of just like them."
She shifted her gaze and Beck's era followed. She was staring at the little container that was on top of the snake's cage. Inside it was a little white mouse.
"What do you mean?" He asked, gaze shifting back to the hungry looking snake, tongue sticking out as it hissed.
"They kill mice, we get rid people just like them," she said, voice quiet and calm. "Mice are so weak, useless and overpopulated. Hiding in the shadows and only coming out when it's safe. Scraping off the things people actually work for. It's sickening to think there are people just like that out there."
"But there'd be so many more if it weren't for snakes. They stalk the mice in the shadows, follow them straight into their homes, and finish them off. No one notices, no one cares. It's just how it is in nature. Life goes on without them, because they weren't really important in the first place."
Beck stared at Jade long after she had finished talking. She had a point, one he agreed with. But was there a reason she was telling him this? They hadn't had a conversation without her making some mean remark until now. She didn't seem cold or friendly now, just... thoughtful. Like she was telling this to herself as much as she was to him. Maybe things did get through to her, but just in her own way and at her own pace. Maybe things were looking up between the business partners, then he remembered where they were and knew things were not okay at the moment.
"Hello?" Jade said, snapping Beck from his thoughts, her face close to his.
He felt his cheeks growing warm. "Um, sorry. What did you say?"
"I said can I have the keys?"
He blinked. "How do I know you won't drive off?"
She shrugged. "You don't. But I'm tired and this place smells awful."
He sighed. "Fine." he handed her the keys and without another word she exited the store.
Beck leaned against the wall, waiting either to hear car tires squeal away over the noise of the pet store. But instead he was subjected to the squawking of birds and barking puppies for the next twenty minutes until Cat came around the corner with a cart overflowing with items. The ferret sitting on top and looking terrified.
"I think we got everything!" Cat said.
Beck sighed. "Alright, let's hurry and pay for it."
As the cashier started to ring up the items and talk to Cat, Beck pulled out his phone which he had put on silence earlier and saw what he expected to see. Eight calls from Andre. Just great.
He finished paying for the items and helped Cat drag them out to his truck, which thankfully, still occupied the parking where he'd left it. Beck put the larger items in the back and let Cat put in the smaller ones. He went to the driver's seat to see how Jade was, but she wasn't there and loud music was playing. He turned if off and noticed the goth had fallen asleep in the back.
"Jade?" He said, trying to get her awake.
"Don't bother," Cat said, hopping into the passenger seat. "When she falls asleep, nothing wakes her up."
He nodded and put the car in drive. Cat was happy, Jade was asleep, and now all he had to do was find a way to explain this to Andre and the others.