I have a legitimate reason for the delay this time! I just recently moved into a new apartment and it took a while for me to get the internet set up. Regardless, I really appreciate all of the feedback you guys have given me with these last two chapters, and the outrageous amount of support as well.

You see, I started this story without the big picture in mind. I had mapped out what I thought I wanted to happen. What I had intended to happen. What I hadn't intended happening was falling in love with Leila's character like some of you have as well. And that in itself is so amazing and hearing so many people liking Leila as much as they do makes me swell with pride in knowing that I created her. This would be so easy if I had made Leila's character unlikeable or shady in any sense of the word. Unfortunately, I had created a character that hurt me to hurt. I've found myself wanting to defend her and defend my choice to keep her in the story. Which I'm going to do, because without her, Jade isn't going to achieve the growth that she needs. The growth that I didn't know she needed until halfway through the fourth chapter.

I'm not saying that this is veering away from being a Jori story. It most certainly is a Jori story, but I am taking my sweet time in getting to that point because I'm enjoying Jade's growth. If you aren't, then I'm sorry that this isn't what you wanted. If you are, well, I truly hope I'm doing it justice.

Alas, I love you all. I hope this was worth the wait, and I'm hoping to update again by mid-next week.


I woke the next morning with a terrible hangover and a bad taste in my mouth that wasn't just from dehydration. Rolling over, I saw Vega sleeping soundly next to me. Fuck. Well, that never should have happened.

Once we had made it safely in my apartment with the lock secured, Vega had showed me all the things she learned while in New York. I had to pretend that the thought of someone else touching her didn't make me sick.

Hours later found us lying in a heaping mess of heaving chests and sweaty limbs as Vega ran her fingers through my hair as my head rested in the crook of her neck.

"I love you, Jade." I heard her whisper.

I pretended to be asleep.

And now I was watching her as she slowly woke. The way her eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly. The adorable tired confusion etched on her face as she realized she hadn't woken up in her own room. The smile when her eyes rested on my face.

"Morning." I said quietly.

She nodded her head and bit down on her lip.

"Sleep well?" I asked, feeling slightly awkward now.

"Yeah. Someone ensured my complete and utter exhaustion." Vega said playfully.

I smiled, though I couldn't fight the guilt that expanded in my chest. She must have picked up on it quite quickly because suddenly her eyes were filled with sadness.

"So what happens from here?" Vega asked as she tugged the comforter up to her chin.

I rolled over and sat up, dangling my feet over the edge of the bed as my back faced her, "I don't know."

"You love her." Vega stated.

I let out a short laugh through my nose, "Yeah. I do."

"I missed my chance, didn't I?" She asked sadly.

I shook my head before standing and snatching up clothes from my floor to put on, "I don't know what you want me to say, Tori."
"I don't even know what I want to hear at this point." I turned to watch Tori slowly shake her head as she fixed her eyes on my comforter.

"We can do this, can't we?" I asked. Vega looked up at me confused, and I realized I'd probably need to explain further what I meant, "Be just friends?"

Tori bit her lip and shrugged, "I don't know, Jade. Maybe it's best if we stay away from each other for a while, though."

I hadn't expected that kind of response. Honestly, from where I stood, I wasn't sure what I was expecting anymore. I guess that was a trend with the three of us. We were all in unknown territory, where we weren't really sure of anything. I had no clue if my relationship with Leila even existed anymore, and wasn't sure if it would survive her knowing I slept with Tori again in the midst of all the chaos. At the same time, Tori wasn't really regaling me with her romantic confessions of her love for me and how she wanted me to be with her and not Leila. In fact, she was doing quite the opposite at the moment.

Tori stood and dressed herself, "It's for the best, Jade. Do what you can to get her back." She said softly before kissing my cheek and leaving my room once fully clothed. I stood, bewildered as to what had just happened. My body stayed rigid until I heard my front door close, and even then, I simply flopped back down onto my bed and wondered when my life got so complicated.

The day Tori Vega sang at that stupid fucking showcase, that's when.

In all honesty, I probably could have laid there all day, wallowing in my own self pity, had my phone not started ringing. I rolled off the bed and blindly reached for my phone from my night stand.

"Hello?" I answered gruffly.

"Well, someone sounds hungover. Where were you last night? We were all at Roscoe's and no one could get a hold of you." Cat said cheerily.

I groaned, "I fucked up."

"Jade, what happened?" Cat asked almost frantically.

"I slept with Tori."

There was a pause of silence.

"Did you hear me?"

"I must not have because I thought I heard you say that you slept with Tori." Cat said, already sounding irritated.

I rolled my eyes, knowing Cat was going to play a game like this when I told her, "You heard right."

"What the fuck, Jade?" Cat exclaimed.

"Stop yelling." I groaned dramatically as I clutched my head with my empty hand.

"You're an idiot."

"I know."

"How is fucking Tori going to win Leila back?"

I ran a hand through my hair, "Leila won't talk to me. She doesn't want to be with me anymore. I just don't get it. She didn't freak out like this when she found out about Beck. It doesn't make sense."

"Jesus-I'm coming over." Cat said sharply.

"No, Cat, that isn't-"

And the line went dead.

I dropped back onto my bed and thought about the reaming Cat was going to give me once she got to my apartment. She was really going to let me have it for this one, and there was no way I could charm my way out of this conversation, so I finally dragged my sorry ass out of bed and walked into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. As soon as I had a steaming mug in hand, I sat lackadaisically on the couch, waiting for Cat.

I had been dozing off slightly when the door burst open and Cat came bustling in. I jumped up, glad I had set my coffee down before my head dropped back against the couch.

"Fucking hell, Cat." I growled as I let out a yawn.

"Oh no. You don't get to be angry right now." Cat scolded.

I looked up at her, my brow knit in despair, "I know I fucked up, Cat. I'm well aware."

"How did this happen, exactly?" Cat asked, abandoning her previous anger for the time being as she sat next to me on the couch.

So I walked her through the relatively strange night I had the night before. When I told her where Tori had asked to meet me, she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Of course she'd ask you to go there. That obviously should have been your first red flag telling you not to go. I can't believe she'd have the audacity to ask you out."

"We promised each other we'd still be friends." I argued.

"Yeah, I get that. I'm talking about after what happened between you and Leila. She was part of the whole reason you two fell out. Doesn't she feel guilty?" Cat asked in disgust.

I looked at Cat in confusion, "What does she have to be sorry for? I'm the one that fucked up. I'm the one that didn't tell Leila who Tori really was before she even came back."

"Yeah. You are. And fucking Tori definitely is not on the list of the Top Five Things to do to Get Your Girlfriend Back. You know, for someone who's so smart, you're a real idiot sometimes." Cat said as she stood and stormed into the kitchen.

"Hey, I did everything I could to get her to talk to me. What else am I supposed to do?"

Cat froze from digging through the fridge and turned to me, "That's it." She said.

"What's it?" I asked slowly, not liking the look of determination Cat was now wearing.

Instead of answering me, Cat whipped her phone out of her pocket, tapped a few times on the touch screen, and put it to her ear, "Leila, thank God you answered." She said after a moment of silence. I looked at her aghast as she quickly put a hand up to silence me.

"No, nothing's wrong. Well, I mean, I guess not. I just...Beck and I got into this huge fight and I don't know what to do." Cat said, sounding shockingly convincing that she really was distressed.

I watched her as she listened to Leila speak.

"Jade? I... No one has really been able to get ahold of her lately. You know how she is; stubborn cow." Cat said, now chewing on her lip and ignoring my glowering look.

There was a tense moment of silence before Cat perked up and smiled brightly, "You'll meet me? Oh great. Yeah, that café sounds perfect. Thanks, Leila, I really appreciate this." She said before hanging up the phone and looking at me smugly.

"Oh, so lying to Leila is going to get her to talk to me? The second she sees me in that café, she's going to split."

"It's worth a shot, and it's better than you sitting on your ass destroying yourself over this. I know she said she needed time, but you guys need to fix this so you can either move forward together, or move on separately. It isn't fair for her to keep you on like this. Now hurry up, she'll be at the café in twenty."

I let out a sigh before reluctantly agreeing to this little ambush we had set up, "I don't agree with what you did, but I guess I don't really have much of a choice. She's gonna be pissed." I said before slinking off to the shower. Once I felt that I had scrubbed the previous night from my skin, I emerged from the steaming bathroom wrapped in a towel and padded into my bedroom. An outfit had already been laid out, courtesy of Cat, and I rolled my eyes with a smile as I pulled on a fresh pair of underwear and a bra before tugging the tan jeans over my legs. I walked to my full-length mirror as I began buttoning up the denim button-down, and cuffing the sleeves halfway up my forearms. I tousled my wet locks and decided to go for the natural look. In reality, I was far too nervous to waste time blowdrying my hair and putting on makeup. I doubted I had a steady enough hand for it.

I walked back into the living room to see Cat sitting on the phone, "Yeah, she's going. I know, but I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it." She had been saying into the receiver before noticing my presence. She quickly said her goodbye and hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" I asked warily as I dug a pair of boots out of my closet.

"Beck. Just filling him in on the situation." She said casually before standing up and appraising me.

"Right." I said as I tugged the boots onto my feet. I straightened up and grabbed my bag, "If this all goes to shit, it's your fault." I said before opening the door and ushering Cat out of my place.

"Don't I know it." Cat said almost under her breath. I gave her a strange look before her eyes met mine and she spoke again, "You are going to tell her about Tori, aren't you?"

I'm sure I looked surprised, "Of course."

Cat nodded, "Good."

Once the lock was secured, Cat and I took the elevator down and said our goodbyes on the sidewalk. She got into a taxi and drove off while I made my way the four blocks down to the coffee shop where my maybe-still girlfriend would be waiting, though not for me.

When I finally stood outside the building, I took a moment to calm my pounding heart as I wiped the sweat from my palms onto my jeans. I sucked in a deep breath before opening the door and walking into the building. I ordered my usual black coffee from the barista, as well as a small raspberry chai tea latte for Leila, as a pathetic attempt for a peace offering. With both drinks in hand, I quickly scanned the area before finally seeing the back of Leila seated at a table in the far corner. On shaky feet, I walked slowly up to her. Before making my presence known, I set the drink down in front of her.

"Cat, come on-" She began before turning to see me as I walked around and sat across from her.

She stared at me blankly with an open mouth before scoffing and shaking her head, "I should've fucking known." She said before trying to stand up. I reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Please, Leila. You've put me on ice for the last two weeks. Just talk to me. Don't I deserve that much?" I practically begged.

Halfway between sitting and standing, I watched as Leila flirted with my plea. I thought she was going to leave when she pried my hand from her wrist. Instead, she slumped back down onto the chair and took the drink I had bought for her.

"Can't let the latte go to waste." She said simply.

We sat in a somewhat awkward silence for a moment as I debated on the best way to begin this conversation. I might as well bite the bullet and get the worst over first.

I took a deep breath, "I slept with Tori."

Leila looked at me, and if there hadn't been fire in her eyes before, there surely was now, "Of course you fucking did. Didn't take you long to jump on that, did you?" She practically sneered.

I spoke in a low voice, "That is not even fair, Leila. You have been ignoring me for weeks now, giving me no indication as to where we were left. You practically dumped me without even hearing the truth. I have apologized hundreds of times for keeping it from you. It hadn't been done maliciously, and I can't take back the fact that I was a fucking coward, but I'm trying to be honest with you now."

"Oh, honest, huh? How about you tell me what actually happened between you and Tori because I've heard so many different versions, I don't know what to believe." Leila said.

"Tori and I were together, okay? Things were messy and complicated, and it never fucking made sense, but we kept coming back to each other."

"I knew it. I knew there was something between the two of you." Leila said, clearly fighting back tears.

"Leila, please?" I whispered before continuing, "I was pissed off the summer after we graduated because she didn't want people to know about us, and then she told me she was going to NYU. So, I basically told her to fuck off.

I hadn't seen her in three years, and then one night she shows up in my bar. It was her birthday, and she had a couple of her friends from New York with her. We...we wound up kissing that night, and then she got sick, so I took her back to mine to make sure she'd be okay. She freaked out when she woke up the next morning and fucking left me. Went back to New York that same day. Then...I met you." I said meekly.

Leila scoffed and rolled her eyes, "That's fucking great. I was just a rebound, then?"

"Obviously fucking not since I asked you on a date the second day I knew you." I snapped, my voice rising slightly.

"That hardly explains anything, Jade."

"I was so fucking hurt," I said through clenched teeth as I stared into the dark abyss of my coffee mug, "I let myself need someone and she fucking shattered me. She shattered me three years ago, and she did it again when she came back. And then I met you, and I finally felt like I found someone that wouldn't break me if given the chance. It scared the shit out of me. I didn't tell you about her because she wasn't apart of our lives anymore."

"Then why didn't you say something when she came back?"

"Because I don't know anything about any of your exes. I wasn't aware that we were supposed to lay everything out on the table." I said calmly, my eyes finally meeting hers.

"Well, here you go: There's Ricky from my junior year of high school. He played basketball and had a slight overbite. Then Johanna when I first moved out here. She was a film major and made a mean mojito." She answered with a bite.

I shook my head, "Leila, this doesn't fucking make sense to me. Do you remember what you did when you found out about Beck? You...you laughed! Then spent the entire night alternating between fucking me and making jokes about Beck's fucking hair." I said, exasperated.

She rolled her eyes, "I practically drank half a bottle of tequila that night. Besides, there clearly isn't anything left between the two of you." Leila said sharply.

"There isn't anything between Tori and I." I argued, knowing that it was only a half-truth, but knowing more that maybe one day it could be a complete truth.

"Sure about that?" She asked, giving me a pointed glare.

"It was a fling at best. It was too much, too quickly, and entirely all physical. We just... We hadn't gotten that closure. We never got to hash out the bad shit between us because I refused to see her before she left and then shut her out when she'd come back for breaks. That night was a fluke. We just reverted back to the only way we knew how to comfort each other."

Leila looked at me with conflict shining in her eyes, "Why should I believe any of this, Jade?"

I looked at her and let out a sigh before shaking my head and dropping my eyes to my clenched hands around my mug, "Fine. Don't. I just couldn't let you walk away without giving you my explanation for everything."

I anticipated her leaving me there in the café. I half-expected to get a lap full of latte and a quick slap across the face. Instead, I heard Leila let out a soft sigh before saying my name in the most gentle voice I think I've ever heard her use.

"Jade, look at me." She instructed. Obviously, I obliged with teary eyes. "I just... I don't trust her." She said quietly.

Nodding my head, I took a moment to clear my throat, "Okay."

"And I'm so mad at you for sleeping with her," she said with clenched teeth, "but I'm even more angry with myself for shutting you out. Fucking hell, I feel like I pushed you to her." She said as tears swelled in her eyes.

I shook my head and tried to shush her, "Don't say that. I'm the fucking idiot, here." I said as I tentatively reached out for her hand. I half-expected her to pull away as if I had burned her. Instead, she turned her palm over and gently traced her fingers against mine.

"I really, really fucking missed you." She said as she wiped away her tears with her free hand. I squeezed the fingers in my own and nodded my head.

"I missed you too, Fitz." I said, feeling slightly better when I saw the small smile on her face, "I'm not asking to start over, but I am hoping we can at least move forward. All of my cards are on the table. I have no more secrets." I said.

Leila studied me for a bit and anxiety brewed in my gut. I really wasn't sure how I would handle her telling me she didn't want anything to do with me anymore. But with the turn our conversation had taken, I was hoping that wouldn't be the case.

Before she could give me an answer, I sat up straight and let go of her hand, "That's it."

"What?" She asked, alarmed.

"I'm taking you out tonight. Like a...first date redux."

"I thought you said you weren't asking to start over." She said.

"This isn't a do-over. It's...a new version of the first. An update, if you will." I said, hoping she'd go for it.

She gave me a wry look as she appraised my eager behavior. After what seemed like ages, she finally nodded slightly, "Okay. First Date 2.0. Pick me up at eight." She said before finishing off her latte. My pulse quickened as I watched her stand to leave. She paused from turning away and instead took a step towards me and leaned down, placing a kiss on the side of my mouth, "I really did miss you, West." She whispered before pulling away and leaving me in the café.

So that night, I took Leila out. I pulled out all the stops for it, too. I showed up at her door with a potted orchid, knowing how cheesy she thought red roses were. A taxi took us to this yuppy restaurant a block away from the office where Beck worked. Christ, I was lucky that the owner knew my father, otherwise a place like that requires a reservation a fucking month in advance. We ate comfortably and drank a bottle of nauseatingly expensive wine.

Things weren't back to normal, but it gave me the impression that it was a possibility.

After we finished dinner, we walked through the park by her place. We sat by the man-made pond and listened to the trickling water from the small creek. The night was illuminated by the few light posts around. Luckily they weren't too bright and we were far enough away from the street so we could see a relatively nice view of the stars.

"Why did you say yes?" I asked when there had been a lull in our otherwise casual conversation.

"To coming out tonight?" Leila asked me as she turned her head to look at me. I nodded and she sat thoughtful for a moment, "I needed to."

"But I...I cheated on you." I said, finally admitting to the thought I had been struggling with.

She shook her head, "No, Jade. I don't think of it that way."

I looked at her skeptically, "Then what way do you think of it?"

She shrugged, "We were both harboring some pretty intense feelings for those two weeks. I don't think it would be fair to hold either of us accountable for our actions. I mean, not in the sense of our relationship at least."

My eyes narrowed, "Sounds like you murdered someone." I said playfully, trying to ignore the implication of her statement.

She looked at me sadly, "It would probably hurt you less if I had."

I shook my head, "Don't. Don't tell me about it, okay? Let's just...move past it." I offered as I looked up at the deep blue sky, trying to find Orion's Belt. The thought of her doing exactly what I had done made me sick. I know that makes me slightly hypocritical, but I can't help it. I'm sure she felt the same way when I told her about Tori.

"So we're just going to ignore it?" She asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"No. Not ignore it. Learn from it." I said simply.

"Can we?" She asked. I tore my eyes away from the constellations and looked back at her.

"I think so. We made mistakes. I think the only thing that we can do is learn from them and move on."

Leila's eyes never left mine for a second, and I was beginning to feel uneasy under her scrutiny. When I was about to look away, she leaned in and brushed her lips against mine gingerly. I remained stoic, giving her complete control of the situation. The kiss remained chaste as she pulled away and tucked herself into my side in an attempt to fight the chill of the night.

"Thank you for agreeing to come out tonight." I said as I reveled in the contact that I had been missing so badly.

"Thank you for a wonderful updated version of a date, but you know..." She trailed off and for a moment my heart plummeted and I thought this was when she'd tell me she just couldn't do it, that when she kissed me it all felt wrong, "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."

I literally let out a sigh of relief. Leila looked at me somewhat comically before I blushed and shrugged, "I need to make it up to you, and I'm not saying spending money on you will fix everything I messed up, but I needed you to know that I was willing to make the effort."

Leila shook her head with a soft smile on her face, "You've always been more than willing to make the effort with me. That's why I was so hurt when I found out you lied. I know you're reserved, I get that, and I honestly shouldn't have been surprised or upset to find out that you didn't tell me about an ex. I think it's just because...she's there, you know? She isn't just some name of some girl that broke your heart three years ago. She's a breathing person with a face and I see her. I see her in your life."

"That isn't a problem anymore." I said casually.

Leila looked at me, alarmed, "What do you mean?"

"Tori and I have decided that we need to spend some time away from each other." I offered as an adequate answer.

"Jade, no. You can't not be friends with her because of me." She argued.

I shook my head, "I'm not. I'm doing it for me."

Leila appraised me for a moment, "I don't know if I'm okay with that."

I laughed, "You don't trust her, but you want me to still be friends with her?"

"I just...I don't like the thought of you losing one of your best friends."

"It isn't like that. Tori and I will be fine. She just wants some space." I replied with a shrug. I stood abruptly and reached out for Leila's hand, "Come on, then."

"What?" She asked with a laugh.

"Let's go."

Leila took my hand and allowed me to help her to her feet. I allowed butterflies have free reign over my stomach when she kept our hands clasped as we began to walk.

"Where are we going?" She asked as we made our way out of the park.

"I am going to do the gentlemanly thing and walk you to your door before getting a taxi back to my place." I said.

Leila nodded her head and we continued to walk in companionable silence.

When we made it to her apartment building, we stopped at the front steps, much like our first date.

"Oh no. First Date Redux means you walk me to my door this time." She said with a sly smile.

I rolled my eyes, but obeyed nonetheless. I grew nervous the closer we got to her door and once we were standing beside it, I thought I was going to vomit.

"Well, goodnight then." I said as I awkwardly took a step back.

"Oh, no you don't." She said playfully before grabbing my wrist and pulling me back to her, kissing me fully as her hands wrapped around my neck.

I pulled away first, "Are you sure?" I asked.

She smiled, "I've never been more sure of anything in the last few weeks." She replied before pulling me into her apartment.

Fixing what I broke was going to take some effort, but she was worth it. I knew she was.