A/N: EXTREME TRIGGER WARNING. If domestic violence and self-harm triggers any of you, please don't read. This is a very intense chapter. By the way, so very sorry for the long wait.

Hands wrapped around Jade's throat, cutting off the oxygen to her brain. Her mother's twisted face swam in and out of her vision as she struggled to breathe. The heavy weight of the woman's body on her midriff caused black spots to dot her sight. Panic clouded Jade's rational brain as she squirmed and kicked underneath her attacker but with little result.

"You stupid bitch!"

Her mother's words barely registered.

"You have no respect for me. How many times have I told you to be home before ten? How dare you disobey me? It's about time you were properly punished!"

Tears flowed freely down Jade's cheeks as her body finally went limp. She had no energy to fight anymore as she wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"You deserve this, you worthless piece of shit. Everything bad that ever happens to me is because of you!"

Saliva flew over Jade's face as she focused on the green specks in her mother's naturally brown eyes. Sounds were now becoming muffled and she felt a strange lightness overcome her body, as if she could step out of it and float away.

Jade knew that this was it. Her mother would finally kill her. She would be free from the torture that was her life. She would never have to suffer through her mother's abuse again. A small smile drifted on her lips as she forced herself to relax. It was okay. She wanted this to happen. She was ready for this.

A sudden growl pierced through the hazy parts of Jade's brain and she tried to frown, as she wondered where the sound was coming from. A high pitched yelp sounded out and then she recognized the screaming of her mother. The grip around her throat loosened and then she was gulping in air, suddenly being able to breathe again. Her vision was still blurry as she struggled to sit upright. Jade realized that the growling was coming from her German Shepard, Lucy, who was clearly trying to protect her. She caught glimpses of the dog, jaw clamped around her mother's arm who was shrieking and trying desperately to shake the animal off of her. Jade wanted desperately to ensure that Lucy would be okay but she still was unable to move properly, the risk of fainting too great.

"You stupid animal! Get off of me!"

Her mother drew her leg back and kicked Lucy hard in the side. The dog yelped and lay still on the kitchen floor, whimpering quietly. Jade felt rage bubble deep in her stomach as her vision started to clear.

"How dare you?" she hissed, her voice hoarse. "How dare you lay a hand on my dog!?"

The woman turned to her, eyes glinting menacingly. "You're lucky she was here to save you."

Tears exploded from Jade's eyes as she sobbed, watching her mother storm out of the kitchen and to the front door. Seconds later, it slammed shut and she was alone in her house with nothing but her injured dog and her throbbing neck to keep her company. Jade crawled across the tiles and put her hand in Lucy's soft fur. Her beautiful dog whined but turned her head to lick Jade's hand.

"I love you so much, Lucy. You saved my life," Jade blubbered and buried her face in the dog's fur. Lucy cried with her owner as the two laid there on the floor, feeling the pain that was inflicted by a loved one. Jade had never felt more alone and hopeless. She almost wished Lucy hadn't stepped in because then she wouldn't have to deal with the repercussions. There was one thing she was sure of though, she couldn't stay here any longer. Her mother's violence had never gotten this bad before and Jade knew that she had to leave. Even if that meant living on the streets for a while before she got back on her feet.

To her relief, Lucy was able to walk and Jade guided her to her bed, making sure that the dog was comfortable before letting her rest.

"You'll be okay in the morning, Lucy. I promise," Jade whispered, stroking the dog's ears. She knew she had to get the German Shepard to a vet but she could not possibly drive in her condition, only hoping that her dog would be okay during the night.

When Lucy had fallen asleep, Jade stumbled into the kitchen and grabbed an icepack, pressing it against her bruising neck. She felt numb, unable to believe the events that had just occurred. Her mother made Jade hate herself and hate the life she lived. Her brain was conflicted; half relieved that Lucy had saved her and half disappointed that her mother hadn't succeeded snuffing her life out like a candle. It would have been so easy. A few more seconds and she would have stopped breathing. It would have been over.

Jade groaned and put her face in her hands, her fingers itching for something sharp to press against her skin and relieve the frustration that she was feeling. Solving pain with pain, something nobody would understand unless they had gone through it themselves. The kitchen was abundant in sharp knives... she just had to grab one.

Jade clenched her fists knowing that she shouldn't but God she wanted to! She gritted her teeth and looked up, spotting the knives in their holders. She would use the biggest one there. The sharpest one. She would dig it into her skin until she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to see the blood run free and down her arms, dripping onto the white tiles below.

Before she could think about it any longer, she reached over and grabbed the knife, pulling up the sleeve of her sweater just like she had done a thousand times before. She looked at her scar covered arm and flared her nostrils, knowing she was going to add another one to the collection.

Biting her tongue, she dug the sharp end of the knife into the fleshy skin of her forearm and watched as the blood pooled underneath the blade. The sting that came with the cut made her forget the throbbing of her throat for a moment and with relish, she cut again and again until her arm was a bloody mess, almost no skin showing through the deep red. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and her brain was fuzzy, unable to think a coherent thought except for the fact that she was in pain and she just wanted everything to stop. She wanted it to end. She couldn't stand it anymore.

Jade watched the blood drip onto the white tiles when suddenly the image of Tori's face popped into her mind and she almost gasped, dropping the knife to the floor. Tori, beautiful Tori who knew nothing about this. Tori, who cared for her and wanted to be with her. The girl who saw past the strong façade and still liked her anyway. How could Jade do this to her? Tori deserved so much more than what Jade could give her. If she knew about the self-harm and what her mother did to her, she would run for the hills. She would think Jade was a freak. Jade wouldn't blame her. She was a freak. She just wished she could treat Tori the way she deserved to be treated.

Part of her wanted to tell Tori. She wanted to confess everything. Jade wanted to be proved that someone could still care for her with the knowledge that she was fucked up. She wanted Tori to be different than the others.

With a shaking hand that was still covered in blood, she took out her phone and stared at it, wondering if calling Tori would be a good idea. Would she be asleep? Their relationship was still new. Would calling her now ruin everything they had built together?

Her legs were shaking from blood loss and she felt faint and nauseas. Jade flipped through her phone and found Tori's contact. She wouldn't call her but she would text her. Her eyes could barely focus on the tiny keyboard but she managed to type out a few little words; I'm not doing so well.

She sunk to the kitchen floor, sitting in the small pool of blood that had gathered on the tiles. Her entire body was throbbing now and her arm was stinging so much that her vision had started to blur again.

"I'll just... close my eyes for a bit," she murmured deliriously and then she lost consciousness.

Tori's phone vibrated in her hand and she awoke with a start. Groaning, she looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was one in the morning. Who would be texting her at that time? Her phone screen was too bright and for a second she couldn't see properly, but once her eyes had adjusted, her stomach dropped sickeningly. It was from Jade.

I'm not doing so well.

Tori stared at her phone for a good few minutes, her brain refusing to register what she was reading. However, that couldn't last forever and soon panic set in. Complete and utter panic. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion and she hurried out of bed, throwing on the first pieces of clothing she could find. She wasn't even thinking clearly. Jade was in trouble. That's all she knew and she had to see if her girlfriend was okay.

As quietly as she could so that she didn't wake up Trina, she headed downstairs, picking up her sister's car keys and leaving the house. It was cold outside and she shivered, realizing she had put on the shortest singlet she owned. Tori cursed her bad luck and jogged to the car, opening it and settling herself into the driver's seat. Her hands were shaking as she tried to put the key into ignition and she dropped it a few times before finally turning the car on. She pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road, trying to stay calm. However, her heart was pounding and she couldn't help but think of the worst possible situation.

What if Jade was hurt?

What if something terrible had happened?

Tori couldn't stand the waiting and so she put her foot down, going way over the speed limit. She couldn't find it in herself to care. She knew she could get into serious trouble for driving without a license and speeding but if it meant she could somehow help Jade, it didn't matter to her.

It wasn't long before she arrived at her girlfriend's house. She pulled up at the building and practically yanked the car door open, running up to the house. Tori knocked on the door hurriedly and when there was no answer, she tried the knob, her stomach sinking even further when she realized that the house wasn't locked. Swallowing the lump in her throat and clenching her hands, she stepped inside the hallway, feeling a knot of despair form in her stomach.

"Jade?" Tori called out but she was met with silence. "Jade, please answer me."

Her heart was pounding so hard that she could hear it in her ears. She was afraid she was going to pass out from panic. "Jade!"

Suddenly, she heard the faint sound of whimpering. Tori frowned and walked further into the house, hearing the whimpering sounds get louder. It reminded her of a dog. She didn't know Jade had a pet. Tori wondered what else she didn't know about Jade. She started to think that there was a lot.

Tori noticed that there was a light on at the end of the house and she figured that it must be the kitchen. She peered cautiously around the door and felt her heart rise into her throat, along with bile.

"Jade! Jade, oh God!" Tori shrieked and ran into the room almost slipping on her girlfriend's blood in the process. "Oh no, no, no!"

She grabbed Jade's face and saw with panic that her eyes were closed. Tori saw all the blood running down the black-haired beauty's arm and the nasty-looking bruises on her neck and for a second, Tori couldn't do anything. She wanted to curl into a ball and never emerge. Panic was freezing her muscles and a scream was building up into her throat. Tears were blurring her vision and she sobbed.

"Why would you do this to yourself?" she blubbered.

Tori got to her feet shakily and grabbed her phone. She had to call the ambulance. She jabbed 911.

"Hello, what is your emergency?" the cool voice of the operator came over the receiver.

"I need an ambulance, now!" Tori shouted.

"What is your address, ma'am?"

Tori told the woman and hung up, dropping her phone onto the floor. She crawled up to her girlfriend and took her hand, squeezing tightly.

"It's okay, Jade. It's okay. You're going to be fine. I promise, I promise," she babbled. Jade's face was scarily pale and her chest was barely rising. Tori didn't know what she would do if she lost Jade. She wouldn't be able to cope. Looking at her girlfriend's face now, she realized just how much Jade meant to her.

Tori's eyes spotted the knife that was covered in Jade's blood on the floor and she couldn't stop the bile from rising once again. She stumbled over to the kitchen sink and wretched into the porcelain, expelling the poison from her body.

Tori finally stopped vomiting and she slid to the floor next to her girlfriend, gasping for breath. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down. Her throat was sore and she had an awful taste in her mouth. Tori couldn't believe that she was in this situation. Not once in a million years did she think Jade would do this to herself. Tori cried even harder when she realized that she couldn't recognize the pain that her own girlfriend was in.

She looked over at Jade's still figure and her eyes landed on her bruised neck. Sudden anger bubbled up inside of her, stronger than anything she had ever felt. Tori knew that Jade didn't cause those wounds to herself. Someone had tried to strangle her girlfriend. She was going to kill whoever did that to Jade. There wasn't a chance in hell that they were getting away with this.

The sudden knock on the door brought her out of her reverie and she ran to the front door, yanking it open. Two men were waiting, pulling a gurney with them.

"She's in the kitchen!" Tori sobbed.

The men pushed her aside and went into the house, leaving Tori shivering and breathless outside. The ambulance was parked down at the driveway and she looked at the flashing lights on top of the vehicle. She didn't think she could cope watching whatever they were going to do to Jade and so she stayed where she was, almost tempted to actually pray that her girlfriend would be okay.

Tori wasn't waiting long. The men soon hurried back outside with Jade on the gurney. They had strapped a breathing mask to her face and they wheeled her down to the ambulance. Tori watched with baited breath as they slid the gurney into the back of the vehicle and then got back in behind the wheel.

Tori was sure that they were going to leave without her but she was proven wrong when a woman hopped out of the vehicle and motioned for Tori to come forwards. She did, running down to the ambulance.

"Are you a friend of hers?" the woman asked. Tori merely nodded. "You can get in the back then."

She didn't even hesitate and climbed into the ambulance where Jade was, sitting beside her unconscious girlfriend. The woman closed the door and then they were moving, heading to the hospital. Tori grabbed Jade's cold hand and waited.

Tori paced the waiting room, wringing her hands nervously. It had been a few hours since Jade had been admitted and she hadn't heard anything since then. The hospital was brightly lit but smelled like antiseptic. Tori hated it in here. Her eyes were itching from tiredness and she was dehydrated but she couldn't do anything until she knew what was happening with Jade.

Suddenly, she saw a nurse hurrying towards her. "Are you Tori Vega?"

Tori nodded. "Where's Jade? Is she okay?"

The nurse gave her a small smile. "Your friend is going to be fine. She's lost a lot of blood but we are hoping she will be conscious in a few hours. We've closed her wounds but she's going to need to stay here for observation."

Relief flooded every pore in Tori's body. She almost started crying. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."

The nurse put a hand on her shoulder and guided Tori into a seat. "Honey, have you looked after yourself? Do you need any food or water? Maybe you should go home. Jade is in good hands here."

Tori shook her head rigorously. "No, I'm staying."

The nurse nodded, as if she hadn't expected anything else. "At least feed yourself. The cafeteria is just down that hallway."

"Thank you. You are very kind," Tori smiled tiredly.

"We will tell you when you can go in and see her."

The nurse walked away and Tori slumped into her chair. She pulled out her phone and texted Trina, letting her know what had happened and where she was. When she put her phone back in her pocket, her stomach growled loudly. Now that she knew Jade would be okay, the anxiety had disappeared and now her body needed sustenance. She got up and meandered over to the cafeteria, grabbing a sandwich and a hot coffee. The food wasn't amazing but it was exactly what Tori needed and she went back to the waiting room, sitting down and eating.

Once she had finished, tiredness overcame her body and she sighed, leaning into the chair and closing her eyes. A few hours of rest wouldn't hurt. In Tori's eyes, the quicker she slept, the quicker she could see Jade.

"Things will be okay, things will be okay," she whispered to herself.

Tori soon fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about Jade and all the things she would say to her once she was awake.