A/N: VoltageStone you got your wish early. I'm your number one fan now :)

Additional Shout out to Lushcoltrane, Save Me The Last Dance, and ScottyBgood: Thank you for being my mains and always reviewing. You guys the best and keep me going.

Her brother spends a week in a coma. She's not saying it's the worst week of her life, but it's definitely in the top five. There are always silver linings, though. In the universe's warped version of irony, last time she had such a terrible week, her silver lining was her brother. This time, he's the culprit; and last time's cause is the one who's making it somehow better.

Tori doesn't come over anymore, but she's always at the hospital when Jade is there. First couple of days, they run into each other by accident - not that it's all that surprising. The hospital only has one cafeteria, and they come there at lunch. It's stiff and it's awkward.

Then, Jade breaks down and cries into Tori's shoulder in the clean hospital bathroom, and after that, there's nothing but tentative understanding. I'm afraid, Jade's unsure looks tell Tori.

Don't be, Tori's fleeting touch on the back of her hand replies.

She gets a text from her that night.

Tori: You must have enough people around you to help you through this.

She knows Tori. This isn't a reproachful statement. This is her trying to tell her she wants to be there for her.

Jade: None of them are who I want.

Tori: Who do you want?

Jade: You.

Tori doesn't answer, but next day, she comes to the hospital, and there's faint purpose in her eyes when she sees her.

It's limbo all over again, but it's much more pleasant that the last one they've found themselves in. Tori tells her she's there to discuss investments with Bob. Jade pretends she believes her.

Tori takes her coffee with two sugars. Jade indirectly scolds her for not sleeping well.

With the uncertainty of Jake's future looming over them and without Bird's presence surrounding them with guilt, they are at an impasse, and neither is sure how to get out of it. (Jade's not entirely sure she wants to.)

She starts telling Tori stories about her protective big brother. From her childhood, from her teen years, from several months ago. Tori listens and listens and listens, and each time they separate, the look in her eyes grows warmer and softer.

She's seeing why I did this, Jade's hope pounds wildly in her chest. Maybe she's - she sees why. It's not enough, but it's something. It might be foolish, but it's one of the things that keep her sane. Her school isn't helping anymore; and Rissa needs her to be one thing that holds her together.

It's seven long, draining days. As if knowing exactly what Jade feels, the sky remains cold and grey, and at night, it rains in time with her tears sliding down her cheeks.

(Tori's not there to hold her, but she doesn't expect her to. She doesn't expect anything from her, and yet, Tori gives her so much more.)

But Bird's words never go away; they stick with her, and they haunt her every second of every day, growing louder whenever they meet.

She's nowhere near stable enough. Jade looks at the bags under Tori's eyes that makeup couldn't conceal, and her grip on her hand grows stronger even though it's supposed to become weaker. She's being selfish. She knows that. But she's growing weaker, too, when she needs to be strong.

Jake wakes up at night, and Tori isn't there with them; but it would've been silly to expect her to come.

(Jade still did.)

"Don't scare us like that again," she sobs into her brother's chest. "We can't - just don't."

"I'm sorry." There's genuine guilt and worry in his voice, and she presses tighter to him, careful not to yank on any of the tubes attached to his body. He's still weak. he needs to recover. She's heard it all before. This time, it'll take faster, doctors hope.

Jake's eyes are alight with determined blue, and she knows he'll come back to them soon. He made it. Twice. He'll make it over and over again, if need be.

If he can do that, then so can she.

(Then so can they, her heart tells her, but she shushes it. Not now. Not yet.)

She's not going to lie - it stings when Tori gives no acknowledgement about her brother's awakening for two days. But it's not - she's not required to do anything, Jade reminds herself. After all, they are not anything to each other. She doubts they'll ever be able to become friends, and now that they are not having sex, even fuck buddies is out the window. In the end, they are two acquaintances who share a past. She's not so sure about the present and the future.

She wishes - oh, how she hopes, but - they don't. At the moment. That's a fact.

She contemplates texting her herself, if only to thank her, on the way to her brother's room when Tori emerges out of it, looking - confused would be the best word to describe her. Pensive. Her eyebrows are drawn together in a thoughtful frown, and she's biting the inside of her lips - a sign that tells Jade she's both unsure and nervous.

Her eyes widen with surprise - and Jade thinks she catches the flash of panic - when she sees her, but it's gone in a second. "Jade," she nods. "Hello."

As if they haven't spent a week worth of lunches together, speaking in hushed voices and careful touches.

Jade swallows. "Tori. Hey." She watches as the woman blinks, as if shaking herself out of stupor.

"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch lately," she says, and her voice finally sounds familiar. Not quite like her - her Tori - but closer to it. "Work. A lot of it. But - I can't begin to tell you how happy I am Jake is okay."

She notes, with a smile, that she doesn't stumble before saying her brother's name. "Thank you." These two words are so, so fucking small, insignificant compared to the feeling in her chest. "It's okay, Tori, you don't - I don't expect you to constantly be in contact with me."

Tori's gaze turns gauging for a second. "Right. Still."

Her smile grows wider. "Right." She glances over Tori's shoulder, at the door. "How is he?"

"I'm sorry?"

It's Jade's turn to frown in slight confusion. "Jake. You were here to see him?" This is the right room, isn't it?

"Oh." Tori's face relaxes, barely. "He's doing well. My meeting with Bob ended earlier, so I decided to check up on him. I hope that's okay."

"Tori." She barely holds herself back from taking a step forward and taking her hands in her own. Part of the reason she doesn't is because Tori looks ready to bolt when she senses Jade's about to make the movement. "Of course it's okay."

Tori gives her a tense nod. What happened in there? Jade tries to push her sudden panic down. Two of the most caring people she knows - two of her dearest people - were together in one room. There's no chance anything could've gone wrong.

"Well," she watches as Tori glances at her wrist to check the time, "I should get back to the office."

"Right. Of course." Goodbyes are the most awkward part lately. But there's something else about Tori today that's… off. The tense hunch of her shoulders and the downturn of her mouth and her brows furrowed with thoughts.

She finds herself impatient to get to her brother, because there's a good chance it's his - however inadvertent - doing. And Tori's eager to leave as she nods again and makes her exit.

Jade takes a deep breath and pushes the door open, revealing her brother to her eyes. Contrary to Tori, he looks peaceful. Even pleased, and his smile grows wider when he sees her. "Hey, Jadey!"

She cringes through her chuckles. "Ugh. I'm going to kill Cat, one day for that."

"You're no fun," he dramatically announces as he watches her settle into the chair. Did Tori sit here as well? Or did she stand the whole time, spine rigid and posture regal - something she slips back into whenever she's uncomfortable?

"Your girlfriend just left," he tells her. "She's nice."

"Jake." That gets her back to the task at hand. Find out what they talked about and if it has anything to do with Tori's strange demeanor. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Give it time, sis." The serene expression on his face is more than enough to aid Jade's growing suspicion.

"I just saw her," she tells him, and when he doesn't look surprised, her frown deepens. "And now I need you to tell me what you said to her."

He blinks, as if not having a clue. "We just had a pleasant conversation."

Jade sighs, trying to control her growing irritation. She loves him an awful lot, but his meddling is getting old. And, judging by Tori's state, detrimental. "Jake, this is serious. She was - she didn't look good. Please tell me what the hell is going on."

At least he has the decency to look guilty as he drops his gaze down to the sheet for a second. "Well - we talked about you." Before she has a chance to implode, he continues. "I'm sorry, Jade, but I said what had to be said. She chose to listen. It's up to her what she does with it."

She can practically feel her blood slowly turn cold in her veins, and it's as unpleasant as it sounds. "What did you tell her?"

He sighs. "That your mistake wasn't made with malicious intent." Blue eyes, identical to hers, are full of gentle understanding and the desire for her to have it, too. "That sometimes, there are no good guys - and sometimes, there are no bad guys. Only good people in bad situations. And those people are pushed to do what they believe is right for those they love." His smile is warm. "And that I have a stubborn sister who loves me too much to let me go, but she always learns from her mistakes."

She's struggling not to let tears slide down her cheeks when his voice drops lower, softer. "What I didn't tell her was that it'll take you a much longer time to forgive yourself than for her to forgive you. And that's not something a brother wishes for his little sister, but at the same time, I understand. I just don't want you to lose yourself in your guilt. There might be people beyond redemption, but you're not one of them."

She's not ready to have that talk with anyone, so she changes the subject. Clumsily, but he accepts and doesn't push.

His words stay with her long after she walks out of his room.

Jade: [image attached] We saved you some jello.

Yes, after hours of contemplating what to text Tori, she goes with that. Not her best line, but - she doesn't know how to start talking to her again. She knows it's not very fair. She knows she doesn't get to have this lightness, however faux it is, but on the other hand, opening with Will you ever consider forgiving me for my betrayal might not be the best option, either.

And it works anyway. Tori replies after less than a minute.

Tori: That is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Well. Not much to work with, but Jade tries.

Jade: Do you know why they always serve jello at hospitals?

Tori: It's a clear liquid. Easy to digest.

Jade: Of course you know that.

Tori: Jade, I practically own several hospitals :)

She doesn't drop her phone at the sight of a smiley face, but she has to admit she had the urge to do that just to add to the sheer absurdity of Tori Woods sending her a smiley face.

Tori: To be honest with you, I've been thinking about other options to give patients.

Jade: Really? Why?

Tori: For personal reasons.

Tori: I hate jello.

She chuckles at her phone as she fishes out a bottle of water out of her fridge. It's such a trivial piece of information, but she finds it endlessly adorable. She doesn't know why; can't quite place a finger on it. It's just so… human. Not that Tori is not human, but - whatever.

Jade: You should've told me this earlier. I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of saving you some, then.

Tori: I imagine you went to great lengths to obtain it.

She bites her lip and rolls her eyes at the urge to twirl a lock of hair on her finger. This is - it's flirting, isn't it? She hopes she's not reading too much into it.

Jade: I did. Had to fight a nurse. If I suddenly go missing, you know where to start looking first.

She curses herself immediately after sending the text. Assuming Tori would look for her if she went missing is… certainly too self-assured than what their situation calls for.

Don't assume I'll go just because it's you who asked me to. Not quite the same, but close.

Don't think I'll jump through the hoops for you is what Tori meant, and this is exactly what she's doing.

Tori: I appreciate the tip.

It's so easy, Jade thinks suddenly. Too easy. it's too easy and light.

It can't be this easy, Tori told her once, and her eyes were wild and lost. Tori doesn't want it easy. And yet, Tori's the one who's now trying to shift everything towards just that. What changed?

That's something Jade finds she really wants to know.

But, perhaps - if this has changed, perhaps, Tori's attitude to them actually talking about everything has changed, too. Perhaps.

And, since it's all easy and light - wouldn't it sound just as easy and light if she asks her to come over, too?

Jade: I'm glad :)

Jade: Well, anyway, your portion of that godawful non-food is waiting for you in the fridge. Together with homemade pasta.

Tori: Well. I can never say no to godawful non-food.

She doesn't expect her to come the very next day, but that's exactly what Tori does; and to say it's awkward would be the understatement of the year. Decade. Fucking century. Tori's standing in the hallway, looking at her and clearly trying to hold herself back from leaning in. Same as Jade.

She still counts that as an improvement of sorts. At least Tori's not drunk this time.

Jade kind of wishes she herself was. "Hey," she smiles, hoping it doesn't look as forced as it feels.

"Hello." Tori doesn't even try to offer her a smile. Most likely because she knows it'll look strained. "I brought wine." She raises the bottle so Jade can see. Knowing Tori, it's something classy and nice. Not overly flashy. And probably nowhere near enough to get her drunk.

Jade chooses to see that curse as a blessing. "Oh, thanks," she takes a step further back, welcoming Tori in and taking the bottle from her. "It's very thoughtful of you." She feels like in a shitty commercial.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, but then again - how else are they supposed to get past it?

Are they supposed to get past it at all?

Jade shushes her thoughts and gives Tori another quick smile before turning and leading the way into the kitchen. Everything's already on the table - Tori sent her a text telling her when she'll be there, giving her enough time to prepare. All in all, the night is starting out great. She didn't burn the food, the candles smell nice, and there's wine. And Tori. Who is starting to look like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

This is one of those moments when Jade wishes she could get a tiny glimpse inside Tori's mind. Just one. An extra quick one.

"Smells good," Tori tells her quietly as she sits down, and Jade curses herself when her eyes fall to her torso, watching as her shirt stretched across her abs with the movement. It's been - it's been way too long since… But she's not here because of that.

"Thank you." She gnaws at her lower lip as she tries to distract herself with studying the bottle. It's wine, and it's red - that's all she really gets before giving up and placing it on the counter.

"Oh," Tori's at her side in an instant, confidently fishing out the corkscrew out of the first drawer and grabbing the bottle with her other hand. "Let me-"

"Oh, it's okay, I'm-"

They both freeze when their hands touch, each tugging the bottle in an opposite direction. Jade suddenly finds it hilarious. How funny they must look, standing there with a bottle between them.

"I…" Tori takes a deep breath before letting out a light chuckle and closing her eyes. She shakes her head, releasing the wine first. "It isn't working, is it?"

Jade swallows. "Maybe. Depends on what you're talking about."

"This," Tori gestures between them, still smiling that weird, serene-like smile. "This whole attempt at being civil. Easy. It's not working."

Now, Jade's lips are stretching in a small smile, as well, in spite of her. "Are you trying to say we suck at being civil?"

Brown eyes sparkle. "I think you know what I mean." Tori's smile doesn't fade. If anything, it grows wider.

Just a peek. Just to get an idea of what's going through your head right now. "Maybe."

By the time Tori leans in, her lips on hers are more than expected, and the kiss feels equally exhilarating and inevitable. But the taste is different. Tori's almost calm as she takes the lead. Gently pushes at her waist before entwining her arms around it, making Jade gasp into her mouth.

"I hope," she mumbles, then, pulling away only slightly, so their lips brush against each other, "you'll forgive me for letting your cooking go to waste this time."

She said easy wasn't working, but why does it feel so- "Tori," she almost whines because those deft fingers are already caressing her back, expert and sure. "I don't give a fuc-"

Another kiss, this time punctuated with a nip. Gentle enough not to break skin; sharp enough to be remembered. "Potty mouth," Tori grins against her lips. Grins. She can feel it. The arch of her mouth and the tone of her voice, and the knowledge makes the small hair on the back of her neck stand up with surprise and near-electric pleasure.

The words are you going to punish me are there, ready at the tip of her tongue, ready to stumble from her lips, but she holds back just in time. Because even if they sound playful, they are anything but. Because they carry the dark undertone of everything Jade's put Tori through and and everything she actually does deserve to be punished for. That she wants to be punished for.

Tori doesn't want her to bring it up. And Jade - as she's melting in Tori's embrace and kisses, she thinks she wants everything Tori wants.

A/N: What's more disappointing than being accused a thief? Being accused a thief on the exact chapter where you state you aren't a thief *rolls eyes. YAY TORI AND JADE ARE FINALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE IN THE BEDROOM AND IN LIFE RELATIONSHIP GOALS!