"Well," Dr. Grant starts with a small grin. "You're looking great today, I must say. Both of you." She doesn't miss the way Tori glances at Jade, with brown eyes sparkling and full lips curled in a hint of a smile. Jade's answering one is nothing but radiant.

"We feel great today, too," she tells Katherine - and Dr. Grant can't suppress the urge to arch her brow when they find each other's hands on the couch without looking. A soft caress, a gentle squeeze, and another look exchanged, shy and bright at the same time.

They definitely slept together, Dr. Grant thinks with a sigh. Although, if that's the case, she'll have to kick herself for telling them not to since this is the result.

"Alright," she starts, cautiously. "It seems like you've had a breakthrough." They nod. "Would you like to share what happened?" And so they do. With Tori's encouragement, Jade's the one who tells her about the letters she's been writing to her lover all this time. By the time she's done, Dr. Grant's left a little bit speechless. More than a little moved, too; the feeling only deepens when Tori dabs under Jade's eyes with a napkin, murmuring something that she can't quite catch. Perhaps, that's for the best. She thinks that whatever it was, it was for Jade to hear and no one else.

"Wow," is really the only word she can think of saying at the moment. "Well, it certainly makes me happy to see so much progress in such a short period of time," she states, earning herself another nod from both of her smiling patients. "I must ask, however. Tori," the young woman snaps her gaze up to meet hers when she hears her name. "How did reading Jade's letters make you feel? What exactly caused this breakthrough for you?"

"Oh," Tori breathes out with a chuckle. "That's - you might want to push your other appointments to Thursday," she jokes.

"Honestly, I just might, that's how curious I am," Dr. Grant replies, tone matching Tori's. Jade's laugh is less watery with each passing second.

"I…" Tori's gaze drops to her hand that's holding Jade as she clearly tries to form her response. "Reading her letters made me realize what she's been going through. Not fully, but at least somewhat, you know? It made me see it a little better. I'm not saying that I wasn't seeing it before, but it was definitely a huge step in that direction." She chews on her bottom lip. "It was similar to talking with your brother, except I was talking with the past you. And I put the past you through enough pain to last you several lifetimes, probably."

"So did I," Jade whispers.

"I know," Tori says. "And I know you know that. You're aware of that, and you're trying to redeem yourself, and you need to go through a lot of healing yourself, and I knew all of that before, but the letters made it so much clearer. They solidified that knowledge."

"It's okay," Dr. Grant says with a laugh when Tori leans in to meet Jade but stop to throw her a questioning look. Seeing such a powerful woman slightly out of her element strangely made her even more likable. "You may kiss as long as you keep it within the confines of my office - and within the PG-13 category, please."

There's pink dusted across Tori's cheeks when she pulls away after leaving a chaste kiss on Jade's lips.

Dr. Grant tilts her head to the right, studying them. Jade looks elated, it's easy to see. Tori's own happiness is muted, whether on purpose or out of habit, Dr. Grant isn't sure. "I must say, your progress is remarkable," she comments. "But I feel like I should bring some things up. There will be easy days, but there will be tough days, too. I'm not saying this to be a buzzkill - I'm saying this because I've seen it happen. Sometimes, you might relapse, and it's okay. It's important to remember that it takes time - a lot of time to rebuild the trust, and no matter what happens, no matter what the voices in your head will be telling you on a bad day, it's important to remember why you're doing this. Remember the love you have for each other. Okay?"

Jade's blue eyes are glistening with tears. "Okay," she says, and Tori echoes.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss before we proceed with some exercises?"

Tori shakes her head no. Jade, however, looks at her and nods. "There's something I wanted to talk about. I, well - I don't know if now's the time to do that…"

"Absolutely," Dr. Grant gestures at her to continue. "Now's the best time, Jade."

"Okay." Jade takes a deep breath, and Tori's concerned frown deepens. "The thing is - on that list of trust-building behaviors that you gave us, there were several ones that concerned finances. And, when you think about it, I basically used you for your money, in a way-"

"Jade," Tori tries to interject, her eyes widening, but she doesn't let her interrupt - and Dr. Grant's very proud of that.

"No, I need to finish. I think," she takes another deep breath, "I can't accept you paying for me, no matter the situation. You know, whether it's going to the movies or putting a deposit on a house-" her cheeks burn bright pink at that, and Dr. Grant struggles to hide her smile, "-I feel like in order to have a healthy relationship, we need to split the costs evenly. On everything."

Tori looks contemplative. Jade continues. "I just thought I'd bring it up as early as possible, so when it comes down to it, we're on the same page."

"Do you really think I consider you, what - a gold digger?" Tori asks, then, sounding a little incredulous.

Jade shrugs. "There are a lot of people who already do."

"But that's not their relationship." Tori's gaze is intense as it meets Jade's. "It's ours. You don't have to prove-"

"I need to do this, Tori," Jade whispers. "For you and for me. Not for anyone else." When Tori doesn't reply right away, she presses on. "Don't tell me it wouldn't help you, too. Don't try to lie to me. I get it, Tori. That is why I want to do this. It's - right."

Tori's voice is soft. "Okay. Fine." She clears her throat. "But if you demand a prenup, I'm rioting."

"Okay," Katherine says, sensing it's time to change the subject because Jade suddenly looks overwhelmed and Tori's biting her lower lip almost to the point of breaking the skin. "Last time you were here, you told me you were having some problems with intimacy, so I thought we'd try to do it again. Let's go easy tonight and try to look each other in the eye for three minutes the first time."

They hold each other's gaze without much difficulty, and leave her office hand in hand.

Some days are easier than the others. Some are harder. Tori's still careful around her more often than not, but Jade tells herself that it's okay. And Dr. Grant tells them to talk as much as they possibly can, so they try their hardest. It's getting increasingly difficult with each passing day, however - the fiscal year-end is coming up for Tori's company, and that means the CEO is practically living in her office by the time July rolls around.

Jade tells herself not to fall into a codependent mindset and tries to constantly keep herself in check. It only results in another near-meltdown. She doesn't want to tell Tori about it, but she knows she needs to - and that leads to Tori coming over, turning her phone off and spending the weekend talking it out. Crying it out, too - mostly from Jade's side. Tori remains stoically supportive.

"I don't want us to be toxic to each other again."

"Wanting to be around someone isn't necessarily toxic."

"There's a fine line, though," Jade points out, and Tori agrees.

That's another thing that's been bothering Jade - aside from the fact that Tori keeps closing off lately, citing her exhaustion from work, whenever she tries to talk about the way she's been feeling. Tori's taking on the role of Jade's rock - again, in a way - and it just doesn't feel right. They should be each other's rocks. She should be Tori's rock.

That's why, riding on both the determination brought on by their weekend together and a whooping three hours of sleep, Jade thinks fuck it and shows up at Tori's doorstep with dinner. Tori's not home yet, but she should be here in several minutes - Jade's checked with her. She really hopes she didn't give herself away in the process.

Judging by the way Tori's eyes widen when the elevator doors slide open, not in the slightest.

"Jade?"

She lifts her bags. "Dinner. Ice cream." Her smile becomes a smirk. "Maybe a foot massage if you're lucky."

Tori's laugh is soft and crystal clear. "Sounds perfect." She falls asleep halfway through the movie without finishing her ice cream, and Jade lets her nap as she cleans up. But couches, even the one as comfy as Tori's, aren't made for sleeping, and Jade's not strong enough to carry her to bed, no matter how much she wishes she were.

Brown eyes are hazy as they flutter open when Jade gently coaxes her out of her sleep. "Hey," she whispers, smiling. Her fingers reach out to comb through silky brown waves, almost of their own accord, and her smile only widens when Tori lets out the smallest yawn that finishes with a sound she can only describe as a soft mewl.

"...hi."

"You should go to bed," she tells her, brushing her hair off her face and tucking it behind her ears.

"S'okay," Tori breathes as she tries to sit up. "I'm awake. Here. I'm awake." She finally manages to focus her eyes on Jade, and she can't help it. Having this woman before her, stripped of the guard she carries around like armor, is irresistible - and she doesn't even think before leaning in and softly pressing her lips to hers.

Tori hums when she pulls away, a small, sleepy smile spreading on her face. So she kisses her again. And again. And again, till her lungs burn and Tori's not adorably drowsy anymore, but sensually pliant in her arms, eyes still hooded but no longer droopy. Excited. Inviting.

There's a trail of goosebumps where Tori's hand ventures up her neck, only for her fingers to get tangled up in Jade's hair as she tugs her down, and they are kissing again, with more and more urgency with each tilt of Tori's head as she angles for a deeper kiss. Tori makes no movement to flip them over; there's no sparkle of steel in her eyes that usually - inevitably - appears when she's like this, soft and yearning for Jade's touch before remembering, and it would be so easy-

"Tori," she pants, breaking the kiss and putting a hand against her chest. Tori's heart is hammering away under her touch, and she shudders with that knowledge. She did this. It's because of her. It's for her. "You're exhausted. You need to sleep."

Brown eyes are dark, unreadable, as they search hers, and Jade shrinks inwardly, both unsure and frankly scared of what her reply might be. "Okay."

Okay.

Jade's heart stumbles, almost drowns - but whether in relief or disappointment, she doesn't know. "Okay," she echoes. Nods and stands up, offering Tori a hand and swallowing when she accepts, standing up with the usual lithe grace of hers and coming up to stand in front of Jade. Close. So close their noses would be touching if Jade took a small half-step forward.

She doesn't.

"Stay?" Tori's eyes are questioning.

"I - I already got an uber." her tongue refuses to work around the obvious lie, but she makes it. Tori's gaze is heavy, hot, too hot, and she knows that staying is the worst idea right now.

"Okay." Word of the fucking day. She knows, though - she knows that if Tori was ready, she would insist on her staying. And she isn't. So she's not. Ready, that is.

And if Jade spends another night in such close proximity to her; another night under this gaze, vibrant brown and hungry - she'll combust.

Whatever happened to being her rock?

That's exactly what I'm doing, Jade tells herself. We might do something we'll regret tomorrow. She's half-awake and vulnerable and too tired to think clearly, and me being here isn't good for her.

Tori would probably tell her openly if she was ready to be… intimate with her again. Perhaps, she's not sure if she is, and she's leaving it up to Jade - but Jade won't make the final decision.

Tori blinks. Closes her eyes, briefly, and steps away from her, slowly exhaling - and when she opens them, Jade can finally breathe. They are no longer intensely heady. Just tired. With a hint of regret. "I'm sorry. I really am a little out of it." They both know what she's really sorry for, though - but Jade doesn't mind.

"It's okay." She smiles. "You should rest. I'll see you later." She presses a small kiss to Tori's cheek as a goodbye, and tells herself her hand against Tori's stomach is for support.

"Jade." Tori's voice is soft, almost small, but it stops her in her tracks. She turns. "Thank you for tonight. I had fun."

They both know what she's thanking her for.

"You're more than welcome. I had fun, too."

"And you just left?" Cat's watching her with incredulous eyes as she downs another shot. "Why?"

Jade gives her an incredulous look of her own. "Because I don't want her to regret sleeping with me?"

Her best friend shrugs at that. "I don't know, it seems like she was pretty fucking ready to get it on before you straight up rejected her." Jade can practically feel her own face turn sour, and Cat hurries to continue. "I mean - anything but that. Sorry."

"You're kind of wound up tonight," Jade notes. "What's up?"

"Look who's talking." She laughs as she dodges the pillow Jade clumsily throws at her. "It's nothing. I'm still waiting for a call from Bird."

Jade tries not to flinch at that. "I thought they already called you last week."

"Yeah - to tell me they are still deciding! Who does that?"

Jade shrugs. "Someone who really wants you to work for them and doesn't want you to look for a job somewhere else?"

"Well then just fucking hire me, goddammit." Cat's got a tendency to swear when she's agitated. It never fails to make Jade chuckle. She catches the pillow Cat chucks back at her. "Yeah, it kind of sucks," she admits. "But they had valid reasons, right?"

"Kinda," Cat mumbles. "Whatever. If they don't call me this week, I'm accepting Danny's offer. The pay is lower, but it's a pretty good one, too. Solid."

"They'll call," Jade nudges her. "I'm sure they will."

"Yeah," Cat still doesn't look convinced. It's clear she doesn't really want to talk about it, either. When she changes the subject, Jade's proven right. "So what's up with you ditching Tori?"

"I didn't ditch her," Jade jumps up to her own defense. She didn't. "It just… didn't feel right."

"Jesus," Cat rolls her eyes. "It's not like you're seventeen years old virgins. You might as well be, though, at the rate you're going."

"That's physically impossible," Jade deadpans.

"I wouldn't know," Cat winks, and waggles her eyebrows, so exaggeratedly that Jade has no choice but to burst out laughing. "For real, though."

"I just don't think we're there yet." Jade sighs. "And I didn't want to feel like shit, you know? And that's exactly what it feels like when she pushes me away. It makes me feel… cheap. Unwanted. Fucking… inadequate," she sighs again, giving Cat a weak smile when she rubs her back.

"Let it out, babe."

Jade shrugs. "There's not much else to it. I just - I guess I sensed that she would freak out once I made a move, and I didn't want that for either of us. But if I stayed, I wouldn't have been able to help myself, and neither would she."

"And then both of you would be feeling like shit and hating yourselves."

"Something like that."

"Damn," Cat breathes. "Remind me to cancel my Netflix subscription. I don't need that when I got you." She smiles to show she's kidding - mostly, and all Jade does is slap her shoulder, half-heartedly.

"Ass." She leans back, closing her eyes. She can feel whiskey cruising through her veins. Buzzing. "Seriously, though, Cat, that was the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Walking away from her?"

"Yeah." Her eyes are still closed, and her mind helpfully supplies her with images of last night. Tori, with her back arched and her lips swollen with kisses they've traded, looking at her both with want and trepidation. It felt like they were threading a line more delicate than Tori's neck. It felt dangerous.

That was what made it all the more exciting, Jade thinks. She wonders if Tori thinks the same. She wonders if, deep down, Tori wants it as much as her - and if she's just as ashamed of admitting it to herself.

"Geez, West," Cat pokes her side. "I can practically see what your imagination's come up with, and, not gonna lie, it's pretty fucking hot, but could you please stop fucking Tori in your mind and come back to Earth? We got half the bottle to go."

"Cat." Jade lifts her head up and opens one eyes to squint at her. "We're not finishing the whole bottle."

"So you keep saying."

She chooses to ignore that. Instead, she closes her eyes again. "You know what's weird?" She asks, suddenly.

"Besides your relationship with Tori?" When Jade glares at her, she lifts her hands up in surrender. "Sorry. Too soon?"

"Let's just safely assume that it's always too soon."

"We might have to friend-break up in the nearest future, then," Cat snorts, but quickly becomes serious. "Sorry. Really. What's weird?"

"I don't really… know a whole lot about Tori. No - I mean, I know her. I know what she likes and doesn't like, I know what she stands for, what she's passionate about, but I only know small snippets about her past." She doesn't even know what it came from. Probably the last couple of whiskey shots and some free time to think now that their relationship isn't as rocky. She's had far too many things to deal with in the present to really give any thought to the past.

"Well then ask her," Cat shrugs as she leans back in her chair, exhaling. "Damn. I could go for a couple of hits right about now." She looks at Jade. "You?"

"Hell no," she immediately shoots the idea down. "Weed makes me do stupid shit."

"So do you," Cat doesn't pass up an opportunity to tease her, but Jade only rolls her eyes.

"You know," she says, slowly. "I think I figured it out." Cat only hums, questioningly, and she continues. "We've reached this phase in our relationship where we're mostly comfortable with each other again, and so I think - I think I could start courting her."

"Courting?"

"I swear to god, Cat, if you laugh…"

"No, no," Cat's smiling, but at least she's not cackling, and Jade decides to take it as a win. "I think it's adorable. Very sweet."

"Thanks," Jade grumbles, because she's not entirely sure it could be taken as a compliment. "Anyways. I'm going to take her out this weekend, if she's not too busy."

"Or you could grow some balls and kidnap her. What? That's romantic!"

"Also very illegal," Jade points out.

Cat huffs. "Fine. Be lame. Arrange the kidnapping with the one you're kidnapping. I still stand by my words."

"Don't you always?" Jade arches a brow.

"And don't you forget it."

A/N: Rewriting 3 chapters of my actual story I'm writing (that you previewed). I'm trying to get Jade's brother's personality down. He's an interesting one and I hope you guys will like him.