Days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. Now finally feeling that she can truly confide in Beck without scaring him away, Jade becomes a bit better at managing her stressors an anxieties. She still feels nervous and scared when a strange man looks her way, and she still tenses up at the sound of footsteps or rustling leaves behind her when she's alone, but through a lot of work with her therapist and support from her family and boyfriend...she grows stronger and more confident in herself each day. She doesn't feel like hiding anymore, she wants to live her life and be free of the horrible past she left behind. The only thing stopping her from doing so are the nightmares that still plague her dreams each night, but she's doing everything she can to fight them.
Aiden starts preschool and absolutely thrives. Jade had been worried how he would react to suddenly being surrounded by so many other children, what he might say to them and what their parents might think of their family when they came home repeating his comments. But nothing terrible happens. Aiden makes friends, and absorbs knowledge like a sponge. Every night when she comes home from work he has stories to tell about what he did that day, pictures that he colored to show her, and new skills he wants to show off. He was already quite ahead of his classmates, simply because Jade had worked so hard to help him retain the letter recognition and number sense she had taught him while they were still living captive, but by Christmas time he's already made even greater strides.
Beck thinks that he might enjoy working at his new school in Charleston more than he ever enjoyed working at Hollywood Arts, although he would never admit that to any of his old co-workers, Tori Vega especially. As the sole drama teacher to a high school of about 700 students, he has more creative freedom in his curriculum and in his extra curricular than he ever got from his alma mater. Of course not all of those 700 students are involved in the drama department, as part of a public school district his classes as well as the school plays are elective rather than mandatory, which makes Beck feel as if he's able to build even stronger relationships with the students he does teach. He actually gets to teach them acting methods and examine different aspects of drama with them, really hands on stuff, rather than making them sit through a semester of textbook learning first. Not to mention he has full control over the school play in the fall and musical in the spring. He very quickly becomes one of the school's most beloved teachers.
"Whatcha got there?" Jade asks him one night
They're sitting on opposite ends of the couch in his living room, she reads a book while he grades papers. Of course there still has to be some paperwork to his job, the school wants him to monitor student progress somehow, but he tries to make it as interesting as possible.
"Just reading over some essays." He smiles up at her "I made them write about an actor or actress that they really admire. They had to watch at least of their four films and pick out three different elements of their method that they think makes them so good at their craft."
"You stole that assignment from Sikowitz." Jade chuckles, looking back down at her book "I remember writing mine about Ingrid Bergman junior year."
"You'd be surprised at how creative some of these kids got." Beck admits
"Mhm...how many papers did you get about Leonardo DiCaprio and how he should've gotten an Oscar sooner?"
"None, actually." Beck tells her "I put a ban on him, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep. They're too popular."
"Don't hate on Meryl."
"I'm not!" Beck laughs "I just wanted them to get more creative than that, really think about things. And they did."
Jade's grandparents had taken Aiden to the movies to see the newest Disney release, giving Beck and Jade the evening to themselves. They both had a lot going on at work and opted for a quiet evening, ordering pizza for dinner and then really just enjoying each other's company. As much as they both loved Aiden, it was nice to be able to sit and talk to each other without him constantly interrupting them with requests to play.
Glancing at the clock, Jade notices that it's getting late. She sets her book down on the coffee table in front of her and scoots a bit closer to Beck, gently reaching out to turn his face towards hers.
"Hey." He smiles, biting his lip a bit "What's up?"
"Do you think you could save the rest of those essays for tomorrow?" She asks him "I'm feeling a little lonely."
"I suppose." He smirks, setting the papers on the coffee table next to her book with a 'thud' "C'mere."
He grabs her hands and pulls her on top of him so she's straddling his lap, then wraps his arms around her waist. Although Beck was still willing to take things 'slower than slow' in terms of intimacy, he was incredibly happy that they were able to make it to a point where making out didn't make Jade uncomfortable. She's very...talented...and Beck hadn't realized how much he took that for granted until a month or so ago when they resumed their regular make out sessions. Of course with Aiden around and their schedules allowing them to see each other less often, he had to make sure he savored it as much as he could.
Suddenly, the kissing stops. Beck's eyes fly open immediately, and he's afraid that he might have done something wrong to upset his girlfriend or to make her uncomfortable. She stares at him, an unsure look on her face.
"Are you alright?" He asks her, sitting up a bit from the position he had slouched into "Did I do something wrong?"
"No..." She shakes her head, a slight smile forming on her lips "No, you didn't do anything wrong."
"What is it then? Why'd you stop?"
"Will...will you take me to your bedroom?" She asks him, letting her hand wander beneath his t-shirt
"Jade, no. I don't want you to feel like we need to have sex just because-"
"I want to, Beck." She tells him seriously "I think I might be ready..."
"I don't want to push you if you're not."
"If I'm uncomfortable, I'll tell you to stop." She promises him "But...I need this. I can feel it. I'm ready to go there with you."
It's not like she just grabbed some random stranger off the street to sleep with, or even a man she had met when she first moved out here and only known for a few months. This was Beck Oliver, her tried and true. The man she had known and loved for over twelve years now. She wants to get back to the intimate place that they were before she had been ripped away from him, because it had been such a good place. Something inside of her is craving to get back there, begging to return.
It won't be like it was with Ron, she knows that. There was no relationship between her and her captor. There was no love, only hate, resentment, and darkness. Beck represents the complete opposite of all of that. Their relationship is full of love and trust and adoration for one another. Jade trusts him, she knows that she'll be safe with him. He would never dream of hurting her.
"Alright." Beck nods with a small smile "Alright, let's go."
He picks her up and lets her wrap her legs around his waist as he carries her towards his bedroom. She rests her head playfully against his shoulder before turning to kiss his neck, which only makes him move faster. He gently lays her down on the bed and then climbs on top of her, excited for what is in store for him but still a bit hesitant.
They've been taking things slow for close to eight months now, so it's not like this is out of nowhere. But he knows he won't be able to live with himself if he does something to hurt her or trigger her.
"Wait." Jade stops him "Wait. You have a condom, don't you?"
"Yeah of course." Beck nods, reaching for his dresser drawer
He's a bit embarrassed that she now knows he had them waiting for this moment, but he didn't want it to arrive without being prepared.
"Are you alright?" Jade asks him, noticing a worried look on his face
"I've being waiting for this, for so long..." He admits "I'm just so afraid to hurt you..."
Ron had found a way to weaponize sex, to make it something that frightened her. Beck wants to remind her of how beautiful it can be when both people involved care about one another...but what if he can't?
"You won't." She assures him "Not you, you can't."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Beck thinks he might be more nervous now than he was the first time they slept together in high school. They had been so young and naive then, and weren't really thinking about the emotional repercussions that sex could have. Jade has been through the unimaginable, and he loves her too much to even think of hurting her. He's as gentle and attentive as he can possibly be, and is surprised at how confident Jade seems. It feels so familiar to both of them, it feels right. For the first time in a long time, Jade is reminded of how magnificent sex can be when both individuals are consenting and both really truly love and care about one another. They cuddle up in bed together afterwards, and before long...they both fall fast asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
Jade is startled a bit when she wakes up the next morning. She's not in her own bedroom, but Beck's instead. He's asleep next to her and they're both naked. His arm is wrapped protectively around her waist and he's snoring softly, still asleep. She remembers having sex. That part had been so wonderful, invigorating, and freeing. But she doesn't remember anything after that. She doesn't remember falling asleep, or having any nightmares.
"Beck." She shakes him lightly "Beck! Wake up..."
"Hm..." He grumbles a bit before opening his eyes, then smiles when she realizes that it had been her to wake him "G'morning, beautiful."
"Good morning." She smiles, kissing him quickly on the lips "Guess what?"
"Hm?"
"I didn't have any nightmares." Jade tells him proudly "I slept all night and...not a single nightmare."
"Really?" He grins
"Really."
She knows that his being there had to have everything to do with it. Finally being intimate in that way with Beck, falling asleep in his arms, knowing that he was close by and wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, feeling like she was safe...it had finally allowed her to get a full night's sleep. And a good one at that.
"That's so amazing!" He hugs her tightly, kissing her again "I think that deserves some pancakes."
"Shit, Beck." Jade shakes her head as she checks the time on her phone "Aiden! I have to get home. He'll panic if he wakes up and I'm not there."
"Don't worry about it." He assures her as he climbs out of bed and pulls his boxers on "I texted your grandma last night after you fell asleep. They don't know why you slept over, but they know that you did. They're going to cover for you."
"You really are amazing, you know that?" She grins, starting to get dressed herself
"I try my best." Beck smirks, walking around to her side of the bed and wrapping his arms around her waist "You're really okay though? After what we did last night?"
"I am." She grins, resting her forehead against his "All thanks to you."
"Oh, I don't know if I deserve all of the credit." He admits with a small smile "You've worked so hard to get to this place."
"You deserve at least some of the credit then." She chuckles "I wouldn't be where I am without your support."
"Alright, some I can deal with." He pecks her quickly on the lips "I love you, Jade."
"I love you too." Jade smiles "Thank you for never giving up on me."
"I'd never even dream of it."
"Bud?" Jade says to Aiden, turning her son's attention away from his ice cream "Can I talk to you about something?"
She's decided that it's time to fill him in on her relationship with Beck, or at least fill him in on as much is appropriate for a three, almost four, year-old to know about. Beck had offered to be part of the conversation, but Jade wants to do it on her own. From the moment she realized she was pregnant, it had always been her and Aiden. Sure, friends and family have come into their lives since then, but at the end of the day it's just the two of them against the world. She wants this conversation to be just the two of them as well.
"We're not moving again, are we?" Aiden frowns "I like it here! I don't want to go somewhere else!"
"We're not going anywhere, trust me." Jade smiles, reaching across the table and rubbing her son's arm "I actually wanted to talk to you about Beck."
"He's not moving, is he?"
"No one is moving." Jade laughs "But you like Beck don't you?"
"Of course I do." Aiden shrugs, taking a bite of his ice cream "Beck is awesome."
"I think so too." Jade smiles "He's going to be spending a lot more time with me now, is that okay with you?"
"Sure."
"Good." She says "I just want you to know-"
"Mom?"
"Yes, baby?"
"Is Beck your boyfriend?"
"He is." Jade nods slowly "How did you-"
"My friend Gavin's mom has a boyfriend." Aiden explains "He says that a boyfriend is like a practice husband. That when moms have one, they're trying to figure out if they want to get married or not."
"That's a very good way of putting it..." Jade admits, slightly relieved that her son already has some kind of preconceived notion of what 'dating' means "It's called 'dating'. We spend a lot of time together, and some times we kiss and hold hands. Because we love each other. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah." Aiden shrugs "Are you guys going to get married?"
"We're not sure yet." Jade admits "We might one day, but we need to see how things go."
"I hope things go good." Aiden tells her "I really like Beck, and when he's around you're always really happy. And you smile a lot. I love it when you're happy and when you smile."
"I love that too, buddy." Jade smiles, trying her best to avoid crying in front of him and in public "But I just want you know that even though Beck and I are going to spend more time together, I still love you very very much. Nothing will ever change that, no one will ever change that."
"I know, Mom." Aiden nods "And nothing is ever going to change how much I love you either."
At this point, Jade can't stop herself from moving to sit in the booth next to her son. She wraps him up in a giant hug and kisses the top of his head as she holds him close.
"Moooom!" Aiden groans, upset that he's now unable to reach his cup of ice cream "What are you doing?"
"Just huggin' ya." She laughs "You're such a great little boy, Aiden Joshua. I'm so lucky that I get to be your mom."
"I'm lucky that you get to be my mom." Aiden smiles up at her "I love you."
"I love you too." Jade presses a kiss to his forehead "More than you'll ever know."
"Can I eat my ice cream now?"
"Oh! Yes, I'm sorry..." Jade chuckles, releasing her son from her hug "Go ahead, buddy."