One thing that never changed through the several iterations of the West household living room was the music. Of course, their music changed over the years, but its presence was always prominent. In their tiny Pasadena cottage, the small living room and connected kitchen didn't offer a great acoustic experience, but they were young adults who were obsessed with loud music. It was better in their Beverly Hills house, with the wide open living space and high quality speakers. Neither compared to the smooth sound of the custom system Jade had installed in the new house. It flowed easily through the living room and kitchen, as well as outside when the doors were left open, which was often.

It was never much of a secret that Katherine didn't like loud noises, but of course, that was only more reason to play the music louder. Another excuse Jade had in the arsenal was Alex's shared love of music. She loved the sound of the bass-heavy music played perhaps a bit too loudly and would often ask Jade explicitly for it. It was one of many things that wasn't outright aggressive, but very clearly orchestrated to cause her mother significant discomfort.

It also wasn't a secret that Jade didn't like her mother – it really made Tori wonder why she let her mother come over so often.

"Kev, Ben," Jade called out as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs and pointed at them with her pen, "Need you two in the studio tomorrow." She turned toward Brad as she paused next to him, "If you can make it too that would be great, but I don't need your set until next week."

Kevin offered a thumbs up and Ben gave her a mock salute – though both were preoccupied with their wives. Brad reached up to grab her notebook, "What are you workin' on? This the new EP?"

Jade snatched her notebook back and lightly smacked him on the head with it, "Yes – keep your grubby little hands to yourself."

He frowned and his bottom lip jut out slightly with a pout, "They are not grubby."

Jade carelessly tossed her notebook and pen onto the coffee table, then very carefully sat down next to her pregnant wife. "Mama," Alex climbed up into Jade's lap to get closer to Tori without hurting her, "Mama, why are you having my brothers at the same time?" She looked at Tori's belly, now at 8 months and larger than she ever could have imagined, "Why not have one at a time like aunt Cat?"

Tori laughed despite her exhaustion and smiled at her daughter, "I just thought it'd be quicker this way."

Jade grinned at her wife's response and rubbed Alex's back, "What do you think, Lex? Are you excited?"

"No," Alex responded quickly, her eyebrows furrowed comically, "It took forever for Kai to get big enough to play with us. Who knows how long these two will take?"

"Probably the same amount of time," Jade chuckled.

Alex waved a hand dramatically, "Why would I be excited about that?"

"Because you get twice the usual reward," Tori pointed out.

"Hmm," Alex pinched her chin between her thumb and forefinger as she thought about it. She glanced over at where Sam was helping Kai stack blocks, then over to Cat, who was pregnant with her third child. She pointed over at Cat, "How long until that one's done?"

"It's a baby, not a pizza," Jade chortled, "5 months until he's born, plus roughly 2 years to grow up."

Alex just gaped at her, "Why does it have to take so long?"

"It takes a lot of work to get you this far," Tori smiled and brushed some hair away from Alex's face.

Jade reached out to tilt Alex's chin up, "You have to give Mama credit, she put a lot of effort into you, and twice that for these two."

"That sounds like a bad deal."

Jade grinned at her and raised her eyebrows, "If she didn't make you so well, then we wouldn't be able to play music together."

"Oh, well in that case," Alex got up off of Jade's lap to rejoin her cousins, "Take your time then."

Tori looked over at her wife, "She's just like you."

Jade's smile widened, "West priorities."

Tori couldn't explain it, but something wasn't right. After a decade of marriage and a roller coaster of a life, she could say with relative certainty that she knew Jade, inside and out. Relative – now – because of the unsettling changes in her wife. Nothing was outwardly wrong, just off.

Tori began to take mental notes of the uncanny behavior to try to piece together that corner of the puzzle of Jade's psyche. Jade had always been a trickster; mischievous and a bit of a criminal – her record was a running joke for a reason – but her behavior was contained, in a sense. She wasn't overtly cruel. At least, she wasn't before.

Her mother's return had sparked something in Jade. It wasn't a fire of passion or rage; it was something deeper, something darker; a slow smolder just before the flashpoint. At first it was few and far between, but as the twins neared 6 months, it became impossible to ignore.

Katherine was skittish and non-confrontational. By contrast, Jade was slipping deeper into the role her mother held all those years ago. The slight smirk any time she scared her mother; the intentional way she sought out her mother's weak points and relentlessly attacked them. Jade's behavior was contained to her mother – at first.

Eventually, Jade's behavior started bleeding through to her other relationships. It was in her teasing Brad and Seth, her increasingly aggressive and dark music, and the way she took sadistic pleasure in her father's anxiety and fear. Things reached a boiling point in a very unexpected way.

Jade had a way of treating Tori as if she were made of glass – especially since the twins were born – but after a long evening of begrudgingly being near her mother, something changed. As soon as they got the kids settled for the night and reached the solace of their bedroom, Jade pounced. Tori easily got caught up in the familiarity of her wife's feverish passion. She was more rough than usual, which wasn't entirely unwelcome, until Tori realized what Jade was doing.

"Fire," Tori whispered as Jade's mouth was latched onto her shoulder.

Jade froze, then slowly sat up. Her pupils were blown and she licked her lips, then brushed her thumb across her bottom lip. She raised her eyebrows as she looked down at her wife and the several dark marks she'd left on her neck and shoulders. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, only to quickly roll off the edge of the bed and lock herself in the bathroom.

Tori ended up falling asleep alone – and with a disappointing coldness against her back.

Jade hated meditation.

The entire idea of sitting in one place doing nothing felt suffocating and mind-numbing. She'd done that for half of her childhood and it made her nothing but miserable. When her therapist suggested it, she'd laughed in his face, but when she later ran it by Tori, her wife actually agreed with him. It took several weeks for Jade to build up the courage to even try it, reluctant and unmotivated as she was.

Their now six year old daughter was fast asleep, while her 8 month old brothers across the hall had just finished their midnight snack. Jade volunteered to tackle the more rambunctious Frankie while Tori took care of his angelic twin, Vinny. Although, like Alex, Frankie's energy made it a lot easier to get him in bed, the real challenge lie in the preparation. Thankfully, the nightly routine was completed successfully, and the pair could finally relax.

Tori closed the nursery door and sighed, though her smile returned when she felt Jade's arm wrap around her shoulders from behind. Jade gently kissed her neck and rested her head on her hand, while her other arm looped around Tori's waist, "Is there anything you need?"

"Would you mind getting a bath ready while I go finish the laundry?"

"How about," Jade's arms tightened around her, "I do both of those things and you take some time to relax?"

Tori smiled sleepily, "Sweetie, I can help."

Jade shook her head, "You've already done all of the hard work. You deserve to rest."

Tori reached up to hold onto Jade's forearm, "If I let you dote on me, will you take the time I'm in the bath to try meditating?"

She expected a frustrated grumble or even a renegotiation of the agreement, but instead, Jade just kissed her cheek, "Which bath bomb do you want?"

An hour later, after Tori had dried off and found some loose sweatpants and one of Jade's hoodies, she glanced out onto their balcony to see Jade sitting outside next to a small fire in the fire pit. As Tori slid open the glass door, Jade sat up slightly.

"This feels impossible."

"What's difficult about it?" Tori asked as she crossed her legs and sat down next to Jade.

"Just sitting down and closing my eyes, focusing on doing nothing," Jade sighed and stared out toward the coast, "It's like I'm a kid trapped in my bedroom again."

Tori looked over at her, "Does this help? You know, me being out here?"

Jade nodded slowly as she turned back toward her, "It helps me remember I'm not alone."

She scooted over slightly so that their knees were touching and offered Jade a smile, "I'll meditate with you."

Jade looked concerned for a moment, "Do you want something to sit on? A pillow or a blanket or-"

"I'm okay," Tori smiled and Jade just nodded in acceptance. Tori let her hands rest in her lap as she squared her shoulders, "Remember, it's not just doing nothing. Focus on breathing in and breathing out – each breath deserves your attention. Your mind will want to wander, so take a moment to think about why and where it wandered to before bringing your focus back to your breathing. It's not about just relaxing and focusing – it's about being mindful of your needs, understanding of your faults, and accepting of your reality."

Jade took a deep breath and relaxed next to her. The fire crackled in the pit, an owl hooted in a nearby tree, and a light breeze allowed the salty ocean air to reach them. None of it was enough to keep her mind occupied. They sat in silence for a while, though Jade was quick to break it.

"I'm turning into her."

Tori opened her eyes and looked over, "What?"

Jade's focus was still on the coast beyond as she clarified, "Ever since my mother apologized. I feel this...sick, twisted kind of glee in seeing her so terrified of me. All I have to do is look at her and she cowers – and it makes me feel good. I like seeing her fear. I like knowing she's afraid of me. I do things to scare her on purpose because finally after three decades, I'm in control."

"I've noticed you're extremely territorial around her," Tori noted calmly, "Any time she's around – it's like your entire body is tensed, like you're ready to fight at any moment. The last time you acted this way, it was because of Emma."

"I don't trust her. Not at all. She's hiding something – I can feel it."

"What makes you think that?"

"I can't think of any other reason she would come back like this."

Tori gently laid her hand in Jade's open palm and laced their fingers together, "You don't need to forgive her, or even trust her, and you have every right in the world to cut contact with her. If you decide you need to do that, I'm with you, no matter what." She paused as Jade took a deep breath, then continued, "As your wife, as someone who is extremely concerned for your well-being, and as someone who loves you deeply; I think it's best if we talk to Kevin and limit her visits. I've only ever seen sincere behavior from her, though she definitely slips up a lot."

"She does." Jade raised her chin slightly, "I like when she slips up. Miss perfectionist can't even figure out how to be a good person."

"Jade," Tori's soft voice quickly got her attention, "Why do you want to hurt her?"

"She deserves it. She hurt me."

Tori looked over at her, "Do you want revenge?"

Jade looked like she was about to immediately spit out a 'yes' but she paused. She looked away and her inner demons won out. "Yes."

Instead of talking her down, Tori just accepted her answer, and asked, "Do you think revenge will help you move on?"

"It might."

"I'd like for you to meditate on what exactly that means to you."

Jade looked over at her, "What am I supposed to do? Nothing?"

Tori shook her head, "What you ultimately decide to do is entirely your choice, all I ask is that you think it through."

"It's not like I'm going to kill her," Jade scoffed and looked back out toward the ocean.

"Sweetheart, listen to me," Tori lay her other hand on top of their interlocked fingers, "I'm not concerned with the manner of revenge. What I want you to consider is the effect it will have on our family. Right now things are already bordering on unhealthy – the way you treat your mother is something our kids are going to see, and then possibly replicate. I don't want our boys to think it's okay to be intentionally cruel toward either of us."

Jade was silent for a while, then nodded slowly, her voice not quite as low as before, "We never talked about the night a couple months ago."

Tori's brows furrowed, "What night?"

"When you used the safe word," she sighed, "We always used to talk about it – but I walked away before we could."

"You needed space," Tori answered and brushed her thumb across the back of Jade's hand.

"Garbage time for me to need space after I pushed you past the point of needing the safe word," Jade grumbled.

"Jade," Tori turned her body toward her and held both of her hands, "Please, baby, listen. I used it because I got nervous – I know you wouldn't hurt me, but your behavior recently has been..." Tori tried to think of the word she wanted, but ended up using the first one that made sense, though almost immediately regretted it, "Aggressive."

Jade sighed and refused to meet her eyes. She closed off further a few seconds later as she pulled her hands away, her legs bent slightly, her arms wrapped around them. It seemed too much to ask that she look away from the coast. Tori let her hands rest in her lap as she allowed Jade the space she needed. Tori still didn't relent in her effort.

"I don't want to see you turn into your mother, but I think it's time you recognize that's the path you're on."

"Just because she doesn't deserve peace doesn't mean I'm going to treat our kids the same way."

Tori closed her eyes, "Jade, please, remember who you are. Remember I need you and our kids need you. I always told you I'd never force you to do anything, and that's still true, but I beg you, please, understand where you're at. Your anger and fear is turning into something darker, and I'd like for you to think about that, about the changes you've noticed in yourself. I'm afraid of the path you're on and where it's going to lead you – and us."

Jade's silence prompted Tori to open her eyes, only to see Jade looking back at her, a tinge of uncertainty in her gaze. She averted her eyes a moment, then seemed to regain her composure enough to ask, "Are you upset with me?"

"No, sweetheart," Tori shook her head and smiled, "I'm concerned and worried, but no, I'm not upset with you."

Jade nodded once as she stood up and held out a hand for Tori, "Let's go to bed."

After Tori more or less just stripped and climbed under the covers she lay her head on Jade's pillow as a sort of placeholder as her wife gargled loudly and spit several times as she finished brushing her teeth. Tori laughed in spite of herself and called out, "Those are some sexy noises, babe, you bringing 'em to bed?"

She chuckled, "I might."

A minute later, Jade came back into the bedroom and lay her phone on top of the charger before climbing into bed. Tori was pleasantly surprised as Jade settled behind her and held her close. Then Jade's arms tightened around her and she rested her chin on Tori's shoulder, only to loudly hock a loogie and pretend to spit it into Tori's ear.

Tori squealed and tried to squirm away from Jade who just laughed and held her tighter. Eventually Tori accepted she wasn't going to get anywhere, so she decided to play by Jade's rules and turned her head to lick the side of Jade's face.

"Augh- Vega!" Jade recoiled dramatically and dragged her face on the blanket several times to clean it off as she continued throwing a fit. She frowned, "This is chemical warfare."

"I thought you spit phlegm into my ear – you started it."

"What? You told me it was sexy."

Tori raised her eyebrows, "Oh, is that all it takes? In that case, Jade, it's super sexy when you..."

"Don't fucking say it."

"Go to therapy."

"And you said it."

"Teach you to spit in my ear."

"I didn't spit in your ear! I pretended to do it."

"I'm gonna pretend to stop nagging you about your mental health."

"How magnanimous of you."

"Jade, I was warning you long before you even proposed that I was going to hold you accountable for your own behavior – you can't pretend like this was unexpected."

"I honestly didn't expect you to stick around long enough to see it through."

"We have three kids now. I think it's about time you come to terms with the fact that I'm not going anywhere."

Jade groaned and buried her face in her pillow. The whole 'being mindful' thing was really starting to get under her skin. She missed the days of looking for answers at the bottom of a bottle – being responsible was turning out to be a lot of painful work. She hated being held accountable for things she'd rather pretend never happened.

"Why are you shutting me out?"

Jade rolled over onto her other side with a sigh, "I'm tired."

Tori closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then rested her head on Jade's back. She wrapped an arm around Jade's waist, "Shutting me out won't make me love you any less."

Jade didn't answer, but her hand came up to interlock her fingers with Tori's against her stomach. Her eyes slid shut and her mind wandered aimlessly through the things Tori had said earlier, and on several other occasions. Her thoughts were jumbled and chaotic even past the point of sleep.

Jade looked around slowly. Her childhood home looked exactly the same as it always had and it filled her with a familiar sort of dread. Movement in her father's office led Jade to investigate closer.

She saw a young boy with messy brown hair and deep, muted blue eyes. Her brows furrowed as she looked at the strangely familiar boy, then thunderous footsteps echoed through the foyer and caused her and the young boy to cower. She expected to see her mother round the corner with fire in her eyes, but she didn't.

Instead, Jade watched an older version of herself scan the quiet, stillness of the house, before her eyebrows raised, "There you are!"

Jade flinched as this other version of herself stormed into the office to tower over the little boy. Neither of them seemed to notice she was there.

"What did I tell you about hiding from me?" The older Jade hissed. The young boy didn't answer, and it only made her angrier. Before she could say anything else, Alex, now a young teen, appeared in the doorway.

For a moment, Jade saw a shadow of her brother standing in Alex's spot as she held out a hand toward this older version of her mom, "Mom, please, he-"

"Don't interrupt!" Jade snapped and whirled around to glare at her fiercely, "Go upstairs. This doesn't concern you."

Alex spared a look at the young boy, her brows furrowed, pain as clear as day in her eyes – just as Kevin had been forced all those decades ago to watch helplessly as his sister was left to the wrath of their mother. At that thought, Jade looked back at the young boy, now alone with this older, sinister version of herself.

She swallowed her fear as the older Jade charged forward to grab a fistful of the young boy's shirt and pull him to his feet. He flinched and she shoved him toward the open office door, "Grounded, 2 weeks. Go upstairs, Francisco, and don't come back down until I tell you to."

Jade gasped as she sat bolt upright in bed, her breathing labored as she tried to ground herself in reality. Her hand instinctively sought out Tori, who was in a deep sleep next to her – their bedroom was dark and still. Jade rubbed at her eyes and got out of bed. She grabbed a pair of shorts and a hoodie from a pile near the dresser, then quietly left the bedroom.

The hallway was just as dark as their room – though the stone sconces lining the walls offered a bit of light. Almost every door down the hall was closed, aside from the bathroom next to the nursery. Jade carefully opened the door across the hall from the nursery. Alex's room was a bit brighter because of the colored lights she had around her bed. Alex herself was snoring into her pillow and Zorro was equally unconscious on the bed next to her. Jade gently shut the door and turned back to the nursery. Her sons' room was a bit darker, though they still had several night lights around the room.

Vinny, in his usual calmness, was sleeping peacefully in his crib. Frankie, meanwhile, was snoring at a startling decibel, and was folded up in a strange position with his favorite stuffed lion in a death grip. Jade stared down at him and the haphazard way he'd somehow managed to fall asleep, her mind revisiting the scene from her nightmare. The harrowing image of her son in the same position she'd been in at his age was etched into her thoughts as she looked at his innocent, vulnerable form.

From the moment he was born, Frankie seemed to have more energy than he or anyone else knew what to do with, and it quickly became a running joke in the family that he stole Vinny's energy. Vincent was born five minutes after his brother and was clearly gifted with the lion's share of patience. Jade usually watched her son with pride and adoration, but the image of him cowering in her father's office repeatedly flashed in her mind. She didn't need a vivid imagination to see how Frankie's behavior would evolve as he grew up; and with the same sickening dread, she realized her reaction to him would change as she leaned further and further into the temptation of cruelty.

She didn't want to even entertain the thought, but in the back of her mind, she knew she had to face it head on. Tori was right – though that was never really in question; she wouldn't have said anything if she wasn't sure – that Jade was on a path that only led to ruin. Her only comfort in that scenario was also a pitfall; Tori would sooner leave her than let her treat their kids poorly.

At first she didn't want to believe she'd sink that low, but then she remembered Tori warned her that she was becoming possessive and aggressive. If she was already overstepping with her wife, it no longer sounded reasonable to think her kids would somehow be spared. Jade realized that if she wanted to hold onto any hope of protecting her kids, she had to find a way to break the cycle. But how was she supposed to forgive a monster?

It sounded a whole lot easier in her head.

Logically, there was nothing stopping Jade from asking – and nothing bad was going to happen. Tori was her wife, her confidant, and the very nature of her question was evidence enough that Tori wouldn't take it poorly at all. Yet even with all of that in the back of her mind, Jade still couldn't find it in herself to take the leap. It was stupid. It was endlessly stupid and unhelpful – but she couldn't force her mind out of intrusive thought patterns. Her nightmares only got worse as time went on.

Jade made a desperate effort to ignore and run away from her problems. She tried to focus on her kids – the twins learning to walk and Alex officially learning to play the guitar – and her music. She was immensely frustrated because while all of those things were going well, she still couldn't get over the complicated emotions around her mother.

Tori found her wife out on their balcony with a bong and an old A Day to Remember album playing on her phone. A composition notebook with an almost completely detached spine sat on the edge of the unlit fire pit, a pencil balanced precariously on top. She sat down next to Jade and glanced at the notebook, "Still working on the new album?"

"When they hit me with the extended release idea I shoulda known," Jade groaned and picked up the notebook, "Like for fuck's sake, if I thought the album needed four extra songs, I would've written them in the first place."

"Do you have any side projects you could add in?" Tori offered.

Jade flipped a couple pages and showed Tori, "Alex wanted to help me work on one. What do you think?"

Tori smiled at her, then looked over the notes and drafts Jade had scribbled all over the pages. She tried to imagine the sound in her head, sometimes humming to test, then glanced back at Jade, "How much of this did she write?"

"Write? None of it," Jade chuckled, then pointed to where she'd blocked off one portion, "That's the melody she came up with, I just ironed out the details. She had a couple of ideas, but she liked that one the best."

"She's gonna take my place in a few years at this rate," Tori teased and handed the notebook back as she kissed Jade's cheek.

Jade almost looked offended, "Baby, your feedback and ideas can't be replaced. Nobody has the mind that you do."

Tori's eyes softened and she smiled wider, "I was teasing, but thank you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How do you do it?" Tori looked confused and Jade realized she hadn't asked the entire question, "I mean, the way you just don't let things bother you. You're calm and balanced, while I'm volatile and unstable. I don't get it."

Instead of answering the question outright, Tori asked, "When you get frustrated, what is the most prominent thing in your mind?"

Jade's brows furrowed and she frowned, "I don't know?"

"Is it fair to say you get frustrated when you can't control something?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Do you understand that you can't possibly control everything?"

"I mean, yeah."

"You're offering resistance, and so you keep encountering the same issues. Lack of control leads to frustration, frustration leads to a lack of control, and it's a cycle. My philosophy is to be like water. Water doesn't resist, it adapts, it overcomes. Trying to resist change only causes emotional turmoil – so I accept things as they are. If I can't control it, I'm not going to try, I'm just going to think about how I'll adapt and overcome."

"So less proactive thinking and more reactive?"

Tori shook her head slowly, "Not necessarily. Just an understanding that life is going to happen the way it's meant to. It's not worth putting your effort into trying to control something when you could instead put the effort into thinking about how you'll adapt to change."

Jade frowned a little, "How did you come up with this?"

"I had to learn and adapt pretty quickly early on in our relationship. I knew you would never let me control you or anything you did – and I knew I wasn't about to let something silly come between us. The best thing I found to do was to just love and support you while gently reminding you of alternative options."

"That sounds like a lot of effort."

"It's a labor of love. I'm more than happy to put the work into learning how to love you the way you need to be loved."

"That sounds easy, but I don't know. It's kind of in my nature to need control."

"Your nature is to desire control, but I believe if you put your bull-headed mind to overcoming that desire and adapting to the emotions that come with it, you'll find peace. That's where meditation comes in – the purpose is the same as sleep; it's a time to reflect, contemplate, and process your thoughts. I also know it's also in your nature to avoid your problems, which could be the reason this is difficult for you."

Jade sighed and leaned back on the couch, then slightly into Tori's side, "Giving up control is scary."

"It isn't always," Tori gently reminded her as she lay a hand on Jade's thigh, "How do you feel when you let me take control?"

"Horny, usually."

"Other than that."

Jade shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I've never thought about that in the moment."

"Would you like to try?"

"Are you coming onto me?"

Tori reached for the bong and waved her hand, "It doesn't have to be sexual."

"Can it be, though?"

She had to wait several seconds for Tori to finish her hit and take a breath before she could answer, "If that would help, sure." Tori took a few deep breaths before she added, "This is supposed to be a learning exercise so I'm still gonna give you homework."

"Fuck," Jade grumbled and took the bong from her, "I wanted to have fun."

"Learning could be fun if you didn't resist so much."

"I'm not trying to resist," Jade pouted as she plucked the lighter from Tori's hand.

Tori leaned back and put her feet up on the edge of the fire pit, "It's a subconscious response. You have to unlearn bad habits and learn good habits."

Jade blew a lungful of smoke toward the sky and grumbled, "That's so much work."

"Who are you and what have you done with my wife?" Tori narrowed her eyes.

"I...am your wife?" Jade replied uncertainly.

"Weird," Tori closed her eyes and relaxed into the couch, "My wife wouldn't be stopped by a little hard work."

"I didn't say I wasn't going to do it," she mumbled indignantly, "I just wanted to complain."

Tori smiled brightly, "Now that's my wife."

"You sound so proud."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Jade gestured dramatically, "Because I'm a mess and can't even face my own problems?"

"I thought you just said you were going to do it?" Jade grumbled and sneered, but didn't offer any resistance. Tori just smiled and reached up to trace along Jade's jawline with the tips of her fingers, "I'm proud of you – even when you're struggling. You're so strong and brave, and I know this is scary and overwhelming for you."

Jade sighed and looked over at her, "I've been having nightmares again."

"I noticed that a couple weeks ago," Tori let her hand rest on Jade's thigh and she stroked along the muscle with her thumb, "Are they still about her?"

She shook her head, "Worse." Jade took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I'm back in my childhood home, but I'm just, watching this older version of myself abuse Frankie exactly the same way my mother did to me. I see Alex, too, in Kevin's place. It's really fucking with my head."

Tori frowned slightly, "Do you think your brain might be warning you?"

"I thought so."

"You do realize I'd never let that happen, right?"

"I had a feeling you'd leave me before you'd let me hurt them at all."

"And do you know why I'm confident that I'll get to keep you?"

"You'll get to keep me? And no, I don't."

"Because I know your love for me and for our kids is stronger than any amount of fear and anger life can throw at you. I know you can overcome this because I know you want to protect our kids as much as I do."

Jade lay her hand on top of Tori's, "I hope you know how much I appreciate you."

"I love you, Jade. We'll get through this together."

"Thank you for being so patient with me," Jade leaned over and lay her head on Tori's shoulder, "I love you."