After Tori accidentally confessed her feelings, the shift in Jade was almost instantaneous. Instead of her usual aloof, teasing behavior, she was openly affectionate, regardless of who was around. Tori loved every moment of it. Although neither considered the consequences of that change, they were too happy to stop and think about it.

How Trina had managed to flunk and repeat two entire years – Tori wasn't sure, but her sister's presence threw a cog in the machine pretty quickly. Jade, apparently, spent most of her high school years taking out her frustration with the police on the only Vega kid she knew about. So when Trina pulled the wildly unusual move of being on time after school, and she caught them making out up against Jade's car, she flipped.

"Tori, what are you doing?!"

They separated quickly and as Tori tried to gather her thoughts in an attempt to talk her down, it was becoming increasingly apparent that Trina was not going to be calming down anytime soon. Trina, a rare and brazen show of aggression, shoved Jade away from her sister. Jade glanced between the two sisters, clearly agitated, but unsure how to react.

"Trina, just-"

Tori was immediately cut off as she noticed the fire in her sister's eyes. "Was Daniel not enough for you?" She screamed, "Was Ryder not enough for you? He was certainly more than enough for us!"

Tori closed her eyes and just wished she could tear through the fabric of reality and let it swallow her whole. Unfortunately, the ground seemed to be very much intact. "Trina, listen to-"

"No! There's no way I'm letting you bring another disgusting street rat home to steal my shit again!"

"Don't call her that! What Ryder did has nothing to do with Jade."

Trina whipped open the driver's door of her car, "I'm telling dad. You aren't getting away with this again."

She just watched helplessly as Trina's tires screeched through the parking lot. Jade pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, "See, that is what I expect from a Vega."

"You're not gonna get it from me," Tori hugged her tight, "I'm sorry."

Jade shook her head, "It's not your fault." She brushed her fingers through Tori's hair and kissed her forehead, "What do you want to do today?"

"Spend time with you," Tori mumbled into her shoulder. "I'm probably going to be grounded after today."

"I'm sorry."

Tori just kissed her softly, "I just don't want to be away from you."

"If you want me around, I'll find a way." Tori nodded slowly and Jade reached up to wipe away a tear, "It's okay. He can't keep me away from you forever."

"He's going to try." She sighed and decided to try to make the most of the time they had left, "Can I buy you dinner again?"

An hour later, they were just finishing their food in a nearby park when they heard police sirens. Jade looked over at her, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth, "Does your dad have your location?"

Tori closed her eyes tight and nodded, furious with herself for forgetting such an important detail. As three police cars came into view, she hoped in vain that they weren't there for them. Jade reached into her pocket, then pushed something over to Tori – her keys.

"Looks like I'm spending the night in jail," Jade quipped.

"You absolutely are not," Tori hid Jade's keys in a deep pocket in her backpack, "If my dad is here, I'm going to have some very colorful words for him."

Tori hopped off the picnic table they'd been sitting on and crossed her arms as the police cruisers parked only a few dozen feet away. Five officers, including her father, exited the cruisers, most with guns pointed directly at Jade. Jade, meanwhile, was still sitting on the table eating the last of Tori's chips.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Tori demanded.

He didn't even stop to look at her as he and three other officers headed straight for Jade, while the last one held Tori back. His job became remarkably more difficult when one officer, for seemingly no reason, made a running jump at Jade to tackle her off of the picnic table.

Jade groaned in pain, "Fucking hell, Nick! Does it fucking look like I was running? How the fuck am I going to run with you assholes sitting on my legs!"

"Don't make me tase you again, West," one taunted.

"For what fucking reason, you psycho? Get your fucking knee off my back!"

David stepped back to use his radio and Tori immediately started trying to fight off the officer holding her. "Dad, don't you dare!" She screamed at him. She heard a pop, then a horrible crackling noise, followed by Jade's scream. Tori managed to knock the officer holding her off balance enough to charge at her dad. She grasped the back of his vest and yanked on it as she tried to grab the taser from his hand. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Victoria, get out of here!"

"No! Get off of her, now! She didn't do anything!"

"We had several reports of a kidnapping," he blatantly lied through his teeth, "And seeing as how you were, in fact, with the kidnapper-"

Tori gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, "Let. Her. Go."

He turned his back on her, "Go home, Victoria."

The other officer managed to get a hold of her again and pulled her away, kicking and screaming, as she watched helplessly. After a pointlessly long struggle, in which Jade wasn't even fighting back, the officers finally dragged her up onto her feet. Tori's heart dropped when Jade was shoved toward one of the cruisers. Her face was covered with blood and Tori could just barely see it was coming from a large cut across her brow. Her features were contorted with pain, though when she met Tori's eyes, she smiled slightly. As if to say it was okay, when it so clearly wasn't.

Tori just cried as she was forced to stand by and do nothing while Jade was being brutalized and arrested for no reason. Each of the officers called Jade by name and spoke to her with a marked sense of cruelty. Her mind was swamped with images of Jade in this exact situation dozens of times before – just the thought of Jade as a child being treated the way she was – it was excruciating to think about, and she couldn't help but feel responsible.

Jade was locked in the back of one of the cruisers and before long, it was gone. David approached her as he adjusted his vest. He looked smug – as if he'd done something good, as if he'd made a positive difference in the world. "I trust we won't have any more problems with her."

"You disgust me," Tori spat at him before turning her back and running. After several blocks, she cut down an alley and pulled out her phone to make a quick call.


By the time Tori got home, Trina and her mother were already there. Tori immediately got in her face, "Why would you tell the police I got kidnapped? Are you insane? I was with her – willingly – and you think it makes sense to go tell the police some bullshit story?"

Tori's mother put a hand on her shoulder, "Tori, let's try to keep things-"

"What are you doing hanging out with another dirty street rat?"

Tori grit her teeth and barely held herself back from swinging at her sister. Holly pushed Trina's shoulder back, "Enough. Trina, you've done enough damage, go to your room."

"But she-"

"She what?" Holly rested her hands on her hips and stared down her eldest daughter, "She was doing nothing wrong. Why you decided to waste police resources and unnecessarily sick your father on her is inexcusable. Go upstairs."

Trina nearly snarled as she whipped around and stomped up the stairs. Tori ran her fingers through her hair as her emotions started to catch up to her again. She leaned into her mom, "She's in jail and it's all my fault."

Holly pulled her into a hug, "What happened?"

"I was with Jade– she...she's really important to me." She shook her head and buried her face in her mother's shoulder, "There was blood all over her face and he tased her while she was already handcuffed. Why would he do that?"

"Jade..." Her mother paused, "West?"

Tori sniffed and leaned back to look at her, "How did you-"

"I've known her name for many years, and her parents long before that. It's hard to listen to your spouse rant and rave about the same person everyday for years on end without retaining at least a little bit of information. I'm surprised she's still around."

Tori raised her eyebrows, "Where is she supposed to go?"

Holly averted her eyes, "To be honest, I didn't think it was possible for a child to survive that long. When her parents were killed, I thought maybe a relative would come get her or something – but there was nothing. David hated her parents."

"What could they have possibly done that would justify treating a child like a murderer?" Tori demanded through choked sobs.

She was quietly hushed as her mother held her and tried to help her calm down, but Tori's mind kept snapping back to the moment she met Jade's eyes – her face covered in her own blood. And then Jade smiled at her. She didn't understand how, after everything they'd done to her, that Jade could still look at her and smile.

Holly guided her over to the couch to sit down, "Tori?" She looked up with a sniff, "Are you and Jade..."

Her mother trailed off, hopeful that Tori would understand what she was trying to say. Tori looked down and just shrugged, "I don't know what we are. I'm just-"

"You're happier."

Tori nodded slowly and wiped away a few tears, "She's really sweet and thoughtful. I like spending time with her."

Holly smiled at her and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, "She'll be okay, sweetie, and I will handle your father."

Hours later, Tori sat on her bed, lost in thought, with Jade's keys in her hands. She thought about how Jade's car was still at the park, how she didn't even know how to drive stick shift, how helpless she felt to do anything for her. She wanted to just break into the police station and rescue Jade herself, but she knew that wasn't the smartest idea.

She heard the moment her father came home. The argument became loud and volatile extremely quickly. Tori studied the rivets on Jade's keys and fiddled with the small, well-worn multi-tool. For a while, she just thought about buying her a new one. The little flashlight looked to be a bit worse for wear, too, and Tori wondered just how much Jade depended on those keychains for her survival. She knew Jade would most likely have a backup plan – or two – but it looked like each tool saw regular use. Eventually, the argument was over, though she had no idea what the outcome was.

Tori fell asleep hours later with Jade's keys still in her hand.


The next morning, Tori was glaring holes through her untouched plate of breakfast. She was furious and made absolutely no attempt whatsoever to hide it. When she felt a heavy hand on her back, and then a second, she stood up so quickly that her chair was kicked out several feet.

"Don't you dare touch me again," Tori snarled at her father.

He just rolled his eyes, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"David!"

He stopped and fixed Tori with a fierce glare as he answered his wife, "What?"

Holly put herself between the two of them and pointed at the door, "David, if you aren't going to change your behavior, then get out."

"I will not be disrespected by my own daughter in my home!"

"David, how do you think she feels? Have you stopped to consider that at all?"

"She doesn't understa-"

Holly held out a hand, "Enough. I don't want to hear another word from you."

"Now, lis-"

"Enough, David."

Tori's upper lip trembled and her body shook with fury. She'd never felt so disgusted with her father and she couldn't bear to be anywhere near him. Tori went back upstairs to gather her wallet, keys, and Jade's keys into her backpack. She left her phone on her bed, then she slid open her balcony door and carefully shut it behind her. She didn't feel confident making the jump the same way Jade did, but she used another technique she'd seen Jade use; to jump over the railing, hold on, then to drop down when she was steady.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, she started running. Her mind faded into a haze of tumultuous thoughts and she quickly lost track of time. The only thing her body wanted to do was run. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she soon found herself in a familiar courtyard. It was difficult to tell the buildings apart, but she quickly reminded herself to stop thinking about what she was doing.

She managed to climb up a fence and onto the roof of one building, but realized how much she relied on Jade's instructions to navigate around anything off the ground. She looked up, and in the distance, she could see a faint red light emitting from a high up window. Even after finding a spot directly under the window, Tori couldn't figure out how Jade managed to reach it. Her memory flashed back to the morning she'd woken up next to Jade, and the noises she heard just before Jade returned. She guessed that the final jump had to be significant considering the amount of time between the sound of her running and the moment she hit the window frame.

Tori sighed and sat down on the ledge of a smaller building. She didn't know what to do, she only knew that it felt like she wasn't doing enough. As she just sat and cried, a strange noise made her sniff and hold her breath as she listened. A moment later, she recognized the sound, and she turned with renewed energy and relief, only to meet a pair of brown eyes that dashed her hope instantly.

"Tori?"

"Hey, Beck," she smiled weakly at him.

He came over and sat down next to her, "You okay?"

Tori just shook her head but didn't know how to explain what she was feeling. Beck looked down at his hands and brushed off some dust, but otherwise he was quiet and still. After a few minutes, he looked back over at her.

"She'll be okay, you know." When Tori didn't answer, he continued, "Look, if she can tough out an 18 month stretch – one weekend won't be the end of her. Shit, if that was all it took, she'd die once a month. Well, maybe two months."

Tori smiled slightly, "How did you know?"

He shrugged, "She called me this morning. She didn't know your number."

"I left my phone at home," she muttered, "I didn't want my dad tracking me again."

"You know she's not upset with you, right? She seemed kind of impressed, honestly."

Tori raised an eyebrow, "Impressed?"

Beck chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, she was worried about your dad turning on you after they took her away. She was like man you should've seen her! Throwing hands at her own dad and shit, it was incredible! And I was just like that's rad but, uh, when are you getting out?"

"Did she say?"

He shook his head, "Nah, they always feed you some bullshit line about the paperwork taking too long. Usually they just fuck around for a day or two and then let her go. They hold her without charges all the time, it's stupid."

"They can do that?"

"Technically? Yes, but it's dubious legal territory, at best. She's got no way to fight back from inside, so they abuse it."

Tori scowled, "The way they treated her was horrible. Nobody deserves that."

Beck shook his head, "I don't get it. Like sure, her parents were kinda shit people, but it's not like that's her fault."

"What'd they do?"

He scratched the side of his head and frowned as he thought about it, "I know her dad was a pretty successful bank robber, and I think her mom did like, I don't know, manufacturing meth or some shit?" He threw up a hand, "I don't remember, it was a long time ago. Ask her, I'm sure she'll tell you."

"How did she end up homeless? I know she ran away but didn't the police look for her?"

He grinned for a second, "She ran from them, too. They stopped trying after the second or third time, after that they just kinda left her to die. Which, I mean it was kind of the point of running, but still – what person in their right mind just leaves a kid to fend for themselves? I think now they're just pissed off that she's still alive, because now she's stronger and finally has a voice."

Tori sighed heavily, "I had no idea my dad was so fucking awful. It's like a switch flipped and he's an entirely different person now."

"You don't really fit in with the Vega family," he said quietly.

"I'm starting to realize that."

"Ah, well," he stood up and stretched his arms, "They can't hold her any longer than 72 hours, so maybe Thursday afternoon at the latest."

Tori bit her lip, then asked, "Any chance you know how to get up there?"

Beck glanced back at her, then followed her line of sight until he realized what she meant, "Oh, hmm." He tilted his head slightly, "To be honest, I've never been up there, so I don't know how she does it. Sorry."

He started to walk off and after arguing with herself for a minute, she called out, "Wait," she stood up to meet him halfway and asked, "Why'd you tell me she doesn't settle?"

"Because she never has," he studied her for a moment, then added, "I guess you're special."

Beck shrugged, gave her a mock salute, and dropped off the edge. Tori's brow furrowed as she watched him cross the courtyard and enter one of the other buildings. She sat back down and wrapped her arms around her knees. The longer she looked at the faraway red light, the worse she felt. She didn't understand how she could have been so ignorant to her dad's dark side. She felt disgusted and betrayed by her own family.

Tori didn't come home until late that night. When her father met her at the door, angrily ranting, Tori just pushed past him and locked herself in her room. She didn't have the energy to speak to him at all. Again, she fell asleep with Jade's keys in her hand, and a sick feeling in her stomach.


Her dreams were filled with haunting images of a young girl, scared and alone, in terrifying situations. She woke up several times throughout the night and found it incredibly difficult to get any rest. She stayed in bed long after morning passed, eventually giving in to nature's call before quickly returning to her room. She was hungry but had little desire to go downstairs for something to eat.

Some time after she'd fallen asleep again, she dreamed about watching Jade freerunning, and how often Jade would just look over at her with a huge smile. She knew, in a way, Jade liked showing off, but the happiness that Tori's amusement offered was genuine and clear as day. Her mind then focused on the noises; a thud, footsteps, and then a knock.

Tori took a deep breath as she woke up from her third or fourth nap. She closed her eyes tight before trying to open them, though it was quite difficult to adjust to the light streaming through her balcony doors. As she blinked rapidly, she began to notice what felt like a shadow blocking the sunlight, and slowly forced her eyes open.

Her heart leapt and she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming – and she wasn't. She exhaled sharply and quickly, but carefully, slipped out onto her balcony. Jade had a wide grin as Tori jumped at her, hugged her as tight as she could, and wrapped her legs around her waist. To her surprise, Jade had no issue holding her weight as she smiled vibrantly at her.

"I missed you," Jade whispered, her eyes shining with adoration.

Tori rested her hand on Jade's cheek and kissed her with every bit of affection and passion she felt. She ran her fingers through Jade's hair and smiled against her lips, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Of course I am," she gave Tori a lopsided grin, "I told you he couldn't keep me away from you."

Tori leaned back slightly and brushed her thumb across the bandage on Jade's forehead, her eyes betraying her sadness, "Did they hurt you too bad?"

"Yeah, bunch of dickheads," Jade muttered, "I had to get thirteen stitches because of Nick just slamming my fucking head into a rock. Plus tasing me? I was already in handcuffs. How the fuck am I supposed to fight back?"

"I had no idea he was such a disgusting person. I feel awful for putting you in that situation."

Jade raised an eyebrow, though her smile didn't fade, "Did you set me up?"

Tori's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No!" She hugged her tight and shook her head frantically, "No, I promise I'd never do that to you."

Jade just chuckled, "I know you wouldn't – you didn't do anything. Your sister and dad are the ones being assholes for no reason. That isn't your fault." She shook her head and smiled, "You aren't them. You're...different. You have such a beautiful heart and you're so compassionate – I couldn't blame you for things you actively fought against. That was pretty badass, by the way. I mean, all five?"

Tori smiled and rested her forehead against Jade's, "Can we spend the night together?"

"Of course," Jade kissed her softly, "You're always welcome to stay with me."

"Can you teach me how to get through the window? I couldn't figure it out."

Jade shook her head with a smile, "I'd like to get you comfortable lower down, first. It's a bit of a trek up there, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Tori finally stood on her own feet and kissed her again, "Wait here a minute?"

She nodded and Tori slipped back into her room to quickly change clothes, pack an extra outfit and a small toiletries bag, then she stopped to send a text to her mother. She explained that she was going to be with Jade and for their own safety, she was leaving her phone behind, and would be back when she was ready. After putting on her shoes, she threw on her backpack and went back outside where Jade was leaning against the railing with a smile.

"Let's go," Tori leaned over to kiss her softly, then climbed over the railing and dropped down to the ground. Jade was just behind her, instead cushioning her fall with a tuck and roll before quickly catching up with Tori.

When Jade glanced back at her and tilted her head, Tori followed without thinking of anything other than the obstacle in front of her. They reached a staircase with a railing, and while Tori expected Jade to jump over it, she instead grabbed the rail with both hands and used the momentum to slide underneath. To her surprise, the staircase zigzagged downward, and Jade's quick decision saved them both a long fall. Tori loved the rush and couldn't keep the smile from her face. She almost felt disappointed when they reached the same park where Jade was arrested, although Jade didn't seem at all put off by the location.

Jade looked at her with a sheepish grin, "I hope you brought my keys."

"Maybe," Tori pursed her lips, "What do I get for giving them to you?"

Jade raised an eyebrow and held her gaze as she wrapped an arm around Tori's waist. Tori's heart leapt as Jade's hand cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, deeply, and she whimpered. Jade hesitated a moment, but Tori quickly reclaimed her lips to tell her in the only way she knew how that what Jade was doing was very, very okay with her.

Jade eventually, to Tori's disappointment, pulled back and looked at her expectantly. Tori stared at her, her mind scrambled beyond comprehension, and Jade smirked. "The keys, Vega."

Tori's eyes widened, "Oh, right, sorry." She took off her backpack and searched through until she found Jade's keys. She held them out for Jade was she tried to sling her backpack over her shoulder, but Jade tilted her head toward her with a calloused finger and kissed her again.

"Thank you," Jade mumbled and kissed her forehead, "I appreciate you keeping these safe for me."

"Of course," Tori reached out to hold her hand, "I'm here for you."

They decided to grab some take-out before heading home. The drive back to Jade's place was peaceful, as Tori finally felt relaxed, and happy to be with her. She felt giddy as she followed Jade up to her little attic, and they ate their meal in the nook in the far corner of the room. Jade opened the window above a table and sat in the frame while they just talked, easily, effortlessly.

Jade ended up getting annoyed very quickly by the bandage on her forehead and ended up throwing it out, only to reveal the extent of the damage. She had a large cut straight through the brow and further up her forehead. Still, it had no effect on Jade's mood. "This is gonna look so fucking cool when it heals," Jade called out from the closet bathroom.

Tori didn't quite understand how Jade was so calm and seemingly unaffected by her violent arrest only a little under 48 hours prior, but she took it for what it was worth. If Jade was okay and felt okay, then Tori wasn't going to dwell on the reasons.

"Have you ever been outside of Los Angeles?"

Jade looked up, "Far out of the Valley? No, not really. I remember going to San Jose a few years ago but I don't remember why or what I was doing. Might have been hitchhiking."

"Is there anywhere you want to visit?"

She pursed her lips and focused on gathering up their trash while she thought about it, "I don't know, honestly. I've never really stopped to think about it. I'm kinda curious what snow feels like, though. Looks crazy as hell."

Tori's eyes widened, though she quickly realized if Jade never left the area, it was extremely likely that she'd never actually experienced snow. Tori bit her lip, then asked, "Do you want to?"

Jade raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "I'm down for anything, but I'm not exactly loaded with cash."

"Don't worry about that," she leaned her head on Jade's leg and looked up at her, "As long as you bring your smarts and also cuddle with me, then we're even." Jade hopped down and held out a hand. Tori didn't hesitate to take her hand, but asked, "Are there stairs involved?"

Jade glanced at her, paused a moment, then crouched down and wrapped her arm around Tori's legs. Before she could ask what Jade was doing or anything more than scream in surprise, Jade lifted her up and carried her the short distance over to her bed. She gently tossed her onto the bed, then grinned, "Not anymore."

Tori opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead she just smiled and shook her head, "Get over here."