Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.

"So where did you go?" Jade raised an eyebrow and I clarified, "When my dad came into my room, you disappeared."

She shrugged, "Outside."

"He asked if there was anyone hiding in the closet. Like, no, just me in there."

"Do you worry it won't go well?"

"A little bit," I sighed and sat down on the couch next to her, "Somehow, Trina hasn't even noticed. It's not like anyone's been quiet about it."

Jade laughed and laid her arm over the back of the couch behind me, "She's noticed, she just hasn't said anything."

I frowned, "Why not?"

"She's saving it in case she needs to blackmail you."

"Right, of course she is. How do you know?"

"I've started to be able to read minds telepathically, if I'm close to you, anyway. I can't do it without you, but when you're holding my hand or something and I focus on them, I can hear them, if a little faint. It's louder if their attention is on me, too."

I folded my leg under myself and turned to face her, "There's something I wanted to ask you."

She smiled a little, "Okay."

"Why'd you come here? Not to my house, just to LA."

"To find you." She quickly realized that answer wasn't enough, "Cat and I realized our soulmates were in the same place, and when we did, we decided to come find you. We didn't feel that pull, it was more of like...how a compass knows which way is north."

I tilted my head, "So you came here with the intention of finding me and winning me over?"

"We figured out which school to go to, which was a big help, but honestly, until we walked through that door the first day, neither of us knew what we were looking for. It was only when I saw you that I knew. Yes, I had every intention of trying to win you over, but I never wanted you to feel forced." She moved her hand away from me, "You were just...I don't know. You're fascinating to me. I've known people who hated the person that turned out to be their soulmate, and I was a little afraid of that. I was so happy to know there was a genuine attraction there."

I moved a little closer to remind her that I wanted to be there, "So do you only get one shot at a soulmate?"

Jade nodded, "As far as I know, yeah. It's fairly common for people who didn't click with their soulmate or haven't found them to marry other people like us, since it's possible to create a bond on your own."

"So you waited some two-hundred-seventy years for me?"

She smiled and shrugged, "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Was it worth it?"

Her smile widened and she leaned forward to kiss me, "Absolutely."

Much to my annoyance, she pulled back just as I tried to deepen the kiss, "Seriously?"

She glanced back toward the door, "Your parents are home," then back at me with the cutest look of uncertainty, "Should I go?"

"No," I held her hand tightly between my own and she didn't bother hiding her excitement, "I just won't tell them everything quite yet."

"You're sure?"

I nodded and smiled, "Yeah, I mean, if I'm spending the rest of my life with you, may as well let my parents know."

Behind her, the door opened and my mom walked in, fumbling with her purse, "Hey, honey. We brought back some dinner, hope you're hungry." She finally looked up as she was walking past and smiled, "You didn't say you had a friend over."

"Yeah, sorry, I meant to text you but I forgot."

"Well, feel free to stay and eat with us. Trina said she's going to be back late, so there's some extra."

My dad walked in a moment later and immediately noticed what my mom hadn't. He glanced at our hands before walking to the kitchen to set the food down, "So I take this to mean I don't have to worry about boys sneaking into your room anymore?"

My mom gave him a strange look, and he pointed back at us. She raised her eyebrows, "Tori?"

I stood up with Jade and held her hand as I walked over to the table, "I figured it was time you guys met the person I'm dating. Mom, dad, this is Jade. Jade, these are my parents."

"It's lovely to finally meet you two," Jade said to them in a flawless English accent, which caught me a little off guard. I glanced over at her, but she didn't react.

My dad reached out to shake her hand as he looked at her curiously, "You too, Jade. Are you an exchange student?"

"No, my family moved here a few months ago from England."

"Won't you join us for dinner? I'd love to get to know you," my mom told her as she removed several to-go containers from two plastic bags.

She let go of my hand as her hand moved to my lower back, "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude."

"It'd be a relief," my dad nudged her as he set four plates on the table, "Tori can be pretty boring on her own."

I smacked his arm, "Hey!"

"I don't know, she's pretty fascinating to me," Jade smiled over at me.

I had to admit, Jade was a fantastic liar. She spun the same story she gave us when she and Cat first joined Hollywood Arts, complete with details and memories that reminded me it was where she came from. Never once did she drop the accent even for a moment, and I could tell my parents adored her. With her impeccable manners and social tact, it was hard not to.

It was almost ten by the time my parents let her leave, and I held onto her jacket as I pressed her up against her car, "That went way better than expected."

She dropped the accent once confirming we were alone, "I think they like me."

"Are you kidding? They love you!" I leaned up and kissed her jaw, "That was a sexy accent, by the way."

"It felt nice; nostalgic. Reminded me of home."

"Where are you actually from, anyway?"

I felt her hands move to my waist, "Denmark. We lived in England for several decades, though."

I wrapped my arms around her underneath her jacket, "Are you gonna come up later?"

Jade smiled and shook her head, "I don't know."

"Please?" I looked up at her with the best puppy dog eyes I could muster.

"Stop it," she whispered as she closed her eyes, "I'm not ready."

I frowned, "You met my parents, that was your condition, wasn't it?"

"Was that the only reason you let me meet them?" I paused as I felt her tense up. Her eyes met mine again and I knew she heard my thoughts. She moved my hands and gently pushed me backward.

"What's the problem?" I asked as she crossed her arms.

She shook her head, "I...I thought it was because you were serious about this...us, too. Not just because you wanted-"

"I thought we both wanted this!"

Jade sighed and reached behind herself for the door handle, "Goodnight, Tori."

"Jade, wait!" I tried to grab her arm as she got in the car, but she shook me off.

She wouldn't look at me as she started the car, and as she drove off, I felt a tug on my heart.

"Hey, I lost my notes for the-" Beck stopped mid sentence as he leaned on the lockers next to mine and evaluated my appearance, "You look a little...rough."

"Thanks," I muttered dryly, slamming my locker shut and walking off to my first class.

He jogged after me in order to keep up, "I didn't mean it in a bad way! You doing alright?"

I shouldered open the door and deposited myself into a seat, "Yeah, just a long weekend."

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked gently as he sat backwards in his chair to face me.

I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair, "Had a fight with Jade on Saturday night."

He frowned, "Ouch, everything okay?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine, I think. She's just mad at me right now and isn't really interested in talking."

"My experience has always told me it's a good idea to let your girl cool off a little before you attempt any damage control. Though, that could just be me and my way of gloriously screwing up whatever I try to say," he smiled and reached out to put his hand comfortingly on my knee, "I wouldn't worry too much. I doubt there's a lot you could do that would scare her off."

I scoffed, "You'd be surprised."

"Really, as an outsider looking in; she's got it bad for you. Probably just said the wrong thing or something. Figure out what you did wrong, apologize, then fix it." Beck checked his watch and shook his head, "That was always my problem, you know? I'd apologize, then do the exact same thing over again."

A moment later, Cat and Andre walked in the room. Cat eyed me, and Beck's hand on my leg, suspiciously, before I made it clear what was going on. While Andre sat down, Cat nodded toward the door. I obliged without a second thought and grabbed my bag before following her. She led me out of the main entrance toward the parking lot. She stopped near a picnic table and hopped up on it, patting the table next to her.

I dropped my bag on the table and sat down, "What's up?"

"I figured since Jade wasn't up for it, I'd take it upon myself to talk to you about what happened on Saturday," she clasped her hands together and looked over at me, "May I start with reminding you she grew up in 18th-century Denmark?"

"I know that."

Her eyebrows furrowed as she focused on her hands, "When she was a girl, everything had...rules. You know, there was an attraction, courting, marriage, kids, then you die. That's all there really was to life. It was illegal to have premarital sex, some people were even executed for it. It's only been recently, the past hundred years or so, that those things became less...taboo.

"I remember back in the fifties and sixties when she really started to become interested in more...sort of promiscuous behavior, I suppose. No soulmate, no real purpose in life, so you know, why not? Neither of us ever shied away from those sorts of things, especially after they became more common, despite how we grew up. I'm sure these are all things you've seen or heard in her thoughts by now."

I leaned back on my hands, "She doesn't often think of past lovers, no."

"Not exactly what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that...no, she doesn't have any problem with casual sex. But you know, that's just the thing. You're her soulmate. Casual sex isn't exactly an option." She smiled off into the distance, "She was so happy when you told her you wanted things the old-fashioned way. She was so worried that you'd be the type to not really take things slow, cause she wanted to do things right, you know? She wanted to take you on cheesy dates and take long walks on the beach and kiss under the stars. It's all extremely sappy, but I've always wanted the same thing, and Andre knows that. She didn't think she had to lay out those conditions for you, since she thought you guys were on the same page."

I turned to face her, "Okay, so...how do I fix this?"

"Honestly?" I nodded, "Just talk to her. She's hard to crack sometimes, but I suppose you've got forever to figure her out."

"Yeah, I guess I do. Where is she?"

Cat shrugged and glanced at her phone, "I'm not sure. She left Saturday night after talking to me, but never mentioned where she was going."

"You're not worried?"

She shook her head, "Worried? No, not at all. I was a little miffed the one time she disappeared for two and a half years, but you know, it's in the past. She can't stay gone for long, especially since you've started to build up that connection. She probably just wanted some time alone to think."

I sighed, "I don't suppose you have any way to contact her."

"She hasn't caught up with current trends quite yet, so no. Maybe you could talk her into a phone someday, hey?"

"Yeah, maybe."

Cat leaned over to give me a hug before hopping down, "Seriously, there's no need to worry. She adores you, you know that?"

I smiled at her, "The feeling's mutual."

"Come on, let's get back to class."

Later on that night, as I was lounging on the living room couch reading a book for English class, there was a knock on the door. I easily welcomed the distraction and hopped up to open the door. I smiled when I saw Jade on the porch and opened the door wider for her as I turned back to toss the book down on the table.

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked as she glanced at the book.

I scoffed, "I've had enough of Hamlet for today."

She frowned and picked up the book to flip through the pages, "Really? I liked it."

"You just like where it takes place."

"Not true at all."

"It's part of the reason."

She laid the book down on the table, "It is part of the reason. A small part, but a part nonetheless."

I hesitantly stepped closer to her, "So..."

She held her hand out to me, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

I took her hand and fully expected the nearly immediate change in scenery. I looked over at her, "What if I wanted my shoes?"

"That's unfortunate," she smiled back.

"You know," I kicked at the sand as we walked along the coast, "You do have a car."

"Does it bother you?"

"No, not really."

We walked along the desolate beach for several minutes before Jade finally broke the silence, "I heard you talked to Cat."

I nodded, "Yeah, we talked this morning."

"I wasn't really sure how I was going to tell you everything, so it was kind of a relief. I was afraid I'd say the wrong thing."

"I should have just listened when you said no, I'm sorry."

She quickly shook her head, "No, I should have been clearer from the start. I thought getting you to let me meet your parents would have been a larger hurdle than it actually was."

"For what it's worth," I stopped walking and turned toward her, "I know my thoughts were a little misleading then, but it honestly wasn't the only reason."

She stopped as well and let go of my hand, "I know now. Your mind definitely has a way of only really focusing on one thing."

I sat down in the sand and she followed suit, "I am serious about us, you know. I just haven't had hundreds of years to temper my own desires."

"I have been thinking about this...predicament we've found ourselves in. I understand relationships are about communication and compromise, and there is quite clearly a large part of both of us that believes strongly in our own side of the argument. That said, I have an offer for you."

I turned to face her and nodded, "Okay. What did you come up with?"

She licked her lips and looked up at me from where she was intensely studying the sand, "Six months."

I raised an eyebrow, "Six months? Six months from when we met or-"

"Six months from our first date," she quickly corrected.

Several seconds of silence followed as we stared at each other. Six months from our first date, so still another five months. I wanted to say no, but it wasn't exactly my choice anymore. She wasn't giving me an option, she was giving me a time frame.

Jade spoke again as I was lost in thought, "In that time, we can work on giving you more control over your emotions, and subsequently, your body temperature. I don't know about you, but third-degree burns are kind of a mood killer for me."

I turned my attention back to her, "That freak out I had just before we started dating, you know the one that led to me bursting into flames like what's-his-face from that one superhero movie?" She smirked and nodded, "I burned you?"

"Yeah, I didn't actually notice until I tried to sit up and felt this excruciating pain in my hands. It makes sense though, as hot as your body was at that time."

"Are you saying my body isn't hot any other time?" I teased.

She sighed and shook her head, "You know what, that's exactly what I'm saying."

I stared at her guarded eyes and wondered if I had gone too far. The harmless teasing wasn't anything new for us, but maybe she had gotten tired of it? I was about to apologize when she smiled at me.

"It's not fair, calling you that. If I did, I may as well say there's a bit of sand on the beach, or just a couple drops of water in the ocean. Oh, there's a handful of stars in the sky and a few people in the world. Sure, it's true, but a gross understatement."

I pulled her into a kiss before she could see the ridiculously goofy smile I undoubtedly had on my face. Hearing her thoughts was always an exciting thing, despite the numerous times I'd experienced it before. There was something deeply satisfying about having such a certainty that she was just as attracted to me as I was to her.

I was entirely in her lap by the time things began to heat up – literally and figuratively.

"Tori," she muttered against my lips, "Tori, please, mmph-" she finally turned her head to force us both to stop. She didn't make me move, but she had to take a moment to breathe before she could speak again, "Just over five months, okay? Can you give me that much?"

I tilted her head back up to face me with a finger on her chin, "If I say yes, can I keep kissing you?"

"Tori," she sighed when I wouldn't let her look away. Her eyes met mine and I could begin to feel what she felt – fear. "This... this isn't a new experience for me, but I need you to understand where I'm coming from, okay?"

I smiled and ran my fingers through her hair, "Talk to me. Help me understand."

Jade stopped to get her thoughts together before she spoke, "There's a dangerous cycle with soulmates that we both need to keep in mind. As we get closer, emotionally and physically, we both get stronger. Not only that, but we feed off of each other, too. Being close to you makes me stronger, which makes you stronger, which makes me stronger, and that cycle never really stops. It's slow and subtle but it's always there."

"Why does that scare you?"

"There's always a certain amount of control that's lost in intimacy. I'm afraid one of us may do something of negative consequence."

I kept one hand tangled in her hair as I moved the other to trace down her jawline, "How about...we practice?" She looked back at me, uncertain. "See how far we can go before you feel it slipping, and we stop. Try a little further the next day, and the next, and so on."

"Is this a ploy to get me into your bed faster?"

"You've been in my bed," I reminded her. I gave her a slow, chaste kiss and pulled back, "This is just an effort to make you more comfortable with me."

She stared at me silently, and I knew she could hear my thoughts. I struggled to keep my mind off of what I wanted and prove to her I was willing to wait for her. I wanted her so badly, but I wasn't about to force her.

"I want to do this right," she finally said quietly. "We have no reason to rush into anything. I know you're ready and you don't see a reason to wait, but-"

I stopped her there, "Jade, it's okay. You want to wait, I respect that. I just want to be close to you." I paused and leaned my forehead against hers, "I don't know, it just feels like I can breathe easier when I'm with you."

For the first time, I heard the faintest whisper of a voice in my head without feeling her lips on mine. The words were indecipherable, like a muffled conversation behind a closed door, but I knew the thoughts were hers. I opened my eyes and she gazed back at me with an easy smile. I held her head in my hands and sighed deeply.

A strong gust of wind reminded us the sun had long set and I shivered as the cool air hit me. Only a moment later, I found myself back in my living room. Behind me, Jade sat comfortably on the couch with my book in her hands. I rubbed my face with my hands and tried not to dwell on the mental whiplash she gave me.

"I really do love this book," she closed it and studied the cover, "I suppose it is a little before your time."

I sat next to her and snuggled into her side, "You make yourself sound old as dirt."

She laughed and wrapped her arm around me, "Well, I do have over two and a half centuries on you."

"And here you are dating a kid."

"You're eighteen, that's practically a midlife crisis from my time."

I tilted my head to look at her, "How old were you when you stopped aging?"

My eyes were quickly drawn to her lips as she bit the bottom one in thought, "I believe I was...twenty-two."

"So you're still older than me," I replied as I tried to stay on topic.

She shrugged, "Physically, I'm the same now as I was at eighteen. Besides a few different style choices."

"I can't imagine they had leather jackets back then."

"They certainly wouldn't have been in style if they had. Things like leather and denim, at the time of their creation, were seen as 'lower class' items."

I ran my fingers up and down her denim-clad thigh, "And you were high class?"

"Not exactly," she reached out with her free hand to hold mine against her leg, "I was born into a poor family, but obviously Antonio had a bit more going for him at the time."

"So you were born, not made?" I asked curiously.

"Yes and no. I was born as normal as you were before you met me. Later on in my life was when Antonio found me and gave me my powers."

My brows furrowed, "Is that how Cat got hers?"

"No, Cat was created by someone else. Antonio is a first generation Super, so he's the strongest kind there is. I'm a second generation, since I was directly created by a first generation being, does that make sense?" I nodded and she continued, "Cat is third generation, created by a second generation, which is why her powers are more limited. The pool keeps diluting until there's only a hint of the magic left. Beyond fourth generation, powers just get weaker, rather than having limitations."

"That sounds complicated."

"It's not, I'm just bad at explanations."

I yawned as another sleepless night started to catch up to me. I had no desire for the night to end, and attempted to continue the conversation, "So if Cat is third generation, what's fourth?"

She hesitated, no doubt fighting the urge to tell me to go to bed, then answered, "Third generations are telepathic; their powers are limited by the mind. The other bit about them is that their powers are either physical or mental, and Cat's are mental. Someone with physical abilities can't read minds or project emotions, rather just interact with the world around them. Strength, speed, telekinesis, those sorts of things. Fourth generations are the same, but their powers require some sort of contact, so they're significantly weaker in regards to affecting the world around them."

I held her hand between mine, "So Antonio, being first generation, can do the same things you can, but telepathically?"

"You got it. It's not as complicated as it sounds, honestly."

"I guess it isn't," I relented.

She looked over at me, "If I asked you to go to bed, would you?"

I frowned, "I don't want you to leave."

"Would you if I stayed a while longer?"

"Lay with me?"

She easily slipped out of my grasp and stood up, her hand extended out to me. I took her hand and stood up. "Go on and get ready for bed."

I narrowed my eyes at her skeptically, and she raised a brow in response. After a silent staring contest, I decided to trust her and gave her a quick kiss before heading upstairs.

Less than ten minutes later, I entered my room to find her sitting on the chair at my desk. I made myself comfortable in bed before asking her, "Am I gonna have to beg?"

"Well..."

"Jade."

She smiled and feigned annoyance as she stood up and walked over to my bed. She kicked off her boots and laid her jacket over the back of the chair, "Are you going to behave?"

I groaned and grabbed her arm to pull her down onto the bed, "I already promised you I would, now shut up and cuddle with me."

Jade laughed and made herself comfortable next to me, though on top of the blankets. While not quite what I wanted, I took what I could get and held her close. I laid my head on her shoulder and sighed happily.

"You're gonna be the death of me," she muttered before kissing my forehead.

I smiled and just snuggled closer.

A/N: Still not totally sure if an M rated chapter is in store for this one. There's build up to it but I'm not certain if there's an audience for that, so let me know either way what you think! Hope you guys enjoyed.