Sorry it's been a while since I updated! I was trying to figure out the pacing and how quickly I wanted the major plot points to happen. But I'm back now and I hope you'll like this update!

xxx

After Jade was finished getting dressed, she had a good, long look at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was obvious she had been crying, but the dark circles under her eyes weren't quite a visible as they were the night before. She huffed and splashed some water onto her face, then dried it off and went to meet Tori downstairs.

Tori was already there, getting the stove ready to cook some breakfast. She glanced up when Jade got to the bottom of the stairs. "Hi."

"Hey."

Tori looked a little closer at her friend and sighed. Jade's guard was back up again, and most of that probably had to do with the fact she back in her elements, aka her own clothes. "So, what are your plans for the day?"

Jade smirked, her typical self coming out again. "Oh you know, stealing candy from babies, the usual."

Tori laughed and shook her head fondly. "Well, does the baby torturer want cheese in her eggs?"

"Yeah, sure." Jade sat on the stool next to the counter and leaned forward on her arms. "What are your plans, Vega?"

"Same as you," Tori deadpanned, a twinkle shining in her eye. "Wanna go to the park and do it together?"

Jade tilted her head and squinted. She didn't believe Tori's apparent motive for a second. "You just don't want me to be alone, do you?"

Tori merely tended to the eggs that were still in the frying pan.

"Tori," Jade emphasized, her tone serious, but not harsh.

Tori sighed, then flipped the eggs onto a plate and turned the stove off. "You're right, I don't want you to be alone right now, you don't deserve that. But... I know there's no point in ever trying to tell you what to do."

"You're right, you can't tell me what to do." Jade's expression softened when Tori set the plate of food in front of her. "But I know you care about me-"

"I do," Tori confirmed, nodding slightly.

"-so for that I won't kill you for doubting me."

Tori sat on the stool next to her friend and looked her in the eyes. "I don't doubt you, Jade. And this has nothing to do with not trusting you either. I just... You deserve better, someone to look out for you, you know?"

Jade pressed her lips into a thin line. Nobody else she knew had the guts to speak to her like this. Nobody would dare imply that she needed anyone other than herself. ... She respected Tori for speaking her mind. "And you decided that you were going to be the one to look out for me?"

Tori shrugged before she took a bite of her eggs. "Sure, why not?"

Jade was caught off guard. Tori was being very stubborn about this whole situation, which wasn't unusual, but she never was this passionate about something being a certain way. "You... So..." Jade huffed. She couldn't believe Tori Vega was winning her over. "What are your actual plans for today?"

Tori grinned at Jade's mild scowl. "Cat's coming over later. Her parents are out of town taking care of her brother and she wanted some company."

Jade's jaw slackened when she heard Cat's name. They had been best friends for a long time, and although she had never admitted it out loud, she had a soft spot for the redhead.

"Do you want to-"

"Yes. I mean..." Jade laughed at shook her head. For whatever reason, Tori had a way of winning her over. "Yeah, sure, whatever, I'll stay a little longer."

"Good." Tori broke eye contact and smirked mischievously. "Because I already told Cat she'd get to hang out with both of us today."

Jade sighed loudly as she twirled a fork in her hand. "You are so annoying sometimes, Vega..."

"And yet you love me anyway," Tori joked before she finished off her food and slid off her chair.

The corner of Jade's mouth twitched upward for a moment before she realized what had happened and quickly put a stop to it. "Yeah right, you wish."

"Mhm," Tori hummed, not believing her for a second. "Anyway, Cat will be here in about an hour, her Nona is dropping her off. Is there anything you wanna... talk about before then?"

Jade almost choked on her eggs. Was Tori ever going to let her know peace again? "Why, are you backing out from our 'stealing candy from babies' plan?" she quipped, using all the skills she learned from Sikowitz to keep her voice clear and steady. She didn't understand why it was getting so hard to hide this from Tori. But she also didn't understand why Tori wouldn't let this go.

"What? We never actually-" The two friends' attention was suddenly drawn to the front door when it burst open.

"Hiii!"

Jade almost sighed a sigh of relief. Cat would be a good distraction for at least a few hours. "Hey, Cat."

Tori glanced over at Jade. She seemed happy enough to see Cat so she decided to cut her some slack. "Uh, Cat, you're... early."

Cat closed the door and practically bounded up to Tori. "Sorry! I was just so excited and I didn't want to wait anymore!" She randomly grimaced. "And it's boring at Nona's house sometimes."

Tori smiled softly. Cat's energy level was always a force to be reckoned with. "Okay, Cat."

"Oh, Jade!" Cat leaped up and wrapped her arms around her best friend in a quick hug. She then frowned as she looked at Jade's face. "You look tired..."

Jade almost winced. If even Cat could tell something was up, she really must be losing her touch. "I'm alright, Kitty, I just stayed up late writing a new play," Jade reassured, ruffling Cat's hair, which she knew she liked.

Tori gave her a look.

"Oh, okay! What's it about?" Cat asked genuinely interested in almost everything Jade wrote, even if it sometimes was too scary.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Jade deadpanned, looking Cat straight in the eye.

Cat squeaked out of fear, making Tori step in to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, she's just kidding." Tori raised an eyebrow at the Goth. "Right?"

Jade huffed, but once she looked at Cat's face again, she conceded. "Right."

Cat's face lit back up as if nothing happened. "Okay, so, what's are we gonna do today?"

Tori looked at Jade again, then got an idea. "Hey, Cat, I have a coloring book on that shelf over there, and I think maybe some crayons..."

"Yay, crayons!" Cat shouted excitedly as she ran over to the shelf.

Jade began to follow Cat but Tori grabbed her arm. She looked up and met Tori's gaze, ready to tell her off, but never had the change.

"Come to the kitchen with me, we need to discuss something," Tori practically demanded before she let go of her arm. She turned and began walking away as Jade watched her, surprised.

Tori really had grown a backbone.

"You can't tell me what to do...," Jade grumbled, following her regardless.

Tori smirked over her shoulder, then as they stopped in the kitchen her expression turned serious. "Why weren't you honest with Cat? Does she not know about your dad and your plays?"

Jade looked at Cat, who was happily coloring a picture of a tiger without a care in the world. "She's so innocent, Tori..." Her head bowed. "I don't... want to scare her..."

Tori gently lifted Jade's chin with two fingers before she pulled away and crossed her arms. "Cat's your best friend. I know how much you care about her, and it's obvious she cares about you too. You shouldn't feel like you have to hide from her."

Jade swallowed hard. Cat's innocence was something she never wanted to be responsible for taking away. Some time in their years of being friends, best friends, she had taken it upon herself to protect Cat.

"Jade." Tori placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Cat is a strong girl. You don't need to lie in order to protect her."

The Goth didn't move. Tori was probably right but she wasn't ready to let Cat in. "We should go back to her; she's going to notice we're gone eventually."

Tori nodded once. "Okay..." They turned to walk back, Tori bumping against Jade's shoulder comfortingly.

Cat looked when they returned and smiled brightly. "Look! I colored my tiger purple! That doesn't happen in nature!"

Jade smiled fondly and sat on the floor next to her favorite perky redhead. "That's great, Cat."

"You wanna color with me?" Cat asked, looking at her two best friends.

Jade randomly leaned over and softly kissed Cat's temple, earning a surprised squeal. "Never change, baby girl."