Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, nor its characters. If I did, well, what do you want me to say? CADEEVERYWHERE. Yeah. There, I said it.

Oatmeal

With a flick of her wrist, Jade killed the truck's engine, pulling her keys out of the ignition. She grabbed the small paper bag resting on the passenger's seat and slipped out of the vehicle, making her way towards Cat's house, ignoring the car parked outside the usually empty house. Her finger jabbed the doorbell button, a cheerful tune resonating throughout the quiet house. It didn't take long for the door to open and brown eyes greeted her.

However, those were not the warm, chocolate brown eyes she was expecting. Instead, uninterested eyes looked at her almost dumbly while Trina stood there, possibly wondering why Jade wasn't coming in.

"Well? Don't just stand there." The older Vega girl drawled, seemingly annoyed and impatient. Jade scowled at her, brushing past her and into the house.

"What are you doing here?" She asked tactlessly and somewhat rudely. Apparently, everyone and their mothers were hell-bent on interrupting her Cat time. And, although, it did sound rather stupid and selfish, it annoyed her to no end.

Trina scoffed indignantly, flipping her hair and looking at Jade with disdain. "Ask her. She called me," her finger pointed to something behind Jade, and she turned sharply. Cat, having just walked in (almost bumping into Jade, too), stood before her and waved happily.

"You made it!" She seemed relieved to finally have Jade there, the concern she had previously dissipating.

"Of course. You were freaking out." Jade answered sourly, sparing a glance towards the Vega girl, who was currently too busy chatting away on her phone and inspecting her perfectly manicured nails.

"Well, I called Trina because I was scared and you said you'd be here in five minutes..." Cat shuffled her feet sheepishly, looking down at her fidgeting hands before looking up apologetically.

Jade sighed, dismissing the whole situation with a shake of her head. It was frustrating that people wouldn't let them have a moment of peace, but she didn't want to lash out at Cat, who was mostly innocent.

"Yeah, well, I stopped by that ice cream store you like and got you some," she held the paper bag before Cat, pleased at the way her eyes lit up and a wide smile curled her lips, the lone dimple on her left cheek strangely adorable.

"Awh. Thanks, Jade!" Cat grinned even wider, the blush that had stained her cheeks earlier that day, when she had kissed Jade on the cheek, making a reappearance. Jade smiled also, right then, because there was something about Cat that relaxed her face muscles, contorting the usual scowls and frowns into small genuine smiles. It was a strange and mysterious thing. She opened her mouth to say something, but a loud noise interrupted her.

"If that's all you needed, Cat, I'm leaving. I just managed to schedule a midnight elbow bleaching with Zhu Yi," Trina expressed excitedly, squealing and clapping her hands while doing so.

"Yay!" Cat was excited for her.

"Yay." Jade was not. "Now, go."

"Zip it!" Scoffed once more an indignant Trina before she made a move to hug Cat goodbye, the small girl reciprocating the hug warmly. The Vega girl looked down at Cat's feet as they pulled apart.

"Oh, those are cute shoes!"

"Thanks!"

"You know how they'd look even better?"

"No... How?"

"If I were the one wearing th- hey!"

Jade, getting quite fed up with Trina, opened the door and grabbed her arm harshly, pulling her towards the exit and slamming the door behind her. A pleased smirk settled on her face, even with Trina's indignant screeching and Cat's scolding look. She pushed herself off of the door and made her way over to Cat, feeling drawn to the girl, for some reason.

"Hey, I think you were right..." Jade leaned in, as if she were telling a secret, "there may be a psycho outside your house." She joked somewhat lamely, a car door being closed indicating that Trina was finally leaving. Cat laughed, though, shaking her head at Jade's irreparable behaviour, already forgetting Trina and psychopaths and everything else, for that matter. Her hands dug into the paper bag excitedly, fishing out the small container carrying her precious dairy treat.

Meanwhile, Jade watched her, oddly entertained by Cat and her excitement, as always. Her eyes surveyed Cat's hand as it held the plastic spoon, scooping copious amounts of ice cream and transferring the sweet treat to her mouth. They darkened once she caught a glimpse of the girl's tongue, running along her lips and licking away any remnants of ice cream. Jade was transported back to the movie theater, to that moment where they had almost, almost kissed her, the back of hand still burning from Cat's touch back then.

Cat looked up at Jade curiously, since she was now standing in front of the girl, unable to resist the pull. Chocolate brown eyes studied her face for a moment with interest and Jade did nothing to look away or put some distance between them. She should have felt scared that Cat might see, feel whatever was going on inside of her; that she would see the butterflies, but she wasn't. She was sure Cat had felt them and, if their moment at the movies was of any indication, she was probably fighting her own butterfly hordes. Jade had felt their wings fluttering, not just her own. But, if Cat was not going to say anything about it, she wouldn't either. For now, at least.

However, she had no qualms with doing instead of saying. Jade West had always been a girl of actions rather than words.

One more step and Jade was so close to Cat their fronts were almost touching; her hands itched to pull her even closer, but she successfully suppressed that impulse, resting her right hand on Cat's hip instead. The girl stood there, watching her sure moves with interest, not making any move to back away or looking at her strangely, which was reassuring. Jade was determined this time; she wanted this, and she always got what she wanted. Her tongue wet her lips just as Cat swallowed her spoonful of ice cream, wide eyes still studying her innocently, even as Jade leaned in tentatively.

Something was pressed to her chest, though, and made her stop immediately and look down. Jade stared at Cat's hand as it held the small container of ice cream, keeping her form getting any closer. Studded eyebrow raised, Jade looked up once more questioningly, her eyes greeted by the sight of the plastic spoon full of ice cream.

"Did you want some, Jade?" Cat's voice cut through the silence, earnest and innocent. Jade almost felt like kicking something then, too. Maybe Cat didn't know and she was just seeing things she wanted to see. Her insecurities started getting the best of her. She was about to step back when Cat moved even closer, eyes expectant and still innocent because, really, it was hard to picture Cat as being something else apart from innocent, naive and even ignorant sometimes. But there was something else there; something mischievous, playful.

Not quite so innocent, is she?

Was Cat teasing her?

"I don't like strawberry." Jade said a bit awkwardly, because she was sure that Cat was teasing her and she didn't know whether to feel relieved or frustrated by that. She was glad she wasn't delusional, but she didn't like it when people withheld things from her.

Things you want very badly, apparently.

"Try it. Say 'ahh'," Cat's grin widened as she instructed Jade, looking pleased when Jade rolled her eyes and opened her mouth so Cat could feed her. As she had predicted, the strawberry ice cream was far too sweet and overwhelming for her palate (although, not entirely unpleasant), but it was well worth the smile Cat shot her way. It felt rather nice. She felt like a trained dog being handed a treat or getting a pat on the head, although, she would never admit this.

"See? That wasn't so bad!" The redhead giggled, wiping the corner of Jade's lips with her thumb and then pressing it to her lips, sucking the ice cream covered appendage, mischievousness still present in her playful brown eyes. With that, she turned and walked away excitedly.

"Let's go watch cartoons!"

Jade stood there for a second, expression as neutral as ever. The fluttering within her was still going strong, even as she started making her way to Cat's room, where the girl was sitting cross-legged on the pastel pink bed, watching cartoons. She flopped down on the already familiar mattress, feeling annoyed and a bit grumpy, boot-clad feet hanging off of the edge so she wouldn't get Cat's pastel pink comforter dirty. Arm thrown over her eyes, she tried to relax and simply stop thinking, if only for a moment. It was working, too. She felt the tension dissipate, rolling off in waves, but it made her aware of how tired she was after such an eventful day. A lot had happened and sleep seemed very appealing right now.

The soft sounds coming from the television on the wall, along with Cat's occasional giggle, were both soothing as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Some time after, Jade couldn't really tell, she was only semi-aware of what was going on, there was some shuffling on the end of the bed, the weight on it gone for a moment. She distantly heard the sound of drawers being opened and clothes rustling. The television volume was lowered, lights turned off, and, suddenly, something was pulling her feet onto a soft lap. Her laces were untied and the heavy boots pulled off, feet pushed onto the mattress now for maximum comfort.

The mattress dipped under the girl's weight as she settled by her side on the bed. The comforter was pulled over the both of them, something Jade was unconsciously grateful for because the room was cold, and a warm body pressed against her side, Cat's arm wrapped loosely around her waist.

Jade shifted and stirred a bit at the presence, the arm that had previously covered her eyes settling down upon the intruder that lay to rest on across her stomach. She was vaguely aware, but still aware, of the pair of soft lips pressing against her cheek lightly, followed by the girl nuzzling her neck before sleep overtook her, being a heavy sleeper, and everything went black.

"Jade..."

"No."

The girl turned on the bed grumpily. She did not like it when her sleep was interrupted. The voice, however, was incessant and unmerciful.

"Jade. You have to get up or we'll be late." The voice said as hands shook her shoulder gently. "Come on. I have coffee?..."

"Ugh," was Jade's very coherent response, the promise of coffee much too attractive to her at this ungodly hour. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Six-thirty, silly!"

As much as Jade appreciated Cat and her 'Catness', she felt like strangling the girl sometimes.

"Why?" Was the only thing she could ask. She usually woke up twenty minutes before class. She was missing out on an hour of sleep because of Cat.

"Because I made you something," the redhead, already wearing a short -much too short- light blue dress and completely ready for school and whatever adventures it held, smiled at her bashfully.

"Hm, okay." Jade turned away, mostly because it was far too early to be checking her out so blatantly, eh?

Grunting and groaning, the girl got out of bed, running a hang through her messy dark hair and yawning. Cat giggled and ran off, letting Jade have her privacy so she could get ready and all. Which she did quite quickly and efficiently, getting a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt from a drawer Cat had specifically assigned as hers.

"You stay a lot here, so you need clothes." Had been her logic and, Jade had to admit, it was practical.

Once her clothes were on, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, fix her hair as best as she could and apply her make up. Her morning ritual didn't take long and, once ready, Jade walked out of the room, following the sweet smell of coffee along the long hallways. She found Cat in the spacious kitchen, pouring hot coffee into a big mug. Jade leaned against the counter behind Cat, the girl seemingly unaware of her presence, and studied her, chin resting on her hand, boring expression settling almost naturally on her face.

She let her eyes roam freely this time, however, knowing that Cat didn't know she was there was mildly comforting. And off they went, along the girl's shoulders (partially covered by her loose bright red hair), down the curve of her spine, her backside (her eyes lingered a bit more than they should have on that specific area), and down her legs, where the short - much, much too short - dress ended, giving way to toned thighs and calves. Jade decided, right then and there, that Cat was an outstandingly attractive individual. She was so focused on her new discovery, that she failed to notice when Cat turned to her, hands holding two steaming bowls.

Jade West was not a lot of things; especially, subtle. Cat's somewhat pleased and mischievous smile let her know this. She knew.

Discretion. Do you know what that is?

Jade smiled back slightly, please that Cat was pleased at her... well, at her 'Jadeness' and lack of subtlety. The girl shook her head, amused, setting down the bowls on the breakfast counter. Jade surveyed their contents. Oatmeal. She wasn't a fan of it, but she didn't mind. Lately, she didn't mind doing a lot of things just to please Cat. It was strange, but, strangely, she decided that she didn't mind either. Cat set the coffee mug beside Jade's hand, winking playfully at Jade's eternally grateful look, walking to the fridge to get some orange juice for herself. And, when Cat settled on the chair beside her, she watched her, too. Smoky green eyes studied Cat closely as she scooped a bit of oatmeal, blowing lightly on it before shoving the spoon into her mouth. It was all a very familiar scene. Cat's eyes met hers, as she daintily ate more oatmeal, and Jade averted her eyes, the sweet aroma reminding her that she also had to eat her own oatmeal.

She dove in right away, savouring the sweet nourishment. Cat was looking at her while she did so this time, in an interesting turn of tables. Jade did her best to ignore her, looking bored and completely emotionless as she ate her oatmeal. Minus the tiny smile threatening to crack her mask. She turned to Cat, the girl grinning widely now. Even if she could be naive, she was very intuitive, and she knew Jade well.

Jade rolled her eyes, trying in vain to suppress a smile, the redhead's smile widening in return, spoon full of oatmeal hovering by her lips as she licked them.

"I love oatmeal."

"Yeah. I don't hate it."

"I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine! I got a love and I know that it's all mine! Oh, oh, oh!" Cat was singing passionately, dancing as much as the limited space within Jade's car allowed her.

Jade chuckled at the spectacle and rolled her eyes, amused but still enraptured by the girl's powerful voice. There was just something about Cat's voice that, even before her feelings her were that kind of feelings, it did things to her.

"Wish that you could, but you ain't gonna own me! Do anything you can to control me. Oh, oh, no!"

"Take me away! A secret place! A sweet escape, take me away!"

Cat gave Jade a pleased look as she joined her singing, but soon recovered and sang with even more vigor than before. Jade tried her best to remember most of the lines and keep up with Cat, fairing quite well with her own strong voice, chuckling in return when Cat laughed whenever she messed up the lyrics.

"I didn't know you liked this song!" Cat said amidst her fit of giggles, probably thinking that this was a weird song for Jade West to be singing.

Jade smiled and shrugged. She didn't hate it.

Despite Cat waking her at a horrible and ungodly hour, they barely made it to school before the bell rang. The whole gang was already at Tori's locker, talking animatedly and waving at the both them as they neared. Cat immediately went over to Tori and Andre while Jade leaned up against the lockers, taking her beside Beck.

"Hey," he nodded, smiling warmly at her and she returned the gesture, running a hand through her hair and sighing tiredly.

"Busy night, eh?" Beck said then, making Jade stop what she was doing and turn to him, studded eyebrow raised in surprise and curiosity as to what exactly he meant. Or, rather, why he said it the way he did. His eyes weren't even on her, instead resting on Cat's back as she giggled at something Andre said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jade said sharply, although, not as sharply as she would have. However, the moment the words came out, Beck laughed out loud, quite amused. Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to not punch Beck in the face for teasing her. That did little to hold back the very faint blush on her pale cheeks, which, in turn, made Beck laugh even harder.

"What's so funny?" Tori asked, Andre nodding silently behind her.

"Nothing." Both Beck and Jade said, her voice cold while Beck was still chuckling.

Everyone's starting to hear the butterflies.

That thought was interrupted by the bell ringing and Jade took full advantage of it, turning and heading over to Sikowitz's classroom without saying a word. The whole group followed behind her, all chatting and laughing, shuffling over to their corresponding seats. Jade took hers in the back, Cat sitting by her side as she had for the past couple of months. A hand settled upon hers and Jade didn't turn to look at Cat, but she gave no indication that it bothered her, so the hand remained where it was, gently toying with Jade's hand, thumb gently drawing circles across its back.

"Okay!" Sikowitz made his appearance, looking as odd as ever. "You all rehearsed your scenes?" He clapped his hands excitedly when most people in the room nodded. "Excellent! We will be trying something new today."

"Something new, like?" Andre asked curiously, because, well, Sikowitz was just too spontaneous sometimes.

The man pointed at Andre, speaking just as happily. "Very glad you asked that! Now, I gave everyone a scene, right? Right. But I didn't just give out scenes randomly. We will combine them!" He laced his fingers for emphasis.

"So, wait, you made some of us rehearse some scenes by ourselves, but we still have to do them in a group?" Beck inquired and everyone consented with his logic. "Wouldn't it have been better to practice together from the start?"

"Yes! And, probably, but you also must be prepared for the unexpected! You need to know how to adapt your performance and mold it to that of your acting partner or partners. Especially, when it has a certain theme."

"Oh, you mean romance?" The next person who spoke was Tori, Cat nodding as she seemed to figure out Sikowitz's purpose to this exercise. They had been the only ones who had been assigned to do a scene together from the start.

"Not only romance, but everything it encompasses. Love. Courtship. Lust. Jealousy. Passion!" The last word being practically shouted excitedly at Tori's face, the Vega girl backing away as Sikowitz once more forgot about personal space and boundaries. He shuffled away and took place in front of the class. "We've never really hit these 'themes' as hard as we should. And it's nice to have an idea as to what you're going for, rather than improvising all the time. Besides... romantic scenes are some the hardest, eh?"

No one argued with that logic and Sikowitz took that as a sign to start the exercise. "Excellent! First, we have... Cat and Tori! Step up, ladies."

Both girls did as instructed, Cat letting go of Jade's hand (she tried not to feel disappointed) and joining Tori in the small 'stage' in front of the class.

"A Married Woman Being Tempted By A Man To Get Involved In A Romantic Affair." The very animated teacher wiggled his eyebrows. "Betrayal. Temptation. Passion! I want to see it! Action!"

Cat turned towards the audience, immediately getting into character, Tori standing behind her and following her lead, both looking solemn and insecure.

"No, Jake. I... I can't." Cat shook her head, delivering the first line, arms crossing over her chest as she hugged herself for support, distraught and heartbroken.

"But, Rachel, you can't be serious," Tori said in a deep voice, a hand reaching out for Cat, the red-haired girl flinching away from the touch as it settled upon her shoulder. The hand then gripped her firmly and turned her halfway, Tori stepping forth so their sides would be facing the audience. "You can't tell me that it meant nothing!" She begged.

Cat looked away, lips pursed together, words coming out sharp and cold.

"I have a husband, Jake. I have a son." She turned to Tori, expression softening and voice becoming warmer. Her hand then cupped Tori's cheek, thumb stroking it softly. "It did mean something. You know it did..."

"Then, why? Why can't we?" The Vega girl leaned in, wrapping her arms around Cat's waist and pulling her close.

"My family means something to me, too," Cat whispered, her own voice pleading this time. Her hands came atop Tori's chest, trying in vain to push her away. It was a weak try, though, and Tori kept her hold firm, pulling her even closer.

"I could mean just as much to you... if you let me." The taller girl said in a deep, low whisper, leaning in and finally closing the small gap that separated them, lips pressing against Cat's. A couple of gasps were heard across the classroom, surprised faces all around. Jade stared at the joined lips of the two girls incredulously, expression unwavering, but she felt the intense and familiar heat of jealousy boiling within her, threatening to spill and create a mess.

Sikowitz, who had been studying the performance, looking quite pleased, stood up and put up his hands.

"Freeze!" Everyone in the room froze, highly anticipating what was about to come with bated breath. Even Cat and Tori, who were still kissing, stopped moving and looked at Sikowitz from the corner of their eyes awkwardly.

"Cue Jealous Husband Who Catches His Wife In the Arms of Another."

Jade's chair screeched and tumbled to the floor as she stood up abruptly, following Sikowitz's cue.

"And... action!"

Author's Note: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. I hate them, but it was necessary. Otherwise, I would've ended up with a small novel instead of a chapter...

Now, I'm sorry for any typos and whatnot, as always. My Engrish is quite mean to me, and I wrote the first half of this chapter while studying for a test (trying to be a good role-model and set a good example) and the other half while I was feverish and very, very sick. So, it was, overall, not a very fun experience. I hope you all enjoy it, though. It'd make me so very happy. :D

Also, before I watched Who Did It To Trina?, I had already decided that I would incorporate oatmeal into the chapter and try to make it sexy, because I was eating oatmeal while I thought about it. But, after I watched the episode and saw the bit where Cat goes, "Can I have some oatmeal?" and Jade says, "No!"... I knew it was fate.

Anyway, you all know what to do. I want you to grab your newly equipped review-whips and do that thing in that video I sent you.

Yeah, that thing. Where I put on that costume and you use the whip and w-

Oh, you didn't watch the video I sent you?

Oh, it was inappropriate of me to do so?

Well, you should still check that video out and think about it. You know where to find me.

Underneath the bridge, asking for spare change and reviews.

Note: I would like to give a little shout out to xHeSaidSheSaidx for taking the time to write up a really nice and long as hell review. I love you. :D

Edit: I wrote "Jori's locker", for some stupid reason, and I HAD fixed it but I forgot to save it, so I had to fix the typos all over again and it was already 8am and I missed that one. Fixed it. At least, my typos are somewhat entertaining...

I also forgot to thank you all for the Alerts, Favourites and Reviews. It's insane and I love y'all and I'm glad you all enjoy it. -Heart.-