Once everything settled down and the others stopped trying to butt in, Cat examined Tori and then jotted down notes. She was stable enough for now but would need more blood soon. Jade and Cat worked together to clean her up and get her one of Jade's shirts to wear. While they worked Cat gently tried to get Jade to explain what happened. It took a lot of encouragement but eventually Cat received the whole story from her. She was happy they knew of each other's feelings now but worried about Tori's condition. For now all they could do was wait.
"Cat," Jade's raspy voice called to her before she could leave.
"Yeah?" she replied, turning back around to look at Jade who sat by Tori with a sagging posture. She knew Jade was wracked with guilt and disappointment. When she even glanced at Tori it worsened. Cat wouldn't be surprised if the vampire loved their most recent recruit.
"Thank you, for everything," Jade said. Her sincerity brought a smile to Cat's face. She didn't have to ask Jade what she was thanking her for. During their time trying to get to know each other Cat became very good at reading Jade because asking her would yield no answers. She was thanking Cat for simply being there, for putting up with her, for doing what she had to without all the questions, and most importantly for being her friend.
"No problem," Cat replied with a nod. Jade returned it and Cat left the room, making it her duty to inform the guys of what happened so that Jade didn't have to. After all, no one was stepping foot in the room until help arrived. Peter was the only person they could trust when it came to the injuries and wounds they received while out hunting. No one wanted anything to do with vampires but he sought to put his abilities to use ever since he was attacked by a vampire. They saved him just in time and he repaid them by offering his services. He also gave them a discount compared to the fortune they would have to pay if they had gone into the hospital. They would only take that option if one of them was gravely injured and close to death. So, when Peter arrived, Jade naturally asked a thousand questions about what he was going to do and how Tori was doing so far. He made his analysis and came to the same conclusion as Cat. He then began to prep for the blood transfusion.
Jade stayed rooted by Tori's side the whole time. She refused to move or leave, even when Peter asked her if the fresh blood would bother her. She just gave him a glare which told him that he should continue and not ask anymore stupid questions. After the IV was properly set up he was offered some food and relaxation. He didn't want to leave until Tori was completely stable. Jade thanked him for the help and then laid down next to Tori after cleaning herself up. She occasionally brushed a hand through Tori's hair or traced her defined features. Eventually she simply lied next to Tori, her arm draped over her middle. Almost two hours had passed and Jade was getting antsy. She monitored Tori's breathing as well as her heart and heard that both were a lot stronger than they had been before, but she still hadn't woken up. Jade waited as patiently as she could before gently taking Tori's face in her hands and pressing their lips together.
"Please wake up. You're killing me here, Vega," she whispered.
"So impatient," Tori muttered in return, her voice worn and her eyes barely opening. Jade pulled away with a grin of relief.
"How are you feeling?" she responded.
"Groggy. Everything is moving so slow and I'm really tired," Tori answered.
"Rest then. I'll bring you something later so you can eat," Jade suggested, leaning in to kiss her nose. Tori scrunched it but smiled.
"Wow, I must have woken up in the Twilight Zone or something. You're so affectionate," Tori commented playfully.
"You deserve better after what I did to you," Jade mumbled shamefully. Tori gripped Jade's hand, bringing her averted gaze back to her.
"Don't blame yourself. The fault was mine. I tempted you to prove you had control over your hunger. I'll admit it was a stupid idea, but I still proved it," she explained.
"Why couldn't it be tested out on Beck or something? That way it's less dangerous," Jade countered. Tori raised a brow.
"Well, less dangerous for you," Jade corrected with a shrug.
"It might not have worked the same," Tori said with a shake of her head.
"Why not?" Jade inquired. Tori blushed lightly, having gotten enough blood in her system to do so now. Jade was happy to see it.
"I, um, I figured it was guaranteed to work because I thought you…I thought we...you know, had something," Tori tried to explain around her shyness. Jade chuckled and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her lips.
"You weren't wrong," she whispered in Tori's ear. Her blush spread a little but a smile shone on her face.
"Good," she said through the smile. Peter came back in with Cat to check on Tori before declaring her completely stable. He had her finish the second blood pack and left the third with Cat, giving her and Jade a look that said 'just in case'. Both knew he meant for Jade to drink it when the thirst returned. The blend would not satisfy her anymore. She officially overstepped the line she drew a long time ago. Her body craved blood again and nothing else would substitute it. She was now on a full blood diet. She hoped Tori's theory would prove true for the rest of the team because she had no doubt that her desire for blood would be stronger than ever. An hour later Tori was done with the nap she took and wanted to eat. Jade served her food in bed even though Tori claimed she could do it herself. Jade refused so Tori didn't fight, finding the idea of Jade coddling her very endearing.
After she was done eating and comfortably curled into Jade's side her mind was clear enough to notice Jade's drooping eyelids and asked for the time. When she learned it was way past the normal time Jade slept she turned the tables and made the reluctant vampire go to sleep. She had been so worried over Tori that she neglected her own needs. It didn't take too much work though so she was knocked out in the next minute. Tori kissed her forehead and then slipped out of Jade's now slack arms. The stubborn vampire spent most of the time clinging to Tori and didn't let anyone touch her after they were finally allowed to see her. She was free to leave now so she stretched out and left to freshen up. She grabbed something to drink, chatted with everyone for a little bit, and then returned to bed to get in a little more sleep. She told herself she would just take a nap but the next time she woke up she was back in Jade's arms and she was awake.
"Damn, it was only supposed to be a nap," she grumbled. Jade's low gruff laughter met her ears and she smiled.
"Looks like you out slept even me," she commented, kissing Tori's jaw and then tucking her face in the crook of her neck. She loved breathing in Tori's scent. Despite Jade almost draining her dry Tori had no qualms about having her teeth so close again. Honestly, for the most part, Tori tended to forget what Jade was until she did something that reminded her.
"Looks like it," she agreed. The group of hunters decided to spend the day relaxing and just kicking back. They played games of all kinds, watched movies, and loaded up on pizza. They spent the day as if they were a normal group of friends without a care in the world, not a single word about vampires or hunting. But after that day passed they got back to work. Tori began training again, harder than ever. Jade was there helping her every step of the way. Once everyone felt back up to standards they began patrolling again. With their temporary lull in hunting the vampire factions seemed to have gone to war. They were fighting among each other most days. Jade figured it to be a territorial disagreement. They planned to catch them off guard while they fought each other so they geared up and headed out for a night of vampire slaying.
"It should be like shooting fish in a barrel," Andre remarked from the passenger seat while loading his shotgun. Beck nodded, taking a turn into the warring side of town. Jade sat in the back with Tori between her and Robbie. She held Tori's hand in her own and massaged her palm every once in a while. Tori rested her head on Jade's shoulder with a perpetual smile on her face. When they reached their destination they parked and got out. They adjusted their high collared jackets and held their weapons at the ready. Everyone but Jade had light armor on. They moved as a unit and didn't separate. They took out a good handful before the vampires began to swarm. They fought in the general vicinity of each other and made sure they weren't split up at any point. Ash coated the ground and blew through the air with each kill. The number of vampires began to dwindle and then scattered when a new faction showed up. Their fancy suits, bowler hats, and high class attitude instantly labeled them as The Gents. Jade froze when she saw them, a snarl tearing at her throat. The hunters gathered close together, knowing that what they were up against now required a little more skill to defeat.
"Brendon Reinhardt," Jade stated, venom dripping off the name. It left a bitter taste in her mouth just saying it.
"Jade West, funny meeting you here," he replied with a fake amiable smile. She knew now no one could trust him, not even his own members. They were foolish to follow him. She didn't even bother replying so he continued.
"Have you reconsidered my offer?" he inquired.
"Fuck your offer. I rejected you when I was first turned and you expect me to change my mind now that I know for sure I hate you and all your kind? I'm a fucking hunter you arrogant, pompous, prick!" Jade spat at him, baring her teeth in rage. He chuckled and leaned on his cane.
"Oh Jade, Jade, Jade. You poor misguided girl. You haven't realized yet that you picked the wrong side," he tsked. Tori laid a calming hand on Jade's arm and her building growl quieted. Tori was right, she couldn't let him get to her. That was what he wanted, to make her lose focus.
"Ok then. Boys? Dinner time," he stated, gesturing for the group behind him to go forth. They eagerly scattered, targeting other vampires as well as humans they caught or dragged from their homes. There was no hiding from them. Jade advanced while the others took to eliminating whoever they could. She squared off with five Gents, holding up her fists and crouching. They mirrored her stance. They stayed that way a few seconds more before one charged at her. She dodged his swing, punched him, caught his next swing, flipped him around, and pulled back on his neck to break it. She dropped the body to block a hit from another one of them and then spun into a kick to knock him off his feet. She then held them both down and beheaded them. She could practically feel Reinhardt studying her as she fought. She glanced behind her to see he was idly sitting on the roof of a car. Jade spun back around to catch a fist from her next attacker, yanking down to jump up and knee another who had advanced in the face. He fell back, giving her time to snap the neck of the one she held and then take out the one she had knocked back. Another tried to kick her and she grabbed his foot to toss him to the ground. He fell flat on his back and she staked his heart. She scanned her surroundings briefly to check on the others.
Each were dealing with two or three of their own but they were all doing fine keeping them back. She managed a dodge when another opponent stepped up to hit her while she was supposedly distracted. He spun from the force of his misplaced blow and tried to hit her with his other fist but she blocked, kicked him in the face, and then followed up with a heavy heeled boot to the jaw at an angle that snapped his neck. Beck looked up from a recent kill and then ran over to turn the paralyzed vampires to ash before they could get up again. He gave her a nod and thumbs up before running off into battle. She watched him go and then set her sights on Reinhardt. She ran straight for him but another Gent jumped over the car he sat on to land in front of her. His hands sparked with some kind of electrical device. She dodged the fast paced blows but some came through to zap her. It was annoying at best and she quickly tore off his head. She screamed a war cry and leaped at Reinhardt but he jumped over her by flipping off her shoulders before she could rip him apart. He upset her footing so that she collided with the car, smashing the door in. She snarled and flipped it over in her fury then turned to face him again. Her fierce features fell into one of fear when she saw that he held Tori captive.
"Ooh, it seems I found a weakness. Naughty Jade, what did I tell you about those?" he taunted with a laugh. Tori struggled in his hold, trying hard to get loose. Jade took a step forward but he pricked her neck with a sharp nail. Tori cringed at the unexpected pain but was otherwise unaffected.
"If you hurt her…" Jade warned him. He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"You'll what?" he responded, uncaring. Jade began advancing toward him again, glaring daggers. Tori shifted uncomfortably under the look. She was ready to kill and Tori was glad she wasn't the target.
"Not another step," he cautioned. Jade kept going and Reinhardt hissed. He raised his hand to strike a fatal blow but Jade suddenly shot forward like a bullet and forcefully parted them. Tori hit the ground and rolled, only sustaining a sore shoulder. Reinhardt was tossed further and Jade was on him as soon as he landed. They tussled and snarled like wild animals, drawing blood in a flurry of teeth and nails creating deep gashes and puncture wounds. Tori rushed to help, drawing her weapon, but Beck came out of nowhere and held her back.
"No, she wants to fight this battle on her own. If you get in the middle and end up hurt, or worse, it'll hurt Jade more than anything else could," he reminded her. He pulled her away and they regrouped with Andre and Robbie to help take care of the rest of The Gents. Reinhardt slammed Jade into the ground and held her by the throat. They were both smeared in each other's blood but their healing ensured that there wasn't any lasting damage. She gripped his arm and smashed it, shattering it so that she could get out from under him. He screamed in pain and tried to hit her with his other fist but she dodged and head butted him, swinging around to knock him down with a roundhouse kick. He snapped his arm back into place and jumped at her. She easily halted his attack and locked him in her arms with some well-placed maneuvers. She prepared to tear his head clean off when Tori's sudden cry of pain instantly snapped her out of her murderous haze.
She glanced up just in time to see a Gent smash his fist into her ribs. She fell over and he lunged at her, but she didn't get to see Andre taking him out because Reinhardt tossed her off him, hanging onto her arm so that it was twisted backwards. He snapped it and relished her scream then sent a powerful kick into her side, shattering more bones. She hit the ground hard and struggled to get up. He grabbed her by the neck and forced her up. When he let her go to take a hold of her jacket she was swaying but she still had the will to jab into his side, her nails burrowing into him to grip at his spinal cord. He retaliated by striking at her neck, nails digging in to sever the artery. She gasped and gagged on the blood overflow, releasing him to grip at her neck in an effort to keep from bleeding out in time to heal. Reinhardt smirked then whistled a signal. One of the remaining Gents heard, located his fallen cane, and returned it to him.
"Finally, I have you right where I want you," he hissed gleefully. He smacked Jade across the face so hard she stumbled and fell to her knees. He then pulled apart the cane to reveal a sword hidden inside. He raised it with a cackle and brought it down to drive the point through her heart, but a bullet flew through the air and caught him right in his own heart. His aim faltered and the sword impaled Jade slightly to the left. The force of the blade's descent pinned her to the ground behind her while Reinhardt tumbled to his knees, his body already crumbling to ash. Jade caught sight of his angry yet pained expression before he was nothing but a pile of ashes.
She watched the wind blow it away and then fell back, sliding down the blade to rest on the ground. She winced in an effort to move but she couldn't get up. She lost too much blood and even now she didn't have enough to finish the healing process at her neck. She choked on air and tried to see through her darkening vision. She heard frightened shouts as the remaining Gents fled now that their leader was gone. Tori had been the one to fire the shot that put an end to Reinhardt. With no one to stop her this time she made the choice to interfere. With him out of the way she ran to Jade and fell to her knees next to her.
"Oh God, Jade," she whispered, gripping the handle of the blade and pulling with everything she had to free it from the asphalt it was wedged in. It pulled loose and slid back out of Jade who cringed in discomfort. She still had a hand on her neck where a small amount of blood was seeping through. It was almost healed but the loss of blood slowed the process until it had come to a halt. She coughed and fought to stay conscious now that Tori was leaning over her. She set the sword aside and pulled Jade onto her lap.
"H-here, take some from me," she begged, raising Jade's mouth to her neck. She turned away and closed her eyes.
"No, I can't," she refused. Tori grabbed Jade's hand and set it on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and then used Jade's razor sharp nails to cut into herself. Jade's hand suddenly came alive under hers, pulling her down now that she could smell the blood. She bit down and drank greedily. She managed to sit up so that she was the one holding Tori now. Her nails dragged over her back in her tight grip and the hand at her chin held her steady. All Tori had to do was hold on and hope she would stop in time.
"Hey!" Beck screamed, trying to get Jade's attention before she really did drink her dry this time. When Jade dropped Tori and turned on him with an angry hiss he knew he was dealing with Jade's feral side. Her bright blue eyes locked on him and then she was charging. She slammed into him and sunk her teeth in his neck. Both Andre and Robbie rushed over to stop her. She wasn't at all gentle with Beck like she was with Tori. Her subconscious didn't associate that way with him. Robbie shot a silver dart at her and she snarled at the burn traveling through her veins, yanking it out a moment later. It wasn't strong enough to kill her but now she was pissed. She dropped Beck and turned on them. They ran off in two different directions but Jade was quicker. She snagged Robbie first, since he was the slowest, hauled him clear off the ground, and tossed him at Andre.
A nearby hidden vampire saw them take a tumble and tried to get in a bite but Jade tackled him, slamming him into the building behind him to pummel him to a pulp for attempting to take her kill. She tore him to pieces with her bare hands for good measure and then resumed hunting Andre and Robbie. They scrambled to their feet in an attempt to get away but she was already on them. She shoved Robbie on the ground by jumping on his back and then caught Andre around the ankle before he could get too far. With a twist she broke it, keeping him from getting far even if he tried to escape. He screamed and shakily looked for more silver darts. She had trained herself to have a tolerance for them. Two was enough but they stopped there, not knowing what three would do. He didn't want to get that close but he knew she would have wanted them to kill her before she killed them. They talked about that possibility all too often.
"Sorry, Jade," he grunted, jamming the dart between her shoulder blades right after she bit into Robbie's shoulder. She snarled and clawed at her back, dislodging it. Her inhuman screams slowly became her own again. She stumbled to the side and then fell over, her poisoned veins prominent on her pale skin. She stayed on her hands and knees, her body shuddering. Andre could see she was trying to fight it but it overcame her. She blacked out, falling on her side. Her breaths were irregular until eventually she fell silent. This was what worried Andre. A knocked out vampire looked like a dead human, but as long as she wasn't crumbling into ash then she would be fine. He had to keep that in mind. He got to his feet and hobbled over to Robbie. He was already pressing a cloth to the bite and fixing his glasses properly on his nose.
"Holy hell, I never knew she could bite that hard," he commented, shivering at the thought of her draining him had she been on him any longer.
"You ok though?" Andre asked him. He nodded and got to his feet, walking over to check on Beck. He was more dazed than anything so Robbie just guided his hand to hold another cloth to his neck. Andre half hopped, half dragged himself over to Tori. She was lying on her back, blood staining the ground around her. He got there just as Robbie pulled out another cloth to press to her wound. She was breathing steadily enough but her face showed her distress. Andre had seen the blow she took to the ribs and lifted her shirt enough to see a huge bruise forming. He winced and dropped her shirt.
"We have to get out of here," he said. At that moment Beck wandered over to them.
"And we have to do it without help for now. We still need to take Jade with us and even if we called up Peter he would need help, but no one wants to be near a vampire no matter how wounded it is," he mumbled.
"Shoot," Robbie muttered under his breath. A warm hand found his and he jumped but realized it was just Tori. She took over for him, holding the blood soaked cloth.
"Where is she?" she questioned groggily.
"She's fine. I had to take her down with silver," Andre answered, patting her leg.
"Are you sure she'll be fine?" she asked next. Their hearts went out to Tori at that moment. She was clearly in love with the dangerous vampire. Even after all this she still worried about her.
"Yeah, she'll be fine. I'll get her and we can get out of here," Beck spoke up. He tied the cloth in place to free his hands and then rose to get Jade. When he picked her up she blindly swatted at him but fell still soon after, whimpering Tori's name before falling under again. He threw her over his shoulder and then returned to the other three who were trying to use each other for balance. Tori was too out of it to stand properly and Andre only had one foot to use. Robbie was just plain weak to hold them both up.
"Rob, either you carry Jade or you guys will have to wait here while I bring the car around for you," Beck told them.
"Yeah, I like the second one better," Robbie answered, not wanting to be left with Jade. The others nodded too and then they all sat down heavily to wait it out. Beck left as quickly as he could to get the car. He slipped Jade in the passenger seat and got in. He drove it over to the others and they piled in, leaning on each other after they got situated. The drive back to HQ was silent. Beck kept himself alert with some music while Andre laid his head back and tried to think about anything other than the stinging pain in his leg. Robbie just stared out of the window while Jade and Tori were the only ones unconscious. Both of them would occasionally mumble the other's name, bringing a smile to the three friend's lips. They pulled into the garage ten minutes later. Robbie helped Andre out while Beck helped Tori. He came back for Jade and leaned in to pick her up when she growled and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. His hand shot out to grab her by the neck in an effort to keep her teeth away, but when she saw him her eyes cleared and she relaxed, releasing him. He let her go too and stood straight with a sigh.
"Sorry," he exhaled tiredly.
"No, I am. I don't remember much but I know I attacked you guys," she muttered, her voice monotone. She looked down to avoid his eyes but he reached over and made her look at him. The silver was starting to dissipate so her veins weren't as noticeable.
"Jade, we all knew the dangers of this when we started. We're your friends and nothing you do will change that. We only have each other," he told her sincerely. Tears gathered in her eyes and Beck wordlessly pulled her into a hug. She held him for a moment and then pushed him away so she could get out by herself. She dragged her body to her room to see that Beck had placed Tori on her bed. She froze at the sight of her and let the shame filled tears fall again.
"She trusts you, you know. I do too. Go on and sleep. You need it. The sun is rising already. Besides some blood loss, cuts to her back, and bruised ribs she should hold out until Cat and Peter can get to her. In the meantime, feel free to snuggle to your heart's content," he teased, lightly nudging her. She smiled wanly but shook her head.
"I don't snuggle," she denied, trying to get back to normality with words she felt more suitable between them. He just shrugged and left. She shut the door and fell onto the bed next to Tori. She glanced back at the door, like Beck might see, then carefully draped an arm over Tori so she could hold her close. Tori murmured something and then scooted closer to Jade. She didn't do anything else after that so Jade curled up and let sleep take her. By the time she woke up everyone was properly tended to. She went around to peek in on them while Cat told her the whole day was filled to the brim with her and Peter patching everyone up.
Now that Peter was taking his nap in the living room and Cat left Jade to clean up, everyone was settled in. The house was pretty much silent after all the activity. Everyone was in their respective rooms doing their own thing. It almost surprised Jade that Tori was still next to her when she had woken up. She was the first thing she saw but let her be since she was too scared to even touch her at the moment because of how fragile she looked. She was all cleaned up and bandaged so hopefully she was at least sleeping peacefully. She returned from her shower and entered her room but froze when she saw that Tori was up. She looked at Jade and smiled, waving at her with a wiggle of her fingers.
"Hey, um, I hope you don't mind but I asked to stay with you. I know, I should probably go back to my room but-" she rambled only for Jade to swiftly cross the room and carefully pull her into a hug. Tori returned it but remained quiet, resting her chin on Jade's shoulder while she listened to her cry. It pulled at Tori's heart but she knew why the usually tough as nails vampire was so down. She felt it was all her fault again. She almost killed all her friends. She turned on them and yet they were still taking care of her. How could they after everything she'd done? She didn't realize she was letting her thoughts leak out her mouth until Tori pulled back to hold her face in her hands and kiss her.
"Shhh, Jade, it isn't your fault. Slow down. We'll stick together, like we always have. You're family and we're yours too, no matter what," Tori told her. Jade closed her eyes and shook her head before pulling Tori back into an embrace.
"I love you, Tori," she whispered in her ear. A huge grin spread across Tori's face and she tightened her hold on Jade even though it made her ribs ache.
"I love you too, Jade," she replied sincerely. Jade kissed her neck, sending tingles down her spine.
"I'm really sorry for all this," she mumbled. Tori just rubbed her back and nodded.
"I don't blame you for being you. This is just who you are and we accept it," she responded.
"You can't blame me for hating it then. I can't help feeling the way I do," Jade replied, a bitter note to her words.
"I know, but remember, we forgive you, and we always will," Tori reminded her. Jade nodded and held on to her a moment longer before pulling away. She wiped at her face while Tori walked over to lay in bed. It looked inviting and she was so tempted to join her but first there was something she had to do.
"Hold on," she said to Tori. She left to head to the lab where she found the blood pack Peter left her. She downed it and felt relief that she wasn't even close to being hungry. The thirst was always there but it was sated enough for now. She stopped by the bathroom to brush her teeth and then entered her room, shutting the door behind her. Tori was busy changing her bandages and cursing under her breath when she couldn't get it wrapped properly. Jade walked over and touched her shoulder, running a finger over the strap of her bra then brushing over the taped down patch of bandage that cover the bite wound. She sighed sadly and Tori tensed under her touch but looked over her shoulder to give Jade a reassuring smile.
"Need help?" Jade asked, her voice quiet, like even that would harm Tori. She nodded and passed Jade the bandages.
"Yes, please," she replied gratefully. Jade unwrapped her previous work in order to start new but she stopped when she saw the cuts on her back. She held out her hand, hovering over the stitched up damage, and aligned them with her fingers. Her hand started to shake and she closed her eyes to block out the grotesque image burned in her mind's eye.
"Jade? Its ok, I'm fine. You did nothing wrong," Tori repeated. She touched Jade's cheek and her eyes opened to show tortured blue-greens filled with pain enough for everyone. She truly hated herself. Tori seemed to know how she felt because she just shook her head.
"Don't," she warned, imploring her not to travel down the path of self-loathing.
"You have to forgive. We already did," Tori continued. Jade looked away from her to brush her warm skin with her fingers. She skirted the stitches and flitted over the horrible bruises. She then sighed heavily and began wrapping up Tori's torso. When she was done she moved to leave but Tori gripped her hand.
"Stay with me? Please?" she pleaded, poking out her bottom lip in the hopes that Jade would give in. It managed to get a small chuckle from her.
"You're adorable, Vega. Do you know that?" she muttered, brushing Tori's pouting bottom lip with her thumb. Tori smiled and kissed Jade.
"Yep," she replied happily. She pulled on her tank top to get Jade moving and then climbed in bed. She patted the spot next to her once again and this time Jade joined her. As soon as she was laying down Tori wrapped her in her arms and held her close.
"I think I'm gonna take a little nap. Wake me up in like an hour or so, ok?" Tori mumbled into Jade's shirt. She stroked Tori's upper back and shook her head.
"Sleep however long you want, Tor," she answered.
"Just wake me up in an hour, West," Tori retorted, shifting to get comfortable and then relaxing. Jade laughed at her demand and rolled her eyes.
"Fine then, bossy," she retorted playfully. Tori just smiled. Jade continued to gaze down at the human in her arms and stroked her back, arms, and face. Sometimes she ran her hand through her hair and Tori would sigh happily. Jade smiled and kept her focus on Tori so that her mind didn't wander anywhere she didn't want it to. When the hour was up Jade carefully shook Tori awake. She didn't even complain and got up without difficulty. She then stayed up with Jade all night watching movies and old reruns on TV. It was a simple activity shared between them but it meant so much more than that.