All right, guys! Sorry for the delay - but I did warn you! Classes start back tomorrow and I teach at 9 AM. I'm pretty nervous. Never taught Comp II and never had to take it in undergrad. And I really hate public speaking and I'm pretty sure my kids are going to think I'm weird (because I am). On top of that I decided to take an advanced Latin class to comp out of my language requirements. I took 7 years of Latin... 6 years ago. I don't think I thought this all the way through. Oh God... what if she tests us tomorrow? That didn't even occur to me until just now. Shit. Guys, wish me luck.

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted - it could be up to a week before I finally get time to sit down and do it. I'm go-go-go in this town (yuck).

But, as always, I'm thinking of you guys and the story! So RR. It will serve as a wonderful pick me up for the following next few hell-days.

For the third day in a row Sinjin made his way to the phone-booth blocks away from his home to await a call. The storm had broken sometime in the middle of the night and the day, though bitterly cold, was beautiful. A thick layer of ice covered the sidewalk, slowing his excursion and providing a few near-serious spills along the way. He nervously checked his watch as he skidded into the accordion doors – 4 minutes to spare. The blonde glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him, not that he really suspected they would. The worst scare he'd gotten so far was Jade badgering him from across the street yesterday morning.

He stepped into the call-box and stared impatiently at the phone, willing it to ring so he could get back to the warmth of his home. When it did ring he bolted, the sharp sound piercing the calm of the Plexiglas box. "Van Cleef." He answered, propping his arm on top of the phone and resting his forehead against it.

"Today's report." A woman's voice demanded on the other side.

"Sure… yeah." Sinjin dragged a stack of notecards out of his pockets and cleared his throat. "I found the paperwork concerning her eye, just like you wanted."

"Just get on with it."

For the next twenty minutes Sinjin read off Tori's blue-prints, the voice on the other end only interrupting with a curious hum every few moments. By the time he finished dictating the last card there was a momentary silence and he feared he'd lost connection. "Very good. Tomorrow – 7 PM. Bring what you can." The line went dead.

Sinjin frowned. For the past three weeks he had been trying to establish contact with the mysterious voice on the phone. For a month before that he was trying to track down someone who could even get in him touch with said mysterious voice. He had first heard the rumor of a Horsemen faction taking sanctuary deep in the Canadian wilderness about thirty miles from here when he arrived. People in Sanctum didn't take kindly to the anarchists; whenever one wandered into their midst they were shunned. They felt no need to offer help to those who reveled in the fall of mankind.

Sinjin saw this as his chance – he had tried joining the Horsemen years ago and had been denied. Now was his chance; he just had to follow orders given via daily phonecall. So far all they had asked for was Tori's schematics, an easy enough task considering her paperwork was strewn across the house. He hoped that, if he continued, they'd permit him to enter their camp and join their ranks. Sanctum was too dull for him, everyone here was content to stay in the Dark Ages. He yearned to be among those he considered his people.

He was so close he could practically taste it. "And it tastes sweet… like pudding." He muttered to himself, disappearing around the corner.

"Oh! Sinjin!" Dr. Crenshaw was salting his front porch in an effort to melt the treacherous ice.

The pale boy froze, beady eyes wide. Had someone overheard him? Oh God, he'd been discovered. He'd have to run, take off into the wilderness, fight bears for their pelts, for their food –

"Can you give these back to Jade? She left them here yesterday when she rushed out." He disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a pair of gloves, tossing them in his direction. "And tell her Slocum has been reviewing her files and come up with a few ideas. I tried getting the man to use the phone, but he says he rather see her in person."

Sinjin fumbled with the wool gloves and nodded, heart slowing in his chest. No need to be so nervous, Van Cleef. He chastised himself, shoving them into his pockets. He took a few steps passed the building before he furrowed his brows and turned on his heel. "Slocum?" He didn't know the name.

"New doctor in town. He's working on Jade's cyber-prosthesis." Crenshaw replied. "She didn't tell you? I thought she'd be screaming from a mountain-top by now."

"No… I missed her yesterday. I'll let her know though, thanks." He smiled, waving the doctor farewell. That's odd, he thought to himself. I thought Tori and Jade were fighting about that. He wasn't often in his home anymore, choosing instead to spend time with a few friends he'd made on the other side of town. Things had been tense in the lodge though, of that much he was shrugged absently to himself, making a mental note to tell Jade the good news when he got home that evening.

Thirty miles away, a lithe figure scanned over the notes she had just taken before adding them to the growing file on her kitchen table. The surface before her was littered with papers, books, and a few photos of the infamous first cyborg – Victoria Vega. "Have you tracked down your wild goose yet?" A soft voice called from the doorway. The figure rolled her eyes and spun in her chair, gaze landing on a small blonde towel drying her hair.

"It's not a goose chase this time, Lillie. His reports are lining up with the brief ones we get in the biographies." She scowled, jabbing her finger at the underlined text.

"Because I'm sure that no one has thought to crack a book before, Lara. Oh wait… isn't that what the last guy did? And the one before that?" She tossed the towel over her shoulder and combed her fingers through the knotted tresses, strolling idly over to her sister and her growing stack of paper. "Maybe he's just creative enough to make up other shit along with it, instead of reading it word for word like that one idiot."

Lara frowned and swatted away the older girl's hand as she ruffled her hair. "He's providing crazy ridiculous details… not just on Vega, but West too. You can't make this stuff up – apparently creator and creation are lovers." She snorted, snatching up Tori and Jade's wanted flyers and a holding them inches apart. "Ooh Victoria, it's not weird at all that you're old enough to be my grandmother. Mwah mwah."

"…You're a special breed." Lillie bent over Lara's impeccable notes and studied them silently, grey eyes tracking along the page. "Well, if nothing else he certainly has a brilliant imagination. Who is this kid?"

"I don't know. Sanjay... Soren... Something. Van cleef. Apparently tried joining the Los Angeles chapter a few years ago. Doesn't know why he was passed over, and I can't get anyone on the phone to confirm or deny his story. There's no record of him on the public databases either."

"Yeah... This guy really sounds on the up-and-up. Stop wasting your time with this. It's not like we need the cyborg." Lillie reached over her and began flipping books and folders closed. "We've got plenty of resources already, and preparations are almost finished."

Lara shoved the taller girl away, scowling as she laughed at her overreaction. "We do need her!" She turned her attention back to the thick biography before her, flipping through the pages. "It doesn't matter what kind of platform we have, what kind of army, what kind of weapons," the book fell open to a full page color photo of Tori, titanium limbs glittering brilliantly in the California sun. "Every revolution needs a figure-head. With her we'll be unstoppable." She traced her index finger down Tori's jawline, smiling as she imagined what their future would soon bring.

"You've been reading too much juvenile fiction." Lillie chimed, her head deep in the recesses of the fridge. "Did you eat all the pasta from last night?"

"Oh my God, would you shut up and let me have a dramatic moment? You're the worst villain ever."

Jade waited until she heard the front door shut before she dragged herself out of bed. Tori was meeting with Norris again today; she declined accompanying the cyborg in lieu of meeting with Sikowitz. It worked out perfectly – Tori would spend all day with the older man on the other side of town; Jade wouldn't have to sneak around at all, as long as she managed to make it back home before Tori did.

She dressed hastily and tugged a beanie over her messy hair before breezing out the door and into the winter sunshine. The walk to Crenshaw's was a treacherous one and she nearly suffered a few serious spills before finally arriving at his door. She burst through the door without ceremony and slammed it behind her, thankful to be out of the bitter cold. "He's not here!" A voice called from the kitchen. "He's treating some bed-confined invalid. I'm sure he'll – oh, Jade." Sikowitz greeted as he rounded the corner, regarding her with warm caution. "I'm glad I didn't send you running for the hills." His eyes twinkled with amusement she couldn't place.

"I don't scare easy." She smiled back, shrugging off her jacket.

"So I was talking to Crenshaw last night, discussing your case." She turned to hang her layers on a hook by the wall. "And he said you were so adamant for amputation and he couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with your cyborg friend, Tara Oliver.

Jade could have slammed her head against the wall for many reasons, the main one being the issue that Crenshaw had no capability for confidentiality at all. This was her case – why did he feel the need to drag her girlfriend into it? She was worried something like this would happen, that someone would blow their cover before she was ready. Secondly, Tori is horrible at names. I'll never let her name her children. Her argument was that she and Beck already looked like siblings – the claim would provide a fairly solid story in case anyone ever got suspicious enough to investigate. As for Tara? Well… she just liked the name.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard of a functioning cyborg in Sanctum. When I asked Crenshaw, he said she was in spectacular working order – a double-amputee to boot. Wonderful olive complexion, brunette… the most adorable cheek-bones." Jade pinched the tips of her gloves, dragging the material off finger by finger. "Arrived with you and your caravan of friends…" He was trying to drag a confession out of her.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Jade smirked, finally removing her scarf and shoving it in her coat pocket.

"You found Victoria!" He exclaimed. "You found the lost cyborg! The legend!"

"Okay, okay!" Jade spun and raised her hands to silence him.

"And apparently you're amorous with her!"

"Okay. Shut. Up." She seethed, narrowing her eyes at him and jabbing her index finger in his direction. "Yes. I found her. And no, it's not a story I feel like sharing right now."

"Can I meet her?" He was as excited as she'd seen him in years.

"No. Not yet." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Cranky." He muttered, retreating into the kitchen. "I spent years of my life suffering because I tried to help a dear friend find the poor girl…" He sighed dramatically as he deposited himself at the kitchen table.

"Oh please. I talked to Trina. You lived in a fancy mansion on the right side of the tracks." She teased, leaning against the doorframe and perking her brow in amusement.

"You have her number?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You already knew she was alive." He frowned, obviously upset that she had lied to him.

"I did. I know a lot more than that… I just had to be sure about you first. It's not like I've been afforded the luxury of trust during the course of my life." She wasn't going to allow him to make her feel guilty for lying – she'd do it again without hesitation to protect her friends. "Sorry, Sikowitz… but grandpa trusted Madison and my dad trusted Myles. Neither of those relationships ended well for my family. Tori, my friends, are all I have… I just had to be sure." She wrapped a dark strand of hair around her finger and twirled it, studying her split ends to avoid eye contact.

"I'd probably do the same. No harm done." He sighed after a moment, motioning to the chair opposite him. "But now that you know you can trust me, can we lay it all out on the table? That's only fair." He steepled his fingers beneath his chin and stared at her intently. "So, Jade North. How did you end up here, and what really happened to your hand?"

It was dark by the time Jade left Sikowitz's company, cursing herself for losing track of time. Tori would be home by now, the house would be wondering why she wasn't there for dinner. She'd have to come up with a more clever story than just "I had a meeting with Crenshaw." Head bowed, she adopted a brisk pace to make better time only to come to a staggering halt as she slammed into someone. "Jesus, sorry – Oh for fuck's sake, Sinjin. What the hell are you doing out here again?" She scowled, shoving the wiry boy out of her path.

Sinjin stammered nervously as he braced himself against the telephone booth. "Just out for a walk, Jade." He shoved his hands in his pockets and swallowed hard.

"You've been lurking around this creepy phonebooth for days now, what's the deal?"

"Um… just examining the ancient circuitry… you know…" He lingered as she continued forward.

"It looks like you're talking to someone… you know what? I don't care. Nevermind. We're late for dinner." Jade didn't have time for the weird kid in the cold tonight. She wanted to be home. She didn't bother glancing over her shoulder to see if he was following – part of her wished he'd freeze to death out here so she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

To her dismay, Sinjin followed closely behind on their trek home and badgered her with questions. By the time they walked through the door she was convinced she could rip his head off effortlessly and not be burdened by an ounce of guilt.

"You're home late… with Sinjin." Tori tilted her head as they walked through the door together. "Why are you with Sinjin? Where have you been all afternoon?" The Latina untied her apron and hung it on the stairs banister – behind her Jade could see her friends lining up at the stove to fill their plates.

"I found Sinjin in that creepy phone booth on the corner, figured I'd escort him home before the dog-catcher took him in as a stray. Because, lets face it, if he goes to the pound I'm not making the effort to get the little weirdo out." Jade was nervous – how was she to throw the Latina off her scent? She should have realized walking in with Sinjin would be a horrible idea. She turned to the raggedy blonde and watched as he hung his coat on the rack, a flash of color catching her attention. She narrowed her eyes dangerously when familiarity sunk in.

"Why the chiz do you have my gloves, you little creep?" She snarled, rising to her full height and jabbing a finger at his chest. Despite being a head taller than the surly girl, Sinjin seemingly shrank as her rage consumed her and filled the room. Their friends were poking their heads into the room – Cat and Robbie looked genuinely concerned for his safety. Andre and Beck looked a bit amused. Tori just rolled her eyes and sighed – she wished Jade would stop picking on the ones that scare so easily.

The pale girl ripped one of her gloves from his pocket, spilling the rest of its contents to the floor. Sinjin reacted immediately, knocking Jade aside to retrieve the scattered notecards, praying their scribbled content would go unnoticed. "Forget your little flashcards, troll. Explain what you're doing with my stuff. Have you been in my room?" She knew she was overreacting but screaming at Sinjin provided two results: most importantly, it called attention away from the fact that she had no excuse for her absence; second, yelling at Sinjin was cathartic, therapeutic… fun. "Are those… Tori's designs?" She squinted her eyes to read the tiny scrawl, not entirely sure of what she was seeing.

There was no mistaking the homicidal rage in her voice at this point. She had transcended from her typical loud, threatening demeanor and adopted one that was calm, collected. Her eyes, however, betrayed her as they always had. They were piercing, offering those around her a window through which to view the torrent of swirling emotions. Panther Jade was back, and she was about to rend this boy limb from limb. Those around her recognized the tone well and silenced themselves, worried to incur her wrath and anxiously awaiting what violence was sure to come. Only Tori was brave enough to step forward, intent on placing herself between the pair to try and diffuse the moment.

Sinjin looked as if he was about to vomit. He quickly shoved the cards in his back pocket and scrambled to his feet, hands shaking as he snatched the other glove free and offered it to her. "C-Crenshaw asked me to give these back to you. He said you left them in his office when you came to talk to the new doctor about your c-cyborg surgery."

With that quavering sentence, those weak, half-whispered words, Sinjin ruined all of Jade's careful planning. He effectively swept the rug out from under her feet. The locomotive that had been bearing down on him, fueled by rage and anxiety, had smashed headlong into a mountainside.

Silence swallowed the room whole – even the fire stopped crackling as it seemingly waited for what was to happen next. You could have heard a pin drop.

"…Jade." The pale girl in question bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood; she had never heard that tone taint her lover's voice before. It sounded more like Jade at her darkest. She refused to face Tori, choosing instead to maintain her murderous gaze at Sinjin and wishing desperately she could kill him if only to gain vengeance for her secret he had unwittingly revealed. She heard the Latina exhale sharply before turning and stomping up the stairs. Seconds after she disappeared they heard her bedroom door slam shut with such a force it could have easily splintered the heavy wood.

Sinjin looked baffled. Jade snatched the glove from his still shaking hand and balled it in her fist, shoving it under his chin. "I'm not done with you." She insured quietly before turning away, avoiding eye contact with her friends as she began her ascent up the stairs. Shit. Shit. Shit. She repeated inwardly in time with her steps, and when she reached the landing she stared apprehensively at the door. With her good hand she held the banister, noting how it had been loosened by Tori's powerful grip.

"Tori." She called softly into the crook of their bedroom door. "Tori, let me in." She grabbed the knob and twisted it, surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed it slowly only to have it slammed back in her face violently.

"Go away." Tori's anger wasn't muffled in the least by the thick wood. Jade pushed the door again and it refused to budge – the cyborg was using her strength to hold it close. "Leave me the hell alone, Jade."

"Tori, open the door. I can explain if you give me a chance!" Jade was calling on all her willpower to keep her voice level, to not show any cracks in her foundation. She needed to remain calm and not give into her violent passions, though they screamed and clawed for dominance in her mind.

"No!"

"I swear to God, Tori." Jade muttered quietly, resting her forehead on the doorframe in frustration. Without warning the door yanked open, revealing a very upset cyborg. Her eyes were red and angry tears trailed down her cheeks. Her jaw was clenched, as was her fist – Jade could hear the sound of the door-knob crunching like a soda can under her powerful grip.

"Swear to God what, Jade?" She hissed. Jade blinked – this was not a Tori she had ever seen. Sad, yes. Angry, yes. This? Never. It made her take an unconscious step backwards to put space between them.

"It's not – "

"It's not what? Not what I think?" She released her death-grip on the door and stalked towards the patio door, staring angrily out the glass to avoid crying directly in front of her. "So you weren't going behind my back when I begged you not to? When I begged you to explore other options? So you didn't look me straight in the eye and lie to me last night?"

Jade opened her mouth but clamped it shut again. Okay, so that part was true. "Yes, but – "

"Damn it, Jade!" Tori spun, her brown hair fanning out like a skirt. Some strands stuck to her tear-soaked face and she wiped them away angrily. "You always do shit like this! It's like you wait for me to tell you my opinion so you can go do the exact fucking opposite! Is this just a stupid game you like to play to piss me off?"

The words stung Jade like an angry wasp and the bitter venom coursed through her, poisoning her self-control. "Excuse me?" She snapped, cold eyes narrowing at her lover. "I don't go jack shit out of my way to piss you off, princess, or anyone for that matter. I do what's best for me!"

"What's best for you? If I didn't physically step in half the time and stop you from doing what's best for you, you'd probably be dead by now! It's like the idea of taking someone's advice, or-or-or the idea of caring about someone enough to respect what they want is so painful to you that you won't even bother trying!"

"No, this is what's painful for me!" She jerked up her hand and wriggled her fingers, clenching her jaw as pain coursed down her arm. Jade didn't want to play the pity card right, she just needed to put things into perspective. Any notion of reasoning with her lover had long vanished, and had been replaced with the desire for vengeance; Tori's words hurt more than she'd ever want to admit, and her accusations were so far from accurate that it infuriated her. Who did she think she was to make so many assumptions? She hadn't lived Jade's life – maybe if she had she'd understand why she was the way she was. "This hurts, Tori, more than anything I've ever had to deal with. You of all people should fucking understand that!"

The Latina shook her head and glanced away, blinking back angry tears. "I understand it! I do! But God damnit, Jade. Our situations are completely different! I didn't have a choice… I didn't even have a say. I died a few times going through that fucking procedure and that was in conditions a hundred times better than the ones we're in now."

Jade exhaled drastically and dipped her head. This was the same conversation they had already had over and over. She was getting absolutely sick of it. "Yeah, okay, I get it!" She snapped, balling both hands into fists. "But you said it yourself – different situations. You needed the surgery to live. I need the surgery to function. I can't live with the pain anymore!"

"And I can't live without you." Tori's voice was low, cracking as she spoke through sobs. Jade glanced up, dreading what she knew she'd find. The brunette had lost all composure and didn't seem to be trying to reclaim it. Tears streamed down her bright red face and dripped onto her shirt. "What the hell were you going to do, Jade? Disappear for a few days and come back with a new hand? What if something happened during surgery? What if you got an infection? What would happen to you?" Her words were barely discernible – it sounded as if she was trying to speak through mud. "What if you died?"

"I'm not going to – "

"What if you died, Jade?" She interrupted, crossing the room and grabbing her by the shoulders. Brown eyes searched pale blue and Jade did her best to bury any emotion that resided there. She'd shut down like she always did, become impassive to protect herself. "I love you, Jade. Powerfully, eternally, entirely. I love you so much it scares me. If something happened to you I couldn't handle it." A fresh wave of tears spilled down her face. "And you were willing to lie to take that risk." She released her shoulders and stepped back, futilely wiping her face. "How could you do that? Do you even care at all about me? About us?"

Jade balked like she'd been slapped in the face. "Are you kidding me? Do I care about you? You know I do, and I'm not playing this game with you. Don't make this fight about that."

"It's not a game to me. It's hard to tell sometimes what you're feeling… if you're feeling anything at all. You hide behind you sarcasm and your temper and I've just accepted it before… now I find out you're willing to lie to me? I caught you this time. How many times have I missed it before now?" The Latina dipped her head and shook it, sniffling.

It was Jade's turn to move. She took a few tentative steps forward, angry but unnerved at Tori's words. She hadn't realized it before – was she really so closed off? So defensive? She knew she was to everyone else but she thought Tori could see through it. "I don't lie."

"You lie to our friends all the time." Valid point.

"Fine, I don't lie to you." She huffed.

"… Are you kidding me?" Tori made a sound that could have potentially been a bitter laugh.

"Okay," Jade conceded "But this is the first time, Tori, I swear to God."

"How can I trust you on that?"

"Because… lying to you hurts more than this stupid hand." She sighed, anger evaporating as she conceded that there was a bigger issue at stake currently – Tori's feelings. She waved the disabled appendage half-heartedly in the air. "It doesn't bother me to lie to anyone else, you're right. But it bothers me when I lie to you. I don't like it, I don't like going behind your back, I don't like deceiving you. It just feels wrong… and that's weird for me." With her good hand she reached for Tori's chin, which she jerked away angrily to maintain her concentrated gaze on the floor.

"It's the first time my conscience has bothered me in a long time." Jade dropped her pale hand and continued. "And that's all because of you. You've… made me different, Tori. I know I'm still an ass to a lot of people… I know I'm cold. But with you I feel warm. I feel safe, happy. I don't talk about my feelings – that's just not who I am. But I thought you knew how I felt. I thought you could see it in how I treat you compared to how I treat everyone else."

Tori glanced at her suspiciously and Jade knew she was searching for any signs of deceit. "I mean it, Tori."

"Then why'd you do it?" She lifted her head fully and tucked a few wayward strands behind her ear. It appeared as if she was finally beginning to calm down. The tears had slowed, her voice had cleared. There was still a lot of damage to be repaired though, Jade realized. Damage she had caused.

"Because I'm used to getting my way. I'm used to not giving a shit about others and doing exactly what I want to do, what I need to do to take care of myself. I had tried your way and it wasn't working and you weren't listening to me. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't do this to hurt you though, I swear. I don't ever want to do anything to hurt you… but I'm getting pretty sick of hurting too." As if on cue her hand began to tense and throb; Jade inhaled sharply before she could catch herself and grabbed it, massaging the sore bones. She watched as the cyborg tracked the movement and noted the conflict in her eyes – she wanted to ease Jade's pain but was still too wounded, still too angry to reach out.

"Tori, I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I hurt you." A ghost of a smile flashed across the Latina's face. She sniffled again. "What was that?" Jade furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I don't think I've ever heard those words leave your mouth."

"Yeah… they tasted pretty bad." The younger girl joked cautiously. "But I meant it. You'll get nothing but the ugly truth from me from now on."

A silence passed between them as Jade stared intently, praying she had gotten through to the cyborg. "I've still got a lot to think about… and I'm still mad at you." She finally conceded.

"I don't blame you." Jade nodded.

"And the truth doesn't have to be ugly. You could be honest and nice."

"That's asking a lot, Vega."

"… Then just no more lying."

"No more lying." The pale girl agreed, stepping closer and making move to wrap her arms around the sad girl.

Tori swatted her away and stepped back, bumping into the balcony door. "I told you I was still mad at you. I can't kiss you right now." Wounded, Jade crossed her arms and retreated backwards. "I'm sorry, Jade. I just need some time to sort through all of this right now." She stared at her expectantly, eyes flickering towards the door.

It took Jade a moment before realization hit her. "Oh… I get the couch tonight."

" 'Fraid so." Tori slipped by her and grabbed Jade's pillow off their bed.

"… I didn't make you sleep downstairs when we were fighting." She countered as the cyborg steered her towards the exit.

"I didn't lie. See you in the morning, Jadelyn. I love you." The last part was little more than a whisper, but rang clear in the scientist's ears. Despite their explosive fight she felt strangely at ease. Yes, she had lied. Her girlfriend was pissed at her. Her plans had been ruined. She was sleeping on the couch. But right now that didn't matter – her troubled conscience was finally cleared, and she and Tori had finally discussed issues that had apparently been simmering under the surface for some time. If the situations had been reversed Jade knew she would have just tried to shut down, would have ended the relationship because she felt like all trust had been violated and destroyed.

Tori made her different, and that didn't scare Jade anymore like it used to. The older girl knew her, and somehow managed to encourage her to confront her emotions rather than hiding behind her temper that could make the bravest man turn and flee for the hills. And, even though Tori didn't always understand her, she had patience for her when things became difficult between them. Like tonight. Yes, she had lied. Her girlfriend was pissed at her. Her plans had been ruined. Yes, she was even sleeping on the damn couch. But right now she couldn't help but fall in love with the sad, beautiful girl on the other side who, right now, was probably curling up in their bed alone.

"I love you too, Tori." She whispered towards the door before descending down the stairs.

Just on the other side, as she slipped under the covers fully clothed (but too emotionally exhausted to change), Tori allowed a small smile to claim her lips.

AN: AND NOW, BEDTIME. I don't want to teach in the morning D: Or, as the Romans say, "Mane docui non volo." ... Or something like that. Words. Bed. Grad school. UGH LIFE.