Jade's body was shaking as the words left her mouth. "I said get off." Venom dripped from every word and she briefly wondered if anyone could detect the undertone of fear.

The words echoed through the hallway causing all the students to turn in confusion. They looked to Beck in confusion, noticing no one - especially not Tori Vega - was even close to the boy, in fact in honor of Jade's return it seemed as if everyone had decided to stay away from him. It helped that without Jade around it seemed that he'd forgotten that proper grooming required a shower.

Beck turned to his girlfriend confused. He followed the direction of her glare until he found that André now had Robbie in a friendly headlock trapped against the locker. He - unlike Jade - knew they had a stage fighting class this week and figured André was probably just practicing. However they both seemed oblivious to Jade's current state.

Eyeing the way her fingers were tightening around the now open pair of scissors to the point that a trail of blood was now travelling down her palm, Beck froze in fear.

"Get off him, now!" The pure rage dripping from her words caused everyone to take another step back as they watched Jade shake. They'd never seen her this mad.

Without having a chance to respond, Beck watched as Robbie and Jade moved simultaneously. Jade ripped her hands from his and charged forward her hand raised, the blade shining dangerously in the sunlight. Robbie on the other hand surged upward with his elbow out, ignoring the scream of pain from André as he took the hit that resulted in the other boy on the ground as Robbie caught Jade just before the scissors made contact with their target.

"Jade…" Robbie's voice was soft but in command as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, restraining her movement. Her hair tickled his neck as she shook her head against him, clinging to her blinding rage. He ignored the stunned faces of everyone around him at both their actions, instead wrinkling his nose at the smell of urine he was sure was coming from Sinjin.

"Jadey, focus." Uncurling her fingers from around the scissors he listened as they dropped to the floor with a clash, before turning her around so her front was facing him, looking into her haunted blue eyes. Ripping a part of his undershirt, Robbie wrapped it around her hand, trying to ignore the way her blood immediately stained the white material and the memories it drew forth.

He felt her curl into his chest as he led her over to the janitors closet, sending the students who hadn't already run when they'd seen Jade charging with the scissors a Jade worthy glare that had them fleeing within seconds. Exhaling as he moved them closer, he rubbed his thumb over her wrist hoping to calm her.

Robbie watched as Beck remained frozen in place, staring at the blood covered scissors with absolute shock. Shaking his head he was stuck between being glad that the boy wasn't about to witness Jade's break down and absolute frustration at the fact that now when Jade needed him he was completely useless.

Hearing Jade whimper against him, Robbie turned back to the girl in his arms and ushered her into the place she seemed to have claimed as her own within this school. Flicking the door shut he sighed as he tried to keep his memories from overwhelming him.

Robbie slid against the back wall, keeping her cocooned in his arms as he listened to her fear filled gasps. "Shh, Jade. It's okay, everything's fine." Pulling his phone out of his pocket he quickly pressed speed dial 3, holding his breath as the call went through. Hearing his name echoing back down the phone, Robbie rested his head on top of Jade's knowing he needed to keep calm to make it through this conversation.

"Hey, Mr West. There was a problem at school. Yeah Jade's not doing too well." Robbie's hand clenched in Jade's shirt as he rocked them slightly, knowing it would do none of them any good for Robbie to yell at her father. However as he thought back to what had happened in the hall and Jade's screams, he couldn't help the anger in his voice as he spoke again. "I told you she wasn't ready yet. She had an exact replica of those scissors. She was about to stab André."

He waited patiently as he heard Mr West sigh down the phone and realized he was being unreasonable, as he heard his own father's voice in the background worriedly asking what was wrong. "I'm sorry, I was out of line. Look can you just come get us. There's no way she can finish today."

Throwing the phone across the room, he raked a hand through his hair as he heard it shatter against the opposite wall. Robbie moved his hands back to to run along Jade's arms as her shakes finally subsided. He could feel her hand pressing against his chest and felt his own eyes water at her pain. "Jadey please. I need you to focus on me. I need you to remember what happened. Remember how we got out. Remember that we're no longer there."

Jade's usually bright blue eyes were dull and distant as they locked on Robbie's brown ones, seeking out the familiar security she always found there. She felt his hands wipe away the tears and mascara she was sure was running down her cheeks. Moving his shirt down, she traced the scars on his chest, unable to ignore the blood she was picturing flowing from them when they were freshly inflicted. Running her hand further down his shirt, she pulled at the bottom ignoring the slight huff he gave as she pushed it up his chest, her hand pressing firmly against his side, leaning her head against his chest as she'd done all those years ago.

Robbie collected Jade's hands in his own, drawing her attention from his scars - scars that refused to let them forgot about the past completely. Tipping her chin up, he looked into her eyes frowning when he saw she was still lost in the past. Running his hand through her hair, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Jade, where are we?" His words were soft and gentle as he watched her eyes dart around the room unseeingly before settling back on his as they filled with tears.

Her lip trembled as she took a breath, mouthing words against his skin before sound managed to emerge. "We have to be quiet, Robbie. He'll come for us. I won't let him hurt you again."

Blinking back tears at her quiet voice, Robbie tried to figure out how to draw her out of her memories. Brushing his thumb against her cheek, he felt his heart clench as he realized the option with the most success would be to help her play the memory out and then get her out of the school as quickly as possible. Preferably with as little collateral damage as possible. He knew it would be a while under their dads could get here and explain to the school what happened but for now his main concern was what it always was - Jade.

"It's okay Jadey. I've got a plan." Smoothing her hair down, he ignored the undisguised fear in her eyes and forced himself to continue. "I'll distract him and you have to run. Don't look back, just get somewhere safe. You have to promise me?" Robbie felt his heart break as he recalled what really happened next.

As Jade crawled further into his arms, he felt powerless as she cowered in fear once again, moving as far from the door as possible. Feeling her jump, Robbie desperately tried to calm her even as he heard the echo of the door slamming against the concrete wall in his ears.

"He's coming. Don't go Robbie. Don't do it. I'm fine, I promise. Please… you can't leave me." Jade's words were whispered in his ear as she clung to his neck. He was vaguely aware of the fact that the door had opened and closed but he didn't have time to worry about that.

Pulling her off him he placed her on the floor gently, stepping in front of her, grasping her face in his hands he continued to wipe the tears streaming down her face. He knew what was coming now and he had no choice. Hearing the slap in his mind, Robbie continued on. "No don't touch her!" It took everything in him not to get sucked into the memories like Jade but he refused to let either of them become that monster's puppet.

Jade winced as she watched Robbie's body get thrown around like a rag doll. Her face stung from being backhanded but she refused to let him see her cry even more. "Robbie!"

"Jade, run!" Robbie's heart rate was through the roof as he watched Jade hold herself much like she had when she was little. He was grateful the scissors had been left out in the hallway as he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop her from completing the reenactment this time.

"No. I won't leave you." Jade looked into Robbie's eyes seeing the demand in them, shaking her head, she tried to ignore him. She couldn't run and leave him here. He always protected her, now it was her turn. Eyeing the scissors on the kitchen bench, Jade raced out of the room and grabbed them before she could change her mind. Seeing the phone, she quickly called 911 knowing it could be the only chance they had. She knew that the lady on the phone had said to stay where she was but she knew Robbie didn't have that time. Coming back in, she saw the disappointment in Robbie's eyes but knew she had to save him. "Get of him!"

Robbie took Jade back into his arms, knowing she was too far in her memories to do any real damage to anyone but herself at this point. "I said get off." Robbie shivered as he remembered seeing the fire that had burned in her eyes as she looked at the man who had caused them so much pain. "Get off him, now!"

Jade saw the scissors slicing easily through his flesh and for the first time in years she felt safe. She felt powerful. However that feeling immediately fled as she looked over at Robbie, he had thrown her Robbie when she'd stabbed him.

Tiny shards of broken glass were scattered across his chest, but what worried her was the larger shard sticking from his side. "Robbie, no…" Ripping the scissors from his chest, Jade hurried across the room needing to be by Robbie's side. Needing him to protect her like always. Needing to protect him from everything as well.

Her tears started up again as she listened to the quiet rasps leaving her best friend. Her brother. Whether he technically was or not didn't matter. They'd been through hell and come out together and there was no way she was going to let him go now.

Stroking his forehead gently, she cried and pleaded for him to stay with her. The tips of her hair slowly started soaking up Robbie's blood. She heard sirens in the background and looked back at him only to discover he was getting up, a murderous glint in his eyes. Usually he just wanted to cause them pain but Jade knew this was different.

Touching the scissors at her side, she held them up in warning, praying that help was closer than it sounded. Pulling Robbie's body to the wall, she sat in front of him, her eyebrow cocked daring him to try again. No one was going to hurt her Robbie not while she was alive to do something about it.

Just as he charged in their direction, the front door was broken down and officers flooded the room. Two of them - who were in suits not uniforms - headed her way and even though she knew she could trust them she was still unable to put down the scissors. Feeling Robbie's hand wrap around her's she looked back at him, his unfocused eyes the last thing she saw before the world went black.

- BROKEN GLASS & SCISSORS -

Jade blinked as she sat up in confusion. Slowly she became aware of a familiar pair of hands, holding her face and as her eyes focused, she found Robbie's concerned brown eyes staring back at her.

"Oh, Robbie." Jade wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, one of her hands fisting in his shirt as the other knotted securely in his hair as she breathed him in. "You're alive."

Robbie looked up as he heard a throat clear behind him. His eyes widened as he realized the whole gang and Trina were standing beside the closed door now inside the janitor's closet. He would have apologized for André's black eye and swollen face, but well, if it wasn't for him Jade may have made it to first period before flipping out, so suddenly he didn't feel so remorseful.

Holding Jade tighter, knowing she wasn't ready to let go just yet, he smiled up at them. "Hey, guys."

"'Hey, guys' that's the best you've got Shapiro. You're currently wrapped around my emotional girlfriend and all you can say is 'hey, guys'. What the hell just happened?" While the others had all voiced their own complaints - well except Trina who was surprisingly quiet - Beck's question was the loudest and the most angry.

Feeling trapped, Robbie wished Jade was here to help him but knew she would do more harm than good right now, subtlety squeezing her hand he steadied himself before turning back to Beck.

Swallowing loudly, Robbie attempted to prolong the inevitable, glancing once at the door hoping that something would save him from this. He may be dealing with everything better than Jade but if he had to explain what happened, have to recall the darkest chapter of his childhood, well then he wouldn't be that way for much longer and he needed to stay strong for his Jadey.

"And Scene!" The voice echoed through the door, an almost perfect solution to his problem had it not been the fact that Jade was still unable to let go of him. Luckily it appeared everyone was too distracted by Sikowitz's weird timing to notice him quietly conversing with Jade as he tried to get them safely out of this.

"Okay Jade, you're going to need to act like everything is alright for the next few minutes and then we're going to get out of here." He felt Jade shake her head against his neck as another silent sob overcame her. "Please, Jadey for me." Rubbing his hand across her back reassuringly he was grateful when she moved back against the wall, her face taking on an expression of ambivalence as she looked up at their teacher appearing bored. Robbie was incredibly aware of her thigh pressed tightly against his but he knew this was the only way she was going to be able to pull through this.

Sikowitz sipped on his coconut nonchalantly as he ignored the questions Tori and Beck kept throwing at him, waiting until he saw Jade and Robbie were ready. "I wanted to see if two of my best students were still in tip-top acting shape after so many missed days. So when I saw Jade walking into school this morning I set them a little acting challenge." Sikowitz grinned deviously at the others trusting that they already knew how sudden his challenges could come on.

"I'd told Robbie he was going to be tested in the next few days but I hadn't told him when or how. I was very impressed with the way he ran with it and of course Trina thank you for alerting me to the start of my scene, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

André watched as Sikowitz smiled proudly at Jade and Robbie, congratulating them in their own weird way, scowling as he touched the very real bruising his teacher's insanity had caused them.

"Now the rest of you get to class, I need to talk with my three puppets and go see the Principal to explain all this. Rest assured I have explained to the rest of the students what was happening, so they should all be relatively calm by now."

Beck nodded, knowing something was still up with Jade but grateful that this whole thing had turned out to be another one of Sikowitz's crazy acting challenges. However he was certain that even with an explanation the entire school was going to be even more weary of Jade for a while. Moving with the rest of the gang out of the janitors closet, he let himself be dragged off to whatever class he was supposed to be in now, wanting more than anything to be near Jade again but not willing to see what happened if he disobeyed Sikowitz - the guy had a tendency to throw things and coconuts aren't exactly soft.

Closing the door behind the parting group, Sikowitz turned to Jade and Robbie, his face turning serious as he peered at the two. "I may have covered for you but I will need an explanation for this." His eyebrows rose as he watched as Jade ignored him completely before crawling back into Robbie's arms, resting her head against his shoulder and falling asleep.

Despite what many believed he'd seen the softer side to Jade but her actions now were concerning him, he'd never seen her this… weak.

He'd seen the way she cried silently in the Black Box Theatre after Tori had kissed Beck and once again after Tori had gotten the lead in one too many plays. That alone had made him want to forget his teaching morals and give Jade the lead but he knew none of the plays would have done Jade's acting justice as she was far beyond the level of most of the kids he taught. Secretly he was hoping she'd write something amazing and insist that she star in it and she had until Tori's Prome got in the way - something he'd been forced to agree to when the rest of the faculty had told him to cancel Jade's play for being too disturbing. At the time he'd honestly thought blaming Tori's Prome was better than telling her the truth.

However, that night was also the first night he noticed there was something more between Robbie and Jade. That she relied on him in a way even Beck couldn't fill. He'd watched as Robbie snuck into the janitors closet after Jade. Since he'd expecting to hear Robbie's dying screams, Sikowitz had been incredibly surprised when he overheard Robbie calming a hysterical Jade. In that moment he realized that while there were very few things he regretted in his teaching career, not fighting for Jade's play was probably his biggest regret.

So his surprise when he crept into the theatre later that night to discover Jade performing her play for Robbie was significantly less than what it could have been had he not been privy to the earlier comforting. He'd slunk down in the back row and been absolutely enthralled with Jade's performance despite the fact that the play itself made him so scared he was surprised that he didn't wet himself. However the most surprising event of the night was the huge, genuine smile on her face when she finished and Robbie gave her a standing ovation before gathering her into a tight hug. Having felt that he'd overstayed his welcome, Sikowitz had disappeared as silently as he'd arrived, neither noticing his presence even though the whole incident had left it's mark.

A mark that had come in handy when Trina had burst through his classroom door earlier and demanded he come with her. It was so rare to hear such a serious request from the older Vega that he hadn't even given it a second thought, just been grateful that his class wasn't in yet. She'd told him that Robbie and Jade were in trouble and that he needed to wait for her text before doing exactly as it said and for once Sikowitz did not question anything. So when he'd finally entered the closet and seen the relief in Robbie's eyes and terror in Jade's he knew he'd done the right thing.

He watched as Robbie slowly used just his legs and the wall to lift himself to a standing position, keeping Jade securely in his arms, the ease with which he'd done it indicating it wasn't the first time they'd ended up in such a position.

Once he was standing, Sikowitz was surprised to see Jade's arms wrap around Robbie's neck and a small content smile form on her face as she curled in closer to his chest.

"Thanks Sikowitz."

The gratitude in Robbie's tone startled the teacher and he wondered just how much he'd missed. Sure he saw the bloodied scissors in the hallway on his way to the closet but from the way all three of his students were acting, he knew there was a lot more to this story than met the eye.

"Don't thank me, it was Trina's idea." Sikowitz commented offhandedly as he slowly moved the three of them out of the closet and in the direction of the principal's office.

Trina blushed as Robbie looked over at her. She'd been keeping their secret for eight years it wasn't as if she was going to let everything fall apart now. Especially given that neither Robbie or Jade knew she knew anything anyway. She quite liked her face the way it was and she'd seen what those two would do for each other.

"Trina, I can't explain how much-"

"It's no problem Robbie." Seeing the uncertainty on the ventriloquist's face, Trina hurried to reassure him. "Really." She finally released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when Robbie nodded his head reluctantly accepting her dismissal.

As they turned to enter the office, all four were halted by two very deep, very loud, very worried voices.

"Jade!" Mr Shapiro's concerned voice echoed down the hallway as they approached the group, seeing her body in Robbie's arms forced even more memories to flood his mind than he'd already experienced this week.

"Robbie, are you okay." Robbie smiled at the way his father and Jade's dad had managed to ask about the wrong kid. He had been certain that he was right when he told Jade that just because she was adopted by the Wests and he was adopted by the Shapiros that it didn't mean that they were just that couple's child but rather they were all a family and this just reinforced his belief.

Running his eyes across both fathers he couldn't help the ball of worry and empathy that formed when he noticed that the two detectives looked exhausted and he was fairly certain neither of them had shaved since Monday.

Looking up at Mr West, Robbie moved Jade slightly in his arms, making sure he could see the bandage on her hand and the blood that had finally set across the wound. "She really shouldn't have come today." He felt Mr West's hand squeeze his shoulder in thanks before his father opened the door to the principal's office.

"I guess we have a lot to explain. Robbie, take Jade and go to my car, we'll be out soon but if it gets too much just take her home and I'll get a ride back with your father." Robbie nodded once watching as Mr West, his father and Sikowitz disappeared into the mahogany office, in which he could already see Lane and their Principal.

Hurrying to the parking lot, Robbie was very grateful for the tinted windows on Mr West's car that would give the pair some much needed privacy. Sliding into the back seat with Jade, he pushed her hair back from her forehead gently, surprised when the door on the other side of the car opened and Trina quietly slipped in.

A/N Hope that answers a few of your questions. The rest of the explanation will take place in the next (and final) chapter ~ Gabz