-Anyway, fuck her up." My ears rang from the order as the people, the same from the play now that I frantically saw, stepped forward. As much as my instincts told me to throw punches of my own, though my want to feel something other than this empty, throbbing feeling inside won me over.

So, I let the girl kick my side, sending my arms to hurriedly latch onto the dumpster beside me for support. A groan escaped my lips while a punch from one of the guys slammed right into my gut. I collapsed to my knees, feeling Elizabeth's group kick and punch at me. A smile almost burst internally; this was significantly less painful than the gang on the opposite side of town. One of them kicked the side of my ankle, adjusting the scissors, almost as a way to remind me of my options there.

"I didn't realize you would give up this easily Jade," I heard Elizabeth snort in the ringing distance, "Didn't realize I broke you that early." My eyebrows knit together, her statement was almost like a brag. I felt chills go down my spine at the thought of it.

And then, it happened; a boot stretched back and fled forward, but only grazed my right shoulder. I jerked it away, gripping the sensitive spot. It was the bullet graze, sometimes it can be sensitive, even now. The hairs of my back prickled against the white cotton t-shirt that hung loosely underneath a grey hoodie. My eyes widened as a thought strolled through me, You took a bullet for Tori. My head nodded slightly as I was still constantly kicked.

A subtle switch was activated, sending my skull to rattle with fire. Get rid of Elizabeth, get Tori. Get rid of Elizabeth, get Tori. Get rid of Elizabeth, get Tori. She's locked away and Elizabeth has the key. She's locked away and Elizabeth has the key. And so ranted my mind, sending adrenaline to pump through my boiling blood. As the poor gang continued to kick and punch at me, which now felt like nothing but little pebbles thrown at me, my hand snaked down to my boot. Once I gripped the cold polished metal handle, I waited for my opportunity.

For several seconds, I endured some of the throws without making any reflexes. My eyes closed for a brief moment, somewhat enjoying my numbed senses coming back to reality, away from the blurred mist. All I smelled was trash, dirt, ground and a bit of cigarette smoke. It wasn't the best of stenches to hit my nose, though I was strangely pleased from them, even if a grimace snuck onto my face.

Eyes opened carefully and widened at as I began to see everything happening at once. Some birds were flying overhead while one of the boys bent down with a fist prepared. My favorite blades slid out of my boot quickly and stealthily as he got down lower and lower. I felt a smirk twitch from the corners of my mouth as our eyes locked, his almost yellow eyes destroyed of any confidence to be replaced with utter confusion. My ears perked slightly at the sound of cloth being torn evenly by the metal blades until they reached his collar.

I felt no more ruthless contact against me as I watched him stagger back, eyes staring at the blades fearfully. He thumbed over the shirt, which now became a vest, and muttered quietly, "Don't think she's done with us Elizabeth..."

My arms pushed myself off the ground as the others backed away momentarily before attempting to pounce on me again. Immediately the scissors were shoved out of my hands, like I would've actually used them, and the brawl grew nastier. They began to realize that I had more experience with this kind of thing and quickly their attacks became weaker. A hand whipped out to grab my scissors from the puddle as I turned around to find Elizabeth gone. "Touch me one more time any of you and I won't miss this time," I snapped, livid as the watered blades pointed at them. They nodded and left me to jog towards the corner before bolting towards the right.

I hadn't really missed, I never meant to actually get his skin, just his shirt. That was my target and I successfully did that. Either way, I meant business but I didn't want to make the same mistake Tori made. I gulped a small lump in my throat before charging at Elizabeth who was quite a few strides ahead of me. My target was Elizabeth, 100%.

As people grumbled sourly as I passed them hurriedly my legs began to feel the bruises, however they didn't stop me. It only seemed to have drove me on farther. Through multiple streets I keep to my chase, with every five strides of mine she had to do eight, allowing me to catch up to her easily. Deciding to play it like she was on her own, I once again waited until my chance came. It did as she darted straight into an alleyway I knew was blocked off from driving past it before.

My pace slowed as I reached the corner, eventually to stalling steps as my head peaked out of the corner. A devilish grin is plastered onto my face as I find her breathing heavily, facing the brick wall that cut her off to a dead end. She wore a small smile on her lips, full of blinded relief before it fell quickly after catching me in her instinctive glance.

"Did you really think I was going to ignore you and let them have it?" I snarled, relishing in the utmost horror on her face. "See, I told you from the beginning that I knew how you bitches work, and what do you know? I still do."

"Like you know all of what I've done," she spat at me, masking her face with a cocky confidence that left her eyes frightened.

"You know I love it whenever I see the fear in someone's eyes, makes them look pathetic and vulnerable," I purred with an estranged tone. My steps were deathly quiet, like my house, and I can practically feel the morbid smile splaying across my face as I suddenly snapped and shoved her against the wall, pinning her arms down. "You don't know how I work now do you? If someone did, they should tell me because I think I lost the manual a long time ago," I murmured in a monotone voice, cold, dead, and sinister.

A smirk stretched over my lips as I felt her squirm underneath me, as her eyes locked with mine, feeling the tip of my wrath. My face dropped into an emotionless mask as I internally embraced the feeling of being Jade again. The Jade West back before October. Somehow, I had forgotten the feeling of the sickening lurches of my demented mentality. Somehow, and I still don't know to this day.

"This, this is for coming into my life," I muttered darkly before a hard slap stung the side of her face.

"This is for all of the trouble you've caused me over these few months." She groaned, clutching her stomach where my knee had marked a diffident bruise.

"And this, no... These ones are for Tori's," I hissed with a sudden malice as I pretty much threw Elizabeth into some trashcans and targeted her stomach once more. Her shirt is quickly within my fists as I crouched down to be eye level with her. One of her hands clutches the left's wrists while her right knee was bent defensively.

After a few heavy breaths, I sigh bitterly before whispering through gritted teeth, "I'll-make-a-deal-with-you, got it?"

"What kind of a deal?" she snapped weakly.

"I will consider letting you go for a few months without any trouble with the police because, frankly, I don't have the time, money, paperwork or shit to deal with you. I don't deem you that worth it... But, if you show yourself at Hollywood Arts on Monday, I will have you gone immediately with force. Got it? Leave the school and you'll be fine; don't and I'll be sure to make your life a living hell for you to burn in it like a Salem witch."

Her slow nod had my hands unclasp her shirt, though my brain still rattled with suspicion. With one look, she's gone. With one look, my feet sway as a relieved smile spreads across my face. I began to walk home, taking a turn to the right. Within minutes, I realized that I had a new spring in my step as I strutted around.

And then they halted, I frowned slightly before glaring at the man brushing past me. I had my doubts with her lack of speech, and decided to continue the direction I was headed, only taking a left instead of a right to the West Manor.

-o0o-

The door rang as I entered, my head bending so that I can glare at the bell just above the metal entrance. With a sigh, I stride towards the receptionist and wait until she was done with a call. "What can I do for you ma'am?" she asked with a low, mellow voice.

"Yes. Uh, is Officer Vega here by chance?" I asked politely, not wanting this to fail.

"Yep, just came in actually. If you got here five minutes ago I would have said otherwise. Why, is there a problem?"

"A potential problem, yes."

"Huh," she raised an eyebrow at me, "who are you?"

My stance grew straighter as I stretched my back out practically before I bent down lower on the desk, "See, I'm a good friend with his daughter, Tori Vega."

"Is it an emergency?" the lady asked, bending lower to match my played tactic.

I pulled an almost sorrowful mask before muttering, "Well, not yet. I expect something to happen soon and I just want to tip him off before it gets out of hand. I worry for her... ever since I heard about her past school days, I just-" My shoulders shrugged slightly before I sighed heavily. I glance over my shoulder at the chairs spread across the room and the small coffee table with multiple magazines on them, most from Investigation Discovery.

"You know miss? You must be really close then," she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes," I nodded enthusiastically, "Which is why I'm here. I'll fill Officer Vega with all of the details because, frankly, there's too many to explain here."

"Yes, yes... Go right on ahead then, last one on the left."

"Thank you. Have a good day Miss-" I start before my eyes flickered quickly to the name plaque on the desk before finishing, all within a brief second I might add, "Molly." She smiled warmly at me once I straightened my back and strode confidentially to the door and walked inside, following the directions that she had said.

Once there, I found 'Officer Vega' on a glass door, unlike the other's which where in larger cubicle-like desk spaces. My fist rapt three times on the wood of the door, and opened the door once I heard a low, "Come in."

"Jade, didn't expect you here," he smiled tiredly. Mr. Vega frowned slightly before adding, "Wait, how did you get past Miss Molly with out her phoning me, inspecting you and recording your name, id, licenses, and thumb print."

"Wow, I suspected she would waste my time doing stuff like that but not that much," I chuckled as he just shrugged his shoulders, "I have my ways Mr. Vega."

"Right now, why are you here?"

"Tori," I felt my voice crack out.

"Ah, I see... What has she done? Or is it something else?" he murmured as I sat myself down in the chair in front of him.

"She hasn't done anything," (unless you count driving without the permission of the law apparently, beating up gangs, maybe other stuff), "but it has to do with Elizabeth."

"Stalk?" he asked hurriedly. I only nodded before he mumbled, eyes looking deep into mine while his hand moved forward towards me, "Look... I don't want you to be tied with her, I've always had a bad feeling with her, and her family."

"I've been tied to this Mr. Vega, since October," I nearly cried out, "I was there, talking to her when she changed into- the way she just melted away. You can see it in her eyes." Mine began to prickle with tears, and I turned away before adding throatily, "I-I love her... I just want her back and this is the only way I know how to do it."

"Before we start Jade, I just want to ask something- as a father." After a small sigh, he cocked his head and muttered quietly, 'Do you have feelings for my daughter?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I won't say anything right now. I still don't completely trust you with her until I hear from you about what they hell's going on."

"I understand," I nodded silently.

"Okay, explain away. First tell me the whole situation and then tell me why you're here."

"Right," I started, knowing that if I hesitate, I might completely loose it. "Through out the first couple of months I began to find out more things about her that I didn't know, with the reluctant help of Trina, and I found out about her arrest. I wanted to help her but I went through the loss and Elizabeth completely took every chance she got to harass me. Until today, I was a mess. Well, I'm still a bit of a mess but that may be a part of my life. She followed me on my walk and sent a couple of her friends to jump me and they did beat me, but I eventually fought back and followed Elizabeth.

"I made a promise to her, which I think she'll break. I told her that if she didn't show herself at Hollywood Arts any longer I wouldn't immediately hand her over to the police."

"But you still would."

"Right, though I think she missed that part... With the help of my skills," he let out a chuckle at that and I continued on, "So I explained if she didn't and showed up on Monday, I would hand her over immediately. I know there's a lack of details but that's generally what happened in- lets see- six months." My eyes glare at my six extended fingers, it really couldn't have been that long. Though it was.

"Ah, so let's set up a trap then," he smiled and we started scheming together. We started scheming together to get our Tori back.

After about ten minutes, we planned to wait to see if Elizabeth did potentially stay true to her 'word', as she didn't actually talk. If she didn't, I would call Mr. Vega and tell him to bring his undercover cops at the Asphalt Café during lunch to arrest her. The problem was, we didn't have evidence. So, I would have to force it out of her while the surrounding forces lingered, and then we would have her behind the bars that were a few rooms away for a trial. A promise was made, however, that I wouldn't lay a finger on her unless she attacked. I assured that I didn't need to, which he believed full well. Though I had also assured him that he needed to trust my acting methods and let others know that I wasn't the type of person that played 'goo-cop, bad-cop', I was just 'West-cop'.

Once it was all set and done, Mr. Vega explained that he would tell a group of officers the plan and we shook on it. While our hands professionally grasped each other's, I thought gleefully, My dad would be so proud. Seriously, he sat me down for an hour explaining how to properly shake hands since I wasn't a 'natural', whatever that means. Now I can set a firm grip, mutually explaining to the other that I mean business.

My hand grasped the door handle before Mr. Vega bade me to wait for a moment. "Look," he started as I gave him my attention, "I still don't know you well just yet, if I ever will, but just- just take care of my daughter, of my Tori, okay?"

"I will," I vowed as I smiled gently, matching his before heading off. Once completely out of the building, I darted off towards my house, wearing the biggest and truest smile on my face that I hadn't had for years.

-o0o-

I paced around my room, anxious for the next day. Quickly, a sudden thought fled through my mind and a quick hand grasped my phone off the bed, still warm from the long conversation with my dad. After finding the contact I needed, I tapped my foot as the phone buzzed in my ear. "Come on Andre, pick up," I hissed sourly.

"Uh... Hello Jade?"

"Yes, hi. That's what you're supposed to say when you answer the damn phone Andre," I snapped frantically, my heart ponding once he answered, giving me a chance to get rid of a potential, slight problem.

"Hey Jade... Glad you're back," he chuckled softly, and I couldn't help but grin back. "So, what do you want?"

"More like need. Could you do me a favor tomorrow at lunch?"

"Sure," he mumbled, "What is it exactly?"

"Make sure Beck can't move one foot from the table."

"What? Why the hell would I do that?"

"Andre," I sigh miserably, "I need you to do this. If you don't he'll get in the way and cause a lot of trouble."

"What are you going to do?" the musician asked, concerned.

I gulped a knot in my throat before muttering through a cracked voice, "Just do it. Don't ask questions please. Just do it if you want Tori back..."

"Of course I want her back- Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you care about Tori so much?"

"I love her... and I'm not telling that to another person in this God damned day, this is like the second so far."

"Alright, I'll do it. For Tori, do you know why she's this way?"

"I have a hunch and it has 'Elizabeth' written all over it."

"Okay, I'll bring these handcuffs tomorrow then."

"Why do you of all people have handcuffs?"

I frown at the phone confused as Andre answers quietly, "They're my grandma's... Don't ask, you really don't want to know why she has them..."

"I'll hold you up to it," I mutter, "And you better not tell me about those handcuffs." I hear him chuckle a bit before hanging up the call. I rub my hands together nervously before heading off to bed.

Happy New Year. :)