"How dare you be so irresponsible!" Cat screams, and Jade winces, moving the phone over slightly. "You worried me half to death!"

"I think I should hang up," Jade stutters, while Beck bites his lip.

"Don't you dare hang up!" Cat says. She breathes slowly. "I'm so…"

"Angry?" Beck offers.

"No." Cat sighs. "At either of you."

"Really?" Jade squeals.

"Don't get excited. I'm just disappointed."

"I'm so sorry. I love you, Cat. I don't say it enough."

"I know." She pauses. "I love you, too."

"Please don't be mad."

"I'm not."

"What are you doing?"

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Worrying," Cat hangs up. Jade cries a little bit, angry at herself for doing this. Beck takes her hand and they lie down, and go to sleep. By the time they wake up, Adam is tending to the baby.

"I'm sorry," he says, embarrassed. "I didn't want to wake you or worry you."

"It's okay. She's happy." Adam rocks her, which makes her sleepy again. They spend some time together, granddad, mommy, and daddy, and they're happy for once. Really happy.

A few weeks pass, and Cat doesn't call, so they don't worry.

But they do.

"Should we call Cat?" They say, on the fifth week. Olivia is 16 months now. She's missing her.

"No." They don't know what to do.

"I only earn enough for our food and clothes, but I love you and this baby until I die."

"We'll take care of this little life; we've fallen in love with her baby blue eyes."

So they try and stay afloat, staying in a flat not too far away. "Daddy, do you think I'm doing it right?" Jade asks, sighing. Olivia was balanced on her bony hip.

"Yes, but for god's sake, Jade, eat something."

"I can't," Jade says worriedly. "I'll have some tea." The mug clanks against her teeth uncomfortably and the one biscuit she eats sticks in her throat.

"You're all over bones," he says, "she needs you." Adam points at Livvy.

"Yes, I know. And she needs my time. I don't have time to be scoffing food twenty four seven."

"Scoffing?"

"Yes,"

"It's called staying alive."

"Daddy, I'm fine." And she left it at that. But Beck saw her when she got changed. He watched her. "What are you looking at?" She snaps.

"You…" he says, "your ribs…back…"

"What now?"

"You're so skinny."

"Yes, well," Jade says, dismissively, "I'm busy."

"Lots of people are busy."

"Yes, I know. And I'm one of them." He shakes his head.

"You're sick, Jade."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Jade protests, screeching so loud there's a gathering on the landing and the baby is screaming. She touches her chest, which is reddening and angry, and plays with her pendant.

"No, probably not. But please, go to the doctors."

"…Okay, but….let's go back to Cat's."

"Deal. I'd go to hell and back to make you okay again." Her eyes soften.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." And it was then, that showed her dad why they were together. He understood it then. But he looked at his daughter, frail, pale, so sad looking. He sighed audibly.

"You have so much going for you." Adam says. Jade looks at him. She narrows her blue eyes – but looking back at her is the same pair of blue eyes, on her dad.

"I've had enough!" Jade rages. "I know you're worried. Do you think I'm not?" She storms out with the baby, in her highest heels and best makeup.

They walk for a while, and find a park far enough away.

"Momma…mama!" Olivia cries.

"What, baby?" Jade says, not properly listening.

"Baba!" Jade rubs her eyes and fishes in her bag and pulls out a banana to feed to her.

"No bottle, baby, that's at home. You have fruit." She says sleepily. Olivia screams. Jade shakes her head, feeling the same as awhile ago, when she first left Livvy.

"Dada?"

"Daddy isn't here." She tugs at Jade's legs impatiently. "No, Olivia. Get off mommy's legs."

"No mommy," and she tugs again. Jade pushes her, and promise, it's just a little push, but Olivia's littler, and falls over. Jade looks horrified and tries to pick up her screeching daughter. She runs away, and is surprisingly quick.

"Oh, baby!" Jade yells, running after her. She trips and falls over herself. She wipes her bloody nose with the back of her hand and kicks of her shoes, finally catching up with her daughter. She grips her hand and pulls her back gently. "Don't run away, Livvy, that's naughty."

"Mommy push over me!"

"Yes, I'm so sorry. I love you."

"No no no!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Love you." Jade tickled her. Olivia giggled and then eyed her suspiciously.

"Shoo!" Jade's face fell.

"Don't you love mommy?"

"Shoo!" Livvy pointed. Jade looked down at her bare feet and laughed.

"Yes, that's silly. Good girls don't take their shoes off, okay?" Livvy nods.

"Mama," Olivia babbles, just because she can. Jade takes a breath.

"We're going home," Jade says. "Home."

"Home…"

"Yes, to see Auntie Cat."

"Ann Kitty!"

"Yes, darling." Olivia claps. Jade smiles at her, and picks her up.

"Dada?"

"We'll go get daddy, and then go shopping,"

"Pink…" Olivia mutters. Jade rolls her eyes at her daughter's obsession with pink. As much as Jade hated to admit, she did think those dinky little pink dresses were cute.

"Okay, we'll get some nice pink clothes."

"Yay mommy,"

"Yay baby."

They walk home, hand in hand, chatting. And for the first time in a very long time, Jade feels okay.

A/N:

Not as long, but here you go. I've just finished watching a movie. It's called Raise Your Voice. I thought it'd be lighthearted, because of Hilary Duff and Kat Dennings. But I was wrong. Such a sad film. Made me cry buckets. Hilary is such a good actress. PM me if you've seen it. We can cry together. Did you think so? That scene, and the light, you know? Gah. Just bleh. If you got to here, put the word purple xP

Sorry, that was random ramble. Anyway. If you got this far, congrats, and thanks.