Cat's face turned all different shades of red as she covered herself with her bed sheet, mouth ajar and face shocked. "I thought you wouldn't be home yet!" Cat yelled, looking around the room for a jacket or something.
"Here," Jade says, thrusting Cat's bathrobe into her hands and laughing. "Like you haven't seen me in more embarrassing stories. Do you not remember the party of '09?"
Cat shudders, "Oh, I remember that all too well."
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" Jade asks, checking her watch. According to it, Cat was ten minutes late and had a ten minute car journey.
"Oh, shoot," Cat says. "I have a meeting in half an hour," she says, grumbling as she pulls on a pair of jeans and a blue top. She shoves her arms through a jacket and a comb is pulled through her hair while she rushes to say goodbye to Jade and Robbie. She slips into her high heels as she slips out of the door, waving Olivia off.
"Cat, don't leave me with Jade!" Robbie yelps, his eyes pleading. Jade raises an eyebrow, remaining unimpressed. Robbie gives a small squeak.
Tilting her head, Jade narrows her eyes, "You haven't changed a bit."
Leading him downstairs and shooing Cat out of the door with a promise to be nice to Robbie, Jade rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Robbie.
"Listen," Jade says, sitting him down and grabbing Olivia. "Don't do that, Livvy. Anyhow, I have something to tell you. And you're gonna listen, right?"
Robbie squints and nods, suppressing another squeak. Jade had always scared him, though a baby now sat on her knee, giggling, and every now and again she'd brush her hair out of her face, or smile softly down at her, and he thought that he knew the meaning of true love just by looking at the two of them.
"Cat has always been there for me and this little girl and I know there is not a damn thing in this universe that makes me worthy of that, or her love. But somehow, someone up there made her love me, and now she's stuck with me. And, I will always, always protect her. If you make her cry, I will make you cry. If you're just screwing around with her, don't."
"I-I'm not!" Robbie protests, turning a deep shade of red. "I promise. I..I really really like her."
"Don't take her for granted," Jade says, and then she smiles, stands, and pretends the previous conversation did not happen. "So, would you like a cup of tea? Beck will be home soon. I'm sure you'd like to catch up."
"Yes," Robbie says, reflecting on what Jade had said. "Two sugars, please." Jade nods, and goes through to the kitchen. She thinks hard and carefully about the implications of Cat's new lovelife. Would she be happy, now? Cat had always smiled but she never seemed quite content. Jade hoped Robbie would ease this.
She's still thinking when she pours the tea and burns her hand. As she runs water on the burn, she shakes the thoughts out of her head like the water running down the drain, and carries the tea to Robbie in the lounge, while holding Livvy's hand with her other hand.
"Here," Jade says. "Do me a favor and watch Livvy while I go check on the baby. Be good, sweetheart."
Jade steps lightly up the stairs and turns into the nursery. Baby Jasper sleeps soundly in his crib and Jade takes a moment just to stare at her baby. While Olivia had dark hair, blue eyes and olive skin, Jasper's eyes were steadily turning to a light brown and his hair looked fairer than Olivia's ever had. She hears the door opening and picks up Jasper as he stirs, finally waking. "Shh, Jazzy. Don't wake now, or you'll scream the place down. Shh for Mommy and we'll go see Daddy, Livvy, and Robbie. How about that?"
And with that, she heard her daughter screaming her name. "Mommy! Mommy! Mom!" Rushing down the stairs, Jade sighed as she saw what was wrong.
"Sweetie, you know that Daddy can't lift you. His hands hurt, silly." With one hand, Jade shifted baby Jasper onto her shoulder, and with the other she sat Livvy on her hip, rolling her eyes.
"Cat went to work?" Beck asks, rubbing his wife's back and kissing both of the kid's heads.
"Yes," Jade says, hiding her smile by turning her head. "She got there just fine, if not a little late. We all lost track of time. . . getting reacquainted."
Robbie pleads silently with Jade and he realized that while he hasn't changed - nor has she - if not a little more forgiving, as with a small smirk, she lets the matter drop, and doesn't expect to hear any more on it.
Later, when Cat is home from work and Livvy is about to be put to bed, Jade crosses the hall and hears arguing coming from Cat's room. Robbie had stayed for dinner and then Cat and him had gone upstairs. Jade had only one thing that she could think they were doing, and she wouldn't mention it in front of an almost four year old.
Jade's brow furrowed as she listened in to the conversation. It was wrong, she knew that, but she was also very glad that Livvy was asleep. This way she didn't have to worry about being seen eavesdropping. While she couldn't quite work out the words being said, it was a heated conversation and eventually - a little while after Jade had given up and had already put Livvy to bed, while she was changing Jasper - Robbie stormed out.
Jade's heart ached hearing Cat's heaving sobs and she couldn't bear to leave her any longer. I knocked lightly on the door and entered, trying to gauge her mood. She put her arms around her crying best friend and rocked her.
"Shh, Cat, it's alright. What happened?"
"I..." Cat sighs deeply and hiccups, her sadness etched on her face. "I'm so stupid! How could I let this happen? He doesn't even love me!"
"It's okay! Tell me. It's his stupid mistake if he doesn't love you, you amazing girl! Don't ever think you're not good enough."
"No," Cat says bitterly. "It's not his fault, he didn't chose not to love me. He's trying to do the right thing but he's not right..not for me!"
"What's the right thing to do? Cat, you're scaring me! Nothing is ever as bad as it seems late at night."
"No, this will be bad in the morning, and after that and after that."
"You can't know that,"
"Yes! I can! I'm pregnant!"