AN: Whoop whoop! 29 reviews for two chapters! Thank you thank you thank you. I like the fact that you guys take the time to say more than just "update." Thanks to everyone that submitted a pick up line, I was cracking up at the most unfortunate times. I'll definitely be using one or two in the next chapter. This ch was a lil hard to write. It's about twice the size of the last chapter and three times the size of the first. I hope you enjoy it. If you have any suggestions feel free to hit me up. R&R!

"I act like shit don't faze me, inside it drives me crazy..."

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock blared. A hand shot out from under the covers to swat the offending object.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! A groan. Of course the alarm wasn't there. It had been moved all the way across the room the night before to prevent this very thing.

Jade tossed the sheets to the ground. She continued to lay there staring up at the ceiling. Monday already. Another weekend passed uneventfully sitting in front of the tube with a bowl of cereal and her horror DVD collection. It was becoming depressing. Cat said something about her being in need of more than just one friend (as much as she loved hanging out with her.) It put a damper on her mood. She had plenty of friends. There was Cat. Andre. And Carly!

Okay. Maybe not Carly. She was more like one of those people that you accidentally made out with one night when you were drunk and somehow she manged to get her number and now she wouldn't stop bugging. Not that Carly was a bad person. She was very attractive, smart, and a decent human being when she wasn't being needy or sensitive.

She didn't exactly have a social life. What did it matter? She was doing just fine with herself. She said as much to the pesky redhead. In a few months she would attend medical school and in a few short years she would be Dr. Jaden West sticking a knife in someone's chest while her friends drowned in their conformed, domestic lives.

With a groan Jade stumbled out of bed into the adjoining restroom. She made quick work of the morning routine, forgoing a thirty minute shower for a quicker five minutes. She dried off and jumped into a pair of clean scrubs then headed to the kitchen for breakfast. She rummaged through the contents of her fridge deciding on bagels and cream cheese. She fixed one up, poured some milk in a glass, and sat down to enjoy it instead of running out the door in a rush as usual.

She'd been oddly pacific these last few weeks, as if waiting on something. At the back of her mind she knew what is was. The letter. Consciously she couldn't admit to that. Her ego couldn't handle it. She was anxiously awaiting a reply to her cryptic letter sent to a stranger on a whim.

Jade didn't know what compelled her to write back to words that weren't meant for her. It was just an impulse. And that's what scared her the most. She wasn't the type of person to give in to impulses. She was the kind of girl that planned every thing out carefully then saw it through. But that girl's words, so emotional, so raw- she felt an obligation to write back. All too often she felt like she was standing in that crowded room going by unnoticed. The only differences between them being that she didn't scream. She went on in silence, observing, trying to find that other person who wasn't fooled by the veil. They might approach things differently but she understood the want, the urge, the NEED to find some one else that just... got it.

Perhaps Cat's words had more of an influence than she'd bargained...

Jade wiped away the crumbs of her impromptu breakfast, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door. As she passed the garage she briefly considered driving but found no point in wasting gas to go six blocks down the street. She glanced lovingly at the 1973 Dodge Charger, her most prized possession. The walk would be good for her...

Besides the fact that she spent her weekend obsessing over that damn letter (again), the other part of it was spent thinking about Dustin Brooks. Who was he? What did he do? Who were his friends? Why did he feel the need to cheat on his girlfriend if she was so great? Obviously Zoey Brooks thought so. And why was Zoey Brooks so protective of her brother's girlfriend? Was she really that innocent? Were they really that close of friends? Was there something else going on? She usually didn't take so much interest in strangers but Dustin Brooks was without fail a very interesting man. 99% of the time people lead boring, uneventful, and unremarkable lives. But not Dustin.

Then there was the fact that she'd felt flattered by him and his sister's (negative) attention. Obviously

Dustin was a man of aesthetic standards. Zoey seemed to think so as well.

'How the mighty have fallen,' she thought sadly. Three months ago she wouldn't have hesitated to give a slippery weasel like Dustin Brooks a piece of her mind. Her life was really starting to tear into her.

With a sigh she grabbed her phone out of her backpack, putting it on vibrate before slipping it into her back pocket. Her supervisor, the pristine Josh Peck, didn't exactly agree with modern technology.

"Hey girl!" A lively voice greeted her as she stepped through the sliding doors of the hospital's side entrance.

Jade smirked, eying the painfully flamboyant male nurse. His braided hair was pulled back into a pony tail, his stylish square framed glasses catching a glint from the over head lights. Ridiculous how one person could manage to look so good and so stupid at the same time. He was wearing his trademark Barney scrubs, the ones that made it look like he was wearing a costume rather than a uniform.

"What's up, Andre?"

He came sauntering over. Sauntering because Andre could never simply just walk. He glided, he floated, he sashayed, he twirled but he never just walked. He leaned over for one of his awkward far away hugs, his big hands patting her shoulders.

"How was your weekend?"

She smiled wistfully. "Just me and the tube. Yours?"

His dark eyes lit up. She snickered. This should be good. Andre was always up to something. "Ooh, girl, I met the hottest bitch in town. His name is Rob, he's in the navy, currently single. We met at the club, had a few drinks, went back to his place, had a few more drinks and the rest of the night is a hot, sweaty, orgasmic blur." He finished, fanning his face with his hands for effect.

Jade shook out the image of Andre and Rob's hot, sweaty wrestling. "Sounds like you had fun."

Andre waggled his brows. "Don't worry, honey, he has this absolutely gorgeous sister. I can hook you up if you want."

"No, thanks."

He pouted. "Why not? You need to get out more, Jaden West, you're becoming a hermit. What if you become some freak that lives with a hundred cats and gets off listening to her neighbors have sex?" He gasped, "Or worse. What if you don't get off at all?"

She laughed ignoring the dirty look from one of the secretaries. "Trust me, I hate cats. And I don't have time for stuff like that. I start med school in a few months."

Andre shook his head in disappointment. "As pretty as you is, not as pretty as me of course-"

"Of course."

"-you could have your pick of the litter. I know ten fine ass boys trying to get with you just in this department... a few none too shabby looking ladies, too." He added with a knowing smirk.

Jade's face heated up. She grabbed a few files off of one of the cabinets and started walking towards the back. "Yeah, sure-"

"Hey where are you going?"

She paused, looking over her shoulder. "Upstairs."

Andre shook his head. "You're not up there today. You're working the other side."

Jade frowned. "But I thought-"

"I know," Andre shrugged, his face apologetic, "I'll see what I can do about that for the rest of your week but right now just go ahead and take it."

She sighed but nodded. She returned the files back to the cabinet and began the long walk to the adjacent building. Her shift hadn't even begun and already she felt a headache stirring in her temples.

Jade hated working with kids. It was just something that bothered her beyond reasoning. Pretty stupid of her since this was mostly a children's hospital. Seeing their sad eyes, their hearts on their sleeves- because that's what kids did, they wore their hearts on their sleeves- it was an emotional abuse she didn't take to kindly. She could never understand how parents were ignorant enough to allow their kids to get as messed up as some of them did. It was beyond her conception. Cat said she had issues, that she didn't care. She preferred to see it as not getting involved.

The truth of the matter was this was the only hospital with any openings for an internship. She had to tough it out until school began. Here's wishing another positioned came to her once her classes began.

"Jade we need you ASAP." Her supervisor came rushing at her. He grabbed her arm and began dragging her away. "We need you on a case."

Let the good times roll.

~~C.O.A~~

Two weeks. Two weeks since Tori last saw Quinn or Zoey. Two weeks since Zoey broke the news to her, since her argument with Dustin. Many events had taken place in those two weeks.

She and Dustin were back together. She went home that day, popped open a bottle of champagne, got drunk, and cried herself to sleep. The next day he showed up looking as cool as ever, that gorgeous, boyish smile on his face. He had a dozen white roses and breakfast for her. It was enough to make her reconsider her decision to leave him. They'd spent the day together watching movies and snacking out on all her favorites, which he brought. He did everything right, everything he'd done to make her fall in love the first time around. She decided she would give him some time.

She hadn't seen Quinn since their lunch date but they'd spoken over the phone. Her nerdy friend wasn't thrilled by the idea of the two timing blonde hanging around. "I'm only giving him a few days, to see if tells me himself. If he doesn't I'll confront him about it. It will be over, Quinn."

But of course he never confessed, and she never confronted him. It was never really over. She knew she was messed up for it. She just couldn't leave him. They'd been together for almost six years. That was a life time by today's standards. She couldn't imagine herself waking up to an empty bed knowing it would be that way from now on. She needed him. She wasn't the type of girl that could deal with being alone. Never had been.

Tori chewed her lip nervously as she knocked on her boss's door. She'd only been ten minutes late. Surely that was no reason to earn herself a scolding from the boss.

"Come in." Helen barked.

She took a deep breath, mentally steeling herself. Helen was known to make employees cry. She never showed a bit of remorse either. Hell, she'd even seen a few quit after walking out of her office. She gulped. No one wanted to piss off the boss and especially not her. Helen was a big angry black woman who spoke too loud and liked to give people the crazy eyes. It was all very intimidating.

"You needed to see me?"

"Ah, Tori Vega. Just the girl I wanted to see. Come in. Sit down."

Tori did as instructed, fighting the slight tremble in her hands all the while. She couldn't afford to lose this job. The pay wasn't stellar but it was enough to cover the bills and it kept the refrigerator stocked throughout the month. Sometimes there was even a little extra. Dustin tried talking her into moving in with him countless of times over the course of their relationship. In her mind it was relinquishing whatever control she had left to him. She couldn't do that to herself. She had to admit though, it would certainly be helpful as far as finances went.

Helen finished typing and sat back in her large leather office chair. She eyed the Latina from head to toe, humming positively. "You were fifteen minutes late today."

Tori's blood pressure shot through the roof. It was ten but that didn't matter. Helen was unforgiving when it came to employees' punctuality. "Yes, ma'am, I was."

Helen raised a brow. "How come?"

She shifted nervously. Make up a very convincing lie? Or hope for the best? "I don't have an excuse, ma'am, just the reason for my tardiness."

"What reason is that?"

"Traffic."

For several moments Tori felt her life was in the balance. In her mind she was going over her savings, adding up the bills, and recalling where she'd seen signs that read, 'NOW HIRING.'

Eventually Helen cleared her throat. "Don't make it a habit. The reason I called you up here is because your trainer is on leave until further notice. Apparently someone made a complaint against him. He's under investigation."

Tori's brows shot up into her hairline. "Rex is under investigation? Am I under investigation?" She felt the blood drain from her face. This was considerably worse than getting fired. This could ruin her life.

"This complaint was from a client in 2008. Way before you ever came along." Helen stated. "However I do have to ask, did he ever mention anything that you thought was questionable?"

She shook her head no. Rex was generally an OK guy. Sure he was forty two years old and leered at her a lot but what old geezer didn't get off harassing younger girls? She let it slide though because he was damn good at his job.

"Okay, Vega, You have an appointment with a client at 10. If you do well on your own today consider yourself done with training. I'll give you all of Rex's cases. There will be more responsibility on your hands but the perks make it worth it. Pay is raised by six dollars hourly, you'll receive a company gas card, a company car, a company phone, and a company laptop. Does that sounds good?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded dumbly. Cognitive sentences were out of the question.

"Get going then. Steve will give you the details at the front desk." Tori jumped to her feet already half way out the door before Helen shouted, "Good luck, Vega! And don't be late!"

Her first instinct was to reach for the phone and call Quinn and Zoey. She'd walked into Helen's office expecting to get fired. Instead she walked out with a promotion! The job wasn't hers yet. There was still the little matter of going through with her appointment.

She grinned, typing a quick message before slipping the phone back in her pocket. Steve greeted her with a big smile. She didn't really make friends with co workers, mostly because they were stuck up. But Crazy Steve was a really nice guy if a bit out there. "Someone looks happy." He commented.

"Someone's getting promoted."

"I heard. Congrats. Here's the file, gas card, phone, and keys. Good luck. It's a war zone out there in the streets."

Tori's smile considerably faded. She was so happy about the promotion that she'd overlooked one crucial point. From now on she was going into these situations alone. If someone had a gun or a knife, if they were high or drunk, if they were determined to keep their dirty dark secrets out of the light...

Steve's own smile twisted. "Don't worry. I've been here for ten years, the worst that has happened was getting chased by a dog out of a yard."

"What kind of dog?"

"Dogs actually."

"What kind of dogs?"

"Gotti pitbulls. Trained as guard dogs for a small time drug dealer. He got mad at his eight year old daughter and threw her to them. They tore her up pretty good." Tori paled. Steve ran his hand through his buzzed head, a nervous smile in place. He'd said the wrong thing. "But she's okay now." He added cheerfully.

She deflated. "Thanks for the pep talk, Steve."

"You'll be okay."

"Yeah, sure. I'm convinced."

"They appreciate your help, Tori." He commented, suddenly very serious. "These kids, you might not think so, but you're a hero to them. They appreciate your help. You think they're young, that they don't know what you're doing for them but they'll remember tomorrow what you do for them today. Trust me."

Tori gave him a little wave. She knew it all too well.

~~C.O.A~~

7:30 PM.

Jade walked out of the examination room looking like she'd just been through a war. There was blood on her face, hands, scrubs, and shoes. Her skin was paler than usual against the crimson and dark circles around her eyes made her look like a raccoon. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her eyes glazed over.

She ignored the looks and general nosy-ness of her fellow coworkers, shuffling on until she felt she might collapse. She dropped like lead into a seat in one of the waiting rooms, her legs shaky and weak. She looked like the victim in a zombie movie.

Little Samantha Puckett was only four years old. A police officer ( none other than officer Caterina Valentine) found her inside a dumpster after someone called in an "anonymous" tip. The kid was covered in cuts, filth, lice, and even maggots. She was sick, badly so. Jade couldn't imagine anyone NOT being ill after eating garbage for two weeks.

The shock of first seeing the little girl had rendered her speechless and motionless. As her eyes took in her tangled hair crawling with bugs, the dirt and filth on her pale face, the wounds crawling with worms- she wasn't able to control the tears nor the nausea. She ran out, her hands covering her mouth as she fought down her breakfast and her mind shut out that horrible image...

She looked over her bandaged hand. The nurse had just cleaned it for her but it was already soiled again. Scalpels are sharp; Sam was squirmy. It was an accident. She couldn't bring herself to care too much. A little cut was nothing to make a fuss over. Not when Sam was laying in a hospital bed fighting for her life against a severe infection.

Jade rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes releasing a deep breath. She wondered if Cat would mind coming over to keep her company. Everything felt wrong. She didn't want to be alone. Not tonight. She felt tears prick her eyes. Not tonight.

"Looks like you've had a long day."

Jade groaned internally. Couldn't she have one moment to herself? She slit an eye open to look beside her. The other one flew open.

She hadn't seen the woman sitting there. Was she really that out of it? She had these outrageously high cheek bones but it looked good on her. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders in rich dark brown waves framing her face like a picture. Her eyes squinted a bit when she smiled at her.

"Yeah, no kidding." Her eyes were drawn to the badge hanging around her neck. "CPS."

She nodded. "That's right."

"Are you here with the little girl?"

She looked sheepish for a bit. "Honestly, I don't know. It's a child endangerment case. I was on my way home when the office called and said there was a kid in very bad shape brought to the hospital by the police. All I have is a name."

Jade snorted. A child endangerment case? That was almost pretty. Talk about sugarcoating. Endangerment meant the kid was in danger, that something bad might happen. What happened to Sam was cruelty, low, disgusting. Screwed up. She eyed the brunette once more. She seemed like a nice girl if a little green. Taking out her anger on her didn't seem right.

"You look kind of young to be CPS."

She raised a shapely brow. "I could say the same about you, Jade."

Jade frowned, dark brows dipping low over emerald eyes. Her lips turned downward at the corners. "How do you know my name?"

"I volunteer here on Fridays. We've bumped into each other once or twice." She explained with an easy smile, not at all put off by her animosity.

Jade relaxed a bit. She seemed to recall almost knocking the Latina over once or twice in her haste. It was a wonder her mind could conjure up anything besides the little girl... "Now I remember. You're uh, Vega, right?"

Tori grinned. "Tori."

Jade took her hand. "Jade West. I apologize. I don't tend to give out my name a lot."

"Ahh," Tori nodded wisely, "Don't get out much?"

"You caught me."

"It's okay, neither do I."

She smirked at this. The fact that Tori began a conversation with her was evidence suggesting the opposite. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," she laughed. Jade felt some of the tension in her shoulders melt. She had a nice laugh. "I have like four friends."

"I have like one."

Tori burst into a fit of giggles. Jade couldn't hold back a little grin of her own despite her mood.

They spent the next hour talking about silly things that made absolutely no sense nor held any importance. It was nice for a change, definitely something different for Jade. She couldn't recall the last time she'd actually enjoyed a stranger's company. Tori was just the right amount of friendly, enthusiastic, and down to earth. She also appreciated the fact that she never questioned the cut on her hand or the blood on her uniform. She wouldn't be able to handle answering any of those questions. It was almost as if Tori knew she needed someone to just be there. The Latina never stopped smiling and never stopped trying to make her laugh.

They were getting to the topic of movies when her supervisor came into the waiting room. Her heart jumped into her throat. Josh looked very serious. He often did but there was something different about him that made her blood run cold. She climbed to her feet but he shook his head at her.

"Ms. Vega."

Tori sobered up immediately, her shoulders squaring themselves and all traces of her smile gone. She grabbed her bag and followed the doctor towards the back doors.

Jade grabbed her backpack off the floor, ready to leave as well when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Tori flashed her a smile, not like the ones from before but a more timid one. She held out a business card. "It was nice talking to you, Jade. Maybe we can grab lunch some day. I could use a friend."

Jade took the small card, examining it. "Sure." She wanted to say more but her mind was back on Samantha Puckett.

"Alright. Bye, Jade."

"Bye," she called after her. Seconds later she disappeared behind the swinging steel doors. She tucked the card into her backpack then fished out her cell phone and dialed Cat's number. It went straight to voice mail. Her heart sank.

~~C.O.A~~

Six hours later Jade stumbled into her apartment, a silly grin on her face to match her companion's. They giggled like little school girls as they fumbled their way into the dark room nearly tripping every other step.

"Shh!" She hissed but she didn't know why. It's not like there was anyone else home. But why did she feel like she was being watched?...

Suddenly the living room light flickered on sending a stabbing pain to her head and eyes. She groaned in protest. It took her a minute to get over the harshness of the light. "Cat."

Cat stared at her with a neutral expression. Whatever she was feeling she sure as hell wasn't letting it show. "Drunk on a Monday night. That's low, Jade."

Jade rolled her eyes, taking her arm from around the brunette. Carly gave her a look which she promptly ignored. "You've met Carly, right?"

The redhead pursed her lips. "Sure." Her eyes darted to the equally plastered woman. She bit back a scowl. "We need to talk. Maybe you and your friend can do whatever it is you were going to do some other time."

"Or we can talk some other time." She said flippantly. She flopped down on the couch, one arm draped over her eyes while the other tugged at Carly's hand.

Carly shot a quick look at Cat. "I just remembered I have something to do. With Freddy." She smiled sweetly at Jade, leaning down to plant a quick kiss on her lips before retracting her hand. "I had fun tonight. Call me?"

Cat interrupted. "She'll give you a ring. You know you're way out, right? Good. Nice seeing you again, Megan."

"It's Carly."

"What ever." Cat dismissed. She waited until the door was shut before fixing the drunk brunette with a withering glare. "Getting drunk and bringing some random slu-"

"She's not random and she's not a slut." Jade growled. She could feel Cat's stare on her.

"What's with you? I've been calling you all night. So has the hospital."

"I don't care."

"Jade," Cat's tone softened, "Sam Puckett-"

"Is there something you need, Cat? If not, I'd like to go to bed. I had a long day."

Cat's mouth snapped shut. Mentally Jade was slapping herself. She was in a foul mad and Cat didn't deserve her scorn. She knew hooking up with Carly was a bad idea but she was drunk and Carly was there and she just wanted some company.

Cat snatched her purse up from the floor and stomped over to her side. "You got a letter." She said, throwing it at her.

Jade closed her eyes with a sigh, the slamming door making her flinch. "You screwed up big time.' She told herself, those nasty stubborn tears that had bothered her all day making a reappearance. She just wanted some company. Going to Carly wasn't her smartest idea. Bringing her back to her apartment didn't win her a Nobel prize either.

"This is all so fucked up." She had half a mind to go chase after Cat when her hand brushed against the letter at her side. She picked it up, inspecting the plain white envelope. There was no return address and no name. Hers wasn't on it either. Just the number of her apartment. The handwriting looked familiar...

Jade's eyes widened in recognition. Faster than her own mind could grasp she tore the envelope open and yanked the folded piece of paper out. Her heart beat outrageously hard against her chest, so hard she could hear it in the silence of her apartment. Her mouth suddenly went dry. Was she nervous? Why should she be? It was just a letter. Just a letter from a stranger...

More than likely I've lost my mind. But I believe you. Who ever you are...

AN: Forgot this bit haha. No it's not a multi fandom crossover. I'm simply using characters from other shows because writing about the same people over and over is getting boring as hell. Think outside the bun :)