"You have a lot of explaining to do," Jade said darkly. Although she was on the other side of a video call, Sam felt an anxious shiver run down her spine like ice water when she met Jade's glare. She realized that despite having been beaten up (recently), Jade was currently frightening her more now than she had ever been in juvie.

"I ..."

"You abandoned Cat?! Then why did you bother coming back? And why wasn't I told about this before?!" Jade yelled.

"I ... I don't know," Sam stammered.

Jade paused for a moment to examine Sam's face. "What beat up you?"

"Another detainee in juvie," Sam said flatly.

Jade paused. "That's where you've been?"

"...Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?"

"I was embarrassed," Sam said quietly. She knew the query had not been made out of the goodness of Jade's heart - or at least not from any goodness aimed at her. She was right. Jade's face went bright red with anger.

"So you thought embarrassment over something we all suspected would happen was a good reason to leave Cat without someone responsible around to watch out for her?!"

"Hey! I'm responsible!" Cat protested from her side of the room where she had retired to her bed to watch Sam pack with wide, watery eyes.

"Tell Cat to leave the room. I have some things to say to you that she shouldn't hear," Jade said sharply. Sam shooed Cat out and closed the door behind her, dreading what Jade was going to say but knowing that no matter how bad it was, it would be deserved.

As expected, it was brutal. Sam had heard Jade be aggressive, angry, and cynical before, but those had all been with filters due to her friends (whether Cat, Beck, or other Hollywood Arts group members) being in close proximity. Sam realized that she had never previously antagonized Jade. Now she had, and Jade was beyond furious. She swore, pointing out again and again that there must have been some way for her to let them knkow that Cat had been living alone.

"Sam, she was in danger by herself! How could you not have told us?!" she finally ended in what was approaching furious tears.

"I'm sorry," Sam whispered. What else was she to say after being verbally lambasted with what was undoubtedly the worst scolding of her life.

Jade seemed to have expended all her vocal rage.

"I know," she sighed in frustration. "It's obvious that you care for her. But that was an idiotic thing to do. And I won't forget it anytime soon."

"That's okay. Just ... please watch out for her? I've clearly failed," Sam admitted. She dumped the last of her socks and underwear into the garbage bag and threw in a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans she discovered. She was unsure if the pants would fit after the weight she had lost in juvie, but she might as well take them. It wasn't like they would fit Cat.

"Of course I will watch out of her. I always have. Or I've tried," Jade said. She hesitated, then added, "I probably shouldn't beat you when you're down. I assume that when I calm down I'll feel a bit sorry for you. This thing called empathy."

Sam shook her head in a mixture of amusement and amazement. "How have you never ended up in prison? You seem like you have psych issues at least as bad as mine."

Jade shrugged. "I have a Beck."

Sam shrugged back. "Well, I don't."

"From what Cat said, it sounds like you have a 'Spencer' who cares?"

"Yeah, but not in the same way. He's my best friend's older brother who sort of raised her and in conjunction, me, and ... you know, it sounds weird but it was a good thing. Spencer is a good thing."

"Then go be with the good thing in your life," Jade said quietly. "It can take awhile to find that." Her eyes zoned out for a moment as she muttered, "I still can't quite find the good, even with the supports I have around me."

Sam plopped to the floor, cradling Cat's bright pink phone in her hands. She saw a little of her own despondence mirrored in Jade's face. Maybe if they both had had a little more support, they could have gone through this together - whatever this was.

"Well, I figure I'll give it one more shot myself. Maybe you can too?" Sam said quietly.

Jade seemed to shrug on the other side of the call. "Mmmm..."

"Come on. You can try if I can. At least you're not coming back from a visit to prison," Sam coaxed.

Jade smiled a little. "Fiiiiine. I'll try." She sighed. "I guess I'll head over to pick Cat. She'll be too upset to stay by herself tonight, and then tomorrow I'll try to help her figure out what to do."

It was Sam's turn to sigh. "I'm ... sorry about all this."

"Don't worry about it. I've been watching out for her for years. It's nothing new."

"You sure?"

"Definitely. But stop by if you're back in California. I know Cat will want to see you." Sam had to try not to cry, especially as Jade continued in a quiet voice. "I even think I might even not mind seeing you either."

That did it. Those were definitely tears in her eyes.

"Got to go, Jade. Too much to pack. I'll probably be leaving some stuff behind," she said brusquely.

"Want us to box up anything for you?"

"Nah. If I leave it, it's trash to me."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Bye, Sam."

"Bye, Jade."

...

Her "bye" to Cat was longer, but she finally extricated herself from the clinging arms.

"She'll be okay?" Spencer asked suspiciously as she got into the borrowed truck after throwing her belongings and loading her motorbike onto the back.

Sam shrugged. "Probably."

"I wish I wasn't taking you away from here, but ..."

"Just go." She couldn't handle the sight of Cat's nose pressed against the window that was fogged up due to the close proximity of her tears. She hated that her final look at Cat was going to be of her face pink from distress, tear streaked and fearful, rather than the usual happy or even confused looks that Sam had grown familiar with over the last half year.

Spencer went. They both went.

California was behind her. Seattle was once again ahead.

And maybe along with Seattle, a second chance.