Hi, everyone! It's been a while. That's partly due to school, partly due to illness that disrupted my school and put me behind, and then also partly due to exhaustion from school. Anyway, I've wanted to write something new and get it up for about a month now (or so it feels), and this is what managed to get from my mind to the keyboard fastest. It might not flow as smoothly as normal - I'm prepping for two exams at the moment - but I felt like I should post *something*.

This is from the episode "Survival of the Hottest". I thought that Jade would probably have some questions for Cat once she cooled off. Here, we see that conversation.

...

Jade sat on the damp sand, soaking in the relief of the cool breeze off of the ocean. After being stuck in a broiling RV for a couple hours - and now being certain that she was going to live until evening - she was grateful for the chance to cool off and - UGH! - stop sweating. That had been one of the most disgusting moments of her life, and she was furious at her body for betraying her by being so common as to attempt to cool her off in the midst of a dangerously hot situation.

The rest of the group was frolicking in the ocean. Beck once again tried to gesture for her to come join them, and she gave him a snarly face. Even from the distance, Jade could see - or at least feel - that he was rolling his eyes at her response. She did not care. He knew what to expect when he brought her here. He dove back into the water, and Jade admired him from afar. There was no way she was getting into the ocean with him, but the wet sand was cooling her off just fine and Beck was finally looking hot in an attractive way again. She would not mind cuddling against him while his abs were dripping with salt water...

She watched the others as well, taking upon herself the life guarding duties. Regardless of what others might think, she did not truly want them to meet a watery grave. Robbie was a surprisingly good swimmer. Jade had half expected him to melt when touched by water. Trina and Tori were having a competition of some sort, and Andre was refereeing. Jade had no doubt that he was consistently ruling in favour of Tori.

Cat in particular was busy, bobbing around in the water on her tip toes, eagerly bouncing from person to person and trying to initiate splash fights. At one point a wave went over her head and Jade scrambled to her feet in concern when Cat did not immediately reappear. She breathed a long sigh of relief when Cat's signature red head popped up from the water, squealing excitedly as Beck and Robbie were trying balance her on their shoulders. Cat was tumbling off every time they moved half an inch, but it was clear that she was safe and enjoying herself. Jade sat back down and indulged in a smile as no one she knew was close enough to spot the change in her attitude.

Once she had cooled off enough to regain control of her sweat glands and thoughts, Jade realized something. She frowned, concerned. She did not start yelling, but she stored up some questions. When Cat finally pranced to shore, eager to show Jade a shell that Trina had found and given to her, Jade motioned in a no-nonsense way for Cat to sit down next to her. Puzzled at the cool reception to the gorgeous sea treasure she had been gifted, Cat plopped down next to Jade, accidentally scattering Jade with sand.

"Why don't you like the shell?" Cat asked in confusion.

"Nice shell. But, Cat, where were you all afternoon?" Jade asked, getting Cat to make eye contact with her.

"Here at the ocean. You and Beck brought me!"

"Uh huh. I meant, while we were in the RV, you had said that you needed to go pee. Where were you for the rest of the time?"

Cat's face squinched up a little as she thought back over her eventful day. She tended to live in the moment, so sometimes remembering was a little tricky. Finally she recalled and her face lit up with happiness.

"I made new friends! There were a few guys and we had fun together. I think they are our age, or maybe even a bit older, like seniors! They had such happy music playing, and then we ate tuna and shaved ice and made pottery and they especially liked when we had a water fight and they kept spraying me with water. My top got soaked and it was so freezing!"

Jade closed her eyes to prevent Cat from reading the frustration in them. She knew what kind of "games" the guys could have tried with Cat, and the fact that her friend was clueless about possible dangers was frightening her.

"Did you ... get the names of these guys?"

"No."

"And you didn't know any of them before?"

"No. But they were nice!"

Jade put her finger under Cat's chin to get her full attention.

"Cat, if you do not know someone - especially if you don't even know their name - you should not be eating with them or playing water games."

"Why?"

"Because it's not safe."

"We weren't even in the ocean, so no waves were going to pull us out, Jade," Cat said innocently. She held up her shell for inspection. "Do you see the purple bits?"

Jade pushed the shell away, determined to continue the conversation.

"I know that you weren't in the water, Cat. But there's other ways that coming to the beach can be dangerous, especially when you aren't with people you know. That's why you should have come back to us after you went to the washroom." Jade was trying her best to not hold it against Cat that they had been in danger while Cat was off playing with her new so-called "friends". That was not Cat's fault, but they had been worried for her, until the heat had taken all focus from what was happening with her.

Cat's lip quivered a little as she realized that she was being scolded, albeit lightly, by Jade. She dropped her shell in her sadness and turned away, pouting. Jade just rolled her eyes at Cat's back and picked up the shell, running her fingers along the edges. There was no way she was "relenting". She was only telling Cat these things - in the most veiled of ways - because they were true. Cat's sense of danger was severely impaired, and Jade saw it as her personal mission to make sure that her best friend survived high school without being entirely victimized.

"Hey, you guys. Why don't you come in the water?" a dripping Beck asked, shaking sea water out of his hair as he jogged over. Several droplets landed on Jade's cheek and she slapped them away in annoyance.

"You know why I'm not in the water," Jade grumbled. Beck shrugged with a happy-go-lucky smile. He knew better than to let Jade's words sink in too deeply when she had particular frowns on her face. He nodded toward Cat.

"What about you, Cat? Coming back in? Tori found some hermit crabs and she thought you might like to see them."

Cat shook her head dejectedly and buried her face against her sandy knees. Beck turned to Jade for an explanation.

"She's upset because I told her that spending the afternoon with random guys she had never met before and never asked for their names was not a safe idea," Jade said in clipped tones.

Beck's face darkened with concern, not liking that news any more than Jade had.

"Cat," he said slowly with some exasperation in his voice. This did not help Cat feel any better, and Beck and Jade heard her start sniffling, on the precipice of the sudden tears they both knew all too well. They exchanged a long-suffering look, before they both switched to comforting mode.

Beck crouched down to pat Cat on the shoulders. "Let's go back in the water, Cat. You'll try to be more careful next time. I know you will," he said with infused confidence.

"I will," Cat sniffled in confirmation.

"Good girl. Let's go," Beck said encouragingly.

Cat shook her head, still refusing to move.

"What's the matter?" Jade asked, already guessing.

"You're mad at me! I don't like it when you're mad at me!" Cat whimpered in a squeaky voice.

"Oh, Cat," Jade sighed. She took a deep breath, then tried to explain. "I'm not mad, not really. I just ... wish you'd be safer."

"I try!"

"I know, I know. I just wish ..." Jade realized that no amount of wishing was going to change circumstances to a point where Cat had caring parents who would take care of her and teach her things instead of relying on her friends to ensure that she was not taken advantage of or hurt.

Cat turned to look at Jade after the pause stretched to half a minute. "What, Jade?"

"I wish that you would go splash in the water with me. Just at the edge, but maybe it could be ..."

"Fun!" Cat squealed, jumping up and pulling Jade and Beck behind her.

"Sweet of you to put up with touching the ocean for Cat's sake," Beck whispered in Jade's ear as Cat danced down the water line, the tiny waves lapping at her feet.

Jade shrugged. "I'll elbow you in the ribs if you try to splash me," she warned.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Beck said mischievously, wrapping his arms around her, tickling her stomach and somehow avoiding Jade stomping on his feet.

"Let - go - of - me!" Jade grumbled, trying to wriggle away.

"Jadey! My shell! I lost it!" Cat screeched from a few yards down the beach.

"She still has it for you," Beck answered.

"How'd you know?" Jade asked, amused at his knowing her so well.

"I know you, and you wouldn't lose something that she's guaranteed to want five minutes later, as long as it isn't annoyingly like that whistle she bought at a dollar store last month," Beck said certainly. He whispered, "I know you were the one who 'disappeared' it."

Jade handed over the shell to Cat who had skipped back to reclaim it. "I'm being careful," she sing-songed as she put the shell into her pocket after admiring its colours and shape with Beck and Jade making appropriate admiring sounds.

"I know. And we're your backup carefulness," Jade assured her.

Cat beamed, then skipped off into the water for a few feet before rushing back.

"Can you hold onto the shell for me? Just in case?"

"Sure. I can do that," Jade assured her, accepting the treasure and speedy hug before Cat raced back out to their other friends, pretending to be a mermaid.

"Gotta love her," Beck remarked.

Jade smiled. "Sure do."

...

I will try to post again soon. :) I sense a few Christmas stories could be told ... ;)