Disclaimer: Don't own the source material. Also, not all divorces have to be wars. You have been warned.

:}

It was over. Jade had to admit, for something that started dying so long ago, it took forever to finally die. Oddly, the issue that took the longest to resolve, and hurt the most to get cleaned up, was the one that drove home how useless this relationship had been. Jade sighed and stepped out of the courtroom, and almost immediately ran into her now ex husband. "So, we have out divorce." She said. "You and I will be sharing custody. Tawney will be loved…"

"I hate that name." Beck sighed. They'd argued about the name from the moment they knew the child's gender. Of course, they'd been arguing about everything from long before that, to the point that Jade gave in, had Beck's child, just to maybe save the marriage. Only, that just exposed how fragile their union truly was. The pressures of adulthood, and Jade's difficulty in handling being an adult, had driven a wedge into their love, killing it as surly as anything. In fact, during the two year separation, two years where they basically established their custody sharing without intending to, they'd managed to find their friendship again, to the point where the ugly divorce was a dagger in both their hearts. But there was a lot at stake, because in the sort time out of high school, they'd both established themselves.

Beck had first established himself as a versatile actor, costarring in Jade's first three movies, each of a different genre. Playing her love interest in a romcom, or a terrorist out to destroy the world, or even the hero trying desperately to be the "Final Boy" as Jade's monster hunted him and his frat brothers, Beck had shined in each roll. The actor had even branched out into directing his own stories, though he'd made the decision not to even try to deal with Jade's growing attitude, making his film while Jade was too pregnant to be in that kind of story. Instead, Jade made her own movie, directing while preggers, but not acting at the time. However, while Beck's movie made money, Jade was established, a mover and shaker, and as a result they had a LOT of money. Jade was the talent of the relationship, at least as far as making movies was concerned.

Beck looked at his ex. "Okay, you're free." He smirked. "But we both know you don't do alone well. Hell, I'm amazed you haven't been sued by now for something you said or did. I agree, having a kid, having Tawney, should help you think before you do, but you needed someone who could handle you. Of course, two years, with you needing an adult around you, I know you found someone to help contain you. We both moved on, and now, we're both free to peruse our own relationships. Difference is, I think I wanna spend some time being single, while you NEED to belong to someone."

"God, Beck, I could almost see that word emphasized." Jade drolled. "We agreed, no mater how ugly it got in there, we stay friends, for Tawney."

"Like we agreed, I play the bad guy in one film, you play the bad guy in the next?" He smiled. "That's something I should tell you. Playing the terrorist made my acting career. Playing a demonically possessed cheerleader, or in your case, a girl who summoned a demon for revenge, and it tried to make you less of a psychopath, that was a limited roll. I got the better acting roll out of it, even if you now have the studio offering you money to play that spy, again and again."

"Only three movies into the franchise. Hardly James Bond." Jade waved it off, but understood, a good action franchise would be worth billions. She'd accidentally stumbled into her leverage point with the studio, playing that character, making those movies, in exchange for the freedom to make the movies she enjoyed. As a result, about a third of her nine films over the last six years were profit bombs, and each one had her playing that spy, opposite first Beck, then Andre, and finally Tori, who used Trina as her henchwoman, and featured a fight between Jade and Trina that took the older girl a month to plan out, and was considered one of the best movie fights of that year. "But those are not my best work. I write, and direct, and produce, and god, the profits. Maybe the last one had a budget so big I wasn't sure I could spend all that money. The point is, I get to make the movies I like. Psychological horror films, and musicals. We all need more musicals."

"And we promised to each do one movie for children, because." He looked off to where his parents were entertaining their now two year old girl. "But it made our divorce ugly, because we weren't just fighting for our families. We had a production company to dived, cause we both know, without the court order, we couldn't just share it. Not with my movies failing to make the kind of splash yours do."

"It's done." Jade said, breathing in the odd finality of that word. "You and I have our own stakes in the company, divided to reflect out contributions, and yes, I often didn't see how valuable your contributions were. Forty percent is now yours. Lets just make sure we can coexist, for the sake of our child."

"You just make sure you move on, do what you have to, for the sake of our child." Beck countered. "You can make magic, movies that thrill, or terrify, or even inspire. You just need someone to hold your hand, which is what Tori's been doing for how long?"

"She's not a part of this." Jade snapped.

"But we both know she should be." Beck said, so calm it irked her. "Our divorce, it was inevitable, because you chose wrong. I admit, I proposed to prevent you from realizing you had choices. Only, after Tawney, and the fucking wars we had over her name, her fucking name, I get it. You need someone strong, who can stand up to you, and diplomatic enough to deal with your tantrums. Tori, she loves you."

"Not that way, you perve." Jade said, but her voice was soft, teasing.

"Not yet." Beck replied. "But we both see it. Hell, I think Trina saw it, which is why she tried, so hard, to get you two to hook up during that last filming. Only, Tori, not gonna hurt a friend, so she stayed out, and now, I'm gonna ask her to step up and bed you."

"Sex isn't dating." Jade reminded him.

"With you, it's pretty close." The actor pointed out. "Besides, I think she just needs the encouragement, so take up this chance while it's available. Jade, you're a hot commodity. Pete Davidson is even thinking of asking you out."

"Think I'm kinda young for him." She said. "Doesn't he only date women old enough to be his mother?"

"He's dating that model now." Beck countered. "But that's beside the point. I'm gonna do this, so you don't explode, and we have something for our children. Think, the money, it's never been my main motivation, but having a child does change things. Now, we can give her everything. Me, I'm gonna take some time, explore my options, something I'd recommend for most people."

"Just not me." Jade said, her head shaking. "So, we face the press?"

"Side by side." He agreed. "Lets give them something to write about."

:}

Can't escape my Jori. Anyways, what are your thoughts?