Beck was not the kind of person to hold a grudge. He preferred to move on from any conflicts and put things to rest as soon as possible. But when it came to Jade - for reasons he didn't even understand - he held onto things far longer than he ever did with anyone else. And she was just as bad. It caused them to clash relentlessly.

If he was honest, he never thought the breakup would be permanent. He never meant for the events that led to their last argument to blow up the way they did. He knew he'd pushed her boundaries at the party and he regretted his behavior, which he could admit now, was out of order. But she wasn't innocent either and her reaction to it had been outrageous. But he still loved her and wanted to be with her. It wasn't until a few days turned into a few weeks, that he started to worry it might be different this time.

He contemplated being the bigger person on multiple occasions and calling her. Jade was stubborn, and he knew if he wanted to get back together with her, he would need to be the one to do the groveling. Which was why, he was so surprised when she reached out to him first.

They agreed to meet at Medicine - their favorite coffee shop. They'd been regulars there since they were sixteen and the staff knew them both by name at this point. It was one of their significant places and he knew Jade wouldn't invite him there if it were just to hand over a box of his stuff or an old hoodie. He fully expected her to ask to get back together and he was fully prepared to say yes.

The familiar aroma of the coffee shop filled his nostrils, notes of roasted caramel and freshly baked pastries, reminding him of her instantly when he walked in. She was sitting at their usual table. Loose curls framed her face, sage green highlights accentuating the virescent tones in her eyes. It hit him just how much he'd missed her.

He took a seat opposite her, a slightly smug expression on his face. He couldn't believe she'd caved first. However, it quickly faded once she handed him the picture of the scan. His stomach dropped as he took in the black-and-white image in front of him and immediately put the pieces together.

"Are you...?" he trailed off, his voice wavering. He didn't need to hear her answer. The look on her face confirmed it for him.

"I'm eleven weeks along, so if we wanted to, you know, undo this…" Jade cleared her throat. "We would need to do it soon,"

Beck held his head in his hands. A wave of dizziness washed over him as he processed the enormity of this situation. It felt like the ground had fallen out beneath him.

"Beck, can you say something!" Jade snapped irritatedly, but he recognized the fear lacing her words.

"I'm sorry, I was just not expecting this when you asked me here today," he admitted.

"Yeah, me too."

"How long have you known?"

Jade folded her arms. "For a while," she replied, not meeting his eyes. Beck tried to do the math. If she was eleven weeks pregnant that was at least two missed periods.

"Fine! I took a test about a month ago," she admitted indignantly. Beck was taken aback. That honestly stung. He thought she would have trusted him more than that.

"You could have told me…"

"Yeah, well I'm telling you now,"

"How are you feeling?"

Jade shrugged, "That's not important,"

"It is important," Beck insisted sternly. "You are important, Jade!"

"Yeah?" She folded her arms and glared at him with piercing blue eyes, "Well, I wasn't so important when you were flirting all night with Meredith Bailey!" Jade's cheeks flushed with anger.

Beck rolled his eyes. "I wasn't flirting with Mer-"

"I was fucking there, Beck!" She raised her voice to a level that attracted attention from the other customers. She glared at a couple who passed their table with a curious and judgemental expression. Beck waited until they had left earshot before replying;

"Look, let's not do this again," Beck lowered the volume on their conversation. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she snarled. Beck frowned at her. The tears pricking at the corner of her eyes said otherwise.

"Jade-"

"I said, I'm fine! Can we not fight, please, so we can try and talk about this like adults?"

"Alright," Beck agreed, not meaning to be argumentative and definitely not wanting to make her upset. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand supportively. "Truce, okay?"

Nothing about this was easy and they were there for hours in the end, discussing their options and trying to figure out how they felt about each of them. They seriously considered termination. It was really the only way their lives could go back to the way they once were, but the thought physically turned Beck's stomach and Jade could barely bring herself to read about the procedure on her phone

They were adults who'd made adult choices and ultimately, they knew they hadn't been careful enough. Neither could argue this wasn't the consequence of their own actions. But that afternoon, as they sat across from each other in their old favorite coffee shop, faced with these huge, life-changing decisions, they'd never felt less like adults.

Jade took note of just how supportive Beck was. He made it clear that he believed the final decision was hers to make and that he would respect it regardless of what it was. Her body, her choice. Was she surprised? No, not really. Beck was a gentleman and always had been. He assured her that he would support her through this and if that meant becoming a dad at twenty, then that was what he would do. She waited until she was absolutely sure he meant it before admitting that she didn't think she could go through with adoption or abortion.

"You do realize, that means you and I would be parents?" Beck reminded her. "If that's what you want, I'm in. It's just a forever decision…"

Jade closed her eyes and thought deeply about her answer. It wasn't just about becoming a parent. It meant saying goodbye to her life as she knew it. A life she wasn't even sure she liked. It meant giving up her music career for the foreseeable future. A career she'd already thrown the towel in on. It meant being eternally tied to Beck. But wasn't she already?

She cleared her throat. "I'm sure."

The sun was already halfway set by the time they left Medicine. The streets around them bustling with people on their way home for the night. Beck walked Jade home, both of them deep in thought.

"Do you want to get back together?" Beck asked, just before they reached her front door.

Jade exhaled. When they were good, they were so good. The chemistry between them was undeniable. He was her best friend and she was feeling a million times better about this situation now that she felt like she had a teammate. But she couldn't forget the intensity of their recent fights. How she turned into a completely different person when he pushed her too far. How she would turn green with jealousy and purple with rage when he flirted with other girls - on purpose - just to get a reaction out of her. Emotionally, she was spent. She couldn't put herself through it again.

"I don't think that's the best idea," she let him down gently.

Beck nodded but it was obvious he was disappointed. It was difficult for him to suppress the sadness that suddenly seemed to overwhelm him.

"I love you," he admitted delicately. His heart aching in his chest.

"I love you too," Jade sighed, wiping a salty tear from his cheek. His deep brown eyes were downcast and it was too much for her. She stepped into his arms and held him tightly. Beck closed his eyes, feeling the weight of her against his chest, fighting every instinct he had to drop a kiss on the top of her head. They held each other in silence for several minutes, outside the apartment they had once both called home, certain that their lives would never be that simple again.