The Olivers had always been a tight-knit brood. Regardless of where they all were in the world, texts, calls and video chats were shared aplenty, and plans were constantly made to meet up. Beck had always felt this closeness, particularly as an only child. His grandparents simply adored him, and his cousins, save for the few insufferable ones, acted as the siblings he'd never had. Christmases and the various family reunions were therefore some of his most cherished memories, and whilst he loved his life in LA, it was often hard being so far from many of the people he loved.

In close families, word gets around fast, so the majority of the Olivers had known about Toby's existence whilst he was still a nameless nectarine in Jade's belly. It had been difficult, having various family members do little to disguise their disappointment, but, little by little, everyone had seemingly come around. Now, Toby was just an accepted entity, rather than an opportunity for scandalous gossip.

With the dust now settled, Beck was eager to have Toby finally meet his extended family, and visit the land which Beck so loved. He'd been busy filming and promoting his upcoming show for weeks, but a rare week-long break offered the perfect opportunity to take a trip to Canada, and his parents were more than happy to fly out with him.

There was just one stumbling block: Jade.

She was Toby's mother, of course, so Beck was always going to secure her permission beforehand, but this was easier said than done. Sure, he expected Jade, who loved Toby more than anything in the world, would be anxious about him flying for the first time, and being away from her for so long, but, as of late, she'd seemed even more attached to him than usual.

Beck didn't think it was all that healthy, how Jade seemed to depend on Toby just as much as he did on her, but he was smart enough not to say that directly to her. Nevertheless, he knew that he'd have to get her on board somehow; bringing Toby to Canada was just an opportunity he couldn't miss.

"No."

"Jade-"

"Absolutely not, Beck. He's way too young to be away from me for that long."

"He'll be away from me for that long if I don't take him."

"He doesn't drink from your tits."

Beck flushed. "I can take milk with me and bottle feed. Or use formula."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "You can't just start giving him formula if he's used to breast milk, Beck. Please don't tell me you've done that."

Beck shook his head. Thankfully, he hadn't, as that was something that, gauging from Jade's reaction, he really should've known. "Well, just breast milk then."

"And what if you run out?"

"I'll take extra. And anyway, he's eating solids now too. He won't even drink that much."

"Well, what if he gets sick? I can't just hop on a flight out there, can I?"

"Why not?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Did two hundred dollars just fall out of the sky and into my lap or something?"

"I would pay for it."

Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm not owing you, Beck."

"You wouldn't have to. It's my choice to go out there, so if something happened, which it won't by the way, I would pay to get it all sorted."

Jade chewed her lip. She was running out of excuses. "I still think he's too young. He'll be a nightmare you know - he's used to being with me all the time. I don't know if it's good to separate him for that long."

"For you or for him?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

God, she was starting to sound like Cat.

"Nothing." Beck sighed. "I just- maybe it'd be a good thing for you to be apart. It's only for a week after all. He could gain some independence, and you could get your life back a bit. You deserve a break, Jade."

"I don't want a break. Not from Toby."

"Well, I think you need one." Beck reached out tentatively for her arm. "You're not well, Jade. You need to sleep and eat and take some time off panicking about Toby's welfare all the time, even if it's just for a week."

"You say that like I wouldn't be worrying about him whilst he's off with some strangers in Canada." She spat the last word, and Beck had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He still had no idea why Jade seemed to have such an agenda against his country of birth.

"He'd also be with his father."

Jade pored over Beck's pleading face. He truly dreamed of this, she could tell. A little longer and he'd probably start begging.

"I don't know, Beck."

"Please, Jade. You know how much I love him and how I'd rather die than see anything happen to him. He'll be fine with me, I promise."

"I trust you, Beck. I wouldn't have had your kid if I didn't think you'd be a good dad." This wasn't strictly true. Yes, the decision had been made far easier by Jade's confidence in Beck as a father, though there had been some cracks in this lately. However, the reality was that, despite being staunchly pro-choice, she simply could not go ahead with an abortion. She'd even sat in the plastic white chairs at an arranged appointment, her hand in Beck's, waiting for her name to be called out, and still she couldn't do it.

"I'll call you everyday to let you know how he's doing, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible if you text me about him. I won't do any more stupid things like when he was sick."

Looking into his eyes, Jade could tell he was genuinely, monumentally apologetic for that. Not even just to her, but to his son. There was something in his look that felt like insurmountable guilt.

"Okay."

"Okay? You're saying yes."

"Yes."

Beck laughed gleefully, and, almost without thinking, grabbed Jade around the waist and spun her around.

"Beck! Put me down before I change my mind!" She yelled. God knows what his parents would think, although Jade was already pretty sure that they thought the couple was back together, much to their dismay.

Following her wishes, Beck softly placed her back on the floor.

"Thank you." He said, genuinely, his gaze transfixed on Jade.

His look was so intent that it made her a little uncomfortable, and she shifted on his feet. "Just take care of him. I mean it - no leaving him with some snotty-nosed cousin so you can go hunting or something stupid like that."

"Hunting? When have I ever been hunting?"

"That's not the point!"

"I know, I know. And look, I promise he'll be fine. I'm his father. As long as I'm around, he'll always be happy, healthy and safe."

Jade wasn't sure whether to feel proud of herself for accepting this and green-lighting the trip, or shame for letting her baby be taken away with such ease.

Naturally, one of the conditions for allowing Toby to be taken across the border was Jade being present for the airport drop off. This was, unreasonably in the eyes of both Jade and Beck, a real irritation to Beck's parents, who seemed to want Jade as far from their sight and hearing as possible at all times. However, they were quite promptly overruled, and so were now tutting rather loudly over their bags, as Jade whispered her goodbyes to her son.

"I love you so so so much. I promise you have no idea." She smiled through the tears, as she bent down to look at the baby. "And not just because you're a baby. No one could ever understand how much I love you."

Beck smiled. If only those who knew her as 'The Wicked Witch of the West' could see this.

"But you're going to have a really fun time with Daddy, and even though I'll miss you millions, I know he'll take the best care of you."

Sanah sighed loudly from her perch off to the side. "How long is this going to take? We've still got to check in all our bags and get through security."

Jade shot her a scathing look, but didn't dignify the inquiry with a response. Instead, she pulled Toby's head into her neck and rocked softly from side to side.

Jeff shot Beck a look, which he ignored, and Jade, fortunately, with her eyes closed, did not see. Beck was sure that his dad would have gestured to his watch, had he held eye contact for any longer than he did.

They hadn't always disliked Jade, exactly, but Beck would reluctantly admit that, in the two-and-a-half-years that they'd known her, the time they'd spent outside of disliking her was spent being indifferent to her existence. And that time frame essentially spanned only the time between Beck informing them that he had a girlfriend, and their meeting her.

As someone who held many people close, Beck had always found this a little difficult. However, whilst most people, including Jade herself, assumed that this manifested in an annoyance at Jade's refusal to conform to his parent's desires, it actually resulted in a constant underlying resentment of his parents for refusing to accept the girl he loved. What was it to them who made him happy? Even if she had tattoos and piercings, and said what she felt was right rather than what was expected of her? Beck had always had a mind to tell them to drop their pretentious attitudes and just accept that he was someone who liked, no, adored, those qualities. But he had never quite followed through. And now he and Jade were broken up, so he no longer could.

Jeff began to tap his foot as Jade listened to Toby babble, as though she could understand him. Beck was beginning to find it embarrassing, the way his parents couldn't even pretend to tolerate Jade, even when she was doing something as innocent as saying goodbye to her infant son. Sure, any reminder that she had made him a teenage father was painful for the Olivers, but if they tried as hard to accept her as they did to pretend that Beck hadn't done half of the work in conceiving Toby then they might all be a little happier.

Beck was grateful to them for allowing Jade to stay in their house, though he hadn't given them much choice in the matter; threatening to move out himself had forced their hand. He did, however, wish that they didn't make it so clear that they didn't want her there. She was constantly walking on eggshells in the house, practically dead-bolting herself in the room she shared with Toby, and only leaving to address his needs, rather than her own. She hadn't once entered the kitchen to eat dinner with them, even after Beck's coaxing, and despite the fact that even Toby joined them. It was only the fact that he left food outside her door himself, and that the tableware upon which this was deposited returned, washed, to the cupboards, that let him know that she was eating.

He was slightly concerned, therefore, that she was due to spend the next week in his stove-less RV, on his parents' insistence. They had refused to even consider the idea of Jade staying in their house alone, and had confiscated the keys Beck had given her. Whilst they had intended for her to be forced home by this decision, it had instead only relegated her to Beck's RV, which they were not particularly thrilled about. Nevertheless, with her under Beck's roof not their own, there was little they could do to stop it.

Jade was still holding Toby close to her chest, and the little boy seemed equally loath to let her go, his little hands adorably cupping his mother's cheeks.

Not that his parents cared of course, with Jeff finally running out of patience and pacing the few yards to where the trio was stood.

"Alright, alright, nice goodbye done. Now let's go - we're going to be late to check in."

"It doesn't close for another hour." Beck complained.

"Well there's security after that, and god knows what boarding will be like." Jeff replied. "And this is ridiculous. You don't need half an hour to say goodbye to a baby who doesn't even understand what you're saying." He said, turning to Jade.

Jade scowled. "He can understand the sentiment."

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Hey, maybe we should go." Beck suggested, softly, trying to be the peacemaker. "This is a good thing, remember? It's not good for either of you to get too dependent on one another."

Jeff smiled smugly, and this time it was Beck who was the target of Jade's scowl.

"We're not dependent."

Beck mentally cursed himself for getting on the wrong side of Jade at such a crucial time. "I know, I know, but you're going to have to let him go at some point. It might as well be now."

If looks could kill, Beck would have died around 1500 times over the course of his relationship with Jade, and probably another couple hundred times following its end, including at that moment. Nevertheless, after an incredibly tight, desperate squeeze, she relinquished her hold on Toby and, with shaking hands, passed him over to Beck.

"Finally." Sanah groaned, but Beck ignored her, favouring instead to coax a now-confused Toby into waving to his mother, whose eyes were beginning to flood.

The tears were unstoppable as she saw her baby twist and turn in Beck's arms, confused as to why she wasn't joining them. She watched them until they had rounded the corner out of sight, before collapsing in a nearby chair in a tsunami of tears.

She was doing so many things that were just utterly unlike her these days. She really had changed, and she couldn't even blame pregnancy hormones any more.

"Is he yours?"

Jade removed her head from her hands to see an elderly lady holding a newspaper, staring at her from two seats across.

She nodded hesitantly, internally debating between a pro-lifer who'd congratulate her for never having stepped foot in an abortion clinic, or a staunch Christian who'd notice her lack of ring and tell her that the devil was keeping her seat warm in hell.

"He's beautiful. And I can tell you are the most wonderful mother." The lady said, completely taking Jade by surprise.

People just didn't do that - treat her nicely, or even like a human, really. In fact, the last time a stranger had made a comment to her relating to Toby was when a middle aged pregnant woman in her doctor's office had said that she was going straight to Hell for her sins, and that she'd condemned her son to the same fate.

"Thank you." She replied, wiping the tears from her face.

"Here. Take these." The woman smiled, handing Jade a pack of tissues. Jade thanked her once again, and cleaned up her face. She checked her watch and realised that she'd better get moving, lest she get called into Lane's office once again for her tardiness.

She thanked the lady for the third time and then got up and headed away from her son, and towards school.

-

As it turned out, Jade would regret sticking to her principles and actually turning up. She'd always swung on the pendulum between loving and hating school, but, as her aim was to be successful and do right by Toby, she felt she had little other option than to actually do what the law required of her. However, it was bad enough that she already missed Toby, but now she was subjected to Tori's pretentious ramblings, without even so much as the buffer of Beck to mellow her out.

Currently, she was spiralling after discovering that Hollywood Arts had never had a prom, almost falling off her chair in shock that a performing arts school didn't host a theatrical affair.

Jade rolled her eyes constantly, trying unsuccessfully to tune out the conversation. It came as no shock to her that Tori, as usual, wouldn't understand the customs of Hollywood Arts; she just wished everyone else would get used to that and stop entertaining her irritating questions.

"And no one's tried to put one on before?" Tori shook her head in disbelief.

Andreas shrugged. "There's never really been a lot of desire for one, to be honest."

"But that's crazy - prom is the most important part of high school!"

Jade raised an eyebrow. That being Tori's mindset answered a lot of questions.

"I don't know." Robbie interjected. "People see prom as kinda-"

"Stupid." Jade contributed. Tori shot her a look.

"Well, yeah. Kinda lame." Robbie continued.

"So you're really not keen?" Tori asked, exasperated. The boys just shrugged awkwardly.

"Well I'll make you keen." Tori grinned, with determination sourced seemingly straight out of the sky. That also seemed fitting with Tori's life. "Come on, you two. You're coming with me, and we're going to brainstorm the best prom Los Angeles has ever seen!"

The boys grumbled reluctantly, but it wasn't long before Tori and her inexplicable powers of persuasion had won them over and they were trudging after her to plan Hollywood Arts' maiden prom.

Jade shook her head. That was one event she would not be attending.

With the distractions gone, she returned to her laptop, on which she was finalising some details for a performance she was hosting on Saturday. She'd finally managed to convince the school to host one of her productions, after an agreement with Lane to use it as an incentive for bettering her attendance. This, in addition to Well Wishes, which had been well-received by the Jane Vaulks Award board member who'd attended, was surely enough insurance to secure her place on the programme for the following year.

"Have you got everything you need for the show?" Cat asked, kindly. Jade smiled in response. It was good to have her friend back. She'd been slightly concerned when Cat had offered her brother's assistance in sourcing the blood she needed for her production, Clowns Don't Bounce. However, she was ultimately thoroughly relieved and appreciative upon finding out that Marco was undertaking a part-time monitored job at a special effects warehouse and could provide her with copious quantities of discounted fake blood.

"Just about, thank you. All ready for Saturday." Jade grinned. Maybe she did have something to look forward to, after all.