Summary: Tori has a surprising late-night visitor. Jat/Cade

You can think of this as either a chapter or a sequel to "I Don't Hate You"...Or you could think of this as it's own individual story. I've just got this idea in my head and wanted to post it right away. This is connected to "I Don't Hate You" so the humor is still the same...gets pretty dark near the end.

Just a Little Tid-Bit – Not So Awesome Week

It was on a friday night when the doorbell rang. A tall, slender girl, clad in pajamas, ran to the door.

Tori opened her front door. Cat stood there in only a t-shirt and shorts, looking absolutely miserable. "Cat? What happened? What are you doing here?" Tori pulled her friend inside, about to go looking for a towel for Cat to dry off with. Cat stopped her by grabbing her sleeves.

"Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now." Cat said, not looking up from her soaked shoes. It took all of her energy not to start balling right there.

"Cat, what happened?" Tori asked.

Cat shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "I was walking through the park...and then...and Jade wasn't home...so I came here...but I really want to see her. I really need her. I-" Cat broke off, covering her mouth with her hand as she choked back a sob.

Tori hugged Cat tightly and rubbed her back. She'd never seen Cat like this. She was always happy and optimistic. "I'll call her. I'll call Jade right now." Tori grabbed her pear phone and dialed Jade's number.

A tired voice answered the other end. "What do you want, Vega? It's like 3 in the morning..." Jade said grouchily.

"Get over here."

"Why?"

"Cat's here..."

"...I'll be over in five." Tori hung up and threw her phone down on the couch.

"Come on, Cat, let's get you into dry, warm clothes." But Cat shook her head.

"I-I want to wait for Jade." Cat said in a small voice.

"Cat, you can't just stand here freezing your ass off for the next ten minutes! You'll be miserable." Tori rarely swore, but when she did she meant business.

"Jade said five minutes." She knew it was wrong, but Cat couldn't help but eavesdrop into their short conversation. She just wanted to hear Jade's voice.

Tori smacked a hand across her forehead. "She means she'll be here as soon as she can, there's no way she can get here that fast! It's at least a ten minute drive."

"Please, Tori. Just let me wait for her here. I don't want to go upstairs...she might get here while I'm up there."

Tori stressed a sigh before nodding and went to get a blanket for the cold girl. Cat stood standing where she was until Tori draped the warm cloth over her shoulders. She fell back against the delightfully comfy couch and awaited Jade's arrival.

It wasn't long before the front door slammed open and Jade, clad in sweatpants and a tank top, stepped inside. Normally, Tori would be upset that Jade practically broke into her house, but she was also grateful that Jade recognized a serious situation.

Jade rushed to Cat's side and bent down on both of her knees. She squatted and looked up at Cat's tear-stained face. "Cat, what's wrong? Talk to me, babe."

Cat just released a heavy sob that shook her body and bent over to hug her concerned Jade. Wrapping her arms around the brunette's neck, Cat hid in her sanctuary. She took a deep breath, feeling ten times better than she had been all day. Jade's unique smell always calmed her. She kissed Jade's forehead and pulled away. She smiled fondly down at her. "Hey."

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Jade asked, not liking how Cat was trying to distract her.

Cat didn't answer her. She just stared with those big, brown eyes of hers. Jade sighed, "Okay, you don't have to tell me." She felt the water seeping through her clothes. "But you do have to change. You're completely soaked!"

"Thank you!" Tori yelled exasperatedly. "There's some clothes you can wear in the upstairs bathroom. Come on." Cat reluctantly followed Tori upstairs and took the dry clothes that were offered to her.

Downstairs, Jade sighed in exhaustion. She was relieved that Cat was okay, but she really wanted to know what freaked her out so much. Sure, Cat gets freaked out easily, but this had really spooked her. Her cell phone buzzing startled Jade and she quickly dug through her pockets to find the obnoxious device. "Hello?" Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, mom. I'm at a friend's house." She bit her tongue when she said that. She still didn't like calling Tori her 'friend'.

Cat heard Jade's voice from the upstairs bathroom, and it soothed her to no end. She was scared that she would start panicking when Jade finished her phone call. She clutched the clean clothes tightly and hiccuped once before stripping her wet clothes off.

"I'm staying overnight, okay?" A pause. "Thanks. Yeah, good night." Jade ended the phone call and turned off her cell, wanting to conserve her battery. Once she put it down on the coffee table, she stretched out and relaxed on the couch. Not too soon afterwards, Cat appeared by the staircase. Jade sat up and gestured for her to come closer.

Cat approached and sat down between Jade's legs. She sought out Jade's warmth and wrapped the blanket, that was still covering her trembling body, around both of them. Although the blanket was slightly damp, Jade made herself comfortable. She heard footsteps come hurriedly down the stairs. Tori placed nicely folded blankets on the coffee table next to Jade's pear phone. She glanced at her two friends before letting them have their privacy. She went straight for Trina's room, wanting to inform her that they had guests...

Cat and Jade heard a loud yell that sounded like, 'You dumbass, it's three in the morning!' Then again, they could have heard wrong...probably not.

Jade threw the damp blanket off and replaced it with two dry ones. She made sure Cat was covered completely before cradling her in her arms. "Okay?"

"Yeah. Perfect." Cat said contently. Ever since their first night together in the same bed, Cat had been missing Jade's warmth at night. It was as if one night was all it took for her to get hooked. Jade ran a hand through her red hair—yeah she was definently hooked.

"Love you." Cat whispered.

"Mmm, yeah. Me too." Jade mumbled, slowly dosing off.

Cat felt guilty that she pulled Jade from her bed to come all the way over here just to comfort her. But she couldn't help but feel a little bit selfish and like it. She liked that Jade cared enough about her to do this. She liked being wanted.

Snuggling into Jade's warm body, Cat joined Jade in the most peaceful state of all—sleep.

"Tori!" Trina whispered loudly as slammed the door to her sister's room open.

Tori sat up and glared at Trina in utter annoyance. If looks could kill...I would be one happy girl. "What?" Tori whispered back just as loudly.

"What are they doing on my couch?" Trina pointed to the door.

"It's not your couch." Tori was ignored.

"I don't want their love juices on my couch!" Trina whined and thumped her foot on the ground.

Tori stared at her for a moment, trying to get what she was saying. "Love juices? What are you-" Her eyes widened and she threw a pillow at her obnoxious older sister. "Trina! They didn't do it on the couch!"

"How do you know that, huh? You don't know what you're gonna find under those blankets..." Trina gagged exaggeratedly and covered her neck with her hands as if to choke herself.

Tori stood up and slapped the back of Trina's head. "Grow up. Help me with breakfast." Tori commanded as she left her room. Trina groaned and muttered 'fine' before following after her.

As the two siblings walked down the steps, Tori saw her two friends sleeping on the couch. She saw their position and let her mind wander...

They didn't-?

Suddenly panicking, Tori rushed to the couch but stopped herself from going any further. She was hunched over the back of the couch with her hands twitching in front of her. She didn't know if she wanted to see what was beyond the covers...it may be the only thing shielding her from uncensored sights. Tori drew away only to return a second later. But if they are...I want them off this couch immediately! Tori was stuck. She squeezed her eyes tight and slowly moved her hands forward...

"What are you doing?" Tori's eyes snapped opened and she reared back when she saw disoriented gray-blue eyes staring up at her. Jade rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "It looked like you were about to choke me or something."

Tori barked a forced laugh. "Ha! Y-yeah right!" She trailed off and glanced at the blanket that was still draped over Jade. However, something was missing. "Where's Cat?" She swore she just saw her a second ago.

Jade blinked and looked at Tori like she was the most stupid person in the world. "She's right here." Jade pointed to her chest, and Tori coughed in alarm. No way! She's...? Jade rolled her eyes at Tori's frozen posture and lifted the covers a little so that she could see Cat's adorable sleeping face. Cat's head was buried just above Jade's stomach, so Tori could see the bright red hair that was peaking out of the covers. Oh, thank god! Tori put a hand to her rapidly beating heart and took a deep breath.

Jade gave Tori another strange look before pushing the covers down so they were at Cat's mid-back. Tori tensed again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jade asked as she stretched.

"What isn't wrong with her?" Trina retorted as she passed by the couch. Jade nodded in approval, apparently liking the answer she got.

"Hey! It's Trina's fault! She got some weird idea in my head and it turned out to be completely untrue." She glared at her sister's back. Trina ignored her and turned on the tv. "You're supposed to be helping me with breakfast." Trina shrugged, not bothering to give Tori an answer as she became engrossed in flipping through channels.

Cat stirred from the loud bickering and blinked her eyes open. "Jade?" She called out instinctively, too groggy to realize she was sleeping on her. There were so many hazy mornings when she would call Jade's name and get no answer.

"I'm right here, babe." Jade said from beneath her. She ran a hand across Cat's pale cheek and rubbed a bruise she hadn't noticed before. Cat hissed in pain and quickly grabbed Jade's hand. "Where did you get this bruise?" Jade asked with narrowing eyes.

"From a squirrel." Cat blurted out. It was partially true. Squirrels hated her.

Jade frowned and pried her hand out of Cat's grasp. "I seriously doubt a squirrel punched you in the face."

"No...but they throw nuts at me all the time!" Cat shared unnecessary information.

"Well that's nice. But how did you get that bruise, Cat? Don't lie to me." Jade glared at the small red-head who was still lying on top of her.

"I...I can't." Cat said hesitantly. She really couldn't explain what happened...it just...happened.

"Why not?" Jade didn't like this at all. It wasn't like Cat to hide stuff from her. They were very open with each other.

"Because you'll get mad." Cat said before she could stop herself. She internally yelled at herself. She always says things before she can even think about it when she talks with Jade. She both loved it and hated it.

"Well, if it's something I should get mad about, then, yes, I will." Jade sat up so her lower back was against the arm of the couch. Cat slid off Jade's chest, but remained where she was between Jade's legs, and stayed facing her. "Just tell me." Jade huffed and crossed her arms. Cat didn't give in and Jade sighed. "Hey, Tori, where are your parents?" She asked out of the blue.

"Oh, my mom and dad are in Alaska right now visiting an old friend from the navy."

"Oh, that's cool. I wish my parents left me home alone more often." Jade sighed. Oh, dreams... "See, Cat? There's only us. It's perfectly safe. And I promise I won't get too mad."

Cat took a deep breath. "Fine. I-"

"Ooh! I love this show!" Trina yelled happily, finally finding a channel she liked. She unknowingly interrupted an important conversation. Tori, Cat, and Jade turned their heads to stare at Trina, Jade and Tori stared with more annoyance. "What?" Trina asked with an edge in her voice.

Tori groaned and stomped to her sister's side. She grabbed the remote right out of Trina's hands. Tori took off out the door with Trina trailing not far behind her.

Jade and Cat turned back to each other, seriousness returning. "I was walking in the park." Cat said, continuing where she left off. "I was doing my usual routine—saying hi to the squirrels." Jade questioned her girlfriend's sanity. "Then they started to throw nuts at me." Cat rubbed her cheek thoughtfully with a slight pout on her lips. "Then these two guys started asking me some really weird questions...I couldn't understand half of them. I think they were drunk." Jade didn't like where this was going at all.

"What did they ask?" Jade asked shakily. She wasn't sure if she was mad or just scared for Cat's safety.

"They said 'hey, honey, why don't you sit on us tonight?'" Cat said innocently. "Jade, what does that mean?"

Jade was absolutely furious! How dare they ask sweet little Cat to sit on them! "Cat, they wanted to have sex with you!" Jade raged, grabbing Cat's shoulders and shaking her around. "How did you get away? More importantly, are you okay now?" Jade was overflowing with self-loathing. If she was there then Cat wouldn't have been in that mess.

"I'm okay, Jade. Thanks." Cat smiled affectionately at her tough girlfriend. She'd never told her, but she liked it when Jade got overprotective. It made her feel super safe. "I tried running, but the really tall guy grabbed my arm." Cat paused at this. Memories flooding through her mind. Jade seemed to notice this because she held Cat's hand from then until the end. "The other guy, he-he was really scary. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a hood. He...he pushed me down and pinned me..." Cat closed her eyes, imagining his crazed smile when she started screaming. Jade squeezed her hand, willing her to continue. Right now, Jade needed some reassurance that Cat was okay. "Then he started...started touching me." Cat shivered and clung to Jade's hand tightly. She could still feel his touch. The way his hands oozed around her, how his scent seemed to stick to her. "I tried escaping, but he was really strong." Cat rubbed her wrists unconsciously. She winced at how raw her skin was.

Jade noticed how Cat was scratching her wrists so furiously. She quickly stopped her by holding both her hands. Her eyes widened when she felt the slick, warm feeling on her hands. Cat also felt the liquid dripping down her palms and she screamed. Jade shot up, taking Cat with her to the kitchen. Still screaming, even as she washed her wrists under the cold water, Cat cried fearfully. She hated seeing blood, especially her own.

Jade carefully rinsed Cat's bloodied wrists. She kept an eye on Cat's reactions to see if she was pressing too hard or not, but she knew she couldn't do this alone. "Tori! Get your ass in here!" Frankly, Jade wouldn't mind if Trina came in, as long as she actually helped her. "Tori!" Cat cried harder.

The door slammed open and the two sisters ran in, looking exhausted. "What's wrong? We could hear you from the park." Tori joked, though she was two houses down when she heard Jade. All joking aside, Tori gasped when she saw the drops of blood on the ground that led to the kitchen. "What the hell happened?" Trina shrieked and rushed out of the room. Blood always makes her queasy. Tori thought as she rushed to join her friends. "Cat?"

"T-Tori! I-I—It wouldn't stop itching!" Cat said through her tears. She was getting dizzy. One can only take too much drama in only an hour. "Help me!"

Tori grabbed a washcloth from under the sink and gently wiped the blood from Cat's scratch marks. While she did that, Jade ran up the stairs to get Cat some Advil and a dry towel. Before heading back downstairs, she raided Tori's room, hoping to find something that would calm Cat down some. She found exactly what she was looking for.

Cat sniffed and stopped crying when she saw she had stopped bleeding. She thanked Tori gratefully, not able to bring herself to smile yet. Trying to catch her breath, Cat asked, "Where's Jade?" Cat kept her hands over the sink as she looked around. She saw Jade turn the corner and run down the stairs. However, she didn't count on her tripping. "Jade!" She shrieked in horror when Jade tumbled down the last nine steps.

Jade lay there in a daze before rolling to her feet. Tori gave her a hand and they both returned to Cat's side. Cat was bouncing on her heels in anticipation, wanting to know if her girlfriend was all right or not. "Jade, are you-"

"I'm fine. Worry about yourself." Jade said slightly harshly. Could you blame her?

Cat shut up and stared at her hands. She was so stupid...how could she do this to herself? To Jade? God, Jade must think I'm such a maniac. Cat thought sadly. She felt warmth wrap around her torso, and all doubts flooded out of her mind.

"You'd better not be thinking any stupid thoughts, Cat." Jade said softly as she held the fragile girl. She didn't give time for Cat to respond before she gently took Cat's hands and dried them with the towel. Cat winced at the rough feeling, but relaxed as she got used to it.

"You okay now, Cat?" Tori asked her close friend.

Cat managed a smile now that she was in Jade's arms. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks so much, Tori."

Tori nodded and left to find Trina. Cat allowed Jade to massage her sore wrists. Jade just did the job without a word in edge wise. She stopped momentarily to put the pill bottle down on the soaked counter. Cat glanced at it in curiosity and smiled genuinely when she read the name. "Thank you, Jade." Cat said earnestly.

Jade merely nodded and said, "You'd better take two of those right now. Here," Jade put the towel down and opened one of the cabinets to find a cup. She turned back around and filled the cup with water before handing it and two Advil to her girlfriend. Cat took them from her and downed them in one gulp. With a throaty sigh, Cat set the cup down and inspected her wrists. Besides them being extremely red, the scratches looked minor and they didn't even look like they needed to be bandaged.

Cat leaned against her goth girlfriend and closed her eyes. "Hey," Jade's soft voice whispered. "I got you something. Don't tell Tori, but I took this from her room. Open wide." Cat opened her mouth and felt something hard and sweet drop on her tongue. She pulled it out of her mouth by the stick and stared at it in amazement. A bright blue lollipop, glistening in the light, and berry flavored. Feeling very touched, Cat turned around in Jade's arms and hugged her tight.

"Thank you." Jade always knew exactly what she needed. Whether it was candy or just a simple hug. She was there to give it to her. It made her feel spoiled...not that that was a bad thing. Cat sucked on the sucker contently and skipped to the couch, previous events forgotten. Jade sat down next to her and muffled a cough. Cat gasped and pulled the sucker out of her mouth. "Jade, I'm sorry!" Cat said suddenly. Jade raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry...are you okay?" Cat asked worriedly. Jade figured she was concerned about her 'trip' down the stairs.

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about." Jade didn't come to school on friday. She was sick at home with a mild cold. Cat was far from happy when she learned of this. It meant no Jade...all day.

"But you shouldn't be here! You should be at home in bed." Oh. Jade thought in realization.

"Cat, don't worry. I'm almost one-hundred percent better. I just have this damn cough." Jade cleared her throat and took Cat's hands once again. "Please tell me the rest." Jade said seriously.

Cat whined but ended up telling her anyway. "I tried to run away, but the tall man slapped me." Jade glanced at Cat's bruised cheek and nodded. No squirrel could make a mark that big. "Then, when the scary man started pulling down his pants, I kicked him as hard as I could in the...you know." Jade nodded and smiled in approval. Internally she was shouting for joy. "I ran all the way to your house screaming. I had no idea if they were chasing after me or not. I was too scared to look back. When I got to your house, no one would answer the door." Cat said shakily. "I came here afterwards, but...but I really wanted to see you, Jade. I was so scared." Cat felt herself being pulled into Jade's warm embrace. "I didn't know what to do. I was cold and wet, and-"

Jade hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry, I can't hear the doorbell from my room. I live in my basement." Jade hated herself now more than ever. "I should have been there. You shouldn't have needed to come here." She rubbed Cat's back which soothed both Cat and her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Cat wrapped her arms around Jade's neck and nestled her face in her collar bone.

She felt like crying.

She didn't know loving someone this much would make her heart hurt so bad. But in a way, she liked it. A constant reminder of how much Jade means to her. And she's never letting go.

"If I ever see those guys I'm going to slaughter them." Jade said in a dark voice. "They are not going to get away with it."

Cat stayed silent, deciding to keep her opinions to herself. She didn't know if they were bad people, they could be misunderstood teenagers like herself. She settled herself against Jade's chest and wondered, Why didn't they come after me?

The next few days were stressful to say the least. Jade refused to let Cat walk alone in the park anymore and drove her home everyday. No one else knew about it except Tori and Trina. They were on the constant look out for any suspicious men lurking about. Cat thought about telling Beck and André but she really didn't want to be a nuisance to everyone, so she kept quiet. Robbie was never around so Cat didn't even have to think about telling him.

One day Beck found her waiting in the hallway for Jade. He seemed to know something was off and he asked if she was okay. She answered with a smile and a nod, happy he cared. Ever since he and Jade broke up, they decided to keep their lives separate from then on. Jade figured it would be too awkward to be around each other, considering all they did was be all cuddly when they were a couple. They didn't really know how to be 'just friends'. But Beck and Jade would converse every once in a while, smiling politely as they did.

Cat really wouldn't mind if Jade and Beck hung out together. Beck was always nice to her and she knew Jade loved her. But, then again, Cat loved that she had Jade all to herself.

It was a Monday morning when Jade approached Cat with a downish look. "I have to go to Beck's place after school today. We were paired together for a science project and I'd rather get it over with today. Can you ask Tori for a ride home?" Cat smiled and told her she would before skipping off.

"Hey, Cat!" André called to her before she could skip by him. "Have you seen Beck? I need to talk to him about something."

"Umm, I haven't seen him today, but Jade said she's going to be working with him after school at his house." Cat probably wouldn't have said 'house' if she knew Beck lived in a trailer in his parents' driveway.

"Oh, okay. I'll catch you later then." André walked off and Cat continued her way down the hallway.

After a while Cat found Tori sitting by her locker. She was looking over some papers and a tattered binder sat next to her. "Hey, Tori. Watcha doin'?" Cat bounced to her side and watched.

"Hey, Cat." Tori blew a stray out from her face and sat up straight. "My binder exploded. I'm trying to get organized before my English test." Tori gave up and shoved her papers in her dead binder. "What are you up to? I'm surprised your not with Jade." Tori raised a teasing eyebrow.

Cat blushed and avoided eye contact. "Jade told me she can't give me a ride home today, so can you? Pretty please?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "You know I'm going to say yes, right? I'm not about to abandon you and make you walk home all by yourself." Tori stood up and brushed off her jeans. "Besides," Tori gave Cat a look. "Jade would kill me if I didn't." Cat grinned and giggled. "Anyways, I was planning on making some cookies today. You should come over and make some with me." Cat nodded vigorously. Tori smiled. "Okay, meet me in the parking lot after school. Trina will drive us to my house."

Cat stood patiently outside in the parking lot. She was slightly bummed that she hadn't seen Jade since the beginning of school. On the bright side, cookies!

She waved to Tori and Trina as they exited the school building. She smiled happily, today is awesome! "Tori, Tori! What kind of cookies are we making?" Cat asked excitedly.

Tori smirked and pat Cat's head a bit. She really does act like a little kid... "I was thinking snickerdoodles."

"Yay! I love snickerdoodles!" Cat beamed and turned to Trina. "Do you like snickerdoodles, Trina?" Cat asked with wide eyes.

Trina scoffed before nodding. "Of course. Now get in the car, girls, I want some cookies!"

Jade lay on the cold cement in a daze. She stared at the dark eyes that gazed menacingly into hers. What just happened? Why was she on the ground? Who was that person that looked so familiar yet so different. Jade had no idea. She couldn't think, her head hurt too much. She felt something sliding down her forehead and between her eyes—blood. She let it roll down her skin and mix with the dirt and sweat that stuck to her like glue. The tall figure bent over and clamped a hand over her mouth.

Jade never told Cat that when she fell down those stairs, it had actually hurt...a lot. Falling down nine steps would do that a person. Her back ached and she couldn't fight back properly. She was helpless. She just hoped Cat got her message. Despite her disability, she was not letting anyone get to Cat. But...

Who's going to save me?

Cat was wrong. She thought she hated seeing her own blood, but now she was absolutely sure she hated seeing Jade's more. She had listened to Jade's voicemail—the screams of terror and the sound of a metal bat colliding with something hard. She shrieked to Tori and Trina, and the three scared girls called the police and headed to Beck's house. Cat bit into a snickerdoodle nervously, unable to calm herself down. But it was stale.

Cat watched as the two medics lifted Jade's limp body onto a gurney. She stared at Jade's frightfully pale skin as they strapped her in. She heard familiar yells and shouts coming from the police car not too far away.

Tori couldn't believe what she was seeing. Jade was hurt badly and being hauled away into an ambulance, and the two drunk boys who did it were fighting against her dad, who was trying to get them in the car. What was more shocking was that she knew the two boys. The two nicest guys who became her closest friends. She even had a small crush on one of them—Beck and André.

She gave Cat a supporting pat on the back as she followed Jade into the back of the ambulance. She knew Cat was scared, heck, everyone was scared. She just hoped Jade would be alright.

I decided to end it here. The rest is up to your imaginations.

Bleh. Haven't updated in like...2 weeks? I dunno...I lost count. I started this 3 weeks

ago and I'm just posting this now. I'm so ashamed! LOL :P

Sorry to make André and Beck the bad guys in this story. I really like them in Victorious. I wasn't sure if I should make Beck or Robbie one of the criminals, but since Robbie is the creeper in my other story, I figured I'd give Beck a try. Notice that I didn't say who Tori had a crush on...just leave it to your imagination.

Did anyone guess it was them?

P.S. This is the longest chapter (as in a story) I've ever written! I feel accomplished! XD I also rushed at the end...I had no idea what to write after the parking lot scene.