[A/N] So, in case you haven't realized yet, this story takes place after Reluctance in a universe where Jake and Marie were going out, but they broke up (on fairly good terms, but they broke up nonetheless). Then Colour Blends happened, then Reluctance happened, and now we're here.

also this chapter is cliché af so enjoy

Jake was tossing and turning, trying hard to get some sleep, but to no avail. The events of that night kept running through his head.

Giving up on sleep, he lied flat on his back, stared at the ceiling, and tried to decide on the best course of action. He didn't have many options.

For one thing, Tori wasn't speaking to him, and he doubted whether he'd be able to talk to her if he tried. He had been pretty harsh with Marie, as well, so he figured it would be a good idea to give her some space for a little while.

That left him with… nothing. Great. Well, that notion didn't last long.

Jake sat up and decided he'd go out for a walk to try and clear his head. His hand had almost reached the doorknob when there was a voice behind him.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Jake froze. Without turning around, he said "If you're wondering, I wasn't gonna go back to see her. I was just gonna go for a walk."

"I don't think so. I think you're staying here."

Jake sighed, and turned around. "Tori, I-" He cut himself off when he saw her. His eyes widened.

She was completely naked, and slowly sauntering towards him. Jake backed up against the door, but found that he couldn't move that far. There was a sensual sway in her hips, and Jake's eyes explored her body as his mind screamed at him to focus on her face. He could already feel his pants tightening.

"I'll be damned if I'm gonna lose you to another girl," Tori whispered hotly. "I'm gonna keep you around no matter what it takes."

"Tori, I promise you, there is no other girl. I don't know how many times I need to say it, but I'll do it as many times as it takes. You're the only one for me."

She didn't appear to have heard him, and guided his hands to her sides. "Touch me…" she whispered.

"Tori, I can't," Jake said. "I just can't. Not right now. I can't do it while you're like this. Not while you're still mad."

"I'll stop being mad if you'll do this with me…"

"No, Tori," Jake said firmly. "I'm sorry. But not right now." He fumbled for the doorknob and left the apartment, closing the door gently.

Tori stared at the door for a moment as tears welled up in her eyes. She ran back into the bedroom, slammed the door, and sobbed.

Over the next hour, she cried herself to sleep.

{asterisks}

Jake walked around the plaza to nowhere in particular. He could hear music in the background, but wasn't really paying attention to it. His mind was completely occupied.

Dammit, he had to talk to someone. He had to find someone he could talk to about this. Someone who could see both sides and just help him out.

And he finally figured out who that person was.

Moving quickly now, his legs propelled himself to the one person who could help him see exactly what to do.

He wasted no time knocking on her door. When there was no response, he knocked again. When she still didn't come, he started repeatedly rapping his fists against the door until it finally swung open.

Callie was standing there with an annoyed look on her face. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, and squinted at him.

"Jake…?" she asked. "It's the middle of the night. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry I woke you up, but I really need to talk to you," Jake replied. "Can I come in?"

Callie opened the door further and gestured for him to enter. He entered, sat down on the couch, and started nervously running his hands up and down his legs.

"One second, okay?" Callie said. "I gotta make sure I'm coherent enough to talk to you. Someone woke me up at this ungodly hour."

"I said I was sorry," Jake protested. "Do you want me to say it again?"

"Nah," Callie said with a flippant wave of her hand. She disappeared into the kitchen and came out a few minutes later with a mug of coffee. She took a sip, hummed in content, and turned to look at him.

"Okay, what is it?" she asked. "And actually, why didn't you go to Marie? Like, even after you two broke up, you've always been a lot closer with her than you have been with me."

"That's just it," Jake said. "It's about Marie. Some crazy shit went down tonight, and I can't talk to her about it. I need to talk to you."

"Alright," Callie said, and put her mug down. "How'd it go, by the way? She told me all about her plan. Did it work? Are you two gonna get back together?"

"I'll get to that," Jake promised. "So, I got her phone call, I went down to the studio, and we… well, I wouldn't really say we talked. More like we exchanged a few words before she got on top of me and kissed me like the world was ending."

Callie grinned. "That eager, huh?"

Jake's face remained solemn. "I said no, Callie. I couldn't do it."

"Why the hell not?!" Callie asked after a pause. "Don't you see how much she misses you? Why would you break her heart like that?!"

"I have a girlfriend!" Jake retorted.

Callie's eyes grew wide. "Oh, no," she said. "And Marie was gonna-"

"Exactly," Jake interrupted. "I couldn't do it. And then she said… I told her I had a girlfriend, and she said 'she won't be as good as me. She can wait.'"

"That doesn't sound like Marie," Callie noted.

"You know what? I think you're right. But I didn't bother with that. I told her I didn't want to see her around anymore and I slammed the door in her face."

"That's very bad," Callie said quietly. "Jake, I get that you were angry, but that's pretty terrible."

"It gets worse," Jake said. "When I got back to my apartment, my girlfriend – her name is Tori, by the way – she looked kind of down, so I asked her what was wrong. She followed me. She said she had a feeling, so she followed me, and she saw… well, not the whole thing. I think she left while Marie was still kissing me. But she saw, and now she thinks I'm cheating on her. We had a big fight, and she locked herself in the bedroom. Then, when I was about to leave, she came out, buck naked, and tried to get me to have sex with her. Something about not losing me to another girl. I said no and left. I don't know what she's doing now."

Callie stared at him. "Okay, okay, before anything else, did Marie say anything before you… left?"

Jake thought for a second. "I think… I think she was trying to apologize… And I think I was too pissed to listen."

"Then before you do anything else, you need to go back there and listen to her," Callie told him. "If she was trying to apologize, you need to let her talk to you. She deserves that much."

Jake hung his head. "I know," he said quietly. "I was pissed, and I didn't listen to her. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Callie said. "Apologize to Marie. But not right now. You need to work this out."

"I know, I know," Jake said. "That's why I came to see you."

"So, first things first," Callie said. "You need to go apologize to Marie. You need to hear her side of the story, and once everything is said and done, you need to say that you're sorry and you should've listened to her when she was trying to talk before. And you need to mean it, you hear me?"

Jake nodded.

"And when that's done, you need to take her to your apartment and let her talk to your girlfriend. If this Tori has an ounce of sense in her, and Marie tells the truth, everything should be okay. Got it?"

Jake nodded again.

"Then don't wait around here! Go back to that studio and do it!" Callie said, shooing Jake out the door. "I need to get back to my beauty sleep. Good luck."

Jake left the house and shut the door behind him. He felt rather stupid. He should've been able to figure out what he was supposed to do by himself.

He shrugged his shoulders. Whatever. Maybe he just needed someone else to say it for him. For now, Jake had to get back to that studio.

{asterisks}

Marie was sitting on the floor, leaning next to the couch, hugging her knees to her chest and crying. Other than her sobs, the night was quiet. Every time she heard footsteps outside, she hoped it would be Jake, coming back to restart their relationship. And continue what they had just started.

Oh, Marie! You're the only one for me! I couldn't keep myself away from you!

But… what about your girlfriend?

She doesn't matter to me anymore. Marie, you're the only one I want.

Oh, Jake…

She buried her face in her knees and sobbed louder. She felt like a terrible person. If Jake was happy with this girl, Marie shouldn't want to make him end the relationship just so she could get him instead. But she couldn't help herself.

"Oh, Jake…" she said out loud. "I wish I could have you back…"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that won't be possible."

Marie yelped, and looked beside her. There was Jake, sitting next to her. He looked at her sadly.

"What are you doing here?" Marie said, burying her face in her knees again. "You already broke my heart. Come back for more?"

"No, that's not it," Jake said quietly. "I'm sorry, Marie. I'm sorry that I just left like that. I should've listened to you."

Marie stayed silent.

"But you need to understand that I already have a girlfriend. And I know this might hurt you, but… I'm in love with her. We can't be anything anymore. I'm sorry, Marie, but that's how it is. I can't be with you."

Marie let out a choked sob. Jake hesitantly placed one arm around her shoulders. Feeling his touch, Marie's tears came out without restraint. She sobbed loudly, and Jake wrapped his other arm around her and held her close. She finally disentangled herself from her little ball and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder.

"I just-" she said between sobs. "I wanted to get back together with you… Breaking up with you… That was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life…"

"I know," Jake said quietly. "And I'm sorry that I broke your heart… I know that probably doesn't help, but I really am sorry… I… I know how it feels… And all I can really do is tell you how sorry I am that you have to go through it…"

She looked up at him. "When did your heart break?"

"Marie, I'm not sure if you wanna hear that story-"

"If it's about the girl you're with right now, then I'm fine. I can take it." She offered him a small smile.

"Well, okay," Jake said. "But there's something you need to know about her first."

"What's that?" Marie asked him.

"She's an Octoling," Jake replied.

Marie's eyebrows shot up. "How the hell-"

"I'll get to that part," Jake interrupted. "Basically, she got… lost, I guess, and accidentally came to Inkopolis. I found her, and let her stay at my apartment for a while before I could get her back to Octo Valley. And when we finally did… Well, we exchanged some words. I told her I didn't want her to go, and I tried to tell her that I loved her, but she stopped me. She didn't want to make it harder than it had to be. And she… kissed me. Right here." Jake tapped his cheek. "And she left."

Marie was watching him carefully. "Are you… crying?"

"Heh… I guess I am, huh?" Jake chuckled. He brushed the tears from his eyes. "I know it's silly… I mean, she's back now. She came back a couple weeks later. But… she still broke my heart. And she helped put the pieces back together, sure, but… I dunno. I just wanted to make you feel better, I guess. Did it work?"

"Well, I'm not crying anymore…" Marie said. "I suppose it did. And… I'm sorry for almost ruining your relationship. I… Jake, even if it's not with me… I want you to be happy. I got selfish, and I hope you'll forgive me."

Jake smiled warmly. "Thanks, Marie." He wrapped his arms around her. Marie closed her eyes and enjoyed it. She didn't know when it would happen again.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked. "When you start going out with guys again… I want you to be more careful in your relationships, Marie. I'd hate to see you going out with another guy like Tommy. Even if you're not my girlfriend anymore… You're still important to me. And I don't want to see you in any more abusive relationships. Can you do that for me?"

Marie nodded. "I can do that. I hope."

"Just remember… if you think something's wrong, you can always give me a call, okay? My door's always gonna be open for you. I'll always be ready to help if you need it. Just say the word, and I'll be right over. Or you can come to my place. Okay?"

Marie nodded again. "Thanks, Jake…"

"And, uh… I'm really sorry, but I need another favor. I need you to come back to my apartment."

"What for?" Marie asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, Tori – that's my girlfriend's name, Tori - she, uh… well, long story short, she still thinks I'm cheating on her. I'm really sorry to ask you this, but… can you come back to my apartment and help me convince her that I'm… well, not?"

"I-I don't know if I can do that, Jake…" Marie said. "I don't know if I'd be able to watch you two…"

"I promise we won't do anything else," Jake urged. "Please, please… Actually, never mind. I don't wanna make you meet her if you don't want to. I'll come up with something on my own." He moved to stand, but Marie pulled him back down.

"No… I'll do it…" Marie said quietly. "I want you to be happy… And if this girl makes you happy… Then I should help you…"

"Are you sure, Marie?" Jake asked her. "I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to…"

"Yeah," she replied with a smile. "I'm fine. I'll be okay."

Jake hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Marie… That means so much to me… And I'm really sorry about everything I said before…"

"It's fine," Marie replied. "Now let's get this over with."

She stood up, and Jake followed. As they were leaving the studio, Marie suddenly had a thought. "Hey, Jake? Can you hold my hand?"

Jake raised his eyebrows at her for a moment, before his expression softened and he extended his hand. Marie smiled warmly, and took it.

Once again, she savored the feeling of Jake's touch. She didn't know when it would happen again.

{asterisks}

Jake opened the door to the apartment that he and Tori shared, and stepped inside. All was quiet. "Stay behind me, okay?" he told Marie. She nodded.

"Tori?" he called. "Where are you?"

There was no response.

"Tori?" he called again. "Please come out. I need to talk to you."

After a slight hesitation, the bedroom door opened, and Tori stalked out. She had put her clothes back on, thank goodness.

"What do you want?" she spat.

"Tori, you deserve an explanation about exactly what happened tonight, and I'm going to give you one."

Tori glared at him, saying nothing.

"I wasn't cheating on you. I got a phone call, answered it, and everything just sort of happened when I got there. I had no idea that anything was going to happen. And I have proof this time."

Feeling that this was her cue, Marie stepped out from behind Jake. Tori's gaze instantly focused on her, and her glare intensified, if that was possible.

"You're the one…" she said angrily.

"Yes, and I'm sorry," Marie said. "I didn't know that-"

"Sorry?" Tori snarled. "You're sorry? Sorry doesn't change the fact that you tried to steal my boyfriend, you whore!"

She lunged at Marie, who jumped back in terror, eyes widening. Jake stepped forward and restrained her.

"Tori, calm down!" he said. She struggled against his grip.

"I'm not calming down!" she screamed. "That bitch is gonna taste my fists! I'll show her what happens when she tries to take my boyfriend away!"

"Tori, STOP!" Jake shouted.

She continued struggling for a moment before stopping.

"Now," Jake started, not letting go of her. "You are going to learn exactly what happened tonight. Okay? And you're gonna stop being mad, because I know you're gonna understand everything."

Tori stared at Marie for a moment with a wild look in her eye before nodding. "Fine," she ground out.

"Good," Jake said. "Let's start with some introductions. Tori, this is Marie. Marie, this is my girlfriend, Tori. I promise you that she's not always like this."

Marie gulped and managed a little wave. Tori continued staring at her, but it wasn't in anger anymore. It was confusion, for a moment, before that was replaced by dawning comprehension and disbelief.

"Wait…" she said. "You're Marie."

"Yes."

"Marie, as in one of the Squid Sisters."

"Yes."

"You're a celebrity. My boyfriend was cheating on me with a celebrity."

"I wasn't cheating on you!" Jake protested.

"He wasn't cheating on you," Marie confirmed. "Can we tell you everything that happened?"

Tori thought for a moment, and then nodded. She looked like she had calmed down a bit.

And the two of them told Tori exactly what had happened. Tori listened to them intently (Jake had let go of her by now, once he was certain that she wasn't going to hurt Marie), and thought for a long time when they were finished.

Jake and Marie watched her in uneasy anticipation, waiting for her to say something.

"Alright, let me get this straight…" Tori finally began. "You two used to go out."

"Right," Jake and Marie said in unison.

"But you broke up."

"Yup."

"And Marie didn't want to, so she tried to get back together with Jake."

"That's correct."

"And that didn't work out. And I didn't see everything that happened after Jake left, because if I did, I would know that he stopped you."

"Yeah."

"And that's it?"

"That's the gist of it, yeah," Jake said. "After that, I came back, and we had that fight, and then I went back to apologize to Marie, and now we're here."

"Okay," Tori said. There was a pause. "Okay, I believe you."

"Really?" Marie asked.

"Yeah," Tori said. "Part of me is thinking I'm probably making a really big mistake, but if you two were half as close as you say you were, I don't think either of you would have any reason to lie."

"So we're good?" Jake asked hopefully.

"…Yeah," Tori said after a slight hesitation. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Jake's face broke into a wide grin, and he gave her a hug. "It feels good to be back," he murmured.

"Yeah," Tori whispered in his ear. "It does." She returned the hug.

Marie watched them for a moment, a sad smile on her face. She left the apartment. Neither one seemed to notice her.

She had walked off a ways when a voice behind her said "Wait."

She turned around. It was Jake.

Without saying another word, he walked over to her and lifted her into a tight hug. Marie returned it.

"Thank you so much," Jake said, his voice cracking. "Thank you so much, Marie… I'm so sorry I made this whole mess… I'm sorry I had to ask for your help… I'm so sorry… for everything…" He began to sob.

"You don't need to apologize," Marie said softly. "Everything worked out, didn't it? Everything is all better. You don't need to apologize to me."

Jake shook his head. "I really mean it… I'm sorry about everything…"

Marie pulled him back into the hug. "Shh…" she whispered, like a mother comforting her child. "Everything is okay, Jake… I'm fine…"

Jake pulled away, wiped his tears, and tried to give Marie a smile. He wasn't sure if it worked, but either way, Marie smiled back.

"I'll see you around, right?" Marie asked him.

"Of course you will," Jake replied. "And my door will always be open for you."

Marie smiled at him one last time before turning and walking away.

[A/N] Well, that wasn't too bad, now was it?

I'd honestly say that this is up there with The Most Unexpected Places as some of my best work. Go me!

Not much else to say here, so I'll see you guys around.