It's been ages, but I've finally finished a fic again. I don't think it's as good as it can be, but that way of thinking is what caused this nearly two-year blank in the first place. I've forced myself to keep going, and I tried to stay in character as much as I could. Let me tell you that it's hard, especially since I've been watching this show for about three days now. Anyway, some household announcements: Read and Review, please! I appreciate Favorites and other things like that, really, but if you're going to do that, please leave a reaction as well. I want to know what I'm doing right and what needs improvement. If you don't tell me, I won't get better! With that out of the way, let's get going. Enjoy!

Curiosity kissed the Cat

Generally, the students of Hollywood Arts were a colorful bunch. Most of them had their own unique styles and combinations of clothes and accessories.

This was no less true for Tori Vega, who had gone to school this particular morning in a rather good mood. Unlike some mornings, when everything seemed to work against her, this time everything cooperated with her.

She'd found her favorite shirt on the first try, the sky was a clear blue, and the trip to school was over even faster than usual because hardly anyone was on the road.

Tori soon found out, however, that not everyone shared her good mood. When she turned around after closing her locker door, she saw Jade approaching with an even bigger thundercloud above her head than usual.

"Hey Jade, what's wrong?" Tori asked, knowing fully well that she risked taking the brunt of Jade's anger.

Jade shot her a dark look, one that would normally send a shiver down Tori's spine, but that didn't faze her today.

"You wouldn't get it anyway," Jade replied brusquely, trying to brush Tori off.

Tori was not to be discouraged, however. "Well, I certainly won't get it if you won't tell me," she said.

"Look, this is none of your business, okay?"

"Oh come on, you…"

"Don't make me hurt you," Jade said angrily, cracking her knuckles.

Tori raised her hands in apology. "Okay, okay, I just wanted to help," she tried to soothe her friend.

Okay, their friendship was shaky at times, but still Tori didn't hesitate anymore when referring to Jade as her friend.

Jade sighed and looked at the ground, her anger seemingly forgotten.

"You can tell me, you know," Tori tried again, recognizing the small crack in Jade's tough façade.

Jade didn't reply immediately, something Tori took as a positive thing. If Jade had really been angry she would've delivered a threat of horrible violence as soon as Tori had opened her mouth.

Jade looked into Tori's eyes. "Okay, you want to know?" she asked.

Tori nodded. "Yep."

"I'm in love with Cat," Jade said, never taking her eyes off Tori's.

"I…did not see that coming," Tori confessed, blinking fast a couple of times.

"See? I told you you wouldn't get it," Jade said, rather smugly.

"I didn't say I don't get it," Tori defended herself. "I just didn't expect it, that's all."

"Whatever, professor," Jade said, rolling her eyes.

Tori ignored her, instead saying, "So why are you mad about that? Shouldn't you usually be happy about something like this? Did you tell her yet?"

Jade shot Tori a look that seemed to say, 'Are you mental?'

"Yeah, sure, I can totally see myself going to Cat and saying, 'hey, I'm in love with you'," she said sarcastically.

"I can't tell her, you idiot. Why would I want to? I'm fine like this," she went on.

Tori shot her a skeptical look. "I could tell her for you," she offered.

"If you so much as hint to Cat that I might like her, I will make your bones into abstract art," Jade said through clenched teeth.

"Whoa, take it easy," Tori shushed her, "I get it. Don't tell Cat anything."

Again, Jade's eyes pierced Tori's. "Good. As long as we're clear on that."

This time Jade's gaze did manage to send a shiver down Tori's spine. That girl really knew how to be scary.

Cat was happy. After all, why wouldn't she be? The sun was shining, it was warm but not the sticky kind of warm, her brother hadn't done any worrisome things lately…in short, the day couldn't be more perfect.

She was walking through the school halls, when she spotted Tori and Jade in front of Tori's locker. As she walked over, she caught a part of their conversation.

"I get it. Don't tell Cat anything," she heard Tori say.

"Good. As long as we're clear on that," Jade replied, in a way that only Jade could.

Cat wondered what they were being so secretive about. Why wasn't Tori allowed to tell her anything? Could it be they were planning a surprise for her? She liked surprises.

Then again…Cat decided to hide around a corner, hoping to pick up more of the mysterious conversation.

Jade, however, had already turned around and walked away. Cat sighed, somewhat disappointed about not hearing more. Then she shrugged; she'd find out sooner or later.

She walked over to Tori and said, "Hi Tori!"

Tori turned around and smiled when she saw Cat. "Oh, hey Cat," she said.

She had a twinkle in her eyes that was only there when she was enjoying something no one was supposed to know. The last time Cat had seen that look was when she had brought a giant chocolate bar to school and hidden it in her locker…only Cat had seen her putting it there, and accidentally caused her to have to share it with pretty much everyone in school.

Cat had a feeling the twinkle had something to do with what Jade had told her earlier. Despite her sometimes naïve nature, she was quite perceptive when it came to such things. She decided to try her luck.

"What were you talking about with Jade? I heard my name," she said as innocently as she could.

Tori's eyes widened a little. "Um…how much did you hear?" Tori asked anxiously.

"Not much, but it was followed by Jade saying something in her 'I will kill you' voice, so…"

Now Tori smiled again, faintly. Apparently she'd decided that the big secret wasn't in danger of being discovered.

"And you were afraid it was about you?" Tori asked.

Cat shrugged. "I don't know. I just heard my name. Is Jade mad at me?" she asked with big eyes.

Suddenly she wasn't so sure she would like the 'surprise'. She had momentarily forgotten about the twinkle of joy in Tori's eyes.

"Of course not! Why would she be?" Tori asked, cocking her head.

"Well, she's Jade," Cat explained softly.

Now Tori's smile widened. "Don't worry about that. Jade isn't mad at you, not at all," she said.

The tone of mystery in her voice annoyed Cat a little. She liked surprises, yes, but she also liked being part of secrets, and when someone was so obviously keeping a secret from her it made her mad.

"Then what's going on?" she asked in the most demanding tone she could manage. Sadly for Cat, that wasn't very.

Tori gave her an insincere apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you," she said.

"You just don't want to tell me," Cat pouted.

"No, I do! But Jade's 'I will kill you' voice was for me. If I tell you, I'm done for," Tori explained.

This time her answer sounded honest, but Cat still had the feeling Tori found some pleasure in not telling her what was going on. She wanted to press the issue more, but at that moment the bell rung.

"Oh, time for class," Tori said cheerfully.

Cat frowned. The sun was still shining outside, but a cloud had appeared in the sky.

Somehow, Jade's news about Cat had made Tori's day even better. She had to consciously keep herself from grinning. When Cat had said that she heard Tori's conversation with Jade, she had been worried for a moment, but as soon as it became clear that secret was safe she'd relaxed again.

"Dang, girl, what are you so happy about?" Andre asked during lunch.

Tori looked around, looking for Jade or Cat, but when she didn't find either of them she gestured that Andre had to lean in close. Since it was just the two of them at the table, and Andre was a close friend, she figured she could entrust him with the story, or at least a highly abridged version of it.

"Jade likes Cat," Tori whispered excitedly.

Andre raised an eyebrow. "So? I like Cat too, and for that matter, I thought you did too."

Tori gave an exasperated sigh. "No, I mean Jade likes Cat," she emphasized, giving Andre a meaningful look.

A moment of silence passed before Andre caught on. His eyes widened. "For real?" he exclaimed.

Tori gave him a warning look. "Shh! If Jade finds out I told you she'll make sure I never tell anyone anything ever again," she whispered urgently.

"Oh, right. Sorry," Andre whispered back.

"I still don't get why that makes you so happy, though," he went on.

"I think it's sweet," Tori said with a large smile.

"But please, don't tell Jade or Cat about this. I value my life," she added.

"My lips are sealed," Andre promised.

A couple of tables over, Cat frowned. She had seen Andre's reaction and she knew that Tori had told him the big secret. When Tori had looked around to look for – presumably – her or Jade, she'd quickly hidden beneath her table, earning some weird stares from people around her.

The people looking at her didn't bother her nearly as much as whatever it might be Tori and Jade, and now Andre, too, were hiding from her. Soon the entire school would know what this was about, except Cat herself.

She tried to think of anything that could be important or shocking enough that she wouldn't be allowed to know, but she couldn't figure it out.

"Then I'll just have to ask Jade herself," she said out loud.

"Ask me what?" Jade's voice said behind her.

Jade hated many things, and one of those things was the sun. Especially on a day like this, when her own thoughts and feelings could be counted among the things that she hated, the sun was her biggest enemy. So of course, her day couldn't possibly get worse, even by telling her number two enemy, Tori, what was bothering her.

Despite regretting even mentioning her feelings as soon as she did so, she had to grudgingly admit that it had made her feel a little better. She decided that 'grudgingly admitting things' would be added to her list of things she hated as well.

But even though that list was getting longer by the day, and today seemingly by the minute, there was one thing, or rather one person that would never appear on that list. That person, of course, was Cat.

Jade didn't know for sure when she'd started feeling different around Cat, and she wondered if had been developing even when she'd still been together with Beck. The fact remained that her redheaded friend made her heart beat a little faster whenever she was near, despite her occasionally annoying habits.

But how would she ever be able to confess her feelings to Cat? In general, she believed in being straightforward, and speaking her mind had never been hard with Beck. This, however, was completely different. Jade's short temper was never as fiery when Cat was concerned. Aside from some notable exceptions, she really didn't want to hurt Cat, ever.

The redheaded girl had been her closest friend for years, and Jade wanted to keep it that way. Confessing what she felt might change all of that. After all, Cat had never seemed to display interest in girls. Jade would not risk losing her closest friend, not for anything.

That was why, after a short period of relief after telling her problems, she became anxious again. What if Tori couldn't keep her mouth shut? She'd been clear enough with her warning, right? But what if…?

During lunch, Jade decided to look for Tori. She had to make sure that her secret remained safe. She walked between the tables, when she spotted Cat's bright red hair. She made her way over to the table, thinking Tori might be there as well, but as she got closer she saw that Cat was alone.

"Then I'll just have to ask Jade herself," Cat said to no one in particular.

"Ask me what?" Jade said with a threatening undertone in her voice.

Cat turned around, startled. "Oh, hi Jade!" she said happily, giving a smile that made Jade's stomach flutter despite her anxiety.

"What do you have to ask me?" Jade asked again, trying to look dark but failing, much to her own dismay.

"Well, I heard you and Tori talking this morning and she doesn't want to tell me what you said but I saw her telling Andre just now and I want to know what it is," Cat said. She seemed slightly out of breath after long sentence.

Now Jade managed to look dark. "She told Andre? Are you sure?" she asked.

Cat nodded. "I think so…he seemed surprised, anyway."

Cat seemed to notice Jade's rising anger, because she said, "Are…are you mad at me?"

Jade shook her head. "I'm not mad at you…but I suddenly crave a Tori-burger," she said acidly.

"I never had one of those; are they good?" Cat asked, momentarily distracted.

Jade ignored her. "I gotta go kill Tori," she said, "I'll see you later."

"Wait! I want to know what you're hiding from me," Cat said, serious again now.

Jade hesitated. She couldn't possibly tell Cat about her feelings.

"I…I can't tell you," Jade replied, annoyed at how strained the line came out.

Cat frowned. "Why not? What did I do?"

Jade shook her head furiously. "It's nothing like that…I just can't tell you, okay? See you," she said, before walking off quickly.

As she walked away, she scolded herself for her reaction. What was Cat going to think about her now? She scoffed. It didn't even matter. It was more important right now to find Tori. That Vega girl was going to mourn this day, she would make sure of that.

Tori could feel Jade's murderous glare on her back, and she turned around to see what was wrong.

"Didn't I tell not to tell anyone?" Jade exploded.

Tori thought that she could probably roast marshmallows in the flames in Jade's eyes.

"No, you told me not to tell Cat," Tori replied uneasily.

She knew that Jade wouldn't accept her explanation for a second, but even so she had to try.

"I thought you were smart enough to understand a silent hint. I guess I overestimated your brain capacity," Jade spat.

"Look, Cat doesn't know anything," Tori said defensively.

She looked around to see if anyone could come to her aid, but the hallway had emptied already. Everyone was in class, except Tori and Jade.

"No one is going to help you," Jade said softly. Clearly she had noticed Tori's eyes scanning the hallway.

"You're in for a world of pain, Vega. I'm not kidding," she went on.

Tori felt her pulse rising when Jade reached for something on her belt.

"Wait! Can't…can't we talk about this?" she asked nervously.

She couldn't see what Jade was reaching for, but given the girl's unhealthy obsession with scissors it was hardly difficult to guess.

"I did, and look where that got me," Jade replied, continuing her infuriatingly slow movement to the mystery item.

"It hasn't gotten you into any trouble at all!" Tori protested loudly.

"Cat asked me what was wrong," Jade said tonelessly.

"I barely choked out that I couldn't tell her. I can only imagine what she must be thinking right now," Jade went on as her eyes pierced Tori's, just like they had done earlier that day.

Tori felt a sweatdrop rolling down her face.

"Sikowitz, can I go to the bathroom?" Cat asked.

"May I go to the bathroom," Sikowitz corrected her.

"Sure, but can I go?" Cat replied.

Sikowitz sighed. "Yes, yes, sure," he said, waving his hand dismissively.

Cat smiled gratefully and got up. She didn't really have to go to the bathroom, but both Tori and Jade weren't in class and Cat was worried about them, especially after Jade's ominous threat at the end of lunch break.

Jade threatened people all the time, but Cat had seldom seen her this angry. Even when Cat had accidentally removed her eyebrows there hadn't been this much hate in her eyes.

She walked through the hallway towards Tori's locker, hoping to find the two there. She was in luck, hearing their voices even before she reached them.

"It hasn't gotten you in trouble at all!" Cat heard Tori shout.

Jade's reply was much softer, but she could make out the words just fine in the silent hall. "Cat asked me what was wrong. I barely choked out that I couldn't tell her. I can only imagine what she must be thinking right now."

Cat quickly walked closer and said, "You could just tell me."

Jade stiffened, in sharp contrast to Tori, who seemed to deflate like a balloon.

"Cat…" Jade said softly.

Jade's soft voice made Cat even more nervous than her murderous attitude from before.

"You can tell me," Cat said again, "I won't get mad at you, I promise."

Cat knew that Jade usually didn't care about people being mad at her, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Just tell her," Tori said, slightly less shaky now.

"Shut up. We aren't done yet," Jade said warningly, giving Tori an angry look.

She turned to Cat. "Cat, look, I…I've…well…"

"Go on," Tori egged her on.

Jade turned around to snap at her, but Cat softly said, "Tori, why don't you go to class? Maybe it's easier for Jade if you're not here."

Tori looked at Cat, amazed to see her so serious. Then she nodded.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone."

Tori walked away, and when she was out of sight, Cat walked closer to Jade.

"Tell me what's going on, please," she said.

Jade looked extremely uncomfortable, and she seemed to be at a total loss for words.

"Just close your eyes and say it," Cat suggested. "That usually helps when I'm afraid to say something."

Jade nodded and closed her eyes. Cat tried her best to hide her own nerves.

Jade was acting so un-Jade-like it made her heart beat like her teeth chattering on a cold day.

"Cat, I…I think…no, I know, that…I'm in love with you," Jade said slowly.

Jade kept her eyes closed. Speaking those words was the hardest thing she'd ever done, although waiting for Cat's reaction wasn't much easier. She forced her eyelids even closer together and willed her heartbeat to settle down, but it didn't help.

Then, she felt two arms around her, and the warmth of a small body against hers. Surprised, she opened her eyes to see Cat hugging her. Her red-headed friend looked up at her with big, brown eyes.

"See? Was that so hard?" she asked softly.

"I…" Jade began, but she was cut off by Cat standing up on her toes and softly pressing her lips to Jade's.

A strange jolt of warmth rushed through Jade's body, a rush that she'd felt before when she and Beck kissed for the first time, but this time was different. Cat's lips were softer than Beck's, and she smelled sweet.

Cat lowered herself again. "Cat…" Jade whispered. Cat just smiled at her.

Every cell in Cat's body tingled. Kissing Jade was so different from all the other kisses she'd had in her life.

When she moved in to kiss Jade she hadn't been sure if it was the right thing to do, but now she was certain. She loved Jade.

It wasn't so much that she hadn't realized it before; she'd just never paid it that much attention. She'd always looked at boys, and Jade had been with Beck. There had never been any question about that dynamic, even though Jade occasionally gave her butterflies in her stomach.

She was just happy to have a friend who had that effect on her. Now, though, it was different. Hearing Jade say that she was in love with her had awoken something inside Cat, and that something wanted to kiss Jade.

"Cat…" Jade whispered.

Cat gave her a smile. "I love you too, Jade," she said.

It felt strange to say it like that, but Cat thought it sounded right. Jade finally returned her hug, wrapping her arms around Cat.

"I thought you'd…well, I don't know what I expected, really," Jade admitted, "I just know that it wasn't this. You're full of surprises."

Cat didn't reply, she just kept smiling. To think that her fears had been alleviated like this, it seemed to brighten up the day up again, even more than it had been that morning.

Then she remembered something. "Are you still going to kill Tori?" she asked, looking up to see Jade's reaction.

For a split second, Jade's eyes narrowed, but then she replied, "I'll let her off the hook because it turned out so well."

From around a corner, there was a muffled, "Yes!"

Jade's eye twitched. "On second thought…" she growled as she turned to the corner.

"Don't hurt her too much," Cat said.

"I'll make it painless," Jade promised as she let go of Cat.

She walked towards the corner of the hall.

"Tori! Get over here, now!"

As Jade disappeared around the corner, Cat smiled. The mystery was solved, and she'd learned something about Jade, as well as about herself. She headed back to class, still smiling.

There we are! I hope you liked it and again, please leave a review!