It is the first day of Jingle Bell Ball, and Jade and Perrie are ready for their performance. Jade has been spending a fair amount of time recently regretting that night in Japan. She regrets drinking so much and revealing the secret of her relationship with Perrie to no less than eight people. However, her reckless behavior does have its advantages. When they are in dressing rooms backstage, Jade and Perrie do not have to hide anymore. The dancers now know about them, and Adam and Aaron have figured it out on their own. The two women only stop acting affectionate when Sam is around, which luckily does not happen often since she has lots of things to take care of and is always talking to all sorts of people in all parts of the venues.

Right now, Perrie is laying on the couch, and Jade's body is pressed to hers, with Jade's head laying on Perrie's chest. Perrie has hands wrapped around Jade's waist, and they talk quietly to each other through the chatter surrounding them.

"I'm having a birthday party on the twenty-sixth. I've just started planning it, but I think I'm going to do it in South Shields so everyone could come. And I wanted to invite you first," Jade says in a sweet voice.

"Of course I'm going to be there," Perrie replies and softly kisses Jade's head. She feels calm, unlike how she usually does before playing massive arenas. Her ringtone sounds and interrupts the peace. Perrie's phone is buried somewhere in the pillows of the couch, and Jade sits up in order to allow her to look for it. When Perrie finally gets a grip on her phone, she presses her lips together as she sees Katherine's name on the screen. She does not need to explain anything out loud to Jade, as she already understands, and Perrie stands up and walks out of the dressing room. She finds a quiet corner somewhere backstage, where maintenance personnel come and go but no one stops to listen or even take another glance. Perrie answers the call she has been waiting for ever since coming back from Japan.

After Jade's accidental reveal, Perrie and Katherine tried to schedule time to see each other, but it did not work out, as Perrie lives in London and Katherine in South Shields and they are both working. Each one of them tried calling the other a few times, but their schedules are far from coordinated, so they did not get a chance to talk yet.

"Hi," Perrie says into the phone. She has known Katherine for so long now, and never has she felt nervous talking to her like she does right now.

"Hey," Katherine replies, and Perrie can tell that she is feeling the same. "How are you?"

"Jet legged and exhausted, but I'm okay," Perrie tells her and adds a little laugh. Katherine does the same, and Perrie feels a bit more at ease. "How about you?"

"I'm alright. I'm working a lot too, but it's nice to be busy," Katherine replies. There is a short pause before she continues talking. "You're performing soon, right? So can I just ask? Do you, um... Do you really have a girlfriend? No that it bothers me or anything - I'm happy for you - it's just that I'm surprised. You didn't tell me anything."

"Yeah, I... I'm dating Jade now. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything, it's just that it's been complicated. We can't really tell anyone, and I sort of got used to not sharing this, I guess. My dad doesn't even know yet, and so do Jonnie and Caitlin," Perrie says and sighs. Just this morning she told her father she would come visit him for Christmas, and both of her siblings are going to be there as well. She does not know how she is going to tell them about Jade and her, nor how she would be able to hide it. Each option seems worse than the other.

"How long have you two been together?" Katherine asks. Perrie does not want to answer honestly because she thinks that the truth is going to hurt Katherine, but knows that she has to be candid. She has never lied to Katherine, and is not planning on starting now.

"Officially, a little over two months," Perrie replies. She is met by silence, and thinks of how stupid she was not to tell Katherine everything in the first place. She definitely trusts Katherine, and it would have been great to have someone outside of the group to consult with during the last few months.

"And unofficially?" Katherine asks with a hint of uncertainty.

"I guess since the end of July," Perrie answers and her face heats up under the makeup she is wearing.

"You mean after your break up?" Katherine questions, and this time Perrie detects slight concern in her voice as well.

"Yeah, of course." She replies and creates another short episode of silence.

"We used to be so close," Katherine states with obvious disappointment. "I know a lot of things changed for you, and you casually dress up and go to all of these fancy awards shows and hop on flights to Japan, and I'm still the same in South Shields. But it doesn't mean that we don't have things in common anymore, right? We can still randomly call each other when we can't sleep and wear dumb costumes to go shopping together. You have a different life than you did back then, when it was just the two of us, but you didn't change. So there's no reason for stuff between us to change, right?"

"Right." Perrie agrees and nods her head even though she knows Katherine cannot see her. She finally feels relaxed again, now that she knows that Katherine truly is not angry in any way, but Perrie still is not completely satisfied. She wants to set up a time to meet with Katherine, but knows that she will not be in South Shields until Christmas, and it is the holiday so everyone is busy with their families. Just when Perrie is about to say this out loud, she has an idea. "Do you want to come to Jade's birthday party with me? It's in South Shields on the twenty-sixth, and she and I are going to be very happy if you come." When an immediate reply does not come, Perrie tries convincing Katherine in the way she is sure that would work. "Everyone there is going to be Jade's friends and I could use a friend of mine to come along so I won't be lonely," she continues and smiles.

"I'll come with you," Katherine replies, and Perrie can hear the smile in her voice. Perrie's name is called by Sam, who appears down the hall, and she knows that she needs to be onstage in a few minutes.

"I got to go now, but we'll talk later, okay?" Perrie says into the phone and Katherine agrees. They exchange goodbyes, then Perrie hangs up the phone and follows Sam towards the stage. Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade are already there, and they wish each other good luck before taking the stage. Jade does not need Perrie to explain to her what went on in that phone call she just had; her smile says it all.

The four bandmates begin their performance and sing their first few songs as usual, then invite Jason Derulo to the stage for Secret Love Song. It was planned beforehand that Jade would be the one to present him, and after she does so, she does not even try to hide how unsatisfied she is. She is reminded of everything the girls and her went through in order to keep this version of the song from being a single, yet the video is set to be filmed in two weeks.

At the end of the song, Jade sings the final line like she was told to - she turns to Jason and looks into his eyes, then is supposed to touch him but is unable to do that. Despite what they rehearsed, she barely knows him, and it feels like too much. When the song is over, Jason wraps an arm around Jade and she knows that nothing good is going to come out of this. All five singers leave the stage together and part ways with friendly hugs. Jason is escorted back to his dressing room, and the girls are greeted by Sam and are walking towards theirs.

"I don't think I like the way he was touching you onstage," Perrie whispers in Jade's ear as they walk.

"It's bad enough that I have to deal with the thought of Jed having his hands all over you in Paris."

"You don't have to worry about that," Jade replies, her voice slightly louder than Perrie's so that Jesy and Leigh-Anne join the conversation as well. "Everything about this is stupid. Like, his name is Jed. A Jed and a Jade don't go together. It's too similar. Things with him aren't going to work."

"I love your conclusions," Perrie says and laughs.

"Girls," Sam interrupts their conversation. "I have to go over to thank Derulo and his team for coming. There's a reporter from The Sun who's here to talk to you, just a few questions." Sam quickly guides the four women towards the reporter and hurriedly leaves.

"How are you ladies tonight?" The reporter asks, and the girls say their usual replies. He begins recording the conversation and the spontaneous interview begins. A few shallow questions about Get Weird are asked before the reporter asks Jade and Perrie is they will be celebrating New Year's with someone special at the end of the month.

"She's got someone on the go. His name starts with a J... then a D," Jesy quickly answers as she points at Jade while wearing a teasing smile. Jade does not know how to handle this situation, especially not with her girlfriend standing right beside her. Jesy can read it on her face and decides to take this reveal to a different direction. "He's so lovely. Really sweet. He gave Jade a little wink when we introduced him on stage. There's four of us but he looked to Jade and gave her a wink." A smile spreads on Jade's face as she realizes where this conversation is heading.

"He's very hot. It's early days," Jade adds, knowing that if this was real, she would have never spoken so openly about it.

"How is Nick Jonas going to feel about this, Jade?" The reporter asks with a hungry smile on his face.

"Jason's a bit more manly. Nick's a nice boy but Jason, I feel like he'd look after her. She's only little," Jesy answers instead.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to me," the reporter says and turns off the recording device. He pulls his hand out and shakes hands with all four women, then walks away. Perrie, Jade, Jesy and Leigh-Anne are heading back towards their dressing room while giggling with each other.

"Sam is going to flip out when this interviewer is published. She hates it when we make up false rumors," Leigh-Anne says.

"Yeah, she probably will," Jade agrees.

"You two really should be updating her on what's going on," Jesy tells Jade and Perrie.

"Yeah, I know," Jade replies. "We were thinking about telling her after rehearsal on Monday." The three days after tomorrow are dedicated to tour rehearsals, and it is the longest period of time the group has without attending any formal events in a while. Jade's plan, which Perrie agreed to, is to tell Sam about their relationship in two days, so that Sam has two full days afterwards to figure out what she does with it.

"How do you think she's going to react?" Leigh-Anne asks.

"I'm not sure. But I think it's pretty safe to say that she won't be happy with it," Perrie answers and sees Jade's face falls. She takes Jade's hand in hers as a way of comforting her and reminding her that no matter what happens, they are in this together. The four women have arrived at their dressing room, but wait outside of the closed door. They know that there are people inside, and would like to keep this conversation private.

Perrie can feel how heavy and serious this chat turned. They are standing in silence, and are all pondering the same questions. They are wondering how this reveal is going to change the group, their relationship with the label and management. This reveal could burn lots of bridges that are crucial for their success and career. Perrie wants to make things light and easy again, so she proposes an idea. "How about we go out tomorrow night, after the performance? We only have tomorrow before things could be changing. We better use use the time we still have to celebrate how things are now."

"Like the night before the apocalypse party?" Jade jokingly asks.

"Yeah, something like that," Perrie replies and squeezes her hands with an amused smile on her face. "So, who's coming?"

"I don't know, Pez. We'll be exhausted in rehearsal the day after if we go out," Jade answers.

"Except Jade, I mean. I've already decided she's coming," Perrie says and laughs. "Leigh? You could bring Jordan."

"Sure," Leigh-Anne replies.

"Jes?" Perrie asks.

"I think I'm going to head home. I'm still a bit ill," Jesy says and her three bandmates nod their heads as sign of understanding. Leigh-Anne opens the door to the dressing room, and they go in. They change out of their stage outfits and offer to Aaron to come along as well. He promises to come, and they agree to meet in the Tape nightclub two hours after tomorrow's performance.

×××

Jade and Perrie are cuddling together on a couch in a private area of the nightclub. The lights are dimmed and there are a few empty glasses on the table, all drank by Jade. Her head is resting on Perrie's lap, and Perrie is stroking her delicate brown hair and runs her thumb on Jade's cheek. Aaron, Leigh-Anne and Jordan are somewhere outside, and it is just the two of them here. Perrie memorizes every second that passes, because she knows that after tomorrow, things might not be the same anymore.

"How did your conversation with Katherine today go?" Jade asks. Her quiet voice is enough to be heard over the music which is playing in the background.

"It was good," Perrie replies. "I invited her to come with me to your birthday party, if that's okay with you."

"Sure. I haven't seen Katherine in ages," Jade says.

"What do you want for you birthday?" Perrie asks after a short pause.

"I just want you to be there," Jade answers in a soft voice.

"Of course I'm going to be there," Perrie assures her. She leans down and kisses Jade's head, then sits back up. "I won't ever miss a birthday of yours. Drunk you is a feast for the eyes, let me tell you," Perrie continues and laughs. "Do you remember your nineteenth birthday?" She asks with a smile as she reminisces.

"Yeah," Jade replies through a genuine smile. That night was a complete disaster, but she remembers feeling such a strong connection to Perrie. Little did she know that Perrie was meant to be with her all along. "You stayed."

Perrie does not need to say a word. She just pulls Jade closer to her and cuddles more into her. She does not care about the past anymore; all she knows is that she has very strong feelings for Jade, and allows herself to get caught up in daydreaming about their future. They sit like this in comfortable silence for a while, holding onto each other, before Jade tells Perrie that she wants to go dance.

The two women stand up and walk towards the bar.

Perrie takes a seat on the bar and orders a drink for herself while Jade is somewhere in the mass of people. Perrie checks her phone and replies to a few texts from Lucy and Lydia, then from her mother. Her relationship with her mother turned heavy and odd since Perrie started avoiding Debbie after telling her about Jade. Perrie has always been very open with her mother, but feels like a shy teenager who avoids an embarrassing talk. Then, Perrie replies to the agent she hired to sell her house. She thanks him for sending her a text saying that there is a serious possible buyer and she should start looking at new properties.

After she is done replying to everyone, Perrie puts her phone back in her purse. She looks around, scans the crowd in search of Jade, and finds her on the other end of the bar. Jade is taking to the bartender, then when she waits for her drink to be prepared, she locks gazes with Perrie. Perrie sends Jade a smile, and receives a sloppy wink in response. Perrie is laughing as she realizes how adorably drunk Jade is, and Jade feels amazing knowing she made her girlfriend laugh. She receives her drink, then goes back to the dance floor.

A few minutes later, Perrie is sitting at the bar with her body facing the dance floor. She is laid back, her elbows resting on the counter behind her, as she watches Jade dance just a short distance from her. Jade is performing one of her freestyle dances, and she is drunk enough to be lots in her own world. Perrie, who is only a little tipsy, watches her with a wide smile on her face. She cannot stop thinking about how much she adores every side of Jade's personality, and how she has gone from heartbreak to happiness in such a short period of time.

"Is your friend okay there?" An unfamiliar low voice asks. Perrie turns her head to the right, and sees a man sitting on the chair next to her and sipping a drunk. He has got tan skin, dark eyes and black hair and beard. He smiles at her, and Perrie glances at him for only a few seconds before returning her gaze to Jade.

"Yeah, she's alright. Just a little excited," Perrie replies while wearing an amused smile.

"What are you and your friend celebrating tonight?" He asks with his gaze still fixed on Perrie. Perrie almost laughs in response, because the true answer would be that they have come here to grieve, but she is not going to say that to a stranger.

"Nothing. We're just having fun," Perrie replies and sends him a friendly smile.

"I'm Leon, by the way," he says, then offers his hand for her to shake and Perrie notices the tattoos on it.

"Perrie," she answers as she formally takes his hand.

"Do you two need a ride home? It's pretty late, and she seems out of it." Leon offers, referring to Jade.

"Thanks, but I think we're good. I'm just going to call a cab," Perrie says and nods as a sign of gratitude.

"Well, in case you change your mind, here's my number." Leon says and brings a pen out of the pocket of the formal shirt Perrie didn't notice he was wearing up until now. Leon brings the black pen to a white napkin lying on the counter, then, when he is done writing, he folds the napkin and hands it over to Perrie. She accepts it with a small smile and debates what to do with it. She knows that she will not use it, and therefore does not need it, but she does not want to hurt Leon's feelings. So she slides the napkin into her purse and wonders whether it would be appropriate to throw it out in the closest bin on the way home or perhaps she should wait until she is back at her house.