".........I see." Andrew replied.

"Then you should leave ASAP." he told her.

"If there's one thing an angry person doesn't want, it's to be around someone that's unreasonably calm, and urging them to be so." he said further, strain and struggle in his tone.

"Please." he said.

"I can feel myself losing to it again..." he went on.

"Just... good luck." he managed to get out, before he 'melted' onto the bed, clearly overly relaxed once more.

The flames almost licked him, but he didn't even seem to care.

"Ahhh..." he said.

"S'all good." he mumbled to himself.

----

The one that had walked into the office sighed as he heard the exchange.

"...all right." he said.

"The hell's going on here?" he asked.

"Mom, what is the big deal with you recently?" he then asked Sydney.

"Mom, come on!" Jaden said.

"From what I've come to understand about this, you ARE the best one for this, but you're not the ONLY one for this!" he told Sydney.

"And you're running yourself ragged." he continued.

"You'll end up killing yourself if this keeps up." he went on.

"Why?" he asked.

"Are you THAT desperate to try and take Liz's place so soon!?"

There was a heavy silence in the air after that.

Sydney wasn't looking at Jaden, but Cass was.

And she saw his expression change. Drastically.

In an instant, his eyes showed deep depression. Immense guilt. Like an old wound that never quite fully healed was violently opened up again.

"...M... Mom...?" he said quietly.

"You... I... I know that was... bad..." he admitted.

"But... I mean..." he stammered further, unable to speak further, his lip quivering slightly.

Jaden seemed to still be stunned for a moment, but seeing what his mother was doing to Cass briefly snapped him out of it.

"Oh my God!" he exclaimed.

He knew he was going to pay dearly for this, but he had to do it.

He concentrated, and created a portal. A very specific and special one. It was around Cass's throat, so that Sydney's hand slipped right through. He then created one under Cass, causing her to slip into the floor, and land behind him.

"MOM!" he yelled.

"What the HELL are you doing!?"

Jaden narrowed his eyes, before zipping into Sydney's way.

"You. Need. Rest." he said.

"You are running yourself ragged, and you need to allow yourself time to recuperate!" he insisted.

"WHY is that suddenly such a hard concept to grasp!?" he exclaimed.

"And why are you deciding it's a good idea to ATTACK Cass!?" he exclaimed further.

"WHAT is going on with you!?"

Jaden's eyes hardened with anger, as tears started to stream down his cheeks.

"I refuse to run away anymore." he told her.

"I refuse to let you self-destruct." he said.

"I refuse to let you throw your life away, like I did so long ago." he continued.

"Damn it, stop this!" he then declared angrily.

Jaden's reaction was instinctual.

He was barely thinking at that point.

He charged right at his mother, tackling her off of Cass, and sending them both careening into one of the couches.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" he yelled.

"THAT'S how you're proving yourself!? By ASSAULTING your boss!?" he asked in a frantic tone.

"STOP this! Just... STOP!"

Jaden was stunned that his mother was acting this way.

He always knew she was confident, and had her pride, but this was too much.

This wasn't her...

"Mom..." he muttered.

"....you're NOT perfect." he said, getting to his feet.

"And if you're going to attack Cass, then I have no choice but to defend her." he told her further, taking a hard stance.

".....if you're so perfect... how come you lost me when I was younger?" he then asked, figuring he'd stab her back, much like she stabbed him.

"...." Jaden was silent.

"Cass, if you have any tricks or secrets up your sleeve, now's a good time." he muttered to Cass.

"I can't win against you." he then said to Sydney.

"But I can try." he said further.

"I can protect Cass from you." he went on.

"If this is the way you've chosen to be... then I have to see you as my enemy."