So, I've had to take a million and a half car trips lately, and I've got almost a two-hour commute to and from work each day so I've spent a lot of time listening to music lately. Like an obscene amount. I have over 2,000 songs on my iPod (yes iPod), and I've decided to put them on shuffle lately. Every time a song pops up that I'm like that would make a good BADE one-shot, I would jot it down. That list is now…ROUGHLY 48 songs, and it's only been growing. SO! I decided to write them all down for you. Go listen to the songs that each chapter is named after. I will have the song at the beginning of every chapter with the setting, so you can just go run on over to the youtube and give them a listen before, during and after reading. Then let me know how I did. I would love feedback.
Keep in mind.
These are not song-fics. They are fics that are INSPIRED by the songs that they are named after, so they won't always perfectly align. Some will be AU, some will involve canon, some will ignore canon completely.
If you have any requests. I will gladly take them. Can't guarantee I'll write it, but I'll try. If you have an AU universe that you want to explore, I will try to find a song for it or if you already have one…EVEN BETTER.
So, I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything with Victorious except the characters I create. Victorious is owned by Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider.
SONG: As She's Walking Away by Zac Brown Band (feat. Alan Jackson)
ALBUM: You Get What You Give (2010)
Setting: During the final moments of season 3, episode 4 "The Worst Couple" which premiered February 11, 2012
As She's Walking Away
"Okay, I'm gonna walk out that door, and I'm gonna count to ten,"
"Don't forget three!" All eyes shift towards the perky red-head, "some people forget it." Beck turns his attention back to Jade to see her rolling her eyes.
"If I get to ten and you're not out there, I'm going home and we're over. One." Beck's mind goes blank as Jade says those words. He looks into her eyes searching for some sort of hint of her bluff. He didn't find any. Over? They were Beck and Jade they couldn't not be Beck and Jade. Could they?
They had been dating for three years.
They spent all their time together.
They got each other. They trusted each other.
They loved each other. Didn't they? They had spent so much time fighting recently that Beck didn't even know anymore. He faintly hears the door open.
"Three!" The number brings Beck back to reality just soon enough to hear the door shut.
"Four!" She left. She left him here. Alone. Beck thought back to the time that his grandfather had first met Jade.
3 YEARS EARLIER
"I like her," Beck's grandpa, Paul, leaned back in his worn-down recliner as he sipped his beer. Beck looked at him, perplexed, from the sofa, "so does your grandma,"
"But you don't like anyone and she likes them less," Paul looks over to the open archway that leads to the kitchen to see Jade and his wife laughing while cleaning dishes.
"I like that one because she's got spunk. She says what she wants and she doesn't care who she hurts. She just says what needs to be said. You don't find that honesty anymore, so you got to hold onto it. Don't let her walk away, not like I did,"
"You and Grandma have been together for forever, what would you know about a girl walking away?"
"Your grandma and I weren't always together, Beck," Beck sees a reminiscing smile spread across Paul's face, "not at all, but I almost let her get away, too, but I wasn't going to let it happen again,"
"What happened to the first one?"
"Loretta? Oh, she just got fed up with my stubbornness. She was a lot like Jade, but then again, so is your grandma. With Lori though, I wasn't ready to settle down and she was, so she gave me an ultimatum,"
"What was it?"
"Marry me or I walk away. I was young, no older than nineteen. I thought we had time. No one told us we had to settle down. I wanted to go to college, travel, make a name for myself before settling down and starting a family, but Lori didn't want to wait that long,"
"Did you love her?" Paul turns his head towards Beck.
"With all my heart,"
"More than you love Grandma?"
"Nah, I love your Grandma so much more. Our love is so different than what Lori and I had. It's stronger, deeper, there's an understanding that you just get when you find the one you're meant to love. I think that's why I knew I couldn't let your grandma go. She was what I wanted to settle down with. Lori wasn't. I think deep down I knew that. That's why I didn't want to marry her, but your grandma…I knew that if I didn't marry her that I would be chasing that kind of love for the rest of my life,"
"Why did Grandma almost leave you?"
"Cause she was stubborn. Cause I was stubborn. We loved each other, but we each thought we knew better so we found ourselves arguing all of the time,"
"What did you do?"
"Your grandma started walking away from me, literally. As I watched her walk down that path in the park, her blonde hair blowing in the crisp fall breeze; that's when I fell truly, madly and deeply in love with her. Don't let your love for Jade get to that point where her walking away makes you realize that,"
"I don't love, Jade. I don't know if I'll ever love her. We've been dating for like two months,"
"I see the way you look at her, Beck. You love her. Let your brain catch up to your heart," Beck and Paul look over to the women in the kitchen. Jade looks over her shoulder and smiles warmly at Beck. Beck feels his heart speed up at the sight. "See,"
"What?!" Beck looks down at his hands as a blush creeps across his face, "I don't know what you're talking about,"
"Don't let that feeling go. Even during the toughest times, look back at this time and remember that warm feeling spreading throughout your body,"
"How did you and Grandma fix your relationship?"
"We didn't because it didn't need to be fixed...we did. We were two passionate, stubborn people who are in love. We still argue like madmen, but we learned to listen. Always listen, Beck. Not to the words she is saying, but read in between the lines. Know what she means,"
"What do you mean?"
"Last week, your Grandma called me to ask me to pick up a few things from the store, and when I got there I couldn't remember all of them so I brought home what I could. She yelled at me for being forgetful, but in reality, she was hurt because I hadn't been listening to her,"
"Why didn't she say that last part?! Would it be that hard?"
"Your grandma has her pride, Beck, and she was right. I should have listened because I love her, and she is the most important thing in my life besides you and your mom. I should know her well enough to know what she needs from me even when she isn't telling me directly,"
"Why is that?"
"Because I love her and I want to make her happy just like she does with me. I don't always know what I should say or do, but she knows what I'm trying to say because she knows my heart because it's hers. We've gotten into so many fights and some battles are just worth it for me to lose so we can win the war,"
"How do I know that Jade will be worth all of that?"
"Roll the dice and have some faith, Beck. You might fall down on your face, but do you think she'll be worth it in the end?" Beck's eyes drift back up to Jade, who is walking into the room with his grandma.
"Yea. Yea, she will be."
"So, don't be falling in love when she's walking away." Paul smiles and takes another swig of his beer while his wife takes a seat in her recliner next to his, and he takes her hand into his. Beck smiles at his grandparents as Jade takes a seat next to him.
"What are you two talking about?" Beck intertwines his hand with Jade's and looks deeply into her eyes.
"Life." The couple smile softly at each other before giving each other a tender kiss.
"Why don't you do sweet things like that for me anymore?"
"I did my time, Maureen!" Beck and Jade give a chuckle as they watch the older couple bicker, their hands never letting each other go.
Beck looks at the door and he starts to walk towards it.
Don't be falling in love as she's walking away.
"Trina!" Beck suddenly finds himself on the floor with Trina over him.
"Come on!" Beck tries to throw her off of him, but she was surprisingly strong for her small size.
"Stop! Get off!"
"Just give me a chance!"
"No!" Beck feels Trina's weight being pulled off of him by his friends
"You have to understand, I'm a really fun girl!"
"No, you're not!"
"You're so good looking!" Beck manages to get free, but Trina quickly latches onto his boot.
"What are you doing?! Stop!" Beck shakes himself free, "stop!"
"Seven." Beck gets to the door and looks down at the handle.
Was she worth it?
Don't let that feeling go. Even during the toughest times, look back at this time and remember that warm feeling spreading throughout your body
Beck thinks back on his grandfather's words. Thinks back onto the feeling of warmth that spread through of him all those years ago. The infectious nature of Jade's laugh and smile. The feeling of awe that washes over him when he hears Jade talk about her passions. The love the swells in his heart with every kiss that they share. The comfort that only her touch can bring. The peace that comes over him every time he looks into her beautiful blue eyes.
"Eight."
He loved Jade with all that he was. All that he had to offer. She was worth it.
"Nine." Beck opens the door and stares at a stunned Jade, who has tears welling up in her eyes. Beck steps out, letting the door shut behind him as he embraces Jade.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I haven't been listening not to just what you've been saying but the meanings behind them. I'm sorry that I've hurt you by trying to make you jealous. I'm sorry," Beck puts Jade's face into his hands, pressing their foreheads together, "I am so, so sorry, Jade,"
"I guess we didn't learn from your grandparents," Jade takes Beck's hand into hers, lowering them down, and intertwining their fingers.
"What?"
"Remember the first time I met your grandparents?"
"Yea,"
"Your grandma told me the story of how she got your grandpa to stay with her after she tried to break up with him," Beck smiles.
"She walked away." They say in unison. They both start to laugh.
"He told me that same story that night, but he told me not to realize how much I love you when you're walking away from me,"
"You still love me?"
"Always, Jade. Truly, madly and deeply. From now until you inevitably kill me," Beck brings his lips down to Jade's smiling lips.
"I love you, too,"
"He gave me one more piece of advice that day,"
"What was that?"
"Listen and I think that's been something that we've been forgetting to do lately. So," Beck starts walking away from the Vega residence, hand-in-hand with Jade, "let's go get some food and we can talk,"
"We have been!"
"No, we've been arguing, so I want to go talk and listen and talk some more and listen some more until we sort out whatever has been bothering us, okay?"
"Okay," Jade rests her head on Beck's shoulder as they near her car, "but can we walk there?"
"Yea, babe. I'd walk anywhere with you."
TADA! I did it. I hope you enjoyed. Favorite this to get updates on the little one-shots that will be coming out in it. Let me know if you guys have any requests, and let me know what you think!
Until Next Time!
-KMA
