A/N: I've been watching Mad Men during my holiday and wanted to step out of my Bori-comfort zone.
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Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious.
I slammed the door of my Jaguar behind me, jogging up the steps to my Newport Beach mansion, stabbing the key into its hole before opening the front door of my home. Normally, upon coming home, I'd find a silent home with my children mesmerized in front of the television and my wife thumbing through magazines on the couch. But today, my home was alive with noise and excitement. But, to be reasonable, I usually arrived home at about 8 or 9, if I even bothered to come home at all, and today I arrived at 6.
"Tori? I'm home," I called as I trekked further into the house.
"In here!" she called, before her voice blended in with the rest of the chatter. I followed her voice to the living room where I found my kids rolling around with a familiar dog whose name I couldn't quite place and my wife sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand as she spoke to a person who sat in the couch across from her. She looked up from her conversation and beamed at me.
"Hey! You're home early!" she said as she put her glass down and approached me, hugging me and giving me a full kiss on my lips before saying, "Look who's here!"
Our guest turned around from her seat, smiling at me and raising her glass of wine in acknowledgment. "Hey, Beck!"
"Oh, hey, Cat, didn't know who you were for a sec," I said in reply, taking a seat on an armchair adjacent to her. "Guess the dog was a big hint. What brings you out to Newport?"
"Yeah, this my new dog, Cinnamon!" she laughed. "Well I just rescued him for a shelter closeby so I thought I'd visit you guys and see your fancy new house! It's amazing!"
"Isn't it? We just finished decorating," Tori said as she plopped down in my lap. "The only thing is the commute. It's more than an hour away from Beck's office in Hollywood, without terrible LA traffic! That's why I was surprised he was home so early. Sometimes he just stays the night in our old apartment in Beverly Hills to avoid the commute."
"Small sacrifices for my wife's dream house," I muttered. "Besides, it's a better place for the kids to grow up in. Better environment, a lot more suburban than Beverly Hills."
"Yeah, I bet they like it! Lots of hide-and-seek places in such a big house, right, kids?" Cat asked.
"We like the pool a lot," Ben smiled. At 5 years old, he was our oldest child, born just eleven months after our wedding. April came just two years after him, when Tori and I were 27. April nodded shyly along with her brother before returning her attention to Cinnamon. She was almost a carbon copy of Tori, as Ben was of me.
"So how have you been, Cat? What've you been up to?" I asked, shifting under Tori's weight.
"Well I just came back from New York. I was visiting my brother, he's on broadway now," she smiled. "I'm just working on another album right now and I booked a few movie spots too, but those don't start shooting until the end of the summer."
"Isn't she amazing?" Tori exclaimed. "What I wouldn't give to be acting right now! I was in talks for a few roles, but I really want to focus on the kids right now." She was lying; I took many days off during pilot season so that Tori could attend auditions but she hadn't been called back for many. I offered her help, but she refused, stating she didn't need her "producer-husband's Hollywood influence to get her a role."
"I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a role once you're ready," Cat giggled. "30 with two kids but you still look 22!" She checked the watch on her wrist and looked out our large windows. "I better get on the road. Calabasas is a long way from Newport." She stood up, with Tori following suit, and the two embraced.
"I'm so glad you stopped by! You should visit more often, I never see you anymore!" Tori said as they pulled apart.
"Of course! And if you're ever in Calabasas, you should call! I've got lots of dogs for the kids to play with if you two ever need a babysitter," she said.
"Well I'm sure the kids will be happy to make the hour-and-a-half trip there just to see them," I said as I gave Cat a quick hug.
"Mommy, we're hungry!" Ben whined.
"Oh crap, I lost track of time. I gotta make them some dinner quick, Beck will see you out!" Tori said as she shuffled into the kitchen. "Bye, Cat!"
"Bye, Tori!" Cat said as she put on her coat and walked towards the door, with me on her heels. "Really a beautiful house you have, Beck, it must have cost a fortune," she said as we walked through the door. I closed it behind us, only to find myself pressed against it, with Cat's mouth on my own. "Surprised?"
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you twice today," I smiled before kissing her again, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight against me.
"Got to keep up appearances for your wife," she said with a devilish smile. "When am I going to see you again?"
"I could stay in Beverly Hills tomorrow night, tell Tori I'm too tired to drive home," I offered, ducking my head to kiss her once on the cheek. "I could meet you somewhere tonight," once on her jawline. "I could play hooky tomorrow, tell my secretary to tell Tori I'm in meetings all day, and drive up to your place," last on her neck.
Cat giggled under her breath. "I'll let you know," she kissed me one last time before turning on her heel and getting into her BMW. She ignited the engine and winked at me before speeding off of my property. I shook my head before hurrying back into my house to find Tori making spaghetti.
"Man, Cat still talks just as much as she did in high school," I said with an air of annoyance. "Couldn't get her to shut up fast enough." Tori laughed as she stood over the boiling noodles. I walked behind her and wrapped her into a hug from the back, craning my neck to kiss her cheek. "I missed you."
She spun in my arms to face me. "I missed you too," she said with a wide smile. "Get the kids ready for dinner, it'll be ready in a sec."
"Got it, chief," I said before leaving her in the kitchen and herding the kids into the bathroom to wash their hands, settling into domesticity for the night, with thoughts of another woman clouding my head.