Author's Note: This is a secret history, which means that in this story, when the characters are in the scenes that are shown on the TV show, that's exactly what you see, things happen as they do on the show, what I've tried to do is add in the motivations and internal thoughts and dialogues in those scenes in addition to the off screen scenes. I always thought Jade and Tori had great chemistry. This is my first story that I'm publishing, so constructive criticisms only please.

Chapter 1

"I told you they'd all be here!" Said Beck as he and Jade burst through the door.

"Listen, I am sorry we didn't invite you guys to play…" Tori said, but Beck interrupted her:

"Tell her why you didn't invite us."

Tori hesitated, she didn't have the heart to tell them the truth and scrambled for a half-plausible lie, "Well… 'cause…we were… planning your surprise party?" It was weak even in her head, and sounded weaker when she said it out loud.

"What?" Jade asked.

"Alright," Andre said angrily, "We didn't invite you guys to play because you two are always screaming at each other, it makes everybody feel awkward, it makes Cat faint, and sometimes it makes Robbie cry."

"See? We fight so much even our friends don't want us around."

"Tori's not my friend," Jade started, counting them off, "I only tolerate Robbie, no one likes Trina, and Cat's basically a pet."

Cat barked, completely unoffended by being called a pet, and Trina said, "Uh, are you guys gonna let her say that nobody likes me?"

Every eye fell on Tori. Normally, Tori would defend her sister, just out of principle, but this seemed like a bad time, she had other things to worry about right now, like the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that tells her that tonight's the night that Beck and Jade breaks up. So she ignored her sister and tried to defuse the tension instead.

"So, why don't you guys play cards with us?" She suggested, trying to get the couple's minds off of the fight, but it didn't work, and Beck said:

"Look, I don't want to be your boyfriend if we're just gonna fight all the time."

"So you wanna break up?" Jade asked.

"No, I didn't say that, I'm just saying- "

"Wait, you guys might break up?" Trina put in, and got a faceful of pillow for her interest.

"Next time it's a hammer!" Jade threatened, "Come on, Beck, take me to get some food."

"I'm tired of fighting." Beck said, staying where he was.

"Okay, I'm gonna walk out that door and I'm gonna count to ten, if I get to ten and you're not out there, I'm going home, and we're over." Jade said, and, opening the door, she started to count, "One."

When Jade got to "four", Beck sighed and headed for the door, but Tori could tell he was doing this more out of habit than anything. Tori could hear it in his sigh that he was simply giving in to Jade, like he always did. Tori had always thought that the fighting was part of their relationship, like the constant bickering that was part of her and Jade's relationship. She didn't like to see them fighting not because it made her feel awkward, but because to her it felt almost like she was intruding on something private between the couple, though judging by what Andre has just said, the others didn't feel the same. And she had always expected that, no matter how bad the fighting got, Beck and Jade would always be Beck and Jade, together, a couple, but seeing them now, seeing Beck, he seemed to be just going through the motions, and maybe she was wrong about the fighting. Beck for one did not seem happy in the relationship, and Tori had to wonder if he had made the same assumptions that Tori herself had made in staying with Jade for so long. Of course, Trina was not helping the situation, she had leapt on the slightest hint of an opportunity to date Beck, literally. When they finally pulled her off of Beck, Tori was afraid it would be too late, but Jade had only gotten to "seven". At "eight" Beck already has his hand on the door, but he hesitated. Tori wanted to urge Beck on, but she knew she can't help even though she wanted to so much, and she didn't know why it mattered to her that they didn't break up.

At the count of "ten", there was a pause, and Tori held her breath, there was still a moment's opportunity left where Beck can open that door and save his relationship with Jade. And then it was gone, he had let it go, and instead turned around and said:

"Let's play some cards."

"Yeah… let's play." Tori said numbly.

"I'll pick up the cards." Cat volunteered.

"Make sure you get all of them." Said Andre.

"'Kay 'kay. One, two, four…"

As Cat continues to pick up the cards, Tori stares at the door that Jade went through a few minutes ago, wondering if she should go after her. She had always known that Jade's abrasive nature didn't make her a lot of friends, and she had gotten to the top of the Hollywood Arts social hierarchy through sheer talent, but it seemed, now more evident than ever, that even their little group was only friends with her because of Beck. As Andre picked up the last card, the one Cat missed because she forgot to count "three", and started to shuffle, Tori looked around at their little group, all of them looking awkward and miserable, even Cat's usual cheeriness was subdued, and she suddenly remembered the last time Jade and Beck broke up, the Alyssa Vaughn incident. That time, Jade had broken up with Beck and she had been miserable about it, and Andre, the only person Jade hadn't denied was her friend, had to practically be dragged over to the table to eat lunch with her. And now Beck had broken up with her. She'd need a friend now more than ever, Tori thought. She picked up the cards Andre had dealt her, took a single look and put them down again. She got up from the table and said:

"Um, you know what guys, why don't you play without me, I have to go…" She trailed off, not knowing how to explain what she wanted to do. She just ran upstairs, put on a jacket and headed out the door to Jade's house.

Jade had been sure that Beck would come after her, but he didn't, the door stayed closed. Jade approached the door and was about to open it, but thought, what would that accomplish? She had told him: if he didn't come after her when she counted to ten, then they were over, and now Beck had made his decision, what more was there to say? She certainly wasn't about to go back in and humiliate herself in front of all their friends by begging him. The friends, who, if forced to make a choice, Jade knew they would choose to hang out with him, cool, handsome, talented actor Beck, rather than her, the crabby Cathy. Then it hits her, she didn't just lose Beck, she had lost all her friends, because they were all his friends first. She turned from the Vega house and headed to her car, holding back the flood of emotions. She drove the short distance to her house and ran up to her room, locked the door before finally breaking down in a torrent of tears. She was alone, not just single, but friendless. And Beck, her now ex-boyfriend, was the nicest guy in the world, but somehow they were always fighting. Jade had always thought that it was natural part of their relationship, they fight, they make up and they make out. She didn't remember what most of their fights were about, there had been so many of them, but it seemed that Beck wasn't happy with it. And now she had finally ruined things, she would be alone for the rest of her life because she will just keep on pushing everyone away, like she did Beck, and Beck would be free to find someone who made him happy, someone who wasn't suspicious and jealous all the time, someone who was actually nice, someone like Tori.

The doorbell rang downstairs, but Jade hardly registered it, and didn't care one bit, but kept on imagining Beck and Tori together, being sickly sweet in front of her. She got angry just thinking about it. But a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.

"Go away." Jade mumbled.

The intruder knocked again.

"I said go away!" Jade said, louder this time.

"Come on, Jade, open the door." Said a familiar voice.

Jade got up and opened the door, she hadn't mistaken the voice, it was really Tori Vega standing outside her door.

"What are you doing here Vega? And how'd you even know where I lived?" Jade demanded.

"I came to see if you were okay. And to your second question, my dad's a cop."

Jade narrowed her eyes as she considered that for a moment, then said, "You might as well come in then."

Jade went to her bed and sat down with a sigh, she heard Tori close the door with a soft click.

"So…are you okay?" She heard Tori ask.

"Yeah, wonderful!" Jade snapped, "My boyfriend has just broken up with me, but that's okay, it's not like we were together that long, only two years!"

Tori didn't say anything. Wise of her, Jade thought, and she sighed again, and asked, "Am I a bad person?"

Jade could see the look of surprise on Tori's face, Jade was surprised herself, not only at the question, but at the person she was directing it to – the person who, unknowingly, had been a subject of some of the biggest, most memorable fights she and Beck ever had, the person, the only person whom Jade had truly considered to be her equal.

"What? No." Tori answered, "How could you think that?"

Jade was struck by the sincerity in Tori's voice, and looked up at Tori to make sure she wasn't imagining it. She wasn't.

"Because," she said, "Beck is the nicest guy in the world, but when he's with me, we're just always fighting, always arguing. Is it me? Do I turn him into a jerk?"

"No, of course not, but…maybe…it wouldn't hurt you…to be just a little nicer." Tori said, and suddenly, something Beck once said in one of their fights came back to Jade, Why can't you be nice like Tori? He had said. And she had replied with Maybe you should just date her instead! Jade glared at Tori, but Tori smiled to show she was joking, and Jade's anger evaporated, replaced again by that depression.

Jade hid her face in her hands and let out another long sigh, "Why are you here Tori?" She asked wearily, "Why are you my friend after all the crap I put you through?"

Jade felt the bed sink as Tori sat beside her and put her arm around her shoulders, "Because," Tori said softly, "I know your secret Jade."

Jade froze, "What secret?" She asked, lifting her head to look at the girl beside her.

"That you're not as mean as you try to appear to be."

Jade scoffed incredulously, "What?"

"And you do care about the rest of us, even though you say mean things sometimes."

"What? No! I don't!" Jade protested, vehemently, but even she was aware that her voice was pitching so high that it's almost out of human hearing, giving the lie to what she was saying. "I mean, you heard what I said tonight," and she repeated it all over again.

"I'll give you Trina," Tori said, "But Robbie, you said you only tolerate him, that you don't care about him, he's not your friend, but you were concerned about his mental well-being, and suggested we let Rex die so Robbie could stop depending on him. And Cat, you said she's like a pet, but I think she's more like a kid sister to you, you're so protective of her."

"And you?" Jade asked, surprised that Tori could see so much in these tiny little things and remember them, and she suddenly felt naked, because if Tori could see what she sees in those inconsequential moments, then what is she seeing now that Jade is so vulnerable?

"Well, you say I'm not your friend, but you're the one who suggested that I go to the Gorilla Club to learn to take more risks, and, you came up with the idea for Beck to do the stunt in that movie instead of me."

Jade felt a twinge in her stomach, "You know about that?" She asked.

Tori nodded, "Beck told me when I went to thank him after. He said you also told him to go to Cat for the costume. And you were the one who gave me a hand when I was about to chicken out a second time on that stunt."

Jade rolled her eyes, "Gave you a hand," she muttered.

"I know," Tori said proudly, "See what I did there?"

Jade laughed at how proud Tori was of the lame pun. Tori continued, her voice had become very low, very soft in the dim light of the room, "You help me be a better actor, and…." Tori paused, and Jade could see she was working up the courage to say something sappy and Tori-like that will make them both uncomfortable, so Jade stopped her and made a joke, saying:

"Careful there, Tori, it's starting to sound like you don't hate me."

Tori laughed, but to Jade's relief, didn't continue her original thought, instead asking, "Are you gonna be alright?"

Jade shrugged, "I don't know, maybe. Eventually."

Tori nodded understandingly, and after a moment, she got up and said, "Well, it's late, I should be going." And before Jade knew what she was doing, she had grabbed Tori's hand and said:

"Stay."

For a long moment, they looked into each other's eyes and Jade sat there, holding Tori's hand, half fearing and half hoping that Tori would pretend she didn't hear her and just leave, but Tori nodded and asked if she could borrow a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush.

"There are new toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom," Jade told her, "I'll see if I have something to fit you."

When Tori came out, Jade had laid out the pajamas on the bed and went into the bathroom to take her turn while giving Tori some privacy as she changed. When she came back out, Tori was sitting back against the headboard in bed with the sheets pulled over her legs, waiting for her. Jade walked around the foot of the bed and crawled under the covers, and Tori lay down as she did. Jade reached up and turned off her bedside lamp and when she lay back down, she found Tori looking at her strangely.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," Tori replied, "It's just, you're warm."

"Did you think I'd be cold 'cause I'm such an ice queen?" Jade joked.

"Or burning hot, like a demon from hell." Tori said.

Jade laughed and thought how amazing it was that Tori could make her laugh after such a terrible day.

"'Night, Tori." She said.

"'Night Jade." Tori replied, and they both closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Jade woke early in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to pale, and she could see Tori sleeping on her stomach beside her, her face turned to face Jade, half of it pressed into the pillow. Her mouth was open slightly and she was snoring gently. She watched her for a few seconds, then got up, gently removing Tori's hand from where it was thrown over her stomach, and went to the bathroom. When she came back, she replaced Tori's hand and held it there, and watched Tori sleep until she drifted off again.

Tori woke up with the warmth of Jade beside her. Jade was already awake, and smiled when Tori met her eye. And the next thing she knew, she heard the sharp snip of a pair of scissors beside her ear just before she was shoved out of the bed.

"Jade! What the hell?" Tori asked, sitting up from the floor.

"You were too close. I don't like it."

"Why did you cut out a lock of my hair?"

"It's a chunk, not a lock, and I cut it because I wanted to." Jade replied, snapping the pair of scissors again.

Tori groaned as she got up from the floor, annoyed at the poor treatment she received so early in the morning, though a part of her was glad that Jade was beginning to get back to her usual self. She showered and brushed her teeth and had breakfast before Jade drove her back to her house where Tori changed her clothes and got ready for school.

Later, as Tori showed off her new PearPhone to Robbie and Andre beside her locker, Cat joined them and said:

"Hey you guys, did you see Jade and Beck's profiles on the Slap?"

"I did."

"Yep."

"What did it say?" Tori asked, she hadn't thought to check yet that day.

"Not in a relationship." Andre replied.

"Wow, then I guess it's official, they're broken up." She said, feeling suddenly guilty that she'd been excited by such a little thing as a new phone when she might lose one of her friends in this terrible break up.

"Does my thumb look Spanish?" Cat asked.