A/N: First collaboration between FuckTheReaper & Metatron85.
Jade has come home to find out she has been locked out of her house.
It was a rather chilly night in Los Angeles. People wouldn't think that south of the Golden State would experience anything but a pleasant climate. Then that sun goes down and on some of these nights; the wind would be howling away across the Pacific Ocean, sending frigid gusts up from the coastline. If you were visiting or had the pleasure of living in the Hollywood Hills and you were hoofing it, one would be tempted to hitchhike. But even if the car would stop (it never would) but if it did, do not ignore that voice in your head and get in.
The driver of that particular vehicle on this particular night was in no mood. And fortunately she was driving home by herself, alone with her thoughts. Just as well. Can you fathom being trapped in a moving car right next to an angrier-than-usual Jade West?
"Self-important pig" she muttered to herself. "Mental note: cut that idiot's brakes at first opportunity."
The 'pig' in question was record producer Lars Ligeti. He was one of those overnight European millionaires who regularly woke up in the morning and decided that he wanted to do something that was clearly out of his depth. For one of his 'business ventures,' Ligeti bought up Voyager Records. But it wasn't bad enough that he made the company go public but now Ligeti feels he has to give his own creative input to the artists on contract.
"We have to think of our shareholders, Jade" he snidely stated to the Goth.
To battle this, Jade wore the same shirt everyday (she bought multiples). It was a white tee with a post modern design on it with these words: ART IS WORKING ON SOMETHING UNTIL YOU LIKE IT AND THEN LEAVING IT THAT WAY. One day, the artists were brought into a meeting where Lars wanted to ingratiate himself with those who were working for him. Jade led a silent but effective protest. Every single time, he had a note of criticism or a suggestion for something 'creative', the musicians would take out one-by-one their Grammys, People's Choice Awards and MTV VMA's. By the time Lars was through with his points, he was staring at a conference table covered in brass and gold. Jade gave him a sly smirk.
Lars countered with convincing the RIAA to awarding Jade's latest album with a Parental Advisory sticker. He told her that because of this label, outlets like Wal-Mart will refuse to carry it. Jade would have to edit her work to make it appropriate for all ages. Jade wanted to smash the stool she was sitting on across the man's teeth.
Driving home, Jade cursed the man who was torpedoing her music career all because he needs another yacht to date rape college girls. Or so she heard.
It pissed her off even more because she was under contract for the rest of the year before she could leave. Nobody else in the industry was going to raise the kind of money necessary to buy her out. So, she was stuck. What's worse, she was obligated to churn out one more album under the Voyager banner. Jade thought she was going to be sick.
"Finally," Jade sighed out loud. "Home."
Jade lived with Tori Vega. Formerly high school frenemies, the pair were now inseparable. They lived together for four years; happily married for two. It was a small outside ceremony with Harvey Fierstein of all people as the Justice of the Peace. Naturally, the media ate these beautiful girls up. People couldn't get enough of Hollywood's first real gay power couple. They collaborated only once on a double album called "Immortal Beloved," which is based on a legendary love letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven intended for an unknown person. They fell deeply in love during its making, they couldn't remember the original title of the album but they thought the new one was perfect.
To this day it remained the best selling record for either one of them. The Chicago Tribune called Tori and Jade, "the most important couple in music since John and Yoko, except in Miss Vega's case she has a beautiful voice." A limited edition vinyl version of the album sold out the first day at all Hot Topic stores. If you were lucky to get both girls to sign that LP, you could put it on eBay for $1500 all day long.
Jade parked the car and turned off the ignition. She was about to grab her messenger bag in the passenger seat when she notice the mail box lever was up. The carrier came through.
"Maybe it finally came," she thought.
The Goth quickly hopped out of the car, shutting the door behind her, as she bounded to the box. Jade opened the small metal door and grabbed the stack of mail from within. She frowned as she perused the day's snail mail. Jade had her heart on that package she ordered almost two weeks ago. She checked the tracking number and it said it would arrive today.
This was just not her day.
Jade walked slowly back to her car, her head hung a little low. Her hand gripped the door handle and it didn't click. The door didn't budge.
This was really not her day.
The pale girl cursed herself something fierce as she peered through the driver side window and sure enough inside the locked car were her bunch of keys hanging from the ignition. Apart form the obvious, Jade was also annoyed because her house keys were on that ring as well. Then an idea flew into her head. She ran to the front door and felt around the rafter. Nothing there. It was then that Jade remembered she was supposed to make the copy of the house key for emergencies.
"FUCK!" exclaimed Jade as she kicked the dirt.
Jade groaned as she began knocking on the door.
No answer.
She tried again and same non-answer.
She backed up and looked at the second story window. There were lights on. In the corner of her eye, Jade could make out Tori's Nissan parked outside the garage. She was home alright but why isn't she answering the door?
This time, Jade kicked the door with her booted foot. She marveled at the strength of this door. Still no reply from within.
"What is she doing?" Jade asked aloud. "Did she fall in or something?"
Tori loved to entertain. Whenever someone would come to visit, she would go around like a crazy robot cleaning everything and putting out hors d'oeuvres. Figures she would choose a time like this to not pay the door any mind.
Jade then started sending a barrage of phone calls and texts.
Several minutes pass as she stared at her glowing phone screen. Her blood was absolutely boiling at this point. She was locked out of her own house and freezing; the perfect capper on an already shitty day.
The brunette noticed the tree by the side of the house and was at that point where there was no such thing as a crazy idea. Before she knew it, Jade was scaling the large tree that reached all the way to the second story. The Goth was able to see inside one of the lit windows and there was her wife, dancing around like nobody's watching (little did she know). Upon closer inspection, Jade could make out that Tori was wearing her earbuds while her PearPod was attached to her hip.
She always did that. And it drove Jade insane. She would listen to her music so loudly that she might as well be in outer space. Because there was no reaching her. Jade figured even if her phone was in her pocket, the vibration was weak compared to her flamenco movements and don't even start with the ringtone.
Jade shimmied along a branch and as she got closer, she began to make sense of what she was singing because it was coming through the walls.
"Cause you know that if you live in your imagination... Tomorrow you'll be everybody's fascination... In my victory... Just remember me... When I make it SHIIIIIINE!"
"Oh I'll make it shine, you deaf bitch" Jade growled. "You're gonna light up when my boot meets your ass..."
With a loud crunch the limb gave out and Jade let out a yell as she crashed down to the earth.
"GODDAMNIT!" she shouted, nursing her elbow.
What Jade didn't see was what became of that pesky tree branch. It didn't land with her. Instead, it got snagged by the cable line after it snapped and like a pendulum smashed through the living room window.
Meanwhile, over at Schneider Security Systems in West Hollywood...
"Hey, Eddie" muttered a mustached man wearing a headset. "We have a break-in alarm at 70069 Elysium Drive."
The man called Eddie joined his coworker.
"Look at that," Eddie pointed at the flashing light on the map. "It's a Level: Blue."
"Oh shit," the other guy exclaimed. "Never saw one of those..."
"I'll make the call..." Eddie said shortly after leaving.
S.S.S. has installed sophisticated home and business security all around the Southern California area. And given the sensitive history of the LAPD, any customers with ties to the police are categorized as "Level: Blue" because such residences are criminal targets so any reports of burglaries or arson are a very big deal. The normal protocol is to inform the affiliated party immediately. In this case, the cop in question wasn't the owner but the father of the owner.
"What's happened?" Captain David Vega shouted as he ran out the door, alerting a few beat cops on his way out the precinct to follow him.
And so there were four squad cars, including a K9 unit, on their way to the West-Vega estate.