Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of the characters or anything else.
A/N: Hey, guys. So this is just a one-shot that was inspired by And Means to Wed at Leisure by smellslikecorruption. You guys should totally read it, it's amazing. I'm gonna use the idea of looking at Beck and Jade through Beck's parents eyes. This is going to be more humorous (I hope!) than drama, so please no reviews telling me Beck's parents are bad parents or anything like that. Oh, and I say one-shot, but I've never really been successful with those. Last thing, please please go read And Means to Wed at Leisure. Okay, enjoy…
"She's back."
Ella looked up from her new book. She was determined to finish it before that Rachel. "Who's back?"
Kevin shot a look over to his wife. "You know who."
"They're friends, honey."
"He's a teenage boy, dear."
"And?" Ella asked, book down and eyebrow quirked.
"Well, she's…and he…," he stuttered pointing towards the figures outside the window. "He lives in an RV…" The expectant look on her face never faltered. "And she's there and they're there and we're here and…," his shoulders drooped, "stop that."
"We have to trust him." She held out her hand beckoning him away from the window.
Ella walked into the study planning on asking about dinner only to find her husband glued to the window, again. "She's back?" An affirmative grunt. "Is she wearing a t-shirt that says 'I'm pregnant with your grandchild'?"
Kevin's head whipped around to stare at his wife. "No!" Kevin looked back to the teenage girl and his son, who were currently laying in the grass staring at the sky, then to his wife. "You think she's pregnant?"
Ella groaned. "No, honey. I think that he likes her and she probably likes him seeing as you've been spying on them for the last few months." No response. "If you're so concerned why don't you just ask him about it?"
Kevin paused. "Yeah, that's a good idea." He nodded slowly to himself. "I'll do that."
Ella sighed. "What would you like for dinner?"
Kevin popped his head into the kitchen and said "I'm going to go have that talk with Beck."
"Okay, dear." Ella watched patiently as he nodded gruffly and walked away. She waited for the sound of the door shutting and then made a dash for the living room, nearly missing the couch arm.
Ella watched from the window as her husband ambled down the driveway and took a deep breath before knocking on their son's metal door. Beck opened the door within a few seconds and Ella thought maybe today Jade wasn't there, perhaps she had gone home or had other plans, maybe with the redhead that occasionally joined her, but she knew that wasn't the case as her husband stiffened, spoke a few rushed words with pink cheeks and then fled from the parked RV. The front door slammed shut and Ella could hear "…girl's always around…gonna make me a grandfather…gotta get that boy some condoms…" Obviously the experience had done nothing to ease her husband's mind.
Kevin tiptoed into the living room knowing his wife would be finishing up her new book and that she would be cranky if interrupted, but when his eyes landed on her she was off the couch staring out the window with her book flopped carelessly on the coffee table. "What a turn around," he said smugly. Ella jumped and turned to face her husband, hand covering her heart. "Thought you didn't approve of spying on Beck."
"I'm not spying," she sputtered out. "I'm just looking out the window where they happen to be, but that's just a coincidence. I'm thinking." Kevin nodded knowingly as he came to stand behind his wife. Beck and the girl were outside washing the RV down. He never would have pegged her to be the type to help with that sort of thing, nevertheless, she was out there in soapy, wet clothes.
"What are you thinking?" He asked wrapping his arms around her waist.
"We've never met her." Silence, then, "She's been with him almost everyday for six months and we've never met her."
"He's a teenage boy. We're not cool anymore."
"I'd like to meet her," Ella commented softly. Kevin nodded and gave his wife a gentle squeeze before leaving her to her thoughts. There was a sandwich in the kitchen calling his name.
There was rustling, the sound of footsteps, then a voice, "Come on. It'll be fine, I promise." An indistinguishable muttering, a small chuckle, then a knock at the door. Ella looked to Kevin and gave him a stern glance. If they were finally going to meet this girl, then he was to be on his best behavior. He held up his hands in surrender. Satisfied she stood from the couch, paused the television, and made her way to the door. As she opened it she got her first real look at this mysterious brunette. The girl was as close to Beck's side as she could get and in the setting sun she could make out the shadow of their intertwined hands. She was pale as a ghost and dressed head to toe in black with a piercing on her eyebrow. She couldn't remember seeing that from her window.
"Hey Mom," Beck leaned away from the girl to poke his head in the door and said, "Dad.
"Beck," Kevin nodded in greeting as he made his way closer to the door.
"I'd like you to meet, Jade, my girlfriend." The biggest smile Ella had seen lit her son's face. He tried to pull her forward a bit, but she stayed rooted to their welcome mat. "Jade, these are my parents."
"It's nice to meet you, dear. Please come in." Ella step to the side and she watched as her son pulled the girl, erg Jade, into the house. "We were just about to make dinner. Would you two like to stay?"
Ella was sure the invitation would be accepted since Beck never turned down a home cooked meal, but to her surprise he looked to Jade and said, "No, we're not really hungry. We'll eat later." Ella nodded unsure of what to do. It seemed that the…Jade was very uncomfortable with the whole meeting and she was sure that if Jade squeezed her son's hand any harder he would be quick to end the whole affair and excuse themselves.
"Well, at least sit down with us." She motioned to the couch and waited for Jade to follow Beck to the couch where she sat as close as she could without sitting on his lap. "I'm so excited to meet you, Jade," she said sitting down on the love seat, so as not to frighten the girl more.
"Yeah, you too," Jade muttered. She was now playing with Beck's fingers.
"Jade goes to Hollywood Arts with me," Beck offered. "She wants to be an actress." Beck looked down at her with a small smile.
"Or a director. Or a writer." Jade added, meeting Ella's eyes.
Ella nodded and looked to her husband who was seated next to her. "Those are quite the aspirations," Kevin stated.
"Do you sing?" Ella asked. She had thought she heard someone singing a few weeks ago. They had a lovely voice.
"You should hear her. She's amazing," Beck answered delighted. He had only discovered this fact a couple weeks ago.
"I think I have. You have a beautiful voice." Ella addressed the girl. She didn't want to talk to Beck about her, she wanted to talk to her.
"Thanks," Jade muttered eyes downcast. She lifted her hand up to brush a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and that's when they saw the it. It wasn't big, but it was certainly no little thing.
Ella met Kevin's eyes. "Honey, can I talk to you in the kitchen for a moment?" Ella nodded and mumbled an apology.
"Did you see that?"
"No, honey. I missed the star on her forearm." Ella rolled her eyes.
"How could you miss that?!"
"Lower your voice," she hissed.
"She has a tattoo!" He exclaimed, still too loud.
"I know," she said with a glare.
Lowering his voice he repeated, "A tattoo!"
"I saw it." Ella crossed her arms and glanced to the couple sitting on the couch. Jade had apparently gotten much more comfortable after they had left seeing as she was laughing rather loudly with her legs tangled with Beck's in a way that made Ella wonder just how that happens naturally. Beck was whispering to her with a big smile, drawing circles on the girl's jean covered thigh.
"What? What are you looking at?" Kevin followed his wife's gaze. Oh.
"They look happy, don't they?" Ella asked. How could she deny or even disapprove of this girl if she caused this?
"Sure," Kevin shrugged. "Oh, wait. Oh, no. You're not approving of her, are you?!" Kevin motioned to the teenagers frantically. "Look at them. They can't keep their hands off each other and he lives in an RV. This ends badly!" He insisted.
"We have to trust him." Kevin's shoulders drooped as he accepted his defeat.
Ella studied the two teens as they got out of Beck's old truck and walked towards the RV. Jade had been around almost two years, but she had talked to her only a few times since their first meeting. The couple tended to stay locked in that RV. Just a few months ago Jade had started staying the night and ever since she spent most nights in their driveway. Ella would go so far as to say that Jade was living with her son. Kevin refused to consider the possibility and insisted that they just missed her coming and going. Ella knew differently, so she really should have known better than to walk into the RV unannounced. Once inside she watched stunned as her shirtless son scrambled off the bed, throwing one of his plaid shirts at his girlfriend, stuttering something about being able to explain. Before he was able to gather his wits enough to actually explain Ella apologized and rushed out of the RV. She stood in the driveway a few minutes trying to wrap her head around what she just saw. She knew that two years was a long time and that they were teenagers and for goodness sake's the girl was living with her son, but still she had never expected to see that. Beck eventually stepped out of the RV, tentatively asking, "Mom?"
"I'm right here, honey."
"I swear that was not what it looked like and that you don't have to freak out or tell Dad."
Ella rolled her eyes at her son's words. "it looked like you were about t-to, well you know."
Beck nodded solemnly. "I know."
"Were you?" Ella took a deep breath. This was not a conversation she ever wanted to have. "Were you about to?"
Beck blushed red and looked down at the concrete. "We, uh, we have before. If that's what you're asking, but we use protection. And she's on birth control."
"Of course you have." Ella laughed. "She lives with you."
Beck's eyes bugled for a second. "What? No, she doesn't." Did she?
"Oh, honey. Trust me, you've been living with that girl for quite a while now." Ella considered the idea that Beck didn't realize he had been living with Jade for almost half a year.
"I have?" Beck asked, stunned. Wouldn't he have realized? Or they would have talked about it. His parents never would have let Jade move in with him.
"Honey, what shampoo does she use everyday?" Ella asked gently. Boys didn't tend to take these things well.
"Well, she uh, has her own. I don't know the brand, but it smells like flowers." Beck blushed as he realized the implications of his words.
"And your closet?" Ella inquired. She had been into the RV a few times while Beck was at school and she had seen quite a few lace items that she was sure didn't belong to her son.
"Well, she has some stuff in there, I guess. And a couple of drawers too." Beck knew her clothes were all over the RV. Half the clothes on the floor were hers and the closet. She had two drawers that were entirely hers. He hadn't cleared them out for her and declared them hers or anything. She just left stuff behind a lot and he would put it in a drawer, or the closet after the wrinkled dress fiasco, and they just became hers.
"How often does she stay the night?"
"Mom!" Beck blushed causing Ella to blush as well.
"No, honey. How often does she sleep at her own house?" Beck paused, thinking. The last time he dropped her off there was…oh.
"Oh." Ella smiled as she watch the idea resonate in his head. "Excuse me." Beck turned around and walked back into the RV. The last thing she heard before the door closed was, "Did you know we're living together?"
Kevin wandered down the stairs, eyes half open with only one goal; get some cold water. However he only made it as far as door leading to the living room. Turning he ran back up the stairs and clamored onto the bed whispering, "Ella."
"What is it?"
"He's here. Sleeping here. On our couch." Kevin babbled.
"Who is?"
"Beck, our son. He's downstairs. Asleep. On our couch."
"Why?"
"How would I know?" Kevin scoffed.
"You didn't ask?" Another scoff. "I'll go ask." Ella dragged herself out of her warm bed and stumbled down the stairs. Her husband was right. Their son was fast asleep on their couch. "Beck, honey." He stirred slightly, opening one eye to look at her.
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing here?" She whispered knowing that so late at night anything louder would sound like a scream.
"She's everywhere," Beck mumbled.
"Who's everywhere?"
"Jade. She's everywhere." Beck moved a little and buried his head back into the arm rest.
"I don't understand, honey." Ella brushed a few pieces of hair out of his face while she waited.
"She's gone, but she's everywhere. Had to get away." Oh. Jade was gone. How had she not noticed the girl's absence?
"How long has she been gone?"
"Few weeks," he mumbled into the soft fabric.
Wow, Ella sat stunned. How had they missed this? "What happened?" She asked determined to understand.
"Didn't open the stupid door." Beck sighed and squinted at his mother. "She's everywhere."
Ella was still trying to make sense of what happened when it clicked. The RV, that's where Jade was everywhere. That's why he was sleeping on their couch. "Oh, honey." She ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "Is her stuff still there?"
Beck shook his head. "Cat picked it up today."
"Cat?" Ella asked wondering how a cat picked up the stuff.
"Perky. Redhead." Ah, yes. Jade's best friend.
"Is this the first night you've slept here?" Beck nodded. "Because Jade's stuff is gone?" Another nod.
"Go back to sleep." Ella went to the closet and grabbed a blanket and pillow for him before going back upstairs.
"So why is he down there?" Kevin whispered as his wife tiptoed back into bed.
"They broke up." She settled into the covers and stared at the ceiling imagining a laughing girl, legs tangled up with a boy wearing the biggest smile.