Title: It Builds Character

Genre: Romance and Humor
Rating: K+
Pairing(s): Beck/Jade; group friendship

Description: "Wait, you're leaving us one blanket for three people?" Jade questions angrily, picking up the smallest blanket and examining it. Tori adjusts the beanie on her head while answering, "It's much colder out there than it is in here. Plus, we'll be back in less than an hour, okay?" Jade rolls her eyes as she takes a seat next to a still-pouting Cat. "Whatever."/Written for the "One Blanket" Surprise Prompt!

Disclaimer: Idon't own Victorious or the Prompt.

"What do you mean there's no electricity, Beck?"

"My great grandparents built this cabin; they couldn't afford electricity, Jade!"

"Guys!" Andre intervenes quickly, stepping between the couple before they have the chance to say the wrong thing.

Jade sneers. "It's freezing outside and we're supposed to spend the weekend in this icebox? Robbie, weren't you in charge of letting us know how the weather was going to be?!"

Robbie flinches when Jade sends him a glare; however, he defends himself by saying, "I did check the weather, and it said this weekend in Canada would be in the fifties. But that was before Andre threw my PearPad out the cupcake a few days ago!"

"Hey, we were all tired of your PearPad. I did everyone a favor!" Andre argues.

"Well, obviously that favor could give us hypothermia. If there's no heat, we're gonna freeze in this blizzard," Jade snaps, pointing a finger into Andre's chest.

"I thought you said we were gonna have fun in Canada, Tori," Cat whines, clutching Mr. Purple to her chest tightly.

"We will, Cat," Tori assures. "All we need is something to keep us busy until it stops snowing!"

Beck shakes his head. "There's no way it's stopping any time soon. Though I've seen much worse, this is pretty bad."

"Great, just great!" Jade exclaims, crossing her arms and leaning against the mantle above the fire place. "We flew up here for nothing. The only thing we're going to get to do is develop frostbite."

"Babe, you're over reacting," Beck responds calmly, reaching out toward her.

But Jade rejects her boyfriend's affection, stomping to the other side of the one-room cabin.

"I don't want to get frostbite, Jadey!" Cat squeals, hugging her knees tightly and hiding her face between them.

Jade raises her eyebrows. "Well, Cat, I'm afraid there's no choice."

"Would you stop scaring her?" Tori scolds. "I'm sure we could gather some firewood and light it up to keep us warm. We survived sitting in the RV when it was 108 degrees, so I'm confident we can ride out a snow storm, yeah?"

"Who's going to get the firewood, then?" Robbie asks hesitantly.

Jade cocks her head to the side in consideration. "Tori, because it was her idea."

Tori's jaw drops and she stares a Jade. "I can't go by myself!"

"But it's just a little snow storm!" Jade taunts in her specific 1950s movie star accent.

Tori huffs and stomps her foot against the cold, dirt floor. "I don't talk like that!"

"Okay, okay, Tori's right. She can't go by herself," Andre points out. "I'll go too, and I think Robbie should tag along because the outdoors could do him good."

"What?!" Robbie shrieks. "How will a blizzard do anyone good?"

Beck chuckles. "It builds character!"

Robbie throws his hands in the air exasperatedly. "That is the stupidest thing I've heard!"

"You can complain all you want, Rob, but you're going," Tori says as she begins to wrap her scarf around her neck.

"Fine," Robbie mopes in a defeated demeanor.

"Hey, Beck," Andre calls. "Where are the blankets in this place?"

Beck nods and heads over to the couch, pulling out a plastic box from beneath it. He opens it up and retrieves four, dusty blankets before opening them and airing them out. Dirt flies around, causing the gang to cough in response. Beck hands Andre, Robbie, and Tori each a blanket to keep them warm for their journey, and the three teens wrap them around their shoulders.

"Wait, you're leaving us one blanket for three people?" Jade questions angrily, picking up the smallest blanket and examining it.

Tori adjusts the beanie on her head while answering, "It's much colder out there than it is in here. Plus, we'll be back in less than an hour, okay?"

Jade rolls her eyes as she takes a seat next to a still-pouting Cat. "Whatever."

Beck lights up a few ancient oil lanterns with the matches he found in a drawer and hands them to his friends. "Be careful, guys, and remember the safety word: butternut."

Andre and Tori chuckle a little before being ushered out by an annoyed Robbie. "Let's get this over with."

When they're out of the cabin, Beck watches from the window until they're completely out of sight. He then turns to his girlfriend and the perky redhead. "Now what?"

"We die slowly," Jade replies mundanely, causing Cat to whimper in fear.

"We're not going to die, Cat. Jade is just being a gank right now," Beck states, sending a warningly look to his girlfriend – who hasn't even taken notice of his comment.

Jade picks at her black nail polish, ignoring the two people she loves the most. But under these circumstances, she's fond of neither of them.

For the next half hour, Beck busies Cat with a game of charades – which she's actually not bad at. Then the smallest of the group comes up with a game called 'Guess What I'm Thinking,' but it's a bust because there are no hints and Beck is kept guessing for another half hour.

(Turns out, the answer is 'Jade's big toe.' And Beck swears that was his next guess when Cat claims herself the winner.)

Another half hour passes, and Andre, Tori, and Robbie have been gone for nearly two hours. Sitting against a wall, Cat is bundled up under the one blanket, while Jade shivers into Beck's embrace. "God, where are those preterds?!" she cries through chattering teeth. "It's only getting colder!"

Beck, though he can't feel his lips, replies, "I'm sure they'll be back soon…"

Cat sniffles and wipes her nose with the pink sleeve of her coat. "I'm cold!"

"Yah, no kidding, Cat," Jade barks back menacingly. "I think it's our turn with the blanket."

Beck nods his head in agreement. "Just for a few minutes, Cat, please."

Despite her pouting, Cat hands over the thin blanket to the couple, who greedily wrap themselves up tight. Cat twirls her thumbs around each other and looks around the dark cabin, trying to find something to entertain her. She turns her head toward her friends to see Jade hiding her face in Beck's neck and his face in her hair. Cat smiles tenderly, but immediately finds herself cold and bored.

She quietly scoots in the direction of Beck and Jade, and begins to crawl on all fours toward the bottom of the blanket. She lifts the edge and ducks beneath it, sliding her way between the couple's legs and toward the top of the blanket.

Cat's squirming grabs the attention of Beck and Jade, causing them to protest as she worms her way through the blanket. Her head pops out between theirs, and she greets their scowls with a high-pitched "Hi!"

"Cat…" Beck starts.

"I won't bother you, I promise!" she says in a rush, hoping to keep her spot beneath the blanket.

Jade rolls her eyes when Cat moves again, jabbing her elbow into Jade's stomach. "Let's just be still and be quiet, got it Cat?"

"KayKay!" Cat exclaims, bringing her arm out from the blanket to gives a thumbs up, but punching Beck in the face instead.

Beck exhales deeply. "Jade's right, Cat; being quiet and still is what we should do."

Cat giggles as she brings her arm back beneath the blanket, and she somehow follows Jade's instructions for a good ten minutes. However, when the clock chimes and a bird pops out to 'coo coo,' she bursts into fits of laughter. "Oh my god, look at it! He's telling us what time it is!"

Beck and Jade share a glance; Jade's reading 'Don't even try to stop me from killing her' while Beck's showing 'Don't do anything stupid.'

But by the time Jade was about to attack her best friend, the clock and Cat have both fallen silent once again.

Another eternity passes before Cat becomes restless again, twisting from side to side to find a comfortable position. As she does, she pulls the blanket off of Beck and Jade, allowing them to grit their teeth in frustration. Cat finds herself relaxed by resting her head on Jade's chest, and though she disapproves, Jade remains silent so Cat won't move again.

The next time the bird appears, Beck begins to worry about the others, as it's been nearly four hours since they left the safety of the cabin. He peers out the window to find the snow falling much harder than before, then he looks to Jade – who's still supporting the dozing-off redhead on her chest – and whispers, "Should I go look for them?"

"No," she snaps back quietly, trying to not stir her fragile best friend. "Because you can't go alone, and we can't leave Cat alone here either."

Beck looks at the door one more time, praying his friends would walk in this very second. He's broken from his thoughts by Jade saying, "I can't let you go alone, Beck, so don't even think about it. I'd hate myself if something happened to you, so just stay under this damn blanket where I can keep an eye on you."

Beck breathes out a small laugh, reaching over Cat to tuck a piece of his girlfriend's hair behind her ear. "I love you."

"Good to know," she says timidly, emitting the tiniest of smiles.

Suddenly, Cat shifts awkwardly and knees Beck right in a sensitive spot, causing him to double over toward the opposite side and to pull the blanket with him.

Jade growls when Cat looks up at her with an innocent smile. "Want to hear my dream, Jadey?"

"No!"

"Okay, but my brother was in it, and he–"

Jade rolls her eyes annoyingly. "I said no, Cat. Beck, you alright over there?"

He answers back with a noise somewhere between a groan and a gargle, which Jade takes as a 'give me a minute.' So she snatches the blanket back and lays it over herself and Cat, peering at the clock when she feels a chill run down her spine.

When all is silent again, and Beck seems to have gained his breath, he joins the girls under the blanket. They each stare at a different object in the room, deep in thought; however, they're pulled out of their slice of heaven when Cat's stomach makes a sound.

She giggles and shouts, "I have the rumblies in my tumblies!"

"If you're hungry, then you're going to have to leave the blanket and make yourself something, because neither one of us are moving," Jade mumbles, repositioning her arm behind Cat so she rub Beck's side.

"Phooey." And Cat remains in her spot.

When approaching four and a half hours, the three teenagers can't feel their toes or fingers – as well as many other body parts. Even the close proximity of their bodies isn't helping them anymore, and they've almost lost hope.

That is until there's a banging on the cabin door, and a series of "Butternut!" are being shouted. Beck springs to his feet and sprints to the door, thus allowing his snow covered friends to enter.

"Where the hell have you guys been?!" Jade screams, wrapping an uncontrollably shaking Cat in her arms.

Tori pulls off her boots and throws them toward the door. "Do you know how hard it is to find dry wood when it's snowing?!"

"And I was chased and attacked by a fox!" Robbie adds in, showing the ripped part of his pants near the ankles.

"And I got it on video, which will be posted on TheSlap as soon as we get service," Andre concludes, setting his PearPhone on the small table in front of him.

"How many pieces of wood did you end up getting?" Beck asks worriedly.

Tori drops her blanket on the ground and unwraps it, revealing several good-sized logs to burn. "We'll make it through the night, then I suggest we go home to good 'ol California!"

The six teenagers place the wood within the fireplace, and Beck lights it with a few matches. In no time, they're sitting around a blazing, warm fire and all wrapped up in blankets – with plenty of room for everyone to fit.

They eat sandwiches with the food they prepared and finally get to relax while enjoying each other's company, despite the roaring storm outside.

But what really irks them is when they wake up the next morning and discover the generator outside the back of the cabin.

So much for not having electricity.

A/N: And done! Cassandra said I'm probably the first one to post for this prompt, so I feel special! Keep looking out for the other "one blanket" fics what will pop up this week (they're all due by the 21st). And don't forget to keep voting for Victorious when it comes to the KCA's! Every vote counts and we need them!

I hope you all enjoyed this oneshot! :) Please review! Putting 'Cat's Condition' at the end of the review will get you a hint for the next chapter of Survival of the Fittest!

I really would like some feedback for this one! Is that took much to ask? I hope not! ;)

Thanks so much, y'all!

XxLadyStrengthxX