Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters. Nickelodeon and Schneider's bakery own it all. However, if their not complaining, and I make no money, then whats the harm?
:}
Sitting at an outside table at a nice cafe, Jade was going over her list of things to do. 'Okay, arrange hair and makeup, check. Dress, check. Brides maids dresses, check. Centerpieces, check. Man, I'm glad we have a wedding planner. Never gonna call them a useless profession again...' Jade stopped her thoughts as she looked up, because a shadow was now blocking her light.
The pale woman had been enjoying the warmth of the day, under the umbrella at the local cafe, as she worked on the last issues before the wedding. Already, she'd had her bridal shower, and so was down to the final issues, like did they have the gifts for the brides maids, and were their any last minute seating issues. The kinds of issues that always come up the day before one married her high school sweetheart. So imagine her shock when a ghost from her past had appeared at her table. "Can I help you?" She asked, trying to put as much venom as she could into her words.
"Wow! I mean wow!" Trina Vega said from her place standing over the blue eyed girl. "That was pathetic." She stepped one pace around, moving to get a better look at the blushing bride. "What ever happened to the monster of Hollywood Arts, huh? What happened to the girl who could intimidate people with just a glare? It's like, what happened to her? I mean, that voice, it may scare shop girls, but their really more worried about losing the sale then a scissor related death."
"Fuck off, Trina." Jade spat.
"And you swear now too?" Trina mocked. "Jade, you never needed to rely on coarse language before. What the hell happened to you?"
"I'm getting married." Jade hissed. "I just felt it was time to grow up."
"Bull!" Trina shot back. "Just because Beck is domesticating you, doesn't mean it's a good thing. You've lost your lady balls, Jade, and that's a part of who you are."
"Shows what you know." Jade spat. "Beck wants whats best for me, for us."
"I know more then you think." The Latina replied, a dark smile on her face. "I know that marrying Beck is the worst idea you could have, and that he cheated on you."
"Tori blabbed, didn't she?" Jade groaned, her head drifting towards her hand.
"It's been over a year, Jade." Trina said. "Of course she blabbed. After what you did to her, this, this is just cruel. So of course she told me. She told me everything. Not that she needed too, cause I knew, I know so much about this whole thing even without her telling me. Like how Beck and your dad are getting along great, maybe even too well, even as Beck emulates him, more and more." The older girl smirked. "Is it true that your dad never cheated on your mother, but has had a mistress for over a decade?"
"I don't have time for this." Jade said, trying to get up.
"You know, we never boxed, back in the day." Trina mused, stepping back to give the taller girl room to stand. Her eyes took in the younger girls physique, judging her. "I always knew I could take you. Just, when your trying to win some guys heart, it doesn't pay to beat the snot outta his current girlfriend." She smiled a saccharine sweet, fake smile at the pale girl. "Not unless there's a convenient body of water to throw the girl into."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jade said, now up on her feet. She towards over the older girl, showing that Trina wasn't the only one in aggressive heals. The height was meant to add to her intimidation factor. Was a time when Jade, when standing at her full height, would have intimidated nearly everyone around her. But that day was long past, and Trina had to stifle a laugh.
"My god, how the mighty have fallen." Trina scoffed. "I guess eating your pride really has cost you the worst of you. Betting Beck likes it, though."
"You looking to get hurt?" Jade warned, even as her hands fidgeted, reminding the other girl that she often carried a weapon of sorts.
"Now we're talking." Trina quipped. "Was a time, despite me being a black belt, or the equivalent given the particularities of my style, I wouldn't have challenged you like this. See, while I was, and am, good at hurting people, back then you were scary."
"I'm still dangerous." Jade growled, low and deep in her throat.
"And today, I have more to gain by fighting you then I risk losing." Trina continued. "I'm betting we can find a gym someplace near, cause I'm not fighting in the streets. Hand to hand, so it[s fair, or as fair as it can be between us. So what say you we find us a boxing gym, with a ring, and some equipment to keep you from losing too much when I kick your ass, and we make us a little bet."
"You really wanna go there?" Jade asked, the threat slightly muted.
"Oh come off it, I'm not stupid." Trina said. "I know, behind the scissors, and the insane revenge plots that would make a comic book super villain wonder 'Why so complicated', there used to be a legitimate threat, something that made the boys fear you. Only, you lost your edge, and I think, no I know I can take you."
"Really?" Jade asked, looking around. "I'm getting married in just twenty hours."
"Which is why we need to do this today." Trina said. "Jade, if I win, you get a choice, either you don't get married..."
"Beck will never love you." Jade hissed, a warning that spoke of hurt and fear as much as raw hatred.
"See, the problem is, I'm past that." Trina said, smiling an open smile. "Girl, I don't want Beck. I don't want Tori to get him either. Since he started, Beck's never stopped cheating on you, regardless of what he promised. He didn't stop, and he probably never will." She closed her eyes for a second to take a deep breath, something she wouldn't have done just a few years ago. "NO, I'm here because, for once, whats best for my sister is also best for you, and I'll beat you to a bloody pulp to make you understand."
"And if I win?" Jade asked, ignoring what the other woman was saying about her sister. Anger was focusing her on the shorter girl.
"Not sure." Trina shrugged. "Cause if we're being honest, that's really not likely." She smiled at the taller girl. "Not that you lack the tools. Honestly, Jade, if in this fight, you weren't hampered by your internal struggles, then even as skilled as I am, I'd be worried. But, again, you've let yourself become pathetic."
"So I get to take my frustrations out on you?" Jade asked, stepping in on the older girl. In that moment, the shadows of the past parted, and a glimpse of the Jade that was, the girl who once knocked out Randy Bronson with a single punch, seemed to make her way out of the pale bride to be standing in front of Trina. But, with that glimpse, Trina also saw what she knew was there, that Jade knew she deserved whatever pain she'd be getting. That guilt, self hate, would get in the way, cause her to take blows she could have avoided, until even the resolve to suffer wouldn't be enough to win the fight.
"We both know how this is gonna go down, so lets make this easy." Trina said. "If you lose, you agree to either not get married, or if your heart is set on tying the knot, then you marry Tori. I'm sure she's up for it."
"Tori set you up, you know that, right?" Jade warned.
"No, my sister has no idea I'm doing this, cause she's Tori, and wishes you nothing but the best." Trina said, feeling even more confident. "Me, I'm looking for a lot of payback. You'll be battered and bruised, probably more then a little bloody while on your honeymoon, but at least you'll be going with the right person. And trust me when I say, one day, you'll thanks me for this."
There were multiple internal voices screaming at Jade to back down. This wasn't the Trina she knew, but a completely different girl who was willing to risk personal injury for her sister. Plus, the girl kept saying that Beck was cheating on her. Other then that one incident, thirteen months ago, when her and Beck wound up broken up for several days, as far as she knew he'd never broken his promise. The promise he'd made when he proposed to her, that he wouldn't cheat again. The very proposal that ended their breakup. Despite all those facts, and the other voices in her head saying not to do this, pride and the determination to prove Trina wrong, believing in her man, pushed Jade to accept the fight. "So, let me take care of a few things, and we can find us a gym." Jade said. "Or we can use the ally."
"No, we're gonna use a gym." Trina repeated. "Lets keep the injuries manageable. You may, however, be going to your honeymoon in a cast." She smiled again. "Only, this time, it'll be a honeymoon I arranged, cause that's what I'm promising if I lose. I've got someone who's willing to pay for a better honeymoon then the one Beck has planned. You and Tori, and I do mean my sister, will be heading to Hawaii, courtesy of Malory."
"What does my step-monster have to do with anything." Jade spat, even a she gathered her things. "She hates me. My marrying Beck is the one thing she approves of."
"She hates the idea of you marrying Beck, cause it reminds her of her own mistake." Trina informed her, even as she watched the goth finish packing up her many papers. "Tell me, do you know why, as good looking as she is for her age, you didn't get any new siblings out of that marriage?"
"I got one, my half brother, Max." Jade corrected, agitation coloring her voice. 'Shows what she knows...' The blue eyed girl started to think.
"Thing is, he's from your dad's mistress." Trina said, now leading the way towards a building surprisingly close to the restaurant. One she seemed to know about even without referencing her phone, like she'd planned this meeting out. "Oh, right, you didn't know that, cause you and Malory, not that close. But as much as she hated you, she always respected who and what you were. That's why she wants you to be her heir, just like she's her fathers heir. You know, Mister Falkland, her father, your dad's boss…"
Jade had stopped. "Why are you telling me this?" She managed to avoid shouting. "Are you trying to distract me? It won't work, I can focus past this kind of chiz to fight, and trust me, I won't hold back."
"I'm telling you cause, as much as I wanna kick your ass, I also want to find a way to avoid damaging you. That is, assuming I can convince you to just tap out, end this early." Trina said. The older girl sighed. "Over a year ago, you came to my sister in tears, cause Beck had started cheating on you, and you didn't know why. Thing is, Malory had a theory, and while talking one day, she filled me in. She thinks it's because your father grew up in a time when having a mistress was a part of success, a sign that a man had made it. So your dad had a mistress, and now so does Beck." She shook her head. "Her dad had one too, but somehow managed to only have one kid, a kid who got injured trying to win his love. Something about a jumping horses, I didn't understand. What I did, however, was that injury made her sterile. She couldn't have kids of her own. So, when Mister Falkland suggested he start a whole new family, she counter offered, saying she'd make you her heir. And, since her dad kinda liked you, your father, and even Beck, he agreed." She flashed a smile. "At least that's what she told me." A soft chuckle flowed from the shorter girl.
"And that means?" Jade asked.
"It means you'll be taken care of." Trina said, not looking at the girl. "In addition to the trust fund they set up for you, a hefty enough amount I'm told, but in addition to that, you will also, one day, be the owner of all the businesses Mister Falkland owns. You will be the majority owner of the holding company that, among other things, owns the management company your dad works for. The one where Beck is the number one salesman. Malory will technically own it before you, but in a way that cuts your dad out. So good news, your gonna be rich, and Beck's known that for over a year. It may even be the reason he proposed."
"What about Max?" Jade asked. "Or Jasper?"
"Both your brothers will be taken care of." Trina assured her, smiling back at the girl and soon to be opponent. "Malory has set up trust funds for both. But you, my dear, she claimed you as her own, years ago, and accepted your hate as a substitute for love, cause, your family, like hers, totally fucked up."
"Okay, maybe I can agree with that last part." Jade admitted. "So, we're really gonna kick the living shit outta each other?" It was the beginnings of doubt, what Trina had secretly hoped for.
"You're free to tap out any time you want." Trina said. "Even now. Think about it. You get to avoid the ass whipping you so richly deserve, cause lets be honest, you treated Tori like crap, and either way I get to win. Hell, I'm not even demanding you marry Tori, just break it off from Beck. Even your step mother agrees, this cycle has to end. Better that she, or even you, run that company, then we let them continue to build a place where women are the prizes, accessories that a successful man gets to keep around him. And, from what I can tell, the idea that your dad married into the business, and now Beck's gonna do the same, is even bothering Mister Falkland, and he's the one who started that chiz. So yea, tap out and give Beck his walking papers. He's in no danger of being fired, cause he's their number one salesman. Good looking, charismatic guys like him will always have that distinction. No, he just won't be in line to be the next boss. I, however, belive he should be happy with what he gets based on his own hard work, and you should too."
"So, we gonna get something to fight in, or we wearing our street clothes?" Jade asked as they found the building. It had that classic, nondescript look that boxing gym's in the movies had, not hinting at what was inside. Just a short flight of steps up to a door, and then inside down a hallway to the establishment in question.
"I figure we owe it to ourselves to just wear what we have on, but lose the shoes." Trina said as she led the way in. "Not safe to fight in heels. I'll see what they have in footwear, or maybe we'll just go barefoot. People do fight like that sometimes."
"Gonna ruin our outfits." Jade noted.
"You're free to tap out." Trina repeated.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Jade sneered.
"So, tell me, why did you seduce my sister?" Trina asked, even as they checked into the gym, and made arrangements for them to kick the crap out of one another.
"What can I say?" The taller girl said. "I was hurt and angry and Vega always made things feel better." A second ticked by. "I never intended to use her. It felt too, I don't know, familiar. Hell, if Beck hadn't maned up, proposed, maybe I would have tried to make that up to her. But Tori insisted that she was fine, and I should follow my heart."
"Then you go and betray her by allowing your fear to lead you instead." Trina spat.
"You know, we're both a lot calmer then we were back at the restaurant." Jade noted, not being drawn in as easily by Trina's comments.
"I know, but it's okay." Trina said. "I've been planning on this for quite a while."
"So you wait until I'm almost married, and ambush me while I'm in a nice outfit?" The blue eyed girl asked.
"Close." Trina said. "I have things I have to do. Responsibilities to take care of. Like, Tori's career, it needs managing, and Marlon is an idiot. I know, Tori loves him as a manager, but he's married, and yet he still tried to talk his way into her pants. Worse, when he got her all trusting and shit, he tried to convince her to sign her assets over to him, or give him financial power of attorney, so he could better manage her money." Trina shook her head. "Thing is, I never trusted him." A frown, for the first time that day, had marred her face. It quickly passed. "And I'm glad I put a stop to that shit. Guy is being sued by three former clients, all of them claiming he used his power of attorney to rob them blind, then told them they couldn't do crap about it."
"That sounds so wrong." Jade said.
"Yea, and given the guys wife is as jealous, and as likely to blame him, as Hera was to Zues..." Trina let it hang.
"You helped Tori dodge a bullet, huh?" Jade asked.
"Yea, and the woman, still blames Tori, tried to ruin her. Good thing there was nothing going on." The older girl smiled. "And, believe it or not, you helped."
"You're welcome?" Jade asked. "How did I help?"
"You fucked her when she was feeling vulnerable, and while that was bad, it kept Marlon from doing it." Trina explained. "Put your headgear on." The establishment had already rented them the equipment they could, including head gear, mouth guards, and MMA style gloves and foot guards. The two women quickly slipped the equipment on, ready to throw down, as they walked to the ring. While there was no shortage of people training who might want so ring time, at that moment it was empty.
"One other thing bothers me." Jade said. Her words were slurred because of the mouth guard, but she was still understandable. "Why do you keep saying Tori and I should just get married?" They were making their way into the ring together.
"Cause that's the kind of fucked up relationship you have with one another." Trina told her. "Tori's been quietly pining for you ever since you nailed her. Also, if I'm honest, I think you slept with her cause you wanted something real, and you and Beck, not been real since high school. Six years of fake romance is a long time. Better you and Tori get involved, cause she's the one who has a career in entertainment, meaning she has her own money, and yours won't be the incentive."
"Like how much money do I have?" Jade wondered.
"Mister Falkland is worth almost a billion dollars." Trina replied. "I figure the trust fund has to be worth at least half a million per year. Only thing is, that kind of affair is usually released when you turn twenty five, or get married. So..."
"No way..." Jade said.
"Look, it's time." Trina announced. "I did love talking to you, once we got to talking, but it's past time we settle this. That is, unless you wanna give up." They were in the middle of the ring, and one of the trainers had shown up to give the illusion of a referee, or at lest keep this safe as possible.
"Nbhh, I'm calmer now, so you'll find I'm not such an easy fight." Jade said.
"And you'll find that professional wresting is wrong, the technical wrestlers are the most dangerous, not the guys who are just strong." Trina countered. "I mean, yea, maybe it only takes one hit to stop one of them, but odds are you'll never get a full strength hit. Worse, the technicians, they wear you down, and before you know it, your tapping." She smiled around the mouth guard. "Kinda like your gonna be doing, real soon."
"Bring it on, untalented Vega." Jade said, staring to circle in her nice dress, while her heels observed from their place next to the ring.
"Yea, you could be the most dangerous opponent I ever face, but guess what?" Trina taunted. She was watching, feeling the other girl out. She also knew Jade had reach, so she'd have to close to take the girl down.
"What?" Jade asked, making a fake towards the older girl, trying to herd her towards the corner.
"I know about your cage fighting experience." Trina said, and lunged for her legs.
The next day, at the church, Beck found himself in the entryway, looking at the door, wondering where his bride was. The wedding was scheduled to start in just a couple of hours, and she should have been there by then. "I mean, she's never late. Plus, last night, she kinda left me a message saying she needed to talk." He said to no one, even though he was hardly alone.
"Pre-wedding jitters." Kyle, his best man, speculated. Kyle was a newer friend, one who shared his new view of women, and someone his soon to be father in law liked. His other groomsmen were gathered there, including both Andre and Robbie, while Sinjin was off checking in with the wedding planner.
Both his long term friends had agreed to be a part of this wedding, despite having developed more then a few misgivings about their friend, or the newer company he was keeping. Still, Both Andre and Robbie where there to support Beck on this, his special day. Also, both men had been at the Bachelors party the night before, and had their own issues with that as well.
"Maybe she found out about the prostitutes." Robbie said. Unlike even Andre, who gave in to temptation, Rob had stayed strong, loyal to a friend turned lover who he'd himself only recently proposed to after almost seven years of dating. "Not that I told anyone, cause if Cat found out, she'd assume, even though I never touched." The girl had yet to give him an answer, and Robbie so desperately wanted to make her his wife.
"Loser." Rex chided him. The puppet, unlike his guardian, had taken a turn with a hooker. The girl had just shrugged, and taken advantage of fifteen minutes of paid relaxation. "Real men take it where they can get it. And last night we had us some fine professional tail."
"Which was a mistake." Andre admitted. "Look, can we not talk about this? My date isn't too happy about anything, and I want her to enjoy the wedding. See, I think, after four years, I'm ready to try something real, and I kinda hope she could be it."
"Has it really been four years?" Beck asked, showing real sympathy for his friend. "I tend to forget, but don't worry, your grandmother would want you to be happy. Last night, that was my last fling as a single man. Tonight, it's just Jade. And you, Dre, you can relax. This girl you're seeing, she isn't expecting exclusivity yet, right? Besides, this is a wedding, so you're good. You know how girls get at weddings." he gave an almost leer, showing a less then kind opinion of women in general.
"I'd marry Cat if it'd help you get back into making music." Robbie offered.
"Good idea, Rob." Rex said. "You may have found the right guilt trip to get her to agree to marrying you."
"You guys are probably right." Andre sighed. "I should go see if Tori's okay."
"Tori will be fine." Beck assured him. "Just, Jade didn't want her here, and I had to put my foot down, so we know it's gonna be an issue. Best to keep things on the low down, not bring Tori up too much once the bride is here. But don't worry, I'll check on her later, make sure she's good. I just hate that she and Jade still have issues."
"Just don't try to make her one of your conquests." Andre warned. He gave his friend the best warning glare he could muster, even as guilt over his own activities ate away at him. Kyle, from his spot, chuckled in response.
"Yea, she's more then just his friend, she's his boss." Rex added, and the best man had to stifle a laugh. The man seemed to lack sympathy for the one time musician, but controlled himself so as to avoid a fight on Beck's big day.
"No she's not." Andre insisted. A moment later, his ire lowered and he relented a bit. "Okay, maybe she is, kinda, because she convinced Mason to hire me as a music scout, and he insisted she take work helping develop that talent, meaning I may kinda work for her. But that's not why I'm worried about her. Tori's like a sister to me, and I wanna take care of her, like she took care of me."
"You know, Trina's the reason Tori has that job, right?" Robbie asked. It sounded as much like he was trying to distract as make conversation, but the nerdy one was really pushing both Vega girls back into the conversation. 'Besides, Trina's Cat's friend, regardless of who she may have wazzed off.' He reasoned. "From what I heard, she's managing Tori's finances, and felt that the extra income, from so little work, was more then worth it."
"And how do you know this?" Beck asked.
"I talk to Trina." The nerdy boy said, sounding defensive. "Because she's one of Cat's friends, and I want Cat to be happy." He shifted nervously, causing Rex to shake just a touch in his grasp. "So I make time to spend with Cat's friends, with Cat, and this is taking far to long to explain…." His voice faded.
"Maybe you should have invited Trina." Kyle said, surprising everyone when he didn't insult Robbie, or make a suggestion that the puppeteer was lucky he didn't just take the boys girls, cause he so could.. "I've seen her picture, and she looks doable. Plus, from what you said, she's probably desperate enough to do it in a closet, and I've always wanted a wedding reception quickie in a closet."
Rex chimed in. "Funny, you'd think, as macho as you act, your just waiting to come out of the closet." It would be another layer of surprise, the puppet seeming to defend Trina, or Rob, or maybe decency.
Kyle's eyes burned. "Take that back, or I'll rip your puppet apart."
"Easy there, Kyle. Rex might as well be a real person to Robbie." Beck said. "Plus, Mister Falkland is against any kind of ism's, so just saying your not gay and leaving it at that works far better."
"I'm far too manly to be gay." Kyle spat, and Beck realized his best man had just lost the argument to a puppet.
"Jade needs to get here so she can get her hair and makeup done." The groom noted, trying to change the subject from anything that could lead to a fight. That was the last thing he needed on his wedding day. "Everything's been planned, and Jade's tardiness is mucking things up. I swear, she needs to learn to respect the plans we, I make."
"Maybe you need to remind her who wears the pants in the family, huh?" Kyle said with a leer.
"That would be Jade." Robbie said. "What? You know what she was like in high school."
"Yea, but that shrew has been tamed." Beck reminded them, beaming with pride at his achievement. "And while it took longer then in the play, I managed to slay the beast with kindness. Now, she knows her place, which will help her have a useful, happy life. I just need to find out what she was trying to tell me, or wants to tell me, cause it may have to do with her being late."
"So where is she?" Andre asked, trying to focus away from his friend, and the changes that had happened o the once moral boy.
Sinjin, who had been speaking with the wedding planner, was looking for the groom. It had taken longer then he'd expected to go over some last minute details, made more complicated by the fact that his sister was the wedding planner. However, when he did finish, he saw something out of the corner of his eyes, and immediately went looking for the groom. By then, Beck had moved to the priests office, where he was getting ready, wanting to make sure he looked his best for the wedding. "Jade's here, and, well, you gotta see this..." Sinjin announced. His eyes flashed around, showing both disbelief, and something else.
Beck and the others followed the lanky boy out of the office, rushing towards where Jade was supposed to be getting ready. They were almost immediately joined by Cat, who'd brought Tori with her for some reason. Beck wouldn't have the chance to tell Tori that this was a bad idea, as they reached the door almost imminently. Beck realized that the pair had somehow known that Jade had arrived, despite not being where they could have seen her enter. Still, he focused on his task, even as the gathering milled around outside the door. Someone would have to make the first move.
Both Beck and Tori knocked on the door, almost at the same time. "One moment, we need..." Called out a voice that wasn't Jade's. "Oh who am I kidding, come on in."
Beck barged in, followed by his unit of men. Despite her earlier drive to get there, the girls seemed to decide to wiat in the hall, at least for the moment. All of them wanted to know what was going on, but it wasn't wise to crowd the room. Not yet. "Trina, what are you doing here." Beck snapped at the Latina. She was standing, blocking the door to the bathroom, where he assumed Jade was hiding. "As I recall, you weren't invited to this wedding." A dark smile crossed his face. "Or as Jade used to say, no one likes you." It was so cold even his old friends felt it odd.
"I like her." Cat said. As eyes trailed to the petite girl, still in the hallway, crowding the door with Tori. She added "Well, I do."
"Wow, it's amazing how everything you just said is wrong." Trina said, pointing to Beck. "What? I was paraphrasing Last Jedi."
"Good one." Sinjin said. "It was…" He could feel the eyes digging into him. "Okay, how is everything he said wrong."
"I was invited, last minute, and Jade isn't getting married today." Trina said. "Of course, you can ask her, in a moment, when she gets out."
As they took in the sight before them, it became obvious that what Trina was wearing wasn't just some odd fashion choice. Her clothing was ripped and torn in several places. Those places where it was whole, it still looked wrinkled or stretched. Then there was her body and face. Her body, from what they could see of it, was battered and bruised, with dried blood staining her dress. Then there was the bruise marring her face, a sign that she'd taken a blow, but hadn't let it stop her. Overall, it looked like the girl had been mugged, assaulted, or both. "My god, Trina, what happened?" Tori asked.
"Yea, it looks like you lost the fight for the last flat screen on sale at Wanko's." Rex added.
"Jade's a lot faster then she looks." Trina replied with a shrug. "I rolled with the punches, but man, still hurts."
"Wait, Jade hit you, then invited you to her wedding?" Rex asked. "Okay, this story I have to hear."
"Yea." Robbie agreed, while Beck was stunned by that admission.
"I though I'd broken her of her violent ways." The groom mumbled.
"Not much to tell." Trina shrugged. "Jade and I worked out some old issues, and in the process, I helped her realize she was only marrying Beck here because she's terrified her daddy won't love her if she doesn't."
Mister West, who'd shown up to check what the commotion was, harrumphed. "I wouldn't care who she marries, just as long as their as good as Beck here is." Tori and Cat had stepped back to give him room to stand in the doorway.
Malory spat "Not hard." She said from her place in the hallway. It was too crowded in the room as is, so they'd been forced to watch from outside the room
"Why do you look like you were in a fight?" Sinjin asked. It felt like he'd missed the point, but Trina assumed he was just trying to be certain of what happened.
"Cause I was." Trina said. "Like I said, Jade and I worked our old chiz out, and that enabled her to trust me enough to see that she wasn't marrying Beck for the right reasons."
"JADE, IS THIS TRUE?" Beck screamed at the door. "COME OUT HERE AND TELL ME, IS IT TRUE YOUR CALLING OFF THE WEDDING?" Seconds later, it opened to reveal Jade, who somehow looked even more battered then Trina.
The pale girls skin was turning black and blue along multiple places where she'd been struck, and she was sporting a black eye as well. Her dress was bloodied, in addition to the tearing and rips that made it hard to guess the original design. It seemed that the goth hadn't even bothered to clean up, just put some lotion on her aches, and used the facilities. Her wedding dress, designed and sewn by Cat, was still in it's carry bag, hanging near the restroom. Hair mussed and crazy, it was hard to tell, just by looking, which woman got the worst of their encounter.
"Yea, it's true." Jade said, pushing through the pain from the bruise on her cheek. "I was only marrying you because I was so sure you were the only one who could ever love me. I was willing to put up with all kinds of shit for that love, to the point where I was forgetting who I was." Despite the battered look, Jade was offering her boyfriend only sympathy. "Trina here reminded me. She reminded me who I am, and who I have to be."
"By kicking the living chiz out of each other?" Andre asked. "What? I just, I don't get it."
"And that's what I was missing." Jade agreed, smiling a full, toothy grin at the boy. It seemed that neither girl had lost any teeth.
"I though you'd put that psychotic bullshit behind you." Beck scolded her. "I though you were ready to be a proper wife and mother."
"Oh, I am." Jade said, managing to avoid getting angry, even as she felt that part of her returning. "See, what I though was giving up my worst aspects was really giving up my drive. I let myself become passive, going along with what others, including you, Beck, wanted. I couldn't even see that, this time, Malory was on my side, that she was trying to help me out." Her eyes had drifted to covering the entire room. "So yea, I agreed to forgive Beck's cheating, looking the other way every time a suspicious hair was on his jacket, or he worked late, because I wanted that love, that life. Only, Trina here made me see that I was never gonna be happy, not as an accessory to Beck's success story." She stepped closer to Beck. "You have my word, as long as your willing to put in the work, you'll always have a job with us. Just, I can't be both your wife and your boss, and I choose being your boss." She smiled, the bruises on her face contorting. "Trust me, we'll both be so much happier this way."
"So your gonna let Trina, who by your own admission kicked your ass, tell you what to do?" Beck asked.
"Yep, though I almost won." Jade said. "Only, I lost my edge, and threw her when I should have gone for a submission hold." Looking at Trina. "You have to show me that one you used on me, That thing hurt."
"She threw you?" Robbie asked Trina.
"Like a sack of cement." The elder Vega girl said. "A good nine feet, almost out of the ring."
"EVERYONE STOP!" Cat's voice ripped through the air. "You mean I'm in this funking blue dress, and I don't even get to be the maid of honor?" The upset girl was vibrating. While she did look good in her maid of honor dress, because she insisted the brides maids not look like rejects, and that they be able to use their dresses again down the line, she still obviously wasn't happy.
"That depends." Trina said. "Um, Jade, you gonna do what we discussed at the hospital?"
"You were in the hospital?" Tori sounded worried. Others echoed her sentiment, but the questions were mostly mute in favor of Trina's.
"We did kinda beat the living snot outta each other." Jade said, smiling at Trina. "They wanted to observe, make sure we weren't hurt worse then we felt."
"Nine feet, Tori." Trina repeated. "She tossed me nine feet. Girl is freaky strong."
"So, we were in the hospital, talking, and she told me that, well..." Jade got nervous.
"For crying out loud." Trina huffed. "Tori, I did this for you. See, I know you're still hung up on her, never moved on, and that Jade may well have feelings for you."
"You did this for that?" Beck sounded offended. His accusatory hand pointed towards the singer, shaking just a bit at the though that Jade had chosen her over him. "That….?" But a beaten down Latina was in his face, smiling up at him.
"I wanted the wedding delayed because I knew, from my confidant, that Jade didn't love you the right way." Trina told him.
"What confidant?" Mister West asked. The whole thing was confusing to him, and he wanted answers.
"Guilty." Malory said, her voice strong as she felt Mister West startle. She then stepped in on her husband, before he could compose himself. "When you asked me to take in that bastard your mistress gave you, you said you wanted me to treat your kids as my own." A finger poked his chest. "Well, I did. I claimed Jade, and I've been watching out for her ever since. I even mistakenly though this whole passive shit was good for her. Only guess what? It's not. I see it, just like I saw her going the way I did, until I realized that had to stop. This whole fucked up arrangement, this man men style of relationships, it has to stop." Her face softened. "Darling, it's time. It's time we change things, stop treating women like it's the fucking fifties. So anyways, this is the deal I made with daddy. Jade is gonna learn to run the whole fucking company, once we teach her how. And with her returning strength, that killer instinct, she can. Not Beck! Not some hypothetical guy she's gonna marry! Jade. And if she winds up marrying a supportive girl type, all the fucking better. So step off, your in the way!" Her rage had returned.
"Now wait, this isn't some farce." Cat said. "You don't just substitute in another groom, or a bride, or whatever. These things need to be worked out."
"Then why not have them go on the honeymoon to… where were you going?" Robbie wondered.
"Mister Falkland got us a real good deal for Puerto Rico." Beck said. "The touristy area's are said to be back to normal, and I felt, why not. It's beautiful this time of year."
"So Tori and Jade go off, during hurricane season, and enjoy their time on the islands." Robbie suggested. "The after, they'll know if they click or not. That way, the tickets aren't wasted."
"Pity their non-refundable." Jade said. She didn't sound too upset. Actually, she sounded more like herself then she'd sounded in a long, long time.
"You know, why doesn't Beck take one of his whores, and the girls can go to daddy's villa in Hawaii." Malory suggested.
"Now wait a minute!" Beck protested.
"Are you sure your father will be okay with this?" Mister West asked, ignoring the boy he'd bee mentoring..
"Daddy has already signed off on this, and it's too late for him to back out now." Malory said, a smirk covering her pretty face. "So this is how it's gonna be. You wanna be a part of the right thing to do? I'm all in favor of this being a family project."
Beck continued. "What about me? I was getting married today." His rage was building, and Kyle had moved to back him up.
"So, maybe you can marry your whore?" Trina taunted.
"Trina, enough." Jade snapped, her strength obviously returning. "Beck, we need to talk."
Beck looked at his ex fiance. "Jade, look, this is hardly the time for this kind of backtracking. I get if your getting cold feet, but once you've..." he knew she wasn't listening by the smirk on her face. "Jade?"
Jade, battered, bloodied, and still beautiful, stepped forward and looked Beck in the eye. "Sorry, this whole thing we were doing, this 'Mad Men' life, it was destroying both of us. We just," she closed her blue eyes, opening them again and showing that fire that once consumed her, "I just had to do something to fight my way back."
"But your not even giving us a chance." He tried. "Jade this is madness."
"No, this is me growing up, taking responsibility." Jade replied, smiling. "Sometimes the adult thing to do is to stand up for yourself. My walking away, it's not just for me. It's for you too. Beck, I wasn't gonna make it, not as the woman I was trying to be. Only a matter of time before this me, the one I was hiding from, came back, only without the release I've had. Then, things would have gotten ugly, for both of us. This, it's for the best."
"So I'm losing my wife to what? A concussion?' The would be groom ranted. "Jade this is… This is…" He saw the amused look on her face. "This is madness..."
"You said that." Jade countered. "Just, tell me the truth, you proposing, did it have anything to do with finding out that Malory made me her heir?"
"What now?" Mister West asked.
"Oh, come off it. We both knew you weren't getting the company." Malory scoffed at her husband. "I just told you, thew best choice is Jade, and we're both gonna respect that."
"That's right, you did, didn't you." Mister West replied. "So, Beck, was that the reason you proposed to my daughter?"
"It's what you did." Kylke said, defending his friend.
"No, I proposed to Malory because she was hot, young enough, and willing to put up with whatever shit I decided to do." The older man said. "I wasn't working for her father until he offered me a job, and only then did he become my boss. Before that, he was the rich man who might have left me something." An embarrassed look crossed his aging but still ruggedly handsome face. "Given Mister Falkland's proclivities, I was certain he had himself a son tucked away somewhere to inherit, run things for him. he's not the kind of man to let a daughter run a company. In Jade's words, he's more 'Mad Men' then I ever could be." He looked at his child. "I suspected she'd be taken care of, but thinking that one of us would run the whole company, and not just the management company, that never occurred to me."
"Okay, I admit it., I had found out from misses West that Jade was almost a lock to inherit, and suspected it was because her father liked me." Beck admitted. "I thought that, this is the right thing to do for us both. The whole thing, this marriage, it was for both of us."
"Keep telling yourself that." Robbie said, surprising everyone. "Beck this job, this lifestyle., do you have a clue what it's been doing to you?" Last night, I spent over half the bachelor party outside, pretending to smoke, and we all know I don't, but I had to in order to avoid temptation." gulping at what he was about to admit, the nerdy boy continued. "You had hookers at your party. I wasn't gonna cheat on the girl I love, no mater how traditional it may be. No, I removed myself to avoid temptation, watched PearTube on my phone, all while Rex made fun of me."
"You were kind of a weeny." Rex chimed in.
"No, that may be the most manly thing I've ever heard him do." Tori said.
"Yea, it can be hard to resist temptation." Cat agreed. "Rob, I've been sneaking the bibble again."
"Well get you help." Robbie said, smiling at his bride
"Point is, beck, I really want us to be friends." Jade said, pushing to end this debate. "The wedding is off, and it's as much my fault as yours. I wanted to be this person. I wanted to be happy with you."
"Then why end it?" He asked.
"Because it's not me." Jade reiterated. "And I would rather you find a girl who is right for you. Either someone okay with this lifestyle..." She looked at Robbie. "Or find your way back to the guy you once were becoming. That guy all the others looked up to, and not because all the girls were throwing themselves at you."
"I get it." Beck admitted, feeling almost okay with this turn of events. "I was blinded by ambition. I did, if I'm honest, think this was the best thing for both of us. But I get it, your gonna be you, and for whatever reason, that involves dating Tori there. Just, don't rush into things." He smiled. "I was so focused on the idea, that I lost track of who both of us were as people, even if your a person who looks like she lost a fight." It might have been a joke.
"I did." Jade agreed. Her humor was coming back. "Friends?"
"Friends." He agreed. "Still, got my heart broken." Both Vega girls suspected he was acting to save what influence he had in the company and not because he wasn't wazzed at the turn of events. However, this was an improvement, almost an intervention.
"Yea, sorry, but it was gonna happen." Trina said. "After she got tired of having hers broken, you were gonna lose her anyways."
Andre stepped closer to his friend. "Dude, if the weddings off, then someone should tell the guests. I mean, they're starting to arrive, and we have like no main event."
"I'll do it." Jade offered. "Since I'm the one calling it off, I might as well be the one telling people."
"I'll come with, to remind daddy that he agreed to this possibility." Malory said.
"Maybe you should get cleaned up first?" Beck suggested. In a strange was, through all he disappointment and hurt, he was starting to find that part of him he'd lost in the fast track game of 'get what you can now.'
"I'm calling Mason, letting him know I'll be filling in for you for the next couple of weeks." Andre told Tori.
"Jade, you owe me a stint as maid of honor." Cat warned.
"It's okay, no one is gonna blame you." Jade told her now ex.
"What if I want you to do that for me?" Tori asked Cat.
"You get Trina, and we know she's gonna make you make her the maid of honor." Cat said. "But, you know, maybe you should get married later, when she doesn't look like she was in a fight."
"Jade, please, at least a dressing gown and some makeup." Beck all but begged. "So they won't think less of either of us?"
"I'll just tell everyone I had a wild bridal shower, kay?" Jade proposed, smiling at Beck.
"Dyke." Kyle said, and Jade's head spun around, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Sorry, just, I..." He'd never, in all the time he'd known her, been scared of her before. But there was something intimidating about her now, like she had resumed her side career as deaths right hand. He honestly felt small and insignificant before her, and that wasn't a feeling he wanted to have, ever again.
"Good, you should remember to show respect, cause I intend to stay Beck's friend." Jade warned.
"Um, Jade, you're gonna be rich, so you might learn a little restraint." Malory suggested.
Kyle realized that the wedding was off, moved to salvage what he could. "So, Cat, since Trina looks to be kinda beaten down, my dance card s free. Why not get with a real man?" He suggested to the petite girl. His hand rose to offer her an embrace, a leer on his face. Moments later, he collapsed, clutching his most favored body parts.
Cat blinked. "What? He invited me to touch it..."
"Yea, lets go." Beck said. Even he hated what his friend was offering the most innocent of his old social group. "We need to let the guests know the weddings off. However, we can, no should invite them to have what they want from the reception. I mean, it's payed for, right?"
"You want me to host?" Jade asked.
"Or I can." Beck said. "We just need to work this out, this new friendship." Instead of sounding upset, like he had earlier, he sounded oddly relieved. He now knew he'd found a piece of himself that had been missing for along, long time, and it felt right to have it back.
"Just, your mistress, who is she?" Jade asked.
"No where near here." Beck said. "You may have been restrained, but I knew this was still in you." He smiled, leading the whole party out of the room. They had a broken engagement party to host.
With the wedding party gone, the room felt empty, occupied only by the makeup artist and hairstylist. Them, plus Kyle, who was still on the floor, clutching his manhood, grateful that his huevos hadn't been launched into his stomach. The pain had yet to start fading, even as he found himself listening to the two stylists talking.
The hairstylist looked at the makeup lady. "Not nearly as violent as the Schwartz wedding." He observed. "Now that was a fight…."
Kyle would be treated to a story as he lay on the floor, trying to recover.
:}
Okay, that kinda puttered to an end. So, thoughts. Just, let me now, cause I'm actually kinda proud of this, even if it's not the greatest. Loved the concept.