Disclaimer: Several characters in this story will be acting out, sometimes driven by emotions they don't understand, or even recognize. They may be OOC for some time, but I hope to have them back eventually. Sorry, this warning should have been on Chapter one, two at the latest.

:}

Beck stood there in the doorway. He hadn't changed from school, but still had the kind of handsome looks that sometimes transcended cloths. Tori was aware of how attracted to him she was.

"Beck, glad to see you. I know this could have been handled over the phone, but I felt that, given the personal nature of the conversation, it would be best if it was face to face." Tori said.

"Okay, what're we talking about?" He asked.

"I've heard you're hurting. I think, maybe, if we date, we'll need to talk it out first. I just want to know what kind of relationship we're going to have, and I don't want to be a conquest." Tori said, walking back towards the couches.

"Tori, I'd never treat you like that. I don't..." Beck started, but his voice faded out. He stood there, looking at Tori for a few seconds, trying to make his mind work. It was as if something had just occurred to him, and it seemed to take his thoughts away. Words had always been so easy for him, but he just couldn't make his voice work. "I'm sorry." He finally said.

"For what?" Tori looked confused.

"I've had sex with five girls in the last week, since the whole thing with Jade." Beck confessed as he walked up to the closest couch section and sat down hard. He seemed to deflate. "My god, what have I been doing?" He was on the verge of tears. "T-Tori, what am I becoming?"

"I don't know what to say? I know you've been hurting, and that if you'd wanted to, there were a lot of girls who'd love to be there for you, even if it was for one night." Tori told him, moving to sit on the same couch as Beck. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Beck, I'm here for you. I'd like to know if we're friends, or maybe something more. Either way, I'm not planning on sleeping with you." He chuckled, finding something to laugh at in the pain of his sudden realization. Tori wondered if this was an act, or if Beck was disgusted with himself for sleeping around.

"He should probably see someone, get tested." Drifted from her fathers office, making Tori flinch. Tori was grateful it was just Trina, who had been listening in at her request. She didn't want to have this discussion while her father was here.

Beck had jumped at the sound of Trina's voice. Now standing, his heart poun ding, he looked around trying to see where Trina was. The elder sister hadn't bothered to enter the room. "Oh my GOD!" Beck screeched.

"Relax, she's the one who told me you were probably screwing around." Tori said, trying hard not to laugh. "I think she's right. Before we get to far, I think we should both get tested. That way, neither of us will be judged." Tori flashed her best smile, and Beck calmed down, just a bit.

"Okay, we'll get tested tomorrow after school. Funny way to spend our first date." He smiled weakly.

"Yea, about that. I want to date, but we should take it slow. I don't want to take advantage of you either. When we are a couple, I want it to be for the right reasons." Tori told him. The actor smiled and nodded.

"So, what did you hear about Sikowitz's big part?" Beck asked. It was obvious he was changing the subject, so Tori let him. They would have a pleasant conversation for the rest of the evening, talking about schoolwork, current events, what the faculty at school was doing, anything that wasn't about Jade. He needed the distraction. Trina eventually joined them, and while she added to the conversation, was unusually quiet.

Later, after Beck had gone home, as the girls were getting ready for bed, Trina took the chance to ask her sister a question. "Tori, are you hoping to date Beck because you want him, or because you're afraid he'll go back to Jade if you don't?" Trina didn't wait for an answer, instead going to bed. Friday was coming, and she had a full day of getting invited to parties ahead of her.

By the end of Friday, everyone in the school knew Tori was with Beck. They were acting like a couple. Sitting together, holding hands, and laughing. It wasn't intentional, at least not on Tori's part, she just felt she needed to be there for him. And maybe they weren't actually dating, but to the school gossip mill they might as well have been sleeping together. And the comments on the slap reflected that belief. And the school was all abuzz with the possibilities, because whatever was on the slap, Jade knew.

After school Tori and Beck went to the hospital to get tested. Originally they were going to go to Planned Parenthood, but both agreed that they didn't need to be judged for things they hadn't done. Instead, they went to the hospital, where they could be there for any one of a hundred reasons. It took over an hour, and was as date like as could be expected. They talked as they waited, and in time they managed to admit things they didn't usually tell friends. Tori's first time was with Danny, while Beck's first time was with some girl named Darcy, who he'd dated before Jade entered the picture. "And no, Darcy wasn't the girl Jade threw into the lake" Beck told her. It was an awkward wait, but finally a nurse took them back to have their blood drawn. They'd get their results by Monday, and both opted for email alerts.

That night, they decided to do a proper date, and caught a movie. They both felt like something light, and the late night showings of childrens films were where adults got to see the films without the sounds children far too often make in the theater. Afterwords, they went to get food. It was casual, two good friends trying to bridge the gap between friendship and relationship. Tori enjoyed the comfort and feelings of safety she had with the boy. It was still early, they hadn't committed to any real relationship yet, but Tori was happy to spend some time with Beck.

Saturday morning Tori got a call from Andre. "Yo Chiquita, whats up?" The musician started.

"Hey Andre. Good Morning. Whats with the early call?" Tori asked.

"Just checking on you. Making sure nothing mysterious had happened." Andre smiled, and she could hear it in his voice. But while his statement may have sounded like a joke, under the surface he was deadly serious.

"Nope, I'm fine, just a little tired from the early call." Tori said.

"So you missed a pretty good par-tay last night." Andre said.

"Yea, I wasn't in the mood to go to some Nothridge party. I hope you guys had fun." Tori had gotten back from her date with Beck early enough that she could have caught the majority of the party. She didn't go because she was worried that she might run into Jade. No reason to risk anything before she and Beck made a decision about their future.

"Don't worry, we did fine. Soooo, you and Beck?" Andre asked.

"We're still just friends. I just wanted to comfort him. You know he's going through a lot right now." Tori wanted to say more, but didn't have anything else to add. She'd told Andre the truth, as she knew it.

"Look, I understand that Beck's going through a lot, and I'm as worried about him as anyone. It's you I'm concerned about now. Jade still reads the slap. By now, she knows the rumors, seen the pictures. And Tori, it looks like you're with Beck." The musician said.

"We're just friends." Tori emphasized as she opened her laptop and logged onto the slap. It took her moments to find the pictures.

"Just be careful, okay. I don't want anything to happen to either of you." Andre's concern was touching. Tori wanted to assure him that everything was okay, but she saw the pictures. Over a dozen pictures of her and Beck, and it looked like they were a couple in all of them.

"Andre, I have to go. I need to talk to Beck." Tori started.

"Give him some time. He was at the party last night, and I'm not sure if he's alone right now." Andre's statement broke Tori's heart. She'd stayed home after their date, but he apparently hadn't.

Two hours later, Tori had reached her breaking point. Knowing that confronting Beck right now could only hurt the friendship, Tori instead had waited for Trina to get up. Her sister had been on another date, and had probably gone to a party after since her dates usually didn't last that long. Finally, Trina walked down the stairs, and Tori pounced.

"Do you think I was moving too fast?" Tori asked.

"Why do you ask?" Trina said. "Is this about the pictures on the slap?"

"And the party I didn't go to last night. Beck still went, and may have picked up some slut." Tori's voice started to break.

"My god, is this what it's like to date Beck?" Trina asked. "Unable to trust him, or have him out on his own. Always afraid that if you do one of the legions of girls out there, plotting, might snatch him away.. Worried that some slut will have her one night with him." There was something more unsaid that Trina just let drop. She shifted to look at her sister, "Or maybe you should call him. It's possible he want to the party, and then went home alone."

Tori looked at her sister. She didn't know what to say, but decided it was probably a good idea to call Beck and see what happened. If she didn't judge him, then they could remain friends if he wasn't ready to stop sleeping around.

Again, she never got the chance. Beck called while she was making up her mind. "Tori, good morning. I just wanted to see if you'd seen the pictures on the slap?"

"I have, and I heard about the party you went to. I don't want to know if you did anything, just if you're ready to have a relationship." She asked him. "I mean, last night didn't have to mean anything."

"I went, hardly drank, and acted as wing-man for Sinjin and Burf. I didn't do anything more than dance with a couple of girls. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not going to sleep with anyone until I'm back in a stable relationship. I just work better that way." Beck reassured her. "You can ask Sinjin. I gave him a ride home."

"I don't have to." Tori said, sounding relieved. She wished it was because she believed him, but it really was because Sinjin wasn't a good liar. Beck's alibi would hold.

They chatted about stuff for a while, like their kinda date, and worried about their test. Tori had almost nothing to worry about. She didn't sleep around. Beck was far more worried. Not only could he have caught something from the Northridge girls, he could have caught all kinds of things from Jade. It made him reluctant to party. "I wish I didn't have to worry about what Jade might have given me, but it would be stupid not to, you know?" He said.

Instead of going to some party, they agreed to go on another date. To keep Tori feeling safe, he agreed to take her someplace Jade wasn't likely to go. "I'll pick you up around five, and we'll go get dinner and maybe some baby golf. From there, maybe we see a movie." Beck had proposed. It was a nice plan, and Tori felt good about it.

She spent the rest of the morning doing her homework. She didn't like having it hanging over her. Usually, she'd get it done before Saturday night so her parents would be more likely to accept her going out. That theory worked as long as she ignored how Trina did things. Her sister didn't ask about going out, she just went, and their parents didn't seem to care. Tori always asked, and her parents always said yes. As long as Tori could convince herself it was because she'd finished her homework, she felt almost cared about.

By five o'clock, Tori was ready to go. She'd wondered how late the date was planned for, thinking that maybe she could sneak over to a party one of her friends from Sherwood told her about. It wasn't likely anyone from Hollywood Arts would be there, and Tori felt she'd earned some partying. Her homework was done, Beck was coming to go out on a healthy date and Trina knew someone loved her. "Treen, you know I love you, right?" She'd asked. Tori made sure that, every once in a while, she told her sister she loved her. It was her normal, considering she couldn't remember the last time their parents had said it to either one of them.

Beck was punctual, arriving just before five. They exchanged pleasantries and took in how each other looked. Beck hadn't dressed up too much, continuing with his normal look. Tori, by contrast, had dressed up a bit. She was out to impress, while Beck was trying to keep things casual. Tori appreciated it.

Despite her intent to keep things light, Tori found herself wondering about Becks conquests. Last night had been casual, but this was technically a second date. It was time to start opening up about serious stuff. Tori decided to hold back, let Beck rebuild trust. He'd been hurt, and probably wasn't ready for anything too serious.

They'd gone to this takeout truck for dinner. Somehow Beck knew about every one of those food trucks, and he seemed to be up on what was best, or worse, at each one. They enjoyed the fajita's out of the truck, and talked about nothing as they sat on the sidewalk. Quickly 'nothing' turned towards Becks recent past.

"I-I really didn't know what I was doing. I mean, I was with these girls without thinking about what I was doing. I just kept thinking about how many men Jade had been with. The thought of her with other men, with Robbie, was just too much for me. I felt that I had to get even, make up for all the times she cheated on me." Beck confessed. It was painful, but Tori reasoned he needed to talk to someone.

"It's okay, Beck. You were hurting, and they were one way you tried to take away the pain. I understand. That's all over now. It is over, right?" Tori sounded concerned, but was worried that she was coming off too much like a friend. Maybe she should have scolded him for his actions, but Trina had warned her this might happen, so she kinda understood. 'Should I be worried about his behavior? I don't think I am, and I think I should be.' Tori's thoughts didn't interrupt the close attention she was paying to her Canadian friends concerns.

"I just hope that it's over now. Only it's never over. Tori, I never wanted to be one of those guys. The ones who sleep around without thinking about the consequences. It's too easy, and I hate easy. I need complicated, something to challenge me." Beck was telling her.

"It might get complicated anyways." Tori told him, desperately thinking of how she could change the topic. She didn't need her second real date with Beck to be this heavy. Tori sent her sister a text just to ease her mind.

Trina (From Tori) – How likely is it for a random unprotected hookup to get result in pregnancy? Beck wants to know.

Tori managed to send the text while holding her phone just out of eye line, but kept her eyes on Beck. "Please, Beck, we need to find a way for you to let this go. Monday we'll know if you got some kind of Northrige based disease, and once cleared of that, you can put this all behind you. We need to look towards the future." Tori was trying to give a pep talk, but it felt wrong.

"You mean, how do we deal with Jade? I don't think it's going to be our problem. Jade's out of the group, and I think she's got her own problems to deal with." Beck said. He didn't sound upset. If anything, he was sounding almost angry. Jade was obviously still a painful subject to the actor.

"Yea, that's another thing. Jade lives for revenge. Do you think she's gonna want to hurt you, us, for spreading those rumors?" Tori was more scared than before. Jade was dangerous. Scotty Pierson had a concussion from one throw. No telling what she'd do to the one responsible for those rumors, or the person he was dating.

"I'm not worried about Jade. I'm more worried about myself. I don't feel guilty about telling people her secrets. I know I should, that a decent person should feel bad about the damage I've done to Jade's reputation. But I don't, and it worries me." His gaze lingered on the street. "What did she do to me, if this is what I'm capable of. I never thought I could so casually..." His voice faded.

Tori was feeling a little more worried about Beck now. 'He's obviously torn up about what Jade did. How do I help him out of this depression? I just want him to be happy, right?' Her thoughts were broken by a text from her sister.

Tori (From Trina) – According to on line, about 2.5% per encounter, so overall less than ten percent chance that Beck has an extra problem. Don't sleep with him.

Tori smiled at her sisters warning. Trina really did look after her, even when their parents ignored them both. Trina was the one who needed what Tori had, friends who cared. Of course, Tori had no idea who Trina's friends were. She knew that her sister had friends, and that every girl Trina claimed to be friends with didn't particularly like her, but Trina had people who she hung out with. Tori wondered if they should look after each other more, deciding she didn't have the time. Her friends needed too much looking after. Beck needed too much looking after.

Trina (From Tori) – Going to a party after the date, wanna come?

Beck had been quiet for almost a minute, and that worried Tori. The actor was sounding lost, and Tori could understand why. Beck had always pictured himself as better than the guys who were out for a cheap thrill. Beck had been in a long term relationship with a girl who was hard to please for over three years, and he was used to being in a relationship. Sex in a relationship is about Trust, growing together, as well as satisfying whatever lust you might be feeling.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" Beck asked, out of the blue. Tori had been hoping that the conversation could get back to being light, care free attempts to impress each other. They were on a date, and she wanted it to be like any other date. It wasn't going to happen, and Tori knew why. She'd known Beck for over a year, and so she knew most of the things she'd learn on a second date anyways. Beck's 'I have no secrets' policy had made it easy to learn about him in the conversations they'd previously had.

"You expect me to answer, don't you?" Tori replied. She smiled, but honestly her main concern was slipping from being a good friend to being a good date, and this wasn't something successful dates talked about.

"Jade never cheated on me before. Even when we broke up, with the exception of Moose, she didn't date. Jade wasn't like most jealous girls, looking for their next relationship while freaking out about anyone I might look at. Jade stayed loyal to me, until she decided that she needed the money that badly." Beck sounded hurt. His head suddenly snapped up, and he caught Tori's eyes. "Her finances have been improving for a while now. Do you think she's been sleeping around for... Oh my god." His head slumped back down.

Tori decided this date was now officially a failure. Despite that, she felt that maybe they should continue, in case the baby golf helped improve Becks spirits. 'He's still too caught up in Jade. If I'm a good friend, I tell him to drop it. If I'm a good potential girlfriend, I tell him to get over her.' Tori thought as she got up and offered Beck her hand. "Baby Golf?"

"Yea, okay. Sorry. I didn't mean to get lost in my pain. It's just, you've been such a good friend, and I feel like I could talk to you about anything. Sorry, I didn't intend Jade to be the main subject." Beck sounded sincere, but Tori wasn't that easily swayed. She felt the pull, the attraction, even that spark, but it just didn't move her the way it might have.

They spent the rest of the date having fun. Tori didn't try to make anything more out of it than two friends hanging out, while Beck relaxed and just enjoyed the company. By the time Beck dropped her off, he was feeling much better.

"Tori, I just wanted to thank you. I had a wonderful night. And I'm sorry. I'm not over Jade yet. I know it's over. I burned that bridge when I told people about her family. I just... I need some time. If you're interested, once I'm ready, one I'm me again, then maybe we'll see. For now, I think I just needed a good friend. Thank you again." He gave her that smile of his, and she felt her knees give just a little. But at the same time, she knew that was just lust, the need to be with someone that hot.

"I understand. Thank you for being honest. You think the gang will understand?" Tori said.

"Maybe. I'll text them later, maybe post it on the slap." Beck said.

"Wait, maybe you shouldn't. Lets pretend to be in a relationship, so you can have time to heal. I'm not dating anyone anyways, and if I meet someone, then we can decide if we want to keep the charade up or not. I think it's be better for us." Tori said, smiling. She had no idea why it felt so important to keep up the illusion, but she knew she had to.

"Thanks, Tor. You're really looking out for me." He said, then he hugged her, and once they were apart again, he turned to go home.

Tori watched him walk to his car, get in, and drive away. 'Why didn't you invite him to the party? He could use some more fun? Oh yea, because these are my friends from Sherwood, and I don't want to share them.' Tori thought to herself.

:}

For those of you looking for Bori, here you go. Beck just isn't ready to be in a relationship yet. He's starting to find himself again, and he knows what he did to Jade was too much. You will see him finding himself more as time goes on. Now, how long until Tori realizes she's lost herself too. Her, Jade, and who knows who else, they just haven't been themselves. (Warning, snark alert) You'd almost think there's a reason for it. Like going through a major emotional crisis. We know what Beck's is, but how about everyone else? Lets see who is the next to start to find their way back.

I use the term "Burned that bridge" a lot, don't I. Review. Let me know your opinion on burning bridges.

Next time, someone does something, and there are consequences.