AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of this little story; I hope you are all well.
As ever at this point I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed last time; I hope you all liked it, especially that scene (you all know the one…)
Challenge King – I'm glad you liked it. I think those two would certainly look to help out a friend and let her know that they were there to support her when she was feeling lonely or down about Beck's absence. As for their reactions to seeing quite a lot of Jade… I can't say I blame them for it.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – An OT3? Well there may be scope for some fun between them all in an AU later on in this (or maybe it'll work its way into the story itself somewhere, who knows?) As for Bade, yes they have to figure things out or resign themselves to some time apart.
One Horse Shay – It may come to that for Beck and Jade; career or relationship. That's a tough one. As for the point of college – that will come to a head for Beck very soon.
Agent-M – I'm glad you liked it. Time's a little tough for Jade right now; she has friends who will hopefully help her through it.
That's everyone, on with the show.
Chapter 7
Friday, 16th November 2012.
"WHERE IS SHE?" the man yelled; his nose inches from the terrified girl's.
"I don't know," Tori whimpered desperately.
The man's hand swung and the dull smack of flesh on flesh echoed around the small, dimly lit room. The brunette's face jerked to the side and she raised her left hand to her right cheek.
"I will not ask you again," he growled murderously. "Tell me where she IS!"
"I told you, I don't know!" Tori's voice was tiny and she was trembling; the singing sensation found herself desperately wishing that Freddie was with her.
The man swung his hand back, generating another thump as the half-Latina's head jerked the other way. She lifted her right hand and touched the cheek; looking at her fingers she could see a red smear of blood that had come from her face where she had touched it. Her captor drew a handgun from his jacket and levelled it at her forehead.
"I'm going to count to three and you are going to tell me what I want to know before I get there." There was no emotion in his voice; on the contrary he possessed a maniacal calm.
"One," the gun inched closer to her head. "Two," the tip was a fraction from her skin.
"I keep telling you, I don't know," the girl wailed desperately.
"Three." He pulled the trigger; a gun-shot echoed around the room, causing all present to involuntarily jump a little before the brunette slumped back in her chair.
"And CUT!" called the director in elation. "That was awesome, guys. Tori, you're sure you've never been a hostage or a kidnap victim before."
"My roommate has suggested it but no," she replied enthusiastically, albeit with a wry smile at some of Jade's 'semi-serious' suggestions from bygone days. "I just found myself wishing for my boyfriend to be here and tried to tap into the fear of thinking I'd never see him again."
"Well it worked," the 'gunman' told her with a smile. "You were fantastic. It's a shame we had to kill you really."
"Thanks, I guess…" she trailed off a little awkwardly.
"It's true," the director's note carried the faintest hint of regret. "If we hadn't cast all the parts already and shot quite a bit of it then I'd be campaigning for you to have a bigger and better role. As it is I'll definitely be recommending that we hire you in the future for some of our movies."
"Well, thanks," she smiled, pleased to have made such a positive impression.
The studio had called her agent a few weeks ago; they needed a teenage girl for a small role in a new movie following a slight rewrite during filming and, with her resume from Hollywood Arts and her profile from both the Platinum Music Awards and her on-going mini-tour, they had decided on Tori Vega for the part. She played the heroine's daughter and, as the scene had shown, she was kidnapped in an effort to draw the star out into the open and was killed when she couldn't or wouldn't reveal her mother's location to the bad guys.
"Maybe we can use her in some flash-backs in the rest of the series?" one of the production staff suggested. "You know, while her mom's on the whole vengeance kick she thinks back on her daughter – maybe she appears to her in a dream to get her off the revenge path?"
"We can pitch it to the writers and moneymen, sure," the director agreed. "But for now," he turned to the teenager and offered his hand; she shook it, "we have to say thank you, goodbye and that we hope to see you again soon. And we'll get the special effects guys on the scene; y'know, bullet-hole in your head, cut on your cheek where he 'drew blood', it'll be great."
"Thank you for the opportunity," the girl was genuine in her appreciation; she then left the set and headed back to the dressing rooms to get ready to leave.
430 Dalehurst Avenue, Los Angeles.
"Hey babe, how was it?" Freddie called from the kitchen as his tired girlfriend walked through the front door.
"Oh, y'know," she shrugged, "I got kidnapped and shot in the head; had to fake being slapped around, usual stuff," she finished with a smile.
"So your big movie debut really ends with your character being killed off?" Jade asked as she slipped out of Beck's embrace and walked over to her friend.
"Yeah but they're hoping to bring her back in the sequel if they can," and she began to explain what had been suggested.
"Well it sounds as if they liked you at least," the Canadian actor spoke up, "that's half the battle; the studio should call you for some other stuff with a bit of luck."
"Yeah, it's all profile-building," Freddie added.
"They kill you and still want you in the next movie; some people get the breaks," Jade was happy for her friend yet couldn't keep the faintest hint of resentment from her tone at things working out perfectly yet again for the starlet.
The darker brunette couldn't really complain though; her own career was starting to gather pace as her role in the sitcom expanded. From starting as a bit-part character they had decided that they liked what they saw of her acting and on-screen demeanour; the call had been made to increase her screen-time episode on episode and she had already been signed, at an improved rate, for the second series of the show (something that the network had provisionally agreed to, though it would, of course, depend on ratings when the show aired in the following Spring). For now Jade was able to continue to work the filming around her college work, along with a little singing here and there (she had joined Tori for her encore after last weekend's concert and they had wowed the crowds with their duet). Beck, however, was reaching the point where a decision really had to be made.
"I saw my tutor again today," he revealed wearily as the quartet sat around the kitchen table eating a couple of Freddie's meticulously prepared pizzas, "and I really am missing too much time. There's no way, unless I stop filming now, that I'm going to be able to pass the semester."
"Well you can't just quit your first starring role," the tech genius argued.
"He's right," his girlfriend backed him up, "college will be here later but if you quit now then you run the risk of being black-balled." Her eyes met with Jade's as they both flashed back to the conversation on the subject that they had shared a few years earlier.
"Yeah Beck," Jade turned to her man, "it's the dream of all of us who were at Hollywood Arts to make it in the biz; you can't throw that away for a college degree."
"I know," he conceded, "but like we discussed it would mean a lot more time when I wasn't here, where we were apart. I'd miss you," he finished softly, giving the girl a gentle peck on the lips.
"I'll miss you two babe but we always knew there'd have to be sacrifices if we were to make it. I love you; we'll be good."
"I love you too."
Freddie and Tori exchanged looks at the other couple's exchange; even as housemates it seemed awkward for them to witness such a tender and private interlude. They were also sharing looks of slight relief that their own relationship wasn't being tested in such a way; Tori's profile from the PMAs meant that she had called enough of the shots to work around staying in LA while she built her music profile. A nationwide tour was planned for the following summer – during the summer break, which meant that Freddie could accompany her. She had mentioned his talents with technical wizardry to the studio and there was even the possibility that he could land a job on that side of things while on the road with them (he would be called in for an 'audition' during one of the rehearsals for the girl's last gig this weekend).
"So you guys all think I should drop out then?" Beck asked over coffee.
"You have to do what's right for you," Freddie replied even-handedly, "but you need to decide if it's worth being in college or whether you're better off working in the field you actually want to be in. Heck, if I landed my dream job now with the chance to work my way up then I'd quit college; on-the-job training would be way more useful than another two-and-a-half years in school."
"I guess," the freshman responded weakly, before turning back to his girlfriend. "I just hate the idea of being away for weeks on end while we finish filming."
"I'll be here when you get back," Jade shrugged. "I wish I could come and visit you but my hands will be full with my workload in and out of college."
"And keeping your 'tan' topped up?" Freddie grinned.
"Yeah, I need to reapply on days that you're not around," she laughed. Beck looked a little uncomfortable as the other three shared a small, slightly embarrassed grin at the memory of that day.
"Freddie, have you got a minute?" Beck called; Jade had headed up to bed a couple of minutes ago and he and Tori were about to go too. The light brunette paused on the stairs before her boyfriend waved her up.
"Go on, I'll be up in a minute."
"What would you do," Beck began without preamble. "I know you said you'd quit for the right job, but what if that job was in Boston or somewhere? Somewhere where you'd be miles from Tori and might never see her for weeks on end."
The former Seattle native frowned and gave a deep sigh. "I can't answer that," he admitted. "Tori risked quite a lot because she didn't want us to be apart; she was lucky to be in a powerful enough position that the label were willing to acquiesce to her demands. I don't think I'd have that pull. I guess I'm lucky that Silicon Valley is right here in California so I'd never be that far from LA and from my girl even if that sort of job did materialise. If it involved moving thousands of miles away… we'd both have some talking and thinking to do because it's a decision we would have to make together."
The taller teen nodded. "I've talked to Jade, obviously, and she says I should go and put my career first."
"She loves you enough to support you in doing that."
"Right, or she just wants me out of the way," he joked. "I don't want to be apart from her for that long though," Beck ran his hand through his hair and frowned, "and she can't exactly fly up for the weekend because we're both working now."
"How long will you be gone?"
"About a month at a time before we'd then get a week off; everyone else has a family too."
"Try it," the short-haired sophomore shrugged. "If it really doesn't work out and you miss Jade too much then you can talk to them about revising the workload again. But for now, if you want to act, then I guess you need to just go for it."
"You're right, I will. I'll let the university know next chance I get."
"You're not staying until Monday?" Freddie was surprised.
"They're flying me back to Vancouver on Monday morning," he explained. "Jade and I have this weekend and then… that's it for a while." His face fell at the thought.
En route to UCLA
Monday, 19th November 2012.
"It's about time we invited André over again, isn't it?" Freddie asked the girls as he drove the three of them to school.
"Yeah, last time we talked at RPX he said his grandmother's still with them but…" Tori trailed off and looked dejectedly out of the front passenger window; in the beck Jade bowed her head a little as the same thought went through her mind.
"Maybe we could do this weekend, ask Cat and Mel as well and make a bit of a party of it?" the driver suggested.
"Oh, if we're having a party then we should have it at my parents' place," Tori brightened. "That way we can make it a pool party. Pool, Jacuzzi, it'll be awesome," she enthused. Pool party? Freddie thought, certain images immediately flooding into his brain.
"Sounds great," her fellow brunette piped up, "I can work on my tan once Cat starts talking," she half-joked.
"Anyone else you want to invite?" Freddie asked, "Robbie?"
"Yeah, where is Robbie these days?" Tori suddenly wondered aloud.
"I've no idea," Jade answered, "I'd have thought that Cat might know but she hasn't mentioned him recently."
"What did Cat say the last time you guys talked?" he asked curiously.
"She said she had an audition for something but couldn't remember what; typical Cat," the gothic brunette smirked, "so whether or not she got it I have no idea."
"And she and Melanie still do some babysitting too?" he prompted.
"Wait, you were serious about that?" Tori asked their friend. "Who'd trust Cat with their kid?"
"I have no idea," Jade admitted. "Melanie seems responsible though," she observed.
"Certainly more so than her sister," Freddie agreed as he turned the car onto the university campus.
As a sophomore Freddie had noticed an appreciable increase in his workload in recent weeks; he and Andy were having to work late at least a couple of days a week in order to keep on top of their projects. On those days the girls would travel in a different car, either Jade or Tori doing the driving depending on the girls' moods, but the boys had agreed that they needed at least a couple of evenings a week to spend with their significant others so they made sure that work didn't consume all of their free time; for today they would content themselves with working for the hour between classes in the afternoon.
"Ok," Andy pulled out the folder with their project work in it; it had been his turn to look after it and he had managed to do a little more over the weekend, "so we're pretty much done with the design now," he began, "and the blueprint is in the right sort of form. I redrew it yesterday if you want to look over it."
Freddie accepted the paper from his partner and studied it carefully, thinking back on how the draft had looked. "Yeah, that looks fine," he smiled, returning it.
"So now we just need to get it built," Andy sat back in his chair.
"That shouldn't take too long; I can put these things together quite easily."
"Anything I can do to help that part?"
"Not really. It's really not a two-person job as it's so small and fiddly."
Andy nodded; he had made the offer but expected his friend to decline. It was why he had done a little more work on the design, knowing that it was the best way to arrange an equitable division of the work.
"I'll start with the template for the evaluation then; that way we can just put in the appropriate comments when we actually see how it works."
"Cool. So, how's things with your girl?" he asked as the two headed for their next class.
"We're getting there, thanks for asking. Still getting to know one another a bit and some of her friends are a bit…" Andy tailed off with a shrug, "but I like her and she seems to tolerate me," he grinned.
"Do you want to invite her to a pool party this weekend? We're hosting one at Tori's parents' place. Should be a fun evening."
"That'd be great; I'll ask her and let you know."
Freddie nodded.
The girls, meanwhile, were busily immersing themselves in their acting and singing classes. One of Jade's teachers for the day happened to be Beck's tutor and he confirmed that the boy had called from Canada late morning to say that he would be taking some time away from college, though not going so far as to drop out just yet. The two girls were still leading groups of their classmates in varying acting assignments; the others were eager to try and pick things up from the more experienced duo. Tori, meanwhile, still had to contend with people eager to perform duets with her in her singing class; due to her touring she was still more comfortable working alone and negotiating with the course tutor how best to gain extra credit for her solo shows. They were still ironing out the details but they would find a way of making it happen.
Tori and Jade had headed for lunch together; Tori had texted Freddie but he was busy working on his project. The two, therefore, spent the hour together in the refectory. They had hoped to be alone but that proved not to be the case as a pair of sophomore students approached them.
"Hello, ladies," one, a blond, greeted them. Tori rolled her eyes at the intrusion.
"What do you want?" Jade snapped, already losing her patience.
"Don't be like that, gorgeous," the second boy, with black hair, responded jovially, placing his hand affectionately on her shoulder.
"Move it or lose it," she growled; he gave her a cautious look and let go of her.
"Better; if it happens again you won't get options."
"What about you," the first smiled at Tori and sat close to him.
"My boyfriend wouldn't like it if he found you sat near me." Jade smirked at the reply; Freddie was one of the most mild-mannered guys on the planet but she knew he would do whatever it took to keep Tori safe – or her for that matter.
Undeterred the pair sat either side of the girls, for Tori and Jade it was depressingly reminiscent of their 'date' at Nozu in senior year. The two exchanged glances and just got up.
"Hey, what's the rush?" The blond made the mistake of catching Jade's arm as they began to walk away; she spun quickly and swung her right hand hard towards him, the combined momentum yielded a hugely satisfying smack and sent the shocked boy to the floor.
"I warned you," she muttered and turned to join Tori so that they could leave the refectory.
"Sorry," Tori mouthed apologetically to one of the staff as they made their retreat. The darker haired boy just stared after them and watched them leave; he was smart enough not to pursue them further.
Vega Residence, Hollywood Hills
Saturday, 24th November 2012.
Beck was still in Canada but, with the Vega parents (and Trina) away for the weekend Tori had been able to throw the dinner-and-pool party that she had wanted to. Their songsmith friend was still in a sombre mood when he arrived around 4 p.m. (around half an hour after Andy and his girl); he put on a brave face for them but they could tell that he was still full of worry over the worsening condition of his grandmother.
They were joined about an hour later by Freddie, straight from work at the Pear Store, Melanie and Cat; the ebullient red-head was in high spirits and had exciting news for the group.
"I got a job," she cried happily, laughing at the end of her announcement.
"The audition was a success then?" Tori asked, pleased for her friend.
"Yeah, I got a part in Wicked; I'm playing the role of Glinda," she explained.
"Cool," Jade enthused, happy for her talented friend to get some recognition and work.
"Yeah, she's practising like non-stop," Melanie noted; there was no hint of bitterness in the blonde's voice. "I've been helping her with some of her rehearsals, she should be good for opening night."
"And how's the babysitting going?" Freddie prompted.
"It pays some of the bills," the good twin grinned, "and it keeps us busy; those kids really keep us on our toes."
"Ok, everyone, let's head out the back," Tori suggested.
"Oh yay, pool!" Cat declared; she raced out the back and stripped to her red bikini before leaping into the pool; Melanie followed suit, though hers was dark blue.
"Jade?" Tori asked, raising her eyebrows. Her housemate revealed a mid-blue one-piece but eschewed the pool and made for the hot tub instead.
"You know me and my hot tubs," she grinned; Freddie turned to his girl for an explanation.
"She likes to pretend that she's been captured by a witch and is being turned into soup."
"Ok then," the boy was a little perplexed by the explanation but accepted it with a casual shrug. He changed in his girl's old room, while she also stripped to her costume, and they headed out together and joined the others in her parents' pool.
"André, come in," Tori urged. The dreadlocked musician shook his head sadly and continued to sit on one of the chairs by the pool. "Come on," she repeated as she lifted herself out of the pool by pushing on the stonework that surrounded it; the singer felt the sun warming her wet skin as she walked over to her friend.
"Thanks Tori but I'm just not in the mood," he complained.
"Worrying about your grandmother?" she guessed sympathetically.
"Yeah," he sighed, "she's still getting worse. It's just…" he tailed off as he began to sob and sniff a little, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. The still damp girl took a seat next to him and slipped an arm round his shoulders as Jade eyed them from the hot tub, her own mood worsening a little as she eyed her housemate consoling their mutual friend; the darker-haired teen made a mental note to offer her own words to him a little later on and tried to focus on something else. Fortunately Cat was very good at providing a distraction as she splashed giddily in the pool, laughing hysterically as she, Freddie and Melanie engaged in a water fight.
Jade was surprised to detect additional movement in the hot tub; she turned to the newcomers, Freddie's friend Andy and his girl.
"Hi Jade," the boy smiled.
"Hey," she replied.
"This is Allie."
"Hi," she managed to get out, while her mind flew back to Beck's neighbour the cheerleader; the girl had only been nine at the time but the actor had neglected to mention that and it had resulted in one of the many rows between them over the years.
This Allie, however, seemed altogether different, Jade mused as the three talked in the tub. The girl was majoring in art but knew enough about the technology stuff Andy and Freddie were doing to enable them to have conversations about it.
"I'm hoping she'll do some of my drawings for me," the boy grinned, "I really am not good at that sort of thing."
"If you make it worth my while," the blonde teased seductively, stealing a quick kiss. Jade closed her eyes at this and began to relax in the swirling waters; she wasn't too eager to eavesdrop on their private moment and was enjoying the soothing waters, even though screaming about a witch capturing her would have been an inappropriate thing to do at that moment. She grinned as she suppressed the thought.
"Ok everyone," Freddie's voice suddenly distracted her from her daydreaming, "dinner is ready, so if you all grab a seat out here I'll start bringing stuff out." He headed inside, Tori just behind him as the other guests grabbed towels and began to take seats at the garden table. Jade took one next to André so that they could talk a little during the meal.
The young couple had done an excellent job with the food and were thanked by all their guests at the conclusion of the meal. Andy insisted on helping to clear stuff away (his friendly competition with his course partner spilling over into yet another aspect of their lives) while Jade and Tori took the opportunity to soak up a few more rays before the sun began to set over Los Angeles.
430 Dalehurst Avenue
"Did you enjoy that?" Tori asked her man as they, and Jade, settled into the living room; each was armed with a mug of cocoa (even Jade feeling it was too late for coffee).
"I did; I think it worked well, though we didn't exactly cheer André up as hoped," he noted sadly.
"No, I think his mood's going to be like that until… the end," Jade commented as delicately as she could.
"We just need to be there for him when it does – and beforehand – and let him know he has friends that he can count on," Tori added; the others nodded.
"At least Cat seems happy," the tech wizard tried to look on the brighter side of things.
"Yeah, landing a part in a show; it makes up for missing out on the Snow White role." The girl's unnatural tan still hadn't faded sufficiently after her mishap and the theatre company had been forced to cast someone else as time was getting on.
"Y'know," Tori smiled at her fellow freshman, "Cat getting that part gives me an idea for a project for the singing class we share."
"Ah, you're thinking a little duet action again?" Jade grinned.
"And I know just the song…" the light brunette smiled.
"So you had a good time at the party?" Tori asked again as she and her boy cuddled in bed.
"You, Jade, Cat and Mel in swimsuits on a sunny evening; what's not to like?" he joked, earning himself a playful swat to his chest. He caught the offending hand and kissed it gently. "I had a great time," he assured her.
"Me too," she confirmed, pulling him close for a goodnight kiss.
AN: That's the end of this chapter; thanks for reading and please feel free to let me know what you thought of it. PD.
