Disclaimer: The Show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.

Reunion

Chapter 7 – Doesn't everyone read Italian Vogue?

No One's POV

Tori and Jade exited the community center and began walking to Tori's car.

"Before we leave Jade, I have something for you." Said Tori, as she unlocked the trunk of her car.

"What?" Said Jade with a suspicious look.

Tori opened the trunk and smiled. "This."

Jade looked in the trunk to see several photo albums and a brown paper bag.

"What?" Said the confused Goth.

"Jade, you told me last night in some fit of rage you burned all of the pictures of me or us. Except for that one you happened to miss. Well, as you may remember I always sprung for that extra photo disk when I had pictures developed. I distinctly remember you mocking me about it, on numerous occasions. Well when I left you, I packed them up in my haste to leave. I spent the entire day today, having copies made and put into albums. I ran out of time so only about half the pictures are in the albums. The rest of the pictures are in the paper bag. My apologies for not having it totally done."

With a stunned look on her face, Jade wordlessly opened one of the photo albums and removed a picture. Looking at it, she saw it was of Tori sleeping on the couch. She thought back, Tori had fallen asleep watching TV and Jade snapped a picture of it. Jade remembered thinking she looked cute.

A tear quickly came Jade's eye. "Dam you Vega. Must you always make me cry, by doing such wonderful things for me."

Tori kissed her on the cheek. "I can't let the good memories die, now can't I? Part of the healing process is to remember the good times."

Jade scowled for a moment and then kissed Tori, before returning the photo to it's place.

"Thank you Tori."

"Welcome Jade, Come on, I'm hungry. "

A minute later, they were speeding through the city towards the upscale restaurant called Fina.

"Can I ask you a question Tori?" Jade asked with a pensive look.

"What?"

"Are you still afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid if you Jade, I'm afraid of her. Your rather nasty alter-ego, who shows up when you've been drinking. More specify, I'm afraid of her showing back up. I'm not sure if that's what you wanted to hear but that's my answer."

Jade nodded, "An honest answer and it makes sense."

"Enough of that, let's have a good time." Tori said. "Insult me, you'll feel much better."

"Fuck you Vega." Jade snapped.

Tori laughed. "That's the spirit."

A few minutes later, they were pulling up in front of Fina. It was one of the most upscale and trendiest resturants in town.

"Now to get you inside, of course your ensemble fits perfectly." Tori said sarcastically.

Jade opened the front door for her date. "Your problem Vega, Not mine."

They entered the expensive restaurant where the Maitre d' was standing just inside the doorway at his little station. He looked to be a slightly balding man in his 40's. He looked very much like the snooty waiter type.

"Ahh welcome Miss Tori, good to have you back so soon" he said warmly.

It was when he turned his attention to Jade with her Jeans, Insane Clown Posse shirt and leather Jacket did his smile quickly fade.

"I'm sorry there is a dress code here at Fina. We are an upscale establishment." He said trying to look sorry, which obviously he wasn't.

Jade just smirked and looked at Tori.

Tori quickly smiled. "Don't you recognize my guest? I know she's not dressed for the restaurant, but she just got off a photo shoot less than half an hour ago." Tori said with some urgency.

Jade looked at Tori and raised an eyebrow.

The Maitre D suddenly had a confused look on her face. "I'm sorry who.."

Tori suddenly put her arm around Jade. "This is Natalia Viranovich, the Russian supermodel. God, don't you read Italian vogue? Everyone who's everyone, reads Italian Vogue.

The maitre D' looked like he was beginning to sweat. "Umm.. I don't read Italian Vogue."

"Natalia is on the current cover. We are talking, the most in demand model in the world and you're going to throw her out on the street? Hey come on, I'm a world famous pop star, do you think I would hang out with some schmuck, bit part TV actress?"

Jade instantly put on her best model's pout and suddenly burst in what sounded like a perfect Russian accent. "Tori, perhaps we should find someplace more…." Jade let the word's hang in the air as the Maitre D suddenly seemed to get nervous.

It was then; Tori realized Jade was doing an almost flawless imitation of Natasha from The old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. All that was missing was a reference to "Moose and Squirrel." Tori had to bite her lip, to keep from laughing.

"Right this way please." He quickly said, looking like he was going to faint.

As they started to walk, Tori said. "An intimate table please, we don't want to be disturbed."

He led them to a separate section of the restaurant behind some curtains. It was a small area reserved for VIPs with a few tables. It had red walls and was dimly lit. Tori and Jade were shown to corner booth.

"Thank you." Tori said.

"Spasibo" Jade said, still wearing her model's pouty face.

After a few seconds Jade put her hand on Tori's shoulder, digging her fingers into it. Causing just a bit of pain. Tori knew she would end up paying for that little insult she had just heaped on the Goth.

"Schmuck, bit part TV player" Jade said, her eyes narrowing.

Tori simply burst out laughing which only seemed to annoy Jade even further.

"Who in the fuck is Natalia Viranovich anyway? I've never heard of her."

"No one has, I made her up. I knew what ever story I cooked up, you could act the part. I wasn't sure if he'd buy it, for a second. Nice bit with the thank you in Russian. Of course if you had dressed nicely I wouldn't have to do that. "

Jade chuckled. "Don't want to make it too easy for you Vega. I knew how to say thank you because of that bit part, were I played a Russian assassin in that spy show. And never call me a schmuck again."

Tori nodded.

Jade thought for a moment. "I'll probably regret asking but what did you do while you were away from me? You said you went on tour but didn't elaborate."

Tori had a far away look in her eyes for a moment. "I was heartbroken. For 3 weeks I sat in my rented home and cried. My manager urged me to get on the road and perform. He said I was always happiest when I was on stage. Not quite correct, as I was happiest when we were together in the good days. I thought it helped and I wanted to get away, so I quickly threw together a European tour."

Jade eyes Tori suspiciously. "All those groupies, what ever did you do?" Tori noticed a slight jealous tone her words.

Tori took in a deep breath through he nose and exhaled it. "Ok, I indulged myself for the first few dates. I'm not going to lie about it."

"I suppose you were taking girls to your hotel two at a time." Jade remarked caustically.

Jade noticed, that Tori's eyes instantly diverted to her water glass.

"OH MY GOD, YOU ACTUALLY DID." Jade said, very much shocked.

Tori turned beet read. "Only in Rotterdam" She said sheepishly.

Jade put her head face down, on the table. "If you tell me they were twins, I'm going to kill myself."

"No. They were not twins. "

"Well thank god for that." Jade said lifting her head back up, looking and sounding very irritated. "Well didn't our path's diverge. Me, I'm doing things in bathrooms to score drugs that I care not think about and you're fucking Dutch lesbians two at a time."

Tori's face seem to droop as a frown slowly appeared on it. "None of them were you. That's why I stopped. I only felt lonelier the next day." Tori said quietly as she looked down.

Jade took Tori's hand. "That was unfair of me. I shouldn't think you didn't suffer. I'm sorry."

Tori looked up at Jade. "I was lonely. I felt like half a person. The only time I felt like I was whole is when I was on stage. My tour lasted 7 months. I would sit night after night in my huge hotel room alone. Wondering where we went wrong, wondering what I did wrong. Worrying about you. Feeling depressed because I thought my Jade was gone forever. After I came home. I bought a nice house on the beach and did the same thing every night. I didn't date, I didn't go out, I didn't write music."

The girls were interrupted by their waiter, who took their order. Jade used her russian accent when ordering, as she didn't want to give herself away.

"I thought you hated me, which was the worst part." Tori said as the waiter left.

"I don't think I ever really hated you. I was just so angry. Mostly at myself. In those first six months I purposely sabotaged my entire life, putting myself on a downward spiral. I think subconsciously, I was punishing myself for driving you away."

Tori squeezed Jade's hands. "We're no good apart. Working together we got you into one of the fanciest restaurants in town, with you wearing a t shirt and jeans. Working together, we can keep you sober and on the road to recovery. Not just your recovery, but our recovery."

Jade gave Tori a quick kiss. "I like that line of thinking."

"Good. We're on the same page."

Jade threw up her hands. "OK, I'll die if I don't find out. It's killing me. What was it like?"

Tori looked confused. "What was what like?"

"Don't play stupid Vega. You're happy little threesome. Look we were broken up, so I have no right to get mad."

"You really want the answer to that question?" Tori said.

"No, but it will kill me if I don't find out the answer." Jade said with dismay.

Tori smiled "It was fun."

Jade frowned. "Fun…Fun…You fuck two girls at once and you merely describe it as fun. What's wrong with you?"

"Ok, it was real fun."

Jade put up her hands in a stop motion. "Just forget it. Maybe I don't want that answer."

"If it will make you feel better, you're much more fun."

For the rest of the evening, Jade and Tori talked about other things. Jade spoke at length about the TV show she was on. Saying that her role could possibly get larger as time goes on. They had a wonderful expensive dinner which Tori picked up the tab for. Tori avoided questions about Jade's downward spiral before she got clean. She sensed, that Jade wasn't quite ready to discuss it in any length. She decided to approach it at a later time.

At the end of the night Tori took Jade home.

"Hey, I'll help you carry up the photo albums." Tori said as she put her car in park.

"Ok, thanks Tori. My apartment isn't much too look at. It's not clean."

Tori leaned over and kissed Jade on the neck. "Don't care about the apartment. Its occupant is the only thing I'm concerned with. Besides if things go smoothly, you won't be living here a whole lot longer."

Jade smiled but said nothing.

"I bought my house in the hope, at the time a dim hope, that it would be our house someday. I have a room set aside for you, for you to write in or what ever you like. It overlooks the ocean.

Tear formed in Jade's eye. "Dam you Vega, you did it again. You made me cry."

Tori smiled, gave Jade a kiss and got out of the car. Tori grabbed some photo albums and Jade grabbed the rest of the stuff and they went upstairs.

Jade's apartment was a small studio apartment. Kitchenette in one corner, Bed in a second corner with a couch and TV in between. It was a bit cluttered but otherwise not too messy. Predictably a poster for The Scisssoring was on the wall over the bed.

"You work tomorrow Jade?"

Jade nodded. "My call time is 7 AM. I have to be in costume and on set."

Tori glanced at the clock on the wall. "Its after 10:30 I better go so you can get some sleep."

Jade slid her arms around Tori and pulled her in a warm embrace.. "Strange date huh?"

Tori smiled. "I was with you, that's all that matters.."

Jade leaned and gave Tori a long and somewhat wet kiss.

"Now beat it Vega, I need some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow." Jade said with a smirk.

Tori kissed her again and left. It was a strange date, Tori thought. Including an AA meeting, Jade pretending to be a supermodel and discussion of a threesome with two Dutch lesbians.

Tori just laughed and smiled. "Because as odd as it sounded, she knew things were going to be just fine."

Spasibo is Russian for Thank you.

If you've never seen Rocky and Bullwinkle, I recommend it. My dad used to watch it all the time. He loved it.

I would have had this out sooner but I've had a touch of writers block with this one and I've been working on a yet unreleased story. Have a good day, thanks and please review.