AN: Hello everyone and welcome to this latest part of the story; I hope you are all well.

My thanks, as always, to everyone who read and reviewed chapter 10.

Challenge King - they just needed to talk things through really and make sure that they were both on the same page and wanting the same thing. They're a compatible couple but at this point it's maybe not fully apparent to them. Freddie will be looking to help out the Valentines if he can; it's not in his nature to do otherwise.

ldschick99 - Cat's brother's actual condition is never really identified, though it was apparently caused by him falling out of a hotel room window in Las Vegas. Cat's stories show that he's rather messed up though.

Fanfic-Reader-88 - yes, I think her behaviour is something of a defence mechanism given the state of her home life and the pain of seeing what her brother has become.

Darck Ben - thanks.

Pbow - excellent point and observation. I doubt it would be something that Freddie would raise but the whole rebound thing has certainly piqued something and it may just be brought up by somebody else - someone who historically doesn't have Freddie's best interests at heart.

Mbell1022 - thanks. Deep down Trina really does love Tori and wanted to support her sister.

Aimee Turner - thanks.

- I'm glad you liked it.

That's everyone so on with the story.

Chapter 11

Vega Residence, Hollywood Hills

Tuesday, 19th July 2011.

"Did you say anything to Cat?" Tori asked as she and Freddie took seats in the otherwise vacant living room; they, along with Trina (who was headed to the kitchen to get some sodas), had just returned home from Karaoke Dokie where they had 'celebrated' Freddie's final night in Los Angeles before he and Tori made the long journey north in the morning.

"About what?" Trina called from the fridge; she was curious, not having been party to any discussions they'd had over the last few days.

It was Freddie who answered. "Remember when we went to hang at Cat's last week after she'd been over here swimming?" Trina nodded the affirmative as she came over with three drinks in hand, passing two along to the others. "Well we… got a glimpse of her home life," he continued delicately. "You've heard stories about her brother."

"One or two," the older girl confirmed before taking a quick sip and wiping her mouth, "but they've always seemed a little… incredulous to me."

"Me too," Freddie admitted, "until we met him that night. Cat said it explains her…" he glanced at Tori before continuing, "somewhat erratic behaviour and tendencies," he added delicately; Trina privately felt that was an understatement but didn't comment about one of her sister's best friends.

"So what does this have to do with you telling her something?" she pried instead.

"Well, you know my mom's a nurse, right?" The diva nodded again. "I mentioned it when I checked in with her at the weekend and she said she'd talk to some of the doctors and specialists that she knows at the hospital in Seattle, see if anyone has any ideas about treatments that Cat's family might not be aware of. I don't want to give her false hope just to snatch it away again though so I'm waiting on a reply from my mom before saying anything." He looked at Tori. "Probably I'll pass the information on to you to give to her, since I won't see her again on this trip."

The finality of his statement and the reality it signified struck home for the trio; Trina had been so used to having him around that she was really going to miss him – Tori too while she was up there with her man. The couple, meanwhile, were both looking forward to the privacy of the trip would afford them (if not the length of the drive) and Freddie was looking forward to getting back home, seeing his mother and showing off Seattle to his girlfriend (though the prospect of dealing with Carly and Sam after the events that took place before he left town wasn't one he was looking forward to) but as he thought back on his stay he could certainly appreciate the climate, and pool, that he'd enjoyed over the past few weeks. Tori, meanwhile, was a little saddened by the fact that, even with this extension of their time together, at some point soon they'd reach the stage of having to do things long-distance; she decided that she needed a part-time job and fast so she could afford the air fares to get her up and down the Pacific coast whenever she wanted.

Freddie had, unbeknown to anyone (especially the aforementioned Seattle-based girls), also been looking for employment before this trip and had fixed himself up with a position at the Pear store starting in August; the success of his visit, however, left him thinking that he was going to need to do a few extra shifts over the coming weeks and months in order to pay a few more visits to the City of Angels; he had also decided that it was time to think about colleges other than those in his home state.

Trina decided to put the TV on and sat idly channel hopping as she came down from the emotional high of her performance at the club earlier; they had even managed to drag Freddie up to sing, against his better judgement, but he had at least enjoyed the chance to perform and just have some fun. Privately the group, minus Trina of course, thought his performance was far better than that of the older of the Vega girls. With one eye on the clock, as he wanted to make an early start on the long journey, Freddie decided to stay down until he finished his drink before heading to bed, with Tori doing the same.

After the couple said their goodnights, Trina looked around the now deserted living room and sighed; it was great that she could hang with Tori and her friends but, she decided, she really needed to find a guy for herself, and perhaps a couple of friends in her own classes. She thought back on the slightly pained conversation she'd had with her younger sister a few weeks ago and had to admit that she really didn't like the Trina that they were seeing. That Freddie accepted her for who she was was great, and Tori was moving in that direction as well (especially having learnt how much hurt the mockery directed at her older sister had caused her) but she knew if she wanted to be taken seriously (which she did, of course, especially as she was still confident of carving out a career in Tinseltown) she would have to make a few moves and changes too; she had eventually decided that it would be a different Trina that returned to Hollywood Arts in the autumn, though right now she was having to suppress a laugh (mindful of her sleeping parents) as a show on the Spanish Language Channel caught her eye.

Wednesday, 20th July 2011.

"You all set?" Freddie smiled as he saw his girlfriend emerging from the upper floor of her home; she was wielding a small suitcase (as she planned to be in Seattle for a few days) along with a smaller bag with a few things for overnight and trying to negotiate the staircase with them. She looked up and met his grin with one of her own.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" she teased, "you're the one that needs to have everything packed; I just need enough for a few days."

He shrugged as his smirk intensified. "If I forget something then I've an excuse to come back," he observed as he joined her on the stairs and took the case from her.

"Oh, that would be your only reason to come back to LA?" she mock-pouted, earning a kiss that her father pretended to ignore.

"I guess there are other reasons to return," he shrugged playfully.

While Mr Vega may not have fully approved of his little princess flirting with her beau right in front of him he did have to admit that it was good to see her happy and in high spirits. He was under no illusions as to what the couple would be doing this evening (and still wasn't happy about it) but had been forced to concede that it was her life and her decision (something his wife had been drilling into him over the past few days).

The Seattle native took a last look around the downstairs of the house, thinking back fondly on the memories of the last couple of weeks and his visit to southern California; his eyes fell on the pool in the house's back yard and he smiled as he thought of the fun times they'd had just lazing around it and in it. His mind took him to the places he and Tori had visited; he concluded that he wouldn't change a thing about his visit.

"Will any of the others be here to see you off?" Mrs Vega asked her youngest daughter.

"No," Tori responded, shaking her head, "we saw them all last night and they said their goodbyes to Freddie then. I guess someone might call by," she mused, thinking specifically of Cat, "but we're not expecting them to so we won't wait."

Freddie took Tori's case to his car, placing it beside his own in the boot before returning to the house to thank and say goodbye to the family who had housed him for the duration of his stay.

It was a rather tense handshake that he shared with his girlfriend's father; Mr Vega squared his jaw a little but didn't comment other than to wish the teens a safe trip (no doubt motivated by Tori's presence in the vehicle). His wife was far more effusive in her wishes and her affection, hugging the young man, kissing his cheek and responding to his expression of gratitude by insisting that he would be welcome to visit them again any time, something that he assured her he had every intention of doing (to the delight of both her and her two daughters).

"Trina," he smiled, turning to the elder of the two sisters. She eagerly pulled him into a hug and he kissed her cheek, a gesture she returned. "Thanks for everything," he whispered; she nodded against his shoulder to show her understanding.

Tori collected the sandwiches she'd prepared earlier in the morning for their lunch and then said her own teary goodbyes to her family as well; having promised to call once they stopped for the evening, the couple turned to one another.

"You ready then?" he asked her quietly. She nodded so he took her hand and led her to the car, the three other family members following them as far as the doorway, waving them off as Freddie backed his car out of the driveway and headed towards the I-5.

After battling the mid-morning traffic and hitting the freeway Freddie stole a glance at a very relaxed Tori as she eased the passenger seat back a little into a reclining position and settled back in it with her eyes closed.

"Enjoying not driving for a change?" he asked, patting her thigh gently.

"Yeah," she mumbled lazily, capturing his hand loosely with her own and intending to keep it in place for as long as he was able to manage the wheel with just the one hand.

While they intended to travel through to San Francisco and their hotel for overnight with as few stops as possible (in order to have a chance to do a little sightseeing in the evening, which would also allow them to get away early the next morning, given that there would still be quite a long journey still to do) Freddie knew from the trip down that he would not be able to make it in one sitting, plus he was beginning to feel hungry, so when he spied a rest stop to pull into just a little south-west of Fresno he left the highway. He grinned at the snoozing girl to his right as he eased his car to a halt without waking her, finally giving her a gentle shake to return her to consciousness.

"Oh," she looked around, frowning a little as she tried to figure out where they were. "Sorry, guess I dozed off there."

"Yeah, about an hour ago," he retorted with a grin before explaining where they were.

He reached over to the bags on the back seat and collected their pre-prepared sandwiches, handing half, along with a bottle of water, to Tori. He answered a few questions about the journey she had slept through during their short lunch; a comfort break later (and a little walking for Freddie to alleviate any cramp that he may have been feeling after the drive) and they were back on the road.

Hotel Union Square,

114 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA

A few hours later the young couple had battled their way into downtown San Francisco; finding the hotel (and wincing at the cost of a night's parking) they checked in, made it to their room and dropped their overnight bags on the floor. A weary Freddie eyed the bed longingly and staggered over before flopping onto it face down.

"Hey, don't go to sleep on me here," Tori complained. "We were going to go sight-seeing."

"Later," he mumbled into the pillow before closing his eyes.

Tori glanced at her watch; it was already a little after 4 p.m. and she didn't want to be in the room for too long since they wanted to see a couple of things at least. She grinned, though, thinking back to the awkwardness, nerves and general unease they had both experienced that evening in San Diego; there were none of those feelings now, certainly not for her and she didn't think that it was merely fatigue keeping them from Freddie. Looking at her lover, flaked out on the bed, she figured after the drive that she should at least give him a little chance to rest up, at least as long as it would take her to use the bathroom and freshen up would do; seeing him threatening to pass out led the girl to figure that she had time for a shower and change of clothes before he'd be ready to go anywhere.

She wasn't at all surprised to see her boyfriend still lying prone on the bed when she returned. She decided that a little payback for earlier was in order as she snuggled into his side and kissed him awake; he reluctantly rolled onto his back before sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"What time is it?"

"4:30," she replied, sliding a bare leg and foot sensuously up his side, smiling as his eyes widened a little and he gave an involuntary shiver before running a hand down said limb. "We could still make Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39; we knew we weren't going to have much time with just the one evening but it can help us make a list for our next visit here," she added with a knowing smile.

"Sounds like a good idea; we're definitely going to need more than just an evening here to see everything," he agreed before reluctantly withdrawing his hand and rolling off the bed, struggling back to his feet with a yawn and a stretch.

Tori grinned behind him as she slipped her bare feet into her shoes; grabbing her purse on the way she took his hand and led the still slightly dazed Freddie out of the door.

Lou's Fish Shack,

300 Jefferson Street

The teenage couple had just finished watching the sun set over the bay before they headed to the small restaurant for a dinner of fish and chips. They had reached the fabled Fisherman's Wharf a couple of hours earlier and had spent most of it compiling lists of things to do on a future trip to the Bay Area (top of both lists was a tour of Alcatraz and taking a boat out into the bay to get a close-up of the Golden Gate bridge).

As they knew that they wouldn't have enough time to see too many sights they settled for taking a walk around the Aquarium of the Bay, enjoying the opportunity to walk under the sea for a little bit, admiring some of the exhibits from this unique vantage point. Following that they decided they had enough time to get lost in the Mirror Maze; both teens found it a surprisingly hilarious way to spend half an hour or so.

A weary Freddie took a long draught from his soda, while Tori merely sipped at hers. "You forget how thirsty driving makes you, right?" she grinned; he nodded, thinking back to how much driving she had done during their trips over the last couple of weeks and taking another swig, rapidly emptying the glass and smiling as their waitress quickly replaced it with another full one; she would soon return with their meals.

"The fish is good," Tori noted with a smile, having taken her first bite. Freddie nodded his agreement. "Are you ok to do all the driving? I could do a spell of it tomorrow if you want," she offered.

Freddie shook his head as he finished his morsel. "Thanks but it's fine. Yes it's a long trip but I'll do it; it's your turn to enjoy the scenery," he added with a smirk, bringing a laugh from his girlfriend.

"What time do you think we'll be in Seattle?"

"I'm not sure we'll be there tomorrow," he revealed, a little to her surprise. "It's still quite a long journey so I was thinking we could maybe break it up by spending tomorrow evening in Portland, have a look around there the next day and finish up the day with the last leg."

"Ok," Tori smiled; she certainly wasn't going to object to another night in a hotel with her beau.

After finishing their meals and paying the bill they decided to finish up with ice cream from Ghirardelli's before heading back to the room.

Hotel Union Square,

114 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA

"Are you ok?" Tori asked as they entered their room, concern keeping the anticipation from her voice; she had been quite looking forward to the opportunity for a 'repeat performance' now that she was feeling more comfortable with the evolution of their relationship but at the same time she knew that it had been a tiring day for Freddie (as would the next day with them heading further north).

"Yeah," he nodded, getting her meaning and forcing a grin onto his face. "Maybe a quick shower to revive me a little but I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Ok," she smiled, kissing his cheek as he passed her. Seeing him disappear into the bathroom Tori opted to shed her T-shirt and jean shorts, leaving her in just her underwear as she passed the time waiting for him idly channel-hopping. Finally her wait was over as Freddie emerged, a towel wrapped around his waist as he strolled over to the bed, certainly looking more awake (especially as he appraised his girlfriend laid on the bed with a smile reserved just for him).

It didn't take long for the towel, or her underwear, to be discarded.

Thursday, 21st July 2011.

Like the morning after their first night in a hotel, Tori was the first to wake; unlike that morning she was in no hurry to move, given that she again had Freddie's arm draped over her and she could see a peaceful, contented smile on his face. A glance over his shoulder at the clock on his nightstand, however, made the decision for her; with another long day of travelling to do they wanted to be on the road fairly early and the time was already approaching 8 a.m.

The brunette groaned in disappointment at having to move when she felt so comfortable; she smiled, though, at the thought that she could at least have a little fun waking up her man. She gently moved his arm enough that her movement was no longer being impeded before leaning over and starting to kiss him back to consciousness, enjoying watching his smile widen with each peck until he finally opened his eyes, drinking in the visage beside him and feeling humbled by the look of love in her eyes.

"Hey," he grinned, pulling her closer and beginning to return the kisses and feeling himself stirring as he did. Tori felt it too and her disappointment intensified.

"Unfortunately," she said, reluctantly withdrawing a few inches, "we don't have enough time for that right now if we want to be on the road soon."

He groaned his agreement as he rolled over and checked the time. "C'mon," she called playfully as she hopped out of bed, "let's get dressed and get some breakfast."

She pulled on the clothes she'd worn the previous evening, while Freddie delved into his overnight bag for some clean apparel. A few minutes later they had tidied the room and were packed, checked out and headed for breakfast.

The Chancellor Hotel at Union Square,

433 Powell Street

"Someone worked up an appetite!" Tori observed flirtatiously as Freddie returned from the breakfast bar with a plate piled high with bacon, a couple of eggs and some toast; he also carried a bowl of fruit salad in his other hand.

"It's all you can eat," he replied with a grin and a shrug, "and with my mom's health foods to look forward to I'm going to make sure that I eat all the real food that I can between now and getting home."

Tori was a little disappointed that he refused to rise to the bait; the couple chatted a little about the schedule for the day before Freddie disappeared, returning with another plateful and some cereal, garnering a questioning look from his girlfriend.

"I'm going to need my energy for tonight," he smirked, causing Tori to redden appreciably; she hurried off for her own refill.

Being a passenger was boring, Tori had decided. A second consecutive day sat watching as mile after mile of interstate was swallowed up had more than convinced her that it really wasn't the way she wanted to spend her time. There was only so much that one could see travelling up the Interstate before mile after mile of scenery began to look alike. The singer contented herself with reclining in the chair again, closing her eyes and thinking back on the wonderful night they had shared; the memories soon had her nerves on edge and her body tingling as she thought back on the wonderful feelings and sensations she had enjoyed.

Before leaving San Francisco they had been able to find a 7-Eleven store and pick up some sandwiches and fruit for lunch; like the previous day they found a rest stop, a little after 1 p.m., and ate and stretched their legs ahead of the conclusion of this portion of the drive.

By late afternoon Freddie was beginning to regret the intention of going all the way to Portland; he was reaching the point where he just wanted to stop for the evening but pressed on as he saw the road signs remorselessly counting down the miles. He was still relieved when they hit exit 299B and he was able to finally pull off the I-5 and go into the city in search of some accommodation for overnight.

The Benson Hotel

309 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR

"Ok, here. We have to stay here," Tori's voice was full of mirth as she spied the name of the place. Freddie looked at the sign and rolled his eyes at the corniness of it but pulled into the car park anyway, happy to see that there was plenty of space; privately he was also pleased to have found somewhere, anywhere to stop for the night as he really was feeling rather jaded from the two long days of driving.

The merriment continued when they reached the front desk to check in; filling out the guest registration card was always going to raise a few eyebrows, though his joking request for a family discount on the room was declined with equal humour.

Tori turned her nose up a little as they saw the room; she didn't feel that at first glance it compared too favourably to the previous evening, though a quick perch on the bed allayed some of her fears; at least they would be comfortable for the night, which was the main thing after all.

"You want to take a shower?" Freddie asked, joining her on the bed.

"Are you going to fall asleep again?" she teased back.

"If I stay here, maybe," he admitted.

"Take your shower first then," she suggested, "I'll go after then we can get something to eat?"

He nodded; it sounded like a good idea to him.

Saucebox, 214 SW Broadway

"This will be fine," Tori insisted. The brunette was well aware that Freddie didn't want to stray too far this evening after all of the driving he'd done over the last couple of days so they'd pretty much dived inside the first place they'd found.

The couple ordered drinks before studying the menus. "Slow-cooked chicken sounds good," Freddie mused.

"Hopefully not too slowly cooked," his girlfriend joked. Freddie nodded with a grin; he had more than one incentive for getting an early night. "I like the look of the Javanese salmon."

Decisions made, they placed their orders and made a start on their sodas.

The wait for their meals took place in unusual silence; one consequence of the length of time they'd spent together and now the length of the trip was that there really wasn't very much left for them to talk about. It wasn't exactly an uncomfortable silence, though, as they shared smiles and glances and Tori slipped off her show before running her bare foot up his equally unclad lower leg.

"Are you trying to get me to skip out without dinner?" he asked, a tremor in his voice.

"Maybe," she replied with a flutter of her eyelashes; her 'plan', such as it was, was immediately foiled as her own stomach betrayed her with a growl, which drew a laugh from the pair of them.

Dinner became an enjoyable affair after that; a hungry Freddie was far more focussed in his meal than in any conversation. Tori was content to enjoy the flavours of her own dish and savour every bite. Soon enough they were done and on their way back to the hotel.

900 SW Fifth Avenue

Friday, 22nd Jully 2011.

One thing that surprised, and rather impressed, the Angeleno girl was the ability to walk around the city. For a teen used to the gridlock of LA this was a pleasant experience and she and her boyfriend wasted no time in signing up for a walking tour after they checked out of the hotel and ventured into the city late in the morning (as Seattle wasn't too long a drive they didn't see the need to be up and about too early this morning).

Tori cocked her head a little as they arrived at the sculpture known as The Quest; she was far from prudish (especially after recent events) but wasn't entirely sure about the carved marble in front of her.

"Apparently this is art," she muttered to her boyfriend; there was a decidedly reddish tinge to his cheeks as he sniggered his agreement.

The tour of the downtown area had also identified a couple of places that they wanted to return to, but with time getting on they opted to leave these for the afternoon and instead spent the remainder of the morning walking around the open-air market, browsing the various wares on offer. Freddie spied a nice bracelet that he thought his mother might like; a couple of things caught Tori's eye as possible gifts for when she got home but for now she was content to wait until they got to Seattle before she did the bulk of her shopping.

Oregon Histroical Society Museum,

1200 SW Park Avenue

"Wait, so they really almost called it Boston?" The story had been told on the walking tour that morning but Tori hadn't been convinced; she was amazed as she eyed the fabled 'Portland penny' that had been flipped to decide how to name Oregon's largest city.

"Yep," a grinning Freddie confirmed simply as he led her around the museum, taking a particular interest in one of the genuine wagons that had, many years ago, made the fabled and perilous Oregon Trail journey.

"What?" she asked, seeing him linger at the exhibit.

"Just remembering some of the stories from school," he revealed, "thinking about some of the families that would have travelled in these and what they had to contend with."

A shiver ran down the brunette's back as she read some of the information about the wagons and trips.

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry,

1945 SE Water Ave

"Your part of the trip?" Tori giggled, digging an elbow into Freddie's ribs as they entered their next destination; he nodded eagerly as they headed towards the ticket desk.

The young couple spent a leisurely couple of hours strolling through the various different areas of the museum, from the Earth Hall (with its 'view from space' and 'science on a sphere' exhibits) to the various science labs (chemistry, physics, paleantology, technology, life science and even the watershed, which had visitors creating own rivers and seeing how they affect the wider environment of the Pacific north-west). This, in particular, fascinated Tori, though a stray comment from her caught Freddie's attention.

"This is way better than a mould bush," she observed.

"Mould bush?" He wasn't sure that he could have heard her correctly; Tori went on to explain her final science project before she left Sherwood school to attend Hollywood Arts, grateful that Freddie was able to suppress his laughter at her study.

"Hey," he shrugged, "it's not the weirdest science experiment I've ever heard of."

"Really?" she asked sceptically, surprised that someone with his technical background would have been in a group carrying out anything that strange.

"You know how I was doing that mood face app?" She nodded, thinking back on how it, or rather the result from testing it on Sam, had set everything for the summer in motion to an extent. "Well Carly's experiment was to test various… 'stimuli'," Freddie wasn't sure that it was quite the right word but went with it for now, "on her older brother."

"So?"

It was time to be a little more explicit, he decided. "They were basically torturing him in the name of science – loud music, foul smelling gases, electric shocks while he was trying to eat."

"Wait, your teachers approved of that as an experiment?" She shook her head in amazement.

"I guess they did," he agreed, not having really thought about that aspect of it before.

Freddie was particularly fascinated by the next part they entered, Turbine hall, and the technology discussed and exhibited there. While a lot of it was pitched at a level more suited to younger kids he was still fascinated by and able to enjoy the interactive exhibits.

Their last stop was Life Hall, dedicated to all things to do with human life before the obligatory stop at the gift shop (Tori deciding this time that she would get something – a fridge magnet to commemorate the trip) before they left the museum.

A glance at his watch told Freddie that they didn't have too much more time to spend, given that they would be eating before leaving for the final stretch of the trip to Seattle; as there was one more place he really wanted them to check out they picked up the car. He figured it was just too far to walk.

Hollywood Theatre,

4122 NE Sandy Boulevard

"I thought it was funny," Freddie shrugged as Tori shook her head at the sign; he then slipped his arm around his belle and giving her a quick squeeze, "from Hollywood to the Hollywood theatre."

Tori groaned at this but leaned to rest her head against him as they checked the place out; there wasn't too much that they could see as a show was scheduled for the evening but at least they could say they'd seen a little bit of Hollywood on their trip.

The teenagers returned to downtown for a hugely enjoyable meal of ribeye steak and fries.

"Well, I guess that was Portland then," Freddie grinned; the sun was beginning to set as they left the restaurant. He led his happy, slightly sniggering belle by their conjoined hands back to the car; on arrival at the vehicle he retrieved his phone from the glove compartment and sighed at the list of missed calls.

"They're not all from mom," he grinned at Tori's inquisitive look, "but she's the one I'll call," his smile widened and she nodded her understanding on who the other caller was likely to have been.

"Did you tell Carly you were coming back today?" she asked.

"No," he replied, "but if she's seen my mom over the last day or two she's probably been doing a happy dance at the thought of me coming back; she probably figured it out… either that or Sam broke in and bugged the place." The look on his face suggested he was only half-joking.

He pulled up his mother's number and placed the call, squirming a little as Tori kissed and nuzzled at his right cheek while the phone was pressed to his left ear.

"Hey mom," he replied, voice a little strained as he wriggled, "yeah, we're just about to head off. So we'll be there in maybe three hours? Ok, yes," he sighed a little, "love you too. Bye."

"Problems?"

"Not really, just reminding us that your bags – and you – need to go into the guest room," he chuckled. Tori pouted but nodded.

Apartment 8-D, Bushwell Plaza,

Seattle, WA

Freddie staggered wearily to the door; as it was almost midnight he wasn't surprised that the door was locked when he tried it. He also wasn't too surprised when it opened almost as soon as he put his key near the lock.

"Freddie!" Marissa cried, engulfing the boy in a hug. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hi mom, I missed you too." He wasn't overly shocked that she was still up, despite having the day shift to attend in the morning.

"Tori," she greeted their guest politely, offering a hand that the singer shook before urging them to enter the apartment and directing Tori to the guest room while Freddie took his case and bags back to his own room.

The matriarch had just begun to brew a pot of decaffeinated coffee (she had to go to bed soon and be up early for work the next day after all) when an urgent knocking of the door drew Freddie from his room. He strode across the apartment and checked the peep hole before giving an audible sigh. The two girls looked at him from their respective doorways as his hand moved resignedly to the door handle; it was time to face the wrath of Carly.

AN: Thanks for reading. They're back; now it's time to deal with the 'other' girls in Freddie's life and maybe for Tori to see a little of her boyfriend's home city. Hope to see you all soon with the next chapter. PD.