AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the latest little installment of this story. As always at this point my thanks go out to everyone for reading chapter 10 and especially to those of you who reviewed it.

Guest – some really good points about the story; Nona's advice, albeit blunt, was probably good, telling Cat she shouldn't wait forever. You make a point about her approaching him, though she could argue that she did that a few weeks ago and was told he "just wanted friends right now". As for Carly, she will make an appearance before too long, but there'll be plenty going on in her own life without trying to meddle in Freddie's again.

Fanfic-Reader-88 – in fairness to Beck, he didn't actually write the play, he was just cast in it. But yes, Cat and Freddie are both having those thoughts; if only life would stay out of the way long enough for them to actually talk at some point. Hopefully they will do soon.

Challenge King – Cat has her issues that she needs to deal with in order not to regress to the embarrassing point she did in latter series of the show. Freddie felt he owed Jade for all that she had done for him (being Freddie he'd have offered the friendly ear anyway but with the way they've bonded Jade felt that she could trust him).

Pbow – is Beck clueless? On the show he never took Jade's concerns seriously or stopped girls from trying to flirt with him so maybe he just likes the attention – and likes to see his girl getting jealous and possessive of him.

Guest – you're right; Beck acted like a jerk, much the way he does on the show in these scenarios.

Agent-M – Yes, Cat needs to make a decision and, as I said earlier, they really DO need to talk it all out if they want to get back together (which I think they both do want once life settles down).

Now please, enjoy chapter 11.


Chapter 11

Hollywood Arts High School, Los Angeles.

Monday, 25th January 2010.

Trina Vega arrived at school to see a huge crowd gathered around the notice board by the students' lockers.

"Is that the pairings for the showcase?" she asked a random face; its owner nodded. "Move," she instructed the crowd and began to force her way through it to the front, drawing disgruntled expressions from those that she pushed aside in her quest to reach the bulletin board; her face darkened as she read the appropriate sheet of paper. "Freddie Benson? A tenth grader?" the diva was irate at learning the identity of her partner for the showcase.

"Hey, Freddie's a good guy!" a voice from by her shoulder argued; despite their split and its acrimonious fall-out the previous autumn, and the complete absence of contact they had had with one another over the past few months, Lindsey felt compelled to defend the boy from Trina's disdain. "And he did a great job for me last year," she added smugly; the morning had been bittersweet for her so far as the notices had caused her to recall her performance at the Showcase the previous year, which in turn had led her thoughts to Freddie and snowballed into thinking about everything that had gone on since then. Defending the boy had helped her to remember and focus on the good times that they had had as a couple.

"Oh that's right, you know him," the brunette commented distractedly before brightening as an idea struck her. "Tell him to be at my house at seven-thirty tonight," she instructed the blonde.

Trina turned and parted the crowd as she walked off; as she left she heard her blonde classmate call after her in an annoyed tone, "Hey, I'm not your PA!"

"Seven-thirty!" the brunette repeated over her shoulder.

Lindsey frowned at her classmate's attitude and shook her head, though she did draw her phone from the pocket of her jeans. She smiled at some of the happier memories she had of her ex-boyfriend as she punched in the speed-dial number that had become near-automatic during their eight month long relationship, before feeling the familiar pangs of guilt and regret that came these days whenever she started thinking about how she had treated the sophomore at the very end of their time together (over the summer), a regret that intensified in the light of her subsequent discovery that the grass was far less green on the other side of the fence; things really hadn't worked out with the guy she had dumped him for, she reflected sadly.

"Lindsey? What do you want?" The blonde's heart sank anew when she heard the surprise with which he said her name morph seamlessly into the hard, cold, flat tone in which the brown-haired boy voiced the question.

"Hi Freddie," she began contritely, "you've been partnered with Trina Vega for the Big Showcase – I'm sorry. Anyway, she wants you to go to her place this evening at seven-thirty," and she gave him the address.

"And you had to deliver the news for her?" he snapped.

"You don't know Trina," the junior girl shook her head regretfully, "well that's a 'delight' you'll soon experience then."

"Anything else?" Freddie asked impatiently, when the girl didn't respond he finished with a terse, "ok, bye," and rang off.

Lindsey stared at the now silent phone for a few seconds through increasingly blurring eyes before she slipped it back into her pocket; the girl sniffled and wiped away a couple of the stray tears before heading for her first class.

Asphalt Café.

"What was all that about?" Jade asked in concern as the boy finished his brief call; the gang were at their usual table and talking before school.

"Lindsey," he spat out in utter loathing and disgust, much to his friends' concern. "She was telling me about who I got partnered with for the Big Showcase this Friday; Trina Vega apparently."

"Man, she sucks," André complained. "I heard her trying to sing when I was working on my music one lunchtime – totally tone-deaf."

"She can't act either," Robbie supplied. "One of the plays I reviewed for the school paper? She was in it – stank the whole theatre out."

"I thought that was you after your burrito at lunch," Rex countered, drawing grins from the others, aside from Freddie who still looked as black as thunder following his phone call.

"Well we'll see, she wants me to go over there this evening so I guess that's what I'll have to do," the brown-eyed teen shrugged.


Cat was concerned. Throughout the day she had seen what, to her eye, appeared to be a decay in Freddie's mood; it was as if the happy boy who had come back after the Christmas break had suddenly disappeared again, replaced by the one that they had known from the last term. She voiced her concerns to Jade after their English class.

"I saw it too, right after he got the phone call from her." Even Cat did not need to ask who Jade was referring to.

"What do you think the problem is? I thought he was over her; he seemed to be after we got back to school. He was happy again!"

"I thought so too, maybe he did as well," the gothic girl shook her head ruefully. Looks like we need to talk again, Freddie, the brunette thought.

The blue-streak haired girl would get her chance at the start of the lunch period; she and her Seattle-born friend were together this term in Theatre History and it was the final class before their food break.

"Wait up a second," she demanded of him as they packed their things after class; he complied but gave her a curious, questioning look as their classmates filed out of the room.

"You're still bummed over talking to her aren't you?" the dark-haired girl surmised; he was surprised to be reminded, once again, of how blunt her manner could be, but nodded sadly in agreement.

"I thought I was good with it all – with what she did to me and with everything about it," he complained miserably. "I really felt, when we came back here, that I was finally over her. Then she calls me up out of the blue and it just all gets dredged back up again," he buried his head in his hands and sighed wearily.

"Talk to someone," his friend insisted sternly, seizing his wrist which caused him to look up and see her eyes boring into his own. "You can't carry on like this forever," she continued in a sympathetic tone, "and it's clear now that you can't let it go and put this right on your own in time – something will happen that screws it all up for you again."

He nodded reluctantly; the idea of seeing a therapist and spilling his guts still nauseated him but he knew that the girl was right, that he had tried and failed to work through it on his own and that the spectre of the blonde would continue to haunt him until he finally did conquer his demons.

"Let's get some lunch," he commented. Having got the acknowledgement, and agreement, from him Jade was happy to drop the issue for the time being; the two headed together to the Asphalt Café to meet their friends.

The remainder of the group greeted the pair happily; none had been oblivious to Freddie's worsening mood and it had been a topic of discussion between Cat and the rest before he and Jade arrived, so to see the boy at least trying to smile was pleasing to them. His friends plied him with subtle words of support and encouragement as he took his seat and he was grateful for their backing; with their minds on other things neither he nor Jade paid attention to the neutral, almost blank expression on Beck's face as he watched the pair.


Freddie was surprised by the ringing of his phone as he, Cat and Jade left the school together after their last class of the day; the trio had just come across André and Beck, the latter was waiting for his girlfriend, as they did.

"Oh, it's Spencer," he commented in a curious tone as he checked the caller ID. "He doesn't usually call; I wonder what he wants." He answered the call and placed the device to his ear. "Hey dude, how are you?" he asked with a smile on his face at the contact with his long-time friend and neighbour. Then, after a few moments of frantic, garbled speech from the lanky Seattleite sculptor, "Spencer? Whoa whoa whoa slow down… what happened? She WHAT? Is she ok? Uh huh, I'll be up on the first flight I can get and see you there later tonight."

"What's the matter?" Cat asked in a concerned tone, seeing the look of panicked horror her friend now wore as he rang off.

"That was Spencer; you know – Carly's brother?" The others nodded; they knew of the elder Shay sibling from Freddie's tales and his occasional appearances on his little sister's web show, which they watched from time to time (though privately none of them felt that it was all that good). "She was in an accident; she got hit by a truck. She's in hospital – they don't think it's life-threatening but she's hurt pretty bad."

Cat gasped and placed a hand over her heart at the news; despite the brunette's meddling that had led to her and Freddie's break-up the previous year, the good-hearted red-head was horrified at the thought of her being badly hurt.

"So you're going up there? How long for?" Jade asked with a blend of surprise and concern in her tone.

"I need to go see her and make sure she's ok. I'll stay as long as I need to but hopefully it will just a few days. At least with the break next week I have a bit of time if I need or want to stay longer."

"Will you be back in time for the performance?" she was slightly surprised that he would blow off his first actual starring role in the Big Showcase.

"Well I won't be able to rehearse, that's for sure." He ran his hand through his hair as the consequences of his proposed actions occurred to him and he deliberated on the best, and fairest, thing that he could do for everybody involved. "I guess I'd better drop out. André, you weren't assigned anyone were you?"

"No, I heard they kicked some girl out a few days ago and I assume that I was supposed to partner her so I ended up as the odd one out. I'll take your place – even if it is alongside Trina."

"Thanks dude," he smiled gratefully before looking across the car park towards his vehicle. "I need to get to the airport; see you all in a few days," he called as he sped off.

"Wait," Jade called; he turned back as all eyes turned to the gothic girl. "You're going to need someone to bring your car back so you're not stuck with a week of parking charges at LAX, right?"

The boy sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "I hadn't thought about it; you're right," he shot her a small, appreciative grin.

"I got my permit earlier this month. I could drive it back?" she offered.

"Sure," he smiled gratefully at her. The girl kissed her boyfriend and promised to see him later, though both would need to spend time with their respective partners for the showcase as well; Jade also still had her grounding to contend with, which would make seeing Beck rather more tricky for her.

"If the cops stop me for driving with you in the car we'll try and sweet-talk them."

"Yeah, you can take that job," she commented with a smirk, one that Freddie returned as the two sped off for the airport; en route they made a very brief stop at Freddie's house for him to load up a bag with a couple of changes of clothes and some other essentials.

"Can you do me a favour and text my mom?" he asked, extricating his phone from his pocket, "I didn't have time to write a note so if you can just let her know where I'm going, why and that you'll be dropping the car off at home?" Jade nodded. "And try to make it sound a little like me," he added, shooting the girl a small grin.

"Spoil all my fun," she laughed back as she accepted the device and sent a polite 'Freddie' message to the Benson matriarch; Marissa called his phone a few moments later.

"Hey mom," he sighed, Jade holding the phone to his right ear so that he could keep both hands free for his driving. "I can't really talk too much as I'm headed for the airport right now… mom, mom, Carly's hurt, she's in the hospital and I need to go and see her. I'm not sure if she's awake – or how badly hurt she was. No, I'll stay with Spencer; they have plenty of space there. Yeah, I'll be back in a few days. Ok, you too, bye."

"Let me guess, she's not happy," his gothic friend commented drily. The corner of Freddie's mouth twitched a little as he suppressed a smirk.

"No, not really but she knows I'm going – even if she doesn't fully understand why I'm going up. Oh it might be an idea to call your mom too," he observed as the thought struck him, "make sure she knows that you're not just ditching on your grounding?"

"Good thinking," she congratulated him and tapped in her mother's cell phone number to make the call.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Freddie hopped out of the car and Jade slid across the front to replace him in the driver's seat while he retrieved his newly packed bag back from the back seat. "Take good care of her," he urged his friend.

"I'm not going to wreck it if that's what you're worried about," she rolled her eyes a little at him.

"That and you," he explained. "I've just had one friend injured in a road accident, I don't need another."

"I'll be careful," she promised sincerely as she understood his fears. "See you soon Freddie."

"Bye Jade," he smiled, closing the back door and watching for a moment as she drove away before he headed inside the airport to procure a ticket and head back to his native city for a few days.

Vega Residence, Hollywood Hills.

Tori Vega stood in front of an odd-looking bush, from which hung a number of mouldy items of food; she had a folder balanced on her left hand with a pencil in her right, poised to make some notes.

"Let's see, the bread mould," she mentioned to her long, brown-haired project partner.

"Bread mould," he echoed, tapping away on his pear top computer.

The brunette set her folder down and seized a magnifying glass, studying what used to be a piece of bread before announcing her prognosis. "Furry," she noted before squeezing it. "Mushy," she added; her friend repeated the two words.

"Next, the fish mould," her expression suggested that this wasn't something that she was looking forward to, however… "Spongy," she observed, "stinky," and tried to wipe her hands off on one another.

"I am so upset," Trina Vega wailed as she stormed into her house, interrupting her younger sister; Tori wrinkled her nose at the aroma from the bush before turning to her irate older sister. "You won't believe who I got partnered with for the big showcase."

"Who?"

"Freddie Benson, a tenth grader."

"What's the big showcase?" Tori's friend asked.

"It's a performance they put on at her school every year where they…" Tori began before Trina interrupted, seizing his hand and guiding him from his chair.

"They invite agents and directors and producers, and other super-powerful people in show business, and it's extremely important to me, which is why I'm very upset and goodbye!" the elder Vega led the boy to the front door and out into the Los Angeles night.

"Hey! He and I have a science project due tomorrow. I have to turn in my mould bush," Tori complained.

"No, Freddie's coming over and you got to help us figure out what we're going to do in the big showcase," Trina contradicted. "I definitely want to sing," she added before playing a chord on the piano in the living area and delivering a near-screeching note with her voice. "How was that?" she asked.

"Loud?" was all Tori could supply, but it contented her sister.

"Awesome," was the older girl's reply.

The doorbell to the Vega home rang.

"Ugh! He's here," Trina noted with mild disgust, walking towards the door. "Stay!" she commanded as Tori took a step towards it.

The elder sister opened the door to reveal André waiting outside.

"Come in," Trina sighed.

"Thanks," he told her uncertainly.

"Tori, that's Freddie," she waved at the boy.

"Um, I'm André," he pointed out, surprised that she knew – and clearly cared – so little about the identity of her partner for the event. "Freddie can't make the showcase."

"What? Why not?" Trina was scandalised.

"He had to rush up to Seattle; a friend of his is in hospital after being hit by a truck."

"So he just bailed on me?" Trina was incredulous.

"His friend is in hospital," the songsmith repeated, "he had to go and be with her."

"Well I guess you'll have to do then," the diva conceded.

"Oh, nice piano," the appreciative musician observed, taking a seat and playing a complicated jazz riff.

"Oh my God, you're fantastic!" Tori complimented the sophomore.

"He's ok," Trina admitted reluctantly, to the boy's annoyance as she damned him with faint praise. André then sniffed curiously, locating the odd odour on Tori's hand and taking a closer look.

"Fish mould," she explained and he swiftly dropped the appendage.

Virginia Mason Hospital, 925 Seneca Street, Seattle

Freddie had dashed straight from the plane as soon as the doors were disarmed and passengers permitted to disembark; with only carry-on luggage he was able to skip the wait at the baggage claim carousel and instead headed straight outside the airport to join the short line at a cab rank. He got into a taxi and asked to be taken to the hospital where Spencer had informed him that Carly was being treated.

He arrived and was directed by the receptionist towards the room where his friend, and one-time crush, was; he got there to see Spencer sat by his sister's bedside, squeezing and stroking her hand gently as she lay there.

"Hey Spence," the Hollywood Arts student whispered, causing his friend to jump slightly before turning to him with a genuine smile on his face.

"Freddie, you're here; it's great to see you," he welcomed the teen, pulling him into a hug.

"You too, I just wish it wasn't because of…" he trailed off and gestured towards the injured brunette. "How is she?" he asked cautiously.

"No news yet," he replied sadly, "the doctors are hopeful that she's going to be ok in time but for now we're just waiting."

"Have they said anything about her injuries?" the newcomer asked nervously.

"She broke her right ankle and badly hurt the lower leg from the impact; she jumped away just at the last moment according to the driver and one of her friends, who saw it happen, but hit her head on the kerb as she landed. They've checked for any obvious head trauma and don't think that there's anything major but we won't know until she wakes up," he covered his nose with his hand as he began to sob at the thought of his 'baby sister' being badly injured.

Freddie wrapped a consoling arm around him as he fought to keep his own composure; it pained him to see the girl lying there and stirred his heart a little though, his brain was able to process, he didn't feel anything other than concern. For so long he had wanted a shot with the brunette but now as he gazed on her battered and broken form all he felt was fear for his friend; the crush of his early teen years had well and truly gone. It was a thought that led him briefly back to the little red-head a thousand miles to the south; he wondered how she was and whether he would ever be ready to take a chance on her again; he shrugged the speculation off and returned his focus to his injured friend.

A doctor bustled in a few minutes after him; he asked the boy to wait outside so he could discuss the girl's prognosis with immediate family. While waiting for more news Freddie thought of Sam, deciding to call her as he thought that his blonde best friend would want to know what had happened.

"Hey Freddie, not heard from you in a couple of weeks, how are you?" she asked the brown-haired boy in a bright voice as she answered.

"I'm good Sam but… I'm up in Seattle," he disclosed.

"Really? I thought you'd be in school," she sounded rather surprised at his revelation.

"I was there today but I got a call from Spencer as we were leaving for the day," he informed her. "Carly got run over by a truck; she's unconscious in the hospital up here."

While Sam was surprised by the news, the brown haired boy gleaned from her that, though she was a little concerned, she had no intention of coming back to her home city to see the girl. She understood why Freddie was there but, she explained, she can't bring herself to share his desire to visit after what happened between them – with her being ditched so unceremoniously while she was in juvie and replaced by the brunette's new friends at Briarwood.

"I understand," he sighed, slightly disappointed but willing to accept her position and reasoning. "I'll talk to you later."

"Sure," Sam said. "I'll give you a call on your birthday and I'll put a card and something in the mail."

"Thanks Sam, see you later," he told her warmly before she rang off; he returned to the room, the doctor having just left, surprised to see that the Shay siblings were still alone.

"Have any of her friends been here?"

"Wendy was here when I arrived; she was the one who saw it and came in with her," he revealed. Freddie nodded as he recalled the ginger-haired girl from his year group at the Seattle school. "I haven't seen anybody else; I guess they don't know yet as I don't have anyone else's number."

Bushwell Plaza, Seattle, WA

"Spencer, can I talk to you about something?" Freddie asked as the two sat in front of the TV; it was late evening but both were too wired on coffee and concern for Carly to think about sleeping.

"Sure Freddo, what's up?" The lanky sculptor was grateful for a potential distraction and smiled warmly at the younger boy.

"Something… happened in my life and it's affected me ever since," he began vaguely. "I told one of my friends, Jade, and she's been really great – Sam too when I told her, but I need to talk to someone else, someone who may be a little more objective and insightful on it than a teenager."

"And you're asking me?" the man-child joked before turning serious. "Go ahead; you can tell me anything."

Freddie set his cup down; he was done with coffee for today – in fact he was thinking of swearing off it for good right now.

"My girlfriend," he began before correcting himself, "my ex-girlfriend – we broke up just before school started again – she uh… she seduced me after the Prom," he rushed out as quickly as he could. The elder Shay's jaw dropped; he briefly wondered if it was his younger friend's lame attempt at a very bad joke until he saw the look of… shame was the only way to describe what his little sister's one-time best male friend's face wore. "It took me a while, a long time to come to terms with it and accept that it had happened between us and then once I thought that I had done, suddenly I was dumped for another guy and it all began to hurt again," he explained. He shook a little yet also felt some of the hurt in his heart lifting a little as he verbalised and shared all his innermost and most painful feelings.

Spencer remained silent as the teenager continued to talk through everything that had gone on over the past few months, all that he had thought and felt in relation to the incident, how it had affected him and continued to affect him – particularly how it had discouraged him from ever putting his heart out there again and risking something similar happening again. The man-child's mind raced at a hundred miles per hour as he processed everything that he had just heard.

"The first thing to remember," the artist began kindly, "is that this wasn't your fault; you did nothing wrong. She got you drunk and took advantage of you," the words statutory rape floated around his head before they reminded him of those horrendous three days of law school he had suffered before dropping out. "The second thing," his voice firmed as he drew on his own experience, "is that nobody can promise never to hurt you in love – I think you got a taste of that from my little sister," he smiled sadly realising there was a dual meaning; both Carly's rejections of the younger Freddie's amorous advances and her role in sabotaging his fledgling relationship with one of his schoolmates. "But when you meet someone who you think is worth the risk then you have to take a leap of faith and believe that it will be worth it. And if it fails, we hurt and we deal and we try again."

The boy nodded; it seemed sensible advice. All that he was lacking was the will to put into practice.

Wednesday, 27th January 2010.

It was the day that the tall artist had prayed for ever since he received news of the accident; a call just before seven in the morning gave him the news that he had longed for.

The previous day had been difficult for them; they had woken up, had a quiet breakfast and gone to the hospital, sitting at Carly's bedside for hour after hour waiting and hoping for her to wake up, while periodically a doctor would look in, raise one of the girl's eyelids, poke, prod and peer with some of his instruments before informing them that there had been no change but that they had not found anything to suggest that Carly wouldn't soon wake up – or that she wouldn't, mentally at least, be the Carly of old pretty much straight away.

They had arrived home fairly late, having stopped off for a pizza as both realised just how hungry they were after a day at the hospital, and were surprised to see a teenage boy stood outside the door to the Shay apartment as they arrived.

"Mike?" Spencer, of course, knew his sister's boyfriend; Freddie stood a pace or two away as the two Seattleites conversed.

"Hey Spencer, where's Carly? I haven't seen her since we were in the park on Monday afternoon and then she wasn't at school today and –" he trailed off at the looks that the two guys wore. "What happened?" he asked as his tone filled with dread.

They had explained it to him and he had reacted with horror at his girlfriend's injury, promising to visit the following day now that he knew what had happened. Spencer was glad, therefore, that the boy would have some good news to confront him on his arrival.

"Freddie, Freddie!" he called as he raced stumbling through the apartment, tumbling up the stairs and colliding with the guest bedroom door. His former neighbour awoke with a start and, in a slight daze, padded across the floor to the door, which he opened in order to determine the cause of the commotion; with nothing to work on he began to fear the worst with his host's urgent tone.

Unfortunately, once he opened the door, there was nothing to oppose gravity acting on the lanky sculptor; he flopped comically onto the guest room floor, earning himself a faceful of carpet.

"Spencer?" Freddie asked cautiously, surprised to see his friend smiling so broadly despite the predicament.

"The hospital called," he announced brightly, "Carly woke up a few minutes ago."

"That's awesome," the boy cheered. "When do we go?"

"Right now? We can stop at Galini's on the way and get some takeout pie. Let's celebrate!" The elder Shay bounced to his feet and dashed out of the room, just about keeping his balance as he flew downstairs again. Freddie smiled broadly and gathered his clothes for the day ahead.

Virginia Mason Hospital, 925 Seneca Street

"What do you remember?" Freddie asked earnestly after the two had greeted the once again conscious brunette; she seemed thrilled to see her old friend and rather touched that he had made the long journey north after learning about her little incident.

"Well," she began, "I had been to Occidental Park with Mike; my boyfriend – and camera guy," she clarified for Freddie, who, to his regret, owing to the on-going dramas in his own life didn't know everything about all of the latest goings on in the brunette's (though he had, of course, briefly met the boy the previous night), "he had to go home but while I was in the area I headed down 3rd past Jackson and on to King; I needed to get a ticket for my next trip to Yakima to visit granddad," Freddie nodded as he visualised the facility she meant, "and after getting the ticket I saw Wendy across the street, she's one of the only people who goes to Ridgeway that I'm still in touch with," the brunette lamented a little, "she waved, I waved back, glanced to see if anything was coming and headed over the road to see her. Suddenly I saw her point, I looked left and there was a truck coming right at me. I jumped, I remember a lot of pain and then I woke up here."

"You didn't hear it coming?" Freddie was surprised.

"I had my ear buds in and pear pod on," she explained. "Where is that by the way?" she asked her brother, having not seen the item since she regained consciousness.

"It's uh, spread across South King," he informed her sadly. "It broke, probably from when you hit the ground."

"Oh," she sounded disappointed.

"Well at least I know what to get you for your next birthday," Freddie tried to lighten the mood. He took her hand gently in his own and traced the back of it with his thumb. "Thank God there are going to be more birthdays for you," he whispered sincerely; she smiled back at him.

"Freddie?" an incredulous voice called from the doorway a few moments later. "Oh my God it is you!" Wendy cried as the ginger-haired girl entered the room. "Wow, I haven't seen you since you left Seattle what, a year and a half ago?" She pulled him into a quick, friendly hug.

"Something like that. How are you Wendy?"

"I'm good thanks. Are you ok?" she turned to the bed-bound brunette.

"Yeah," Carly grimaced as she tried to make herself comfortable; the boys left the two girls to talk and went to find a machine that served over-priced and tasteless coffee.

Black Box Theatre, Hollywood Arts High School, Los Angeles

The last class of the day had ended; Cat and her partner had arrived at the theatre having managed to book the prime slot of right after school in order to rehearse; Jade was sat in front of the stage, both so that she could watch her best friend and because she and her own partner were on next. The little red-head surprised her friend by showing an aptitude for juggling (which she did while singing); Jade was surprised that she could show sufficient focus to carry out both simultaneously and smiled at the sight.

"You ready?" a timid voice in her ear enquired; she turned to face her partner who, despite being a junior, was clearly terrified of her.

"Of course," she confirmed tersely. "I have the song by heart; just don't screw up playing the tune."

"I'll try not to," he replied weakly. Jade smirked at his retreating back as he tried to control his trembling. She turned her gaze back to the stage as the short teen's routine came to an end and stood up, making her own way to the front to begin her rehearsal.

Vega Residence

Thursday, 28th January 2010.

TwitFlash: ToriVega: 4 DAYS helping Trina and André rehearse. Trina's driving me INSANE!

André TheSlap: I hear ya.

Freddie and his friends had found a way to let the kids' Slap updates automatically link to TwitFlash if they so wanted so Tori and her sister's Showcase partner had been able to keep in contact that way during the week. They had bonded a little over their mutual frustration with Trina, who was busily learning the song that André had written, along with a corresponding dance routine. Privately Tori felt they'd been through it so often that she knew almost the whole thing herself.

She joined the talented musician in her home's back yard as he ended a call to his grandmother, who was planning to attend the event and see him in action.

"It's going to be the first time she left the house in six years," she explained. In answer to Tori's wondering why he elaborated, "The woman's afraid of everything: people, umbrellas, rabbis, bikinis, breakfast foods…"

"So if she saw a rabbi in a bikini eating pancakes…" Tori speculated.

"The woman would burst into flames," his tone was laced with resignation.

Further discussion was curtailed by an impatient pounding of the piano and an urgent call of "You guys, come on," from inside the house.

"Back to rehearsal," Tori sighed.

"Let's go," André agreed and they made their way back inside.

Main Theatre, Hollywood Arts High School

Friday, 29th January 2010.

TwitFlash: ToriVega: Ditching school – going to Trina's BIG SHOWCASE

Tori sat in the audience next to her parents while the talented kids from the school put on their performances. She had sat through several of them before a member of staff unexpectedly called the three of them backstage where they saw Trina stood with a hugely swollen tongue, which Tori put down to the Chinese Herb Gargle that her sister had found on the internet.

The school nurse adjudged that the girl couldn't possibly perform; André was disappointed as it meant that his grandmother's trip had been wasted until Lane, who had brought the Vegas backstage, asked if anybody else knew Trina's part.

"Her sister does!" the musician realised brightly.

"Me sister?" Tori was mortified at the thought. "No. No, no, no," she declined, "I just helped them rehearse; I'm not even a student here. I couldn't go…"

André dragged her to one side. "You know this whole thing inside and out. The song, the choreography. You can do this, come on," he tried to persuade her without success.

"Uh uh," she refused.

"She said she'll do it," he cried and the girl's fate was sealed.


Cat stood in the wings watching with bemusement as the last minute change of plans unfolded; she was rather surprised at the sight of this unfamiliar, and very reluctant, girl being literally pushed onto the stage by Lane. The spotlight fell on her and André struck up the song's introduction slowly.

"Here I am, once again," she began quietly,"feeling lost but now and then,

I breathe it in to let it go," The girl gestured to her new friend to speed up; he conveyed the message to the rest of the band.

"And you don't know…" suddenly as she sped up something extraordinary happened; the brunette smiled and her nerves seemed to evaporate. Cat raised her eyebrows wondering how she hadn't come across such an able singer at all before now in her year-and-a-half at the school.

"… where you are now, or what it would come to if only somebody could hear.

When you figure out how, you're lost in the moment, you disappeaaaaaaaaar," the girl continued powerfully; Cat was not the only one impressed, the Vega parents and older sister seemed amazed at her, hereto undiscovered, ability.

"You don't have to be afraid to put your dreams in action, you're never going to fade, you'll be the main attraction.

Not a fantasy, just remember me when it turns out right.

'Cause you know that if you live in your imagination, tomorrow you'll be everybody's fascination,

In my victory, just remember me when I make it shine!"

Robbie, stood next to Cat, Trina and Lane, began applauding wildly along with the rest of the audience as the girl continued her impeccable routine; the four, along with the others in the wings, swamped the girl as the curtain came down following an impromptu standing ovation at the end of the song.

"Oh my God, sweetie!" Mrs Vega hugged her youngest daughter.

"That was incredible!" her father agreed in turn.

"It was?" She seemed to be in shock at the turn of events.

"You're really Trina's sister?" Lane asked in shock; much to the older girl's affront; she mumbled unintelligible via her swollen tongue.

"It was the most amazing thing," her father continued as the others talked all at once adding their own congratulations.

"Are you serious? I was freaking out," she admitted.

"Excuse me," Principal Eikner joined the gathering and introduced himself; Cat was disappointed as it meant that she couldn't get to speak to this girl herself. "You don't go to school here?" he asked the new sensation.

"No, I…" she began to explain before he cut her off.

"Do you want to?"

"Should I?" Tori was shocked at the suggestion; André, Trina, the others surrounding her and the entire audience managed to convince her that it was a good idea.

Hollywood Plaza, 2011 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Monday, 1st February 2010.

Cat smiled as she sat at a table in the Food Court; the little red-head had found a stand that sold smoothies on a previous excursion to the mall over the weekend (she was taking her Nona's advice and trying to meet a few people her own age in the local area while she was still here) and the girl was taking advantage of the week's break between semesters by busily sampling the various flavours on offer in an attempt to identify a favourite. She turned to her phone and began texting her mother, who had just sent her a quick update on what was going on with them (they would be staying one more week before travelling back from Idaho – without her brother who was now almost fully settled into the hospital), only to be surprised when two more drinks were set down on the surface. She looked up to see a boy with black, slightly untidy hair and a stud in his ear smiling nervously at her.

"This is for you," he began in a shaky voice, "I see that you like smoothies so I thought I'd get you one."

"Oh thank you, that's sweet of you," she smiled at the kind boy before shooting him a slightly confused look as she wondered why he'd do such a thing.

"I'm Danny," he volunteered.

"My name's Cat," she replied.

"Do you go to Sherwood school?" he pulled a bit of a face, "because I don't remember seeing you around there."

"Oh no, I go to Hollywood Arts," she clarified, "I'm just staying here with my grandmother while my parents are in Idaho with my brother. I'll be going back home in a couple of weeks."

"That's a pity," he blurted out before he could stop himself; Cat smiled warmly at him, relaxing her new friend in an instant and encouraging him to remain in the seat opposite and continue the conversation with her.

Apartment 8-C, Bushwell Plaza, Seattle

Wednesday, 3rd February 2010.

Freddie and Spencer returned to the Shay apartment after their latest trip to the hospital, buoyed by the news that Carly could come home the next day; the artist began to set about preparing something for them to eat.

"So how are you Freddie?" Spencer asked in concern; he had been troubled ever since the boy had opened up to him the previous week, and knew for a fact, from sharing the apartment with him recently, that Freddie wasn't sleeping too well.

"Me? Oh I'm fine," he tried to reassure his host, only to receive a searching, calculating and challenging look in return. "Why wouldn't I be?" he defended.

"After what you told me last week?" the long-haired sculptor pressed, "and when it was, how long it's been and you're still struggling with it. I know you're not sleeping either; I can hear you on a night," he pointed out.

"I thought I was good with it all, I really did," the boy began, then he sighed. "I decided at New Year to let it go, then she called me up out of the blue last Monday and suddenly I was right back at square one again. Coupled with concern for Carls, even though I know she's going to be ok and is coming home, and you're right; sleep isn't coming right now."

"Look," he laced his fingers and rested his wrists on his knees as he leaned towards the younger male, "it's completely natural for what that girl did to have screwed you up; she raped you for crying out loud," he finally voiced it. Freddie looked like he'd been punched in the gut; he'd never actually thought of it in those terms and now that he had it suggested to him, and he was encouraged to think of the incident like that, his entire way of thinking about the night and morning after the Prom was changing by the second. He sat in stunned silence as Spencer continued to talk; it wasn't until the elder Shay sibling had given up on talking and finished preparing dinner that he actually snapped back to reality.

"I think I can finally actually start to deal with it now," he whispered, shaking a little as the waves of emotion wracked his body. "Thank you Spencer."

"Any time buddy," he smiled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "And if you need to talk a little more, you know where to find me."

"Yeah, it's not like you have a job to keep you busy," the teen joked.

"Oh God no," the artist looked horrified at the thought.

Thursday, 4th February 2010.

Freddie held the door open while Carly hobbled through it, using crutches to keep the weight off her broken ankle. The brunette smiled at her friend before making her way to the couch and collapsing on it while Spencer brought up the rear, holding his little sister's bag of clothing and other accessories that she had had with her at the hospital.

"Oh, it's good to be home," she declared with a smile on her face as she settled into her seat, propped her wounded leg on the coffee table and picked up the TV remote; the girl then began to flick through the channels in a quest for something to watch.

"It's good to see you here again, baby sister," Spencer patted her head affectionately.

"What are you doing?" she asked Freddie curiously, seeing him busy with his laptop a few minutes later.

"Checking for flights back to Los Angeles," he explained, "now that you're home and well and I know that you're definitely going to be ok, I really need to get back for work this weekend, school next week – and mom really wants me back in time for my birthday on Saturday."

"Oh," Carly looked disappointed. "I was hoping we'd have a little longer before you went."

He set his computer aside and scooted next to her on the couch. "It would have been nice," he agreed, "but you'll have your other friends and… and Mike is it? to come over and see you. Maybe you could head down and visit us over Spring Break or something if you're off those things by then," he suggested.

"I guess," she replied weakly, "but I do miss you Freddie."

He patted her thigh and squeezed it softly through her jeans as he gave her a soft smile. "I miss you too Carls," he admitted. "We need to chat more regularly from now on."

"Definitely," she agreed before they lapsed into companiable silence and watched Celebrities Under Water.

"Ok I have spaghetti tacos," Spencer called from the kitchen a little later. "They'll be ready in a minute if you can help Carly to the table," he addressed Freddie who immediately helped the younger Shay unsteadily to her good foot and furnished her with her crutches before helping to steer her into the kitchen and collecting some glasses and water for the three of them. "So when are you thinking of going?" he asked the Hollywood Arts student during the meal.

"Tomorrow afternoon probably," he explained, "so I can be back to do a weekend at work and catch up on some of the hours that I've missed recently. They understood," he shot a quick glance at Carly to show that he didn't blame her for his missing work, or that it was going to cause him any problems, "but I do need to make up the lost time."

The Shays nodded; both of the siblings were disappointed that he'd be leaving so soon but they appreciated that he had his own life that he needed to return to.

Seattle-Tacoma Airport

Friday, 5th February 2010.

The three were waiting for Freddie's flight to be called; they had found a bank of seats so that Carly didn't have to stand; even with crutches she didn't want to be spending more time than she had to on her feet while she gave her body a chance to heal up from the accident.

Finally the tannoy called Alaska Airline Flight 458 and Freddie stood, turning to face the Shay children.

"Well, that's me I guess." He swooped down to give Carly a quick, nonchalant cheek kiss and hug; despite having a boyfriend the brunette found herself a little disappointed that he didn't linger the way he had in years gone by but brushed it off as she took his hands in her own to garner his attention for a few more seconds.

"Take care, Freddie," she whispered.

"You too Carls," he smiled back before she released him and he faced her brother, who had stood up along with him. "Spencer," he said, nodding at the older Shay, "thank you – for everything."

The tall artist understood the loaded meaning behind that word; he nodded at the boy.

"Any time, you know you're always welcome and – you can always call for a chat if you need to talk about anything." He left it in those terms and the two ignored his sister's curious, questioning look at the vagueness of their exchange; Freddie nodded and they shook hands before turning it into a quick man-hug. The two had continued to talk for the following couple of days whenever Spencer could get the boy alone (usually while Carly was napping or else he snuck up to talk to Freddie while the invalid was sat watching TV) and it appeared that they were making some progress; the last couple of nights had certainly been far better for the teenager's sleep pattern.

Freddie then picked up his bag, gave the two siblings one last smile and a wave before turning and making his way for the flight back to California.

Asphalt Café, Hollywood Arts High School

Monday, 8th February 2010.

"Freddie!" André waved as he spotted his friend making his way towards them having traversed the parking lot. The other members of the group turned in response; each wore a smile as they saw their friend again and most dug in their bags retrieving the birthday cards that they had intended to give him at some point during their week off.

"Hey guys, thanks," he accepted their cards with a grateful smile before fielding a few questions about his friend's health and well-being. "So what did I miss?" he enquired as he sought to change the subject to a more pleasant one.

"Well, I spent last week working on the music for one of the plays that's going to be put on this semester, oh and we've a new girl starting after what happened in the showcase," André told him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's Trina Vega's little sister."

"Oh my God," Freddie was horrified at the prospect.

"No, no, this one's really talented," Cat explained.

"And hot!" interjected Rex.

"So how come?" Freddie pressed, ignoring the puppet. "What happened at the Showcase?"

"Well it started with a Chinese Herb Gargle," his songsmith friend began, much to the tech producer's bewilderment, explaining the events of that Friday.

"Did you manage to figure out who got kicked out in the first place?" he asked curiously as they headed inside.

"No," Jade complained ruefully as she was denied the opportunity to mock the ejectee, "we know someone left but we've no idea who it was."

"Hmm, maybe I can do some sleuthing via The Slap," he speculated before the bell called them inside.

Cat had just finished getting organised for the day ahead and was walking away from her locker when she heard the brunette singer she'd watched at the showcase call "I'm alone" in a frustrated tone. The girl in question (Tori I think it was the red-head thought) then called to her as she passed,

"Hey, can you tell…"

"Oh, my God! You're Tori, right?" Cat interrupted, glad of the chance to finally get to speak to her.

"Uh-huh," she confirmed her identity.

"You were so awesome in the Big Showcase," the cupcake-loving girl gushed.

"Oh, thanks."

"My name's Cat," she introduced herself.

"Oh, like the animal," Tori noted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in affront.

"Nothing," the brunette continued apologetically, "I love cats."

"Oh me too, they're so cute!" Cat walked away in the direction of her class having said this, leaving a bewildered Tori staring after her, still none the wiser as to where her first lesson's classroom actually was.

"Sorry about her," Freddie said to the perplexed brunette as he approached her, having witnessed the end of the girls' exchange, "she's a little… like that. Wait," comprehension seemed to dawn as he appraised her, "you're her aren't you?"

"Who?" Tori asked, still unused to all the attention and adulation that had been coming her way since stealing the show in the Big Showcase.

"Shelby Marx, the CFC fighter. My friend Sam is a huge fan of yours. Wow, wait 'til I tell her that I met you here… wait, why are you at our school? Are you leading a Stage Fighting class this semester or something?" he asked as his excitement gave way to bewilderment at a professional fighter coming to a Performing Arts High School.

"Uh, I'm not Shelby Marx; I'm Tori Vega," she replied, equally confused.

"Trina's sister?"

"Yeah, you've met her?" The brunette's tone was sympathetic.

"No, I just know her by reputation. I'm Freddie," he offered his hand and she shook it.

"Oh, the one who was supposed to be working on the showcase with my sister?"

"Uh yeah," he confirmed.

"Man was she wazzed off when you didn't show that night," the brunette commented.

"I went back to Seattle to see my friend; she got knocked down by a truck," he defended himself tersely.

"Hey, just an observation," Tori raised her hands in surrender. "So was your friend ok?" her voice was altogether more timid as she asked this.

"Yeah, Carly's fine, though I think it will be a while before she'll be able to do her next web show."

"Carly? As in iCarly? You know her?" Tori put a few pieces of the puzzle together.

"Oh," he chuckled softly, "yeah, that was her. I used to live across the hallway from her and," he lowered his voice a touch hoping that his next words would impress the attractive girl he was chatting to, "I actually used to produce the show."

She stared at him for a moment as the cogs in her brain processed his words. "You're that Freddie? The one who yanked their pony-tails when they had their fight?"

"Yes, that was me, you remember that?" he smiled at the memory before catching her staring at him again, frowning.

"I'm sorry, I just have difficulty reconciling that little boy with…" she gestured to him, particularly his muscular arms, which she poked gently; they were the result of regular gym sessions with André over the past year or so.

He grinned at her reaction. "Yes, I've grown a little bit since I left Seattle." In more ways than one, he thought a little ruefully as he reflected on his talks with Spencer the previous week. He glanced around at the now empty corridor. "Anyway, where do you need to get to?"

"Uh," she consulted her timetable again with her free hand; the other was still resting on his bicep, "Mr Sikowitz's class."

"Oh, I'm in that lesson now too, it's this way." He pointed down the hall and the brunette walked alongside him, smiling in relief that she had found a friendly, and rather handsome she grinned to herself, face so quickly. "So is Cat actually," he noted as he thought on the fact with a little shrug.

"I never got far enough to ask her," the girl admitted as they walked to the eccentric teacher's classroom together.

Freddie went to take his usual seat but Tori stopped just inside the room; she looked around, taking in the sight of her very first Hollywood Arts classroom (she was intrigued by the bewildering statement on the whiteboard – Improv is like a fine cheese, but not really) before dropping her bag on the floor next to the chair beside the one housing the Seattle-born teen. Unfortunately she didn't see that Beck, holding a cup of coffee, was stood almost directly behind her and collided with him as she turned, spilling the drink over his shirt.

"Oh my gosh," she apologised. Freddie turned in his seat to watch the spectacle; he also noted with mild surprise that Cat had not yet arrived in the class, despite talking to Tori before he had.

"It's cool," the long-haired teen assured her.

"No, I spilled coffee on you; here," and she attempted to wipe it off him. "I think it's coming out."

"Seriously, it's ok," he told her.

"Try not to move," she countered.

"You're sweet but…"

"I think it's almost out,"

"I think you're making it worse," Freddie commented as he surveyed the scene with growing amusement.

The classroom door opened to reveal Jade, a Jade who swiftly became annoyed with the sight that greeted her.

"Dude," she snapped, "why are you rubbing my boyfriend?"

"Oh, I just, I spilled coffee on…" Tori began.

"Get away from him," the gothic girl demanded.

"Relax, all right?" Beck tried to placate her with a peck on the cheek; she continued to glare at the new student.

Sikowitz entered the room, declaring that there was a huge fire in the school; he then settled the class again by explaining that he was just trying to get them warmed up for the lesson. Tori was surprised by the identity of the balding teacher; she had assumed he was homeless when she saw him earlier and actually handed him a couple of bucks. He thanked her for the gift as he introduced her.

"Now today," the eccentric began, "we're going to continue our study in group improv. Tori, I assume you're familiar with improv?"

"Uh, well, yes and no," she equivocated.

"What does that mean?" he sought to establish.

"No," she admitted.

"Ok. Crash course. Improv. Acting without a script. Which means the actors must make up their own actions and dialogue as they perform the scene, understood?"

Tori still looked uncertain but their teacher pressed on anyway.

"Excellent. Jade, you will captain the first group of the day. Choose your actors."

The mean girl stepped up to the stage and began to choose from her classmates. "Cat, Eli, Beck… and Tori." Nobody was more surprised than the brunette that she was nominated; Freddie gave her a gentle nudge to encourage her to join the kids on the raised platform.

"Ok, let's give them a place," Sikowitz called for suggestions.

"Home," Robbie called.

"And now we need a situation."

"Big news," André proposed, having to convince his teacher that he didn't mean big nudes – something the balding man thought was altogether less palatable.

"Why don't you go wait in the hall?" Jade suggested to the new student.

"Uh ok," she agreed and departed the room.

Sikowitz called action, Eli and Cat knelt down pretending to be younger children while Jade greeted her on-stage husband.

"Hey, babe, how was work today?" she asked him.

"Uh, not good, I got fired," he lamented.

"Oh," she threw her hands up in the air.

"Again?" Eli moaned.

"Our daddy's a loser," Cat wailed as the sandy blond she briefly dated nodded by her side.

"It's ok," Jade assured them. "I have great news that'll cheer up this whole family."

"What is it? Tell us?" her 'children' urged.

"I went to the animal shelter," she continued as she headed for the door to bring Tori in, "and got us a dog."

"Uh yep," Tori laughed. "I'm the new family dog. Woof."

In response to Jade's complaint, and Sikowitz's agreement, she had to "be a dog" by getting on all fours and not talking (other than saying "woof").

Eli and Cat began petting her while Beck upset his 'wife' by asking if the dog could sleep in their room; Jade told him she could not.

"Uh oh, looks like this dog has bugs in her fur," the gothic girl noted; the 'kids' recoiled in horror.

"Uh, woof?" Tori asked.

"Oh it's ok," Jade assured the pair. "I read on the internet that coffee works great for getting rid of fur bugs," and, despite Beck and Freddie urging restraint, she proceeded to dump a cup of the stuff over her classmate.

"What's the prob, dog?" she asked with a cold smirk; Tori stormed out of the room seemingly on the brink of tears.

"I'll go get her back," André said and chased after the brunette.

"Was that really necessary?" Freddie asked as he rose from his seat and joined her on the stage.

"Yes it was," she replied smugly; the boy shook his head a little in disapproval.

"Robbie, can you go and bring them back in here?" Sikowitz asked the curly-haired ventriloquist, seeing that the songsmith had so far failed to retrieve the newcomer. He nodded and, along of course with Rex, left the room.

"Oh what," Jade snapped, seeing that her boyfriend looked rather annoyed with her, while Freddie worked hard to keep a frown off his face.

"You dumped coffee all over her," the fluffy-haired Canadian pointed out.

"She was rubbing you and smiling," the blue-streak haired girl reminded him.

"She spilt coffee on me by accident when I walked behind her and she turned around."

"Oh that's convenient, she was still grinning like an idiot at you."

"I really want everyone back in here so we can get on with the lesson," the teacher interrupted, seeing that neither Robbie nor the others had come back.

"I'll go get them," Cat said and, before anyone could stop her, the still-frizzy-haired girl bounded out of the room in pursuit of her classmates.

"So you really don't trust me?" Beck fired at his girlfriend, interpreting her reasons for doing what she did. "It's ok for you and him," he shot a quick look at Freddie, who was still stood next to his girlfriend, "to be in plays together, kissing on stage and spending God knows how long in the Janitor's closet together but you don't trust me around any other girl?"

"I trust you," she countered, unwilling to make her discussions with Freddie – or their friendship in general – the subject of the conversation, "but when all these girls constantly want a piece of you it just… makes me worry," she admitted.

"Well you don't need to," he snapped before leaving the stage and taking his seat again with a glare in her direction. Freddie shook his head in growing despair at the growing issues between his friend and her man.

Cat, meanwhile, had come across Robbie, Tori and André in the main hallway of the school; they were stood at the bottom of the stairs by the bulk of the students' lockers.

"You guys, Sikowitz really wants everybody back in class," she told them.

"And you really wanted a date to the Prom last year, but you didn't get one did you?" Rex quipped.

"Well what's that supposed to mean?" she asked the puppet, almost in tears at the jibe and reminder of her lonely Saturday night while Freddie and Lindsey were at the Northridge Prom the previous Spring. "Tell your puppet to quit being mean to me!" she ordered Robbie.

"Don't call him a puppet; that's an offensive term!" Robbie complained.

"Yeah, this school's pretty normal," Tori told André sarcastically; he had recently told her that the school was actually fairly typical, something she did not believe for a second. The dreadlocked musician urged the other two to go back to class and tell Sikowitz they would be back soon.

"You'd better hurry," Cat told them before heading off. She paused mid-way down the corridor as a thought occurred to her and doubled back as she overheard the tail end of her classmates' conversation.

"Normal's boring," the songsmith told the singer before leaving.

"It's true," Cat lamented to the brunette.

"That normal's boring?"

"No, that no one asked me to the Prom!" she wailed before returning to the lesson.

The Slap Mobile

Tori Vega: Worst Day Ever. GOING HOME.

Mood = Wrecked.

Vega Residence

Freddie had seen his new schoolmate's status update and was concerned; he jumped into his car after work and made the short journey over to the Vegas' home, knocking on the door just after Tori changed her status again:

Tori Vega is feeling… conflicted.

Mood = Lost.

He knocked on the door and the brunette answered.

"Hey," he greeted her softly.

"Oh hey Freddie, come in," she invited him.

"Thanks." She gestured towards the couches in the living room and he sat on one, turning to face her as she sat at the near end of the other, so in fact their knees were almost touching. He laced his fingers and rested his hands between his knees with his wrists and forearms on his legs. "I came to see how you were after," he shrugged a little and separated his hands, his palms facing up towards the ceiling for a moment, "everything in class. You never came back after what happened." He returned his hands to their previous position and eyed her softly as he waited for her reply.

"You need to ask?" she snapped. "Sorry," she back-tracked immediately, "I just don't get why she did that to me. First she makes me play a dog then she dumps her drink all over me; it took me ages to wash it out of my hair when I got home."

The former iCarly tech producer nodded sympathetically. "Jade is…" he began before hesitating. "She's been a really great friend to me and she has a really good heart but…" he pulled a face as he paused again; Tori watched intently, waiting with baited breath for him to continue, "a few weeks ago Beck got cast in a play that André wrote; he didn't pick Jade for the female lead and the girl he did pick was rather flirtatious towards him. She's tough, she's awesome but deep down I think she fears losing her guy to someone else, so she'll try to fight off the competition," he explained.

Tori nodded uncertainly. "She saw me as competition on day one?"

"I think so; I think she'd see any girl she doesn't know – and trust – as competition if they were being friendly to Beck. He'll reciprocate because that's who he is, a nice guy, but he either loves the attention or he's blind to how much it bothers Jade. So why are you uh…" he pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at Tori's update again, "conflicted and… lost?"

"Because I don't know whether I'm coming back or not tomorrow," she admitted; he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You're seriously thinking about quitting after one day?"

"If going to this school gets me a cup of coffee in my hair every day then yes," she insisted.

"From what the guys said yesterday that would be a mistake," he observed. She gave him a curious look so he continued. "I wasn't at the showcase but the others were and they told me how great and how talented you are. I really want to see that for myself and it would be a crime for you to let that much talent go to waste. One day you'd regret it."

The brunette smiled at him. "I'll give it some thought," she conceded.

It was enough to placate her guest. "I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled at her as he stood and made to leave.

"You want a drink before you go?" she offered. With no other plans for the evening he accepted.

Beck's RV, Oliver Residence.

An urgent, almost desperate knocking on the door to his trailer encouraged Beck to hurry to answer it; he was surprised when a dark brunette with blue streaks in her hair swept past him and went inside.

"Jade? What are you doing here?" he asked in confusion, knowing of course that she was supposed to still be grounded.

"I don't have long; I snuck out and need to be back before mom notices," his girlfriend began. Beck nodded as she turned to face him, stood a few paces away. "I just want to know what went on earlier, why you were letting her put her hands all over you like that."

"Oh my God," Beck pinched his nose and sighed in frustration, "I told you, she accidentally spilt coffee on me and was trying to clean it up. Nothing was going on there – and you didn't have to react the way that you did."

"How can I not worry when you let all the girls flirt with you like that?" she countered.

"Do you trust me? Yes or no," he fired. "If you don't then let's forget it. If you do then accept that I'm not going to go looking for another girl; I already have a girlfriend." He gave her a peck on the cheek as he concluded his sentence. "You'd better go," he whispered, "or your mom will freak and you'll be grounded until college."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she agreed and disappeared into the California night.

Sikowitz's Classroom, Hollywood Arts High School

Tuesday, 9th February 2010.

Sikowitz elected to enter the classroom via the window; it wasn't the first time he had done it but it still bewildered the group.

"Why did you crawl in through the window?" Eli asked.

"Because being a good performer is about making interesting choices," he explained.

"That explains his pants," Jade snarled to the merriment of the others.

Tori surprised the group by arriving at that moment, preventing further discussion of the teacher's apparel.

"Tori, you're back," Sikowitz noted. "Ever thought about coming in through the window?"

"No," she was confused.

"Think about it," she was urged before taking a seat; Jade's ire raised as Beck turned to smile at her. "Ok," the balding teacher continued, "today we're going to do some alphabetical improve. What is alphabetical improve you ask, so I answer – it's when we give a letter to the first actor who speaks in the scene. If we use the letter 'A' as an example, then the actor must make his first word start with the letter 'A', which might go something like," he pointed to the class and the Canadian-spoke up excitedly.

"Apples are falling out of my butt," was his suggestion.

"Lovely," his teacher's sarcasm was unmissable. "Now, the next actor who speaks must start his line with the next letter in the alphabet, in this case, 'B'," by now the teacher was stood behind André and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders as he concluded, "so he might say…"

In mild panic André came up with "Bring those apples so that we may all enjoy the fresh fruit from Beck's butt."

"Charming," Sikowitz noted. "Now, who wants to lead the first group?"

"I do," Tori declared, much to her classmates' surprise.

"Alright. Tori, choose your actors."

"Ok," she made her way to the stage. "Freddie, Cat, Beck… and Jade. Yeah you," she shot in response to her nemesis's surprised look.

Jade raised a pierced eyebrow but made her way up to the stage, stopping en route to kiss Beck.

"Ok if you start your line with the wrong letter, ah," Sikowitz imitated a buzzer, "you're out."

"Robbie, give us a letter."

"P," the puppeteer volunteered.

"Ok, the scene could be about anything you want. The first letter of the first line is 'P'. Tori, action."

"Please go take a shower," Tori urged Jade.

"Quit telling me what to do," the gothic girl shot back testily.

"Relax, girls, let's all try and get along," Beck pleaded.

"Totally!" Cat agreed.

"Ah," Sikowitz performed his imitation of a buzzer, "Cat, your line had to start with an 'S'."

"Salami!" the red-headed girl screeched desperately.

"It's too late, Cat," she was informed.

"Oh, my life's the worst!" she lamented.

"Here's a piece of candy," the eccentric teacher brandished the treat.

"Yay, I love candy," the mollified teen sat happily as the new student watched the bizarre sequence with growing incredulity.

"Freddie, letter 'S' to you," the teacher recapitulated.

"Something bit my toe," he complained.

"Turtle, that turtle just bit his toe," Tori added eagerly.

"Unbelievable that you're even here," Jade snarked.

"Very immature of you to say that," her boyfriend chided.

"What about my toe? It could be broken!" Freddie attempted to head off an argument.

"X-rays would be one way of finding out," the lighter brunette commented thoughtfully.

"You should shut up," she was told by the mean girl.

"Zap! I just healed your toe with my magic finger," the Canadian-born supplied.

"Awesome, thanks dude," the former tech producer smiled.

"Brilliant… if a little scary," Tori offered.

"Can you just be quiet?" Jade demanded.

"Darkness, head swimming, can't breathe your earth's atmosphere," Beck complained theatrically before collapsing.

"Easier to walk, now my toe bone's fixed," the ex-Seattleite observed as he wandered around the stage towards his fallen colleague and squatted by his side.

"Freddie, is he ok?" Tori asked nervously.

"Why do you care?" the pale girl snapped without thinking. "Wait," she raised a hand towards Sikowitz but he made his buzzer noise again.

"Sorry Jade, the next letter was…"

"'G' I know," she snapped, throwing a filthy look at her newest classmate as she stormed to the back of the room and retook her seat.

"He's fine; he just fainted," Freddie reassured her.

"I know a cool thing to do now it's just the two of us," Tori grinned as the idea hit her; Jade raised her eyebrows in a blend of curiosity and suspicion.

"Jumping Jacks?" Freddie shuddered involuntarily as he thought back on Miss Ackermann's class at Ridgeway.

"Kiss me," she said simply. Jade's jaw dropped a fraction; Cat didn't look too thrilled either at the suggestion.

"Little weird but sure, why not?" the former iCarly tech producer shrugged; he wasn't going to reject a kiss, even a stage kiss, from such an attractive girl. They leaned in and kissed tenderly for a few seconds as Sikowitz led their classmates, minus Jade and Cat, in applause for the scene (Cat looked crestfallen as she watched them, a look that wasn't lost on her gothic best friend) before both young actors on stage stepped back with identical grins on their faces.

"Man, I love this school," Tori declared happily.

"Not bad is it?" Freddie quipped.

"Ok guys, that's enough," Sikowitz called before pausing. "Hey I just joined in," he commented.


AN: And breathe! Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please drop a review and come back next week for chapter 12 as Tori has to master The Bird Scene. PD.