Hey, guys. I've had kind of a rough month or two...but I'm here on the other side, giving you this. Can you guys believe Victorious is ending? I couldn't write anything for a week. I hope this brings us grieving fans a little bit of joy.
Cat knew that being married to her meant that Beck had to put up with a lot. Her severe ADHD meant that she could be scatterbrained at times. She was also, even though she'd made it through high school and college, still a little dumb. She'd never fully understood the difference between first aid and lemonade. Or was it second aid? Secondade? Lemon aid?
Regardless, Cat knew Beck had to deal with her and all of her moods, so she had tried for years to do the same with him. Most of the time, she succeeded.
This was the first time she'd ever felt like wanting to slap Beck for being an idiot.
As ironic as that statement was.
"Cat?"
Cat jumped and focused back in on her phone call. "Yes?" she asked. "Look, I know it's short notice, but I have to bring Caleb back with me. He can't keep living with his aunt. That woman is a monster," Beck said. Cat sighed as she paced through the living room. "Beck, did you ever think that Caleb could be lying to get to come home with you? You don't even know this woman."
"Which is exactly why he should come home!" Beck argued. Cat sighed again.
"He belongs with his family, Beck."
"We are his family!"
"Only biologically!"
"Cat! How could you even say that?!"
"Beck, it's true, and you know it!"
"He's my son!"
"What about your other children? Have you even begun to think about how this will affect your daughters? I can't believe you're putting Caleb's comfort over theirs!"
"Cat, you know I would never do that! I love my girls! How dare you even suggest that?!"
Cat sighed and sat down heavily. She put a hand on her stomach. "Okay, okay, fine. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do," she said softly. She held the phone between her shoulder and her ear, beginning to pick at her fingernails-a nervous habit she'd picked up in college.
"Honey?" she asked. "Yes?" Beck responded, sounding relieved. "Something happened in the park the other day." Cat continued to pick at her fingernails anxiously. "Did Robbie try something? That rat-bastard-"
"It wasn't Robbie," Cat interrupted. "I got a job offer." Beck stayed silent for a few minutes. "A job offer," he repeated. "Cat, I don't think that you should be working in your condition. The baby could come out any day now."
She sighed and stood up, resuming her tiny pacing circle. "It's not difficult work. It's just a commercial. It could be so much fun! I haven't done any TV work since that bibble commercial in college. And it could be a big help to us financially. Think about it," she said.
"You don't need to work. I can support us fine on my own," he argued. "Okay, fine. Forget about the money. What about me? I really want to do it. I graduated from Hollywood Arts and never really did anything with it," she said with a little smile. She thought she saw a tiny shape on the staircase, but decided to ignore it.
Beck sighed on the other line. "I'm sorry, but sweetie, I just can't allow it. I'm really not comfortable with it."
Cat was floored. "Beck..." she said in a hurt voice. "Why not?"
"You don't know who this guy is, and you have a baby on the way. My baby. I'm a little bit worried as it is, honey. There's no need to put you and the girls in any unnecessary danger."
Cat scoffed in disbelief. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked loudly. "It's not okay for me to take a legitimate job, but it's perfectly fine for you to bring a stranger home, huh? You sure know best."
"Honey, I-"
"Never mind. We'll talk about it when you get home."
"Okay. Love you."
"You too," Cat said softly. She hung up the phone before Beck could get too upset that she hadn't responded with "Forever and always" like she had done every time before.
She just didn't have it in her this time.
Cat sighed, threw the phone down on the couch, and went into the kitchen-all without noticing a small brown haired girl run off to her room in tears.
BATBATBAT
Tori felt slightly intimidated as she walked onto the set. She clutched Andre's arm. He patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't bug out, Tori, they're gonna love you. That's why they hired you," Andre reminded her gently.
She nodded. "Right. Right," she breathed. Andre kissed her sweetly to try and calm her down. She smiled and hugged him tightly. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I can do it," she said.
"That's my girl," Andre said with another smile. "I'll see you later."
Tori took another deep breath and walked up to the table of people. "Hi," she said nervously. "I'm Tori. I'm playing Jen." Everyone smiled brightly and greeted her. She sat down. "Sorry, I'm a little nervous," she explained, her hands shaking slightly as she picked up a script from the table.
"Don't be!" a man in a hat at the head of the table said. "We're going to be like a family here, Tori." She nodded with a little laugh. "So, as you all know, this is a story about Jen, a camp counselor and psychotherapist who decides to see if she can give herself therapy. Now, Tori, you'll be playing our therapist. To prepare for your role, I'd like you to shadow a therapist or counselor," he instructed.
Tori bit her lip as he continued talking. Where would she find a counselor?
BATBATBAT
"Now, Sarah, why do you think that Noelle always gets parts?" Jade asked, leaning forward to face the young girl in front of her. The teen crossed her arms. "Because Sikowitz likes her better! He always has! And Lane doesn't understand me. That's why I asked for you," she said, looking up. Jade smiled reassuringly. "Well, you're in good hands with me, I promise," she said gently.
"You want my advice?" she asked. Sarah nodded. "You come off as a little shy. You're not letting people see that beautiful, confident girl I know is hiding in there. So why don't you try speaking up more and volunteering in class? I bet Sikowitz will notice you then," Jade said. Sarah perked up and nodded, a grin slowly spreading across her face. She stood.
"Thanks, Ms. West!" she said happily. "It's Mrs. Matthews now," Jade corrected gently as she walked Sarah to the door. "Have a good day!" Sarah nodded and waved as she raced off to class. Jade sighed and turned around. "Lane! Sarah's gone, I'm taking a coffee break!" she yelled into the office. "Have fun!" Lane responded.
She turned to go and came face to face with a very teary eyed Becky Hall.
Becky was one of Jade's "frequent fliers", in almost every week with some new petty problem about her mother and shoes or crazy dream to be interpreted. Jade sighed. "Hi. Becky, I was actually about to take a break, so why don't we schedule something after lunch-"
"No, I need to talk to you right now,"
Becky interrupted with a sniffle. Jade put a hand on her hip. "Becky, what could be so urgent that you need to miss precal..."
Jade trailed off as she saw the pregnancy test in Becky's hand.
"...culus," she finished lamely. She stared at the girl: her red eyes, runny nose, tight hands all seemed so familiar to her. Becky looked like Jade, eleven years ago, when Caleb had squirmed his way into her life. Jade put her arm around Becky and led her into the office. "So, uh, Becky, why don't you tell me what happened," she said, sitting down and leading the girl to a seat as well.
Becky nodded sadly. "Well...I was at a party a while ago with my boyfriend...you know, Brett? The hot one?" Jade nodded her head in acknowledgment and Becky continued.
"Well...we went into this room and we started making out and-" Becky broke off with a sob. "He said everyone was doing it!"
"Doing what?" Jade asked softly. "Sex," Becky stammered. "A-and I thought I'd like it, so I said okay, sure. And we did, and I skipped a period yesterday, so I took a test and I found out that I was pregnant!" Becky put her head in her hands and began to sob.
Jade put her hand on the girl's knee comfortingly. She thought hard about what to say. She grabbed a pad and began writing down some tips like prenatal vitamins. "Becky," she said softly. The girl looked up. "I am going to be here for you, okay? No judgment, just a friendly face and a helping hand."
Becky nodded tearily. Jade rubbed her arm. "The first thing I want you to think about is whether or not you want to keep this baby. You can choose to get an abortion," she said. Becky shook her head.
"I don't really want an abortion, I think it hurts."
"So you want to carry the baby to term?" Jade asked, staring intently at the girl. Becky nodded. "Well, there's a lot to think about. You'll need to tell your parents-and Brett. I would tell them soon."
"But why do I have to tell Brett? He'll break up with me!"
"Trust me," Jade said, shutting her eyes. "If you don't tell the baby's father, it'll come back to bite you in the ass."
BATBATBAT
Beck waited outside the dingy house anxiously. He began nervously pacing back and forth, hoping that he would see some progress soon. The police had gone in with the social worker almost an hour ago. He started thinking about what would happen if Caleb came home with him today.
He wasn't so sure they could handle it. Cat had never handled older kids, or a boy. They had another on the way...logically, Beck knew it would have to be a temporary thing.
But how would he be satisfied with just a temporary thing?
Commotion began coming from inside the house, and Beck turned quickly. A rail-thin woman was led out of the house by the police. The social worker followed, holding Caleb's things and guiding Caleb out. Caleb saw Beck and ran to him. "Thanks, dad," he mumbled into Beck's shirt.
Beck wanted to cry, hearing Caleb call him 'dad'. He picked Caleb up. "No problem, buddy," he said with a smile. "You'll have much more fun in Hollywood, anyway."
Caleb's social worker gave Beck a stern look. "Mr. Oliver, may I see you for just a moment?" she asked. Beck nodded and set Caleb down. "Give me a second, okay, buddy?" he said to Caleb. The boy nodded and sat down on the front steps.
"What is it?" Beck asked, walking over to the social worker. She stared intently at him. "Mr. Oliver, we can't just give him to you willy nilly, we have to have proof of parentage."
"He looks just like me!" Beck said incredulously. "And that should be enough to let us give you this boy and move him across the country?" the caseworker retorted, crossing her arms. Back sighed. "Jade told me she put my name on the birth certificate," he told the caseworker. "And I brought proof of identity, if that helps speed things up."
The caseworker raised an eyebrow, then lowered it. "All right, Mr. Oliver," she said after a moment. "Give me your proof of identity, I'll process it tonight, and I can get papers drawn up by tomorrow if you are who you say you are."
"What happens to Caleb tonight?" Beck asked, quickly handing her his driver's license and social security card. She tucked the documents into her pocket. "He'll stay the night at one of the rooms provided by my office," she said. Beck turned and watched the police cars drive away. "Can I stay with him?" he asked, turning back to the caseworker. She shook her head.
"Sorry. Hopefully, you'll see him tomorrow." Beck sighed and nodded. The caseworker put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "We'll see you tomorrow," she said softly.
He hugged Caleb goodbye, then got out his phone to call Cat. They were going to have four kids in their house soon, whether she liked it or not. He just had to figure out how to break it to her.
BATBATBAT
Cat had just sat down on a park bench with the girls when Beck called her again. "Hello?" she asked. "They arrested Caleb's aunt," Beck said. Cat sighed. "Girls, why don't you pick a spot for the picnic?" she said to Nerina and Cadie. The girls smiled and raced off, the picnic blanket flying out behind them like a checkered cape.
"Beck, I'm still not okay with this," she said with a frown. "I promise it won't be that difficult, honey. Caleb will feel like part of the family." Cat raised her eyebrows. "My feet are swollen up so much that they look like link sausages, I have stretch marks on my stretch marks, bags under my eyes so deep I look like a cartoon character, and you think the way to cheer me up is to get me another child to chase after?" Cat ranted in Beck's ear.
She could almost hear his discomfort through the phone.
"Well," he said after a minute, "I'm sorry, honey. I know you're tired, but...I have to. I have to bring him back! I can't leave him here." Cat sighed again. "I know," she murmured. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Beck said the last words of the conversation.
"Thank you."
Cat sighed and hung up. She knew it was rude of her, but she couldn't help it. Sometimes she got this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she just felt like hitting someone. Her therapist in high school had told her it was anger-but Cat thought anger was a horrible word.
She pulled out her phone and began to type in a number. "Hello?" the voice on the other line said. "Hi, mr. Doherty," Cat replied. "I wanted to tell you that I thought about your offer, and...I'll take the job."
"Great! Wow, that's great!" Mr. Doherty said. "Okay, so I'll text you all the information you'll need a little later. I have to hop off now. Thanks again!"
"No, thank you," Cat said, smiling as she shut the phone. She felt a little like Jade. This was what Jade called revenge. It felt oddly satisfying.
She slowly got up to join the girls and felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Oh, God," she panted, breathing through yet another false contraction. "Mommy, are you okay?" Nerina called. She forced herself to nod and smile. "Yes, sweetie, I'm fine!" she called back. When it passed, she steadied herself. "Cat?"
She whipped her head around and saw Andre walking over with a smile on his face. Her face lit up. "Andre!" she exclaimed. She hugged him tightly. "I haven't seen you since the wedding! How have you been?" He put his hands in his pockets. "I'm doing good! I was just walking around."
"By yourself? Where's Tori?" Cat asked, putting a hand on her stomach. "She's shooting for her movie," Andre explained. "Oh, I heard about that! I'm so happy for her!" Cat said with a smile. "Girls! Come and say hello to your Uncle Andre!" she called.
Nerina and Cadie jumped up and ran excitedly over to him. "Hi, Uncle Andre!" Nerina chirped. Andre smiled and lifted her into his arms. "What a big girl!" he exclaimed. "Yeah, her fourth birthday is coming up soon," Cat said with a smile. "Are you coming?" Andre nodded. "I wouldn't miss it for the world, Cat," he said with a smile.
She smiled back at him and they continued to catch up.
BATBATBAT
"Hey, Mr. Shapiro. We got your little fugitive here. Found him living in a pipe under the hollywood sign."
Robbie grabbed Rex's arm and pulled him inside. "Thank you, officer," he said. The officer tipped his hat and ruffled Rex's hair. "Your dad's a good guy. Don't scare him like that again, okay, buddy?" he said to Rex. The boy nodded, his face somber.
Robbie smiled and shut the door. He promptly slapped Rex across the face. Rex cried out. "Do you know how worried I was?!" Robbie roared. "Go to your room! No supper! And don't even think about trying to run away again! I bolted the windows! March!"
Rex began walking upstairs. As he did, he turned and spat at Robbie. Robbie sighed and collapsed on his couch, in front of one of his Cat standees. "What am I going to do?" he muttered.
Just then, the phone rang. Robbie sighed and picked it up wearily. "Hello?"
"Hey, boss. It's me." Robbie smiled. "Well?" he asked, settling back in his seat. "She took the bait," the man said. Robbie laughed.
"Well done, Mr. Doherty."
"So, where should I tell her to meet for the, uh, 'Pampers commercial'?"
"Hmm. There's an old abandoned building on Madison and Sunset. Tell her to go there at noon on Monday the 30th."
"Okay. And when she does get there?"
Robbie grinned.
"Well, I'll be waiting to welcome her."
