Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters.
Warning: mention of rape and other potentially triggering subjects. I don't think anything happens here, but you never know what might trigger.
:}
The next morning, after Jade went off to work, Tori called Cat with the good news. "Cat, I'd love to work with you. That is, if you can find a place for me on your show."
"I haven't had a chance to do more then text the producers, but I'm sure they could find you a personal assistant position." Cat said. "At least until we figure everything out. When can you come by the studio, chat a bit?"
"I'm guessing today would be too soon." Tori said, trying not to get her hopes up.
"No, this afternoon works." The petite scientist said.
Tori had to keep herself from screaming. She took a moment to gather herself, letting Cat know how happy she was to be doing the show. "Thanks you so much. You won't regret this."
"Glad to help." Cat said, and even over the phone, Tori could imagine Cat's sweet smile. "We're gonna have so much fun."
"You know, back at Sherwood, I loved science." Tori tossed out.
"Riiight." Cat's doubt was obvious. "Look, I know, once upon a time, you were doing science projects. But to truly love science like I do, thats a whole different kettle of fish. And you don't have too. Just love the kids, and we're great. So, see you this afternoon….. and Tori…?"
"What?" Tori asked, now nervous. She felt that maybe, Cat was trying to let her down easy about the whole science thing.
"Is there any chance Jade'll be joining you?" The former redhead asked.
"Sorry, but she's heavy into pre-production for her movie, as well as dealing with logistics she hadn't anticipated." Tori tried to explain. Inside, she was both relieved, and a bit upset. 'This is about Jade, isn't it?'
"Logistics?" Cat asked.
"The trailer she runs her production company out of is the same one we used to live in, and it's hooked up next to our soon to be house." Tori explained.
"So?" It was such a simple question, showing how little Tori had explained.
"The studio wants her to have an office thats more convention for them." Tori tried.
"Not a problem." Cat said. "The studio where I film my show, Hollywood-Bronson, they have a few portables for rent near by. Jade can just rent one of those until she's big enough to require a more permanent office. Have her come with, and I'll have the property manager talk with her."
"You really want that apology, don't you?" Tori asked.
"That, and I have a whole list of science based pranks I can pull on her, if I feel I need to even the score a bit." Cat said.
"Now I'm thinking that maybe she'll be busy." Tori sounded hesitant.
"Tori, it's not like that." Cat insisted. "I told you, or was it Trina..." She hesitated, just a heartbeat. "Whomever, I told them that Jade and my relationship was complicated. Inside, part of me wants her close cause if she really is back in my life, I wanna make sure she's not going anywhere. I-I don't wanna get hurt like that again."
"So no mean pranks?" Tori asked.
"No promises." Cat replied. "But lets see how my apology goes first, and go from there."
"Wait, you didn't get one from her?" Tori asked.
"We'll talk about that later, okay?" Cat asked. "Just, make sure you get here, I really wanna see you get this part."
"I'll be over in a bit." Tori said. "Um, I'm gonna be traveling by Lyft."
Cat laughed. "Call someone, girl, get a ride."
For a second, Tori was floored by that statement. 'Who could I call on such short notice?' she wondered. But it came to her like a sudden light, and she knew. "I'll call Andre, he knows where I live." Tori said, her face brightening.
"Still don't drive?" Cat asked.
"Couldn't afford it for a while." Tori said. "And I made Jade trade in her car…."
"Was it the one she had in high school?" Cat asked. Tori nodded, despite being on the phone. "Yea, I can guess why you wanted her to get rid of that junk heap. Couldn't be too many happy memories attached to that one. Anyways, see yo this afternoon."
"Any particular time?" Tori asked.
"We start filming a little after one, cause our child helpers often have class until then." Cat said. "Turns out, while we do use some of our audience, most of our kid helpers go to school at the Palm Woods School, attached to the Palm Woods Hotel. It lets out about noon, so they usually get to work by one."
"Isn't the Palm Woods a school for kids in the industry?" Tori asked.
"In that many kids who want to make it in Hollywood live at the Palm Woods, yes." Cat said. "And we employ a number of them as kid helpers and other child acting jobs. Sorry to ruin the illusion, but actors can be counted on to show the correct response, and not get lost in their electrical devices."
"Soo, this afternoon." Tori tried again.
"Call Andre, see if he'll give you a ride." Cat said. "Jade's preferable, but Andre if she's too busy today."
Tori got the ride from Andre, even thought she got Jade to call the studio about using space there. For Dre, it was an afternoon out with his friend, enjoying the Los Angeles weather in an open air cafe before heading into the studio. The front desk had visitors badges for them, already more security then when Trina was filming her show here. With the help of various people at the studio, the two friends were able to find the right stage fairly quickly.
Cat's show used a rotating set of three primary sets, as well as a fourth stage that was used for indoor sets that weren't easier to film on location. The permanent sets were Cat's living room, her lab, and a small vehicle, looking oddly like a scifi car, set up in front of a green screen and used for travel scenes.
Cat greeted them with hugs, a showing of her former self. But, after exchanging pleasantries, she got down to business. "So, no Jade?" Cat asked.
"She's too busy with everything." Tori said. "She actually does want to talk to you, but today just isn't happening. She did managed to fit in a lunch with Beck, for a couple of days from now. I'm sure she'll make time for you. Just, after the current crunch is over."
"The manager called, asking me for a reference for her." Cat said. "I expect she'll not only use the portable, but may use some of the sound stages here in some of her future projects. Hollywood-Bronson does have contracts with many of the major studios."
"Yea, so..." Tori shifted nervously.
"I spoke to my producer, and it turns out they've had dealing's with the Carsons in the past." Cat said, keeping her face neutral.
"Well, you tried." Tori said, not wanting to sound too hurt.
"So naturally, they're trying to figure out what kind of on air roll to give you." The petite girl continued.
"They what?" Andre asked. "How much do they hate the Carson family?"
"Learning Live used to get a ot more of it's funding from grants for the PBS before the Carsons got them knocked off the list." Cat explained. "So, now we make our money from a variety of sources, including merchandising, which is why my show is so fricking important to our group. Turns out, our international markets love buying just about anything with a celebrity's face on it. Yea, we're no Fraggle rock, but we do have our following."
"How popular can a kids science show be?" Andre asked.
"We have contracts with school all over the country, cause they use our show to help teach the little ones." Cat explained. "We have puppet characters, only we can't use them in the lab, cause of fire. We even have a growing international audience."
"So they're gonna find me an on air roll?" Tori was bouncing. "I'm gonna make money on air. Thats working in entertainment. I'm so excited..."
"First, we really don't need anyone." Cat said, calming her friend down. "So your roll will probably be flavor more then substance. But, what can I say, half our crew is on the black list for BS reasons. And if we find out they're on it for a real reason, we're probably firing them anyways. I JUST WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME THIS BEFORE TODAY!" She yelled the last part, her voice echoing around the sound stage, making everyone keenly aware of her displeasure. "Anyways, I need you to interview with Marty. He's already on board, but this is more then a formality. You still gotta make a good impression. Andre, why don't I show you around while Marty has that interview." Her eyes locked on a middle aged man. "Out here, where I can keep an eye on you."
Tori recognized Mary as someone who used to work for Mason Thornsmith. 'Gulp...' Plastering on her best smile, she tried not to shake. "Marty, you may not remember me, but.."
"I remember you from when I worked for Mason." The man said. "No, I don't blame you for what an ass he was. He did get me blacklisted for some god awful reason. I think it was reminding him of something he told me to remind him about. Anyways, I'm not Mason, and I don't hold grudges. Also, I'm happily married, and have no desire for a fling. That being said, what I do need is to know why Cat is so insistent you get a job here."
"I've been blacklisted by the Carsons." Tori started.
"And?" He asked, his voice harsh.
"And the rest gets complicated." She said, looking down.
"Simplest explanation." Marty said.
"Cat and I used to be friend, but we lost touch after high School." Tori said.
"There has to be more." He prompted.
"Her closest friend in High School, and the one girl she felt hurt her the most, is now my wife." Tori continued. "But the whole thing is complicated, and totally Cat's story."
"So you married Jade West?" Marty asked. "I remember her. Talented singer, nice body, and scary as hell."
"Yea, but the marriage, that was after my life had slid down into the gutter, and hers had, and we kinda helped each other find our way out." Tori rambled. "I wish I could say I financially supported her while she was making her first movie, but I'll have to be happy with just holding her hand, helping motivate her. Jade was, is damaged, and I helped her stay together to get so close to the dream. Only thing is, we succeeded too much, and puller her out of the Indy movie set, making her main stream now. That meant she can't have me acting in her movies yet. Not until she's untouchable."
"Okay, that makes some sense." Marty said. "So you fell in love, got married, and now are looking to earn your part of the marriage, right? I know about Cat's problems with Jade. In the time I've know her, she's complained enough about Jade to make it obvious those two have issues. I'm just glad your not a part of that. You're not, right?"
"I'm kinda hoping me working here isn't Cat trying to hurt my wife." Tori admitted. "My dad, he spoke to her, Jade, and helped us see that this doesn't have to be a barrier in our relationship."
"Well, Jade's a filmmaker now, so that'll make their feud fun. That is, assuming they can't find some way to work around it." Marty said, smiling. "So, why do the Carsons hate you?"
"Their son, Steven, was dating me, and this chick in Seattle named..." Tori started.
"Oh, yea, the iCarly diss." Marty said, his grin growing. "Boy deserved that. Thats what got you blackballed? Yea, we can work around that. So, the Carsons hold a grudge, huh? No matter, I have another pet peeve to feed, and you're gonna fill that one in. Congratulations, your Vicky, the new neighbor who believes all that anti science chiz from the news networks. You'll be there for Cat to educate, playing a stand-in for any of the kids parents who might not believe in science. You'll go along on some of Cat's scientific adventures, learning chiz and slowly discovering what you knew was wrong. That is, until after the next episode of the ASN news. ASN stands for..."
"Let me guess, anti-science news?" Tori speculated.
"You got it." Marty said. "So, Tori, it'll take time to introduce the new character. Lets talk with the writers, see how soon we can add you. But earliest possible would be next week. We have all of this weeks filming already written."
"No problem." Tori said. "Um, I do get a contract, right? I want this written down, permanent."
"I'll have legal write you a contact, and you can come by and sign it by, say, the end of the week. We'll get you in costuming too." Marty said.
"Great." Tori offered her hand. "Sounds like we have a deal."
"Just be glad our producers are willing to pay more, strictly scale, but still pay for another character." Marty said. "They hate the Carsons. Bigly."
"Is that even a word?" Tori asked.
"No, yet people use it as one." The producer said. "Lets see if I can find someone to give you a tour of the studio while I wrangle me a scientist." He took a deep breath and yelled "CAT! SHOW TIME!"
The former redhead came out of the side area where she'd been talking to Andre, showing him around her stuff. "Come, you get to see my show." She told her friend. Then to Tori. "So, how'd it go?"
A small group of people were applying makeup to Cat, even as someone was holding an old style "Howie" lab coat and a pair of prop glasses for her. The science star just ignored them, letting them do their jobs as she tried to continue with her conversation.
"Marty said they had a roll for me, and they'd have a contract for me by the end of the week." Tori said.
"I'll make sure he calls you as soon as it's ready." Cat said, stepping int her lab coat. "Did you know, I once did the show almost naked under the coat? I wanted to do it totally nude, but we work with children, so I was in a bikini. Still, it's amazing what this thing will hide." She took her glasses, and walked onto the stage, her current assistants joining her on their marks. "Oh, someone show Tori there the rental space, so she can show that wife of hers."
Tori took that opportunity to scuttle off and see the portable in the back lot, where they were renting space. Thing was, the space wasn't what she expected. She was expecting something on the line of trailers, hooked up and next to one another, or maybe the kind of portables that schools use for extra class space. The portable building was a modern relocatable prefabricated construction, easy for quickly placing a building where you needed one, but it didn't look like she expected. This even looked, for the most part, like a normal building. Instead, what she found was a series of modular buildings, each two stories tall, next to one another, forming a block of buildings. At each end, there was stairs, and an elevator, with restroom modals breaking up the spaces. Then, a central walkway area connected them to one another, the ground floor walkway maybe a foot off the ground, with another above it giving an identical walkway for the next story. Then facing the first row of buildings was a second row, and on top was a free standing roof over the walkways, making the whole things like a modern art building, giving the renters plenty of space to expand, put in offices, whatever they wished.
The office space that Jade was being offered was on the first floor, and already sectioned out for a small production company. The building manager explained as they went along. "This was for a christian film-making company, heavily funded for a while, then abandon as soon as it was discovered the producer was fooling around with his backers second wife. Or was it his third. Whatever, the affair ended their lease, and we haven't reformatted the space yet. I'm thinking we can give your wife a good deal, maybe even help her move in, cause the space, it doesn't cost us that much to have, and we won't have to do any rearranging. That is, if she's willing to have a jacuzzi just off her office."
"Yea, she'll never get any work done with that thing in there." Tori griped. "Show me."
The jacuzzi was one of the smaller models, only meant for two people, but Tori thought it was perfect. "Let me show the pictures I took to her, and see if this fits her budget." The Latina said. Then she rushed back to see what was new with Andre.
Cat was refilming one of her shows scenes, where she explains the science behind what just happened, while Andre sat and watched. The boy was lost, unable to fathom the one time ditsy girl being so smart. Tori, for her part, caught up on the discussion fairly quickly, given it was meant for children. "Dre, time to go." Tori whispered in his ear.
"And cut." The director said. "Cat, baby, you were perfect. But Star, more amazement, please. Act like this was the first time Cat explained this to you, not the fifth. We need the audience to believe that she's captivated you with science."
The ten year old girl nodded, finding her center, preparing to shoot the next take. As she did that, Cat walked over to get a drink of water. "So, did you love the space?" The scientist asked.
"I think it'll do." Tori said. "There's a small Hot Tub, maybe large enough for three people, meant for two, but it has the advantage that two people can get friendly in it, which I suspect was the original intent. I like that idea."
"That serious, huh?" Cat asked. "Tori, you need to know, Jade did apologize to me. I even accepted it. I just need another apology, for something else, and maybe to get my revenge. But after that, Jade is back in my life, and I'm counting on you keeping her there."
Tori smiled. "I'm planning on being there for you, all the way." She offered the smaller girl a hug, and the two were soon smiling, giggling as they reset the scene for the next take.
"We going?" Andre asked.
"Yea, we're going." Tori said. "I have a lot of practicing to do if I'm gonna get back into filming condition by next week. I saw the kids, and they're good. I'm not gonna be the one stinking up the place."
:}
Thoughts?
Anyways, I gave you what I hope is a reasonable science show, as well as the image of Cat naked under the lab coat. Fore those of you who don't know what a Howie lab coat is, and aren't gonna look it up, it's the lab coat of old time mad scientists, with the two sets of buttons, like the one Neil Patrick Harris wore in "Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog".
So, Tori's gonna be on air talent, all cause even the Carsons got themselves some enemies. Gonna help rebuild Tori's career, I'll bet.
So, comments, love, hate, recommendations on a good chain to eat at, just put them in the comments below. And see ya next time.