Subconscious Hope

DISCLAIMER - I do not own Victorious, or any of the Characters, Images, or any else that is in any way related to it.

FYI: Italics is someone's dream, Bold is someone's inner thoughts, and Bold Italics is a Text Message

Chapter 13 - Closing In

Cat and Tori looked up, the smirk of the older boy looking down on them. Cat soon began to cry, her biggest fear coming to find her. But this time, instead of being in her head, it was looming over her, trapping her and her nude lover in the room. Tori tried to console her, but her own thoughts were running wild with the ideas of what might happen. She had, thankfully, packed her handcuffs when they came. She had known that she might need them if she and Cat were ever alone.

"Hello, Kitty. It's been a long time. Miss me?"

"No." Cat's voice was below a whisper, wrapped in fear. Her brother looked down on her, anger written on his face.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Yes. Please, I need-" Cat couldn't finish. Her voice left her, the pain growing more and more as time lapsed. She couldn't move. She couldn't do anything. She was a sitting duck, waiting for her predator while he stalked his pray. Tori looked on, trying to get a response from her own, but it wouldn't happen.

"That's better. Now, who is this?" Cat looked over to Tori, unsure of what to say.

"She's my- my-"

"Girlfriend. Gotta problem?" Tori gasped, not knowing when exactly her mind had put the label on what she and Cat were.

"Kitty? Is that true? Girlfriend?" He scoffed, making sure that the girls heard him.

"Yes-" Cat's voice found some hold, some strength. The thought of Tori saying it made her a little stronger. But then she looked up, staring her own personal demon in the eyes. All of her strength, her newfound hope that Tori had given her, vanished like smoke in the wind, without a trace.

"Oh, now. How do you expect her to be with you? You're nothing but a pathetic little whore. If it weren't for me, no one would love you."

"Shut up." Cat was trying, but her words held no conviction.

"Oh, is someone angry? Or sad? Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?" Cat tried, but nothing happened. She wanted so bad to run, to do something to get herself out of the line of fire. Her brother turned to Tori. "Will you give us a minute? I need to talk to the little tramp, alone."

Tori's mind was lit up. The anger and fear mixed together, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She didn't even remember doing so, but she lept at the boy. She got him around the neck, her father's training kicking in. If she could cut off the blood flow to the brain long enough, her assailant would pass out.

Cat looked on, seeing that Tori was fighting for her causing her own reaction. She ran, trying to find a phone. Their purses had been left downstairs. She knew where, and it wouldn't take long to get Jade or Mr. Vega on the phone. Her brother ragdolled Tori, throwing her backward into the vanity mirror, the glass shattering upon impact. He gave chase, catching his baby sister in mere moments.

"Where do you think you're going?" She got tripped at the ankles, slamming down on the floor. He flipped her over, pinning her down as she stuggled. He moved for the button on his pants, preparing for what hadn't happened in a long time. "I've been waiting for this. You should thank me. Its been so long for you, too, hasn't it?"

Tori got up, seeing her redhead fighting. She ran, tackling the psycho off her girlfriend. She gave him a quick knee to his now exposed lower extremities, causing him to cry out. She dug her nails into his eyes sockets, hoping to blind him. She was again thrown off rather easily, as he made his way to find Cat, who had gotten away.

"Kitty Cat? Where are you?"

The struggle was unfolding, Cat and Tori's fears unraveling at a blinding pace in front of their eyes. Tori went downstairs, finding her phone rather quickly. She went for the speed dial, but as she was about to call, she got struck from behind. Everything went dark, her attempt unsuccessful.

Cat was hiding, trying to make it seem like a dream, or an illusion. She wanted so bad for everything to go away. But when she heard Tori scream out, she knew something was wrong. Slowly, she started moving like a spy attempting to not be seen. She made her footsteps as light as possible, stealth her only weapon. She heard her brother again.

"Oh Kitty? Come out, come out, wherever you are. Hehe."

Like two leaves dancing in the wind, the two bodies managed to evade each other for a little while. Cat was almost to her phone, when she looked down seeing Tori. Her natural instinct to scream gave her away, her brother running.

"THERE YOU ARE!" He tackled her again, pinning her down again, about ready to start. Cat reached up, trying to pull her purse off of the table. Her reach wasn't long enough, and he began. She felt the all too familiar pain return, crying out against it as she did her best to hold in her screams and fear. But then he fell off, Cat looking up as Tori was standing over her again. She was bleeding heavily from the back of her head, but didn't care as Cat was the only important thing at the moment.

"WE NEED TO GO, NOW!" Tori found the handcuffs in her purse. She looked to Cat's brother, who had a weird look on his face.

"Handcuffs? Huh, those will go nice for our little game, won't it, Kitty?" He moved slowly, watching as the two girls walked backward away from him. He was between them and their exit, so grabbing their purses they did their best to run to the bedroom and lock themselves in. But as they made it, Tori was caught, screaming out.

"CAT, GO. CALL MY DAD. NOW, GET SOMEONE HERE." Cat didn't want to leave her, the thought of something happening to someone fighting for her too much to bare. She didn't register it, but she tackled her brother off, sending herself with him down the stairs. "You want her? Go through me." Cat's anger overrode her fear, as she began striking her brother at a furious pace.

She fought as hard as possible, making sure to strike in areas she knew would do the most damage. She got his midsection, trying to knock the wind out of him. She went for the groin, for his neck, his eyes. But for some reason, every hit just brought forth another laugh, as if nothing were happening to him. He pushed her back again, once again moving to get over her.

Tori got her pepper spray, connecting with his eyes. "You fucking asshole." Unphased, he looked on. "Now there's a feeling that I had fogotten. It feels good, ya know." "You've got to be kidding. This lunatic actually ENJOYS peperspray?" Tori moved again, striking him and grabbing her girlfriend.

Even through blurred vision, he was still able to find his way. He moved slowly, methodically. He remembered his old house, the places he could find his target still fresh in his mind. Even if completely blind, he still knew exactly where to go. He finally felt something his the back of his head. He stumbled, catching himself on the kitchen table. "You're gonna have to do better than that. This is fun."

He stopped, waiting for anything that would give away the position of his two victims. "I gotta say, Kitty. For a little whore, you sure know how to get the pretty girls to fall for you. I think she'll be just as fun as you."

Unaware that the door was unguarded, the girls found their way back to Cat's room, baracading the door. They looked for their phones. Tori apparently dropped hers when struck from behind. And Cat's was nowhere to be seen. And there was no land line in her room. They were stranded, unable to do anything to get out. They would have to move again, or else face the person who had them trapped.

Building their courage, they slowly opened the door, looking out before exiting. They began moving, before Cat was once again pulled away, her brother laughing as she fought against him. "TORI!" The latina ran, tackling the three down, before a kick landed to her gut. Falling to her back, she looked back as Cat was struggling. Cat finally bit down on her brother's arm, giving her the time to get out from under her brother.

Tori took the opportunity to find a belt. She wrapped it around his neck, pulling back with all her might. But she didn't have enough weight, the attempt hardly phasing the bigger body. It just wouldn't stop. He threw Tori away again, looking to Cat who was still on the ground.

"You know, I've thought about you every day. I couldn't wait until I could be with you again. We were meant for each other. You are the only person I have ever loved, and I am the only one who will ever love you."

Cat looked to Tori, whose eyes said so much else. "I've got to put a stop to this. He's wrong. Tori loves me. I can't let him hurt her like he has me." Cat looked up, seeing a pair of scissors on a small table. She grabbed for them, noticing they were a pair that Jade had been looking for for a while.

She grabbed them, standing up and lunging. Shoving with all her might against her brother's chest, she watched as the pain caused his body to freeze. Then the pain caused his body to throw her, her head slamming against the corner of the wall, busting it wide. Cat fell silent.

Cautiously walking around the body on the ground, Tori walked to her redheaded girlfriend. Tori looked on, crying out as she tried to get Cat to respond. She had fought back, and won, her brother lay motionless on the floor. But what was the price. She too was motionless, her chest not moving as she slipped away.

xxxxx

David and Holly were talking to Mrs. Valentine about the arrangements needed to protect their daughters. David would have an officer escort them to and from school, and would make sure to keep an officer at the Valentine residence, in case he went there looking. When they were at the house, David could manage, his own house being a fortress for him and his family.

"Do you think the girls will go for that, David? I mean, they won't like being forced into staying here and doing nothing."

"Yes, but until things settle down, and everything gets resolved, there is no other choice."

"But isn't there-"

"Holly, there isn't. I let them go tonight so they could get Cat's things and they could come and stay here as long as needed." David knew the girls wouldn't like what is essentially being grounded, but this was the only way to keep them both safe. It wasn't until he heard the frantic voice of his daughter that his eyes went wide, looking at the two women sitting across from him. Almost knowing what was about to be said, the women got up, preparing for the worst. "Tori, call the paramedics. I'm on my way."

"He's here. Tori and Cat did their best, but-" He turned to Mrs. Valentine, "he got them." Both women started to cry, holding each other. "Tori said that Cat fought him off of her, and then-" He didn't know exactly how to say it. To tell someone that both of their children were gone. She looked up, fear and anguish in her eyes. "-she stabbed him. Scissors, to the chest. But he threw her headfirst into a wall. Tori said that she-" He couldn't do it. They loaded up, making their way to the crime scene.

xxxxx

Upon arrival, the Vegas and Mrs. Valentine found Tori laying over Cat, crying out with fear and love. She was holding onto her for dear life, unaware that there was nothing she could do.

"CAT! PLEASE CAT NO. I LOVE YOU. DONT LEAVE ME." Holly had to practically rip Tori off so David could perform CPR. Tori watched, praying that something could be done. But it became too much, and she fell into her mother's chest, crying harder than she ever had before. Mrs. Valentine looked on at the destruction and pain that had been brought. She looked down on her son, cursing him for hurting not just her own family, but those who loved her family as well.

Cat coughed, a weak cough supressed by the blood in her throat. David held her still, making sure that she didn't move. It was the best thing to do, not moving someone who was hurt. Tori didn't even register that she was alive, didn't know if she would or would not live. Cat's chest started slowly rising and falling, the adults letting out a sigh of relief.

"Tori, look." Her mother showed her, causing Tori to fall to the ground again, crying with joy at the sight of her broken girlfriend. Tori looked on at everything else, a cold chill running down her spine. "How can someone be this evil? How can someone do this, cause this, and not feel remorse from it? Cat, I finally understand. Why you need me, why you want me. Because sharing this, and feeling this, it connects us. And I need you now, too. We are meant to be together, like destiny chose us for this. I promise you, we will be together forever. I am going to marry you." "marry you." Tori let the last few words slip.

"What was that baby?" Her mother watching, she looked up. She looked at the three people who standing over them, concern and fear in their eyes.

"I told myself I was, uh am, going to marry Cat." Tori looked up, the conviction strong as the words ghosted past her lips. She expected another tirade or something from her father, or some resistance from her mother. Even Mrs. Valentine would have something to say about it, surely.

"Well then, I guess we need to start planning." As those words came out, David spoke up. "Tori, you may want to wait. She's, uh-" He wasn't sure how to say it. Just as Cat had come to, her chest stopped again. She was silent, unmoving. Tori started to cry again.

The paramedics arrived, and Cat was quickly loaded into the ambulance. Tori was going with her, not only to be with her, but because she needed some mending as well. She was going to stay, no matter what. Cat and her were now inseperable. Cat's brother was loaded into a body bag, taken to the mortuary. "C'mon baby. Don't leave me. I need you now, just as much as you need me."

Okay, so this may be the end of her brother, but not the emotional torment. Even without the fear of him returning, the memories will still haunt her. Cat may have some strength in battling her demon, but the emotional and mental toll is one that will be so much to handle. Cat just had the fear thrown back at her, and has to struggle through it. But with Tori by her side, it shouldn't be hard, right? She has all that to face if she pulls through.