Clean Slate

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious.

A/N:

Chapter 25 (What is Deserved)

Upon arriving at the restaurant, she saw Derek's motorcycle and was immediately surprised to see him. Casey's car was there, but so was an olive green Cadillac, a car she didn't recognize.

Stepping out, she heard a loud crash followed by someone yelling. Her heartbeat skipped and panic shot through her. The doors flew open and a man with a blonde buzz cut went flying out of the restaurant. "Don't let me catch you around her again!" Derek's exclamation shook her and she watched as the man scrambled for his car.

She ducked back into her car, sitting low and watching as the man shook his flipped off the restaurant, then sped off. When the coast was clear, Trina slowly made her way to the restaurant, greatly concerned about her friends.

Inside, Derek was consoling his sister at the bar. Casey's face was in her hands and her body was trembling. Derek was rubbing her back. His face was heavy and eyes angry. "Is this a bad time?" Trina asked this while maintaining caution. Casey's head snapped up and Derek glanced over with a gentle frown.

"No you're fine," he replied, "Come on over. Is everything okay?"

"I was going to ask the same."

She watched as Casey turned around. Upon seeing her friend, she was filled with horror and anger. Casey's cheeks were stained with tears, her lower left lip was bleeding and her left eye had a light purple bruise. "You know Adam?"

"Your fiancé?"

"Ex…" Casey crossed her arms and hopped off the bar stool, narrowing her eyes. "That was him."

"Oh my god." Trina hurried over and gave her friend a hug. It didn't need to be said what happened, she understood. Every phone call Casey received from the man was a red flag to Trina. She even asked Jade, and Jade said it the way the guy acted also reminded her of Beck's actions in their relationship. "I'm so sorry, Casey."

Casey hugged her, then stepped back and wiped her eyes. "It's okay. Derek gave him a lashing. The relationship's over." Trina looked over her shoulder and shook her head slowly. "I had to call Derek. Adam came to the restaurant pissed off because I was planning on leaving him-it's been over for a while."

"So he was abusive to you?"

"Yeah…abusive, possessive…When you talked about that one guy, I made those connections." Casey shivered as she curled her fingers into her hair. "I don't know why I let it go on for so long."

"Want me to call Jade? Tori's busy taking care of her baby, but I can call Jade and have her go after him."

"No thanks, I want nothing more to do with him." Casey took a deep breath and walked around the bar. Trina glanced over to Derek, she admired how quick he was to help his sister and how protective he was. It was a side of him she'd not really seen much of, and she liked it.

"You always that protective, Derek?"

"I don't care for people who attack my family," Derek muttered, "I had my suspicions about Adam for a while now." He slid his hands to his waist and closed his eyes. "If I see him again I'm calling the cops on his ass."

"Good idea." She watched Casey pour herself a drink, then lean forward against the bar. She was impressed with her friend's tenacity and capability to remain strong despite what happened, but she knew how Casey was with holding things in. She was a lot like her, it was one reason they were such good friends. "Casey, if you want anyone to talk about it, you know I'm here."

"I know." Casey smiled softly and took a sip of beer. "I appreciate that. Now, you game here for something." She set the glass down on the bar and straightened herself up with a heavy sigh. "You wanted to talk about something, I guess?"

"Yeah." She and Derek moved over to the bar. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Derek lean his back and elbows against the bar and glare at the door, ever watchful and making sure Adam didn't come back in. It was oddly attractive to her. Perhaps due to the security she, and likely, Casey was feeling right now. With Derek there, nobody was messing with them, she could see that. "Um…well you know Marshall-"

Casey's eyes drifted up, squinting, and her finger tapped the side of her chin. "Jesse's brother…yes, I remember you talking about him."

"Well he wants me to take a seminar and work as a general manager at the branch he runs." Casey's lips turned up into a soft smile and she quickly nodded, not hesitating to give her answer.

"Take the job. You'll make a great manager, it'll give Sasha a much nicer life, and you'll also make more money. You two will be happier. I can always find another bartender, so don't think you need to feel obligated to stay here." Trina held back a chuckle as Casey pointed a finger at her. "You do, and I'd drag you down to Marshall's bank myself."

"I'm with her on this," Derek replied in a gruff tone. He relaxed his body and drew out a heavy sigh. Closing his eyes, he spoke with a calmer voice. "It's not just you, but Sasha needs that. You don't make enough on bartending tips. If you get a place of your own one day and start paying bills and all the other expenses Sasha needs, you will be living from paycheck to paycheck-forget having a nice house. While it's possible, it'd be fairly difficult."

"I imagine you're right. I want to give Sasha the best life possible, not a mediocre one."

"Exactly." Derek leaned his head back, his chest rose up slowly, then fell back. "So, have you had that date with the guy that Tracey girl is setting you up with from her work, was it?"

"Not yet, but I've spoken with him on the phone. He seems nice…"

"Lovely." She raised an eyebrow and watched as Derek turned around on the stool and leaned over the bar. His eyes fell on the beer beside Casey. "Sis, you really don't need to be drinking right now."

"I feel like it," Casey remarked, "Besides, after what just happened."

Derek nodded and shrugged his shoulders. He was just concerned, from what Trina could see. She'd be concerned too, especially since Casey wasn't the type to use alcohol to dull any pains. "I know, I know." Casey motioned to the bottles on the rack behind her and raised her eyebrows.

"I can pour you something. Whiskey?"

"I don't drink strong stuff, Case." Not to mention, the guy never drank without food, or at least, she never saw him drink without having something to eat. Derek looked over to Trina with a slight smile. "Hey Trina. If you ever date someone who gets aggressive-I know you can handle yourself just fine, but if you need me, you know where to reach me."

Smiling, she reached over and pat Derek's arm, "I'll keep that in mind." She pulled her hand away, then snapped her fingers. "By the way, Tori's going to get Jade and some agents to follow me around for a while…" Casey and Derek raised their eyebrows and Trina folded her hands over on the bar. "I know it sounds bad. It's just that Tori's concerned. You remember me mentioning the guy I ran into a couple weeks ago at Sasha's dance school?"

"Yes…"

"He showed up here with an older man recently, and ever since, I've catching them out of the corner of my eyes. They don't look like they're following, but it's too convenient and I can tell they are, so…Tori's going to try and figure out who they are, and I get to sit around and let it be solved the 'legal' way." Casey chuckled as Derek shook his head.

"You want to deal with it yourself don't you?" Casey asked.

"Of course I do. But whatever. I'll phone Marshall and let him know my decision."

"You'll take the job?"

"You guys and Tori think it's best."

"Well what do you think?" Derek shifted over in his seat and sat upright, arching an eyebrow at her. Trina curved the corners of her lip up and she nodded swiftly.

"I think I agree. It's best for Sasha, best for me, and really I'm not going to get an opportunity like this anywhere else." She tucked a strand of hair over her ear and glanced to Derek once more out of the corners of her eyes. "Plus, Abigail said John will be more able to help me look for a family home if I take that job. Because I'll have more money, and the nicer family homes are a bit pricier. I mean, I want a simple house, but the most simple-yet beautiful home that he's got on the market, you're right about Derek…I can't afford it with the job I have now, and it's one of the least expensive homes he has on the market."

"What's the house?"

"It's a little outside Manhattan, in a nice community close to the Chase bank branch that Marshall runs…it's a one story house with three bedrooms. That's one master, a room for Sasha, and a guest room. So three bed, two bath, a living room with a kitchen overlooking it."

"How much?"

"Too much. To rent would be near 1500 a month. I don't make nearly that much. It's one of those with two options-rent or mortgage. Mortgage, obviously, is much more. I don't know if I'm ready to buy a family home yet."

"Whatever you do, Casey and I support you."

"Thanks. You guys are too good to me sometimes." They chuckled and Trina shook her head. "I was just telling Tori too, I don't know what I did to deserve all of this. Your friendships, a loving, beautiful daughter. My sister's-well-everything she's done for me, Jesse's family, this job opportunity…I love it, but what the hell did I do to deserve it?"

Derek stood up from the bar and rubbed her shoulder, smiling into her eyes. "Maybe it's just your time, now. Your turn for things to go well."

She let out a gentle smile and looked over to Casey, breathing in carefully. "Maybe. Maybe you're right, now's the time for things to start working out. I've been too long with things going wrong, I need something to go right. For Sasha most of all. Because whether I deserve any of it, she deserves everything."

"I think someone's looking out for you two up there in Heaven," Casey remarked. Trina felt a stroke of shyness and cleared her throat as her friend started to smirk.

"I've still got a lot of growing up to do, I think. I don't know. It's going to be hard work, but…I want this to work out."

"It will. I'm sure of it. It's a climb, you know that, but you're more than capable of making it. A good mother knows also, take advantage of every single opportunity given to you, and you've done that, so I don't think this is any different."

"It isn't, I was just nervous, but I'm not now. I don't think I was ever not going to take the offer, I just know I needed to talk to you first. Sasha's almost five and will be starting kindergarten soon. She'll make friends that she'll want to bring over, maybe even have sleepovers-who knows-my daughter deserves only the best, and I want to give that to her. Whatever it takes, I'm going to make it happen."

I'd say she's made a good decision, it should affect hers and Sasha's life positively