Dog Days of Summer

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

Chapter 25 (Lifted)

Tori groaned softly as light spilled into her eyes, forcing her eyelids to slide open. She rolled onto her back and looked to the window and whined at the open curtains. "Someone draw the blinds. I want to sleep more." Outside the window, it looked to be close to noontime. She moved her hand up over her eyes, shielding them from the light. "Jade, Beck, are you awake?"

"Aw, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself." Jason's voice startled her and she whisked her hand away. Trina was sitting on the couch, watching her. She was dressed only in her bra and underwear. Jason was standing behind the couch, wearing long pants and no shirt. Trina's brow was wrinkled and her finger was curling over her chin.

Tori sighed and spoke with a groggy tone. "Ugh Trina go away, I want to sleep." Her sister's laugh made her freeze on the spot. She raised an eyebrow and carefully rolled onto her stomach, folding her forearms over and resting her eyes on them. "And put on some clothes…Beck already has trouble with finding you attractive because of a few weeks ago."

"Oh?" Trina laughed again and curved her lip into a smirk. "I'm flattered, really." Tori lifted her head slowly, blinking multiple times. They weren't supposed to be able to hear them. "But sorry, Beck's not my type at all. He's not athletic, has too much of a 'pretty boy' mindset, unattractive to me at this point, too young, and both of us already have someone. I just simply would not date him."

"Ouch," Beck mumbled in his sleep, "Tori. Tell your sister that was harsh." Tori's heart began pounding as her eyebrow rose. Jade let out a subtle moan and reached out for her boyfriend.

"I don't know, she may have a point." Jade cleared her throat and her eyes slid up halfway. "That soldier she's with is pretty hot." Tori moved her hand up over her forehead and groaned as Jade started to chuckle. "I'm so glad they can't hear us."

Tori looked over her shoulder and watched as Jason crossed his arms over his chest. Trina's smirk slid away from her face. The girl's frown intensified and her eyebrows flattened above her eyes. "Anyway we just got up and made breakfast." Trina stood up from the couch and moved her hands to her hips. "Haven't gotten dressed quite yet obviously. Get off the floor and grab some food, if there's a story to be had here, I'd love to hear it. After we throw on some clothes." She walked around the couch and muttered to Jason about not expecting to see the three of them.

"Okay, guys?" Tori yawned and shook her head. "I understand you're only half awake right now-or maybe I'm just dreaming, but-"

"If you're dreaming then we are having the same dream," Beck retorted, "I may have just soiled myself. I'm still seeing your sister in ways I don't want to, I could have sworn she was still in her underwear." It was not uncommon for Trina to wake up and make breakfast without getting dressed, usually she only did this when no one else was around. "To add to the nightmare, I think my girlfriend just called your sister's fiancé hot. What the fuck, Jade?"

"I'm half-awake, tired, groggy, deal with it. It's better than calling her sister hot, and well…" As Jade chuckled, Tori felt her stomach churn with nausea.

"Okay, enough!" She shouted. "I need to think." Tori was fairly certain this was no dream, but she needed to let herself wake up. Glancing down, she expected to see paws and fur, but when she saw her own hands, shock struck her like lightning. "Holy shit. I think-guys, I think we're back!"

Jade stretched her arm up and moved her hand to her forehead, groaning loudly. "If that's the case, I think I need to apologize to your sister for calling her boyfriend hot just a minute ago." Tori snapped her fingers and pointed to the girl.

"You will never speak of it again. Nor of my sister's…'hotness'…" A shiver of disgust ran down her spine as her body fell back to the floor. "I don't need my friends thinking of my sister that way." She closed her eyes and flattened her palms on the floor. It was great to feel her own body back again, but after so long as a dog, getting up was going to be a struggle. "We need to figure out how to get up off the floor."

"You're sure your sister won't pick us up and maybe feed us?" Beck asked with a nervous chuckle. "Maybe, you know with that bra…" He smirked and Jade smacked his arm, laughing at him. Tori's eyes shot open and she scowled at her friends, aware they were now messing with her.

"Never speak of it! I may not be a dog anymore, but I still feel an urge to bite you-and I will. This is not a dream, so you can't just say anything!"

She looked towards her friends and smiled with relief as they started to wake up. Jade sat up and hung her arms over her knees, keeping her head bowed and face covered by her long hair. Beck slowly sat up and rubbed his eye with the bottom of his palm. By some miracle, they were all dressed, though.

"Don't tell me we need to learn to walk again," Jade muttered while grabbing the edge of the nearby coffee table. She pulled herself up and started swaying her legs in the air. "I've been so used to being on all fours. What the hell."

Beck lowered his hand and looked around with a deep frown. "How are we back to normal? Not that I'm not thrilled about it, I'm just a bit shocked. I thought we were too late-I mean after yesterday's excitement we forgot all about the curse."

As Tori looked away, she spotted her sister and Jason walking back into the living room. Jason was now wearing a white shirt while Trina had put on some jeans and a purple spaghetti strap tank top with frills at the bottom. "Well," Tori scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously at her sister. "Looks like they're back, and we've got some explaining to do."

"Happy as I am, this is going to be a long and possibly painful morning."

The process of explaining everything to Trina took most of the morning as they imagined it might, as did readjusting to their human bodies. Even now there was still some of a struggle, but they were getting the hang of having hands rather than paws.

"Well I for one am glad you're back to normal," Trina remarked, "I don't think I'd like having my sister as a dog." She leaned back slowly and exhaled slowly. "Now there's the matter of mom and dad-though it's a plus they think you're still on that trip. As for Andre, Cat and Robbie, I don't know what to tell you."

"I've got an idea," Jade stated abruptly. Trina and Tori looked over as a slight smile spread across the girl's face. "If you're going to get more people to work on the farm for you, you could always give them job. Especially Andre, I doubt he wants to keep that job he's got, from the way he was acting about it…"

"I'll think about that. Right now I just want to do some more studying before I get into anything." Trina folded her arms and exhaled slowly. "I know everything will work out, but there's still a lot to deal with regarding Grandpa's estate and everything. Let's just let things calm down first, and then we'll tend to what's needed."

They walked outside and Tori looked towards the front gates. "Didn't you say Cat and the others were coming over for a visit?"

"Yeah. Should be here any minute, so I don't know how they're necessarily going to react to seeing you three." She didn't mind, she would be glad to see them now that she was back to normal. Beck and Jade appeared eager as well. "I guess we'll see what happens when it happens."

Her sister did have a point though. With as much bitterness there was in them, Cat and the other two would likely shun them, if not simply pretend to be polite and friendly.

"You'll get your chance," Jason said while pointing off to the right. There was a car driving towards the gates. Tori's breathing stilled as a lump formed in the throat. She looked to Trina, who folded her arms across her stomach, then Jason who pushed his hands into his pocket and straightened his back. "Visit as long as you like, I'm going to get some of the morning farm work done."

Trina nodded at him and rubbed her chin while glancing at a building in the distance. "We could build a bigger place to house our farmhands that want to live out on the farm." She snapped her fingers and quickly looked to Tori. "Which reminds me, I need to ask you something when you get a chance."

Tori furrowed her brow and faced her sister. "Is it about mom and dad? You want me to move here with you?" Her sister nodded once and Tori dropped her gaze momentarily.

"I understand if you don't, I just think it would be a much healthier environment." Trina took her hands and Tori's gaze drifted up to her sisters. She lifted the corners of her lips, then let them fall. "Tori, I know you think the way they are is your fault, but it isn't. I promise you, they've had problems since probably the first year of their marriage. You shouldn't have to try and please them, it isn't your place."

"I just don't want the family to be separated."

"No one's going to be." Trina lifted a hand and swept it gently through Tori's hair, still gazing with a sisterly concern. "Even if they were to divorce, they'd still be a part of our lives."

"But would they be happier?"

"Maybe." Tori's heart sank a bit and Trina moved her hands to her shoulders. "You just have to let them do what they think is best for themselves, and worry about what's best for yourself."

"Like what you did, moving here with Grandpa?"

"Yeah. I wanted to bring you with me but I didn't want to tear you away from your friends. I don't want to do that now, but I do want my little sister with me. So the decision is yours, really." Tori turned her head to Beck and Jade and met their smiles.

"We're still within a good drivable distance," Beck replied, "It's not like we couldn't all hang every now and then, Tori. Don't make a choice based off us, do what you want."

"Yeah." Jade nestled closer to her boyfriend and cleared her throat. "What he said, Tori. I don't think any of us will mind you being a little farther out. Besides, you seem happier out here."

"I do, don't I…" She held her breath for a moment and closed her eyes. "And it is closer to Stanford, I still want to be a veterinarian."

Trina chuckled and shrugged her hands, "I do have a vet that comes by the farm to tend to the farm animals. You could learn a lot from her. Let mom and dad work out their own troubles, it's about time you stop worrying about them and worry about yourself."

"Okay." She wanted to live on the farm regardless, and of course, she wanted to help her sister and Jason out with all the work they did. "I need to think about it, but I do want to help out, out here."

"Take your time."

"Thank you…" Tori hugged her sister tight, causing the woman to grunt before hugging her back. "Love you, sis."

"You too. Always, little sister."'

As Cat's vehicle pulled up, Tori separated from Trina and turned her head. Cat, Andre and Robbie all stepped out of the car, looking at the group with bewildered expressions. "This is, unexpected," Andre remarked.

Robbie scratched his hair and shook his head. "What in the fuck are they doing here?" Jade was the first to move forward, hugging Cat in excitement and relief. Cat groaned and struggled as Robbie watched on. "Again, what the fuck?"

"Jade?" Cat cleared her throat and stopped struggling, glancing sternly into the girl's eyes. "Get off me." Jade let go and drew in a slow inhale as Beck made his way over to the group.

"I just want to say something," she began, "We're really sorry about the way we've treated you over the years. We are, and we'll do anything to make it up to all of you." Cat crossed her arms and Robbie raised an eyebrow at the two. Andre leaned to the right and studied them with a great deal of suspicion. "We do value your friendships, and we don't want to lose that."

"I don't know. I'm not exactly sure what I'd get out of that."

"You don't have to like us, just please give us another chance?"

Andre chuckled, drawing the attention of Cat and Robbie. "Guys, when are you ever going to hear Jade, of all people, begging to salvage a friendship?" He stepped forward and looked from Jade to Beck. "What on earth happened to you over the summer? Weren't you supposed to be on that trip?"

"It's a long story," Beck answered. The man reached out and pat Robbie on the shoulder, grinning. "Perhaps we can explain while going hunting, Rob?" Robbie pulled back and opened his mouth for a brisk moment. His forehead wrinkled at Beck, then he relaxed his body.

"How do you know about-"

"Again. It's a long story. But like Jade said, we really do want another chance, if you'll have us. We want to know more about you guys, and well, actually be friends for a change."

Cat rolled her eyes and swept her hair over her shoulders. "Fine, we'll give you another shot." Tori smiled at her friends and leaned sideways against her sister. Cat extended a hand and lifted her forefinger. "But it will be by our standards." Jade and Beck nodded repeatedly as she lowered her hand. "No more making fun of us, or anyone else. Treat us and others like sensible human beings, equals, you're not better than everyone else so don't act like vain little shits. One mistake, one slip up, and we're finished. It's your final shot." The couple flinched and nodded once more, opting to remain silent and listen to Cat's rules. "Doesn't seem too hard, does it?"

"Not at all."

"Think you can handle being a human being for a change?" Tori closed her eyes as Beck and Jade glanced at one another with a nervous chuckle. "Well?"

"Cat." Jade pat the girl's shoulder and flashed a genuine smile. "After the month we've just had, we're more than willing to be human. I promise you, we value your friendship and we'll treat you like an actual friend, because you are our friend."

"Well. You're on probation right now." Tori knew it would be hard for the two of them to relinquish all control, but she felt everyone would be fine. They'd been through too much to simply fall back into old ways. "Robbie? Andre? What do you two think?"

"I'm fine with them," Andre replied, "So long as they're a little nicer and less self-important."

Robbie shrugged at Cat and sighed, "If you're going to give them another chance. So will I."

"Great!" Beck cheered and flashed a toothy grin at Robbie. "Now, about the hunting?" Robbie deadpanned and Jade started to pale. Tori couldn't help but laugh at their reactions. Surely it would be interesting, and if they took things a day at a time, they'd probably earn back their friends' respects. For now, things were looking to be good on all sides, and that was all that mattered. They learned their lesson, and they weren't about to take anyone else for granted anymore.

Tori turned to the horses pen nearby and watched as the horses galloped over for today's ride, which was what Cat and the others were here for. As the others walked towards them, Tori held back and turned her attention to the porch where Ares was sitting. For a second she thought she saw Shadow next to him, but certainly it was only her imagination. Shadow and Clarence may be gone, but she could feel them watching over her.

"Finally," she whispered with baited breath, "The dog days are over."

Ah waking up was amusing. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I appreciate everyone that hung through it. It was fun getting to write this. By the way, perfect song to play almost if credits, if you want to imagine, "Dog Days are Over" by Florence + The Machines. Great song. Well, onto other works. Be on the lookout for a prologue of a future story that will be an adventure type story for the Vega sisters-the prologue won't be in the Victorious fandom, but the story will...so that's it for Dog Days, thanks again to all who stuck around, your input always helps me to improve