Red Light Duex

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N: This isn't so much a filler as it pertains to something that helps Sam along in her own personal thing, but I wanted to go ahead and get this out of the way so I'm giving it to you early.

Chapter 26 (The Right Choice)

"What do you think of this house?" Sam sent the pictures to Derek and observed him as his eyes scanned the computer. The home she was showing him, the owner let her take pictures for this very purpose. It was a beautiful house with sandy brown walls and peach carpeting. There were three bedrooms, one of which could be converted to a study and the other a guest room. The living room was large and connected to the kitchen, there was a den and another large living room as well.

"Looks beautiful, Sam. How much did you say it was?" Sam hummed and went to check the price.

"Rent starts at $1500. Monthly." Sam frowned and quickly glanced to Derek. "Is that too much? I can't find a lot of apartments for rent that are cheaper." Derek laughed and shook his head.

"Not too much. Do you like the house?" She was ecstatic about it, and of course the owner said there was plenty of time to move in. They could move in the next day if they wanted, of course she had to be realistic about it.

"I love it. I think it's gorgeous!" She'd already shown the pictures to Carly, and the girl thought it was remarkable. Douglas wanted to play the competitive tough guy and say it was nowhere near as good looking as their home, but Carly put that to rest. "The owner says I can move in whenever I like. The price is reasonable considering the military is taking care of my schooling."

"Then if it is in good condition and you like it, then I say it'll work." She practically jumped out of her chair with excitement, but kept herself well reserved. His approval meant the world to her, and his allowing her to make the decision on the house meant a lot as well. "What will you do with the extra bedroom?"

"I'm thinking home office. Granted I won't work from home, it'll still be a nice place to set up an office space for me to work on college or study a client's file if need be." Derek scratched his chin and approved with a nod.

"Sounds like a good deal. Take the offer if you want it. I like the house a lot."

"I'm glad. I think it's the best one I've looked at so far." The phone on her desk started to ring, causing her to flinch. "Ah, I need to take this." Usually her boss or the girls at the front desk called this phone. Clients could as well, but it wasn't often since her list of clients was still relatively short at this point.

She picked up the phone and heard the receptionist's voice at the other end. "Sam, you have someone on your way to your office. They requested you by name." She scrunched her nose and nodded.

"Alright, I'll take them. Send them in, and thank you."

"You're welcome."

With a heavy sigh, she turned back to the pc and smiled sadly at Derek. He gazed back at her and chuckled once. "Alright, you've got work to do. I need to get back to work myself. Let me know how the deal with the house goes. I love you."

"You too." She blew him a kiss and turned Skype off with dismay. "Can't wait for you to be back here…" As she turned around, the door slid open. To her shock, she saw Daisy's head poke through. Her heart stalled and she clasped her hands together above her abdomen. "Daisy? Come on in."

The girl slinked in, alone. Sam half expected to see Lexy with her. "Hi Sam. I um, saw you come this way." She raised an eyebrow at the girl, watching as she sat on the couch and twiddled her thumbs. "Lexy and I were in the area and I saw you walking from the parking garage."

"And where is your friend?"

"Working."

"I see."

Daisy's eyebrows dipped down in the middle and her lips formed a full frown. "I knew you were lying that night. You scared Lexy away from that Marine, but I knew you had to be lying. You're a counselor, and you…you left the industry. Why would you go back?"

"There are a lot of men and women that leave and go back." She understood the girl's anger, but certainly that was not the sole reason for her appearance here. She had to put her personal bias aside, but it would be hard. "If you need counseling, I'm more than willing to refer you to someone at this clinic that can help you without-"

"I want to talk to you." She frowned as the girl bowed her head. It wouldn't be ethical because of personal bias, but Daisy sounded adamant. "If it's no trouble."

"No trouble. I can put our history aside." Daisy lifted her head and her lips formed an oval. She then looked away and shrugged.

"Good. I was nervous just coming in, I know what you must think of me. An enemy, a monster."

"No, not at all. You're human, and every human does things that may be good or bad. You're in a place where you can say anything you like, you will not be judged." Daisy started to smile and turned her eyes to the corners. "Why have you decided to come here?"'

"How? How did you get out?" The girl looked at something on Sam's desk. She turned to see, it was the photo of her standing with Derek after he proposed to her. "You're…blushing there. You look radiant, beautiful and happy."

"I still struggle from time to time, but yes, I am happy with him."

"He treats you right? Doesn't, you know…"

"He's good to me. Yes. He knows about my history as well, and he's accepted it as a thing of the past." She took the picture and handed it to Daisy. The girl held it tenderly as though it were a fragile object to break at her touch. "In fact, he was the one that helped me out of the industry. If you can call it that."

The longer the girl stared at the photo, the more she began to tremble. Sam let the silence fill the air, leaving the girl to ponder her thoughts. Tears began to spark in her eyes as her fingers traced the image.

"Why? Why can't I find someone like that? Every man I've been with that wasn't involved with pornography left me once they realized what I was into." Daisy wiped her eyes with her sleeve and handed the picture back. "Those that tried to deal with it eventually left me."

"It can be hard for anyone to accept. Even Derek had his trouble." A hump formed on the middle of Daisy's forehead and the left corner of her lip tucked into her cheek.

"I find that hard to believe."

"Well believe it." Sam chuckled once and returned the photo to its place on her desk. "Derek told me what he went through, what I imagine a lot of boyfriends-or girlfriends go through when dating someone into porn. He said it can be hard to battle the feeling of being insignificant or not enough. Most people don't want to feel like they have to compete with anyone when they're in a relationship, and when you date someone who is into pornography, you're not only competing with every person your significant other has slept with-but everyone that is viewing that person."

"Lexy doesn't think that should matter."

"What do you think?" Daisy frowned as Sam shrugged and spoke simply. "You spend most of your time following her around, listening to her, but now that you're here by yourself-I don't want to know what she thinks. I want to know what you think."

"I think maybe you're right and it's not fair to the other person. I don't know. I just, I've never really thought about it."

"Hm. Well aside from the competitive part, word can also get around if someone they know realizes the person they're dating is a porn star. They combat those people as well, the ones that come to them asking how the sex is, or asking if they can join-or any other derogatory comment." The girl rubbed her arm and looked towards the floor.

"You think maybe that's why I can't get a real relationship and keep it."

"I know what I think." Sam leaned forward and reached out, placing her hand gently on Daisy's wrist. The girl looked into her eyes and curled her eyebrows once more. "A good man can accept that if they truly care about you. My thing with Derek was I was wanting to find a way to get out, I wanted to change-to get better and find someone that wouldn't degrade me. Someone that respected me, cared for me."

"And you found it."

"Yes, but only when I made the decision to leave my past-to leave that life." Sam moved her hand away and closed her eyes. "Do you think for a second a man like Derek, a man who is a son of an Air Force General and prominent in the military…would have dated someone like me if I was still involved in pornography?"

"I-no, I don't think so."

Sam laughed at the thought of Derek's father raging over his dating a porn star. "Well most of Derek's relatives are in the military. If I was still in that life, none of them would have even allowed him to date me. As for him, maybe he would have tried, but he's sensitive though tough. He wouldn't admit it until recently, but it bothered him a great deal that I had been involved in it, but he didn't care."

"I want that. I want out. Lexy doesn't think-" Sam lifted a finger, causing Daisy to stop and muddle over her words. The girl hugged her stomach and sighed. "She doesn't want out, but I do. I'm sick of that life. It stresses me out, makes me feel sick and…dirty. Men degrade me, that's all I am to them is some…some…" Daisy's eyes welled up with tears and her voice trembled.

"It's okay." Sam handed her a Kleenex and she blew her nose. After a few seconds, Daisy took a deep breath and moved her hand up to her forehead.

"You know there's a video out there. Calling Lexy a sex doll?" Sam's eyebrows rose as the girl scoffed. "Like those little inflatable things." Daisy's voice rose to a feverish level and her muscles tensed harshly. "That's all we are to those men, just a hole to stick their goddamn thing into!"

She said nothing, knowing it was best to let Daisy get her anger out. "They don't care." Daisy breathed in heavily, her chest heaved and her body started to twitch. "I once shot something with a group. They wanted…they wanted to do something that I didn't want, so I told them I wasn't going to go that far-but they just acted like they were fucking warming me up."

Sam's stomach churned as the girl wept. Daisy pulled at the bottom of her hair and started to brush it with her hands, grabbing it and sliding her hands along it frantically. "Then they did. Laughing. I didn't want it!"

She pressed her lips together and nodded slowly as Daisy rubbed her right eye. "I'm sorry." The girl exhaled and shook her head.

"It's okay, that's what I'm here for. Say anything you feel you need to, if there's anything you don't want to say, you don't have to." Daisy locked eyes with her and let a whimper fall from her lips. "Nothing you say here will leave this room, okay?"

"I understand."

"You don't have to worry about what Lexy thinks, or what anyone else thinks. You will not be judged, and I'm here to help if that's what you want."

"I…Yes." Daisy looked up to the ceiling, her body rattled like a cage. "The men in that, they think the women open themselves up to have whatever be done to them. They think it's okay, they think that just because we're in pornography, anything is allowed-like we automatically say yes or some shit like that. We have brains, we have feelings and emotions." Daisy's face turned red as an angry scowl swept across her. "We are not a fucking inflatable sex toy!"

"Why compare yourself to one? You are not one, and you know it."

"Because of Lexy." Daisy wiped her eyes again and let out an angry groan. "Because what she thinks is apparently all that matters. I listen to her because I don't have any other friends to talk to. She's brainwashed, or something."

"You realize, there are still those-men and women that enjoy that lifestyle. Just because one does doesn't mean you have to."

"Then tell me what to do! How do I get out?"

"Well…" Daisy was a difficult case to work with because of how big of a 'celebrity' she was in that industry. In many cases, models rated themselves by how many videos they shot. There were awards given out and many other celebrations or events to be had. "It's a hard step to take, and you need to feel like you're ready to take that step-nobody else can make it for you. Not Lexy, not me, not anyone in that industry."

"I can't make it alone, but I am ready." Daisy closed her eyes and her head swayed gently from side to side. "My aunt is here in LA. Originally that's the reason I wanted to come here-to see her. Lexy never let that happen. I think she knows how I feel and is trying to get me to think otherwise, but…"

"You don't want to continue the way you are, do you?" She could see it in the girl, Daisy wanted to make that step but needed the right push to do so. Guidance was what a lot of people in similar shoes needed, and that was why she took this job. "So go to your aunt, go see her. You're not afraid she'll turn you away?"

"No. She-she knows what I've been doing, but she still cares I think. She wants me out of the life, wants to help me. My other relatives won't talk to me…I think even my uncle divorced her just because she was so adamant in wanting to help me."

Her heart sank into her stomach upon hearing the news, yet she was thankful that the girl had at least one relative who wanted to help her. "One is better than what a lot of people have. Go to her, but you realize you may have to cut ties with Lexy. Do you think you can do that?"

Lexy was what many therapists would consider a toxic person in somebody's life. What this meant was that person created a negative influence which hindered a client's esteem or growth. In many cases, it was better for the person to remove that influence from their lives, and they often improved upon doing so.

"I can try." Daisy sniffled and turned her gaze to the phone on Sam's desk. "Can-Can I call her? My aunt?" Sam smiled at Daisy and swept her hand towards the phone.

"Of course."

"Thank you. I'm afraid Lexy might try and talk me out of this. I think-I think it's best I just avoid her altogether. I just know she's going to be trouble for me."

"In cases like this, that may be best. If you feel she is a toxic person in your life that will keep you from doing what you think is best for yourself, you need to cut her out." Daisy reached for the phone and nodded as she picked up the receiver. "Also, I will be more than happy to continue having future sessions with you if you wish."

"If my aunt will help me with that, then yes." She watched, both pleased and proud, as the girl dialed her aunt's number. After a few seconds tears slid along Daisy's cheeks and her voice trembled. She clutched the mouthpiece of the receiver with her left hand and clamped the phone with her right hand, turning her knuckles white. "A-Aunt Ramona. It's me. Could you, can you pick me up?"

Sam closed her eyes and turned to her desk, reaching into the drawer for the clent-confidentiality paperwork. "You can?" The girl let out a relieved sob and bowed her head. "Great, I'm at a therapist's office. I want out, I don't want to make videos anymore. I can't do it alone and you're the only one I can think of who wants to help me."

She continued to gather the documents and looked to the name bar on her desk with pride. "This," she thought to herself, "This is what I love about my job." Moments like these, and she knew she made the right career choice in life.

This chapter is also meant to show the obvious, that Sam does and will have other clients. Tori's technically her first client by official means, but she has other clients we won't see or hear about in this tale. For instance, this will be the last you hear or see of Daisy, but not the last time she comes in for therapy.