Author's Note: ... I am feeling so emotional right now. Nobody warned me it would be this hard to post a final chapter. Hoo boy. Before any of you read on, I just wanted to thank anyone who made it this far. Your support and enjoyment of this story means a lot, and I hope you enjoy how I tied it all together. I wouldn't release anything I wasn't proud of.

Disclaimer: I'M GLAD I DON'T OWN VICTORIOUS BECAUSE NOW I KNOW HOW DAN FELT WHEN HE HAD TO END IT. WAAAH.


Five Years Later

The woman sits in front of the large, giddy audience who were laughing and cheering. The woman had her usual, perfectly coiffed blonde hair as well as her trademark vest and jeans that were easy to dance in. She looks out among her fans with a large smile on her face, rocking gently in excitement to introduce her next guests. At least, that's what she looks like on the screen backstage. I'm so nervous.

"Okay," The woman addresses, trying to talk over the roar of the excitement in the room. "Our next guests are two incredibly, incredibly talented young women who both have interesting pasts and bright futures – both separate and together. Considered the two most influential, upcoming talents for today's generation please welcome Tori Vega and Cat Valentine!"

The audience erupts in cheers as an upbeat song starts to play. I look over to Tori who gives me a kind, comforting smile and holds out her hand. I take it gratefully and we walk out onto the set of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That's right. I said The Ellen DeGeneres Show. With Ellen DeGeneres. I can't believe it either. Both Tori and I stride up to the red chairs and Ellen stands up to take a moment to dance with us. This moment just got so surreal. I'm dancing with Ellen DeGeneres. Did I mention this is Ellen DeGeneres?

After a bit of shuffling, Ellen goes in to hug Tori, who returns the hug. Ellen then turns to me and her smile is so bright and cheerful as she gives me a hug. "It's so nice to meet you!" She exclaims in my ear.

"You too! This is such a pleasure!" I grin, pulling back. Both Tori and I sit on the red couch and Ellen sits down in here chair, cutting off the music. The audience is still cheering, and Tori turns to wave at them. I give a giggle.

"I love your audience!" Tori laughs.

"Aren't they great? I'm pretty sure they're fans of yours, too. Tori Vega and Cat Valentine, everyone." Ellen gestures to us before clapping herself. The audience gets even louder, if that's possible. "Don't they both look beautiful?"

"Aww, thank you!" I smile.

"I'm really glad I could have you here, thanks for coming." Ellen says as the audience finally dies down.

"Thank you for having us. It's a really big honour, we're both big fans and we admire you so much." Tori gushes.

"Well thank you, that's really sweet." Ellen smiles.

"And I think this is our… first TV appearance together? Is that right?" Tori asks, looking at me.

"Right." I nod.

"But you've been on a talk show before, right?" Ellen asks.

"Um, yes, I have." Tori answers. "I've been on Good Morning America and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ellen jokes, causing the audience as well as me and Tori to laugh. "You're here now, it's okay."

"Yes, thank you." Tori laughs.

"Okay, let's start with you first, Tori. You seemed to come from out of nowhere, huh?" Ellen comments.

"That's what I've been told." Tori chuckles. "I didn't expect to get such a huge response so quickly but people really seem to like my music."

"Well your new album hit gold status pretty quickly, right? And I've listened to it and it has a really good sound. Really good." Ellen compliments.

"Aw, thanks." Tori blushes. I smile proudly at her.

"But I think it was the combination of both your music and your ability to be real and relate to your fans so well on social media that really helped build up a great fan-base from the beginning." Ellen theorizes. "Nine million followers on The Slap already, right?"

"Right! It's so crazy. But I love my fans, they're the best." Tori grins. We hear a whoop from the audience.

"And it's well deserved. You're very talented. I'm just going to keep complimenting you." Ellen says.

"Thank you." Tori laughs.

"But I'm not sure how many of your fans remember this, but a few years back you were in the spotlight a couple of times, isn't that right? Both of you were." Ellen smiles sheepishly. Tori breathes in deeply and I just giggle.

"Um, yeah, there were a few moments I guess." I say.

"Like, for example, Tori you performed at the Platinum Music Awards." Ellen recalls.

"That would be correct, I did do that." Tori smiles.

"And there was a bit of a controversy with that at the time, wasn't there? You can tell I did my research, right?" Ellen smirks.

"Yes, which is worrying me." Tori chuckles.

"Let's look at a photo taken of you back during that time." Ellen says. Tori's eyes go wide.

"Oh god." Tori sighs as a picture flashes up on the big screen of one of Tori's outrageous outfits. I start giggling uncontrollably, having forgotten how bad it really was.

"That's uh… A very interesting fashion choice." Ellen chuckles.

"Yeah… Yeah, I can explain that, though." Tori blushes.

"Oh don't worry, we know. Mason Thornesmith has been exposed as someone notorious for selling out celebrities. We know you're not really like that, or someone who dresses like… that. But really, the skirt?" Ellen laughs.

"I know." Tori shakes her head.

"I think it looks cute on you." I state, smiling at Tori.

"Funny you should say that, because I was thinking that skirt kind of makes you look like broccoli. Did you know that two broccolis attract?" Ellen asks.

"I… did not know that." Tori furrows her brow.

"Yeah, see." Ellen says, turning to the screen as a picture of me in a big broccoli suit appears.

"Oh god." I laugh, putting my face in my hands.

"Aww, aren't you so cute." Tori chuckles.

"This was your other claim to fame, right?" Ellen smirks.

"Right, the Diddly-Bops who went viral and were popular with little children." Tori recalls shaking her head.

"And you were both involved with this one. Care to explain?" Ellen asks.

"We just needed the money, honestly." I sigh, looking up. Tori nudges me gently.

"You kind of wanted to continue with it, didn't you?" She chuckles.

"Oh, shut up." I mumble, smiling.

"And then of course the time Tori was dragged across the court by a dog after singing the national anthem..." Ellen grins, showing another picture.

"I love how most of my famous moments were from me embarrassing myself." Tori groans, and I chuckle along with her.

"And finally, and on a less humorous note, you both were also part of The Surviving Seven here in L.A. after the devastating earthquake over five years ago." Ellen states.

"Right." I sigh at the memory. That was the day of tragedy, and the sixty day kiss that sealed Tori and I's relationship.

"So in response your group organized a charity stream that raised a ton of money for earthquake victims, correct?" Ellen asks.

"Yeah, we did. Still one of my proudest moments." Tori grins.

"That's just incredible. Can we get a round of applause for that?" Ellen proclaims, and the audience begins to cheer. Tori and I blush, embarrassed. "Here's a picture from the stream. Cat, I like how you were dressed as a dog even though your name is Cat."

"Thank you!" I exclaim. Finally, someone gets it.

"You both look so scared, though. As well as your other friends. I know it was Halloween, but…" Ellen trails off.

"That was a weird night." Tori mutters.

"Yeah…" I agree. We still don't know what the deal was with Buzz and Rex. Plus, that was the night I knew for sure that Tori wasn't just pitying me because of what had happened to me.

"I'll believe it. So, Cat, let's talk about you. Tori is a pop star, but you're more into acting, right?" Ellen asks.

"Yep. That's me. I started off as an understudy for Maureen in an Off-Broadway production of Rent. I got to play Maureen a few times, but I was always in the ensemble. After only a year, the regular actor had to step down and I took over as the main actor for Maureen." I explain with a slight shudder. Jade never explained where she was the weekend that the actress who played Maureen fractured her pelvis… "It was a very rewarding experience, and I still keep in touch with a lot of cast members. I loved every minute I was a part of Rent."

"And you had very positive reviews during your time as Maureen, I understand. I've seen videos and you have a very clear, powerful voice." Ellen nods.

"Thank you so much." I beam. I'm surprised I'm not fainting at one of my idols complimenting me.

"So, tell everyone what you're working on now." Ellen urges. Tori gives me a proud look and I take in a deep breath.

"Well, I've been in a brand new musical that was wildly popular, and it'll be opening on Broadway in the Fall." I beam. The audience cheers again.

"That's amazing! Tell us about it. Give the people at home an idea of what to expect if they go see the show on Broadway." Ellen states.

"Um, I play the lead role. It's about a girl from L.A. who had a dream to be a singer. So she meets a producer and falls in love with him. They get married, but when the album flops, the producer cheats on her which devastates her." I explain. I look over at Tori, who is pressing her lips together. I remember when her parents had a divorce, and how that was a hard time on her. "She decides to reinvent herself and goes to do charity work in Thailand with a small village there. When she gets there, she discovers that the village is being terrorized by a group of tigers. My character discovers she can control and tame the tigers with her singing voice, and that opens up a huge plot about the history of the tigers and why they're there, and what the evil forces at work really are. It's great, it's really heart-warming, has a great score arranged by Andre Harris, and everyone watching this should go see it." I giggle. Yeah, Andre did the score. I suggested him.

"What's it called?" Ellen asks.

"It's called 'Earning Stripes', and again it opens in the Fall. It's a really great show, you won't be disappointed." I smile.

"It sounds great. I'll be going for sure, in the front row making funny faces." Ellen chuckles.

"Perfect." I grin.

"And Tori, what's your album called, in case anyone hasn't bought it yet." Ellen asks.

"It's called 'Love Conquers'." Tori states.

"Is there any story behind the album?" Ellen questions.

"Oh definitely. It's all about me and Cat, and what we went through together. She gave me a song writing journal a few Christmases back, and basically everything I wrote down in that is now on my album." Tori explains.

"So, let's talk about that. I mean, this is the reason I decided to have both of you on the show at the same time rather than separate. It's pretty well known that you two are romantically involved and have been long before either of you got into show business." Ellen states.

"This is true." I blush.

"We got together just before senior year in high school." Tori says.

"So, you're both gay, then." Ellen states plainly.

"Yes." I giggle.

"No idea what that's like." Ellen scoffs jokingly, causing everyone in the room to laugh. "But seriously, your relationship is inspiring to any couple of any sexuality. You're constantly photographed together holding hands, and you're always at each other's shows… and after being together so long and in a business like this and yet still seeming so in love. It's very inspiring."

"Thank you. Yeah, I still love her." I smile, touching my forehead with Tori's for a moment.

"You're sweet." Tori chuckles, earning a collective "aww" from the audience.

"But what's really impressive about the both of you is that you have a bit of a tragic past." Ellen says solemnly. "I don't know how much you want to talk about it…"

Both Tori and I look at each other before looking back at Ellen. "I think we're okay to talk about it." I say.

"We have nothing to hide, and our stories might help someone who's gone through something similar." Tori agrees. She looks at me again and laces her fingers with mine. "Cat? Want to go first?"

"Mhm." I sigh. "Before I got together with Tori and we were only just friends, I was a victim of rape by my ex-boyfriend." I reveal. There's a murmur in the audience and Ellen gives a sympathetic look. "It was devastating and it affected me physically, mentally and emotionally. If it weren't for Tori, I don't think I would have come out of it the way I did." I breathe. Tori gives my hand a squeeze. "But I'm much better now. He's in jail, and although sometimes I still feel uneasy at the human touch, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I overcame it, and I didn't let it define me. And now I want to help people who are in the same situation I used to be."

"First of all, I'm so sorry that happened to you. And would you mind describing the actions you're taking to help sexual assault victims?" Ellen asks. I nod.

"Well I'm planning on starting a charity that's theatre based where victims or supporters can get involved to express themselves in a therapeutic sense and also to help educate others about rape culture, victim blaming and rape sensitivity. You don't know the history of the people around you, and rape jokes aren't cool. You don't know who you could offend." I explain.

"I think that's a wonderful cause. You're very admirable." Ellen says, and the audience cheers again.

"Thank you so much." I smile. Tori smiles me.

"And then you both went through something horrible together due to your sexuality, right? Do you mind talking about that?" Ellen asks. I look to Tori.

"About eight months into our relationship, we were attacked walking down the street." Tori starts. "They had no reason to other than they didn't like that we were dating. They were incredibly violent and put us both in hospital with severe injuries. They were planning to kill us if my dad and the police hadn't shown up when they did."

"That's awful. I'm glad you two are okay." Ellen says solemnly. "It's horrible to think these kinds of hate crimes still happen. My heart goes out to you or any person who had had to deal with that. It really does."

"We got better, eventually. They didn't win. We're still together. There's still going to be gay people. And there are more and more accepting people every day. Homophobia is a dying breed." Tori states.

"We still have our scars, and it took us awhile to be able to warm up to public displays of affection again, but we never want to hide our relationship. There's no way I'd ever be ashamed of Tori. No way." I claim proudly.

"Aw, same to you." Tori smiles. Ellen gives us a big smile.

"Well like I said, your stories are incredible and I'm so happy for your success that you're having now." Ellen sighs.

"Thanks. We're incredibly happy." Tori grins.

"And it's a good thing California allows gay marriage now, huh?" Ellen asks sheepishly. We both blush.

"Uh, yeah. That'll be helpful for some day." I mumble, embarrassed.

"Or right now." Ellen grins. I stare at her and she looks at Tori. "Wasn't there something you wanted to ask Cat?"

"Y-Yeah." Tori stammers, looking red in the face. I furrow my brow at her, and then I gasp in shock along with the audience as Tori slides of the couch to kneel in front of me. She takes my hand in both of hers while my free hand rises to my mouth, my eyes wide.

"Tori…?" I gasp.

"Cat…" Tori gulps. "You have been my girlfriend and love of my life for the past six years, and you've been my best friend for seven years. You're my everything. My light. My love. My crutch. You're absolutely beautiful and I thank God every day that I have you in my life. I have no idea how I ever became so lucky, but I'm not going to take it for granted. I will spend the rest of my life loving you, if you'll let me. So, I need to ask… Caterina Valentine…" She says my name in her Latina accent, which makes me shiver. Then I shiver again as she pulls out a small black box, popping it open to reveal a small, white gold ring embroidered with small diamonds. "Will you marry me?"

"I…" I stumble. C'mon Cat, now's not the time for your brain to stall. I slip off the couch to reach her level, looking at her intensely. Her eyes search mine nervously. I swallow hard, trying to keep the tears at bay. "Tori… I can't even begin to describe how much you mean to me. You've accepted me for who I am… when I'm at my best and at my worst. And I hope you know I love you more than anything. We sync up so well… which is why I'm upset you beat me to the punch." I sigh, pulling out my own black box and popping it open to reveal a thick gold ring with a large diamond on top that glows like her skin and her smile.

"Oh." She breathes. I smile at her.

"I was going to propose tonight, but I like your idea better. So… I'll marry you if you marry me." I grin, a tear escaping my eye.

"Oh… Cat… Of course I'll marry you. I love you." Tori breathes. I remember the first time she told me she loves me, after I sang to her. I still love the way she makes me feel. It never gets old.

"Then… I guess we're getting married. And I love you, too." I whisper. We quickly exchange rings and then the applause starts slowly with Ellen. I almost forgot where we were. The whole establishment erupts in hoots and hollers as we shakily stand up, supporting each other as we do so. We wrap our arms around each other and lean in for a deep kiss. Our cheeks are wet from the happy tears. Ellen turns to the ecstatic audience.

"That's true love right there! Everybody here is going home with a copy of Tori Vega's CD 'Love Conquers'. Lead by Cat and Tori's example and be kind to one another."


We had to catch a flight immediately after the show because I had to be in New York the next morning to deal with things concerning the Broadway show. News of our engagement spread across social media like wild fire and we had to dodge paparazzi at the airport. On the plane, I slept on Tori's shoulder the whole way back to New York, our hands intertwined and our rings sparkling in the sunlight from the plane window. She gently woke me up at our destination and we went to face the paparazzi and fans waiting at the gate for us. We smiled genuinely and waved at them, but we didn't stay too long. Both of us were dying to be alone.

"Wow, that was a lot of people." Tori breathes, closing the door of our apartment and locking it. I take off my shoes and put down my bag, smiling at her.

"Like Ellen said, a lot of people admire our relationship. People must be ecstatic about our engagement… What do our fans call it? Cori?" I ask.

"I think that's right." Tori grins. I pull out my phone to see a bunch of missed calls from when I was on the airplane, including calls from Jade, Beck, Andre, Robbie and even Trina. Tori gently pushes my hand with my phone down. "I guess they heard the news."

"Mhm." I smirk. She leans in close to whisper in my ear, pushing up against me. I feel my skin get hot.

"We can call them tomorrow. Tonight it's about you and me." She murmurs. I turn into her, beaming, before plastering my lips to hers. She stumbles back into the door as she holds me tightly, giving everything back into the kiss. My dress is practically half-off by the time I stop her.

"Hold on. Maybe we should order dinner first, and talk about things." I say quietly. She gives a pout.

"Yeah, you're right." She sighs. I giggle and leave a peck on her pouting lips.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." I assure her before heading to the kitchen phone.

"Thank god for that." Tori smiles.

"What do you feel like?" I ask, picking up the phone and looking up the list of our favourite take-out places around New York City.

"Um… Italian?" Tori ponders.

"Pizza it is." I giggle. "Our usual?"

"Sounds good to me." Tori says, heading into our room for a moment. I order the pizza and then head to the little living area with our couch, TV and balcony looking out over the New York Skyline. It's not a very large apartment. It's cozy, and even though we both have money for more, we like the modesty of the place. Why pay more to put more space between the two of us? I sit down on the couch and Tori joins me soon after, having changed into something more comfortable. And by that, I mean sweats and a tank top.

"Oh, that's a good idea. I'm too tired to get off the couch now, though." I yawn. Tori leans over and nuzzles the side of my head, chuckling.

"I like the dress on you anyway. Very cute and sexy." She states. I give a giggle and put an arm around her and nuzzle her back.

"So. Tori Vega." I shift myself to sit facing her, a stern look on my face.

"Yes, Cat Valentine?" She smirks. I tap her gently on the nose.

"How did you arrange it to propose to me on Ellen?" I ask, trying to be serious.

"Well, I had been planning to propose to you for some time… but everything I could think of just didn't seem good enough. I know you would have been fine if I had simply proposed at a fancy dinner or something, but I wanted to make sure it was extra special for you. So, when my manager told me we were both invited to be on Ellen… I e-mailed her immediately to set it up." Tori explains.

"Sneaky." I grin.

"Yeah." She smiles, then gets a shy look on her face. "Did you… like it? Or would you have preferred if I proposed at a fancy dinner…"

"Of course I liked it." I smile, rolling my eyes. "It was very special, and sweet… like you."

"I'm glad… and I'm glad you not only said yes, but proposed back. It would've been embarrassing if you said no." Tori sighs. I give her a mischievous look.

"How do you know I didn't just say yes to make us look good on Ellen but planned to break up with you when we left?" I ask, smirking. Her eyes go wide and she loses a bit of colour in her face.

"Don't even joke." She breathes. I let out a laugh and peck her on the lips, causing her mouth to turn up into a smile again.

"I'm teasing. I wouldn't do that. I proposed back, remember?" I smile. She blushes a bit, a contented look on her face as she remembers.

"Yeah… you did." Tori sighs. Then she gives me a plain look. "Serious question."

"What's that?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.

"We both do that thing where we try to be equal in the relationship… we still can't decide who gets to drive who where, or who gets to pay, and now who gets to propose…" Tori trails off.

"Yes…" I say slowly.

"So, when we get" She smiles a little, "married, are we changing last names, keeping them the same, or what?" Tori asks. I pause for a moment, thinking as I lean back into the couch.

"Maybe… we'll keep them the same for the sake of our careers, since we're already both known as Vega and Valentine… But privately and on paper, maybe we can combine them. You know… Like Cat and Tori Vega-Valentine." I state. I look at her to gauge her reaction and I watch as her face opens up in awe.

"That." She breathes. "Is probably the most incredible last name I have ever heard."

"Agreed." I grin. She swoops me up and kisses me.

"I love you, future Mrs. Vega-Valentine." Tori murmurs into the kiss. I swoon as I kiss her back passionately, and soon my back is resting on the couch with her body draped over me. Her lips trail down my neck and her hands slide up my thighs under my dress, causing me to release a moan. We can always talk more about the wedding later. My fiancé is in need of some loving right now. Wow. Fiancé. That feels amazing to think. Almost as amazing as what her hands are doing right now… and then the doorbell rings. "Ugh." Tori groans, her head dropping down beside mine in frustration.

"Ding dong." I giggle. "That's probably the pizza."

"Yeah, I'll go get it." Tori sighs, pushing herself off me and heading to the door. I sit up slowly and hear her open the door.

"H-hi Miss V-Vega. Are you h-having a nice evening?" I hear our pizza delivery boy at the door. He's a huge fan of Tori and always gets nervous when she opens the door.

"Hi Johnny! Yes, I'm having a lovely evening, thanks." I hear Tori say sweetly.

"G-good! Here's your p-p-pizza!" Johnny exclaims.

"Thanks! Here's a big tip." Tori says.

"Gosh, thanks Miss Vega." Johnny gasps.

"I told you, call me Tori." Tori laughs.

"O-okay. Oh, and, uh… congratulations on your engagement! Tell Cat I say hi!" He exclaims.

"Hello, Johnny!" I call from the couch, poking my head up. "And thank you!"

He looks flustered as he looks between me and Tori, laughing nervously. "Um, I'll leave now. Have a good night!" Johnny rushes out, leaving the door frame.

"Good luck with the rest of your deliveries!" Tori calls after him, chuckling. She closes the door and walks over with the pizza, shaking her head.

"What a cute kid." I giggle.

"I wonder if his friends ever believe that he's our pizza delivery boy." Tori ponders.

"Maybe next time we should give him an autograph." I suggest.

"That's a great idea." Tori states, sitting down and slinging an arm around me. The pizza box falls open on the coffee table and we both take a slice each. "Very romantic dinner." Tori mumbles as she takes a bite.

"Very." I agree, eating my own slice.

"So, another serious question." Tori starts slowly.

"Go on…" I urge.

"Do you… want to invite your parents to the wedding?" Tori asks. I pause, pizza frozen in the air just before my mouth as I think over the question. I hate to admit it… but me and my parents never reconciled. I haven't talked to them in years. "Sorry, was that too heavy?" Tori asks solemnly. I finally bite down on my pizza and take a moment to swallow before I answer.

"No, it's fine. Do… you think I should invite them?" I question cautiously. Tori bites her lip.

"It's up to you, Cat. They're your parents." She sighs.

"Yeah… my parents that I send a Christmas card to every year, but never get anything back. I'd think they were dead if I wasn't in regular contact with my brother." I mumble. Tori gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze. My brother is doing well, by the way. He's been out of the facility and works with film and music videos now. He even did work on one of Tori's music videos. Apparently editing my video for Rent opened up a passion in him that he never felt before. He's still crazy, but he's my brother and we look out for each other. Unlike my parents. "At the same time… I do just want to send out an invitation. Even if they come to protest, at least then I know they still care and acknowledge my existence."

"Okay. So we'll send them an invitation." Tori murmurs, kissing me on the temple before grabbing another slice of pizza.

"Who else should we invite?" I ask. She looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I smile at her. "What? You brought up guests, and we might as well figure out the bare necessities now."

"Well, my family…" Tori starts.

"Even Gary?" I ask.

"Yes, of course Gary." Tori smiles. Her mom and Gary had married two years ago, and Tori had warmed up to him a lot as her step-dad. "Then your brother… my music team… some friends from the cast of Rent and then the current cast of Earning Stripes… Might as well invite Ellen, since she was so involved with the engagement… some of our other celebrity friends… and of course, Beck, Andre and Robbie."

"And Jade!" I huff. Tori rolls her eyes.

"Maybe Jade." Tori states.

"You're still mad at her from the time she found out we're sleeping together, aren't you?" I accuse.

"Scissors have never flown at my face so fast." Tori shudders. "I'm lucky Beck has good reflexes."

"She was just being her overprotective self." I chuckle.

"Yes, by nearly cutting my nose off! You'd think she would've known by then that I'd never hurt you." Tori grumbles.

"I don't think she would be fond of anyone who made me a little less innocent." I smirk.

"You're still pretty innocent. You won't even say vagina." Tori rolls her eyes.

"Oh, shush." I blush, batting her on the shoulder. "Besides, you have no choice in the matter whether we invite Jade or not. She's going to be my Maid of Honour." I state.

"Matron of Honour." Tori corrects. "Her and Beck are getting married next month, remember?"

"Oh yeah." I gasp. "You don't think we're stealing their spotlight by getting engaged now, do you?"

"Nah, Beck is a heart throb actor in an Oscar-winning movie that Jade wrote the script for. Their wedding will get huge coverage." Tori states.

"You're right." I smile. "Think we can get Rex and Robbie to perform a comedy routine at our wedding?"

"Maybe. If we can get him." Tori laughs. "He's been travelling all over doing acts ever since he won America's Got Talent."

"True." I smile. I was so happy for him when he won. I voted for him every day.

"If we can't, maybe I'll throw my sister a bone and let her perform." Tori sighs.

"Hey, Trina runs a very successful class that crosses Taekwondo and Zumba." I argue.

"Yeah, but when I see and talk to her I can tell her heart's still in performing. I feel bad for her." Tori mumbles. I give her a hug.

"Then she can definitely perform at our wedding." I claim, pulling back and giving her a pointed look. "Late into the night when everyone has already had a lot to drink." I joke.

"Mean." Tori smiles. "We don't drink, anyway." It's true. Alcohol is bad for the voice, and seeing as both of our careers depend on our voices, we try not to risk anything.

"Some of our guests will." I smirk. "It's… exciting, you know? Planning the start of a new chapter of our lives."

"Yeah, I know. And we have plenty more chapters to look forward after that. I would say I'm excited to start my life with you… but it's already started. Now we're just making it official, and that makes me more excited than anything." Tori grins.

"So it's not just for the elaborate ceremony, the giant party, and expensive vacation in the Bahamas?" I giggle.

"Well, those things are just a bonus." Tori chuckles, then raises her eyebrow. "Bahamas, huh? Not Europe again?"

"Don't remind me. That was a crazy trip." I shudder. Crazy is an understatement, but that trip is a story for another day. "I just mean somewhere relaxing, in the tropics… somewhere private where we can spend some time as newly-weds… alone." I coo, sensually walking my fingers up her arm.

"Mmm, that does sound nice." Tori murmurs, leaning in for a sweet kiss. She moves against me slowly, capturing me around the waist as the kiss slowly deepens. My hand brushes her cheek as her hips rock against mine, and suddenly my hands tangle in her hair. I prop myself up on my knees and push my thigh between her legs, making her moan. She breaks away, breathless. "Okay, screw the pizza. I can't wait anymore." She gasps.

"Me neither." I pant, grabbing the back of her neck and pushing my lips to hers again. Her hands run up my back to the exposed part of skin at my shoulders. She slowly and teasingly tugs the zipper of my dress down, finger nails grazing my skin. I let out a grunt and pull back when I feel the zipper reach the end of its line. "Bedroom?" I request, the material of my dress now hanging slack off my shoulders. She grins at me.

"I thought you were too tired to get off the couch." Tori jokes. I roll my eyes.

"Shut up." I mumble, pushing my lips to hers again and slowly steady ourselves off the couch. I feel Tori chuckle against my lips and I can't help but smile as well. We stumble back but soon figure out that we'll never get to the bedroom at this rate, so I break from her and give her a sultry look as I lick my lips before turning on my heal to stalk off to our room. I could almost see her heart-rate increase at the look I gave her, and I smirk. Once in the bedroom, I turn to see Tori had followed close behind me. Only, along the way she had somehow already tossed her tank top and bra. I grin as I push up to her, my hands running down her shoulders to cup her breasts with both hands and running my thumbs over her hardening, sensitive skin. I attach my lips to her pulse point while doing that, sucking softly.

"Oh, Cat…" Tori moans. She puts her already shaky hands on my waist and pushes me back gently. "Dress." She says plainly. I nod and step back, pulling the dress off, leaving nothing but my bra and underwear on. I push myself up against her again and kiss her earnestly. She moans into my lips and she presses my hips to hers as my nails claw softly down her back. Tori pushes us back until my legs hit the back of our queen-sized bed, and I take a moment to unhook my bra and let it fall off as I fall back onto the bed, bringing Tori with me.

She pulls away from the kiss for moment, pausing. She looks deeply into my eyes with love and affection, gently brushing a strand of my red hair behind my ear. This is what I love about our sex. Yes, the climax is great, but the way that Tori looks at me during it… I can tell it's not just for pleasure. It's for us, and creating a connection that we've never shared with anyone else. Even after our first time and when we healed from our injuries enough, I still struggled for a long time to warm up to the point where she could fully take me. But she was always slow and cautious. It never frustrated her that she couldn't dive right in. It was never about her. Even now, when we could just start right away because I'm comfortable enough after years of making love, she takes these moments to pause and take me in. Sometimes, when we're having sex and she gives me these looks, I can feel all the love she has ever felt and will feel for me. I like to think I can give her the same feeling when I look at her, because it's never about me either. It's always been about each other.

This is one of those moments where I can feel that overwhelming love for me. I smile brightly at her and she smiles back, dipping down to kiss my forehead. She shifts to straddle my hips and slips her mouth down to my ear, nipping it gently. "You're so beautiful." She whispers.

"Tori… You're absolutely radiant." I breathe.

"Mmm." She sighs. She starts to trail her lips down my shoulders and across my collarbone. "I want you to know you're the most important person in the world to me. You know that, right?" She murmurs as she kisses down to my breasts. I let out a deep breath.

"Y-yes." I stutter, feeling the heat rise up in me. I reach my hand over and run my fingers over her scalp. "I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"I want to make you feel good." Tori coos just before latching her lips over my nipples and sucking softly. I let out a sharp gasp as the pleasure fills me.

"G-good job so far." I shudder, and she laughs gently while her teeth apply pressure to the sensitive nub. I moan again and she detaches, kissing down to my side. I smile slightly as she gives attention to a certain area of my skin. An area of slightly raised, scarred skin on my side where I was once stabbed. This is important. Every time Tori and I become intimate, we always take the time to caress each other's scars from the day of the attack. What some might consider ugly and an awful reminder, we consider our marks to be something that shows what we got through, and how we over-came it. Our battle scars. And our battle scars deserve just as much love as the rest of us. That's why Tori is currently running her lips over my two inch scar. That's why I feel the need to give her scar the same treatment.

I bend myself up and touch her shoulders, pushing her up from my side. I give her a pointed look and she gives me a confused one. "What?" Tori asks.

"Why are you still wearing pants?" I sigh. She looks down over my legs at her own, and then looks back up at me, grinning.

"I have no idea." She chuckles. I give her a sheepish look and before she can do anything, I buck my hips up and flip her over onto her back, switching our positions. She looks winded and I smile sweetly at her before moving over top of her.

"We'll have to fix that." I murmur, biting down on her neck.

"O-okay." Tori groans, and I can picture her eyes rolling back. I giggle as I pull away and shuffle her sweatpants off, exposing her legs and the long, thin scar across her left thigh. The scar where a metal rod had sliced through to crack my poor Tori's femur, causing her great pain. I run my finger gently over it, biting my lip.

"I love you." I mutter.

"I love you, too." She sighs.

"Thank you for protecting me." I say as I move down to kiss her scar.

"You would do the same for me." Tori states softly.

"In a heartbeat." I agree, continuing to kiss her scar. The good thing about this scar… is that it's near a very fun place. I graze my fingers up her inner thigh and rest my knuckles against her soft, slightly wet area between her legs. I drag my knuckles down across the front of her underwear gently.

"Oh." Tori gasps.

"I bet that feels nice." I mumble, sliding my mouth up from her scar to bite her panty line.

"Ye-yeaaah." Tori moans.

"Want more?" I coo, looking up at her an smiling. Her breasts are heaving from intense sensations I'm making her feel. Can't forget about those.

"Oh god yes." Tori groans. I bite my smile. I love giving Tori what she wants, but sometimes it's fun to tease her. I lean up over her, still gently caressing over her centre. I can feel her hips twitching. I run my tongue over her nipple, causing her breath to hitch. "C-at." She moans.

"Tori, sweetheart… remember when you proposed to me… the way you said my name in that sexy accent of yours?" I mumble, running my tongue over her peak again.

"M…mhm." She shudders.

"Can you say it like that again? Pretty please…" I smile sweetly at her before gently nipping at her other breast.

"C-Caterina." Tori whimpers. Oh yeah, that's sexy. I push my hand up against her, rubbing a little bit more firmly. A string of moans releases from her lips and I grin, moving my own lips up to her neck.

"One more time." I request quietly against her neck.

"Caterina." She moans, hips rocking against my hand. "Caterina, please!"

"Yes, love." I smile, giving her a deep kiss on the mouth. She tries to return it, but her lips are trembling too much and her breath is coming in at shaky gasps. I can feel her through her underwear. She's ready. "Tori Vega." I say seductively in my own accent, slipping my hand under her panties to meet the soft, wet flesh.

"Oh, oh god." Tori moans. "Oh you're amazing."

"So are you." I coo. I remove my hand from her for just a second so I can take off the only material covering her body right now. Well, other than her ring. But there's no way I'm removing that. I work at her with my hand, flicking and rubbing and teasing. She gasps and starts to writhe beautifully. Another thing I love about our sex? No matter how much we do it, I can always find a new way to make her writhe. And she does the same for me.

"C-Cat." Tori barely gasps out, pushing herself up on her elbows. My fingers run over her entrance, almost pushing inside. She lets out a whimper but tries to hold it in, obviously trying to get something else out. I give her a questioning look.

"What is it, Tori? Are you comfortable?" I ask gently. It's always good to check in, no matter how familiar we are with each other's bodies.

"I'm… wonderful." Tori breathes. "But I'm just wondering… why you still have underwear on."

I start to giggle, easing my fingers in a little bit more. Her head hangs back, letting out a gasp. "I have no idea." I murmur. "Should we fix that, too?" I ask. With a surprising, sudden movement, Tori pulls her back up against the headboard and yanks my hips towards her. My hand falls away from her.

"Oh yes." Tori growls. Annnd she just got sexier. She kisses my collarbone as she pulls down the thin material and I shuffle them off. As soon as they're off, Tori runs her hands over my breasts, kneading into my peaks to warm me up. Now it's my turn to throw my head back in pleasure. "Cat… touch me." Tori begs. I gather myself and nod, moving my hand back to slip inside of her. She cries out and applies more pressure to my nipples, causing me to cry out as well. I'm already aching for her.

I twist around, finding the spots that she loves and I watch as her face contorts into looks of pleasure. She lets tiny gasps and whimpers out every time I hit the right spot, which is often. She looks into my eyes, breathing and shaking. And, oh, she loves me so much. And I love that I can do this to her, I love that I can be the woman for her that she deserves. And I strive to be better for her every day. And – oh, I love what she's doing with her leg right now.

She had somehow grinded her thigh up into me. Did I mention when she does this, the ripples of her scar make it feel even better? Her eyes have shut tight now, no longer able to focus on anything as the pleasure build overtakes her. Her leg twitches and shakes even faster making my pleasure build as well. I bite my lip and bury my face into her neck, breathing deeply. I feel her getting close, with her muscles tightening around my fingers. I pump my hand faster and I find it harder and hard to control my thoughts and movements as I reach the peak of my pleasure.

Tori reaches it first, her head hanging back and back arching as everything tenses and pulses at the same time. I follow her soon after, trembling against her before I collapse against her limp body. My arms snake around her waist.

"Tori…" I breathe after a while.

"Yes, Cat?" Tori murmurs into my hair. I bite my lip, hesitant.

"I want more." I admit. Tori pauses for a moment, then she rolls me off her and pins me down on the bed. She smiles down at me.

"I can give you more." She coos, sliding her hand down to reach my pleasure point. Here's a secret about me. Because of Derek, I've never been a big fan of penetration. Usually Tori just focuses on the outside with grinding and rubbing, and usually that's more than enough. But sometimes I see what it does to Tori, and I crave to feel what she feels. Tori's learned when I'm ready for it, and this is one of those times.

She builds me up again slowly with the usual rubbing and stroking, and once I'm moaning for her again she moves in on me like I do for her. She slips inside, and she's done this enough so that she knows what gets to me, and how to be careful that she doesn't go too far. It doesn't take long. My pleasure build again and I'm already tensing and shaking, thrusting up into her hand. She kisses my jaw line and I cry out one more time before my head fills with the fuzzy light feeling of pleasure, the pressure about to blow its top for the second time that night. I clutch her back as my legs wrap around her, and with one more thrust I lose it, utterly consumed by my climax. It's exhausting the first time, but the second time literally makes me feel like jelly and I'm almost certain I'll never be able to move again. Which is fine. I mean, I'm lying naked in bed with my gorgeous fiancé who has removed her fingers from me and is now resting her head on my shoulder looking at me with doting eyes. Why would I ever want to move?

Of course, along with the doting look, she also has a smug look on her face. I weakly turn my head to her, still trying to catch my breath after about ten minutes. "Are you… proud of yourself?" I pant, smiling. She flashes her teeth in a grin.

"A little bit. Can you blame me? Sometimes it's hard to get you to reach that point once, let alone twice." Tori argues sweetly.

"Must be the new addition." I murmur, lazily twisting her engagement ring around her finger. "And hey, you aren't the easiest at times, either." I chuckle.

"But we always seem to go to sleep satisfied." She sighs, cuddling up into my neck.

"We're good." I smile.

"Hell yeah." Tori grins, kissing my collarbone softly. "Speaking of sleep, we should do that now. You have a long rehearsal tomorrow."

"Kay, kay… Goodnight, future Mrs. Vega-Valentine." I sigh. She chuckles gently and then lets out a yawn.

"See you in the morning, future Mrs. Vega-Valentine."

It doesn't take me long to fall asleep. It also doesn't take long for that falling feeling to jolt me awake.


I'm lying in my room at my parents' house, head still buried in the sheets of my bed. My comforter is still wet from my tears of crying over Tori. That's right, we had just gotten back from laser tag, and it was another day that Tori didn't return my feelings.

Man, what a vivid dream.

I take a minute to try and remember it. It involved Tori, I know that much… But it also involved some awful, awful things. First of all, that guy Derek that I met at laser tag… he ends up raping me and caused some serious damage to my life. On top of that, I ended up buried alive in an earthquake, nearly killed by a mountain lion, was beaten to the point of unconsciousness by some street thugs and then my parents disowned me. If I look at it that way, the dream was a nightmare.

But it had its good parts, too. Parts that made my heart swell up. Tori and I were in love. She was my crutch and I was hers when she went through rough times. And most of the time, we spent the rough times together, supporting each other through it. And then it wasn't always bad. There were some really happy times, and really great sex. We were starting our lives together, had great careers lined up. I mean, really, it seemed almost too good to be true…

It had to be true. There's no way that that was just a dream. There's no way.

I jump up from my bed and start pacing frantically, trying to find some sort of sign that it was all real. I pinched myself, I shook myself rigorously, ANYTHING to get me back to the reality where Tori and I are together. Once upon a time, I just wanted to fall out of my feelings with Tori, the same way I would fall out of a dream and into reality. But if this is reality, I don't want it. I want to feel these things for Tori. I want to feel them with her. Even if it meant going through all those bad things again and again, I would do it for Tori. I need her, and she needs me. Through all the falling-outs of life, even through all my falling-outs with Tori… I do not want to fall out of that if it means I live a life without Tori. Let me fall back in love with her, please…

"Tori…" I whimper. "Tori, please. Please, get me out of this." I cry. "Tori! I love you! I need you! I need you in my life no matter what! Through everything, I need you! You're worth everything to me! Tori! Tori!"

"Cat!" Her voice rings out, and I'm falling out of the dream once again.


"Cat, Cat wake up." Tori whispers frantically, shaking me. My eyes pop open and I sit up straight, gasping for air. The sobs start to choke me and I feel Tori's arms wrap around me, holding me close against her. I look around, and I'm in our New York apartment once again. I'm not in my room from when I was a teenager. I turn slowly to the woman holding me. She's giving me a concerned look and I touch her cheek tentatively.

"Tori?" I whimper. She takes my hand on her cheek, squeezing it tightly.

"You must've had a really bad dream… Are you okay? Was it about Derek?" She asks softly. A dream… a bad dream. It's making sense now. Of course this all wasn't a dream. I was stupid to think it ever was. Stupid subconscious, making me think what I had with Tori wasn't real… I choke out another sob, only now it's from being overjoyed that Tori's still in my life. I wrap my arms around her neck and snuggle myself into her. "I know he's going to be released in a few years and you must be worried…"

"No. It wasn't about Derek. It was worse." I mutter. If that dream served any purpose, it was to show me that not having Tori in my life was literally my worst nightmare. As if I didn't know that before.

"Want to talk about it?" Tori murmurs into my ear before kissing it gently. I let out a deep breath.

"I woke up and I was back at my parents' place, and none of this had ever happened, as if it wasn't real." I choke out.

"Oh, honey…" Tori breathes, squeezing me tight. She pulls back and reaches her left hand to hold my left hand. She holds them up in front of our faces, our rings gleaming together. "See this? This is real. It's all real." She assures me.

"I know." I sniff. "You made me fall out of the bad dream. This is where I want to be, with you, even after everything that happened… at least I have you, and that's more than enough."

"Cat… I'll always be here to pull you out of the bad stuff. I promise. That's what these mean." Tori whispers, referring to the rings.

"Thank you, Tori… I love you so much." I sigh, releasing our hands and hugging her again.

"I love you, too. And you know what?" Tori asks.

"What?" I say, pulling back and looking at her with curiosity. She smiles at me sweetly.

"I'll never fall out of that with you."


Author's Notes: ... I have the biggest lump in my throat right now. I can't believe this is happening. Oh god. Okay. Breathe. I'm good. This'll be a longer Author's Note than usual since it's the last... one... I'M NOT OKAY.

So a few things, how many of you did I trick there with Cat waking up in her bedroom? Did any of you throw your computer at the wall? Hehe, don't worry, this isn't an Inception kind of thing where you wonder which is true or not. The flashback to Cat's bedroom after laser tag was just a bad dream. The rest is real. Also, I tried to do Ellen justice, but really... A lot of her humour comes from her delivery. Just try to read the lines in her voice and maybe it'll be funny. Maybe.

Time to talk about the future. I'M DONE FOREVER just kidding. If any of you were wondering, I do have an idea for a sort of sequel/midquel for Falling-Out... You know, something that goes more in depth into the five year jump between their graduation and their engagement. Would anyone be interested in that? Also, it would be written from Tori's perspective. I like the idea of finally seeing what's gong on in Tori's brain after seeing Cat's side of things for so long. Buuuut that'll have to wait. You know why? I have a BRAND NEW CORI STORY that I'm going to be working on. I love the idea I have for it, and I've been looking forward to writing it forever but I refused to write it until Falling-Out was done. Frankly, I'm so excited about this new story that I was afraid I would just leave Falling-Out behind. Nobody would've wanted that. I love Falling-Out, too. I have no idea when the new story will be released. It's too bad I don't have some way to communicate to you what's going on...

Hey look, I have a Twitter: WaitwhathuhFF

That's right, and I'll be updating you about how the writing process is going, giving some hints about what it'll be about, letting you know when chapters will be released, giving updates on my incredibly dull life, as well as other fun things. So, follow it if you want! Would it hurt?

I have to take a moment to thank somebody. She has another story on here as well... you may be reading it right now, who knows? The penname is SinkingShips11, and we had a really awkward situation where we both released stories about sexual assault at the same time... So obviously we got to talking about it, and pretty soon we were bouncing ideas and giving each other moral support as each chapter was posted. It really helped having a friend on here, so thank you very much! Falling-Out probably wouldn't have been completed without you!

Final Fun Fact: The Earning Stripes plot was based on a very very vivid dream I had years ago. It was like a movie... or a Broadway show. One day, maybe?

Okay, I'm going to sleep now, and then when I wake up I'm going to finally read this story from start to finish and probably bawl my eyes out. Yaaay! Goodbye, everyone. See you somewhere down the line. Oh, and for the record... even if you're reading this five years from when it was completed and you liked it, you should still leave a review. I'm sure it'll still warm my heart, like they always have.