Clean Slate

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious.

A/N:

Chapter 37 (A Comfort)

Back home, Trina lay in her bed, watching the news report on the television and holding a bowl of rocky road ice cream. It had been a couple of hours and one of Sasha's aunts would be dropping the girl off after Miss Debbie's class. She was slowly relaxing from earlier, but the stress didn't truly seem to be going away. Marshall had called to make sure she was alright and gave her some praise for stopping the robbery. Needless to say, everyone was looking forward to her coming back to work either tomorrow or the next day.

She didn't plan on taking a break from work, no matter how stressful the situation was. Of course, she'd given her statement to the officers and the FBI. Tori was briefing the agents over the threat that Ralph Klein now posed, and told Trina they weren't going to give the info to the press yet because there was a chance Ralph would see it and go into hiding.

The image of the bullet grazing Derek was burned into her mind. Still it served somewhat as a reminder to her, because no matter what, nobody was purposely gunning for him. Not like Sinjin, not like Jesse, he would have just been a random victim.

These things happen. There are people who do crazy things and just don't care who they walk on. Ross was a sadist, Beck was a cunning psychopath, and neither of them gave a shit about her. Ross just wanted Sinjin dead because of jealousy issues, Beck went after Jesse for reasons that Trina now doubted, and now Derek was almost gunned down by a bank robber.

It could have been anyone. The robber picked him out at random-there was no thought involved. Maybe it was because he was at the teller already, maybe he smarted off at the robber, but regardless-it was all by chance-and he survived. No one was after him, no one wanted him dead. He was safe.

On the brink of this realization, Trina slowly scooped her ice cream up with a spoon and leaned her head against the head board. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling fan, watching as the blades spun slowly. "I won't lose him. Nothing can make it happen."

"You okay?" Derek's voice interrupted her solitude, startling her. Her eyes flew to the door where he was leaning against the frame, studying her with a subtle smile. "Ice cream? Can't say I pegged you as the type to eat ice cream for comfort."

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She straightened herself up against the headboard and pressed her lips together. "You didn't ring the doorbell…you know what I could do to someone I thought was breaking into my home?"

"Yeah, but then I knew you'd be home." He walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. His eyes peered into hers and his face grew compassionate. "I wanted to check up on you. How are you holding up?" Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly moved a spoonful of her ice cream to her lips.

"I'm doing just fine. Still shaken. You?"

"For a guy that just cheated death, I couldn't be better." He put his hand to his shoulder and cracked his neck to the side. Trina rolled her eyes and chuckled dryly.

"Cocky as ever. Even after that ordeal…" He furrowed his brow and tilted his head. Trina let the bowl slide down into her lap, her fingers still clutching the sides tightly as her thumb bent over the spoon's handle.

"I don't know. It seemed like you went through more of an ordeal than I did. I mean yeah I was afraid of getting shot back there, but you…I'm glad you're alright."

"All right?" She swept away a tear and shook her head. "I wanted to kill that guy that shot at you. In that instant I felt everything I felt for Ross, for Beck…" His eyebrows rose and Trina closed her eyes, exhaling softly. "Maybe a few years ago I would have. The man holding you at gunpoint, the robber at the vault door, they could very well have been Beck and Ross for all I care. If you'd been hurt, if something happened, I don't know what I would have done." Her eyelids drifted up halfway and confusion started to drift into her mind. "I don't even know what I'm thinking, I just…"

"It's all right."

"I know Sasha would be devastated-you're the only person I've seen aside from direct family that she would ever be close to in the way she is.

"Well. I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, Trina. I know it's not much comfort, I mean, I didn't know you were thinking about all of that. I think seeing you go after the robbers, I was more concerned with your safety than mine."

"Since when are you a fighter anyway, Derek?" She took another bite of her ice cream and glanced up with an arched eyebrow. "I never pegged you as one…" Derek shrugged and folded his arms.

"I did a little boxing in college. Still like to go to the gym on occasion." He moved up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. "You know, working in a high school that has their own weight room has its perks." Her heart thumped once more in her chest and she glanced away, keeping her thoughts to herself. She had to admit, imagining him a fighter was a little arousing for her.

"You ever take martial arts, Derek?"

"No, just wrestling and boxing in college. Why?"

"Oh I was just wondering who would win in a fight, a martial artist or a boxer." Her eyelids slanted and a deep smirk grew on her face. Derek studied her for a minute, then laughed.

"You'd floor me in an instant. Trust me." His shoulders rose as he inhaled and looked towards the television. Tori was on the news, giving the press a further account of what happened at the bank. Being one of the only FBI agents arriving on the scene, she trumped all the police officers there. "You probably ought to watch something else, take your mind off that."

"Maybe." She relaxed and absently swirled her ice cream in the bowl, watching the slide tracks left behind by the spoon. "Marshall told me to take the day off, I think the bank's closed for the day, but at least one was hurt and none of the money was stolen." Her gaze flickered from the bowl and turned up to him. He was focusing intently on the television, his arms crossed over his abdomen and his muscles were tense-likely from the stress. "Did your boss tell you to take the rest of the day off?"

"Yeah, but I feel like I could keep going. I hate missing work. Been getting phone calls from mom and dad, Lizzie, Edwin and Marti have also been ringing my phone off the hook all day." He slipped his phone from his pocket and gazed down at it with a heavy sigh. "I've got it on vibrate now, I just don't feel like talking about it."

"They're concerned about you. It's good. I mean they are your family and you haven't talked to them in-how long again?"

"Conversation-wise? It's been a while. Maybe I should take a lesson from you and Jesse's family." He chuckled and pushed his phone back into his pocket. "I'll talk to them when I'm ready. In the meantime…" He took the remote from her and changed the channel to a sitcom. It was airing reruns of George Lopez, a sitcom she enjoyed in her teenage years.

"Did I say you could change the channel?"

"Nope, but I did it anyway. You don't need to be focusing on that, you need to bounce back." He was right, she didn't want to get depressed over what occurred at the bank. Everything was fine now, she didn't have to worry anymore. "Is Hannah bringing Sasha home?"

"Yes."

"Have you had any real food to eat? Besides the ice cream?" She rolled her head to the side and pouted her lower lip as Derek rubbed his chin. "I didn't think so."

"I forgot about dinner. I was planning to make a salad and grill the chicken breasts in the fridge. Maybe I'll just order out..."

"I see." Derek stepped off from the bed and took the bowl from her. She gasped out in surprise and reached up.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I know you can't stand ordering out, you hate fast food and you never order pizza or Chinese delivery. You wouldn't feed that stuff to Sasha either, and I know you're too proud to start now. So I'll cook dinner for you."

"But-"

"You just rest, and stay off the news." Her cheeks reddened as he pulled the covers over her. She relaxed into the bed and frowned at the television. Sitting around was hard enough without having to let Derek cook for her. Then, she'd never seen him cook anything.

After several minutes of waiting, Trina finally pulled herself out of the bed and made her way to the kitchen. A pleasing aroma seemed to entrance her as she moved into the kitchen. She folded her arms over her chest and studied Derek closely as he moved from the ingredient cabinet and glazed the chicken with some sauce.

"Since when are you a cook?" He looked over his shoulder, smiling at her.

"I'm a single bachelor, remember. I need to know how to feed myself. Plus, I've been cooking since I was a teenager. I even had some time to make my special barbecue sauce." Her eyebrows rose and she moved over to the stove, looking down at the brown sauce in the porcelain bowl beside the stove.

"Really now?"

"Yep." He took a clean spoon from the silverware drawer and dipped it in the sauce, then brought it up to her lips. "Try it." She obliged and was stunned by the flavor. It had a delicate smoky aroma and a kick of spice and heat to it that enlightened her taste buds. She grabbed the spoon and held her hand under it, licking her lips to catch a stray bit of sauce.

"That's good," she coughed, "Really good! What spices did you put in there?"

"That's my personal secret." He winked at her and she immediately turned to the sauce. Desire grew as she began to crave more of it. He pushed the bowl away, laughing at her. "Now you'll have to wait till the food's done. It's the glaze I'm putting over the chicken."

"Okay, okay." She looked around the kitchen, humming to herself. "Can I at least make the salad? I can't stand sitting around."

"Go for it."

"Great!" Also on the stove, she saw him making some mashed potatoes. They were creamy with a buttery swirl. Her eyes rolled for a moment and her lips turned up into a smile. As they spent time together in the kitchen, she felt a sense of calmness coming over her, soothing her frayed and tired nerves. "This is nice, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"This." With the salad to the side, Trina was applying some butter to the green beans. Derek walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder at the vegetables. The green beans were mixed with slices of carrots.

"Yeah, I'd say the vegetables are good." He smirked and she shook her head.

"No, I mean…cooking here together, making dinner for Sasha to come home to. It feels…nice." He smiled at her and let her lean back into him, catching him by surprise. "Thanks for being here. I'd probably go nuts left alone after the whole thing at the bank."

"Well that's what I'm here for. Glad you're doing better." She turned to him and looked up into his eyes. Her lip tucked under her teeth and her hand gently slid along the side of the bowl. "You going to put those in the microwave?"

"What?" She looked back to the green beans and moved her hand to her forehead. "Y-Yeah." Her cheeks fired up as she rushed the bowl to the microwave. "Sorry, I kind of lost focus."

"It happens, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I just-" She scratched her head and turned around to see Derek standing at her side. Her eyes drifted up to his, locking with him and her heartbeat began to slow, but beat harder like that of a drum. She could feel her breath slipping away and moved her hand up to her collarbone to take a deep breath. "Need to check on the mashed potatoes."

Derek raised an eyebrow as she brushed past him and looked at the potatoes on the stove. "The potatoes are just fine."

"You put parsley on them as well?"

"Actually that's Italian Seasoning."

"Oh." She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nostrils, taking in the smell of the food. "T-The chicken's almost done."

"And you forgot to start the microwave." She looked over to see Derek start the time. She swept her hand through her hair and held her breath as he leaned upright and looked over to her. "Why are you getting all flustered over the food?"

"It's not the food, it's…nerves."

"Nerves? Why?"

"I don't know."

"Well calm down."

"Just have to make sure everything's good." She moved to the oven and turned on the light, peering in at the chicken. It was browning and close to finished. "Maybe I should make some brownies for dessert." Derek closed his eyes and smirked to himself.

Trina could feel her blood pumping through her veins and focused on the sound of her heart rushing to send the fluid to every inch of her body, intensifying the heat in her. She was beginning to sweat and shake.

The problem was due to their time cooking, her mind finally clicked on the moment and she made the realization of an emotion-a desire that she'd not felt in years. It scared her. Yet she was happy.

When she turned around, Derek was next to her once more. His eyes locked onto hers. Her body relaxed when she felt his hands slide from her shoulder and along her upper arm. "Derek, I…" Her hands moved to his chest and her eyes started to widen. If she wasn't careful, her fear would keep her from closing up again.

She had to know what it would feel like, how it would be. Tori's words played in her mind like a recording, echoing back to her. In his presence, she wanted to hold him and to be with him, but her nerves were fighting her. She needed something, some way to fight through her fears and let him know that she wasn't going to push him away.

After a second, and almost on instinct, Trina took a sharp breath and leaned forward, closing her eyes as she kissed him full on the lips.

Her heartbeat spiked and her arms moved around his body. He followed suit, embracing her and returning the kiss. There was a sudden spark that ignited upon contact, filling her with a bliss that had been absent for some time.

To her amazement, surprise and happiness, she wasn't reminded of Jesse or Sinjin. She didn't worry about potentially falling for another man, and in her heart she felt that Jesse would approve of this. Maybe, just maybe she could let herself be happy in this way-in a way that she needed.

When they pulled apart, Trina moved her hand up to her lips, and looked up at him. She was too flustered to think of anything to say, and too anxious to deny what had just happened.

Regardless, he now had her full attention, and she had his. "What was that?" His eyebrows arched as Trina breathed shakily.

"I…It just…" She swooned for a second, then looked back to the food. How was she supposed to explain that kiss? She trusted him, cared for him, and appreciated how he was around her and around Sasha. There was something about him that attracted her, and it was something that pulled her to him. "Let's not play anymore games, okay?"

"Okay?"

"I tried dating, but I don't want to date…I want, I need a relationship." She bit her lip and dropped her eyes downward. "Maybe you and I…can go out sometime? Officially? If it isn't too late…"

"I don't know…" He laughed once, then smiled back at her. She grew anxious, waiting for him to say something. His smile held as something glinted in his eyes. To her relief, he nodded to her. "It took you long enough."

"So that's a yes?"

"Yeah, although I was planning to ask you again. You just beat me to it. I'm always going to be here, Trina. For you and Sasha, there's not a thing to tear me away."

"Good…I just ask you be patient with me."

"So, same old then?"

She chuckled nervously and pat her hands together once as the microwave chimed, reminding her of the green beans. "Yeah."

The two went back to work setting up the table and food preparation. It was not long after that Sasha came running into the kitchen with Hannah walking in behind. Trina saw the concern in Hannah's eyes and smiled as the woman hugged her. "How are you feeling?" Hannah asked, "Better?"

"Yeah, I'm doing fine now." Trina smiled and looked to Sasha, who instantly hugged her legs.

"Aunt Hannah said you beat the bad men and were a hero," Sasha stated with a quick smile. "Is that true? You saved the bank people?" Trina brightened with her daughter's proud and enthused gaze.

"Yes dear, that's what happened."

"I always knew you were a hero, momma." Sasha hugged her tighter and she returned the hug, gently kissing the top of her head. While crouched in the hug, she felt Derek's hand on her shoulder and looked up to see his proud expression gazing down at the two. There was something pleasing about the look in his eyes, a comforting gesture that she didn't want to forget anytime soon. "You're safe now, Mommy?"

"Yes. We are." She exhaled slowly and started to stand up. "How was your first day of school, sweetie?"

"It was amazing, Momma! Mrs. Eberly was teaching us how to use building blocks to count from one to ten. She even gave me some ideas on how to use what Miss Debbie's taught me."

"I'm happy to hear that, and of course you know I'm proud of you." Sasha grinned and looked over to the food. "Dinner is nearly ready." She glanced to Hannah and smiled politely. "We made enough if you'd like to stay."

"I'm afraid I can't," Hannah replied, "I need to get back to my little ones. It smells great though." Hannah looked between her and Derek, then gave Trina a knowing smile. "I think you've got good company as it is. Let me know how you're holding up, okay? Marshall and I are worried-well all of us are."

"Yeah, I'll give you a call. Thanks for bringing Sasha home." She caught Sasha dipping her finger in the barbeque sauce. When the child tasted it, she let out a tiny squeal of delight. Derek laughed.

"That is what I put on the chicken," he marveled as Sasha eyed the chicken. The girl then looked to the pot containing the potatoes and started to reach. Trina instantly contemplated jumping all the way over to the stove, but Derek carefully reached over and picked the girl up before she had a chance to burn her finger. "Now don't go burning your hand, Sasha."

"Oh, it's hot?"

"Yes. It's not safe to touch." Trina breathed a sigh of relief as Derek carried the girl out of the cooking area. When she looked to Hannah, the woman winked at her.

"The man knows how to cook," Hannah whispered teasingly, "You better hold onto this one." She blushed and shot her a glare. Hannah laughed and made her way towards the living room. She adjusted her purse strap and waved at them. "Hope to hear from you, enjoy your dinner!"

So, looks like this is a good sign. Things are going well so far, what are your thoughts?