Clean Slate

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious.

A/N:

Chapter 38 (Best Friends, New and Old)

"So you're finally dating my brother," Casey dipped a buffalo wing into her sauce. Trina watched her friend lather the wing and pondered why she didn't just ask the waitress to have the cook prepare it in the sauce like most places. "It took you long enough."

"Everyone seems to be saying that." She rolled her eyes and started to smirk. "You, Tori, Hannah…Derek himself. The only person I haven't heard it from is my daughter, and that's only because she doesn't know what relationships are right now." It wasn't like she wanted to sit there and hear it from everyone. "Yes I care about him, I want to be with him, and I don't want to keep hearing about how long it took me to finally figure it out."

Casey lifted her hand and closed her eyes, nodding briskly. "I know, you're right. I'm just happy for you and for him." Casey's eyes lit up as she took a bite of her wing. "Anyway-" The woman swallowed and cleared her throat quickly. "I'm just doing a little celebratory dance, my brother and best friend are finally together. It only took you nearly a year."

"I just wasn't ready. I mean…Derek's great with Sasha, she absolutely loves him." She forked her own wing and lifted the meat up, staring down at it for a few seconds as if contemplating what to do with it. "He's a good, caring man-and surprisingly patient."

"Yep, he's done a whole lot of growing up over the years since our teenage days." Trina slipped the fork through her lips and closed her eyes. The food was good. She wanted to come back here in the future, since this was a new restaurant she and Casey were trying. The reason they changed where they usually hung out was because her friend wanted to make sure her ex fiancé wasn't going to follow her around anymore.

"So, a lot has been going on with me, as we know. Has Adam been causing any more problems for you?" Casey sipped her drink through her straw and shook her head.

"Amazingly he's left me alone since the restraining order, but I'm still being cautious."

"That's a good thing." She swayed to the right and leaned her shoulder against the wall. Her eyes drifted to the window, scanning the parking lot outside. "You've got a stalker, Derek's was held hostage at a bank. He's too proud to answer his family's calls-have you even talked to them? They're concerned about you two, I think."

She heard her friend's chuckle and frowned at her. "Trina, the last thing our family would be after all these years is concerned. They've always been upset that Derek wasn't a lawyer and I wound up working where I have been. They didn't like Adam, so the whole thing with him isn't all surprising to them."

"Have you talked, and I mean really talked to them since the breakup?"

"To be honest. No." She felt sorry for Casey, since she had a feeling her family actually would care for her. Derek too. "To be honest, I don't want to hear the 'I told you so' in regards to Adam."

"Something tells me they won't be like that. Now I've at least talked to your mom on the phone, she sounds like a nice woman. Nicer than my mother was, anyway." A nervous spark struck her heart, and for a brief second the old guilt and resentment surfaced, though it never left her. Casey raised an eyebrow at her and grabbed another wing.

"My mom sounds nice to everyone, Trina. The truth us, Derek and I went on paths they didn't want for us, so they shunned us for a few years."

"Maybe they want a chance to be a part of your lives again? I mean, it's worth a try."

"I don't think they're that willing. I mean, you and I both know I don't have nearly as much pride and resentment as Derek, but even I'm not going to be so quick to just forgive them."

Trina's fingers tapped silently on the table and her chin rested in the palm of her left hand. She shrugged at Casey and studied the woman's tense body. "It's been a few years." Casey lifted her gaze up and furrowed her brow. "Maybe they've changed. Maybe their thought process is different. You don't know unless you give them a chance." Casey wiped her mouth and set straightened her back while refolding the napkin into a small triangle.

"Derek and I have given them chance after chance to show us. Dad still tells Derek that he could come back to Canada and work for him at his firm." She winced in response while Casey moved her drink to the napkin. "If your mother were still alive-and I know this is different-and she came to you asking you to forgive her for her affair. What would you say?"

Trina closed her eyes, forcing away the old memory and the hot bile rising along her throat. "I'd give her a chance." It was a different scenario, but she knew what she'd say to her mother. At the same time, she didn't know exactly-but there was still a part of her that wished to see her mom again just like she wanted to see her dad again. "But the reason that can't happen is because Mom is dead. If she wanted redemption, if she were alive and wanted forgiveness, I'd give her a chance. I would. My mom died seven ears ago. Your parents are still alive, Casey."

"They haven't shown any iota of a desire to change their views or be a true part of our lives, and I agree with Derek when he says that we're not going to be the ones to instigate it. We've tried, but it goes both ways, Trina…"

"I guess." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, she was amazed and shocked to see Casey talking this way. She knew her friend was under a lot of stress, but this wasn't like her. "Casey, I'm surprised to see you like this. You're the one that was always giving me advice."

Casey moaned softly and put her hand to her temple. "I know. I've been under stress, I'm sorry." She reached over and pat Casey's hand, then smiled reassuringly. Now it was her friend that needed assurance and comfort, not her.

"It's going to be okay, Casey." Casey's gaze drifted up to hers and her shoulders fell. "I know you're worried about Adam, but you know what? If he comes around, he'll be arrested for violating that restraining order."

"There are a lot of things I'm worrying about, to be perfectly honest."

"Well worry about one thing at a time. Things…have a way of working out, I think you told me that once." She spread her arms out and curved up a smile. "Look at me. Look where I'm headed. I never thought I'd meet Jesse's family, never thought I'd be so lucky to be where I'm at. Still paranoid about Jesse's dad being alive, but you know what? I don't care. I mean I do care, I just...I'm not going to let it get me down, I guess. You don't need to let the whole thing with Adam get you down either."

Casey smiled back at her and grabbed her drink. "Yeah. Thanks."

"You'll find someone right for you, Case. I know you will. Adam was an asshole, he wasn't right for you."

"I know. I guess it's just hard for me to imagine things differently now." Casey's eyes flicked over to Trina's purse and her eyebrow arched up. "I think your phone's ringing, by the way."

"I don't hear anything." She looked to her purse and quickly opened it after she detected a faint musical tone. Unzipped, the phone's tune blared out, startling her for the moment. She grabbed it and checked the screen before hitting the answer button. "I don't recognize this number."

Casey leaned forward, studying the phone. "You usually get unknown numbers calling you?"

"No. I don't think I have my personal number on the bank webpage either. I might, though…" She furrowed her brow and hung her thumb over the answer button. It wasn't usual either that she answered strange calls, but she had a feeling she needed to answer.

"Go for it. You may as well-could be a teacher at Sasha's school or something."

"Maybe." She flung her hair over her shoulder and moved the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Trina Vega?" A nervous feminine voice inquired. She leaned back slightly, narrowing her eyes as her mind detected an air of familiarity.

"This is she, why do you sound so anxious? Do I know you?"

The caller breathed a sigh of relief and quickly cleared her throat. "Trina, it's me, Vivian." Her jaw dropped and she looked quickly to Casey, who curled her eyebrows upwards.

"Vivian? How-how did you get my number?"

"Well there was something on the national news about a bank heist that was stopped by the manager. They mentioned your name and New York, so I thought I'd try and get in touch with you somehow…" She moved her hand to her chest and started to smile as a tear came to her eyes. "I didn't know you were in New York. I mean, there was a Pilot that was here a few months ago that was back in town for another flight and he asked me if I knew you, but other than that…"

"Really?" Brian must have done it when he had to fly back to Florida. It was probably not the best thing for him to do, but she was glad at least to hear Vivian's voice after all these years. She started to choke up and quickly cleared her throat so that she could talk. "God it's good to hear your voice after all these years."

"How are things holding up? I heard you had a daughter now." Vivian paused for a minute then spoke softly. "Is it his? Jesse? I know the whole gang disbanded ages ago, but I don't know what happened…I've never heard from Roger, Rachel, or any of the others. I guess it's what I get though." The sudden disparity was confusing, but Trina let it slip and continued on.

"Well I don't know how Roger or Rachel are doing. They had a child about a year or two ago. I uh-you remember what happened with the whole region of Las Angeles, right?" She looked towards Casey, who was nonchalantly sipping her tea.

"Yeah, the government came in."

"My sister was part of that. She got me out. I've been living with her ever since, and my daughter. Sasha."

"Sasha? That name…"

"I named her after Jesse's fiancé, yeah. She's a great girl, you would love her, Viv. Jesse would too."

She heard the woman gasp and felt her heart crash further. How had Vivian never known what happened to Jesse? "Would?"

"Beck…got him, Vivian."

"No!" She clenched her eyes and shook her head as the girl took a moment to catch her breath. "I-I'm sorry. You and Jesse, though…you two actually had a child together? Oh god…"

"Yes. She's four years old now, she'll be five in March. Jesse and I, we loved each other. It's been hard to try and move on, but I am just getting my life together. That Pilot you met? That was his brother-in-law."

"What?"

"I met Jesse's family, Vivian." Her wet cheeks lifted and she quickly swept away her tears. "His mother is an amazing woman, and so is his brother. His actual, biological brother. Marshall…was actually Ralph's son. Jesse's dad."

"If Jesse knew that-"

"Things would have been different, most likely. Linda has an adopted daughter and a stepdaughter. You met Brian, he's married to Taylor-Jesse's stepsister. Sasha's been getting along great with all of them."

"I'm really happy to hear that. You're still in New York?"

"I think I'm going to be staying here for a while, yes. Marshall's the one that got me a job as a bank manager."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Vivian laughed. "Jesse's brother getting you a job." The girl sighed heavily. "I've missed you guys. You know I'm working as an air stewardess now. I'm married and have a baby on the way."

"Good to hear your life's going well." Trina looked back to Casey and reclined back. "Listen, Vivian, I'd love to keep in touch. I'm with a friend right now, so I don't want to be rude…"

"It's okay, I'll talk to you another time."

"It was great hearing from you."

"You too. Bye, Trina." Trina breathed in and lowered her phone, smiling as Casey glanced over to her. The woman sat upright and pointed to the phone.

"Who was it? Sounded like an old friend, she knew Jesse?"

"Yeah, she was an old friend." Trina swept away her tears once more and exhaled slowly. "God I haven't seen her in seven years. She was one of my best friends, left a couple months after my mom died."

"Oh. Where's she at now?"

"Florida. It'd be nice to see her again, but I don't think that'll happen anytime soon." Rather, Tori probably wouldn't want to let it happen. Yes, Trina valued herself as a big girl, but Tori was just too protective and too careful. Vivian was too connected to her past life for Tori to consider allowing that meeting to happen. Just like Tori let her know she didn't want Trina seeking out Roger or Rachel-not that she'd be able to find them anyway. The FBI made damn sure those two went into witness protection as well.

Much like Vivian had been, they were long gone.

So we've heard from Vivian again. That's nice nostalgia.