Disclaimer: Victorious and all of its associated copyrights are not my property and I stake no claim to them.

A/N: This one seemed to come to me a lot easier, and truthfully, most of the time spent between this update and the previous one was on editing. For reasons I still can't seem to pick out, something feels off about this chapter, so if anybody has any constructive criticism, I'd love to hear it.


Tori's POV

Watching him brought me back. Way back. About ten years back. He was certainly a natural, just like his sister. If it weren't for his short hair, I could've sworn it was the same person that was in all of those videos her parents used to show me. I recorded both ceremonies Jade had to miss. He was so proud.

"I'm gonna be just like her when I'm bigger!" He told me on the ride back to his aunt's house.

I'd smile at him and tell him only what I knew to be true, "I'm sure she'll help you get there, too."

He'd jump out of the car and run up to the door before I even had the chance to get out. He'd show his cousins his new belt while I showed the video to his aunt and uncle.

"She'll be so happy when she gets to watch this," Alyssa would tell me.

I'd show Michelle at work the next day.

"What a handsome boy!" She'd exclaim.

And then she would interrogate me about him, about his sister, his parents. Another month went by before she became fed up and begged to know her name, only so she could refer to her properly as such, she claimed. As soon as she heard the name, she wanted a picture.

"My word, I can certainly see the resemblance in these two. Their mother must have been absolutely gorgeous."

As I restocked books, I'd tell her stories. Things would pop into my head and if the store was empty, I'd say, "Oh, I remember another one," and she'd listen with rapt attention.

More than once, I watched her write things down as I spoke. I never asked.

Cat invited me out for dinner and shopping, and I welcomed something new to do. That night, I finally seemed to find the energy to run like Cujo wanted me to. He excitedly led the way through what I could only imagine was the same path Jade had taken him so many times. He wove his way through trees and massive boulders effortlessly. He'd clear a fallen tree in one leap, then wait for me on the other side, tail wagging. As tired as I felt, I understood why she loved it so much. Especially once we got to the clearing at the top and I could see the forests and mountains beyond. Cujo ran off to the side where a small creek was flowing back down the mountain to drink and splash around. He'd come back and stand right next to me before shaking the water off. He looked proud as I tried to shield myself from the barrage.

While neither of us ever felt as whole as we did before, we both found solace in the late night runs. I always trusted his lead, and he never once got us lost. Every time we got back, he'd get upset if I didn't toss my dirty clothes in one specific spot, and he'd move them himself. He'd lay with me while I read or wrote in my notebook, he'd curl up near the bathroom door anytime I went to take a shower, he stayed right next to me whenever I sat down to eat. He followed me like he followed her.


Nearly three months passed since she left and I could feel my depression creeping back. Three months without ever hearing her voice, feeling her touch, though slightly less without ever smelling her scent. That one lasted until I was forced to do laundry. Cat and Michelle both put up admirable efforts to keep me occupied and upbeat, but I could feel myself slipping. I avoided Charlie as best I could, and I knew he understood why. I wasn't strong enough to say no to him anymore. We both knew if given the chance, I'd slip and come crashing back down to the hell I worked so hard to escape. I ran more and more every night, hoping that if I did the racing myself, my mind wouldn't have to.

I filled any free time with immersing myself in books. I'd take them from the store at Michelle's request, and bring them back in only a few days once I'd finished. I struggled to find my own strength, and as the days passed on, it slowly became a little easier, but the hole in my heart never shrank.

"Michelle," I heard a hum from near the nonfiction section, "Can I have Saturday off? Mikey has another ceremony."

"Another one so soon? Of course, I wouldn't let you miss that. You'll have to be there to record it!"

"That's the plan," I called back.

She stood up, and vaguely resembled Godzilla standing amongst the skyscrapers of Japan. "Well, as many hours as you've been working, you certainly deserve it. Lord only knows I'd be up to my neck in this work if you weren't here."

Just then, my phone started to go off, and I entirely expected another call from Cat about a shopping trip she'd planned. My eyes widened when the name and picture displayed on my phone weren't hers, but Randy's. I quickly answered and held the phone between my shoulder and cheek as I worked.

"Randy?"

"Hey there, long time no chat, eh?"

I couldn't help but smile while also feeling a little disappointed. I loved hearing from him, but it still left me wanting more, "How's everything going? It's been so long."

"I'll say. She's a tough nut to crack. It took ages for the Master to even be able to see beyond the walls she'd put up. We've made loads of progress though."

"So long as she's happier, that's what matters."

"I wouldn't say happier, but more at peace with her demons. It's a very slow process."

I had to ask, as much as I dreaded the response he most likely would give me, "How much longer?"

The bells above the door jingled once again, and I heard the voice of Michelle's oldest son as he tried to get his thoughts out faster than his lips could move. I noticed the silence from Randy, and pulled the phone away only to realize he'd hung up. Before I could call him back, I finally heard what they were talking about.

"He's here? Who's here?" Michelle asked him, likely holding his shoulders just to keep him on the ground.

His only answer was in the form of, "I need a pen! And some paper! Quick!"

"Easy does it, buddy," she tried to soothe him as she went to the counter to grab what he asked for, "What, do we have celebrities standing in our parking lot?"

I looked over at them to see him nod excitedly. The bells jingled again and he began attempting to sputter out another sentence, "Oh man, I'm your biggest fan! I can't believe you're here! This is amazing, can I have your autograph?"

The voice in response nearly stopped my heart, as I hadn't heard it in months. A man's calm, British-accented voice responded, "Sure, of course. I haven't met a fan this excited in years, certainly makes me feel young again."

I nearly toppled over another pile of books in my attempt to get over to him. The bells jingled again while my view of the door was still obscured by a towering bookshelf, and Michelle was the first to speak this time, "Goodness, as elusive as you seemed to be I began to think you were no more than another elaborate story of hers."

And then I heard it.

"Where is she?"

My view of the store distorted into one of those fun house types where the room suddenly grows so much larger than it was before. I nearly tripped over five different piles of books. I turned the corner and there they were. Randy stood across from Michelle's son as he signed a piece of paper that looked like it was torn out of a book. I remembered earlier that day someone had given us a book that was all torn up, but I never heard much more about it.

Jade stood next to him, just as perfectly gorgeous as I remembered. She turned to look at me and a smile spread across her face as I ran toward her and jumped into her arms. I was pretty sure I had started crying even before I got to her. I was certain I'd knocked the wind out of her, and if not, at least made it difficult to breathe with how tightly I held her, but she only held me tighter. I kissed her over a dozen times and probably looked like an idiot but I didn't care.

She was home.

I vaguely registered a conversation going on in the background, but I couldn't seem to focus on anything but her.

"I love you." I meant it, but the words didn't seem like enough. They said so much but so little at the same time. I'd said them hundreds of times before and it didn't feel like enough.

"I love you too." But she understood.

Michelle allowed me to leave early, as it was only an hour before my shift was over, and Randy volunteered to drive my car back to the house, as they'd come in Jade's Lamborghini. As fast as she drove, I could she'd missed that freedom. Neither of us had much to say, but as she held my hand over the center console, there wasn't much else I cared about. She parked in the garage and stopped before we went inside.

"You should probably stand behind me."

I knew why.

The moment she stepped through the door, Cujo jumped nearly four feet in the air into her arms near the same way I had. His tail was wagging so hard I was pretty sure it could put a hole in the wall as he kept licking all over her face. He followed us all the way upstairs and seemed to pout when Jade told him to lay down near the closet. I knew what that meant and I felt giddy. I couldn't contain myself as I kissed her.

I felt whole again as she touched me. I felt happy. She kissed every one of my scars as I did for her. Much sooner than I would've wanted, I could see the sun was setting.

"I have to go get Mikey," she mumbled into my shoulder.

I only held her tighter, "I don't want to move."

She planted a kiss on my neck and untangled herself from me, not an easy feat given how tightly I held her to me. "I promised him I would as soon as I got back. I'm jet-lagged as fuck so I'm going back to bed once we get home."

"Fine." I groaned and dramatically drew out the word.

"You don't have to go with me," she said as she ran her fingers through my hair.

I took her hand and kissed it before standing up, "Uh-uh, you're out of your mind if you think you're going anywhere without me."

Mikey was the third that night to ecstatically jump into her arms. He told her in rapid-fire fashion about the past three months, and I was beginning to wonder when he'd run out of air. She listened to every word with a proud smile on her face. He showed her all of his belts and she seemed nostalgic as she listened. By the time he'd told her everything and she'd managed to get him settled in bed, she looked exhausted, and fell asleep within moments of laying down.

Being only ten, my body wasn't quite ready to sleep, so I lay with her for a while. I traced the contours of her face with my fingers and ran my fingers through her hair. She looked peaceful as she slept, and I hoped the past three months had helped her.


No one's POV

"Sign here, here, and here. Initials here and here."

She did as he instructed and quickly looked over the paper before sliding it back across the desk to him. He stood up and shook her hand, "It's great to have you back, West. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you, it's good to be back."

Jade left the office and handed her copy of the contract to Randy. "So, what do you think? You ready for this?"

She nodded and smirked, "I'm ready this time."

He patted her shoulder, "I'm proud of you."

"I haven't won yet."

"In a way, you have. Not this fight, but you won the last one." He nudged her toward the door, "Be proud of what you've accomplished. Not everyone is lucky enough to conquer their demons."

She felt the sun warm her skin as she stepped outside, "They aren't gone yet."

He held up the contract, "They will be after this."

Tori walked in as Jade was tying her shoes.

"How was work?"

Tori shrugged and took note of Jade's attire. She grabbed some clothes from the closet as well, "Michelle was all over me about what happened after I left, so I spent most of my free time telling her all about it." She stopped to return Jade's amused smirk, "Minus a few details."

Jade noticed her getting changed as well, "What are you doing?"

"Who do you think got all his energy out while you were gone?" She responded, her heart warmed by the genuinely happy smile on Jade's face.

"Let's go then, see if you can keep up."

For the most part, she did. She recognized the path Jade took as one Cujo had taken her on several times. Cujo was so excited that he ran circles around the two as they followed the path.

"I'd guess he's taken you up here before," Jade asked as they reached the top.

Tori looked out at the scenery and nodded as she caught her breath, "Yeah, quite a few times. I think this one is his favorite."

Jade turned toward Cujo splashing around in the creek and smiled, "He loves it up here."

She went over to the large boulder a little ways off the path and sat down, motioning for Tori to follow. "There's something I need to tell you."

"You had an affair with a Japanese girl, didn't you?" Tori teased.

She smiled, "No, not this time. It's about what was going on before I left. You've always been good at reading me, but I still feel like it's appropriate if I tell you myself."

"There's a lot you weren't telling me."

"There was a lot I was already having a terrible time trying to deal with. I didn't think I could handle telling you about it. Now, I think it's just part of the healing process." Jade watched a large bird circling just beyond the cliff. "He haunted me. I'd see him everywhere, hear him taunting me. It was never just him, it was him after I'd killed him. He'd be staring at me and all I could ever focus on was his...face. That face was horrible, and the worst part was seeing it and knowing I caused it. After I lost that fight, the taunts got so much worse. I'd hear him telling me all these ways to kill myself. I just sort of...disconnected in an attempt to escape it. I stopped feeling and it made it easier to cope. I knew I was losing when he'd tell me another way to kill myself and I'd start to think that it wouldn't be so bad."

Tori turned to face her and watched the sun glint off of a few tears sliding down her cheeks. She reached over to wipe them away. "I know exactly how you feel. You aren't alone, Jade. I'm here and I always will be. I understand your pain."

"I know," Jade sighed and held her hand, a small smile on her face, "I just wanted to tell you. I'm okay now. I won't let anyone get the better of me like that again."

"You can't ever leave me, okay?" Tori hugged her tightly, "I need you."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jade paused, "Except home, but you're coming with me."

Tori laughed and chased her back down the mountain.


"Are you worried?"

"Worried? Not at all."

"Well, she's a former champion with only one loss in her career."

"But that one loss meant so much. It means she's falling. She can't beat a woman she could have before. The sad truth of it all is that she's past her prime, even as young as she is. I used to look up to her, so this will be hard for me."

"As a rookie, do you think your inexperience will hinder you in this fight?"

"Maybe a little bit, but I don't think it'll be enough to let her win. I'm confident in my ability to win. She's just not the titan she used to be. She's hurt and her training has suffered for it."

"Is there any particular weakness you think is outstanding?"

"It's her leg, I think. I feel like it hasn't properly healed and it will be something I'll need to focus on."


Tori's POV

We'd seen all of the interviews. The newest rookie with only two fights under her belt – both wins – radiated confidence. Jade watched every one closely, though I couldn't figure out what she was thinking. I'd often catch her looking over the woman's profile and watching her previous fights. She never engaged in any conversation about any of it.

She had two months to prepare. Two months of rigorous training and building herself back up. I mostly stayed out of the way, as I'd completed my GED and was applying for classes at a college. I was tired of my life standing still and I wanted to make something of myself. Every time I'd go to work Michelle would ask for the latest gossip, and it became routine to discuss everything that'd happened since I'd last seen her. We were able to have long conversations and heated debates over the smallest things and that sort of relationship I realized was something I'd missed since I lost Trish.

Naturally, I gave her family free tickets to watch Jade's fight. While her youngest wouldn't be attending, the rest would. The rest of Jade's family had also expressed interest in coming, as even her father was planning on flying out for the event. At first, I was convinced the pressure would make her start to crack, but as more and more of her friends and family promised their attendance, I started to realize she was thriving under the pressure. She worked harder and harder everyday. Randy said he'd never seen her look better.

Jade never once accepted an interview by anyone. She was silent everywhere, and people had begun to speculate that the rookie was right, that Jade was destined to lose. She never seemed bothered by all of the negativity they'd spew about her. In fact, she seemed to love it.

In all, nearly three-dozen of our friends and family would show up, and as Jade was getting taped up, she told Randy and I, "This is a night I've been dreaming about for months. I used to dream that I'd be standing out in that cage, and I'd look toward the crowd. I'd see my family, cheering and waving, and right in the middle of them would be my mom cheering the loudest. Before, it'd end with him and I'd lose my fight. Now, I'm ready, even if he does make an appearance."

Randy patted her on the back, "Go show them who the real champion is."

She'd spent thirty minutes prior to that meditating. She'd demanded that nobody talk to her, and for thirty straight minutes, she sat alone with her thoughts, not a single sound to disturb her. So as I walked with her out to the entrance of the arena, the calm surrounding her came as no surprise. She closed her eyes and seemed to bask in the roar of the crowd.


Jade's POV

It was time. Five months ago my world crumbled. Five months I spent building it back up. I was ready.

Thirty-four people I knew personally were there to see me. Thirty-four people who came to watch me win. Thirty-four people I wouldn't allow myself to disappoint. As I heard my name announced and my new entrance music start, I was ready.

I'd hand-picked the song for the occasion, and I relished the sound of The Offspring's You're Gonna Go Far, Kid as I walked toward the cage.

Ashley Spencer, the rookie who'd trash-talked me nearly constantly for the past two months. The rookie that stood across from me in the cage now. The one only a year younger than I was who claimed I was past my prime. My silence only bolstered her confidence. What a good disguise.

Beyond her, I could see my family and my friends. My father sat without my mother by his side, but I was okay with that. The heat of the fluorescent lights above me, the foam below my feet, the crowd all around me. Being in that cage was my drug, and I fucking loved it.

Her confident smile never left her face, and she even had the gall to shout over at me, "I hope we can even be friends after I win!"

I only smirked back.

We tapped gloves, and the bell rang. Showtime.

Right out of the gate, she went for my legs, forcing me to dodge backward to avoid a take-down. I let her believe I was weak, too. I played the part until I could find the perfect opening. She was so focused on my legs that she stopped properly protecting herself. She still thought I was weak.

She thought I was weak until the foot of the leg that took the bullet connected with the side of her head. I watched as her body seized and she fell to the mat. The referee held me back to make sure I wouldn't hit her anymore, but I'd already done what I needed to.

I won.

I'd never heard cheering so loud. So many people who had been so thoroughly convinced I wasn't ever going to be as strong as I was before. So many people who'd never been so happy to be wrong.

As the medics tended to my fallen opponent, I was approached with a microphone. I only felt there was one thing that needed to be said.

"She learned the hard way. I'm back and you can bet your ass I'm better than ever. That championship is mine."

Tori ran into the cage and hugged me. "I knew you could do it," she whispered to me.

And it was only then that I felt like I'd really won.


A/N: After nearly two years, this story is nearing its end. I never intended on taking this long to finish it, but I still hope everyone enjoyed it. There will be a few more epilogue type chapters to come.

The song Jade changed her entrance music to, You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring is a song I've loved for years, and I felt it fit in a way. The lyrics seemed to fit not only the story of Steven, but the tactics Jade used in that situation and in her comeback fight.