Autumn Leaves

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:


Chapter 53 (City in Chaos)

August 2018, the city of LA was now the nation's most notorious city, and all these years later Trina still had been unable to get out of the life. Gang wars were routine, and assassination attempts pulled her back in every time she tried to leave. Yes she was still the leader of the Black Knights, but her gang was slightly less active. Unfortunately due to this, every other gang within LA was going after her, through any means necessary. They felt she gave gangs a 'bad name' because she had 'other' priorities.

She wasn't just protecting herself though. She no longer cared about saving herself, she only wanted to save the one thing that was most precious to her. "Mommy!" Trina's eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, looking towards her door to see her three year old daughter rubbing her right eye and holding a pink bunny in her left hand. "Mommy I had a scary dream…"

"Baby…" Trina smiled and stretched her arms out, curling her fingers inwards. "Come be with Momma, Sasha. I'll keep you away from all those scary monsters." Sasha climbed into her bed and cuddled up next to her. Trina wanted to name her after Jesse's fiancé as a bit of a tribute to her, and because in a way, she felt like there was a part of that girl's spirit in her daughter as well. Not to mention, Sasha was almost like a savior name to her, if not for Jesse's fiance, he wouldn't have been the same way he was. If not for her baby girl, Trina would not be here now.

Sasha was a charming and relatively bright child. She had Trina's features, but Jesse's darker hair and his eye color, while retaining Trina's eye shape. The girl's hair was also wavy and flowed down to her shoulders. Trina wanted a better life for her baby, but she didn't know how to give her that.

She'd not talked to Tori in years it seemed, which depressed her, but she understood it was likely due to whatever career Tori received. Then again, she also had to sacrifice some contact because she didn't want the gangs to go after her sister the way they went after her and Sasha. "Momma would you read me a bedtime story? Or tell me about Daddy again?" The girl looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes and a bright smile. "Pwease?" Trina laughed as her daughter cuddled up closer. "Was Daddy really a hero like Grandpa?" She hummed softly and kissed Sasha's forehead.

"In some ways he was, but Grandpa was a hero for different reasons. They wanted the same thing though."

"Really?" Sasha's bright eyes lit up and Trina carefully pulled the covers over her daughter, nodding vigorously.

"Grandpa wanted to clean the streets of LA and he wanted me to be happy and safe. Your father wanted the same. Your dad came from the other side of the street, so to speak, but I loved him despite whatever flaws he had." Some things Sasha would have to understand when she was older. The girl didn't know much about gang activity, or really understand it, but she did unfortunately understand that the streets of LA were dangerous for her and her mother.

"Your grandpa was a hero to LA, and maybe one of our best police chiefs." The LAPD was too far gone now. Every officer from the lowly recruit to the Police Chief himself was corrupted by the various gangs still plaguing the city. City Hall fell as well, as prominent members on the board actually belonged to some of the gangs. "I will tell you a real bedtime story though."

"Okay!" Sasha wrapped her arms around Trina's waist. Trina wrapped an arm around her daughter and gazed into the innocent girl's beautiful eyes.

"There once was a town so lovely and blue, and a king could watch his two princesses play in the street without a care." Sasha gasped happily as Trina closed her eyes. "As his daughters grew, the town began to change, and the king watched his kingdom darken from enemies coming in from outside his land."

"Oh no!"

"Yes, so the king went to work to find a way to protect his beloved princesses and to keep these enemies from harming them. But it was all too late as his youngest was influenced by a dark sorcerer, one of the worst to arrive in LA from a foreign land up north." Sasha's hands flew to her mouth and she shook her head.

"No momma, say it isn't so!"

"But all was not as bleak as it seemed as the elder princess rescued her sister by sending her and the evil sorcerer's captive lady away to a faraway land to be protected." Sasha lowered her hands and laughed happily. "The King then rose to combat these forces, but he struggled against the dark sorcerer and the enemies that tainted his land. He was about to lose his eldest princess to the clutches of the evil sorcerer. There was hope, though! For a trusty prince in a shiny suit of armor-"

"A knight, momma?"

"Yes, a knight, came and whisked the princess away to a mansion in the hills out of the sorcerer's reach. There he taught the princess to become strong, to fight with more strength than she thought she had. Together, the prince and the king would join forces and begin to restore peace and order to the kingdom."

"What happened? Did they live happily after?"

"Not all is as it seems." Trina tapped Sasha's nose and shook her head. "Oh no, no. For you see the evil sorcerer had a dangerous plan cooked up. For when peace was thought to be restored to the land, he swooped in and defeated the heroic king." Sasha's eyes widened and she let out a big gasp.

"Oh no! What happened next, mommy? Did the prince and princess save the day?"

"By now the prince and princess were madly in love, but the prince was afraid she would turn away from him in all this confusion. Her love was real and true, as was his, so they pushed past their struggle and met the Sorcerer on his grounds. It was here that the prince would fall to the sorcerer's dark magic. The princess rose up and defeated him, restoring a bleak land and saving the day." Sasha clapped and curled up into a ball against Trina's chest. "Sometimes even the princess can save the day, sweetie."

"I'm your princess, right Mommy?"

"Of course you are, baby."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too." She looked to the window at the rain pelting the window and smiled softly as she let her daughter twirl her finger in her hair for a couple minutes.

"Momma? When will we get to see Aunt Tori again?"

It had been a very long time since Sasha saw her aunt. Not a matter of years, but it had at least been a year. She was amazed her daughter still remembered the woman, and wondered if Tori remembered her. "I don't know, sweetie." Sasha studied her for a minute and laid her head on the pillow.

"Aren't you happy Mommy?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't look happy. Is it because you miss aunt Tori? Daddy too?"

"Yes, but there's nothing I can do about it baby. It's better this way, you'll understand when you're older." She kissed Sasha's forehead and closed her eyes as a shooting star flew by the window outside. Her body relaxed as she heard her child's soft whisper to an old children's poem she learned.

"Star light…star bright…first star I see tonight. I wish I may an' wish I might have the wish I wish tonight…make my momma happy and bring Aunt Tori home. And peas, peas help my momma." She opened one eye and smiled subtly as her daughter closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

It was said that a child could see through barriers and walls, that they were in touch with the feelings of those closest to them. She didn't know if it was true or not, but Sasha did unfortunately have a front row seat to Trina's struggles as she fought to find peace and make a good home for her daughter.

Growing up in this city was in no way easy on Sasha, and Trina tried to leave LA once before but failed when another gang found her. She was truly locked into this life when there was a direct attack on her daughter. One day Sasha had been enjoying her first day of preschool when this shady gangster kept trying to pick the girl up from the school playground. It was Roger that spotted the man since he was looking out for Trina and Sasha, as he so often did over the years, and he got Sasha to safety without any issue. But this was a very real danger that terrified the hell out of Trina.

She was still making hits, placing orders to try and keep control. It was more a struggle to stay alive, however, but also a struggle to do the right thing in a town full of things that were wrong. Try as she might, she simply could not do her Dad's job of clearing out the town. She almost didn't have the fight left in her, but the one light in her life that kept her going was her little girl.

Even if it killed her, she was going to make sure her baby was safe.

The next morning, Trina cuddled with her little girl on the couch and watched as Sasha played with her pink bunny. The bunny didn't really match the girl's red footie pajamas with yellow ducks, but the child didn't seem to mind. Sasha tossed the bunny into the air, laughing in jubilee. Trina watched the bunny fly up and raised an eyebrow. "I think I just discovered why we don't have any pets…"

"What, Mommy?" Sasha clutched her toy and looked up curiously."Did you say something about a pet?" The child's eyes started to light up and Trina let out a heavy sigh, smiling tenderly.

"No dear." Sasha's face fell flat, then she instantly returned to her toy. "Let's see what's on the news..."

Sasha hurried to cuddle alongside her as she so often did when Trina turned on the television. She put one arm around her daughter's shoulders and turned on the television. Her hope was that nothing vital was on, but really there was no sense in trying to keep the state of things away from her daughter no matter how young she was. It would just make her raise questions such as: Why those people are trying to hurt her mother. Yes. That came up.

The reporter on the screen looked forlorn as always, so there was nothing noteworthy about him besides the utter despair citizens in this town felt. "Another day in Las Angeles and gangs rule the streets," informed the man, "Cities nationwide are watching Las Angeles in fear as the gangs in other parts of the country contemplate taking over. There is news that the President himself is being asked to consider military involvement."

"There's a shocker," Trina muttered under her breath. Sasha looked up to her as she swayed her legs against the couch.

"The Governor of California is set to meet with the president today to discuss the state of the city. We need a way to regain control of our town before it is torn apart. Again this is Tom Bradley requesting another day that you stay inside with your family and children…"

The door opened and Trina looked over to see Roger walking into the house. Sasha jumped up from the couch and ran over, cheering. "Uncle Roger!" The man chuckled as she threw her arms around his legs. "What brings you here?" Roger crouched down, patting Sasha on the head.

"I have a couple things to discuss with your mother."

"Okay. Let me let her know you're here." Trina cooed as Sasha hurried over to her side and put her hands to Trina's knees. "Mommy, Roger's here to talk to you. Want me to send him over?" She laughed lightly as Roger hooked his thumbs into his belt, smiling at the child.

"Sure, sweetie."

Sasha grabbed her bunny and turned towards Roger, "Momma will see you now!" Sasha moved to the other side of the end table with her bunny as Roger walked over to the couch. He set his hand on his knee as he sat down.

"So what's going on, Roger?"

"Nothing new really, but the other gangs are still waiting on you to slip up. They're making threats towards Sasha now." He whispered his words and Trina looked over to her daughter, narrowing her eyes as she thought of all the city gangs. "I know we've been trying to wipe them all out to restore order, but Trina…I'm starting to think there isn't a way to do that."

"I've tried to leave LA with my daughter. These gangs don't want me gone, they want me dead. They're not going to touch her, though. If I could figure out how to get in touch with my sister, I'd send Sasha to her until I figure out how to get out of this life I'm living…"

"I am sorry about Tori. Seems like she just fell off the grid…" It was suspicious how Tori vanished in the way she did. At least since the wedding, there was no trace of Tori anywhere, and the woman hadn't even given Trina much of a head's up. The last time they saw each other, the only warning Tori gave was that it may 'be a while' before they saw each other again.

"Maybe for the best. Makes it hard for the gangs to find her. They're trying to use my daughter against me, I'm not going to let them do the same with Tori. I'm convinced my sister's the way out of this, and I've said it once, but I'm going to get Sasha to safety even if it kills me."

Roger smiled at her and looked to the young child focused on her stuffed toy. "You do love that little girl, she loves you. I can only imagine Jesse if he were still around, probably would spend every day bragging about his daughter."

"Probably." She leaned back in the couch and closed her eyes. "I still think about them, you know. Jesse, and even Sinjin. Five years…is a long time to be living this life." Her eyes opened and drifted towards Roger. "Who's threatening my child now?"

"A Lieutenant in the Dunham gang. I've received word that he plans to abduct her to lure you out with a ransom." She scoffed out her irritation and looked away. Roger pat his knees and sat up straight. "Want me to deal with him?"

"Please. I don't want that person's name to come up again."

"Okay. You and Sasha staying inside tonight?"

"I was thinking of taking her to the movies and dinner, spending the night out on town with my girl, but I think we'll stay in. Too risky going out there anymore." All the town had been reduced to was just a cesspool of violence and filth. A stewing pot of shit that someone needed to wipe off the map. Roger nodded and began towards the door. Sasha turned and waved him goodbye

With that, Sasha returned to the couch and leaned her back up against Trina's side as she threw her legs onto the couch. Trina gazed down with pride at her child and leaned over, kissing her on the top of her head.

She lifted her eyes towards the ceiling and exhaled slowly. "God I know I haven't spoken to you in a long time. A very long time…and I am sorry. The life I've lived, I know it isn't good of me. I don't know what the future holds, but please…don't let my daughter pay for my mistakes. If there's any salvation left, I don't care what happens to me so long as she's safe…If you can forgive my mistakes, please do so, but don't let her be the one to pay for my sins." She felt Sasha move into her side and looked down to see the girl asleep and clutching her bunny to her chest. Her heart skipped a beat as she reached over and swept Sasha's bangs from her eyes. "My little angel…The one thing about all this chaos that isn't broken, or damaged, or corrupted. Momma won't let anything happen to you..."


So there's quite a mess to sorta out, and with just a few chapters left. I wonder if Trina will be able to find her sister or find a way to safety before it's too late. Though, it may very well be. What can possibly save this town?