Throughout the night, Tori tossed and turned in her sleep as her brain conjured up imagery from the past that still haunted and tormented her. The sounds echoed and morphed in her mind as she heard screams, blaring sirens, laughter mixing and distorting one another as the imagery plagued her nightmares. She occasionally groaned and mumbled incoherently as she rolled over in her sleep, twisting the comforter in her hand as she pulled the blankets closer to her chest. It became worse and worse as she wrestled with herself as she twisted and turned quicker and quicker until finally, she sat up in a cold sweat as her heart was racing and her breathing heavy. She didn't scream as she woke up, at least not this time, but her animal companions knew that their master was in distress and moved to comfort her. Zippy, Lola and Kona were all sleeping on the bed with Tori as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to calm herself down with the breathing exercises she'd been shown a million times but as her furry friends came close, she offered them a soft smile and said, "I'm sorry. I woke you again, didn't I?"

The three of them curled up around her, Lola resting her head on Tori's thigh while Zippy leaned against her and licked her arm a couple of times. Kona mirrored Lola on the other side and Tori nodded and petted them a few times before glancing at the clock and saw it was almost five in the morning. She let out a sigh and said, "Thank you, you all can rest here. I'll be back, okay?"

Lola whined a little as Tori moved away and got out of bed, forcing the older Basset Hound to readjust and get comfortable again while Zippy and Kona tried to follow Tori out of the room. "No, no, you two stay. I'll be back in a bit, okay?" The two of them sat back down and curled up and watched Tori as she opened her closet and grabbed an oversized hoodie and put it on over her tank top. As she adjusted the sleeves, her fingers brushed over the numerous scars that adorned her arms that were scattered across every available inch of skin forming a complex latticework of scar tissue. The former singer paused and looked at one along her left arm that ran several inches and traced it with a finger before pulling the sleeves over the painful reminders of her past mistakes. Axel was fast asleep and breathing heavily on his side as he always did which brought a smile to Tori's lips while Duke sat up at her bedroom door, waiting for her like always when she got up. "Hey, bud, ready to go?" She said as she opened the door.

Duke let out a low and gruff bark before wagging his tail and followed Tori down the hallway towards the stairs as he always did. This was their routine ever since she had adopted him from the shelter all those years ago. Tori watched Duke as he trotted alongside her and all she could see was the shy puppy that was abandoned since he was the smallest of the litter. She remembered how she walked past each small cage that held dogs and cats in need of a home and her heart melted when she saw this small puppy look back at her with large hazel eyes much like her own and she knew that he had to be hers. Ever since then, they had been inseparable as Duke took on the role of Tori's defender and confidant as he followed her everywhere and comforted her every time she cried or thought of doing something foolish. Today though was a little different and Duke was used to the routine as he followed Tori down the stairs and waited at the end of the hall while she tended and checked on Nyx. Once the newest family member was released from their cage, he scratched at the locked door as Tori approached and unlocked it and quickly leaned in and grabbed a guitar that had been hung on the wall just by the doorway. Nyx curiously followed as the two of them went outside to the back porch which overlooked a steep decline into the woods but offered an amazing view as the sun started to peek through the curtain of darkness offered from the night. Tori unlocked the sliding door and left it open behind her as she walked over to a large netted hammock that was suspended from the ceiling and climbed in before laying down and started to softly play. Nyx followed Duke around as they explored the porch and a little bit of the surrounding yard before eventually settling near Tori as they listened and relaxed with her. The notes she played had no reason behind them, no intention or solid melody. She simply played what came to mind as she let her mind wander as she softly swayed in the hammock while looking out over the tree line as the morning mist of the woods dissipated as the sun rose higher and higher. The only thing that was ruining this relaxing moment was the phone that started to ring which made Tori groan slightly as she set the guitar down in her lap as she fished it out of her pocket. A quick glance brought a small smile to her lips as she accepted the video call and set it down on the banister as Beck smiled back at her and said, "Hey birthday girl, I missed you. What's going on?"

Tori leaned back a little and said, "Beck! I've missed you! How's the movie? Is that one costar still being a bitch? What's been happening?"

Beck chuckled a little and said, "Whoa now, I believe I asked you first." He paused for a moment before dropping his stern expression and replaced it with his casual smirk and continued, "But since I couldn't be there for your birthday, I'll let it slide. Alright so, the movie is great. I'm done filming all my parts and me and half the cast get to go home this week. I'll be sure to call when I land, if you're still able to pick me up that is. And unfortunately, yes, Patricia was still a major bitch through most of the production but I won't have to deal with her so I'm not gonna sweat it. Aside from that, nothing much has been going on." He paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should ask about last night. "Cat texted us all about what happened last night…are you okay?"

Tori's smile quickly disappeared as she sighed and said, "Do we really have to talk about this? Can't we just catch up?"

"No, we don't have to if you don't want to," Beck said softly as he shifted a little in his seat, "But did Cat tell you what she heard?"

"No, what did she hear? I got that message and kind of had another slip up so I just went to bed," Tori said as she let her head hang a little with shame at having to admit she had another episode after being free of them for so long.

Beck took note of that but chose not to question why Cat hadn't told the rest of them about that important detail and said, "Jade's coming back to LA. I don't know for how long but she's got some movie deal in the works and for all I know, she could end up filming it here. And she wants to see you."

"No. It's not happening. I don't care if she takes a whole year to film whatever project she's got, I'm not going to meet her. You guys haven't told her about my place, have you?!" Tori said quickly as she leaned forward a little bit, her hand resting over the guitar to keep it from falling.

"The only one who talked with her was Cat and she said that she told Jade that she can't see you. She hasn't reached out to anyone else," Beck said as he fixed his hair a little bit, "But you and I both know that she's stubborn enough to still try and find you or at least reach out over the phone again."

"If she tries to call me again, I'm just going to ignore it," Tori said as she set the guitar down and started to pet Nyx as she came over and rested her head on Tori's leg for some attention. "Besides, with your movie wrapping up this week and Robbie being done with the newest season on his show, we'll almost have the whole gang together. Andre just has a couple more shows and he'll be home too and then we can all meet up and have some fun together."

"What about your classes? Are you teaching over the summer?" Beck asked curiously as he looked at the black and white that entered the frame, "Is that another dog?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, this is Nyx, I brought her in last night after finding her digging through scraps to get by," she said as she brought the camera around so he could get a better look of the Border Collie, "As for classes, I am still teaching a little and I'll have to go in sometimes to help other professors but I only have one class and its online."

"She's really pretty and that's good to know. Did you still want some help with the cabin when I get back?" He asked.

"It would be nice," she said shyly, "I swear it doesn't need that much work but I could really use a hand patching up a few things. I can pay you back in free room and board or cash if you'd like."

Beck chuckled to himself and said, "I'll just take the room for a weekend or something when I come back. I'm excited to get to see everyone again. I feel like I've been missing out on everything with how long this movie has been taking."

"You have a little but you've still been in touch," Tori said before softly chuckling with a sad smile gracing her lips, "More than Jade has ever bothered."

"Hey now, enough of that. We aren't gonna let her bring us down, alright?" Beck said as he tried to bring Tori back to a lighter conversation. "Look, I'll call you tomorrow with the flight info and when I get back, you and I are going out to eat and go from there. If you need anything, just call one of us, okay?"

Tori rolled her eyes and said, "I know, I know. But you all have to remember I'm not the damsel in distress anymore. I can take care of myself."

"No one said you can't, doesn't mean we won't help out." He said with another flash of his signature smile. "I'll talk to you soon, alright?"

"Thanks, Beck, see you soon," Tori said as they ended the call. "Maybe I should just move to Florida so she can't bother me?" She said out loud as she let the hammock sway and rock her once again. Duke looked up at her and growled a little to which Tori responded with, "Fine, fine. We'll stay. Moving is too much of a hassle anyway."

With the sun now fully risen and the temperature rising, Tori and the rest of her little family settled in the kitchen to get some breakfast. Just like every other morning she got them all a separate bowl for food and water and sat down at the old wooden table with a cup of coffee, she quietly sipped from her mug and watched how her children interacted with one another, especially with Nyx joining the mix but was happy to see they all got along for the most part. The guitar she grabbed earlier was returned to the room and locked as she put it away before she went upstairs to get cleaned up and dressed for the day, even though she didn't have any real plans in mind. Showering and bathing were never an issue for her even during her lowest points of the depression but it was always painful in a way as she rinsed the soap and body wash off and was left staring at all the scars that adorned her arms. She quickly finished and rushed out to dry off and work on her hair which she had let grow out far longer than her high school days, now it reached past her lower back. Along her left thigh starting just past below the knee was a beautiful tattoo of twisting vines that stretched and wrapped around her long thigh before ending in three stems adorned by marigolds brightly shaded with yellows and oranges that popped against her caramel skin tone. The stems of the flowers were bound together by a piece of cloth with a Celtic knot adorning it. Tori fixed her hair in a ponytail and got dressed in casual, loose-fitting clothes and went over to her jewelry stand and grabbed a small box from a compartment in the bottom and took out a marijuana joint she previously rolled and closed the lid, and stashed it away and out of sight. Although it was legal in her state, she knew that her friends weren't a fan of her habit but it was better than some of the alternatives she's had in the past. As she walked back downstairs, she grabbed a book from her bag that she picked up at the library and grabbed her lighter as well before going to the back porch and lighting the joint, and taking a drag of it. She took a moment to hold it in before blowing a small ring and started to read with her animals crowding around the porch as she let the weed work its magic. For the rest of the early morning and most of the afternoon, Tori sat there reading and petting her dogs while smoking and distracting herself from everything else. Enjoying the world around her as if she was detached from everything past the tree line and the only things that existed were her home and her small eclectic family.

"Mr. Oliver? If you'd just come this way, we can get out boarded in first class and have your bags taken care of," The airport employee said as he shook Beck's hand and guided him over to a side area reserved for celebrities and other high-class passengers to avoid fans or possible issues. Beck thanked the gentleman and slid him a small tip with a wink as he was led down a hallway to a small private lounge as the plane was prepped and their bags were all loaded on board. "If you'd like to wait here, we'll have you and the rest of the first-class passengers boarded in less than an hour. Thank you again for flying with us Mr. Oliver, I'm a big fan of your work and can't wait to see your next film!"

Beck looked back at them and said, "Thank you so much, and thanks for your help."

"Beck?"

Without needing to turn around, Beck recognized her voice and felt his body stiffen a little as he looked back over his shoulder and saw Jade sitting in the lobby just a few feet away from him. She sat there sipping a cup of coffee and working on a story with a pen held between her fingers as she looked up at him with a stunned and surprised expression. Beck didn't move towards her but thought to himself, "This is gonna be a long flight."