Fractured World
Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious or iCarly
A/N:
Chapter 2 (The Funeral: Arrival)
It was a funeral for her true mother, but in some strange way it felt like a funeral for herself as well. She sank a bit in the backseat of Sinjin's car, sighing heavily as she looked at the church building. Beside her was Ian, squeezing her hand.
His presence, as well as Sinjin's, was a calming one. She knew Sinjin didn't have to be there, he was already dealing with a lot; but she was grateful for everything he'd done for her. "Sinjin, thanks for being here." She watched Sinjin's posture shift in the driver's seat. In the rearview, his eyes reflected back in her direction.
"You're welcome Tori. You know I'm glad to do what I can to help."
She smiled back at him and turned to Ian, breathing in as she tightened her grip on his hand. Her gaze drifted back out the window to the cars lining up in the parking lot outside the building. Perhaps it wasn't many, but they still looked like such a sea that Tori almost wanted to tell Sinjin to turn around and drive anywhere else.
"I can't see Spencer or Carly yet." She groaned impatiently and looked around the parking lot as though trying to find a needle in a haystack. "Beck and Jade said they'd be here too."
She lowered her gaze to her trembling hands and curled her fingers in her lap, wrinkling the fabric of her long black dress. Ian called out to her after a few seconds and she looked in the direction he was pointing, gasping softly when she spotted Jade and Beck parking a few spots away from them.
Ian opened his door and stepped out, giving Tori some room to follow into his seat. She wrapped her fingers around the hot steel of the vehicle and glanced up to see Ian extending his hand to her. His warm gaze was a comfort to the throbbing in her chest, enough give her an extra shot of courage.
"Thank you." She placed her hand in his and stabled herself as she exited the vehicle. Gently she wrapped her arm around his and looked back to the car as Sinjin exited.
She lifted her gaze up to the sky, holding her hand over her eyes to shield from the sun. She usually was used to these California summers, but today felt ten times as hot. "The one time I decide to wear a dress with sleeves, and it's got to be one of the hotter summers."
"This is a fairly average day," Sinjin replied as he closed his door. Tori frowned, dropping her hand beside her. Glancing towards Beck and Jade, she forced a smile as they waved and started to approach.
A small boy, roughly thirteen or fourteen ran between them, nearly smacking into her. He was short, his face coated with freckles and his dark brown hair was combed back. Behind him was a girl, taller and plainer in appearance. She had a few freckles on her cheeks, wore a pair of glasses, and had short brown hair parted neatly on the right side.
"Jake, we're not running. Wait for mom and dad." Tori stiffened as the girl looked her way and gave her a quick nod. "Sorry about that. Jacob's always running around." The girl squinted and Tori felt her nerves beginning to rise again, she wasn't expecting to have to talk to anyone just yet. "I don't recognize you, are you part of the family? I'm Sarah."
"Tori." It was just about all she could muster. Even saying her name was heavy on her tongue, she feared sounding too bitter or too afraid. "Actually, I'm connected through Spencer…"
Sarah gasped, her eyes growing larger. Tori raised a hand towards her face and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And don't worry, your brother didn't even touch me." The girl smiled for a second, then looked in the direction of her brother with a sharpness in her eyes.
"And he just tripped over a parking thing." The teenager rolled her eyes and looked back at Tori. "Gotta go, maybe chat later?" Tori sucked the air in through her teeth and smiled gently, trying to conceal the anxiety that was building.
"Maybe." As the girl hurried off, Tori let out a heavy, relieved sigh. Beck and Jade approached from the front, both looking in the direction of the girl. Tori hurried towards them, smiling as she watched Jade's gaze snap back towards her. "I'm happy to see you guys. You have no idea."
"We're glad to be here." Jade placed a gentle hand on Tori's upper arm and smiled back at her. Tori closed her eyes and a soft exhale drifted from her lips. "Have you seen Spencer or Carly yet?"
"We just got here. I don't know if they're already inside or not."
Just then, Beck pointed past her, causing her to turn in the direction he was motioning to. When she saw Spencer and Carly exiting a car, her heart jumped up into her throat.
"Thank god," she whispered. Still, she was processing him as the father she'd never known. They've had good conversations up to this point; but their relationship was still brand new. Despite that, she was drawn to him and delighted that he was there.
Then again, she thought to herself, why would he not be at the funeral?
Spencer walked towards them, his brow furrowed and head turned slightly towards the church. "I see you've met Sarah and Jacob." Tori chuckled and ran her hand over her neck as though dousing her heated skin.
"Sort of ran into them. Yes."
"I'll introduce you later if you want me to. They are Mark and Jenny's children." A lump formed in Tori's throat and she suppressed a whine.
"Who are they?"
"Mark was Sasha's older brother." Tori brought her hand up to her chest and raised her eyebrows. She hadn't heard about him yet; but that was a given since she expected other relatives.
Jade voiced surprise as well. "I didn't remember his name in the investigation files." Spencer nodded slowly.
"He wouldn't have been mentioned much in the reports. He was eighteen at the time of their parents' murder and had just moved to college." Tori breathed in slow and turned her gaze in the direction of the two kids. It had to be hard for Mark to have just moved off to college and lost his entire family in the way he had. Still, it was nice that Spencer apparently kept up with the family; or at least, it seemed that was the case.
"You've kept in touch with all of her family? I thought it was only the grandparents."
Spencer shook his head. "Every one of them, they were accepting of me before Sasha disappeared and were there for me in support after the murders." He sighed heavily and Tori watched as he ran his hand slowly along the back of his neck. "I think we kind of helped each other through those initial days. Mark had always been like an older brother to me, so I was ready for that to be pretty much official."
"Like Sinjin's an older brother to me and to Ian?" She looked to Sinjin with a smile, catching him with a wry-looking smile." Spencer chuckled softly and nodded. As she looked back, she saw a man approaching Spencer from behind. Her eyebrows shot up and her lips parted just as the man placed a heavy hand on Spencer's shoulder.
Spencer jumped and twisted around. "Good to see you out here Spencer." The man was tall, his voice deep and his dark hair was slicked back in a short, professional cut.
"You too Mark." Spencer turned around more fully and spread his arms out. "I wish it could be under better conditions…" Mark's brown eyes dipped and his hand dropped towards his waist.
"It's a sad time; but at the same time everyone is relieved to bring Sasha home." Mark shifted his gaze to Tori, causing her to grow tense. "Is this her? Your kid?" Her eyes grew a bit more and she looked from Spencer to Ian and finally Jade, debating whether or not to hide behind one of them like a child.
"Yes, she wanted to be here." Spencer folded his arms and dipped his chin. "I'm a little worried about stressing her out, I'd rather not have the entire family start flocking around her."
"Understood." Mark raised an eyebrow to Spencer and Tori watched curiously as he started to smirk. "Spencer, didn't you tell me you and your sister had a friend whose mother was an overprotective helicopter parent?" Spencer opened his mouth and raised a hand, extending his index finger.
"I am not about to turn into that."
Tori heard Jade utter something behind and turned swiftly, eyebrows raised. "He did cause David to go into permanent blindness. I'd say he's on the way to papa bear status." Beck nudged Jade in the arm with his elbow and Tori cleared her throat, feeling the blood rush to her ears and cheeks.
"Not the time," she hissed. Jade nodded and apologized, granted Tori knew she wasn't being fully serious. Still, she was trying not to draw attention to herself, and the last thing she wanted was to have that attention come at her full blast.
"Spencer tells me you go by Tori." Mark's words startled her and she spun to face her apparent uncle. "Is that what they named you?" Tori peered down, ashamed. Her hands closed into fists and she grit her teeth behind closed lips. When she heard Spencer cry out, she quickly glanced back up and forced a smile.
"No it's what the Vegas called me. I was raised with that name. I know what name Mom had in mind." Tori frowned, hoping that Mark wouldn't dislike her because she wasn't ready to change yet.
Rather surprisingly, he smiled warmly and his heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and held her breath. "I understand. I didn't mean to upset you or startle you."
"You didn't, but thank you." She pulled away with a sigh and turned to face her friends, smiling as she reached to where his hand had been. It was a gentle touch and the warmth that remained was soothing for her. She looked back at the man. "I uh, I don't know if I'm ready just yet to change my name. Everything's happening kind of fast, but it's good to meet you sir." She froze, slightly panicked, then cleared her throat. "Er, Uncle."
Mark closed his eyes and shook his head, a chuckle fell from his lips. "I don't think anyone here expects you to refer to us with any titles yet. Please, take your time. Relax if you can, and just know we're happy that even if Mom, Dad, and Sasha can't be with us…You are alive and well; and that's what matters. None of us want to pressure you into accepting a new family right away, there's no way that can be easy."
As he spoke, a woman approached his side. She was nearly as tall as he was and had long sandy brown hair tied up into a ponytail. She wore a pair of wafer sunglasses and an ankle length, black sleeveless dress. "I think that's the best anyone can say, honey." Mark smiled at the woman and she looked at Tori with the corners of her mouth tilting up. "I'm Jennifer, Jenny for short. My husband can be talkative and I know you're probably not in any mood for chatter, so I'll take him away now."
A light laugh slipped from her and she slowly closed her eyes, enjoying the pleasant feeling for just a second. "It's no trouble, really. Thanks."
"Yes," Spencer said with a loud voice while putting his hands on the middle of the couple's backs. "Please, can we all go inside and let me have a moment with my daughter."
"Sure thing." Mark glanced to Spencer with another casual smirk. "'Papa bear'." Spencer's eyes narrowed and he dropped his hands as the couple started for the building.
With that, Spencer turned on his heels and Tori was sure she saw a flash of concern in his eyes. "Okay. Tori. How are you feeling? Are you going to be alright going in there?"
Before Tori had time to react, Carly moved towards him. "She's fine Spencer, nervous enough as it is without you stressing over her." There was a growl in Carly's voice and Tori could see her rolling her eyes.
Spencer raised his hands up as Carly put her hand on his chest. "I'm not stressing, I just want to make sure she's going to be okay going in there with the whole family-"
"And you worrying about her probably makes her worry more. Leave it alone, I know you're trying to be helpful and I know you're having a hard time yourself; but the best thing you can do for the both of you is try to remain calm and let this thing happen. It seems like Sasha's brother has already said no one is going to bother you guys if you don't want to be bothered, so let's just be here. Okay?"
He closed his eyes and lowered his hands with a sigh. "Okay. You're right Carls." Tori breathed in deep and started to smile, her heart lifting a bit as she felt more at ease. As Spencer looked his way, she saw him muster a timid smile. "Well, you ready to head in?"
"Yeah, I think I am." Tori walked towards him, exhaling gently. "You nervous?"
"As hell. You?"
"Of course." She shrugged and looked over her shoulder. "But I guess we've got people to help us out if things get tough."
"If things get to be too much and you feel like bolting, we can grab ice cream later if you want." Tori's smile grew but faltered when she heard Carly's long sigh.
"Really?" Carly raised her hands to her hips, her finger tapping her hips rapidly. "You're going to be that dad? The ice cream dad?" Carly shook her head and a smile flickered on her face. "I guess ice cream is as good a choice as anything." The girl turned around and raised a finger in the air, circling it twice. "The ultimate comfort food."
Spencer leaned towards Tori, speaking with a whisper. "She's kidding. I make awesome tacos and pasta, that is the best comfort food." Tori's eyebrows lifted and she followed after Carly with a light chuckle. She was still anxious, but at least now she felt calmer.
Thoughts?
