After leaving Ops. Tori went to Storm Chargers in hopes of getting
her mind cleared. As soon as she walked in, her eyes focused on the dark
haired stock boy. He looked up and shot her a smile that made her go weak
in the knees.
'Calm down Tori.' She tried to tell herself.
Blake locked eyes with her. He smiled and felt his heart race as she returned the gesture.
'God why an I such a wuss? Just go up there and ask her to go out' They had gone out a few times, but he wanted to do something special. Like a dinner or something. He had kept all these feelings inside for way too long.
"Dude.you're drooling," Hunter whispered to his brother.
"Hey! Am not," Blake retorted as he punched Hunter in the arm.
"He's right man," Dustin chimed in. "Look, I know Tori better than anyone, and trust me, she's so into you bro."
The thought of Tori actually feeling the same way about him as he did her made his heart jump.
"You think?" he asked.
"Dude, she's like falling for you- hard. Why don't you just tell her? I mean we all know you're totally in love with her, so why don't you tell her before one of us does." He said with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"You wouldn't?" Blake snarled.
"Oh yea?" Dustin questioned. "Hey Tor! Come here for a sec!"
Blake shot daggers from his eyes at Dustin. "You are so gonna pay for that" Blake said under his breath.
"Hey guys," Tori said. "What's new?" she said as she leaned her elbows on the counter.
Hunter and Dustin just looked at each other, "Nothing" they said at the same time eyeing Blake.
"Uh, Tori? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Blake asked.
"Sure." She said trying to keep her smile under control.
They walked outside into the sunlight and sat down on a nearby bench.
"So." she started. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, I was kinda wondering what you were up to tonight?"
"Nothing.yet," she replied with a playful smile.
Her smile sent a shiver down his spine. He did all he could to control himself from grabbing her and kissing her right there.
"Well, do you want to go out with me? We could maybe go to the beach and then. I was thinking. of making you dinner or something." he trailed off.
The look on Tori's face was priceless. Her 1000-watt smile illuminated her face.
"I would absolutely love that!" she said.
"Really? Great! I'll, uh, meet you at the beach at 7 then?"
"Sounds great."
They sat there staring at each other for a second. Her face turned red and he stood up. "I, I, gotta get back to work. See you at 7."
"Yea" she said. "See you then."
She watched him go back into the store, still facing her until he slammed into the wall and had to turn around.
As soon as he entered, she laid down on the bench and couldn't stop smiling.
'He wants to cook for me? Oh man, we've gone out before but this is so.personal.' Her smile widened. 'I can't wait till 7.'
It was 6:30 when Blake and Hunter got back to their apartment.
"Bro, I'm like so happy right now I think I'm gonna explode" Blake said as he unloaded the grocery bags. "Now you're going out with Dustin and Shane right? I don't want to ruin this."
"Yes for the hundredth time. I know how important this is for you dude," Hunter replied. "But if you don't get going, you're going to be late."
Blake looked at the clock- 6:45. "Oh shit! I gotta go before she thinks I stood her up!"
With that he raced out the door and headed to the beach.
Tori went to the beach around 6:30- something about staring at the ocean gave her peace. Around quarter to seven, she could hear footsteps approaching her. She started to smile and turned her head. The face that she met made her blood run cold. Even after ten years she still remembered his face. She jumped to her feet and faced him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled.
"What? No hello for your dear old dad?"
"You've got the old part down, but you're not my dad. Get out of here Charlie, before you regret it."
"Tori, Tori, Tori. still have that mouth don't you?"
"And you still have asshole written on your forehead." She said. "How did you find me?"
"I asked around. Figured you couldn't have gone far when you ran off like a coward."
"I wouldn't talk if I were you. What kind of person beats up a little kid?"
"The kind that wants something that he's been searching for forever."
"So that's why you tracked me down. You still want it don't you?"
"Give her a prize Johnny! Very good Tori. Now be a good girl and give it over."
"No way. I didn't' give it to you then and I'm not giving it to you now. It's mine and always will be."
"You never learn do you, you stupid little bitch?" he cried as his hand connected with her face.
Her blonde hair swept across her face as her head turned. She slowly turned her head back to him, pushing the hair out of her eyes.
"I'm not eight years old anymore. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." She said. "Now go away before I do something I might regret."
"Ohh. I'm so scared" he said mockingly. " You're weak- just like your mother was."
That was the last straw. "Don't you ever talk about my mother. You made her weak, but you can't do that to me."
"I can do whatever I want to you!" he screamed as he lunged at her. This time Tori was prepared. She didn't her powers against him, she only blocked his attempts as Sensei had taught her.
He pulled his fist back to punch her face when someone grabbed hi wrist- hard- and flipped him over onto the sand.
"Stay down if you know what's good for you!" Blake yelled. Charlie didn't make a move.
Tori stood there frozen. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Yea." trying to come to grips with what just happened, "I'm fine."
"C'mon. Let's get you out of here," he said as he grabbed Tori's hand. Her hand felt warm in his. She grabbed onto his arm with her other hand and they started to walk away. Blake Turned back to Charlie.
"If you ever come near her again I'll make you regret ever crossing my path." Charlie looked absolutely terrified. " Go away and never come back, or you'll have more than me to deal with."
Tori just stared at the ground as they walked toward her van. 'Why now? Why did he have to come back? Why did Blake do that?'
Blake paused as they reached the van. He was still holding her hand when he turned her towards him. Her hair covered the left side of her face.
"Tori. Tori are you sure you're alright?" he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yea- I'm fine." she said quietly. "let's just go okay? Would you mind driving?"
"No. Of course not. Let's go." He said quietly as he opened the passenger side door for her.
'Something's wrong Tor, and I'm going to find out.'
'Calm down Tori.' She tried to tell herself.
Blake locked eyes with her. He smiled and felt his heart race as she returned the gesture.
'God why an I such a wuss? Just go up there and ask her to go out' They had gone out a few times, but he wanted to do something special. Like a dinner or something. He had kept all these feelings inside for way too long.
"Dude.you're drooling," Hunter whispered to his brother.
"Hey! Am not," Blake retorted as he punched Hunter in the arm.
"He's right man," Dustin chimed in. "Look, I know Tori better than anyone, and trust me, she's so into you bro."
The thought of Tori actually feeling the same way about him as he did her made his heart jump.
"You think?" he asked.
"Dude, she's like falling for you- hard. Why don't you just tell her? I mean we all know you're totally in love with her, so why don't you tell her before one of us does." He said with a mischievous look in his eyes.
"You wouldn't?" Blake snarled.
"Oh yea?" Dustin questioned. "Hey Tor! Come here for a sec!"
Blake shot daggers from his eyes at Dustin. "You are so gonna pay for that" Blake said under his breath.
"Hey guys," Tori said. "What's new?" she said as she leaned her elbows on the counter.
Hunter and Dustin just looked at each other, "Nothing" they said at the same time eyeing Blake.
"Uh, Tori? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Blake asked.
"Sure." She said trying to keep her smile under control.
They walked outside into the sunlight and sat down on a nearby bench.
"So." she started. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Well, I was kinda wondering what you were up to tonight?"
"Nothing.yet," she replied with a playful smile.
Her smile sent a shiver down his spine. He did all he could to control himself from grabbing her and kissing her right there.
"Well, do you want to go out with me? We could maybe go to the beach and then. I was thinking. of making you dinner or something." he trailed off.
The look on Tori's face was priceless. Her 1000-watt smile illuminated her face.
"I would absolutely love that!" she said.
"Really? Great! I'll, uh, meet you at the beach at 7 then?"
"Sounds great."
They sat there staring at each other for a second. Her face turned red and he stood up. "I, I, gotta get back to work. See you at 7."
"Yea" she said. "See you then."
She watched him go back into the store, still facing her until he slammed into the wall and had to turn around.
As soon as he entered, she laid down on the bench and couldn't stop smiling.
'He wants to cook for me? Oh man, we've gone out before but this is so.personal.' Her smile widened. 'I can't wait till 7.'
It was 6:30 when Blake and Hunter got back to their apartment.
"Bro, I'm like so happy right now I think I'm gonna explode" Blake said as he unloaded the grocery bags. "Now you're going out with Dustin and Shane right? I don't want to ruin this."
"Yes for the hundredth time. I know how important this is for you dude," Hunter replied. "But if you don't get going, you're going to be late."
Blake looked at the clock- 6:45. "Oh shit! I gotta go before she thinks I stood her up!"
With that he raced out the door and headed to the beach.
Tori went to the beach around 6:30- something about staring at the ocean gave her peace. Around quarter to seven, she could hear footsteps approaching her. She started to smile and turned her head. The face that she met made her blood run cold. Even after ten years she still remembered his face. She jumped to her feet and faced him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled.
"What? No hello for your dear old dad?"
"You've got the old part down, but you're not my dad. Get out of here Charlie, before you regret it."
"Tori, Tori, Tori. still have that mouth don't you?"
"And you still have asshole written on your forehead." She said. "How did you find me?"
"I asked around. Figured you couldn't have gone far when you ran off like a coward."
"I wouldn't talk if I were you. What kind of person beats up a little kid?"
"The kind that wants something that he's been searching for forever."
"So that's why you tracked me down. You still want it don't you?"
"Give her a prize Johnny! Very good Tori. Now be a good girl and give it over."
"No way. I didn't' give it to you then and I'm not giving it to you now. It's mine and always will be."
"You never learn do you, you stupid little bitch?" he cried as his hand connected with her face.
Her blonde hair swept across her face as her head turned. She slowly turned her head back to him, pushing the hair out of her eyes.
"I'm not eight years old anymore. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." She said. "Now go away before I do something I might regret."
"Ohh. I'm so scared" he said mockingly. " You're weak- just like your mother was."
That was the last straw. "Don't you ever talk about my mother. You made her weak, but you can't do that to me."
"I can do whatever I want to you!" he screamed as he lunged at her. This time Tori was prepared. She didn't her powers against him, she only blocked his attempts as Sensei had taught her.
He pulled his fist back to punch her face when someone grabbed hi wrist- hard- and flipped him over onto the sand.
"Stay down if you know what's good for you!" Blake yelled. Charlie didn't make a move.
Tori stood there frozen. "Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Yea." trying to come to grips with what just happened, "I'm fine."
"C'mon. Let's get you out of here," he said as he grabbed Tori's hand. Her hand felt warm in his. She grabbed onto his arm with her other hand and they started to walk away. Blake Turned back to Charlie.
"If you ever come near her again I'll make you regret ever crossing my path." Charlie looked absolutely terrified. " Go away and never come back, or you'll have more than me to deal with."
Tori just stared at the ground as they walked toward her van. 'Why now? Why did he have to come back? Why did Blake do that?'
Blake paused as they reached the van. He was still holding her hand when he turned her towards him. Her hair covered the left side of her face.
"Tori. Tori are you sure you're alright?" he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Yea- I'm fine." she said quietly. "let's just go okay? Would you mind driving?"
"No. Of course not. Let's go." He said quietly as he opened the passenger side door for her.
'Something's wrong Tor, and I'm going to find out.'