Out of Time

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:


Chapter 11 (Like Mother, Like Daughter)

It was clear from what Ian was saying that Tori's mother was the 'moneymaker' of this operation and they wanted to replace her with Tori. Jade saw the danger approaching rapidly as Tori's eighteenth seemed just around the corner and this vacation she was supposed to be going on was going to be her last. This meant she had to act fast, faster than the detectives seemed to be operating.

Jade knew also, they had to get the attention off Tori. Whether it was the Vegas or even the Detectives, this organization had to be brought down and the way to do that was by removing Tori from the picture. At least, that's what Jade thought.

These thoughts persisted as she waited for Tori to swing by her house. The girl wanted to know if any of the others could come or if Trina could come, but Jade had been adamant that they could not. She didn't need them sniffing around her house anyway.

Jade fired up her game console and put in the latest Super Smash Brothers game. She wasn't the best at it, but after hearing Ian's tale, she wanted to get to know more about this side of Tori. She would be careful, there were things she wanted to know but she needed to approach more delicately than she might've before.

"It's about time I quit sitting on the sidelines." Jade threw on her purple sweater and let out a heavy sigh as the doorbell chimed aloud. She raced to the door and put on the best smile she could muster before opening.

Tori stood on the other side, smiling gently as their gazes connected. "Hey Jade, what's the big hurry?"

"Well, I just thought we could hang out. I heard you liked video games, so…" Tori's eyebrow arched up and the girl pursed her lips. "But the others don't, so I didn't really want to bother them."

"Okay." Tori crossed her arms and hummed gently. "Where did you hear I liked playing video games?" Jade shrugged.

"Lucky guess? I mean, Beck and I play games all the time." Tori unfolded her arms and walked in with a chuckle. "Speaking of, Beck's not actually here at the moment."

Sam dragged him off to do some investigative work, this time around Jade opted out. "Yeah. I was wondering, you still don't like Trina…" Jade froze as Tori turned to her and put her hands on her hips. "I mean, I get it I guess, Trina's a little strange and I know I complain about her from time to time; but why don't you like her? Really?" Jade smiled nervously and turned away, groaning under her breath.

She did have a legitimate reason at one point of time, or at least in her mind at that given time she did. Now, the reason was quite a bit different. "Well, it's just how obsessive she seems, I guess." Jade shrugged and guided Tori to the bedroom. Tori hummed, her brow furrowed and her hands dropped off to the sides. "I have the latest Super Smash Bros game."

Instantly Tori's eyebrows peaked. "Oh, I haven't played that in a while." The girl laughed. "I was the best a few years ago." Jade smirked playfully.

"Think you're still the best? I bet I've got you beat."

"Nah." Tori grabbed a controller off the nearby bed. "I'm fairly certain you don't." Jade picked Link, causing Tori to once again raise an e Link, causing Tori to once again raise an eyebrow and huff in surprise. "Interesting choice. Let me show you why Yoshi kicks everyone's ass…"

After about five rounds of battle, Jade dropped her controller with a frustrated groan. "Damn, I didn't think you'd be that good." Tori shrugged.

"I lied, I play this game every night before bed." Tori flashed a grin. "Good way to escape into the world a little." Jade nodded and looked to the door.

"Did you want a drink or something? I have food in the fridge."

"I'm good, thanks." Jade nodded and leaned back in her chair. She'd noticed while playing the game that something was strangely different about Tori. She couldn't quite place it, but it was distinct, almost like Tori was more serious than she normally was. "So, what else did you want to do? I mean, you didn't call me over here by myself for a reason. Are you having issues with the guys? Where's Beck? Everything okay?"

"Beck and I are doing wonderfully." She smiled and pushed herself up from the chair. "As far as Andre and Robbie or even Cat, I guess we're just not communicating as much as normally. I'd rather hang out with you than them."

"Oh, I see." Tori looked to the television and hummed softly. "Where'd you hear I liked video games at all?" Jade raised her shoulders.

"I heard it through the grapevine. What're your thoughts on science?" Tori turned her head to Jade, opening her mouth slightly. "I mean, I thought I heard Trina say something about that." Tori closed her mouth and looked away, shrugging.

"I haven't thought much about that since I left Sherwood." Jade returned to her seat and leaned forward, intrigued. "My science class was fun, I knew some cool people there."

"You've never talked about Sherwood. How come?"

"Dunno, no one's ever been interested." Tori crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder, humming with inquisition. "So, where's Beck?"

"At work." Jade blinked as Tori nodded and turned back around. "Why?"

"I thought you guys worked together. Same shift and everything."

"Oh, I took the day off." Tori opened her mouth in an oval, then closed it. "Anything interesting going on at school?" Tori shrugged.

"Well, Mr. Sikowitz is in trouble I think." Jade raised her eyebrows at Tori and folded her hands casually in her lap. "They say drugs were found in his desk. Andre seems stressed too. Robbie and Cat seem to be doing their own thing, so a little bored. We miss you guys." Tori smirked. "Doesn't seem the same without you attacking someone for whatever." She let out a nervous chuckle and shook her head.

"I've changed."

"Yeah." Tori's hand ran up and down her arm and she looked around a bit more. "So Mom and Dad are at work, Trina's not home. You sure you don't want to hang at my place?"

"I'm positive." Jade rose from the chair and started for the door, Tori followed after her. "So um…" Jade chewed her lip for a second and looked around her hallway hoping for something to inspire conversation. "You know my dad's a psychologist. If ever you need to get anything off your chest." Tori tilted her head a bit, her lips separated and her eyes squinted. "Not saying anything, just thought I'd help support my dad's business."

Tori chuckled and began to walk past Jade, her pace quickening. "Maybe someday." The girl shrugged and looked to the family photos along the hallway. "So you and Beck both, only have your dads around. Mind me asking about your mom?"

Jade groaned and shook her head. These weren't memories she wanted to recall, but for Tori's sake, perhaps it would help to share. "My mom died when I was young." Tori raised her eyebrows and turned partially, her eyebrows slowly closing towards the center.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

A sharp exhale fell from her lips. "Yeah." In the earlier days of her father's career, he had a client that formed an obsessive connection with him. "Sometimes even counselors come into contact with bad people, and my dad was counseling this woman with attachment issues."

They moved into the living room and towards the kitchen countertop where Tori leaned her chest against the border. "How old were you?"

"Three or four." She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. "That woman started stalking my dad, she wanted to form some kind of relationship with him and eventually…" Her voice trailed off and the hazy memory returned to her thoughts. "I hadn't thought about it in a long time."

Tori walked around the counter and placed a gentle hand onto Jade's shoulder. "It's okay, Jade." She smiled gently and turned to the refrigerator.

"One of earliest memories, it's always fuzzy but I can still hear my sister screaming." Tori gasped and cupped a hand over her mouth. "She was maybe eight years old at the time. She hid me in the closet when that woman broke into the house…"

"I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay." She exhaled. "I want you to know, you can trust me and I can trust you." Tori pulled her hand back and started to hum. "Friends should be able to do that, right?"

"Yeah. Right. Friends." Tori cleared her throat and opened the refrigerator door. "Mind if I grab a soda?" Jade nodded and Tori reached in to grab a root beer. Tori's phone started to go off and she quickly removed it from her pocket. Her forehead wrinkled. "Andre." The girl held the phone in her hand for a few seconds, staring at it as the ringtone played.

"You uh, you going to answer that?"

"No." Tori rejected the call and pushed it back into her pocket with a sigh. "Sometimes you talk to people so much you want space." Tori walked over to the brown oak kitchen table and her eyes fell to a notebook Jade had forgotten about. The girl's eyes squinted and Jade froze. The book contained contact info for some of the contacts in the investigation, one of which was Ian's number.

"Tori?"

"Yeah?" Tori pulled her gaze away and raised the soda to her lips.

"I've been getting involved in some science projects lately, do you know anything about science stuff?"

"I do." Tori made her way to the couch and Jade hurried behind her. "I used to be big into science at my old school."

"Sherwood, right?" Tori's eyebrow rose and Jade cringed inwardly, remembering Tori hadn't told her the name of her old school. "I um I made contact with some science tutor that went to Sherwood, he mentioned you as one of the more popular science kids at that school."

Tori gazed down at the rim of her soda can, slowly swirling it with her hand. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Jade cleared her throat. "Ian or something." Tori raised her head and turned her gaze sideways. For a minute, Jade thought she saw a protective glint in the girl's eyes. Parting her lips, she leaned her head back in surprise. "Did you, um, know that guy or something?"

Tori glanced away, keeping quiet. The girl's phone started to ring once more and she let her head fall back onto the couch. This ringtone was different, holding a more haunting melody. "Robbie." Jade crossed her arms and furrowed her brow at the girl. Tori leaned forward with a slight growl. "You were saying you needed help with a science project? I thought you were done with school?"

"I am, it was just something fun on the side. I like science."

"I've never seen you take any interest in that kind of stuff." Tori chuckled briskly. "But if you want help with anything, I guess I could help. Did you have something in mind, or something else? Just want to chat?"

"I was actually wondering-" Tori's phone started up again, this time Tori decided to answer.

"Hi!" Tori's voice grew chipper, catching Jade off guard. "What's up, Cat?" The girl stood from the couch and walked a few paces to the right, nodding her head. "Oh, you guys wanted to go see a movie? I'm actually…" Tori looked to Jade, who started shaking her head feverishly and waving her hands in the air. Tori's eyebrow rose and she looked away. "I'm actually a little busy right now, Cat. I'll give you a call back later. Hey, maybe check with Trina, she might want to do something with you guys whenever she gets home."

Once Tori hung up the phone, Jade hurried to the end table beside the couch. She opened the drawer and pulled out a flyer she printed from online. "Hey I found something I thought you might be interested in. Remember Carly, when she came down?"

"How could I forget." Tori folded her arms across her chest and chuckled. "We were both being played by the same guy. She was nice though." Jade moved alongside Tori, showing the page to her. It was an invitation to tour Rome with Carly, she would be coming to Los Angeles to meet with some random users that signed up through iCarly.

"She's coming back to California. If you sign up, you get to go tour Italy with her." Tori's eyebrows shot up and she carefully took the paper from Jade. "I know Sam, I can probably connect with Carly and see if she might want to say hi to you."

Tori chuckled and muttered under her breath. "Yeah, my parents would never allow this…Forget Katrina."

"Wouldn't you just love to be whisked away to Italy?"

"Got a boy to do that?" Tori smirked teasingly. "Maybe Ian?" Tori laughed and started to fold the paper. "It actually sounds really fun. I'd love to actually chat with Carly again, I've never been able to get in touch with Sam to see if she'd set that up."

Jade grinned from ear to ear, already scheming in her mind. "I think I could arrange something."

"Why would you care?"

"Anything for a friend."

Tori's mouth formed a line and she looked towards the door. "Sure would be interesting to get away for a little while." Tori made her way to the kitchen table, pausing for a few seconds. "So, you met Ian? What's he up to these days?"

"I guess he's figuring out what college to get into."

"He must be…" Tori blinked, shaking her head. Jade furrowed her brow and approached her from behind. She didn't want to say anything to be obvious, though she suspected that had already fallen flat. "You said he mentioned me. Did he say anything specific?"

"He said the two of you were close." Tori chuckled softly. "He said he cared about you. I was surprised, you never mentioned him." The girl shrugged.

"I have my reasons, did think any of you guys cared much about my old friends."

"He said you guys had another good friend, didn't say much about her." Tori shut her eyes, after a few seconds Jade could see moisture lining at the girl's lashes.

"Courtney." Tori's chest expanded and she slowly pulled her phone from her pocket. "Can you give me a minute, Jade?" Jade frowned and started to nod. "I'm just going to go outside for some fresh air."

"Okay…" She watched Tori leave through the back door. Jade made her way to the window beside the door and gently peeled the velvet curtain away from the window.

Tori proceeded to dial a number on her phone, the woman looked around the area and Jade fell away from the window when the girl turned her gaze to the house.

Outside, Tori began pacing while holding her phone up to her ear. Her right hand caressed her forehead, her fingers curling in as she spoke. Jade wanted to crack the window, to try and hear what was being said, but she wanted to respect the privacy Tori was requesting.

Tori eventually made her way to the fence, leaning back against it. She slid down, her knees bending out. It looked as though she were choking up a sob as she brought her hand down to her elbow.

Thirsty, Jade moved away from window and to her refrigerator. She grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and leaned over her countertop, bending her elbow on the surface and resting her left temple in the palm of her hand. She raised the bottle to her lips with a sigh.

She waited for a few more minutes for Tori to come back inside, but when she didn't, Jade was beginning to grow concerned. Her gaze drifted to the window, and through a space between the corner of the window and the curtain, she could see the gate to her backyard was opened outwards.

Her heart stopped and her eyes shot open. "Tori?" The fence was too high and smooth to climb, spiked at the top, and it could only be opened from the inside. Realizing this, she rushed out the back door and froze upon seeing the empty yard. "Tori!"

She rushed through the gate, sweat forming at her brow as her heart began to race. Tori's car sped down the road with a screech and Jade saw Tori waving her hand through the driver's side window.

"Oh no." Jade threw her hands over her mouth, unsure what exactly was happening. "What have I done?" Panicked, she ran down the street, waving her hands in the air. "Tori, come back! Where are you going?" The stop sign at the end of her block was close enough to run to; but to her shock, Tori did not stop and turned left down the road.

Part of her was afraid she'd just scared Tori off, another part of her wondered just what happened on that phone call. She hurried back into her house, frantically grabbing for her cell phone.

She began pacing back and forth, dialing Tori's number but screamed out when the call went straight to voicemail. After another minute or two of panic, she received a text message from Tori, much to her relief.

"Don't try to contact me." Jade raised her hand to her neck and felt her throat constrict. "In case you're wondering, I'm running away from home. Don't look for me."

Nearly dropping her phone, she felt her knees begin buckling underneath her. "No. No, no, no!" Fear swelled around her, choking her as tears escaped her eyes. "Was this my fault? What the hell! Tori!"


So. A lot to process here. Tori definitely seemed a bit different, didn't seem like Jade was picking up on that. What are your thoughts during all of this? Do you think Tori planned this? Maybe contacting Ian was just the trigger she needed? Does Tori suspect something, anything is wrong? Why would she take off in such a manner?