Title: Outbound
Author: Jonathan and ZenNoMai
Rating: M (covering my bases this time)
Chapter: 8 B
Category: RADE, RORI, RORILOLA, RADELOLA
Spoilers: Post 'Bound' and 'Unbound,' sit will follow season 2 canon.
Summary: Spin-Off of 'Rebound'. Everyone has a double. But do doubles always act the same way?
Disclaimer: Victorious and Zoey 101 are owned by Dan Schneider, Danwarp, Nick, Viacom
There is an important question at the end of the chapter. Please read and let me know your ideal choice of which fic you want to see continued next?
Life can change in an instant. It a matter of moments, a person can open a door and soon be the witness of a sight that would start the beginning of a new stage in one's life. As if everything that one person held dear to them from before would cumulate into something new and refreshing.
While the young Robbie Shapiro didn't know if this moment was that one moment he was thinking about, he did know that this was something so forthcoming and life changing, that it did have the potential to become one of those life moments he was thinking about mere moments before.
It all came to this apparently. The only problem though was that he didn't know what problem was awaiting him. He opened the door to his dorm, and within the new few seconds, his brown pools gazed upon the sight of two people who were becoming close to him. Not only was one none ever his beloved Tori, but the other was her apparent 'pseudo-double,' Lola Martinez. He knew Tori would be there, but he didn't think Lola would be.
"Robbie!" Tori greeted as soon as he opened the door. She shot up to her feet. She looked down at Lola and then at Robbie and then at Lola again and then at Robbie. "It's not what you think!"
He looked at her confusingly, "Not what I think…"
Lola joined the two of them as Robbie approached his approached his girlfriend. He looked at her, and could see that something happened. Her face was white with fear. "Something happened… didn't it?"
Tori slowly made her way to her boyfriend and took hold of his hand. She looked at his eyes, and she gazed at the confused look etched in his face. At the questionable features masking his normally lovely features. Tori slowly gulped, not knowing just how much her boyfriend saw. But she knew what she had to do. From the mere beginning moments of their romantic relationship, she promised herself that she would always be honest with him. Always never hiding anything from him.
"Lola and I…"
"We kissed." Lola said out of nowhere. She got to her feet as well and approached the two of them. "We kissed, Robbie. I came here to talk to you and Tori. To finally get this 'relationship' the talk that we knew was coming."
Tori nodded real fast. "Right. We were talking. That's all. And I guess…"
"I dunno…" Lola stammered. "This whole thing is just so confusing. This whole thing with Rob and Jade and my double. This…" She shook her heard. "I dunno…" She looked at Robbie. "Yeah, we kissed. Or I mean, I kissed her. I'm just trying to make sense out of this."
Tori grabbed hold of his hand with her other hand too. Bringing both her hands together and keeping his larger hand covered by the both of hers. "Robbie, y'know I wouldn't…"
Robbie looked at his beloved. And smiled at her worried features, at her concerned features. "We've been through enough for me that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."
"Of course I wouldn't." Tori agreed. Finally feeling confident enough to relax. "Lola just came to talk. And then one thing led to another… and then…"
"I leaned in and kissed her." Lola said simply. "I mean…" She looked at Robbie and could see that he was listening closely to her. Ever since she knew him, she had found him to be always on alert when it came to Tori or his sister, always being the 'big brother,' when it came to them. And she knew that he would always want to know if something was up with any of them. Which meant that he was not to be trifled with.
If anyone did trifle him, she had enough experience to know that he would do anything to protect his friends. Even if was from one of his former friends. The former reunion with Cat Valentine rang in her mind. She remembered that it nearly drove Tori in hysterics and to get her to calm down was through Robbie.
Which meant, never cross either of the two former Hollywood Arts students.
Letting out a sigh, she finally added, "But it meant nothing, Robbie." She looked at Tori. "At least, I don't think it meant anything…"
Robbie sighed this time. He knew this was destined to be talked about, and seeing how everything was lining up tonight, he knew this would probably be the best time to talk about it.
"I think we need to finally talk about this…"
Unbelievable.
Simply unbelievable.
Robbie Shapiro was sitting within the walls of his dorm, a dorm that not only held the residence of himself and his live-in girlfriend, and now a possible third person into his romantic life?
Unbelievable.
He let out a breath of fresh air as he looked at the scene in front of him. By his side sat his best friend, his girlfriend, and the one person he knew he would forever bound to, Tori Vega. The girl that saw the best and the worst in him, and hasn't walked away yet. Who saw the value in him, who saw the love in him, and who saw the loyalty in him.
And across from them? A new girl who just came into their lives. A girl that has become their friend since they both started matriculating here at Pacific Coast Academy. A girl who not only knew about his and his girlfriend's past, but also was apparently a potential girlfriend to them…
Yep, a potential girlfriend….
Lola Martinez. A girl who not only was a potential girlfriend to the two of them, but also a girl that through some comepletely random coincidence was an almost if not a perfect 'double' of his girlfriend. Yep, Tori and Lola looked exactly alike, and because of something that his double, and his double's girlfriend, just might mean that Lola was destined to be a part of the relationship that he and Tori had.
That was if this meeting went off without a hitch.
Well, that was what was thought was going to happen.
At least that was what Robbie thought might be happening…
"So… I guess… how does this supposed to happen?" A voice asked, breaking Robbie out of his inner thoughts.
He looked at Lola after she asked the said question. Bringing the destined conversation to a front. "I mean, we are seriously thinking about this, right?" She asked, still having a hard time dealing with this as a possibility.
"Well, according to Jade and Rob, yeah it is." Tori reasoned. She looked at her boyfriend of over five weeks, and best friend since she first started coming to Hollywood Arts so many year ago. "I mean, it is something they are willing to go accept." She shrugged. "I just surprised that this actually happened some other reality."
"Some apparent identical reality." Robbie clarified. "Well, other than the fact that the other me ended up with Jade and not you." He looked at Tori as he reminded her.
"We already went over this, Robbie." Tori insisted. "She isn't me. That 'Tori' isn't me. Whatever happened in that timeline allowed Jade to act first. Maybe the other 'Tori' just thought about a second too late. Maybe Jade just acted a second fastr."
Robbie let out a breath, knowing full well what she was detailing. But there was something that still bothered him about the whole thing. "There is one thing though. Between our two worlds, there is one thing that remained." Tori looked at him. "Both of us got imprisoned. Both Rob and me got sent back to jail. And we both had to go through that what 'Big Bertha' had to put us through, but does that mean that in all reality every 'Robbie Shapiro' is destined to be sent back to prison."
"Robbie…" Tori began.
"Just remember what Quinn said." Lola reminded him as he joined the two of them. She sat down on the other side of Robbie. "It was a simple change of direction. It could've been Beck or Cat or Jade or Tori that got left behind instead of you. There could even be a reality where all of you escaped and neither you or any one else got sent back to jail." She shrugged, "And maybe the trade off was that in this world you ended up with Tori instead…"
"Just like how you ended up with Jade in the other world." Tori reasoned.
"But whatever happened, Robbie, it does mean one thing." Lola confirmed. Robbie looked at her. "It means that you found someone who loves you. Who comepletely fell in love with you and helped you move on with your life." She smiled at the young man. "And maybe if there is a you that did escape with the others, it also means that you never got over Rex. And if you never got over Rex…"
Robbie sighed realizing the truth… "Then I still would be living with Paul and Rachel Shapiro."
Tori nodded, "And a sister who still wasn't helping you back home." She smiled. "You lucked out, Robbie. You really did." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I lucked out too. Because I got to see a side of you that never would've existed if Yerba didn't happen."
Robbie smiled at her sincerity. He really did love this woman. She did help him in ways that nobody ever thought possible.
"I really do love you, Tori." He whispered to her.
"I love you." Tori told him again.
And saying that resulted in Lola really getting a chance to see how close the two of them were, and how loving they really were to one another. She smiled… "I think I'm beginning to see just how lucky my double really is."
Tori and Robbie looked at the young Martinez. "She got to see Rob and Jade in a way that is truly unique. And I would love to see something like that truly happen."
Tori and Robbie looked at one another, and looked at Lola again. They smiled and nodded.
"I think we really need to set up a date for us." Tori said to the two of them. Finally accepting that a three-way might be possible for them.
"I think so too." Lola whispered.
Robbie Shapiro smiled.
TBC in Chapter 9
Oh, and since I got you here, I want to ask you. Of all my other fics, what do you want to see revisited? Survival Instinct, Robbie Shapiro: Hollywood Stuntman, Positive Thinking, I Was Born a Talented Latina, Black Tie Not Optional, A Father's Love, or The Ties That Bind.
The choice is up to you. I'll take the one fic with the most votes and work on that story at the same time as Outbound. Either send me a PM or a review and let me know you're choice.
Thanks everyone!
Until next time, this is Jonathan signing off.