Title: Who Knew

Chapter Thirteen: What's Wrong With Love?

Summary: When Tori Vega stopped talking to her long time best friend Jade West she never expected the heart break she felt, and now that she's found her again she wont let her go.

Rated: T for now, but possibly M later on. I'm not sure.

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious, unfortunately.

Fair Warning: this chapter has some more cursing then normal and some violence. I don't think there is enough to warrant an M rating though, so read at your own discretion. I hope you guys like it.

Filming this movie was becoming an everyday thing. During school we'd film, after school we'd film and I wouldn't get home until 11 or so. The only time we didn't film during the week was Sunday's, which were the days I dedicated to doing my homework.

Our teachers were being really nice and making all assignments due Monday's so we'd have time to get them all done, and when we were in class we were learning things still, but not being forced to rush learn and cram homework in.

Today was a Saturday, and I wasn't quite ready to get up and get in the car yet, instead I was stretched out across the couch watching something on Cartoon Network, but the commercial break seemed endless and I pretty much forgot what it was I was actually watching.

"Tori! Answer your phone!" my mom's voice called down the stairs. I shook my head and chased the numb blank feeling away my hand searching the couch for my phone. I hit accept and laid it down on my ear tucking my hand back under my head.

"Hello?"

"Hey Vega, I'm sorry to call and ask you for a favor, but my truck is in the shop and I've got no other ride to the set, Cat's mom already dropped her off and Beck had to pick up Robbie, and Andre isn't even showing up to-." She sounded extremely stressed out and annoyed.

"Jade, stop rambling." I cut her off, "I'll give you a ride, and I'll swing by in 10 minutes?"

"Thanks, Vega." I rolled my eyes.

"Anytime, Jade." I pointedly use her first name, she growled into the phone in a playful manner, and I could practically see her smacking herself, "see you in 10 minutes." I hit end before she could reply just sat there for a few minutes.

"Tori!" my mom screamed again, "you're going to be late! Get me gas!"

"Okay! I'm going to be picking Jade up and taking her home!" I yell back, finally swinging my legs off of the couch, my feet planting themselves on the floor for a few seconds before I stand up, grab my HA sweater, the car keys, and my wallet, "bye!"

"Bye hun! Tell Jade I miss her around the house!" my mom called after me as loud as possible.

"Whatever!" I called back; it was followed by her saying my name warningly. I shrug my jacket on and zip it up. There's a bit of a cool breeze blowing through, it's mid-October now, and it's getting colder and colder.

I text Jade that I'm getting gas before I get her, set my phone and wallet in the cup holder, start the car and head to the nearest gas station. 30 bucks of gas later and I was on my way to Jade's.

She was outside when I pulled up and I'd hardly stopped the car before she pulled the door open and dropped into the car, "Hey Vega." She greeted. She was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a baggy shirt. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail near the back of her head.

"Hey West." I retorted, pulling into her driveway and backing out to go back the other way. She reached forward and turned on the radio, her eyes locked on the car in front of us, a blank expression on her face, "you alright?"

"I'm fine." She replied, crossing one leg over the other and turning to look at me, "just drive Vega, we don't need you crashing this car." I frown but turn my eyes back to the road to watching my speed and the slow traffic, the only sounds I heard were the radio and the horns of other cars.

We were heading to an old manor a friend of Cat's mom owned that they offered to let us use for the movie, so we didn't have to worry about making a set for the dance scene. Cat's at our car the second we pull in, yanking us toward the makeup area, telling us which scenes we'll be doing. I'm only half listening to the conversation while she tugs me into the room and Ellie, the girl Cat forced to do my hair and makeup, pushes me into a chair and attacks me with her tools. Cat drags Jade away from me into another room.

When I'm shoved into a yellow dress I realize we're going to be filming the dance scene, which I suppose I would have known if I'd bothered to listen to Cat at all. Ellie helps me walk to the stair case I'm supposed to use to walk down and adjusts the dress and fixes bits of my hair.

The costume class has made a nearly exact replica of the dress from Beauty and the Beast. It's large, heavy and a bit tight near the top but its fun to walk around in; the skirts spin around me, dancing across my legs with just a short twist of my hips.

"Here, gloves." Ellie informs me, shoving a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear while she hands me the gloves and tends to something near the bottom of the dress. My hair has some how been put up like Belle's, though I'm not sure how, and thick waves roll down my back and beside my neck.

"Okay! Places everyone!" Cat called from below. Ellie flashed a smile and squeezed my shoulders, whispering soft 'good luck' before she scurried away. I let out a long breath, ringing my hands together. The gloves were making my hands feel hot and sweaty; the stage lights weren't helping with my problem either, they beat down on me with too much heat.

The music started, my feet found the first step and I started making my way down the stairs. I was holding the banister with one hand and the skirts of my dress with the other, taking the steps one at a time.

Jade was making her way down, too, in a dark blue dress that seemed to fade into black near the bottom. Her hair was swept back from her face, held on the sides of her head by two rose shaped clips. Her face was painted in that horrifying makeup, but her eyes were shinning like little mini jades, cut in perfect circles and inset in her eyes like jewelry.

We met in the middle of the staircase, she offered her glove clad arm, and I hooked mine through it with a brief smile at her, and then focused on walking down the steps without tripping and running the whole scene. When we reached the bottom the cameras were off and people went rushing off to check the recording in case we had to do it again.

When it was decided we didn't, the cameras were set up and Jade and I took our places at the foot of the stairs, arm in arm, waiting for the music to start up. We cut out the dinner scene and decided to go straight into the dance scene to save us time and work.

When the music started I placed one of my hands in one of Jade's and pulled her other hand around my back, placing it near my hip, while she faked an uncomfortable gulp before, putting my hand on her bare shoulder. Her skin was cold through my glove.

I smiled at her, which caused the corner of her mouth to tilt up into a smile as she took the first step and we fell into a well practiced, flowing dance. I let my eyes fall closed at times as we glided across the floor.

Her hand on my back started out tense, and then slowly relaxed and she pulled me just a bit closer, I leaned in, resting my head on her shoulder as we slowly moved about the floor. I could practically feel the smile on her face, and the smile on my face was hurting, but I couldn't care less.

"Ready, Vega?" she murmured in my ear low enough so I could barely hear it, I picked my head up as she released my waist, raised her hand and spun me gracefully around beneath it. The feeling of the skirts of my dress brushing against my legs and sending shivers up my body as she pulled me back against her, when the song changed to something deeper, if not darker, quicker, closer.

Andre did a great job arranging the music, and now Jade and I to do a great job dancing to it. We were acting as if this was live, we were meant for the stage, we could do this. We'd practiced over and over. We could do this in one shot. I hoped.

Our moves are faster paced, with more precision, our eyes are locked, one hand on her shoulder, the other grasped firmly in hers. Front, back, swing away, back together, front, back, around behind, my back to her front, her arm around my hip while our clasped hands pointed in front of us. Our bodies pressed together.

Legs flying back and forth, the skirts of my dress are raised up short enough that my feet are my own, and I won't trip up, it's taken a lot of practicing for me to get this good. But now, in Jade's arms, I feel like I can do anything.

She flings me away, releasing my hand so I spin on my toes over and over across the room, she slinks over to me like a lioness hunting her prey and pulls me against her before she dips me slowly, back, her chin hovering over my chest, green eyes still locked with mine as my hair brushes the ground, one of my legs hooks around her and she swings me while I'm dipped, the only thing holding me up being my leg and her arm loosely holding my hip as my fingers graze the ground, she pulls me up right and we lock gazes. My chest heaves against hers and her hot breath fans across my face.

"And cut!" Cat yells over the music. Jade takes a step back, her chest heaving as well as mine. We're watching each other closely and the places where her skin had been on mine are growing cold and my heart aches to be in her arms again. "Good job you guys! We don't even have to re-shoot it! I'm so proud of you guys." We're jerked into a neck breaking hug, her arms around are neck, and now our faces are inches from each other.

"Can we see it?" Jade asks, Cat shakes her head no and shoves us to go get changed. We're filming the lastfew scenes, and an excited murmur is going through all of us, and I know everyone I silently praying we only have to do it once.

But it actually takes four times to film Beck and Jade's fight scene, two too shoot me riding up and interrupting Beck and Jade's near death scene and Beck 'stabbing' her while we have our moment on the balcony, and now I'm waiting kneeling in a puddle so they can fix Jade's makeup.

After I'd pulled her up onto the roof, the rain had been so hard her makeup had started smudging, so they had to completely redo it. Andre and I were sitting around laughing and talking about what we were going to do later to pass the time until he got a phone call and had to run off, but it was just perfect timing because Jade returned, makeup back in place, and took her spot laying before me.

The rain started up, lighter this time, since we were both already soaked it didn't matter how heavy it was, and I gently ran a hand through her hair and then traced the edges of her face.

Her head turned, and her eyelids fluttered open slowly, as if it was a chore and she smiled slightly, "you came back…" her voice was a raspy whisper that had goose bumps racing across my body.

A sad smile broke out across my face, "Of course I came back, I couldn't just let them do that to you." My eyes flutter down to the cut in her side, it looks to real, my smile falters and tears burn in my eyes, "This is all my fault, I'm so sorry. If I'd gotten here sooner…"

"Maybe, just maybe, it's better this way." Jade's eyes seem to be struggling to stay open, her voice is coming out in pants and her chest is heaving. She is a really good actor.

"Don't you dare say that." I stammer out, my voice weak but harsh, "You'll be fine, you just need some patch work." I force a laugh, Jade coughs, frown nervously. My hands are flying around her, unsure where I should have them. I finally take her face in my hands lightly, "You'll be good as new in no time, I promise."

"At least." She manages to pant, her eyes roll toward her head and she struggles to open them as she reaches up to brush my hair behind my ear before cupping my face, "At least I got to see you one last time."

Hot tears roll down my cheeks, I grasp her hand in both of mine and hold it there. The claws they'd put on her nails scratch my cheek but I hardly notice, I turn back to face her, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth.

With one last sigh she sags back on the ground, eyes rolling shut as her hand slips away from my face. It looks so real, it seems so real, it actually hurts me to think about it, that Jade could really be dead. It horrifies me.

My hand lets hers fall completely as I cup my mouth to keep a real scream of horror from ripping out of it when Jade manages to look dead. My heart is slamming against my chest, my lines long forgotten.

"No…no." I grab her shoulders, picking her up from the ground, "no, no, no you can't leave me, please! I need you." My head falls across her chest, my tears roll onto her skin, and I can feel them pooling beneath my cheek as the camera pushes closer in on my face, "I love you…" I whisper. My voice sounds broken and on the verge of tears. Just what Cat wanted, but the sound is real and so are the tears and it kills me just to think of how horrified I would be if she were to die. I squeeze my eyes shut and cling to her, still crying.

I know the beams of light shoot down from all around us; a crappy sound effect like a light saber lets me know they've started. The scene cuts short, but I've already been told not to move while they strap Jade into her harness.

The cameras go again now, I lift my head up as the sound gets faster and louder, Jade's torso leaves the ground first, followed by her head, I reel back, falling onto my butt in a puddle with a light splashing sound as I watch her lift off of the ground, her whole body is limp and I know it took a lot of practice for her not to stiffen as she was lifted in the air.

They start her stretching in transformation and do still shots of each bit of her changing as more and more makeup is wiped from her face before its all gone and they have her lower her to the ground, pausing to take the harness off, she's laying on the ground now, and I stand to reach for her, on hand nervously hovering by my mouth as I stare wide-eyed.

I jump back as she pushes into a sitting position, and finally stands. She turns to face me, her eyes on her hand as she stares in awe, before facing me, "Belle…don't be frightened. It's me." she reaches toward me, and I slowly take a step forward until were an arms length apart.

I reach up and brush her hair back examining her makeup free face before looking straight into her eyes, "It is you." I whisper breathlessly. Her fingers push my hair back before her slender hand cups my cheek, my hands rest on her shoulders and she leans forward, her lips brush mine ever so slightly.

My heart jumps in my chest, and she slowly leans forward, my eyes fall closed as I'm lost in this slow kiss, her soft lips moving against mine. She tastes like French vanilla and heaven. I lean against her, enjoying the feeling of this, us. Even if it's just a stage kiss.

We break apart, laughing and I throw my arms around her in a crushing hug, pulling back just as quickly and stand leaning against her, her arm loosely draped around my waist. And Cat yells cut.

"Last scenes everybody!" the process is slow, the transformation of Miss Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere, and the others, of course. Then were done, wrapped. Jade and I already filmed the final dance, because Cat didn't feel like doing Jade's makeup one day last week.

Everyone is excited, cleaning up goes quickly while the editors skip out with the tapes and the makeup artists pack up while Jade and I clean up our faces and change back into our clothes. My hair is still damp, dripping down my back and sticking to my face, but I don't have half a mind to care. We're done!

"Come on Vega! I want to get home and shower." Jade says, smacking my arm playfully with an over done wink at me.

A few people give us curious looks, but Jade just brushes them off, completely hoping that there minds would fall into the gutter because of her wink and she grabs my arm and tugs me out of the chair I was resting in. I roll my eyes at how impatient she is but allow her to drag me to my car; I have to shower before I meet Andre for pizza anyways.

Jade turns on some rock station the second we start toward her house, and our trip is made in silence. She jumps out the second we're at her house and I quickly turn into her drive way, back out and start for home.

At that same stop sign I got in the crash I hear a vibration, when I look over Jade's phone is sitting in the passenger seat. I frown and scoop it up; she's just got a new message, according to her screen.

I look around in all directions, three times, before I pull the u-turn and head back down to her drive way. When I knock on her door her dad opens it, on his way out once more, and tells me she went straight to her room.

I sprint up the stairs as fast as I can, so I catch her before she gets in the shower. When I go to knock on her bedroom door it slams open, smacking against the wall. I jump back with a squeak as her step-mother storms out, giving me the nastiest glare I've ever seen.

I raise an eyebrow at her and I can practically see the smoke pouring from her ears, I sprint down the stairs to her room in a rush, "Jade? Jade? You left your phone in my car! Jade?" I hit the land and look around the small room. She's not in here, but her bathroom door is open a crack.

I quickly cross the room, knocking softly on the door. It swings open quickly, and I see Jade. Sitting on her closed toilet seat, face buried in her knees, big purple headphones covering her ears as her entire body shook with sobs.

"Jade?" she still doesn't hear me, and now my heart is slamming against my chest. Jade is crying, in her bathroom, on her toilet seat and her step-mother just stormed out of here. No. No way. Not her, not my Jade.

I step up to Jade and cautiously reach out to grasp her shoulder, only to get her attention, "did you already hit me enough?" she spits before her head lifts up and she's startled, nearly falling off the toilet at the sight of me. I take a step closer, even though my feet urge me back, and I take her chin in my fingers, tilting her face upwards so light splashes across her cheek.

"That fucking bitch." I hiss, Jade looks shocked and jerks her head away from me, pressing back against her toilet, that fake mask she wears when she wants people to think she's strong appearing on her face. I see right through it.

"Why are you here, Vega?" she spits venomously, I almost fumble away, but I just can't. Behind the venom I can practically hear her crying even though the tears no longer fall from her eyes. She might look like a deadly cobra about to spit, but I'm the dumb idiot about to look it in the eyes.

I balance on the balls of my feet before her, my hands on her thighs looking up at her, "because you left your phone in my car." I whisper, "But I'm staying because I care about you and you're hurt."

"It's none of your business, Vega. Get out." She practically screams.

"Make me." I retort calmly. My hands are still resting on her thighs and I shift closer, standing enough to wrap my arms around her shoulders. She sits stiff for about 5 minutes, and then with a stifled scream-turned sob, sags against me and we both tumble into a pile on her bathroom floor.

Even in the awkward position I'm in I don't move, I hold her and she sobs with her face pressed into my hair against my neck and her arms pressed between our bodies while I rub her back in slow circles, my eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Anger is bubbling in my stomach and if it weren't for Jade's body pressing mine to the floor, and Jade needing me to hold her while she broke down, I'd go up there and ring that woman's neck, and scream at her, and Jade's father.

Tyler flits through my mind, but I just know that Jade would never let this happen to him. I don't know why she let it happen to her, but I know that the bruise on her stomach was probably not from one of Tyler's toys. My attention turns back to Jade, whose crying on top of me, and I hold her and rub circles on her back for the next hour until she finally speaks.

"I'm so scared Tori." She whispers. I almost miss it and it breaks something in my chest when she says it.

"You don't need to be scared Jade, I'm here. And I'll protect you." I whisper.

"Yeah, like you did before…" she bites out in a bitter tone, and it's like a wave crashes into me. I feel like I'm drowning and I gasp for air for a long time before I force myself to sit up half way and push Jade up too so we're facing each other.

I look straight into her red eyes, "I'm sorry I wasn't there, but I swear I'm not going anywhere Jade. I'm not running away." She furiously rubs her hands over her eyes, biting her bottom lip as she stares past me.

"How can I trust you?" it sounds like she wants to growl at me, but can't. She sounds so hollow, and so broken.

"I love you."

"That didn't stop you before." She states, her eyes flicking toward mine for a second before flicking back to the wall.

"I was hurt, Jade. I didn't intend to leave forever. I made a mistake, and I'd do anything to go back and change it." She looks back at me again; her face is an unreadable mask. She doesn't speak, but I can hear the wheels of her brain turning around.

"Get me out of here." She says, and just like that, I can feel my heart piecing back together. I stand on wobbling feet and pull Jade up, wiping the last of her tears away before walking out of the bathroom.

She packs a small bag, puts it over her shoulder and we walk up the stairs. Once she pulls the door shut she locks it, and then starts for the other stairs. I slip my hand into hers, giving her hand a squeeze, "do you want to say goodbye to Tyler?" I ask her.

She takes a breath, and then nods slowly, "I'll be right down, wait by the door?" I know she wants to do this alone, so I nod, give her hand one more squeeze and step down the stairs slowly as she disappears.

Jade's out of my sight now, but a new target is in my line of vision, and she's glaring daggers at me, "You're the reason she's so fucked up! You got her sick! You gave her this disease! She's breaking her father's heart and it's all your fault!" the woman is enraged, and I have half a mind to be frightened but I can't manage it.

"You are such an idiot." I say simply, turning my eyes away from her, her heels click toward me, slapping against the ground. I narrow my eyes in the general direction of the stairs until she comes up and gives my shoulder a hard shove, sending me into the wall.

My spine slams against the corner of the door way and the air leaves my lungs. I didn't think such a small woman could hit that hard. I stepped away from the wall, trying to go around her; she shoved me back, my head cracked against the wall.

Behave, Tori. I told myself, gritting my teeth. I stepped forward again and she moved to shove me again, I smacked her hand away like she was a fly. This is really what she reminded me of, anyways.

"If you touch me again, I will end you." I threaten, my voice coming out as cold as Jade's. She's startled and steps back a few paces, nervous because she couldn't possibly expect that from me.

She steps toward me again, a new rage overcoming her face, I step up to meet her, she raises her hand as if to hit me, "I should have sent her away to that camp and she would have been better and she wouldn't be a mental patient." She goes to slap me, but her words are enough of a slap to me.

"Fuck. You." I hiss and Jade's black cheek and the bruise on her ribs are all I can see and then my knuckles are a little sore and someone is screeching like a banshee and all I can think is that I want to kill who ever hurt my girl.

"Tori!" Jade's voice breaks through my thoughts, I blink, looking toward the stairs. Jade's stumbling down them, her eyes wide, focused on me and then she's cupping my face, looking at the side of it, and I realize it stings. The monster had slapped me.

"Jade! Tori! What's going on in here?" it's her father, he's looking between the three of us, Jade with her black eye and wild hair and makeup stained face, me with my no doubt red cheek, and his wife with the bloody nose and crazed look in her eyes.

"She punched me! You're daughters little whore punched me!" she screamed, fake tears coming to her eyes as she clung to his arm. He looked over at us, a stony look filling his features.

"Don't you dare call her a whore you narrow minded, open legged, bitch." Jade snarls, her arm is wrapped around my waist, and now she tugs me closer to her while she glares down her step mother who looks more embarrassed then angry.

"She is a whore, she's a filthy little girl and she gave you that mental disease!" the crazed blonde hollered. Jade's dad is standing there silent, staring at the top of the stairs and suddenly we've all seemed to notice this and we all turn toward the stairs, and Tyler is standing there.

"What's wrong with Jade?" Tyler asks. We're all silent.

"She's a filthy little faggot." Her step-mom spits shattering the silence, "just like that whore she's always with." Her icy glare turns to me and I return it levelly, her lip curled up in a smile.

I can practically hear Jade's heart shatter as Tyler's face screws up in confusion. His brain must be plugging in things to try and work this out, "What's a faggot, Jade?" I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her up, because I can feel her body shaking and I now know why she was so scared.

"A derogatory term that confused and hateful people call other people who fall in love with people of the same gender." She manages to say, watching her brother fearfully. He takes a minute to think this over and slowly walks to the stairs to stand in front of Jade.

He grabs the sleeve of her sweater and pulls her until she's bent down to his level and he kisses her bruised cheek and smiles, "what's wrong with love?" he asks, Jade's face cracks into a smile, and then she pushes Tyler behind her because the step monster's face has turned hideous with rage and she lunges toward them. I step in front of them, pushing Jade behind me, with Tyler behind her, and then Jade's dad steps in front of us, his arm hooking around far enough to cover me and Jade.

"Get out of my house, you stay away from my children, and I don't want to see you again until we're in court." His voice is hard, stern, and I can hear a bit of sorrow in it, but I can't help but feel a bit of happiness wash away at the anger I'd felt toward him for letting this happen to Jade. The Monster tries to lunge at us again, but he gently grips her shoulder and shoves her out the door, "if you're not gone in fifteen minutes I'll call the cops."

The door slams and he locks it, I hear her scream, and he sighs, "Tori, Jade, lets get you some ice for your faces and you two can fill me on what I've been missing. I'm so sorry for this Jade." I grip Jade's hand, giving it a squeeze, she returns it.

"Ty, why don't you go up to your room for a bit, watch a movie?" Jade suggests.

"Can Tori come with me?" Jade turns to look at me, I shrug, he grins.

"I'll get some ice and come watch a movie with you." I tell him, he smiles and runs upstairs while I walk with Jade into the kitchen. Her dad hands me the ice, I quickly tell him what happened between me and this she-witch, grab two bowls of ice cream and go join Tyler upstairs to watch Cars while Jade talks to her dad alone.