Disclamer: I still don't own anything. Geez. You'd think writing about something would count, but nooo, it's there stuff and I only get to borrow it. Seriously, though, the characters of Victorious and The Big Bang theory belong to their creators and producers, while anything I did to them will wash off with just a little soap.
:}
Jade final week before the start of her senior year was hectic as always. She had planned to talk to Holly, but it was going to have to wait until later since her commitments were taking up so much of her time. Sunday night, Jade and Tori visited Howard and Bernadette. Trina and Beck came along, as did Raj and Stuart. The topics of conversation included Lucy, Stuarts business and when Tori would start recording her first album. Howard only mentioned going into space six times, and Beck was the perfect listener. He and Stuart talked art, only for him to mention that Jade was a bit of an artist. Fear of a slow, painful death right when his store was starting to make a decent profit, kept that off the list of topics Stuart discussed. It was a pleasant evening.
Trina and Beck were taking it slow. Both wanted to give themselves a chance to solidify their feelings before getting physical. When asked about why it was so different than Jade's situation, Trina just said "We already know the sex will work." Jade hated that statement, but had to agree that she'd had her doubts. Jade suspected Beck would thank her, or cure her, when he figured out how seductive the Vega family could be. Putting the whole thing out of her head, Jade went home to find Sheldon and Amy sitting on the couch not doing anything. Frustrated as is, Jade decided to 'ignored all this non-sex' and went to bed. Sheldon didn't ask why she was chuckling.
Monday brought the end of her first lecture series. She was surprised when she realized she was going to miss it. She couldn't continue through the second half of the summer schedule because her school started six weeks earlier and she had her classes to take. Sheldon was one of the few people in the department who didn't need the lectures to help stay current, and he was also one of the biggest critics when she began the six week series. He didn't attend most of them, and naturally lambasted the school for not continuing it until the spring. Jade didn't get him sometimes.
Tuesday came, and so did the beginning of her review for the entire quarter. Jade talked fast to begin with, and she broke records with the initial review. Kevin suggested that instead she go over the weak points from the two tests. "What do you think I've been doing." she replied. "They're weak on everything." Rather than put up with the whining, she agreed to run Wednesday as a study hall with her and Kevin answering questions, and to her astonishment they requested the final for Thursday. They wanted a party on Friday, and Jade agreed to go over the final that day instead.
Jade therapy session was a review of her first fight with Tori as a couple, as well as letting her father know about the rape. Towards the end of the session, she agreed to move their sessions to Mondays at five PM, the last session of the day for her therapist. Jade would be relying on these sessions for the next few months. She didn't mind any more. It was obvious she was growing as a person, so she was happy to continue. Besides, the insanity rates among theoretical physicists was scary, and this was a preemptive grab at reality.
After her office hours, Jade was in for a happy surprise. She had taken Sheldon to the Cheesecake Factory for their weekly dinner, only to see Andre, Trina, Sinjin, Beck, Robbie and Tori at another table. She thought about asking what they were up to, but didn't get a chance when Tori walked over and let her know they were having something to eat before dropping Tori off at Jades temporary place. Tori was going to spend the rest of the week, until church Sunday, with Jade. She had asked to speak with Sheldon, to make sure he was okay with it, and in that action she won his approval. Tori didn't have to, but in Sheldon's mind she did, and so by securing his blessing on the arrangement, she stroked his ego and made it easier. 'Her years with Trina are paying off.' Jade thought.
Wednesday was different. Jade taught her last real day of class, preparing them for the final she had written just the night before. Technically there was a standardized final, but Jade had to make a couple of adjustments. It was far too easy for her students. She'd finished her version in less than an hour, and they would have over Two hours. Still, by the time she finished lunch with the guys, she was anxious to get back to the apartment and Tori. They hadn't been intimate since Friday, and she felt the need for some loving. While she wasn't sure how Tori would react, she was happy when her lover took her to the bedroom to help celebrate one day closer to the new school year. Tori then let her know her planned recording schedule for her fist album and Jade mourned their lost time together. They'd have plenty of time to themselves, but now Jade wanted every second. 'I guess I am selfish. But in a good way.'
Thursday morning was hard for Jade. She managed to untangle herself from Tori, take her shower and be ready in time to take Sheldon to work. From there, she drank her coffee as she walked towards her class and the impending final. Doctor Gablehauser was waiting.
"Good morning Doctor West." He said.
"Good morning Doctor Gablehauser. What brings the head of the physics department here this fine morning?" She asked, suspecting something was wrong.
"Just protecting my department. Kevin, you TA, alerted me to the changes you made to our standardized final. I've had him run the correct one. I know it's hard for you, Sheldon or many of the fine professionals we have in this department to grasp this, but for most of our students, this isn't easy. I doubt I could have finished your final in the time allotted." He said, reminding her that she is a gifted freak of nature, but that was the nature of the entire faculty at Caltech, except maybe Doctor Gablehauser himself. They were well paid because they were expected to be the best.
"So I have to give the original test. Won't they be able to look up the answers?" She asked.
"No, we have a different version used every quarter. Now, if you're ready, I believe your class is waiting for the final. Kevin has the right version." He said, then stepped out of her way and let her enter her class.
The rest of the morning was quiet. Jade spent the first hour of the final sending her death glare at Kevin. 'Lazy ass. He only told on me because he doesn't want to work hard grading the final. I wasn't going to make him. I had Raj all buttered up to help me this afternoon, and I think I can borrow Alex from Sheldon.' She had a grading party planned, in her office, for after the final.
Jade was shocked when several students didn't finish all ten questions by the end of class. On her way to lunch, she talked to her TA trying to understand how they didn't finish. He just let her vent.
Initially Jades office hours were spent with Kevin, Raj, Alex Jensen, Barry Kripke, and Tori as they all (except Tori) graded tests. Tori was at the computer entering scores as she got them. Between the group, it took only a couple of hours to check the math and grade all forty papers. Jade had to admit, she was having fun. The group talked about whatever as they graded, and Raj was either past his problems enough of just a little drunk, because he talked along with everyone else. They discussed whatever topic seemed to flow, including Barry's fighting robot, Raj's love life, Tori's impending recording sessions and Jade's play. Jade was sad when it was over and she had to spend the last hour of her office hours just doodling. Before he left, Doctor Kripke informed Jade that he was publishing his latest findings, and Jade was included as a contributing researcher. After that, she had to (regretfully) remind Tori that her office walls were not soundproof and they would have fun later.
After dropping Sheldon off at the apartment, Jade and Tori made the drive back to the Vega residence. They had missed their intended day to talk to Holly, and so had decided to ask tonight so as to not spoil their weekend. Whatever happened, Jade wanted to have a few days to make Tori feel better.
Once they got into the house, they found Beck and Trina sitting with Holly. It felt like they were interrupting, until the Vega matriarch invited them to sit down. The group of teens sat, nervously looking around. Every time someone tried to start, Holly would ask them to wait "Just a few more minutes."
David Vega arrived home about twenty minutes after Jade and Tori. He was immediately invited to sit on the couch near Holly.
"I'm kind of surprised to have all of you here at once, but it was something we were going to need to discuss sooner or later." Holly Vega started. "Let me start by saying I love you David and I never cheated on you. However, that can be argued based on your definition of cheating." The room was silent. David shifted to sitting on a chair, and Jade shifted to another chair to let Tori sit next to Trina who was next to Beck. Holly had the second couch all to herself.
"And how do you define cheating?" Tori asked. "I know you've been texting Gary. Who knows how much more you've done."
"No, that's about it. We did meet up for coffee a couple of times, but it was just talking and flirting. Beyond that, it was texting." Holly said.
"Why?" Trina asked. Beck, like Jade, decided to stay quiet and let this family drama play out.
"I got lonely. You father, you David, were gone so much on business. How many business trips does a police officer make. But now, I know about the new program and the promotion, and it makes sense. But at the time, I was lonely, trying to raise two very independent daughters. As I felt less needed I looked to find someone else who could need me."
"And you found Gary?" Tori asked.
"Losing a partner can be as bad as any breakup. Gary was being left behind too. And like me, he was only marginally aware of what David was doing. On top of that, He's going through a messy divorce of his own. He had a lot of abandonment issues." Holly Explained. "It started out just the two of us supporting each other over Davids long absences. Over time it matured into some flirting. But that was it. I would never take it farther, and neither would Gary. We both wanted to avoid hurting you, David. So we kept it as platonic as possible."
"So what happened?" Trina asked, while holding Becks hand. Becks experience with Jade showed, as he braced himself for the expected crushing of his fingers.
"To my shame, I was far more into it than I should have been. It was nice flirting again. Then six weeks ago the texts started getting romantic, and I didn't know what to do. Gary's a good guy, and I missed being romanced, but I still love you David. So once I heard about the promotion, I decided to end the flirting." Holly looked conflicted as she spoke. "Just to be clear, I ended it because I thought I'd be getting my husband, my lover back. But I'm still getting romantic texts. I'm not sure how to handle this. I asked David to come home so we could discuss this, and then the whole family decided to confront me about it."
"Gary hasn't sent you a text in six weeks." David said, startling everyone. "He realized the line he was crossing, and talked to me about it one day about six or so weeks ago. It was a hard thing to go through. He admitted what he was doing was wrong, but told me I was ignoring a fine woman. He also told me he was partially drawn in because of the drama going on in his lingering and painful divorce. He'd been using a burner phone to avoid his wife finding out about it, since she didn't need any more ammo for their divorce, and as an act of trust he gave it to me." Turning to his kids. "I know it was wrong, but the texts seemed to make you mother so happy. It was the only thing I could do some days while I was getting the new squad going. I kept telling myself that once I had the time, I would explain everything to Holly and we'd talk it out. That's why I ignored her attempt to end it, and what I was going to talk to her about today."
"This isn't over, you know. One talk doesn't fix everything." Beck said. "A lot of trust has been lost here, on both ends. I think you two might think about seeing a counselor, see if you can fix the marriage. It sounds like you both want to. We'll support you in whatever decision you make."
"How many relationship books did he read?" Tori asked Jade.
"Lots. He said they got him through out breakup." she replied.
"Well, I guess we know what Beck will do if this acting thing doesn't work out." Tori said.
"About that. I'm going to pursue a career in comedy while studying social work. If I'm not on stage, I'd like to work with the police and the courts to help at risk kids." Trina said.
"Great choice, Trina. Now you've only got one and a half changes to your major to be an average student." Jade said. The Vega family didn't get it.
Still everyone seemed happy with her decision. Trina was good with people as long as she kept her ego out of it, so that kind of work was a natural fit. The courts used social workers to help at risk youth, or she could become a probation officer for teens. There were a lot of possibilities. They discussed Trina's options, then addressed Tori's. They decided that Tori should see if she could do general education from a community college on line while pursuing her singing career. That way, she could transfer to a four year institute with minimal effort later if music didn't work out. Jade was planning on a double major in Film and acting, but would probably be done in two years because she already had her degree. Everyone seemed happy about the future.
David reminded them that Trina was starting College, and that Tori and Jade still had to finish High School. Jade admitted she'd played the system. Many of her college classes could be taken for both High School and College credit, so her English, math and science requirements were finished. She just needed units to graduate, and so most of her schedule was electives and acting/singing/film making.
Later that evening, as Jade and Tori were getting ready for bed, Tori started getting nervous. 'One more talk, I guess.' Jade thought. "Okay Vega, spill." She asked.
"School is about to start, and I'm concerned about us." Tori said, her voice quiet.
"What about us?" Jade asked.
"Do you even need me? I mean, all summer long you were dealing with all these changes to you life and nurse Tori was helping her wounded warrior heal. Now that your going to be back in familiar territory, I wonder do you need me?" Tori said, her voice tinged with worry.
"No." Jade replied. Tori's heart sank. "I want you. Big difference. If I needed you for whatever reason, then when the reason changed, I could let you go. I love you, and I want you. I'll live if you leave me, but I won't be happy. I'd rather be the best Jade I can be so that I can be there for you when you need me. All I ask is that you be the best Tori you can be for me when I do need you." Jade said. Tori was comforted and confused at the same time.
"I-I think there's more." Tori said. "So...your turn first. Whats still bugging you?" she asked.
"How quickly all this happened." Jade replied. She'd been ready for this conversation since Tuesday. "I didn't let Beck so much as grope me until we'd been together almost two months. Sex was off the table for almost a year. Yet here we are, barely a month into our relationship, and we're practically living together. This is beyond fast. This is tachyon speeds."
"Okay. Don't get the Star Wars reference, but I see your point. Thing is, according to Trina, we'd been dating about a year on and off before we got together, so if anything we took our time." Tori said smiling.
"So I'm a cheater now?" Jade asked, half amused.
"No, you and Beck were on and off, so lets just say we dated during the off times." Tori said.
"Okay, I'll let that one slide. So your turn. What else is bugging you." Jade asked.
"Sex. I mean, I love it, and I love that it's you I want to sex up, but I'm afraid that's all I bring to the relationship." Tori started.
Jade sighed. "That was my next one too. I love you, but I feel you've been using sex as your weapon of choice when we're together. Vega, Tori, you don't need to use sex to get what you need. You're an accomplished actress and singer who's career is taking off. You're better than that."
"But you're coming back to who you were, or who you usually are. It's more than need. You so strong, and I'm afraid the only power I have in this relationship is seduction." Tori was sounding sad.
"That's not true. I have no idea how to be in a healthy relationship. Beck tried, but we were together based on conflict and struggling for control. You're parents were much better role models. You're the heart of this couple. The heart of us. My strength come with a lot of indifference to the things I don't love. You help me to be a better person." Jade said while holding Tori's hand.
"And now you're going to regret saying such nice things." Tori replied.
"Why?" Jade looked skeptical.
"You're going to miss having the strength to walk tomorrow." Tori said with a sly smile.
Friday was a blur of celebrations. Her class sat and listened to Jade explain the final, going over each question and showing them how to find the answers. This was accompanied by sodas and chips. Jade found herself taking nearly the whole class as well as three refills of the soda. Lunch was also a celebration. Doctor Kripke had officially announced he was publishing his work and everyone but Sheldon was congratulating Jade on her contribution. Raj and Howard were both happy for her, and Lenard let her know how happy he was for her over Skype. He also had her run a quick simulation.
Tori welcomed her back with a back rub, and let things go from there. Later, as the two were finding their clothes, Tori addressed Jade.
"Can we spend tomorrow together and not do it? I mean, until we're ready for bed. Just spend the day together without sex?" The singer asked.
"Sure." Jade replied. 'Not sure where this is coming from, but it can't be good.' Jade thought. "How about we hit Disneyland."
"I was thinking we hit the beach." Tori replied.
"So you want us all undressed and sexy, but no sex?" Jade asked.
"Yep." Tori replied.
"They say I'm evil." Jade looked at her girlfriend.
Saturday they spent at the beach, having a great time while visiting with friends. The whole gang dropped by, including Trina. Sinjin and Burf showed up as well. Since they had their entourage on, they were doing a great job of deflecting the usual girl fest Beck drew. It was a fun last harrah before school started.
Saturday night, after a bonfire and singing, they finally made their way back to Pasadena and Lenard's bed. No longer under the no sex rule, Jade and Tori made love, luxuriating in the touch of each others skin and in the slow pleasures they shares with each other. When Jade dropped Tori off at church, she was certain, the singer was probably going to be her wife within the next five years. After dropping Tori off, Jade made her way back to her mothers house and spent some time with Billy. They played video games and talked about what he was going to be doing in school this year.
Monday came, and Jade walked into Hollywood Arts like the queen of the school. So much had changed over the summer, and yet she had regained her balance and was once more on track. The gang greeted her, all happy to be back in school. Hollywood Arts is like that. Students see the summer as a break, but are anxious to return to the lessons that could prepare them for a life on stage. Jade was home. She kissed Tori, both to show her affection and to remind everyone that the Latina was taken. And headed to Sikowitz. They were seniors, and so they were the power running the school. It felt good to be back.
:}
So this is the end. The story has covered what I wanted to cover, and now they are seniors who's lives are stable. If this were a sitcom, we'd have had less drama, but we'd just keep going. Watch for an epilogue, coming soonish.
Reviews are welcome. Please, no more nude pictures of Dick Cheney. I never asked for them, and frankly, they give me nightmares.
The preceding was a bad joke. No actual pictures of any naked former vice presidents have been PM'd to this writer. It was only a joke.