Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, just this story plot. : )

A.N. Wow thanks everybody for all of your awesome reviews. I appreciate them so much. ^_^ A few of you shared how you thought this chapter would start and a couple of you were right. Keep in mind this story is already written out, but I still like to hear you guys' thoughts on it. We are past the halfway mark now, only two more chapters to go after this one. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. : )

…

Dana headed back upstairs to wake her sleeping daughter. When she entered the room, a soft gasp fell from her lips. Her daughter lay sound asleep on her bed, only she was not alone. Intertwined with her daughter was the missing Tori Vega; also sound asleep with her head resting in-between the crook of Jade's next, her right arm wrapped around her waist, and her right leg had found its way in-between Jade's own. Jade's arms had Tori pulled to her tight and her face was buried in Tori's hair. Dana slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. She paused for a moment, before making her way toward the staircase.

…

Jade felt small circles being drawn on the skin just above her left hip, she just smiled into her companion's hair. She slowly took her left hand and interlaced their fingers. She kissed her, now giggling companion's forehead. Tori rose up and looked down at the raven haired girl.

"Good morning." said Tori.

"Morning." returned Jade, as Tori leaned down to give her a kiss.

The kissed soon became heated, as Tori moved to straddle Jade's waist. Tori's right hand made it into Jade's hair, while her left under the pale girl's top. Jade's hands made it very clear that Tori's tank top had to go. Tori sat up and slowly began pulling her shirt up her lovely stomach; she got to the skin just below her breast…

(Running)

"Peeeee!" "Caaat!" "Sorry Robbie, be out in a sec!" "Aww, tartar sauce!"

(More running)

Both Tori and Jade's eyes flew open, at the commotion coming from the hallway. Tori's eyes went cross-eyed for a second before they focused on the ivory skin in front of them. Jade found her face buried in hair…sweet smelling hair, but still hair that was not her own. Both girls quickly replayed the events of last night and both began to hyperventilate, at the thought of who they were cuddled up with. Hands under shirts, legs intertwined; Tori looked up, while Jade slowly looked down.

"Jesus." "Oh my God." said Jade and Tori, as they hurried away from one another.

"God, Vega trying to fondle me my sleep?" asked Jade dramatically.

"Um, excuse me but your hand was under my shirt!" said Tori incredulously.

"Yeah, and your thigh was in my crotch!" countered Jade, both her and Tori trying to ignore the throbbing in-between their legs.

"Yeah well…your neck smells weird." replied Tori, in childlike manner.

"Yeah well, your hair smells weird." replied Jade, just as 'maturely'.

"Yeah well…"

The two girls continued bickering back and forth all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen, only stopping when they noticed all of their friends and Dana had stopped to look at them.

"Uh, hey guys. Good morning, Mrs. West." said Tori, with a sheepish smile.

"What, are you looking at?" Jade asked the gang in her usual snarky tone.

"Jade." said Dana in a warning tone, while holding out a cup of coffee for her daughter.

"Good morning, Tori. Would you like some coffee as well?" asked Dana, with a smile.

"Ah no thanks, orange juice is fine." said Tori, pouring some for herself as she took a seat next to Cat at the kitchen table.

"Hey hey." said Cat, all cheery as usual.

"Hey, Cat." said Tori laughing, while putting an omelet on her plate.

Jade took the seat across from Tori, as her mother sat in-between the two; at the head of the table.

"So, Tori where were you last night?" asked Rex 'innocently'.

Tori choked on her bite of omelet, while Jade coughed on a sip of coffee. Both girls received pats on the back.

"Uh…" said Tori, suddenly very interested in the contents of her breakfast.

"So, you guys want to see that new horror movie tonight?" asked Beck, saving Tori from the awkward conversation.

"Oh yeah, The House of Pain!" said Cat happily, while excitedly clapping her hands.

"I'm down." "Cool beans." "Let's do it." answered André, Robbie, and Rex.

The gang soon got sucked into talking about the gory flick. Tori looked at Beck and he gave her a wink, Tori gave a shaky smile in return. A small feeling of guilt passed through her, as she thought of the dream she had this morning involving his girlfriend; little did she know she wasn't the only one having not so innocent dreams.

Breakfast was soon over; the gang took turns getting dressed in the bathrooms, packed up, and now they were all (after thanking Mrs. West for her hospitality) heading out the door. Tori was the last to head out the door, but was stopped just outside of it; hearing her name being called behind her. Jade ran up with Tori's hair brush in her hand.

"You forgot this." said Jade, sheepishly handing Tori the brush.

"Thanks." replied the half-Latina, taking the brush just as sheepishly from the goth.

"And thank you for…for last night." said Jade, while awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.

"For what…fondling you?" asked Tori, jokingly.

Jade's shocked face was all Tori needed to see, as she turned to walk down the porch laughing.

"Ha ha, Vega." said Jade sarcastically, to herself.

A smiling Jade reentered her house and as soon as she shut the door, she met with a knowing grin from her mother.

"What?" asked a confused Jade.

"Nothing." said Dana innocently, as she made her way up the stairs.

'What is with her?' thought Jade, before heading to the backyard to do some writing.

…

A month had past and everything was the norm, well whatever the norm was for Hollywood Arts. It was a quarter till seven and almost time for the last play of the year. Most of the major parts had been reserved for participating seniors, so of course Tori and the gang were in it; as well as some of their other fellow seniors and some underclassmen. All of their families showed up (André's crazy grandma included), well all except one raven haired girl's. The gang now stood behind the curtain, peeking out at the crowd.

"I DON'T KNOW YOU!"

"Aww grandma, don't hurt the man! He was just tryin' to be nice!" yelled André as he ran to go help the man who tried to offer his grandmother a seat.

Tori and the others cracked up at the sight. The half-Latina looked toward Jade at the other side of the curtain and her laughter came to a halt. Anyone who didn't know the goth would've thought she looked like her usual pissed off self, but Tori could see through the mask and see the sadness behind it. Excusing herself from the group of laughing teens, she went to stand next to the pale skinned girl.

"Hey Jade, everything ok?" asked Tori; knowing full well it wasn't, but didn't exactly know what else to say.

"It's fine Vega. Why wouldn't it be?" said Jade in her usual snarky tone.

"No, it's not." said Tori, crossing her arms.

"You know what? You're right. Your voice is starting to give me a headache." said Jade, turning away from Tori and back to the almost full audience.

Tori said nothing as she studied the goth and put together what she saw.

"Can I help you?" asked Jade snottily, noticing Tori's non-absence. They had roughly eight minutes till curtain up, so Tori took the opportunity to pull a Jade. She grabbed the goth's hand and dragged her, disapproving remarks and all, to one of the costume closets. Jade was giving her her best 'why the fuck are you touching me' look, but Tori remained unfazed.

"I'm sorry that their not here." said Tori softly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Jade, playing dumb.

"Jade…" trailed off Tori, as Jade turned away. "I'm sure they have a good reason for…"

"Don't. Don't lie for them." said Jade, meeting Tori's eyes.

"Jade…I admit I don't know about your father, but your mom wants to be here." said Tori, trying to make it better for the raven haired girl; but knowing her words had little effect.

"Then why isn't she?" asked Jade, with a vulnerability that shocked and saddened the tan skinned girl.

"I don't know…but I do know that you will be great. You are great Jade…fantastic, in every performance you do."

"But no one ever sees it." said Jade, looking down at the floor.

"I see."

Jade looked up at Tori, with an expression that was a mix between shock and something else Tori couldn't quite figure out. Jade was just about to say something, when there was a knock on the closet door.

"Curtain up in five ladies."

Jade opened the door and made a motion, telling Tori to go ahead. Tori hesitated a second before reluctantly moving toward the door; only to be stopped by a firm hand on her arm. So many things Jade wanted to say, but of course her shield would only let its guard down for so long before it locked into place again. So…

"You're not so bad there yourself Vega." was all that made it out of her mouth; which to her surprise got her a smile and, if she wasn't mistaken, a slight blush in return.

The two young women left the closet together, both much happier then when they went in.

The play of course was a hit. Afterward, the gang and others were all gathered by Tori's locker; talking about their last performance at HA.

"Jade."

Jade turned around to see her mother, standing there with a proud smile on her face.

"Mom…you came?" said Jade slightly stunned, as she received a hug from her mother.

"Of course, I came. You have been talking about this play for months, which might I add all of your performances were excellent in." said Dana, receiving thanks in return from Jade and the gang. "I'm sorry I cut it so close. Your father and I had a minor disagreement earlier, but it's fine now."

Jade knew any disagreement with her father was never minor and could see the sadness her mother was trying to hide from her. She looked toward the doors just in time to see the man of the hour entering them, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the play was now over, talking nonchalantly to someone on his cell phone. The group around Tori's locker got quiet knowing that this was about to go very badly.

"What are you doing here?" asked a very pissed off Jade West.

"John I'll call you back." said Marcus, as he hung up and put away his phone. "Jade. So…I don't come and you're angry, I come and you're still not pleased?"

"Figures…if it has nothing to do with West Tech; then it's like it doesn't exist. The play is over, so you can stop pretending like you care and leave." said Jade.

"Obviously you have something you wish to discuss with me, but here and now is not the proper time." said Marcus, trying to end the conversation.

"It's never the proper time with you!" yelled Jade.

"Enough!" said Marcus, raising his voice.

By now all the kids and parents in the hallways had turned in their direction.

"We'll discuss this later. End of discussion. I'll meet you both at home." said Marcus addressing both Dana and Jade, before leaving out of the school.

Everyone went back to their conversations, trying not to eavesdrop any longer, except Tori and the gang kept their eyes on the young goth. Jade just stared at the door for a few seconds, trying to keep her harden mask up, before she turned and walked determinedly to her locker.

"Jade sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I told him not to come, if he was going to act like that." said Dana, trying to comfort her daughter.

"Mom, it's fine." said Jade shaking it off, as she snatch her leather jacket out her locker and threw it on. "I'll be home soon. I gotta go somewhere."

"Jade…"

"Mom, I'm alright." said Jade, raising her voice slightly and then she took a calming breath. "I'm sorry, it's just…I'm fine. I'll be home soon. You just be careful driving back ok."

Jade shut her locker and gave mother a reassuring smile, before she turned to walk out the school doors. As hard as she tried, Jade couldn't stop the tears that began to roll down her cheeks. Jade reached her car door and opened it, as she angrily wiped her eyes.

"Jade…"

"What the fuck?" said Jade, when a hand on her shoulder took her by surprise; not having heard Tori come up behind her.

"Sorry. Jade I…"

"Not now Tori." said Jade firmly, looking down and playing with her car keys. "I'm fine. Go do whatever it is little Tori's do."

Jade got in her convertible and before she could start the engine, her passenger door opened and shut.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Jade, looking over at Tori in the passenger seat.

"Tori's don't abandon their friends and I know you don't want to be alone right now. I see you remember." said Tori, give Jade the 'I'm not getting out of this car, so you might as well start 'er up' look.

And that's exactly what she did after she let out a sigh of defeat. The two rode through the city in a surprisingly comfortable silence, soon making their way to some hills. The radio now played, as they glided through the quiet hills. Jade glanced over at Tori and took her time to study the tan skinned girl. She had her head thrown back, eyes closed, while her long locks flowed wildly in the wind.

'Beautiful.' was the only thought Jade's mind could form for the lovely sight before her.

You are everything I wanted
The scars, all I'll ever know

If I told you you were right
Would you take my hand tonight?
If I told you the reasons why
Would you leave your life and ride?

And ride…

'Would she run away with me? Why yes, 'cause you're oh so charming to her? Oh, shut up.'

Jade broke out of her musings and turned her focus, once again, on the road ahead; but soon found her head turning to the right again, only to find her companion's warm gaze already on her.

"What?" asked Jade, with a slight blush.

"Nothing." returned Tori with a smile.

Tori soon started to giggle.

"What?" asked Jade, who couldn't help but giggle a little at the half-Latina.

"Nothing. It's just…this is kind of great." said Tori, with a shy smile.

Tori let out another giggle; soon the tan skinned girl threw her hands up and let out yells of excitement. All Jade could do was shake her head and laugh, and soon joined the brunette as they sped through the night.

You saw all my pieces broken
This darkness that I could never show

If I told you you were right
Would you take my hand tonight?
If I told you the reasons why
Would you leave your life and ride?

And ride…

Ride…

And ride…

Whoahhh…ohohoh…
Whoahhh…ohohoh…
Whoa…oh
Whoa…oh…oh…

(singer and instrumentals fade out)

Jade soon turned off onto a wooded side road, which wound up and up until it came to a flat landing. The Camaro rumbled to stop in front of a guard rail, just before a steep cliff drop.

"Comet Cliff." said Tori softly, as Jade cut the engine.

"You've been here before?" asked Jade surprised.

"Yeah…well not up here. My middle school took a field trip to the observatory up the road. We didn't get to come up here though, it's beautiful." finished Tori, looking up at the star filled sky.

"Yes, it is." said Jade softly, looking at Tori.

The pale skinned girl quickly shook herself out her trance and turned down the radio.

"Yeah, I come here a lot when I need to…" trailed off Jade as she leaned her seat back.

"…just be." finished Tori as she mimicked Jade's laying position.

"Yeah." said Jade softly, with a hint of sadness in her voice, as she stared up at the night sky.

"Hey, it's going to be ok." said Tori, as she unconsciously placed her left hand on top of Jade's right.

Tori quickly removed her hand and in an effort to cover up the awkward moment; she decided to ask Jade about her weekend plans with Beck, even though she really didn't want to know.

"So uh, what are you and the Beck's up to this weekend?" asked Tori, with a fake smile.

"Nothin' much." answered Jade simply, while playing with her hands.

Tori sat up on her elbow and looked down at Jade with a suspicious look on her face.

"What's been up with you guys?"

"Nothin'. Beck's a friend. We don't have to be attached at the hip."

"Yeah, but you're more than friends right?"

Jade was silent, contemplating her next words carefully. Either she lied and gave Tori the generic, 'Yeah, of course.', or she'd finally let down a major guard that had been her lifejacket for so long.

"Not for four months…and even before that we knew that we weren't clicking that way together."

"Oh Jade, I'm…I'm sorry. What happened? I'm mean it's none of my business, but you both still seem close." said Tori, as she raised up fully and put her seat back up.

'You happened.' thought Jade, as she sat her seat up as well. "Nothing happened we just didn't work ok?" said Jade frustrated, as she got of the car and walked behind it; to the telescope attached to the guardrail, not far from Tori's side of the car.

Tori sighed, before making her way over to the raven haired girl.

"I'm sorry." said Tori, looking down sheepishly.

"Tori…seriously stop apologizing." said Jade with a smirk, as she turned to face the tan skinned girl.

"Ok." replied Tori, with a smile. "So…a Camaro right?" asked Tori, as she put her hands in her hoodie pockets and looked at the black convertible.

"Correct." answered Jade, raising an impressed eyebrow.

"So uh, I know we're not super close and all; but I don't ever remember you driving this before."

Jade ignoring the hurt feeling she felt when Tori mentioned the always present distance she had put between them and replied, "Yeah, it was a recent 'Sorry, I've pretty much ignored you for most of your life. Why don't I buy you a car?' eighteenth birthday present. So naturally I accepted his, 'Here, I can't give you love; but here's something shiny instead.' gift. I made him work for it though. I wasn't getting just any car and that's how I got that beauty over there. Probably one of the only gifts I've gotten from my father, in awhile, that I genuinely love."

"It's pretty." said Tori with smile, trying to make another awkward situation less awkward.

Jade just gave her that 'Did you really just say that?' stare, before she busted out laughing. Tori's smile got bigger; as she basked in the beautiful laugh that she rarely, if ever, got to hear.

"What?" asked Tori giggling and playfully swatting the goth's right arm.

Tori was removing her left hand from Jade's arm, when Jade's right hand caught her left forearm and pulled her to her. Tori's arms somehow ended up around Jade's neck, while Jade's found themselves around Tori's waist. Their laughter began to fade, as they started to notice their intimate embrace. Intense blue eyes meant soft brown. With hearts beating out of their chest they slowly, but surely, began to lean into each other. Jade's boots made her slightly taller than Tori, so she lowered her head for the half-Latina. Eyes closed, noses brushed, lips less than a breath apart…

*Beep Beep* *Beep Beep*

It was as if the ringing of the phone smacked them out of their little world and drop kicked them back into reality. They backed away from each other, and Tori turned away from Jade to answer her phone. The shaken up goth ran a hand over her face, before moving to lean on the telescope anchored on the guard rail.

"Hey, mom…No, I'm fine…Sorry, I kinda left with Jade…I'll be right there…I know, I'm sorry…Love you…See ya soon…Bye." said Tori, finishing up her phone call.

Tori ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath, before turning to face Jade. Once again blue eyes meant brown and both held the unspoken question, 'Did that really almost happen?'

"I have…" "To go, yeah." Interrupted Jade, as she hurriedly walked passed Tori to her passenger side door.

Jade opened the door for the tan skinned girl and awkwardly avoided looking at her, as she entered the car. Soon the two were off, yet again, speeding through the hills; only this time they road in an unsure silence. Jade's Camaro came to stop in front of the Vega residence, the engine's rumble filling the loaded silence. Tori turned to say something, but stopped when, when she saw that Jade was facing away from her. She opened the door and was about to step out when…

"Thank you. Thank you for…Just thanks." said Jade softly, as she focused her gaze on her lap.

"Anytime." said Tori with a smile, before she did something that neither girl expected.

Tori quickly leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the pale girl's cheek, and then just as quickly left the stunned blue eyed girl sitting alone in her car. Jade watched the half-Latina walk into her house and with a smirk, that was quickly turning into a smile, took off into the night.

…

A.N. Awwww! : ) The song used in this chapter is "Ride" by Cary Brothers. Reviews are like little shots of happiness. Haha. : D I don't know. Come on, I don't bite. : )