Disclaimer: Victorious and it's characters belong to Schneiders Bakery and/or Nickelodeon studios. I don't own.
:}
In addition to Tori's somewhat rebellious behavior, There was another, more covert problem for Jade that had been developing as time went one. It seemed Tori just couldn't forget Jade telling her about wanting to be an entertainer. That somehow stuck with the pop star, to the point where she'd asked the blue eyed girl to sing for her while out on their adventure. After their bonding at the shooting range, however, Tori had tried to ignore Jade's entertainment past and focus on what the girl wanted to do now. 'After all, Trina wanted to sing, and god she can't.' Tori reasoned. But over time, the older sister singing had gotten better, no longer habitually off key, and so Tori was left to wonder what the blue eyed bodyguard sounded like.
Jade, however, never said another word about her past, not giving a hint as what she was like. She even avoided singing at Erin's birthday. That frustrated the pop princess, who'd grown up with Trina and felt she could handle any level of bad singing. So Tori discreetly asked, then less discreetly demanded, only to find out that Jade wasn't going to budge. Not one note sung, not one scene played out. The girl even refused to play charades.
Tori wasn't going to be stymied, not by her too hot to handle bodyguard. So the singer had made it her mission to find out more about Jade's performing past. The web searches were not producing much at first, since Tori usually had Kasey do that kind of research. It just felt wrong to drag her assistant into that kind of mischief, as getting in trouble with the apparently lethal blue eyed girl was potentially bad for her health. Besides, the girl was too busy finding the special cheese Tori liked or making sure that none of the bands arbitrary demands were violated. Contract riders were a pain sometimes, and Tori hated for her people to be shorted, so when the promoter didn't come through, she had her assistant working to correct that problem. But it meant Tori had to figure out how to do varying web searches, looking for the right combination of words to give her any clue about Jade's past.
Tori's used every spare moment she could to look for Jade's secret, often checking things while watching whatever inane movie was playing during their flights. (Often movies she herself had insisted upon.). Days passed, with her checking more and more obscure sights, different ways of asking the same question. Her obsession had taken her to the edge of the dark net, to the playground where if you don't know the Internet Resource locator (IRL), you'll never find it. Still in the public, and benign parts of the internet, the singer was checking an off site when she hit pay-dirt. Sitting in her room, relaxing after a rare afternoon show, she'd decided to spend another hour checking various off topics hoping for a connection. "Jade West..." She read aloud. The local talk show hadn't called for the anticipated interview, for which she was now very happy. Instead, she was reading this sight, and feeling both a sense of victory, and a strange feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Quickly, she fumbled for her phone, calling her sister. "Trina, can I see you for a bit?"
Her sister sighed, then replied "Be there in a minute." Tori wasn't one for big diva moments, but sometimes the girl had the weirdest requests. Other times, she just needed to be assured that things were going the way they were supposed to be going. Trina had the talk show lined up, but canceled based on how this guy treated his guests. He pranked everyone. 'Besides, she's probably wanting to tell me that one of the dancers really really needs a special shade of eyeliner that they just can't find anywhere.' The manager chucked to herself. That was so Tori.
So, mere seconds after getting the call, Trina knocked on her sisters hotel room door. "Okay, whats the big that had you asking to see me? Is Izzy out of that damn sparkling water he likes so much?" Trina refereed to the guitarist who they were using this tour. He was solid, if a bit of a drama queen. At least he constantly didn't get high, unlike the guy he replaced.
"You remember the year I won American Voice?" Tori asked, her voice solemn. Trina nodded as she continued. "It was the year I met Beck, who as you recall, was also on the show. You remember that? And do you remember how we were all talking about that mini scandal, when someone got thrown out out of the auditions for fighting?"
"Yep." The older sister replied.
Tori turned her computer. Showing the old, hard to find on line version of the police report. "Jade was one of the people arrested for fighting. Says here she was defending another hopeful, but as I recall, the show didn't care. She was tossed out just like the guy she was fighting, some hopeful's boyfriend."
"Congratulations, she was one of thousands who tried out that year." Trina was sarcastic. "Tori, it doesn't matter, she had her chance and didn't make it. Even if she'd been on the show, she'd have been up against you, and would have lost. I know she's put it behind her, so you should too. Stop trying to look into her past, cause if you do, you'll try to help. And every time you try to help, we wind up with another disaster on out hands." The older girls voice softened, as she put her hand on her sisters arm. "You know I'm right, so let it go."
"But she wanted to siiing." Tori whined.
"No, she wanted to be famous." Her sister corrected her. "But as long as we're on the subject, you know Dre's rejoining the tour in a couple of days. Just in time for the European leg of the tour, leading to the world tour. So, do we cut her, or keep her since Dre's probably better off in a more supportive roll right now?"
"We have those shows in the Caribbean before we head over seas, right?" Tori asked. "The mini vacation we promised the crew? Lets keep her on, see how she takes being a bodyguard on the beach, then maybe we can take her to Europe. Then Asia, and the rest of the world."
"Yep, we're gonna take her to see the world. That is, assuming she can handle our other schedule." Trina assured her sister. "You just, let me handle the whole Jade's past thing. I think she's put it behind her, but I'll make sure to nip any problems in the but. You, just focus on performing, making us all that sweet sweet cabbage that is the reason we're all here. Okay?'
"Okay." The singer sighed. "Oh, we're hitting Bermuda, right? Will Beck be there?"
"We made plans, and he does have some time off from his play, so he should be there." Trina explained. "You know about the play, right? It's a major supporting roll on Broadway. Thing is, there's this rock star, Wade Collins, and he wanted to get him some Broadway stage time to add to his acting cred. So, being the gentlemen he is, Beck graciously offered his roll for a couple of weeks, so Wade can get his acting on. So, yea, Beck should be there, ready to relax with the rest of us, and we'll all have us a time before we hit Europe. And Hay, after Europe, we have the more relaxed schedule, cause of travel and shit." The older girl was smiling, reassuring, on the outside. However, on the inside she was worried. 'I set the whole Wade Collins thing up just to give you two this time together, and to give us a few romantic photo ops. But now, I'm a little worried he'll flake out on us. Boy resents your success.'
"I hope nothing gets in the way. We video chat, call each other, that kind of stuff, but it's been too long since we were in the same place." The singers face contorted. "You don't think it's cause I don't like to blow him, do you? I mean, when I do, sometimes I gag, and regardless of what he claims, I know that affects my singing. Sometimes for days. I just don't wanna give a bad show. Beck gets that, right? I mean, I give him everything else. I even offered to get that IUD so he didn't have to use the condoms, cause he complained they don't feel right. Of course, that was before you told me that getting one would send the wrong image, make people think I was a slut."
"It totally would." The older girl insisted. "I'll make sure he's gonna show up, and let you know." Trina smiled as she walked out of the room. 'With as many girls as he sleeps with, I had to make sure she was safe, and not just from pregnancy. Disease is a major threat. Frankly, I'm amazed his pecker hasn't turned some odd color and fallen off.'
She stopped outside the of Ryder's room. Knocking, she briefly hoped to find him in a compromising situation with the new bodyguard. Ryders past was well behind him, but the boy still had his charms, and Jade was a looker. But when the door opened, he was alone, wearing a bath robe. Behind him there was a naked girls frozen on his TV screen, trapped in the process of trying to swallow a mans dick. "Trina, whats up?" He asked, not bothering to be embarrassed by his predicament. "So Bermuda, then the rest of the Caribbean?"
"Ten days with only five show." She echoed. "I've been waiting for this break all tour. I'm gonna enjoy the four days off we get. Then, we're on our way to Europe." Her smile faded. "But Beck's gonna be joining us, at the resort, and I need to make sure that there's no problems with the new girl."
"Nah, Jade's a pro." The taller boy assured her.
"I know, but I'm afraid she might have a past we're not ready to deal with." Trina explained. "Plus, look at her. I'm half expecting Beck to put a move on her. And if he doesn't, that could be worse." He gave her a puzzled look. "Look, It's a long shot, but, lets just hope no one affiliated with Shapiro is anywhere near this, cause I don't need the headache."
"It'll be fine." He assured her. "Look, Robbie's got a long reach, but I doubt he'd be able to convince Cat to hire one of his informants as a bodyguard. And you know, us security folks, we're good at keeping secrets. It's like job two for us."
"Job one being keeping the client safe." Trina asked, stepping into him, her eyes smiling.
"And job three is making sure our clients is satisfied with our performance." He added. "You got time? I can restart the movie." His smile promised satisfacton.
"Tempted, but I need to get a couple of things done before Bermuda." She sighed, giving him a quick kiss before heading back to her own room.
The next couple of days where a hectic blur. The cast and crew were all talking about Bermuda, and the anticipated vacation that awaited them there. People were talking about the beach, the hotel, and mostly being able to just relax for a couple of days and take it easy. Jade found that every dancer and crew member seemed to be making plans, either individually or in groups. Then there were the hookups. There were a dozen plus guys in the crew, plus several more among the dancers, and it seemed that half of them didn't hold onto any more commitment then one tour, or even less. Jade had been hit upon several times, by both crew and dancers, representing every possible gender mix. 'Never thought I'd be grateful for working through a vacation.' She'd thought, more then once.
And then, after a week straight of shows, since they had to make one up, the day came when everyone was heading to the air port. The small private jet that had been waiting for Tori was now replaced by a larger one, one big enough to hold the entire cast, crew and extras from the tour.
Jade reviewed the details of this small passenger plane that now waited for them. While it had a capacity of one hundred and fifty people, plus a descent amount of luggage and cargo, it had been reset to handle the smaller numbers by giving them more room to stretch, lay back and move about. It was going to be their main transport from island to island for the next few days, as they hit each show and then moved on the next day. Five shows in five days, then back to Bermuda for five or so days off to rest and recover.
'And then Europe.' Jade thought. She couldn't believe it, standing on the tarmac, watching everyone boarding, waiting for Ryder to give the signal that said everyone was on board so they could board as well. 'Never been to Europe. Hell, if it weren't for Canada being so close, I'd never have left the U.S. And it's the syrup that made me go and get my passport more then the possibility of working over seas.' She smiled at the memories of slipping over to Canada to snag a bottle of pure maple syrup, then rushing back to enjoy it. 'I could have gone to Maine, but those people are vicious. Easier to smuggle it across national lines.' She smirked, because one bottle was considered personal use, and usually ignored at costumes.
Ryder gave the signal. "Jade, we need to get in. Trina has something to say, and it's for everyone. The luggage is all loaded, the compartment sealed, and airport security is responsible for us now."
"Think I'll get a window seat?" Jade joked.
"I just call the worst seat imaginable, and pretend it's the one I wanted." Ryder shot back as they climbed the boarding stairs and got on the plane. He gave Trina a quick thumbs up, letting the manager know everyone was on board.
"Okay everyone, this is a special treat." Trina announced to the gathered cast and crew. She'd stood up at the front of the passenger area, and was shouting to get everyone to calm down enough to hear her instructions. The speaker system went live, and Trina had the volume advantage, no longer needing to shout just to be heard.. "Now, the studio's chartered a plane to fly us all over the Caribbean, you know, for the show. That means we're all traveling together. Tori is very excited for this leg of the trip, cause she gets to spend so little time with you while touring. However, there are a few details I want to remind everyone about. First is, as big as the plane is, it's not big enough for our show. Many of the sets we use are going to Europe by boat. So this show is gonna be more bare bones, with what they provided as backdrops and extra equipment. And remember, they only have a one off budget, so it's not gonna be as good."
She paused for a second, to make sure that people were still listening. "That being said, We're hitting Bermuda, then one of the British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Pueto Rico, and Barbados. Then we head back to Bermuda for a little rest and relaxation before going to Europe for the next leg of our tour. So, work hard, enjoy the weather, and we'll have four days to just kick back and relax once the hard work is done."
Her speech was met with cheers, as well as people talking about what they wanted to see or do at the various places they would visit. "Jade, you read for this?" Ryder asked. He'd noticed how nervous she'd looked when she wasn't focused on doing her job. They were in the front part of the plane, what was once the first class section, back when the aircraft was designed. Here it formed a set of two U's on either side of the aisle, where people could sit and talk, and have plenty of leg room. Trina had snagged that part for the ten or so people who normally flew together, but Tori was off and mingling with the others.
"Yea, got my passport and everything. Pity I had to leave my weapons, but they look down on us carrying in most of these countries." The blue eyed girl said, smiling at the adventure awaiting them. "But I don't expect much trouble here. And if she does somehow get in trouble, I imagine we'll find whatever we need as we go."
"Thats it, be optimistic." The older boy said, looking out the window. "I do kinda miss the smaller planes, but we'll have plenty of that once in Europe."
"Wait, we're still gonna travel by air?" The female bodyguard asked. "I thought, given the rail system, and how small the whole of Europe is, we'd be taking ground based transport."
"You'd think, but us flying, it's in her rider. The part of her contract where she's allowed to make outrageous demands, and they have to give her as much as possible, cause that shows they know how to treat her like a rock star." Ryder explained.
"But she's a pop star." jade pointed out.
"Doesn't matter. It's the way things are done. She fly's when possible," Ryder insisted. "She fly's, stays rested, and can give the best performance. Trust me, when she's tired, she starts acting all goofy, and you've seen her when she's over tired. Great show, just a bit off on her behaviors. But flying, it avoids us having another moment like that, and that keeps us all happy."
"Not sure I like that thought of her having me keep her company in the shower again." Jade said, her eyes hardening. "Vega's great, I really mean it, but working for her is so frustrating. Fist, well, it's the biggie, but she tends to take too many risks. I've tried to rein her in, over and over, but you know how she is. It's like I'm dealing with a defiant child, out to do just the opposite of what we tell her is the best option. Like those days out she spent with me. I told her, every time, we needed more security, more personnel to watch out for her. And every time she insisted on going out with just me. I get it, so far nothings happened that I couldn't handle, but what do we do when it does happen. And we both know it's just a matter of time before something happens that I'm not enough to deal with. I mean, Tori Vega, America's girl next door fantasy, out with only one guard. Thats crazy."
"You handled the birthday party just fine, but I totally see where your coming from. Still, Tori's the boss, regardless of what else she is." The other bodyguard said. "She expects to get her way. We just have to be patient, and put our foot down when it gets too dangerous. That, and anticipate trouble, cause she's gonna just walk into it." He sighed. "So, speaking of acting childish, you've started calling her Vega. Any reason?"
"I need to maintain professionalism, and her desire to be my fucking sister isn't helping." The raven haired girl stated. "It leads to trouble. I can already see the day when something bad happens and I tell her to go with Ron, or Bill, and she doesn't. And why doesn't she? Cause I'm her friend, and I'm in major danger. I mean, I'll be there, risking my life, hoping she'll act like a good little self centered client and go rushing off to safety, so I could be able to focus only on getting my ass out of that trouble. And what will she do? If she stays, tries to help, she'd be putting herself in undo risk, and me as well. I'm not crazy about risking both our lives over an imagined friendship. I'm hired help, not her fucking best friend."
"Well, you'll love this news then." The tall boy said. "Andre is in Bermuda. Cat had him sent there once she got the release from the Recovery Center. As soon as they gave him his clean bill of health, he was on the next plane to Bermuda. Been staying in a hotel and everything, waiting for us to arrive. He'll be the one meeting us at the airport, and even if he's not fit to do front like shit, we need the extra pair of eyes. Better, he's Tori's friend, so he might be able to bring her back in line. And who knows, little Kitty might be there too. Ten days in paradise? I'd take that opportunity."
"She can be very difficult to deal with sometimes." Jade said, smiling, knowing it was a joke. "Okay, really, she likes such safe, sweet places, makes me wonder why she needed a bodyguard while in New York. But hay, she was paying, so I sucked it up and found out just how big the Disney store in Times Square really was."
"You get along with her? Cat I mean." The older bodyguard asked.
"I get the feeling everyone gets along with her." The dark haired bodyguard replied. "Or she tries to get along with everyone. Either way, it'll be nice to see her in a different environment. She was always on the phone, or doing business, or talking. The girl was as bad as Tori, asking me all kinds of personal questions. Wait, let me take that back, Tori never asked the questions she did." Jade grew still, no longer wanting to talk.
"Jade, you just zoned out." Ryder prompted. "You okay?"
"Yea, it's just, there are parts of my past I'd rather not talk about." The blue eyed girl said.
Jade looked up to see Trina watching her. Over the last couple of days, the older girl had been keeping her distance. It felt like she was reluctant to confront the one time goth, but something was definitely off about the whole thing. They spoke, but recently the manager had switched to using Ryder to relay instructions rather then tell her directly. More confusing, Trina had approached, seemingly conflicted, then turned to do something, often anything else, like she wasn't ready for a conversation. 'And she's the girl who talked to me about what was the best way I knew to give head, offering me pointers and advice based on her own dating experiences. That was an awkward conversation to have while waiting for her sister to finish an interview.' The fighter knew her boss, the one who did the hiring and firing, was having trouble broaching a subject with her. It was strange, given that this morning Ryder asked how long she could stay on, and if she'd consider having a fling with one of the crew. 'What is it about me sleeping with the crew? Is me not getting any somehow a threat to her show?' Jade wondered.
The memory of that question, if she'd consider hooking up with someone in the crew, bothered the bodyguard. She went over Ryder's reasoning again. "I'm just saying, you getting a little sexual relief, that would help everyone. You wouldn't be so uptight, and Trina would stop worrying about who you might be sleeping with. Yes, she asks me who your with, and why you haven't melted to my charms a while ago." Something in that moment hadn't jumped out then, but now glared at her.
"Ryder, you went to school with the Vega's, right?" She asked. "You said you were a bit of a problem for one of them."
"I used Tori for a good grade in our singing class." He admitted, again. "But we're all past that now."
"How did you wind up working for Tori? And how does Trina know so much about your charms?" Jade was watching him now, looking for any subtle clues that he was hiding something, anything.
"Well, after collage turned out to be a lot harder then I thought it would be, I realized I needed a job. And Trina, she needed people to watch her sisters back, people she kinda knew, cause the bodyguards they had at the time were either short term, or too distant. I'm saying she didn't know them, and never would. At least with me, she knew what motivated me, and we went from there." The tall boy said. "As for my charms, remember I convinced Tori to date me so I could use her for the grade."
"Then why would she allow anyone who could manipulate her sister to get this close to her?" The now interested girl pushed. "Why did you, of all the guys who stuck around, learn to be a bodyguard. Also, your the number one guy right now, but you can't wait for Andre to get back so he can take that roll. Whats up with all of this? What am I missing? You know I'll find out."
He almost laughed at the implied threat. "I used to have a thing with the boss." He admitted, keeping his voice low so no one would hear. "Not Tori, Trina. We started seeing each other after the whole Tori disaster. It was after they'd kinda outed me for my behavior, so at the time no girl would date me. But Trina, she wasn't after a date. When we agreed to see each other, Cause she didn't want to be bogged down, we both promised to keep it light. Strictly fun, and later, physical. But as time went on, I found out that karma's a vengeful bitch." He stopped to sigh again, watching the boss lady out of the corner of his eye.
Ryder returned his eyes to the blue ones belonging to the girl he was talking too. "Bottom line, I fell, she didn't. So now, I'm along as much for her desire to have a No Strings relationship as I am for my job as a bodyguard. She could dump me in a second, so it's safe for me to be watching her back. Andre, he's Tori's bud, but we get along great. He keeps your secrets, and offers me advice on how to deal with things when Trina decides flirting is her best option. FYI, She doesn't flirt to get things unless she has no other choice."
"Your still sleeping with her?" Jade asked, reading his subtle nod as a yes. "And she wanted you to seduce me?" Another nod. "What, is she terrified that I'm gonna be the one that Shapiro jerk has here to seduce her sister?"
"Not really." Ryder admitted. "She was fine with you up until just about a week or two ago, then she wanted to know who's boat you were rocking."
For several seconds, Jade's mind was whirling, looking for any reason this would make sense. But it kept coming back to the same one, over and over again. The reason she'd been afraid would come up from the moment she was hired and found out who she would be guarding.
"Fuck!" Jade hissed. "I need to talk to her."
:}
Lots of words just to get a couple of points across, but I did it. I did consider just writing the story as bullet points, but how interesting would that be? So instead, you got over four thousand words.
So what are your thoughts? I know, as a cliffhanger, this is beyond weak, but still, what dark secret is jade about to face? And what repercussions might it bring? Your thoughts, as always are welcome. There's even a review box for you to type them into.