AN: This is the second part of their Spring Break week; again we're in Tori's PoV for this chapter.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed both the last chapter (Challenge King and Pbow) and also "A Valentine's Tori", my little Valentine's Day one-shot set in this universe (so thanks to Challenge King again, Fanfic-Reader-88 and ArtisticAngel6 for reviewing that one).

Please enjoy the second part of their Spring Break week. There will be at least one more part to it, which will hopefully be up in the next few days.

I awoke the next morning with the same sensations as the last, particularly the feeling of Freddie's breath on my neck. What differed the most was my mood; I was groggy from struggling to sleep much and felt an ache in the pit of my stomach. For a few milliseconds I couldn't work out why but then the events of yesterday morning came gushing back for me and I felt tears pricking at my closed eyelids.

Something about it must have made Freddie realise that I was awake because I felt his grip on me strengthen a little and his other hand gently squeezed my upper arm through my nightshirt. I opened my eyes and began to turn to face him; he let go of my arm to allow me to do so. When I could see him I tried to force my face into a smile.

"Hey."

"Good morning," he whispered, swooping in to kiss my cheek; it was a sign of affection rather than anything else as he clearly figured that I wasn't in the mood for romance or our usual morning make-out.

"How long have you been awake?"

"About…" he glanced over my shoulder at my bedside clock, "half an hour."

"And you didn't get up at all?"

"I wanted to be the first thing you saw this morning," Freddie confessed. "I worried that if you woke and I wasn't here… on some level it would further shake your belief in forever."

In spite of myself I smiled at his romantic little gesture. "You're just too sweet," I whispered, kissing him softly. We cuddled a little longer before getting up to start the day.

Neither Carly nor Sam were up by the time we'd showered and dressed for the day but Trina, unusually early for a Sunday morning, was up and around – or at least she was sat at the breakfast table staring into space with a dejected look on her face.

"Hey sis," I greeted her with an arm around her shoulders. She barely acknowledged my presence before, just as I was releasing her, she replied,

"Hi Tori." Her voice was empty and deadened, the look in her eyes hollow.

Freddie busied himself making coffee and getting bowls and cereal out while my sister and I just sat there, alone in our thoughts though doubtless thinking the same thing.

"Hey guys, mama's hungry!" Sam followed her declaration down the stairs and into the kitchen where she waited impatiently for Freddie to prepare something. She accepted a bowl with a gruff "Thanks," though from what I knew of her it was unlikely to satisfy her for long.

"We have bacon in the fridge," I commented as the blonde sat at the table with us; when she saw the picture of the two Vega girls together she quietened a bit and gave us an almost sympathetic look. This disappeared in an instant, however, when I mentioned bacon; instead she returned to the kitchen and quickly located the item along with a frying pan that she put on the stove.

"You've learnt how to cook?" Freddie asked in surprise.

"I always knew how," she explained to him, "I was just too lazy."

Freddie chuckled before bringing a couple of bowls over for Trina and me then going back to get his own. The three of us ate our cereal in silence, Sam shuttling between the table, to eat her own, and the stove to continue cooking her bacon.

"Will there be any for the rest of us?" Trina asked seeing how much Sam was loading into the frying pan.

"You don't know me real well do you?" was her answer.

Freddie shook his head at the little exchange, particularly when Sam proceeded to load all the bacon from the pan onto one plate and started to tuck in. Noticing that there was at least some left, my boy returned to the kitchen and cooked the rest, finishing up just as Carly joined us, looking a little less bouncy than usual, particularly when casting a sympathetic eye of her own over us.

"Cereal?" Freddie offered her a bowl, "or there's some bacon – get it quick before Sam comes back for seconds." He smirked towards the blonde and she matched his expression.

"So what are we going to do today?" Carly asked over coffee once we'd finished eating.

"The weather's supposed to be good, how about the beach?" Freddie suggested.

"Awesome! Hot guys in trunks," Carly was excited about the idea; Sam rolled her eyes at her friend before turning to my man. "You just want to see Tori in a bikini, right?" she teased.

He eyed her, not in an annoyed way but he seemed to be deliberating on exactly what he should say to her. Taking his hand I answered the girl, "He doesn't need an excuse to see me in my underwear – or out of it," I finished a little waspishly. Freddie grinned, Trina looked a little affronted, Carly morphed into a radish and Sam pulled a face that suggested that she didn't entirely approve of my answer. Oh well, never mind.

"So the beach then?" Freddie supplied, trying to bring the conversation back on track.

"Yes, let's go to the beach," Carly echoed.

Breakfast was, fortunately, over before mom arrived downstairs; Freddie and I had retired to my room to get ready, with Carly and Sam in the guest room. Trina, who would normally jump at the chance to hit the beach, had said nothing and returned to her room in a most unTrina-like silence; I made a note to check on her before we left and see if she intended to come with us.

"So are we inviting the others?" Freddie asked. "I assume it was implied but nobody said for sure."

"Oh yeah, we'll ask them," I agreed and pulled out my phone to call Jade. She agreed and said she'd round up Cat, Beck and the others and that they'd meet us there (as I would have a full car with Freddie and the girls, with or without my sister).

I slipped my bikini on and pulled a T-shirt and my denim shorts over it; I caught Freddie staring a little as I picked up a bag to take some water and sunblock with me. He grinned guiltily before I assured him that it was ok.

"Honestly?" I whispered conspiratorially, "I'd be more upset if you didn't look after all this time."

He chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him and melted into his touch; things were good between us and the fear I'd been feeling ever since my dad left yesterday was beginning to leave me. Deep down I knew that I could trust Freddie, that I did trust him; it was just going to take a while to fully come to terms with everything.

I called on Trina as Freddie and I were leaving my room; she didn't want to join us and, much as I tried, I was unable to convince her that moping wasn't the answer. Carly and Sam, both in shorts and T-shirts like me, emerged just as I was giving up on Trina and the three of us headed downstairs to where Freddie was waiting.

"No Trina?" he asked, seeing that it was just the three of us.

I shook my head. "She's not in the mood." I cast a glance to the kitchen where my mom was sat at the table eating breakfast; she had her back to us which was unusual, as she would normally sit at the far side of the table. I hoped it was because she didn't want to see the look on my face which betrayed my feelings towards her. "Ok, let's go," I said and without another word left the house and headed for my car; the other three followed just behind.

Our guests chatted idly in the back seat of the car; Freddie joined in the discussion, using it as a chance to catch up on what was happening with people like Carly's brother and a few of their other mutual friends from up there. They attempted to include me in the conversation but were only partially successful in doing so as I was still rather lost in my own thoughts. Freddie's hand on my bare thigh while we waited at a set of lights drew my attention. I gave him my best and most reassuring smile as I whispered, "I'll be fine, I promise." I gently covered his hand with my own and left it there for a couple of intersections before the next red lights brought us to a halt. I leaned over to give him a quick kiss, which drew mock-retching from Sam (which in turn led to some scolding for her from Carly). I didn't care what Sam thought, I was just happy to be with my man for the week and I decided to put everything else to one side and enjoy our extended time together.

We pulled up in the parking bays by Venice Beach, as close to the RV area as we could get as that was where we expected to find the others. André waved to us and we headed over to them, surprised to see them all stood around, except for Cat.

"She's gone to the bathroom," my musician friend explained.

"Right, and you didn't want a repeat of last time when we were stuck in there for hours."

"No, I am not sweating again," Jade observed.

Freddie got us some drinks from the cool box in the cab and handed them out. We sat sipping them in the warm morning sun while we waited for Cat to return.

"If you get bored of the beach itself," Freddie told the girls, "there's a few little stalls along the road here where you can buy some stuff, little souvenirs and nick-nacks."

Carly nodded and made a mental note to investigate later. Sam, as ever, had no money but said she'd go with her friend and see if there was anything that she liked.

Cat returned soon after and was again happy to see us all. She led the way onto the sand and was soon urging Jade to go with her into the ocean, something that Jade steadfastly refused to do. "I told you what the dolphin did," she reminded her friend with a growl.

"What did it do?" I asked, curious to hear the story.

"I'm not telling you," Jade snapped back.

"Carly doesn't like to talk about what the goat –" Freddie began before his brunette friend cut him off.

"Yes, I think we've heard enough about animals for one day," her voice a little flustered. "Why don't we just enjoy sitting here in the sun and have a relaxing day at the beach."

Freddie and Sam both laughed at her response. "I'll tell you later," Freddie whispered, as this was another story that I was eager to hear. Carly must have overheard him as she shot him something of a filthy look, which he replied to with an innocent smile before finding a nice spot for our towels. Soon our outerwear had been discarded and sunblock applied; we were sunning ourselves and our group was earning plenty of admirers of both sexes as people walked by.

"I'm bored," Sam announced after a while. She grabbed Carly's wrist and pulled her to her feet. "We're going to hit the stalls and see what Carly can buy for me."

The brunette shook her head with a rueful smile, slipping her shorts and T-shirt back on and checking to see that she had some cash before the two departed.

"You fancy a swim?" Freddie asked me.

"Yay, ocean!" Cat cried. "C'mon, let's go." Well, how could I refuse a request like that from my friend and boyfriend? I got up and followed them to the sea, loving the feel of the comparatively cool water and watching as Freddie pushed powerfully away from the beach out towards the deeper water. Cat was content to splash around on her own, giggling maniacally, so I swam out to try and join my boy, turning back to see my red-haired friend still leaping about, though by now both Robbie and André had joined her with Beck and Jade watching on from our little camp.

I was surprised to suddenly be hit by a large wave of water; it broke over my head drenching me. I turned around to see a grinning Freddie treading water a few feet away and narrowed my eyes in a mock-threatening manner as I tried to get into position for a counter-attack; I was too slow and saw another sizeable quantity of water headed towards me, forcing me to close my eyes and mouth tightly.

"Argh Freddie, you're going to suffer for that!" I declared and began firing water back at him. He laughed and splashed back as he swam closer to me, finally catching me and pulling me into a hug. I kissed him, tasting a little of the salty brine on his lips before glancing back towards the shore. "We've drifted out a bit, haven't we?" I noted.

"Yeah, let's head back," he agreed and we swam back to our three friends.

"Had fun?" André asked in a relaxed manner.

"Plenty of fun," Freddie agreed as he shot me a little smile. "How about you guys?"

"Cat had more fun than us but it was nice to cool off a bit."

A glance towards Beck and Jade revealed that Carly and Sam had returned so Freddie and I made our way back up the beach, hopping a little at the feel of the warm sand on our cool feet. Jade was laughing hysterically at the sight of us racing uncomfortable back towards them, as was Sam; Carly and Beck contented themselves with amused grins aimed in our direction.

"That's right, laugh it up," I gave my dyed-black haired friend a playful shove, splashing her with some of the water that was still on my skin and in my hair; she squealed a little (something that really isn't usually in her nature) at the comparatively cold liquid landing on her warm skin and gave me a look that caused me to put Freddie between me and her and hold onto my boy's shoulders as I attempted to hide behind him, increasing the general merriment level no end.

André, Cat and Robbie returned, with Cat declaring that she wanted some lunch; it was a proposal that found solid backing from Sam so we bundled our stuff into Beck's RV and headed up the road to see what we could find. Sam lobbied for the Café and Grill (how can she be hungry after eating that huge pile of bacon and some cereal this morning?) and dragged Carly inside, leaving the rest of us with little choice but to follow them.

Most of us ordered fairly light, Sam being the obvious exception, and we carried on chatting and catching up with what was going on in each other's lives, how Carly and Sam were enjoying college at the University of Washington and a few other things. Carly confessed herself disappointed with the lack of hot guys to flirt with during our morning at the beach.

"Oh there were a few," Cat piped up, much to the brunette's confusion and chagrin. "Yeah some came by when you two went shopping."

Sam grinned sheepishly as her friend glowered at her for denying her an opportunity to flirt before she shrugged off any guilty feeling and simply returning to her meal, leaving Carly shaking her head at her.

"What's the plan for the afternoon?" I asked the table once we had paid for our lunch. "Are we staying here or heading back into LA?"

"I'm happy to stay," Carly commented.

"You just want to find some guys to hit on," Sam teased. Carly pouted but didn't deny the allegation, to the general merriment of us all.

With Carly wanting to stay, Sam, Freddie and I returned to the beach while the others decided to head back. We agreed to meet Beck and Jade at Jade's house the next morning and make our way to the rental properties Freddie wanted us to check out. André and the Seattle girls arranged a time for him to call around to see them and we got our stuff, said goodbye to our friends as Beck pulled the cab and RV out of the parking area and made our way back to the sand.

Sadly for Carly she wasn't able to find any cute guys to flirt with later on in the day, instead she had to settle for topping up – or rather starting on – her tan; seriously does the sun ever shine up in Seattle? No offence to Freddie's best friend but it doesn't look like it if she's anything to go by, though he was rather pale too when he first arrived the previous summer; he's definitely got a healthy glow about him now though.

"C'mon Carls," Sam groaned in bored frustration an hour or so later, "how long are we gonna sit here for? You're making us stay until you meet a guy?"

"Don't listen to her," Freddie reassured his friend. "We can stay all day if you want to." Sam scowled at him, Carly smiled and I hid my grin by rolling onto my front for a bit and ducking my head.

"Well if we're staying here all day," she imitated him badly, "then you're buying me an ice cream," Sam instructed Freddie and dragged my man to his feet. He sighed before turning to Carly and me and asking if we wanted one as well, which we did so the two of them set off for the stand a little way down the beach.

"Things are still great between you two then?" Carly asked happily.

"Yeah," I rolled over to face her, "things are great. Obviously right now I'm feeling a little…" I sighed, unable – or unwilling – to put everything into words right now.

Carly nodded. "I can't imagine how it must feel," she said softly.

"It's like everything I know has changed, like a rug has been pulled from beneath me. It even…" I dropped my voice to a whisper, "it even made me wonder whether what Freddie and I have will last."

Quick as a flash she'd pulled me into a hug. "Freddie loves you; you know he'll do anything for you. We saw that last time I was down here," she shivered a little, presumably at the memory of the boy in the hospital, before continuing, "he's not gonna do that to you."

"I know," I said, trying to reassure and convince myself more than her, "and he said as much himself." I recounted the story Freddie had told me about him and his friend in the bar, what he had told his friend and how he was doing his best to convince me that he was here to stay. "I believe him, I really do, it's just that this has really shaken me."

We chatted a little more, trying to move onto happier topics (though my asking about her love live didn't work as she described herself as being in "a dry spell"). I mentioned Sam and the continuing perceived animosity I felt when she saw Freddie and me together, wondering what Carly's thoughts on that were.

"She's been dating a couple of guys – and terrifying them very quickly," she noted. "I know she and Freddie talked over Christmas and settled a few things. I talked to her after… January," she tried to be tactful and not bring up that night again, "and she was concerned about him. I know that she knows you two are together and it's for real, but I think at Thanksgiving she finally realised what she had lost and it probably still hurts her to come to that realisation. It's been a part of what's made her act a little better since we got to college – a desire not to make the same mistakes again with another guy."

"You mean treating him like dirt for years," I commented bitterly. I could have said more, of course, about Carly's own part in it, but with us talking here, and her comforting me just now over everything, I chose not to go down that route. She bowed her head anyway but, before she could comment, the two of them returned with our treats, ending the conversation.

"Ok, I'm done," Carly announced morosely after finishing her ice cream; the beach was beginning to clear of people in our age group and more families were showing up for the afternoon. The rest of us, particularly Sam, were ready to leave as well and before long we were packed up and on the road back to Hollywood.

"Anything you girls want to do for the rest of the day," Freddie enquired of them, taking my arm gently to indicate that I too was included in the planning. Neither of our guests had any burning desires so we figured we'd just head home for the rest of the day, as we didn't know what André and the others had planned for them for the next day.

There was a definite frosty atmosphere when we arrived; Trina was sat at the near end of the couch, closest to the door, staring intently at the TV and ignoring our mom, who was sat on the other couch and trying to talk to her.

"Hi Tori," mom greeted me.

"Hi," I returned rather stiffly.

"Did you all have a good time?"

"Yes thanks," was all I really wanted to say.

She managed to engage Carly and Sam in a little conversation while Freddie and I headed for my room. I closed the door behind us and walked up to him, happy to be drawn into his strong and welcoming embrace.

"I don't know how much longer I can stand this Freddie." Tears were just starting to well in my eyes; his grip on me strengthened a little, firm yet gentle, strong but reassuring. He planted a gentle kiss on my neck as I struggled to keep the tears at bay just a little longer. "I don't know how long I can stay here with her after this."

He pulled away from me just a little, though he kept hold of me, and stood looking at me sombrely.

"Call your dad this evening," he suggested, "see where he's staying, what he's doing and maybe whether you can go and see him. It might help, so might us signing up for a place for next year soon – at least it would mean there was a light at the end of the tunnel for you."

I nodded; both of his suggestions made a lot of sense. "And…" he said, "any time that you want to come to my place, you are always more than welcome. Obviously this week's tricky with our guests but you can always come and stay." Then he chuckled a little, "I'm sure none of the guys will object if you do."

I leaned in and kissed him softly. "Thanks Freddie," I whispered.

AN: Thanks for reading, please add a review to let me know what you thought. I hope to get part 3 of their Spring Break week up within the next few days.