Estrangement

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

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Chapter 23 (The Old Sibling Charm)

Tori was asleep on the couch the next day, it had been some time since Jade left for the hotel. They'd had a long day of moving all her stuff from the house into the apartment, of course Jade had to sell some stuff for her in LA, so the money from that was given to Tori. Some items were in a storage unit that Tori bought with the money from the sales. The majority of the items brought into the apartment were dishes, portraits, jewelry, clothes and blankets. There were some rugs and bath towels in the mix.

A lot of it was still in the boxes, which meant Tori was going to have a hell of a time unpacking. As far as she was concerned, she had plenty of time and wasn't expecting any further guests. She wasn't looking forward to the unpacking, rather, she was looking forward to getting her first paycheck. As for what she was going to do with that first paycheck, she wasn't sure. Saving it was priority, but then there was the matter of bills and groceries.

Tori jolted awake to the sound of knocking at the door. She moaned and looked to the nearby clock, it was only seven in the evening. "Coming," Tori muttered. She pushed herself up and moved to the door. "Who's visiting now?" Once she opened the door, she was shocked to see Holly and Trina. She stared blankly at them as Holly moved forward to hug her, catching her off guard.

"Hello sweetie!" Holly chimed. What were they doing here? Tori chuckled nervously and hugged her mom. Holly was looking much better than the last time she'd seen her. Her hair was up in a bun, her smile was doing wonders for her face, and whatever medication the doctor had put her on appeared to be working. Her shaking was almost unnoticeable. "I talked Trina into stopping by for a visit, I hope we didn't come at a bad time."

"You didn't, mom. I was just…sleeping." Tori looked up to Trina, daring to muster a smile. Trina had her arms crossed and her lips were stretched in a flat line. Her eyes were as sharp and piercing as ever. Did this woman ever smile? Of course she did, but that was usually around her family, friends, and people who hadn't made her very angry in life. "Hi Trina, how's it going?"

"Pretty good," Trina remarked. She wanted to make a joke about Trina being so cross, but she didn't think it would help her in any way. Of course, chances were likely this was due to Holly saying she had had to talk Trina into visiting. "Mom insisted we stop by." Trina lowered her arms and exhaled as Holly nodded.

"I haven't seen my baby in what-a week or two now? As an old woman who went twenty years without one of my children, I'm afraid of going any extended period of time." Trina rolled her eyes and chuckled once while Tori merely smiled. "Plus, I don't like being caught up in between your war. My daughters should get along!"

"Yes well…" Trina cleared her throat and walked past Holly and Tori, scanning the apartment with her eyes. "Good to see you're keeping the place clean, and I'm hearing good things from Nancy regarding your work." Tori swelled with pride as her sister met her gaze. Trina started to smirk and her eyebrows lifted. "I'm pleasantly surprised you've made it this far, keep up the good work and we'll see how things go. Anyway, Mom wanted to invite you to see a Broadway show." She gasped and looked to Holly. Holly grinned from ear to ear.

"Trina already had a few tickets from someone she knew that didn't want to see the show. There was an extra ticket since Megan didn't want to see the performance. I thought, maybe this could be a good way for the three off us to have some time together!" Holly gushed and clasped her hands together, gazing at the sisters with a pleading expression. "Just for the night. To make your dearest aging mother happy, right?"

Trina rubbed her right temple and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "Tori, you never told me mom could be so persuasive. Hell, she even does a good job with guilt trips…" Tori released a dry laugh and shrugged her shoulders.

"I think she learned a lot in the last twenty years. She has a lot of power her children." Tori turned to the clock, thinking of her work shift tomorrow. "I have to go to work early tomorrow, but I'd love to go to a show with you guys." It really would be a perfect opportunity to take advantage of spending time with her sister. Even if Trina didn't talk to her, it was still something. "It'll be a nice break too from all the unpacking I have to do."

"All right then. My husband's staying home with the kids, so I won't have to worry too much." Did Trina usually worry when she wasn't home? Of course she did, she was a family woman who had seen terror come to her children when she wasn't home to keep them safe. What mother wouldn't constantly worry about safety?

"Like I said, it'll be good to catch a break."

Going to Broadway filled Tori with excitement and curiosity, as well as the awe and wonder of a young girl. She'd always been curious about how Broadway shows went and only ever dreamed of seeing a performance. Now, as they filed into the auditorium, she was finally going to get to see a performance.

They had a balcony seat looking down at the stage. Holly, seemingly strategically, surged ahead to sit at the seat against the wall. This left Trina and Tori to sit down next to each other. Tori took the seat in the middle, and Trina spoke no words as she took her seat. "So what are we seeing?" She was giddy and studying the red velvet curtains while anxiously tapping her fingers on the armrest.

"An old classic they love doing down here. Have you ever heard of that Broadway musical Chicago?" Tori's heart skipped a beat and she quickly nodded, she'd only seen it in movie form. Truly seeing it on stage would be amazing.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Trina!"

"Um…sure." Trina averted her eyes, possibly trying to conceal whatever emotion she was feeling. Tori smirked and moved comfortably into the chair.

"It's been a long time since we've been together as a family, huh Trina?" Trina spoke no words, which hurt a bit, but Tori understood. The statement was likely inappropriate, especially since she was likely to blame for pushing Trina over that line. When she glanced over, she saw Trina ignoring her, or likely ignoring the question. Her lips thinned and her brow furrowed. "Hey, Trina? Does Sinjin…Does he hate me?" Trina raised an eyebrow and glanced at her through the corners of her eyes.

"No. Why?" She shrugged her shoulders and Trina turned her head fully towards her. "He's never had much opinion other than disappointment. He wishes you'd grown up a little or gone about your life differently, but he doesn't hate you or anything. The way he feels? You were someone he cared about because you were a part of my family, and in the end you hurt someone he cared about, which were Courtney and myself. That's about the extent of his view on things."

"Do you think he'd talk to me if we actually met up or something?"

"Probably, he'd like to remain cordial. He never believed in burning bridges unless necessary. Once the bridge is broken, it's hell to repair, which I'm sure you're realizing."

"Yeah…" More than she realized, that much was sure. "So, you just hate me." Trina straightened herself and closed her eyes, answering with a quiet and blunt tone.

"I do not hate you." Tori rolled her eyes and glared at the curtain. She simply could not figure Trina out, but at least they weren't screaming at each other. She started to smile and subconsciously let her head fall to Trina's shoulder, a gesture she'd not done since before Hollywood Arts. Trina stiffened and looked towards her with a suspicious stare. "What…do you think you are doing?"

"I missed you, sis."

"Uh huh. Get off me, please…" She lifted her head, chuckling nervously. Her eyes drifted to Trina and she saw a hint of a smile appear at the woman's lips. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Her eyebrows shot up and her arms folded over. "Fine, I can be stuffy too."

"I am not stuffy."

"Are too." Maybe she could use this old sibling charm to work her way to Trina's softer side. Trina closed her eyes, her lip twitched in attempt to avoid a chuckle. She shook her head and opened one eye.

"I'm not getting involved in that game." Trina shifted uncomfortably and huffed as her eyes narrowed onto the curtain. The old sibling charm was rather the annoying young sibling that Tori had pushed down so long ago. The very thing that Trina probably would be able to connect with. "Thirty minutes to show-time."

"Do you own a pair of those small binoculars?" Trina turned her head slowly towards Tori and twisted her lips into a sly smirk. "I'm not calling you a stuffy old woman, but I am saying you're one of those rich types."

"Do you own a bump on the head? No? Because I'm about to give you one. Two if you don't shut up." It was working, she could tell. Rather, this was how she used to get attention from Trina when they were growing up, and it usually worked too for the times when Trina wasn't talking to her. "Seriously Tori, we're in our thirties, don't you think it's time to put an end to those childish games?"

"I'm still your annoying little sister." Tori whistled and shook her head. "Stuffy." Trina cleared her throat while Tori nudged her in the side. "Also the show coming up? Didn't we used to watch the movie all the time?"

"Yes, and we don't get to sing or dance with them this time."

"Pity. I guess that fits you just fine. No fun."

"Excuse me? I am fun. Just ask my children."

"Nope. No fun." Tori shook her head while Trina growled. "What was that famous quote? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy? Do you still know how to have fun, Trina?"

"Of course I do."

Tori stuck her tongue out, "Prove it." Trina crossed her legs and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"I don't have to prove anything."

"When's the last time you laughed? When's the last time you ran around and had a good time? Just on your own, I don't mean with your kids-or your husband…I mean just taking time to let your hair down and run free!"

"Plenty. Excuse me, what the hell are you trying to achieve?" It already was achieved, she'd gotten Trina talking. As long as she could get her sister to open up, then they were getting somewhere. Hell, she knew she had a lot to learn about herself, but surely there were some things Trina needed to realize about herself too.

"Just trying to get you to get out of that shell you're in."

"I am not hiding in any kind of shell."

"Or do you feel like you've peaked early, big sis?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Trina's brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed halfway. "I have not 'peaked', I am nowhere near 'peaking'." This came with air quotes and a low, guttural voice. Trina started to mutter, but still loud enough that Tori heard. "Maybe Emma, Kate and I ought to have a night on the town…"

"You should enjoy life. You're living in New York City!"

"We are not children anymore, Tori. There's no more getting in trouble, running all over the place, screwing around…it's all serious."

"In the words of The Joker, 'why so serious?'." Trina's hand flew to her forehead and Tori beamed. Holly started to snicker.

"Okay children, quit your bickering. The show's about to start!" Trina scoffed while Tori fist bumped the air. She was extremely grateful that there was a way to sand down the rough edges and be able to get through to Trina somehow.

"I know you're my boss now and all, Trina." The woman glanced back at her and Tori closed her eyes. "You're still my sister. I'm going to do whatever it takes to show you that I still want to be a part of your life, that I can also make a life for myself."

"Yes, well, good luck with that. You know I'm watching…"

"Yeah, yeah, and I know you'll send me packing if I slip up. It won't happen, Trina."

"We'll see."

"Oh yeah? Well I know one thing…" Trina leaned back and straightened herself upright as Tori started to smirk. "Behind that tough exterior, you miss your annoying little sister. Right? So I know you'll still give me a chance…"

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Tori. I can still send you away if I choose to. There's a lot more underneath than you think." Tori was slightly taken aback. She understood Trina's toughness, and how hard it would be for her to chisel through the massive rock that she'd shielded herself with.

Tori tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and gazed down at the curtains. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Yeah, but you wouldn't choose to. Right?" Trina turned to her and pulled her lip back into a frown. Her shoulders rose, then fell, and her eyes dipped down to the audience below them.

"No comment."

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So what are your thoughts? At least Tori knows how to whittle away at her sister's shell, albeit a slow process.