AN: Hello everyone and thank you for clicking on this latest chapter of A Place to Call Home. I hope that you've all had a good week.
As ever this is the point where I thank people for their reviews from the last chapter and answer the points that they brought up;
Challenge King – thanks. The crossover was really because we had Detective Benson on L&O:SVU – it was just too good an opportunity to pass up. I love Castle so while they were in New York I had him and Beckett show up as well. As for Freddie's description of Jade – that was him showing exactly what the girl means to him, particularly after everything that they've been through.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – I needed a reason why Tori and Trina would be on a flight alone; I hope it made sense even if it's not the most pleasant of reasons. Yes, Cat growing up will help her and we will see some more of that as the story progresses, now and again anyway. They really should have done a far better job on the script and that was something that Freddie and Jade both felt – and not a mistake that pair will repeat when it's their turn to take that class. As for Beck, people made the assumption but he did nothing to try and persuade them otherwise. Had he done so and Jade not believed him or thought he was lying, that would have been a major issue for them. As it is, I think her line that he loves to make her jealous has a lot of validity to it.
Bucio – thank you for reading the whole thing and commenting upon it; you made some excellent points. I won't reply to all of them here (as we've discussed them via PM) but in regards to the comments about the last chapter, the special guests helped as it's a "bottle" episode with nearly everything taking place on the flight so it needed more to really make a chapter, hence me having it happen at Thanksgiving. As I said earlier, I love Castle and Detective Benson gave them a reason to be in New York. Had they returned then Freddie might have tried to get an autograph, especially if he had one of Castle's books with him, but they were there on business and I'm pretty sure Beckett wouldn't have appreciated it.
TenorSax93 – thanks and here is the next chapter.
Darck Ben – thanks. As for future cross-overs, I'm not sure. I doubt we'll see Castle again unless Freddie takes another trip to see his aunt, which I don't have planned. I've never watched CSI: Miami (though I love the other two franchises) so that one won't be in it.
Agent-M – thanks.
EnchantingNightmares – I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Lastly, long-time friend of this story Fanfiction-Reader-88 has published a story; it is M-rated (but only really the last part) and even if you can't enjoy that aspect of it, the remainder is well worth a look.
Chapter 27: The Diddly-bops
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills.
Wednesday, 8th December 2010.
Freddie smiled as he entered his home; the brown-haired tech genius was enjoying life at the moment and felt, for the most part, that things were going well. He'd briefly called in on his girlfriend after work and spent a pleasant hour or so with her. Most of the time they were making out on her bed, with the door open, and his attention had been drawn, not for the first time, to a new aspect of her appearance.
It was something he'd commented upon to Jade at the latter end of the previous week.
"Have you noticed anything… different about Cat lately?" he began delicately.
"How do you mean?" the mean girl asked.
"I mean she's acting a little differently; she seems to be trying to draw a little more attention to…" he gestured clumsily in the region of his upper torso and the dark brunette laughed.
"Oh, the push-up bras? Yeah I noticed them; it looks like she got your attention with them," she grinned.
"Yes," he muttered awkwardly, "it seems like she's acting… not quite herself too. A little more adventurous around me and trying to talk about some different stuff. Not that it's a bad thing," he added hastily as his friend raised a pierced eyebrow, "just that I'm not used to her being like this."
"Maybe she's growing up a little," Jade suggested innocently.
"Maybe," he agreed. "This new, improved Cat will take a little getting used to."
Jade's theory had received a test almost immediately as the two couples, Freddie and Cat and Beck and Jade, had arranged to see a movie together over the weekend just gone and agreed to meet at the mall. Cat had texted her boyfriend to advise him that she was running a little late – but would make the start of the film – so the other three waited for her in the food court (giving Jade the opportunity for her customary cup of Jet Brew; this time, seeing Beck nearby, the vendor opted not to attempt to sweet-talk her).
Cat had arrived, a little breathless, around ten minutes before the film was due to start. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped, "but there was a sale on at the new toy store down the road; look what I bought! Say hello to Mr Purple," She was holding a plush purple giraffe in her hands and waved it in Freddie's face, laughing wildly. Passing shoppers stared at the scene, watching in bewilderment at the little teen's antics. Freddie turned to Jade and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
The gothic teen casually raised her right thumb and index finger, holding them about half an inch apart; she mouthed, "a little," to him with a smirk.
It hadn't been the only conversation between the two teens of late; Jade had paid him a visit after his surprising comment to Beck a couple of weeks earlier, when he had described the girl as his sister.
"I love that you think of me that way," she began, "and I'm glad that I'll always have you looking out for me but you have to let me deal with things with Beck in my own way," the girl insisted.
"I'll try," he sighed, "but I can't promise you that if I see him not acting well or if he's treating you in a way that you don't deserve that I won't say something."
The girl smiled. "Fair enough," she shrugged before finishing teasingly, "big brother."
He smirked back. "Does that make you my 'baby sister'?"
"Don't push it," she stuck her right index finger in his face threateningly before succumbing to his grin and joining him in a chuckle.
Sikowitz's classroom, Hollywood Arts High School.
Thursday, 9th December 2010.
The bell rang to signal the end of the lesson; the kids were getting up to leave, and a few had already done so, when their eccentric teacher called out, "Alright. Nice work, everyone. Wait!" The remaining students paused. "Tori, Andre, Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie. Stay for a moment." Freddie, who was a few paces from the door and still holding his girlfriend's hand, paused too and turned back to him. "JUST those six," Sikowitz clarified with a meaningful look at the former Seattle native.
Freddie looked affronted at the snub but released the redhead's hand, gave her a peck on the cheek and left the room with one more look towards them all; all eyes had turned to him and the group looked back at the balding teacher in confusion.
"Why did you make him leave?" Cat demanded.
"This only affects a select group of students," was the reply; Jade scowled at the insult to her closest male friend.
"I don't like it; you made him sad," the red velvet-haired girl protested.
"Yes, well…" he turned to pick up a bag from the stage floor.
"Um... Why do you have a woman purse?" Tori asked.
"I don't have a pur..." he began before inspecting the item more closely. "Good Ghandi, where's this come from? And where's my dozen bagels?" He made a futile search of his pockets.
"Can I leave?" Jade demanded; she was still angry at how he had treated her 'brother' and not in the mood for his antics.
"Wait," Sikowitz chided. "How would you teenagers like to do something for money?"
They exchanged looks. "Can we have some details first?" Tori pressed.
"Well, I assume you're all familiar With Kevin Chase..." he began.
"The guy who owns like half the hotels in Vegas?" Beck supplied in surprise.
"I'm telling the story!" the teacher stamped his foot petulantly.
"Sorry," the long-haired actor surrendered.
"Kevin was my roommate in college and now he's extremely wealthy and his little boy is turning four years old this week. Ah, the big oh four," he finished wistfully.
"What do you want, man?" Rex demanded.
"Kevin hired the Waggafuffles," Cat whooped at the mention of the group, "to perform a song at his son's birthday party."
"Oh, I love the Waggafuffles," the cupcake lover piped up, "Freddie and I saw them live at the Green Meadow Mall in ninth grade." She began to sing and dance to their signature tune, "Wagga wagga wagga wag your fuffle left and right. Wagga wagga wagga wag your fuffle day and night."
"Shut up," the puppet demanded.
In affront she complained, "Rex told me to shut up."
"Yes, thank you, Rex," the teacher responded, drawing an unhappy gasp from the girl; Jade narrowed her eyes further at the mounting evidence that Freddie was, in fact, correct in his assessment of her 'favourite teacher'; it was an opinion of the man that she was finding herself having to rapidly re-evaluate.
"Will you just get to the point," she snapped.
He sighed. "Apparently, the Waggafuffles' private jet... crashed." He chuckled inappropriately as Cat's face fell further; he cleared his throat hurriedly. "And so, now, Kevin needs a new musical group to perform at his son's birthday party."
"So, you want us to form a kiddie musical group?" Robbie guessed.
"For just one performance."
"No," Jade snapped, turning to leave.
"He'll pay you $1,000," Sikowitz played his trump card.
"A thousand?" Tori gasped.
"Shall I tell my friend you're all in?"
Jade and Cat still looked unsure, particularly in Freddie's absence; Beck was more eager.
"Oh, where would we do this?" the Canadian actor sought more details.
"I'll set up the party here at school In the Black Box theatre. You can perform on stage after the kids have their cake and ice cream; it'll be fantastic."
A woman entered the room through the door by stage. "There you are," she snapped at Sikowitz.
"Ah, my bagels," he exchanged bags with her. "Sorry about the mix-up there."
"Pull your head out of your pants," she shot before storming out.
"Bye, mom," he called after her.
"That was your mom?" Tori asked in surprise.
He chuckled weakly. "No," he laughed unconvincingly before walking over to the white board and leaning his forehead against it in embarrassment while Jade led the others in an overdue retreat.
Science class
The lesson had begun by the time Cat and Jade made it to their next class; a disapproving stare from their teacher greeted the girls as they sheepishly entered the room.
"Sorry," Cat bowed her head and attempted to move as unobtrusively as possible.
"Sikowitz wanted to talk to us," Jade added.
"Yes, Freddie told me that," the teacher nodded to the brown-eyed boy at the front; he had turned to give the pair a quick glance and a smile but had then returned his focus to his text book and the subject of today's class. "Just hurry up and take your seats so that I can carry on teaching."
The two moved swiftly to their usual places flanking the former Seattle native. Cat timidly covered his right hand with her left and was relieved to see his warm, genuine smile as he turned to her; his gaze lingered for a second before he went back to his work leaving the girl to fish her materials from her little backpack and make a start herself.
On Freddie's other side, Jade eyed the exchange with a small smile, though she knew that she wanted to talk to him about the events at the end of Sikowitz's class. It was good for her to see, though, that he harboured no resentment towards his friends, directing it instead where it was due – their eccentric acting teacher.
Due to the lateness of their arrival and the necessity of catching up with what they had missed, the gothic teen wouldn't get the opportunity to discuss their 'new job' until the end of class, when they had a short break and an opportunity to visit their lockers. Freddie was far from happy when she disclosed the details of it to him.
"So you guys have landed a gig, paying a thousand bucks and he purposely excluded me?"
"That's what it looks like," the dark brunette sympathised.
"It's ridiculous," he ranted, "I've been here longer than Tori, I'm more talented than Beck or Robbie and yet he thinks that he can just screw me over."
"But Freddie," Cat tugged on his sleeve and attempted an unusual role as the voice of reason, "you couldn't have done it anyway, could you, if it's going to be a Friday evening performance; you'd be at work."
He nodded, conceding the point briefly but added, "Do you really think he knows that, or would have remembered? I could always swap shifts, especially for something like this, particularly paying so well. Ah well," he sighed, "it looks like things really are terminal between me and him. I guess I'll be looking for a different acting teacher's class next semester; one who I can actually respect and who will treat all students equally – as I see he didn't ask any of the others to volunteer but handpicked a few for this."
"But then we won't be together in class!" the redhead gasped; she obviously wanted to spend as much time with her boyfriend as possible and genuinely enjoyed being in the same classes of him wherever possible.
"I know," he rested his hand on her shoulder and gave her a sad smile, "but it seems like that's what I'll have to do if he's starting to exclude me from activities. If it goes beyond extra-curricular to actually affecting what happens in class then I'll certainly have to; I'm not going to let him wreck any aspect of my education."
Jade nodded with a frown; the façade of her 'favourite teacher' seemed to be evaporating in front of her more and more by the second.
"Hey guys," Tori called; the trio turned to look at the newcomer. "Do you guys want to get together at mine after school to work on the song?" She paused as she saw Freddie's face flicker for a moment. "I uh… you can come too Freddie if you want to hang and help us," he continued lamely.
"No thanks, Tori; I have fencing…"
"So do Beck and André," she interrupted with renewed enthusiasm, "and they're coming for a little bit before going; they might come back after if we don't quite get finished in time," she argued eagerly.
"Thanks but I've got things to do," he declined evasively; the sadness in Cat's eyes increased.
Vega Residence, Hollywood Hills
André, Beck, Cat, Jade and Robbie had gathered at Tori's house; André was attempting to find inspiration by playing a few chords on the Vegas' piano while Robbie idly strummed his guitar and the others sat around; they were all a little unsure where to begin. Jade, meanwhile, had drawn her trusty scissors from her boot and was using them to cut the petals off a handful of flowers; she claimed that it was a good stress reliever for her.
"Okay, what do we have so far?" The brunette hostess was mindful of the short timeframe with which the teens were working.
"I don't know," the songsmith muttered. "Uh, Cat, record this."
The redhead was unusually distracted, even for her, worried as she was about her boyfriend's mood. "'Kay-kay. Recording," she called, brandishing her pear pad.
"My grandpa has a nose and my grandma has a nose; everyone you know has a nose, nose, nose," the talented musician sang in a falsely upbeat voice.
"My grandfather's nose was blown off in the war so, that song is a filthy lie," Jade snapped, shearing a plant particularly viciously.
"Well, I'm sorry," he turned to her and stood up from the piano stool, "I'm a serious musician; I don't know how to write a little kiddie song."
"Why did we say we'd do this?" Beck wondered aloud.
"It'll be fun," Cat enthused before her face fell. "It'd be more fun if Freddie was with us," she added morosely. Jade looked up from her position on the floor by the couch and aimed a supportive smile at her; as Cat's head was down the redhead didn't see this.
"Yeah, it's so fun to put on humiliating costumes and dance around like idiots for sticky little three-year-olds," the mean girl commented instead with a sigh. Disgust laced her voice as she added, "Freddie really dodged a bullet with this one."
The hostess finally noticed that Jade was busily chopping up flowers. "Hey; my mom grew those flowers in her garden."
"I'm sorry; they're lovely," the other girl countered. She dropped what was left of the blooms on the floor and slid her scissors back into her boot.
"Okay, so what do you guys think about this song?" Robbie cleared his throat and began, "It's fun to run, it's fun to play, it's fun to make things out of clay." Tori looked happy at the jovial, upbeat song which, to her ears, sounded perfect for them; Cat seemed to agree as she was jigging along to it in her seat."It's fun to fill your car with gas; it's fun to break things made of glass." Jade turned to look to him in confusion at the unexpected twist and deviation in where the song was going. "But broken glass can cut your hand,"Cat gasped at the darkening tone, "and then you'll bleed across the land. Ask any woman…"
"We're not doing that," Tori snapped, bringing his suggestion to a shuddering halt.
"Well, we have to write a song about something," the cupcake lover interjected.
"Okay, let's think," Beck began rationally. "What do four-year-old little kids like?"
"Cartoons," Cat suggested.
"Animals," André proposed.
"Being annoying," Jade snarked.
"Broken glass," Robbie sang; the others looked balefully at him and he bowed his head in embarrassment.
"Oh, I gotta take this," André announced suddenly as he received a call on his pearphone. "Back in a sec." He headed to the Vegas' kitchen for a little privacy. "Hey, how you doin'?"
"Alright, here," Tori showed her computer to the others. "On Splash face, the top seven most popular kiddie songs are all about food."
"So let's write a kiddie song about food," Cat offered.
Robbie immediately took up, "Oh, broken glass is not a food so don't you listen to some dude who says put cheese on broken glass and make a sand-a-wich out of broken glass."
"What is wrong with you?" Tori demanded.
"I like it," Jade grinned; Robbie gestured to his supporter with an 'I told you so' look.
"Alright, great," André rang off his call, smiling broadly. In an excited voice he called to his friend, "Yo, Tori, come here. Come on, hurry."
"What's up?" she asked.
"Remember last week, I told you about that music producer who listened to my demo?"
"Yeah."
"That was him. He played it for his boss and they might wanna sign me to their record label," he enthused.
"Shut up!" the girl gasped.
"You shut up," he smiled; the pair hugged in celebration.
"So, now what?"
"He wants me to come up with another song," the dreadlocked teen explained.
Robbie suggested, "How 'bout a song about broken glass? I'll help you write it after class. There is no song that can surpass this song we sing 'bout broken glass. Harmonica solo," and he did just that while the other two looked on in bemusement.
Asphalt Café, Hollywood Arts High School
Friday, 10th December 2010.
Cat and Freddie had just finished their maths class and made their way outside to the gang's usual lunch spot. The girl with red-dyed hair was surprised to see them looking so unenthusiastic, given that she herself was looking forward to this evening's performance. She would have been even more excited had the brown-haired boy by her side been involved. She was even more surprised, as was the knot of teens at the table, when Freddie eschewed their usual spot and sought an empty table in an out of the way corner of the outdoor area. Cat, who had briefly taken a step towards their friends in the assumption that they would be joining them, quickly returned to his side and took a seat next to him.
"Why aren't we sitting with the others?" she asked curiously.
"Honestly? I'm still upset about this whole… performance thing," he replied, "and it's not their fault but seeing them just brings the resentment back up for me. Not you," he added as her face fell, "I can look beyond everything else as soon as I see that radiant smile," she furnished him with it and he stole a quick kiss while she giggled, "but I don't want to be sat there, snarling, frowning and bringing down their mood when they're not to blame for any of it."
Like the others, Jade had watched the couple walk past them and find their own table; glances were exchanged before the girl rose and, abandoning her half-eaten meal, made her way over to their table. Beck watched her go with a darkening expression before restoring his imperceptible mask and turning back to the others.
"Hey," the dark-haired girl called as she reached the couple.
"Hi Jade," Cat called brightly.
"What up with the different table?"
"Oh we just fancied a change," the red velvet-haired girl giggled evasively; she then quailed under Jade's piercing look and raised, pierced brow.
"It's ok," Freddie patted her knee and explained how he was feeling and his motivations about not being around the performers.
"Well if you want to be in it then I'll happily trade," Jade growled. "Dressing up in a stupid costume in front of all those kids is not my idea of a good time."
"It'll be fun," her best friend countered brightly, now that the tension had reduced, "and we get paid for it… sorry," she turned to her man, remembering that it was a sore point.
"It's ok Cat; like you said I'm at work tonight. I'm happy for you that you're getting a chance to perform and earn some cash, I just…" He shook his head and took a bite from his lunch.
"I get it," Jade patted his shoulder. "I'll see you guys later?" They nodded and she headed back to join the others and explain the couple's absence.
Black Box Theatre
The theatre had been decorated specially for party; there was a balloon theme with a lot of them around the stage and a balloon pattern-flooring covering the stage itself.
Backstage the kids were beginning to get ready; Tori glanced out and spotted that their teacher had finally arrived. She took the flash drive, containing their song, from André and called the eccentric man over.
"Sikowitz, Sikowitz."
"One second," he told his friend, the birthday boy's father. "You guys ready?"
"Almost," she confirmed. "Everyone's changing into their costumes."
Jade, however, was struggling with hers. Cat removed her Styrofoam broccoli costume and attempted to help her friend as she struggled with the hamburger; one aspect of donning it in particular was causing her difficulties.
"I think we're going to need someone to help from the other side too," the redhead panted as the two tried and failed, again, to get the outfit in place.
"Well I can't ask the guys; not around my…" she whispered fiercely and gestured to her chest.
"Right," the cupcake lover caught on. "I'll go get Tori."
"Hurry," the dark brunette hissed.
"And André wrote us a really great little kids song," Cat heard the lighter brunette inform Sikowitz.
"It's not the one Robbie left on my voicemail about broken glass, is it?" he asked in concern.
"No, it's really cute," she assured him.
"Excellent. It's a very nice thing you guys are doing here."
"Yeah, yeah, A thousand bucks, right?" the singer sought to confirm.
"Indeed." Cat smiled at the reassurance before she interrupted.
"Hey, you'd better come help me with Jade."
"With what?" Tori asked in surprise.
Cat shot a guarded look at their teacher before answering. "She can't get her boobs in the hamburger."
"Pardon?" Sikowitz asked.
"Just... we'll be ready in 10 minutes. Come on," Tori took Cat's hand and they returned backstage.
"In the hamburger?" he muttered, shaking his head as the girls left.
The Pear Store, 189 The Grove Drive, West Hollywood
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega : Okay... they're in the hamburger. Now it's show time! (For 4 year olds) :/
Feeling: Foody.
Freddie, who was getting ready to begin his shift, almost spat out his soda as he read Tori's update; he knew, of course, which of his friends was in which costume and immediately found himself visualising the problem that the gothic teen was having with her outfit. His resentment with Sikowitz and the situation hadn't lessened at all; on the contrary, despite the fact that he wouldn't have been able to participate anyway – and the humiliation everyone bar his girlfriend was feeling with the job – his ill-feeling towards his teacher continued to worsen.
He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, running a hand briskly through his hair before getting up and walking a quick lap of the deserted staff canteen in an attempt to clear his head and focus his mind on his own job; the teen reminded himself that he was genuinely happy for his friends and tried to swallow down his irritation with Sikowitz. With some difficulty he got his emotions under control and headed for the brilliance bar, allowing himself a small grin as he considered his 'sister's' predicament.
Black Box Theatre, Hollywood Arts High School
"Alright, children," Sikowitz began, "how many of you like a musical group called the Waggafuffles?"
The kids cheered their approval of the entertainers.
"Yes, well, they're not here," he remarked flatly, yielding a chorus of jeers and boos from the pre-schoolers.
"Now, now," he urged, "don't be like that." One of the girls raised hand. "Mm-hmm?" he acknowledged.
"I heard the Waggafuffles' aeroplane fell on a mountain," she announced.
Sikowitz chuckled nervously and made a motion with hands to curtail the discussion. "Anyway, the important part is we have a brand new musical group to do a song for you today," he told them. They cheered again at the news.
"Alright, I give you the... the um... the Diddly-bops."
The partygoers clapped and cheered as the Hollywood Arts gang enter; Cat was back in her broccoli costume, Tori was dressed as an ice cream cone, André as spaghetti and tomato sauce, Jade – as Tori's update had announced – was fully in the hamburger costume, Beck dressed as a hot dog and Robbie as a slice of pizza.
"Hi, kids," the red velvet-haired girl called brightly.
"Apparently, we're the Diddly-bops," Tori shot Sikowitz a look; he shrugged back awkwardly.
"We're here to sing you a special song..." André told the audience.
"All about your favourite foods," Robbie added.
"Sing about dinosaurs," Henry, the birthday boy, urged.
"No," Beck smiled happily but was resolute.
"Now, get ready," Cat told them; Sinjin, who was up on the gantry, started the music and the sextet began to sing.
"What I like about cheese is that you can put it on veggies and it tastes mm-mm so good."
Cat jumped and called, "yeah!"
As, unbeknown to the teens, a number of the younger spectators began to record their performance on pear phones, they continued to sing, "I like to talk about foo-ood 'cause it's my favourite thing to do-ooo.
Every treat from yellow to blue-oo, red and green so, let's all sing…
Tell me all about your favourite foods."
"Mine is pizza," Robbie declared.
"And I like hamburgers too," Jade sang, somehow keeping the frown from her face until her 'solo' ended; the other five joined in,
"I'll eat ice cream cake 'til my tummy aches but then here's what I'll do; here is what I'll do… share some of mine with you. Yummy, yummy, ooo, in my tummy, ooo, yummy, yummy."
The teens danced for a few bars; Jade leaned close to Tori, "Hate this," she told her fellow brunette through gritted teeth.
"1,000 bucks..." Tori reminded her through her own gritted teeth.
"Not enough," the mean girl decided.
"I like noodles in a bowl," they continued, "chicken nuggets make me lose control 'cause they taste mm-mm so good..."
Cat leapt again, "yeah!"
"I'll eat ice cream cake," they continued,"'til my tummy aches but then here's what I'll do, here is what I'll do; share some of mine with you, yummy, yummy.
Food!" they finished; the children cheered and clapped their appreciation.
"Do another song," Sinjin urged.
"No!" Beck told him.
"Happy birthday Henry!" Tori smiled.
"We did this for money," Jade snapped, storming off the stage; the others follow her with Tori managing a small wave to the kids.
Valentine Residence, Hollywood Hills
Having not seen any more updates from his friends about the show, Freddie headed around to his girlfriend's home after work. He was surprised when she herself answered his ringing of the doorbell.
"Mom and dad are out," she explained; her eyes lit up excitedly, "so we have the place all to ourselves. What do you want to do," she wore a predatory grin as she closed the gap between them and rose to her tiptoes and kissed him, flinging her arms around his neck as his encircled her waist.
The pair made out in the doorway for a few moments before moving inside to the couch. Freddie took a seat and Cat slipped into his lap, where he held her steady with his hands on her sides. "How was the performance?" he asked curiously.
"I loved it!" she exclaimed happily, reminiscing on the performance and talking in detail with a surprising amount of clarity about what had transpired at the party, including Jade's… difficulties with her costume.
"So you all enjoyed it?" Freddie was surprised to learn this, given that the others were showing apathy at best towards the idea of doing the performance.
"Yes," she declared, "we all loved being the Diddly-bops."
"Diddly-bops?" It was the first time he had heard the name.
"That's what Sikowitz called us; I think it's kinda cute."
"It's not the only thing," he smiled, meeting her brown eyes with his own; she grinned and moved in for another kiss. It was the sight that greeted the Valentine parents when they returned home a quarter of an hour later.
"Oh, sorry kids," Cat's mother suppressed a laugh at the speed with which the couple had sprung apart at being caught by her arrival.
"I guess I should be going," Freddie decided.
"Do you have to?" his girlfriend asked sadly.
"Well mom's on nights so she won't be panicking – not about me anyway – but it is getting late. I'll see you later," he gave her one last kiss, a respectful nod to her parents and headed for his car.
"At least they still had their clothes on," Mr Valentine muttered to his wife so that his daughter wouldn't hear; she nodded warily as they, too, had noticed the change in their daughter's actions over the last couple of weeks – albeit with rather more concern than Freddie or Jade had felt. Mrs Valentine made a mental note to have a little chat with their girl sooner rather than later.
Hollywood Arts High School
Monday, 13th December 2010.
"Hey Jade," Freddie came across his friend by the water fountain; she spat her mouthful angrily into the basin and turned to him, fighting to keep her face calm as she brushed her yellow and pink hair extensions from her face. She failed.
"Wearing the yellow extensions? Whoa, what happened over the weekend?" he asked in concern, knowing the girl's innate dislike of the colour.
"I went to see Beck last night and…" she began to seethe a little, "I dunno, it looks like he went out of his way to cause a fight. I hated that stupid performance we did on Friday," Freddie raised his eyebrows at the direct contradiction of Cat's claim (though he was more inclined to believe the dark brunette), "and I know that he did too, yet when I mentioned it he started snipping at me about it. I just get so sick of it sometimes, y'know? Actually," she smirked genuinely, "you probably don't because I'm not sure Cat's even capable of fighting with someone."
"I've experienced it," he reminded her quietly; instantly her mind went back to the disintegration of his relationship with Lindsey following their prom night experience and she bowed her head in acceptance of his point, "but you're right about Cat – even the 'new Cat' isn't a fighter. Have you seen her yet today?"
"No, not yet. I thought she'd be with you." Jade picked up her bag and frowned as she remembered why it weighed more than it typically did on a Monday morning. "Ulch, I need to give Tori her Theatre History book back. I'll see you in Science?"
He nodded and they went their separate ways; Freddie headed to his first class, Music, and the gothic girl went in search of the half-Latina singer. Freddie passed for a second and turned to see his friend's retreating back as his mind registered the condition of the text book. Something's seriously wrong here, he thought with deep concern.
She tracked her down in the locker area, spotting the girl organising her own ahead of the new week.
"Hey, Tori," she called.
"Hey," Tori closed her locker and turned to face her.
"Here's your Theatre History book." Jade handed it back to her; Tori studied it in confusion.
"Thanks. Why is it all black now?"
"I have black paint," she remarked casually.
"But why would you paint..?" the lighter brunette was bewildered by the state of her book.
"Tori, Jade, hi," Lane, the Guidance Counsellor, interrupted them.
"Hey," the singer smiled at him; Jade was in a worse mood.
"What?" she snapped.
"This is my little nephew, Devon," the counsellor rested a hand on the youngster's shoulder.
"Hey, Devon," Tori greeted him in a giddy voice.
"What?" Jade repeated tersely.
"He loves the Diddly-bops," Lane explained, "and wanted to know if he could get your autographs."
The two girls exchanged horrified looks. "How does he know about the Diddly-bops?" Tori enquired.
"Oh, he saw you guys do your song, 'favourite foods' on that website, you know, 'Videos for Kiddios'?"
The girls' horror increased. "What?" Jade snapped again.
"We're on that website?" Tori demanded.
"Top of the homepage," he confirmed.
"Wait, someone recorded us?" the dark brunette rounded on him.
"Can I have your autographs?" Devon interrupted, brandishing his book and a pen.
"Sure," Tori relented, taking the items and signing one of the blank pages; she handed them to Jade who also made an entry in it.
As they both wrote, Lane explained to his nephew, "She was the ice cream cone," he pointed to Tori, "and she," gesturing to Jade, "was the hamburger."
"Okay, don't talk about it," the dark brunette urged.
"Yeah, seriously, don't," the half-Latina echoed.
"I really appreciate this, guys," the counsellor told them as they returned the book to its young owner.
"No prob," Tori replied as the boy studied the new additions.
"She wrote a bad word," he reported Jade to his uncle.
Jade folded her arms and leaned in towards him. "I write what I feel," she explained.
Lane looked at the book and rolled his eyes. "Let's go, Devon," he took the boy's hand and led him away.
"What does the word mean?" the youngster asked.
"Just keep walkin'."
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: Who put us on the Internet?! Grrrr!
Feeling: Wazzed.
Asphalt Café.
Jade had been in an even fouler mood during Science than when she and Freddie had parted ways earlier in the day; she was quick to tell him the reason and then remained sullen and silent throughout the lesson. He hadn't had the opportunity to discuss it with Cat as the girl arrived right at the start of the lesson, tucking her phone back into her pocket as she did; she simply smiled at Freddie and tried to change the subject when he asked, curiously, what she was up to.
Tori had finally found and informed André at the start of lunch. They, and Freddie, sat at a table together watching the video, which had also found its way onto Splash Face. "All about your favourite foods," they sang over the internet.
"Man, I don't wanna be on the internet lookin' like a big blob of stupid spaghetti," the songsmith complained.
"You got an easy thousand bucks from it though," Freddie reminded them.
"Between us," he clarified grumpily. "It's not worth wrecking my cred as a serious musician for $170."
Freddie bit his lip at this; it was still an appreciable sum of money but certainly far less of a good deal than when he'd assumed it was a grand apiece that they had been paid.
"I thought we were sisters!" Trina complained as she stormed up to the table to join them.
"Nah, I'm a dude," André remarked casually.
"Not you," the diva hissed before turning to her sister. "You formed a musical group and didn't ask me to be in it?" she complained.
"We didn't wanna be in it," the younger Vega pointed between herself and André.
"Then why did you...?" she began before Sinjin interrupted.
"Hey, André, there's a handsome man over there who wants to talk to you," the odd student informed him; the others looked over to the car park where a guy waved to them.
"He is handsome," Tori agreed.
"Who is he?" Freddie asked.
"The guy I told you about from the record label," the musician replied.
"He's a music producer?" Trina's eyes lit up; Tori had to physically restrain her from heading over to see him.
"Down, girl. Help me," she urged Freddie; both of them grabbed one of the older sister's arms.
"I'll be back," André got up and headed over to see him.
A few moments later, Robbie, Jade and Beck arrived to join them; Freddie greeted his friends; unfortunately in doing so he let go of Trina and she wriggled out of her sister's grip before rushing off to join André.
"Oops," he apologised sincerely as Tori turned to him in annoyance. "Hey, has anyone seen Cat? She was acting a little odd this morning and she's not here now."
"Odder than usual?" Beck asked with a smile.
"Not funny," Freddie shot back; the actor raised his hands in submission.
The teens looked across the car park, watching the scene unfold as Trina gate-crashed the impromptu meeting between André and his contact at the record label. It appeared that their discussion was just about over before the older Vega arrived but she certainly curtailed it as the man quickly got into his car and drove off with the senior in hot pursuit.
A crestfallen André returned to their table.
"What happened?" Freddie asked as he sank back into the seat next to him.
"They saw us on the internet and the label's not going to sign me; they say it's not the image that they're looking for. Man, that song has ruined my life," he wailed.
"Oh, come on, It's not that bad," Tori tried to cheer him up.
"I just lost the best shot I've ever had at singing with a major record label..." he explained.
"Which is bad…" Rex observed; in response to the others' glares the puppet continued, "You all can stare at me but it's still bad."
"Dude, you know you're an awesome songwriter and musician," Freddie enthused.
"The best," Jade agreed.
"And there are other record labels," Tori urged.
"Yeah, and they're all gonna look me up on the internet and see me dressed up like a pile of noodles singin' a stupid kiddie song."
"Well, maybe, but that doesn't mean that your life is over," Robbie was next to try to cheer him up.
"It kinda does," the puppet contradicted; an irritated Jade reached over and ripped off his right arm. "Aah, my arm. Ohh! Aah!"
"Give me his arm back," the ventriloquist demanded; she idly threw it to him.
"Rude," Rex complained.
"Yep," she confirmed casually.
Trina returned to the table, gasping and clearly out of breath; she stood between her sister and Robbie and picked up his water bottle.
"Where have you been?" Tori asked.
"I chased that record producer for seven blocks," the diva took a swig from the water bottle, "I finally caught up to him at a red light and he tried to back over me. Can you believe that?"
"I can," André spoke up.
"Yeah," Tori agreed and some of the others murmured their agreement.
Cat raced up to them; as ever the girl was hugely excited. "Hey, you guys, guess what? I got us another gig! Ha-ha."
"What kind of gig?" Tori asked warily, fearing where this was going.
"The Diddly-bops. I got us booked at the Green Meadow mall tomorrow, right after school."
"Why?" the half-Latina demanded.
"'cause little kids love us. And I thought we all liked being the Diddly-bops."
"No, we hate it," Robbie complained.
"It ruined my life," André wailed.
"But they're gonna pay us and I promised we'd be there," the redhead protested.
In a tone of finality, Jade stated, "We are never performing as the Diddly-bops ever again."
"Aw, phooey," the girl was disappointed at her friends' reaction.
"Why don't you Rip her arm off?" the puppet asked the mean girl; Jade turned to him and he flinched.
"I'll be a Diddly-bop," Trina offered.
"You will?" Cat brightened instantly.
"Why?" Jade wanted to know.
"'cause," she explained, "I'll be on stage performing and getting paid to sing in front of people who adore me."
"You'll be dressed as a hamburger," Beck pointed out.
"Singing to four-year-olds," Robbie added.
"Don't you have any respect for yourself?" the diva's little sister charged.
The older girl trade smiles with Cat. "Take me to the hamburger," she told the junior.
"Come on," the redhead motioned and the two left the table excitedly together; the younger girl paused a few steps away as if something was missing. She turned and walked back to the table, seizing her boyfriend's sleeve firmly and tugging gently to urge him to rise. With a reluctant groan he allowed her to lead him away, much to the amusement of their friends.
Beck's RV, Oliver Residence
A knock on the door surprised the teen; the identity of the person outside surprised him even more.
"Can I come in?" Freddie asked.
"It depends; are you here to bust my balls again?" he asked.
Freddie took a deep breath and glanced to the side. "No," he replied in a conciliatory tone, "but I do want to give you a little friendly advice."
Against his better judgement, the Canadian actor took a step back. "Come in," he invited; Freddie climbed the steps and walked past him, taking a seat at the table.
"It is about Jade…" he began.
"No surprise there," Beck muttered.
"She was upset this morning and not sure why you guys were fighting when you basically agreed about the music group."
"I…" he shrugged. "She can go overboard about it sometimes but I guess sometimes it can be fun to get a little rise out of her; she's a passionate girl," he finished with a smirk.
Freddie processed the statement. "You two…"
"Oh, no… well, not yet," he gave a small smile, "but we've been together for a while now so maybe before long," he added hopefully. "You're not going to tell her I said that right?"
"It's something you two need to talk about; if she chooses to talk to me about it then we'll talk but I won't bring it up," he promised.
"And what would you say?" he pressed.
Freddie looked him in the eye. "That she needs to be ready and she needs to be sure that you're the right person. I won't try to persuade or dissuade her but she needs to be sure that it's the right decision for her."
Beck nodded; given how things had been going between the pair lately it was as good as he could hope for.
"You should stop trying to goad her though," the shorter teen suggested casually, "just show her that you care instead." Beck rolled his eyes but he pressed on, "Like I said, I love her like she was my flesh and blood sister; would you really sit on the side-lines if you didn't think I was doing right by Cat or if it was Tori that someone wasn't treating the way you should they should?"
"I guess," the longer haired teen conceded; the two then shared a smile. "You want a drink?" he asked, retrieving a couple of sodas from his fridge.
Hollywood Arts High School
Tuesday, 13th December 2010.
"Oh, somebody's got a reason to smile," Freddie teased as he came across Tori by her locker.
"Freddie! You've got to hear this," the half-Latina was excited. "You know how André was all down and missing classes yesterday?"
Her friend nodded at the prompt; Tori had voiced her concern the previous afternoon when the songsmith had missed his classes after receiving the bad news from the record label. "Well," she continued, "he came over last night all excited and he played this amazing song; he turned 'Favourite food' into something really awesome and I called the music guy who we saw yesterday."
"Don't let Trina know that," Freddie smiled; the younger sister winced at the thought.
"Yeah, well anyway, André's gonna perform the song after school; I'll be singing back-up for him and this music dude will be showing up and bringing his boss!"
"You really hooked him up for it," the tech genius praised. "I wish I could be there but Cat's roped me into being a Diddly-bop for the performance she's got booked."
Tori patted his arm. "I feel for you," she consoled.
Green Meadow Mall,
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
The 'New Diddly-bops' had been transported to the venue by Sikowitz in his van; he had readily agreed, not least because he was now a part of the group, though he did mention to her, when the kids assembled, that he wished Freddie hadn't been there. The girl had responded, with atypical anger, that Freddie was not only her boyfriend but a very good singer in his own right and more than deserved to be a part of it. He backed down when she told him that they were prepared to make their own arrangements for travel to and from the mall and (crucially) that she could easily replace him (whether or not this last part was true wasn't something that she would have to test).
Cat giggled as they changed into their costumes; Trina was having the same difficulties that Jade had had the previous week in donning the hamburger outfit. She called over to her boyfriend,
"Hey Freddie, remember when we saw the Waggafuffles here? Right on that stage, now we're going to be on it."
"How could I forget?" he muttered, vividly recalling the experience of being the only two people there who were neither toddlers nor parents, along with the awkwardness of later walking hand-in-hand through the mall with a girl singing their signature song loudly and unashamedly.
"Alright, everyone," one of the mall's managers called once the group had signalled that they were ready, "please quiet down; settle down. Now, let's give a warm Green Meadow mall welcome to internet sensation, the Diddly-bops."
The group of kids sat waiting for them burst into cheers and applause as the group ran on stage; Freddie wore Beck's hot dog outfit, Cat, again, was dressed as broccoli, Sinjin had taken over as the pizza slice, Eli was the ice cream cone, Trina the hamburger leaving Sikowitz as the spaghetti.
"Hi, kids," Cat began brightly.
In a far more reluctant voice, Freddie added, "Welcome to the Green Meadow mall."
"A good place to shop," Sinjin observed.
"I'm spaghetti," Sikowitz pointed out for anyone who couldn't tell.
"Something's wrong here," one of the boys told his neighbour.
"What I like about cheese," the group began; Freddie and Cat were in tune – the others less so,"is that you can put it on veggies and it tastes mm-mm so good."
"Yeah," Cat jumped.
"I like to talk about fo-ood 'cause it's my…" they continued before being interrupted as one of the kids stood up and pointed at them.
"Those aren't the real Diddly-bops!"
"We are too the Diddly-bops," Trina snapped back.
"They're fakers," a little girl complained. The kids began to boo and jeer en masse at the thought of imposters replacing their favourite group.
"That guy's like a hundred years old!" one complained as she referred to Sikowitz.
"I'm thirty-four," he argued; it didn't help the situation. The children in the audience continued to jeer and shout 'fakers'.
"I'm an original!" Cat wailed as the youngsters began to storm the stage trying to attack the faux celebrities.
Freddie, still in his hot dog costume, managed to put himself between the throng of children and his girlfriend; while being buffeted by the advancing horde he used his foot to push some of them, gently but firmly out of the way so that he could clear a path from the stage. Taking Cat's hand, he led her away at a run. Shoppers nearby swore they would never forget the day a hot dog and some broccoli sprinted through the mall, hand-in-hand, pursued by a knot of four-year-olds.
The couple finally outran the kids and retreated to the sanctuary of the restrooms; they split up and removed their costumes before returning to Sikowitz's van where they hoped to meet up with the others. They did, though their band-mates looked decidedly worse for the experience, their costumes having been torn apart by the angry children, while Freddie and Cat were merely a little out of breath after their run, though they had recovered somewhat while changing and actually managed to sneak out surprisingly unnoticed, given that they were carrying the costumes with them.
Asphalt Café, Hollywood Arts High School
A large number of students had gathered in anticipation of André's performance; among them were Beck and Jade – who look a little happier together than they had done recently. While he wouldn't admit it to his girlfriend, Beck had taken some heed of Freddie's words from the previous evening.
"This is called, 'Song 2 you'," André told the gathering.
"I don't wear designer clothes," he began,"I don't go to the finest schools but I know,"
Tori joined in, "I ain't no fool, o-baby," before leaving him to continue alone,
"I may not be a star, I'm not driving the sickest car but I know,"
As a duet they continued, "I can make you happy baby."
The producer from the label had arrived; he was talking on cell. "Alright, we'll keep me posted, will you? Bye, bye," before he and his assistant turned to the singers.
"I don't know what you been used to," the pair began the chorus,"never been with a girl like you-oo. But I can give you a love that's true to your heart not material things."
Sikowitz pulled his van into a parking bay; the Diddly-bops stumbled out, displaying the significant battle damage that they, other than Cat and Freddie, had suffered during what would appear to be their final performance.
"I'll give you my song, these words to you," Tori and André sang,"Sing you what I feel, my soul is true.
I don't have the world, can't give it to you girl but all that I can do…"
André echoed alone, "All that I can doooo," before Tori joined in again as a backing to his vocal,
"Is give this song to you."
"André! Whoo!" One of the female students called and waved towards the teen; he smiled back as he identified her before starting the second verse,
"Yeah, I know you are blessed but there's something you're missing, yeah,"
Again Tori joined in, "your own melody, oh, baby. And as I strum my guitar, do you know what you are to me?"
"My everything, yeah," the dreadlocked teen sang before as a pair they picked up the chorus.
"I don't know what you been used to, never been with a girl like you-oo but I can give you a love that's true to your heart not material thi-i-ings.
I'll give you my song, these words to you. Sing you what I feel, my soul is true."
"My soul is true," he echoed before the duet continued.
"I don't have the world, can't give it to you girl."
"Can't give it to you girl," André repeated; Freddie scanned the crowd and watched ad Beck gently pull Jade to him and the couple kissed; he smiled at sight and the thought that things might be getting better between them.
"But all that I can do," Tori sang.
"All that I can doooo…," André echoed and together they finished the chorus,
"Is give this song to you."
"I'll give you my heart, my soul, my voice, baby," the songsmith began a riff.
"Give this song to you," Tori added.
"Oo-oo-oo-ah, What I can't say I'm singing."
"Give this song to you."
"Every word and every verse, I'll be there baby. Oo-oo-oo-ha,"
"Give this song to you."
"I'll give you my song these words to you, baby, baby. Sing you what I feel, my soul is true…"
Cat pounced on Freddie and pulled him into a hug; she kissed him gently, taking advantage of the first opportunity to give him some sort of thanks for his actions at the mall and getting her to safety, particularly in light of what happened to the others. He smiled and held the girl close.
Together then on-stage pair began the final chorus, "I'll give you my song, these words to you. Sing you what I feel, my soul is true. I don't have the world, can't give it to you girl but all that I can do…"
"All that I can doooo," André sang.
Together the two of them repeated the chorus, "I'll give you my song, these words to you. Sing you what I feel, my soul is true. I don't have the world, can't give it to you girl but all that I can do…"
"All that I can do-oo-oo, is give this song to you," André finished.
"I like him," the producer told his aide; the younger man gave André a thumbs up; he smiled and hugged Tori happily.
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills
Jade was an unexpected visitor to the Benson home; Freddie welcomed her happily though.
"Hi Jade, how's it going," he asked as he stepped aside and the girl swept inside.
"Great, I'm just on my way to see Beck but I thought I'd call in on you first since I thought you'd be done at the gym by now. How was the workout?" she poked his biceps with a teasing smirk on her face.
"It was good. André was a bit hyper throughout; I think it was adrenaline and elation after his performance."
"Speaking of performances, looks like you guys weren't too well received at the mall given the state of some of the costumes."
He chuckled and recounted the afternoon's events; Jade laughed uproariously at what had transpired.
"So things are good with Beck?" he asked cautiously.
"Yeah, really good today," she enthused, "definitely a lot better since our argument over the weekend. If I didn't know better," she eyed him suspiciously, "I'd think that somebody had had a quiet word with my boyfriend."
Freddie kept his face neutral and impassive, refusing to quail under Jade's challenging glare; she pulled him into a hug anyway. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, kissed his cheek and disappeared into the night.
AN: Thank you for reading; I hope that you liked it and will come back for the next chapter. In the meantime, don't be shy about letting me know what you thought about it.