AN: Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers. As a result of the holiday I have a chapter for you and, if I'm lucky, there'll be a new Here's To Us chapter soon for those of you who read that one.
As always at this time, thank you to everyone for reading and, in particular, reviewing chapter 30; I'm glad that so many of you liked it.
Challenge King – the conversation needed to be had and Cat really wanted (and wants) to help Freddie overcome his issues, hence doing what she did. Sam is one of his best friends (along with Jade) so she's the first person he'd think of talking to for objective and non-judgmental advice. Cat went to see Jade as she felt a little betrayed that her best friend knew something like that but didn't tell her. Freddie went after Robbie because he was sticking up for his girl and he saw the trouble that she was getting into with her addiction and he wanted to help her. Here is the next chapter for you.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – it was a big step but one that he needed to take to help him fix the psychological issue that he has. As for Robbie and his blog, it's a good point about the boot being on the other foot for once and perhaps he enjoyed that but you're right – knowing how it feels you'd think that he'd think twice about doing such a thing really.
Darck Ben – thanks, I'm glad that you think it's getting better.
Agent-M – thanks. Part of the reason for rejigging the order of the episodes was to get some logical progressions, particularly in regard to the Bade relationship. Is Cat avoiding the issue and burying it in shopping? Maybe, perhaps she is looking for some retail therapy.
KoiChoco – everything seemed ok but of course there will be ripples that affect our couple for a while yet.
TenorSax93 – Freddie will always stick up for his friends, and his girlfriend especially; it's a part of who he is.
That's everyone so here's the next part of the story.
Chapter 31: Rex Dies
Green Meadow Mall,
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, 20th February 2011.
The movie was playing but, for one patron at least, it may as well have been a blank screen. Freddie sat with his arm around Cat, idly running his hand up and down her side as she giggled at the show. Despite the girl's effervescent nature it was her constant giggling that troubled her boyfriend; it seemed that she was laughing even more than usual and, coupled with her behaviour at school in recent days, he was growing a little concerned. It seemed to him as if she was starting to become even more childlike; the flashes of maturity that she had displayed in recent weeks, including, he swallowed subconsciously as he reflected it on it, the night before his birthday, seemed to have deserted her; Freddie was fearful that his rejection of her that night was the cause of it but he really wasn't sure how best to bring it up. He didn't want to upset her if it was his imagination and nothing was wrong – and he didn't know how he would deal with it if there really was something wrong.
Finally the movie came to an end and the two teenagers left the cinema; Freddie's arm still draped protectively around his girl and she was leaning into him. It made him feel a little better as it was something she had being doing more often recently, since he had begun to notice her efforts to act more grown-up.
"So," he began, "is there anything else that you wanted to do today?"
"Uh, I'd like to have a look in Toys For You," she smiled, eyeing him with puppy-dog eyes.
"Ok then," he acceded and walked towards the store with her. "I'm going to have a look in a couple of other stores while you're in there," he informed her from its threshold, "I'll see you in there in about fifteen minutes?"
"'kay 'kay," she smiled, giving him a quick kiss and entering the toy store. He shook his head as he watched her sauntering through it before turning and heading for a couple of computer and video stores. He browsed a couple of the latest games and movie releases, left without buying anything and rushed over to the cupcake outlet he had used in the past. He bought his girl four large red velvet treats and returned to their pre-arranged meeting point.
To his surprise, Cat had already left the store – and hadn't bought anything. Her eyes lit up, however, when she saw the bag in his hand; she gave a soft squeal and jumped into his arms.
"Nothing you wanted?" he asked, gesturing to her empty hands.
"Nothing I wanted or could afford," she admitted sadly, "I'm still trying to figure out how to pay mom and dad back for the stuff I bought from Sky Store and, in the meantime, they've stopped my allowance."
He nodded sympathetically, though privately he felt that a little while where she couldn't buy anything might be a good experience for the sixteen-year-old. Instead of saying that he opted to hand her the bag. "These will cheer you up," he promised. Her eyes lit up as she opened the bag.
"My favourites," she grinned before returning her gaze to him. "My favourite," her smile broadened as she pulled him in for a kiss.
Sikowitz's Classroom, Hollywood Arts High School
Monday, 21st February 2011.
The teenagers' attention was focussed on the stage at the front of the room; Beck and Tori had taken the stage and the scene had them sitting at a table, pretending to be a couple eating a meal. The teacher himself stood by the windows watching while he shook a yellowish bottle.
"How's your eggplant?" the pretty brunette asked conversationally.
"It's fine," he replied. "How's your spaghetti?"
"I hate you," she set her cutlery down.
"Why?" the long-haired actor was surprised.
"I'm not having spaghetti! I'm having spagatini!"
"What's the difference?"
"Spagatini is a very thin noodles. Spaghetti is a relatively fat noodle! We've been over this!" Her voice was rising.
"I forgot!" Beck snapped back.
"I mean, why did we even take a pasta class together?" Beck slammed his own cutlery down and pointed angrily at his co-star.
"And done," Sikowitz shouted, much to the duo's surprise.
"We're done?" Beck asked in surprise.
"But, we still have a few more lines," Tori protested.
"No, I meant this is done," he brandished his jar.
"What is that?" André asked curiously.
"Well, it was a jar of cream," he explained, "but now that I've shaken it vigorously for an hour, it's butter."
"You make your own butter?" Jade asked in surprise.
"Indeed," he confirmed.
"Is it good?" Freddie enquired.
"I don't know, I refuse to eat dairy," he replied. His students looked oddly at him as he dropped the jar in the trash; Jade just shrugged. "Tori, Beck, take your seats."
"My mom doesn't like to eat dairy either," Freddie commented to his girlfriend.
"If he doesn't eat dairy," the redhead turned to him, "why would he..."
"I don't know, sweetie. I don't get it and it's usually better not to ask if it involves him."
"Alright," Sikowitz called, gesturing for his actors to take their seats and replacing them on the stage, "for the last few minutes of class, let's talk about the one-act play I'm directing." He stood expectantly, looking at them for a few moments before André bit.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"You wanna talk about the one-act play you're directing?"
The teacher sighed theatrically. "Alright. First of all, I wanna thank you all for auditioning. The two lead roles will be played by…" he paused for dramatic effect, "André and Robbie."
"Cool," the songsmith smiled.
"Hot beef," the ventriloquist cried. Sikowitz looked at him.
Rex groaned in embarrassment. "Would anyone else like to be my guardian?"
"Did any of the rest of us get parts?" Cat asked hopefully.
"Aw," the balding teacher teased, "is a certain little redhead hoping she got a role in teacher's play?"
Cat perked up excitedly. "She is."
"Well, she didn't," he shot back cruelly, leaving the girl crestfallen.
"And you just HAD to break it to her like that?" Freddie fired furiously. "You get her hopes up deliberately and then dash them?"
"Freddie," the teacher replied airily, "dealing with rejection is a part of the actor's lifestyle."
"Rejection yes," he conceded, "but cruelty and unprofessionalism? They shouldn't have anything to do with it – especially from a teacher."
Sikowitz turned quickly to rest of the class. "Well anyway," he did his best to ignore the teen's angry outburst, "I do need some help with the backstage crew. Jade, Cat, I want you girls on lighting."
"Lighting?" Jade asked in annoyance.
"Yes, you pronounced it perfectly. Tori, I want you and Freddie to work with Sinjin's team on special effects."
Freddie looked mutinous but Tori spoke up. "Okay, but I know like nothing about special effects."
"We'll teach you," the curly blond-haired boy offered. He and his friends smiled seedily at her.
"Lookin' forward to it," the half-Latina commented with some trepidation. Cat, sitting next to her, looked nervous on her behalf.
"Or," the former tech producer spoke up, "I can teach you everything you need to know in about half an hour." He really didn't want to help out Sikowitz but felt his friend needed him, especially if his girlfriend was happy enough to participate. Working on the play, he reasoned, would be nice on his resume, even if it was backstage rather than on-stage, given that his interests still lay in that field at least as much as the acting side.
"That sounds a lot better," the svelte brunette smiled in relief, then added in a whisper, "you can take your time though." She grinned at him, causing Cat to frown and tighten her hold on his arm. Sinjin looked rather disappointed by the ex-Seattle native's offer.
Asphalt Cafe.
With their usual table occupied, Tori, Cat, Freddie, André and Robbie chose to sit at a table on the edge of the school grounds. Freddie was pointedly ignoring Robbie; he hadn't forgotten about the Robarazzi incidents and the ventriloquist's behaviour towards his girlfriend and other friends.
"Uhhh. Hey. Hey. Cheekbones?" Rex tried to get Tori's attention.
"Yes, Rex?" she asked the puppet.
"You gonna eat that taquito?"
"I sure am," she confirmed, taking a bite from her lunch.
"C'mon," the wild-haired doll begged, "gimme one bite."
"No," she insisted.
"Can I smell it?" Rex asked; Robbie moved it closer to the girl's food.
In an annoyed voice the singer snapped, "Robbie!"
"Stop," the ventriloquist told him.
"Gimme a bath," Rex demanded.
"Later," he promised.
"Aww," it groaned.
"So," Cat prompted with a smile, "I heard you went out with Jessica Wolf last night."
"Oh yes. I did," Robbie confirmed happily.
"So? How'd it..." André began before being interrupted by Trina.
"Hi Tori, Tori's friends," she greeted them as she strode deliberately past.
Tori shook her head. "So, your date with Jessica?"
"Awesome," he trilled.
"Uh, not according to her last update on The Slap," Freddie observed, peering at his phone.
"What'd she write?" Cat asked, slipping an arm around him and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"It's kinda mean," the tech genius observed; he grinned slightly as he continued, "'Last night, worst date ever.'"
Robbie's face crumpled. "Oh," then he brightened. "Well, maybe she went out with some other guy after she went out with me and then she wrote that about the other guy."
"'Dude brought a puppet'," Freddie continued.
"A puppet?" Rex was affronted.
"Oh she was talking about me," the bespectacled teen lamented.
"I'm sorry," Tori sought to console him.
"Ah, who cares?" Rex was dismissive. "You don't need to be hookin' up with scrunge like that."
Trina walked past them again. "Hi everyone! Yeah."
"I'm sure I don't want to know," Freddie grinned at the younger Vega.
"I don't either," she groaned back to him.
"That's right," the diva smiled, "Felony jeans. And they're not knock-offs. These are real Felony jeans. The realio-dealio."
"Realio-dealio?" Robbie questioned.
"I think that's Spanish for real deal," Cat volunteered.
"And what's Spanish for dizzy redhead?" Rex shot.
"That's it," Freddie stood up as the last of his patience evaporated; he was annoyed with Sikowitz and still not feeling too good towards Robbie. The boy snatched Rex from Robbie's arm and threw it into the bushes behind them before rounding angrily on the ventriloquist, who looked shocked and terrified.
"Freddie!" he gasped.
"I have warned you time and again, Shapiro, about insulting her. It seems it hasn't sunk in and I'm out of patience."
Cat glanced around the table; Tori and André were looking nervously at the pair; she tugged her boyfriend's arm and, in a soft voice, called, "Freddie." He turned to her, letting her warm smile mollify him and, while he did, Robbie ran from the table.
Trina had watched the exchange with surprise; she looked disappointed that attention has been taken from her.
In an effort to break tension, Tori addressed her sister. "Aren't Felony jeans like super expensive?"
"Yes," Trina confirmed. "Oh, do me a flavour and put this credit card back in mom's purse."
"Why do I have to put it back in mom's..." She groaned as realisation hit her; thankfully for her André provided a fresh distraction by groaning and sniffling.
"What are you doing?" A curious Tori asked him.
"I'm trying to make myself cry," he explained.
Freddie smiled. "It looks like you're about to puke." Cat giggled appreciatively.
"Why are you trying to make yourself cry?" the singer pressed.
"For the play," the songsmith continued. "I'm supposed to cry in the last scene and Sikowitz says a real actor has to cry real tears."
"So?" Cat failed to see the problem.
"You're a great actor," the brunette encouraged.
"Just cry real tears," the redhead concluded.
"You know how hard it is to make real tears come out?" he countered. "I mean, I can cry and make it look real and sound real, but I don't see how an actor can just automatically make actual tears come out whenever, I mean, it's like..."
He was interrupted as the three girls all began to cry.
"Well, well you all are girls," he defended himself. "It's easier for girls to cry. Back me up? Freddie?" His hopes were dashed as he turned to see the former Seattle native crying too. "How... how do you..." he asked in astonishment.
Freddie wiped his face. "Easy," he shrugged, "I just think back on something that really upset me and made me feel emotional and sad – the tears follow."
"I'll try that," the dreadlocked boy commented thoughtfully. "Thanks."
"No problem," the young aspiring actor grinned. Tori stopped crying, smiled and made a 'there we go' gesture towards her friend.
FunXional Fitness, 4111 West Alameda Avenue, Burbank, California
Freddie grunted with the effort of his work-out; across the floor André raised his eyebrows at how seriously his friend was taking it all; he finished his own set and hurried over to join him.
"Remember to breathe, man," he half-joked.
"I'm good," Freddie assured him, "I just want to… urgh, put… today… behind me," he concluded as he finished working on the shoulder press. He got up and wiped his face with a towel before heading for the next stop on his circuit.
"Whoa, wait," the songsmith called; Freddie stopped and turned expectantly to him. "Is everything alright? You were angry in class then what you did to Rex. I found Robbie cowering in the bathroom; he'd missed a class."
"Do you think Sikowitz was right in how he treated Cat?" Freddie countered. "Or for Robbie to say what he did about her?" He shook his head. "I'm not going to let people bully my girl, André, and I'm not going to apologise to anybody for sticking up for her."
"I'm not saying you should," the dreadlocked teen surrendered, "but there's a line between insults and jokes and I think you're drawing it in a different place to other people."
"Meaning?" he gave his friend a confused look.
"You know how Rex is…"
"He's how Robbie makes him," Freddie interrupted curtly.
"I'm not saying he isn't but are you sure he was really insulting her? I'm just saying," he sighed, "that if you treat everything as a perceived insult, you could end up alienating people."
"Only if they have a problem with me defending people I care about," he shot back; André shrugged, seeing that they weren't going to agree on this, and replaced Freddie on the shoulder press.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: Just made myself cry. Fun! Now time to work on a play – SPECIAL EFFECTS.
Feeling: Intrigued
FreddieB – you'll do great; just remember what we went through.
Black Box theatre, Hollywood Arts High School
Wednesday, 23rd February 2011.
"Grady," Sikowitz instructed one of the boys, "take those sandbags up to the catwalk."
"'Kay," he confirmed, picking them up and heading for the stairs.
Cat, wearing shin-length boots, a light green top and an old pair of pale blue jeans, given that she and Jade were working up there together to get the lighting ready for the play, giggled, "I love that they call this a catwalk." She smiled at her dark brunette best friend and explained, "'cause my name is Cat, and look, I'm walking." She began to strut exaggeratedly. "Walking on the catwalk."
Jade frowned at her perky nature. "If someone was pushed off this catwalk and they landed on the floor really hard, do you think they'd live?" she asked.
"Why are you asking that?" Cat wondered aloud.
"No reason," Jade shrugged.
Cat gasped in realisation. "I'll stop talking," she promised.
"Thanks," the other girl nodded, "I'm just not in the mood for it right now." She took in the cupcake lover's attire. "You're hoping to catch Freddie's eye again?" she smirked.
"Yeah," Cat confirmed with a smile. "Things are good – we talked about... y'know, stuff – but getting his attention is always a good thing," and she giggled again before spotting André downstairs and heading down to speak to him. Jade grinned and shook her head, watching her go.
Downstairs, Freddie tore his eyes away from his girlfriend as, from the corner of his eyes he saw Sinjin and his creepy friends approaching Tori.
"Tori," the dirty blond called; she looked up.
"Hi."
"We wanna give you this t-shirt. It says 'Special Effects Crew.'"
Freddie approached the visibly uncomfortable Tori as she looked at the shirt. "Thanks... It looks used," she noted.
"Yeah, that was my shirt," he explained.
Tori still didn't take it from him. "What are these stains?" she asked, eyeing the dirty brown smudges all over the front of it.
"Who can remember?" he shrugged dismissively.
"You can't remember?" she asked in surprise.
Freddie caught up with the group. "I'd pass on the shirt if I were you," he commented to the girl.
"Yeah, I think I will," she agreed, taking a step back, towards the newcomer, and causing Sinjin and his friends to walk off disappointed.
"It has arrived," Beck declared as Grady helped him to wheel in a large machine.
"Yeah," André agreed, "there she is."
"Cool," Tori enthused before looking closer at the device. "What is it?"
"Wow," Freddie smiled, walking towards it admiringly, "it's a Turblow jet." Cat skipped over to join him; she wasn't sure what it did but it had garnered his interest.
"Yep," Beck grinned, "it's to create the tornado for the play."
"Ooh, it blows?" Tori was interested.
"It blows," Freddie confirmed.
"Blows," Beck echoed.
"Blows," Cat grinned sensuously as she sidled ever closer to her boy.
"Blows, yeah Umm-hmm," André sang.
"Show her," the long-haired actor urged Freddie.
"Ok," he nodded; his eyes lit up as he reached the control panel. Cat was still hovering by his side. "We'll start on medium." A gust blew from the machine; the ferocity of it knocked Sinjin clean off his feet. "Sorry Sinj," he called as he switched it off.
"It happens," the blond groaned into the floor.
"Wow, this thing's powerful," Tori enthused.
"Yup," Beck agreed.
"And it doesn't just blow," Freddie explained; Cat looked on in interest. "You flick that little red guy into reverse... it sucks."
"Show her," the Canadian teen urged.
"Now come here..." Freddie took André's script from him and steered the two girls in front of the machine, albeit off to one side out of its path; he let go of a page from the script and it flew into the machine.
"Whoa, that's insane!" Tori declared.
"Yeah," Cat agreed.
"Now that is some serious suckage. I wanna play with it..." the singer begged.
Cat remembered that she wanted to speak to the songsmith. "Hey André, did you figure out a way to make yourself cry yet?"
"Nah. I tried all last night; I used some of Freddie's tips. Still nothing, and if I don't cry real tears, Sikowitz is gonna say..." the girl cut off his complaint by spraying something in his eyes. "Ahhhh!" he groaned. "What was that?!"
"Look! You're crying," she pointed out gleefully.
"Yeah! What did you spray in my eyes?"
"Beast repellent," she explained. "It's powerful enough to stop a man or a medium-size bear." Cat looked rather pleased with herself.
"It burns!" André complained.
As he retreated, Cat pointed out, "That means it's working!"
"Uhh, sweetie?" Freddie wrapped an arm around her; she rested her head against his chest. "I'm not sure that was the best way to do it."
"Oh." Then the girl shrugged. "Well it worked," she smiled.
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills
Thursday, 24th February 2011.
"Are you really worried then?" Sam asked sympathetically.
"A little," Freddie admitted, reclining on his bed and holding his pear phone gently next to his ear. "I don't know Sam, she's just… different somehow. Almost like a flower, y'know, when the petals start to come back up instead of spreading out."
A thousand miles to the north Sam smiled at the analogy and the tenderness in her friend's voice. "Well there are two questions," she began bluntly, "one – have you talked to her about it?"
"No, I haven't," he admitted. "I guess I'm a little scared of finding out the answer in case it is something that's going on with her."
"Alright, question two – will you still accept her if this turns out to be permanent?"
"Look at you using fancy words," he teased. He could almost feel the death glare searing down the phone at him so he continued, "yes, if I have to I will accept whatever she's become, but I'd like the Cat of recent weeks back."
"Then talk to her and tell her that, all of it," the blonde suggested.
"I guess you're right."
"Mama's always right," she chuckled.
"Except for schoolwork," he shot back.
"Hey, my grades are improving," she protested. "My GPA's heading in the right direction anyway."
"That's great, Sam, so the school's good for you?"
"So long as I stay awake in Maths," she laughed.
Black Box theatre
Saturday, 26th February 2011.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: Ahhh! Play starts in 20 minutes! I'm in charge of the TURBLOW JET!
Feeling: Pumped
"Okay, everyone," Sikowitz called, "we have minutes before our play begins... where is my coconut milk?"
"You're drinking it," Beck pointed out wearily.
The eccentric teacher sucked on it through his straw. "So am I," he noted.
On the catwalk Jade stood holding some of the light cables. "Cat, she warned, "don't turn on 21."
"Don't what?" the diminutive girl called back.
"Turn on 21," the gothic teen repeated.
"21 on," the redhead called.
"No, no no," Jade urged, then shuddered as the electricity was switched on; fortunately Freddie, fresh from work, was nearby as he had come to see his girl before going to his position and he quickly threw the switch off again. "Cat," she complained, "you just shocked me!"
"I'm sorry!" she wailed; Jade gave her a filthy look and she held her face in her hands.
"Don't worry about it," Freddie urged, giving her a quick cuddle, "Jade's ok so no real harm done." Cat smiled appreciatively at him.
Downstairs, Robbie approached Tori. "Oh, hey, Tori," he greeted the half-Latina nervously.
"Why aren't you in costume?" she asked, knowing how close they were to the start of the play.
"I'm going to get changed. Will you watch Rex for me?"
"Why can't you just take Rex with you?" she wondered.
"'cause I don't like to change in front of him. He... makes jokes."
"Heh heh, yeah I do," the puppet confirmed; the singer looked bewildered.
"Hush!" Robbie demanded. "Will you just keep an eye on him for me?" he asked, setting the puppet down on the stage.
"Sure," she agreed wearily.
"Alright adolescents," Sikowitz called as he surveyed the theatre, "let's do some quick checks! Crew, position. Sunshine?" Cat and Jade switched on the appropriate lights. "Love it. Chirping birds?" An altogether noisier sound was produced by Sinjin's team. "No," the teacher complained, "not a cock fight... peaceful birds." They tried again, a better sound came forth this time. "Charming," he commended. "Thunderstorm? Excellent," he praised Freddie's work. "Lights up." Cat and Jade obliged. "Next, um, Tori, let's see the tornado."
"Full on?" she asked.
"Full on," he confirmed. "Blow me away," he urged, pausing for a laugh that never arrived. "Just turn it on."
"Here we go," she fired up the machine; Beck immediately realised the problem.
"It's in reverse!"
"Tori, turn it off!" Jade called from the gantry; beside her Cat gasped in horror at what was unfolding. The brunette clutched her best friend's arm, urging her into action and leading her downstairs.
"I know, I know, I know..." the half-Latina struggled with the controls before screaming as Rex was sucked from his seat on the scenery and into it.
"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Sikowitz urged; finally Tori managed to do so.
"Oh my God," she gasped.
"This shirt's a little big, but I think it looks pretty good..." Robbie observed as he returned to the stage having dressed in his costume; Beck stepped up to front of the tornado machine, shielding it from view. "Where's Rex?" he asked, looking around but not seeing his puppet.
By this time the lighting girls had arrived at ground level; Jade moved to put herself between Robbie and Tori and Cat followed her lead, though she glanced back upstairs and was surprised to see Freddie calmly working with his station's controls as if nothing was happening. She managed to catch his eye and mouthed "Help" to him; he sighed and began to make his way down to join them.
"Let me go! Let me go! What did you do to him? Lemme see him! Let go!" Robbie was struggling to get to a guilty-looking Tori and had to be restrained by a combination of Cat, Jade and Sikowitz.
"Calm down," Sikowitz urged.
"I'm sorry, we were testing this thing and it was still in reverse and he flew and then…" Tori stumbled over her words; she managed to retrieve Rex from inside the Turblowjet. The puppet looked a sorry sight with his eyes hanging loose and several parts were broken.
"Is Rex okay? Is Rex okay?" Robbie demanded; finally he broke free of the restraining trio and took the doll from Tori. "Ahh! No. No, no, no, no, no, nooo, nooo, nooo!" He rounded angrily on Tori. ~What did you do?" he demanded.
Tori continued to flounder. "I... I just... I just... um..."
Ignoring her, Robbie turned to Rex. "Rex? Rex, can you hear me?"
"Oh. Oh. Is that you, Rob?" it asked weakly; Freddie palmed his face and shook his head in disbelief from behind the pair; Cat walked over to join him.
"Robbie's here. It's me. It's okay," the ventriloquist said soothingly.
"I'm... I'm busted up pretty bad," the puppet lamented.
"I've gotta get him to the hospital," the curly-haired teen announced.
"Robbie..." Sikowitz blocked his path out of the theatre.
"I've got to," he insisted; the playwright grabbed his arms.
"Robbie! You're starring in this play. The audience is outside waiting to come in. It's your job to entertain them... no matter what."
"Oh. I feel cold," Rex groaned.
"Somebody's gotta take Rex to the hospital," he pleaded, looking at his friends; thankfully he didn't turn to Freddie, as the tech producer could barely contain his laughter at the whole thing.
"I'll take him," Tori offered.
"I'll drive," Beck added in resignation.
"I'll go too," Cat offered.
"Okay, does anyone else think this is bizarre?" Jade asked, bewildered at how things had escalated. "C'mon, it can't just be me."
Through his laughter, which drew a frown from Cat, Freddie managed to gasp, "trust me, it's not just you Jade."
André, who like Robbie was in costume, walked onto the stage. "Alright, alright, it's show time!" he declared excitedly; as all eyes turned to him he asked, "What'd I miss?"
"Tori tried to murder Rex," Sinjin supplied.
"Sinjin!" the brunette complained; she turned to Robbie. "Let me have him?"
Robbie yelped and turned his back on her, shielding the puppet. "No."
"We'll take him to the hospital," Cat promised.
"Okay," he acquiesced, handing Rex to Tori.
"I got him," she assured him.
"Take care of him," he urged.
"I promise," she said solemnly; Robbie leaned over and kissed Rex's forehead. Tori, Cat and Beck filed out in silence as Robbie continued to sob.
Jade shared an amused yet bewildered glance with Freddie before commenting, "Well, I'm not missing this." She jerked her head towards the exit and the duo chased after them into hallway. "Hey! Wait up," she called as the trio came into view.
"What?" Tori asked.
"Where are you all going?" Freddie enquired.
"To the hospital," Cat told him, "like we promised Robbie."
"Cat..." Tori sighed.
"We're not really going to a hospital," Beck told her.
"It's a puppet, for goodness sake," Freddie shook his head.
"Not to Robbie," the redhead observed quietly.
"You know what?" Jade was thoughtful in tone. "Maybe we should take Rex to the hospital."
"Why?" Tori looked at her as if she'd gone crazy.
"So he can die there," she explained.
"Jade..." Cat gasped.
"It's not good for a sixteen-year-old guy to go through life with his hand shoved up a... that. Maybe this happened for a reason?" She looked to the others for support.
"But if Rex dies," Tori protested, "Robbie's gonna…"
"Get over it and become a normal person?" she interrupted. "Yeah, that'd be tragic!" Jade added sarcastically.
"She's got a point," Beck noted.
"Why bother?" Freddie asked irritably. "Just throw the damn thing in the nearest dumpster and be done with it."
"I used to think my uncle was a normal person," Cat commented, "but then when I was visiting a few weeks ago I found out that he soaks his feet in chicken fat."
The others looked at her for a moment – long enough for her to start to feel uncomfortable.
"Let's take Rex to the hospital," Tori decided.
"Yeah," Beck agreed.
"Let's go," Jade followed them.
"Okay," Cat smiled.
"I'm staying," Freddie called; they paused and turned towards him. "Someone needs to man the effects, or probably the lights if you girls are both going," he explained. The others nodded, while Cat skipped back for a goodbye kiss. "I'll see you there later," he told her.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre,
501 S Buena Vista St, Burbank.
"Oh, this is where Freddie's mom works," Cat observed as Beck pulled his car into the parking lot.
"Yep, we know some of the staff already from… other visits," Beck commented, recalling his fencing injury and also the unpleasantness that followed the use of Trina's pooka fish for smoothing the skin on their feet.
The teens breezed past reception and soon located Doctor Levinson, with whom they had dealt before. Beck quickly explained about needing to find a bed for their injured "friend".
"But he's a puppet," the doctor pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, we know he's a puppet," Beck conceded.
"Look," Tori chimed in, "we just want you to hook him up to one of those beepy machines and when our friend Robbie gets here, pretend he dies."
"You want me to pretend this puppet dies?" The medic's confusion was increasing by the second at the kids' request.
"Is there any good reason why a grown man would soak his feet in chicken fat?" Cat suddenly asked.
"Chicken fat?" Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder, the doctor thought.
"Why don't you go make friends with the nice lady at the desk?" Jade suggested; Cat's eyes lit up.
"'kay kay," she bounded over. "Hi," she greeted the nurse.
"So will you do it?" Tori asked.
"Look, I'm a doctor. This is a hospital. I can't justify pretending that a puppet..."
"Come on, doc," Beck interrupted.
"Just do it," Jade demanded.
"Please?" Tori begged.
"Will you do something for me?" Levinson asked her.
"What?" Tori felt a little trepidation.
"I have a sixteen-year-old son. His name is Lendle and he's, um, well, he's a loser. Would you go out on a date with him?"
"How much of a loser?" she asked; the doctor showed her a picture from his wallet. "Oh my God," she gasped.
"Yeah," he conceded.
"Look, I..." she began before Jade interrupted.
"Tori would love to go out with Lendle."
"Really?" the doctor asked; Tori threw her friend a filthy look.
"One hour," she relented, "and it has to be a dark restaurant."
"Done," Levinson agreed, "bring the puppet."
Meanwhile, Cat had just asked the duty nurse about her uncle's habits.
"I don't know why your Uncle would soak his feet in chicken fat. Uh, why are you here?" she asked.
"Oh," Cat explained, "'cause this puppet had a really bad accident and got hurt. But he doesn't like to be called a puppet."
"Mm-hmm," the nurse nodded disbelievingly. "And how did this puppet get hurt?"
"See, well, my friend Tori was trying to make a tornado happen but she did it wrong so the puppet flew across the room into a big jet fan."
"Ooh, a flying puppet," the lady humoured her.
"Yeah," Cat enthused.
"That's too bad." She called a passing orderly. "Uh, William, would you please take this young lady to our 'special room' in section D?"
William, a tall, black orderly gave a brief look of mild surprise before agreeing. "Of course. Come along," and he took the girl's arm.
"Ooh, an adventure," she smiled happily as they walked away from the desk.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: At the hospital with a sick friend. Well, not really a 'friend'... more like a... uh, never mind.
Feeling: Conflicted
Black Box Theatre, Hollywood Arts High School
Freddie frowned when he checked phone during the intermission; the brown-eyed teen was still perplexed at the whole charade of taking the puppet to a hospital to begin with; part of him hoped that they'd run into his mother as he suspected that she'd agree with him about just finding a dumpster for it.
"Hey, Freddie," he looked up at André's call.
"'Sup André," he asked, slipping his phone back in his pocket.
"Tori texted; says she wants me to bring Robbie to the hospital after the play. Not that it's an issue 'cause Robbie's insisting on going anyway to see how Rex is." He paused, processing the sheer absurdity of what he'd just said. "Did they really take Rex to the hospital?"
"Yes," Freddie sighed, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. "It was Jade's idea really, to get them to hook him up to a machine so he can 'die' and snap Robbie out of his dependence on it."
"Oh," André pondered the implications of it.
"Freddie," Robbie rushed over to join them. "You have a car; look, I know there've been… issues between us lately but would you please drive us to the hospital after the play so I can see Rex?"
"Sure," he agreed, "II was going to go anyway to see mom and pick Cat up; I'll drive you." From the corner of his eye he saw André's approving smile; the songsmith felt that it was a step in the right direction of making sure that Freddie's friendships didn't fall.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre,
501 S Buena Vista St, Burbank.
The doctor had, as requested, bandaged Rex and hooked him up to a monitoring machine.
"Wow. That looks so real," Tori complimented.
"So when this Robbie kid gets here..." the doctor went over the plan again.
"Just say that Rex isn't doing well," Jade explained, "let him say goodbye, and then beeeeeep. Dead Rex."
The doctor glanced at Beck. "Why can't my son be handsome like you?" he complained; Jade gave him a funny look for a moment before a jar on the bedside table caught her attention.
"Hey, what's this?" She picked it up.
"Oh, this is just a fatty lump that I removed from a cab driver's back," Levinson explained, taking it from her.
"Can I have it?" she asked.
"What school do you kids go to?" he asked in an incredulous tone; he did, however, hand it to her. "I have to go see another patient. I'll be back in twenty minutes."
"Why would you want..." Beck began.
"I'd like to look at it," his girlfriend fired back.
"It's just a little weird," he argued then, seeing Tori check her phone, asked the half-Latina, "who texted?"
"André. They have one more scene left in the play and then he and Freddie are gonna bring Robbie here."
"Good..." Jade smiled. "One hour from now," she leaned in to Rex, "you dead."
Suddenly realising that things were rather quieter than she was used to, Tori looked around. "Hey," she asked her friends, "where's Cat?"
Section D, Mental Ward
"Alright," William told her, leading her into a small room, "the nurses will help you change and get ready."
"Ready for what?" she asked in confusion; he didn't answer. Instead, two female nurses joined her and handed her a nightdress, insisting that she change into it while she's "observed".
"But there's nothing wrong with me!" she protested.
"We just want to make sure," the nurse argued in a soothing tone.
"Ok, but can I go afterwards? I need to get back to my friends."
"Once we're sure that you're ok you can go," the nurse promised, causing the redhead to concede defeat and change into the hospital gown.
William was waiting outside the changing room; he took her arm again and led her into a room, which turned out to be padded and furnished with just a single, soft stool. He helped the girl to a sitting position then he and another orderly secured large, plush, red cubes over her hands and wrists.
"So, what are these for?" she asked in confusion.
"They keep you from hurting yourself," he replied.
"Oh. Neat. Bye!" she called as the orderlies left her, locking her in the room; Cat tapped her head with one of the cubes, then the other. "Bonk. Bonk," she called as she did so. "This... they work. This doesn't hurt at all," she smiled and carried on tapping her head. "Bonk. Bonk, bonk. Bonkity bonk, bonk, bonk." She stood and placed her 'hands' on her hips. "I'm cube-fist-man!" she declared, as if she was a superhero, before beginning to shadow-box. "Bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk bonk..."
Black Box Theatre, Hollywood Arts
Sikowitz had never seen an actor change so quickly after a performance; Robbie was out of costume and ready to go before the last of the audience had left the theatre.
"Ok, Freddie, are we ready? We need to go," he garbled.
"Whoa," the muscular teen's voice was calm, "we need to wait for André to be ready."
"Right," the curly-haired boy sighed; he began pacing the stage impatiently.
"Ok," the musical genius called a couple of minutes later as he emerged onto the stage, "let's go to the hospital." He smiled at Freddie. "Lead the way."
Freddie nodded and set off towards the parking lot with the other teens in tow.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: At hospital. Waiting. Nervous. Grrrr.
Feeling: Guilty
Freddie spotted Beck's car in the lot and pulled his own in to a bay close to it. He texted Cat to find out where they were and frowned when he didn't receive an answer by the time they were through reception. Guessing that she would try and see Doctor Levinson, he doubled back to reception and asked where the doctor was to be found. The receptionist was reluctant at first but, upon learning that his surname was 'Benson' and that his mother was Marissa, she decided that this particular battle didn't need to be fought and simply directed him to the doctor's ward.
Robbie raced through the ward in search of his puppet; Freddie and André followed him and soon found the correct bed; Jade stood nearby, idly swirling the fatty lump around in its jar.
"Oh, Rex. Is he gonna be okay?" Robbie asked, leaving a bewildered songsmith looking on.
"I'm, I'm afraid his injuries are very serious," Levinson kept his bedside manner intact and used a deadpan voice.
"They don't think he's gonna make it," Beck added sympathetically.
"What in the name a'Nancy's goin' on here?!" André asked.
"I'll leave you and Rex alone, so you can say your goodbyes," the doctor took his lead and the teenagers began to follow.
"Wait. Tori, will you stay?" Robbie pleaded.
"Oh, no. Why me?"
"Well, for one thing, you caused this."
"Oh," she surrendered.
"Jade, where's Cat?" Freddie asked; his concern for his girl's whereabouts were growing. "I tried texting her, she didn't reply and now she's not here. Where is she?"
"I don't know," the gothic teen admitted, "she went to talk to that nurse on the desk and I've not seen her since." She gestured towards the desk, where the nurse was still positioned.
Freddie walked over to her. "Excuse me. Were you talking to a short, red-haired girl earlier this evening?"
"Yes," the nurse confirmed dismissively, "I had her taken to section D because..."
"The MENTAL WARD?" Freddie thundered; Jade looked up from her jar and rushed over to join them.
"She's crazy!" the nurse told him. "Kept talking about chicken fat, tornadoes and flying puppets."
"The flying puppet is what happened," Jade informed her.
"It was a play at school," Freddie continued, barely keeping his ire in check, "we were doing some special effects to simulate a tornado. The machine was in reverse and the puppet got sucked in. Our class-mate," and he was careful to not say 'friend', "thinks it's real so Jade," he gestured to the girl by his side, "suggested we bring it here to die."
"Oh," the nurse muttered, re-evaluating.
Freddie turned angrily to Jade. "Your best friend," he growled, "got taken to a mental ward and you didn't even realise?"
"I was distracted?" she offered weakly.
Freddie looked to her hand and saw the jar that the girl was clutching. "Oh yes," he agreed sarcastically, "your... whatever that is... was more important to you than Cat." He turned his back on her and began to walk away.
"Freddie," Jade called as she made to go after him; he didn't look back but waved her away.
"Leave me alone; I need to fix this."
"Where are you going?" Jade asked in a soft and almost fearful voice; she worried both about what her friend would do and what this could mean for their relationship in the future. He's one of the few people that I can really count on, the girl thought, feeling the unusual sensation of fear and of tears prickling in her eyes, and I've blown his trust. She hung her head sadly and looked at the jar in her hand; instead of fascination she was now filled with disgust as she looked at it.
"To find my mom," he turned back towards the nurse on the desk. "Head Nurse Marissa Benson. I'm sure she'll know who the best person is to get her fired." The woman on the desk gasped at his name drop and as she processed what he was saying.
Freddie strode quickly off; he had a vague idea of the layout of the hospital from talking to his mother and from previous visits; he pulled his cellphone out, not caring about any of the building's rules or regulations. "Hi, Mr Valentine?" he asked as his call was connected. "Yeah, it's Freddie. Look, you and your wife need to get to Providence St Joseph now… Honestly? I don't know – she came with some of the others and… no, no, I'm sure she's not hurt but – the staff decided to take her to the Mental Ward… Yeah, yeah, calling the lawyer isn't a bad idea but my mom works here so hopefully she will be able to get her out before… yeah, yeah, I know… I'll see you soon. Just head for Section D when you arrive."
Jade was just a couple of steps behind him but she may as well have been in a different city for all the awareness that Freddie had of her existence right now; the aspiring actress hung her head in shame as he rang off and strode purposefully in search of Marissa.
"Mom!" he shouted as he suddenly spotted her; Jade jerked her head up at the call and amused herself that she was actually happy to see the Benson matriarch.
"Freddie? What are you doing here? I thought you had a play at school," she commented, knowing that he was heading there right after work.
"We did. Long story short, Cat came here with the others; she's not hurt – at least she wasn't – but the…" he stopped himself just in time, "nurse on the desk in Ward 18 had her taken to Section D."
"What?" Marissa gasped. She would admit to being the first to say that Freddie's girlfriend was unusual but certainly not insane.
"Yeah. I called her parents and they're obviously not impressed either. In fact her dad mentioned calling his lawyer."
"I'm not surprised," she quickened her step and Freddie had to accelerate to keep up with her. "Ok, we'll get her released right away," she was talking to herself as much as her son as she made plans, "that might be enough to get the hospital out of trouble."
"I'd fire that nurse and whoever took her down," Freddie snarled ungraciously; privately Marissa felt that it could end up having to be part of the deal. She paused briefly to thumb through a staff list as they passed the entrance to one of the wards.
"Oh her, yes she can be fired, nobody would be upset about that," the reddish-brunette noted as she digested the name of the nurse assigned to that ward this evening, "and I'll find out who else was involved," she promised her son. "So how come none of your other friends saw her being taken away?" Jade's heart sank as she overheard this.
"That is something you'll have to ask our so-called friends," he snapped back; fresh tears threatened Jade's composure at his words and tone.
Section D
Mother and son arrived at the entrance to the Mental Ward; Marissa swiped her ID badge and they passed through to the secure area; Jade was left outside as she didn't reach the door before it closed and the girl kicked it in frustration before leaning against a wall and sliding down into a seated position.
"Hey!" the receptionist called as they swept by. "You have to sign people in."
"He's with me, dummy," Marissa snapped, causing the younger girl to quail under the Head Nurse's legendary wrath. The Bensons walked down the corridor and stopped just outside the observation room. "Now, Freddie," she held onto his shoulders, "I know you're angry and you have every right to be angry but you need to leave this to me. I'll get her out."
Her son grinned. "You can do angry pretty well yourself mom."
She opened the door; the two entered unnoticed as the occupants were staring at a monitor streaming feed from the room in which Cat was imprisoned.
"Hello?" the redhead was calling. "My nose itches and I can't scratch it. Hellooo?! Big man who brought me in here? Oh, I know," she smiled as a thought occurred to her; she tried to reach her nose with her foot. In spite of the situation Freddie was both amused and impressed by her flexibility, at least until she overbalanced. He tucked away in the corner of his mind that her suppleness could be useful to them eventually in their relationship. "Ooops," she grinned in embarrassment at having fallen off her stool. "Come here nose, time to get scratched. Ooh, here we go," she concluded in triumph as toes met nose.
"We'd better call in a specialist," the observing nurse told his colleagues.
"Actually no, you'd better release her NOW," the watchers jumped as the Head Nurse's voice boomed behind them. "Freddie, that's room 4; it unbolts from the outside. Go and get her." Her son obediently left, a smile on his face as he headed down the hallway to be reunited with his girl.
"You can't just have her released on your say so," they challenged. "You can't seriously be telling me that this is normal behaviour!"
Marissa looked to the giggly girl as Freddie opened the door and entered the room; Cat threw herself on him, tackling him to the padded floor, kissing him exuberantly.
"Yes," she conceded, then wearily continued, finally admitting something to herself, "that's quite normal for the girl my son loves." She turned back to her colleagues. "They've been dating for almost a year and been known one another for nearly three. She's… unusual certainly but she's not insane."
The intercom buzzed, stifling any comeback from the other workers. "Hello?" Marissa answered, further annoying them as she took charge of the entire section.
"Yes, there are some angry people outside here, two of them say that their daughter is inside there?"
"That'll be the Valentines. Let them in and send them down here."
"Yes, Nurse Benson."
Freddie, meanwhile, had managed to remove the blocks from Cat's wrists and, with her help, taken her back to the room where she had left her clothes and other things.
"I'll leave you to get changed," he turned to leave.
"Could you wait there?" she asked. "I'll be safe behind this screen," she added quickly as he gave her a curious look, "but I don't want to be alone anymore."
"Sure, Cat. I'll wait by the door," he smiled. She returned it as she hopped out of sight to get changed.
Freddie frowned at the growing commotion he could hear approaching them; he opened the door and stuck his head out to see what was happening.
"Cat?" he heard his girlfriend's mother calling to her.
"Mrs Valentine? She's in here," he called; the woman looked extremely relieved to see him.
"Oh Freddie, you found her then? My husband's furious – so am I really but I just want to find her before anything else."
"Yes, she's just getting ready to go," he confirmed. A few moments later the girl hopped back out from behind the screens, smiling broadly as she joined her boyfriend at the door.
"Who's out there? Oh, hey mom, what are you doing here?"
"What are..? Cat, we heard that you'd been locked up in here, of course we came down to sort it out."
"Oh that? It was fun," she enthused, eyes lighting up happily. Mother and boyfriend exchanged helpless looks at the ebullient little girl's attitude, though both were privately pleased that she had survived the ordeal without any apparent issues.
"Mom!" he spotted her and Cat's dad walking together towards them; Mr Valentine seemed a little less irate than he had been earlier, much to Freddie's amusement as he never associated his mother with being a calming influence on people.
"Hey baby girl," the Valentine patriarch flung himself on his daughter. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she grinned, "I even had these special cube gloves to stop me hurting myself," she added with a happy giggle.
Her father looked helplessly around; Freddie stepped up to him and addressed him quietly. "She seems to have decided that it was a fun little excursion. Maybe we should just leave her believing that for now?" he suggested. Mr Valentine shrugged, looking conflicted over the whole thing.
"I'm still talking to my lawyer," he told Marissa, "though you personally won't be involved in any suit; I'll tell him how you helped rescue her."
Marissa nodded her understanding; she really couldn't blame him for his feelings over the whole event.
"Come on, sweetie, we're taking you home," he led his daughter away.
"Bye Freddie," she called happily; he waved after her. "Bye Jade," she smiled at her best friend, causing Freddie to register her presence in the area. He gave her a neutral look, which wasn't lost on Marissa, before turning to his mother.
"I'll head home too then and I'll see you in the morning?" He drew the Head Nurse into a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered, kissing her cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow Freddie," she confirmed.
"Freddie? Wait!" Jade called as she followed him out of Section D. He consented to pause and turn to his confident. "I screwed up, I know," she admitted. "I need to apologise to Cat tomorrow – and to you now; you're right, I should have kept more of an eye on her; I just never expected that she'd wind up…" the girl shrugged helplessly.
Freddie nodded curtly but replied in a weary voice, "I can't deal with this tonight Jade. I'll see you later." He turned and walked away, leaving her watching after him; the dark brunette fought a strong urge to fling the jar she was still holding against the wall. Instead she frowned at it as a better, more constructive idea came to her mind.
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills
Sunday, 27th February 2011.
It had been a troubled sleep for Freddie; he awoke, still feeling fatigued after the events of the previous day, shortly before his mother was expected at home. Feeling that a hot shower would help, he headed for his bathroom and stood, eyes closed and face raised to the liquid flow, smiling as he appreciated what Carly enjoyed about ridiculously long showers.
He wouldn't spend thatlong under the water's flow but, feeling more awake and invigorated, he stepped out of the stall and towelled himself dry before dressing and heading downstairs.
He was surprised, upon reaching the first floor, to see that his mother was already home, and that she wasn't alone. Jade stood nervously in the living area; her apprehension grew as he looked at her.
"Jade? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Waiting for coffee," she smirked. "Your mom offered me a drink when she got home to see me on the doorstep; she's putting a pot on before she hits the hay."
"You know what I mean," the boy's voice lacked its usual warmth when talking to his close friend, "why did you come over this early."
"I wanted to talk about… all of it," the gothic girl took a seat on the couch.
"Oh Freddie, you're here, good," Marissa disturbed their talk briefly with her arrival. "The coffee's on; it'll be ready in a couple of minutes. I'm going to bed."
"Ok, mom, see you later," he kissed her and she headed upstairs, leaving the teens alone. Freddie looked at Jade and muttered, "I'll get the coffee," before heading to the kitchen; Jade shook her head and followed him.
"I'm worried about Cat," she announced, standing on the threshold to stop any ideas he may have had of escape.
"Oh now you're worried about her?" he snapped.
"I deserved that," she conceded with a shrug. "Look, I already said I'm sorry about her wandering off and not going looking for her earlier." She took a couple of tentative steps towards him. "I'm worried about you too – you and me. You called us all 'so-called friends' last night."
"I was angry," he replied, "I still am about it all. Look Jade, you're my go-to girl; that's how I've always described you. The one person that I can trust with anything, no matter what it is and now suddenly I couldn't trust you to take care of your best friend, my girlfriend. It's just…" he trailed off and shrugged.
"I get it," she nodded. "So are you going to be pissed at me forever?"
"No," he managed a weak smile as he poured coffee into two cups and handed one of the steaming brews to her, "but probably until at least tomorrow," he admitted.
"It's a big thing," Jade noted in resignation. "Of course it's going to take you some time to get over it all."
"Yeah, luckily Cat doesn't seem troubled at all by it," he revealed, "she was treating it all as a fun little adventure."
"That's Cat for you. Look, back to what I was going to say," she was desperate for the chance to say what she was here to say, "it just seems that she's been… regressing a little since – uh – your birthday," she finished delicately.
"I've noticed that too," he accepted, "the whole Sky Store shopping thing and now a few things – like the lighting last night while you were working on it, spraying André with beast repellent…"
"When did that happen?" Jade piped up. "How come I missed that? It must have been hilarious!"
In spite of himself, Freddie managed a grin. "It was, looking back, but she could have really hurt him – even blinded him with it. I do need to talk to her about all of this, try to stop her retreating into herself." In need of a happier subject he looked to the dark-haired girl, "so anyway, that lump that you got from the doctor. Pride of place in your bedroom?" he guessed.
"Kind of," she admitted, smiling more freely now that the two of them were talking civilly. "I keep it on my nightstand. I wanted it to be somewhere I'd see it often so that it reminds me of what happened – and of what's really important to me."
Freddie nodded with a smile; he raised his mug as if to toast the girl, who raised hers in response.
Valentine Residence
"Oh, hello Freddie," Mrs Valentine greeted him as she answered the door. "Come in; Cat's upstairs but I'm sure she'd love to see you."
"Thanks Mrs Valentine. Is she still ok after everything?"
"She seems to be," it was Mr Valentine who answered the question, "like you said last night she doesn't seem to have fully appreciated what went on."
"Well, so long as she's happy about it and seemed to enjoy it, maybe it is best to not scar her with the truth," he commented thoughtfully.
"I agree," his girlfriend's father nodded. "Let her think of it as a fun evening for as long as possible."
Freddie nodded at his girl's parents, paused to make a fuss of the family's dog when it came to see him and then made the familiar journey upstairs to Cat's bedroom. He knocked on the door and, at her invitation, pushed it open, smiling as he saw her lying on her bed and idly flicking through a magazine.
"It's not a Sky Store catalogue is it?" he asked jokingly.
"No, just a teen magazine," she grinned, setting it to one side.
"That's even worse," he joked. She smiled back and patted the bed next to her so he kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, lying down next to her, relaxing as she wriggled on top of him and they began to trade a few gentle kisses as he held her.
"Mmm, that was nice," she sighed, raising her head after a few moments. She placed her hands either side of him and used them to brace herself as she looked down on him. He lifted his hands and moved them to her back.
"Cat?" he asked. "Is everything ok with you?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" she asked in confusion then, deciding that her arms were taking too much weight – or that she just wanted to be on top of him again – she let herself down and kissed him again.
He traded a few more enjoyable kisses before rolling them over so that he was on top. "Ooh," Cat giggled, mock-squirming under him, before he decided that he needed to answer her question.
"It's just a few things lately that have me worried. The way you were on our date last week, what happened last night when you shocked Jade… things like that, then just going with that guy afterwards. You're great the way you are," he insisted, cupping her cheek and gazing deep into her eyes, "but this more mature you that I've had recently has been fantastic. I don't want to lose her just because I wasn't ready to take the step you wanted for my birthday," he insisted.
"She's still here," Cat insisted, "it's just nice to… I guess…" she hesitated, looking for the right words, "have some fun and think back to when I was younger. What happened to Jade… well I made a mistake; I thought she wanted me to turn it on." She craned her neck and he lowered his head to allow their lips to unite again. "I promise," she breathed when they separated, "that I'm still the girl who wants that – when you're ready of course," she added artfully. "What about you though?" He looked confused so she elaborated, "you yelled at Sikowitz and threw Rex in a bush. You seem to get angry a lot."
"Only when people pick on you, Cat," he insisted.
"You don't have to worry about me," she smiled, "it's sweet but I can look after myself. If they go too far, I'll let them know – and I promise that if that happens then I won't complain if you want to yell at them."
"Or kick their butts?" he smiled.
"Sure," she agreed, happily; he smiled and eased on top of her so that they could kiss again.
Hollywood Arts High School,
Monday, 28th February 2011.
"Alright Freddie, out with it," Tori challenged her friend. He had been distant towards her and Beck all day; the actor was used to it, even though he was wondering what the problem was now. For Tori it was a new experience for the tech producer to be upset with her about something. She rushed over to him and grabbed his arm as he leaned against his locker, sighing heavily. "What's up with you? You've been snippy all day."
"Do you even know what happened to Cat on Saturday night?" he challenged.
"Uh, she went looking for your mom?" Tori guessed. "I know she was with us for a bit, then she was gone. I guessed she went to talk to your mom."
"No, Tori, she got locked up in the Mental Ward," he frowned at the brunette. She smiled briefly, assuming that he was joking, until she comprehended the full coldness in his eyes.
"My God," she whispered, "I didn't know. If I'd known I'd have…" then she trailed off, wondering what on earth she wouldhave done had she known earlier.
"So you see why you, Beck and Jade aren't too high on my good list right now," he shot. "The three of you didn't realise what had happened to her, didn't care enough to try and find her. Excuse me," he brushed past her and headed towards his next class.
"Freddie," she called desperately after him; when he refused to stop she ran in pursuit, finally catching up with him as he entered the science department.
"You're in a different class right now," he pointed out as she reached him.
"I don't care; I want to talk about this."
"What's there to talk about Tori? None of our friends cared what happened to her or went looking for her. You were all more worried about a damn puppet!" He turned on his heel and walked into the classroom; Tori watched him go, transfixed by the sight before the warning bell woke her from the trance and she headed for her own class.
Asphalt Café
"Hi-iii," Cat smiled as she and Freddie crossed the lot; he didn't particularly want to sit with the others but the redhead bounced over to them so he reluctantly took the seat next to her and sought refuge in his meal while the others talked. His attitude wasn't lost on Tori, or Jade, but Cat missed it completely as she gossiped happily with her friends.
"Wait, who's Lendle?" she asked suddenly as Tori mentioned that her sister had a date tonight with the boy.
"It was kinda payment for what we wanted him to do to Rex," the half-Latina explained.
"Which you then screwed up by resurrecting him," Jade reminded her; Freddie looked up briefly, shook his head in disbelief and returned his attention to his food.
"Anyway," Tori continued distractedly, after casting another worried look towards the tech genius, the doc was like, "You still have to go out on a date with my son," so I asked, "Wait, does it have to be me?" and he said that I promised but I told him that I knew another girl for Lendle, so now he's going out with Trina. I told her he was a super-hot guitar player," she finished with a grin.
"She will notbe happy when she learns the truth," Jade warned with a smirk.
"No, but by then it will be too late," Tori noted happily.
"You really should have just thrown it in the dumpster," Freddie muttered; Cat covered his hand with her own gently and gave him a worried look; he smiled softly back at her.
Benson Residence
"Hey mom," Freddie called as he entered his home after his shift from work.
"Hello, Freddie," Marissa greeted him; she switched off the television and stood up. "Are you hungry?"
"I ate before work but I guess I could manage a sandwich or something if you're eating."
"I'll make you one, you get changed and it'll be ready in a minute," she offered; he nodded and went upstairs to change, returning a few minutes later and accepting, with thanks, the snack his mother had prepared.
"So how are things at work?" he asked between mouthfuls.
"Well the Valentines' lawyer was in earlier," Mrs Benson began, "and he met with the managers. They wanted me there because I'd been around when it all happened. He recognised my part in getting her out of there and they reached a settlement."
"Oh?"
"Yes, the hospital's ok, they won't have to pay anything but the nurse who sent her down there and the orderly who took her there have both been fired while the staff in the section that night have been suspended without pay pending an investigation."
"And Cat's parents were ok with that?"
"The lawyer agreed to it so I guess so," she shrugged. "It was damage limitation for the hospital, and they've recognised my part in it, but the lawyer did say he might go after some of the staff personally over it."
Freddie walked over to where his mother was sitting; he hugged her gently. "Thanks mom," he told her again, "for getting her out of there. It meant so much to me."
"Anything for my little boy," she promised him with a smile.
AN: Thank you very much for reading; I hope you enjoyed it. Please don't be shy about letting me know what you thought by using the little review box below and, hopefully, I'll see you soon with the next chapter. PD.