AN: Hello everyone and welcome to what is the final chapter of this part of the story. My sincerest gratitude to everyone who has followed this story all the way through. I'll talk at the end about what comes next but for now I'd like to express my thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter; your feedback is always very gratefully received and very much appreciated.

Challenge King – thank you, they really are just having to take it one day at a time; Freddie's mood has improved but he still doesn't know how "fixed" he is after everything so there's little else that they can do.

Pinkcrazyness – thank you.

Darck Ben – thanks, as for the blooper reel, see the comment at the end of the chapter.

Mkpunk – Tori and Jade are actually very good friends in this story (though Jade still isn't above goading her a little; similar to the genuine friendship that Sam and Freddie have in the story, while still reserving the right to tease or gently annoy one another if the mood takes them) so they were able to move past the speed-bump or two of recent chapters. As for Freddie, yes he eventually seems to be moving past it, with the support of his friends.

Pbow – excellent points about Sikowitz. Of course someone feeling generous could argue that he was giving his opinion and constructive feedback but you're right that it does seem beyond his remit.

SoraOblivion62 – Thank you and I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from watching Victorious episodes again.

SeddieHeartLand – Yes Cat is growing up in this story instead of regressing the way she did on the show, which I think is far healthier for her. Freddie will stick up for all his friends, that's who he is, but certainly Jade and Cat are on top of his don't-touch list.

KoiChoco – thank you, I'm glad you liked it – and here is the update.

That's everyone, so here is the last chapter of the gang's junior year and the end of this phase of their lives.

Chapter 42

Hollywood Arts High School,

Monday 20th June 2011.

The school year was rapidly drawing to a close; many of the teachers were showing more stress than their students, particularly those on the performance side as they tried to both get through the end of the year and prepare for the Summer in Film programme that would soon be starting.

It wasn't much easier for the teenagers though, especially the seniors who were working through their finals. Trina, in particular, was having a hard time of it as she was still trying to decide what to do with her life. Freddie continued to champion the option of her repeating her senior year and focussing on becoming a notable comedienne; her parents, meanwhile, had suggested that they hoped that she would graduate. Tori had told her sister that she just wanted her to be happy and to do what was best for her. It was coming to a head as the school set a deadline of the last day of the year for her to make her decision.

One teen who seemed not to have a care in the world was Cat; the little redhead smiled happily as she traversed the school. She had just finished discussions with her costume design teacher (instead of an exam the class were graded on the quality of costumes that they had made during the course). She had received a perfect one-hundred and her only regret was that the course wasn't longer.

"Well, it's clear that you have a gift for this, Cat," the teacher began as they discussed her performance. "How about I make some calls to a contact I have at one of the studios and see if you can get a summer internship?"

"That would be fantastic, thank you," she gasped, then realised something. "Wait – I'm doing the Summer in Film programme this summer."

"After that then; it'll take a couple of weeks to set up anyway. You can do both," she was promised. The girl went away smiling even more broadly than usual as she sought out her friends and her boyfriend to pass on the good news to them.

Freddie was delighted with her news; he knew how much it meant to the girl for her to get her name known in the industry and he shared in her excitement.

"It means we might not have too much time to spend together this summer, after the course, though," she complained, dampening her enthusiasm a little as one of the consequences occurred to her.

"Well," Freddie smiled, slightly confusing the girl, "that might have happened anyway." Cat raised her eyebrows and he gave her a quick, reassuring squeeze. "I had been talking to the Pear Store about maybe doing a few more hours over the summer but… I got a call from the studio last night – the one that was behind Miss Fire," Cat nodded, looking forward to the film finally being released in a couple of weeks' time and being able to see her man on the big screen, albeit in just the one scene, "and they might have something else for me – probably just another bit part but a role is a role," he shrugged modestly.

"It would be a great opportunity," his girl enthused, "so you can do that while I'm making costumes."

"I hope so; it could be a good summer for both of us if all of this comes off."

Asphalt Café

"Hey Trina," Freddie took a seat opposite the diva; Cat, of course, sat next to him.

"Hey," she smiled back, though it was clear that the girl was distracted.

"So what have you decided?" he began without preamble.

"I still don't know," the girl admitted. "The idea of another year here, being in the same classes as my baby sister and you guys – no offence but I don't want the shame and the stigma of having repeated a year."

"I can understand that," Freddie conceded, "but take my friend Sam – she's repeated a year, albeit for different reasons," he grinned as he thought about the blonde and how dramatically she had turned her life around since being released from juvie and, even more so since returning to Seattle, "and, Trina, this," he made a sweeping gesture around them, "is your dream, isn't it?"

"Of course it is," she confirmed.

"And right now, if you walk out of this school today and don't come back, will your dream have a chance of coming true?"

"No," she accepted, "and I really don't want to give it up just yet. I guess I need to suck it up," she got to her feet. "I'll go and see Helen now and tell her that I'm coming back next year."

The couple smiled. "It'll all work out," Cat promised her.

"Of course it will," Trina's self-confidence seemed to have returned in an instant, "because I'm amazing!"

"And she's back," Freddie laughed quietly as the brunette strutted off, feeling on top of the world.

The other members of their friendship group joined them shortly after the older girl's departure; they proved to be equally excited to receive the pair's news, happy that their friends looked to be getting some good opportunities to progress in the field (though Jade and Tori had to swallow down a little mild jealousy that they hadn't received any opportunities like this just yet). Freddie placated them a little by promising to suggest them for roles as 'extras' if any were needed.

"Thanks," Tori smiled warmly at him; Jade was a little more circumspect but no less grateful.

"Hey," he grinned, "what's the point of friends if they don't help each other out?"

It seemed that everything was going well for them but Freddie still felt he had one small but important potential problem to contend with.

Benson residence

"Is there something bothering you, Freddie?" an increasingly irritated Marissa asked her seventeen-year-old son. Since returning from work the boy had been fidgeting and distracted all evening during his attempts to study; it was affecting the Head Nurse's efforts to relax after what had been a particularly gruelling and stressful shift, due to a nasty incident on the I-5 that had brought in a number of injured people (some serious though, thankfully, as of yet no fatalities had occurred).

The boy set his pen down and leaned back on the couch. "It's Cat's birthday in a few days and I've no idea what to get her," he disclosed. "I've asked Jade for ideas and even asked her mom and dad but nobody seems to really have a clue what she'd want – other than what they are already getting her," he concluded in defeat.

"Well, start with her interests," his mother began methodically.

"Cupcakes," he smiled, "but I need more than just a tray of them for her birthday."

"Ok, what else?"

"I know she's loved doing her costume design class and is seriously considering it – if not as a career then at least a foot in the door, being on sets, helping with the designs and hoping to get noticed and have a chance to read for parts while she's there."

"Ok, anything you can help with? Costume design books? Fabrics?"

"Jade's got that covered."

"Oh." The nurse thought for a moment. "You can always take her to that miniature golf course that you both like so much."

"I'd thought of that," he nodded, "and I probably will and she will enjoy it but… we did that last year and I want to give her something special as well," he complained.

"Well, is there anything personal that only you can give her?"

His head snapped forward and he eyed the matriarch in surprised confusion. "What do you mean, mom?" he asked cautiously.

She suppressed a grin at his reaction, though it was tempered with mild horror that that thought had clearly crossed his mind. "Maybe a little jewellery? A necklace or something personal?"

"I guess," he agreed thoughtfully, "yeah, something like that would be a nice keepsake."

Marissa watched as he donned a dreamy expression and gazed off into space for a few moments. The Head Nurse's curiosity was piqued and she fired off a question that she had long wondered about. "So, when did you last tell her that you love her?" It took a lot of effort for the reddish-brown haired woman to get the words out in anything close to a casual, even (almost flippant) tone but the comical expression on her son's face just about made it worth it. "Oh come on Freddie, it's obvious to anyone who sees you with her, so when did you last tell her?"

"I…" he floundered, surprised at the line of questioning and the turn the discussion had taken, "I never have," he admitted. "Not really," he thought back to the times his character had said as much to hers during a performance at school but how he had been hesitant, afraid almost, to actually say the words to her.

"Why not? You never had any problem telling Carly," she reminded him.

"I was a stupid kid back then," he explained, "this is different."

"Well maybe that's something else you could do on Sunday?" she suggested with a small smile.

"I guess so," he agreed awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable to be discussing this with his mother. "Thanks," he muttered before grinning. "So, since we're discussing our love lives…" he challenged.

The matriarch frowned her disapproval but, under Freddie's amused gaze, conceded that there was somebody who had caught her eye, much to his delight. The brown-haired teen didn't press for too many details, but expressed his happiness with his mother's revelation.

Hollywood Arts High School,

Friday, 24th June 2011.

The week had passed in a blur for the juniors; before they knew it, it was the final day of the school year and it saw them sitting the last of their last exams. Cat grinned as she began to read the Science paper, thinking back on the classes and study sessions where she had worked so hard with Freddie. She finally felt that they were paying off and that she was beginning to get a handle on the subject; her confidence proved to be well placed as she felt that she could answer all of the questions on there, meaning that it was a happy and exuberant girl who left the hall after the test was completed, eager to seek out her boyfriend and thank him for all his help.

"So I take it it went well?" Jade laughed as, having followed her friend from the hall, she watched as the little redhead flung herself on the brown-eyed teen.

"It did, it really did," she enthused.

"Great," he smiled, "you've come on so well with it over the last couple of years, Cat."

"I had a great tutor," she retorted playfully.

"Do you guys have anything else to do here today? I'm free," Jade threw her arms in the air happily, thinking of the long summer ahead of her.

"Yeah, we have Sikowitz's improv scene to do after lunch," Freddie replied. "The last thing that I ever have to do for him," he smiled in satisfaction.

"Right," the dark-haired girl nodded, "I did that yesterday," she wrinkled her nose thinking back on acting opposite Beck in the scene and how she found it slightly awkward to be on stage in close quarters with him, given their history. "I still can't believe you're switching classes," the gothic teen addressed Cat.

"I want to be in class with Freddie," she answered simply.

"I can't believe you're happy to keep being in his class given how you feel about him overlooking you for parts," the boy observed.

"I guess, even after everything, he's still my favourite teacher," she admitted. "Anyway, I'm going home. We're having that get-together at André's tonight so I'll see you two there?"

The couple nodded their confirmation and waved to their friend as she left the school.

"I guess we should go for lunch then before we have to do our scene."

"I wish I had some idea about what we were doing," Cat complained.

"If he told us then it wouldn't be improv now, would it?" Freddie adopted a mocking impersonation of the balding teacher's voice, which caused his girl to laugh.

Black box theatre

The young couple arrived promptly for their final task before the summer. To their mild surprise the balding teacher was already there; the reason became apparent as they spotted another spectator.

"Hello Helen," Freddie greeted his principal politely.

"Freddie," she returned a little stiffly. "I'm here to observe your performance – keep my eye on what goes on around here," she explained in answer to the teens' unasked question.

"Well I hope you enjoy the show," he grinned; the response he received from the former starlet was something a curious blend of a growl and a shrug.

"Ah, excellent," Sikowitz had spotted the pair and shuffled over to them, handing each a sheet of paper. "This is the scenario. Freddie to the stage, please. Cat you wait here. You will have five minutes to think about the scene, but not discuss it – then you will have to work through it on the spot together. See how close your ideas are and whether you can adapt to one another's thoughts and the way it's being played," he explained.

Cat watched her boy walk to the stage before turning to the scenario; she stifled a giggle as she read through it; how it was set at a funfair (leading her to think that she hadn't been to one for a while and that perhaps it was something that she and Freddie could do one weekend over the summer, maybe while Carly and Sam were with them). She forced herself to become serious and continued to read through it.

On the stage Freddie threw a quick glance at his girl as she covered her mouth with her hand; after reading through the paper he (correctly) wondered if it would inspire her to want to visit a funfair. The rest of the scenario, explaining the roles of the two characters (one was stalking the other around the fair, but it didn't necessarily say which one) gave him a couple of ideas but, of course, what he could do would depend to a large extent on what Cat wanted to do; it would be imperative that they took their cues from one another so that the scene blended together well.

"Ok, time's up. Cat – to the stage," Sikowitz instructed; the girl hopped up to join her boyfriend. Their teacher collected the papers from them and stepped back to the ground level. "You may begin," he invited them.

Cat looked hesitantly at Freddie; he smiled reassuringly at her before turning away to address the 'audience'. "What a wonderful day it is," he began brightly, "perfect to be visiting this funfair." He continued in the same vein, mentioning a couple of the attractions and idly walking back and forth along the stage. Cat recognised the part he wanted to play and grinned to herself.

As Freddie stopped talking she took up the narrative for herself, talking in a quiet voice that, from someone else, could have sounded worryingly sinister and suggesting that she happened to spot the boy at the fair and decided to see what he was up to. An idea occurred to her and she expressed a hope that he would visit the Haunted House.

Freddie smiled at the suggestion and quickly incorporated it into his next monologue, though he commented that he would save that particular attraction for later in the day, instead his character made his way to another area of the fair, leaving Cat to quietly chase him, keeping watch from afar with her motives deliberately vague.

In the audience Helen sat riveted at the performance, marvelling at how the two teens were able to piece together a scene so seamlessly, given their only discussion and communication was taking place as the scene evolved. Even Sikowitz enjoyed the ending, where instead of Cat's character finally 'catching' Freddie's, he spotted and confronted her; the girl added a twist as to why she had spied upon him (she had a crush on the boy but was too shy to talk to him) which allowed them to take the scene a little further and in a different direction to the one the teacher had envisaged.

"Wow!" the Principal screeched as they ended the scene. "That was fantastic – not that I'm trying to influence your grading," she back-tracked with a look to her balding minion.

"No, that's ok," Sikowitz insisted, "I agree, it was very, very well done by you both. I just wish that I would have the pleasure of your company next year."

"I've given my reasons," Freddie replied guardedly, "but thank you; it's good to go out on a high." The couple smiled as they were dismissed; teacher and Principal discussed things a little further while finalising the pair's grades.

"I can't believe we're done," Cat enthused. "It just feels so weird that we're going to be seniors, we've only one more year to go here."

"We are and we do," he smiled; his expression changed a little as their lockers came into view and he saw a familiar figure leaning against his. "But for some people, this is it."

Cat followed his gaze and spotted the uncomfortable-looking blonde. "Oh," she mumbled.

"Lindsey," he greeted her cautiously as they approached his locker.

"I… I just wanted to say goodbye," she told him quietly. "After everything that's happened and especially with us talking recently I thought…" she trailed off nervously before, with more than a little relief, she matched his smile.

"I'm glad that you did," he told her with sincerity. "Look after yourself Lindsey."

She eyed him hesitantly, wondering whether they had reached the stage where she could pull him into a hug; he, however, kept hold of Cat's hand, which she took as a sign that that wasn't an option for them. Instead she briefly gripped his free hand with both of hers. "You too, Freddie. Goodbye."

He stood and watched her go, walking out of his life (possibly forever) and let out a breath he barely realised he was holding as she left the school; the closing of the door added a finality to her departure.

"Are you ok?" Cat asked in concern; he turned to look at her and smiled.

"I am, yes. I guess it's just really drawn a line under it all; I'll never have to see her again – unless we somehow end up at the same college or maybe on the same set sometime in the future. You and Jade were right, though – seeing her, clearing the air a little; it really did help me."

She furnished him with her cute and radiant smile before turning to her own locker; the two of them emptied the units and left the building together, agreeing to meet at André's home for their little end-of-term party after Freddie finished work. The boy's thoughts, though, were still occupied by another event, one that would be taking place on the Sunday.

Valentine residence

Sunday, 26th June 2011.

Cat's birthday had begun with Freddie presenting his gift to the girl; he had followed his mother's advice and bought a simple gold necklace, which the girl wore proudly and showed off to her parents once Freddie had slipped it around her neck. He then whisked the girl away to play 'baby golf' while the Valentines prepared the house for the girl's party that afternoon (though they themselves wouldn't be attending it, assuming that the girl would want to be spending it with her friends; instead they'd be visiting Cat's grandmother 'Nona' for the evening).

After an enjoyable game they returned to the Valentine home for lunch with her parents and a quiet afternoon where they goofed around on-line (Cat found time to do another 'Tweet time with Cat' which Freddie would be uploading once they were back at school for the programme). He surprised, and slightly disappointed, his girl when he left the house shortly before the party was due to start.

"You're not staying?" she asked, askance.

"I'll be back," he promised, "I just didn't bring a change of clothes so I need to go home, shower, change and then come back."

"Oh, 'kay 'kay," she smiled. "You could have gone earlier," she pointed out.

"I wanted to spend as much time alone with you as I could," his tone was slightly sycophantic but it worked in further placating his girl; she let him go with a kiss. Freddie rushed home, showered and changed before making a quick detour to the mall for one last present for his girl before returning to her home.

"Hey fellow seniors," Freddie smiled as he entered the house and greeted his friends, having been met at the door by his girlfriend, who was delighted with the box of cupcakes he handed her; she too had changed into less casual attire and wore a pretty light blue dress that stopped half-way down her thighs. He surveyed the living area and the rest of the group. He was slightly surprised to see Trina sitting next to her sister, somewhat more subdued than was normal for her and very surprised to see both Alyssa Vaughn and Jade in the same room. Beck was talking with his girlfriend while Jade was sitting next to the spot that Cat had just vacated and casting occasional glances towards the couple. He took the seat next to the black-haired girl and pulled the cupcake-loving teen onto his lap before turning to his friend.

"Just you today then, Jade?" he asked casually.

"Yep," she confirmed, "he's busy on the Jet Brew stand tonight so I'm here on my own," she threw a glance in the direction of her ex-boyfriend and the socialite fawning over him, "which isn't ideal."

"Have you two ever actually spoken?"

"I said 'hello'," she retorted, unable to fully suppress a grin, which the brown-eyed boy matched, "Beck wanted us to talk but I really didn't have anything to say to her and I'm not sure she was too keen either."

He nodded sympathetically. "And how about you and Beck?" he pried. "I remember you saying that you didn't really enjoy acting with him for Sikowitz's scene."

"Yeah, it was just a bit… awkward," she explained. "With just the two of us, rather than the whole class watching, it brought back a lot of memories, a lot of feelings – and quite a lot of hurt," she concluded morosely, looking in the direction of the laid-back actor as he relaxed, one arm stretched on top of the couch behind the socialite.

"Do you still like him then?" Cat spoke up, putting her best friend on the spot; Jade remained silent, frowning – not in anger or annoyance but in thought.

"I uh…" she began, "I really don't know," she admitted. "I'm just starting things with Ben and he seems a good guy – he definitely makes good coffee," she smirked, "and Beck's with Alyssa. If he wasn't and if he said anything and if he's learned from last time…" she shrugged.

"That's a lot of ifs," the redhead pointed out.

"Yeah, which is why it's not worth thinking about too much for now," she agreed. "Whether anything sparks with my guy going forward… we'll have to see. If not there's bound to be someone out there for me."

"There is," Cat promised her best friend, "eyes shining as she thought of the boy underneath her, "and we'll help you find him."

"Thanks Cat," the gothic girl smiled. "Now come on, it's your party! Let's have some fun!"

"'kay 'kay," the redhead nodded, bouncing to her feet.

Cat had recently acquired a karaoke programme for her Pear Box (it filtered out, with reasonable success, the vocals from a music track) and she proposed that the kids have a sing-off. Most of them, led (inevitably) by Trina, were in favour, though Jade noted with vindictive amusement that Alyssa seemed far from happy at the prospect. The reason behind it soon became apparent; encouraged by the others (though Beck vehemently insisted that she didn't have to participate) the girl sang with… limited success (the best that could be said was that she still wasn't quite as bad as Trina).

After a little over an hour of solos, duets, groups and a lot of hilarity the hostess and her boyfriend retreated to the kitchen to bring some of the party food (a buffet including pizza slices, chicken drumsticks, cheeses and other, similar foods) to the table. Cat's parents had also mentioned a cake to Freddie, that they had hidden from their daughter in the pantry; once the bulk of the food had been consumed he threw a knowing glance at Jade and disappeared to the kitchen. The dark-haired girl followed and between them they retrieved the dessert, cupcake-shaped and bearing seventeen candles, all of which the two teens lit before bringing it through to the birthday girl and the others.

Cat pouted briefly at being told to make a wish, wondering exactly what she could wish for given how everything seemed to be going. Her brown eyes met those of her boyfriend and she smiled, closing her eyes and extinguishing the candles with a single breath.

With food and cake consumed, a second round of karaoke was demanded; this time some of the teens danced as their friends sang and a fantastic time was had by all until Robbie's mother called, informing him that it was time to come home, which led to the party beginning to wind down. Tentative plans were made for meeting in the week ahead, with the teenagers eagerly anticipating the Summer in Film programme starting in just over a week (all except Trina and Alyssa, who hadn't signed up for it).

"Hey," Freddie smiled at his girl once they were alone and the house reasonably tidy; everyone else had left but he was helping her to clean up (Jade would have offered to stay but took the hint that the couple wanted a little more alone time).

"Hi," she returned, eyeing him cautiously as she saw the apprehensive look on his face. "Is everything ok?" she asked nervously.

"It is, I hope," he amended. "Cat," he took her hands in his own and she took on a slightly concerned look herself, "I'm never happier than when you're with me, you've helped me so much with the… issues that I've had in the past and I wanted to tell you that…" he took a calming, steadying breath, "I love you Caterina Valentine."

The redhead's mounting worries melted away and her nervous expression became joyous in an instant. "I love you too, Freddie!" she cried, taking her hands from his and throwing her arms around him, almost tackling him to the floor; only his physical strength enabled them to remain upright. The couple kissed, gently and tenderly at first but they soon became more passionate, more heated, more urgent as their hands roamed over the top of one another's clothes, caressing through the fabrics, until suddenly Cat pulled away and two pairs of very serious brown eyes met one another.

"Do you want to take this upstairs?" she breathed, instantly regretting it as he swallowed nervously. The question had been asked, however, and as much as she may fear the answer, the girl needed to know what it was.

Another swallow followed before, in a barely audible whisper, laced with nerves, he replied, "I'd like that."

The girl smiled again, gently seized his hand and led her to her room.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked softly, seeing the nerves still very evident on his face as she closed the door behind them.

"I want to share this with you, Cat," he tried to explain, "I'm just scared that I won't be able to."

She nodded an understanding of his concerns. "We can slow down, or stop, any time," she assured him before walking over to her bed and taking a seat on the edge of it. He took a seat next to her, turned to her and they began to kiss again.

A sudden gasp from the girl caused Freddie to stiffen; it was his turn to wear a concerned, fearful look as he eyed her nervously.

"I should have changed into the lingerie I got for your birthday," she realised aloud.

Freddie began to snigger, both from Cat repeating her phonetic pronunciation of ling-er-ee and from the girl's statement being more amusing than the concerning one he feared. Cat began to pout at his reaction but he kept her in his embrace and, looking deep into her eyes, told her sincerely, "you look beautiful as you are Cat."

She fought to prevent herself from melting at his words; instead she gave an impish grin and leant to his right ear. "Maybe next time," she whispered seductively before giving his ear lobe a gentle tug with her teeth.

"I was hoping for Bo Peep – or maybe Supercat one time," he teased back.

All semblance of order was lost as Cat dissolved into uproarious laughter before burying her face in his neck as she attempted to regain control of herself. Still grinning she pressed her lips into Freddie's, though the giggles continued to wrack her body as they kissed; Freddie succumbed as well and the two teens sniggered their way through their next round of kisses.

The laugher, even once it had subsided, had a dramatic effect on the boy; finding himself suddenly, miraculously, completely at ease with the situation, Freddie, without breaking the kiss, moved his arms to Cat's shoulders. He began to ease the garment over her shoulders and down her arms; Cat pulled slowly away, never breaking eye contact as she helped him to remove it. The confidence in his eyes was a surprising, albeit welcome sight for her and it never diminished as the remainder of their clothing followed the short, pink dress to the floor.

As Freddie observed the petite girl slumbering in his arms (he grinned with something akin to pride and amusement at the thought that he could actually wear out the hyperactive redhead) he thought back, firstly on the events of the past few hours – how the girl had mewed like a Cat as they started, the regret he felt when pain had coursed through her at the beginning of their act, how she had begged him not to stop, despite him not wanting to hurt her, how her gasps had turned to pleasure-filled, rather than painful, as they continued and how he had not only told her but shown her that he loved her.

That he could remember everything so clearly contrasted sharply and delightfully with his first time. That he was a willing participant made it an enormous improvement on his second experience. That he was here, with the girl he loved, and who loved him, meant the world to him. After pulling the sheets over them to cover their naked bodies he kissed her temple and saw a flicker as her smile broadened while she slept; his thoughts of contentment increased and his heart swelled as he broadened his thoughts to his other friends; firstly Jade, his trusted confidant, then to Tori, Beck, André and the others – people that he knew would have his back if it came to it. As his own eyes became heavy he thought of the two girls from Seattle who would be joining them next week, Carly and especially Sam, another one who had proven that she would always be there for him, whenever and whatever he needed. He thought of the girl's traumatic move from Las Vegas and his final thought, as sleep took him, was that the two of them had one very special thing in common – they had both found a place to call Home.

AN: Thank you for reading. That's the conclusion of this part of the story (though I have been asked to write another blooper chapter so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to drop a PM). I'll probably take a little break from this universe now to focus on other things and just recharge from writing about it for so long, but next up for them will be A Summer in Film, a short story from this universe about how they spent their summer. After that hopefully we'll have their senior year to conclude the tales from this world (though I reserve the right to add a one-shot or two if inspiration hits me) so thanks again everyone who read and reviewed this little labour of love and I hope to see you soon with my next story. PD.