Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Victorious, and make no money off this story. This is for entertainment purposes only.
:}
Tori took a moment to really look at Jade's home, the one she and her mother were able to move into with the help of Jade's MMA winnings. It wasn't that big a house, despite the three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. However, it was in a very safe neighborhood. Jade had told her how she'd wanted all of these things, including the spare room for her younger brother, for when he needed a place away from her father. The Jacuzzi in the back yard was a major temptation, but without the other features, Jade would have passed. Tori only had a short time to admire the house before they were inside and meeting Jade's family.
"Tori, right?" Jade's father said. Tori couldn't believe he'd remembered her, since they'd only met once. He was there with his new wife their son. The boy looked to be about twelve, but Tori wasn't sure.
"Pearl." Said a woman who seemed to resemble Jade. "I'm the mother."
"Katelyn." Said the new wife, though new was just relative to Pearl. "Apparently you've met Richard, and this is Jasper, my son and Jade's brother."
The whole meeting felt very formal. Only Jasper seemed to break the mold, once he was allowed to talk. "I saw you get dragged by that dog. On TV, I mean. Now I wouldn't be caught dead at the Northridge Community college campus, let alone watching their basketball team, since they suck, but that dog dragging was epic. I burned myself a copy. You wanna see.".
"Jasper!" Jade's voice shattered the air while adding to the stress. "Sorry, he doesn't know 'appropriate' yet." She then turned to her mother. "Is Adam coming?"
"He said he couldn't make it." Pearl said. At that, for a brief moment, Jade's father seemed to look annoyed. "So Tori, why don't you tell us about yourself, and we'll return the favor."
"Not much to tell. I'm a student at Hollywood Arts, I want to be a singer, and I've managed to sing professionally a few times. I have a sister..." Tori was cut off by Jade's dad, Richard.
"Oh yea, Wyatt mentioned her. Katrina, I think, brown belt, training with Jade, he had a lot to say about that." Mister West said, almost neutral, despite his interrupting.
"Yea, Trina's helping Jade run the Community Center dojo." Tori said. "You know about that, right?"
"Community service. Don't know why all the schools are suddenly so hot on the idea of having their students" He paused to make double bunny ears with his hands "Give back," His hands fell "that they make them do this slave labor that's best reserved for low grade convicts who haven't done enough to be sent to jail." Mister West said. "But if it helps her meet that stupid requirement, then I guess she can do it for a few weeks. Then we'll have a talk with Wyatt about her coming on and teaching at the main dojo."
"Or maybe she could look for more ladylike work." Katelyn said. "Like working at a cupcake shop. I think I could talk to Frank, you know dear, of Franks Cupcakes, you like those cupcakes. Anyways I could talk to him about giving her a shot."
Jade started to growl, and Tori put her hand on the goth's arm, calming her. "I don't think that's a good idea. Jade's got a thing against cupcakes." Tori remarked.
"Figures." Katelyn replied. Pearl just stepped back, so as not to be caught in any crossfire that might erupt.
"So Jade, how's your first real taste of responsibility?" Mister West asked.
"Ugh." Jade grunted. "I keep having to think about the people I'm training first, and it's becoming a real drag. Like this gang banger, Andy. I need his help to keep enrollment up in my class, so I'm teaching him to be a Sempi. You know, an assistant teacher. But that meant giving him access to one of my most sacred of times, my semi-private training time with Adam." Jade had an evil smirk on her face as she was speaking. Mister West looked annoyed, but quickly shook it off and returned to his normal poker face. "But it's almost worth it, if it makes my job easier. Then there's all the kids. They lack the real dedication to the art, and it's my job to somehow inspire them to keep training."
"They come from some rough neighborhoods, Jade. They can't always make it to class. And the purpose of the class isn't to teach them to be these perfect killers, it's to give them discipline so they can break the ties to the gangs and have real, productive lives." Tori was just moments from lecturing.
"So, dinner?" Pearl asked, momentarily breaking the tension. The whole group moved to the table and sat down. They then waited politely for Tori to say her prayers. No one else said a word, at least not so that Tori would notice.
Dinner was filled with tension, as Jade and her father spent the meal eying each other. Tori learned a bit about Pearl and Katelyn. Both women had worked, but Richard didn't want his wife working. Both had only one child with Richard, and both seemed to still care for him, even if he seemed cold and distant. Richard West talked about his work, and Tori was so bored she couldn't remember anything about what he did for a living. Despite the light conversation, the tension just grew, with Jade and her father watching each other closely. Finally, Tori helped Pearl bring out desert and coffee, just to get away from the heaviness, but used the time to ask a question.
"Whats with the drama?" Tori asked.
"Richard feels like he lost his first son, the good one, because of Jade. On top of that, he refuses to admit he's proud of her earning her black belt. Won't let Jasper train at all." Pearl said as she was putting the coffee on the serving tray. "Jade resents how disposable her father seems to think relationships are. I suspect she thinks he felt the same way about her. But she's not a son, let alone his first born son, so he won't allow himself to see her as special. She'll never be the savior of the West name. Take that pie, please"
Later, after the meal, the topic came up of Jade dating Tori. Or more specifically, Tori asked. "So, Mister West, I never got to ask, what do you think of Jade dating me?"
"Subtle." Jade mouthed at her.
"I'm supposed to have an opinion?" He replied, for the first time that night, he seemed almost surprised. "I guess you're better then that Beck boy she'd been seeing. At least you seem willing to challenge her."
"Beck challenged me!" Jade snapped. Tori felt it, the knife in her guts.
"Then why aren't you with him? I mean, he was so attractive..." Katelyn asked. Pearl tried not to look like she agreed with the new wife.
"Because I was never enough. He didn't understand, it bothers me, it bothers people, if he's always flirting with other girls. He claimed he wasn't aware they were flirting, but how could he miss it. They were all over him..." Jade forced herself to stop, clearly agitated.
"I'd expect Tori has plenty of guys flirting with her." Katelyn added, an almost evil smirk on her face.
"But I know what they want, and I don't let myself get caught up in the flattery of it all." Tori said.
"It's more than that." Jade added. "Tori pushes my buttons the way no one has, not even Beck, and he was so good at making me feel wanted. But Tori makes me feel good enough, and that's special in it's own way."
"Oh!" Mister West exclaimed. "Tori, were you asking about the whole lesbian thing? Cause, I may be fairly conservative, but I never judge a person by who they love. If my children are gay, it's okay."
The rest of the evening went well enough, with the tension slowly fading as they rediscovered that they were a family. Tori noticed the lack of tension between Katelyn and Pearl. The two women shared the bond of loving Mister West, a task that ate away at the heart. Tori knew he tended to be cold and distant, and she saw it first hand that night. He didn't show his approval for much, and seemed to reserve whatever praise he had for his sons. Even the praise he'd given Jade's play was more than Tori would see at dinner. The meal was 'satisfactory'. His wife was 'okay'. His son's achievements were 'Good' and Jade's outstanding achievements for the semester were 'adequate.'
As soon as her father left, Jade almost raced to her room. She needed an escape from the tension, and the feelings of disappointment her father's emotional distance caused her. Tori entered the ten by eight room and found Jade sitting in the dark, among her things, including her butterflies, the various "things" on her shelf, her full sized bed and a desk, complete with her desktop computer.
"Desktop?" Tori asked.
"You can get more computer for your money if you use a desktop. Besides, that monster is Alienware. Primo gaming computer, water cooled, can play for hours, and overclock without fear of overheating. I can do amazing things on that." Jade smiled while talking about it. However, the blank look on Tori's face told her that more explanation was necessary. "You know, I'm into gears of War? Chiz like that? I like my on line first person shooters, and the machine you use can help make the difference between life and death. Also, the graphics are sick."
"Oh." Tori said, not sure what to think.
"The one thing I bought for me, and you're wazzing on it." Jade said. "I like video games, okay, especially violent ones."
Tori had moved closer to the goth, and circled to get behind her, listening but not worries about what was being said. Yes, it made sense Jade liked violence, but the black belt's inner nerd wasn't detouring Tori, nor did she need any details. It was a moment of weakness, and Tori was going to pounce.
Jade's first warning was the trail of kisses that went down her neck as Tori wrapped her arms around Jade's body from behind. Jade jumped, but Tori held on, slowly kissing around Jade's ear and neck. Jade shifted, turning inside her girlfriends arms, only to receive a kiss on the lips. As Jade started to react, Tori's tongue invaded her mouth. The goth was lost to the feeling, unaware of how close they'd gotten to her bed. Suddenly, Tori was on top of her, only for Jade's reflexes to kick in, and she shifted their positions, straddling Tori, pinning her. Tori's hands wandered up Jade's torso, touching and feeling as they went, and Jade had to pin them to the bed too just to avoid getting felt up.
Both girls were panting, hearts pounding as Jade looked down into Tori's brown eyes. Need intensified the moment, and Jade had to force herself to back off. "You've got me, so what are you going to do about it?" Tori asked in a husky voice.
Jade sat back, still straddling Tori. "Not now. It's.." She couldn't finish the sentence.
Then Jade was on her back, Tori slowly moving on top of her. Kissing Jade's neck and jaw, leisurely moving to mount the goth. Jade seemed to like this, letting Tori be the dominant one, but then she pulled herself together and managed to roll Tori onto the bed and kept rolling until she was standing next to it.
Tori gave a deep sigh. "Too much?" The singer asked.
"Way too much." Jade replied.
"I just thought, after that meal, you could use some desert." Tori gave her best smile.
"Tori, trust me, you managed to get your point across. My body's ready. But like any martial artist, the body does what the mind tells it to do. And my mind is saying, after everything you've been through, it's better to wait." Jade softened her self, moving to give Tori the most loving look she could muster. "Give us time, time to be a couple. Then we can see where this goes. But right now, I think I should take you home. I've got an early class tomorrow, and if you stay, I'm not going to get much sleep."
"Nicest rejection I've ever gotten." Tori replied. She stood up from the bed and got herself ready to go home.
"Trust me, Tori, this wasn't an easy decision. But there are people I like who are counting on me to be the responsible one." Jade froze. "GOD!"
"What?' Tori asked.
"When, exactly, did I become responsible?" Jade asked.
"I suspect you've always been capable. It's just now, when you're being asked to step up, we get to see how responsible you really are." Tori stroked Jade's arm. "Take me home. This isn't over, but I'll give you this round." Tori smiled as Jade led her towards the front door.
"Before I forget, there is something I need to tell you." Jade says. Tori motioned for Jade to continue as they stepped out of the house. "Congratulations on your new job."
"Huh?" Tori looked confused.
"I called out to god, and you answered." Jade said, smirking at her own joke. "Anyways, I want a pony, and a black bunny, and maybe some new skinny jeans..." That was where Tori tuned her out.
:}
Early this week, so I can have a full Fourth of July.
I don't think I've named Jade's father yet. If I have, and forgot, and it's not Richard, let me know.
Review, just review.