Disclaimer: Don't own.
:}
Jade made it home to find her girlfriend sitting with her mother, talking. "Um, Vega, are you supposed to be here?" Jade asked.
"Don't you want me around?" Tori challenged, edging on mock hurt.
"Of course I do, but you know I'm on restricted contact..." Jade eyed her mother, hoping to avoid having to explain things.
"But you forget, I'm the child of a police officer." Tori exclaimed. "It was easy enough getting myself on the approved list, you know, so I could be around you more. Then I called your social worker, let him know I was dating you, and got permission to visit, whenever, just as long as you do everything else you're expected to do." The Latina smiled, proud of herself. "Okay, my mom did most of the heavy lifting, but still, I'm cleared, and felt it was high time I met your mother. Turns out, she's a lot like your father..."
"I think I resent that." Beth West said, smiling an almost warm smile. "Jade, darling, don't spread such rumors. I'm not some cold, unfeeling monster. I care, and like your father, I want the best for you, though something, you're just so irresponsible it makes it hard to be on your side. So, how was your court ordered community service? You know, she has years of that, literally. Girls never gonna get herself out of that, and it'll hang over her the rest of her life."
'Cold, manipulative, warm when it suits her, but otherwise self centered as all hell.' Jade thought. 'Yea, that's mom.' She stepped closer, giving her girlfriend a kiss. "So, mom, you upset that me and Beck are over?"
"I expected him to dump you as soon as you were convicted." Beth said, smiling that warm smile of hers that failed to hide the emotional dagger she'd stuck in her child. "I mean, I knew he could do better. Yes, your pretty, but you don't know how to bury your own needs in order to cater to the man's. Guessing that's why you went with her, cause she seems like the kind of girl who knows her place, and will bend herself for your needs. Sooo, I guess I'm saying, good job. Just, don't corrupt Trent, cause he's still got a chance, and I might want grandchildren some day."
"Thanks for coming over." Jade told her girlfriend as they started walking towards her room. "Mom's in a mood, and I'm not sure I can take too much of that."
"It's okay." Tori told her. "She's just angry, cause you, well, I'm not sure, but I think she's wazzed that you chose to risk your life, and your future, on your grandfather."
"You mean her dad?" Jade wondered.
"Yep." The singer said. "Jade, she'd accepted her father was going away, ran away from that life. Then, one of her kids go's and jumps right in, being a bad example for the other. I get that."
"You know mom was often like this before I..." Her eyes shifted as she looked for the words that wouldn't give away any secrets.
"Doesn't mean she doesn't love you." Tori cooed. "Just she's chiz at being a mother. Plus, she's okay with us dating, told me I was probably too good for you, but that she hoped I stuck around anyways."
"Mom's such a sweety." Jade deadpanned.
The two girls had what for them was a pleasant enough date, with the two of them knowing that they had something hanging over them. Jade, for all her desire to not make the same mistakes she made with Beck, found it hard keeping secrets that she once wouldn't have thought twice about. Complicating things was a thought that had been running around in the back of her mind, about who to entrust the crown to. 'Maybe I can give it to Vega? I mean, then, she could train with me, placing her life in danger, cause that's the kind of person Vega is, so that's right out. Maybe Trina…?"
"So, babe, where are you?" The brown eyed girl asked, looking the pale girl in the eyes. "I mean, you're here, with me, trying to avoid cuddling to closely, cause things touching things can lead to things..." Her million dollar smile broke out, warming Jade's insides.
"As much as I'm enjoying this, lets knock it off with the technical talk." The goth joked. "I mean, how many times did you use things in that sentence?"
"Enough?" Tori asked. "Look, maybe we're not ready to be macking here, but I'm thinking we can snuggle, move towards me finding out if those rumors are true, and you have a few extra parts." Brown eyes sparkled. "Not saying you do, but that rumor, it's kinda all over the place, and I'm gonna wanna know, sooner or later, if my girl has a bigger package then her ex."
"You realize, that kind of talk is making it less likely that you'll ever find out." Jade growled. However, inside, she felt the pull of the pretty girls smile, as well as the warmth shared by her girlfriends close proximity.
"I know, it's just talk." Tori told her. "But, sooner or later, you're gonna have to figure a way to talk to me, cause whatever's been going on, I know it's big. Jade, in the very recent past, you looked worse then just missing sleep. It was like you were on the verge of breaking, worse then any time you and Beck got into it. So, how come, suddenly, you're just lonely, more in need of a friend then on the verge of going crazy and taking out half the school."
"I think it's funny you think I'd only take half." Jade joked. "Seriously, Vega, I had a rough time with my probation. Things are working out a lot better now. Turns out, Youth Probation, a crap shoot, and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and for a while, I was losing. However, things are a lot better now, and with you by my side, keeping me under control, I feel I can get through this, have the future I always wanted."
"I just wish there was something I could do to help." Tori purred, suggesting more then she'd intended.
"There is." Jade replied. "Heck, you're doing it, just by being with me, being my friend, my girl, both. I'm not so isolated anymore, thanks to you. So the question becomes, should I continue that trend, allowing people back in my life?"
"You mean, maybe hang with us on the weekends?" The Latina questioned.
"I mean, I heard of an opportunity for a ventriloquist in the program, an attempt to help rehabilitation, and was wondering, do I wanna give that to Robbie? I mean, he's such a weenie, and yet, somehow, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Be good to have someone I kinda know, who kinda wants the best for me, hanging around. Lots to do before I can even make that suggestion, but maybe… Maybe..."
"They have an opportunity for a ventriloquist?' Tori questioned.
"I know, weird, huh?" Jade replied. "But they do, and if he takes it, he'd be around me more. I just have to decide if he can be trusted, cause some of those kids, they don't need their secrets spilled around. But if the boy can man up, a task for him, but if he can do it, then maybe he is the right boy for the job."
"Then lets hope he's the guy for the job." Tori told her girl. 'This has mom all over it. Not sure what she has planned, but I do know they had Beck pegged to come in and help contain Jade here. Only, he wasn't the right man for what they had, so they used project Steel Copper to give him a shot. I remember that being an of shot of the Mantium initiative, so it's gonna take him a while to learn how to use the damn thing. Still given all we know, it's a better option then no one. Still, Robbie? Why not Andre, or Cat?'
Tori decided to check things out a bit. "Babe, you hoping they clear Cat to hang soon, aren't you?"
"Yea, I miss her." Jade agreed. "I miss hanging out with her, talking, sharing, just knowing she was gonna be there when my world fell apart." Blue eyed scanned brown for something. "Did I ever tell you how Cat and I become friends?"
"I just assumed you'd known each other forever." Tori guessed.
"I met her in sixth grade." The pale girl started. "She was so nice, it made me feel nauseous. But, and this is where it gets clearer why we're friends, I noticed she wanted to be friends with everyone. Didn't take a socially isolated reject like me long to realize that I was part of everyone. Course, this was before I realized that, if you can pretend not to care what people think, get aggressive, you can rule the school. But, even though I had no idea how lonely that could be, I did know being a social reject sucked, and I needed at least one friend. One friend who'd like me no mater what."
"So you two became friends." Tori finished for her.
"Only, I had no idea what it would entail, being her friend." Jade said. "And I wasn't worried that she wouldn't have time for me, cause having her as a friend was what eventually gave me the confidence it took to win Beck. No, turns out that, as nice as Cat was and is, she screams victim to a lot of bullies. Hell, she did so to me, and if I'd had other friends at the time, I might have ignored her, or worse, picked on her."
"Like how you picked on a perfectly innocent but hot Latina?" Tori wondered.
"You were a direct threat to my happiness, my station at school, even my friendship with Cat." The goth corrected. "But yea, I realized I was becoming the one to protect her, cause her brother, boy's too unstable to take up that job. So anyways, I became her protector, and in a strange way, that informed the kind of bully I became. I learned to watch how close to the edge people seemed, and know when to back off. By the time you got here, most of my victims were like you, or people who drew fire. Cat started what you finished. Heck, if it weren't for Beck, I might… You know, the next part I was told by someone surprisingly insightful. Some day, I'd love for you to meet them. Have to figure out how to make that happen..." Jade smiled.
"Did my girl make a new friend today?" Tori asked, hoping it sounded cutesy instead of condescending.
"You're girl made a potential friend, someone who understands people a lot better then anyone in our little group." Jade answered. "But, she has issues of her own, and I think it may be a while before she trusts me enough to open up, especially trust me enough where I can arrange for you and her to meet. Still, even though it wasn't something I was looking for, and it just kinda came up, I respect her opinions on this whole subject. Especially the ones on my relationship with my Ex."
"Well, I'd love to meet her." The singer replied, not yet connecting Trina to this person. Only later, when her sister told her about the training session was she able to feel shocked. 'Jade got to see that other side of her.'
The next couple of days slid by with Jade actually anticipating her next training session, because there was a chance that Warpath would be there. The tall, athletic girl was more then a warrior, she seemed to have lived, and from that life, gained wisdom. Jade wanted that kind of friend.
It also made her think. 'Robbie, I'm not being fair, am I? I have this chance, and I'm reluctantly thinking of offering it to you. I need information, so Sikwoitz, we're gonna have us a fun class tonight...'
From her time with her mentor, and before, Jade learned a bit about the Heroes Crown that her grandfather used. That it held the essence of a hero, but the body would be slightly different for each user. Mostly, if the wearer was a woman, then the body would be female. However, with a simple spell, she could further alter the body, give the user a chance to be different from the predecessor.
She's also learned that the body never aged, and in fact, it wasn't even real so much as a creation of the magic of some ancient god. The person transformed by the crown wouldn't suffer the injuries the body suffered, instead the body, when called back, would be whole. The only exception was if the body died while being used, in which case, the wearer would die too. Even shifting back early only had a chance to saving the person's life, and even then, they'd need time to heal.
The body itself was just beyond human perfect, edging past the limits of a human body, and often well beyond the limits of a human body of that size, weight, and apparent age. Strong as the mightiest strongman, fast as an Olympic athlete, this body was the perfect tool for her grandfathers long criminal career. 'He was smart enough to not use it that often to commit crimes, but mostly both conceal his identity, and to control his underlings. Guy had a winning strategy, cause this body, it's tough.'
The body had one more talent, one that Jade found amusing. Its skin was capable of resisting some damage, just beyond the limits of any normal person. Like leather armor, it protected, and that gave the user some resistance against blades and the like.
Jade felt ready as she made her way into school. "Have you seen Robbie?" She asked, and the boy she was speaking to stayed only long enough to say no, then ran like his life was in danger.
Jade soon found the student body darkly excited. They were assuming that the only reason Jade would want to talk to the puppeteer involved some kind of plot, and could well include violence. Each of the students she spoke to seemed more excited then the last, in some dark, twisted way. 'Man, Reggie's gonna laugh when he hears this...' She thought. Her lessons were coming along slowly, with the trainer adding more and more self defense training into her intensive physical routine. 'Don't mind how hard it's becoming. Warpath is right, knowing how to fight, in any way, will help me understand what people might do when I face them. Gonna learn to use a gun too, just as soon as Mrs. V. gets that cleared.' She let herself be excited about her training, an oddly new feeling.
"Rob, there you are." Jade called as she saw the boy. He was not so subtly hiding behind Beck, as well as a couple of others they knew. "Um, mind if I borrow him?"
"Do we get him back?" Cat asked. "And if we do, will it be in one piece? I want his parts working, as bestest as possible, cause he's my friend, and not because I'm thinking of dating him."
"First, and this is important," Jade gave a moments pause to lure her fiend in, "GIVE IT A REST! You and him, I thought you'd gone and agreed to try it, have a few dates. And if you haven't, then maybe you should, cause gross or not, you're hung up on him, and he could be good for you, as long as he.." her blue eyes pierced the boy, "Keeps his hands to appropriate places and doesn't do anything to make you uncomfortable."
"Rude." Cat said, but she'd stepped back.
"And second, I don't wanna hurt the boy. I just, I have something to discuss with him, and I need a moment to away from the crowds to discuss it with him."
"Is this about their need for a ventriloquist?" Beck asked.
"Kinda." Jade told her ex. "They don't need a ventriloquist so much as an entertainer who's willing to help the inmates learn a few skills to help pass the time. Ventriloquism was just the one someone asked for. That's his in. Once past that, he'd be using everything he'd learned here at Hollywood Arts, including his musical skills, to help rehabilitate hardened criminals, or at least give them skills that they could use to pass the long, boring hours they face in prison."
"Oh… Okay then." Beck told her. "So, talk..."
"Um, some of what I'm gonna tell him is kinda private, from the program, so..." She grabbed his wrist and started dragging him off. "AND SO YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS GONNA BE TALKED OUT IN FRONT OF SIKOWITZ, CAUSE I'M NOT GONNA GO SOMEPLACE ALONE WITH ROB AND HAVE YOU ALL SPREADING RUMORS."
Beck laughed. "Subtle."
Once in Sikowitz's office, after confirming said teacher was there, Jade turned to address the nerd. "I need you to take this job with probation. I was against it at first, but given everything, what I've learned, I could use a friend there. Not saying I lack friends, cause you know me, all friendly, but I think maybe, it'll go easier on me if you take the job."
Robbie turned to look at the acting teacher, who was sitting at his desk, doing some lesson planning. 'Must be a test, cause he covered it up the moment we walked in.' The Jewish boy reasoned. "Um, she was telling be about a job in probation where I'd help teach acting to kids in the system."
"Did she now?" The quirky teacher asked. "I can see why she'd think of you, but let me ask her this," His eyes turned to lock onto her, "Are you okay with putting him in that kind of danger?"
"He can handle it." Jade said. "Besides, they won't force him to keep with the program if he decides he's not into it. I know Mrs. V, and I know she's not a bad person. She won't make him take those kinds of risks."
"Um, how dangerous is it teaching convicts acting?" Rob asked.
"More then you'd think." Sikowitz said. "But, and let me just say, you have the right to know, that's not what this job is. One of the people they tested for an experimental program suggested you, and Jade here, for reasons I won't go into, has some say in if you'll be offered the chance. Apparently, she's decided to make the offer. Just know, this is working with the county, helping to develop a new hero."
"You mean like the Constable?" Rob asked. "Or even Blue Steel?"
"About as potent." The teacher agreed. "If you agree, You'd be playing a vital role. However, you may not be able to back out easily, so make sure you're willing to face those kinds of risks."
"Exactly what kinds of risks?" Rob wondered, now sounding nervous.
"What, exactly, do you know about the villain who tore up part of Skylark a couple of months ago?" Sikowitz asked.
"Not much." Robbie replied. "According to Sinjin, she called herself the Black Dahlia, and she fought both Constable and Blue Steel to a standstill. Now, both of the police hero's are augmented normal's, at or near human maximum, but not truly superhuman. Still, they are formidable fighters, with lots of gadgets to help make up the difference, so they shouldn't be that bad off. Other then that, and the kind of damage this girl did, I don't know anything."
"Black Dahlia is a mystic, potent to a level the city isn't used to dealing with, who was trying to retrieve something of value to her. Only, she broke the law. The police tried to cover up what they could, with the hope of reforming the girl. The program Jade here is talking about is trying to reform her. You'd be working with a person who, with almost no real tactical sense, held her own with two experienced, trained and capable hero's. Someone who's been seen to produce powerful elemental effects with minimal effort. Someone very dangerous."
"So basically Jade." Rob said.
"Basically." The teacher agreed. "I'm already involved with the program, but have no say as to who they use for the part she wants you for. So, you interested in dealing with a witch capable of tearing up several city blocks?"
Robbie was terrified of what this girl could, and would, do to him, even as the small part of Rex inside him was urging him to take the job. Rex, in time, would want a shot at the girl, believing he could maybe turn her into one of his conquests. But the rarely seen basic decency that was in Robbie won out, and he decided to take the risk for the right reason. "I may do some good, and it'll be nice to feel like I made a difference." He declared.
"Black Dahlia..." Sikowitz started.
"SHE'S ME!" Jade threw out before her teacher could out her.
"I was gonna say 'needs a training partner,' but if your comfortable making that confession, then go on, by all means." The coconut lover stated.
Jade blinked at her teacher, aware that she'd given the farm away by jumping the gun. "I'm the Black Dahlia." She repeated, just to be clear.
"I know." Robbie said. "I think I knew from the moment Sikowitz explained what she was like. It would certainly explain the oddities of your probation."
"And what would you know about probation?" Jade spat, before realizing how angry she'd sounded.
"My dad is a social worker for the probation department." The nerdy boy said. "My mom, her family was once wealthy, still has some money. Dad's, not so much. So we have a lot of chiz, from moms side, and her trust fund, but my grandparents on my dads side, who I believe Jade here has seen on video chat once, they're just retired folk doing the best they can."
"The point, buried in there someplace, is his dad works with probation." The teacher clarified. "Works giving therapy, I'm guessing, to those who the department deems in need."
"No, he evaluates people." Rob countered. "Adults, kids, he helps make an initial assessment of what kind of services the person may need, then he presents the department with his findings, and they give it to the judge. Dad knows a lot about how every level of probation and parole work. And yours, Jade, seemed off. So now I know, they're dealing with a special case, and that's why you were so abused for a while."
"So you're not freaked out?" Jade asked.
"You're in need of a friend, and figured I was the most replaceable of the gang." He shrugged. "But if the opportunity is good enough, then I'll take it. So tell me, Dahlia, what kind of thing would I be doing?"
"My grandfather was Pandion." Jade told him. "I wanna know if you can inherit his powers. If it works out, will you do this for me, so I won't have to face this alone? Will you be my friend in the program?."
"Oh..." The boy for the first time since he came into this office, felt lost. He recovered quickly. "Then yes, Sure. I'll take the chance. I mean, maybe his powers aren't truly superhuman, but their batman levels, and that's more then good enough."
"Of course the nerd would know his power levels." Jade groaned, but still smiled. "Just, what we shared today, stays in this room. We need to learn to keep secrets."
"Then it's a good thing they didn't ask Beck." Rob said, and Jade just nodded. "Lets get to class."
:}
Thinking Jade's getting used to the human connection side of her now. Hoping Robbie doesn't mess things up with the whole Hero's Crown stuff. We'll have to see if he has it in him to be a hero.
Jade has such a supportive family. Thinking she's lucky to have such a resourceful girlfriend…
Your thoughts? Review, cause I don't read minds.