Hi, everyone! Thanks for coming for another chapter! :)

As I couldn't really find a family moment to add on to in episode 4 "Beck's Big Break", I am skipping to episode 5 "Tori the Zombie". If any of you disagree and have an idea for "Beck's Big Break", let me know and I'll do it as the next chapter, but for now I think I'm skipping it.

I do hope that you will all be okay with this chapter being a little shorter. The next couple chapters - specifically 6 and 7 - will be quite long, and I hope that will compensate you for the brevity of this one.

And before we jump in, thanks to my reviewers, you precious literary souls - Boris Yeltsin, Lucifer143, and KimPossibleFan18! Special thanks also to the people following and the people who have favourited. :) I appreciate it!

Now, enjoy!

...

"And ... why did you have Grizzly glue?" Jade asked patiently, the corners of her lips twitching in amusement. She had been laughing at Tori's predicament of having a zombie mask stuck to her face by their talented-yet-clueless friend Cat, but now she figured that she should probably check if this was a regular thing. It would be important to know so that she could decide better on whether or not to allow Cat to ever again do her makeup.

"It was cute!" Cat explained with a giggle.

"Of course," Jade groaned. "You see a picture of a murderous animal and think it's adorable."

"How can you sound more upset about that than about the fact that I have this stuck to my face until Cat and Trina get the removal agent?!" a panicked Tori snapped. They had a performance tonight in which she was headlining and the zombie look was not exactly in the same genre.

"Oh, because maybe I care more about keeping Cat from being eaten alive if she ever visits Alaska than I care about your cheekbones not being commented on for half an hour," Jade snipped right back.

"I'd get EATEN?!" Cat screeched. "Not by the cute teddy bears!"

"Grizzlies aren't exactly teddy bears," Jade commented. "Ask Beck. He's seen them before."

"Really?! Did he get to see a cuddly one?" Cat asked.

"How about ... you focus on getting ready to go with Trina to get the remover," Jade directed.

"Thanks for the help, Jade," Tori said gratefully.

Jade snorted. "Yeah, no, this isn't about you, Tori. We have a really big playwright coming tonight - the Sophia Michelle whom you had never heard of - and I don't want our show to be an embarrassment. I don't care if you make a fool of yourself, but I personally prefer to distance myself from humiliation. Strange concept, right?"

Tori had rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that sounds more like you."

Jade had smirked, then turned her attention back to Cat. "Go find Trina, Cat. And for goodness sake, try to focus tonight, okay? Right there, right back, no stopping, no admiring any grizzly bear mascots they might have. And for goodness sake, never go near a real grizzly bear in the wild. Now, go!"

As Cat skipped out of the room, Tori laughed.

"What do you find so amusing, Death Face?" Jade asked. Tori seemed to let the insult roll off her back and smiled.

"You sounded like a mom, telling Cat to focus like that. You really care about her, don't you?"

Jade rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Vega," she said, but without as much malice as normal. Although being seen as sweet or caring was off-brand for her, she did like that occasionally people could see that she wasn't really the worst person that anyone would ever see. She was a nuanced person, not just a stereotype.

Tori laughed again. "Mommy Jade - yeah, that's adorable."

Jade stalked off to find Beck to have someone to listen to her loudly complain about what an annoying person that Tori Vega was - but internally she was repeating a couple phrases to herself.

You sounded like a mom. You really care about her. Mommy Jade.

Ah, well, that Vega couldn't be wrong about everything.

...

Warning: Prepare yourselves! The next chapter (as of current planning) is on the "Jade Dumps Beck" episode. Sadness ... :(

Anyway, if you have a moment, please review! Have a great week!