Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters.

Disclaimer 2: mentions domestic violence.

:}

The gang was sitting around the Vega home, talking, enjoying a Friday evening. Jade was being her usual snarky self, seeming to find Tori's week points with a snipers precision. "So, Tori, Lance hasn't called you, has he? Wonder why?" The pale girl smiled an innocent smile, expertly almost hiding her cruel intents.

"Jade…!" Beck warned. The blue eyed girl gave him her innocent look, all but mouthing 'What?'

"Beck, it's okay." Tori tried to keep the peace. 'Jade's in a mood today...' Tori's inner monologue noted.

"No, Tori, it's not." The Canadian countered. "Jade, Tori's your friend. I get it, Lance used her, got her to help write his science paper, and then just disappeared once he realized she wasn't even gonna give him a hand job before the hundred day kiss." He smiled apologetically towards Tori. "But a friend doesn't say they told her so, or taunt her for an unlucky break in love. A friend offered support..."

Jade cut her boyfriend off. "I was just trying to help."

Beck ran his hand through his hair, and Jade, for that moment, seemed to watch him intently, like she suspected she'd gone too far. "Jade, I get that you never liked Lance. I get that. Just, Tori knows, and she's been hurt, and as her friend, we can drop the subject until she's ready to talk about it." He glared at his girl. "Now sit on the stairs until I say you can move."

"I'm not a child…." Jade started, but stood up and walked over to the stairs when she saw her boyfriend stand up. "Sorry, I just wanted to help."

"Then sit there and shut it." Beck barked. "Let Tori have some time, and then, when she's ready, we let her broach the subject. Now stay, we have cards to play."

The others seemed grateful that Beck had once again wrangled his girl back in line, and focused on playing. Everyone there except Trina, who made her way down the stairs from where she'd been watching this little drama, and sat down just across from Jade. "You're wearing a bit more makeup then usual." The older girl noted.

"Yea, I felt a bit flush today, and wanted to maintain my paleness." Jade said, glancing away.

"Tell me something," Trina said, watching the girl intently, "You're stronger then Beck, right? I mean, if you watch, he seems stronger then you, except when you tear something up, or cut up a trash can, kick a door in, or otherwise cut loose." She gave a breath to let that sink in. "Honestly, given what I've seen, what I've heard you've done, I'd assume your stronger then he is. Am I wrong? You don't have to say a word, just, when their not looking, nod, shake your head, let me know." She leaned in a bit. "I need to know, cause I have a question, but only if you are. Stronger, that is. So, you're stronger, right?"

Jade watched Beck, who was watching her, out of the corner of her eyes. A pale hand dropped down, between her legs, and in ASL signed yes for Trina. Beck, unable to see, still got the feeling Jade was trying to communicate. His reaction was to shift, eyeing both girls, and not even paying any attention to his cards.

"Trina, Jade's on time out." He informed her, and the others. "We leave her alone, don't give her any attention. She has to learn."

"Okay, I assume, from Beck's response, that Jade's stronger, cause he's actually worried she'd say yes." Trina told the room. Tori, for her part, was shocked at the new attitude she was seeing from her sister. "So, I guess, the real question is, why?"

"No dude likes to admit their girlfriend is stronger." Rex chimed in.

"No, I get that part." Trina said, now commanding every eye in the room. She'd stood up, addressing the gathering, as if she now had something important to say. Her head turned to look down at the goth. "Jade, your stronger, maybe, but definitely fiercer. I'd bet, of those of us in this room, you're the only one who'd give me a real fight. That is, if I were in the mood, which I'm not. Not today." Trina flashed a strangely friendly smile at the blue eyed girl before shifting towards her sister. "Honestly, Tor, why won't you let me teach you self defense? Dad's worried, and I won't always be around to scare those guys straight."

"How?" Beck asked. "By threatening to date them?" That comment should have been out of character for the usually charming boy, except, when it came to Trina, he showed no such restraint.

Andre whisperer yelled. "She's a yellow belt in some crazy martial art, and I looked it up, that's like a black belt, cause that style, they wanted to be different."

"Meaning she probably could take you." Cat translated. "So, Trina, why the sudden interest? Not in fighting Beck, cause not interested in that, but in Jadey. Why the sudden interest in Jadey?"

"Cause when Lance and I had us our talk, he told me Beck hits Jade." The elder Vega girl said. "I didn't believe him. Honestly, I didn't wanna. Only, here she is, wearing concealer, hiding a bruise, and I'm left wondering, how often? You know she likes her long sleeved shirts, right? I used to assume she was a cutter, except she sometimes wears the shorter sleeves, and not a lot of concealer, so no scars, and those don't just disappear. Not completely. Not that quickly. So, given the evidence I've seen, I can only guess that Jade, who doesn't seem capable of finding someone other then Beck, is willing to put up with the abuse, the chiz we see, and more, because why? I'm guessing it's because she's convinced, probably by her way to distant father, that no one will ever love her? Thinking he used to hit her too, but I could be wrong. Jade, talk to me. Who, besides Beck, is hitting you?"

"I'M NOT HITTING HER!" Beck roared, his body shaking with a rage almost never seen. Only in some of his acting exercises had anyone seen him this unhinged, this angry. "I don't hit her. I just, I'm at the end of my rope, I have no idea how to get her to behave. I've tried everything. I've tried rewards, punishments, withholding treats, and nothing works. Jade's Jade, and that's not gonna help her in the long run."

"Yea, Jade's a gank." Robbie echoed.

"And yo, sometimes a dude has to lay the smack down to make his ho behave." Rex added.

"What was that?" Cat asked, eyes open in almost horror.

"You think I never noticed that Beck sometimes abuses dark and scary?" The puppet asked. "But given who she is, I figured, she don't like it, she'd just leave."

A second later, Cat did something almost out of character, slapping the manikin. "Ow." The petite girl wined, as wood refused to give.

"Let me." Trina offered, and like that, the puppet was under the table, hiding.

"Wait, it's true?" Tori asked. "Beck, you hit Jade?"

"I'm trying to help her." Beck argued. His rage was there, smoldering just behind his eyes, but at that moment he was back under control.

"No, you're trying to control her." Trina said. "Beck, I bet I'm not the only one who noticed that Jade and Tori, they got along much better while you and Jade were broken up." She shook her head, remaining standing as she continued. "Kinda sad, how Jade came back to you. Sad, cause a lot of people raised in abusive relationships just don't know any other way. So, unless Jade's a masochist, or into bondage and discipline, she doesn't need the abuse. She needs help." She waited for someone to start to speak, and cut them off. "What Jade needs is someone to believe in her, which is probably one of the reasons you, Beck, like to stir the pot every time the she's near Tori." Trina was smiling now, feeling like she had her answers. "God, you must be terrified of your girl, cause you know the kind of damage she can do. I'll bet your even worried that, if you don't whip her back under control, she'll open up on you. Smash up that pretty face, take out her frustrations on your for all the flirting I've seen you do with various girls. Funny how it's only when Jade's around."

Beck was looking around, but for the first time in years, there were no friendly faces offering support. Only shocked, hurt, or angry looks that told him, even on the biggest gank in school, what he was doing was wrong. "You're gonna believe her? Believe Trina? We all know she lies. For gods sake, this is probably just another one of her attempts to break me and Jade up, so she can date me."

"I don't know…." Andre started.

"Rex says he's known for a while, and I trust him." Robbie added.

"Why would she lie about that?" Tori asked. "That ranks up with seducing your rival and breaking their heart in the belief that your current relationship won't find out or care. No logic. I mean, after those accusations, would you even consider dating Trina?"

"Logic is what I noticed after Lance and I had us our talk." Trina pressed.

Beck found himself backpedaling. "Look, it's not like that. Tori here said it right. If she wasn't happy with me, she'd just leave."

"Oh, she's leaving you." Trina told him. "Beck, until you get your own shit together, figure out how to be with someone you won't have to punish all the time, I'd suggest you keep your distance. Jade, she may come back to you, but first, I intent to teach her a bit about self respect."

"You?" Beck's voice dripped with contempt.

"Yea, me, who has had paid jobs in television, despite not being one of the anointed, like you." Trina countered. "Jade, I help you, and next year, while I'm off at collage, you protect Tori from the guys who wanna use her. That sound like a fair deal?"

Jade didn't answer. For once, she just sat there, looking smaller then she'd ever looked.

"Babe, you don't have to listen to her." Beck cooed.

"Beck, we all know, once alone, you're just gonna take this all out on her." Trina told the boy. "I guess I'm saying… RUN!" Her eyes were cold, lacking any of the admiration she'd held for him for the last two plus years.

Cool collected Beck took a moment, and then stormed out, trying not to run.

/

Jade sat there, not sure if she was grateful, or humiliated. Inside, she was leaning towards humiliated. 'Great, they know...' She wanted to cry, beg Beck for forgiveness, anything to end this nightmare.

"You realize, this is good, right?" Trina asked the pale girl. "Without something giving, you and Beck, it goes on, a form of torture, and it only ends one of three ways."

"But Jade likes torture." Andre pointed out.

"No, she uses it, to dull her pain." The elder Vega guessed. "No one likes torture. Hurting, pain, yea, there are people who're into that chiz, but to them, it's not torture. True torture is breaking a human down, traumatizing them to the point where they give you what you want."

"Then why does Jade say that there's a good type of torture?" Cat asked.

"Because the actions, the pain that some people like, it may look like torture." Trina explained. "Only it's not. Time we all learned something, right?"

"Maybe I should have helped Lance with his civics homework, cause I think he wrote about that." Tori said, lost for a second. Despite that, her brown eyes were locked on the door Beck had left through, watching her world, one of the Hollywood Arts foundations she'd built up her trust upon, crumbling with this new truth.

"I helped him." Trina said. "Saved me from having to rip his thingy off. See, in return for helping him, he agreed to keep it PG with you. Good thing I made that deal, cause again, boy was a user."

"But he understood that Beck was hitting Jade." Rob said. "Ever wonder how he knew?"

"His father hits his mother." Trina told them. "He's determined to be better, but apparently not that much better. Still, I guess using a girl is better then hitting her, and he did clue me into something. So, that's a positive..."

"Wait, he was just gonna let Beck go on hitting Jade?" Tori asked. "Assuming Beck ever did hit her. I mean, Jade's a terror, gives guys nightmares. Yes, Beck sometimes has to pull out all the stops to control her, but he's looking out for her best interests. Besides, Beck's not that kind of guy." Even Cat felt it sounded more like Tori was trying to convince herself. Cat wished shed succeed, cause she hated what she was hearing about Beck.

"Admittedly, he doesn't fit the classic profile of a predator." Robbie said. "He never tried to separate Jade from her social circles, her support." He gave a thoughtful look. "However, many abusers don't. They understand that their victims can't, or won't, talk about it. Abusers can be deacons, with their whole family involved in the church, and they let their reputation work for them. No one would believe that they hurt their wives, or children, and so it becomes that much harder for the person to come forward and make the accusation." He met Cat's eyes. "I know a bit about isolation."

"We still only have the word of a user, and Jade, and Jade really hasn't told anyone." Tori tried again. "I mean, she could have hurt herself, covered it up, and she's remaining silent because..." Her eyes locked on the goth, and Tori fell silent. Trembling lips parted, once again, before closing.

"Oh man, it's true, isn't it?' Andre asked, standing up and pacing around. "It's true, and now I'm gonna lose one of my best friends."

"But he's Beck…?" Cat said. "He's one of the good one's."

"Cat, they can be great people, and still have this dark side, be monsters. Even if it's only when their alone, just the two of them, sometimes things happen that can bring out that monster." Andre told his friend. "I may not know nearly as much about abusers, but I know enough." Swallowing, he approached Jade, not wanting to do this. "There's a reason I live with my grandmother…."

"No….!" Cat whispered, hand covering her mouth.

"My dad, he abused my mom, and she had two kids with him." The musician continued. His eyes were now on Jade, watching her. "My sister, she wound up on the hospital, intensive care, and dad, he wound up in jail. Still there. Mom, she got out, and decided she'd had enough. Never bothered to come get me. Sis, she lives with some cousins, good people who don't hit. I see her, all the time. But me, I try to make my life, cause it's been years since I've seen my dad. Honestly, I was five when they put him away, but I knew, still know, what a monster he was when he was drunk."

Jade was watching the boy, trying to make sense of what she'd just heard. Cat, however, spoke next. "Why, if you were abused, didn't you say anything about it?"

"Cause I wasn't abused." Andre told them. "My dad, he never hit boys. Just girls, to help them remember their place. Grandpa, he was hard core, old school. He used physical punishment because it was cultural, get the kids to learn quick so they don't break the unwritten rules and die. Dad, he moved out here where the rules were different, and took Grandma with him. I know, I get what kind of man my dad was, but I also know, from what the family tells me, from what the church told me, that my dad was a pillar of the community. Boys could come to him for advice, to help them deal with the pressures of the streets, to find a way forward. He was a good man who gave back. But he had all this stress, all this darkness, and while he never wanted to hit his sons, he hated girls. Hated the fact that they can cause so much drama, so many problems, and so he had rules, strict, almost impossible rules, and when they got broke, he was violent. Usually got drunk first, so he had the excuse…."

Jade had stopped thinking of what a freak she was, because now she knew she wasn't alone. "My dad's verbally abusive." She told the gang. "Physically, that was, oddly, easier. Verbally, emotionally, that was long term, making me feel like less then nothing, a total failure. Worse, I got it, my dad cares. He just had no way of showing it that didn't make him feel weak. Beck too. Beck uses force because he gets frustrated. I try, I try to be a good person, but then he gets frustrated, and things explode..."

"And eventually, one of three things will happen." Trina jumped in, back on track. "You'll get hurt to the point where you leave him, and naturally, you'll think everyone will take his side, cause I'm guessing even your parents would." Jade glared at the older girl, but didn't dare challenge that statement. "Or one of you will die." Trina finished, eyes hard. "Either you'll explode, use violence, and Beck, he's really not gonna be able to stop you once you do. Or, maybe you take it, and one day, he goes too far, and kills you. Finally, you may decide that the only way out is to end your own life. No mater what, someone dies way too soon. No, this was far better. We end the charade, and you can get the help you need."

Jade was crying as she sat there, trying to find some way to be strong. There was none, and the pale girl found her limbs didn't want to work. As much as she wanted to stand up, march out of there, she couldn't.

"Jade, we gotta talk." Andre said.

"No, we don't." Trina countered. "I looked this chiz up, spoke to a guy my dad works with at the precinct, got my information down first. Did my research. This may have been clunky, but it was the intervention, and it was moderately successful. Next, we get her help, and she finds her way forward. Jade already admitted to verbal abuse, probably emotional abuse, and with Beck, physical, though I'm thinking someone hit her, somewhere along the way. Yes, Jade has the signs, but there doesn't need to have been physical abuse in the past, just as long as a part of her is willing to put up with that shit."

"Trina, please." Cat groaned. "We're dealing with enough, we don't need the potty talk."

"You okay, little red?" Andre asked, scooting closer to the girl.

"Maybe you should reconsider comforting her." Tori warned. "Cat needs long term, and we know commitment's not your strong suit."

"Rex, you have anything helpful to add?" Robbie asked the puppet.

"Honestly, I thought she liked that kind of rough chiz." The manikin replied. "If I'd know it was abuse..."

The silence lasted maybe a second. "You'd have done nothing, cause that's what you think of women." Trina filled in.

"I'd have found some way to talk to her." Rex tried. "See how we can make it better. Maybe talk to Beck, see if we can find another way. You know, walk him around the block, let him cool off."

Trina's laugh was ice cold. "The police used to do that, years and years ago." She told the gathering. "Then they shifted to a night in jail for spousal abuse, and lo and behold,. The instances of it went down. Not to mention, Chicago and the Cell Block Tango."

"Our fault for going to a performing arts school." Jade finally joined the conversation. "Look, while I appreciate the intervention…."

"I already told you why." Trina cut her off. "Lance may have been a jerk and a user, but this, it's what had to happen. Next year, you'd have moved in with Beck, and the abuse, it'd get worse. No, this is what had to happen."

"How do we know you won't just go after Beck yourself?" Rob asked.

"Because I don't wanna be in his games." Trina said. "Tori, didn't Beck tell you he liked a girl who was a challenge? I'm thinking he wants his excuses to cut loose, feel powerful taming that shrew."

"No, it's me." Jade said. "I'm the reason Beck was so bad. He-he got frustrated. It's my fault, cause I just, I get so jealous, and I lash out. I hurt, and I lash out, and he's trying to show me how to.. To.."

"You done making excuses for him?" Trina asked. "Tori, tell me, how often do you see Beck flirting with girls? Or letting them flirt with him?"

"All the time." Tori said. "Not just in front of Jade, either. He is more then willing to help out, give a girl a ride..." She flashed a smile.

"But when he's with us, he doesn't flirt, does he?" Trina clarified.

"We're his friend." Tori countered.

"And you're Trina." Rex added. A single glare sent the puppet hiding again.

"Not just me." Trina pushed. "Most of the time, he tries to make us feel heard, seen. Only sometimes, like when Jade's around, or he's single, does he just let the girls get away with stroking his ego like that. I swear, sometimes, it's like he's doing it delectably to set her off. And then, once shes gone all Hera on him, he punishes her."

"Hera?" Andre asked.

"Greek, queen of the gods, and one of the main villains in the Hercules; The Legendary Journeys television show." Robbie explained. "Made queen of the gods, Hera felt her position was eroded with each child Zues had with other women. However, he was powerful, and wouldn't stop, so she stared punishing the other women. Funny enough, Zues didn't much care, cause while he cared about his kids, that was it. So Hera is the bad guy for wanting her husband to stop screwing around." He shook his head. "Greeks."

"Don't think the Greeks were that bad." Tori said. "Just, the gods, for the Greeks, kinda like all powerful children."

"And we're off point again." Trina huffed. "Jade, I don't know what'll take to get you to stop being so dependent on Beck, but listen closely, cause I need you to protect Tori while I'm off at collage, and I'll date you myself if that's what it takes."

At that moment, all eyes were now on Trina. "What? I'm a catch, I don't hit, and lets be honest, Jade's bi at the very least."

"Because she's so manly?" Cat asked.

"That has nothing to do with it." The elder Vega girl said. "I just, I have awesome gaydar. I think I've known since the day Tori here first joined your group, cept I was so busy trying to get Beck's attention I missed that maybe she'd be a better person to be around."

"Are you gay?" Cat asked.

"No, but I think I could be." Trina shrugged. "For Jade, maybe. I just, it's worth trying. Maybe we would work out, and maybe it'll just be my lesbian phase. Worse case scenario, one of us becomes enamored, and the other doesn't. No biggie, cause I know I can handle that. And if not me, we find her a girl." Her hand went up to prevent others from speaking. "Believe it or not, I'm probably gonna be harder to get over then Beck, cause I am a catch. I mean, I care enough about my sister to make Jade's life complete, and I may date her to boot, but I'm thinking, if she can heal, then Jade'll understand, not get as obsessed as she was with Beck, and if things don't work out, we part knowing we're still friends."

Jade sighed, crying soft tears. "How can someone that delusional be that right?" She asked no one.

:}

Hitting is not all right. Jade is not a child. If you are in a relationship and getting hit is a part of it, get out if you can. Talk to a teacher, the police, someone, cause there are resources to help.

Don't usually make Beck the bad guy, but this time, kinda had to.