Disclaimer: I don't own.

Beck wasn't drunk when I wrote this. If you don't get the reference, Avan Jogia admitted he was drunk for a good portion of the Victorious run. However, while I feel for Avan, Beck doesn't look so nice in this story.

:}

Beck walked into the meeting, upset at the latest twist in his life. 'Damn it, contract says I need to make another one of these movies. I mean, the money's okay, but…' he hated the so called "Hot Trio's" movies. None of them were named that, instead being called something like "Looks to thrill", but that was what most people called the film franchise.

They'd started just a short time out of Hollywood Arts, when Beck was approached by one of the shruggers, a decent enough looking guy who had ideas about having himself a Vega, and thought that finding a way to make Trina a star was his best shot. He had a script, an action movie about a Trio of attractive police cadets who get recruited into a special unit meant to be used in times when they couldn't bring guns. The idea was to focus on Trina's martial arts, and have Beck and maybe Tori be the other attractive members of the unit, to carry the acting.

But they couldn't get Tori, not for that movie. Instead, Beck, who was directing, recruited his soon to be ex, Jade. The pale girl objected to so much, ignored in favor of the production crews ideas and plans, but was essential to work with Trina and make her acting passable. In return, the goth learned fighting techniques, one on one, from the elder Vega, until she was more then passable. Jade did the movie as a favor to Beck, mostly because their relationship was dying, and she was desperate to not be alone any more.

The first movie flopped, only not nearly as hard as expected. The shoe string budget meant fight choreography, something worked out by all three of the Hollywood arts alumni, carried the action sequences. However, the story just wasn't there, and despite the talent both Beck and Jade brought to the project, it just wasn't going to find an audience.

Only it did. Underground audiences loved the combination of attractive leads and action, while people with more influence in the industry also took note. Some producer approached the three and asked them to do a squeal, almost as soon as the first one was released, and this time they had a budget. Not much of one, but a budget.

Jade only agreed when Trina agreed to stop insisting on playing Beck's love interest, and was given a chance to work with the writing staff. Instead, a better background was written for all three, where Trina was Beck's cousin, taking advantage of the fact that the two did look somewhat alike, despite their very different ethnic backgrounds. Jade was written in as Trina's friend, probably to punish the blue eyed girl for being in the movie in the first place, but also to help explain her part of the project. Finlay, the background was changed, with Beck starting the undercover the project, dragged the girls in, because there just were too many times when a police officer needed to be able to handle the worst situations without resorting to their firearms.

The the budget exploded when Tori was recruited to play the damsel in distress, and Beck's love interest, as a favor to her sister and friends. That, plus Mason Thronsmith saw the opportunity to have his singer acting in a movie that was getting better traction in the Hollywood machine. Of course, bringing Tori in almost cost them Jade. The girl had functionally written the story, and was pushing to direct, so was given both credits in return for staying with the project. Beck reluctantly agreed because the two girls, Tori and Jade, were able to help reduce Trina's ad-libbing, something that had been driving Beck to his wits end and beyond. Jade just accepted that Tori's presence brought in a real budget, something the goth could use, so she reduced her envy to trying to find a particularly gruesome way to kill her character off. Beck's limited veto power overrules the pale girl, and helped maintain good relationships with the producers.

Beck, in retaliation for Jade's messing with the story she wrote, argued with the producers to make Jade's character a lesbian. It led to two conversations, both of which only helped Jade and Trina become better friends. The first was Jade admitted to being bi, while rebelling against the idea of her having to play a queer character just because she was queer. Trina backed her, and even volunteered to play the lesbian, despite being straight, because it was a roll she felt she could pull off. Oddly, the controversy around that choice would bring more publicity then expected, which in turn allowed the film to make loads of money. Enough that the studio offered them a lot more to make a few more of those films, as time went on. People who wanted to "Cancle" them found it hard when the gender fluid member of the group argued that the straight one was nailing the part, while also saying it wasn't fair if she got to keep playing hetro characters, while Trina couldn't have a legion of horny girls touching themselves while thinking about her. Oddly, despite everything, that quote won them the approval of the gay community, and from there, got the movie more fans.

The second complication was Tori, upon finding out Jade was Bi, started perusing her with a vengeance, literally. The pop princess wanted the bully of Hollywood Arts reformed, and was willing to have a long term relationship with her to do so. Of course, romance followed, and the two became a real couple. But the damage to Jade and Beck had been done.

The third movie had a very different plot, with Jade coming up with a reason to have the three follow a lead to Miami, and get involved with a criminal syndicate there. Suggestions from Trina and Beck were listened to, and Jade's story oddly wound up involving them using their appeal to infiltrate, leaving Jade, strangely, the odd woman out. She didn't look Hispanic enough. But the budget allowed for more then one complicated fight scene, including a shootout that led to a lot of hand to hand. Beck got to show off his romantic side, while Trina kicked a lot of ass. Jade even had fun with the whirling fight scenes, making the most of how campy the whole idea was, while still delivering an action film that was way deeper then anything Michael Bay ever directed, but still focused more on action then plot. Plus, she learned to drive to play her reduced roll, the one who played control, while also acting as the emergency driver.

Beck was now chafing at the roll. It brought him financial security, an associate producers credit, and the fame to make other films he felt more attached to. His leading man charms were starting to win him fans. Unfortunately, that didn't make up for the fact that Jade was now raking it in as a writer director, who also acted, and started her own production company to help Trina out by making other films the less talented girl could star in. The green eyed monster helped shove another wedge in his relationship with all his old friends, each of whom somehow managed to get a roll in one of the sequels, always thanks to Trina or Jade, though Tori's fingerprints were all over every stunt casting.

Beck realized he'd made a mistake when he didn't read the five picture deal he'd been offered, at least not the major detail of what pictures they'd wanted him to make. Now, with the fourth installments of the so called "Hot Trio's" franchise, Beck wasn't thrilled about playing that character again. Worse, while he and Jade had initially talked about taking turns directing, the studio's wanted her. She was a proven commodity, and the budget, the expectations, had grown too high to risk an untested director. He'd neglected to direct any of his other projects, unlike Jade, who's directing filmogrophy was growing almost as quickly as her acting one.

To Beck, it felt like Jade got everything he expected to get when he agreed to making the first film. He knew the first film would flop, and just wanted to use it to show off his range, his acting talents, and maybe, get a date with Tori. He'd have a professional credit he could point to, all while using the his growing fame to take chances and expand his list of what he was doing. Instead, Jade was now famous for her range, the many films she made each year when not working these projects, as well as her relationship with Tori the pop princess, plus the odd distinction of being one of the few directors who got away casting "The best person for a roll" without the so called woke mob tearing her apart. And he still had two more of these movies on his contract. The boy who'd always come across as the most cool and mature seethed with anger at this trap of his own making, wondering how it was he got caught when it was jade who was supposed to suffer for her roll.

:}

Thoughts?