Disclaimer: I don't own. Also, this can be a touch dark, but I doubt I kill anyone, so you should be okay.

:}

Tori walked into the restaurant, part of her wondering if anyone would remember. 'I was famous, once upon a time. Seems like years ago….' her mind almost wandered, but there were memories, dark ones, paled compared to some of the other stories she'd heard since, but the entertainment industry was and is full of users and monsters who take a young artists hunger for fame and twist it into something horrible. 'I survived a guy using me for sex, telling me that he'd help make me famous. And, and he did. I was famous, for a while. Mason used the guy cause he got results. Only, I was his whore. Seventeen, and he made me his whore. I'm just glad things changed, and I got out. Funny, the catalyst for my life getting so much better…'

"Oh my god, is that Tori Vega?" A man asked his friend.

"Ha ha." The Latina glared at her one time high school friends, clearly not amused. "So, Dre, what're you up to these days?"

"The usual." He said with a shrug. "I write when I can, but a guy has to make a living."

"I've been keeping an eye on him." Robbie added. "No drug use for the last couple of years."

"Yea, gran died, and I kinda lost it." Andre confessed. "I fell into a dark place, and Rob here helped drag my ass out. Funny, I never expected him to be the bastion of mental health."

"Rex is gone." Robbie told her. "I let him go after he cost me Cat. Guy was just no good to be around. Toxic, and Cat, she knew she deserved better. I'm kinda hoping she'll be here today, so I can apologize, again."

"What're you doing for money?" Tori asked the boy.

"I'm not done yet." Andre jumped in. "Rob here got a job in a management company, helping run herd on their talent when the young guys start to fall apart, and so, he's gotten very good at helping people stay on whatever program they need to be on to survive. He just does that for me, and I work with him, helping out. Oddly, my past as an addict helps me reach people with problems, cause we can relate. So, I'm an addiction counselor, and Rob, he uses me, a LOT."

"Yea, I work for a management company, and as often as not, we're paid by the production companies, the labels and studios and chiz, to help keep a talent functional long enough for them to finish whatever commitments they have. Kinda frustrating, if you ask me. I work with someone, get them straightened out, and then, when the movies done, I'm told to let them be. Fuck, there are times when them burning out, spiraling out and doing some damage to their reputation helps the project. My life is holding hands, being a resource to people who have almost no one holding them accountable, and then I have to step back, over and over, and watch them as they're left with no one holding them accountable. And yes, some, many of my clients turn things around, have good lives. Others survive until they get my services again, and many others are in jail, or worse. Mine's not an easy job." He ran his hand through his hair. "Kinda why Rex disappeared. I needed his strength, and when I got it, I found so much of it was just a dark reflection of my own insecurities."

"Rob here is gonna burn out." Andre stated. "But he's one of the good ones, and I'm so hoping he has his contingency planned out, for when he just can't do this any more."

"They pay all right, but the real perk is how short it was to buy into a major retirement plan." Robbie stated. "I'm gonna be able to retire early, and find myself another job that doesn't hurt so much. Positive, I work with a lot of celebrities…."

"Yea, positive." Tori smiled. "Um, who else is gonna be here?"

"Just Cat and Beck." Andre told her. "I have a girl, someone I like, but we're not at the take her to a reunion phase yet. Rob here has had trouble finding someone."

"I see all the needy people, and I have to be strong." Rob admitted. "So, what are you doing?"

"I'm an executive at Neutronioum." Tori told them. "Mason wasn't too pleased when the Me Too Movement tore apart several of his go to people, and I was tapped to take over some of their responsibilities. Found a better way to help people make music, one that doesn't leave scars." She sighed. Then, she showed her left hand. "Oh, yea, I got married, but as you said, not in the take them to a reunion phase yet."

"I totally get that." Andre nodded. "We got to set Rob here up with someone."

"Yep." Tori smiled. "So, what're you drinking?"

"Soda." Dre told her. "Living straight edge here."

"Lemonade." Robbie echoed. "I can't be a hypocrite. I-I don't touch drugs or alcohol. Hell, I see a therapist, totally regularly, just to take care of myself. I don't have an easy job, but now I know, you're someone I should have run into by now… So, why haven't I?"

"Cause you're not the only person who does what you do." The former singer said. "I had me some help, along the way… and you weren't talking about that, were you? No, yea, I was pressured into a sexual relationship while making my album, before I was tapped to help Mason, and went back to school. I didn't bring it up, despite it being statutory rape, cause I was done with the spotlight. Let someone else have the scandal, my abuser's already in jail, and in New York, so he's not getting out any time soon. No, I just, I've had a long and wind-y ten years, and I've managed to wind up okay, mostly because I did work so fricking hard being Masons friend, and he remembered me when he needed someone. But also cause Trina did okay with her life, and helped me through some of my difficult parts."

"So tell me about him." Andre said. "Your husband…"

"You got married?" Cat squealed. The petite girl rushed up and hugged her, all the while Beck trailed his girl in, a smile on his face. "You just have to give me all the details."

"Honestly, I married for multiple bad reasons, including me having been used." Tori told the redhead. "I may explain more later. Just, we worked things out, and we do love one another. Fuck, we were in love, or I was, from early in the process. But I got married so I could have that love during a time when I didn't have much of anything. Helped me adjust from being famous to being just another face in the crowd. So, why don't you guys fill me in on what you've been up to…?"

/

Beck smiled. "Cat and I are engaged." The Canadian said. "We reconnected after my acting career tanked, and I went back to school to find myself something better to do. I was thinking of being a mechanic, cause I love working on chiz like that, except I needed my own complete set of tools, and that chiz costs. So I was working, studying, and found myself working with Cat as she finished her teaching credentials."

"Multi-subject, cause I was gonna teach the little ones." Cat said. "It was supposed to be my backup, except I soon realized I wasn't gonna work in entertainment. So I finished up my teaching degree, only to discover there's so much more they require in California to teach. Two years of extra credentialing after you get your credential, that encourages school districts to hire teachers away from other districts so they don't have to pay for it. So, I wound up teaching home economics in a high school…."

"We both had to find a way to get through our rough times, so we reconnected, and friendship morphed into love…" Beck was almost glowing. "We just… there was and is a dark specter that sometimes hangs over us, but we agreed we needed something real, not a dim hope of a shadow of the past."

"He's talking about Jade." Cat clarified. "I still wonder what happened to her? I mean, when she discovered she wasn't getting that scholarship, and headed out to New York, that was the last anyone heard from her." The former redhead looked sad for a second. "I do miss her. Only, she and Beck split a long time ago, so when she does come back, she's just gonna have to accept us as a couple."

"Oh…" Tori didn't know where to take that thought. "We expecting her?"

"Has anyone even heard from her?" Beck asked back. "Look, I'm hoping for the best, but why would she come back? Her parents kicked her out, she had nothing here. We'd broken up before I ever found out that her family just abandoned her, after her father made sure she was seen as having too much money for most of the scholarships she qualified for. I mean, that wasn't just disconnected. It was down right mean. I don't… How can a man be so cruel?"

"Yea, she does cast a shadow." Tori nodded. "Dre, tell Beck what you've been up to…."

The gang reconnected, with each talking about what they were doing with their lives. "So, I'm now I'm almost done with school, and look forward to finding a better place to work then the garage I'm with. Not saying that I can't make a good living as a mechanic, cause I can. I just, I went to school, and figured I should be worth more. Still, doing good now. I figure we can afford a house now, thanks to some lucky investments I made, as well as them finally paying teachers something closer to what they're worth. And sure, Cat's the major breadwinner in the home, but I do all right."

"Just, housing is so expensive around here." Rob agreed. "I mean, I get paid enough, and Dre here makes decent money. But you have to choose where you're gonna live, or you just can't afford it."

"Yea, this is nice." Tori sighed. "Next time, I say we bring our significant others."

"Ah-am." Cat fake coughed. "Brought mine."

"I just need to find me someone, and I'm so in." Robbie agreed.

"I think Rob just needs an escape from his work." Dre said. "I'll bring mine, maybe. I mean, we're doing great, but sometimes you just have to be careful, cause people, they all have their pasts. My girl, she was one of those who tried and failed, and found herself dealing with her problems the wrong way. Yea, we met at Narcotics Anonymous, AFTER the required waiting period for starting dating, cause we don't need to start making mistakes and screw up our sobriety. Yea, no drinking for either of us. And oh yea, she won't meet at a bar. Just saying."

"So, that skip year you took." Robbie addressed Cat. "You kinda skimmed over what you were doing?"

"I joined a biker gang." Cat said, totally straight faced. "No, I didn't join as someones sex toy. I found me a group that was pretty good for me, though I admit, I had Sam with me, so I felt kinda safe. Did have to learn how to ride, and I still ride, but I used it, and the connections of the various chapters of the gang around the country, to take a year and look for Jade." She squeezed her mans hand. "YES, I looked for her, didn't find her. I even went to New York, found that it's not so easy to find people among the eight million who live and work there. Damn, so many people…."

"And then she came home and went to school, became a teacher, and now teaches in a high school." Beck finished. "Cat hated being shorter then most of her students, but I think she likes the challenge now."

"I work for a decent school now." Cat clarified. "Good kids, good security, and I don't have to worry about all kinds of problems. Irony, I got the job cause one of my biker brothers, use to call him scrag, he works for the districts, hooked me up with this opportunity. Only, now I have to call him Mister Jacobson, or Scrag when we're not in front of the kiddies. Funny, that gang wasn't just a club, all respectful and law abiding for the police. We had, and have, our criminal elements. I mean, Sam's still with them…"

"God, it was good catching up." Tori smiled.

"So, Beck, this whole biker thing, you involved?" Andre wondered.

"No, and I didn't have too." Beck replied. "Though I do make a decent amount of my money fixing up motorcycles for bikers. Cat's connections make up a LOT of my business…"

"And with that, I need to go." Robbie announced. "I have an early intervention. I know, they aren't thinking I will, but trust me, I do. There's always someone who needs their lives changed…"

"I have my groups, but regular schedule." Andre said. "Just, we're in a bar and grill, and I don't need to be in a bar, so I'm thinking I'm gonna bounce. Guys, stay in touch…"

"We have a house." Cat chirped. "I'll tell you how we afforded it… No, Beck already did. Still, we have a nice place, and maybe the next time we get together, we can do it at our place. Just saying, until we have kiddies of our own, it's the best possible place to get together, talk. And Tori…"

"Yea?" The former singer asked.

"Next time, bring Trina." Cat said. "We didn't even bring up what she's doing?"

"Special Outreach for the office of the Mayer of New York." Tori said. "Girls was an image consultant, but her love of gossip helped her make loads of connections, and now she's their special outreach person. No one knows what that means, just we know she does it, and they pay her enough to live in New York. I'll cal her, see if she can break away long enough to come to a reunion…"

"You do that." Cat urged. "Sigh, we do have to get up early, so lets call this a night."

"And then what happened." The pale girl asked, later, in the large home Tori lived in. The large home with a yard Tori's position let her afford, so she could secure her life away from far too many problems that sometimes followed her and her wife.

"We went home." Tori sighed. "Jade, I did kinda promise you'd show up. Not you, as in Jade, former friend who disappeared into New York city. I meant the woman I wound up married too, back when I thought, I can save her, just need to make her think she has a future."

"Worst reason to get married ever." Jade nodded. "Yea, shouldn't have worked out. Honestly, I was that close to ending it, and that's AFTER I almost escaped being a prostitute…"

"That monster hired you as a dancer, then used economic pressures to turn you into a hooker." Tori reminded her girl. "Had you fucking guys in the back of his club, then made you live where he said, work where he said, do what he said. Fucker even charged you for the costumes he had you dancing in. I swear, if Trina didn't recognize your name in the list of potential people that New Jersey District Attorney was looking at…"

"Point is, Trina was the one to help me buy my way out, and in return I gave her the names of a couple of people who might turn on the prick, help put him away." Jade said. "Should have ended there."

"Yea, except I wanted to be the one to save you." Tori nodded. "My poor, damaged girl."

"You made me a fucking housewife." Jade growled.

"I want you to work." Tori promised. "Just, you have a history, and I don't have a clue if and when that's gonna come back and bite you in the ass." Tori tried to stay calm. "Mason understood. He has you help by being a song writer, something you can do from the safety of our nice home. But I do try…" She held her breath.

"Vega, I'm not as fragile as I was two years ago." Jade promised. "I'm thinking I can deal with our friends. Just... I'm not denying my past. The fucked up things I did to survive. The place I wound up in, where I didn't have a way out. Hell, even when I was offered the money to buy my way out, that prick insisted I wasn't allowed. If that ex special forces wasn't there…"

"He was an under cover cop." Tori said. "Started the ball, arresting that guy for breaking the contract. Fraud. It was a start, and thanks to you honestly trying to buy your way out, we wound up not having a problem with the Irish mob…"

"Just with the occasional former client I might run into." Jade sighed. "Look, that was Jersey. I don't run into those guys any more. Okay, that one, but since that party…"

Tori chuckled. "Yea, maybe I did over react…" Her brown eyes measured her wife. "But in my defense, you did spiral. Damn thing triggered you."

"And now I get to be this fucking pampered housewife." Jade hated being dependent, even here. Her songwriting had started providing a profit, but Tori just earned so much more. "Okay, lets see if I can handle seeing our old friends. I just, I don't want them looking at me differently."

Tori wrapped her arms around her girl. "Then lets feel things out, and I'll react accordingly." Tori said. "We don't need to go into details about how they used you. Just, you had a hard time in New York, and we don't visit the Jersey shore for a reason."

:}

Thoughts? Another of my older stories, partially inspired by "Magic Power" by Lushcoltrane, I feel this was a better version of one plot point then I'd managed to achieve in many unpublished stories with the hidden Jade aspect. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this one.