Aftershock
by John O'Connor

Disclaimer: "Victorious" and its characters are the property of Schnieder's Bakery and
Nicklodeon.  This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged 
hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and
story are the property of the author.

Note: Follows my earlier story “After School”.


After the indescribable three-day weekend. Jade was sure she could never be more in love with
Tori.  When Tori offered to go with her to break the news to the West family, Jade found she was
wrong – in a good way.

Arriving at the West house after class on Tuesday, Jade went to her room and got some of her
stuff together.  She brought the bag downstairs and Tori joined on the couch for a while in a
comfortable silence.  Tori held her hand gently, her thumb running over Jade’s knuckles softly.

A car pulled into the driveway and Jade immediately pulled her hand back.  Standing, she led
the way into the kitchen.

Her little brother, a boy almost ready for junior high, charged in and raced to the fridge.  He was
followed, after a few minutes, by Jade’s parents.

“Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you,” Jade announced work.  She glanced to the side and
saw Tori smile at her and nod.

“I’m gay.”

Both Mr. and Mrs. West stared at their daughter for a long moment.  As she heard her husband
take a deep breath, knowing what that meant, Mrs. West ordered her young son to his room.

“WHAT?!?” Mr. West bellowed.  “You’re what?!?”

“I’m gay, Dad.  I like girls.  And…”

“No!”

“Dad…”

“NO!”

Tori’s eyes, already wide at the initial outburst, widened farther as she heard the father echoing
the daughter.

“No daughter of mine is a degenerate!  I will not allow it!”

“You won’t allow it?!?  You?  Who the hell do you think you are, God?!?” Jade replied in a sharp
voice.

“In this house I am god!  And I forbid you to be gay!”

Tori took a step forward, “Mr. West, you can’t forbid someon…”

“Quiet!  You are not a member of this family and not part of this discussion!”

Jade stepped towards her father, “Some discussion!  You make a commandment and that’s it!
Just like Aunt Michelle…”

“Do not speak of that…person in this house!”

“Screw that, Dad!  Aunt Michelle is your sister!  Your sister!  And you tossed her aside like an old
newspaper,” Jade replied.

“Do not speak of her in this HOUSE!” Mr. West’s voice rose as he spoke.  “That evil, degenerate
creature is not part of this family.  And…

“And, unless you change your attitude, Jadelyn West, you won’t be either.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  Tori took her hand and felt her lover squeeze it until Tori’s
joints popped.  She refused to let go, giving Jade what support she could.

In a low voice, Jade said, “I won’t change my mind.  I can’t change it. And, most important, I
don’t want to change it.  I love Tori and she loves me!” Mr. West sputtered and his face grew
red.   “And that’s more than I can say for anyone this house!”

Mr. West slammed his hand on the kitchen table, upsetting a bowl of sugar as well as the salt
and pepper shakers.  “You will leave this house at once!  I never want to see you again!”

“Fine by me,” Jade said with a tight smile.  “I’ll come back for my things later.  When you’re not
here.”

“No you won’t!  Those…things belong to my daughter, Jade.  I lost her and you have no claim.”

Tori spoke up again, “I don’t think…”

“I don’t care what you think, you dirty…”

“Don’t say it old man…” Jade warned, her voice little more than a snarl.

Tori shook her head, “I won’t shut up and you will listen.  My father is a cop with the LAPD.  If
necessary, we’ll go get a court order to get Jade’s clothes and personal things.  And Dad will help
us enforce that order if necessary.”

“Let’s go, Tori,” Jade said, pulling Tori after her.

“We’ll be back,” Tori threw over her shoulder.

In the living room, Jade saw her brother, his eyes wet and wide with a mix of sorrow and fright.
She went to him and he hugged her tightly, “Don’t go Jade.  Please?”

“I have to buddy.  But if ever need me, you know my cell.” She kissed the top of his head and
started towards the door.  “Oh, and if you need a good scare, the Vegas have a lot of
bathrooms…”

Mrs. West came out the front door as Tori and Jade got to Jade’s car.  “Jade, please.  Don’t do
this.  We can work it out…”

“Too late, Mom.  He’ll never change,”  The last was almost a sneer. “And, as for you, well…you
had your chance when he threw out his own sister.  And later, whenever I tried to ask about her.
You never… Not once stood up to him.  Why should I think now is any different?”

Tori, feeling pity for the distraught woman, said, “Don’t worry.  Jade will be alright at my house.
My parents will let her stay there as long as she wants.”

“We’re leaving, Vega,” Jade growled as she pulled out onto the street.  They were almost to
Jade’s car when Tori started to speak.

“Jade, I know thi…” Tori stopped when Jade turned to her, rage filling her face, burning in her
eyes.

Jade drove.  Up into the Hollywood Hills then down towards Santa Monica and south past LAX.
Tori sat silently in the passenger seat, instinctively knowing her love needed quiet time.  She saw
the Palos Verdes hills ahead as they drove along PCH.

Finally, as they neared the harbor, Jade took the 110 freeway, skirting downtown and finally
turned towards Hollywood.  Well over an hour after leaving the West house, she stopped in front
of the Vega home.

Tori got out and stood on the lawn, waiting for Jade.  Jade sat in her car, her hands locked on the
steering wheel and her eyes staring straight ahead.

Tori came around to the driver’s door and opened it.  Jade turned eyes still filled with rage to her.
Tori felt a frisson of fear but stood her ground.  Finally, she said, “Come on, Jade.  Let’s go
inside.  Okay?”

Another minute passed then Jade lowered her eyes and slowly got out of her car.  Without a
word or a glance, she walked straight into the Vega house.  Tori trotted to keep up with her.

As she walked inside, her mother, Holly, came out of the kitchen area and approached Jade.
She didn’t have to be told how things went.  Pulling Jade into her arms, Holly cradled the silent
teen.

Tori saw this and saw Jade’s arms hanging straight down to her sides.  She started forward,
suddenly afraid of what Jade might do.  She had told her mother that Jade didn’t like hugging
but…

Jade’s arms moved slowly up until she had them wrapped around the mother of the girl she
loved.  The Goth’s body started to quietly shake as she buried her face in the older woman’s
shoulder and Tori knew she was sobbing.

She wanted to comfort her lover but her mother patted one hand in the air and Tori knew she
should hold back for the moment.

Holly cooed and whispered to Jade, comforting the girl like no one ever had.  Then, in a louder
voice, she said, “You know, you’re always welcome here.  For as long as you need.”

A strangled, “I know…” came from Jade.

Holly held the girl until her sobbing stopped and the body in her arms lost some of its tension.
She stepped back and smiled gently at Jade.  “Sweetheart, would you like something to eat?”

Jade just shook her head.  In a quiet voice, she asked, “Tori, where’s my room?”

“C’mon.  We share a bathroom but it’s better than using the same one Trina uses,” Tori said,
trying to lighten the situation.

The guest room, which had been Trina’s until she demanded her own room and bath, was a
mirror of Tori’s, without the decorations that Tori had scattered around.

“This is your room.  You can decorate it and…” Tori stopped then said, “Jade, I’m here for you.
I’ll always be here for you.”

Jade nodded and then lay face down on the bed, her face cradled in her crossed arms.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”  Tori started to pull the door closed and added,
“Anything at all.”

Downstairs, her mother was standing by the piano.  She took Tori into her embrace and they
hugged fiercely.

“That poor girl.  Was it as bad as she feared?”

“Oh Mom, it was worse.  He started to yell at her then she yelled back.  Then he ordered her to
leave and…  He disowned her!”

The two Vega women sat together on the couch.  Holly held her daughter’s hand as Tori told her
all about the horrible encounter at the West house.

“Do you think I’ll need to get Dad’s help to get her stuff?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.  I know he’ll be willing to do whatever is necessary.”

As if on cue, David Vega came in from the garage.  Seeing his wife and daughter sitting
together, he knew something was up.   In the course of his day, he had forgotten the Jade
situation.  Seeing them there, he remembered what was going to happen today.

“So, how did it go?” he asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

“It was awful, Dad,” Tori replied.  Then she told him about the whole family debacle.  At the end,
Tori asked her father the same question she had for her mother, “Do you think we’ll need you to
come over to get her stuff?”

“Don’t know, pumpkin. I’m pretty sure, unless the state took custody of Jade, that her parents are
still responsible for her until she’s 18 so school and things should be okay.  I think the same
would be true of her clothes and possessions.  Look, I have a buddy in the DA’s office, I’ll ask
her.”

“Her?” Holly asked.

“Yeah, Beatrice Foley.  She’s been there forever. Probably been due to retire for the last decade
but she loves us – the LAPD.  And my squad especially, after the last quake.  Remember?  I told
you about her?”

“Oh, she’s the one who’s cat disappeared.”

“Yeah, and her dog.  We found both of them and she’s still bringing up cakes and pies and…”

“That explains…” Holly stopped and patted her husband’s still-flat stomach.

“Hey?!? What about Jade?” Tori demanded.

David turned an apologetic face to his younger daughter.  “Sorry, sweetie. But don’t worry.
Jade’ll be fine.  She’s got you and I think that’s the most important thing she’ll need.

“But if you need me, I’m there for you.  And for Jade.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Tori said as she gave her father a big hug.

Holly stood up and said, “Alright, who’s hungry?”

Trina bounded down the stairs, “’Bout time we ate!  I’m starving.  Why’d we have to wait for
Tori’s freakish girlfriend anyway?”

Tori turned her fiercest look on her older sister and said, “Shut! Up!”

The voice was quiet with menace and Trina’s mouth slammed shut as her eyes widened in fear.
She managed to keep quiet all through dinner.

Meanwhile, Tori quickly went upstairs and knocked softly on Jade’s door.  “Hey?”  She opened it
to a dark room.  The light from the hall showed Jade’s shape under the comforter.  “Jade?  We’re
about to eat.  Wanna come down?”

A muffled, “no, not hungry’ came from the bed.

“Do you want company?”

“Not…not now.”

“Okay.  But we’re downstairs if you…

“I’ll be back up here in a little while.  Okay?”

Seated at the table with her family, Tori had little appetite but ate enough to appease her mother.
Then, emotionally drained by the day, she went up to her room.

As she got ready for bed, Tori glanced into Jade’s room.  In a quiet voice, she asked, “Jade?”

“Not now, Tori.  Please.”

“Um, okay.  G’night.”

~~~

“Holly, do you think it’ll be alright?  Them sleeping in adjoining rooms like that?”

Holly turned to her husband, “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that…  You know…”

“Sex?”

“Uh, yeah.  That…”

“I think it’s a little late to worry about that.  And it’s not like Tori can get pregnant…”

“Ye…yeah, but…”

“For that matter, how old were you when you…?”

David gave her an embarrassed smile.  “That’s why I’m worried…”

“David, she’s almost an adult.  And she’s very mature. Just be thankful for small favors.” Holly
shook her head but smiled indulgently.  “Anyway, right now I’m more worried about Jade and
what happened than their sex life.”

“You’re right,” David agreed.

~~~

Tori’s eyes popped open when she felt her bed shift.  She turned onto her back and saw Jade
slide in next to her.  Taking the Goth in her arms and held her.  Jade’s face was buried in Tori’s
chest as she held Tori tightly to her.

Neither girl spoke but Tori was content to hold her love and provide what comfort she could.

Finally, after several long minutes, Jade, in a barely audible voice, whispered, “Thank you, Tori.”

The youngest Vega smiled into the darkness.

Jade’s breathing slowed and her body relaxed onto Tori’s as she finally fell into a deep sleep.

Tori held Jade for a long while, enjoying the comfort that she got from the girl sleeping in her
arms.  But, eventually, she too fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

The clock radio blared out the morning surf reports for southern California, effectively waking
Tori to another day of school.  As she lay there listening to wave heights and other important
surfing information, she cursed the people who spent their lives waiting for that perfect wave.
Why them and not her?

She flung back the covers and realized she was alone in the bed.  “Jade?”

Crossing through he shared bathroom, Tori saw Jade’s room was empty.  She crossed the room
into the hall then down the stairs.

“’Bout time you got up, Vega!” Jade greeted her with a bright-for-Jade smile.  She was sitting at
the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her.

“G’morning sweetheart.  Want some breakfast?” Holly asked.

“Huh?  Uh, yeah.  I guess.”

“Well, you know where the cereal and the Pop-Tarts are.  I have to go.”

Holly came over and kissed Tori’s forehead then leaned over and did the same to the top of
Jade’s head.  “See ya later.”

“What…what just happened?”

“You’re mother went to work.”

“I know that…”

“Oh, and she gave us permission to stay home today.  You know, after yesterday…”

“Oh?  Well, wanna go to the beach?”

“Maybe.  Look, about the whole thing yesterday with…them…  I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ever?” Tori asked.

“Look, Tori.  The thing is I never really had anyone to talk to before.  At least not after Aunt
Michelle had to leave.  Beck tried but he, with his perfect life, couldn’t really understand.  And
you, with this whole hearth and home thing…”

“Jade, I do understand.  I haven’t had to live it but I saw what your family life was like and how
bad it can get.”

“Oh, you don’t know that half of it…”

“Well, talk to me.  Teach me.  I want to know you and help you.  Even if it’s really scary or really
bad.”

“Okay.  Maybe… Some time…” Jade grudgingly agreed.

“Great!” Tori gave a little half-jump and turned to the cabinets.  “Want some cereal?”

“Raisin Bran,” Jade replied with an evil smile.

“I told you before, we don’t have that any more.  I can’t stand it.  Not after Sikowitz’s method
acting sleepover.”

Being obstinate, Jade said, “Well, I want some.”

“Well, too bad,” Tori replied, setting a bowl of little yellow balls in front of her.  “Have some
Sugar Pops!”

“God, this is worse than the sleepovers at Cat’s with her fruity cereals.”  Jade took a swallow of
coffee, “But at least you now have real coffee here.”

Tori came up behind Jade, leaned over and hugged her from behind, whispering in her ear, “You
can be such a gank…”

After kissing said ear, Tori trotted back to the kitchen for her cereal, not seeing the happy
expression on Jade’s face.


END

  (c) John O'Conner

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