Disclaimer: Victorious and its characters are the property of Schneider's Bakery and Nickelodeon. 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. No profit is intended or wanted for this story.

Summary: Their future's so bright, they have to wear shades.

Note: In this universe, The Diddly Bops did not occur. Otherwise, everything in the show is canonical for this story.

Add'l note: Sorry for the delay but this was taking on too many aspects of the epilogues for Violated and also The Triumph and the Tragedy. I narrowed the scope of the future I focused on and came up with this.

Acknowledgments: To the fellow FF netter who supplied the idea and wishes to remain anonymous as well as to all the others who have reviewed, favorited & followed this tale. And Quitting Time for the great idea that became the capper of the story (you'll see at the end but no peeking).

The summer after graduation passed as quickly as every other summer had. Maybe even faster as the gang tried to retain some vestiges of their childhood and teen years. Regardless of their actual ages, college will be one big step into adulthood – albeit one still somewhat mixed with the frivolity of youth.

Tori and Jade spent the first year of college still living at their respective homes, as did the rest of their friends. But, as they felt more assured of what they were doing, the group decided to rent an older house near the UCLA campus. All but Cat who, with her girlfriend Sam, stayed in the small apartment in Venice to continue their Super Rocking Fun Time Babysitting Service while Cat attended classes.

The rest got a three bedroom house. Naturally, Tori and Jade took the master bedroom – "It was our idea and I found the damn place!" – while Beck and Andre took the second largest room. The last room was Robbie's.

While the romance lasted, Courtney Van Cleef spent a lot of time there. But, unlike his friends, their status as lovers paled and they eventually broke up before the end of the fall semester. Still, that nearly two-year relationship was just the boost that Robbie needed.

For the rest of their college years, he took over Andre's place as the player of the group. The longest, post-Courtney affair he had lasted nearly half a semester. Most were only a few days or a week or two. But Robbie rarely spent a Friday and/or Saturday night sleeping alone.

Beck and Andre grew closer and closer. While both admired the girls Robbie bedded, and they did occasionally miss the pleasures of the female form, they only had eyes for each other. Beck didn't go the cross-dressing route often – mainly during Halloween – but he still enjoyed the feeling of soft, silky panties rather the the more traditional Hanes or Fruit Of The Loom briefs.

Tori and Jade likewise grew closer – if that was even possible. Between Tori's influence and the ongoing therapy sessions, Jade soon became a less abrasive person. She still had her sarcastic edge but her anger issues seemed to fade a bit everyday.

Tori really didn't change much. She simply loved Jade and went to her classes. She maintained her usual Sweet Sally Peaches attitude (her words by this time, not Jade's). And she continued to sing and perform (as they all did – at least in school functions). But, outside of these scattered club performances, Tori held off on any major studio commitments until she finished school.

Fortunately, Mason Thornesmith was more than happy to let her create a solid education base. He had a few too many fly-by-night acts who flamed out due to the volatile combination of celebrity and immaturity. The reason he was so successful was that he could see a true talent worth nurturing. And Tori Vega was just such a talent.

But maturity caused her to become a realist. Tori told Jade and their parents, "I want to be a big singing star but I know that's not going to be easy. So I'm going to get my degree in music and a minor in teaching. If I don't make it, I can still help others."

Her parents and Jade's mother whole-heartedly agreed. Naturally, bucking the voices of reason (since those arguments came from parents), Jade said, "That's stupid! Call Mason and get an album out!"

"No. What if I'm a one-hit wonder? I don't want to be stuck driving a party bus around LA. This way I have a fall-back."

Jade snorted then muttered, "I suppose…"

Liz said, "Jade, you need a fall-back plan too."

"I have it, Mom. Tori, the platinum-album-selling superstar!"

Tori pulled Jade into a hug, "Aaaw… You believe in me!"

"Always have, Vega. Just never admitted it." Then Jade pushed her lover away, "You're making me soft, dammit!"

Shortly after that, following nearly a hundred rejections dating back to their junior year at HA, Jade ended up getting a story published in the latest revival of Weird Tales, the classic horror/fantasy pulp spawned in the 1920s. It was now both a print magazine and an on-line subscription ezine but still featured eerie, otherworldly fare like new author's takes on the Cthulhu Mythos, Conan the Barbarian, devil cults, post-atomic mutants and, naturally, the walking dead.

Jade's story was a traditional vampire story, unlike the Jade-hated teen vamp stories that had been so prevalent when they were in high school. She even knocked the werewolf vs vampire idea as she had the lead character, a truly demonic vampire, work with an equally malevolent lycanthrope to maximize their kill ratios.

A couple of years after they graduated, Jade was approached by Universal to use her story. She agreed, provided she wrote the screenplay and had control of the story. It was the most successful horror movie of the last few years of the 2010s. It cemented her rep in Hollywood, and especially horror as well as the beginning of the repositioning of Universal Studios as the American home of cinematic monsters.

Before all that, Jade gloried in her first published story. She ended up buying fifty copies of the print version and signed them all. Some for sale on eBay and many to give to her friends and associates as well as copies to shove in former doubters faces – like her father.

But first…

"Do you realize I'm now in the same circle as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Stephen King and F. Paul Wilson?" Jade declared at the celebratory family dinner at Maestro's.

"That's nice, dear," Liz said, smiling. "Were they important writers?" She looked at her menu and asked, "Are the lob-tatoes good?"

She was teasing her daughter. It was Liz who gave Jade her first book of Lovecraft stories when Jade was in eighth grade. From the cosmic horrors of Cuthlhu, Yog-Sothoth and the other various Great Old Ones, she explored other themes in horror.

"God, Mom…" Jade whined in a decidedly Tori manner even as the proud-as-hell Liz pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Jade, I'm so proud of you!" Tori announced. Then she hugged her girl.

When Tori did often perform at local clubs on the weekends, she either appeared with Andre as her backing music or, if Andre was unavailable for whatever reason, she performed a cappella. By the time she was halfway through their junior year, she was being courted by different clubs. With Jade's help, she managed to negotiate a fairly profitable schedule of performances – with time off for midterms and finals.

Many of these performances ended up on YouTube, further enhancing her reputation.

Andre had bit more success but he was always less concerned with school and more into his music. Starting out as a session musician after high school, by their third year, he was writing and performing his own work. And he often had Tori singing backup on the songs he actually recorded. Those recordings became the basis of his introductory album. Shawn Quincy was thrilled with the track selections and actually was hands-on in the production phase before the official release.

As a result of the sales, and his small but demanding tour schedule, Andre left school in the middle of the spring semester of their junior year. Even as he was planning his tour, he was working on new music for his next album.

The weekend he announced his decision, Beck and he had the biggest argument they would ever have.

"So I'm stupid, eh?" Andre asked, intentionally mocking Beck's Canadian background. "I'm stupid, eh? I should just go off with my back bacon, my hockey bat or whatever and my toque and… I don't know!"

"Hey! I'm just saying you should finish school! And do you even know what a toque is?"

The argument went on for most of the weekend. Tori and Jade left late Friday night for Liz' house (Liz was in San Diego so they could have tons of sex which was still verboten in the Vega home). Robbie was off with his latest ski bunny at Big Bear so the house was solely occupied by the two men who, while loving each other totally, were now in the middle of their own version of the Civil War.

By Sunday night, thanks to Jade sneaking back to leave one of Andre's pay stubs on the coffee table earlier in the day, the boys apologized to each other. That led to a night of passion that had Robbie wondering if he could go back to Big Bear for another night. Tori and Jade were making enough passionate noise of their own in the West house.

For the remaining year and a half, Jade managed to get couple more stories published, a suspense play produced for her scripting class, two award-winning student short films, including Clowns Don't Bounce, and even some interest from a New York publisher for a novel.

Tori was so proud of her love that she was constantly parading Jade's gifts before anyone who would listen. "My girlfriend has written…" "My girlfriend made a movie…" "My girlfriend won an award…"

Finally Jade pulled her biggest fan back to earth. "Vega! Stop! Don't keep going on and on about me!"

"Why not?" Tori whined. "I'm proud of you!"

"And I love that. But, if you push too hard, this may all go away."

"Superstitious?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." She smiled wickedly, "I'll even knock on wood."

"OW! Jade! That's my head!"

But Tori agreed to stop bragging about how talented her girlfriend was – at least while Jade was around. Instead she went on and on about how stunningly beautiful Jade was.

There was no further protest from young Ms. West. Except…

"You know, now I'll end up in some horrible, face-mangling accident…" Jade paused then added, "Actually, that'd be pretty cool."

"Why did I fall in love with such a twisted woman?"Tori asked as she just shook her head.

While all this was going on in their lives, Jade continued her sessions. Sometimes Tori joined her and other times she went solo. Everyone noticed her harsh edge was blunted a bit – when it came to family and friends anyway. And Jade even went into the water on any beach journey – starting at ankle-deep and, over the summer between their sophomore and junior year, finally able to go out into the surf enough to completely submerge herself. Doctor Merk laughed and clapped his hands like a child when he heard the news.

"It zeemz I haf outdone myzelf. Congratulazoonz Mz. Vezt."

Jade had her first major breakthrough. Liz and Tori, and, by extension, the rest of the group, were all beaming with pride once they heard the doctor's pronouncement.

"Wait! Wait, wait," Jade slowed them. "I'm not done with Merk yet. Thanks to a special someone who hasn't been with us for some time. Thank God!" Jade stared at Robbie with a knowing smile.

Graduation finally came. The gang, those still in school, were actually scared about the upcoming changes in their lives. Even with Andre's example, they were worried. And all five had already had far more non-scholastic success than most of their classmates through various intern programs, or performances like Tori enjoyed.

Within a week of graduation, Tori called Mason. He immediately accepted the call, which Jade took as a good sign. During the subsequent meeting in his office, Tori stuttered through the beginning of their conversation but came to actually being able to talk to him like a real person.

Before long, the original songs she had been performing the past several years were a new album. Thanks to Mason's connections, two different songs breached the top 40 ranks. One even cam close to breaking the Top 10.

And these were not the standard pop hits listeners from her high school years would've expected. Her taste and style had changed to a more adult, alt-rock sound (only partially due to Jade's influence). Soon, Tori's sound had been discovered. KROQ was a local FM station which focused on cutting edge music – ignoring old standards, unless they were classics by bands like the Stones, the Who or Zeppelin. And even then their selection of songs was the less well-known songs from any classic albums. Never was Bohemian Rhapsody, Stairway To Heaven or Brown Sugar heard over their airwaves. One of the DJs found a jazzy/rock ballad Tori had written about Jade (when she was in her deepest despair over her love) and played it once a day – usually during the late afternoon/early evening drive time, gaining the most listeners.

Mason immediately demanded more and Tori was thrilled to agree.

Around the same time, Andre's next album came out. It hit the big time on urban, pop and soft jazz stations. Tori was jealous at his 'break-out' success.

"I got an alt album released and you have to go and trump it with this damned crossover hit! It just ain't fair!" Tori protested.

Andre successfully countered her argument, "First, Toro…"

"TORI! You're getting as bad a Sikowitz!"

"Anyway, why are we arguing who's album is bigger? You have a big success on your first album. I have a success on my second album. And who has been working for over two years? And who was in school?"

Remembering Andre's initial small-scale release, Tori immediately felt bad. She agreed, "And you've been actively working in music for the past two years while I was in school. I'm sorry Andre. I'm a horrible friend."

"Aw, chica, it's okay. I'm actually a little jealous of you." Andre smiled his mega-watt smile, "No worries, Muchacha?"

"No worries, Dre," Tori agreed with a hug. She looked at him with a smile, "So, you're saying an education is important?"

Andre finally slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess so… But please don't tell Beck I said that. It'll be that old 'I told you so' crap. I can't deal with that yet." Then Andre smiled and said, "Maybe after my second gold album. Y'know… Heh-heh-heh."

By mutual agreement, Tori and Jade had kept their relationship publicly quiet. Both wanted any fame that came to them for their work, not the fact that they were both girls in love and the inherent associated publicity for rising stars.

"I do not want any salacious crap about us!" Jade declared. Before Tori could protest Jade's statement, the sullen half of their life said, "You should have your music be about you…for now. When you're the big-time success I know you'll be, I'll be happily walking out of the closet with you, holding hand and everything. Even some tonsil research for those sleazy papaNazis…"

Tori laughed and slapped Jade's arm, "I don't care who knows I love Jade West, you goof!"

The voice of reason, Jade countered, "Maybe not but a lot of people in the world won't accept us. No matter what."

Tori was so deeply affected by Jade's statement, she didn't argue with Jade, even though the relatively small fanbase she established while in school had a significant portion who were open members of the LGBT community. Unfortunately, she knew 'minority' support often couldn't buck old, established bias.

Within less than six months of graduation, Beck was offered a role in a new show for ABC Family about a disturbed teen returning to his old hometown. The producer had been a production assistant on the Miss Fire set who was impressed by Beck's willingness to work with others, including the washed-up Melinda Murray.

Andre, on tour when Beck left, joined him in North Carolina at the end of the his national concert performances. Rightly Andre assumed he could be there when Beck needed him, if only providing massages in their room,or even just moral support, when needed. And naturally all the loving either of them needed.

Before production completed, one of the directors noted Andre's presence and later saw him performing at a local club. With that, Andre ended up supplying a lot of the music to the freshman season of boyfriend's show.

The series ended up running for several seasons. After season two, the show was about to be cancelled until the truth of Beck and Andre's relationship was revealed. Initial curiosity assured a third, much more successful, season. And the ratings boost did nothing but enhance the show.

Cat had majored in production and costume design. After graduation, she got an internship at 20th Century Fox. Her work was so well-received, she ended up as a full-time part of the team working on a new space opera. Starting as an intern and completing the project as a member of the team, she and her team ended up being nominated for an Oscar for costume design. This before she even filed her first IRS return for the paying portion of her job.

Unfortunately, Cat's team lost to another movie that had simple costumes – 1920's garb – in their gangster movie. Still, she had already started to build a good rep with the studio. And that buzz hummed through Hollywood.

"I even got an Oscars wazz bag!" Cat loved to share with everyone – for weeks after.

And Sam always, unsuccessfully, corrected her, "It's a swag bag, babe."

"Oh, that's why it's not yellow and wet…"

Robbie started a stand-up career. He played various comedy clubs across the Southland. Soon he was working clubs down to San Diego and up to Carmel. Within a year, he was performing in Frisco as well.

As his comedic fame grew, Robbie's paparazzi profile grew as well. Or, as Jade observed, "'Bout time he got a dose of his own crap!"

"Jade, be nice." By this time, it was Tori's almost automatic response to any of Jade's snide remarks.

Truth be told, Jade thought Robbie was an awesome comedic talent and started to work on getting him a mystery segment in a new TV suspense anthology series she was working on as an assistant director. The story was based during the old vaudeville period and she thought Robbie would be perfect for the stage comic who was the ventriloquist's best friend.

After the premier of the vaudeville episode – the ventriloquist's evil dummy was the killer. Robbie was not cast as the ventriloquist on purpose – Jade didn't want to give Rex, rather Robbie, any ideas – Robbie was in love with the female lead in the show. She had been a popular Dingo star with several co-starring roles before she got the lead in her own sitcom on Dingo. Jessie Ryan, a beautiful redhead with a talent for both drama and comedy, seemed to be just as enamored with the formerly insecure geek.

Within six months, they quietly got married at the Gazebo Terrace wedding chapel in Las Vegas with only their closest friends in attendance.

Returning to LA after the too quick time in Vegas, Andre was inspired and proposed to Beck. Naturally Beck accepted and a night of hot sex followed.

This wedding was held a few months later, at a small chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes - the Glass Chapel - officially the Wayfarers Chapel, build by Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son, nearly seventy years before. Fortunately, the scheduled wedding was cancelled when the bride ran off with her bridesmaid and the boys took full advantage of the open slot.

Just hearing about the chapel, Jade was unimpressed by the rep or location until Tori showed her a small on-line article. "See, Jade? It's pretty cool. The place is said to have wispy apparitions at night as well as a giant phantom white owl. Weird voices call visitors by name and there's even a ghost of an old Indian…"

Hearing that, Jade announced, "I'm in. And I wanna get married there. A midnight service so we can have some ghosts there…"

"Um, I don't know about that, Jade."

"Who said I was marrying you, Vega?" Jade teased. Then, seeing the expression on Tori's face, she realized her mistake. "Tori, I was joking. I'm sorry but you know how I am. I can't help poking you and getting under your skin. It's practically hardwired into my DNA. And as if I could imagine marrying anyone else but you.

"I do love you. More than you can imagine."

Tori's facial expression immediately brightened, "You want to marry me?"

"This is not a proposal! It's gonna be a special event when it happens." Then, just because she's hard-wired Jade, she added, "If you play your cards right, Vega."

The chapel was a beautiful setting, very popular for weddings. And now a favorite for gay weddings since the old state ban was declared null. The grounds were perfect for the wedding pictures. Especially with the Pacific in the background. If the weather was clear enough, Catalina Island on the horizon.

The wedding was a special day for everyone. Tori was Andre's best 'man' and Jade was Beck's 'Maid of Honor'. Robbie stood up for Andre as did Sikowitz. Cat and Sam were Beck's half of the wedding party. Jessie, already fully accepted by the group, was more than content to be in the congregation.

Andre came down the aisle looking very chic in his black tuxedo with a white shirt, white vest, white tie and white pocket hankie. His dreads were tied back. And he had a big, if slightly nervous, smile on his face.

Then, the wedding march began with the 'bride' coming into the chapel at last. Beck's father refused to give away his son if he insisted on wearing a gown, so Beck walked down the aisle solo. He had a long, white, bare-shoulder gown with a white veil. He carried a bouquet of white flowers.

While not approving their son's wedding garb, the Olivers actually were supportive of their son and were in attendance. The only gone of contention In the family was Beck in a wedding gown.

Andre's grandmother was also there., Overall, she seemed much less agitated – more lucid - once Beck came into their lives.

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Both of them remembered their personal vows and the audience teared up as each recited why they loved the other. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the couple was introduces as "Mr. Beckett Oliver and Mr. Andre Harris."

The applause was loud and sincere. While it went on, Jade walked behind the newlyweds in front of the altar to her woman and asked, "What's with the names?"

Tori whispered back, "They both have success under their own names so they decided to keep that part of their lives as is."

Jade nodded her understanding even as she wondered how she and Tori would be known. As far as Jade was concerned, West-Vega or Vega-West sounded good to her

After the pictures were taken, the wedding party moved on to the reception – back at Hollywood Arts. Helen DuBois bent a rule past the breaking point and allowed alcohol for her former students' wedding reception. Said former students, and most of the wedding party, were the best group she'd seen since she took the position of principal when they were all in their junior year, ten years before.

Leaving the chapel, Jade led Tori to her vintage Mustang, recently repainted a dark green to match the 'stang Steve McQueen drove in the classic Bullitt. "We might be a little late to the reception."

"Huh?"

"Just go with it, Vega," Jade replied.

As the small caravan neared San Pedro, Jade peeled off 25th Street south towards Point Fermin Park. Parking north of the lighthouse, Jade led Tori towards the historic tower and past it, both still in their gowns – Tori's a light purple and Jade's a dark ash gray. They came to the edge of the grounds, just above the drop off over the scree-strewn beach.

There was a vintage waist-high stone and concrete wall along the edge of the scarp slope. Beyond was a sheer drop off with slabs of rock and smaller stones littering the gravelly water's edge. The wind off the ocean was light, carrying the smell of the sea with it. It was a clear day and the distant island of Santa Catalina was clearly visible on the horizon.

Tori glanced at the island, remembering that long-ago day they had fun there and on the ferry – both trips. Then how things went south so fast. As a result the memory was bittersweet to say the least.

"Stand right there, Vega! With Catalina behind you." Jade took a picture of her girl, then pocketed the phone. Hiking up her skirt and kneeling in front of the singer, Jade held out a small box, opened it and asked, "Victoria Jean Vega, you've been a thorn in my ass for so long but it's the kind of pain I enjoy. How 'bout shoving that thorn in my heart and marry me?"

Tori was crying as soon as Jade knelt before her. At the end, she grabbed the ring box and held it for Jade, who took the ring and slid it onto Tori's finger. "So this is a yes?"

"You freak! Of course it is! You big goof." replied Tori, laughing and crying.

The two kissed and someone walking by took a picture of them. Being a Good Samaritan type, he waited at a reasonable distance from the newly engaged couple then offered them a copy of the picture.

Bowing to Jade's wish to keep her name out of the gossip columns as long as possible, Tori happily accepted and gave the young man Jade's email. "But, and this is your only warning, do not abuse this knowledge. No unwanted emails. Capiche?"

The man stared at Tori and saw she wasn't kidding so he quickly nodded, sent the picture and headed towards the parking lot.

"My email? Guess you learned from the best, Vega. Not even a thank you."

Tori blushed but countered with, "Still, that wasn't the most romantic proposal. A thorn in your ass? And now I'm a stake in your heart?"

"Uh, thorn, Vega."

"Never saw a thorn that big so I'm sticking with stake."

"Pun intended?"

"Really lame pun, Jade Stick or stake?."

Regardless of the actual discussion, Jade felt a moment of anxiety. "Are you…"

Taking a dramatic pause, Tori finally said, "I said I was marrying you and I meant it."

Tori pulled Jade to her and kissed her lovingly. Then she laughed, "Who would've guessed that the most romantic memory of our engagement would be someone else's picture."

"Uh, Tori, about that picture…"

"Uh-oh…what?" Tori suddenly worried the guy was a doofus with a cell phone camera.

Jade started to beam, "It's perfect! The guy must be a professional."

And so, they had their wedding photographer.

"You think he had a 35mm camera?"

"Hey, if he can take this kinda picture, who cares?"

The wedding date drew near and both girls were getting more and more nervous but neither admitted it to the other. Until…

"Jade, we have to talk…"

Those dreaded words cut to the core of the former Goth. The same damned words Beck used several years before at their last break-up.

Now, Jade had softened and mellowed, at least as far as Tori was concerned. and had to ask, "Was it something I did, babe? I'll…"

As Jade spoke, Tori realized what she had said and quickly said, "No! No! It's not that! I love you. I really do want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"God, Vega! Way to make my heart fibrillate! What the hell…?"

"Jade, I'm scared. I want you to be my wife but…"

"I want to marry you too. I want Tori Vega to be my life. My wife. But I'm scared too."

Those words were all it took. The girls headed north toward Carmel and found a Justice of the Peace to marry them. It was a simple ceremony on the woman's back deck, overlooking the Pacific.

After a short, official ceremony, the girls were now Mrs. Jade West and Mrs. Tori Vega.

They later explained it was easier than figuring out who would take who's name. But their relationship was still not public and to the the fact that their growing fan bases knew them by those names.

Suffice it to say, the gang back home were pissed about the newlyweds' action.

"I was going to be one of your bridesmaids, Tori. Or yours, Jade…" Cat whined.

"All that time learning The Wedding March wasted," Andre grumbled.

"And I had to listen!" Beck added.

"Man, I had the perfect toast!" Robbie carped.

"Tori, I was actually ready to wear some horrendous gown for you and the demon there," Trina said. She was to be Tori's Maid of Honor.

"Um, female so it should be she-demon," Jade argued.

Tori cut in, "We'll still have a kickin' party!"

Suddenly, everyone was happy for the new couple.

The wedding photographer also ended up being the reception photographer. He took what would be an iconic picture of the girls in their gowns.

Even though they didn't have an official ceremony, they did recreate it for their friends and family in the West backyard. The girls were wearing matching bare-shouldered white gowns with a Spanish moss-draped tree behind them. The darker green backdrop enhanced the girls presence,

Prearranged, the reception took place at the new Nozu. Mrs. Lee had been busted for insurance fraud for her old restaurant fire as well as income tax evasion for that place and Nozu. Kwakoo bought the place during a police-seizure auction and reopened. With a new guy to chop the squid.

The photo master set up a flowered arch in the corner of the restaurant to take pictures of any interested couples, when he wasn't shooting the events of the evening.

Everyone of the HA gang took a turn singing a song for the new married pair. Then they all called for a duet from the newlyweds. Jade whispered to Tori and she nodded her agreement.

The karaoke DJ announced, "Okay! We have a couple of old-timers here tonight…"

"Who you calling old? Better watch yourself, Twenty-something!" Jade declared.

"And that's Jade! Now she and Tori Vega are going to sing an even older duet. Clarence Clemons, the late, great, legendary sax player on early Springsteen albums, with some help from Jackson Brown, cane up with this hit from Clemons' sole solo album.

"Alright, enough of the history lesson, here are Jade West and Tori Vega singing You're A Friend Of Mine…"

Striking out?
Well count me in
I'm gonna stand right by your side through thick or thin
Ain't no doubt
Gonna win
A walk through hell ain't bad compared to where we've been

Oh you can depend on me
Over and over... over and over
Know that I intend to be
The one who who always makes you laugh until you cry
And you can call on me until the day you die

Years may come and go
Here's one thing I know
All my life
You're a friend of mine

That argument
I can't forget
We fought so hard I don't think I've recovered yet
The girls we knew
Who thought you were cool
I never introduced my favorite ones to you

Oh you can depend on me
Over and over... over and over
Know that I intend to be
The one who who always makes you laugh until you cry
And you can call on me until the day you die

Years may come and go
Here's one thing I know
All my life
You're a friend of mine

Oh you can depend on me
Over and over... over and over
Know that I intend to be
The one who who always makes you laugh until you cry
And you can call on me until the day you die

Years may come and go
Here's one thing I know
All my life
You're a friend of mine

Oh you can depend on me
I'll be fine
cause you're a friend of mine
yeeaah
I'll be fine
cause you're a friend of mine

The girls came down from the stage, wrapped up by the acclaim of the crowd in Nozu. Then they were physically engulfed in several hugs from various members of their group.

Finally, several weeks after the impromptu wedding, Jade and Tori took their scheduled honeymoon trip back to Cabo San Lucas. They rented a smaller, one-bedroom condo on the beach. This one also had a kitchen and a deck overlooking the grounds and the beach.

Jade stunned Tori, "Let's go on one of those whale-watching tours."

As it was early January, they were able to see the gray whales during their seasonal migration. One breached near their boat. The girls were sprayed when the great mammal exhaled through it's blowhole.

Tori squealed in delight while Jade yelled, "What the hell?!"

"What's the matter, Jade?"

"We're covered in whale snot!"

"No we're snot," Tori joked.

"You're so gonna get it, Vega..."

Before anything else could be said, the whale's fluke slammed down on the water's surface, again spraying the boat with sea water.

"Damn fish!"

"Mammal..."

"Whatever! Damn it, Vega!"

"This excursion was your suggestion, dear." Tori giggled, "Anyway, the whale snot's rinsed off…"

They immediately showered once they returned to their honeymoon nest. Of course, they did their part to save water. That plan failed as they spent over an hour in the shower stall...

Before the end of their first week, Jade surprised Tori again with a trip to the aquarium and actually joined her in the water with a dolphin. The sessions with Doctor Merk definitely paid off.

Jade looked nervous but she reached out and stroked the gray skin. Tori was giggling and taking pictures as Jade got into actually touching a dolphin after hating and fearing them for so long. When the bottle-nose brushed his beak against Jade's cheek, she actually laughed.

This was followed by Jade taking a belly ride with the dolphin. Gently grasping the dolphin's fin, she laid along the dolphin's back as the gentle creature swam around the shallow pool.

Tori was thrilled and ran to hug her wife as Jade emerged from the pool, after giving the dolphin a gentle kiss on the mammal's forehead.

"Oh my God! Jade, that was fantastic!"

"I owe it all to you, babe. And it was fantastic! I want to do it again!"

"Next week? My treat?"

"Sounds like a plan, Vega."

Then it was Tori's turn to get to know the gentle sea mammal.

Shortly after, they walked out of the aquarium and headed towards the nearest cab. On the way, they passed a man wearing a full-body taco costume passing out flyers for a local taco spot.

Tori started to hyperventilate as her eyes widened with fear, Jade grabbed her and pulled her new wife towards a waiting taxi.

Once they were on the way back to the condo, Jade asked, "What was that all about, Tori?"

"I... I...hate... No, I'm scared spitless by large food costumes. Can't stand them. I go into panic mode when..."

"What? Why? When we crashed your sister's lame-ass Mexican show, you were fine as another lady cheese-boob."

"Um, I was so nervous that you were coming over – just you, I took one of Mom's Valiums. I wasn't ready to spend an entire evening alone with you. So, when we got to Divertisimo, I was still calm, cool and buzzing. And it was only a small box around me, not a full body...piece of cheese."

"I made you a druggie? I'm touched," Jade said sardonically. Tori stuck her tongue out at her wife before said wife asked, "So why do food costumes freak you out?"

"When I was little, I was playing with my dolly in the park when some idiot in a hotdog costume came tumbling down the hill towards me. He rolled over me and…"

Tori stopped as Jade started to laugh, soon to howl with laughter.

As her wife continued to laugh, Tori muttered, "Bitch! It's a good thing I love you so much."

The End