One More Chance With Time

7.

A/N: Trigger warning
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One Year Later

"It's still hard to believe that she's gone." Cat said quietly as she and the rest of Tori's friends stood around the grave, each one of them holding a flower. It had been exactly a year today that Tori had been buried and her friends were still having trouble accepting her death. Cat had entered a deep depression that she was still struggling with, Andre had lost the inspiration and drive to work on new songs, Robbie hadn't been able to deal with the guilt he was feeling and had transferred to a different school and was still suffering from serious depression and Beck had just about given up on his acting dreams.

But despite all that they were going through they wouldn't miss this for the world. Robbie looked over at Cat. He still tried to keep in contact with everyone but it was getting difficult as he sank deeper and deeper into his depression.

"I figured Jade would be here." Robbie said quietly as Beck looked over at him. "We haven't seen Jade in over a year. She just left the last time we tried to talk to her." Beck looked down at the ground in shame. "I feel like it was my fault she left," He muttered as he remembered the day in the diner last year. Jade had left in tears and although Beck had tried desperately to find her she was excellent at staying hidden when she didn't want to be found.

"I wish she hadn't died." Cat whispered. "I just wish we'd know what Ryder was going to do, I wish someone had stopped him on his way to her house, or if someone had been with Tori when he was there. Anything...I just wish someone could have helped her when she needed it, like the way she always helped us when we needed it."

"Well, she died." Robbie said quietly. "We can't change that. Crying about it won't help." Cat looked at him in disgust. She couldn't get her head around how cold he was now. "Nice, Robbie." She muttered. "Real nice. I can't believe you!"

Robbie looked over and Cat shuddered as she saw the lack of emotion in his eyes. They just looked blank and cold. "It doesn't matter." He said quietly as he placed his flower down on Tori's grave and walked away without looking back.

Beck looked over at Cat. He knew that Cat still tried to help out Tori's family and occasionally visited with them. "How's Trina doing?" He asked gently. Trina hadn't been at Hollywood arts since Tori had died. She had seemingly lost her grip on reality two weeks after the funeral and shortly after that had gone into a catatonic state.

"Not well." Cat said as she looked down at the ground. "She's been in the hospital for a really long time now and her Dad told me they don't think that she'll wake up. They think they might have...have to let her go." She said quietly as she looked back up at Beck. "I wish Tori could have known how much she all meant to us, how much we would all miss her..." Cat muttered. Beck couldn't help but notice that she had a bruise on her arm.

"Cat, what happened to your arm?"

"Nothing!" Cat said quickly as she tried to cover the bruise only to have Beck grab her hand before she could cover it. As Beck took a closer look, he saw more bruises, some were faded but others were more recent.

"Who did this to you, Cat?" Beck asked in a tone that resembled the tone used by Jade when she was pissed at someone. Cat tried to get away but couldn't. "Please...just let it go Beck. She didn't mean to hurt me."

"Then what did she mean to do?!" Beck demanded as he examined her arm a bit closer and saw even more bruises. "Cat, what are doing with someone who beats you?!"

"I don't know!" Cat shouted and Beck let go of her arm in shock and stepped back at the tone of despair and anger in her voice. "I...I just wanted someone to..." She started crying as Beck carefully stepped forward and gently hugged her. Cat almost collapsed as she sobbed heavily.

"Cat, you need to get away from her." Beck said quietly "How long has this been going on?" He asked as he gently patted her back. "Almost five moths." Cat sobbed heavily. "She...She was nice at first and then she started getting mad and then...then..." Cat couldn't finish as she continued crying.

"It's going to be okay." He said gently as he gently placed his flower on Tori's grave. "Cat, why don't you put your flower down and we'll go talk to someone. We need to get you help."

Cat nodded and placed her flower down on the grave and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I..I don't know what to do Beck." She said quietly. "I don't know how to get away from her without hurting her."

"Don't worry about hurting her." Beck said angrily. "She's been hitting you, she doesn't deserve any sympathy from you. Come on, we need to go and talk to someone who can help you." He said as he led her away from the grave. He looked back once and saw Andre still staring down at the grave.

That left Andre alone.

"I miss you Tori." He said quietly. "I miss you everyday. I don't know if you ever knew this, but you were the one who kept us all together when things got bad. And things have been falling apart since you died. I...I just wish you were still here." He said as he wiped away a tear and placed the last flower on her grave before turning and walking away.

A few moments after everyone had left, a woman wearing all black took a careful look around to make sure she was alone before walking out and stopping in front of the grave. She took a deep breath and tried to speak but couldn't. She took another deep breath and this time was able to get her voice back.

"Hey Tori...It's been a long time." Jade said quietly as she looked down at the grave and smiled sadly. "I...I really miss you." She said quietly. "After Cat and Beck made me confront myself...it made me realize something."

She hesitated for a moment as she tried to get the words out right.

"I...I really like you, Tori. And I know it's stupid to talk to someone who isn't there but I can't stop thinking about you. Even though you've been gone for a long time I can't get you out of my head. I keep thinking about you when I'm awake and I dream about you when I sleep. I can't deal with this anymore, with not being able to be with you. I'm going to see you again...even if there's only one way to do it."

She sat down next to the gravestone and reached into her pocket. Her hands were shaking and she was tearing up as she pulled a small but very sharp knife out of her pocket.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to the empty sky as she placed the blade across her other wrist and closed her eyes as she prepared to end it all.

"I'll see you soon..." She whispered to herself.

The blade was about to be pulled across her wrist when a sudden commanding voice rang out from behind her.

"Stop!"