A/N:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Jake and Finn Bradfield (and I kind of like them both, so back off - hehe!). Everything else is the property of whoever owns Instant Star.
General notes: These will be a tad long, but they kind of cover the whole project.
Not sure if anyone out there is still interested in Instant Star fanfiction. I began writing this story for myself after re-watching the series recently, and then thought, "Hey! Why not share it in case anyone's interested." If you are interested and reading along, let me know!
I have a few chapters done, which I will be uploading now. I also have several chapters at different stages of progress. I do intend to complete this story but I have no timetable.
The title is inspired by lyrics from a Jeff Buckley song called "Lover, You Should've Come Over". I may use them later on in this story; still pondering on that. I will use other lyrics and will make sure to tag the name of the real artist when I do.
I'm pretty much respecting everything that happened over the four seasons of IS, with two notable exceptions: 1. Spiederman is still at G-Major. I love that character and I wanted to explore a working relationship between Tommy and him, so dude is stuck with Darius! And 2: Though Kwest and Sadie are still broken up, and Sadie had that fling with Darius, nothing serious came of it. So Sadie is not with Darius. Another thing I should point out is that so far, I have not written Jamie in. I might (still not sure). We shall see.
Last but not least: this is a Tommy/Jude story. Those crazy kids: they belong together!
Well, I think that's it. That wasn't too bad! Hope you like it!
Chapter One - Connected Evil Plotting Genius
Jude pulls the curtain slightly back to peer outside and sighs. Another grey day. From her window on the third floor, she can spot the dry pavement. At least it's not raining. Yet. She misses the sun. It would be false to say that the sun never shined in London—it did—but the sunny days were fewer and far between. After a year in the city, what she misses the most, strangely perhaps, are the cold and crisp sunny winter days. Those days where it's so cold, it feels like your breath will solidify into the air and your nostrils will get stuck together forever. She misses other things too, but she is not about to reminisce on that this morning.
Turning back to the bed, she sees Jake sprawled on his stomach, clutching the pillow she just pushed in between his arms to get out of his grasp. She slips on a tank top and pyjama pants and tiptoes out of the bedroom. She aims straight for the kitchen where the sweet, sweet coffee lives. While it's brewing, she turns to her laptop and the e-mail she read quickly yesterday and pushed out of her mind when Jake arrived to pick her up. She double-clicks to open it, but then decides she needs a shower first.
Two minutes into her shower, Jake joins her with a smile.
"Hey."
"Hey, you," she replies.
He kisses her cheek and temple. She smiles back and proceeds to grab the shampoo bottle.
"Let me?" he asks.
"Sure."
He squirts some shampoo in his hand and starts massaging her head and hair. She closes her eyes and relaxes a little. When he's done lathering her hair, he gently rotates her so her back faces him, and then grabs the showerhead to rinse the shampoo out.
"Conditioner?"
"Yes, please."
As strange as it may seem, Jake loves to wash Jude's hair. And he does it so well that Jude no longer questions it like she did at first. She does not question anything as far as they are concerned. They are friends with a little benefit—friends who share a love for music, a good chemistry, and a broken heart. That's probably what sparked their friendship in the first place. A broken heart recognizes a fellow companion.
And things had been difficult for Jude the first few weeks here. Adjusting to a new city—London, no less: a teeming, buzzing and huge (humongous) place—alone. No friends, no family, no touch base; only a small flat, which could better be described as a loft with a closed bedroom. She had cried herself to sleep a few nights. She had called her sister Sadie a lot. Two weeks after Jude's departure, Sadie had phoned, said she would be in the next day. With her charm and quiet resolve, Sadie had managed to get a few days off from Darius before the beginning of the World Instant Star whirlwind. Jude had been so happy to see her sister and over the few days of her visit, she had realised just how far Sadie and she had come. They were no longer just sisters, but best friends. Sadie listened to her and understood her without judgement. Her sister had also made sure to tell her just how proud she was of her.
"I know that you feel like you are failing at this goal you set for yourself, Jude, but you just got here. It's totally OK for you to feel overwhelmed and to miss home. I should've come here with you in the first place, to help you settle down at least. I think that my being here for the transition would've helped. I'm sorry I didn't think of it," Sadie had said.
Jude had smiled. "It's OK, Sadie. You do have your own life to live, and I get that. I came here to learn to stand on my own. I couldn't ask you to put your life on hold again just for me."
Sadie had given her a crooked smile, head tilted to the side. "You know what Darius said when I asked for the time off?" Sadie had paused, staring straight into Jude's eyes, making sure she had her sister's full attention before speaking again. "He said 'Jude is a great woman.' " (Jude had smiled at hearing he had referred to her as a "woman") " 'She's a great musician and artist, and despite what she might think of me, I actually think she's a great human being. She's compassionate. She's smart. But one thing she is very bad at is asking for help. She will never ask you to come and help her through the transition, Sadie, so you are right to make the decision for her.' So that's what I did, Jude."
Sadie had taken another pause to let the words sink in before adding, "There's nothing wrong with asking for help, Jude. It doesn't make you weak. Actually, I think it makes you smart."
Jude smiles as Jakes moves on to washing his own hair.
"A smile: that's good. What are you thinking about?"
"Sadie."
"Really? Does that mean you're ready to deal with that e-mail?"
Grabbing the soap, Jude starts washing her body with a sigh. "Whether or not I am, I'll have to deal with it, right?"
"Right."
They finish their shower in silence. Jake steps out first, takes a towel and wraps Jude in it before getting a towel for himself. He looks at his reflection in the mirror and grunts, "Oy, do I ever need a shave."
Jude smiles and nods. "Unless you like the caveman look, which could work for you, I think," she laughs. "I've never seen a man grow a beard so fast. Must be some kind of record. Well, I'll leave you to it, then." She waves and leaves the bathroom to go get dressed in her room. She then sits on her bed and takes a long time brushing her hair, as if postponing the e-mail reading moment will somehow make it easier, or maybe even make it disappear. She sighs and pushes herself on her feet. It's not that bad, she tells herself, and truly, it isn't. It's not great, but she can survive this.
Armed with a mug of coffee, she sits down on the couch with her laptop and reads.
Dear Jude,
How are things in jolly London? Well, I am back from the European tour of World Instant Star, and the Grand Finale is fast approaching. Darius, connected evil plotting genius that he is, managed to make a deal with your new label without my knowing it. I should've known he was planning something: he was being way too secretive about things I normally get paid to handle. I am sorry, Jude. I can't even give you a heads up: it's already a done deal. Which, by the way, makes me think that you need to have your contract looked at by a lawyer. I had a look at it and I am not happy with some of the provisions I saw. I'm furious that things are being taken out of your hands again; I can't even imagine how you must feel.
So, yes, you will be in the Grand Finale, which means you must come back to Toronto for a bit. Darius had your label agree to a month. I don't even know how he pulled that off. It's not like you need that much rehearsal. Like I said: Connected evil plotting genius. Ugh. Again: I am SO sorry.
On the plus side, I will be happy to see you. I have missed you so very much. It feels like we got apart just when we were getting to be so close. You know I do not have that many intimate friends, and selfishly, I'm glad I'll have you here with me for a few weeks.
Well, looks like you'll be here in a couple weeks. Please call me when you can. And again, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to prevent this.
I love you, Jude.
Sadie xox
Two weeks. She would be back in Toronto in two weeks. She sighs again just as Jake comes in with a coffee mug and a light smile.
"So, you have to go back, yes?"
"Apparently. Sadie said the label agreed to it."
"I reckon Nicola is in for a world of pain, uh?"
Jude shrugs. "Sadie pointed out that Darius just took advantage of some provisions of my contract. I'm mad at myself more than anything else, really. I was too emotional when I signed that contract."
Jake doesn't need to ask her why: he knows, though they never truly talked about it. The heartbreak is just there, lingering, kind of floating in the air around her. Always.
"So, when do you have to go?"
"In two weeks."
Though he knows what it means, he cannot help but say, "That means you will see him again."
Jude shrugs again, avoiding his eyes, making Jake even more aware that he is treading on difficult territory. "I don't know. I guess. I'm not sure what he is up to these days."
"Sadie hasn't told you?" he asks, surprised.
"I never asked. Sadie knows me well enough to not talk about him unless I bring him up."
Jake nods. "And you never do. I'm sorry, Jude. I really am. It blows that you have to return now and not on your own terms. But at least, you'll see Sadie, yes? And some of your friends: I'm sure you'll be glad to catch up with that lad who calls you dude and the other dudes he jams with."
Jude smiles and finally turns her head to look at him. "Thank you."
"What for?"
"For being a great friend."
Jake leans in and drops a kiss on her forehead. "Anytime, beautiful. Well, I have to go. You may not have any session booked today, but I have."
He grabs his bass bag and umbrella and heads for the door. However, just before turning the knob, he turns back to look at her.
"You know, even if it is a 'done deal' as Sadie says, and I believe her, I still think you need to give Nicola a piece of your mind. Not throw a tantrum, you understand: but make him realise that this is not all right. Sadie is correct about your contract. I'll be honest: I don't know what can be done, but it might be worth a shot to look into it."
Jude nods. "Thanks, Jake."
"Anytime. Catch you later." And with a wave, he's out the door.
