Summary: Jude Harrison knew Tommy Quincy was the one when she was 11 years old. He left without a word but has found his way back years later. Jude is now turning 18 and Tommy is suddenly seeing something in Jude that he's never seen before.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or songs from Instant Star, but I might have to take over soon if they don't get their act together and air season 4.

Rating: M for adult content.

PART ONE: Prequel

At age 11, Jude Harrison fell in love. Some people say that 11 years old is too young of an age to be truly in love, but Jude didn't believe all that crap. She knew the moment she met Thomas Quincy that there was something there that she couldn't even describe. Not like she intended to find out what that something was, considering he was five years older than her and not even available. Tommy was a very attractive and charming music enthusiast who also happened to belong to Jude's older sister, Sadie. That's right. Tommy was constantly in Jude's grasp but she could never make her move because of her watchful sister, and of course because of the fact that he was in high school and could never possibly have feelings for an 11 year-old girl. Sadie was beautiful enough that it made sense for the two of them to be together, but Jude knew that she and Tommy had a special connection that only belonged to them.

"Okay so for today, I'm giving you The Bends by Radiohead, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone by Harvey Danger, and, what I personally consider the #1 "very best of…" album, The Very Best of Otis Redding, Vol. 1, obviously by Otis Redding." Tommy handed Jude the three CDs, thoughtfully displaying the cover of each. "Now, I expect you to listen carefully to each song, and a week from today the analysis will commence."

Jude contorted her face. "Tommy, just because I know more music than anyone else my age, it doesn't mean I know what commence means."

Tommy smiled at how innocent she was. "Sorry. By 'commence' I mean 'start' or 'begin'. You know, sometimes I forget we're not the same age."

"Well, duh. It's cuz I'm so cool!" Jude exclaimed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Is that what you think?" Within seconds Tommy grabbed Jude's small frame and started tickling her shamelessly. He knew all of her weak spots, and hit them just right, making it impossible for Jude to repress her laughter. As Jude was thrashing about on the couch, trying to get away from Tommy's grasp, Sadie walked in with her purse slung over her arm, clearly not amused.

Sadie rudely interjected. "Oh don't mind me. I'll just go to the football game by myself and look like a spinster so everyone can point and laugh at my wretched loneliness."

Tommy stopped tickling Jude in the middle of Sadie's dramatic speech and rolled his eyes, which Jude happened to catch out of the corner of her eye. "You're not gonna be a spinster. You're far too young to even be worried about something like that. Anyway, how about we both don't go to the game and just hang out here with Jude? I mean, you know I'm not into the whole football craze, yet you insist on dragging me there every Friday."

"That's because people expect us to be there, Tommy. If we don't go, people will question why and then rumors will fly about scandal or a break-up, and I will not have that." Sadie began to raise her voice as she made her last statement, which slightly terrified both Tommy and Jude. Tommy visibly sighed, which Jude assumed was a sigh of defeat. He got up and turned his head to look at Jude.

"I'll see you later, Princess. Don't forget to listen to those CD's and pick out some music that will be worth my while for our next visit." Tommy winked at Jude, and then took Sadie's hand as they both walked out the front door of the Harrison home. Jude already felt lonely without having Tommy on the couch, sitting next to her.

Of course that would be nothing in comparison to what she'd feel almost a year later. Throughout the year, Tommy and Sadie still dated, but every time he went over to Sadie's house, the majority of his visit would be spent hanging out and talking with the little firecracker that was Jude. Sadie quickly caught onto this notion and felt a twinge of jealousy at Jude and Tommy's secret bond, but brushed it off as an innocent friendship, seeing as how their age difference was more than a simple hindrance. About a month after Jude's 12th birthday—which was awesome solely because Tommy bought her a vinyl LP of The Who's classic rock opera Tommy (in perfect condition!)—Jude was in her room organizing all of her CD's by the year of their release (starting with the earliest) when she faintly heard someone shouting, followed by an earth-shattering crash. Jude quietly snuck out of her room and sat on the top step of the stairs, staring at the arguing pair below.

"Sadie, don't be like this. It would just be for a year or two, and I'd write and visit as often as I could. And I'm not 'abandoning' you, I'm just looking out for myself for once. This is a golden opportunity for me, and I can't let it pass by." Tommy paused for a couple of seconds to see if Sadie had visibly started to calm down. "And throwing a lamp was a little uncalled for. Your mom will be more upset about it than I am at the current moment. Besides, you might wake up Jude." Jude shrank back in the shadows to make sure Tommy and Sadie couldn't see her from where she was sitting.

"Oh, and that would be so devastating, wouldn't it? Poor little Jude, all alone in this world without big strong Tom Quincy at her side, whose always seems to be ready to protect her from anything!" Sadie crossed her arms and looked away from Tommy.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tommy was confused about why she was involving Jude into this argument.

"It means you spend a hell of lot more time with her than you do with your own girlfriend! Who does that? No one I want to know, so why don't you just leave me and start dating my 12 year-old sister? I mean, I can just imagine how adorable it would be to see the two of you walking through the park, holding hands, and sharing intimate moments. And then you'll get arrested and I won't have to deal with your stupid ass anymore."

Tommy could feel the malice radiating off of Sadie. She should not have said those things about him and Jude, and it made him actually hate Sadie in this light. "Well, how about I just leave you, period!"

Sadie paused for a second wondering if she was really comfortably with him saying that. Ultimately, she was not going to let him win this fight. "Fine! Go! Go and be with your stupid boy band and don't even think about crawling back to me!"

"Like I would give it consideration. I hope you're happy with who you've become." Tommy started to walk out the front door but paused. "Tell Jude I'm sorry." And with that, he disappeared into the night. Jude sat on her lonely stair in silence, her eyes never leaving that pale blue door, thinking maybe he'll come back and say he was just kidding. But her eyes started to water from not blinking—or from the emotional shock Tommy had just put her in—and she decided to tear her eyes away from the scene of the crime and go to bed, hoping that tomorrow morning would be proof that tonight was just a really, really bad dream.