Hi everyone! So I'm back with a full-length story, my first in months. The idea came to me as I was watching TV and saw something about how they're opening up an American Idol camp for aspiring musicians. I went to camp for years, so the thought of having a story set in a camp, particularly one with professional musicians involved, made me really excited.

So here's some background:

- It takes place after Season 3. Everything in the S3 finale happened, except the whole legal fiasco with Darius and Portia. Darius is still running G-Major and everyone still works there.

- Jude made her choice between Tommy and Jamie and you'll see the outcome in this first chapter.

Everything else will be explained as we go along. This first chapter is very much introductory, but I can promise lots of drama and some unexpected twists and turns in the future. :-)

Of course, I don't own anything associated with Instant Star, except this storyline and any new characters along the way. I'm about done with the second chapter, so if you like this one, I can post the next relatively quickly - just let me know! And as always, ENJOY!

Keeping her eyes glued to her target, Jude anxiously tapped her fingers against the counter, awaiting the one sound that would make her morning complete. Chatter and chaos echoed all around her, but her focus was clear as she attempted to block out the distractions and zoom in on the task at hand. Concentrating…concentrating…just waiting…to hear that sound…

Ding!

As if on cue, the chime was heard and Jude's eyes immediately widened. She stood a little straighter and reached for her target, letting the aroma instantly overwhelm her senses. A grin appeared on her face as she watched the brown liquid pour from the pot into her mug, a small cloud of steam appearing over the top.

Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and immediately felt the calm wash over her, her smile growing wider. Leaning in to take another sip, she heard,

"Ummm…do you and the coffee pot want to be left alone?"

Jude peeked over the edge of the mug to see who was interrupting her peaceful state.

"That depends. Do you want to live to see tomorrow?" she responded tersely, taking another sip.

"Awwww, come on...you wouldn't kill your boyfriend over a cup of coffee, would you?"

"Jamie, do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Okay, okay," Jamie responded with his hands up in surrender, retreating a few steps to the other side of the counter. "I'll just…wait until you're done."

As she took another sip, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he began to fiddle with a cup full of spoons. He took two out of the cup and began banging them against the countertop, playing to the imaginary beat in his head.

"Jamie?" Jude said to get his attention, putting the mug down. "Jamie!"

"Yeah?"

"You can stop," Jude said with a small smile, placing her hand over his to get him to stop playing. "I'm good now."

"Oh, good," he said, walking back over to her side of the counter and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I just wanted to say good morning."

"Good morning to you too," she replied brightly.

Pausing for the first time since she had arrived, Jude took notice of all the commotion around G-Major. There were at least two dozen people setting up equipment or talking loudly on their cell phones. "What's with all these people here at 9am?"

"I think they're setting up for a press conference," Jamie replied, following her gaze around the room. "Something to do with the big Darius secret."

For the past few weeks, everyone had noticed Darius becoming very aloof. His door was always closed, he had a constant flow of visitors for mysterious meetings, and Sadie was frequently seen bringing him "confidential" files.

"Ahhh, yes," Jude started. "The secret. Are you still taking bets on what it is?"

"Of course," Jamie replied, pulling out a small piece of paper from his back pocket. "Let's see…Speed thinks Darius is buying a hockey team. Karma thinks he's getting married. Kyle says he's starting a G-Major branch in China, and Wally thinks he's giving up music altogether for life as a martial arts instructor."

Jude laughed lightly. "I'm with Wally. He has been spending more time in that uniform lately."

"I don't know," Jamie said skeptically, tucking the paper back in his pocket. "Darius is always secretive, but this seems to be much bigger than hiring a new artist or putting together a charity event."

"I know," Jude agreed dazedly, as they both wandered to the other side of the counter, watching as another group of people entered the room and began to set up camp.

"Any hints from Sadie?" Jamie asked.

Jude shook her head. "Nope, nothing. She says she's sworn to secrecy. I even tried bribing her with a manicure but she still won't budge."

"Wow, bribery with nail polish," Jamie muttered with a smirk. "It must be really good for her to pass that up."

Jude replied with a simple eye roll, then turned her attention towards the opening of the door to Darius' office. He emerged with a smile and began greeting the various media personalities who stood around the room, his dark gray suit and blue tie making him appear more sophisticated and distinguished than usual.

Through the crowd, Jude noticed another figure making their way towards them. She felt her heartbeat quicken and anxiety mount as the figure got closer, his eyes focusing in on hers.

Holding her coffee mug a little tighter, she held his gaze as he stopped in front of them.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," Tommy replied coolly. He glanced over at Jamie, giving him a quick nod of recognition.

"Morning," Jamie said quickly.

Tommy fixed his eyes on Jude's for a moment, then walked past her to the coffee pot behind the counter.

Jude swallowed another gulp of coffee, eager to wash down the awkwardness of the moment. She turned towards Jamie, plastering a smile on her face, and asked,

"So, what time is the press conference supposed to start?"

"Probably any minute now," Jamie responded. "The microphone is already set up."

Jude nodded, attempting to forget the fact that Tommy was standing behind them. They stood there in silence, watching the scene before them, seeing two men walk up behind the microphone and tack a large black curtain onto the wall.

"What is that?" Jude asked, watching as the two men carefully secured the corners of the curtain to the wall.

"You got me," Jamie replied with a shrug.

"It's to cover up a sign," they heard next to them, peering over to see Speed standing there. "See, that bottom corner tears off to reveal whatever the sign is underneath."

They all watched as the men successfully secured the curtain and then picked up a board that was laying face-down beside them, slipping it quietly underneath the curtain.

"Maybe it's a giant wedding photo," Karma offered, joining the group and leaning against the counter.

Speed smirked and looked over at her. "Right. Or maybe his wife is hiding under there."

Karma elbowed his side, causing Speed to bend over in an overdramatic sign of pain. As they all laughed at him, Portia emerged from the crowd and walked up to them.

"I need all of you up front. Now," she instructed firmly. "You too, Tommy," she added, before grabbing Jude's arm and dragging her towards the front of the room.

Jude glanced back at Jamie with a look of desperation as he walked quickly to try to keep up with her. The rest of the group followed, filing in next to Kwest, Wally, Kyle, and various other G-Major staff who were already standing near the stage.

"What is going on, Portia?" Jude asked as they reached the front.

"I can't discuss it," Portia said flatly. She then leaned in closer to Jude and added, "But I will tell you, it'll change everyone's lives over the next few weeks."

At that, Portia took off, leaving a confused Jude standing amongst the other G-Major employees.

"It'll change everyone's lives?" she repeated vaguely, looking at Jamie for some sort of explanation. "What does that mean?"

"I think it means it's big," Jamie replied, noticing the hush that was falling over the crowd as Darius finally took the stage. "And it looks like you're about to find out."

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here," Darius began, a smile appearing on his face as he looked around the room, cameras flashing in every direction.

"For over two years now, I've taken G-Major to new heights, producing new sounds, new artists, new vibes. I've been an advocate in the community, giving back to local charities and schools in need of financial support. But I've also wanted to do more. To be more. Giving back financially has been good, but it's never been enough.

"When I was a kid, I used to dream of becoming a successful businessman and being involved in the music industry. And now that I've made my dreams happen, I've decided that it's time to make my dream possible for other people too.

"Music is not just about natural talent nowadays. Thousands of aspiring musicians have incredible talent, but don't have the right tools to get where they want to be. They need guidance – someone to show them how to accomplish their goal of getting signed, someone to give them the tools they need. And I want to be that person. I want to show them that it's important to not just have a love for music, but to know what to do with it.

"So, I've decided to put my money where my mouth is. I'm taking my love for music and my devotion to this studio to a whole new level," he began, backing up to grasp the edge of the curtain. Jude glanced over at Jamie, whose eyes were wide as he stared at the stage, waiting for the reveal. She felt her nerves get the best of her, biting her lip in anticipation.

"I'm starting a place where aspiring musicians can go to learn. To be creative. To meet other musicians. And to make their dreams a reality. So without further ado, I give you…"

He held on tighter to the edge of the curtain and in one swift move, pulled it off to reveal a wooden sign with a blue and white logo on the front.

"Camp Marion."