Still Loving You

Disclaimer: I, in no way, have any sort of possession over anything Instant Star! Also, some lyrics are NOT mine and will be indicated as so. However, some are, and again, will be indicated as so.

Summary: So, Tommy and Jude just got back from Europe, and they now have to return to reality; face people who they've hurt, people they've left wondering where they went, and people who don't much like the idea of the two of them together... And with the Darius/Portia scandal putting Jude and Tommy already in the spotlight, how will they deal with the already scandal-crazed press and more importantly, how will the press deal with them and their little secret? With Jude and Tommy starting their life together, Sadie beginning to really fall hard for Kwest, Jamie and Jude facing each other for the first time since the decision, Tommy dealing with psychological problems left over from his mysterious past, G major officially labeled 'no more', SME getting close to a breaking point, and everyone stuck with the question of "Where do we go from here", a lyric comes to mind: "Tighten up your grip, cause it's a long way down..."

Chapter 1

Tommy and Jude sat in his car outside of Jude's house, both staring straight ahead in silence.

"Okay, so… This is gonna be bad isn't it?" she finally spoke up, breaking the nervous silence.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm kind of nervous about it myself…" Tommy said, letting out a sigh, "But Jude, we're both adults… and we have to face this…"

She nodded, still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah," she said in what was almost a whimper, "Yeah, okay… Let's go…"

They both got out of the blue viper, and Tommy walked around to Jude's side. As they both neared the entrance to the house, Tommy squeezed her hand reassuringly. She turned her key in the door and opened it slowly to see Sadie and her dad standing beside the stairs waiting for them with their arms crossed over their chests.

"Welcome home…" Stuart said flatly, without even the slightest change in expression.

The four stood like that for a few more seconds, Jude too scared to even move.

"I thought you two were never gonna get out of your car!" Sadie said rushing to hug Jude, whose mouth had fallen open in complete shock.

She hugged her back, letting out a small, relieved laugh.

"Tom," Stuart crossed to shake his hand.

"Hi, Mr. Harrison," he replied with a nod.

"Now just because you're dating my daughter doesn't mean everything has to change!" he smiled, "It's still Stuart."

"Dad!" Jude turned and hugged him, smiling sweetly.

"Hey, sweetie…" he closed his eyes and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, Tommy," Sadie smiled, hugging him and giving his cheek a small peck before turning back to Jude, "Okay, you have to tell me everything!"

"First!" Stuart said, getting everyone's attention, "We do still have to go over a few things…"

His eyes met with Jude's and then with Tommy's, giving them a knowing look.

Sadie nodded before mouthing an enthusiastic "Later!" to Jude and scurried off upstairs.

"In here…" Stuart nodded toward the living room.

Tommy and Jude sat beside each other on the couch as Stuart pulled up a chair across from them.

"First off, what you did was irresponsible by not letting me know you were leaving until you were in the airport, but you are eighteen and more than capable of making your own decisions… In most things... So I'll let that slide for now."

Tommy looked at her in disbelief, "You said you'd already talked to him…"

"I had!" she said and then smiled sheepishly, "…I just didn't say when…"

"Second… I'm glad you had fun, and even more so that you're back…" Stuart smiled, before continuing, "But there are some things we need to discuss… Like your plans now that you're home, whether you want to go to college, Jude, and what that means for you two as a couple if you do…"

"Well, actually, I have a partner who I've been talking to about buying the building and turning G-major into our own studio… and she's very interested… She's been working on filling out the paper work, and now that I'm back, we're going to try and finish it right away…" Tommy explained watching Jude's face light up.

"You didn't tell me that!" she hit him on the arm.

"It was going to be a surprise…" he laughed.

"That's great, Tom…" Stuart replied, "To tell the truth, I was worried about Jude's career after everything that happened before you left… She's worked so hard for what she has… It'd be a shame to have that taken away from her because of mistakes beyond her control…"

"Definitely. I agree completely," Tommy added, "She's actually why I decided to do this…"

Jude looked touched and smiled gently at him.

"It's gonna take some getting used to, though, I'll tell you that…" Tommy said in an amused tone.

"But you're still going to be my producer, right?" Jude asked in concern.

"That's why I've got a partner, babe," he smiled.

"Who is your partner?" Stuart added.

"Um…" Tommy glanced hesitantly at Jude.

"Ah..." Stuart replied, noticing his uneasiness, "We'll talk later."

"Wait… What?" Jude asked, quickly looking between the two.

"So what about college, Jude?" Stuart repeated, turning Jude's attention back to him.

"Well… I was really just thinking about focusing on music…"

"As long as you're sure that's what you want, honey…" Stuart replied honestly.

Jude smiled, "It's what I've always wanted…"

Later that night, Jude and Tommy stood at the door, Tommy with his back to the door and Jude in front of him.

"This is the first goodbye we've had to say in a while!" Jude spoke up, trying to lighten the mood.

"Bout time…" Tommy replied with a cocky smile as Jude hit him in the arm once, paused, and then hit him a second time.

He let out a small laugh and pulled her toward him, letting his hands rest on her hips, and they fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So…" he kissed her lightly on the cheek and then on the neck before straightening back up, "You gonna miss me, rockstar?"

"Maybe…" she replied, attempting a look of indifference, "Cause you know I'm going to be so busy, what with the unpacking, talking to Sadie, then of course I really have to get started on some new songs since G-major is going to be a thing again, and there's always that-"

Tommy cut her off as his lips connected with hers. Her hand instinctively found its way to his cheek as he pressed his own against the small of her back, pulling her onto her tip-toes and closer to him. They broke the kiss after a few moments, their faces just an inch apart, if that far.

"Okay…" she breathed out, "…I'm gonna miss you. Happy?"

A smile spread across Tommy's face, and he picked her up, swinging her around before placing her back down in front of him.

"How is it that you always seem to remind me just how much I love you even if I haven't forgotten..?" he pushed her hair back, letting his thumb slide down her cheek and rest on her chin.

A touched smile spread across her face, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

"I love you too, Tommy Q…" she replied teasingly, though the sentiment was not lost between the couple.

"I'll see you tomorrow, girl… bright and early!" he grinned.

"See you tomorrow!" she replied and started to step back, but she stopped suddenly and looked at him in confusion, "Bright and early? Not that I'm objecting to time with you, but… Why?"

"You're going with me to see the new and improved Gmajor studios," he grinned, knowing that would get her out of bed if anything.

"Yep, here it comes, her eyes get big… then there's that gorgeous smile… and that deep breathe… here it comes..." he thought to himself, unaware that his own face was lighting up more and more as hers did.

"Oh my god, Tommy!" she hugged him, "This is great! …Ugh! I have such an amazing boyfriend!"

Her arms flung around his neck and she kissed him yet again before releasing and stepping back.

"See ya, big eyes," Tommy said, also taking a step back, "I'll be here at eight."

"Later, Quincy…" she smiled and started up the stairs.

"Oh, and Jude," he called up to her.

"Yeah?"

"Don't make me wait for you…" he teased, giving her a seductive smile before turning back to the door.

He walked outside, leaving her standing there with her famous "ouch!" look, and stepped out onto the porch. After closing the door behind him, he started to walk away but was stopped at the sound of his name. He turned quickly to see Stuart leaning against his car with a cigarette in his hand.

"I just stepped outside for a little air…" the older man explained as Tommy walked toward him.

"Looks like that's not the only thing…" Tommy added, eyeing the cigarette.

Stuart looked down, rolled his eyes, and then back up, "Yeah… Nasty habit, I know…"

"I didn't know you smoked…" Tommy said leaning next to him against the car.

"I hadn't in years… Not until all of the Darius, G-major drama…" he said before looking over at Tommy, "Jude and Sadie don't know…"

"I won't say a word," Tommy replied simply.

"I was just… so stressed thinking Jude was going to lose everything she loved… On top of losing her best friend, she was losing her music, her label, her dream..." Stuart explained with an almost sickened expression, before it turned into sympathy, "…And you."

Tommy quickly looked up at him when he said the last part.

"Stuart, I…"

"I know…" he cut in, "Jude told me about Hunter… I know you're perfectly capable of running your life without my help, but Tom… You're an adult… You've never acted like anything other than that… But for the most part, Jude… She's got the maturity of a person who's lived twice as long as she has… I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should trust her with the big stuff… Please… She doesn't like being lied to and she's gonna get hurt that much more if you don't…Take it from someone who knows first hand."

Tommy nodded, knowing Stuart was completely right. He sat there going over it in his head for a moment before Stuart's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"So, you haven't told Jude who your partner is yet, I noticed…"

"Yeah…" Tommy's eyes lit up, a small smile crossing his face, "I'm going to surprise her…"

"Who is it?" Stuart looked at Tommy with a raised eyebrow.

"Georgia."

"Georgia? Really? Wow…" Stuart looked straight ahead and smiled before turning back to see Tommy beaming proudly, "She's gonna love this, Tom…"