Running Back
Summary: Season 3 Fic using season 2: Date With The Night Episode Sides for the closing episode.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…except original characters; though if I did own Instant Star, I'd be one happy clam.
Prologue
"Let me, take you, to dinner." He had told me. My heart skipped a beat at his words.
"Like a date?" I had asked, feeling all girly and excited. He didn't exactly say yes, but he didn't say no either. His demeanor of semi-nervousness and the way he looked over my head when he nodded told me that it was. It had taken me everything I had not to jump his bones those very seconds.
Because, hello! Tom Quincy asked me, Jude Elizabeth Harrison on a date! A dinner date!
The problem? I'm sitting at the agreed upon restaurant; a relatively small, but fancy and homely place just down the street of my last performance. OK, so maybe he was late. And I was more nervous than any girl should be.
Thoughts were running through my head unchecked as I glanced at my watch once more. Maybe he realized what he did and backed out. What if he got in a car accident and…maybe…Shut up Brain!
I sighed and needed to do something to take my mind off my thoughts and to stop fidgeting in my seat. I picked up my napkin and began to tear it up into small pieces. It was a nervous habit I picked up from Jamie, and it seemed to help. My table, thankfully, was close to the door and I kept watching it like a hawk.
"Miss?" The waiter said, standing before me. I glanced at him and caught a look of annoyance on his features. I kept telling him to wait a minute, that he'd be here. I was beginning to think otherwise, but I didn't let him know it.
"He'll be here in a minute. Thanks." I said, glancing uncertaintly at the door. I blew out a sigh and dropped my hands to the table when a piece of my napkin shreds floated up from the table and fell right into the candle flame that was in the center of my table (all the tables had a candle in the center). I glanced around frantically a moment and put it out, hoping no one noticed.
"Hi Jude." A serious voice said.
I glanced up in shock and confusion. Jamie Andrews, former boyfriend, current…whatever stood before me, looking anxious. Oh, this can't be good. I thought in horror as Jamie fidgeted before me.
"Oh my god. What? What's wrong?" I asked him, hoping nothing bad had happened to Jamie's Nana. She was getting pretty old and…I stopped my thoughts as Jamie sat down, rather reluctant looking, across from me. He picked up the other napkin and tore a piece off. My heart stopped and my blood ran cold. This is not good.
"I'm suppose to make sure you're ok." Jamie muttered, not really meeting my eyes and his voice so low I didn't think he really spoke. I don't think I ever felt more unease in that moment than I ever did in my life. What the hell does that mean? Jamie's fingers continued to tear rapidly at the napkin and I reached across the table and placed my hands on top of his to make him stop.
"This is not making me ok." I said, tears stinging my eyes. Oh my…what if something happened to Tommy!
"Tommy—had to go. He couldn't say what was going on, so…I don't know." Jamie said.
"Go? What's go? For how long!" I demanded. Panic was overwhelming me and I couldn't do anything but wait for Jamie to tell me what he knew. He's leaving! And he didn't even say goodbye! Jamie's eyes softened and his eyes got this sympathetic look in his brown depths.
"I'm suppose to make sure you're ok. It's all I know." Jamie said honestly.
I glanced at Jamie once before leaping from my seat, purse in hand and rushing out of the restaurant. I was going to get answers. I had to. I had to find him. I needed to know what was going on and if he was ok.
I drove my '68 Mustang to Tom's apartment building. I had been there once before, but never inside. It was one time when Tommy was driving me to work and I guess he forgot something at home and needed to stop and pick something up. I parked my car and leaped out of it and ran into the lobby, glancing around frantically for any sign of Tommy.
"Miss, I'm sorry-" An elderly doorman began to say.
"Tom Quincy – we work together? I can show you my license or…" I said, my voice breaking and pleading with the man before me. I guess I looked desperate enough because the doorman gazed at me with a look of pure sympathy. "Where did he go?" I asked, my voice lowering and tears filling my eyes. "Please?" I practically begged, hoping he'd know something, anything that would lead me to my blue-eyed prince.
The doorman looked uncertain for a moment and sighed. "He was flying privately."
"Thank you!" I called out as I rushed out the door and back out to my car.
I didn't end up making it that night. I made it to the airport, but I couldn't get in. I had to stop just outside the fence and I watched helplessly as Tommy boarded a private jet. I had called out to him, knowing I'd never be able to climb the chain-linked fence that separated us and run down the runway to the jet in time. I screamed out his name, repeatedly, and he didn't hear me, or just didn't acknowledge me; I don't know for sure which it really was.
I watched as his plane took off, tears streaming down my face as my mentor, muse, best friend, and love flew off to an unknown location, leaving me more alone than I ever felt in my life.
I had went back to G Major; I tried to play the good girl and stay for my album release party, but I couldn't save face. I wanted nothing more than to stay in the studio and cry for my loss. Sadie had tried to comfort me; she might have succeeded if Liam hadn't interrupted and gave me a 'pep talk'. I knew than that I couldn't stay. They wanted me to be the poster girl and I just couldn't do it. No one seemed to truly understand that my heart was broken, my world was upside down and the one person who could fix me was probably millions of kilometers away from me.
So, I ran. I ran to the one person left I thought could understand me – Mason Fox and his performance in Berry.
I got drunk that night. Courtesy of a fan, I guess. I don't remember the whole night too well, but Jamie had found me the next morning and convinced me to come home. He helped me realize that I had to go home and 'face the music' and stop hiding from the world.
Jamie had followed me home and walked me through the door when I got home. I don't know if he thought I was going to run again or what, but the gesture was nice. It kind of reminded me of the old Jamie; the Jamie that was my best friend and not this…weird post-break-up guy I occasionally talked to.
Dad yelled at me for running off and Sadie said she'd go with me to work; I guess she thought I needed the extra support and I was thankful for my big sister. As we left the house, Jamie came running up to me.
"Jude!" He called.
I stopped and Jamie handed me a slip of paper. I glanced at it and noticed an address on it.
"What do I do?" I asked, outloud. What did he want me to do with this information?
"I don't think he'll bump you off. And if he does, I'll get vengeance." Jamie said, half jokingly. I smiled thankfully at him.
"You're so good. Too good. I'll try and be ok, ok?" I assured him. "I'm sorry you were the guy who got asked to…"
Jamie stopped my words by reaching over and giving my shoulder a light squeeze. We clanked into each others eyes and for the first time in awhile, I thought we were really ok.
"Aw-kward. But if anyone can do it, it's you." Jamie said encouragingly.
"I'll tell Dad. Good luck." Sadie said, winking at me as Jamie and I headed off.
Later that morning, I found Darius inside a local convenience store. He was standing at the magazine rack, looking through some industry 'zine. I watched him a moment before taking a deep breath and approaching him.
"Hi. Aren't you Darius Mills?" I asked, trying to keep everything light to take the edge off my nervousness.
"Did you use to be Jude Harrison?" He countered.
"Am I gonna be the first murder committed with a honey bun and a crossword mag?" I asked.
"Where's Tommy!" Darius demanded of me, placing the magazine down and his dark eyes boring into mine. I felt like an insect under a microscope and I held back a gulp.
"No idea." I said, honestly.
"You didn't run off with him?" Darius asked, looking surprised. I glanced at him in confusion. Why would he think – "You only made the second biggest mistake of your life." Darius added.
"I guess." I agreed, not wanting to argue or analyze too much. Darius looked straight into my eyes and asked in a serious tone. "you ever pull an act like that again? You're through. Now, anything else I need to know before I let you back? Cause, I can manager anything I know."
My mind flashed back to that bar in Berry.
"No." I answered, hoping it was true.
"Good." Darius said with finality and picked up the magazine he was looking at previously, flipped a few pages and handed it to me. I took it from him and I gasped when I saw what he had seen.
"Most artists have a breakdown after they hit number one. But you had to go and be all different hu?" He said, smiling and patting me on the arm. "My office, next week. We'll talk about what's next for you then." He said before leaving.
I nodded slightly and my eyes just kept gazing at the billboard chart before me.
Position: Number One. Artist: Jude Harrison. Song: My Sweet Time. Album: Learning Curve.
And the one person I wanted to celebrate with, was AWOL.
