A.N.: I am quite an idiot, aren't I? The absolute last thing I need right now is another fic on my plate. Still, I couldn't help it...It takes place before Pru and Max leave. Sadie hasn't been signed yet, and Lucy and Jude are still living in the apartment with everyone else. Just so it's clear.

Ah, also, I haven't seen this movie in ages, so anything that doesn't fit, let's just pretend that's artistic liscence, shall we? Thanks, loves.

One more thing. (Sorry, I realize this is the longest author's note EVER): I wasn't about to type out British accents. I suck at that stuff. Use your imaginations.

And no, ATU isn't mine. I'm flattered that you'd think so, though. Here's your chappie.

"Hey, Jude! Phone!" Sadie bellowed.

Jude furrowed his brow and pulled away from his girlfriend, Lucy. "What? Who is it?"

Sadie shrugged and held out the phone. "Find out yourself, babe."

"Hello?"

"Judey! Didja miss me?" The familiar voice made Jude smile, surprised.

"Jess? Is that you?" Lucy stiffened a little at the female name, but convinced herself that it was nothing stayed silent.

"Good to know that you at least recognize your dear, beloved cousin's voice. I was starting to think you'd forgotten me."

"I couldn't possibly forget you," he assured her, laughing. "And I'm sorry. How are you?" Lucy shot him a glare now, but she didn't speak.

"Fabulously wonderful, coming to visit."

"Come again?"

"Well, not necessarily, if you don't want to see me, but I'm coming over the pond anyway, so I really may as well. Incidentally, Jude, what happened to writing every other week? I had to dig out one of your ancient letters to find this number."

He laughed quietly at her high-spirited words. "Sorry. Truly. I've been busy. But what'd you mean? When are you coming?"

"Tomorrow," she replied promptly, "but I'm not just going to show up at your door. I've got a place to stay."

"Where are you staying?" Jude didn't bother trying to hide his slight concern.

"Well, actually, I'm not entirely sure, but I'm not worried about it, so you shouldn't be, either," she assured him.

"Yeah, but I don't want you staying in some sleazy motel." Jude froze as an idea struck him. "Wait a tick. Sadie?"

"Yeah?" The red-haired rocker walked in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she moved.

"Got me baby cousin on the phone. She's coming to New York, but she doesn't know where she's gonna stay. You think we could fit her in?"

Sadie shrugged. "I think so. Definitely, if Pru doesn't mind sharing a room with her. Hang on. Pru!" She shouted in the direction of Prudence's bedroom.

The attractive Vietnamese girl appeared at the door, blinking at the bright light. "Yeah?"

"You mind sharing a room with Jude's cousin?"

Prudence shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Thanks a lot, Pru." Jude smiled at her. She grinned back and walked the rest of the way into the room, flopping into an armchair.

"Well, there you go. How old is she?" Sadie added as an afterthought.

"Eighteen. Not a baby, I guess," Jude admitted ruefully. "Thanks, Sade. Oy, Jess."

"Yeah?"

"You want to stay with me 'n my friends?"

A short pause. "You're serious? No one minds?"

"Ah, good point. Hang on." Jude turned to Lucy. "You don't mind, do you, Luce?"

Lucy, having realized that Jess was not, in fact, a possessive ex-girlfriend of Jude's, shook her head. "Of course not."

"JoJo won't care, you know how relaxed he is, and Max…well, we all know Max." Sadie shrugged. "You're set, hon."

"Yeah, thanks." Jude repeated, returning his attention to the phone. "You're clear, Jess."

"Lovely. Thank everyone for me. Would you mind collecting me tomorrow?"

"Not at all. When and where?"

"Seven in the evening, your time." She named the airport, thanked him again, and yawned. "I've gotta go. Love you, Judey."

"You, too." He hung up and turned to Lucy. "Sorry about all that, love, but I haven't talked to her or written her in at least a month."

"It's alright, but I guess you'll just have to make it up to me, won't you?" she suggested boldly, smiling.

"I guess I will." Max, of course, chose that precise moment to come bursting in from the bathroom, hair still damp from his recent shower.

"What'd I miss?" He asked, having heard the phone ring, oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting a would-be intimate moment.

Sadie, being much more aware of her surroundings than Max, spoke in Jude's place. "Jude's cousin is coming to stay."

"Oh, really? Why didn'tcha tell me, Judey?" he asked, clearly not at his most sober as he perched on the arm of the couch.

Jude smiled at the increasingly familiar nickname. "Just found out now, mate."

"Oh. Cool." Max ambled into the kitchen, completely unperturbed.

It won't be long…

Jess blew a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes and flopped onto her bed. This was perfect. Her parents had been on her back more and more lately about going to university.

Since she had no idea what she wanted to study, the idea of a year off before beginning was an extremely appealing one. She'd told them she wanted to go to the States for a year, and they'd disapproved. Going to live with Jude would be absolutely perfect. Her parents trusted him like he was her older brother, which was ideal. She would go regardless of whether her parents approved, but she wanted as little mess as possible.

She sighed and walked downstairs, wanting to get the scene that was sure to occur out of the way. "Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

The best course of action would be to blurt it all out like it was a done deal. She'd had plenty of practice at things like this. Still, never with anything quite so huge, which explained why she needed to take a few calming breaths before speaking. "I'm going to New York to stay with Jude."

Her mother's face instantly became stern. "Jessica, we have discussed this."

She flinched at the use of her full name, but pushed on. "Not really. I don't know what I want to study, Mum. Taking a year off would let me think it through and decide on what would be best for me."

"And I suppose you're saying that your father and I have no say in this."

"It's my life. Shouldn't it be my decision?"

"You're not mature enough to make such decisions. America is a world away, and it's nothing like what you're used to."

"I'm staying with Jude, for God's sake. How much trouble could I possibly get into?"

"Jude has his own life. You can't expect him to just take you in."

"Did it even occur to you that Jude invited me? Because he did."

"Well, we'll discuss it further when your father gets home."

"We can discuss it all we want, but no matter what you say, I'm going. I've got the plane ticket, and Jude's ready and willing to collect me from the airport. I'd just prefer to have your blessing before I actually leave."

She shook her head. "Jess, you have no idea what it's like over there. You'll only end up getting hurt, and I can't just let my only child go off into certain disaster!"

Jess sighed and reached for her mother. "Please, mum, it's not certain disaster. I swear to you, I'll write every week…I'll call as much as I can. Just…please accept this. It's what I want to do."

"I never though you were actually serious. I really would rather you not go, but I suppose if you've already bought the plane ticket…it would be a waste of money not to allow you to go. But you better write at least once a week."

Jess planted a kiss on her forehead. "I will, I swear. I love you, mum." And she walked back to her room to finish packing.

It won't be long…

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lucy queried, running a brush through her hair.

"I do, love, but as I haven't seen the girl in months, it may be a bit off-putting for her to meet you right away. You know?"

"Right, that makes sense," she admitted, giving him a quick hug. "You should probably be going, then."

He kissed her forehead and shoved his key into his pocket. "I'm going to get Jess!" he bellowed as the door slammed shut behind him.

Jess, meanwhile, stared around the crowded airport, desperately seeking Jude. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to find him. Why did I pack so much? She wondered, staring at her two heavy suitcases. Sighing, she dragged them out of the way, leaning against a wall so that she could see everyone who passed by.

After about five minutes, she saw a very familiar face. "Jude!" No way was he going to get himself lost in this crowd. No bloody way. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Jude Feeney!"

He turned, and his whole face lit up. "Jess!" He jogged over and gathered her into a bone-crushing hug. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you. I've missed you so much!" She exclaimed, still hanging on a bit.

"Did you do something different?" He asked, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what, exactly, was unfamiliar about his cousin.

"Yes." She tossed her head. "Blond highlights." He recognized it now, the dark blond highlights running through her chocolate brown hair. "You like?"

"I do." He grinned. "You ready?"

"If you take my bags, most definitely."

"Yes, ma'am." He laughed and did so.

"I'm so excited!" She actually bounced up and down a bit as he hailed a cab. "So, Jude, spill."

"Spill what?" Jude looked vaguely nervous at Jess's tone.

"Who is she? I heard all about you ditching Molly. The girl wouldn't shut up about it, and you know how I feel about her, so I better get some details."

"Ah, when you put it that way it sounds awful."

"It should, considering that I can't stand the chit."

"Jess…"

"What? You ditched her! How protective could you possibly be?" Jess demanded, climbing into the waiting cab.

"But I dated her," he chided gently, laying her suitcases on the floor, "and I do care about her."

"Right, right, sorry, then." She waved her hand, completely unbothered. "So, who is she? I got next to nothing about her from your awful letters."

"You'll meet her in ten minutes. Can't you wait that long?"

"No. And if you won't tell me, I just won't speak to you." Jess folded her arms and turned toward the window mock-angrily.

"But you haven't spoken to me in months." Jude pouted.

"Which is totally and completely your fault. So you'll just have to suffer my wrathful silence until I get to meet your new woman." She meant it, remaining silent for a good three minutes before he finally gave in.

"Alright, alright." He sighed. "Her name's Lucy."

A pause. "Great. And? I remember getting that much."

"And she's gorgeous."

"Hm. That's honestly the first thing you think of when you think about her?"

"She's also sweet and fun, and I'm sure you'll like her, you nosy cow." He teased.

She grinned and leaned against Jude. "I expect that's all I'm getting from you, so I'll give up, yeah?"

"Well, we're nearly there, so you haven't much longer to wait."

"Which is why I'm even speaking to you at the mo." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He chose not to inform her that technically, she had been speaking to him pretty much the entire ride. With Jess, he knew, it really made no difference. The cab pulled to a stop and he raised his eyebrows.

"See? Home, sweet home." He intoned, grabbing her bags again.

She squeaked slightly. "Oh, God, I just realized that I know nothing about these people."

"You'll be fine." Jude promised, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "They're great. Plus, you're family, so they'll be good." He thought about this for a moment. Probably, he added to himself with a small smirk, thinking of Max.

"Ah, great. Very comforting." Jess seemed to have sensed his unspoken thoughts. She lifted her hair briefly, feeling around for a rubber band before deciding that it wasn't worth it. Then she took one of her bags from Jude and headed for the door to the apartment complex, entering ahead of him.

"Elevator's that way," Jude gestured with his now-bag-free hand and passed her, leading the way.

"Wait, okay, I've got a question. How many people live here?"

"Where we're staying? Me, Luce, Max, Pru—you're bunking with her—Sadie, and JoJo."

"Lord." She laughed, tipping her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Good thing I like meeting people."

"Good thing you don't mind sharing." He added, it seemed to her, a bit ominously.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit warily, as he dug around for his key.

"Seven people living in one apartment can get a bit messy." He replied, successfully locating his key and unlocking the door. "Oy! We're here."

"Hey, hon," said the pretty redhead who came over to investigate at Jude's words, "you must be Jess. I'm Sadie." She extended her hand.

Jess took it and smiled. "Thanks very much for letting me stay here. It's lovely to meet you." As she followed Sadie the rest of the way into the apartment, she discovered that what looked like the rest of its tenants had gathered in the first room she saw, including a pretty blond whose arm was around Jude's waist. When she saw Jess, she separated herself from the Limey and beamed.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Carrigan. Great to meet you." She, too, shook Jess's hand.

"And you," Jess commented, taking in as much about the blond as she could. She wasn't the best with first impressions, but the girl already seemed a better match for her cousin than Molly. A guy who looked like the male version of Lucy grinned up at her from an armchair.

"I'm Max, Luce's older, wiser brother." He raised his eyebrows and smirked to indicate his sarcasm, lifting his hand in a greeting wave.

"Wiser, yeah?" Jess laughed. "Glad to meet you. Ah, and before I get meself into trouble, sorry, but believe it or not, I know next to nothing about any of you. Dear Judey over there hasn't written in ages, so if I say something stupid, do forgive me and blame him. Just thought I'd get that out before I have the chance to put me foot into me mouth."

Max snorted. "I like this girl."

"Hey, Carrigan, that's my baby cousin you know," teased Jude.

Jess threw him a mock-dirty look. "Baby cousin, Jude? Come, now."

"Anyway…" a Vietnamese girl appeared from around the corner, her hand extended, "I'm Prudence. I think you're rooming with me, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks a lot for that, by the way."

Prudence waved this off. "It's nothing. C'mon, it's this way." As she led Jess through the apartment, she tapped a door and spoke again. "That's the bathroom, but JoJo's in the shower, so if you wanted to put your stuff in there…well, technically you could go in anyway. It doesn't lock." She smirked mischievously.

Jess giggled. "That's alright, I think I can manage."

Prudence shrugged. "Your choice. This is my—our room." She corrected herself, opening a door and ushering her through it. "Unpack whenever you feel like."

Jess nodded. "I get the feeling I should probably do it now, but I really don't feel like it."

"Then don't. Sadie and JoJo've got a gig at Café Huh at nine, we're all going. You'd only get into the middle of unpacking and have to leave. Unless you don't want to go." She regarded Jess quizzically.

"No, I'd like to go."

"Drop that somewhere. It's all good." Prudence left the room without further ado.

Jess blinked and set her suitcase on the floor, wondering vaguely what Jude had done with the other one. Deciding it didn't matter, she slipped back into the main room. "Max, shouldn't you take it a little easier?" Lucy questioned, tapping her brother's beer bottle.

"Luce. C'mon. I've got a few months left to enjoy my freedom, and if that means I get as drunk as possible as often as I can, then there you go."

She shook her head but didn't respond.

Jess couldn't help staring at Max as she puzzled over his meaning. It didn't hurt that he was drop-dead gorgeous, with mussed blond hair and clear blue eyes. She always had had a thing for guys with blue eyes…

"What?" He asked, his head tilted.

Ah. Damn. "Sorry." She blushed. "Didn't mean to overhear…or stand here staring at you…"

"'S'alright," he laughed, "I just wanted to see if there was a particular reason."

"Well…no. Actually, I didn't realize I was even staring, it's just, I heard something about leaving in a few months, and I wondered…?" Honestly, she wasn't surprised that she'd already embarrassed herself, but she did wish she could speak like a normal human being despite her slight mortification.

"Drafted." He replied simply.

"Oh. God. Sorry." She blurted, dropping onto a chair.

He shrugged. "No big deal."

"You want anything to drink, hon?" Sadie interjected, swooping in with a hasty change of subject.

Jess shot her an extremely grateful look. "Er…no thanks." She did, sort of, but she'd just answered with the first thing that had entered her head, as was typical when she got flustered.

"Alright. Well, JoJo and I are gonna get goin'. This is JoJo, by the way." Sadie gestured to the tall, gentle-looking black man standing beside her.

"Hey." JoJo smiled and waved from his position next to Sadie.

"Hey." She returned the grin. "Good luck to both of you."

"Thanks." Sadie replied, blowing kisses to the rest of the apartment's inhabitants. "See y'all later."

"Looking forward to it, Sade," Max responded, winking at her. She just laughed and followed JoJo out the door.

"So, Jess, you're from Liverpool too?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah." Jess tried another smile. Okay. So this was just slightly awkward, but she guessed she hadn't expected anything different from a load of strangers. Lucy was at least making an effort.

"Well done, Luce," Max cut in lazily. "See, the accent's what gave it away for me. What was your first hint?"

"Shut up." She seized one of Jude's t-shirts from between the couch cushions and hurled it at him.

"Do I even want to know how that ended up there?" Max cocked an eyebrow saucily.

"I think you can put two and two together, mate." Jude smirked at his friend.

"Oh, God, okay, as wonderful as it is to hear about my cousin's sex life, that's just a little too much information." Jess announced, wincing.

"Sorry." Jude got up and ruffled her hair. "Forgot for a moment. You coming to Sadie's gig?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Prudence told me she had one tonight, and I've been dying to hear her. I remember you telling me she had a band in the one of the two letters you sent since you got here." She looked around for a minute. "Where'd Prudence go, anyway?"

"She barricaded herself into the bathroom the second JoJo got out. She likes to sex it up for Sadie's stuff."

"Wow, Max." Jude smirked at his friend.

"Well, she asked, and it's not like I'm lying or anything. I don't blame Pru for wanting to look hot."

"I did ask." Jess agreed, stretching. "Gotta hand it to you, Max—at least you're honest."

"Damn right." Max saluted her with his near-empty bottle. "You want one?"

Jude gasped melodramatically. "Are you actually being hospitable?"

Max flipped him off and returned his attention to Jess, his question still posed in the air.

"Sure," she said decisively, "but you don't have to get up. I'll get it."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I need another one anyway." He got to his feet.

"Hey, Max…don't you think you should at least wait until we get there? I have a feeling Sadie would prefer it if you at least remembered a few of the songs tonight." The edge of sarcasm in Lucy's voice made her seem less prudish than her words implied.

"Ah, relax, ma. I left her home, Luce, remember?" He sighed. "Alright, I'll just get Jess's." She smiled at him, getting the impression that Lucy was the only one to whom Max would truly listen.

She heard a lid pop, and Max strolled back into the room, fingers wrapped around the neck of a condensation-covered bottle. "Thanks." She took a quick sip and yawned. Alcohol always relaxed her, and she'd had quite the exhausting day.

"We should get going once Pru's ready." Jude announced, getting up and pecking Lucy on the forehead. She smiled up at him a little sappily, but Jess found that, strangely, she didn't care half as much as she had when she'd seen him with Molly. She guessed it was that Molly had complained so damn much about everything, and she'd never seemed half as sincere as Lucy did in her affections for Jude—just possessive.

She snapped out of her daydreams and returned to the present. "Want me to go get her?" She had already gotten to her feet, wanting to get as well acquainted with the apartment and its tenants as possible.

"Sure." Lucy smiled.

Jess took another swig of beer and sauntered in the direction of the room. Ah, crap. "Which door is it?"

Max peered after her and laughed. "You're right in front of it."

"Ah. Right." Blushing faintly, she rapped on the door. "Prudence?"

"Yeah?"

"I think we're leaving soon. You almost ready?"

"Mmhm." The door clicked and opened, and Prudence exited, running a brush through her hair one final time. She chucked it over her shoulder, closing the door behind it. "Alright, c'mon." They walked back to the room in silence. I never was good at breaking the ice.

"Ready, Pru? Jess?" Jude helped Lucy to her feet with a smile as they nodded.

"'M I gonna have to finish this before we leave?" Jess inquired, holding her bottle aloft. "I hate drinking fast."

"Probably." Jude winced sympathetically. "Most cabbies don't let you bring alcohol in."

"Big tough boss man has a problem with it. He doesn't want drunken tourists spilling their drinks on the oh-so-expensive 'fabric'." Max elaborated, smirking. "'Course, if someone's got something, I'm not gonna make them finish it before they're ready."

"Yeah, well, that's you. I've had to finish my drinks plenty often before I'm ready." Jude commented.

"Here, give it to me." Max held out his hand. "I'll hide it under my shirt. They'd notice if you did it, since you're a girl and all, but I doubt they'll even look twice at me. I'll give it back to you once we get in."

She snorted. "You really don't think they'll notice?"

"If they do, it won't be until we're already in. What're they gonna do, stop driving and kick us out?"

"Good point." She passed it over and followed the others out the door.

Once they'd gotten into the cab, Max uncovered the bottle and gave it back to her. "See?" He whispered. "He has no idea what's going on back here."

"Cheers," she whispered back, saluting him like he'd done earlier and taking a long sip. "You want some?"

"Really?" He seemed incredulous that she was willing to share her drink with a virtual stranger.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "I'm no germophobe."

"Cheers," he repeated, taking a drink. "I have a feeling we'll get along fine."

"I'm gonna have to agree with you there." She glanced over at Jude, who was murmuring something into Lucy's ear, and shook her head. "Good thing I didn't actually expect to spend time with the bloke tonight."

He followed her gaze and smirked. "In the middle of a cab, Judey? Isn't that slightly indecent?"

Jude's response most certainly would have made Jess's mother have a slight coronary; she only burst into hysterical laughter. "Ah, Lord. Thank God Mum hasn't heard you talk in a few months, or I might not be here. She still thinks you're trustworthy, see."

"Max is a special case." Jude answered innocently.

"Okay, Jude." Her tone dripped sarcasm as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat.

"Tired?" Max asked.

"God, yeah. I'm thinking jet lag's what's going on right about now. Which is kind of odd, considering it's only about four back home…" She realized suddenly that she was babbling and shut up.

Max didn't seem to have noticed. "That sucks." He looked over to the corner of the cab and scooted toward the dark shadow huddled there. "Y'alright over there, Pru?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking," she answered softly.

He moved all the way over and wrapped his arms around the petite Vietnamese girl. "Smile for me, Pru."

She obliged, leaning her head against his shoulder as the cab pulled to a stop.

"We're here." Jude announced for his cousin's benefit.

"Thanks, Judey. No one noticed that we stopped moving."

"Any time, Jess."

AN 2: Yeah. It wasn't supposed to be this long, but I thought the chapter was boring if I cut it beforehand. What do you think? I wasn't sure about some of my characterizations. (Lucy, mainly.) Do tell.