Tommy sighed. Jude's twenty-first birthday bash in London was tiring. He'd had a blast. Getting to see her again was the highlight of the past… God only knew. They'd worked out their differences over their failed engagement and were now comfortable again. He had both of her new albums, and they were amazing. Both had a song that hit number one in the British charts. Her dream was coming true, and he couldn't be more happy for her.

Now, coming back to Toronto, he had to resolve his own issues. His own issues about his past… the past that got in between them constantly until it took her away for good. Meeting her new fiancée had been heartbreaking. But he saw how he loved her, and he knew the spell Jude could cast on a man with just one look. They would be good together, and he sincerely hoped they could be happy. He was afraid his broken heart would never heal; it'd taken too much damage.

Speak of the devil, he mused when he opened the front door of his home to see his ex-wife standing there. "Portia? What are you doing here?"

"I got released from treatment. May I come in?"

He nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. His fury with her, although very unrighteous, still choked him at times where he couldn't even move. She sat down on the couch, watching him be silent.

"Tommy?"

His eyes flickered toward her.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he ground out, his hands clenching into fists. "You killed somebody. She actually died. And someone came after Jude and hurt her because of that."

"I know," she whispered. "I didn't mean… to ruin your life, Tommy."

"No, you meant to take it."

"No. I loved you, Tommy. Why on earth would I have killed you?"

"So why'd you do it?"

"I don't know! I thought maybe, if you had a car accident, you'd wake up and realize life is too short to be feeling sorry for yourself and messing with other people's heads… to be without the one you love. And I wanted that person to be me."

What she said sucked the air from his lungs, and he collapsed into a seat. He should have died. Not her. Angie shouldn't have been hurt, and not Jude either. But fate had other plans, and she wanted him to see that he needed to start acting like the man Jude saw… a decent man with the capacity to be honest and kind. That had been her message all along.

"I meant what I said, Tommy. You need to stop torturing yourself over the past. I turned myself in because I needed to stop torturing myself too." A tear slipped down her cheek. "In spite of all we went through… what we had… it is the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

"No." he shook his head, unbelieving.

"Yes," she whispered firmly. "You're so much better than the way you see yourself, the way you acted. Because of you, I grew up. It wasn't pleasant, granted, but you were just what I needed to turn into the person I wanted to be. I've forgiven myself, Tommy. You should too. And… I want you to forgive me. For breaking your heart."

He looked up at her, tears glistening in his own eyes. She gently pulled him into her embrace as he sobbed a heart-wrenching sob. "I just want to let it all go," he whispered. "All my life, my mother, my failures have haunted me. All of my relationships have failed… I have no one left." And he cried in her arms, the dam of pain he'd built since he was a child finally bursting forth with his tears.

When he finally calmed down, he stood and turned from her, choosing to look out the window. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I ruined your shirt."

"It's okay. The shirt isn't important." The question she asked next nearly knocked him down again. "What happened with you and Jude?"

"She's gone," he said stiffly, trying to close the subject.

"So go get her," shrugged Portia.

He whipped around. "What?"

"Go get her. If you're this miserable without her—"

"She's getting married. She just turned twenty-one. Her third British album is dropping in three days, and she loves him. I won't take that from her. She's happy, she has all she wants. Someone like me would only bring her down."

Portia scoffed. "She owes her entire career to you, Tommy Quincy."

"I'm not going to force a showdown. If she still loves me, she'll come back when she's ready. If not, I'll just have to be alone forever. It's not that bad. I'm used to it."

"She still love you. she needs to know you want her back."

"Like she doesn't know that."

"Maybe she doesn't."

"How do you know?"

"You went to her twenty-first, no?"

"Yeah."

"How much time passed between when she left and when you spoke to her again?"

He sighed. "Two years. But… she was so happy when I spoke to her. She laughed a lot, she was joyful and free. I only bring drama into her life. I don't want to."

"Tommy, it's who you are. How many times did she tell you she loves you for who you are?"

He hung his head. "I hurt her too badly, didn't I?"

"What do you mean?"

"I had to go to Brunswick."

"Uh-oh."

"Yeah. I went alone, but she followed me a few weeks later. She saw everything, Portia. She saw how Mother treats me, she saw how she gets when she's drunk… I was so ashamed. I went out to the bar and… the guys, they were making fun of Jude's music. I fought them. I wound up in jail. Jude came to bail me, and I fought her. I don't even know why. I was just feeling so worthless… I essentially dumped her because I wasn't good enough."

"You've always been one to do things the rash way."

He shrugged. "I guess. Then the whole thing with the basement song happened—and we had sex in the rehearsal space—and she seemed happy enough. But she was guarded. I saw it in her eyes. They were dull. Maybe it was because her album tanked… I don't know. But she got that offer in London, and she was excited to start our lives together. But then she decided to stop letting me hold her hand in the industry. After all, she's a grown up, now. she just felt that her relationship with me was too childish, too naïve, too clingy, too hurtful. And she left. And I stayed. And now all of her dreams have come true and she saw that she didn't need me after all. She moved on."

"I doubt it."

"She's engaged. To her producer."

"Sound familiar?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped.

"It means that if this is how her music has done without you, then imagine how high she can soar if you are with her."

He stared at her. "Is this your way of telling me to stop her wedding?"

"Yes. You need to go after her. You need her."

"I do," he sighed miserably, hanging his head. "But I need for her to be happy. She's happy. Dave is a good man, and a good producer. He takes care of her and he watches her back in the business. And he come without the drama and the baggage. He's attractive and charming. He's everything she wanted without all the things she didn't."

"I'll have to see that for myself."

"It's pretty obvious. Her engagement is on every entertainment channel. I know you've seen it."

"And I'm a girl, and I know what girls think. And you know her like the back of your hand. You just refuse to see how fake her smile is for the camera. You're stubborn as hell. She doesn't need a yes man."

He looked up at her. "Why are you here?"

"To apologize, and to see how you were doing. Obviously not well."

He rolled his eyes but he smiled at her, the first genuine smile since Jude said yes to him. "Thanks, Portia."

She snorted.

"Really. Thank you."

She stood up and hugged him. "Thank you, Tommy."

They pulled back and he gave her a chaste, emotional kiss on her forehead. "You don't have to thank me for being an ass," he whispered, chuckling he pulled her close again. "Thank you for everything."

She smiled up at him. "Enough sappiness, Tommy Q. go get your woman."

He looked meek. "Yes, ma'am."

****

"If there is an objection, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Jude and Dave looked nervously at each other. A woman's voice echoed in the church. "Jude… you're my best friend, and I know I'm your best friend in London. That's why I can't let you marry him. The truth is… I'm in love with him. He's been with me for the past eight months."

An audible gasp rippled through the crown and angry tears sprang to her eyes. "How could you?" she whispered, hurt and anger shaking her voice she turned to the girl, tears now ruining her makeup violent shaking overtaking her body. "How could you?"

'I'm sorry," she whispered.

Suddenly the doors burst open and Tommy, looking for all the world like an idiot, yelled "STOP THE WEDDING!"

Tense laughter rippled through the crowd.

Jude just stared.

"Jude… I know I told you I'd let you go. But I just… I can't. I love you too much and I need you like I need air. Please… come back to me. I've been so lost without you."

She sniffled. "My hero," she whispered, a tearful smile spreading across her face.

He looked concerned. "What… why're you crying?"

"It doesn't matter now."

He shook his head and raced down the aisle, getting up to the altar and gathering her into his arms. "What happened?"

"He… cheated… with Hannah…"

Dave looked terrified.

Tommy growled. "I trusted you, you bastard. You were supposed to take care of her."

Dave gulped.

"How could you?!" he shouted, making the whole church jump. "You were supposed to love her! I didn't come sooner because I thought you were making her happy, not CHEATING ON HER YOU SICK BASTARD--!"

"You shouldn't be giving me the speech on monogamy, Tommy Q." It was the wrong thing to say, because next he knew, he was on the ground and his nose was gushing blood.

Tommy was standing over him, seething. "Start running, asshole."

He ran for all the world like the coward he was.

Tommy turned back to Jude, who was staring in tearful, beautiful amazement. "Jude. I love you. I love you, Jude. Come home."

"Tommy…?"

"Jude. Please. Please, babe. Please."

She drew a shaky breath and gave him a sad but hopeful smile. "Okay, Tommy."

He swallowed hard. "Really?"

"Really."

Unable to contain his excitement, he took her up in his arms, whirling her around.

He put her down, smiling at her laughter. He pressed his forehead to hers. "We belong together, Girl."

She smiled at him. "I know," she whispered.

The preacher, grinning, started again. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two souls, Judith Harrison and Thomas Quincy, in holy matrimony…"

****

Jude was wearing holes into the airport floor as she waited for her new husband's flight to arrive. He'd had to go back to G-Major to wrap things up and also to sell his house and have his cars shipped. He'd been gone a whole month and she was counting the seconds to his return.

"Jude!"

"Tommy!" she ran to him and jumped into his arms.

"Hey there, Girl."

"Hi Tommy. I missed you."

"Missed you too, babe. I have something for you."

She quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What is it?"

"Well… I know we… we didn't have wedding rings, since… well… he… took them. I, uh... Bought new ones."

She gasped when he opened a tiny light blue box, containing two thin platinum bands. "Tiffany's?"

He smiled. "And I have another one."

"What?"

"Well, I never got to get you a real engagement ring."

"Get out of here, Tommy Q."

"Nope. You're stuck with me." He slid the green tourmaline surrounded in diamonds and set in platinum and matching band on her finger. She stared. "Why green?"

"You're a different girl," he shrugged. "I couldn't get the same old thing for someone who is definitely not the same old girl."

She smiled. "It's beautiful."

"You're beautiful," he countered. "Besides, Tourmaline is my birthstone. I want you to keep me with you always."

She jumped into his arms again. "You're so cheesy, Quincy. God, I love you."

He chuckled at her jubilance. "Love you too, girl. Hey, there's someone I want you to see."

"Who?"

"The reason I broke up your break up."

Jude stared in confusion and then her eyes widened. "Portia?!"

****

"Hey Jude—Whoa. Who're you?"

He he. "You're owner."

"Uh… no. Linda Schuyler and the big guys at Epitome and The-N own me. You're… not Linda, and, unless Epitome has a new CEO, I'm going now. To find my girlfriend."

"But… I am you're girlfriend."

"Uh—not so much, no."

"But wait—"

"What now?"

"Can you sign my shirt?"

Rolling his eyes and picking up a sharpie from G-Major's front desk. "Turn around."

He signs and walks off. I run home to see my shirt. My eyes mist as I read: "You don't own instant star and you only wish you owned me. And, Jude is still my girlfriend. Love, Tommy Q." I sniffle as the hard truth hits me. I will never own instant star and I will never get to kiss Tommy Q. Stupid Jude.

Don't laugh, none of y'all own it either, that's why we post here.

Okay, so I could have gone with the boring whatever disclaimer, but I decided to try my hand at the whole dialogue disclaimer thing. I kind of like it, it's funny. Anyway, hope y'all like it. Reviews are awesome and make my day—the next best thing after kissing Tommy Q.

cheers!

~temporary insanity.