Disclaimer: I do not own Across the Universe, or any of the characters in it...although i would love to call a certain Max Carrigan my own.
Changed By You
"Jude! Jude, wake up!" Sadie whispered urgently as she creaked open the old door to the bedroom Jude shared with Lucy. A narrow line of light streaked through the darkness and into Jude's face. He groaned and pulled the woolen blanket over his head that was tangled between the sleeping woman next to him and his own body.
"Jude, get the hell out of bed!" Even through his sleepy haze, Jude could hear the urgency in Sadie's hushed commands. Reluctantly, he unwrapped himself from Lucy's arms and then the blankets holding him captive. He stood up slowly, making sure not to wake Lucy from the deep sleep that encumbered her. Since Max had been in Vietnam, Lucy had found herself laying awake at nights unable to sleep soundly. Jude made it to the doorway and closed the door silently behind him, relieved that he had not disturbed his sleeping girlfriend.
"Sadie, what the hell are you doing? You know Lucy hasn't been sleeping well and-" Jude was cut off by the frightened look in Sadie's eyes. He paused to wait for Sadie to tell him what it was that caused her fear, although he was afraid he already knew what was wrong.
"It's…" Sadie whispered, but could not finish. Tears filled the red head's eyes, and stray droplet escaped and slid down her cheek. Jude instinctively reached for her hand to offer his friend comfort, but he felt cool metal instead of Sadie's warm skin when his fingers locked with hers. Sadie let go of what she was holding, and Jude brought a set of army tags up in front of his face.
Max.
"I don't know what to tell Lucy. What do we do, Jude?" Sadie managed to utter through her tears, but Jude could barely hear her. His brain spun out of control. He felt his body walk over to the kitchen table and sit down, and he buried his face in his arms that were crossed on the wooden surface. He knew that nothing would be the same anymore. The death of his best friend, of his girlfriend's brother would change them all forever.
After what felt like hours, he stood up without warning and returned to his bedroom. Sadie quietly followed behind him, lingering at his side in the doorway. Jude let the door swing open fully, and light streamed into the bedroom and illuminated it. The sudden brightness woke Lucy with a start and she sat up in bed, shielding her eyes against the harsh light.
"What's going on…Jude," Lucy's voice broke over her boyfriend's name when she saw the grim expressions of the two people standing before her. Jude rushed to her side, leaving Sadie leaning against the doorframe and staring at the ground. She slowly glanced up to look at Lucy. Sadie could see Lucy's eyes pleading with Jude not to tell her what she already knew what coming. Unable to bear the horrified expression Lucy wore on her face, Sadie quickly scooted out onto the fire escape and slumped down on the steps. She took a deep breath of the cool night air just as she heard the howl from Lucy and Jude's room, dripping in the pain of a girl who had just lost her brother to a war that shouldn't have been fought in the first place.
*Authors note: I apologize for killing Max! That's not how I originally envisioned this one shot to go. But please review, I love constructive criticism!