Chapter 1

"Hey D. It's been a long time. What's going on?" Tom Quincy was amazed to hear from his old manager and current boss—they had gone nearly 2 years without talking. Because he was working at G Major New York City, Darius and him didn't have much contact. Darius had decided to stay in Toronto once he took over the label 2 years ago.

"Well, T, I know you've been hoping to get back to Toronto, and I think I have a solution both of us will like."

Immediately Tommy was intrigued. He couldn't wait to get back to Toronto—everything he loved was there; that was home. But he knew how Darius was. There was no way Darius would let Tom go back to Toronto unless it benefited him too—and Darius was a hard man to please. "Yeah Dar? And what would that be?"

Darius continued and told Tommy, "At the end of the next major world-wide tour that G Major is putting together, I will be moving back to New York. Portia is there, my baby girl is there, and you know that's where I love. I mean I miss the Hamptons!"

"Anyways..." Tommy tried to encourage Darius to move past the details and get to what really mattered.

"Right. Anyways, I will need someone to manage the G Major in Toronto, and I think you are the man for the job."

At that, Tommy's breath caught in his throat. Move back to Toronto...be surrounded by his friends...Jude...his feisty, spunky, 20-year-old best friend. As much as it made him sound like a teenage girl, that would be like a dream come true. He had missed Toronto. Really, he had just missed Jude. Sure, they talked on the phone at least once a week, and they got to see each other every couple of months, but it wasn't the same as being in the studio with her or working on music with her. He wanted to help her produce her own music—something they had only ever thought about. Jude had just told him last week that she was giving Darius the demo to see if he might give her a chance in the studio as more than a producer.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Darius yelling, "Tom! Tom, man! Yo, T!"

Shaking his head, Tommy quickly responded, "Sorry D. What was it that you were saying?"

"Well, I will send you back to Toronto at the end of this tour on one condition."

"And what is the one condition, Dar? And who is going on tour? Jude told me that SME was going to open the show, but even she didn't know who was headlining." Tommy and Jude had talked for a couple of minutes earlier that day when she told him she would get to go on tour as a tech. She was super excited to be hanging out with her best friends currently in Toronto—the boys of Spiederman Mind Explosion: Vincent Spiederman, Wally Robbins, and Kyle Bateman. Jude had been friends with the guys since she started interning at G Major four years ago. He thought they were a bit immature and annoying, but he was glad that they kept her company.

"That's where my part of the deal comes in. Both of your questions can be answered at once, T. The headlining group will be Boyz Attack."

There was complete silence from Tommy's end of the line as he processed what Darius had just said. Boyz Attack would be headlining the show? Boyz Attack was the cheesy boyband that gave Tommy his rise to fame over 10 years ago. Thankfully, the "band" had dissolved about five years ago, when he was 22—the year before he met Jude. He had never loved the music that Boyz Attack performed, but he did love performing. Being on stage was a feeling unlike any other—one he couldn't wait for Jude to experience. But as his mind returned to the problem at hand, Tommy decided to make sure this wasn't some joke. "Darius, are you saying that Boyz Attack is going to be headlining a world-wide tour? We still aren't getting the band together again. That ship has sailed." The panic was evident in Tommy's voice.

"Tom, I understand your concern, and, though I don't care, you don't need to worry. This will be the final chapter in the Boyz Attack book. But this tour is a great opportunity for me to make a lot of money. And Tom, you do this for me, and you will be back in Toronto as soon as the tour is over." Strangely enough, the sincerity in Darius' voice was evident.

"When do you need a final decision?" Tommy couldn't believe that he was actually considering this. He swore that when he left Boyz Attack five years ago, that would be it. Hell, he was 27 years old, he was finally moving on with his life. But with a chance to move back to Toronto, Tom was thinking about it.

"I'll give you until tomorrow at noon. And just so you know, the tour will happen one way or another. If you agree to be a part of it, you will have the job in Toronto as manager of the studio. And to show you how serious I am, I am willing to give your girl a chance. She gave me her demo the other day, and I think she might have a shot. She can try her hand at being an artist so long as she is produced by the best—you. Let me know by tomorrow." With that, Darius hung up the phone.

Tommy was left listening to the dial tone. Wow, he thought. What the hell do I do now? He slowly put the phone back in its cradle, contemplating his next move. Before he knew it, an hour had passed. When Mason Fox walked into the studio that afternoon, he found Tommy sitting in the same position after his phone call with Darius.

"Dude, what is going on? You look completely lost?" Mason sat down next to Tommy in the studio.

Startled, Tommy responded to Mason, "Oh, hey Mase. What's going on?"

"Well I'm fine...but clearly you aren't. What's up man? I never see you like this." Mason had been Tommy's artist since he arrived in New York City about two years ago. They had grown to be friends over the years—partly because Mason and Jude had become friends as well. Every time Jude would come to visit him, her and Mason would inevitable spend time together. She even helped him write a duet that had become a hit across the United States. Mason knew that to get Tommy this "out of whack," something had to be seriously wrong. "Come on, Tom. What's going on?"

"I just found out that I can go back to Toronto."

"Wow! That's what you've been wanting for the past year and a half. I don't see what the problem is." Mason knew that Tommy missed Toronto. He also knew that Jude was the biggest reason. For a long time he had suspected that the feelings those two shared were more than friendly, but for as long as he knew them, they had denied it. He didn't understand why Tommy was so confused.

"I can go back to Toronto as long as I agree to be a part of the Boyz Attack 5-year reunion tour—visiting over 20 countries in six months." As soon as he finished speaking, Tommy's expression fell and he put his head in his hands.

That made much more sense to Mason. He knew how much Tommy despised his boy band past. "I get it now." He didn't know how to help Tommy. There was nothing he could say to make things better. Mason knew that the only one who would really be able to help to help Tommy process and make a decision would be Jude. So that's exactly what he suggested. "Why don't you give Jude a call? You know that she'll help talk things out."

"You sure you don't mind, man?" Before he finished speaking, Tommy had already gotten out his phone and was ready to dial.

"No problem. Give her a call and if anyone comes around, I'll just tell them I'm writing." Mason smiled and waved Tommy off.

Completely grateful, Tom hit the number 2 on his speed-dial to talk to Jude as he walked out of the studio. About three blocks away was Tommy's favorite park. This time of year was especially perfect for being outside—a slight breeze, blue sky, and the shade of a bunch of trees—and perfect for a conversation with Jude. This was exactly what he needed to clear his head and make a decision.

Once he was seated on his favorite bench, Tom called his favorite girl.

…

Jude felt her phone vibrating in her back pocket as she was sitting in the studio listening to Spied, Wally, and Kyle. Without looking at the screen, she flipped her phone open to answer, "Jude Harrison, what can I do for you?"

"Babes, is that any way to talk to your favorite person?"

She heard the husky voice and chuckle on the other line and immediately grinned. It was Tommy...her Tommy...her best friend. "Hang on Hon, let me finish up with the guys and call you back in like two minutes. Is that okay?" Jude loved hearing from Tommy, but wanted to be able to focus on their conversation. With SME in the studio, that would be next to impossible.

"No problem. I've got time, call me back when you get rid of them."

"Sure thing. Talk to you soon" Jude hung up her phone and pressed the intercom to speak to the guys. "Guys, I have a call and you guys are just about done, so why don't we call it a day early?" The smile on her face gave away who Jude was talking to.

"Ooooh...you have a phone call to take?" Spied teased Jude. He knew it had to be Tommy—that was the only person who could get Jude to smile that wide.

"Shut it Spied, I have to tell him about Darius' offer anyways. I'll talk to you guys later—are we still gonna jam later?"

"You know it, Dude. Talk to you later." With that, the boys grabbed their instruments and stuff and left the studio. Though they were a bit crazy, she loved the guys. They had grown especially close over the past couple of years since Tommy had gone to New York City. She had originally met them when she first started interning at G Major four years ago. Her sister, Sadie, and her sister's boyfriend, Kwest, had gotten her an internship at G Major, where Kwest was a producer. The guys ended up showing her around her first day there. They were studio musicians, hired to help record the backtracks for different artists. Eventually, they got their own recording contract, thanks largely to Tommy, and Jude eventually became their producer. Speaking of which, she needed to call Tommy back.

Getting up from her chair in the booth, Jude grabbed her phone and headed outside. Sitting down on the staircase, Jude speed-dialed her best friend.

"Hi again" Tommy answered after the first ring.

"Hey Babes. Sorry it took a few minutes...you know how the guys are." Jude smiled to herself at the thought of her buds.

"Yes, I know how they are." Tommy too smiled at the thought of SME. He knew they were a handful, but he also knew they were pretty harmless and loved Jude like a sister. "Do you have a few minutes?" Tom knew this conversation might take some time and wanted to make sure that they would be able to discuss things uninterrupted.

"I have all the time in the world for you! You know that." Any time that Tommy asked if she had time, Jude knew that it would be a long conversation. "What's going on?"

"Well, I have some news...but how are you?"

The question didn't surprise Jude, she knew that whenever Tommy was anxious about something, it was hard for him to just admit it. As much as he needed to talk things out with Jude, he almost wanted to avoid the questions and confusion surrounding the offer that Darius gave him. The sound of her voice and her laughter relaxed him immediately.

"Nope, we aren't doing that Babes. What's going on?" Jude had chuckled when he asked how she was, but she knew there must be something serious going on.

Tommy smiled at the familiar term of endearment. To anyone listening in on their conversation, it would seem as though they were together. To them, it was normal. The "Babes" had come about when a crazy ex-groupie of Boyz Attack interned at G Major over three years ago, when Tommy was still based in Toronto. In order to dis-suede her from hanging on Tommy, they had pretended that Jude was Tommy's girlfriend. To seem more convincing, they had started using nicknames and thus, "Babes" was born. Along the way, "Hon," and "Sweetheart" were also utilized; even when the crazy girl left G Major, the nicknames had stuck. "Well, Darius called me today."

In those few words, Jude knew that this was going to be an interesting conversation. "Wow! What did he say?"

"He told me I could come back to Toronto."

Jude knew that there had to be more to it. "Hon, you're gonna have to give me more. We all knew Darius wouldn't just let you come back...what is he getting out of it?"

"You know it. But first, have you heard who is headlining the tour that SME is going on?"

"No. SME doesn't even know who they are opening for. Do you know?" Jude was curious. She had just told Tommy that she was going to go on tour with the guys as an extra sound technician. Darius had agreed to let her become a full-time producer once she got back from tour with the guys. For the past couple of years, she had been assisting Kwest. Every once in a while, he would let her take over, and he always let Jude work with SME. In two weeks, she would be heading out with some of her best friends on a world-wide tour.

"Well, that's where the craziness begins. If I agree, I will be headlining the tour...with the rest of the guys."

There was a moment of silence as Jude processed what Tommy was really saying. "You mean..."

"Yep...Boyz Attack...the Reunion Tour."

The silence on Jude's end finally ended and she quickly exclaimed, "Are you kidding? He wants you to... You are going... Boyz Attack?"

"Yeah..." On the other end of the line, Tommy was silent. He too was a still processing what Darius had asked of him.

Jude knew there had to be more to the story. "Start from the beginning. What does Darius want?"

"Basically, D told me that if I agreed to do the Boyz Attack thing one last time, I could come back to Toronto. He would make me the manager of G Major Toronto and he would move back to New York. I don't know what to do."

The desperation in Tommy's voice was evident to Jude, and her heart broke for him. She knew he would never willingly go back to the life he had as "Little Tommy Q" from Boyz Attack. That was a time in his life he wished he could forget.

"Oh Babes. I'm so sorry." She didn't want to get her hopes up at the prospect of him coming back to Toronto, so she had to know, "Are you going to do it?"

Tommy couldn't tell Jude about Darius' offer to let her go solo, because she wouldn't get the opportunity if he didn't agree. He was lost. "I don't know. Darius promised that this would be the last Boyz Attack thing I ever have to do. If I go through with the tour, it will all be over. And I get to move back to Toronto and we will be the dynamic duo again."

At the sound of "dynamic duo," Jude's heart clenched. She would love for Tommy to move back—she had missed them so much over the past 2 years. When she first came to G Major, even as a lowly intern, they had connected. After only a month, Jude and Tommy became inseparable. He taught her about producing and making music. Thanks to him, her music was better. Thanks to him, she had a job. She would love it if Tommy came back.

"Well, you know I would seriously love it if you came back, but its up to you. I totally support you if you want to go on tour...and hey, you know I'll be there. That will make the whole Boyz Attack thing way better."

The thing was, in Tommy's mind, having Jude on tour would make it actually bearable. She could make anything better. And Tommy knew that Jude would support him no matter what...that's what made her so great. "You know that my life would not be near as complete without you in it. I think I'll have to sleep on it though. So tell me what's going on with the guys."

Jude knew that he was done talking about the Boyz Attack issue for now. "Well, you'll never guess what Kyle did the other day?" Jude giggled as she regaled Tom with tales of her buds.

...

After talking for an hour, Tommy realized he had to go. He had another artist to work with before going back to his apartment. After talking with Jude, he was again reminded of how much he missed her. She was his rock in life, the only one who would call him on his shit and be honest. It was Jude who helped him with his music—he couldn't show his own stuff to anyone else, only her. At the sound of his name being called, Tommy came back to his conversation with Jude. "You alright Hon?" He heard her ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine Babes. I gotta go, but I'm glad we got to chat. I've missed you Harrison."

"Any idea what you're gonna do?"

"Well, I think I'm gonna do it." As soon as he said the words out loud, Tommy knew it was the right choice. Hearing the excitement in Jude's response made him even more sure.

"Are you sure? You're not doing this for me right?" Jude was holding her breath waiting for Tommy's response.

Knowing her well, Tommy said, "Girl, breathe. And yes, I'm gonna do it. I mean, this means its all over—no more Boyz Attack being held over my head. And the best part is that I get to come home." And it was true, he would be going home. New York had never been his home, just a place he was living in the interim. He was finally going home to his girl.

"Yay!" Jude screamed in excitement and, though he couldn't see her, she was jumping up and down.

Tommy could hear what sounded like a crash in the background. "Jude...are you okay?"

"Yep, fine. Just fine. I'm good. I might have almost fallen off the stairs."

Tom laughed at Jude's clumsiness. She had never been very coordinated, but that was just another of the many reasons he loved her...or at least cared a lot about her. She was just Jude. And for him, that made her perfect. "Just make sure you stay in one piece for the tour. You only have 2 weeks and then we're off!" Tommy was getting more excited by the moment—knowing that he would be seeing Jude in just two short weeks thrilled him.

"I seriously can't wait." The emotion caught in Jude's throat—she literally couldn't wait to see Tommy. And seeing him in two weeks was the start of him coming home.

Tommy nodded before realizing that she couldn't see him. "Me too, Babes, me too." After a moment, he told her he would call her back later to talk about when he would be getting back to Toronto. They said their goodbyes and hung up. As Tommy walked back to the studio, he pulled out his phone one more time to let Darius know his final decision.

"D? I'll do it. I'm in"

"T, that's great! I'll book your travel arrangements and let you know what the plan is. This is going to be huge!" Darius' excitement was evident.

Before Darius could go on, Tom stopped him. "But D, this is it. I agree to do this concert and that means no more Boyz Attack ever, and I get to go back to Toronto. Understood?"

"I got you T, no worries. As part of your new contract, I have signed away my ability to make you do something for the Boyz again." Darius knew that was the only way he would ever get Tom to agree.

"Thanks D. In that case, I'll see you in a couple of weeks. And hey, could you not tell Jude about her recording? I want to tell her."

Darius smiled at Tom's request, he always knew that there was something special between the two. "No problem, Tom. I'll be in touch." With that, Darius and Tom hung up and went back to their schedule. Tom with a huge smile on his face, and dare he say it, a skip in her step. Things were starting to turn around.