Tommy and Jude, an instant star fanfic

A/ N: I guess that studying for finals gets the creative juices flowing? Good luck with your finals and wish me luck with mine!

I kind of wanted to make this heroine Karma, but you'll see what I did instead. 8)

Disclaimer: I don't own "Johnny and June" by Heidi Newfield… if you haven't heard the song, then you definitely should listen to it… maybe while reading. :D I changed a few words/ lines up to fit with "Instant Star", so hopefully I didn't ruin the original. :-)

I walk onto the stage. It's enormous; bigger than anything that I've ever played on before. My stomach flitters in nervousness, but I push it aside. In a moment, I will be inside a song and it will not matter that 12,000 sets of eyes will all be on me, their larger- than- life idol.

I take once glance backstage to see them holding hands. They're not too sappy and lovey- dovey, they don't kiss recklessly for the world to see, they seem absolutely content with their fingers entwined, just quietly serenading each other, their partial hearts collaborating to form a whole heart, their beating rhythmic.

I look out to see an ocean of cellphones and highlights of lighters thrown in the mix. The sky is dimming, it's glowing a bright shade of soft pink, more magenta than peach, but pink nonetheless.

I pick up my Gibson guitar softly, cradling it like a baby. It makes me feel as whole as I've ever felt in my entire life.

My heart's beating pace slows down when I connect my body to my guitar. I feel comfortable, like I'm a 15-year-old girl in my bedroom playing covers of the classics. But there's another different feeling, too, like for a moment, the whole world is me; their pain is my pain, their hearts weep with mine, and the sweat tears of victory are felt by us all.

I take a deep breath and pull the microphone towards my lips.

I don't know how to begin; I've never been good with beginnings. I've been exceptional with ending, with closing every broken beginning before it ever starts. Maybe that's why I've never been in love before.

"Good evening. Many of you probably know me, many probably don't. I'm Mia Amore, and not too long ago I won the "Instant Star" competition on Canadian Television. But this night isn't all about me. It's about other people and things too. It's about you, it's about the person next to you, and the person 40,000 kilometers from you, and about the person you can never be near. But this song, it's for a very special couple. I wrote it recently for two very special people in my life, and I hope that they like it. I hope that you like it."

I begin to play my guitar softly, making a sound like Avril meets Tim McGraw meets Taylor Swift.

"Oh there's something 'bout a man in black
Makes me want to buy a Viper
Throw the top back
And roll down to New Brunswick"

I laugh silently to myself, wondering if they caught the lyrics.

Unknowingly, Jude has slipped me bits and pieces of information on Tommy over the last eight months.

Some mornings, Jude will walk in smiling to herself, laughing at Tommy's bad- body leather jacket to go with the image of him who the world sees.

Some mornings, like on my birthday three months ago, Jude started telling me about her sixteenth birthday, when Tommy let her drive his viper on a rooftop.

Then, one time, just after Alex, my now ex-boyfriend and I broke up, Jude told me about a reunion day that she and Tommy once took; of course they just thought that it would be a work day, then. And how she got a glimpse into Lord Squinty Frown's past and learned what made his face so… well… squinty frownish.

I don't know why Jude tells me all of this stuff. I don't know why she thinks that I'm so trustworthy…

"I wanna be there on the stage with you
You and I could be the next rage to
Hear the crowd roar
Make 'em want" more"

When I'm finished this song, Jude and Tommy will take the stage. They'll be singing for the first time ever in public. I know that they sang together at their wedding (I was there), but it was a smallish, fairly private affair.

I know that the crowd will love them and that the crowd will be beyond psyched.

Tommy and Jude: two very sexy, if you will, celebrities. Jude is like the new Avril and Tommy like the new Justin Timberlake; they're both just as musically talented and famous. Together, they are like the new Branjelina: minus all of the kids.

They have even been asked to be in movies. Jude claims that her acting ability is nil, even though 'the business' moguls they claim that anyone can act. And Tommy just laughs deep and subtly, agreeing with his wife.

"Kick the footlights out"

"I've done that before!" I remember Jude laughing once. "I twas kiiiinnndaa tip-seeeee. Keeenda lika nooooow! You shoooooould ASK Tommmmyyyy about hiiis drumpken avenshuures summatima!!"

Maybe I should have listened to Tommy, when he said no bars for Jude's bachelorette party. But Sadie was pregnant and therefore couldn't drink, and I knew that you only get married once (or should only be married once when you have a couple like Tommy and Jude), so I had no choice.

One thing I learned that night, is that Jude has NO alcohol tolerance. Nil. Nada. I swore that I'd seen her drink before, but maybe it was alcohol free or grape juice or something… I'll have to ask her about that sometime… and not when she's drunk… when she's sober.

"I wanna love like Tommy and Jude
Rings of fire burnin' with you
I wanna walk the line
Walk the line
'Till the end of time
I wanna love
Love ya that much
Cash it all in
Give it all up
When you're gone
I wanna go too
Like Tommy and Jude"

To the right of the stage, Tommy and Jude's hand charades have turned into Jude resting her head on Tommy's shoulder, and Tommy's arm wrapped around Jude's lower back; he isn't feeling her up and his hand isn't trying to go down Jude's jeans. It's hard for me to picture Tommy with any other woman besides for Jude; though, from what I've heard, he was quite the player back in his Boyz Attack days.

To the left of Jude and Tommy, I see another G- Major couple. Karma and Spied are two of a kind, I can tell you that. I don't know nearly as much about them, as I do about "Jommy". I guess that they accidentally married in '07, four years ago or so, got their own reality TV show, got exposed, sued the networks, got a load of money, are like filthy rich, and still happy together. They're a bit more... affectionate than Jommy is together. As if their heated public make-out session didn't tell it obviously. I guess that they've tamed down publicly now; their kisses are more chate and less steam, than they use to be, even though they are still practically a sex symbol themselves.

Enough about them though.

Because to the left of Tommy and Jude, and Spied and Karma is Alex. His hands are shoved in his jean pockets and he's wearing a wife beater and dress shirt. He looks… ugh… don't say it Mia…

"I wanna hold you baby right or wrong
Build a world around a rocking song
Pray a sweet prayer
Follow you there
Down in history"

From what I've heard, Tommy and Jude have both had some embarrassing nude photos of themselves in the tabloids at one point or another.

"I don't think that I've ever drunk as much as I did that night… or been as drunk as I was then… not evening on my wedding night…
Jude laughed one night, a couple of days after she returned from her wedding.

"Hey, there's not much you can say about that now… you have more history with that guy than anyone I know…"

"Even you and Alex?" Jude asked.

"UGH. You're changing the topic, Jude."

"I am not! You two, honestly… you're practically pulling what Tommy and I pulled."

"It doesn't matter. All of your crap with him is history now."

"But your and Alex's, isn't."

I don't think that Tommy and Jude would survive without each other.

I heard when Jude made the temporary move to NBR, Jamie Andrews and Paegan Smith's record company, Tommy followed, even though technically, well, legally, actually he still was bound to G- Major. He continued to write songs with Jude, even though legally he could take no credit for him. He had a closet relationship with the girl that's 'owners' were rivals with his 'owners'.

I've even heard that Tommy sold his several of his precious cars to fund their month- long honeymoon to Europe and Asia, where they visited orphans and donated to the orphanages that Jude is so passionate about donating to and had been dying to visit since she had heard about them in school.

When Alex and I broke up, I couldn't imagine living life any longer. Alex was… my song consultant, my best friend, even sometimes my lover… he was… talented and sweet… and… and… I couldn't imaging life without him. When we were together.

I wonder if that's how Tommy and Jude feel about their relationship. Even now, I wonder how they're going to live when they both go their separate ways on their tours…

"Like Tommy and Jude
More than life itself
No-one else
This endless promise
They don't make love like that anymore
Is that too much to be askin' for"

When I walked in on Alex with some model girl, I didn't know that life would have gone on. When, my high school went into lockdown more than I went to classes. When I lost people I loved. I don't know why I went on.

I guess that I stopped believing in love… or maybe I stopped believing in it.

At least, until I saw Tommy and Jude… they made me realize that love did exist… though I don't think that I've ever seen love created… just there and then gone before I could breathe it for myself… and I've been breathing through an oxygen mask my whole life; never being able to breathe on my own.

And although I'll never admit it, I want to be able to breathe by myself… I want to feel love.

I slowly open my eyes, finally beginning to awake from my song. My eyes open from the knowing that a song is finishing, that time will resume.

They slowly roll over to where Tommy and Jude are. Their arms are wrapped around each other, their fingers entwined, their eyes closed heavily but no forcibly, as their bodies sway slightly back and forth in time to my guitar. They look… lost in the moment, looking like they don't believe in a songs end, like I do.

Slowly, I roll my head towards the other end of the stage. Alex is leaning against a supplies box, although he is leaning forwards like he is interested. His eyes are open and are squinted like he is trying to see something clearer. His head is tilted, like he is curious about something.

"Like Tommy and Jude
And when we're gone
There'll be no tears to cry
Only memories of our lives"

I strum a final down-stroke and offer an "I am pleased, I really hope that you liked it" smile to the applauding crowd, stand up, bow with my guitar as the crowd applauds me a second loud time, and exit stage left.

When I finally get off stage, behind the curtains, I allow myself to take a deep, sighing breath.

"You know…" A voice startles me, as my head flicks around to see where the voice is coming from. "I did make a promise…"

I shoot the voice a glare.

"I asked if love existed anymore to a this girl, she said no… I asked this model, she said yes… I guess that this girl was right… love doesn't exist anymore… only promises…"

I raise an eyebrow at him... I mean… what am I supposed to say?

As Alex speaks, he slowly steps towards me… his eyes… they say something else. There's this world inside of them that have nothing but a single spark inside of them. Though I know, that it only takes a single match to set that flame on fire and into dozens of colorful fireworks.

Alex's face is an inch from mine.

Then, I fall. My blue lips are met my exploding red ones. And they're suddenly warm.

Over his shoulder, I see Tommy and Jude facing me; their hands are together, though their eyes embrace the crowd, the moment, and most importantly, each other. Simultaneously, their eyes meet mine.

Tommy turns his head towards me and gives me a look says something like "I told you so. Good things can happen", though I might be wrong: it's a look that I've never seen before. Then, his head turns towards the crowd once more.

Its Jude's turn and she turns her head so that she can see me. She mouths, "I told you so!" with a sleigh smile. And I sigh once more; this time with relief, happiness, and maybe, just maybe… love.

"They'll remember, remember
A love like that"