Disclaimer: Don't own Instant Star.

AN: Sorry it has taken me so long to get the next part of this story out. I am still kind of setting it up for what is to come. I have been working on this chapter for months. It has come a long way since I first started it. Hope you like it.

Enjoy.

The wheels rolled on and the bus was starting to feel more like a reformatory. She didn't have any personal, private space and it seemed wherever she turned there was always someone beside her. When she wanted to be alone, she couldn't and it was making things difficult.

It had been the longest five months of her life. She marked the days on a calendar and after the third day she had wanted to turn around and go back home. She knew she was going to be without him regardless, but at least he would be around. Out on the road she couldn't call him, she couldn't accidentally bump into him, and he was just a memory and a picture.

She sat on the bus staring out the window, a boy on each side of her, throwing things over her head. She was oblivious, concentrating only on the miles until she was home. She hadn't seen him since he left that night. She hadn't talked to him, no letters, no phone calls, no email, no contact what-so-ever and it was killing her. She longed for his touch, to see his face, his smile, to feel the warmth of his body against hers, to kiss his lips once more.

Every fraction of her being was yearning for every part of his. She had five extensive months to think about everything and she determined that they could make it work. They would make it work. She would rather be with him and trying then be without him knowing that they were destined for one another.

Everything outside the windowpane was distorted when all of a sudden it started to slow down, the trees started looking familiar, the curves of the streets felt like home, the surroundings were that which she loved.

The bus came to an absolute standstill, while everybody else cheered and began to depart the bus, she continued sitting. Unexpectedly she was anxious—it was like the first time she ever met him all over again. The nerves were kicking in, her breathing was getting heavy and she was insecure of herself. Afraid of how he was going to act around her, she suddenly wished she were back on the road with more time to think about this. Granted she had put so much thought into this already, but not once in all of her scenarios did she ever think about what would happen when it in fact became a reality and what would happen if he didn't want to be with her. What if he wasn't willing to try and give them another chance?

She pulled herself together, finally standing up from the bench she was sitting on and exited the bus. She breathed in the fresh air as she glanced around her—after five long months of not knowing where she was and knowing no one but the people on the bus with her—she felt home. A smile played on her lips as she took her first step towards the front entrance of G Major. She was home.

She stretched out her body in an effort to delay the inevitable. Not wanting to rush back into the studio, she slowly began pacing towards the front door, breathing deeply she gently grabbed the handle as she moved her body back into the proverbial.

In a matter of seconds all eyes were on her. She was hailed with welcomed hugs and smiling faces, trying her best not to appear distracted, she glanced around the room little by little, her eyes darting from every corner and every wall in a timely manner. So many welcoming faces and yet none of them the one she wanted to see.

Her eyes settled on her sister from across the room, Sadie gently moved towards her, arms extended. They promptly engulfed Jude, if it wasn't Tommy, she was glad it was Sadie. No matter what happened between the two of them over time, there really was nothing like the love of a sister's hug. As much as they didn't get along most of the time, Sadie was always there for her and although she didn't express it enough, Jude deeply appreciated it.

Unexpectedly the tepid warmth of her sisters breath against her ear distressed her, "He's gone," she whispered.

Jude jerked away instantaneously and gazed into her sister's eyes, she skewed her head, narrowing her eyes, hoping to see a lie.

"It's been three months," Sadie pulled her close for another hug, her arms gripping her tightly, "I'm sorry."

The words swarmed through Jude's head, she pulled away shaking her head in disbelief, staring at her sister now standing unaccompanied. She felt her heart breaking all over again, only it had never healed from before.

Jude took this opportunity to turn around and exit the studio which she had just entered moments ago. She couldn't stand everyone looking at her, watching her, feeling sorry for her because they all knew. They all knew he was gone and they knew he didn't tell her.

The instant she stepped outside the tears began to fall—they ran down her cheeks landing on her shirt, soaking it through in only a matter of minutes. Three months. It had been three months since he left and he didn't even bother to tell her. She never thought he would do such a thing, but then again she never thought he would do a lot of things he did.

She found herself unhurriedly drifting around the parking lot. She couldn't bring herself to go back on the bus. She spent countless hours visualizing their reunion, now that she knew there wouldn't be one she couldn't bring herself to even look at it. She aimlessly sauntered around, not paying attention to where she was headed she found herself outside their apartment building, her apartment now.

She stopped dead in her tracks, recognizing where she had unconsciously led herself. It was going to take all the determination she had to disengage that door and step inside to what was a constant token of him.

Together they were tangled in the sheets of her bed. Their legs intertwined his feet playing with hers, trying to keep them warm. She rested her head on his chest, his left arm caressing the silkiness of her back.

The sun was forcing its way through her window, casting a golden radiance on the both of them.

"I don't want to go to the studio today," she whimpered next to him, "I just want to stay here, for the rest of my life, in bed with you."

"I could get used to this," he kissed her hair, "waking up next to you every morning, it's not so bad."

She tilted her head up to look at him, "I am used to this," she smiled, crinkling her nose.

He slid down so their faces were now even, he kindly rubbed her nose with his own before engulfing her in a good morning kiss.

She moaned against him, their bodies melding as one, their warm moist lips tingling with excitement.

She released herself, "I have something for you," she turned her back away from him, leaning across the bed and towards her night stand.

She opened the top drawer, he could hear her rummaging through some things before she happily turned back facing him.

Her arms hidden behind her back, she sat up, the sheet wrapped loosely around her bare body, "Pick a hand," she giggled.

"Left," he held out his own hand.

She slowly removed her arm from behind her back, her hand balled tightly into a fist she brought it towards him, resting it in his own before she opened her palm flat against his.

"For you," she removed her hand to reveal a shiny gold key resting in his palm, "Now we can have this every morning," she leaned forward and fell on top of him, kissing him with every fiber of her being.

He looked at her momentarily, "Does this mean…" he trailed off.

He didn't even have to finish his sentence because she was already nodding her head in agreement, "Yeah," she straddled him, "We can go get the rest of your things later."

He leaned up to kiss her fully on the mouth, "Are you sure?"

"Welcome home," she grinned.

He quickly turned her so her back was on the bed and he was hovering above her, before he simply lowered himself on top of her.

When she treaded through the threshold she was immediately over-whelmed. She gasped at the sentiment it gave her, tears decanting down her face once again. Everything was different. It was no longer their apartment but hers. All of the love was gone—he took it with him when he left. She glanced around and made a mental note of everything that was absent. That's when she saw it, a white piece of paper sitting on the dining room table, his apartment key resting beside it. She gradually walked over to the note and picked it up, unfolding the crisp paper, her eyes leisurely skimmed the letters.

All my love, always and forever,

Tommy

She headed straight to the bedroom with the letter still in hand where she collapsed on their bed and cried, clutching the paper securely against her. She was falling apart, unraveling at the seams. She had come home, hoping to make amends only to find that he would rather run away and have nothing to do with her, then even try to be her friend.

He could say he loved her all he wanted, but he wasn't there for her now and now is when she needed him the most.

He had gone back to their apartment the day after she left for tour. He wanted to get it done and over with. Everything had been painful enough and walking back into that apartment was like a knife slicing through his heart.

He came equipped with boxes and packed everything up as swiftly as possible. He boxed all his books, his CD's, his clothes, his toiletries, everything that was his and everything that was theirs, he left for her.

He glanced around the apartment, it almost looked the same, but he knew she would notice every little discrepancy. She had memorized everything that was him, down the freckles on his arms. A tear slid down his cheek as he thought about leaving this place. It had been the first place he called home that actually felt like it. He knew it was because she was there and to him she would always be home, but he told her he would leave and he kept his promises.

Taking a piece of paper from one of the many boxes he had packed, he quickly scribbled a note for her and left it sitting on the table with his key. He had to let her know he loved her, even if it was over, she had to know. He stared at the note for what some might say was a minute too long before exiting the apartment one last time.

It had been two months without her now and he couldn't sleep at night. He missed her next to him. He missed waking up to her, he missed their dinners and cuddling on the couch, he missed dancing with her, and playing pranks on her, he missed watching her get ready for bed, but most of all he just missed her.

Two months had felt like eternity. He didn't know how he was going to endure three more months with no contact, let alone how he was going to undergo an entire lifetime without it.

And then it struck him.

He had to leave.

If he wanted an ordinary life, if he wanted her to have an ordinary life, he had to leave.

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