Jude and Jess visited everyone in Toronto before returning home. Both Jess and Jude had fallen fast asleep on the plane ride home. The next day, Jude had returned to her class, still slightly tired, but was eager to get started on the presentations. When she had arrived, the class was fully alert and prepared to perform their cover song.
"Hello class, we will be doing this all at random, I'll draw a name from a hat and that person will perform first. Now let's get started," Jude said reaching into the hat and pulling at the first name.
"Mr. Glen! Please come up to the front, sit on the stool and amaze us with what you have done with your cover song," Jude said taking a seat in the back of the class room.
Craig Glen grabbed his acoustic guitar and made his way to the front of the room. Definitely a mysterious kind of guy, he was a freshman with out a doubt, but he looked to be someone not to underestimate.
"Um, my cover is "Drive" by Incubus," he said a little softly and he began to play the song.
The acoustics were softer, and Craig's voice made the vocals stand out a lot more than the original had. Craig was really molding the song to his own, while still leaving the song as it was. Jude smiled and took notes and nodded a long with the changes and the song. As soon as Craig finished, everyone applauded giving him compliments, and Jude couldn't help but notice that the girls were nearly swooning as soon as he returned to his seat.
"Our next victim is-" a sharp knock at the door was heard. Jude looked out the window of the door and immediately realized who it was.
"Excuse me class, I'll be back only in a few," Jude said putting the hat down and walking towards the door.
When she opened the door she saw Tommy leaning against the wall. He still had that perfect lean that made Jude's heart melt. But as far as she was concerned, she couldn't allow his little body movements and natural aspects have an affect on her.
"Ok, I know I signed the papers, but that does not mean you can come and interrupt me at work," Jude said clasping her hands together.
"Well hello to you too, sorry to disrupt the class, but I thought I'd stop by and let you know that I'm buying a house down here," Tommy said.
"What? Why?" Jude asked.
"Well I'm going to be coming down here weekly to see Jess, am I right? So instead of dishing out money, I've decided to just buy a small house out here to stay at during the weekends when I see Jess," Tommy said.
"Ok, fine, but why are you telling me this now? Couldn't you have just called me?" Jude asked getting a little annoyed now that she and Tommy were starting to work hand in hand as parents.
"Because I was hoping that after you were done teaching, you could help me look for a house," Tommy said with hope in his voice.
Jude gave him an incredulous look. "You're not serious are you? We JUST started talking again, I JUST let you back into my life and into Jess's for the first time and you want me to come help you look for houses?"
"Only because one, we mind as well try and get along since we'll be seeing each other a lot more, and two, you know the area a lot better than I do," Tommy stated, he had a point, but Jude was really not in the mood for this.
"Fine, you have my address, just give it to your driver or whatever and I'll meet you back at my place with Jess and we'll go looking for a house for you," Jude said, completely giving in with a sigh.
"Thanks Jude," Tommy said with a smile. So far so good were his only thoughts.
Jude turned around to get back to her class when she saw the whole class just looking at her in disbelief.
"What?" Jude asked.
"I knew Jess's dad was famous but GOD! I knew her blue eyes were so familiar!" a girl remarked.
"Ok, Becca, you're assignment for tonight is a 4 page essay, single spaced, on musical composition," Jude said emotionless. She was not going to tolerate comments about her personal life.
"But Miss Harris-"
"No buts, my personal life is exactly that and will not be brought up in front of the class ever again. That goes for everyone in the class, do I make myself clear?" Jude said firmly sitting on her desk. The class just stayed silent and Jude picked another name out of the hat.
"Dana, you're next," Jude said flatly placing the hat back on the desk as she took her seat in the back of the room again.
The bell rang as always, Jude was still packing up while Jess waited at the doorway for her. Jess recognized the hurried body movements, the furrowed brow, and the slight frown on her face.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Jess asked walking up to her and placing her hand on Jude's back.
"It's nothing sweetie, let's just get going, it turns out your dad is going to buy a house out here for when he comes down every weekend, he wants us to help him pick one," Jude said as they exited the school.
"You're kidding? God, and I thought you were unpredictable," Jess remarked putting her guitar along with her mother's in the trunk.
"Yeah, I know," Jude said exhaling a sigh of anticipation.
((sorry I'm going to have to jump a little bit time wise, it's now a month ahead, Tommy bought a house only 10 minutes away from Jude's. Tommy and Jess have a steady relationship as father-daughter, but there's still some tension there.))
It was Friday afternoon and Jess was doing some homework while Jude was cooking dinner for herself since this weekend was going to be the first of Jess staying a whole weekend at Tommy's.
"Jess, don't forget to bring your homework with you, your dad is going to be here in about 10 minutes," Jude said while Jess responded with a "Yes ma'am,"
The doorbell rang and Jess got up to answer it. Tommy was standing there keys to his now not only precious, but classic, viper in hand.
"Hey Jude, how are you?" Tommy called out to her when he saw her in the kitchen. Tommy loved the image, he wished things hadn't gone so sour to the point where Jude couldn't even wish that he was back in her life in more than one way. Jude gave him a small smile.
"I'm good, you?"
"Good, ready to get going Jess?" Tommy asked, Jess just nodded while she put all her homework in her binder.
"Um, Jess, why don't you go upstairs to make sure you didn't forget anything," Jude said giving her daughter the hint that she'd like to talk to Tommy alone. Jess did as she was told and Tommy looked at her suspiciously.
"What's up Jude?" Tommy asked, knowing something was going on.
"Here's a list of Jess's likes a dislikes, and she's allergic to blue food dye," Jude said.
"How did THAT kind of allergy happen?" Tommy asked.
"You never noticed that I never eat anything blue?" Jude asked with a slight laugh.
"Now that you mention it, I remember finding blue M&M's in the garbage at your apartment a lot," Tommy added with a smile. "Thanks Jude,"
"No problem. So I want Jess home at say, around 4 in the afternoon on Sunday," Jude added.
"Jude? I was kind of wondering…"
"What?"
"I was kind of wondering if next week, during your lunch break or something, if you would like to have lunch with me. Not a date or anything, just lunch between two friends," Tommy said.
"We're hardly friends Quincy," Jude blurted out. She didn't mean to be so blunt and harsh, but there were still a lot of feelings towards him she hadn't let out.
"Well. I understand that, and I kind of want to clear the air then. I want to know where we stand, after all this time," Tommy said
"Ok, how about next Thursday. Wait, how is it you can take so much time from G Major?" Jude asked.
"Oh, I didn't tell you? We opened up a G Major here in Manhattan. I run the studio down here and Kwest runs the one in Toronto," Tommy explained.
"So…you live here, permanently, now?" Jude asked.
"Yeah, that would be the case," Tommy said. "Jess is waiting at the door, I'll see you Sunday Jude,"
Jude just stood in her kitchen, floored at the thought now that Tommy lives only 10 minutes away from her. Was Jude ready for that? Was she ready for Tommy to be this close to her? It had been 16 years since it all happened, but for her, it seemed like only yesterday.
:flash back to where Tommy's left off ((this is all that happened, not just what Jude remembers)):
As soon as the door of Jude's apartment closed, she fell to the floor and started crying. What had she done to make Tommy do such a thing? But she knew she didn't have time to worry about that, she had a child on the way. Their child. Her child. And the only thing she could do now was break the news to her parents, and move away. She couldn't bare staying there anymore, after all that happened, it was all too much for her.
Jude grabbed her bags and threw them in the trunk of her red Jetta as she drove to her Mom's house to break the news to her.
"Oh my god, honey that's great!" Victoria obviously had no clue about what else happened. "Why isn't Tom here telling me this too?"
"Mom…." Jude broke down into sobs.
"Jude, honey. What happened?" Victoria asked.
"He's cheating on me," Jude said crying even harder.
Victoria held her daughter closer to her, feeling her heartbreak just as bad. Sadie heard all of this and grabbed the keys to her car and drove down to G Major. As soon as she got there she saw Tommy and pushed him into the wall with all the force she had.
"Sadie! What!" but before Tommy could create a full sentence Sadie punched him in the jaw.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT! I thought you loved her! I thought you wanted to be with her and marry her!" Sadie yelled now just slapping him.
"It didn't happen like that Sadie! I didn't cheat on her!" Tommy yelled. Kwest's cousin came out and tried to split them up.
"Look! Tommy's telling the truth ok!" Kwest's cousin said.
Sadie looked at her, and recognized her as the woman that has been all over Tommy for the past couple weeks.
"Really? Care to enlighten me then?" Sadie asked, fire, rage, and hate all over her words.
"I made the move on Tommy, as soon as I initiated it, Jude walked in before Tommy had really pulled away. It's all my fault and I'm sorry," she said, shame all over her.
Sadie slapped her across the face.
"You should be. You just ruined my sister's life," Sadie said vehemently as she glared over at Tommy. "You better fix this,"
And Sadie walked out of G Major and drove back to her Mom's house, where Jude was sleeping on the couch with her favorite blanket on her, and Victoria in the kitchen drinking some coffee.
"You never drink coffee," Sadie said sitting down across from her.
"I have my reasons now," Victoria said sarcastically as she looked over at her youngest daughter, who not only now had to nurse a broken heart, but also a baby in a little less than 8 months.
