Chapter 9
is everything okay?

Jessica sidestepped a puddle as she took a shortcut from a nearby parking garage to G-Major, via the alley alongside the building.

Alleyways always creeped her out, even in the middle of the day with people everywhere, she still expected a masked killer to leap out of the shadows at her.

Something caught her attention and she shaded her eyes to look up to the second floor. Jude was sitting on the fire escape, notebook in hand.

"Jude?" she called, waving a hand above her head.

Jude glanced down and smiled when she recognized her.

"Ugh, I don't see how you sit her so calmly," Jessica exclaimed as he clung to the railing and climbed the wobbly ladder to the landing. She paused halfway up to catch her breath then continued.

Jude smiled. "I like it here. It's peaceful."

Jessica gazed out over the alleyway, facing out to the street. She leaned her arms on the railing and closed her eyes, imagining rain falling on a dark night.

"You okay?" Jude asked.

Jessica opened her eyes and shook her head to clear the mental image. "Just daydreaming." She motioned to the notebook in Jude's hand. "Am I interrupting?""

Jude shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No, I'm totally blocked anyway. Don't worry about it. Come sit and chat with me, maybe you'll give me some ideas for a song." Here," she shrugged off her jacket and spread it over the metal floor of the fire escape beside her. "Thanks for dinner the other night, by the way, it was a delicious meal."

Jessica laughed, "but a very tense night. I don't know what was with Tommy."

Jude had moved to the edge of the fire escape and was dangling her legs over the side. Jessica had to look away to suppress the nausea that sprung up at the sight of Jude's feet just dangling above nothing. Jude didn't speak.

"You and Mark seemed really happy. Have you worked things out?"

Jude nodded. "We're starting afresh. I'm still not entirely sure nothing happened but at this point I don't want to know. Nothing good would come from that information and the past is in the past."

Jessica didn't answer. She wanted to agree, to say she was sure everything would be fine but she knew better. She'd had the young rock star husband and she knew the wandering ways. She also knew bad habits die hard and not generally without a major catalyst pushing in the right direction.

Jude leaned back, propping herself back on her elbows as she gazed up into the early afternoon sky.

"You could have some fun from up here," Jessica remarked. "I'd be tempted to water bomb people. If only I had some on me right now. All I'd need is Tommy to come out that door right there and I'm sure I could get him."

Jude laughed. She'd sat upright again and crossed her arms over one another on the lower bar of the railing. "I used to mix chocolate sauce, water and corn flour together. You know, to look like bird poop. Then I'd drop it on my band members heads. They loved that."

Jessica laughed.

"We'd have to lure Tommy out if you wanted to prank him. I never see him back here anymore." Jude frowned.

"A lot of memories I guess."

Jude glanced sideways at her. "There's a lot of memories throughout this building."

Jessica nodded. "But I think this fire escape tops the list of regrets for things handled badly."

Jude inhaled sharply. Jessica noticed she couldn't meet her eye.

"He… he told me, Jude, about the two of you, about everything that did and didn't happen. When we were trying to get our relationship back on track, we realized we needed complete honesty or it would never work. He told me about the numerous women in his life after he left me, and the one night stands," she cringed at the memory. "But the one that stood out to me the most, even when I didn't have a face to put to the name, was you. He felt so bad about the way he treated you and at first I was jealous…"

"I'm sorry," Jude whispered.

"You didn't do a single thing wrong." Jessica patted her arm and smiled a genuine, if not shaky, smile. "After awhile I actually started to feel bad too. I'm sorry you were hurt because of us. I'm sorry he left you the way he did, because of me."

"It was always about you, wasn't it?" Jude remarked, her eyes on the wall across from her. She hoped there wasn't any bitterness in her tone but it was hard. "There were so many girls but he never truly committed to a relationship or even the idea of a relationship with any of them. His mind was in it but never his heart. I think that always belonged to you."

Jessica shook her head slightly, "Maybe a very confused chunk of it but he did care about you Jude. That was real."

"Good to see you back man," John declared, slapping Mark on the back as he walked up to the makeshift stage that had been set up in a hired Warehouse for their band rehearsal. "Promise me you won't go falling off this one too, okay?"

"I still maintain that I was pushed," Mark insisted with a grin.

"Right, by the ghost of that imaginary fan girl who died at that concert last year, right?"

"Right, only it was a guy. No imaginary female ghost would be strong enough to push me off a stage." Mark slowly climbed the stairs to the stage, wincing slightly. His leg ached and he still felt a little strange on his feet but he was determined to get back to band rehearsals. The tour had already been delayed by a month and he wasn't going to allow for another week.

"Right," John laughed. "The other guys just texted to say they're pulling up outside. I'm gonna go help them with their equipment. You stay and reacquaint yourself with the theory of gravity."

Mark waved him off with a laugh. He could already feel the rush of adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins as he walked to the front of the stage and wrapped one hand around the microphone stand. He could hear the roar of the crowd, feel the blinding effect of the spotlight, the vibrations from the amps pumping around the stage. He closed his eyes, letting it all soak in, leaving behind Mark, the stay at home dweeb with the bum leg and becoming Mark, the rockstar.

He was so caught up in the feel of it, in the new song beginning to run through his head that he didn't hear the tapping sound of approaching stiletto heels. He opened his eyes and half turned to check the drum set when he caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eyes, a very pleasing feminine figure. He jumped, let out a curse and knocked over the microphone stand, all in one split second.

"Wow, Marky. I don't remember so jumpy," the blonde chuckled to herself and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. There was a glitter in her eyes, a confidence to the slow seductive smile that graced her lips and it was all far, far too familiar.

"Brittany," he sighed and leaned down to pick up the microphone stand. "What are you doing here?"

I came to see you silly." She started up the stairs, each step slow and seductive, allowing him to focus on each mini skirt clad, tanned leg as she moved. "You're leaving in a couple of days and I couldn't go three months without seeing you once more time."

"Brit, it was a one time thing. Been there, done that."

She barely let on that the words had registered. Her smile faded to a pout and the glitter in her eyes darkened to a determined glint. "You must let me know where you're staying," she continued as if she hadn't heard him. Closing the distance between them she placed a finger on his shoulder and slowly ran it down his arm as she slowly circled him. "So I can come visit you."

He remained stoic as she circled him like a python poised to attack. "It's over."

"It didn't feel over." Anger was creeping into her voice. "Especially consider your bimbo wife and that self-righteous producer turned up and interrupted."

Mark gritted his teeth as she insulted Jude. Calmly, he reached out and with gentle but firm movements, pushed her away. She took a step back, glowering in surprise.

"I. Love. My. wife." He paused between each word, enunciating clearly. "I'm not cheating on her. "

She lifted her chin. "Not anymore you mean?"

"Go away Brittany."

She took a few more steps back then stopped. She was jumpy, anger coursing through her. She flipped around, her hair circling around her like a dislodged golden halo. "I could go see her, you know. I should see her, tell her all about our little meeting."

A muscle twitching in his jaw was the only betrayal of how much the threat scared him. "Go ahead," he bluffed, "I told her all about you, and all the others. You weren't the only one Brittany. You weren't special. You weren't anything."

As quickly as it had arisen, the fire left her eyes, replaced with true hurt. For a second he felt a twinge of guilt for using her and caring nothing for how she might feel.

"You weren't the first but you've got one defining feature honey, you're the last."

Jude hugged her arms around herself tightly as she watched Mark shake hands with numerous staff members in the G-Major lobby. She could have sworn she actually heard the bus engine start up outside, and she could almost see the electrical thrill running through Mark at the prospect of the tour, of the escape.

She averted her eyes to the carpet, to the meandering blur stripes against the black. The room was abuzz with conversation and she knew she should be a conscientious wife and smile and be excited for the band but she couldn't.

A door opened behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see Tommy coming out of one of the studios. He closed the door quietly behind him then paused in the hall. His eyes met hers for a moment and she glanced away. Mark was walking over to her, his eyes on Tommy.

"Well, this is it," he said, "I should be going. You're going to be okay without me right?"

She rolled her eyes, "of course."

"You know, you could come with me. I know you need to finish up everything back her but you could join me in a few weeks." There was urgency in his voice, almost a tone of desperation.

"Maybe," she shrugged. "I've just got my tour coming up next year and I feel like some time at home."

"Yeah," he pulled her into his arms and she pressed her face into the side of his neck, inhaling the scent of him and feeling the warmth of his body spread to hers. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too."

He pulled back, his hands on his shoulders. She smiled a wobbly smile as a tear spilled from her cheek. He kissed it a way and smoothed a hand through her hair, than he turned and was gone.

She took a deep breath. Everyone was flocking outside to wave off the bus but she'd had enough good-byes. She brushed past Tommy and headed down the corridor to her favorite studio.

Jessica had been chatting with the G-Major receptionist when she spotted Jessica on the street outside. She was locking her car and repeatedly tossing the shoulder strap of her purse over her shoulder as it insisted on sliding down to her elbow. The bright midday sun caught her dark hair, making it shine but there was a definite strain showing on her normally pretty face.

"Jessica," Jude moved toward her as she stepped through the automatic doors. "Are you okay?"

Jessica's eyes flittered to her face and a small frown peppered her forehead. She shook her head softly, slowly, as if the motion made it ache, and smiled. "It's fine. Is Tommy here?"

Jude shook her head. "He's out supervising the purchase of new studio equipment. He probably won't be back until later this afternoon. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Mhmm," she sighed. "I think I just need to sit down for awhile."

Jude led her to one of the sofas and shifted cushions as Jessica slowly lowered herself onto the seat. "Can I get you something to drink? Maybe some sugar will help?"

Jessica nodded faintly. "Green tea?"

Jude flipped open her cell phone as she boiled water in the kitchen. She didn't have Tommy's number in her address book. It was one of those things she'd been avoiding to protect herself but he'd called a week ago when he was trying to locate a guitar she'd been using at G-Major. She scrolled through her received calls until she found the number and pressed call.

"You've reached Tommy Quincy. Please leave a message."

She sighed. "Tommy, it's Jude. Jessica just arrived looking for you. She doesn't seem well, she's really pale and acting dizzy. I just wanted to let you know." She hung up the phone and tucked it into her pocket as she picked up Jessica's drink.

A blur of movement surrounded the sofa she'd left Jessica at. People knelt in front and leaved over the back as hushed voices whispered things like, 'is she breathing?', 'someone called an ambulance right?' and 'what happened?'

The mug fell unnoticed from Jude's hand, shattering against the wooden floor and sending hot liquid spilling everywhere. She pushed her way through the crowd and fell to her knees in front of Jessica.

She looked peaceful, her body slumped sideways on the sofa as if she were sleeping, her hair spilling around her.

"She just collapsed," the receptionist explained. "I don't know what happened. I've called an ambulance."

"She is breathing," one of the older studio musicians reported. He held her wrist between his thumb and index finger and nodded. "Her pulse is a little weak but okay."

"So she just fainted?" someone asked.

"But why?" anther echoed. "Shouldn't she have woken up already?"

Jude smoothed Jessica's hair away from her face. Her skin was flushed and warm to the touch. "Jessica? Honey, can you hear me?"

Teasers for Part 10

She could tell her presence was making Tommy uncomfortable but then she'd long since reconciled the fact that they did that to one another and it would probably never change.