A/N: By the way, I forgot when I posted the last chapter (I think because that posting was off-schedule) to post the alternate ending to chapter 10 that I promised, but I have done that now, it's in the Happy Birthday Extras story of mine. If you haven't seen it, you can check that out.

Tommy definitely knew something was seriously wrong. Jude knew he must. A year ago he would have been even more concerned at things like her asking in a quiet voice if he would stay with her until she fell asleep, or, when he climbed into bed with her, the way she held tightly to him as if afraid he'd disappear. He surely worried at her tears, too. She'd gotten in the shower as soon as they got home, and he'd followed her in after a few minutes, but she'd been unable to control her crying. He'd wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissed her neck and murmured that he loved her, and she'd begun to sob so hard that he had pulled back in alarm. Before, these things would have been massive red flags. Nowadays, she knew he'd brush some of it off as a bad day, assuming it was about Caroline.

But Tommy knew her, more than anyone else ever had or ever would, and Jude knew he was concerned, that he couldn't shake the feeling there was something else going on. He would figure her out.

She couldn't keep it up forever anyway, she knew. For one thing, the guilt was eating her up. But that was her punishment for betraying him, she told herself. To tell him, to hurt him, just to assuage her own guilt? That was selfish, wasn't it?

But there was another factor, too. Her fitful dreams were filled with Benjamin's angry face, and all day she couldn't shake the worry that his ambition and his anger at her would win out over his common sense.

Could I deny it, if he went to the tabloids? she wondered later as Tommy played the single and it became impossible to avoid thinking about Benjamin. Could I convince Tommy?

No, she realized, as she watched Tommy concentrating on the song. If it were just a question of convincing the fans and the media, she could probably do that. Benjamin didn't have any proof, and it would be his word against hers. He had a substantial and trusting audience, but it was nothing compared to hers. Her relationship with Tommy was well-established, and, despite the bloodthirsty nature of the media, she suspected that most people wouldn't be too quick to assume she'd throw it away. As long Tommy stood by her, didn't leave, backed her up, it would take little more than a flick of her wrist to discredit a rumor that Benjamin had been anything other than an artist with a crush on her. It would take maybe one press statement, a well-worded tweet, and two weeks for it all to blow over, crushing Benjamin's image into dust in the process.

But to convince Tommy? He would want to believe her if she told him nothing happened, and that might be enough to make him stay, play along with the lie, but deep down she knew he wouldn't believe her, no matter how convincingly she lied. He just knew her too well. Besides, she realized, you can't even be convincing when he doesn't suspect anything.

If she came clean, if she told him everything, he would be so hurt and so angry, and he might not forgive her. But if he found out from the tabloids, or, God forbid, directly from Benjamin, and he knew she'd been lying to him? That would be even worse.

"Jude!" Tommy was trying to get her attention.

"What? Sorry." She pulled the nail she'd been biting out of her mouth.

He frowned. "I said, do you mind if I try something?"

"Sure. Go for it."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Jude, you need to actually pay attention to this, or there's no point."

"I'm with you," she insisted. "I'm paying attention."

He rolled his eyes. "Sure you are." But he smiled at her as he explained his suggestion.

With effort, she was actually able to put it all out of her mind for a while, at least enough to concentrate on the music.

"It's looking good, Jude," Tommy said after the hour was almost up. "I mean, like, really good. He's talented, which was clear from the stuff he had online, but you've taken it to the next level." He leaned in and smiled at her. "Would it sound condescending if I said I was proud of you?"

She had to laugh at that. "Maybe, but I'm so used to you being condescending I don't know if I'd notice."

"Ouch," Tommy said with a laugh, but then he frowned a little. "Am I condescending?"

Jude shrugged. "Not all the time. But you have this look you get when you're imparting wisdom upon me."

Tommy looked confused. "A look? What look? I don't have a look."

Jude grinned. "You have a look." She imitated the expression, head tilted slightly, a perfect mix of tenderness and condescension. Tommy just continued to look confused, so she started quoting one of his many speeches. "Writing a song, it's like falling in love," she started in a low voice.

"I get the point, Harrison." He rolled his eyes.

"The chords you want are in the guitar," she continued, quoting a different piece of advice he'd once given. "You gotta coax them out."

"Yes, fine, okay, I did say that. It was a long time ago."

"What about your fans? Don't they matter?" She was overdoing the pout, now, and fighting to keep a straight face. Tommy reached for the ticklish spot in Jude's side and she shrieked, pulling away. He continued to tickle her until she grabbed both of his hands and protested, "Okay, okay! I'm done!"

He pulled back, his smile fading. "I see your point. I guess I do have a look. Sorry for being condescending."

Jude rolled her eyes and leaned in, putting her face close to his. "I like your teacher look."

"Yeah?" He smiled.

"Yes." She kissed him. "It's actually pretty hot."

He laughed at that and kissed her again. Without breaking the kiss, she moved on top of him so she was straddling him in his chair. After a minute, he pulled away, shaking his head. "You're killing me, girl. I have to go soon." He sighed. "Duty calls."

"You have…" she looked over her shoulder at the computer monitor "ten minutes at least." But she didn't kiss him again, instead running her fingers through the hair at his temples and looking at him sadly.

"I meant it about the song," Tommy said, his hands on her waist. "It's good. He's good. And if you keep producing tracks like this one, he'll go far. You both will, if you decide you want to stick with producing instead of performing for a while. I know I was an ass about him, about all of this, but I was wrong. I think you make a good team."

Jude's face contorted briefly with pain. "I don't know about that." She ran a hand through her hair. "I don't think it's going to work out. I don't know if he and I can keep working together."

"Wait, what? Why?" He looked suddenly horrified. "Please tell me it's not because of what I said to him."

"No," Jude assured him. "Not really, I just… It's complicated." She felt like she was going to start crying again and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Jude…"

"Not right now," she said, pleadingly. "We can talk about it later, maybe, but…" She sighed and bent her head down so their faces were close. "Please just kiss me," she whispered. He still looked concerned, but after a moment he did as she asked.

Just after their lips met, they heard the door open. Jude looked up to see Benjamin leaning against the door frame, scowling. "I told you not to come in today," she said angrily.

"And I came in anyway," Benjamin retorted.

"Go away," Jude groaned, and tried to go back to kissing Tommy.

"Jude!" Tommy pushed her away, giving her a "what the hell is wrong with you" look.

She got off of him with a sigh, sitting back in the other chair. "Sorry. Seriously, though, I don't need you today. It's all production stuff from here. Tommy was helping me out." Benjamin's eyebrows shot up and Jude rolled her eyes. "With the song. Another set of ears."

"Right." Benjamin laughed once, a harsh sound. "Looked like you were working hard."

"What do you want, Benjamin?" she snapped. Tommy shot her another look.

Benjamin sighed, un-crossing his arms. "We need to talk."

Rage surged in Jude's veins, hot and sharp. "I really don't think we do need to talk. Possibly not ever again," she hissed before she could stop herself.

"Jude!" Tommy and Benjamin said together. Benjamin looked sad and betrayed, Tommy looked angry.

"What the hell is going on?" Tommy hissed under his breath. Jude just shook her head. He turned to Benjamin. "You know what? I'm actually running late. I'm going to go. You two," he turned back to Jude, "clearly have something you need to deal with."

Jude put her head down on the desk and groaned as Tommy left and closed the door behind him.

"So he has no idea," Benjamin mused, sitting down in the chair Tommy had just vacated.

"What do you want, Benjamin?" she said again, sounding more tired than angry this time.

He ignored her and turned to the computer, pressing play on his song. Jude almost protested, but then figured he had a right to listen to his own single. When it ended, they were both silent for a long moment. "I want that," he said softly, turning to her. "I want you to be my producer. Please, Jude. We're good together. This single, it's better than I've ever sounded."

"I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I just can't, okay?"

His pleading look hardened into a frown. "Then I can't keep my mouth shut."

"What?" she asked, surprised. "Benjamin, are you… trying to blackmail me into producing you?"

He shrugged. "Call it that, if you want. I'd just call it an agreement. If you stay, no one has to know. He never has to find out what happened last night. And I thought about it and…" he sighed "I can see that it may have been a mistake. If you don't want it to, it'll never happen again. We'll be strictly professional. Like it never happened, I promise. That's what you want, isn't it?" He was pleading again, looking at her with wide, sincere eyes.

She considered it. It was, in a sense, what she wanted. For it never to have happened. "And if I say no?"

He frowned. "Then you leave me no choice. I go to the tabloids."

Jude scoffed. "Of course you have a choice."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You think I'm bluffing?"

"No. I completely believe you're stupid enough to make this horrible career move just to spite me. But you know what?" She looked at him with disgust. "I've worked with a gun to my head before, and I'm never going to do that again. My answer is no."

"Think this through, Jude. Think about Tom."

"Don't you dare talk to me about Tommy!" she shouted.

"You're willing to throw your relationship away?"

Jude squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to calm down. "You really think he wouldn't find out? He's not stupid, Benjamin, and he knows me. He already suspects something. You're going to accuse me of throwing my relationship away? My relationship isn't based on lies." Her decision, the one she had really already made, was cemented as she said it. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going to tell him today. I was already planning to. So you and I?" She shook her head. "We will never work together again."

"You're making a mistake!" he shouted.

"I already made my mistake!" she shouted back. "I'm going to own up to it." She stood up and pointed to the door. "Now get the hell out of my studio!"

He stood too, furious. "You'll regret it, Harrison," he spat, turning back to her before he reached the doorway.

She laughed, short and sharp. "So will you. Have fun permanently alienating your audience. Hope it's worth it."

"Fuck you," was his final retort as he slammed the door.

She started to shake as he left, overwhelmed and fearing that she'd made him so angry he'd go screaming it through the halls of Bermondsey. She went to the door and looked surreptitiously into the hallway, but he was nowhere to be seen, having stormed straight out of the building. She stepped back into the quiet studio and sank to the floor, her back against the door, and started to cry.