So here's the newest chapter. Lately I've been going through a craze of writing for Untimely Betrayal. I tend to always be focused on one story over the other. If you're a fan of both it's a win-win but hopefully I'll get back to TA soon. There are some big things coming up, at least one of which I think will surprise you. It certainly surprised me when I realized I was going to do it...

Chapter 26: Glimpse

"Jude Harrison?"

Jude glanced up to see a balding man in a white doctor's coat standing in the doorway. She smiled. Always be polite and appealing; that was what the image consultant she'd met with after winning Instant Star had told her. When you're put in the limelight your main assignment is one thing; make people like you.

"My daughter is a huge fan," he smiled and she found herself comforted by the Crow's feet around his warm brown eyes, "I'm Doctor Stevens. So, how are you doing today?"

She shifted in her seat and nodded, "I'm fine," she motioned Tommy, "This is Tommy." Offering further explanation of Tommy and his existence was either complicated or a lie. She wasn't fond of either.

Dr. Stevens extended his hand to Tommy, "The proud father."

The briefest of glances was exchanged between Jude and Tommy before he nodded to the doctor, "Add anxious and excited to the mix and that about sums it up."

"Well I won't keep you waiting any longer," he pulled up a chair and positioned himself beside Jude's abdomen. He turned and motioned to Tommy who had been sitting by the door. "Come closer."

Jude could tell from Tommy's posture that he was uncertain as he walked over to her. She smiled in reassurance and patted the chair next to her head. He smiled quickly and sat down.

"Could you pull your shirt up to expose your stomach please?" Dr. Stevens asked.

Jude exhaled slowly and lifted the hem of her shirt with shaky fingers. She'd never been the midriff exposing kind of girl and now exposing a rarely seen part of her self in front of two guys felt a little awkward. She admonished herself that she'd have to expose far worse by the conclusion of her pregnancy.

She looked down at her stomach, feeling a pang of shock at just how unfamiliar it had become.

Dr. Stevens smiled reassuringly as he squeezed some gel out of a tube, "This will be a little cold," he warned as he spread it on her lower stomach.

She felt her body recoil the instant the cool gel met her skin and instantly her heart rate quickened. She could feel her breathing getting shaky as drops of sweat formed on her lower back. She really didn't want to be here.

Sensing her discomfort, Tommy casually reached for her hand, taking it between his large, warm hands. He squeezed reassuringly and didn't let go.

Dr. Stevens began moving a small plastic object that resembled an old fashioned hand held grocery scanner, over her belly. As he applied subtle pressure a hazy black and white image appeared on the monitor next to him.

"There we go," he pointed to a spot on the screen but Jude's eyes were fixed on the ceiling as she blinked quickly, attempting to brush away the tears that were threatening to fall. She stubbornly refused to look.

"That's it there?" She heard Tommy's voice next to her ear and frowned at how unfamiliar it seemed. He sounded so young and awe filled. He sounded so very far away, both metaphorically and physically, as if his voice were echoing down a long panic filled tunnel to where she was cowering in the far corner.

She took a deep breath and snuck a glance at the monitor. At first, it was just a bunch of obscure shapes but her eyes grew accustomed to the image she made out a round shape attached to an oval shape. She felt a flutter in her stomach as the baby kicked. On screen two miniscule, feet-like objects moved about in accordance with the motion she could feel within her.

Her eyes were fixed on the screen, her lips parted and a soft, "Oh," slipped out without her even noticing.

Tommy leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her neck. "That's your baby, Jude," he whispered in his same husky voice, now laden with emotion. He ran his thumb along the back of her hand and she tore her eyes away from the screen just long enough to smile at him.

Dr. Smith's voice interrupted their brief moment, "Do you want to know the sex?"

She spun back to face him, "Can I?" He nodded in response and she found herself turning back to Tommy, "Should I?"

He smiled softly and shrugged, "It's up to you."

She remembered his comment when they'd first visited the doctor's and chose his wishes as her answer; simply on the ground that it was what he would have chosen. Perhaps if she'd opted to think more she would have come to the conclusion that it was also what she wanted too but that wasn't the point. She wanted to do something for Tommy, no matter how small or minor it was. "I do," she responded breathlessly.

The doctor moved the scanner, his eyes fixed on the screen. Jude was still mesmerized by that little body as it raised a hand to its face and began to suck its thumb. She felt it kick again and on screen its arms and feet flailed about. She couldn't suppress the chuckle that rose up from deep inside her, or the single happy tear that escaped her eye.

"Jude, Tommy," Dr. Stevens spoke slowly, prolonging the excitement like a host on a talent show, "You're having a girl."

Jude's mind instantly flittered back to the dream she'd had at Christmas time and the blonde haired girl playing in front of the fireplace – the girl who called her 'Mommy', who looked so familiar.

In her mind she saw ribbons and dresses, lipstick and dolls. All the things typical little girls loved. Suddenly her child was no longer a series of blobs on a monitor but a living, breathing person she could almost envision in her mind.

She smiled at Tommy, "A girl."

He grinned, "I've always wanted a daughter."

It wasn't until later that she stopped to reflect on the meaning of his statement.

---

"So how are you feeling?" Tommy asked as they crossed the parking lot to his waiting Porsche.

Jude opened her mouth to answer but failed to find the words to express the sheer quantity of overwhelming feelings that were bouncing around inside her. She gazed up into the cloudless sky, feeling a chilling evening breeze wrapping around her. She opened her mouth then closed it, shrugging her shoulders in defeat.

"I never thought I'd see the day – Jude Harrison, speechless."

The smile that had been glued to her face since the ultra sound stretched into a grin as she shook her head at him, "She's beautiful," she said in an awe filled tone.

"She is," he fished his keys out of his pocket and pressed the button to unlock the car. The beeping response from the car drifted to his ears just as a blinding flash caught Jude's eyes, originating from somewhere to her left.

She shook her head as she climbed into the passenger seat. Not even Paparazzi could bring her down from the high she was currently experiencing.

---

Jude was the first to notice the figure slouching at the door to Tommy's apartment when the two of them stepped out of the elevator. She glanced over at Tommy in time to see his shoulders stiffen and expression darken as he spotted him.

She neither sped up nor slowed her walk, so determined to be unaffected by him, though the fact was the opposite. "Justin," she remarked in a monotonous tone when she reached him.

He hadn't noticed them approaching and at the sound of Jude's voice he spun around to face her.

"What are you doing here?" she wasn't offering any sympathy. Her voice was harsh and her expression matched it.

He glanced between her and Tommy, "I came to talk to you."

Tommy brushed past Justin, acting as if he weren't even there and purposely crashing his shoulder into his chest as he passed him. He unlocked the door to the apartment and looked back to her, "Jude?" He tone was partially questioning and partly commanding. She felt torn as she glanced between the two men.

"I guess you should come in then," she finally said to Justin.

---

Tommy was drumming his fingers against the tabletop and gritting his teeth as he glared at Justin who was seated across from him. Jude was preparing tea. Why she was playing hostess and serving Justin was beyond Tommy but the warning look he'd received had been clear on vocalizations of such thoughts.

She handed Tommy his cup then set Justin's down in front of him with a little too much force, causing the tea to slosh over the sides and onto the clean surface. Justin cringed.

"I'm sorry about running out the other day," he explained, "I was feeling a little overwhelmed."

"Been there," Jude responded in a clipped tone as she sat down between him and Tommy, "Kind of every day for the last five and a half months even."

Tommy leaned forward and set his cup down on the table with similar force to Jude, "What do you want Justin?"

"To help Jude. To be a part of this," something about the way he said it, or maybe his facial expression, left Tommy unconvinced.

"Huh. Really?" he tilted his head mockingly, staring Justin down.

Jude had a bizarre mental image of the two of them having a kicking battle under the table that separated them, like the boys at her grade school had sometimes had done during lunch. She shook the thought away and quickly fell back to the seriousness of the situation.

"What, you want me to take a lie detector test? Yes, really!" he turned to Jude, ignoring Tommy and breaking his challenging gaze, "I screwed up but I want to make up for that. Whatever you need from me; I'll do it."

Jude had been watching the light reflecting on the spilt tea on the tabletop as the two men challenged one another. She closed her eyes and ran Justin's words over in her mind. Perhaps if she replayed them enough she would actually believe them. Perhaps she'd find some semblance of authenticity.

"Sounds too good to be true," she lifted her gaze to his eyes, "and if there's one thing you've taught me; always be a skeptic."

"Come on sweetie, I taught you a little more than that," he responded suggestively, his eyes icy.

Tommy was a flash as he leapt from his chair and dragged Justin from his. He didn't waste time circling the table and it was knocked over as he dragged Justin across it. Jude gasped and leapt back, cringing as their cups fell to the floor and instantly shattered. Tommy shoved Justin up against the wall but Jude's cries interrupted.

"Tommy, let him go."

He glanced at her incredulously.

"I can handle this. Please?"

He slowly released his grip on Justin's collar and let his hands fall to his sides. Still panting in surprise and fear, Justin straightened his collar, a smirk creeping onto his features. Tommy spotted it and swung his fist to punch him but Jude caught his elbow just as it passed his shoulder on its way to Justin's face.

"Tommy! Please! You're scaring me! Could you just… leave for a minute?"

He turned to face her and she took a step closer to him, fixing her eyes on his. They were so close their shoe clad toes were touching. He lowered his head until they were eye level, their faces almost touching.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him," he spoke in an intense hushed whisper.

"I'll be fine. You'll just be in the next room."

"Jude. No-"

"I'm not asking. Her tone was assertive but her eyes were pleading with him as she scanned his face. Finally he complied and she watched with a trace of sadness as he walked out of the room.

"Look, I'm sorry about that," Justin spoke as soon as soon as he heard Tommy's bedroom door close behind him. "You were both just painting me as the villain so I guess I just played the part for a second. I was out of line. I'm sorry."

She turned to him, her hands crossed over her chest defensively. "Or you were just being yourself."

He shook his head, "You're not making this easy," he spoke in a whining tone.

She threw her hands into the air, "That's because it's not easy. You think it's been easy for me? Have you got any idea what I've been going through?"

He shook his head, "No, but I'm starting to understand. I haven't told my parents. I haven't told anyone. Their reactions… I've been too scared."

"Yeah? Well multiply that by a hundred and maybe you'll have a small idea of what I've been feeling."

He took a step toward her and she matched it with a step back. "Please, I'm trying to do the right thing. Let me?"

"Fine; I'll think about it." She pointed to the door, "but now I think you should leave."

---

After Justin's departure, Jude went straight to her room, closed the door and turned the music up. Tommy took the hint; she needed some alone time and that suited his plans just fine.

He slipped out of his room and padded silently past Jude's door. He raced out of the apartment and into the hallway in time to spot Justin reaching the elevator at the far end. Not making a sound, Tommy ran to catch up with him.

It wasn't until Justin was inside the elevator and had turned around to punch in his floor that he spotted Tommy's fast approaching form. He rolled his eyes and punched the close door buttons quickly, all the while attempting to look calm an unfazed, rather then let on his nervousness. He was only closing the door because he couldn't be bothered dealing with Tommy… not because he was scared of him…

"Hold it!!" Tommy dove forward and managed to squeeze in between the closing doors just in time.

"Man! What do you want?" Justin cried in exasperation.

Tommy strode over to Justin, closing the distance between the two as he towered over him threateningly; the act having a greater affect in the confined space. Almost instantly he had Justin backed into the wall. Without breaking his threatening glare or turning away, Tommy reached behind him and pressed the elevator stop button. The elevator halted suddenly – mid floor, causing Justin to scramble for his balance momentarily while Tommy stood unfazed.

Justin was alarmed by Tommy's presence, the halted elevator and most of all the eerie silence. "Trying the strong silent type routine are you? What is this?" he spat.

"You are scum. You know that?" Tommy asked in a low and emotionless voice.

Justin crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, a muscle twitching in his jaw and betraying his irritation.

Tommy took another step forward, invading Justin's personal space and having a definite effect. He jabbed a finger into his chest bruisingly.

"You aren't a man! You know that? A man doesn't treat a woman the way you treated Jude. He doesn't physically force her to do something she doesn't want to do and he DOESN'T take advantage of the situation to get what he wouldn't otherwise have gotten!"

"Look, I don't need this! I don't give a damn about what you think!" he tried to shove Tommy away but it didn't work. Though they were roughly the same height, Justin was thin and lanky while Tommy was bulkier and muscular. Justin was younger but not so much that his youth made him stronger and faster; just young in the realms of inexperience. It was Tommy who would win in a fight and they both knew it.

Tommy continued unfazed, "and then you come in here now and treat her like that!"

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"It was pathetic!" He leaned his face in close to Justin's as he grabbed his upper arms and shoved him back against the wall, hard. "So I'm telling you right now-" each time Justin looked away Tommy would shift his head to keep his face right in front of him. "That if you ever treat her that way again; you will suffer. If you let her down, you will suffer. If you hurt her in ANY way, I will make you suffer. You got that?"

Teasers for Chapter 27: Convincing

Feeling like a character in some insane sitcom or teen soap, Tommy grabbed Jude's shoulders and pulled her close to him. She barely let out a surprised squeak before his lips descended on hers. Her hands found their way to his chest and she attempted to push him away as she wrenched her mouth away from his.

Note: please don't just comment on the teasers. I really want to hear your comments on the chapter.