AN: OMG, you guys are so encouraging! I can't believe that I'd ever get this far! But there's no way I could have ever done this without your encouraging reviews and suggestions! Please keep them coming, and I'll try to make it more interesting. As always, this one's for you (actually, they all are).

Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know this by now, but I don't own any of the characters on Instant Star. Here's the latest chapter. I hope you like it!

Chapter 47:

Jude and I got a few songs down on paper, and after Jude's tour was over, we went back to G Major, where I knew Darius was waiting. As soon as we came in, we were immediately ushered to Darius's office. Jude looked at me, obviously wondering why D was so anxious to see what was up. After a little while, Darius opened the door and barked out, "Good, you're here. Let's see what you got."

Jude looked at me, thinking I could read Darius's mind. I shrugged, and let her go in first.

"Sit down," Darius commanded, as I realized Liam was already in the office.

"Jude, nice to have you back. I hope you've come up with some new tracks. Let's have a look," Darius said. It wasn't a question.

Jude gave the papers to Darius, who shuffled through them briefly. Liam leaned over his shoulder, also glancing at them, and smirked.

Darius coughed suddenly, which I took to be a bad sign. Liam left, and Darius didn't waste time.

"Jude, is this all you got?" Darius frowned.

"Excuse me?" Jude didn't understand.

"Is there anything else you'd like to show me?" Darius struggled to be civil, but I could tell he wasn't happy.

"No, that's it. That's all I got." Jude echoed Darius' words.

Darius paused, then said, "These aren't ready."

Jude was shocked, and judging by the expression on her face, I quickly added, "I'll help her with them." I knew Darius could let us go at any moment, and I didn't want this to be it. If Jude got fired, I'd be out of a job, and Jude was my favorite artist, the only one who didn't make it feel like work.

Jude glared at me, and I knew she wasn't going to change them, not even a little.

"Good, because Jude's sales are slipping, and we need to get them back up. If they keep on going the way they are, we'll have to let her go. So we need a hit, and fast. Or else…" Darius looked from me to Jude and back again. He couldn't be any clearer.

"Gotcha, D, we're on it," I said, standing up and pulling Jude with me. Jude looked like she was about to pop, but I managed to push her out before she blew up.

"What was that all about? My music is great. What does he know? He's the one dressing me up in space costumes and making me do small tours," Jude complained.

"Maybe so," I admitted, remembering how he forced me do taco commercials. "But he does know music, and he knows how to play to the crowd. Just do it, OK? For me?"

"Fine, but I swear, if he makes me look like a hooker, I'm so outta here." For a moment, I pictured Jude as one, where she was dancing around the room, singing her favorite song, dressed in a tight red minidress and heels, with makeup on and hair put up, and the room began feeling warmer by the second. I snapped back to reality and gawked as Jude was waving her hand in front of my face. "Hello? Earth to Tommy..."

"What?" I wasn't sure what I'd missed.

"I'm suddenly feeling strangely inspired," Jude said, a hint of a smile on her face and her blue eyes twinkling.

"Good, just go with it," I urged her.

A few hours later, it was all done. Jude had gone off by herself, and I knew it was best to leave her alone. She usually came up with brilliant lyrics and sounds, and I knew this time would be no different. She burst back into the studio, where Kwest and I had been listening to some other tracks, fine-tuning them for other artists, when Jude practically jumped into my lap.

"Tommy, look," Jude squealed as she dumped her lyrics into my hands. Kwest raised his eyebrows in response, and I shook my head, trying to dispel any thoughts he may have had.

After a minute, I knew how Darius would respond if he saw these. I tried to be as polite as I could, knowing that if Jude sensed any opposition from me, there'd be no way she'd ever forgive me, so I stretched the truth a bit.

"Jude, this is great," I said. It really was, except for the fact that the song was about how Jude was being told to do something she didn't want to do, and if she fought back, she'd be forced to do it anyway. It didn't exactly mention Darius, but anyone who heard it would realize it right away. "Let me just tweak it a little, OK?"

"OK," Jude agreed, not knowing what I was thinking.

"Go ahead and get a drink. Your voice sounds pretty raw from all that rehearsing," I tried to give Jude an escape from the storm that was looming.

"OK, thanks," Jude left in the direction of the kitchen.

Kwest glanced at them momentarily, and after making sure Jude wasn't around, said, "Man, what're you gonna do?"

"I gotta rewrite this," I said, my mind already spinning as to how to fix it. I grabbed some paper and a pen, and started changing some lyrics.

A few minutes later, I was still in the process of fixing Jude's song. I was so focused on the task at hand that I didn't hear Darius walk in, Liam trailing close behind.

"Tom, nice to see you're working hard," Darius said. He glanced at the sheets spread out on the table. "Mind if I take a look?"

"No, go ahead," I said, trying subtly to cover up Jude's old version with my new version. But Darius was too quick. He pulled out the first sheet of Jude's old version, and I saw his expression change in a matter of seconds: from curiosity to anger, and I saw his eyes go from calm and interested to blazing and disgusted.

"What is this?" Darius tried to keep the anger from spilling into his voice.

"What's what?" Jude walked back in, mug in hand. I didn't want her to see Darius really upset, so I tried to smooth things over.

"Jude, just give us a second, OK?" I pleaded, trying to push her out before Darius erupted.

"No, Tom, I think Jude should stick around and hear what Darius is trying to say," Liam spoke up, hardly trying to conceal his happiness at the turn of events.

"Jude, I give you a second chance, which is really nice of me, and you have to go and blow this by trying to get back at me through your music? How immature can you be?" Darius started, and Istepped in before it got out of hand.

"Look, D, she just got back from tour. She needs a break. Once she gets one, she'll be as good as new. She'll write killer songs, but she needs to sleep. She hasn't slept in days," I tried defending Jude, but Liam cut me off.

"We're not paying her to sleep, we're paying her to make good music. And right now, what she's making in sales isn't even breaking even. We can't keep paying her if her sales are down the toilet. Do you know how much an outside artist needs to pay to use our studio?"

I knew the figures well. "$500 an hour, I know."

Liam continued. "And do you know how much Jude's made in sales?"

That I didn't know. "Look, whatever the difference is, I'll cover it. Until Jude can get back up."

Liam and Darius glanced at one another. I knew exactly what they were thinking: that I was closer to Jude than I let on.

Finally, Darius spoke up. "That's OK, Tommy. I've seen all I need to see. And you're right. Jude needs a break."

I couldn't believe it. Darius actually agreeing with me? Unbelievable.

"And I'll give her one. Jude, I'm banning you and Tommy from G Major as of right now. I don't want to see either of you in here for the next 4 months. Maybe that will get you ready to work when you come back."

Jude and I were stunned. "What?" I sputtered, thinking I'd heard wrong. "Why?"

"Because, Tommy," Liam cut in smoothly, "Jude's just not good anymore, and no matter what she does, it won't help. And you, you're obviously not just defending Jude. It's not your job you're fighting to keep. It's more than that, isn't it?" Liam smirked even more as I knew he was onto me.

I was about to let that overly polite, yetcunning as the devil Brithave it right then and there, but Darius interrupted. "Don't make me start charging you. You've already been here for one minute more than you should, so what does that come to, Liam?"

Liam smiled cruelly and was about to respond, when I cut in and said, "Don't bother. We're outta here."

I grabbed Jude and vowed to wipe those stupid smiles off Darius and Liam when I returned. Someday, I'll make you pay, I promised myself silently. Someday.

AN: Sooo, what do you think? I know what you're probably thinking - for lack of a better term, a total rip-off of a past episode. How will Tommy and Jude deal? What'll they do now that they're off? Should I go on?