I know it seems this chapter came rather quickly after my initial story "publishing", but this chapter has killed me. I finished the first 4 in about a day. This one has taken me 3. Not my best work, but... eh. I hope you enjoy though.

Chapter 5 / Fleeting Flight

It was a blue dawn.

They laid tangled up in each other, thighs mingling and melting into a knotted web of abandonment. His leather-clad forearm was wrapped tightly around her; his hand tucked neatly beneath the back of her t-shirt. She slept somberly, breathing cool and body relaxed from previous stresses. He'd awaken at some point to find her nestled into his chest. The warmth of her next to him, sharing the same space he existed, comforted him. Watching her sleep he knew that, though things had progressed rapidly from coffee house to studio to the four hour drive he drove down the desolate highway at 2 am, things were right. He wasn't oblivious to potential consequences, but he didn't care. Nothing short of a war between heaven and hell would ruin this time for them.

"God, I need you Jude," Tommy whispered into the side of her neck. She stirred at his words, startling him. She settled closer against him. He ran his hand along the length of her arm, savoring its softness. So long... Too long...

The sun was peeking through the edges of the sheer curtains of their sparse hotel room. He'd found the place by accident when he'd turned off of the freeway to stop at a service station. The scarcity of cars and its quaint façade appealed to him. No one would look for them there. He wanted as much "alone time" as he could get. There was plenty of time for record companies, paparazzi, and craziness later. This would be their morning of lazy sleep and putting things on the line. He would tell her how he felt; tell her what had gone through his mind the past year; explain everything that surged through him every day since he'd given her a peek at his feelings.

He gave her a final gazing and kissed her cheek. I'll kiss you forever... He rested against her shoulder, falling asleep just as he'd gotten up.

"Did it hurt Tommy? Did some part of you die when you made me promise our moment didn't happen? It's always 'forget it's' and 'I'm sorry's' with you. I don't think you know how badly you hurt me. And suddenly, I'm 17 and things are different and you promise me something you've already taken away." She looked at him expectantly, hoping he'd give answers for the previous day. Her night had been restless. Dreams floated to her in various stages of consciousness. The nagging thought remained, thought – he just "came back". Coffee shop, studio, and then picking her up when Sadie proved too much. Had the confusion been slightly less, she would have been happy. Happy to know that Tommy kissed her and didn't take it back. Happy to think that he'd come around and really wanted her. Happy to wake up next up to him a millions miles from the drama. She wasn't happy. She was angry and bitter and wanted answers.

"Jude..."

"Let me finish." He nodded at her silently. "Because, you see... It wasn't the fact that you wanted to pretend that you didn't kiss me and that nothing happened and that everything was strictly what it was before that hurt so much, it was when you did it. But it's different now, right? I just wish I knew what changed. Why now?" They'd been in a moment of complete silence driving down yet another lonely stretch of asphalt when she felt she had to know. Confusion weighed heavily on her shoulders and she knew she would explode into six million pieces if she didn't say what was on her mind at that moment. Tommy sighed heavily, gripping his steering wheel tighter. His left hand gripped the back of his neck as he stretched. He opened his mouth to speak but reconsidered. "Tell me something..." He exhaled loudly, his eyes never diverting from the road.

"It did hurt me, Jude. I hurt you so badly; I knew it then just as I know it now. It tore me up. But I had to push it down, resist. Sometimes it took every ounce of willpower I had not to grab you and not let go, to kiss you and damn whoever saw me. I had to distance myself. Sadly, that's one of the reasons I dated Sadie. Sure, she's a nice girl, pretty, you know." Jude gritted her teeth violently.

"Yeah... I know."

"She wasn't you, though. She didn't make me feel alive like you do. She didn't make me feel like I was burning. She didn't make me feel. YOU... You make me feel." He placed his hand upon her knee, caressing the softness of her thigh. She placed her hand on top of his.

"You still haven't told me what's so different now. I'm still illegal. You're still my producer. Why was sixteen bad but not seventeen?"

"Nothing's changed, Jude." She looked at him in disbelief. A stain of hostility was bleeding thru in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you sitting here telling me that it's all the same? Maybe I'm lacking in comprehension skills, but I really need this spelled out right now."

"Nothing's changed. Yes, you're still illegal and I'm still the producer, but there comes a time when enough is enough and you crack. I've cracked." She snorted in contempt.

"You could have saved a hell of a lot of trouble for the both of us if you'd just been honest in the beginning, Quincy."

"I couldn't. Not then. It wasn't the right time for us."

"For you, you mean... right?" She pushed his hand off of her thigh. He was infuriating in the beginning and always would be. It's always about him. Hide under your "us" pretense, but I know. She wanted to scream and tell him to go to hell. He turned and looked at her, his eyes deep and pleading.

"No, for us. Everything that I ever wanted to do was for us. I've made a lot of stupid mistakes this year and I apologize with everything I have to apologize with, but I'm tired of the being the fool." His voice lowered and turned soft. "I want you, girl and that's the only thing I can think about."