Chapter 25 had no point other than to give me a way to let the most obvious dawn on the dumbest man I've ever read about/seen on TV. Ok... so he's not dumb just flipping OBLIVIOUS. As was said – TRANSITIONAL. W/o that chapter, I would have been reduced to trite, "Oh durr... The farm house! Duh... Erm..." type things and that would have just been bad... even for me!

I sadly must inform everyone out there that this story won't be going on for much longer. (At the very MOST, it could have only 10 more chapters, but I'm thinking more along the lines of 5.) But with it ending how it will... HAHA! Sequels will be hell, yo. Raising hell and half of Montreal on to cut back on caffeine consumption

Hopefully, you'll enjoy this one a bit more.

And... I think I'm going to slow down the update process just for the next week. I feel like being torturous. Mmm... Sadist Bri... Besides, I want my final pieces to be godly.

On away...

Chapter 26 / You Are the Anecdote That Gets Me By

Tommy walked slowly to the front door of the farm house, pausing a minute to remember the last time he'd been there. He'd been so close to Jude in that moment, sharing smiles and chords, living the most intimate of dreams. It was then that she'd become an intrinsic part of his being. He'd ruined the mood, tone, and timeline of their conjunction by kissing Sadie. He later learned Jude had witness the traitorous act, and he filed it away as one of the stupidest things he'd done to date.

He pushed away the thought, observing the scenery. The trees were black against blue, bruises for a tired home. The pathway was bathed in flood light, cracks and crevices casting shallow shadows over the stones. Empty flat lands with drooping hills made the ground look unhappy. The place was so severe at night, a foreshadowing to the nightmare he was about to encounter.

Tommy pushed open the front door easily, engulfed in a sea of ambient light and chaos. He stepped in and over papers, mementos, and Jude's green bag. He sighed at the sight of her purse, relieved she was there, but taken aback by the mess. It had been so pristine last time that the new look scared him. He took cautious steps forward, continuing to look around. He noticed the broken glass on the floor and caught sight of the sisterly portrait above the fireplace. Blood stained various shards and his heart raced. Then, he saw her.

She lay on the floor behind the coffee table, splayed haphazardly between the glass and white paper. She wore the same clothes he'd seen her in last, wrinkled and old looking. Her hair was a copper halo, everywhere. Even from where he stood, he could see how pale she was and see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked tranquil, lackluster, dead.

Tommy rushed to her side, pulling her into his arms, cradling her. Emotions overtook the flood gates, and he began to cry openly. He brushed his fingers against her face, tear stains engraved in meandering patterns. He shook her gently, coaxing her awake, afraid that she wouldn't.

"Jude... Wake up. Please, baby. Wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open slightly, a soft smile painting itself on her lips.

"Tommy?" She closed her eyes, only to have them fly open with a vengeance. She pushed him away and back against the fireplace, her slowly moving back towards the window. "No, this isn't real. Stop it! This isn't real! NO!"

Kwest was right when he said her voice was scratchy. She talked in cracked hysterics and squealed sentiment. Tommy was shocked by the sound, too foreign to what he remembered. He pushed himself up from the floor, and walked over to her, kneeling beside her. She shied away from the close proximity.

"Girl..."

"You aren't real..." She covered her face with her hands, hitting her forehead hard. "Stop it! This is wrong. Don't play these games... Stop!"

"Jude, this is real. Who are you talking to?"

Her hands left her face in a flash, staring at him darkly.

"Them." She fixed her gaze on the floor, eyes wild and left hand trying to drill out a point. "They say I'm crazy. I'm not crazy. They talk all the time. If you're real, make it stop."

He could do nothing but gape. She broke his heart, the pleading behind her voice ripping him in half. He moved in closer and again she pulled back.

"I'll try, Jude." He looked down in her lap and at her trembling hands. He noticed the scabbed up mess, the now olive drab and purple damage. "What happened to your hand?"

"I punched the picture."

Her voice had turned childish, but he smiled at her confession.

"I thought that was my job."

"Why are you here? I thought you went for air."

"Baby, that was a week ago." He took hold of her injured hand, examining it scrupulously. "Is that why you left?"

"You don't want me anymore. No one wants me anymore." Her voice broke again, saline welling along the inner rims of her eyes.

"That's not true!" His voice echoed in the large room and she jumped back. He composed himself, lowering his volume. "Why would you think that?"

"I know it. I'm not good."

Tommy sat stunned by the entire scene. His girl was broken and blamed herself, said she wasn't any good and that everyone hated her. It was too much to take in. What would he do? What could he do? This was far beyond his ability of smooth words and lofty promises.

"We need to get you home."

"NO!" Her shriek pierced through him. "I'm not going back there! I can't... I can't take it there." She looked to him sadly. "You think I'm weak, huh?"

He shook his head, offering up a slight smile.

"No, I don't, but we have to go back. Everyone's worried about you."

"Don't lie to me."

"I wouldn't; not to you."

"It's okay here. I could stay here. I'm okay."

"You can't stay, Jude." He moved to sit directly next to her, taking hold of her hand once again. "If you don't want to go home, you can stay with me. We just have to get you some help."

Jude jerked her hand back, the rest of her unmoving.

"I don't need help. You think I'm crazy, too. I'm not, I told you. I promise. I promise I'm not. They won't go away, but you don't have to. Please don't go away." She tangled her fingers in her hair. "Please... It's so lonely... Tommy..."

He grabbed her and held her, crying against the top of head. Her words tore him up and the way she rambled, dazed, ate at his soul.

"I'm not going any where. I'll stay, don't worry."

"I'll be good for you. I promise."

"You are already." He kissed the side of head gently, running his hand along her arm. "When was the last time you really slept? Ate?"

"I... I don't remember."

"I'll tell you what; we can stay here tonight, ok? And in the morning, I'll take you out and then we can go home."

"You're going to stay?"

"Yeah, girl. I'm going to stay."

She nodded her head.

"Ok..."

With her approval of his plans, he stood and lifted her to her feet. He led her from the living room and to one of the bedrooms. He put her to bed, crawling in next to her. His arm draped over her stomach, getting as close as she'd let him. He was happy, relieved, worried, and completely upset all at once. She wasn't good. In fact, he'd never seen anyone so messed up, but he'd found her and found her alive – physically at least. He thanked every deity he could conjure up for the fortune of her calling and him being able to decipher her riddles. He closed his eyes, thinking of what move he could make to help her. I love you, Jude...

"Tommy?"

"Yeah?"

"The house is really loud at night. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I might be able to handle it. You're with me."

"And Tommy?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're here. Thank you..."