Hi, again. Okay, I have some good news and bad news. The good news is that I got super inspired this week and stayed up far too late writing the next few chapters. I still have a lot left and what I wrote needs tweaking, but I can honestly say that I am sooo excited about the coming story! I'm giddy just thinking about it.

But the bad news is that I'm going to be away for the weekend and expect to be swamped in the upcoming weeks before the holidays (I'm kind of old and work, so this time of year is crazy). However, I'm thinking this may not be too bad--now that the return of Instant Star isn't coming until (sniffles) February, I'm hoping to make this story last as long as possible.

That said, here's the next part.I truly appreciate the feedback so much! Your reviews keep me motivated! I'm nixing the whole disclaimer thing from here on out. We'll say it applies to all chapters. Thanks and enjoy!

Jude just stood there with Tommy holding her arm as they heard footsteps in the kitchen.

"Ouch!" Kwest yelled.

"Sorry!" Jamie responded. "I was trying to find a flashlight."

"On the shelf above the microwave," Jude shouted. After some rustling, he responded, "Thanks, got it!"

She saw the light flicker in the distance and could see where she was. She turned back towards Tommy. Despite wanting to hate him, she sighed and opted to let her frustration go for now.

"We should go," she said, looking up at him and opening her hand for him to take. He hesitated for a moment and then shifted his hand from her arm to her hand. She turned back and they slowly headed towards the light.

They arrived in the kitchen and realized that everyone else was also there. They were all standing around Jamie who was holding the flashlight.

"Anyone care for a ghost story?" Jamie asked with an awkward chuckle.

Mrs. Harrison stepped forward and grabbed the flashlight.

"No one panic. We will all be fine. There's plenty of food and water," she said checking the sink.

"What about the heat?" Sadie asked, grabbing some candles and extra flashlights off the shelf.

"Well, we'll have no real heat until the electricity is back, but we do have firewood in the garage."

"I can get the firewood," Tommy spoke up. Jude realized that they were still holding hands as she turned towards him.

"Sorry," she mumbled letting go.

"It's okay," he said looking back at her with a warm smile. She felt her stomach churn looking at his blue eyes in the dim light but cursed herself immediately to get rid of the feeling.

He left for the garage along with Kwest and Ryan. The rest of them grabbed blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows from the closet. After all of the supplies were gathered, they filed into the kitchen, where Jude's mom was serving lasagna.

"Now, it might be a little cold since the oven stopped working," she said serving pieces.

Jude sat down next to Drew, continuing their earlier discussion while conversations carried on around them.

"I was supposed to go to the Interpol concert tonight," Jude said.

"Interpol? No way, I love them," Drew said looking at her.

"Really? That's so cool. Jamie and I were supposed to go together," she said glancing towards Jamie who was helping Kat cut her lasagna.

"So you and Jamie…you're…friends?" Drew asked, attempting to be casual.

"Yeah, we're friends. Best friends. I've known him my whole life," she said smiling.

"And your producer over there…" Drew said looking towards Tommy who quickly looked down upon seeing Drew glance in his direction.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah, him. You two are…just friends too?"

"Yeah, sort of. It's complicated," Jude said thinking about her range of emotions for Tommy. She realized Drew was watching her so she quickly added, "But yeah, we're basically friends. When we're not being enemies."

"Got it," he said taking a few more bites. "So then, you're…single?"

Jude blushed at his question. "Umm, yeah, single as they come," she responded shoving the remaining lasagna into her mouth to avoid having to say more.

After dinner, Jude's mom came into the living room and strictly divided their sleeping arrangements in half--boys in the dining room and the girls in the living room.

"No mixing," she instructed, eyeing Sadie, who glanced at Ryan with disappointment.

Jude and Kat claimed sleeping bags as Steven started to lay out a few pieces of wood to light a fire. They could already feel the chill cover the house since the heat went out. She and Kat took a candle upstairs to get ready for bed, even though it was only 8:30. A few minutes later, Jude settled into her sleeping bag with her black notebook. She had barely written a word as Drew sat down next to her.

"Sleep so soon?" he asked.

"Nah, just writing. I'm hoping to have a new song by the time we get out of here."

Jude felt his gaze so she looked up.

"Do you…want to take a walk?" he asked.

"To where? The front hallway?" Jude asked sarcastically.

"I was thinking we could watch the snow," he timidly replied.

Jude smiled at the idea and got up to follow him.

On her way, she caught Tommy's eye, who was laying out blankets. He gave her a disapproving look as she refocused her eyes ahead. No matter how her stomach felt around him, she didn't want him to be right about Drew.

They headed into the laundry room and stepped towards the window. There were no lights outside but the moonlight shone onto the falling snow.

"It's beautiful," Jude said quietly.

"Isn't it?" he asked, referring to Jude and not the snow.

She turned towards him and noticed how green his eyes were. She became transfixed as he stared back at her. He slowly moved closer to her and closed his eyes…she then followed his actions, leaning into him and closing her eyes. She could feel her heart beating faster as their lips drew closer.

Out of nowhere, her mind shouted the phrase:

Whatever choices you make, the rest of us will have to deal with the consequences.

Damn him! Why was his voice there?

Her eyes fluttered open as she lightly pressed her fingers up to his mouth.

"Wait," she said.

He opened his eyes, flustered, and backed away from her.

"Sorry…"

"It's okay," she said reassuringly. "It's just…we just met. Can we take things slow?"

"Oh, sure. No problem. We'll take all the time you need," he said, draping his arm over her shoulder.

After saying their goodnights, Jude went back to her sleeping bag.

"And where were you?" Kat asked inquisitively.

"Ohh..around…" Jude responded with a smile.

"I saw Tommy slamming his blankets down so you must've been with someone else," Kat said with a smirk.

"He's just being overly protective again," Jude said. "I was with Drew. He's great, Kat. You would really like him. He's a cool, sweet guy."

"So, you like him?"

Jude thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" said Jude softly. "I just don't know him that well, I need time to decide."

"Well," Kat said as Jude got under her covers, "Lucky for you, you'll be stuck with him for the next few days, which should definitely help you know for sure."

Jude thought about what Kat had said and listened to the fire crackle next to her as she drifted off to sleep.