Hi again. You'll all be happy to hear that we're moving towards the dramatic peak of our story...it starts in this chapter and goes into the next. These are fast-moving,exciting chapters, so I'm hoping you'll like them. I'm also happy to report that I'm close to completing this story on my end, which means I should be able to post a little faster than I have been over the last few weeks. We still have plenty more drama to go, but my goal was to complete this story before the new season begins and it looks like I should be able to do that. Yay!

Thanks again for everyone's support and feedback. Your comments totally blow me away! You guys give me so many great ideas as to where to take this story--sometimes I literally doubt the direction I was heading when I read some of your thoughts. Thanks so much, you all seriously rock!

So without further ado, let's go back to where we left Jude with Tommy and Drew...ENJOY :-)

"Hey," Drew said to Jude, still looking at Tommy's hand on hers. "I just heard about your Dad. You okay?"

"Better, thanks," she said. Drew stared at Tommy across her room, tension enveloping all of them. Jude looked back and forth between the two of them, not sure what to say to break the ice.

"You can come in," she finally told Drew, who still stood in the doorway. "He's not going to bite," she added, referring to Tommy, which made him smirk.

"Well, I'd kind of prefer to talk to you alone," Drew replied. "Unless you'd rather keep talking to him."

Jude felt her face flush as both of them turned to look at her. Was she supposed to pick one of them to talk to? This didn't seem right. She was the one upset. Why did she have to decide?

"Look, it really doesn't matter to me."

"No, it's fine. I'll leave," Tommy said standing up. "I'll be the bigger person here," he said quietly to Drew, walking past him.

"And I thought you were just the older person," Drew sneered back.

Tommy stopped and stared angrily at him. Knowing Jude was watching and awaiting a heated response, he stepped away from Drew and turned back to Jude.

"We'll talk more later," he said calmly to her. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Okay. Quincy?" she asked as he exited the room, causing him to turn back. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said with a small smile, heading out the door.

Drew watched their exchange and settled on her bed.

"Was I interrupting or something?"

"Not really, he was just…telling me some stuff to make me feel better. But you were kind of harsh."

"Sorry, I can't help it. He just…bugs me. I know you said you're just friends but still, he's not looking at you like you're just a friend…"

Jude blushed at this comment. She felt him looking at her and waiting for her to disagree but she sat there silently, feeling the need to move on.

"So…you wanted to talk?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. I was kind of shook up before but I'm doing better now."

"That's good to hear. Think maybe you'll be up for more cards later?"

Jude got irritated on the inside, but kept a straight face. "I'm not sure Gin Rummy is what I need right now. You know, seeing as I'm going through a personal trauma and all," she said caustically.

"Wait, that came out wrong…that's not what I meant. I just wanted to take your mind off things. We don't have to play Gin Rummy. I just thought you could use some entertainment."

She realized he was just trying to help and gave him a small smile. "Sure, we'll see. Right now, I kind of just want to be alone and work on my song."

"Okay," he said, standing up. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."

"Thanks."

As he left, Jude sighed, letting their interaction go, and grabbed her guitar to play. She worked on the song all morning and into the afternoon, and as she strummed the last line, she felt pleased with the result. It still needed some tweaking, but she could sense the possibility of it becoming a hit. As she scribbled a few final notes, her mind gradually became more at ease, not feeling as negative about her dad and the accident. Maybe it was everything Tommy had told her about his family, or maybe it was finishing the song, but whatever it was brought a smile to her face.

She wanted to share the song with Tommy, although part of her was concerned of his reaction to the lyrics. She knew that he would assume it was about him, which it was, although most of her songs were anyway. But she hoped he could appreciate the song regardless.

She stood up, put the guitar down, and walked towards the door to go find him. As she opened it, she heard loud voices, almost yelling, coming from downstairs. She stood at the top of the stairs listening and shocked by the voices below.

"Why did you take them? The cards? They were set up like that for a reason."

"Sorry, it was just an accident. I figured no one was using them, but apparently, I was wrong. It's no big deal, man. Just chill."

"Oh really? So I'm supposed to believe it wasn't intentional? Like you didn't know that Jude and I were playing yesterday and left our cards out so we could play again today?"

"Uh, yeah, you are. You think I care what you do?"

"Yes, I do, in fact.

Jude realized it was Drew and Tommy. It sounded like a stupid argument over their stupid card game but their voices were raised and they both sounded intense.

"And why would I care?" Tommy asked to Drew.

"Maybe because anyone who gets close to your girl makes you freak out," Drew responded.

"My girl can take care of herself. It's you who freaks out, not me."

"Oh really? I'm the one freaking out?" Drew questioned.

"Yeah, you. You freak out the minute you see her alone in a room with me," Tommy said smugly.

"For her safety maybe," Drew snorted.

Then Jude heard another voice cut in. It was Ryan.

"Hey, Drew, it's not worth it. Take it from me. Just let it go," Ryan said.

"Thank you," Tommy said with relief.

"No, Tom, I don't think you get it. When I say 'let it go,' I'm talking about Jude. Let it go. She's not worth all of this."

Jude felt her anger rise at the sound of his voice. What was he saying?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy asked, also sounding angry.

"I'm just looking out for my friend here. I don't want to see him wasting his time on a girl who's going to be more trouble than she's worth. Look, Jude's a great girl, but come on, all three of us know firsthand, she gets around."

That was it. Jude went charging down the stairs and stared at the scene in the living room. Drew and Ryan were on one side of the center rug with Tommy standing opposite. Everyone else was crowded around watching their outburst.

"EXCUSE ME? I get around?" she yelled at Ryan from the stairs. They all turned to look at her fuming down the stairs. She took her place next to Tommy, standing across from Ryan and Drew. She wasn't about to let him make those kinds of comments about her without a fight.

Woohoo! It's a showdown! Don't hate me, but you'll have to wait until next time to see the guns really come out... :)