Hi--I tried to post this last night but I guess the site wasn't working, so it didn't make it up. Thanks to everybody who emailed me to let me know! Hopefully, second try will be the charm, but let me know if you're still having issues (although you probably won't be reading this if you can't access it...oh well). Here are the comments from yesterday along with the next post:

Thanks everybody for your feedback! I love reading all of your reactions to their little tiff...stick with me here, it'll all be okay...:-) Another love of mine: the episode this week--how cute are Jude and Tommy? When she jumped on his back...so cute! Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. Now, on with the next chapter...ENJOY!

Jude arrived at Studio B in a huff and threw her stuff into the corner. She collapsed loudly into the chair next to Kwest.

"Well, good morning to you too," Kwest said, watching her.

"Morning," she muttered.

"I would've thought you'd be more cheery considering the whole nomination thing. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thanks," she murmured. "I am happy, it's not that."

"Let me guess, a certain someone has you all wound up?"

She grunted and started spinning in her chair. "He can just be…so unreasonable sometimes, you know?"

"Oh, I know," Kwest agreed.

"He should be happy for me, right? But no, he'd rather be negative and not listen to me."

Kwest looked at her, bewildered. "What exactly are we talking about here?"

She looked back at him and sighed. "Nothing, it was nothing. Just him being stubborn."

"Okay," Kwest said, still confused. "Don't take this the wrong way Jude, but he's not the only stubborn person I know."

She grinned at him hesitantly. "Okay, I suppose I can be a little stubborn myself."

"I'm not saying he's not wrong. But I know that he gets a little…more stubborn than usual when you're involved."

Jude nodded in understanding. "I just wish it didn't always lead to him saying something stupid."

Kwest chuckled. "Jude, for as long as I've known him, I can't imagine there will ever be a day when he doesn't say something stupid."

Jude laughed with him, feeling better. She pulled out her notebook to begin working as the door opened and Tommy appeared. He held a mug of coffee and silently walked to third chair. They all sat speechless, waiting for someone to say something.

Kwest looked at the two of them. "Now this is back to normal."

"What do you mean?" Jude asked.

"You two—fighting. You bicker constantly but we haven't had a good fight in what—a month now? We're way overdue."

"Kwest…" Tommy started, trying to stop him.

"Now I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, Jude's unhappy because she thinks you're being stubborn," Kwest said to Tommy. Jude swiftly hit Kwest's arm as Tommy sat there in silence, staring at his coffee.

"So, T, just say you're sorry so we can move on," Kwest prodded.

"Why doesn't she have to say she's sorry?" Tommy asked.

"Because I didn't do anything wrong," Jude stated.

"Says who?" Tommy asked.

"Hey, simmer down." Kwest ordered. "Jude, go to Studio C to write. You two need a breather."

Jude stood up abruptly. "Fine, but I'm not apologizing." She grabbed her guitar and notebook and left the studio.

Tommy rolled his eyes and turned to the soundboard.

"What's with you two? It's like we have our own soap opera in here," Kwest said.

"She's just…difficult."

"So? Last time I checked, so are you," Kwest pointed out.

"Thanks. I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. But listen, whatever happened, is it worth all of this? You have to learn to pick your battles, T. Not every one is worth a fight."

Tommy considered this statement as he mixed one of Jude's tracks. He hated the idea that she'd be going out with another guy, but was it worth fighting over? He trusted her, he just didn't want to witness it. And he felt like she hadn't fought back enough. But maybe she was just trying to protect them…

After an hour of mixing and thinking, Tommy took off his headphones and stood up. He silently opened the door and exited the studio, heading towards Studio C. Kwest watched him and shook his head with a smile, knowing his destination.

He made his way to Studio C, hearing guitar chords as he approached. He quietly opened the door and peered in. Jude was sitting on the ground against one of the walls with her guitar on her lap and her notebook at her side. She was writing something in her notebook as she felt someone else's presence in the room.

"Hey," Tommy said.

"Hey," she said distantly, not looking up at him.

He entered and closed the door behind him, making sure no one was around. He walked over and sat down next to her. She continued making notes, ignoring him.

"Jude," he said, putting his hand over hers stopping her from writing. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "I didn't mean to make a big deal out of it. I don't want you to go out with some other guy, but I know you did what you thought was best."

She sat still, looking at him, as he continued. "I guess if you had told EJ you wouldn't do it, she wouldn't have just accepted your answer. And you're probably right that if it was something you would've done two months ago, you should do it now. But please don't do it just to make EJ happy."

"I'm not," she promptly replied. "I'm doing it to make us happy. So we don't need to explain anything or give anybody reason to question us."

He grabbed her hand and played with her fingers. "I just don't like the idea of seeing you with somebody else."

"Tommy, do you think I want to go out with somebody else? It makes me nauseous just thinking about it."

He nodded in understanding and gripped her hand a little tighter. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry too," she admitted. "I'm the one who made it into a bigger deal than it needed to be. I shouldn't have freaked out. I don't make any sense when I'm yelling at you."

He smiled and looked at her warmly. "Want to get lunch? We could go to that pizza place you love."

"Okay," she agreed with a smile.

They came back from lunch about an hour later. They had spent about 40-45 minutes eating and a good 15-20 minutes kissing and making out in his car. The combination of the pizza and lip locking left them both feeling in high spirits as they reentered the studio. Kwest immediately noticed the change in their demeanor.

"So I take it there's peace again?" he asked as they took off their coats.

"Yup," Tommy said. "We're good."

"Too bad. I like the drama that comes when you two fight."

"But we get less work done when we're fighting," Jude remarked, sitting down next to Kwest.

"True," Kwest admitted, and then looked at Jude closely. He smirked as he caught sight of her sweater buttons in the wrong holes. "Um, Jude, shouldn't the buttons line up with the holes?"

She looked down and saw her mismatched buttons. She blushed a deep crimson and redid them. "Yeah, I uh, was running late this morning."

Kwest grinned and looked at Tommy. "Funny, I swear the buttons were fine before…" he said.

Tommy shrugged nervously as the door swung open and EJ appeared.

"Jude, I got it. I got the perfect date."

"What?" Jude said, still shaken by Kwest's comment. "EJ, I told you I don't need a—"

"Josh Sanders."

Jude's eyes widened at the name. "Josh Sanders? As in, the actor? As in, the younger version of Brad Pitt?"

"Yup, he's your date. It's all set. He's going to pick you up before the red carpet and then meet you later at the party."

"That's great!" she exclaimed, then calmed down, not wanting to upset Tommy. "I mean, I still really don't need a date, but he's not a bad choice. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll set you up with hair, makeup, and dress. We'll talk later," EJ said, leaving.

Jude cleared her throat and said quietly, "So, should we keep writing, Quincy?"

He looked uneasy but then sighed and stood up. "Yup, let's go, girl."