A/N: I can't believe all the reviews I've gotten for this already! I heart you guys, seriously. So, if anyone remembers the old story, this chapter will seem familiar. And for the record--editing is overrated. Keep the reviews coming, guys!

xx

Chapter 1

"Jude." Tommy nudged her inanimate form next to him with his elbow. "Juuuuuuuuuuude. Come on, princess; beam yourself back down to earth where the rest of us are waiting for you." Still failing to garner a response from Jude, he positions his mouth so that it's mere centimeters from her left ear.

"HARRISON!"

Jude jumped and proceeded to shoot Tommy a nasty look. "What?"

His eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead--sure, Jude was a natural blonde, but she didn't show her true colors very often. At least, until now. "You. Won." Tommy answered--slowly--while disbelief began to spread through his system. Did Jude truly just miss what had to be one of the biggest moments of her career?

She just looked at him, confusion clearly etched across her features. Tommy figured that his earlier question would be answered with a confirmative. Shaking his head, Tommy continued talking. "Let me replay what happened thirty seconds ago." After clearing his throat, he spoke in an unusual voice, most likely meant to resemble the person's on stage. "And the Grammy for Album of the Year goes to...Jude Harrison with Learning Curve! Cue applause, screams, whistles, cheers, etc., etc."

Jude's eyes proceeded to become large blue saucers as reality finally clicked in her brain. She, Jude Harrison, had just won a Grammy. A Grammy, the ultimate goal of any musician. And she was only eighteen years old! Considering that three years ago she was just a nobody at a Carson Hills High School, Jude thought she'd done pretty well for herself.

"Tommy." Jude turned to look at the man that had made this moment possible. "I--we won! We actually won a Grammy!" She jumped up and embraced Tommy, glad to have someone to share her elation with.

He began shaking his head. "No, Jude, you won, not me. This was all you, girl. I just brought you coffee occasionally."

Jude started to laugh, but quickly halted when she realized that her breathing was starting to become more labored and her vision was blurry. "Shit." She muttered, just loud enough for Tommy to hear.

Noticing the tears, Tommy pulled Jude even tighter to him. "Hey, don't cry--Portia will skin you alive if you ruin your make-up."

The poor excuse for a joke did its job, and Jude's tears rapidly dried up as a smile reappeared on her face. "She'd do worse than that--Portia'd probably make me get a Brazilian bikini wax." Tommy laughed, but Jude noted a slight flush creep up his neck. Inwardly she smiled wickedly, knowing just where Tommy's thoughts were at the moment--and they weren't on the Grammy she'd just won, that's for sure. "It's just...I never thought I'd cry over something like this; I thought it was something only girly-girls would do. Why am I suddenly reminded of Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality?" Jude asked.

Before Tommy could reply, the all too familiar voice of Jude's ex-boyfriend boomed through the microphone on stage. "What's going on, Shorty? You get lost or something?" Yep, that's right--Shay was presenting the award for Best Album of the Year tonight. Jude couldn't help but smile at the irony. The good news was, she and the big S to H to A to Y had finally mended fences and were relatively good friends, although not very close ones. Still, it was nice for Jude to have one less person on her black list.

Tommy and Jude separated and she began making her way to the stage. However, she paused and turned to face Tommy one last time. "Hey, you haven't seen my dad and sister yet, have you?"

He began shaking his head. "Sorry Jude, can't say that I have. I'm sure they'll be waiting to come congratulate you after you accept your award, though. Now go! I think ShayShay's getting ready to send out a search party for you." Tommy ordered, still using his nickname for Darius' nephew.

A quick flash of a smile and Jude was gone, trying to gracefully power walk to the stage where Shay was waiting. Reaching the steps, she mentally cursed and slowed her pace to accommodate her footwear. Stupid heels...Jude thought as the memory of an awards ceremony last year resurfaced in her mind. Let's just say, the photos in the tabloids the next day weren't of her accepting an award--although if she had gotten one, it would have been for the complexion most resembling a cherry after she tripped and fell flat on her face.

Jude hastily shoved the not-so-fond memory back to the deep recesses of her mind as she reached Shay, who gave her a congratulatory hug. Of course, being Shay, he decided to go over the top by picking Jude up and swinging her around, producing a laugh from her while she prayed that her dress didn't flare up too much. Apparently some things never change, Jude observed with a rueful smile--leave it to Shay to make a production of giving her a hug, of all things.

"Congrats, Shorty--you earned it." Shay commented as he set Jude down, continuing to hold her arms until she regained her balance on the four-inch heels she was coerced into wearing. The slight quirk of his lips revealed to Jude that she wasn't the only one to remember the fiasco last year involving her in heels.

He gave Jude a quick, friendly kiss on the cheek before exiting the stage, leaving Jude alone with the trophy, the microphone, the crowd, and...herself. Lord help her!

Taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves, Jude traversed the few feet until she was standing directly in front of the microphone. This should be easy; she performed in front of thousands of people on stage all the time. Why was getting stage fright now of all times?

Jude could feel her palms began to sweat--the silence in the room was deafening. What was she supposed to say again? Her eyes scanned the room, miraculously settling on a pair of warm blue eyes. And just like that, all of her worries were gone. With a newfound confidence, Jude reached for the microphone and the rest was history as her naturally charismatic nature took over.

x.xxx.x

Somewhat in a daze, Jude returned to her table with the award proudly clenched in her hand. She received several hugs from people before being able to resume her seat next to Tommy, whose smile impossibly seemed to be than Jude's own.

"You did great, girl, you really did." He said, capturing her sparkling eyes with his own.

"Thanks." Jude replied simply, multiple words escaping her once she finished her speech.

Tommy sensed that Jude needed a couple of minutes to herself, just to let it all soak in, and that's exactly what she did. Her gaze traveled around the room, absorbing the details of everything she was seeing, feeling, and hearing. Jude knew that later she'd want to come back to this moment, probably in the future when things were tough, and she wanted to be able to imagine this moment like it was yesterday.

Eventually she sighed and turned her head towards Tommy, giving him a lazy, content smile. He returned one of his own until suddenly remembering something. "Hey, um, while you were up there accepting your award and giving a great speech, your purse vibrated, so I'm assuming you missed a call on your cell. I didn't know how you'd feel if I dug through your bag to answer it, since I know how touchy you girls are about that kind of stuff."

Jude laughed, realizing that even the illustrious womanizer known as Little Tommy Q still hadn't fully figured women out. "You know I'm not like most girls, Tommy, so I really wouldn't have minded if you went through my purse to get my phone. But I think you were just scared about what you might have found in there." Jude winked playfully at her producer. "But thanks for respecting my stuff, anyway."

She grabbed the purse matching her dress and located her phone inside of it. Flipping it open and seeing a missed call alert, Jude frowned with she didn't recognize the number. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and she uncertainly hit a button to return the call and waited for someone to answer.