A/N: Ok, I'm really sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with a lot of other stories and I haven't gotten to this one in a while. Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show.

Chapter 3: Smoke and Mirrors

Tommy went to visit Jude the next day. She was just coming out of school and there was a ridiculous set up waiting for her. To put it bluntly, tubas were involved. He was there to rescue her. She walked out of the school with her 2 friends, Jamie (or as Tommy liked to call him, her sidekick.), and another girl, and was instantly bombarded by people. He smirked when the band started to play the song, tubas and all. Looking up, he saw her say something to her friends and then look over at him. He smiled and waved her over. She came down after saying something else to her friends. She slowly made her way towards the viper, dodging the crowd of people blocking her from Tommy. She finally made it to him, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" He smiled.

"Rescuing you."

"What?" He smirked and looked back at the band.

"That was great, by the way. Love the tubas." She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." He gestured towards the car.

"Get in. Let's go." She cast one last glance at Jamie and Kat before getting into the passenger's seat of the car. Tommy got in on the other side, started the engine, and drove off. They had been driving for a little while; they came to a busy part. Tommy continued to speed down the freeway until they got to an intersection. Just as they were about to go past it, a car pulled out and Tommy stopped abruptly, causing Jude to grab the side of the car in fear as the night of the crash flashed before her eyes. She shut them tight to keep the tears from falling and Tommy looked over at her. The sight broke his heart, a girl like that nearly losing it over a close call. He reached over, stroking her hair sweetly. "Shhhh. Its ok, it's ok. Nothing's gonna happen to you." She looked up at him and smiled, slowly regaining her composure. I won't let it, he thought.

"Thanks." He smiled back and nodded, then continued to drive. They ended their journey at a secluded pier, Tommy picking up a guitar and sitting on the railing and Jude sitting on a chair. He handed her the guitar.

"Play," He told her simply. Without a second thought, Jude began to play the song. She would pause here and there to adjust the chord and would then once again start playing. This continued a few times until he stopped her. "That's your 12th chord variation and you still haven't touched the lyrics." She shrugged.

"I just…want to get it right first." He scoffed.

"Do you want to get it right, or do you want to get it right now?" She rolled her eyes.

"Funny." He closed his eyes tiredly, going to sit next to her and putting an arm around her to reach the neck of the guitar. He sighed.

"Look, the chords you want, they're in there. And they want to come out, but you keep scaring them back in. You gotta coax them out." He took hold of her hand, making it gently strum the strings on the guitar. "Got it?" She nodded. It was then he realized how close their faces were. Barely inches apart, he could see every feature on her face. Wow, he thought. She's… beautiful. Wait, what am I thinking? Get a hold of yourself, Quincy. She's 15 years old! You're 22. You CAN'T fall for her. He looked away. There are consequences, remember? He looked back to see her looking at him. Screw the consequences! He suddenly pulled her closer to him, abruptly capturing her lips. The kiss lasted for a little longer until Jude finally managed to free herself from his hold. She pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I just…can't do this. Please, can you just take me home?" He bit his lip and looked away. He nodded. She looked at him for a second before going over to the car and getting in. He glumly followed her, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car up. He drove off and they wordlessly reached their destination a few minutes later. She got out of the car and turned back to him, attempting to make things better between them. "I guess…I'll see you tomorrow?"

He didn't even look at her, just muttered a quick "yeah" and then drove off when she began to walk up the driveway. She opened the door to her house and walked inside, running straight up to her room, locking the door and collapsing onto her bed.

"Well, it's good to know I'm already welcomed here," she said to herself. Then, she realized something. He had just given her her first real kiss.

A/N: R&R.