"Tommy, it's okay. I understand that you've moved on. I mean it has been almost three years."

"Jude, that's not."

"Tommy, seriously, it's okay."

"Jude, would you just let me talk?" Tommy said, getting frustrated with her. "I love you okay, always have."

A shocked look appeared on Jude's face. "Wow, I uh wasn't really expecting that."

"Sorry," Tommy stammered, his face turning red. She was the only girl who could mess with his head and embarass him, all at the same time.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad you told me."

They sat in silence for a few moments until Victoria and Stuart barged into the private room.

"Oh honey," Victoria said, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

"Hi Mom."

"Why didn't you tell anyone what was going on?" Stuart asked.

"Dad, I Really don't feel like talking about it right now," Jude said, getting slightly agitated.

"Honey, what are you going to do?" Victoria asked.

"I don't know. Tommy said I could stay at his place for awhile though."

Victoria looked toward Tommy and back at Jude. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Victoria asked, thinking about the former couple's traumatic break-up. Jude had locked herself in her room for days and didn't leave except to go to the bathroom and grab more notebooks for writing.

"Mom, it's fine. Tommy is a perfect gentleman, and more than that, my friend."

Tommy watched Jude tentatively as she went on and on to make her parents understand. He gave her small smile and leaned against the wall.

"Well, I guess if you feel comfortable with this, and it's what you want, we'll help you move in whenever you want," Stuart said.

They sat around and talked for awhile, until Stuart announced that it was probably time to go. Her parents, Sadie, and Kwest, said their goodbyes, and Tommy was left alone with Jude.

"I should probably go too," Tommy said as he stood up.

"Stay...please?" she pleaded with her lonesome green eyes.

"You really want me to stay?"

Jude nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't want to be alone, and I sure as hell don't want to sleep."

"Okay," Tommy said in a confused voice, as he sat back down. "If you don't want to sleep, what do you want to do?"

"I want to talk and I want you to know everything," she said quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, Jude it's almost 11:30, and you should probably get some sleep."

"I already told you, I don't want to sleep. Please Tommy, just let me talk."

"Okay, okay. The floor is yours girl."

Jude sighed and tried to gather her feelings and her thoughts. This was Tommy, she could talk to him, she had to talk to him. She quickly turned to him and squinted her eyes. "Do you remember before I got married and I said Jamie wasn't the boy next door anymore?"

"Yeah-"

"Well, I kind of meant that in more context."

"Jude, what do you mean?"

"I said it, hoping you would catch on and persuade me to get out while I could, because I knew I could never do it alone."

"You mean he was abusing you even before you got married?"

"Not exactly-"
"Jude, either he was or he wasn't."

"He wasn't hitting me...he would just yell, a lot," Jude said as she hung her head in shame.

"Jude-" Tommy said quietly. "Why didn't you just end it?"

She looked up and stared into Tommy's piercing blue eyes. "Because I couldn't Tommy! This was Jamie, who was my best friend, my wingman."

"Best friends don't do this Jude, and husbands really don't do this."

"Tommy...you're supposed to be just listening, not adding your input."

"Sorry, you're right."

"Anyways, after we got married, Liam got him that high ranking MTV job and he wasn't at home a lot. I wanted a family Tommy. I wanted a baby."

The words hit Tommy directly in the heart. She wanted a baby with Jamie...not him.

"I brought it up to him one night, and he lost it. He really, really lost it. He started yelling at me that he didn't want little punk brats running around when he had his career to think about. And that hurt Tommy, that hurt so bad, even worse than it did when he hit me. He yelled for a good half hour I'm guessing. I tried to tune most of it out, and he must have noticed, because he slapped me."

"And you didn't come in for work the next day because you called in sick," Tommy finished, putting two and two together.

"Exactly. I'm sure you remember, that happened on more than one occasion."

"Yeah I do," he said solemnly.

"It got worse though. He'd come home drunk and I'd already be sleeping. He'd just start smacking me around. It was his way to release tension."

"Jude, you should have never ever had to go through that."

"Ya know what kept me going when he'd hit me all the time? You...I'd imagine the life we would have had together. You holding our newborn son, who had your eyes of course, and a country house with the white pickett fence. I would think of anything except my failed marriage."

"Jude, I...I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," her eyes wandered into space. "There were times Jamie would come home from the states, and he'd make me feel...he'd make me feel like he loved me, like he really cared. He'd pull out all the lines, and all the moves, and he'd make love to me, and everytime, everytime I fell for it, and everytime after we were done, he'd yell and curse at me. I'd feel so degraded, and so dirty, and so used Tommy. And nothing I could think of would ever make it go away. But, time and time again I would fall for it. I don't know why, but I would."

Tommy walked over to her bed and reached for her hand. Her first reaction was to pull away but she let Tommy's firm, but gentle grasp enclose her hand. He gently took his finger and removed the white gold wedding band from her hand and kissed her finger. "Don't ever, ever, hesitate to tell me somethings wrong ever again Jude. I would have helped you."

"I know..." she said as she stared at the ring. "What am I supposed to do now Tommy?"

"I don't know Jude...I don't know."