a/n: Alright, so this is even longer than chapter 5 :) I'm proud. Hopefully I can get some more readers soon.
All of the new characters introduced in this chapter belong to me, and so does the song. Nothing else does.
The week went by without much incident. Jude decided she would be best off ignoring Tommy throughout the day the best she could. She had a song written up and was pending on the recording option. Kwest liked it, Tommy thought it could use some work. The two had been constantly bickering ever since the argument, but seemed to make up a few days afterward.
Christmas was only a week away and Darius had hit Jude with a lot of work. He asked her to do a duet with one of the new American artists that were freshly shipped in. On Christmas Eve G Major was holding a party (small and press-free) with gift exchange. She needed to write a Christmas themed song with Damien, the new artist, and go shopping for some presents and another new dress.
It had been three days straight of sitting in the studio for hours with no progress whatsoever. By then both had become comfortable enough with each other to agree that the aspect of a duet was not going to fly. The two were sitting on the ground of Studio A. Jude had a pencil and pad gripped tightly in her hands, Damien sat a few feet away with a dumbstruck look on his face.
"People are only going to listen to it around Christmas, and that would make less money, right? So why do we have to sing a Christmas song?" He spoke with a slight British accent.
"Because Darius is a tyrant and gets what he wants." Jude tossed her notebook aside. She was tired of sitting behind the glass, having Tommy check on them every half an hour, and each time him saying, "Still nothing?"
"What about... A Christmas love song?" Damien sat on the stool before the microphone used for recording.
"Yeah, but there's no inspiration for that." Jude surveyed Damien as he grimaced in front of her. He was tall, or taller than her at least, with a thin toned physique, and black hair. His eyes were a surprising green and he looked like a rock artist. Jude had never heard him sing or play anything, so she didn't know what his sound was for sure. In fact, she barely knew any of the new artists at all. There were five total: Damien, Tristin, Roger, Allie, and Max. Tommy was producing Jude, Damien, and Tristin while Kwest took over Roger. Allie and Max were produced by some of the new producers. Jude assumed both Damien and Tristin were around her age, but the other three looked older.
"Well... what happened on your last Christmas?" He asked her.
Jude shrugged. "Nothing." She lifted herself up for a moment to tuck her legs under her. "What about yours?"
"Oh, er..." He bit his lip. "Nothing really."
She quirked a brow at him. "Doesn't sound like a nothing to me."
He shook his head. "Nothing important."
"But it might work for the song." She was practically pleading him for his story. Anything to get some lyrics started.
An embarrassed look crossed over his face, but he quickly brushed it away. "I proposed to my girlfriend."
"Oh, wow!" Jude didn't think he looked like the commitment type. "So, you're married?"
"No," Flush arose to his cheeks and he spoke quietly, "She didn't accept."
Jude felt horribly and found herself blushing too. "Oh, I'm sorry..."
"It's ok, really. We weren't meant to be." Damien shook his head and smiled.
She nodded and bit her lip, thoughts churning around in her blonde head.
"I have an idea."
"Yeah?" Damien looked up with a small smile of hope.
"What about," She grabbed her notepad, "A girl asking for a guy to get back together for her Christmas present, but…" Jude looked at him for some input.
"But his gift this Christmas is getting over her." He smiled and picked up the two acoustics in the corner of the room.
"Aren't we going to write the lyrics?"
"No, I say wego freestyle." Jude wasn't sure, but he wasn't paying attention to it.
"Alright..." She muttered.
Handing one guitar to Jude, Damien sat on the stool and began to strum a popping tune. "It was last Christmas on my Christmas list," His voice was so solacing and ripened, she had expected something much more rough.
Jude took a seat on the stool next to him and joined in. "That my number one wish was your kiss," Jude grinned widely. It felt refreshing to finally pull something out of her tired mind. Maybe this will work after all, She thought.
"But when you didn't show up that night,"
"I knew that you were giving up on this." Jude began to play her guitar and a strummed faster and gave the next part of the song, which she intended to be the chorus, a crisper sound.
"Don't come back this Christmas, I'm not gonna unwrap you this year. Don't ask for me from Saint Nicholas, your presence won't bring me any cheer."
Jude was surprised; Damien was definitely a lyrics kind of person. His music was more media-based than Jude hoped, but she could counter balance it with some of her raw style.
After a few chords Jude joined back in for another verse. "I heard from you in a Hallmark card."
"Being without me was much too hard." Damien grinned over at Jude.
She groaned andcommented to herself,Cocky much? "And after all this time had passed."
"You thought I'd run back to your arms."
Jude began the same up-tempo chorus lines and decided to join in this time.
They both sang, "Don't come back this Christmas, I'm not gonna unwrap you this year. Don't ask for me from Saint Nicholas, your presence won't bring me any cheer."
The two were so wrapped up in their forming hit that they didn't notice Tommy come into the studio. It was another thirty minute check-up and he was expecting to see them still lounging in their same positions. Naturally he was shocked that both were playing excitedly.
"Wow," Tommy listened in on the song. He was impressed on how they managed to come up with lyrics and rough chords within now andthe last time he had been in here.
"Last Christmas you wrapped me up my heart." Jude's voice sounded through Tommy's ears. God, I love that voice. He thought.
"Too bad you had managed to break it apart." Tommy was pleased by Darius's choices. Jude was his protégé, Damien reminded him of himself, and Tristin reminded him of when Jude first won instant star. It was all familiar and he knew just how to work with each.
"I never thought I would need a receipt."
"But I should have known from the start."
"Don't come back this Christmas, I'm not gonna unwrap you this year. Don't ask for me from Saint Nicholas, your presence won't bring me any cheer." Damien and Jude sounded great together. Tommy noted their chemistry and felt a bit of anger peeking. He quickly ignored it and focused on the song.
"Don't come back this Christmas, I'm not gonna unwrap you this year. Don't ask for me from Saint Nicholas, your presence won't bring me any cheer."
"This year I made a new Christmas list," Jude began to slow her notes down and Damien followed suite.
"And you are the last thing I will miss."
Jude set down her guitar. She jumped up and hugged Damien tightly as he put his own acoustic down. He made a small 'oof!' and Jude quickly let go.
"Sorry," She muttered.
Damien chuckled. "It's alright."
A loud clearing throat interrupted the two. Jude spun around and saw Tommy leaning against the glass barrier that separated the recording booth and the mixing table.
"Sounded great." He said with a puckered smile, clearly frustrated. At what, Jude was not quite sure.
"Thanks." Damien sidled past Tommy and turned just before leaving the room. "Want something in the kitchenette?" He asked Jude.
"Coffee, thanks." She sat back on her stool and smiled as Damien walked away.
Tommy walked over to sit down next to her. He picked up Damien's guitar and began strumming the faint tune of Frozen.
"After three days and you come up with that in a half an hour?" He glanced at Jude with a huge sarcastic grin.
"Shut up," She punched him playfully and shook her head, "There was no inspiration until just a half an hour ago."
Tommy shrugged. "You guys seem to be getting along." He fought back a frown.
"Well, I just met the guy and Darius already forced me into a duet with him. It's not like I really have a choice, do I? I thought Little Tommy Q., of all people, would know that." Jude emphasized the "little" in his nickname.
"Ouch." He grasped his heart and gave a great, fake, painful expression.
Jude laughed quietly. She silently scolded herself for talking to Tommy at all, but it was nice to be like before. Not before like before Tommy told her about Joanne, but before like before Tommy left at all.
"So why exactly did Darius bring a bunch of American no-names?" Her smile subsided and she felt she could now brush herhair out of her face.
"Well to Canada they're no-names, but in America they're big. And you're a no-name in America, but big in Canada. Darius and the manager of Cape Cove collaborated: you get publicity in America and they get publicity here." Tommy looked into Jude's eyes for the first time since the party. He felt mesmerized in an instant; she was incredibly beautiful and he couldn't deny it any more. Not just because she was older, but because he had gone so long without her. Now he needed to see her more often to make up for the two years he missed.
"Oh, right…" It made sense to Jude. She thought long about all the duets she would have to do before she noticed Tommy's gaze.
"What?" She wasn't going to play into the moment game any more.
"Nothing." But he couldn't rip himself away.
"What?" Jude repeated.
"Jude, I-"
"Tommy?" He jumped up from his seat to see Joanne standing in the doorway. "Oh, there you are!" She smiled and flashed Jude her immaculate whites.
"Hey, babe…" Tommy slowly walked over and wrapped his arm around her waist, planting a firm kiss on her lips.
"Darius wants us getting to work." She smiled so innocently, she couldn't possibly know of Tommy's strayed thoughts upon a different woman.
"Of course." Tommy turned around looked at the paling Jude. "You and Damien work on that song, alright?"
Jude nodded. The couple retreated and she glared as they left. Before Jude knew it, someone was shoving a cup of coffee into her face.
"Thanks." She looked up and found Damien towering over her.
He took a seat and stared at her crumpled expression. "What was that all about?"
"Just Tommy and his girlfriend, getting to work." Jude scowled and took sip of her coffee. Unfortunately for her, it was scolding hot. She shouted out an obscenity and dropped the cup, which promptly shattered all over the ground.
Damien raised his eyebrows at her. He didn't get why she was so worked up.
The two got down and began gathering pieces of the cup up. "So what's the deal with you and Tommy, then?"
Jude gritted her teeth. "He's my producer."
"Obviously," He smiled and looked up at her, "But really, what's going on?"
"It's not like it's any of your business." She snapped. Immediately Jude regretted it; Damien had been nothing but friendly to her. "Sorry, it's a touchy subject."
"It's ok, I understand. I'm just a stranger." Damien attempted to stand up to throw the pieces away, but tripped over his guitarand fell to the ground. After cursing loudly he opened up his hand to reveal a mutated palm and bloody porcelain chips.
Jude grimaced at the site. "He was my producer when I was 15." She motioned for him to get up and follow her. The two headed towards the kitchenette. "And when I was 17 hejust suddenly moved away." Damien shook his hand over a garbage pail to let the loose pieces fall in. "Now he's back." The two stood by the sink; Damien rinsed his hand off and Jude tried to pluck a few of the stubborn shards out.
"That's it?" His brows were furrowed in pain, but his voice didn't showcase it.
"There was always something going on." Jude got the last bit out and tossed it down the drain. "But I was too young. Now I'm older, though." She shrugged.
Damien wrapped a paper towel around his wounded hand and traveled back into Studio A. "How old are you now?"
"Almost 19." She fell into one of the plush, mixing chairs. "You?"
"20." He sat in the other vacant seat and turned to face her. "It's hard moving somewhere so suddenly when you don't know anyone." Damien felt he should exchange some of his story for hers.
"Didn't you work for Cape Cove?" Jude thought that he had been working with Tommy and Joanne beforehand.
"Yeah, but I had a different producer." He licked his lips. "I don't get it, though; I making plenty of money in America. I had plenty of inspiration too." Damien snorted. Jude knew he was referring to his unaccepted proposal.
"Don't worry, it'll get easier." Jude leaned forward. "Scouts honor." She held three fingers out around her shoulder.
Damien chuckled. "Well that leaves me no doubt." His tone oozed sarcasm. Jude smacked his leg and he retaliated with sticking out his tongue.
A loud 'ahem!' sounded from behind the two, and they immediately turned around. "Working on the song?" Kwest and Tommy stood in the doorway of the Studio.
"Working on it." Jude growled. Such party poopers, they were.
"Doesn't look like it." Tommy gave Jude a stern look.
Jude scoffed, staring right back. After a minute of awkward silence, Jude stood up in a pouty flounce. "Yes, master."
She retreated into the sound booth and picked up her guitar harshly.
Damien and Kwest exchanged looks, and Damien took his respective seat next to Jude.
Tommy sat in the chair he had previously been sitting in and leaned into the microphone. "Lets start with the chords."
Kwest lounged next to Tommy and shook his head. "Man."
"What?" Tommy snapped.
"Nothing." Kwest looked sympathetically at the two artists in the recording booth, and felt especially sorry for the blonde one.