Chapter Four --- Getting Caught Off Guard

A/N: I'm gonna stay away from anything that happened in "I Fought the Law" for now, except Sadie and all the sorority events. (But wasn't that last scene between Jude and Tom so cute...when he ruffled her hair. GOD, I died.:melts: T.Q.'s the best!)

Oh, and Shannon is a (kind of) random Original Character---she was one of the potential sorority sisters. She didn't make the sorority because her auction prize wasn't good enough. She and Sadie bonded because they both lost their spots.

Without further ado...Onto the fic. Enjoy!

Jude was sitting on her couch, mulling over the past few days' events, when her doorbell rang. "I got it," she called to no one in particular. Getting up, she opened the door and found herself face-to-face with...

"Kat!" Jude gasped, enveloping her best friend in a hug. "When did you get back!"

"About an hour ago. How are you? God, you're blonde," she gushed, "and it's fabulous!"

"Breathe, Kat!" Sitting down together on the Harrison couch, they were overcome with giggles and it seemed as though no time had passed at all.

"It's so good to be back," Kat sighed. "New York has some great fashion, but it's missing you! Tell me everything...what have I missed?"

"Where to start," Jude mused, smiling, "Let's go with Jamie."

"Jamie, eh?" Kat grinned, "Speak of the dork, New York did me some good. Lots of cuties to take my mind off of Jerky McDorkFace."

Jude paused for a moment before exclaiming, "Jamie and I dated, Kat!" She cringed, worried her best friend would be angry.

"God, finally!" she laughed. "Wait, dated? Past tense?"

"Yeah, he broke up with me." Kat raised an eyebrow and Jude sighed. "He thinks that I've changed since all of this at G Major...Oh, and that I don't want to fight for us. So he dumped me."

"Wow, that's crazy!" Kat was totally flabbergasted. "I missed a lot."

"Oh," Jude yelled, readjusting herself on the couch, "You missed all the drama at G Major, too!"

Kat groaned in mock complaint, "What now?"

"Darius bought G Major from Georgia. Then I screwed up and pissed him off, so now he's giving me a new producer and making me sing covers! It's so lame and--"

Kat waved her hands around in her best friend's face, "Whoa, whoa, what happened to Little Tommy Q?"

"Oh, you mean besides him kissing me and making me pretend it never happened...for the second time?"

Kat's eyes widened. "Wow, this is crazy! How did I miss all this? Anything else?"

"I think my new producer is hitting on me," Jude said offhandedly, groaning.

"You're living a real-life soap opera, Jude!"

"Tell me about it!" Jude collapsed against the back of her couch, sighing deeply.

"How's Jamie dealing with all this?" Kat asked earnestly. Even though she had been in New York around all the mildly famous people, deep down she was still in love with their dorky best friend. Lie if she must, she would never admit it.

Jude shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't talked to him since we broke up."

"Wow. This is like some alternate universe, or something. Katerina leaves and your world falls apart," she joked.

"You know it," Jude said with no feeling.

"Hey," Kat said, "I got an idea. Tell me about that kiss with Tommy!"

A dreamy smile passed over Jude's face. "He caught me off guard, that's for sure..."

"Sadie, I can't believe you said that to Bea! I never could've." Shannon and Sadie entered the living room, chatting loudly. Kat and Jude shared a look and Kat mouthed, "Tell me later' to her best friend. Jude nodded, rolling her eyes at her sister.

The doorbell stopped all the chatter. "Got it!" Sadie chimed, bouncing over, Shannon at her heels. Seeing a familiar masculine face. Sadie flung open the door and exclaimed, "Tommy!"

Jude perked up, "Tommy?" Running her hands through her messy hair, she licked her lips nervously.

Shannon squealed, "Tommy Q!"

Tom stepped into the Harrisons' living room, removing his sunglasses and placing them on the top of his head. "Hey, ladies," he murmured, wide grin on his face.

"You must be reading my mind," Sadie stood on her tiptoes and kissed her boyfriend lightly on the cheek. "Ask Shannon, I was just saying that the two of us should go get dinner."

"Actually, Sadie, I---" Tom glanced over to the couch.

"Let me just grab my purse and we can get going." Sadie turned toward the stairs, a hop in her step.

"Sadie," Tom grabbed her forearm, "I'm here...to talk to Jude." He met his former star's gaze.

"Oh, alright," Sadie pouted. "Another time..." She grabbed Shannon's hand and pulled her upstairs, whispering quietly to her new friend. Jude could swear she heard her sister's friend say, 'Are you okay with him making time for your sister and not you?'

Jude smiled to herself. "That's my cue," Kat grinned and stood, heading for the door. "I'll call you later, okay, Jude?" Tom held the door open for the shorter girl as she left the Harrison house.

Jude stood and made her way over to the entranceway. "I'm listening, Quincy. What did you want to talk about?"

"Mitchem Anderson," Tom said, verbally spitting the name out of his mouth.

"What about my new producer?" Jude asked spitefully. "I think I'm going to like him just fine."

Tom looked down into Jude's bright greeneyes. "Jude, don't get too attached. I'm going to talk to Darius first thing tomorrow morning to tell him that I'm gonna be your producer again. We make better music together than you and that jerk ever will!"

"Are you done?" she asked, hands on her hips, ready for battle. When he nodded, she added, "How do you know he's a jerk, Tommy?"

"I've seen how he touches you," he growled, never looking away from Jude's eyes.

She sneered, "Yeah, and our relationship was so platonic, right? Are you worried he's gonna get farther with me? Maybe, because he knows I'm worth the risk?" She grinned, standing on her tiptoes. Her and Tom's faces were only inches apart. "Don't worry...you still beat Mitchem on the 'inappropriate producer scale.' "

Jude leaned in a little bit, daring Tom to act on impulse, but he wouldn't budge. "Don't do this, girl."

"Do what, Tommy? Maybe a girl...this girl...just wants to feel wanted. Like she matters." She moved a bit closer until their foreheads touched lightly.

"Jude," he breathed, "you do matter."

"Prove it." Her words were lost in Tom's mouth as he pressed his lips firmly against hers. Electricity flowed between their bodies.

"I want you, Jude," he murmured breathlessly into their kiss.

"Jude...Jude..." a soft voice called from next to her ear. She felt her body begin to shake. "Jude...Jude..."

Her vision blurred and when it cleared, Jude was staring into Kat's concerned face.

"You okay, Jude?" she asked, waving her hand in front of her best friend's face.

"Yeah." Jude glanced around nervously. She and Kat were on her couch in her living room. She sighed and whispered, "It was all a dream."

"That must've been some kiss, huh?" Jude grinned, the memory still fresh in her mind. "I couldn't get your attention to save my life. I asked you about the kiss and then you totally zoned...for like a minute! What did you dream about?"

Jude blushed and then told her best friend all about her daydream. When she got to the end, the two of them giggled hysterically. "I can't believe I thought it was real!"

Ding dong.

The two girls gasped, feeling a deja-vu moment coming on. Jude and Kat both jumped up, rushing for the door, all giggles. The person on the other side of the door sobered them both up.

Opening the door, Jude greeted their visitor with an icy cold voice,

"Dad."

"Jude, please don't slam the door in my face," he pleaded, placing a hand on the doorframe, "I need to speak with your mother."

"I'm sure she doesn't want to talk to you," Jude spat.

"Actually, honey," Victoria chimed in from behind them. "I invited your father over. We need to have a discussion with you and Sadie."

"That's my cue!" Kat turned to Jude, "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure," she mumbled, obviously distracted. As soon as Kat had left, Sadie came rushing down the stairs.

"I thought I heard a bunch of noise. What's all the---Dad! What are you doing here?" Sadie was going a-mile-a-minute.

"Girls," Victoria interjected, "your father and I need to talk to you about something very important."

"I think it would be best if we all sat down," Stuart directed toward his ex-wife. Nodding, she led all four Harrisons to the kitchen, where they all sat around the island.

"Mom, Dad, what's all this about?" Sadie demanded, taking the words right out of Jude's mouth.

"Girls," Victoria began, for what seemed like the fiftieth time since their father had arrived.

Stuart interrupted her, "Your mother and I are going to be selling the house."

A/N: Review, please. It makes me write faster. And we all love that, right? Great to hear from you! Always, Jude Q.