The walk back to the hotel was just long enough to allow my blood to cool from boiling to moderately warm as we approached the front entrance in the dark, stopping for a moment as if savoring the night. As if! Brrrrrrr, I hate the dark! Jamie looked at me seriously before lifting his hand to brush away a few loose strands of hair that had blown across my face. Without thinking twice about it, he leaned over and kissed me gently against the forehead before rubbing at the invisible kiss with his thumb as if trying to wipe it away. I closed my eyes briefly, relishing the friendly gesture as I never had before. I was suddenly aware of how much Jamie really meant to me as a whole. He stared down at me as I reached out and plucked him teasingly on the nose. Grabbing my fingers in his, he stooped over curiously.

"Are you happy, Jude?" He asked sincerely as I pulled my fingers away before cradling his cheek lightly. I wanted him to know that, despite how far we had come, we would always mean the same to each other. He would still be the same guy that used to eat pickles dipped in peanut butter, that used to skinny dip in spider-man boxers, that had an eerie collection of dead insects, and that had the uncanny ability to make me smile. Nodding my head, I smiled at him gently before chuckling.

"More than anyone could ever know." I answered honestly as Jamie grinned and backed away slowly. Winking, he lifted his hand up knuckle first and I slapped it with my own knuckle before giving him a high five. It was a secret handshake we had done together since we were kids, and we ended it by slamming our wrists together forcefully.

"Ow!" I cried laughingly as Jamie winced across from me.

"Somehow, I don't remember it hurting like that when we were five." I said cheerfully as Jamie nodded with a chuckle. Ruffling his hair affectionately, we both turned toward the hotel with a smile, and I gloried in our friendship as we walked. It wasn't until we edged up to the light glowing softly from the interior of the lobby that I saw Tommy leaning casually against the hotel entrance with one hand dug deeply into his blue jean pocket. A corner of his lip quirked upward as he realized that I had caught sight of him, and I grinned at him as I walked toward his countenance.

"I was wondering where you had gotten off to?" Tommy asked softly as he nodded quickly to Jamie who shuddered and brushed by him hurriedly. Tom quirked a brow as I leaned against the door opposite him.

"What was that all about?" He asked in puzzlement as I laughed inwardly, remembering the situation in the elevator.

"You seriously don't want to know." I said with a shiver myself as he just shrugged and turned to walk back inside the hotel. Placing my hand in his, I sidled up to him mischievously before leaning in close to his ear.

"Tell me, how often do you watch the Dukes of Hazzard? And what's the fascination, big boy? Is it the car or Daisy Duke?" I asked teasingly as Tommy stopped in mid-stride. Staring at me a moment, he shook his head in resignation.

"I really don't want to know, do I?" He asked casually as I pinched his cheek before patting it and walking ahead of him to the stairs.

"No, you really really don't." I threw over my shoulder as I glanced back at him warily. His eyes were more drawn that usual. I could tell something was bothering him and that didn't bode well. I smiled at him questioningly as he drew up beside me again with that 'what's up, Quincy?' look I had mastered. He just shook his head slowly in that 'let's not worry about it' look he had become an expert at. Shrugging, I waved it off as we reached the top of the stairs. Only two more nights, and he would be leaving for Toronto. I wasn't ready for that yet, and for some reason that made me angry. Pulling me gently into his hotel room as we walked by the door, he spinned me around to face him, and I winced at the serious expression I saw on his face.

"We need to talk, Jude." He said in a low tone as I felt my body literally go limp in fear. Those four words were the most feared in the international language of love.

"Don't say about us." I pleaded in a whisper as I backed away until my back was against the door. Tommy shook his head emphatically.

"It's about your tour, Jude." He said stoically as my body wilted in relief.

"Okay." I stated shortly. "And?" I inquired. Tommy paced across the room before leaning against the side of the bed. Like he had to choose that particular spot to stop at. I mean, who could concentrate with Tom Quincy and a bed all in the same mind frame. But there is this one little tiny thing about Tom that one must always remember. He had the unnatural knack of knocking someone for a loop.

"Jude, I'm being taken off the tour completely." Tommy said in a low tone as I just stared at him in shock.

"You're what?" I asked quickly before holding my hand up to keep him from saying anything else. Wait a minute. Did he just say he wasn't going to be involved in my tour anymore? Okay, yep. I'm pretty sure that is just what came out of his mouth.

"And why the hell not?" I asked huffily as Tommy raised a brow at my tone. I stared at him questioningly as he sighed and pushed himself away from the bed.

"I'm having some creative differences with Darius." He said quietly as I began to pace the room like a caged tiger inside the zoo.

"Okay, so what? Nothing new there." I replied in a puzzled tone as Tommy shrugged and looked at me wearily.

"I can't tell you why, Jude. All I can say is that I wouldn't agree to help him with something I'm having moral issues with. Therefore, I'm being pulled from the tour, but only from the tour. Do you understand?" He asked urgently as my blood pressure began to rise. I could so tell this was going to be our first true argument as a, whatever we were, but instead of calming myself down by reiterating how childish I was being to myself, I took the plunge.

"So agree to whatever it is, Tom. I can't stand the idea of four months apart." I said in a raised tone as Tommy shook his head irritably.

"Jude, it's not that simple." He said in aggravation as I lifted a brow up at him sourly.

"And why the hell not?" I asked furiously as I marched over to the side of the bed.

"Just shut up, Jude!" Tom yelled angrily as I threw a pillow forcefully at his head. Now why couldn't that have been a glass flower vase? Uggghhhhh! We circled each other warily as I grabbed yet another pillow off the fluffy bed. Tom shook his head warningly.

"Don't even think about it, Jude!" He cried irritably as I lunged at him with a scowl plastered across my face. He caught me around the waist, pushing me up against the wall with his shoulder before placing his knee resolutely between my knees.

"Let it go, Jude. I can think of a whole hell of a lot of things I'd rather be doing right now than arguing." Tommy growled seductively as his teeth skimmed the side of my neck and I shivered as I felt my anger melting away. I knew he was right. I trusted Tommy enough that I knew he wouldn't say no to Darius unless he felt really torn about whatever it was Darius had asked him to do. Pushing his knee up slightly, I moaned as I felt a different kind of fire spread throughout my stomach. Nipping gently at his ear, I whispered softly,

"Don't take this to mean we can end every argument like this." I stated on a quickened breath as Tommy's hand found its way underneath my shirt.

"Oh God, I hope we can!" Tommy said with another growl as he picked me up and carried me to the bed desperately. That's the thing about passion. You have the tender kind, the desperate kind, and the angry kind. Tom and I were experiencing every emotion in the lover handbook—frustration, denial, sadness, anger, and love—so when we came together this time, it was with a bang.


Author's footnote: This chapter is for those who are having T/J withdrawals (lol). But don't you guys get scared off by Tommy getting pulled from the tour. It figures in later when Darius pulls his prank. And there may be some tension between Tommy and Spied in the future. Just keep reading and Please R&R. I try to please if at all possible. Smiles.