Thanks sooo much to : melodie568 ; Duddley111 ; Jude136 ; and mazkalns for reviewing!

Author's Note: Let me just say, writing Kwest and Jude together, as opposed to Tommy and Jude, is a lot harder than I thought it'd be. It all feels so out of character…. But on with the story.

PART TWO : Fire and Ice

Kwest knocked lightly on Jude's front door, waiting patiently as he heard someone rush to answer.

Sadie smiled at him. "Come on in, Kwest. Jude's almost ready."

He stepped in, thanking her and making small talk, noticing the bouquets littering their home.

Jude took a deep breath, glancing one last time in the full-length mirror. Her dress fit her perfectly; it was a deep blue color, low cut but classy. It was knee length, but flowed a little longer on the sides. Sadie really did have an eye for things, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. She was eighteen today. She had dreamed of this day for so long, of all the different outcomes, and so far it had been good, just not what she expected. She sighed, pushing the loose curls behind her ear. She could hear Sadie and Kwest, and she didn't want to make him wait any longer.

She could tell immediately that he was nervous, though to outsiders he probably looked as cool and collected as ever. But she was glad, because his nerves mirrored her own.

"You look amazing," he whispered as he hugged her, " Happy birthday, Jude."

"Thank you," she smiled, and gave him the once-over. "You clean up pretty nicely," she teased, and he grinned.

She said her goodbyes to her dad and Sadie, who were meeting them at the party. They entered the limo Darius sent, Kwest holding open the door for her. As he settled next to her, he smiled, reaching for something.

" It's not a full bouquet, but…" he handed her a single rose, with a white base and red top.

"It's beautiful, thank you…" she said, kissing his cheek.

" It's a fire and ice rose. It holds more symbolism by itself than all those bouquets together," he joked.

"What's the meaning?" she asked, curious now.

" You'll find out later," he teased; he knew she was impatient and hated surprises.

"You're killing me," she laughed, sticking out her tongue and leaning into him for the rest of the ride.

They entered together, Kwest having got someone to take his place behind the turn tables. They waited patiently to be announced, and was overwhelmed at the applause. She remembered her success though, and realized they probably had a much bigger guest list this year.

She had to admit, Darius had outdone himself this time. The hall they rented was enormous; there were spiral steps outside the main opening, leading to a small balcony upstairs that overlooked everything. Small, circular tables were spread out, name cards telling guests where they were to eat dinner. A small stage was set in front of them, the band equipment already set up, and the room was lit brilliantly by the candles set on tables, and small lights surrounding the ceiling.

She felt Kwest's hand intertwine with hers, and butterflies overtook her stomach. Whether from his touch or the actual event, she wasn't positive, but she knew it had something to do with the way he was looking at her.

They made the rounds, talking with all the guests before dinner. Finally, the formalities aside, they could enjoy themselves. Kwest offered her his hand, and led her to the dance floor.

As the music slowed he pulled her closer, "The white symbolizes the purity of a friendship. The red is for love."

She looked at him quizzically.

"The rose," he laughed, " Don't tell me you've already forgotten it has a meaning… The white fades to red. Friendship to love," he explained, looking at her meaningfully as she drew herself unconsciously closer to him.

"Why isn't it the other way?" she asked so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"Because friendship comes before love, not the other way around. Red can develop from white; even if the red fades, it won't ever be white, pure. Maybe pink. Still friendship, but tainted," he explained charmingly.

The song stopped, and they stood still on the dance floor. They were oblivious to the couples dancing around them to a more upbeat song, and finally, they were knocked out of their stare by the booming voice of the fill in DJ.

"So, how bout a present for the birthday girl?" Kwest grinned, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the balcony.

Tommy watched at a distance as his best friend and the love of his life slow danced. He could tell with one look that Kwest was entranced, and he wasn't the least bit surprised. If he assumed correctly, Darius probably made him her new producer, and anyone blessed with that much time with Jude would have to be insane not to fall for her. But it didn't make it hurt any less.

He reminded him why he was there, though. She was 18 today; her third album was out. If nothing else, he had to be there to congratulate her and wish her a happy birthday. And if he could win her back in the process, well, that was just a plus. Or was it the other way around?

He scowled as he saw Kwest drag her away. He could only hope that she hadn't moved on already.

"Where is it, where is it?" she asked excitedly as he rolled his eyes.

"Patience, Jude, patience," he joked, but he was nervous to a fault.

"Oh come on, you're a tease! Tell a girl she's getting a present and then make her wait," she moved closer to him, hands outstretched.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small gift she immediately recognized as a jewelry box.

He handed it to her, and held his breath unknowingly as she opened it.

She stared at him, speechless. Inside was a white gold bracelet; the band was thick, made of two thinner strands twisted together delicately to make one, with a single music note, adorned with a single diamond in the middle, hanging from the center. An engravement in the band read simply, "Your friendship is my music."

"Kwest, it's perfect… it's gorgeous," she said, awestruck that he would buy her something so meaningful.

"Jude, the engravement, and the rose… I wanted to stress how much your friendship means to me, but I wanted to tell you that I feel more for you than just that. I know you're still hurting," she began to shake her head, " Don't give me that look, it doesn't make you any less strong, it's okay to still feel for him, but when you're ready, I wanted to make it clear that I would be too, if you do feel the same."

She looked up at him, tears in her eyes at the kindness of his words, and before she knew what she was doing her lips met his, and she was kissing him with a passion she forgot she had. But just as he was about to deepen the kiss, they heard someone clearing their throat.

" As much as I'd hate to break up the lovefest, we're on now, Jude," Speed motioned at the stage below, and she gasped.

"I forgot! Kwest, I'll meet you back here?"

He was still in a daze.

"Kwest?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sounds perfect." She laughed, motioning for him to clasp the bracelet to her wrist, then followed Speed to the stage downstairs.

Review, pleaseeeeee.

Oh, and please ignore any spelling / grammatical errors. I'm writing this all right now and just posting parts as they come up.

-Ashley.