A/N – Hey there! Chapter Six is here, as promised! It's a little shorter than planned, but you'll see why I had to end it when I did.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Six – All Alone

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Jude looked up and locked eyes with Portia. "Is…is this the Martin's?"

The older woman shifted her weight uncomfortably, nodding. "Yes. Why are you here?"

"Is Tommy here?" she asked suddenly, catching Portia by surprise.

"Look. You and I have never had a problem with each other, have we?" She sighed, eyeing the younger girl carefully. "Jude, you need to go home."

"I'm not going anywhere without Tommy. I have a right to know if he's here. He's my…producer and I have a right to know."

Portia glanced back over her shoulder before stepping out onto her porch and closing the door behind her. "Jude, I didn't want it to come to this, but…" She took a deep breath. "I don't think Tommy wants to see you."

Jude was speechless for a moment. How dare Portia say something like that? Since when did she know what Tom wanted? "Portia, I need to see him. Please, if he's here, just…let me talk to him."

The door opened behind Portia and she turned around, both of the women staring at the tall figure standing in the door.

"Jude…I…How did you find me?"

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Sadie groaned, checking her reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time. It was almost eight and she was completely dreading this night with Liam. He had just fired her and now she had to endure an entire night?

"I'm doing this for Jude," she reminded herself, running her hands through her long blonde hair.

Her doorbell rang and she jumped. Grabbing her coat—a gift from Liam nonetheless—she continued her mantra as she walked toward her entryway. I'm doing this for Jude. I'm doing this for Jude.

Sadie opened her door slowly, revealing Liam. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a button-up black dress shirt, holding a bouquet of orchids. "I'm doing this for Jude." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said.

Liam chuckled to himself. "Good thing I don't care why you're doing this. Only that you are. Like your coat, by the way." He smirked and held out the flowers. "For you."

"Thanks." She grabbed the bouquet and set it on the table next to her door. Turning back, she offered him her hand. "Shall we?"

Liam grinned at her. "We shall."

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Tom looked between Portia and Jude, a confused look on his face. "Jude…? I…"

"I tried to stop her, Tommy. But she wouldn't leave." Portia glared at the younger girl. Tom locked eyes with Jude, his chest tightening.

"Can I talk to Jude, Portia? Alone, please," he added for good measure.

The older woman sighed. "Where's Brigitte?"

"With your parents," he responded, never taking his eyes off of Jude. Portia nodded and went inside, closing the door behind her. "Want to sit?" Tom motioned toward a swing hanging from the porch. Jude shrugged and sat down on it, Tom settling down next to her. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them.

"Tommy, what are you doing here?" Jude asked suddenly. "Why did you leave me like that? Why are you here with Portia?"

Tom held up his hands. "Whoa, one question at a time."

Jude took a deep breath. "How could you leave me the way you did? We were finally doing something about how we feel and you run away. It hurt so bad." She could feel the tears forming in her eyes.

"Jude, it killed me to do it. But I couldn't risk hurting you more with the reason I was leaving. You were better off in the dark."

"Tell me now, Tommy. Why did you leave?" She looked up at him and Tom knew he needed to tell her. She deserved to know, even if it broke her heart.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "You might hate me forever, but you deserve the truth." He reached out and took her hands in his. "You know that man who was with me that night? He's…he's my father. I haven't spoken to him in years. After my mom died when I was little, he never wanted anything to do with me. I went from nanny to nanny. When I joined BoyzAttack, that was the last straw. My father swore he'd never speak to me again."

"So, why was he at my concert? Why did he take you away?" she asked impatiently.

"Portia sent him," he answered simply.

"But, why? She hasn't even been at G Major for the past few months. Why would she send your father to one of my shows?" Jude moved to the edge of her seat and Tom could see all the questions in her eyes.

"Because. She knew he was the only person I'd listen to."

"But…I'm still confused. What does Portia have to do with all of this?"

"Portia had some important news she needed to tell me. She had been trying to tell me all year now, and—"

"What news?" Jude interrupted again. "I mean, what was so important that she dragged you away from me? It's like every time we try to start something we—"

"Portia and I have a daughter, Jude!" Her mouth hung open and the tears that had been threatening to fall finally flowed freely from her eyes. She pulled her hands free from Tom's. "I'm sorry."

"You…you and Portia?" she choked out.

Tom nodded. "She's turning three in August."

"But…but how?" Jude rubbed her eyes, trying to slow down the tears.

"On my twenty-first birthday. It was a huge mistake and—"

"How could you?" she growled, anger rising in her.

"Jude, please. Listen to me. It wasn't planned. It was a stupid party and we wanted to ditch. We ended up locked in a warehouse with a lot of alcohol. We got to talking and one thing led to another and—"

"You slept together," she spat. "But why'd you decide to leave just now? When we were in the middle of our date. Why weren't you one big happy family back then?"

"Because I didn't know!" Tom yelled exasperatedly and Jude recoiled in shock. "Portia never said a word. I didn't even see her again until two years ago, at Darius' party."

"So why did Portia finally say something?" Jude asked, suddenly quiet again.

"Brigitte started asking questions. She wanted to know where her daddy was. Portia just ran out of answers."

Jude choked back a sob. "Brigitte? That's a pretty name…"

"It was my mother's name," he mentioned. "She's a pretty girl, Jude. And way to smart for her age."

She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "What are you going to do?" she asked quietly, feeling the emotion rising in her again.

"Jude, you have to understand. This little girl is my daughter. I'm going to be a better dad than my father ever was. I need to be."

She gave him a look. "So, what are you saying, Tommy?"

"Jude," he said carefully, "I have to be here with Brigitte."

She jumped up, eyes wide and voice borderline hysterical. "Are you kidding me? How can you be staying here?"

"Please, understand. This was really hard. But I need to be there for Brigitte," he pleaded.

"What about me, Tommy? Who's gonna be there for me?"

"You have Sadie," he reminded her.

She laughed maliciously. "Yeah, when she's not tangled up in Kwest!" she screamed.

Tom's voice was soft, "Jude…" He reached up to hold her hand, but she pulled away.

"No. You know what, Tommy? My dad left me. My mom left me. Now it's you. I should be used to it. I hope you, Portia, and Brigitte are happy together." Jude spun around, storming back to her car. Tom buried his face in his hands, listening to the sound of flying gravel as Jude pulled out of the driveway.

A small voice next to him made him jump. "Daddy, who is she?" Brigitte was standing next to the swing, confusion evident in her eyes.

"Her name is Jude, honey," he said, pulling his daughter close.

"I don't like her," she muttered into his strong chest. "She screams a lot." Tom felt the tears pricking at his eyes at her words.

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Jude sped down the dirt road, her mind everywhere but her speedometer. Tears dripped from her swollen eyes and her visions blurred more with each passing droplet. Her hands were sweaty on the steering wheel and she wasn't even sure she was headed north. Street signs whizzed past her, but their messages didn't matter.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Jude felt her body go slack and her hands slip off the wheel. The last thing she saw was the oak tree in front of her Mustang before her world went black.

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Leave me feedback! I live for it… Believe it or not, it does make me write faster. I'll get the next chapter up A-SAP!

JQ

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER SEVEN!

"Is this Sadie Harrison? I'm afraid your sister's been in an accident."

"Kwest, you need to take me to Montana."

"Tom, call me back. Jude's in the hospital."

"She's touch and go."