It was little before 2 A.M when Jude's thoughts finally gave out and allowed her some rest. So she was, to say the least, exhausted when someone rapped on her door at 7:30 in the morning.

"Happy birthday!" Victoria Harrison enthusiastically said, shifting the plate of breakfast food from one hand to the other in order to gently shake her daughter awake.

"Mom, do you know what time it is?" Jude mumbled into her pillow.

"Yeah 7:30" Sadie yawned from the doorway. "And if she made me get up, you gotta get up too, oh, Happy Birthday by the way." Sadie smiled genuinely and went over to her sister. Sadie and Jude's relationship had some bumps to put it mildly, but when it came down to the wire, Sadie had been there for her the past 8 months supporting her, comforting her, just being with her and as a result a sisterly bond emerged, one they've never really had. "Get up, kid. It's the big 1-8 they'll be time to sleep when you're dead." Sadie joked, giving her sister a hug.

"Thanks Sadie, but since it is after all my birthday, I order everyone to sleep for at least another hour." And with that she snuggled deeper into her bed and pulled the covers over her head.

"No way, you need to start early, besides I made you breakfast." Victoria put the plate closer to Jude's face.

"Mhm...I'm torn breakfast or sleep, god is being 18 always gonna be this hard?" Jude replied starting to get up. Jude wanted more than anything to sleep the day through and shut out the world for the next 24 hours, but she reminded herself of the promise she made hours ago and she would see to it that she followed through. She'd put it all behind her and make the most of the day. "Thanks Mom." She looked up appreciatively and held out her hand for the steaming dish of food.

"Anything for the birthday girl." She smiled. "Presents now or later?"

"Hm lemme think," Jude said in between bites, throwing a glance at Sadie." Uh Now." They both said in union, laughing.

"Hold on, lemme go get them, I'll be right back." Sadie quickly getting out of the desk chair she was sitting in and moments later returned with a stack of gifts. Sadie just shrugged at Jude's incredulous look as she plopped the gifts unceremoniously on Jude's bed spread, "Hey you only turn 18 once."

"You outdid yourselves." Jude looked to Sadie then to her mom.

"Well, now Sadie's right, you're only 18 once, and my youngest is finally a woman..." Mrs. Harrison replied, her voice catching slightly. When Jude and Sadie both shot her sympathetic looks, Victoria brushed them off with a wave of her hand,"Oh stop it, I'm fine, it's your day honey, and I know right now more than anything you want to open those gifts, so go for it!"

Jude placed her forgotten dish on her night stand and reached for the closest gift.

Twenty minutes and countless gifts later, Jude was the recipient to new sunglasses, 4 pairs of jeans, a couple of hats, makeup, numerous shirts, and a drop dead gorgeous dress that Sadie choose for her to wear tonight.

"Wow," was all Jude could say as she fingered the blue silk of the dress.

"I guess you like it, then?" Sadie smirked. When all Jude could do was nod slowly, Sadie replied "Of course you do, I picked it out. Now go try it on, I'm dying it to see it on you."

When Jude scrambled off her bed with the dress in her hand, Sadie turned to her mom "See I told you she'd love it."

"Hey I never had any doubts. The dress is gorgeous, you really came through for her..." Victoria started as she bit her lip. " I know she's not thrilled about this party, you know with your father and I's divorce being final yesterday, and her album not going the way she wanted it, and on top of it all not having Tommy around to share her birthday, but I can tell she's trying to be happy and all, I guess that's a good thing..." Mrs. Harrison looked away, and couldn't help but worry about her youngest daughter. She should have known Jude would take the divorce the hardest.

"Mom, stop. Jude's fine. She'll have a blast tonight. I mean what 18 year old can say they had one of hottest clubs in town closed for the night and opened exclusively to her and her guests. Besides Christopher helps, he's great for Jude." Sadie answered, but couldn't help feel a tiny bit jealous. Christopher was hot to say the least, and he looked like he was crazy about Jude, yet she didn't know if Jude reciprocated the feelings. Before she could think about it anymore, Jude's bathroom door swung open.

"Well," Jude drawled out, leaning her body against the door frame. "Darlings, how do I look?"

Jude did a catwalk around her room and added a few spins for effect.

"Well," Sadie started after a few seconds, "if Chris isn't head over heels for you now, wait til he gets a load of you in that dress."

"Yeah it is pretty fabulous..." Jude laughed as she walked to her full length mirror and looked. The dress was teal color and 100 silk with straps that came up around her neck with chiffon ties. The silk crossed in the middle of the dress and created a plunging V front. The dress ended just around her knees with an asymmetrical hem that flared slightly. It hugged all the right curves and made her look absolutely irresistible.

"Sadie.." She turned her head and looked at her sister.

"I know, you don't have to say it you're indebted to me for the rest of your life." She joked. "You look fantastic, I cannot wait to see you with hair and makeup tonight."

"Wait til E.J gets a look at this dress. She's gonna faint, because it's so stylish and so something she'd pick out." Victoria added in.

"That, alone, is worth wearing the dress." Jude grinnedand her family followed in. She made her way into her bathroom to change as her sister and mother started picking up the wrapping paper littered around her room. Just as Jude came out dressed in her new jeans and shirt, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Sadie said, with a wad of wrapping paper in her hands, "Even though it's probably for you," Sadie replied as she left the room.

"Jude," Her mother went towards her. "I have another gift for you." She smiled secretly.

"Another?" Jude asked, clearly shocked.

"Hmm, yeah." Mrs. Harrison stated, looking somewhat "distracted". "But you've had enough gifts for now..." Victoria laughed as Jude almost pounced on her. "All right, All right maybe you want it now." As Jude nodded fiercely, Sadie walked into the room, her face unreadable.

"It's for you, Jude..."