Over a Week later

Jude, Kwest, Tommy, and EJ sat in the conference room eight days later. They had wrapped the video in 6 days, and now they anxiously awaited Georgia who would arrive any minute with the end result. Jude and Tommy had managed to get through the video shoot without any more mishaps. When the camera was rolling, the heat was so palpable in the room, everyone could feel it. It seemed as if they were the only two in the room when they taped. But when it wasn't, Tommy and Jude went to being just friends, joking around on the site, and laughing together, yet they both knew that things were about to explode between them, even if they choose to ignore it. They were at a breaking point, and all they needed was some small thing to send them hurling over the edge. Tommy felt that every time he made some small progress with Jude, something would happen and set them back. It was frustrating the hell out of him. And Jude just didn't know what to feel.

Georgia opened the door, finished product in hand as she walked into the room. It was about 9 PM and the editors had called her an hour ago to let her know it was completely. They offered to send it over first thing in the morning but Georgia refused, saying she'd have someone come by tonight to pick it up. She wanted to just watch with Jude, Tommy, Kwest, and EJ. She wanted them to view it before anyone else. It be better that way.

They all looked at her eagerly as she popped the tape into the TV that Kwest had brought in before. Soundlessly Georgia took a seat next to Jude who was next to Tommy and put a hand over hers in support.

(A/N all things in quotes from here on are the lyrics to the song)

The sound of the drums poured out of the TV as it shot to Tommy who was with four other guys, walking into a bar. They opened the doors, engaged in harmless conversation as they all strode towards the bar stools and took seats. The place was dimly lit and the air hung heavily. Smoke filled the room and tables were scattered carelessly around the place, with a few people standing here and there. The walls were dark and the place screamed moody and mysterious.

The camera then went to Jude who was driving in a white 1968 Mustang with red leather interior. She was tapping the steering wheel, lost in her thoughts, as her three of her friends talked around her.

"Baby you come knocking on my front door. Same old line you use to use before." Jude began as she drove into the parking lot of the bar. "I said, yeah, well what am I supposed to do?" She killed the engine as she and her friends hopped out of the car. "I didn't know what I was getting into." She walked into the bar as the chorus began, both her and Tommy singing it.

"So you've had a little trouble in town, now you're keeping some demon down." Jude swung the front doors open and immediately made eye contact with Tommy who was leaning against the bar, looking at her as well. "Stop draggin my, stop draggin my, stop draggin my heart around."

Jude and her crew went towards a table in the corner, never taking her eyes off of him. Tommy held his cup up to her in a mock salute and smirked as some random girl sat on his lap. "It's hard to think about what you wanted. It's hard think about what you lost." She changed her mind about sitting down and slowly sang as she strutted towards Tommy as she made her way to where he was sitting. "This doesn't have to be the big 'get even'." She ignored the woman sprawled across him as she bent down and sang into his ear. "This doesn't have to be anything at all." She slowly smiled at him as she grabbed a guy off the bar and began to talk with him.

"I know you really wanna tell me good-bye. I know you really wanna be your own girl." Tommy sang as he gently pushed the girl off of him, angry that his attempts to make her jealous were futile.

Jude pulled the guy onto the floor, giving Tommy a taste of his own medicine. "Baby you could never look me in the eye, here you buckle with the weight of the world. Stop Draggin' my, stop draggin' my heart around." She danced with him, but always kept her eyes on Tommy.

The music played without words briefly as Tommy pushed himself out of the stool and sauntered his way to Jude. He gave the guy a dangerous look, causing him to quickly leave. Jude looked at him indignantly and went to walk away from him, but he grabbed her wrist, preventing her. She shot him a look and as she tried to pull her wrist away, but he wouldn't release his hold. In lieu of being mad, she smiled leisurely and vocalized. "There's people running around loose in the world. Ain't got nothing better to do." She finally shook his hand free and circled around him, judging. "Make a meal of some bright eyed kid, you need someone looking after you." She cocked her head at him, ready for a fight.

Instead of giving her what she expected, he pulled her hips to him, leaving absolutely no room in between them. He crooned slowly to her."I know you really wanna tell me good-bye. I know you really wanna be your own girl."

Jude got lost in him as they swayed slightly to the music. They both belted out the chorus to one another. "Baby you could never look me in the eye." Jude softly went "ah-ah" as they carried the next line. "Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the world." Tommy ran his hands over Jude's body as they feverishly sang the next part. "Stop draggin my, stop draggin my, stop draggin my heart around." As soon as they got the last word out, Tommy drew her even closer and crushed his lips onto hers. The kiss deepened as Jude's hands went for Tommy's hair. Tommy's palms slid back and forth on her back, absorbing the feel of her. The kiss continued til the song and picture simultaneously faded slowly until all that was left was a black screen.

Everyone just stared for a few second, still absorbing the video. Kwest was the first to speak up.

"Dude, that was smoking." Kwest grinned at Tommy, but he didn't return the gesture.

EJ followed in. "That was-wow! Wait til the public gets a load of this. They're gonna eat it alive."

Georgia agreed. She was definitely happy with the end result. As she surveyed Tommy and Jude, she got the feeling that they were anything but content. "Yes, a success definitely." She cleared her throat as she sent the other two a look. They caught on quickly. Everyone made excuses to leave the room. Before EJ left she added. "Really fine acting, guys. It's gonna be hard to convince anyone that there isn't something between you too."

Jude and Tommy sat stone faced in the conference room, still in shock at the video. They both knew what they just saw wasn't fine acting, it was reality. Jude didn't realize that so much could be picked up from the video. How the hell was she going to convince Chris that there was nothing going on between her and Tommy? Hell she had a hard time convincing herself. "Tommy," She began still looking ahead.

"Be with me Jude." He blurted out, turning to her and grabbing her forearms.

Jude eyes filled with shock. "What?"

"You heard me, girl. Be with me. You saw that video, okay? Don't tell me you can't, don't tell me you have a boyfriend, don't tell me any of that. Just be with me."

Jude tried to reason with him. " I love Chris-"

"Don't." He cut in, silencing her. "Don't give me that crap about you and Chris, and how you're in love with him. Cause a girl who's in love with one man, doesn't kiss another like that, like what we just saw. That wasn't acting, either." He added when he sensed she was going to bring that up. "I had you next to me, Jude. I could tell you were feeling the same way as me, but I didn't mention it." He told her, still holding on to her.

"Maybe I was!" She admitted as she wrenched out of his grasp. "Maybe I was okay?" She felt herself losing control. She knew it was too much to think that Tommy had forgotten about them, had given up on them, but she was wrong. A part of her was glad that she was wrong, but a bigger part was angry. Angry at Tommy for always being the one to control their relationship whether it be producer, friend or anything else. "You don't get to come back after all these months and pour your heart out to me and screw with my feelings and expect me to accept it all. You play hot and cold with me, Quincy. First you come back and you say you want me, then you pull away, then you want me again, but end up pulling away again as well. You're just as confusing as ever!" Jude said, exasperated. She knew she shouldn't care whether or not he seemed interested in her, she had a boyfriend. But she couldn't help it.

"Besides, I'm with Chris whether you care to hear it or not. So you just need to drop this whole thing between us, like I have. I'm not going to hurt him like that. Loyalty means something to me Quincy, unlike you." She bit out, bitterly.

"What's that supposed to me?" He fired at her. Couldn't she just forget that loser for a second?

"You know what I'm talking about. You left me remember? Not the other way around. I was ready to wait til my 18th birthday to be with you, you weren't. It was your decision to leave, not mine. So what made you decide to come back, obviously you couldn't wait 8 months to be with me, so why now? Why now do you decide to come here and mess everything up? You were tired of me, so why aren't you any more?" She threw at him, feeling hurt. It never stung less everytime she thought about it.

She gave a hollow laugh, realizing something. "Oh, I get it; you said you needed a break from me, Tommy. Now you decided the break's over, so it's okay to come back here and torment Jude a little more. Wow, you must have been really disappointed to see I had a boyfriend, it robbed you of the emotional tug of war you always played with me." When he looked at her confused, she explained. "'Kiss Jude, make her swear it never happened. Become close to Jude, and then leave her. Ignore Jude for 8 months, then come back and reek havoc on her life.' Hate to break the cycle, Tommy, but I don't think I wanna see what else you have in store for me." She pushed herself away from the table and got out of the chair. She needed distance. "It's not fair, Tommy. You always get to be the one to decide what we are to each other. No more. I swore the last time you left me that I'd never care about you as much again, and that nobody would dictate how I should or shouldn't feel."

"You've talked enough of what you think is true, it's my turn now." Tommy began, fed up with the lies she thought were real. "You have no idea I felt that day I left. You just assume you did."

"Then tell me!" She exploded. She wanted to know, she couldn't bury it any longer.

He opened his mouth when Jude's cell phone ring filled the air. Jude looked at her bag that slid slightly on the table from the vibrations of the phone.

"Ignore it." Tommy ordered, the last thing they needed was interruptions.

She was planning to but once he said that she picked it up