Thanks for staying with me, guys. We're about halfway through this story now, and I just have to say that I've never had this much support before! I love that you guys are enjoying the story, and every time I get a new review in my email, I get fuel for another chapter. I've decided to wait on "Hide and Seek" until this baby's over, but let me tell you...it's gonna be SWEET. Love and hugs to you all!


Jude sat in front of the vanity in her dressing room, tears streaming down her cheeks. She'd had no idea that 'Skin' would have that much of an effect on her when she'd wrote it that afternoon; as usual, she had just set pen to paper and let the thoughts and feelings flow out of her head. The lies that Shay, Tommy, and her father had told her had been swirling nonstop through her head and she'd had to let them out before she did something she regretted.

Someone pounded on her dressing room door, and she barely restrained herself from hurling something at the door. "Come in," she rasped, half-heartedly attempting to wipe the running mascara and eyeshadow from her face. The door swung open and in marched her parents, tabloids in hand.

"What is this, Jude?" Victoria asked her, setting them down in front of her. Jude sighed and shoved it away, burying her head in her hands.

"It was a spur of the moment mistake mom, it's not going to happen again."

"Did he force himself on you? Should we call the cops?" Victoria asked, more worried than angry. Stuart let out a snort from the back of the room, and Jude's blood began to boil again.

"Forget the cops, I'll handle him myself! I'll strangle him if he even thinks about putting his hands on Jude again," Stuart growled. Jude let out a sardonic laugh, whirling around in her seat to face him.

"So NOW you're worried about me, Dad? That's funny, considering how selfish you've been lately!" she spat, her voice rising. Stuart fell silent, looking away, and Victoria stared at Jude with wide, surprised eyes.

"Jude! How can you talk to your father that way?"

Jude looked straight into Stuart's eyes, letting more tears fall unchecked from her own. "He's not my father."

Victoria looked back and forth between the two, confused and a little scared. "Will someone tell me what's going on here, please?" Jude glared at her father as he struggled for the words to say, and rose from her seat and walked to the door.

"Tell her, Dad. You owe her that much," she said quietly, her voice breaking. She turned the knob and left, shutting it behind her and leaning against it as she took a deep breath to steady herself. She counted to three, eyes closed, and then turned and walked towards the building's exit. Whatever happened in that dressing room was between her mother and father, and there wasn't anything she could do to help.

.o.o.o.o.o.

Tommy stood outside in the cold, smoking his third cigarette in one sitting. His fingers shook slightly, much to his chagrin, but he couldn't deny how hard Jude's song had hit him. It was like he had finally been granted entry to her soul, and he wasn't sure he could handle what he saw. She was a hell of a lot more mature than he had thought she was, for starters; her sixteen-year-old exterior hid the world-weary woman inside.

He cursed as the embers of the cigarette burned his fingers, and he dropped the butt to the ground and stubbed it out under his toe. The night was cold, and despite the sliver of moon present in the navy blue sky it was dark.

The door suddenly swung open to his right, but he was too tired to turn and see who it was. Hopefully it was another one of the stage hands leaving for the night, and they'd soon disappear and leave him alone with his thoughts again. The footsteps beat a slow and steady rythm against the metal staircase, and Tommy could feel the newcomer take a place beside him at the railing. He glanced to his side briefly, doing a double-take when he saw who it was.

Jude sighed, looking up at the sky and bringing her forearms to a rest on the metal bars. This night was proving to be more exhausting than anything else; the emotional rollercoaster she'd been riding all week had finally come to a stop, leaving her drained of anger and filled with a heavy sadness. She didn't look at Tom, but she could feel him stealing furtive glances in her direction. The stars continued to sparkle overhead, and it was then that Jude decided to break the silence between them.

"My dad is cheating on my mother," she whispered. "I found out earlier today when I walked in on him and the other woman. She's our travel agent." Tommy just looked at her, not sure what to say or whether there was anything to say. She continued, still looking up at the sky. "It just made me think about how a lot of things in my life right now aren't what they seem. My parent's marriage, my best friends, my career...you. It seems like I'm the only one who can see what's going on beneath all of the lies and fake smiles."

Tom breathed in deeply, releasing the cold air in a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Jude. I never meant to hurt you, but-"

"I know, Tom. It's probably the best thing for both of our careers, blah blah blah. Have you ever thought that maybe that's not the only thing that's important? Unless, of course, it's not that important to you, in which case-"

"Jude!" Tom interrupted sharply. She looked at him for the first time since joining him in the cold, and he met her gaze head-on. "I don't understand how this happened or why, of all people, it happened with you. I don't understand my feelings for you, but they're there, ok? Is that what you want me to say?" It was Jude's turn to flinch, but he cut her off again before she could start to talk. "I know you don't get this, but your career is everything right now. You're the real thing, girl, but a lot of people don't know it yet. I don't want to be the one to ruin this for you before it all starts."

Jude remained silent for a few seconds, and then pushed back from the railing. "Tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Georgia and get switched to a new producer." Tom opened his mouth to protest, but she raised a hand to silence him. "I'm not like you, Tommy! I can't just turn this off, and if I'm going to be able to finish this album at all I need to get away from you. I can't breathe when you're in the studio with me, and I can't concentrate on anything else because all that's in my head is you. We make good music together, Tom."

"That's all you, girl. I'm just the producer," he responded. Jude shook her head.

"It's not just me, Tommy: it's us. If you can't see that, then we definitely can't do work together anymore." she whispered, turning around and leaving. He watched her walk into the night, something inside of him aching at the sight of her back turned to him.


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