You know the shpiel...I freakin' love you ALL for reviewing, I enjoy this story like nothing else (except writing the chapters for "Hide and Seek", due soon), and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Hugs and squee!
PS - the song is "Unsaid" by The Fray...I HIGHLY suggest you go out and get it on iTunes (or get the whole CD; it rocks THAT much!).


Jude swayed cheek to cheek with Marcus on the polished dance floor as the soft music drifted in the air around them. Under other circumstances, she would have been on cloud nine; spending an evening with a gorgeous man who was the perfect gentleman and a great dancer didn't happen very often in life. However, it was hard to enjoy herself when every thought centered around one person.

Tommy hadn't spoken to her since the party had left G-Major, and she was starting to get worried that he didn't really notice her at all. After the hours spent looking for the right dress and going through nine levels of beauty torture with EJ she should have felt like a princess, but without a single word of acknowledgement from the one person that mattered the most she felt like she might as well have showed up in ripped jeans and a tee shirt.

Jude worried her bottom lip and a crease appeared above her shadowed brow. "Marcus?"

"Hmmm?" he murmured, humming to the melody floating out of the speakers.

"When is the plan supposed to start? Because...well, I haven't seen Tommy so much as glance in my direction all night, and-"

Marcus chuckled. "Don't worry honey, the plan's already well underway."

Before she could ask what he meant, the music ended suddenly in a burst of high-pitched feedback from the microphone onstage. An apologetic Georgia appeared to be the source, andshe tapped on the mic to grab everyone's attention.

"Alright...as you all know, we're here tonight to celebrate the release of Jude's first album. With all of the hard work, dedication, and soul she's put into this CD, it should only be a matter of days before it hits number one on the charts," she announced with a smile. Raucous applause filled the club, and Jude blushed lightly. "On that note, I'd like to let you all know that you're in for a special treat tonight, as Jude has agreed to perform a brand new song that didn't quite make it on the CD; a bonus track, if you will. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jude Harrison!"

Jude climbed up onstage and took her seat, picking up the acoustic guitar set up next to it. "I call this one 'Unsaid'," she murmured into the mic, and began to strum gently.

Not that you're the one
Not to say I'm right
Not to say today
And not to say a thing tonight

But suffice it to say
We're leaving things unsaid
We sing ourselves to sleep
Watching the day lie down instead

The small audience drank in the soft chords, some swaying slightly as Jude's rich voice poured through the speakers. one person in particular watched with rapt attention, hanging on every line and lyric.

And we are leaving
Some things unsaid
And we are breathing
Deeper instead

We're both pretty sure
Neither one can tell
We seem difficult
What we got is hard as hell

The raging thoughts in Tommy's head all faded away as he took in Jude's song, and pretty soon there wasn't any need for thinking at all. He knew exactly what to do; he only hoped that he wasn't already too late.

A hundred thousand words
Could not quite explain
So I walk you to your car
And we can talk it out in the rain

And we are leaving
Some things unsaid
And we are breathing
Deeper instead
And we are leaving
some things unsaid

Jude looked up from her guitar as a prickling feeling trailed down her spine, immediately connecting eyes with Tommy. She silently poured everything she wanted to say into the last verse, everything that she couldn't say out loud. Tommy stared back from beneath dark lashes, and it was then that something changed irrevocably.

I can sing myself to sleep
No more
To sleep
No more
To sleep

Not that you're the one
Not to say I'm right
Not to say today
And not to say a thing tonight

The last few notes of the song hung in the air among thunderous applause, but Tommy and Jude still remained locked in each other's gaze, their hearts pounding with a new vigor.