"Best Friends?"

Summary: Tommy Quincy hates Jamie Andrews with a passion. But why? Takes place after "Date With the Night."

Disclaimer: All chapter titles are songs by Fall Out Boy. Also I don't own anything related to "Instant Star" except for a couple of Jude-centric fantasies.

Author's Note: Well it's been two weeks of sun, relaxation, and a little "indoor recreation" for me and the galpal but I'm back now and, along with having to get back to my daily grind, it also means regular updates again! I'm fully charged and after watching both seasons of the show and Final Destination 3 over and over (thus satisfying my growing Alexz Johnson addiction) I'm ready to give you some of my best work yet. Just not in this chapter.

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"You're supposed to be dead."

"Well, if I am dead...is that anyway to greet the dead?"

Jamie paused a moment. "I saw your body."

"Did you check for a pulse? Or did you leave me alone in the casket like a normal person?"

"But...you weren't breathing!"

"Yes, I was. You must've missed it."

Jamie sat down on Liam's desk, no longer able to stand. "But what about the guy who killed you?"

"Undercover agent," Liam interjected.

"So you were never dead?"

"Nope."

Jamie rubbed his head, willing the headache to go away. As he sat and thought over the repercussions of Liam's latest bombshell an odd thought struck him. One that did not sit well with him. "You lied to Jude."

"What?"

"Jude thinks you're dead and that she's responsible! She sat at your funeral and cried for days afterward. She's been a shell of what she used to be and yet...you're not dead. You've just abandoned her again."

Liam shared a look with the other man. "Jamie," Liam began but he was cut off by the blonde.

"I know she's hurting Jamie. And I never wanted that. But by pretending to be dead I can bring Darius down without worrying about being killed. Or Jude being hurt. You have no idea how badly I wanted to sit up in the coffin and tell Jude the truth...but I can't." He sighed. "She's safe this way and she has you to help her."

"Are you ever going to tell her?"

He shook his head. "It's kinda hard to come back from the dead. The only reason I even decided to let you know I was alive is that I wanted to tell you to keep Jude safe."

Jamie shook his head. "This is crazy."

"Tell me you'll look after Jude."

Finally Jamie sighed and looked him in the eye. "You know I will."

The other man nodded and turned to Liam. "Let's get out of here before D shows up."

Liam and the man exited the office leaving a very tired looking Jamie behind. A few seconds later Jude entered. "Hey, what's going on?"

Jamie jumped slightly and quickly smiled. "Nothing."

"Why don't I believe that?" Jude asked, arching her eyebrows.

Jamie stood and pulled Jude close. "Well...I didn't want to say anything but you have trust issues."

Jude chuckled. "Well, maybe I should; after all my boyfriend did cheat on his last girlfriend."

"Not gonna happen this time," Jamie replied, leaning in for a kiss. Jude however pulled away, a puzzled look on her face.

"What? What's the matter?"

Jude shook her head but the look on her face remained the same. "Nothing. I just thought...for a second there, I thought could almost feel Tommy's presence. As if he'd been here. Weird, huh?"

Jamie attempted to keep his face impassive as he said, "Yeah. Weird."

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Author's Note 2: Probably not worth the wait but think of this as the "calm before the storm" because the shit is most definitely about to hit the fan. Here's some spoilers: someone actually dies in the next few chapters, all those characters I haven't really used (Sadie, Spiederman, Kwest, etc.) will get their chance to shine, Patsy gets her revenge on Jude, Tommy is forced out of hiding, and Jude's got a secret. (A fairly big one, too.) Bonus points if you can guess what she's hiding.