A/N:I heard this song today and thought this would be a good instant star story. Thanks to Lorraine for being my beta. Please read and review. The paragraphs in between the lyrics are flashbacks.
The song used is you can let go by Crystal Shawanda: /watch?vH78uQhsZKKA
Disclaimer: I do not own instant star or the song used.
Enjoy
You can let go daddyJude Harrison stood behind the mic waiting for the music to start. She was about to finish her tenth album but there was one last song she needed to sing. A tribute to the man that had always been there for her: her father. Sure she had hated him at times, but other times he had been the only constant in her life.
Wind
blowin' on my face
Sidewalk flyin' beneath my bike
A five
year-old's first taste
Of what freedom's really like
He was
runnin' right beside me
His hand holdin' on the seat
I took a
deep breath and hollered
As I headed for the street
She was five, and ready to take on the world. She had gotten a big girl bike for her birthday, and she was ready to go. Her dad was behind her holding her steady as she pushed off. A few seconds later she had it under control, and she was ready to go.
"Let go, daddy." She said has she headed toward the street
"You sure, Jude?"
"Yep. I can do it. Let go, daddy." And he did, and for a few seconds Jude tasted freedom for the first time, and she never looked back.
You can let
go now, Daddy
You can let go
Oh, I think I'm ready
To do
this on my own
(It's still) (It still feels) a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now, Daddy
You can
let go
In the years to follow Jude began to chase her dream of being a rock star. Her father supported her the whole way, and at the age of 15 she became an Instant Star. The night after she had performed at the Vinyl Palace, she couldn't sleep because of all the things going on in her life. So she quietly walked downstairs, and was about to turn on the hall light when she saw a faint outline of her father holding an old vinyl with his head bowed down. It looked like he was praying, but after a while Jude realized he was crying. She watched her father and wondered why he was crying. Soon she saw her father stand up and start towards the stairs. She hid so he wouldn't know she saw him. When she heard he father go up the stairs and into his room, she got out of her hiding spot and walked to where he had been. She flipped on the light and looked at what he had been crying over. She flipped the vinyl's cover over and saw her own face staring back up at her. It was the vinyl edition of her performance at the Vinyl Palace that she had asked Tommy to record for her dad. She had given it to him to just a few hours before dinner. It wasn't until years later that Jude realized that that night her dad had been letting her go.
I
was standin' at the altar
Between the two loves of my life
To
one I've been a daughter
To one I soon would be a wife
When
the preacher asked,
'Who gives this woman?'
Daddy's eyes
filled up with tears
He kept holdin' tightly to my arm
'Til I
whispered in his ear
Jude sat nervously on the couch in her childhood home: the home she had left two years before. She had put this off for way too long, and she knew her dad deserved to know about this before he found out through the press.
"Jude, it's so good to see you." Stuart said as he gave Jude a hug.
"Hi, daddy. I'm sorry I didn't over sooner. I've been really busy." She said as he sat down.
"I've heard you made three albums in two years; plus two sold out tours. I'm really proud of you honey."
"Thanks." She said nervously, playing with the ring that sat on her left ring finger.
"But you're here for more than a visit aren't you?" He said looking sadly at the ring.
"Yes. Dad, Tommy asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I know what you're thinking I'm too young to get married and everything. And I know Tommy has broken a lot of hearts, including mine and Sadie's, but I love him, daddy. I've tried living my life without him, but it just doesn't work. I came here because I would like to ask you for your blessing, even though I know you don't approve of our relationship."
"Your right. I've always thought that Tommy wasn't good enough for you, but I think I will always think that about anyone you are with. Jude, you're my baby, but I all I want is for you to be happy, and I see how happy Tom makes you, so you have my blessing."
"Thank you, daddy," She said as she gave her dad a hug.
"Will you give me away?" she asked as she sat back down.
"Of course I will." He said with a smile, but Jude could tell his heart was breaking as he said those words.
You can let
go now, Daddy
You can let go
Oh, I think I'm ready
To do
this on my own
(It's still) (It still feels) a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now, Daddy
You can
let go
In the years after her wedding, Jude's world had quickly changed. Less then a year after becoming Mrs. Quincy, Jude was pregnant with her first child. She was so freaked out at being a mother before she was even 23, but she took it in stride. Her father was there for all the big moments: moments he had missed from her childhood: birthday parties, Christmases, anniversaries. He was there for everything, and then he wasn't. When he missed his granddaughter, Carly's birthday, Jude knew something was wrong. That night she left the kids with Tommy, and drove over to her childhood home. She knocked on the door, and waited but there was no answer.
"Can I help you dear?" One of the new neighobors asked her.
"Yeah, I'm looking for my dad, could you tell me where he is?"
"He's in the hostipal dear." Jude quickly got into her car and took off to the hospital. She found him in one of the rooms.
"Daddy?"
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry I couldn't make it to Carly's party." He said when he saw Jude standing in the doorway.
"That's fine dad. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just some tests. You don't need to worry about any of it."
It
was killin' me to see
The strongest man I ever knew
Wastin'
away to nothin'
In that hospital room
'You know he's only
hangin' on for you'
That's what the night nurse said
My voice
and heart were breakin'
As I crawled up in his bed, and said
What he said to her was a lie. Her father had cancer, and within two years he was at the end of his life. Jude sat looking at her father and the machine that was helping him breath. Over the past two weeks his health had went down drastically. Jude had feared this day was coming. A nurse came in and was checking his vitals.
"How is he?" Jude asked quietly.
"Still holding on, he must think he left something unfinsihed." She said has she walked out.
Jude crawled up onto the bed beside him. She started talking to her father even though she knew he couldn't respond.
"It's okay daddy you don't have to fight anymore. I'm okay, and so is Sadie. She started an amazing life with Jamie, and I also got an amazing thing going with Tommy. You've done your job dad. You raised both Sadie and I. We both have families now, and we can do this on our own. You can let go of us now." She whispered as she kissed him on the forehead, and got up and left the room.
The next day Jude got a call from her father's
doctor telling her that her father passed away.
You
can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
Your little girl is
ready
To do this on my own
It's gonna be a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now, Daddy
You can
let go
You can let go
Jude felt the tears fall from her face as the music faded. It had been a year since her father's death. It had been difficult at first to deal with, but slowly everyone had moved on with their lives. Jamie and Sadie had welcomed their first child, a beautiful daughter. Jude, shortly after, had given birth to a little boy who had been named after his grandfather. He joined Jude and Tommy, and their two daughters. NBR had won a couple Grammys, and everything was dedicated to Stuart Harrison. As Jude laid her headphones on the mic stand, she heard the door open.
"You okay?" Tommy asked as he wrapped her in a hug.
"Yeah. It was just a little harder singing that song than I thought it would be. I can't believe it has been a year since he died. The Kids aren't going to remember him because they're too young."
"We'll help them remember. We'll show them pictures and tell them stories—they'll remember him." He kissed her forehead, before taking her by the hand and leading her back to the mixing board.
He let go of her hand and picked up a CD before saying,
"Here you go rock star, your tenth album." He handed the newly made album to her. She quickly flipped the case open, and looked at the dedication on the inside of the cover.
For my father, Stuart Harrison.
A/N:Thank you for reading please review.