I want to thank everyone who has been with me since Untitled! Its been rather hard to write lately. I just cannot stand Tommy right now. Does he always have to be an ass? As much as I love Jommy, there is just something so sweet about Jamie. He has always been there. He always comes through. Basically I am in love with Jamie, lusted after Hunter and undecided with Tommy.

But as I've mentioned before this will end Jommy, I think. There is just a lot to work through. A lot of stuff coming out.. Just like last season. Without futher adieu...

Thanks again for reading. Please review!

9.

Following Tommy's departure, the temperament at G-Major/IA Records seemed to have shift. And Jude did not like it. It seemed too professional. It was so work, work, work. Where was the fun? Jude had proposed this question to Samantha one morning.

"Jude, there is a lot of changes going on right now. Once its all done, everyone we'll be chill again. Promise," Samantha had told her before rushing off to the airport.

Jude wondered if she too needed to break away from G-Major for a while.

"You can't leave just because Tommy did," Claudia stated matter of factly, as the girls chatted while searching for Claudia's wedding dress. "You can't follow him, Jude."

"I'm not following him. Maybe its just a time to--"

"For you to cut the apron strings. Jude, we have been over this. Tommy is married with kids. You are supposed to be over the moon about Ethan," Claudia interrupted.

"I love Ethan. He's a great guy. He's the great guy.." Jude insisted.

"But you want the other guy." Claudia sighed. She put down the dress in her hand and joined her friend on the chair in the middle of the room. "You can't have the other guy. And if you don't want the great guy, then you have to let him go."

Jude wiped a tear away as it fell. "Yeah." "I'm so ridiculous."

Claudia shook her head. "You're not. You're just really confused."

Jude laughed. "Confusion is what wrote all of my hit songs."

"Then I guess you'll be getting that Grammy after all."

xxx

"It's so weird without you. it's like all the fun has been sucked out," Jude explained to Tommy one afternoon. Jude had popped over to the Quincys' to join Tommy and the girls for lunch. Considering neither she nor Tommy could cook, they were patiently waiting for a pizza as Tommy made chicken fingers and grapes for Ava. Ava sat at the table coloring, while her daddy and auntie Jude talked.

"Jude, its called transition," Tommy said. He picked the wide awake Bianca from her chair and handed her to Jude while he fixed her bottle.

"That's what Sam said," Jude replied, cradling the little girl in her arms. She took the bottle from Tommy and proceeded to feed her. "Tommy, we've been in transiting for the past 3 months!"

Tommy shrugged. "IA is becoming an empire. Soon it will be moving from that studio into some place bigger. It's a new ballgame, Jude. There is more people involved. New ways of running things. It's called evolution."

"It's called a disaster!" Jude exclaimed. "Oh, oh! Do not get me started on that Hunter character. He's a nice guy but the way he looks at people.. Weird. I saw him practically staring Sam down the other day. It was like, Hey Buddy, hands off the merchandise!"

Tommy tensed. He took Bianca from Jude. "He was looking at Sam? Like how?"

"I don't know," Jude replied. She shrugged her shoulders. "He was just looking at her so intently."

"Does he look at anyone else like that?" Tommy pushed.

Jude gnawed on her bottom lip. "He's looked at me a couple of times. I don't know. You know what, forget I mentioned it. He's probably just staring off into space."

The doorbell rang ending the conversation. "Yeah," Tommy said as his mind wandered.

Jude looked at him oddly, before getting up to get the pizza.

xxx

Hunter peered at Samantha through the crack of the door. She was leaned back in her chair listening to a demo. He watched as she leaned over to scratch her calf. Her long hair fell over her face. She pushed her hair away from her face as she sat back against the chair. A chill ran up her spine. Her eyes moved from the photo on the desk to the door. Their eyes met. Hunter smirked. At second glance, he was gone.

Samantha suddenly found herself nervous. She didn't like the way Hunter was looking at her. She didn't like it one bit.

xxx

After lunch, Tommy had placed the girls down for their naps. As he rocked Bianca to sleep, humming a French lullaby his thoughts turned to his conversation with Jude. His trepidations about Hunter were growing. Tommy rubbed his daughter's back and closed his eyes. A flashback of sorts played behind his eyelids.

Tommy pushed himself up from the ground as Hunter was pulled away from him screaming. " YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED MY SISTER!!"

Paramedics stepped in to care for the beaten pop star. The crowd shifted at the police and other technicians took control. It was then that Tommy looked up to meet the empty gaze of Samantha Martez.

"Sam," Tommy croaked out. She shook her head and allowed the ever supportive Portia Mills Quincy to escort her away from the scene.

Tommy laid back against the concrete. Hunter's shouts of vengeance were the last he heard before it all went away.

Tommy shook himself awake. Bianca began to shriek at the disruption. Tommy pulled the infant into his chest, rocking her as she sobbed.

xxx

Jude sang along to her ipod as she walked through IA records. She was to place the finishing touches on Fiona's sample cd before handing it over to Sam. Jude could not be prouder.

Jude waved to Spied as he and the guys jammed in one of the studios. She made a mental note to play a song idea to them later. She was about to step into one of the rooms when a craving for raspberry tea hit.

xxx

Samantha was pouring herself a cup of juice when a hand grazed her neck. She froze.

"You never minded when I used to do that," he said smoothly. "In fact, I remember you not minding a lot of things I did. Especially when you were mad at Tommy.. Especially when you found out about him and my sister."

Sam shrugged Hunter off. "Hunter--" she warned. Hunter smirked and leaned over the petite woman, his mouth grazing her ear as he spoke.

"I see the way he looks at the Harrison girl. He would look at Angie that way. Do you wonder if he'll ever cheat on you again? After all, Tommy could never deal with you being successful on your own and not just in the band.."

"Hunter, back off," Samantha demanded, shoving him away.

Hunter grinned at her knowingly. "How long before playing Daddy gets old for him? How long before you wonder what he is doing at home? How long before you walk in on him with someone else?" Hunter backed her against the counter. He placed his arms on either side, trapping her. Samantha gulped nervously.

"He's different.
He leaned over further, pressing his body into hers. "You've said that before."

Sam turned her face away from his. He ran his hands down her arms.

"Stop it!"

xxx

"Stop it!" Jude heard Samantha shout. She watched as Sam push Hunter away from her. Hunter turned to look at Jude with a look of satisfaction. He pecked Samantha on the cheek and walked out. Jude stepped away from him as he shoved past her.

"What was that?"

Samantha pushed her hair away from her face and grabbed her glass.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Jude stepped in front of her. "Sam, I heard you tell him to stop it. Are you okay? Did he-"

"Drop it, Jude. It was nothing. Hunter was just being himself. I- I have to go.."

"Sam," Jude demanded. "It didn't look like nothing. What is going on? Are you and Hunter--."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Jude Harrison. Look, its none of you concern. Stay out of it."

Jude became defensive. "If you are in anyway hurting Tommy, I will.."

"That is enough, Jude. MY husband is none of your business. Music is your business. I suggest you remember why you are here," Samantha snapped and stormed out of the kitchen.

Jude stood back wondering what was going on.

xxx

Samantha slammed the door of her office. She tossed her shoes off her feet. She growled in anger. She picked up the phone on her desk and called for someone she hadn't spoken to in year.

"Tell ADA Terrell I want anything and everything you have in relation to the death of Angela Jones and her brother Hunter Jones Laviere."

xxx

I'm tired of standing alone.

I'm letting you go.

Its time I be on my own.

I'll show you how strong I am.

To prove to you that I can

I'm letting you go.

I'm saying goodbye to the girl I once knew.

I had lost her the day I met you.

Jude chewed on her thumbnail as she listened to the newly recorded song. The whole exchange with Sam wasn't right. There was something going on. Something going on with everybody. Tommy tensed at the mention of Hunter. Kwest always seemed so professional in his presence. Portia wouldn't even look him in the eye. And when Darius came to visit, he yanked everyone but Hunter into Sam's office for a private discussion.

Hunter made Jude nervous. There was something off about him. And everyone knew it, but there was something deeper. Something none of them were discussing. And Jude wanted to know why. With determination etched across her face, Jude made the decision to get to the bottom of it.

xxx

Later that night, Samantha Quincy stood in front of the mirror of her private bathroom. On the ground, her gorgeous dark hair laid at her feet. She ran her fingers through her choppy hair. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, Hunter was standing behind her.

He smirked at her.