A/N: Okay, so we're getting closer and closer! Only a short while more to wait...but on the upside, the chapters get a little longer from here on out, which I think you guys will like. These chapters are more of fillers before the ending, Jude's thoughts are still a mess as usual, lol. But I think you guys will like the return of Kwest in this chapter. Who doesn't love Kwest? lol So enjoy and remember to review!

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Jude woke up the next morning with a heavy weight holding her down. She was afraid to move and settled to opening her eyes instead. She could see a stream of morning light flow in from her bedroom window. It was yet another sunny day in California. Too bad her mood didn't reflect the weather.

Jude's whole body ached feeling the aftermath of her accident last night kick in. Her head felt like a bobble-head doll ready to roll off its stand, while her mouth was so dry that her throat became coarse.

Eventually she rolled out of bed, literally, succumbing to the routines of the early day. Sharp, needle-like pains twitched throughout her legs from the lack of circulation. Grumbling a string of profanities she trudged across her bedroom, still trying to wake up. Opening her closet, Jude barely noticed what was in front of her eyes; and at seven thirty in the morning it didn't really matter. Grabbing the first items attainable she hobbled into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Jude turned on the water faucet and ran her hands underneath, clasping them together to form a cup. Bringing the cup to her face she drenched it with the coolness, feeling her eyes perk up some.

Mindlessly Jude glared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was in haystacks on top of her head, falling around her face just enough to bring out the dark circles that surrounded her drab blue eyes. Tearing her gaze away from her less than perfect image, Jude threw on her carelessly picked out clothes. Checking her outfit she saw that she had chosen her dark blue jeans, tall brown boots, and a long-sleeved white v-neck shirt. Good enough…she thought turning reluctantly back to the mirror. Feeling too lazy to do anything about her new doomed hairstyle, she tied it back behind her head.

Leaving the bathroom Jude walked over to the desk to grab her brown purse that held her cell phone and other much needed essentials. Checking the time, she had exactly ten minutes until she had to be down for her car pool over to G-Major. Jude threw the purse over her shoulder and walked toward the door, groaning in protest at the ten extra minutes of sleep she could've gotten. Coffee…was the only thought Jude could conceive as she felt her eye lids droop noticeably.

Stumbling and tripping, Jude finally found her way to the kitchen, immediately making a bee-line for the coffee pot when she heard a throat clear from behind her. Jude turned around annoyed from the distraction. The distraction laughed softly at her grogginess and slid the large coffee across the table. Jude snatched it greedily, not hesitating to take a huge sip. The fact that it was almost scolding hot didn't faze Jude. The taste and aroma of black coffee instead heightened her awareness, making her easier to deal with in the morning…a little.

Setting the coffee back down on the counter she looked at her distraction again, cracking a small smile.

"You do know that there is coffee here? You didn't have to go to Starbucks," Jude told him. Tommy rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If you haven't noticed, we're out of coffee here; and I don't know about you, but I don't want to deal with a grumpy Jude all morning." Jude scoffed while Tommy gave her a look that said, "Well it's true." Jude took another big gulp of coffee, trying to fight the urge to go back upstairs and crawl into bed.

"What do you mean, 'all morning'?"

"You do remember that you have to go to G-Major this morning to record?"

"Yes, but why are you going?"

Tommy was silent for a minute, reading Jude's face.

"You don't want me to go." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Jude shook her head tiredly, realizing that he took her words the wrong way.

"No, no. I don't mind that you go, I was just wondering why. Isn't there supposed to be some kind of event here today?" Jude recovered.

"Not until tonight. They wanted to fit it into your schedule as well…seeing as how you are on the show and all."

"Don't remind me," Jude replied with a low chuckle. Tommy brought a hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing," Jude replied lightly, sounding innocent. Tommy stared at her for a second before rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah; come on, I have to get you to G-Major or it's my ass that will get the beating."

Tommy gestured Jude to follow him. Grabbing her almost empty cup of coffee, she walked around to him as he led her through the doorway. Tommy laced his hand through her empty one as they made their way to the limo outside.

"You know Kwest?" Jude asked, failing to hide the curiosity in her tone. What Tommy said next was not something she had anticipated.

"He's an old friend. Before I made it big in Boyz Attack we used to have a band together; we tried to make something out of it, but boy was Darius unhappy. I don't think I've ever heard him scream so loud," Tommy chuckled at the memory.

Jude gawked at him in shock, not knowing what to say. Why hadn't she ever known about this? Tommy Quincy…once was working for G-Major? The thought of Tommy in any other type of band but pop was hard to picture; although she had seen him perform quite a few times recently. But still, he was friends with Kwest? I wonder why Kwest never mentioned him to me…

"You…were friends with Kwest…my producer Kwest."

"Yes."

"And you never told me this…why?" Tommy shrugged.

"It never really seemed important information. It's not that I was hiding it. I didn't know that you knew him until he called me up about a week ago saying he was coming down to California," Tommy explained. Jude nodded her head. "You're not mad at me are you?"

"No, I'm just…surprised," Jude stated.

After they arrived at G-Major, Jude and Tommy made their way inside looking for Kwest. They finally found him in Studio C adjusting the soundboard. The sound of the door brought his attention up to them, his dark features gleaming as he stood up.

"Hey T, long time no see. Good to see you again Jude," he directed to both of them, shaking Tommy's hand. "Well, then again I have seen you on TV…many times," he laughed. Tommy just shrugged and Jude couldn't help but blush, even if the comment wasn't directed toward her.

All Jude wanted to do was crawl into a corner. She all of a sudden didn't feel comfortable with Kwest here, in a different G-Major, with Tommy. They seemed disconnected to her, and she was now self-conscious to record her songs with them there.

Everything abruptly seemed like a lie to her, even Tommy. He still doesn't know the truth, and every passing moment was getting harder and harder for Jude. By now all of her luck had run out, so when Kwest spoke to her she wasn't the least bit surprised.

"So, Jude…you have anything new for me?" he asked. Jude snapped out of her thoughts, and made a quick glance at Tommy before looking back to Kwest. Ever since she came onto this show, he had been her inspiration in some way. Kwest looked between her and Tommy, waiting for her to respond. When she didn't he pushed it further, "What…have no time to write when you're in the presence of 'Little Tommy Q'?" he asked jokingly.

Jude tried not to blush, but failed as the crimson colored flooded her cheeks. Much like the exact opposite…she thought. Turning to her purse to hide the embarrassment she dug out her journal that she knew she wouldn't be using today. None of the songs she had written seemed good enough. She needed something new…something different…something original. That's when the light bulb clicked on inside Jude's mind. The show…everything, was all Jude could think of. Standing straight up she walked swiftly across the room and sat down in the corner with her journal, flipping it open to a new page.

"Jude?" Tommy asked curiously. Kwest turned toward him.

"Don't worry about it; just means that she's got some inspiration," Kwest replied with a smile on his face. "She always gets like this when she writes something that blows the roof off."

Tommy stared at her with intrigue. Her hand was scrawling across the page like lightning, her gaze never shifting from it. She seemed lost in deep thought, in her own world.

Some things about Jude still surprised him. No matter how long he talked to her there was always more to learn. Her songwriting ability always shocked him, even though he had heard her perform many times. It was always the passion. She had so much passion invested in the words that he couldn't help but want to read what would come out of her mouth next; more so, what inspires the meaning behind the words. Kwest finally brought him out of his deep thoughts.

"Hey man, I'm going to go make a sandwich. This could take a while…T?" he asked a stone-faced Tommy. Tommy jerked back, seeing Kwest waving a hand in front of his eyes. "You coming with me?" he asked again. Tommy looked back at Jude, still wrapped up in her journal. She was not resurfacing anytime soon.

"Sure," Tommy agreed. The two of them then turned away from Jude and made their way to the kitchen.

The words were flowing out of Jude like a waterfall; it was continuous. She wanted to get every thought, every feeling, and every emotion out there. Soon she felt like herself again. She had never actually noticed how much of herself she had lost throughout the course of the show. What she had become was not something to be proud of. Stealing her sister's dream away from her, for starters; even if they weren't a match made in heaven. Sadie was her sister. And yet, she couldn't shake her feelings for Tommy. Not one bit.

Jude wanted to get out, to get away from everything. However leaving was the last thing she was able to do. Not because of Jeff, but because of Tommy. He had become her rock, she just had never realized how much. That brought her to another point. She was a liar… a thief and a liar. She's lying to him about their future, possibly one of the worst things for her to lie about.

Now more than ever Tommy seemed very disconnected and far away from her. Despite the fact that they had made up and things were better than before, they weren't honest. So no matter how much time she spends with him, he'll still be distant…until she tells him the truth.

Her life was a living hell. To outsiders looking in, it wouldn't seem like a big deal. Some might say…'Just take the million dollars.' Others would say…'Just tell Tommy…end of story.' But it was far from over.

So much stress that had been bottled up was pouring out of her now. She could now hear the beats and melody in her head, the tones becoming more aggressive as she continued.

Outside in the kitchen, Kwest was putting the finishing touches on his carefully constructed sub sandwich. Tommy wasn't hungry yet so instead he poured himself another cup of coffee. Kwest took a huge bite of the sub.

"Now that's how you make a sandwich," Kwest stated. "You sure you don't want any Tom? There's more than enough to share." Kwest waved his concoction in Tommy's face. Taking one whiff of it, Tommy crinkled his nose in disgust. Reminder: Never eat anything made from Kwest.

"I think I'll pass…"

"Your loss," Kwest mumbled taking another chunk out of the sub with his teeth. Swallowing it Tommy winced, only being able to imagine what that tasted like. He took a sip of coffee to clear his imagination. Kwest set down his sandwich. "Okay spill it."

"Spill what?" Tommy asked in confusion.

"What's the story with you and Jude?"

Tommy decided to try to play dumb. "What story?" Kwest rolled his eyes.

"Come on, I'm not blind. I have seen an episode or two of The Bachelor. Not by my choice of course, Darius played it at G-Major a lot to monitor Jude…and you."

"Why would he want to monitor me?" Tommy asked, furrowing his brow.

"Because after the show you're going to be working here and he wants to make sure that it's not a bad idea having you two near each other in the work scene. You know how D is…'Time is money'…" Tommy nodded his head in understanding.

"Well D's just going to have to deal with it." Kwest smirked.

"So there is something going on between you guys," he replied confidently.

"What if there is? Why should it matter?" Kwest just shrugged picking up his sandwich to take another bite.

"Doshhunt matter oo mee," Kwest garbled through chews. Tommy's face flinched backward in distaste again. Kwest swallowed before Tommy could look back at him.

"That's gross, man. How can you eat that?"

Kwest ignored Tommy's change of subject and walked over to the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water. Opening the lid he leaned back against the counter and took a swig.

"Say…whatever happened to that one girl you were telling me about before the show even started? Did she go home when her sister did?" Kwest asked with placid curiosity before taking another swig of water.

"Um…no. She is…uh…still here," Tommy stammered before sighing nervously. He remembered that conversation. He must've sounded so stupid talking about a girl he hardly knew. "I – uh, I was talking about Jude," Tommy finished, averting his eyes away from Kwest.

"Wh-*cough*-what?!" Kwest sputtered, choking on his water. Tommy didn't reply, but waited for Kwest to stop choking. Kwest calmed down after a minute, then turned to face Tommy again, confusion and curiosity in his eyes. "You mean to tell me, that you've liked someone for over two months? One girl. That's unbelievable." Tommy scoffed.

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because it's you, man," Kwest answered as if that explained everything. "I mean…you haven't liked one person for longer than a month since Angie." As soon as the words left his mouth he instantly regretted them, wincing as he saw the death glare adorned on Tommy's face. "Sorry man, I wasn't thinking…" Tommy waved him off.

"No, it's okay; and you're right. I've never felt like this about anyone before," he confessed shyly.

Kwest was silent, having been rendered speechless. He'd never seen his friend act like this before. It was a little unnerving, but at the same time he was glad to see him mature at least a little bit. He startled Tommy, putting a rough hand on his shoulder.

"I'm proud of you man," he said with a smile. Tommy looked at him quizzically, having no clue what the heck he was saying. Just as he opened his mouth, however, Kwest pulled his hand away and started walking toward the reception area. "Come on, let's go watch some football. Jude probably won't be ready for another hour or so."

Tommy followed him slowly, shaking his head at his best friend.