AN: Welcome back everyone! I'm sorry for the massive delay in posting the third chapter! Things in life have been beyond chaotic! Mostly family drama! It's sort of calmed down a little bit and I found a few minutes to finish this chapter and finally start the fourth one so I figured I'd go ahead and post this since I have kept you all waiting long enough! I hope you enjoy it! I also hope to get a chance to update World Instant Star within the next week, so be watching! Though when I update that I hope to be able to post two or three chapters over the course of a week to make up for the massive delay! I hope I haven't lost too many of my wonderful readers with these delays! Enjoy chapter three!

Heaven Sent
By An American Mom
Chapter Three: Absence

It's been almost a month since Jude dropped Tommy off at the airport after refusing to allow Darius' driver to take him. Now she pulls up in the G-Major parking lot in his blue Viper, cutting the engine as soon as she is in his spot before climbing out and walking in through the back door. Technically she doesn't have to be here until Tommy comes home, but this is where she feels him most. This place is what makes missing him hurt less. Besides she'd already told the boys of SME to meet her here to rehearse so they are ready whenever he does finally return home.

She strolls in through the side of the lobby expecting to see Portia roaming about, or worse ripping her apart for driving the Viper while Tom's away. Instead the PR section of G-Major is quite literally dead. Absolutely no one coming or going or any sound coming from there. She arches a brow but shrugs her shoulders before heading off to Studio 3 to meet the guys.

When she walks into the small studio she finds SME horsing around as always, Kyle has Wally in a headlock rubbing the knuckles of his closed fist into the top of the other boy's head while Speid is laughing so hard he looks as though he could fall off the stool at any second. She leans against the door frame with her arms folded over her chest and a smirk across her rose colored lips. "Okay, who did what this time?"

"Dude!" Speid yells excitedly as he hops off the stool immediately sobering up and crossing the short distance to hug her. In the short time since he had become part of her back up band they'd actually become the sort of friends they should have been all through growing up, though the two are more than aware as to why their relationship was always strained. "We were starting to wonder if you were going to show or not."

"Sorry guys, just takes a little longer to get going these days." The corners of her mouth drop in a slight frown as she moves away from Speid to hug the other two members of her band as soon as they release each other.

"Missing Squinty?"

She rolls her eyes before answering, "Yes, I miss Tommy." She emphasizes his name, not that it ever changes what they call him. "Have any of you seen Portia around today? She's usually here before me…"

"Dude, you didn't know?" Wally asks then turns his gaze towards Speid when Jude shakes her head.

"She left the same day Quincy did dude." Speid explains as he perches himself on the stool once again.

"Did she say where she was going?" All three of her band mates shake their heads, each with a more confused expression than the other which mirrors her own.

"Don't go anywhere, we'll rehearse in just a minute, but first I need some answers." She storms out of the studio and through the lobby before bursting into Darius' office, not even bothering to knock first. "Why did Portia leave the same day as Tommy did on your little errand?" Her hands curl against her hips as her eyes narrow; for once her fear of him is over shadowed by her anger.

"First of all you knock before entering my office, you do not barge in!" His deep voice booms before he motions for her to sit down, his stern look of course being the only reason she complies. "I take it Tom didn't explain to you what I was sending him away to do?"

"He just told me it was a favor for you and he didn't know when he'd be back."

"I'm assuming you know what happened during their marriage? About the other woman?" When Jude nods he continues, "I knew all about it too, and the mistake she made because of the affair. She's my baby sister so I did whatever I had to do to protect her. But she's ready to take responsibility for her actions, so I had to ask Tom to speak on her behalf so maybe they'll be less rough on her and to handle another matter that Portia and I would only ever trust Tom to handle."

"And what's that?"

"That I'm not going to discuss with you. If T decides to discuss it with you when he returns that's his choice, but for now it's none of your concern. Your job is to get yourself and that back of band of yours ready for your Under the Mic performance in two days. I had Portia lay out clothes for all of you before she left so you'll be set until I can get someone in here to replace her."

"So Portia's not coming back?"

"Probably not, at least not for a while," Darius turns his eyes away from Jude seeming almost sad that his little sister was going to be gone for an unknown length of time. A moment later his stoic expression returns and he waves his hand to dismiss Jude. "Go, get those boys ready for the performance and don't come barging in here like that again!"

--

After three hours of about 60% horsing around and 40% actually working on the music the four teens finally give up for the day leaving G-Major but not each other's company. Well at least not Speid and Jude. Kyle and Wally part ways with them to go spend time with their respective girlfriends, something Speid lacks and Jude's other half of course is gone for the time being.

After ten minutes of very strict specific instructions she lets Speid get into the passenger seat of Tommy's Viper as she climbs in the driver's side, speeding off towards her house. The drive is silent as she focuses on the road so careful not to do anything that might cause an accident and damage his car or herself; two of the most important things to Tommy.

Once inside the warmth of the Harrison house with Sadie already away at school and her dad is still at work for his final week before he gets ready for his move to Montreal. Speid and Jude sit down on the floor in front of the sofa and turn on the Xbox 360 she'd bought shortly after SME had been hired as her back up band for the guys and her to play to help unwind, though mostly it was her and Speid that spent hours upon hours playing.

She nudges him with her shoulder as she beats him again in Tony Hawk before throwing her hands up in the hour shouting, "Yes! Are you tired of being beat by a girl yet Speiderman?"

Speid stands and bows to her, "I bow down to your superior skateboarding skills dude. Let's take a break though so I might regain some of my male pride this century. How about a movie?"

Jude shrugs and crawls across the tan carpet in her hole filled jeans to open the DVD cabinet, leaning back onto her heels as she motions towards them. "Take your pick."

He follows her example and crawls across the floor and perches beside her. His eyes scan over the collection of movies his hand curling under his chin and rubbing in thought before he finally leans forward and pulls one out handing it to her. "How about this?"

She raises a brow before shrugging as she puts in The Labyrinth and crawling back to the sofa nestling herself against Speid's side with a blanket over both their laps. She hadn't realized just how tired or miserable she was until about half way through the movie when her eyes begin to feel heavy, too heavy in fact and it's only a few moments more before they close and her head comes to rest on Speid's shoulder.

The weight of her head on his shoulder suddenly and the extreme temperature change startles him and he turns his eyes on her, his brows knit together with concern. He knows as well as anyone that she can sleep through nearly anything so he doesn't hesitate to place the back of his hand against her forehead to find it's damper than it should be and really warm, easily 101 or so. After a moment he realizes it shouldn't surprise him she'd been battling the flu like everyone else for a couple of weeks. It seemed to be continually passed around amongst the band though she was a bit warmer than any of the guys had been or than she had been the first couple of times it had hit her. Silently he decides he'll alert her father when he returns home and tell Kwest the next day in the studio just so they'll keep their eye on her as well.