Jude brushed her hair out of her eyes and made her way tiredly up the stairs to G-Major. She persistently ignored the paparazzi snapping her photo and she tried to focus on a simple goal: getting inside and sitting down. She was exhausted, to say the least. She felt like she was on a constant stream of promoting her new album – which wasn't even out yet. It came out in three weeks, and she didn't even want to think about the promoting she'd have to do after that. Darius was starting to use the word 'tour' a lot less freely, and Jude was so tired that she couldn't even fathom the idea of running from city to city and performing.

She knew she'd end up going, of course, if Darius asked her to. She didn't want to pitch a diva fit, she was just…tired. She thought maybe she was getting too old to tour – and then she reminded herself she was only 18 – almost 19 - and that was ludicrous. She wasn't "too old" for anything. This was her third album, and she was really proud of it. It was a little more heart-wrenching than her others, but she was maturing a lot and had more inspiration these days. Not to say she didn't still write completely sappy, gushy love songs anymore, because she still did. She was still in love with love, and she was well aware that love sells. But now, with her maturing look and sound, she sang not only about love but about sexual tension and frustration with men and life in general. She amended her previous thought about being proud of her album – she was ridiculously proud of her album.

As she made it through the front doors of the label, she headed straight to the lobby's couch with every intention of lying down until absolutely necessary. Flashing smiles to people she passed, she let out a huge sigh as she sunk into the couch, feeling it envelop her.

"Jude!"

You've got to be kidding me, she thought.

"Yeah?" She answered warily.

"You want to help me mix the rest of the songs before the final mastering?"

Tommy Quincy walked towards the couch and sat next to her, awaiting an answer. Instead of replying verbally, Jude pitched herself sideways, flopping into his lap, her head resting on his thigh. She breathed in his earthy scent and exhaled another large sigh.

"I'll take that as a no?" Jude could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm tired," she said softly, feeling the pull of sleep. She felt Tommy's hand find it's way into her hair and begin to comb through it softly.

Her relationship with Tommy was…complicated, to say the least. It was safe to say they both were very aware of the fact that they were attracted to each other, and neither knew how to handle it. They both had very strong, much more than "simply friends" feelings for each other, but neither knew how to handle those, either. Instead, they relied on heavy sexual tension and flirting to tide them over 'til they knew.

Jude had tried to get over Tommy a few months prior. She had told herself that he was never going to get feelings for her, and that she should give up while she still had her dignity intact. She dated around, but could never find a boyfriend for more than a week or so. She couldn't help it that every time she kissed another man, she felt like she was cheating on Tommy. As she lay in Tommy's lap, his hand running through her hair, she couldn't help but think of how nice it would be to always have this.

"You haven't been sleeping well, babe?" Tommy asked softly. Usually Jude rolled her eyes at Tommy's recent favorite endearment towards her. She told him he was too cheesy for her. But now, with her face away from him, she allowed the smile she usually saves for when she's all alone and thinking about him to come out. She loved being called 'babe.' 'Jude' didn't exactly offer a lot of opportunities for nicknames – Speid's 'Dude!' making that quite obvious.

"Try at all," Jude mumbled in response to his question. She thought about just drifting off to sleep but then realized that a 2 minute nap wasn't really going to help, so she flipped over on her back, head still resting on Tommy's leg. "When did it get so crazy?" She asked softly as Tommy's hand continued its ministrations, causing her eyes to close in contentedness.

"Problems at home?" Tommy was the one person who knew her the best, and she was always grateful for that – especially now.

"Always," Jude said. "Sadie and Kwest and their life and mine and dad…it's all just too much, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sadie and Kwest – their engagement. And I'm happy for them, really, I am. It's just that now everyone seems to want that for me. And not only am I in no place to get married, but I mean…I'm not even sure if that's what I want."

"You don't ever want to get married?" Tommy asked softly, surprise evident in his voice.

"I'm not saying I don't want to be in a committed relationship with someone, but marriage…it's not a forever thing anymore. How can I promise someone I'm going to feel the same way about them forever? My parents did that, and look how well that turned out. Hell, you did that, remember? I just don't know if I'm cut out for the whole white picket fence, two point five kids and a dog thing."

"Well-"

"I take it back," Jude said quickly, popping one eye open. Tommy cocked an eyebrow at her along with a confused look. She amended her earlier statement. "I really want a puppy."

Tommy couldn't help but laugh out loud at that.

"You never disappoint, Babe." Jude smiled happily at him and closed her eyes again.

"So it's just that on top of all the promotion stuff and life in general, topped with insomnia from hell – I am so tired it's amazing that I can even walk straight."

He didn't respond to that and we sat in comfortable silence for a while before his hand left my hair and traveled down my face, tracing my jaw.

"Come on, Girl," Another nickname I love, Jude thought helplessly. "Let's go to Studio B. You can take a nap on the couch while I mix."

"You sure you don't mind?" Jude asked guiltily as she stood up with him, letting him lead the way by holding her hand.

"Why would I mind?"

"Well, it's just that I made such a huge fuss about wanting to be more involved in my albums from here on in, it feels wrong that I'd be napping while you do all the work and I still get my name pasted under the 'produced by' section. So," Jude paused as she covered a yawn, "I'll put off the nap for a bit."

Tommy tossed her a skeptical look as he held the door open for her.

"Besides," she said with a teasing smile as she flopped down in the chair Tommy always sat in. "Someone needs to make sure you know what you're doing."

"And you think you're the one to do that, huh?" Tommy grinned back.

"Yup," she replied saucily.

"We'll see about that," Tommy said as he lifted Jude out of his chair and dumped her on the couch. "I, however, don't think you're going to be much good to me or the album if you're dead on your feet."

Jude opened her mouth to protest, but Tommy just put his finger over her lips to silence her.

"Take a nap. Get some rest. I'll wake you up after."

"But it's not fair-"

"Babe, you've done more than your share on this album. I'm so proud of you. Now go to sleep."

Jude decided it wasn't worth the fight just to stay up, especially since she was beat, so she curled up on the couch and closed her eyes and was out within five minutes.

Tommy watched her sleep from his position at the soundboard, and he smiled to himself at how angelic she looked as she slept. He got up and draped his leather jacket over her, surprised that it managed to cover her in her entirety. To say Jude slept in the fetal position was an understatement.

Tommy mixed for about an hour or so when the door popped open.

"Hey!"

"Shhh!" Tommy hushed Kwest instantly, motioning wildly to Jude's still sleeping form. He held up the universal symbol for 'one more minute' and paused the equipment where he was at before getting up and following Kwest out of the studio, shutting the door quietly.

"What's up?"

"I have some…changes in plans that I need to run by you."

"I don't know what that means, Kwest." Tommy said flatly.

"Okay, well, it seems that now, due to some…unforeseen…circumstances, the wedding is going to have to be moved up." Kwest looked far too nervous for it to just be 'moved up.'

"How soon?" Tommy asked suspiciously.

"Three weeks." Kwest said meekly.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Tommy asked conversationally. Sadie and Kwest's wedding was supposed to be another 7 months away – plenty of time to get everything planned out and make sure it was all set. Just then, a thought struck Tommy. Oh no, he thought, resigning himself to the truth.

"Kwest." Tommy said slowly. "Just how unforeseen are these events?"

"Uh," Kwest's eyes darted around the room. "About 99 unforeseen."

Tommy grabbed Kwest's arm and dragged him to the nearest exit, leading out into the alley. Once they were outside, Tommy turned to Kwest with a bewildered expression on his face.

"You got her pregnant?!"

"Okay, when you say it like that, it sounds sort of trashy. I didn't 'get her' pregnant – she just is. And it was an accident, but it's not an accident either of us are willing to fix permanently if you know what I mean."

Tommy let out a breath and ran a hand over his face.

"Does Jude know?" Tommy wondered aloud, thinking that perhaps this had something to do with her insane home situation.

"No, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her. I think Sadie wants to do that." Tommy just nodded in agreement. "Listen, I know it's short notice. And I know it's not going to be as great as it could be, but right now, Sadie wants to have a wedding without being fat. And she wants to be able to wear white and feel good about it."

Tommy couldn't help but to snort at that. It wasn't like Sadie was a virgin before Kwest.

"Okay, so she wants to wear white and have her father feel good about it."

"I get it, I get it. It's just…wow. You're going to be a father, man." Tommy watched curiously as a look of pure happiness drifted over Kwest's face.

"I know. It's weird. I mean, it's obviously not what neither Sadie nor I had planned, but…I think it'll be okay. I'm sort of, I don't know. Excited, I think."

"I'm happy for you, Kwest. Seriously. I totally get to be the favorite uncle," he joked, punching Kwest lightly on the arm.

"Speaking of which, when are you and Jude going to … you know."

"Have a kid?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"Uh, I was going to say 'own up to your feelings and stop being so immature,' but yeah, I guess kids would eventually come of that…?"

"Man, is this was Jude deals with everyday? Everyone wanting her to jump into a relationship already, even if it's with me?"

Kwest looked confused for a minute but then recognition dawned on his face.

"Sadie and Stuart." He said knowingly, and Tommy just nodded.

"She says they're really putting the pressure on." Tommy confided.

"I admit, the two of them are a little…intense. I think Sadie just feels so happy about us getting married that she just wants everyone to feel that way, especially her little sister. And Stuart I think is a little mid-life crisis-y. He's watching his oldest daughter get married and I think he realized he's not as young as he thinks. I overheard him telling Sadie that he's nervous he won't get to walk Jude down the aisle."

"The man's not even 50 yet!"

"I know, but you should try telling him that. I mean, I tried to use you as an example, saying how you're 26 already and not getting any younger, and yet for some reason you don't feel like it's a problem wasting all this time without Jude, even though she could just stop wanting to wait around eventually and then you guys would be really fucked…"

"Okay, okay – I get it. Thank you." Tommy said, holding up a hand for Kwest to stop.

"Look," Kwest sighed. "I just wanted to let you know first. It's going to be crazy for the next two weeks, and I can only imagine what Jude's going to have to go through. But tomorrow morning – early - you have to go get fitted for a tuxedo."

"The things I do for you. Anything else?"

"I think that's it. Remember – don't tell Jude." Tommy turned to walk away when Kwest's arm caught him. "And thanks, Tommy. For, you know. Everything."

"It's cool, man. But you better hope this kid gets Sadie's looks," he joked with a warm smile before walking back into the studio to Jude.

The rest of the day passed by fairly uneventful for G-Major. Tommy mixed two tracks, with only one left to complete, and Jude slept, curled in a ball, for five hours straight. The day was coming to an end and Tommy shut down all the equipment before trying to rouse Jude.

"Hey, Jude," Tommy sang softly into her ear. "Don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better."

"I'm too tired to hurt you, Quincy, but I really wish you would stop singing that song," Jude mumbled sleepily.

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead," Tommy said amusedly.

"How long have I been out?" Jude snuggled deeper into the couch, pulling Tommy's jacket closer and breathing it in.

"About 5 hours."

Jude's eyes opened at this, her eyebrows cocked.

"Five hours, Tommy? What time is it?"

"A little past 8. You need a ride home, girl?"

"No," Jude said as she sat up slowly, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "I have my car today."

Tommy snorted at this.

"Your car is a deathtrap, Jude."

"It's a classic!" She argued. She was currently driving a very old, very dated Corvette. She loved it desperately, but she knew it needed work – a lot of work – and she just hadn't had time lately to get around to bringing it to a shop.

"You need a better car."

"Maybe," Jude conceded. "But there's nothing I can do about that now."

Jude stood up and held out Tommy's coat for him. He took it and proceeded to drape it over her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

"It's cold out there," he said simply. Jude smiled at him gratefully and leaned up, planted a kiss on his cheek and walked to the door.

"See you tomorrow, Quincy. And I promise I'll do work, too!"

"Later, Babe."

Jude made her way out to the parking lot, sighing as she pushed past the small congregation of paparazzi that always seemed to be lurking not too far behind her lately. She ignored the calls of her name and the usual comments, focusing on just getting to her car. She was too tired for this. She got to her car and fumbled with her keys, dropping them in the process.

"Jesus Christ," she muttered softly. Of course, this was all the ammunition that the paparazzi needed, and she was bombarded with questions on her faith and how she felt about God.

Just what I didn't need today, she thought miserably as she started her car and pulled out of the parking lot. I'm just going to go to the convenience store, get some ice cream and snacks, and go veg out for the rest of the night.

She pulled into the parking lot of a local corner store and got out, hoping that not too many paparazzi followed her. Ever since Rolling Stone had predicted that her new album would go platinum in a week's time, it was like every paparazzi had given up on getting snapshots of Nickelback and were in her face all the time. She understood it, and had grown slightly accustomed to it, but she still didn't like it.

She rushed in and back out with her purchases, and was unfortunately met by more paparazzi than she had hoped for. They hounded her, pushing her away from her car. Jude trying to not get frustrated, but it had been a long day, despite her not doing anything, and she was still just as tired as she had been that morning.

She finally made it to her car and tried to turn the engine over, only to receive a cough and splutter from the old car.

"You have got to be kidding me." Jude muttered helplessly. She tried desperately to remember what to do for her car in this situation, but getting out and looking under the hood was out of the question, as the paparazzi were now surrounding the car, banging on windows, flashes continuously going off.

Jude banged her head against the steering wheel and let it rest there. She tried to start the engine again, and while the car did make a more promising noise – it wanted to start – but still no dice.

She tried again, and was unsuccessful. Just the thing I wanted Tommy to be right about, she thought mirthlessly. She was about to try again when she heard an ominous sound to the right of her.

Crack!

She was unsure what was used to cause it, but soon enough her passenger side window was shattering, bits of glass flying everywhere, and Jude couldn't help but to shriek.

She tried the ignition again, desperately, and could've cried she was so relieved when the engine finally turned over. Flashes were now going off surrounding her, paparazzi clamoring to practically get in the car through the passenger window, and Jude tried not to panic as she put the car in reverse. She managed to make sure that all the paparazzi had cleared the back of her vehicle as she slammed the car in reverse and hauled ass out of the parking lot.

She drove as fast as the Corvette would allow her, and managed to lose the few paparazzi that had been trailing her as she weaved through traffic and through side streets. Feeling secure in the fact that she was no longer being followed, she pulled over to the side of the road and put her car in park – not daring to turn it off for fear of being stranded – and let out the frustrated scream that had been threatening to come out since she woke up that morning.

Unbidden tears streamed down her face as she let herself deal with the constant stress she was feeling. She had been so good about not crying, trying to be strong for everyone around her, everyone that just wanted her to be happy, yet were so busy worrying about said happiness that they couldn't see how worn down she truly was.

She regrouped after a couple of minutes and finally managed to feel confident that she could drive. She shook her head and sighed as bits of glass flew around the car, only adding to the pile that lay in the passenger seat.

She looked up to the heavens and asked the only thing she could think of.

"Seriously?"