A/N: Ok, so in my sort of defense, I did say the last time that I was going to stop saying when the next time I'll update will be, because I am just consistently wrong. And I don't wanna be spreading lies. That'd be rude.
So here's another installation of the story! I hope you like it. I just watched all of So Weird season 3 with Alexz aaaand it reminded me to post some stuff for you guys. Ah, So Weird. Quality TV right there.
Oh, and feel free to follow my twitter if you have one! I always love meeting other FF-ers. My link is in my profile (as my homepage), but my username on that is: the_resolution. So do it! Right meow!
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Probably.
They stood like that for a long time, just touching and kissing with the occasional smartass remark from Jude, and Tommy's chiding for 'ruining the moment.' Eventually, they did make their way to the living room, turning on some music in the background as they sat on the couch.
Tommy situated himself in the corner of the couch, stretching an arm along the back as Jude sat on the adjoining cushion crossed legged, facing him.
"So…" She started lamely. She didn't know what this meant for the two of them now. Where did they stand with each other? They loved each other, but did that really mean anything? Besides the obvious? And Tommy wasn't making this any easier on her, either. While she was having a full-blown mental meltdown over what it all means, Tommy was just sitting there, staring at her with an odd smile on his face. "What's with the face at me, Quincy?" She finally voiced quietly.
"Just glad you're in front of me, is all." Ah, Jude thought. So we're going to have that conversation right now.
"I didn't think we'd ever get to this place," she confessed. "I mean, I had hoped, obviously, that maybe one day you would…you know, feel the same, but for a while there I sort of gave up hope. I thought I had been relegated to permanent best friend status."
"Well, in a way, you have been. You will always be my best friend, Jude. As for losing hope…I wasn't the one going out on dates with different guys all the time."
"Let's hope not," Jude teased. "But…well, it's not like I liked those guys, Tommy. Really, you're not that dense, are you?"
"You had to have like them a little, Jude, or else you wouldn't have gone out." He really didn't understand her reasoning behind the dates.
"No, not really. You're a tough act to follow, Quincy. I had been so in love with you for so long, trying to resign myself that it wasn't going to happen, and forcing myself to date those other guys…it was hard."
"I'm glad you didn't completely give up on me," he said as he entwined their fingers together.
"Me too," she said as she leaned in and gave him a short kiss on the lips. "And…I think I'm glad that you put that song on the album, too." Tommy pulled back at this.
"What song?"
"…The hidden track, Tommy. 'Home.'"
"That was…you wrote that because of me?"
The sweetest smile spread over Jude's face as she took in the man in front of her. She just shook her head a little, still smiling warmly at him.
"You really are that dense, I guess."
Suddenly Tommy launched himself at her, pinning her to the couch with his lips, kissing her deeply and thoroughly, pouring all of his emotions into the kiss. Jude moaned softly into his mouth, pulling up her knees and tightening them around his waist, holding him in place above her. They continued for minutes on end, both of them content to just let the moment take them away from all of the craziness that had enveloped them in the past few weeks.
"So I should come back, yes?" Chaz's voice from only a few inches away, as he stood behind the couch looking down on the pair, startled them apart. Startled them so much, in fact, that Jude shrieked loudly into Tommy's mouth and jumped, causing Tommy to lose his balance and tilt precariously on his side, just barely catching himself with one hand on the floor and his body resting on the very edge of the couch. Jude shot him an apologetic glance before turning to look back at Chaz.
"What are you doing?!"
"Yes, friend," Tommy heaved himself up off the couch and gave Jude a hand up, "what are you doing here?"
"Not having as much fun as you two are, apparently."
"Chaz."
"Okay, okay, sorry. I come bearing news."
"News?" Jude questioned.
"News," he confirmed, yet giving no more information.
"Are we supposed to guess?" Tommy asked, his tone implying that there would be no guessing on his part.
"You could, but I really don't think you'd get it."
"Chaz! Just tell us, please."
"Well, since you said please, okay. I come to tell you that Kwest wants me to tell you that Sadie told him to tell you that you need to have your best man and maid of honor speeches ready for tomorrow night. Sadie wants them finished by tomorrow night or she, and I quote – well, I don't really quote, but Kwest quotes, who quoted it to me and now I'm just relaying it – that 'barring another death or really gross scene in which you are too mentally tormented to complete them, the speeches need to be done for tomorrow night.' Oh, and um, she 'really really loves you, and hopes that this qualifies under the perfect wedding that has been your ultimate goal through all of this.'"
"So Sadie wants us to write the speeches?" Jude wanted to make sure she understood Chaz's convoluted logic. "Please tell me you're not giving a speech, are you Chaz?"
"No, but I'll have you know I can be eloquent when the time calls for it."
"Eloquent like a Boyz Attack song?" Jude teased.
"Wait, why didn't Kwest just call us?" Tommy asked.
"I dunno, he said he did and that neither one of you were answering your phones. That's why I'm here – to relay a message and to make sure that the two of you are still in one piece."
"We have bodyguards for that now, but thanks Sherlock," Tommy commented as he pulled out his cell phone. "Huh. Look at that. Fourteen new missed calls."
"I've got twelve," Jude said sheepishly, slipping her phone back into her purse.
"Well, now that my work here is done, and I'll say that the two of you were right about in the middle of your work, I can take my leave, and bid you adieu."
"You sound like you're from the eighteenth century," Jude said with a laugh.
"Pride and Prejudice is his favorite movie," Tommy stage whispered.
"Colin Firth is manly, dude!" Chaz said as he retreated to the door. "Oh, and hey, Tommy?"
"Yeah?"
"Your mom will be here in about two hours. Just so you know."
"What?"
"Have a nice night!" And with a smile and a wave, Chaz was gone.
"Oh God. Oh God Oh God OhGodOhGodOhGod."
Jude was pacing in the kitchen, wiping down counters, cleaning furiously, although they had barely used the entire setup in weeks. Tommy was currently going through his voicemail, trying to get to a message from his mother, but he was just as frantic as Jude.
"God Dammit, how many times can D call and ask the same fucking questions?" He muttered furiously as he pushed a button on his phone to delete the fifth message from the mogul.
It was a little past four, and if Chaz was right, Mrs. Quincy…or Mrs. Du Tois…whatever, would be at the apartment around six o clock. Jude triple checked the kitchen, making sure nothing was out of place. She opened the fridge and cursed – All Chinese food! The woman is going to think I can't cook! And granted, I can't, not well anyway, but she's going to think I'm not a real woman because real woman cook and take care of her son and oh God, what is he going to introduce me as? As his girlfriend? Girlfriends know how to cook! Ok, so I guess I'm not a girlfriend then. But what are we? We haven't even had time to discuss it! Why is she coming here? Did she somehow know that we professed our love to each other and now she wants to judge me and make sure that I'm good enough for her son?
"Jude!"
"Huh? What?" She shot up, closing the fridge.
"I've been calling your name for the past minute, and you've just been cursing out the take-out containers."
"Oh! That! Yeah, we're in a fight." She kicked the fridge for good measure. "Bastards."
"You need to calm down," Tommy said as he walked to her, taking her face in his hands.
"I do? You were in a state the last time I checked…what changed?"
"I was nervous because I wasn't sure if something happened to make my mother suddenly decide to come visit early. I was worried."
"Early? She was coming anyway?"
"For the wedding. She always loved Kwest." A grimace overtook his face. "And Chaz, for some reason."
"I have to get ready! What do you wear to meet your mother?"
"I met her completely nude, and she was okay with that."
"Tommy! Not helping!"
"Relax, Jude. She'll love you."
"I have to shower. I have to clean up. Oh my god, the mess in your room! I have to go pick it up!" She bolted out of his grasp and down the hall.
"What were you looking for anyway?"
"Ugh, my journal," Jude said as she started gathering up various thrown objects from around the room. "I had a new hook stuck in my head, but I haven't had my journal with me lately. With all the chaos lately, who would've thought I'd want to actually write?"
"Do you remember it?" She shook her head.
"Nah, but if it was really great, it'll come back to me." She said with a wink at his direction, before realizing what she had to do. "The closet is a mess!"
"My mom isn't going to be looking in my closet for my Playboys, Jude. Relax."
"Does she know I'm staying here?" Jude asked suddenly, whirling around, making the situation eerily reminiscent of their positions only hours earlier before confessing their love.
"Yes. Of course she does. She's fine with it. Please relax."
"Okay," she conceded, taking deep, calming breaths before resuming her cleaning, albeit at a normal speed. "So why is she coming here earlier than expected? Is everything okay?"
When Tommy didn't respond, she turned to him again. "Tommy? Everything is okay, right?"
A guilty look was spread on Tommy's face.
"I may have forgotten to call her a few times in the past week." He caught the book that Jude threw at him before it collided with his face. "Whoa! I said I may have forgotten. And…I may have promised her that I would call her daily during this entire mess. But things were so crazy lately and stop throwing things, you're making a mess! And I may have told her that you're staying in my apartment and she may have expressed a lot of curiosity regarding that." He held his hands up in front of his face to catch the projectile he was so sure was coming, yet lowered them when nothing made contact with his hands. Jude was staring at him open-mouthed.
"So let me get this straight. You tell your mom that I am staying here and then you promise her that you'll call her daily so that she doesn't worry about you, and then you don't and now she's coming to visit. Does that about sum it up?"
He nodded.
"She is going to hate me!"
"How did you get that from that?" Tommy's look was one of pure bewilderment.
"Come on, Tommy! You tell her that some strange girl is staying with you and then you just stop calling her? She's going to think that I'm some devil woman trying to keep her son away from her! I can't believe this! She's going to hate me before she even meets me!"
"Okay, first of all, you're not some strange girl, Jude. You're you. My mother knows I produce you. She even knows that we're friends. She even reads the tabloids-" Jude let out a low moan at this and flopped down on the bed, "and called to find out why such a sweet, beautiful girl was spending so much time with me."
"Does she think I'm a gold digger?" Jude's voice was slightly muffled by the pillow over face, but Tommy heard and removed the offending pillow and pulled her up into his arms.
"She thinks you're a good influence on me. She noticed how less frequently I've been in the rags since meeting you. She likes your music, although she thinks 'Waste My Time' would've been better without Shay. She loves the blonde hair, although she thought the red hair probably caught you more attention in the beginning. She's been hassling me to get her a bootleg copy of the new album and threatened to disown me when I couldn't. She already loves you, Jude."
"She hasn't met me yet," she protested weakly.
"Trust me, that usually seals the deal," he gave her a light kiss. "I would know."
"Is this really happening?" She asked softly.
"Yes, unfortunately. I don't usually introduce my girlfriend to my mom on the first date, but I guess we're just pros at doing things backwards."
"…Girlfriend?"
"Yes. Girlfriend." He said decisively. "And, that girlfriend of mine is going to march into the bathroom, get ready and then come help me straighten out the living room."
"But what about the-"
"My mom is not coming in my bedroom, Babe. Same comfort level of her searching my closet."
"Okay, fine. But…I'm warning you. She better like me."
"Or what?"
"Do you really want to entertain that idea right now, Quincy?" He held his hands up in defense and backed out of the room.
"Go get beautiful. I'll be out there, not digging my own grave."
Jude just laughed and made her way to the bathroom, hoping against all hopes that this would go okay.
-
She was done in about twenty minutes and had donned a simple pair of black jeans and a slouchy white shirt. It was simple yet sophisticated – or so she told herself. She joined Tommy out in the living room to start to tidy up and laughed when he put on his playlist of 90's music.
"What? iTunes created the playlist all by itself – it knows what the people want."
Jude had a great time laughing at some of the more embarrassing songs on his iPod, but she had already known that Tommy had a ridiculously large music collection, and he wasn't embarrassed by any of the artists on there – he could name exactly which album it came from and it's place on the BillBoard top 100. He really was something else.
But, when a certain song came on, Jude just couldn't contain herself. She tossed Tommy a remote controller and used the Swiffer duster in her hand as a microphone.
"Oh, no," Tommy shook his head as he went to put down the remote.
"Oh, yes," Jude said with a grin and began singing. "Baby, seems we never ever agree. You like the movies and I like T.V."
"I take things serious and you take 'em light," Tommy begrudgingly sang – not into the remote controller, but still.
"I go to bed early."
"And I party all night."
Jude stalked closer to Tommy, rubbing up against him.
"Our friends are saying
We ain't gonna last,
'Cause I move slowly
And baby, I'm fast.
I like it quiet
And I love to shout!
But when we get together it just all works out!"
Jude was laughing at them now, but Tommy, seeing how much fun Jude was having, decided to really get into it in order to make that smile stay on her face just a little longer. If all he had to do to make her smile was sing along with M.C Kat on a Paula Abdul recording, well – it wasn't that big of a hardship for him. Besides, she hadn't lit up like this since this entire fiasco began. It was nice to know that his old Jude was still in there.
As they sang the chorus, the two of them danced around the room, continuing to clean and dust off various surfaces, but singing the entire time.
"Who'd have thought we could be lovers? She makes the bed-"
"And he steals the covers," Jude sang with a giggle as she launched herself on his back, his hands automatically coming up to support her legs as she climbed on.
"She likes it neat."
"And he makes a mess," Jude sang as she mussed up his hair – something that she'd definitely pay for later. "I take it easy."
"Baby, I get obsessed! She's got the money." Tommy dumped her unceremoniously on the couch with a smile. "And he's always broke! I don't like cigarettes."
"And I like to smoke," he sang, pulling her up by her hands. "Things in common, there just ain't a one, but when we get together, we have nothing but fun!"
He spun her in gentle circles around the room, enjoying the way she finally seemed to lose the shadows on her face that had been plaguing her for the past month or so.
"Baby, ain't it somethin' how we lasted this long?" Jude entwined her hands around Tommy's neck and swayed with him slowly, despite the fast beat of the song.
"You and me, provin' everyone wrong."
"Don't think we'll ever get our differences patched…" Jude trailed off as her attention was diverted to the movement by the door, but Tommy didn't seem to notice.
"Don't really matter 'cause we're perfectly matched," Tommy belted out with a grin. Jude's eyes opened wide as she realized the woman standing in the doorway had to be Tommy's mother, but before she could chastise Tommy for goofing off in front of her, he opened his mouth.
"Hi, mom," he called out, not turning around, just grinning at Jude. His eyes darted dangerously down to her lips but a quick glare from her had him reconsidering his next move, which turned out to not matter since Jude promptly disentangled her arms from his neck and straightened out her shirt, wiping some sweat from her face.
"Hello, dear," she said cordially, placing her oversized purse on the ground beside the door.
"How'd you get in here," Tommy wondered aloud as he moved towards her, dragging Jude behind him.
"That would be me," the loud, booming voice of Bear came from the hallway, mirth lacing his words.
"I thought you were supposed to use your powers for good and not evil, Bear?"
Bear peeked his head in the doorway, grinning unabashedly.
"I'm sorry, sir, I was under the impression that you singing while not on stage was a national emergency for all involved. I unlocked the door because I feared for your safety."
"Smartass."
"I'll be here 'til 7 a.m., thank you very much ladies and gentlemen."
"Is that your shift, Bear?" Jude spoke up for the first time.
"Indeed it is, little lady."
"We're probably going to be ordering in some food later if you want something…?" Jude felt bad knowing that he was going to be stuck in the hallway all night long with the boring task of watching people come and go.
"Well, I-"
"Oh, Alexander, do find someone to take your shift for an hour or so and join us for dinner?" Mrs. DuTois asked. "We don't want poor Thomas to go into estrogen shock, do we, Jude?"
Jude smiled and nodded at Bear…er, Alexander. "You'd really be doing Tommy a favor," she insisted innocently.
Bear looked between the two women and then to Tommy, who cut him off before he could respond.
"8 to 9, dude. Please." Bear couldn't help but to agree.
"Okay. It's almost 7 now, so just order me whatever and I'll be in at 8."
"Ah, perfect," Mrs. DuTois said happily as Tommy and Jude both mouthed their relieved thanks to the bodyguard. Jude was grateful that Bear would be there to answer any questions about the investigation that she couldn't, which, to be frank, were all of them. Tommy was grateful that Jude and his mother would both have a familiar face at the table, although it was more for Jude's benefit than his mother.
"Now, Jude," Mrs. DuTois said as she came to stand in front of the young popstar. Jude braced herself for the inquisition she was sure to come, and was slightly taken aback when two gentle hands cupped her face. "How are you doing, truly? This must be a nightmare for you, oh, you poor thing. Is Tommy taking care of you? Do you need anything? How are you holding up?"
"I, uh…I…" Jude's eyes darted between Tommy, who was backing out of the room, and his mother, confused and unprepared for this sort of introduction. "I'm okay, I guess?"
"And Tommy? He's treating you alright, right? Nothing but a perfect gentleman?"
"Oh, Mrs. DuTois, your son has been nothing short of amazing these past few weeks. I really don't know what I would've done without him."
"Ah, my dear girl," she gently stroked the side of Jude's face, "I'm sure you'd be just fine – you're a strong person from all I've heard about you, and I can't imagine even a situation as dire as this holding you down for long. Besides," she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Tommy may be a pretty face, but up there-" she tapped the side of her head, "sort of lacking. Boy would forget his own birthday if I didn't send him a card."
"Oh, come on, Mom," Tommy rolled his eyes as he hung up the phone and ushered them into the living room area. "My memory isn't that bad."
"Yeah, he always seems to remember everything," Jude said with soft eyes, drinking in the sight of him.
"Ah, yes, well, he has gotten better in his adult years," his mother commented, amused and happy for her son and the girl that was enthralled with him. "But if he has such a great memory, I am very curious as to what the other possible reason could be for not calling me daily as I begged of him to do."
"Ah, right," Tommy scratched his neck nervously. "You know, I can't even remember why I didn't call. Must be that memory." He moved to the island in the middle of the kitchen. "So, Chinese?" Jude shot him a glare. "No to the Chinese then. Italian it is."
Mrs. DuTois affectionately rolled her eyes at her son.
"Do you want me to take your jacket, Mrs. DuTois?" Jude asked politely.
"Call me Katherine, dear!" She took off her light jacket and handed it to Jude with a grateful smile. Jude hung it up in the closet off the foyer and turned back to face her, but not without taking a deep breath. It was going well…so far. She didn't dare hope that the evening continue in such a way.
The scene she turned back to made her bite the inside of her cheek in order to keep fro laughing. It was the typical mother-son scene; Tommy had his face scrunched up as Katherine licked a finger and tried to make a particularly persistent piece of hair lie flat.
"Mooooom," Tommy whined childishly. "It's supposed to stick up. That's what I was going for this morning."
"I'll never understand the styles these days," Katherine sighed. "Ah, Jude! Come sit with me on the couch while Tommy orders us up some delicious food. Poor boy can't cook to save his life – he got that from me, unfortunately." She ushered Jude to the couch and planted her right in the middle, sitting beside her.
"Now Jude," she began seriously. "Are you really okay? This is a terrible ordeal for anyone to go through, I'm so sorry about everything. Especially that poor girl…and you found her, and-" she put a hand on her heart as she got choked up just thinking about it. "I want you to know that even though you just met me, I am here for anything you need."
"Thank you," Jude responded sincerely. "It's been…hard, but I'm dealing. Or, I'm dealing by not dealing. I'm not sure if it's all sunk in yet."
"Oh, that's understandable, of course! I'm not sure if I'd want to analyze everything that's been happening. But they'll find this man soon enough."
"The police are working round the clock," she assured Tommy's mom. "If I'm being honest, I just want this to be over." Jude couldn't believe she was being so candid with Tommy's mom. She just had something very familiar about her, from the salt and pepper hair to the business slacks and button up shirt…it was all very familiar. She missed her own mom a lot, especially with all the craziness that had been happening in her life. Well, that's a lie – she didn't miss her own mom specifically. But she had missed the mother figure. Her own mother hadn't bothered to call her yet.
"I bet you do." Katherine patted her hand sympathetically. "But I guess all you can do is focus on the good parts of your life right now. And, if I'm assuming correctly, based on what I just saw, that includes my son…?"
Jude blushed furiously, but nodded shyly.
"He's been amazing through all of this, really, he has. And I'm so sorry about him not calling you, he hadn't told me he was supposed to and-"
"Nonsense! Not your fault my son is scatterbrained and worrying himself silly over you. Can hardly blame the boy. I had plans to come anyway for the wedding, I simply moved them up. And I have to admit, I could never be that worried for Tommy's safety – I'm sure the media would've told me much sooner, and possibly harsher, if something had happened to him rather than Darius Mills."
Jude could only nod at that, not really wanting to think about something happening to Tommy.
"Now, about this new album of yours…" Katherine leaned in conspiratorially. "Thomas has told me nothing but great things about it. He said that both of you have worked extremely hard on it, but I have yet to hear any of these results…"
"Would you like to listen to a few tracks? We have a copy of the CD here."
Katherine clapped her hands in delight.
"That would be fantastic!"
Jude got up to turn the stereo on, remembering that her CD should still be in there from her and Tommy's listening session from the morning he first got back. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Oh no you don't, girl." Tommy put the phone down that he had been talking on in the kitchen and made his way towards the living room. "I knew she would try and talk you into it. No special mother-of-the-producer listening benefits." He stopped behind the couch, leaning on it.
Jude had frozen in her spot, mulling over just how fast she could get to the stereo.
"Oh this isn't mother-of-the-producer, Thomas," his mom informed him gleefully. "This is friend-of-the-artist benefits, isn't it Jude?"
Jude nodded innocently.
"Friends?" He asked skeptically. Another innocent, wide-eyed nod.
"Best of," Jude clarified. "So, in that case…" she started towards the stereo, but Tommy surprised her by jumping over the couch and snagging her around the waist, spinning her around. "Let me go!" She shrieked mid-laugh. "I just want her to listen!"
Suddenly, the door leading to the hallway slammed open and a surly looking Bear stood there, surveying the situation.
"You two are going to be the death of me," he muttered, rubbing his forehead. Tommy stopped spinning and placed Jude back on the ground, her back to his front, but kept his arms firmly wrapped around her waist.
"Sorry, Bear," Jude apologized ashamedly.
"'Bear'?" Katherine questioned. "You're still going by that silly nickname, Alexander? I still believe your given name has so much distinction, so much elegance to it!"
"Beg your pardon, ma'am, but that's not really what I'm going for with this bodyguard gig."
Katherine threw her hands up in the air and let out a huff.
"Fine, fine, but I don't know how you're ever going to land a nice girl with a name like Bear." He shuffled his feet, looking down at the ground as a huge grin spread across Mrs. DuTois' face. "Oh, you met someone! This is such great news! You must tell us all about her. Is the food almost here? Is your replacement here yet? Oh, I'm so happy for you, Alexander!"
She got up and started bustling around the kitchen as Tommy leaned down to Jude's ear.
"Told you she'd love you." That earned him a slight elbow jab to the stomach. "Oof! Girl, easy on the gut."
Jude turned in his arms, looking up at him, a serious look on her face.
"I don't know if I told you this yet today, but thank you."
"For what?" A look of confusion spread across his face.
"For everything. For being you. For everything you did today."
"Today…wasn't my finest day, Babe." He actually looked a little ashamed when thinking back over his actions earlier that day.
"It all worked out for the best, don't you think?"
"I guess I do," he said before placing a light kiss on her lips, smiling against her mouth.
"Are you two ready to eat?" His mother interrupted, ushering in a woman from housekeeping with a rolling cart filled to the brim with food. Tommy just nodded, taking Jude's hand and leading her to the kitchen.
The dinner went so much better than Jude could've ever hoped for. Tommy's mother was so sweet and maternal and funny (although Jude was pretty sure she wasn't trying to be), that Jude couldn't help but to love her. Katherine spent most of the dinner harassing Bear about the girl he was seeing and seemed to find it particularly amusing whenever Bear would blush and refuse to answer her questions. Jude didn't even know a man as black as Bear could blush.
Bear would continuously try to turn the tables on Jude and Tommy, insisting that their new relationship had to be much more interesting than any relationship he has ever had, but Katherine would hear nothing of it, and continued peppering him with questions.
Afterwards, they all sat around the table, enjoying some coffee when Katherine got what Jude had now learned was a devious glint in her eye. She would get it whenever she'd ask Bear a question she knew he wouldn't answer, or whenever she'd mention a small fact from Tommy's childhood that she knew he wouldn't appreciate.
"You know, I'm sure Alexander here would love to hear a song or two from Jude's new album." Bear nodded eagerly. "It's the least we can do for getting him all riled up earlier."
Jude and Tommy had a silent conversation with their eyes. Apparently, Jude won, because she quickly hopped up towards the stereo.
"Only one or two tracks. No more. And you," he pointed an accusing finger at his mother. "I can't believe you're using your position of power just to get the first listen of a pop CD."
"Now dear," she got up and patted Tommy on the cheek. "We both know she's more a pop-rock artist than strictly pop."
Tommy could only roll his eyes as his mother went to join his girlfriend, both of them thumbing through the album art as they decided on which tracks would get to be played.
"So," Bear said quietly. "You and Jude, huh?"
"It's been coming for a long time," Tommy answered just as quietly, never taking his eyes off the girl that was now talking animatedly with his mother, gesturing wildly with her hands.
"Treat her right, Quincy," he warned. "I like this girl. She's good for you. And too good for you. Don't mess this up." He clapped him on the shoulder as he joined the females, leaving Tom to simply watch the trio with amusement. He had no intention of messing this up, ever.
"That was fabulous!" Katherine gushed after the first listen of Jude's almost-music-video track, 'Wishing I Was There.' "Oh, are they all like that? It was so fun and-and-and rockin'."
Tommy couldn't control the snort after he heard his mother's description. Jude, to her credit, just smiled widely.
"Rockin', mom? Really?"
"Yes, really. That's how you used to autograph stuff when you were with Boyz Attack!, wasn't it? 'Keep it rockin', love, Little Tommy Q.' Yes, that was it exactly."
"It was cool back then."
Jude shook her head from behind Tommy and mouthed 'No it wasn't' to Katherine, who tried to stifle her own giggles.
"That's it. No more of you two being in the same room. It's not allowed anymore."
"We can't help it that we're not as cool as you, son."
"One more song and then I'm kicking you out," Tommy muttered as he moved towards the CD player. As he was fiddling with it, trying to decide which track would be the next, he remembered that he might not be kicking his mom out. "Where are you staying tonight anyway, mom?"
"A few floors down from you, actually. I figured this would be a nice way to be able to spend as much time together as possible." Tommy visibly gulped at that.
"You realize that this is an apartment building, not a hotel, right?"
"And you realize that the mother of one of the most prominent producers in Toronto, not to mention the owner of the penthouse in this very nice establishment did give me a bit of a way in, right?"
"Fucking Chaz," Tommy managed to get out between gritted teeth. He knew without a doubt that he had not only convinced his mom to get a place in town for the next few weeks but assured her that getting a place in the same building as him would be a good idea. It's not that he didn't love his mom, he definitely did, but honestly – he was a grown up. He didn't need to be fawned over constantly, which he was quite sure is what would happen.
"This one, Tommy?" Jude questioned quietly.
He hadn't even realized what he was doing, but he looked down and his index finger was lightly pressing the fast forward button. He was subconsciously going to the hidden track – what had Jude called it? 'Home'? He just grinned at her; to him, this was just a sign that it needed to be played!
"She's not exactly the most tech-savvy person, Jude. She probably won't figure out how to get to this track after this time anyway." He saw her mulling it over in her head. He knew she'd tell him to play it anyway, mostly because she didn't want to appear rude.
"I can be very tech-savvy, Thomas!" He shot his mother a look, raising his eyebrows. "But you know, some things can just be too tricky for an old woman like myself…probably for the best if you play it for me right now."
"And me and her shouldn't be in the same room together? The two of you have had years of practice being together." Tommy and his mom shared a look and shrugged innocently. "Fine, fine. Play her the song. The song you put on the CD without my permission…"
His jaw dropped. Sneaky!
"Thomas, you did what???"
"Hey, why don't we listen to the track?"
"Okay, but we are going to have a nice long talk about respecting women's wishes after…"
"Can't wait. Okay, it should start any moment…"
The opening piano came out, and while it wasn't as clean as Tommy's most recent recording of it, it still gave him chills up and down his spine. Then the words…he wasn't even aware of the fact that he had sunk into the couch. Jude stepped behind him, letting her fingertips graze his shoulders. He reached up and grabbed a hand, pressing a chaste kiss to her fingers.
They remained like that for the duration of the song, in a sort of trance. It was refreshing for Katherine to see her son so open and, although she wasn't sure of how aware they were of it, but in love, as well. The song was beautiful; it was the kind of song you could listen to for days and never get sick of. It was the kind of song that you either had an instant connection to it or you didn't. And there she was, witnessing an instant connection right in front of her.
As it faded out and the CD came to a halt, Katherine had to surreptitiously check for tears. Just in case. Even Bear seemed pretty moved.
"Great work, Jude," he said gruffly, clapping her on the shoulder, causing her to almost topple forward on top of Tommy.
"Thanks, Bear," she managed to get out as she rubbed her sore arm.
"I better get back out there and relieve Ram. But thanks for dinner guys; it was great. Always a pleasure seeing you, Mrs. DuTois."
"See you around, Alexander, I'm sure."
Bear stepped out and Jude, Tommy and Katherine finished cleaning up the plates from their dinner. Katherine caught on quickly to the shared looks between Jude and Tommy and she decided it was time to take her leave.
"I should probably get going; you two look like you've had quite the day."
"You're not wrong," Tommy muttered without looking up from the counters he was wiping down.
"Just let me grab my coat…"
"Wait!" Jude bit her lip, debating whether she should continue. "Um, you're probably tired, aren't you? After traveling all day?"
"Not particularly…why? Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
Just do it, Jude. The worst thing she can say is no, she told herself.
"Um, it's just that…well, I was wondering…uh, I know this is sort of a longshot, but well, oh gosh, I'm not saying this right…"
"That's 'cause you're not saying anything, girl," Tommy pointed out, still cleaning up.
"It's just…have you ever written a maid of honor speech?"