Instant Star 1. Prologue

**AN**: It's amazing the things you can come up with at 3:30 am. This isn't going to be a full on story, it's more like a fewshot. But I still don't know how many parts. lol. Oh, this is obviously AU and I don't own anything.

**Prologue**

They shared everything, and anything with each other. Growing up they were best friends and when they were old enough to know what it meant to have a relationship, they shared that too.

Ever since they could remember, it had always been about them. They learned how to ride their bikes together, went to school for the first time together, and they had their first kiss together. When they were older and watched as their friends broke up and got together with so many people it was hard to keep track, they decided to try and see other people.

But after a few failed attempts at trying it with other people, they knew there wasn't anyone else they wanted to be with. They fought, they got back together, fought again and got back together again. But despite it all, despite everything they had been through, it always came down to the two of them. They always chose each other in the end.

What they had was something sweet and almost too good to be true. Everyone who knew them wanted what they had and tried to find it, but it was something that could never be duplicated.

Naturally, they thought after high school they would go off to college together and afterwards they would spend the rest of their lives together, but fate had something else in mind.

Music had always been his passion and she had always loved photography. They had both applied to the same art schools but when he was signed to G Major records and she was accepted into Parson's photography program, it was clear that their plans would have to take a drastic turn.

They tried the long distance relationship, but it was just unrealistic to try and keep it going. They kept in touch throughout it all, but over time the daily phone calls and conversations turned into once a week 20-minute conversations. And as he became more and more popular and she started her internship, those phone calls turned into weekly emails and those eventually turned into emails that came once every few months.

It's not that they didn't want to keep in touch; it's just that they kind of outgrew each other. They would always be best friends, but maybe they were suited to be just that. Friends.

So here she was, eight years later and coming back to Toronto for the first time. Eight years. A lot can happen in eight years. People can grow up and change; they can fall in love and start lives with others.

She had no idea what to expect when she came home. Her emotions were a mix between excitement and nervousness. She had emailed Tommy before she left New York but hadn't heard back from him so she wasn't sure if he was going to be at the restaurant her family had arranged for all of them to meet at.

There wasn't time to stop by her parent's house when she got in so she would be seeing everyone at the same time. As the cab pulled up in front of the restaurant, the butterflies in her stomach only intensified as her heart beat even faster she thought it was going to explode out of her chest.

Eight years. Who knew what was going to happen now that she was home.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN**: I freaking love writing this story. And yes, Don't You Dare is going to have an important role later on in the story

**  
Chapter 1**  
_**I've been waiting such a long, long time**_

"Surprise!" She walked into the back room where her friends and family were and they instantly turned their attention to her. A huge smile was on each and everyone's face and they all rushed toward her.

"Oh, honey," her mother said as she pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you so much."

They pulled away and her mother grabbed onto her hand and squeezed it excitedly, glad to see her daughter after all these years. She didn't mean to be away from home for so long, but after she graduated, she got her internship right away and it really wasn't an offer she could turn down.

"You too," she said before making her way toward her father and Sadie.

Sadie wrapped her arms around her baby sister and held her tight, grateful that she was okay. "Don't stay away that long ever again," she whispered as she held on tighter.

"Sades, I went to school, not war," she said with a chuckle as she hugged her sister back.

Pulling away, she looked her straight in the eye and said, "I know, Jude, but things have been so crazy here and I missed having you around." She gave her one last smile before stepping back to let her get reacquainted with her father.

"Welcome home," he whispered as he pulled her into a tight hug. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling as he held his daughter in his arms. He normally wasn't an emotional man, but he and Jude had a special bond.

"I love you, dad," she whispered as she hugged him back. "I'm going to go say hi to everyone else," she said as she pulled away from him.

Nodding back at her, and understanding that she really only wanted to see one other person, he left her and joined the other guests. Her eyes scanned the room and while everyone there were people she loved and cared for deeply, the one person who meant the most to her wasn't there yet and her heart dropped a little.

She really shouldn't have been expecting it, really. He hadn't gotten back to her and she knew he was busy – probably touring or recording his new album. But part of her thought he would care enough to try to make it, he was after all her best friend. She thought he would value that friendship enough to make it out.

Shaking her head, she held onto the hope that maybe he would show up later, that maybe he got stuck in traffic and he really was on his way to see her. But as the night went on and it was about time to sit down for dinner, all hope for him showing up faded.

With one more look toward the door, she turned and found herself face to face with Sadie. "He didn't show up," she said softly. Her sister placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she gave her a weak smile. "I mean, I know we haven't seen in each other in so long," she said, her voice trailing off slightly. "But he was my best friend."

Sniffling lightly, she tried to move past Sadie to sit down but was startled when her sister refused to let her go anywhere. "Jude, turn around."

And so she did. And it was something completely out of the movies. Everything around her moved in slow motion as it all faded into a blur. The only thing she could see was the person in front of her and that person was Tommy. He was there in all his glory, complete with a bouquet of flowers and he was walking toward her.

She wasn't quite sure if she was moving or if he was moving or if they were both moving, all she knew was that they were know face to face, inches away from each other. The butterflies from earlier returned, and her heart was beating out of control. She wasn't quite sure what that all meant, and she was in no capacity to try to figure it out.

Everyone around them whispered to each other, it was Tommy and Jude reunited. They were one of those couples that had been together forever and when they broke up, all their friends said there was no hope for anyone else.

And now, finally, after eight years, they were face to face again and he was pulling her into a hug. She closed her eyes and savored the moment, memorizing it and remembering how good it felt to be in his arms. She knew she probably shouldn't have held on this long, but it wasn't as if he was making any effort to let go.

Reluctantly, they both finally pulled away and for some reason she was suddenly nervous and shy around him and couldn't meet his eyes. Gently, he brushed back the hair that had fallen in her face as her as a coy smile played on her lips. Quickly, her gaze fell to the floor and his hand traced along her jaw and stopped under her chin where he tipped it up so he could look at her.

When she finally did meet his eyes she was struck by the emotion she saw in them. Even after eight years, they still looked at her the same way, still had the same emotion for her. She thought that after all this time he would have moved on, he would have forgotten what they shared and found someone else. After all, she was the one who broke it off between them; she was the one who finally said the long distance relationship would never work. He wanted to try, he wanted to make it work, but she knew better.

But tonight only proved how much he loved her, how much he still loves her, and how much she really meant to him.

"I've really missed you," he said as he leaned in close, his forehead resting on hers. His lips hovered dangerously close to hers and she knew that the slightest move from either of them would cause their lips to touch.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she whispered back, "I've missed you too."

He closed the remaining distance between and kissed her lightly. It was soft and gentle, and it was everything that a kiss between two people should be like after so long. It wasn't urgent, it wasn't rushed and it had no agenda. He kissed her simply because he wanted to, and because it was the only way he knew how to tell her that he loved her still.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said as he pulled back.

She opened her eyes to look at him once more and nodded at him. "It's okay," she said softly. She took his hand on his and led him to where she was sitting and before they sat down she turned to him and said, "I really want to talk to you later."

A knowing smile played across his face as he nodded back at her and pulled her chair out for her.

Dinner came and went and Tommy never left her side the whole night. Everyone was excited at the prospect of them getting back together and even her dad was happy. Tommy was like the son he never had and he was the only guy he ever thought was really worthy of his daughter.

People had finally begun to leave and Tommy thought they were never going to. Ever since Jude told him they needed to talk he had been anxiously awaiting the end of dinner. He knew she had taken a cab there and that he was going to be her ride back to her hotel and he wanted to surprise her and take her to the place where they first met.

"You ready to head out?" he asked as her the last guest finally left. It was only them and her parents and Sadie and Kwest. He placed a hand on the small of her back and she turned to face him.

"Yeah, I've already said goodbye to the family." She gave him a small smile and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered into his ear before kissing him on the cheek.

Pulling away and taking her hand in his he said, "Me too."

--

As they drove through the streets of Toronto she was reminded of how much she missed this place. Sure, she loved New York and the city atmosphere, but nothing could really compare to home. Toronto offered her so much more than New York could.

She snuck a glance over at him and smiled as he caught it. "Where are we going?" she asked as his attention refocused on his driving.

"You'll see," he said as a mischievous smile played at the corners of his mouth.

She focused once more on the passing scene and couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment. She forgot how much she missed home.

As they turned into parking lot, she couldn't help but let gasp in excitement as the park came into view. It was the same park where they first met and it had been so long since she had been here.

She could hardly contain her excitement as she unbuckled her seatbelt and watched as Tommy walked around the front of the car and over to her side. He opened the door for her and held out his hand for her and as soon as she stepped out, he took her hand in his and they walked over to the swings.

"I haven't been here in forever," she said as she looked around. Nothing had changed and it was the same as when they first meet 23 years ago. "Thank you for bringing me here," she said as she stopped them.

He tilted his head to the side and gave her a small smile as his hand cupped her cheek. "I knew you'd want to come here." He pulled her close to him and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and they made their way to the swings.

They sat in silence for a few moments as they swung lightly. The night was clear and the moon was full and she was sure that if she weren't careful she would fall back in love with him.

He stopped his swinging and turned to face her and after a while she did the same. They moved closer to each other and as they did he said in a low voice, "I always knew it was you."

Laughing, she rolled her eyes and lightly punched his shoulder as she said, "Could you get any cornier?"

"I'm serious," he said as he moved in closer to her.

Her laughing stopped and she found herself moving in but this time she caught herself. "Tommy, we really need to talk." She turned her head to the side and her gaze focused on the wood chips on the floor.

Pulling back in surprise, he looked at her curiously. "What about? I thought we were good," he said as he stood up. He walked to her and pulled her up from the swings and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She looked at him guiltily and was once again greeted by the same emotion she saw earlier. There was no easy way to say this and she really shouldn't have lead him on like she had but it was so easy to fall back into the same routine.

"I have a boyfriend." She said it so boldly, so courageously that she wasn't sure if she had actually said it out loud or if she said it in her head.

He looked at her with a bewildered expression as his arms dropped to his sides. "You what?"

He took a step back from her and she tried to take another step forward but he stopped her. "I'm sorry, there was no way to tell you earlier and I didn't want to tell you in front of everyone," she said hurriedly, her words starting to jumble with each other.

"So am I the last person to find out? You let me make a fool of myself?" He took a few more steps back and she had to fight to hold back the tears.

"You're the only one that knows right now." She choked on her words and it was hard to see him in the dark through her tears. "I'm so sorry," she said softly as she lowered her head.

Shaking his head, he ran his hands through his hair. "How long have you been seeing him?" he asked as he awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Three years," she said as she bit her lip.

He shook his head in reply as he stared off to the side; he couldn't quite meet her eyes right now. "Do you love him?" he asked in a throaty voice.

She nodded wordlessly and although she knew he couldn't see her, she knew that he already knew her answer.

"We should go," he said as he turned from her and made his way back to the car. She let a few tears fall and hastily wiped them away as she followed him.


End file.
