“Daddy, I don’t want to leave! You can’t make me!” A young Judith Way wailed, as she tried her hardest to squirm out of her father’s grasp.

“It’s for the best, Judey.” Donald Way said calmly, keeping a grasp on his nine-year-old daughter.

“But what about Mum? Gerard and Mikey!”

Gerard, Judith’s older brother by almost 5 years walked up and touched her hair. “No matter what, we’ll always be connected. I love you, Jude.”

“I love you too Jude, I’m always gonna be your brother.” Mikey stood next to his older brother by 3 years.

As sobs racked her body, Judith managed a small “I love you too” as she was pulled into the car that would take her away from her mother and brothers’ love.

“No! Mikey, Gerard! Daddy take me back!” Jude woke up from her nightmare, tossing, turning and yelling on the bed. She sat in am upright position, wiping the sweat off her brow and burying her head in her hands.

"Oh, God…" she muttered, glancing at the clock on her bedside table and saw 3:06am in bright red. Suddenly, the door burst open and both of her roommates came rushing in.

"Jude!" the first boy, Wiley exclaimed, running towards Jude’s side, "What happened? Is everything okay?"

The second boy, Chris followed, turning the light switch on.

Jude nodded, "Just a nightmare. It's no big." She shrugged.

"I'll get a glass of water." Chris left, heading towards the kitchen.

Jude barely mumbled a thank you as she was enveloped into Wiley’s arms. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were yelling pretty loud,” he wiped away a tear that was escaping down her cheek “and you’re crying.”

“Y-yeah I’m fine. It was just a dream about leaving my mum and brothers.”

“Again? Love, why don’t you ask your father about them? See if you can get in contact.” Wiley kissed Jude’s forehead as Chris brought her the glass of water.

"I don't know…" she bit her lower lip, "It's been so long…"

"You have to get it out of your system, love. Look, we'll continue this in the morning. For now, get some sleep, alright?" Jude nodded, "Good."

He planted one last kiss on her forehead before retreating back to his own room, followed by Chris.

"Goodnight, Jude." Chris said, flicking off the light switch and before closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, goodnight." She mumbled, falling back on her bed and hugging herself to sleep.

The next morning, Jude sat on one of the stools in the kitchen, silently eating her breakfast cereal.

"Whoa, you're up pretty early." Wiley stated, standing beside her, yawning in the process.

Jude gave him a shove, "Jeez, yawn someplace else rather than in front of me and my food. Great, now we're all breathing your bad breath." She joked.

He rolled his eyes and wrapped both of his arms around her neck and roughly kissed the top of her head.

“You doin’ better love? You gave me quite a scare last night.”

Jude nodded, "I'm fine. I've been thinking about it and I guess you're right, I guess I should give him a call. It's probably the only way to stop having these dreams."

Wiley nodded, "Good luck."

"Thanks." She smiled, turning around and giving him a hug, "So, phone call or face to face?"

Wiley shrugged, "Up to you. Face to face could be better, but it's your choice."

Jude continued smiling, knowing she was all talk and no action. She couldn’t approach her father about his ex-wife. It was such a touchy subject and her father’s infamous temper would flare and Jude would always be in hysterics by the end.

"Hmm…maybe I should give him a call first."

Jude stood up, grabbed the wireless phone and nervously dialed her father's number. It was ringing. She paced back and forth around the room, hearing it ring until somebody finally answered it.

"Donald here."

Jude stopped pacing and gulped, "H-Hey dad. It's me, Jude."

“Darling, how are you?”

“Fine. Daddy, uh… I had that dream again…”

“Judith Avery, what did I tell you about bringing that up?”

Jude sighed deeply, glancing at Wiley. “Daddy, I know but it’s bothering me. Don’t you understand that?”

Donald sighed as well at the other line, "I understand that, honey but please…it's really complicated."

"Daddy…" she begged, "I really need to know."

"Now's not the right time, Jude. I'm sorry."

“There’s never a right time when I ask about Mum! EVER! Whatever Daddy, I’ll just never talk to my brothers or Mum again.”

Jude hastily hung up the phone and slammed it on the counter. She mumbled something about taking a shower and left the kitchen without letting Wiley get a word in.

After taking a 45 minute intensely hot shower, Jude felt much better and she quickly got her ready in her usual attire: skinny jeans, a band t-shirt, and a hoodie depending on the weather. Today was a chilly day so she decided on a fitted, short hoodie to go over her yellow HelloGoodbye shirt.

"I'm going out!" she yelled particularly to no one and soon left the flat.

Jude walked down the street, briefly passing by Starbucks and ordering a to-go cup of coffee.

Sipping on her Caramel Macchiato, she thought about her day. She didn’t have to be at work today so she planned on doing some grocery shopping and maybe some shopping for herself. But that would have to be later; she planned on going to her favorite record store at the moment.

Stepping inside, she threw the coffee cup at a nearby trash can.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite customer!" the manager greeted, upon seeing Jude walk inside.

"Hey, got anything new I'd like?" she asked, looking around, "I need some stress relief." she shrugged.

"Well, got Panic! At The Disco yet? Alexisonfire?"

“Oh course, go look!” Peyton waved his hand around while continuing to look through Alternative Press magazine.

Jude walked towards the rack of CDs, arranged according by name.

"Hmm…P…P…" she stopped and laughed at herself, "Pee pee. Ha-ha. Okay, that was stupid." She mumbled and went on looking for her desired CD.

“Are you talking to yourself over there Judey?!” Peyton called.

“Maybe, gosh! Can’t a gal look for a CD without being persecuted?”

“OH! Big word for Judith!”

Jude rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you ignoramus! Loser."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity, Jude!" Peyton called out again and laughed. Jude chose to ignore him and went on.

She finally found A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out by Panic! At the Disco and moved on to find another CD.

While doing so, her cell phone rang and answered it.

"Yeah?"

"Judey? It's me." It was her aunt, "Your father has something to tell you."

Jude could hear the protests of her father from the other end.

"No! I can't say it!"

"You have to tell her!" her aunt scolded him, "I'm sorry Judey, he's being stubborn."

“Darling, it’s your mother…” he trailed off and rambled off a few curses.

“What about Mum?”

She stopped was she was doing and leaned up against the rack of CDs.

“Well I got a call from your brother Gerard, she’s very sick. I’ve bought a plane ticket to New Jersey for you. You leave tonight at 8.”

Jude was lost for words. Questions ran through her head. Her mother? Sick? For how long? Why didn't they tell her sooner?

"Jude?"

"O-Okay…" her voice quivered, "I'll pack…" she hung up and placed the CD back in place and headed towards for the door.

"Hey, Jude? What's wrong?" Peyton asked when he saw Jude heading for the door.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I have to go. I'll buy the CD another time. Sorry for the trouble." She stammered and left, jogging back to her flat.

“You better call me when you get there, love. I’ll miss you.” Wiley hugged Jude tight to his chest, kissing her forehead.

Jude nodded with a slight smile, going to Chris next. The both of them came to see her off, along with her father and Aunt Delilah.

“Bye Chrissy, don’t get into too much trouble.”

“You don’t get into too much trouble with those Americans.”

Jude moved to her favorite Aunt who had become almost her mother over the years. “Bye Auntie.”

Delilah kissed her hair and passed her along to her father.

“Bye Daddy”

“Judey, darling I’m sorry. I know I haven’t handled this situation the best but know I only did it because I love you.”

Jude nodded, wiping away the tears that slid down her cheeks. “I love you too…”

After the goodbyes were said, Jude made her way through to the gate to wait from her plane to board. This was going to be a hard trip for her; being reunited with her family that she hadn’t seen since she was nine years old.

“Now boarding groups 1 through 4 for flight 953 to Newark Liberty International Airport. Thank you.” The boarding attendant announced over to loud speaker.

Jude sighed, grabbing her carry on bag. She already had her boarding pass and passport out so that would make everything go smoother.

---

“Gee, wake up.” Mikey Way shook the shoulder of his older brother Gerard, who was sleeping in a chair.

They were both staying over in their mother’s hospital room, wanting to be there if anything happened.

“What… Mikey? Go away…” Gerard mumbled, closing his eyes again.

Mikey sighed, adjusting his glasses as he looked over at his mother who was still sleeping soundly. Her bronchitis had taken a turn for the worse and she ended up with bronchial pneumonia. But the steroids weren’t working and her condition regressed rapidly, landing her in the hospital.

“C’mon Gee. You’ve gotta get up. You need to go home and shower. Judith comes in sometime today.”

That woke Gerard with a start. His little sister… his sweet little sister… he missed her so much, but was very confused by her. When she moved away she didn’t stay in contact. That’s understandable for a nine-year-old who doesn’t know anything but her father… but what is she now? 22 years old!

“All right Mike. You gonna stay with Ma or do you wanna come with us?” Gerard was referring to himself and his fiancée Haley Scott.

Mikey looked on at his mother for a long time and sighed. “I’ll stay here. I want to be here when she wakes up.”

Gerard nodded, pulling his younger brother into a hug. “Call Emmy if you get too lonely.” He was referring to Emmanuelle Grey, Mikey’s best friend.

Gerard walked over and placed a kiss on his mother’s forehead and whispered, “I love you…” And then he left before Mikey could see the tears that were making their way down his face.

---

“Miss, the plane has landed.”

Jude awoke to the sounds of her iPod blaring HIM into her ears. She nodded at the flight attendant, wiping her eyes. She quickly put her things away and gathered her carry on bag. She was definitely feeling the long plane ride and all she wanted was a nice long shower… but she still had customs to go through and then to find her BROTHERS. She had no clue what they looked like or anything. She was supposed to meet them at the baggage claim but that was if she could find that.

“I need a cigarette…” Jude mumbled, running a hand through her messy hair which felt disgusting to her touch. She grabbed a hair tie off of her wrist and messily but her medium length, choppy hair into a ponytail. She continued to wait in line, on the very edge of her patience.

Ten minutes later, Jude was through customs and on her way to what she hoped was her baggage claim. It wouldn’t take long to find her luggage she assumed, it was white and green and not many were those colors.

“Thank GOD, flight 953.” Jude let out a sigh of relief as she started scanning the bags that were coming through. Immediately she spotted both of her luggage pieces and made her way to front to retrieve them. “Oh bloody hell” she cursed loudly, trying to get through the other people. “Excuse ME”

She finally reached her bags and pulled them off and tried to maneuver her way back out. “Bloody Americans…”

But wasn’t she an American? Partially… but she wasn’t as thick as all of these people.

NOW to find her brothers, but she had no clue how to. It wasn’t as if they had seen each other on a regular basis and going on thirteen years apart… it wasn’t going to be easy. She remembered her father giving her Gerard’s cell phone number… it wouldn’t hurt to try, she thought.

Standing off to the side, she searched for her cell phone and soon was waiting for Gerard to pick up.

“Um… hello?” A somewhat deep voice answered, causing Jude’s heart to squeeze slightly. This was her brother’s voice!

“Is this… Gerard?” Jude’s English accent was a little more apparent because of her nervous state.

“Judey?” He sounded so surprised and shocked that tears came instantly to her eyes.

Jude nodded because she couldn’t speak but soon realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes, it’s me. I’m ready to leave…” her voice trembled with emotion.

“A-All right, where are you?”

“The baggage claim, but I’m on the wall. It is so bloody crowded in here.” Jude laughed, despite herself. “I’ll wave my arms.”

The two soon hung up and Jude threw her arms up into the air, waving them a tad.

---

“Let’s go Hayes, she’s gotta be around here somewhere.” Gerard took the hand of his fiancée and started looking for Jude.

His eye caught arms waving in a bright yellow t-shirt and focused more on it. It was a young woman, about 21 and she looked a total mess, like she had been on a plane for at least 12 hours, coming from somewhere like England.

“That’s her, I bet.”

The two approached the young girl who was still waving her arms.

“Judey…?” Gerard’s voice was a little louder than a whisper.

Jude froze and slowly turned her head towards Gerard. “G-Gerard?”

He nodded his head and rushed over to her, arms open and Jude wasn’t too far behind him. She slammed herself into his chest and buried her head in his neck.

“I missed you so much Judey… so much.” he mumbled as he held her even tighter.

Jude couldn’t say anything because if she did, the dam would break and she would drown them all with all the tears welling up inside of her. After a few minutes of their reunion, Gerard pulled away and motioned for Haley to come over.

“Jude, this is my fiancée Haley Scott. Hay, this is my little sister Jude.”

Jude smiled a watery smile and opened her arms and Haley laughed slightly, hugging her tightly for a few seconds.

“It’s nice to meet you Jude.”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you as well. Sorry about the hug, I’m so knackered and emotional.”

Gerard and Haley looked at each other for a second and then back at Jude.

“Knackered…”

“OH, it means I’m worn out.”

They nodded but a little warily. Everyone was going to have to get used to her English slang.

“Let’s get you to my house and you can shower and rest.” Gerard went for one of Jude’s bags.

“NO!” Jude exclaimed. “I want to go right away. I need to see Mum.”

Gerard started to protest but Haley but a hand on his shoulder. “Just let her go.”

“I can shower at the hospital and then take a kip—um, a nap.”

“All right, let’s get moving. Mikey is dying to see you. And hopefully Ma will be awake.”

---

Jude grabbed the things she would need for her shower and a change of clothes. She didn’t want to have to worry about it later when she was already in the hospital.

Keeping a conversation going with her brother was difficult. There was an almost awkward air between the two, and it didn’t help that Jude’s mind kept wandering.

“So Jude, do you have a boyfriend?” Haley turned around to face her, a smile adorning her lips.

She had only known Haley maybe 20 minutes and she could already see why Gerard loved her as much as he did. You could see it in the looks he constantly sent her way.

“No, I date around a little but I’m single.” Jude finally replied, but you could tell she was distracted. Her mind was other places.

Haley nodded but continued to smile. “Well maybe you’ll find someone while you’re here. There’s always Fra—”

“Hayes.” Gerard interrupted with a warning tone. “Well here we are. Are you ready?” He looked back at Jude through the rearview mirror.

She nodded slightly, adjusting the sunglasses that covered her eyes.

Everyone was silent on their way to the room and when they finally reached it, Jude stayed outside for a few extra seconds.

“Where is she?” A quiet voice asked.

Jude took a deep breath and walked into the doorway. Directly in her view was a man of no more than 25 years old, with shaggy dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes that were covered with thick-framed glasses.

“Oh god, Mikey…” Jude whispered, running to him and threw her arms around his thin frame. “I missed you so much!”

Mikey was in so much shock but held onto his sister as tightly as he could. “You’ve grown up.” He smoothed down her hair and chuckled slightly.

Jude nodded, smiling through the tears that were rushing down her cheeks. She pulled Gerard over by the hand and put an arm around him and hugged him close also.

“I-I cannot believe this…”

“Gerard, Mikey… what’s going on?” A soft rasp was heard from behind the hugging siblings.

Jude’s breath caught and she turned and saw her mother’s face.

“Mummy…” Sobs racked her body as she went to her mother’s side and took her hand into her own.

“Judith? Judith Avery… my baby! Is that really you?” Donna’s face was soon swamped with tears as she touched the face of her youngest child. “You’ve grown up so much… you’re such a beautiful woman.”

“Mummy—I’m so sorry, so sorry.”

The door slid open “Hello Mikey, is Donna awa—” Jude turned her head to look at the intruder but found it was only a doctor. “I’m sorry, I’ll come back later.”

“Oh no, I’m terribly sorry. I’ll get out of your way.” Jude got up and walked to the corner of the room to compose herself. She wiped at her tears and looked out the window.

Haley walked over and placed an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay…”

“Doctor Johnson, this is my daughter.” Donna’s voice brought more tears to Jude’s eyes. It was the same voice that soothed her fears… the same voice that sang her to sleep every night… the same voice she dreamt about…

“It’s nice to meet you…”

“Jude.” She finished, finally looking at the doctor.

He looked to be about 26 years old, which was very young for a doctor. His dark blue eyes softened his very sharp features which accented his dark hair beautifully. Everything was topped off with his charming crooked smile that lit up his face. It was safe to say that Jude found him very handsome.

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Doctor.”

Again he smiled “So you’re the daughter from England.”

Jude nodded and half smiled in return.

“I just came in to check on Donna and see if she was awake. And now that I DO see she’s awake, I can ask her how she’s feeling.” Doctor Johnson turned to Donna and gave her a questioning glance.

“Pretty much the same… hard to breathe, weak… You know the drill.”

“No improvement?”

“My heart feels better…” Donna grinned at her daughter who was still clinging to Haley against the wall.

The check-up continued and soon Haley had to leave for work, so Gerard went to drive her home.

“So Jude… what do you do?” Mikey asked, pulling his chair over to where she was sitting.

Jude was focused on what Donna was saying to the Doctor but soon replied to Mikey “Oh, I’m a master photographer at a studio back in England.”

“Really? That’s cool. Artsy”

“What do you do?” she finally turned her full attention to her brother.

Mikey sighed “Well… I’m in a band.”

“Oh? As a job?”

He nodded, but continued. “I play bass and Gerard is the lead singer. We actually have one record out right now, and our second is to be released in 2 weeks.”

Jude’s eyes grew 2 sizes larger. “Really? Wow… what’s your name?”

“My Chemical Romance.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of you, but I would love to here you play.”

Mikey nodded with a smiling face. “You’ll meet the rest of the band later; they’ll be coming to see Ma.”

“If you don’t mind, I would like to take a fag break and call Father.” Jude thought for a minute and changed her mind. “Actually I would love a shower first.”

“Go ahead, I might take a nap if Ma goes back to sleep.”

Both looked over to Donna who was starting to nod off and Doctor Johnson starting to make him way out of the room.

“It was nice meeting you Jude. I think you being here will help Donna a lot.”

“I hope so, thank you very much for taking care of her.”

“My pleasure” He threw in one more charming smile before walking out of the room.

Mikey was laughing from where he sat and Jude shot him a glare. “What?” he asked still chuckling.

Jude rolled her eyes, grabbing her things. She walked to her mother’s bed and kissed her on the forehead.

“I’m here now Mummy, I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

“Where’s Jude?” Gerard asked, walking back into the room.

Mikey nodded towards the bathroom door where Jude could be heard singing Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles.

“She’s been in there for about 15 minutes, she should be out soon. Then she’ll probably go smoke a cigarette and call Dad.”

Gerard snorted “Dad, HA. He’s no father to me.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking that’s the reason why we haven’t heard from Jude.”

“He was so detached and almost rude when I called him. You’d think he would want to know his sons…”

Mikey shrugged, picking up his book again. “I say fuck him.”

“I’m gonna go get some coffee, want some?”

“Are you really asking ME that, Gee?”

“Want Starbucks?” When Mikey nodded, Gerard knocked upon the bathroom door. “Hey Jude! Do you want anything from Starbucks?”

Jude heard him just fine because she had already gotten out of the shower. “A Caramel Macchiato would be appreciated, thank you.”

She quickly got dressed into a fresh pair of dark blue skinny jeans that hit her a little past the ankle and a white tank top with music notes all over it in green. She slipped her feet into white flip-flops and started to put a little bit of make up on her fresh face. She left her hair wet and soon gathered all of her stuff and walked out of the bathroom.

“Well you look better.” Mikey joked when she emerged.

She laughed and nodded “Definitely. I don’t smell anymore.” She grabbed at her bag and headed towards the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

He nodded, his nose still in his book.

Jude walked out of the room and started towards the elevator she came up on.

“I see you’ve showered.” A deep voice called out to her and she quickly turned to see the handsome face of Dr. Johnson.

“Oh hello Doctor, yes I have. I feel so much better.”

“Looks like it. Where are you headed?”

Jude held up her cell phone with a smile. “I need to call my father back in Newcastle.”

“I’ve never heard of Newcastle before.”

“We’re decently large; I’ve lived there since I was 9 years old. Gorgeous place.”

The doctor smiled and nodded his head. “I might just have to visit there one day.”

“You would love it Doctor, I promise.”

“Please call me Steven.”

Jude’s eyes widened slightly “Are you sure? That doesn’t seem—”

“It’s really fine” He reassured with a smile.

“It seems a little disrespectful to me.”

Doctor Johnson let out a hearty laugh. “I’m the one telling you to call me Steven. But if it bothers you so much, you can call me Doctor around my colleagues.”

Jude smiled slightly “Well okay, Steven. I better go make this call before my father is completely narked.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh” she giggled slightly “you would say pissed.”

“Why didn’t you just say that then?” He teased with a smile.

Jude rolled her eyes, turning to walk away. “That means drunk to me, love.”

She was soon making her way down to the ground level on the elevator. Not having had a cigarette in over 12 hours, Jude was starting to get a little irritable. She quickly made it outside and pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights and lit up.

“This is bloody marvelous.” Jude inhaled deeply with sigh.

Turning her cell phone back on, she decided to call her Father first.

“Darling, are you okay?”

“Yes Daddy, I’m perfectly fine.” Jude replied, taking another drag.

Donald sighed on the other end. “How is your mother?”

“She has a bad case of phenomena and the steroids aren’t working.”

“Do the doctors think that they will?”

“Mum’s doctor seems to think that me being here will help raise her spirits, leading to a quicker recovery.”

“I hope so; I want you back as soon as possible.” Donald’s stern, demanding voice came through.

Jude scoffed, getting angry. ”That is complete bollocks! I am not leaving right away! I haven’t seen my bloody family in ages and you expect me to just LEAVE. Sod off Father, I can’t believe you.”

“Judith Avery, you will NOT—”

Jude quickly hung up on her father, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Noticing her cigarette was at its end, she quickly snuffed it out, getting another out. This stress was starting to take a toll on her.

Loud, boisterous laughter snapped Jude’s thoughts away from everything, causing her to look in the direction of three men. Two were very tall, and one was significantly shorter but he was clearly the most handsome. The tallest man had an afro of reddish brown curly hair and pouty lips, the second tallest was more burly is build with blonde hair and striking blue eyes that Jude could see at their distance. The shortest man had a long black hair that lay in a mop on top of his head and his left arm was covered in colorful tattoos.

Jude quickly turned her attention to her cell phone, dialing Wiley’s number.

“I’m gonna smoke before I go up, see ya idiots in a bit.”

“All right, see ya Pansy!”

Jude looked up, taking another drag of her fresh cigarette. The dark haired man stood outside the door, taking out a cigarette.

“Jude, love! How are you?” Wiley’s voice broke over the phone, drawing Jude’s attention away from the gorgeous stranger.

“I’m fine, bloody knackered.” she replied, flicking away her ashes in the large ashtray.

Jude heard grumbling from the stranger and looked up to see a pair of gorgeous hazel eyes staring straight into hers.

“Can I bum a light?” his gruff voice made her heart accelerate slightly.

She nodded, pulling out her lighter from her tight jean pocket. “Here.”

When he took it from her, she noticed his knuckles were also tattooed. “Thank you.”

“Hello, Jude! Are you listening to me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What did you say?” she chuckled slightly.

Wiley sighed on the other end. “I said, why haven’t you gotten any sleep yet?”

”I went straight to see my mum, what did you expect me to do?”

“Thank you for the light.” That voice again.

She met his eyes one more time, biting her lip. “You’re welcome.”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Some bloke bummed a light, does it matter?”

“What?”

Jude sighed, closing her eyes. “Oh bloody hell Wi, I’m out here smoking a fag and some bloke asked for a light. Are you that dim?”

She heard the stranger laugh lightly but he was turned away from her.

”I’m sorry, no need to get shirty with me.”

“Stuff it, Wiley.” Jude laughed slightly, taking the last drag of her cigarette before putting it out. “My father is a total wanker. I called him for the same reason I called you and he just blows up telling me to come back as soon as it’s bloody possible! I told him to sod off, I actually told him to sod off.”

“It’s about time, but love I need to go. Work is calling my name, unfortunately.”

“Okay bye darling.”

Jude hung up the phone and then turning it off after making sure she had no messages. She smiled slightly at the stranger before returning to the building, towards the elevator. She waited for a few minutes on the elevator and it soon arrived. She stepped in, pressing the button for the 4th floor.

“Hold the elevator!”

Jude quickly hit the ‘open doors’ button and was rewarded by having the handsome stranger walk in the elevator, slightly out of breath.

“Thank you, again.”

“You’re very welcome.” Jude smiled. “What floor?”

“4th.”

Nodding, she hit the 4th floor button again, watching the doors close.

“I’m Frank by the way.”

“Nice to meet you Frank, I’m Jude.” Jude gave him a smile as she popped a piece of gum into her mouth. “Would you care for a piece?” she offered.

“Thanks” he smiled a bright smile that Jude couldn’t help but admire.

He stuffed the trash in his pants which were tight black drainpipes that sat low on his hips. Jude tried not to stare but almost couldn’t help it.

The elevator stopped moving and the doors soon opened.

Jude stepped out first, heading down the hallway towards her mother’s room. She couldn’t help but notice the footsteps behind her. As she neared the room, more voices were heard in the room and Jude became a little suspicious. Who was here to see her mum?

“Wait a minute, are you Jude Way?” Frank’s voice made her stop and turn around.

“Yes I am…”

Frank’s face broke from its confused state to a smile. “I’m your brothers’ friend!”

“What a coincidence.” Jude muttered, walking into the room.

“Judey, meet my band!”

The man with the afro smiled “You were outside.”

“Wait, you’ve met Frank?” Mikey looked a little confused, but was still smiling.

Jude nodded, setting her things down. “He bummed a light off of me and we shared the elevator on the way up.”

“That’s cool. But this is Ray” the man with the afro waved at Jude. “and this is Bob” The man with the striking blue eyes smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you both, I’m Jude.”

Bob gave a small smirk “You had to have been switched at birth. You’re too pretty to be a Way.”

“You wouldn’t have thought so if you came a half hour ago.”

“Are you trying to say something Bryar? Am I not pretty enough for you?” Mikey acted insulted, closing his book.

Gerard appeared at the door, coffee tray in hand. “You idiots are here already, great.”

“You know you were just dying to see us, Gee.” Frank laughed merrily, coming out as almost a giggle.

“Frankie, Ma’s sleeping so you need to tone it town a bit.”

Frank gasped, putting on an innocent face. “I’m always on my best behavior! I’m shocked, Gerard.”

Jude laughed slightly at his offended stance as she grabbed her favorite coffee from her brother. “Thank you very much. You have no idea how much I need that, and another fag.”

“Haha, I just had one.”

“I did as well, two actually. I still need another one.” Jude laughed, shaking her head.

“Chain smoke much?” Mikey asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I went over 12 hours without one, you tell me!”

Even with everyone speaking in hushed voices, the room was still getting a bit loud because Frank wouldn’t leave Bob alone and Ray just kept laughing at the two. Gerard and Mikey fit quite well with the trio, not afraid to throw something in here or there. Jude admired the sight of her brothers having fun as she sat back comfortably in her chair, knees drawn to her chest.

“Oh OH—”

“Frank!” Mikey scolded, with a laugh.

Frank laughed, hunching his shoulders in apology. “Sorry. But I was gonna suggest something.”

“Oh god, what are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that we ask Jude here whatever we want to get to know her!”

Jude’s eyes grew about twelve times as big as she opened her mouth to speak.

“That’s a good idea. I feel like I don’t know you Judey.” Gerard spoke with a small smile on his face.

She sighed with a smile. “All right, let me have it boys.”

Bob was the first one to speak “We’ll keep it easy, what’s your favorite food?”

“Of course, BOB would ask that question.” Frank continued his assault on Bob.

“My favorite food… oh dear… I like food a lot. But I’ll have to say chicken enchiladas.”

The boys burst into quiet laughter and Jude chuckled herself.

“Oh man, Mexican food. What’s your favorite color?” Mikey asked next.

“Green”

Ray soon joined the conversation with asking “Who’s your favorite band?”

“Are you bloody kidding me? That’s the hardest question known to mankind.” Jude laughed, letting her legs settle on the ground.

“C’mon you gotta have a favorite!”

She thought for a minute and then opened her mouth. “I love the Beatles a lot. But I also love The Sex Pistols, and I definitely love Black Flag. But you can’t leave out ACDC and Led Zepplin. But then there is The Used who are AMAZING and I just can’t… And GREEN DAY… And HIM, there’s an amazing band. And The Spill Canvas, I haven’t heard lyrics like theirs in so long…”

“Okay we get it; you’re in love with a lot of bands…”

“Well what can you do? Music is the best, you all should know. Being musicians and all”

Gerard smiled slightly. “Hey Jude—”

“Haha, HEY JUDE! That’s a Beatles song!” Bob laughed loudly.

Everyone groaned and laughed at Bob’s idiotic behavior.

“ANYWAY, you know what the sweet part about being a musician is?”

Jude looked confused, but shook her head as she rested her chin on her knees that she pulled to her chest once again.

“Well, I get to meet cool people and make amazing friends…”

“And your point being?”

He laughed, scratching his nose. “Want to know who my best friend is, Judey?”

“I don’t know, John Lennon?” She asked sarcastically with a smile on her face.

Gerard shook his head and whispered “Bert McCracken.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. “Are you bloody KIDDING me?” her voice rose quickly but she threw her hands over her mouth suddenly, looking at her sleeping mother.

“Next question, what’s your favorite book?” Mikey asked this question, quickly moving the subject along.

“There’s another one that is hard to answer. Music, books, and photography… Those are my vices.” Jude laughed but began to answer. “To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Catcher in the Rye, and Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.”

“I LOVE Harry Potter! YES!” Frank jumped from his chair to give Jude a high five.

Jude couldn’t help but let a smile slip when her hand came in contact with Frank’s. She was oddly attracted to him, more than she should be with only knowing him for not even 45 minutes.

“How about your favorite movie?” Gerard asked with a shrug.

“Musical or plain movie?”

“Both”

Jude nodded and quickly gave her answer. “I have two favorite musicals, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and White Christmas. And my favorite movie, anything by Tim Burton and Casablanca.”

“Do you enjoy old black and white movies?”

“Of course; I have an obsession with Old Hollywood.”

Ray cocked his head to the side “Okay, who are your favorite actors?”

“Johnny Depp, Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and Bing Crosby.” Jude replied without any thought, taking a sip of her coffee.

Bob then shot in “Serious question! What animal do you think your animal spirit is?”

“What the hell?” A few of the guys asked, looking at Bob with awkward expressions.

“Um… I’d like to say a tiger.” Jude wiggled her eyebrows a little with innuendo.

Gerard and Mikey groaned. “SICK!”

Jude laughed, with a roll of her eyes. “Oh stuff it”

“All right, all right. Favorite holiday?”

“Oooh, either Saint Patrick’s Day because I love green, or Halloween because it’s fun.”

“Halloween! That’s my birthday!” Frank grinned again, bouncing in his chair.

Jude couldn’t keep in her giggles. “What is WRONG with him?”

“Nothing… that’s just Frankie.”

Within in the next hour, Jude had questions thrown at her left and right and she answered them all honestly. Even the really tough questions…

“Soooo Jude, are you a virgin?” Frank asked with a wink.

Jude stared for a minute, noticing the protests of her brothers. They were complaining about how they didn’t want to hear that.

“Well honestly, I am.”

“Really, and you said you’re 22?” When Jude nodded, Frank continued talking. “Wow, that’s impressive. I don’t think I’ve talked to an attractive woman who is a virgin at your age.”

She shrugged “It’s not something I’m rushing into. What’s the point?”

Everyone stayed in silence while Jude got up to throw away her coffee cup.

“Anything else?” She asked.

“Yeah actually, the one question that has been eating away at me since I knew you were coming…” Gerard spoke up, running a hand through his long dark hair.

“Yeah I want to know the answer to this one too…” Mikey added, adjusting his glasses.

“Why didn’t you ever contact us? You left 13 years ago!”

Jude hung her head. “It’s not as easy as it sounds. Father wouldn’t let me.”

“You’re 22 for Christ’s sake!”

“Do you know how hard it is to talk to Father about any of this? Let alone MENTIONING Mum, or you and Mikey?! I have nightmares all the time about the day that we left… and every time I asked Father about you all he would have a bloody meltdown! How could I when I knew nothing about you? Not even where to look!” Jude let everything pour out, tears pooling in her eyes.

Gerard walked over and kneeled in front of his little sister. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you cry. I was just so confused… I didn’t know how to find you either. I had to go digging through Ma’s things to find any trace of you.”

“You’re fine; it’s not your fault. I really have tried, you have to believe me! Dad’s just an arse.”

“I love you Judey.”

Jude scooted into Gerard’s open arms and wiped at her face. “Mikey, come here.”

He complied, walking over to his siblings and kissing Jude on the forehead. “It’s gonna be okay, Ma’ll get better and then you’ll never have to leave us. Well at least we’ll stay in touch.”

“Then you guys can come and visit me in Newcastle.” When she saw the hesitation between her two brothers she added “You wouldn’t have to see Dad. I just meant to meet my flatmates and see where I work and where I live.”

Another half hour went by with casual conversation and laughs.

“Oh no, guys we have practice.” Ray commented, looking at the clock on the wall.

“But I don’t want to leave Jude here alone.” Gerard protested, looking at his little sister.

Jude shook her head “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine; I want to be here when Mummy wakes up.”

“Plus she won’t be alone, Dr. Johnson will be here.” Mikey added with emphasis, laughing.

“Uh oh, does someone have a crush on the doctor?” Ray asked, smiling.

Jude hid her blushing face and shook her head. “NO. But I’m fine; I’ll see you all later.”

“Damn, maybe I should’ve been a doctor.” Frank muttered, walking out of the room.

“We’ll be back in a few hours, no worries.” Gerard hugged Jude and then Mikey followed suit, waving goodbye.