George stood, leaning against the cool wall, sipping his champagne. He moved his eyes throughout the party crowd, trying to find something to distract him, to keep his eyes from flickering back to the couple in the corner. The beautiful, curly-headed, brunette and the stocky, dark blonde, man. George wanted anything to keep his mind off of the two of them, snuggled together and chatting pleasantly with friends. George took another drink of his champagne, wishing for something stronger.

He spotted Laura Innes standing alone across the room. He smiled and made his way towards her, discarding his glass on a table as he went. George lazily wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Laura, what are you doing over here alone?" George asks. She looks up at him and grins.

"Waiting for David. He's probably off in search of a big-chested blonde." Laura jokes. George smiles, squeezing her slightly.

"Doesn't he know blondes are trouble? Besides why would he be off in search of another woman if he's got a beautiful one like you?" George asks, working his charm. She laughs.

"George, you're unbelievable." She says. He grins at her.

"I know it." He says just as David Brisbin, Laura's husband walks up.

"Uh-oh, here he is now." Laura jokes with George, the both of them grinning.

"Oh no. What did I do now?" David asks, smiling. Laura grins.

"George and I were just speculating if you were off in search of a blonde bimbo..."

"When you had such a beautiful red-head to keep you company." George finishes. David chuckles.

"My dear, all blondes are trouble." David says. George moves away from Laura.

"Ah ha! See I told you. All men know." George jokes. Laura laughs and moves to David's side.

"Thank God I'm a carrot-top then." Laura says.

"And a beautiful one." David says.

"Why thank you." She replies, pleased. George grins.

"Well you two keep yourselves occupied, I'm going to go find someone else to torment." George says. Laura laughs.

"See ya around George!" She says, taking David's arm into her hand. George turns, searching for someone else to keep his mind occupied. He sees Eriq La Salle standing alone, eating from the snack table. George grins, wondering what type of health food he was munching on now. He made his way towards his friend.

"Hey Eriq!" He greets him. Eriq turns around, grinning.

"Oh, hey George. What's up?" He asks.

"Nothing much. Just feeling sorry for myself." George says. Eriq raises his eyebrow.

"You're feeling sorry for yourself? Why?" He asks.

"Take a look at this." George says, clasping a hand on his shoulder and turning him towards the crowd.

"How many people, besides us, do you see out there without dates? Specifically women?" George asks. Eriq raises his eyebrows.

"I'm beginning to feel sorry for myself too." Eriq says. George laughs.

"Every one of those people out there is with someone else. Be it a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife. Except us." George says. Eriq shakes his head.

"Jealous." Eriq states, verify their feelings with a single word.

"Right you are." George says, grinning. "So what health food are you indulging yourself in now?"

"Pretzels." He replies and to prove his point, pops one in his mouth. George raises his eyebrows and looks out at the crowd, his eyes coming to rest on Julianna and Ron. George instantly regrets taking this moment to look at them as they share a soft kiss. He almost visibly cringes as he looks away.

"Definitely jealous." He mutters under his breath.

"What?" Eriq asks. George looks up at him.

"Nothing man." George says, grinning. Eriq raises an eyebrow and looks in the direction George had been staring.

"Man, I'm telling you, you should just tell her how you feel." Eriq was the only one who knew George wanted Julianna. George hadn't confided in anyone else because he figured if that person had a significant other, they would indulge that person with this information and the last thing he needed was for Julianna to hear a rumor that he was bound determine to rip her away from Ron.

George raises his eyebrow at Eriq.

"Are you crazy? She's with Ron and has been forever." George says. Eriq rolls his eyes.

"It's not forever and besides, how do you know she doesn't feel the same if you don't ask her, man?" Eriq asks.

"I know she doesn't feel the same or she wouldn't be over there, kissing Ron like there was no tomorrow." George pointed out. Eriq's eyes moved back towards the couple who were dancing to a slow song, Julianna's head resting on Ron's shoulder.

"I don't see 'em kissing." Eriq replied. George shot him a heated look.

"You know what I mean." George scowls. Eriq shakes his head, popping another pretzel in his mouth.

"Whatever, I think you should just tell her." Eriq says. George tears his eyes away from the dancing couple and focuses on the pretzel Eriq is chewing on.

"Maybe you're right, but I can't risk it." George says with a sigh.

o-------------o

George sat in his navy blue recliner in the living room. The TV was tuned into a basketball game which George wasn't really paying much attention to. He had a bag of Doritos in his lap and a beer beside him on the stand.

He took a chip out of the bag and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes were fixed to the screen, but he wasn't seeing any of it. He was replaying his past back in front of him. He didn't think he would admit it to anyone, but he missed ER terribly. George missed the closeness of all his friends there and the way they were all familiar with the work that was done, and always knew what was going on. And on top of all that, was the fact that Julianna was there. He sighed and placed the chips beside the chair as he sat foreward in his seat.

The last thing he needed to do was think of Julianna. The more he thought of her, the more painful his life became. Every time he saw her with Ron, it felt as if his heart was being ripped at the seams, stitch by stitch. George nearly jumped out of his skin when the phone rang. He reached over, almost knocking his beer to the floor, and picked up the phone. He clicked it on.

"Hello?" He asks.

"Hey George." His heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice.

"Jules." He says. It amazes him how he can tell she's smiling, even though he can't see her.

"What's up, George?" Julianna asks.

"Uh, not much, just watching some basketball." George says.

"You mean you're watching and not playing?" She asks. He grins.

"I was thinking about giving someone a call and heading out back to the hoops." George says. She laughs lightly.

"Always got basketball on your mind, don't ya?" She asks. If you only knew what I thought about, George thought silently.

"Sure do." He replied with a fake chuckle.

"So, wanna come over?" Julianna asks. A light of hope flames up in his heart.

"Sure." He replies rather quickly.

"Cool. Ron's in New York for the weekend and I was bored, so I thought I'd call to see what you were doing." She says cheerily. As soon as he hears the name Ron he felt that light in his heart blow out.

"I'll be over, I just need to clean up some." George says.

"Alright, whenever is cool." Julianna replies.

"I'll be there within an hour." George says.

"Okay then. See ya soon, George." She says.

"Bye." He replies and they hang up. He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair before standing and heading towards the stairs to take his shower.

o-------------o

George and Julianna sat on the couch, watching TV and discussing whatever pops up into the conversation.

"Do you love him?" George blurts out, thinking out loud. He immediately bites his tongue, wishing to God he hadn't just asked that.

"What?" Julianna asks, looking at him, her face a look of surprise.

"Do you love him?" He repeats, immediately slapping himself mentally for repeating himself

"Ron?" She asks, studying him intently.

"Yeah." He mutters, regretting ever being born.

"What kind of question is that, George?" She asks, staring at him. He looks up at her and almost immediately looks away from her gaze.

"I don't know....I just....Do you?" He asks. She jumps up from the couch and begins to pace in front of him.

"Of course I love him. We've been together for over 7 years, George. Why wouldn't I?" She asks. George stands slowly, shaking his head.

"I don't know. I shouldn't have asked. I was just wondering...y'know? I mean..I don't know." He says once again, studying his feet. She shakes her head.

"I wasn't prepared for that, George." She says. He nods.

"I know..I'm sorry. That was inappropriate." He says.

"What has gotten into you lately?" She asks. He looks up at her.

"What do you mean?" He asks, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You've been so...different. You seem depressed." She says. He shrugs.

"I'm fine. Nothing's different, nothing's changed." He says. She reaches out, taking his hands into hers and giving him a concerned glance.

"The old George wouldn't have asked me if I was in love with Ron." She says. He looks away from her, not answering. "What's gotten into you?" He looks up at her.

"You have." He says. She gives him a puzzled look, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"I have what?" She asks. He shakes his head, struggling for words.

"Nothing, nevermind." He says and begins to pull away from her, but she grabs his forearms.

"No, George, what do you mean 'I've gotten into you'?" She asks. He looks into her eyes, studying the sparkling green of them and he shakes his head as if warning himself not to do what he was thinking of doing.

"This." He whispers and reaches up, taking her face into his hands and pressing his mouth to hers fiercely, praying to God she wouldn't slap him. She struggles against him but feels herself pressing her lips against his in return, melting. Her mind is a fuzzy jumble of mush. When he pulls away, she yearns for more. He looks in her eyes before he backs away from her.

"I'm sorry. God, Jules. I...I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." He says, backing away from her, moving towards the door. Her knees are still too weak for her to stop him before he slips out the door, closing it between them. She moves her hand up to her mouth, pressing her fingers to her lips.

"Oh God." She whispers. No one had ever kissed her like that before. No one. Not Ron, not anyone but George. "Shit." She whispers and falls onto the couch to think about what the hell just happened. Sure, she'd kissed George before, but it had always been acting, but now...he'd kissed her, for real. And it had been the most mind-blowing kiss she'd ever experienced. She was in trouble.

o-------------o

George walked into the house, cursing the whole way. He slammed the door behind him and stalked to the kitchen, not bothering to turn on any lights. He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer and popped it open before he took a big gulp. He slammed the bottle down onto the counter, some of it sloshing over the rim. He sighed and pushed it away, leaning foreward and resting his head on the cool surface of the counter.

What the hell had he been thinking? George hadn't meant to ask her if she loved Ron in the first place, but when he blurted it out, he figured he couldn't back down. He wished to God he had. Well, he half wished he had backed down. If he hadn't said it, he wouldn't have shared that earth-shattering kiss with her, although she probably thought it was anything but earth-shattering.

Why did he have to go and mess up like that? She probably hated him now. How was he ever going to face her again? Not only was she the woman he loved, but she was his best friend. He wouldn't be able to not be around her like normal. She was like water or air to him. He stood up and decided to go play some basketball in the dark to sweat off some of the jitters coursing through his body, figuring the beer wouldn't help him.

o-------------o

Julianna lay in bed, the covers coming up to her waist, her arms under her head. She studied the white ceiling and wondered what George was thinking. She wished she could talk to him about it, but she knew she wouldn't be able to see him after that kiss. God, she had questions for him.

She needed him to elaborate what he meant when she asked what had gotten into him and he answered the she had gotten into him. Was he in love with her? Or...was that kiss just an impulse? God, she needed to know and only George could tell her. She had noticed that he hadn't been himself lately and knowing that she had something to do with it, made her sad yet...giddy at the same time. Oh God, what was she going to do?

Ron wouldn't have a clue about the kiss and she didn't figure she would tell him about it either. She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow before letting out a muffled groan. Her mind immediately drifted to the feel of George's lips on hers. No. She wouldn't think of it. But she couldn't help herself and she fell asleep thinking of his lips on hers, only to dream about what it would be like to make love to him, considering that kiss had been unlike anything else she had ever experienced.

o-------------o

Ron wrapped his arms around Julianna's waist and smiled at her. She smiled at him and placed her elbows on his shoulders, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hey." Ron whispered. Julianna grinned and leaned foreward, resting her brow against his.

"Hi." She whispered back. He grins and presses his lips to hers softly. She immediately thought of George's kiss and wondered why Ron's kisses couldn't feel the same as George's. God dammit, she was going to have to stop thinking of George or she was bound to ruin Ron's and her relationship. She didn't want that. She tried with some difficulty to focus on Ron and she hardly managed.

o-------------o

George turned restlessly in his sleep. He had to save her. He couldn't let her die. George reached out in his sleep, grasping for something that wasn't there.

"Jules." He whimpers in his sleep. All of a sudden the alarm begins to blare and George bolts up in his bed, covered in sweat.

"Oh God." He whispers to himself and reaches over, tapping the alarm off. He had never had such a nightmare before. He rarely had nightmares, but this one definitely topped the other ones in being scary. In his dream he couldn't save her. She was screaming for him and he couldn't find her. She was crying and he couldn't find her through the fog. Dear God he needed to see her, just to reassure himself that she wasn't dead.

"You're being ridiculous." He said to himself, running his fingers through his short hair. She's fine, she's okay. He lay back down, shoving the covers down to his waist as he breathed in deeply.

o-------------o

Julianna sighed. Ron was in New York again, for the second time this month. It was too difficult to be on ER and have to stay in California, while he went to New York every other week. She sighed and knowing it would be early there, she still figured Ron would be up, getting ready for work. So she picked up the telephone and dialed his number before pressing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She hears him answer groggily. Before she can say the cheery reply she had formed in her mind she heard another voice. She stopped when she recognized it as a woman's voice. Her face paled and her heart started to pump faster, a sickening thud in her chest.

"Hello?" Ron asked again. "Hello?....Damn prank callers." Julianna heard giggling in the background and a soft growl before he hung up the phone. She hung up and ran to the bathroom where she emptied her stomach of the lunch she had just eaten.

When she came back into the living room she had tears running down her face as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. She listened into the earpiece.

"Hello?" A man's voice asked.

"George." She said hoarsely.

"Jules?" George asks.

"Can you come over?" She asks. He can tell she has been crying.

"Yeah, Jules, what's wrong?" He asks, concerned.

"I need you." She says and hangs up before falling onto the couch. On the other side of town George had hung up the phone and was staring down at it, remembering back to his dream a few nights before.

"Oh God." He said and ran and threw his shoes and coat on before running into the garage and jumping into his jeep.

o-------------o

George arrived at Julianna's house, jumping out of the car and running to the door. He tried the front door and it was unlocked. He stepped into the rather dark house and saw her on the couch. She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and her face red and wet.

"Jules?" He whispers. She stands, shakily, and makes her way towards him.

"Oh George." She whimpers and falls into his open embrace. He pulls her into his arms as she begins to cry once more.

"Shhh..shh..Jules, it'll be okay." He says, rocking her gently. He rubs her back as she sobs into him, clinging to the front of his shirt. "Breath, sweetheart, breath. Shhhhh..shh." He tries to reassure her, wondering what the hell happened to make her cry this way. When she finally settles down but stays buried against his body, he lifts her gently and takes her to the couch. He sits down and lays her out across his lap, cradling her like a child. She keeps her face in his neck, holding on to the front of his shirt.

"What happened?" He asks her finally. She shifts slightly and leans back to look him in the eyes.

"Ron's in New York again." She says, reaching up to wipe a hand across her wet cheek. "I called there just before I called you. When he picked up he said 'Hello?' and before I could answer I heard a woman's voice in the background saying 'Don't answer that, baby, come back to bed.' He then said hello two more times but I didn't answer. Then he said 'Damn prank callers' and the woman giggled and he...he growled." Julianna says and lets out a dry sob. "I puked and then I called you." She says and the tears begin to leak out of her eyes once more and she can see the flash of anger in George's eyes, even through her blurry vision. He pulls her closer to him and rubs her arms gently.

"It's okay. Shhh....He's an asshole, anyway." George says, having waited forever to express his true feelings about Ron. She nods and lets out a small sob as she buries her face into his neck again, her fingers curling around the front of his shirt as she cries. He rocks her, kissing her hairline gently and trying desperately to reassure her as the anger within him builds up.

o-------------o

Fifteen minutes later George is still sitting on the couch, holding a now sleeping Julianna in his arms. He moves her into a more comfortable position in his arms before burying his face in her hair and taking a deep breath, inhaling her shampoo. She sighed softly in her sleep and he watched her, a smile on his face. He stretched out on the couch, rearranging her gently and closes his eyes, relishing the feel of her body so close as he drifts off to sleep.

o-------------o

Julianna stirs slightly and feels a pair of strong arms around her body. She remembers what had happened with Ron and she immediately opened her eyes, ready to bitch slap him for ever touching her again. When she looked up at George's sleeping face she let out a breath of air. She looked around her, checking out the surroundings. They were laying in the dark, on the couch.

I fell asleep and he stayed with me, Julianna thought. She smiled and looked up at George. He was so handsome, even in his sleep. She couldn't resist reaching up and touching her fingers to his cheek gently. He stirred slightly and turned his face towards her fingers, brushing his lips against them gently without even knowing it. She smiles and leaves her fingers on his lips, not daring to press her lips to his like she wanted, craving that taste she had tasted just a week ago. She sighs softly and leans her head against his chest, moving her hands down to softly surround his waist, hoping not to wake him.

She had no idea why she was doing this. She technically hadn't broken up with Ron yet and here she was, in George's arms on the couch, trying not to wake him because she didn't want to lose the feel of his body up against hers. She moved her head on his chest slightly, pressing her nose to him and smelling his detergent, cologne, and male scent all mixed into one delicious smell. She felt his body stir under hers and his arms tighten around her back, drawing her closer. The corner of her mouth turns up slightly in a tiny smile and she heard him sigh deeply and felt him continue moving. She looked up at him just as his eyes fluttered open. He stares straight into her eyes for a few intense seconds, not sure if this was a dream or if it was reality. He reached up with one hand, wiping his eyes clear of sleep, knowing he was awake and not dreaming.

"Hey." He whispered hoarsely. She smiles softly.

"Hi." She replies.

"How long have you been up?" He asks.

"A minute or so." She replies. He nods, loosening his grip on her. She yearns for his arms to move back around her but she realizes it's not going to be happening, so she sits up on the couch, placing her feet on the ground.

"So, I guess we fell asleep, huh?" He asks, sitting up and leaning back on his hands. She smiles slightly and nods.

"Yeah, I'd say so." She replies. He smiles and clears his throat, looking away from her.

"So, are you alright?" He asks. She sighs slightly and smiles.

"As good as I can be when I find out he's been cheating on me." She says, looking back at him. He nods and she smiles. "Thank you for coming over. I, uh, needed someone to be with me." He grins, reaching over and tugging on a curl of her thick, dark brown hair.

"No problem. What're friends for?" He asks. She nods and looks back in front of her at the VCR clock.

"Wow. We were asleep for awhile." She says. He looks towards the clock and nods, raising his eyebrows.

"Quite a few hours." He says.

"Hungry?" She asks, looking over at him. He shrugs.

"A little. You?" He asks. She nods.

"Definitely. Why don't I fix something and we can just..hang out." She suggests. He nods.

"How about I fix one of my gourmet meals and you can relax and watch?" He suggests, placing a hand on her shoulder as he shifts his body downward and moves up to sit beside her, placing his own feet on the floor beside hers. He stretches with a yawn.

"Sounds good." She says, smiling, greatful for the chance to just sit and not have to do anything. He grins and stands, offering his hand to pull her up. She lets him pull her up.

"Well, let's go." He says and walks towards the kitchen.

"George?" She asks. He stops and turns to look at her.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"Thanks." She says rather shyly. He grins.

"You're welcome, Julianna." He says and turns and heads towards the kitchen again.

o-------------o

"So what're you gonna do?" George asks as he flips some chicken into a pan before turning to face her. She shrugs and buries her face in her hands, her elbows on the counter.

"I don't know." She says with a loud sigh. She stays in that position for a minute or so, him watching her. Finally she looks up at him. "Tell me what to do." She says. Break up with him and go out with me, George thinks simply. Instead he shrugs.

"Jules, you need to do what you think is right. You can't be with Ron all the time, you can't supervise him like a mother. He's bound to find a way back to whoever you heard on the phone, whether it's while you're taping ER or even when he's away on location somewhere else and you have to stay in L.A." He pauses. "If you really want my opinion, you should talk to him, tell him you know and tell him you won't take anymore of his shit and break up with him. If he swears not to do it again...or whatever I'm sure he'll do to get out of it, you can't believe him. He's cheated once, he'll do it again." George says and turns to check on the chicken. She sighs.

"You seem so sure." She says. He shrugs.

"If someone cheated on me I wouldn't take it. It's not right, Jules." George says, his back still facing her. He sighs and turns around. "You love him and so it's going to be hard for you to walk away from him after all these years, but he hurt you. You had to throw up, then call me and have me come over to be with you. I saw the pain he caused you. You're so strong, Jules, and I know you wouldn't call me like that if he just dented your pride. He hurt you and you shouldn't have to put up with it. Not now or ever again." He says. She looks at him, staring intently at his face and seeing the anger there.

"You're right, George." She says. He nods.

"Aren't I always?" He asks, grinning slightly and looking away from her.

"Will you help me do something?" She asks.

"Most likely. What?" He asks, returning his gaze back to her face.

"This is my house. I want him out." She says. A smile lights up over George's face. "He doesn't get back for about...two or three days. Will you come here as much as possible and help me get his shit all piled up by the door so when he gets back I can kick his ass out onto the street?" She asks, a huge grin on her face. George lets out a loud whoop.

"Thatta girl!" He says. Her head falls back and she lets out a loud laugh, her heart already on the mend.

o-------------o

"I think we're all done!" Julianna exclaims, plopping down on the couch and throwing her legs up on the coffee table, wiping her arm over her forehead. She eyes the pile of Ron's stuff in the corner and can't help but grin satisfactorily. He grins and bends down, sprawling out on the floor.

"We're getting old, woman." He says. She laughs.

"You're the old man!" She says. "In two years you'll be 40!" She exclaims. He groans.

"And I'm feeling it." He says. She laughs.

"Oh, shutup, you're probably in better shape then I am at a measly 33." She says. He grins and pushes himself up on his elbows.

"When you were 5, I was 10." He says. She raises her eyebrows.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen we have ourselves a genius on our hands!" Julianna says and lets out a laugh. He rolls his eyes.

"You were just a little squirt. When I got my license you hadn't even hit puberty yet!" He exclaims. She snorts.

"How do you know when I hit puberty?" She asks. He shrugs.

"Well, you'd only have been 11, so I just assumed. Besides, it's not like you were Miss Big Boobs or anything." He says, raising his eyebrows. "Still aren't." He mutters, eyeing her chest. She crosses her arms protectively over her chest.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with my breasts." She says. He chuckles and flops down onto the ground.

"Now we're talking about your breasts. That's funny." He says and they burst out laughing together. They don't even hear the keys in the front door and don't notice anyone is coming into the house until the sunlight filters through the room. George immediately hauls himself up off the floor and curses under his breath at the sight of Ron. Julianna stands, eyeing George and Ron as Ron shuts the door. He looks at the pile of all his possessions on the floor.

"What's going on?" He asks, checking out the shorts and t-shirts on the two of them. Julianna smiles sweetly at him and struts towards him, flaunting slightly. George watches, his mouth twitching slightly in amusement.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to show up." Julianna says, moving to stand in front of Ron. She picks at an invisible fuzz on his shirt. It takes all George has not to laugh. He has to stick around for this.

"I decided to come home a little early." Ron says, smiling weakly. Julianna just nods, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in close, but not close enough to kiss him.

"You should've just stayed in New York." Julianna says and turns away from him, moving towards George. Her eyes dance and he realizes how much fun she is having. Ron's eyes narrow as he looks at the two of them.

"What?" He asks.

"You really didn't need to come home, did you?" Julianna asks, whirling around to face him, her high ponytail flouncing.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asks.

"You really didn't need to come home to me when you have your other girlfriend up in New York, am I right?" She asks, her hands on her waist, angry now at the innocent act he was trying to pull.

"What the hell are you talking about, Julianna?" Ron asks, reaching foreward to touch her elbow. She pulls away.

"Wait...a minute." She says coolly. "Does this ring a bell?" She puts on her best high-pitched actressy voice. "Don't answer that, baby, come back to bed." Julianna asks, delighted in finding Ron's face pale almost immediately. She changes her voice to one mimicking his. "Damn prank callers." She whirls on her heel and ticks her head at George. It takes all of his self-control not to burst into hysterical laughter. Her mouth twitches at the corner, telling him she's about ready to let loose also. She turns back to Ron and moves past him and towards his stuff.

"George and I took the liberty to gather your trash and place it beside the door, right where you can take it and your class act and get the hell out of my house." She says.

"You can't do that!" Ron says, his face red now and his voice angry.

"Oh yes, I can." She says. He lunges toward her but before he can lay a finger on her, George has him up on his toes by his collar.

"If you touch her, I swear I'll rearrange that pretty little face of yours." George says. Julianna lets out a small laugh as Ron shrinks back. His eyes avert towards her and she reaches up, covering her hand with her mouth, her eyes dancing. George releases him and Ron stumbles backwards, his back thudding against the door.

"You'll pay for this." He says angrily to Julianna.

"Ah!" George says, taking a step closer. Ron eyes them before bending down and beginning to pick up his stuff. George opens the door for him, gesturing with a smile. Julianna grins.

"I'd help, but I wouldn't want all your other girlfriends to see me kicking you out of the house, it might ruin your reputation." Julianna says. Ron stalks out of the house, taking as much as he can in one trip. When he heads towards his car, Julianna covers her hand with her mouth and giggles. George grins.

"You did great!" He says.

"It was fun!" She exclaims and watches as Ron heads back towards the house to gather up another load of stuff. George and Julianna stand and watch Ron go to and from the house until his car is stuffed full. He looks back at them, his face hard and he gets into the car, slamming the door. George shuts the door and the two of them burst into hysterical laughter. The next thing George knows is he looks up at her and she is crying and giggling at the same time.

"Hey, Jules, why the tears?" He asks. She rubs her hand across her cheeks.

"George..you can't expect me to just kick him out like that without feeling even the tiniest bit of sadness, can you?" She asks. He shrugs and nods slightly as she smiles softly. "I'm not going to go into a depression over it, but George, he was my boyfriend for 7 years. I would have to be inhuman not to feel something." George nods and smiles, leaning back against the couch where he had ended up after his laughing fit.

"I know. It was the same way for me with Celine." He says, resting his head on the arm rest. "It hurts but.......I was relieved in a way. Do you understand?" He asks. "I loved her for awhile. I thought what we had was....special, but it just turned out to be special then, not forever, although, I suppose I knew our relationship wouldn't last forever from the very beginning." He looks at her. She smiles.

"That's the way it was with Ron and I, sometimes. Sometimes we would have so much to talk about and things to do, things to see together. Then other times all we did was have sex because we didn't have anything else to do. It was like a roller coaster." Julianna says. George nods.

"Yeah. But you're lucky though. You've fallen in love. Literally been in love, with someone else." George says. She looks at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You've never been in love?" She asks. "Not even with Talia or Celine? Or anybody?" She asks.

"With Talia, I thought that I was in love." George smiles. "But I know now I wasn't. It was more of a love fling, y'know?" He asks. She looks at him, seeming to understand. "I loved her enough to marry her at the time, but I wasn't so in love with her that when she wasn't with me I..I couldn't breath or eat or sleep or even think. And like you said how you and Ron sometimes had nothing to talk about so you had sex, well, Celine and I were mostly all about sex. Yeah, sure, sometimes we had decent, worthwhile conversations, but usually we just ended up in bed." George says. "This is going to sound really stupid, but I've been with plenty of women. I've had my share, as I'm sure you know. And I know the difference between flings, loving someone, and being in love." He says.

"But you said you haven't been in love." She says. He looks at her, caught off-guard.

"I uh...I haven't," He lied, "What I meant was, I've heard men describe what it feels like to be in love with a woman, such as Noah or Tony, and I know I've never felt that with anyone I've been with. I may try and convince myself that I'm in love for a little while, but it doesn't last and I usually find myself having no difficulty breathing, eating, or sleeping without that person." He says. Oh God, did he know what it was like to be so in love you couldn't even remember your own name when that person smiled. He knew what it felt like to not want to eat without that person near and you couldn't sleep or breath sometimes if you couldn't see them. He knew what that felt like but he knew he couldn't tell her, not now. He sighs.

"How did Tony and Noah describe being in love with a woman?" Julianna asks softly. George looks at her, one eyebrow cocked.

"Are you sure you want to hear this? If they find out I told you they will kill me." He says.

"Why would they care?" She asks. He shrugs.

"This is a man's private thoughts, Jules. It's about being masculine, macho. Promise you won't laugh." George says. She grins slightly.

"I promise." She says and scoots closer to him. He sighs and reaches up, scratching his cheek.

"I don't remember who said what." George says, not wanting her to find out that he was going to be telling her of his own feelings, not just Anthony and Noah's.

"Oh, sure you don't." She teases. He grins.

"Maybe I do, but you don't." He says. She smiles.

"Go on." She whispers softly, cradling her chin her hand.

"Well...There was something about how when the woman you love smiles your heart just stops, skipping beats. And when she is sad, you are sad. When she cries, you are crying with her, only on the inside. And when she laughs, you wish you could record it and carry it with you everywhere and listen to it whenever you wanted. Or you wished you could tape it and show it to her, try to show her what you feel when you hear it. Or when she is angry or upset with you...even if you are upset with her also, you just want to take away the anger and you can't stay mad at her for long." George smiled at a memory. "Tony was trying to tell me what it's like when the woman you love gives birth to your child. He said it's like falling in love with that woman ten times over. They both said you fall in love with that woman even more, every moment you are with her." George says. When he looks at her she has tears in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks.

"That's beautiful." She says. "They said that?" She asks. He grins and shrugs.

"Most of it. Guys aren't so lame and stupid. At least not all of us." He says. She giggles and wipes a stray tear.

"Keep going, please." She says. He laughs gently, amused by her reaction, finding it adorable.

"What to hear about the sex?" He asks. She laughs.

"They actually told you about it?" She asks. He shrugs.

"Some of it." He says. She nods.

"Okay then." She replies.

"Well...they told me to imagine the best sex I've ever had in my life. Then they said to take that and add 50 times the pleasure. They said there really wasn't any way to describe it. It was like heaven. They said how when you had sex with other people, there was always, always a tiny part of you holding back, not really there. Y'know? Thinking about the weather or work or something, but when you are with the person you are in love with, there's no way to even try to think about other things. It's like with everyone else it's just sex, but when it's the one, it's making love. You might call it making love with others but it's not, not until you've been with the one you are in love with. Everything is all right there, then and now. It was like the Heaven on Earth saying." George says. She smiles softly.

"I don't think I was in love with Ron." She says. He lets out a deep chuckle.

"Not too good in the sack, huh?" George asks. She giggles.

"I don't know. I guess, it wasn't like how they described it to be. I think there was always that small part of me thinking about the weather." She says. He laughs gently and reaches over, touching her cheek.

"You crack me up, Jules." He says. She grins before her smile fades and she looks away from him.

"I wonder if anyone's ever been in love with me." Julianna says quietly with a small sigh. George grits his teeth slightly before replying.

"It'd be hard not to. I'm sure someone will fall in love with you someday if they haven't already." He says. She smiles at him.

"Thanks George." She says. He smiles.

"Hey, no problem." He says.

"Thanks for everything. You know, the other night, being here for me when I needed you. And for helping me gather up his junk and then for protecting me when he almost lashed out at me. For being a friend." She says, smiling. He grins goofily.

"Don't forget for fixing you dinner." He says. She giggles.

"And for fixing me some damn good chicken." She says. He laughs and reaches down, squeezing her hand gently.

"Anytime you feel the need to cry on my shoulder, or have me beat someone's ass for you, or if you have a craving for some damn fine chicken, you just call me up and I'll take care of it." He says. She grins and leans over, hugging him gently.

"You're a keeper, George." She says. He chuckles.

"I know." He says cheerily and he squeezes her slightly before they release each other.

o-------------o

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