May 26, 01
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This story is actually a George/Julianna friendship story, instead of a romance! It's amazing, isn't it? Lol. This was just a spur of the moment idea I got while looking at my People magazine of George's 40th birthday, because there was a picture of him and his ex-wife, Talia in it and I got this idea. So I had to write it! :) NOTHING IN THIS STORY IS TRUE! NONE OF IT HAPPENED IN REAL LIFE! DON'T THINK IT DID, CUZ IT DIDN'T!
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Julianna smiled down at the magazine in her hand and then looked up, knocking on the door in front of her. Moments later George opened it and smiled at her.
"Hey Jules! Come on in." He said, ushering her inside. She smiled at him. "What're you doing here?" He asked, pleased by his unexpected visitor.
"Coming to pester you." She said, showing him the magazine in her hand. He sighed and shook his head, reaching out and taking the magazine from her. It was the weekly issue of People magazine, dedicated to his 40th birthday.
"Leave it to Jules." He said. She laughed.
"You're an old man, George." She patted his cheek gently. "I'm coming to your party in a few days, but I just had to come bug you about it privately." She said. He grinned and threw his arm around her shoulder.
"Come join me in the kitchen. I was just making a sandwich for lunch. Are you hungry?" He asked. She shook her head.
"Nope, I ate a few minutes ago." She said. He nodded and let go of her, going around to the other side of the counter. She pulled out a stool and sat down. She reached for the magazine he had laid on the counter and flipped it open to the page where his article started.
"You're looking good, George," She said and looked up at him and raised her eyebrows, "For an old man." She grinned, giggling slightly under her breath.
"You just wait." He said, pointing his butter knife at her.
"For?" She asked, looking up at him, a grin still plastered to his face.
"Your 40th birthday." He said. She laughed, her curls tumbling around her shoulders.
"I'm sure you'll make it worthwhile." She joked. He chuckled and lifted the finished sandwich to his lips and took a bite. Julianna looked down at the magazine and flipped the next page.
"He's just not going to father someone he can't be a father to." Julianna read aloud from the magazine. George looked up at her. He sighed slightly.
"I swear, people just can't get over the fact that I don't want to be a father." He said. She nodded and turned the page again and looked at pictures of George with some of his girlfriends.
"Talia is so pretty." Julianna murmured. George bent his head. It still hurt to think about her sometimes. The divorce hadn't been nasty, but the reason for the divorce still hurt.
"Yeah, she is." He murmured in agreement and they looked at each other, gazing into one another's eyes. Julianna could still see the hurt simmering in his eyes. She smiled warmly at him.
"You're still hurting over it." She said quietly, looking up at him. He put his sandwich down on the counter and leaned into the wood. He bent his head and shook it.
"I'm not really hurting over the divorce..I got over that awhile ago." He paused and let out shaky breath. He knew he could trust Julianna with anything. "If I tell you the real reason why we got a divorce, can you keep it a secret?" He asked, looking up at her. She paused, her brows coming together in confusion.
"You know I will, George." She said.
"I've never told anyone this. Not even my family. No one." He said. She reached across the counter and touched his hand.
"You can tell me, you know you can, George." She said. He smiled and reached out with his other hand and touched her cheek gently.
"I know I can." He said and moved around the counter and sat in a stool beside her.
"A few months before our divorce, things were going good. We didn't have a perfect marriage, we had our fights. But things were okay between us. We hadn't even thought about getting a divorce, I mean, we really had no reason to." He sighed and looked Julianna straight in the eye. "Until she got pregnant." He said. Julianna gasped slightly and her eyes widened. He sighed. "I guess you could say, I didn't want the baby at first. I freaked out and asked her to get an abortion." George said and bowed his head. "She refused and I was extremely upset about it because I couldn't be a father. I know I wouldn't be a good one." He paused. "But then the idea started warming on me. I started to like the idea of having a baby. We were married, so why not? I might not be the best father, but it would be a baby. A part of me." He smiled slightly, remembering. But then he sobered up. "So I told her that I was sorry about asking her for an abortion. She forgave me and everything was good again. I got more excited everyday. Well three days after I told her I was happy about the baby, she began to have pain. So I took her to the hospital and she had a miscarriage." Julianna's faced softened and she reached out, taking his hand into hers and squeezed.
"George.." He shook his head, cutting her off.
"We didn't tell anyone, because we didn't want anyone's pity. But after that we sort of drifted apart. I blamed myself for the miscarriage because I didn't want the baby at first. And I could see how much she was hurting from the loss and I couldn't do anything to help her because I was angry and upset and everything. So we pulled away from each other and decided a few months later that getting divorced would be the best thing for the both of us. We've talked only a few times since then." He said. Julianna sighed and squeezed his hand in hers.
"I know you don't want my pity, George. And I can't say that I pity you, exactly." She paused. If he was going to share something this huge with her, she knew she could share her story with him. He looked at her, seeing a battle of some sort waging inside her. "I guess you could say, I know exactly how it feels." She finished. His brows drew together and this time he squeezed her hand.
"What are you talking about?" He asked. She smiled weakly.
"If I tell you this, you have to promise you won't tell anyone. You'll be the first person I've ever told this to, also." She said. He smiled.
"You know you can trust me, especially after this." He said. She smiled slightly and nodded.
"I know I can." She said and paused. "In college, well, I was a virgin." She said and looked down, her cheeks reddening slightly. He smiled and watched her. "And I met this guy. He was so wonderful. Smart, funny, poetic." She shook her head and smiled at herself. "I was head over heels for him. So when he started dropping hints that we sleep together, I agreed. I was so nervous that I didn't think about anything. The consequences of our actions or anything. Well, the day after we slept together, I called his dorm. Another girl answered and when I asked if he was there, she asked who was calling. I told her and she started to laugh and told me that I probably shouldn't call back again." Julianna paused. "She said..she actually told me that she had just finished fucking his brains out." Julianna hung her head. George's jaw hardened.
"So I hung up. When I saw him the next day, he ignored me, so I knew that whatever she had said, must be somewhat true, because he acted like I didn't exist." She sighed. "I was crushed and then two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant." She looked up at George. "I was scared out of my mind. I thought my father would kill me. So I didn't tell anyone. I even thought about dropping out of school, but before I could decide, I had a miscarriage." She said. "I didn't tell anyone. Not my friends, my family, or anyone after college." She paused. "About two years after I had the miscarriage, in my senior year of college, I met Ron. He was so good to me, but I was afraid. It took me a long time to be ready to be intimate with him. He waited, patiently, and he never questioned why I was afraid. And I was thankful for that. To this day, I still haven't told him." She said. George squeezed her hands. "If I had had the baby, he or she would almost be a teenager." Julianna smiled and looked into George's eyes.
"Well, at least we know what the other one is feeling." He said. She nodded and leaned forward, leaning her chin on his shoulder and they hugged. When she pulled away, he looked at her. "Are you ever going to tell Ron?" He asked. She shrugged.
"I don't know. He had nothing to do with it." Julianna said. George smiled. "You've been with him for 10 years, right? That's a long time, Jules. Have you ever even talked about having children?" George asked. She paused and looked down.
"I guess. He told me that he wants them, someday. I never really told him how I feel about it."
"How do you feel about it?" George asked. She shrugged.
"I think I want a baby." She paused. "But I'm afraid of losing another." She said. He smiled and reached out, taking her face gently into his hands.
"If you want to have a baby, you really need to tell Ron everything. He needs to know about the miscarriage before you even start trying for a baby. I know you love Ron and he loves you. You need to trust him with this." George said. She nodded.
"I know. I just hope he understands." She said. George grinned.
"I know Ron and I know he'll understand. He loves you, Jules. That's the most important thing." George said. She grinned.
"Are you going to tell Lisa?" She asked. He shook his head.
"No." He said.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Because I don't love her." He said. Julianna cocked her head slightly.
"You don't?" She asked. He shook his head.
"No. I may be getting there, but for now, I think I'll keep the information to myself. Finally telling someone, telling you, is good enough for me. I still don't want children. I am much more busy now than I was then and I wouldn't have time for a child. But you, on the other hand, would be a wonderful mother." He said. She smiled.
"Thanks, George." He smiled.
"Now, go home and talk to Ron." He said. She slid off the stool and he stood up beside her. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing gently.
"Thank you for listening." She said. He smiled and kissed the side of her head gently.
"You're welcome. Thank you for listening." He said. They grinned at each other.
"No problem." She pulled away from him. "You know I always will."
"And vice versa." He said. They grinned again.
"Bye George." She said, turning and heading out of the kitchen.
"Bye Jules." He called after her and waited until he heard the door close. He looked at the counter and saw the magazine. He picked it up, looking at the picture of Talia and then to the picture of Lisa. Then he walked around to the other side of the counter and dumped the magazine into the trash.
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This is my first attempt at G/J friendship, so e-mail me what you thought of it! :)
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