Started Writing: November 12, 2004
Finished Writing: October 8, 2005

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I wrote this story way back in November of last year and since then, I've written a lot of fanfic for Law & Order: SVU and if you ask me, my writing has improved greatly since I started this. As I was editing this story, I found many things that bothered me and many things that needed fixed, and even after I cleaned it all up, it still isn't quite satisfactory to me, but I liked this story enough that I had to post it instead of letting it sit around in a folder on my hard drive. So here it is, kids. I hope you enjoy it.

This story takes place after Julianna and Ron have broken up and while George is not dating anyone. So present time, if you will.

DISCLAIMER: None of this is true. I don't know any of the people in this story in real life. They are real people, so I probably shouldn't be writing about them, but it's merely for entertainment and creative purposes. Definitely no profit is made. Thank you.

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"Hello?" George asked, speaking into his cell phone after picking it up.

"Hey George!" Julianna replied on the other end.

"Oh, hey Jules! What's up?"

She smiled and settled back into the soft coziness of the couch. "Not much, I'm just sitting at home, in Burbank. I'm bored, so I thought I would give you a ring to see what you're up to. I haven't talked to you in forever. If you're working, you can call me back later."

George chuckled a little. "Actually, I'm at home," he replied.

"Really? Here?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He chuckled once more. "Yes, here."

"I had no idea!"

"Would you rather come over and talk? We haven't seen each other in forever."

"I'd love to! I'll be over as soon as I get there," she said.

"Alright, see ya then."

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George opened the door for Julianna and smiled at her.

"Hello!" she exclaimed and walked inside. She leaned forward and they hugged each other quickly and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She stepped back and looked at him in his t-shirt, jeans, and bare feet. "You look good!"

He chuckled. "It was tough losing those last ten pounds," he said and she smiled. He took a deep breath and grinned at her, looking at her from head to toe. He wasn't sure how she could make a pair of Levi's and a plain white t-shirt look so good. "You look better than I do!" he said, not mentioning the fact that the last time he had seen her, she had looked like hell. It had been a few months after her relationship with Ron had ended. The thing that had bothered him the most had been the dark shadows under her pretty eyes. But they were no longer there and that was a relief to him. He didn't want to see her unwell.

Julianna smiled at his compliment.

"So," he continued, "I was just about to cook some dinner when you called. I was planning on having a cheeseburger and a sausage on the grill. Would you like something?" he asked and turned, heading into the kitchen.

She followed him. "I wouldn't object to a hamburger. No cheese," she said off-handedly.

He shook his head at her. "I'm ashamed to know you," he joked. She laughed and he grinned for a moment, watching her.

"I just don't like cheese on my hamburgers, okay?"

Her smile made his heart skip slightly in his chest, but he ignored it, shaking his head and letting out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, I'll make you a plain burger. If I must," he said and began preparing a plate to take out onto the back patio area where the grill was.

"Let me help you," she said and they worked together in companionable silence for a few minutes before she followed him out back, carrying a plate. George fired up the grill and Julianna took a seat at one of the tables on his patio. She watched his back as he worked and smiled, admiring the form of him. She grinned quickly to herself and looked away, shaking her head a little bit. Jeez, Jules, just because you haven't gotten any in forever doesn't mean you should check out George's ass, she thought to herself.

"What are you smiling at?" George asked her and she looked to his face quickly, snapping out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"You were smiling just now," he said. "What for?"

Julianna laughed slightly and shrugged. "No reason, really. Just relaxed and happy at the moment," she paused, still smiling. "Life is good for me right now."

He walked to the table and took his place across from her, before leaning back in the seat and propped his feet up on another chair. "I'm very glad to hear that," he said. She glanced at him for a second and he could see a wave of something pass over her face but he couldn't quite place it. "Don't get sad on me now, Jules."

She shook her head quickly and looked up at him. "Sorry." She smiled. "I guess I was just thinking about before… when I wasn't happy. I'm not proud of myself for that."

"Why?" George asked, unable to resist.

"It's a long story," Julianna said and sighed as she pushed her hair off of her cheek.

"I'm here to listen," he said softly, hoping she didn't feel like he was pushing her. He was curious, but he didn't have to know.

Julianna glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled a bit. "Thank you." She paused to collect her thoughts. "George, this is no big secret what I'm about to tell you, but… I guess I just never wanted you to know."

He furrowed his brows. "What is it?" He turned toward her, completely curious now, and gave her his full attention.

"Ron was…" Julianna paused and took a deep breath. "He was abusive, George."

George's feet dropped to the ground and he sat up straight. "What?" he asked, anger permeating from his voice.

She looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together nervously. She hadn't wanted George to know that she had let someone push her around. It wasn't something she was proud of. "It's not exactly like you think." She paused for a moment, swallowing the tears that wanted to swell up in her throat.

George could clearly see that she was upset, so he sat back in his chair, forcing each of his muscles to relax so that he wouldn't upset her more. He kept silent.

"I guess he was always very aggressive, but he didn't hurt me until just a few months before we broke up. He was fine at first, I mean, I knew he had a temper, but he never directed it towards me in any way for years. Eventually, about the last year, he started to push me around verbally. I don't know how to explain it, but I didn't really… realize it, I guess, for a long time. It was so gradual that I didn't even see it."

She paused and George forced himself to get up and check on the grill. He had to do something with himself.

"He just started telling me what to do. I think it was because I was really busy with work and he didn't have a lot going on. He was jealous, I think. It made him bitter. So whenever I was with him, he was controlling. He couldn't stop me from working and from going away, but when I was home, he stopped me from seeing certain friends or going certain places because he didn't like it. Eventually I couldn't go anywhere unless he was going with me."

George sat back down and settled into his seat silently as he watched her. She looked over at him and he could see the tears shining in her eyes. He reached across the table and touched her arm gently, his warm skin responding to the softness of hers. "It's okay, Jules. Go ahead and let it out. I'm here," he said quietly.

A tear slipped from her eye and ran down her cheek. She lifted her arm up onto the table and he linked his hand with hers.

"The first time he hurt me wasn't that bad. I mouthed off to him about something, you know how I am," Julianna said and smiled slightly. "I copped an attitude and it pissed him off. All he did then was grab me and squeeze my arms. I told him that he was hurting me and he let me go, but I still had a few marks on my arms the next day."

George forced himself to not squeeze her hand in anger and not let her see how much hearing this was angering him.

"The time after that he pushed me. I just bumped into the table and then sort of fell on to the couch, so it didn't hurt. I didn't have any bruises that time." Another tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly. "The third time," she paused, "The third time was probably the worst of them all." She looked at George. "You won't want to hear this."

He shook his head. "Probably not, but tell me, Jules."

Her gaze dropped to the tabletop. "We were in bed. I was asleep. He woke me up and before I knew it, he was inside of me." A ragged sob escaped her lips and George released her hand before he crushed it. He stood up and paced a little, but she continued on, twisting her fingers together again, still avoiding looking at him. "I wasn't… My body wasn't ready for that and it hurt. I tried to tell myself that he hadn't done anything wrong, that I was his girlfriend, that it was his right. He had never done it before, so I just thought, you know, it won't happen again." She paused and finally looked up at George. He stopped pacing and looked back at her, meeting her sad eyes with his own angry ones. She could see the sorrow etched in the lines of his face and was glad to see that she didn't see disgust or pity or anything else.

He turned and lifted the lid on the grill.

"But it did happen again." She watched George's back tense. "The first time was still the worst time, though, because I didn't know what was going on. I was barely awake and confused and I hadn't thought he would ever do that. After that I wasn't as shocked by it when it happened again."

George turned around quickly. "How many times?" His voice was thick with anger.

Julianna looked at him, her eyes wet and wounded. "Four," she whispered.

He closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest. "Why, Jules? Why did you let him do that?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I guess I was in shock and I didn't believe it. And when it sank in, I was scared. But you how I am, well, how I thought I was… I don't take shit from most people," she said and smiled a little. "He finally hit me. He got me good, clocked me right in the eye."

George clenched his fists and shook his head, staring down at his feet again.

"I had a black eye from that one. I couldn't go to work. I had to call them and tell them that I had a black eye. The director made me come in and see the make-up artist to see how bad it was. They couldn't cover it up for several days. After that, I knew I had to get out of it. Not only was it affecting my life, but it was affecting my job, therefore affecting everyone else and their jobs and their lives."

"What did you do?"

"I told my family. My mom, my dad, my step-dad, my sisters, their husbands. I told them all. Ron and I were in New York at the time, so I arranged a time for all of them to come over and they did. And I told him it was over with my entire family standing behind me for support. My dad and step-dad double teamed him, with my brother-in-laws behind them, and they told him if he ever came near me again, they would kick his ass or worse." Julianna laughed softly, her heart filled with love.

George felt an intense urge to tell those men thank you. He tucked that thought away for later.

Julianna wiped away a final tear and tucked a dark curl behind her ear. "I have heard so many stories of women who didn't have the nerve to get away. They felt like they couldn't tell anyone and had no one to help them. When I realized I had a family who loved me and could help me, I used them. I refused to be that woman."

George smiled sadly. "I'm glad. I wish I had known sooner."

Her lips curved slightly. "Why? There's nothing you could have done."

He tilted his head and made her grin.

"I wouldn't have let you murder him, George."

He laughed quietly. "I don't know if you could have stopped me." He reached his hand out to her and she took it, letting him pull her up. He wrapped her in his arms, giving her a hug. She smiled and let her arms circle him, glad that he was there now. He pulled her back and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you got out of that. Now, let's eat," he said and she laughed again, content once more with her life.

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"Ugh, I'm stuffed," Julianna said, pushing her paper plate away from her as leaned back in her chair.

George chuckled. "You actresses and your tiny stomachs," he joked.

She shrugged. "I think it's in my genes."

"That's probably true. I've seen your skinny sisters."

Julianna smiled and George felt a little punch to his heart. With the light from outside spilling warmly over her face like that, she looked gorgeous. George stared, not realizing he was doing so. He felt as if he was frozen in time.

"What?" Julianna asked, her smile fading slightly as she tilted her head to the side to watch him.

He shook himself. "Sorry."

Julianna's eyebrows drew together in puzzlement as George shook his head slightly in confusion, wondering what had gotten in to him. He had always found Julianna physically attractive, but now she was just incredibly appealing. He wanted to get his hands on her. George wondered if it had anything to do with what she had just told him out on the back patio. Maybe he felt the urge to tend to her, to take care of her and protect her.

"George, are you okay?" Julianna asked, wondering about his long silence.

He nodded and cleared his throat. "Yeah, sorry. I just spaced out for a second." He stood up from his stool and took their plates to the trashcan.

She stared at his back, confused. He turned around and looked at her again and then he sighed in frustration and headed to the living room. She watched him go, completely bewildered now. She got up and followed him after a few seconds.

"What is going on, George?" she asked his retreating back.

He stopped and turned around abruptly in the middle of the living room. He looked at her. "I'm not exactly sure," he said, and as he studied her, he had to fight his desire. What the hell? He thought to himself. He hadn't felt this horny since he was a teenager. And he felt incredibly ridiculous for having that thought.

Julianna stared at him, watching him battle some unknown war with himself. She held out her hands. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked, touching his arm.

He backed up a step. She dropped her hand abruptly, surprised. All of a sudden it hit her like a punch in the gut. He didn't want her to touch him now. She was damaged goods. Julianna wouldn't have expected George to ever think that way about her, but she wasn't exactly trusting of men anymore. Why should she be? The man that she thought was the love of her life had turned abusive. Who's to say that all men aren't that way? Tears filled Julianna's eyes, but she bit the inside of her cheek quickly, forcing herself not to let those tears fall.

"I'm sorry. I'll go now," she said.

"What?" George asked, shocked with the sudden turn of events. He knew why he was acting weird, but her sudden mood change surprised the hell out of him.

"I know what you're thinking," she said.

His stomach jumped. "You do?"

"Yes. You think I'm disgusting now."

His mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Oh, I get it. I know you think I'm just a piece of trash now, just like Ron did. For your information, George, I'm nobody's trash! Not anymore." She turned on her heels, but he quickly grabbed her wrist.

He held her firmly but not too tightly. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to remind her of Ron.

"Jules? Jules, what are you talking about?" His heart pounded at the tears he saw in her eyes. Oh God, please don't cry, he thought.

"You!" she exclaimed. "You just backed away when I tried to touch you. I'm sorry that the thought of my touch makes you so disgusted."

"What are you talking about, Julianna? I was thinking the exact opposite!" he blurted out.

"What exactly does that mean?" she shot back.

He dropped her wrist. "I wasn't sure I could control myself if you touched me just then," he said quietly, staring into her eyes.

She stared back, her breath heaving a little bit from the heat of the argument she thought she was waging. Suddenly, awareness dawned in her eyes. A blush quickly crept up on her and burned her pale cheeks. "What?" she asked softly, mostly from shock.

"God, Jules, I don't think you're disgusting. I would never think that. I don't care what he did to you, it was not your fault and it had nothing to do with you being disgusting." He stopped and rocked back on his heels a little as she continued staring at him, too surprised to say a word. "I didn't want to do something that we would regret or that you would hate me for."

The fight simply drained out of her and her shoulders drooped with it. "Wow," she said and looked at the floor for a moment. She hadn't expected that.

His jaw clenched for a second as he watched her and then he turned, pacing away from her.

He wants me, she thought. Her heart started to pound a little. I'm actually desirable… to a man like George. She lifted her head and looked at his back. She could feel the tension and the awkwardness charging thickly through the air between them. She stared at him for a few seconds and then quietly took the steps toward him. She reached up and ran her hand down his arm, over his elbow and forearm, until she touched his hand and linked her fingers with his.

He turned, looking at her over his shoulder, his eyes searching hers.

"I wouldn't hate you," she said quietly.

His eyes darkened with desire as she moved forward, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"Jules," he said gruffly, hoping the tone of his voice would warn her. If he touched her, there would be no turning back. He turned towards her, letting go of her hand. He didn't touch her, not yet. He waited, wanting to make sure she actually made the first move. He didn't want her to feel pressured into anything.

She stared up at him, her chest rising and falling a little faster than normal as her breathing quickened. She reached up with her left hand and touched his face experimentally, before she cupped his cheek in her palm and brushed her thumb over his lips.

That was all it took and he reached down suddenly, gathering her up into his arms and pulling her against him tightly as his lips crushed down on hers. A moan immediately passed through her lips and into his mouth. He gobbled it up greedily.

At that first touch of tongue to tongue, she melted against him. They had never kissed like this before, not while filming, not ever. One of his hands dived into her hair, gathering a fistful of curls up as he held her head close. Their lips broke free of each other's for a second.

"Touch me," she pleaded on a moan. His hand slid from her hair and to her side. He cupped her hip and his fingers grazed the side of her stomach under her shirt. Her skin lit on fire. He moved his hand up slowly, teasingly, until his fingers were brushing the underside of her breast. She pushed against him; their tongues doing an exotic dance together. He cupped her breast and flicked his thumb over her nipple through her bra. She moaned again and pulled her lips back.

"I can't stand up… anymore. My legs, George."

George contemplated for a split second taking her upstairs to the bedroom, but he decided he would never make it that far, so he dragged her to the floor.

She tugged at his shirt, wanting the feel of his skin under her hands. She pulled his shirt over his head and then pressed her lips to the hollow of his throat. He sighed and pulled himself up, needing the feel of his skin on hers. He slid her shirt up with both hands, exposing her belly. He pressed a soft kiss next to her belly button and continued tugging the shirt up. George fingered the edge of her lacy white bra for a moment and then bent down again, pressing another soft kiss to the area between her breasts.

"Lovely," he whispered and then pulled the shirt gently over her head. He immediately settled down on top of her. Julianna opened her legs and he nestled in, their tummies resting against each other. He propped himself up on his elbows so he didn't squish her, and framed her head with his hands.

"Jules," he said and she met his eyes.

She smiled beautifully. "No regrets, George." She studied the contrast of his tan skin to her paleness. "Now make love to me," she said, finding his eyes with hers again.

Desire swamped him and he lowered his mouth to hers and let out a small moan when he could feel her stomach moving against his with each breath. His mouth trailed down and her hands ran along his back, exploring his skin. He continued moving down until he was pressing a kiss against her belly just above her jeans. He ran his tongue along the edge and she moaned, her stomach jumping slightly. He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down over her hips to reveal matching lacy white underwear. He sighed his approval and continued tugging her jeans off of her. When he threw them aside, he stopped to look at her.

"You're gorgeous, Julianna." She simply stared at him. "I always knew that." He grinned playfully at her. "But nobody ever told me you were this sexy," he said and leaned over her.

She laughed. "I bet you tell every girl that," she replied, running her hands along his sides.

He chuckled. "Most of them do everything in their power to ooze sex appeal and to shove it down men's throats. You never did, but you could have if you wanted to. I find that even sexier."

She laughed. "Sure, George, whatever you say."

He smiled at her, shaking his head. He wanted to make her feel beautiful, to feel desired. He wanted to give back to her what Ron had taken away. He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Seriously, Jules. When I saw you on Scrubs, I was intrigued. You were walking around in your skirts and high heels, teasing me from the screen. I didn't know you were going to take your shirt off."

She laughed again. "I didn't take it all the way off."

"No, but enough for me to get an eyeful and to realize you had never played up your body like that when I had ever known you."

"That's because you always saw me in those hideous scrubs."

"You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. You're sexy, Jules." He lowered his mouth to hers, stealing away any reply she could have made. He decided to show her, instead, just how sexy he thought she was.

His mouth never left hers as he used his hands to bring her pleasure. He touched her everywhere he could, his knuckles grazing her breasts and his fingers brushing against her thighs. She melted under his touch, her skin humming and vibrating with desire. Finally he took his mouth from hers and trailed it down her body. He lingered at her breasts before he reached back and unhooked her bra. He pulled it off gently and tossed it aside. He lowered his head and pressed his open mouth against her. She moaned and squirmed under him slightly. He took her into his mouth and suckled gently, as her fingers dug softly into the back of his head. She could hardly contain herself. Her hips moved under his, pushing against him and making him moan her name.

She reached down, her hunger for him overtaking her, and she struggled with the buttons on his jeans. He reached down and began to help her as their breath panted out in unison.

"Hurry, hurry," Julianna said. He leaned over, pulling his jeans off and throwing them aside, before he reached for her and slid her underwear down and off her legs. "Now," she said and tried to tug down his boxers.

"Wait," he said, his breath coming quickly. He nestled himself in between her legs and she could feel every inch of him against her. She wrapped her legs around him and pressed herself to him. He groaned.

"Please," she begged and he struggled for control. He lowered his head and pressed his lips tightly to hers. She kissed him back fervently and wrapped her arms tightly around him as her hips wriggled under him. "George," she moaned against his lips and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

He pushed himself away, tugging his boxers down and kicking them away. He reached for her and paused just for a second.

"Yes," she whispered, staring him straight in the eyes. He slid inside of her and they moaned in unison.

"Oh God," she murmured and wrapped her legs around him. He held himself still for just a second, relishing in the pleasure of that first contact. Then they began to move together, wrapped up in each other, hip to hip, arms around each other, lips pressed firmly together. Before long they were moving in a frenzy, groaning in unison. Julianna felt all of her control slipping quickly away as he plunged deep inside of her, filling her up until she felt whole again. Complete.

"George," she moaned before her body erupted and colors exploded behind her tightly clenched eyelids.

He buried his face into her shoulder and flew over the edge with her.

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"Wow," Julianna murmured and her arms fell limply to her sides as George's body pressed her down into the carpet.

He chuckled. "I don't think I can form complete thoughts yet," he muttered and turned his face into her neck.

She reached down and patted his butt. "You're squishing me."

He groaned a little and propped himself up so he could look down at her. "That was unexpected," he said and smiled at her.

She laughed a little, stroking her fingers through his hair, which was now sticking up in all directions after being mussed by her hands during their lovemaking. "You could say that again."

All of a sudden a thought occurred to him and he looked down at her seriously. "I forgot about… Did I hurt you?" George asked, concerned.

Julianna smiled, touched by his distress. "Not at all," she said quietly. He looked down at her, unsure, so she smiled and pressed her lips to his quickly. "I promise."

He rolled over, taking her with him, before pulling her to his side and cuddling her close. "Who would have thought we'd ever see this day?" George joked and she laughed, resting her cheek against his chest. He ran his hand over her side and down to her hip.

"Not me," she replied and he chuckled. "Especially not on your living room floor." Julianna looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. He laughed. She wiggled around, moving up so she had her head propped up on her palm and her elbow leaning against the floor. She threw her other arm around his waist and smiled at him. "And just exactly what got into you, mister?"

He laughed and said, "God, I have no idea. Apparently you just looked especially yummy today." He paused to savor her giggle. "Seriously, though, I felt like a teenage boy again. And that's not a particular pleasant feeling to have."

She laughed. "I can't say I'm sorry you had that feeling."

He grinned back at her. "Oh, I'm not sorry," he said and patted her hip.

"I'm kind of chilly," she said and cuddled closer to him, snuggling into his warmth.

He looked around and reached for the first item of clothing he saw; his t-shirt. He grabbed it and handed it to her. "Put this on."

She sat up and shimmied into the large gray t-shirt.

"Man, that shirt eats you alive, Tiny."

She grinned and ran her hands through her curls. She looked to her left and saw her underwear, before reaching out and sliding into them.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yep."

He crossed his ankles and folded his arms underneath his head. "I'll just stay naked," he said, drawing another brilliant grin from her. "It's cozy."

"What time of the day is it?" she asked and looked around for a clock.

He glanced at the digital clock under the television. "I think that says 2:30."

"Not too bad," she said and turned back to him. "I really do want to thank you, though, George."

"For what?"

"You know what I mean," she paused. "For making me feel… desirable again."

George sat up and looked seriously at her. "You are desirable, Jules. Don't ever forget it, okay? Don't let him ruin that."

She smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Well, I better get going." She didn't want to overstay her welcome.

"What for?" he asked, his brows drawing together slightly. "You don't have to go."

She stood up, so he followed suit, grabbing his boxers and sliding in to them as he watched her. She reached for her jeans.

"I should go, I have stuff to do around the house. Errands to run, stuff like that."

He grabbed her around the waist before she could pull her jeans on.

"George." His name left her lips wrapped up in a laugh.

"I think I'm getting my second wind," he said and nuzzled the back of her neck.

She looked back at him and wanted to ask if he was serious, but she could see it written in his eyes. She turned around in his arms to face him. "Then kiss me."

He grinned and pressed his lips to hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to meet his height. He wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and picked her up, carrying her to the couch. They dropped down onto it and experienced George's second wind.

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Around five p.m. Julianna woke from her slumber and looked around sleepily. She felt a hard body underneath hers and she looked down, directly into George's sleeping face. His arms were around her loosely and she smiled, snuggling in to his warmth for a moment. She glanced at the clock and smiled again. There weren't many days where she got to spend them lazing around with a gorgeous, naked man. She chuckled quietly to herself when she realized most of the women in America would do anything to be in her position right about now. She looked up at him and slid up his body, surprised he hadn't woken up yet. She framed his face with her hands and pressed her lips to his. After a few seconds she felt his lips pressing back against hers. She felt his hands slide down and cup her butt. She giggled softly and pulled away.

"Good afternoon."

He smiled sleepily. "Hi," he replied. "What time is it?"

"Almost five," she said and laid her cheek against his shoulder.

He scratched her lower back lightly with his fingers.

She moaned quietly. "That feels good."

He smiled and continued scratching. "Don't get any ideas, woman. I'm exhausted. I'm getting too old for this," he said.

She laughed and looked up at him, before pressing a quick, firm kiss to his lips and sitting up. He propped himself up on his elbows and admired her form. She glanced at him and shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Would you quit that?"

He smiled. "Nope."

"Too bad," she said and reached for her underwear. She wriggled in to them again and reached for her bra.

He watched her snap it on. "That's hot."

She looked at him over her shoulder and rolled her eyes with a grin. "You're such a man."

He slid his arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. "And you're a beautiful woman."

She laughed and enjoyed the tickling of his five o'clock shadow against her skin. "George, quit."

He smiled and let her go.

She stood up, walking across the room to gather up her jeans. She looked at him as she slid into them and grinned.

"Tease," he said.

She laughed once more, her head falling back with it, and he smiled in return. She really is beautiful, he thought. He leaned forward and folded his hands under his chin to watch her. She slipped her shirt over her head and turned to him. She bent down and picked up his boxers and tossed them at him. He chuckled and put them on. He reached for his jeans and slid into them, before standing up and tucking his hands into his pockets.

She turned to face him. "I hope I'm not wrong when I say this, but… Today was just a weird thing, right?" she asked. He shrugged, remaining silent. "I mean, this isn't some sort of weird sexual thing is it? It was a one time," she grinned, "Okay, two time deal, right?"

He chuckled at her humor. "Yeah, I suppose that's right."

"You weren't expecting something else, were you?"

He shook his head. "No," he said simply and honestly. He hadn't been expecting anything.

"We're both adults and it was just… a tension. And we got it out of our systems and we're good to go." She looked at him for affirmation.

He smiled. "Jules, no worries. Nothing has really changed, except I've seen you naked," he teased.

"Well, you've done more than that," she said and laughed. "I don't want this to make anything between us awkward."

He smiled and reached for her hand. He squeezed it. "Jules, we're good."

She smiled and leaned forward to brush a quick kiss across his lips. "Thank you, George, really. Today was exactly what I needed," she said with a smile.

He squeezed her hand again. "Good."

"It restored some lost confidence in me and I'll always be grateful. Today was perfect, I'll always remember that."

He tugged her forward once more and kissed her again quickly. "Me too."

She smiled and let go of him. "I better get going."

He smiled back at her and turned, following her to the door. "I hope I see you soon, Jules," he said honestly.

"Same here. Bye George," she said and opened the door.

"Bye." He watched her go, wondering if maybe they were wrong.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Julianna lay in her bed that night, smiling at the ceiling. Her body was very satisfied, very sated. She had him to thank for that. The sex had been fantastic. She rolled over and laughed a little into her pillow. Who would have thought? Part of her had wondered for a brief moment that afternoon as she was lying on top of him on the couch what it would be like to do this all of the time, to wake up with his naked body cuddled around her. She did miss that from the days when Ron was still a good guy and had still loved her. They had spent entire days in bed just lying together when they didn't have anything else to do. She didn't like being lazy unless she was lazy in love.

That afternoon she had wondered for a moment what that would be like with George. But then she realized that he wasn't the type to settle down and he probably never had much time to be lazy. She would never be satisfied to be in a relationship with him if she always knew that eventually it would end. That was just his way of life.

She loved him. He was one of her best friends. They had been incredibly close for five years of their lives. But she also knew him well. And he wasn't the type with which to have a relationship, at least not a permanent one. She snuggled deeper under the covers. That was okay, though. While part of her wanted to be with him like that, she also knew it wasn't realistic and she would always remember that day and hold it close to her heart. It was the closest she would ever get to his heart.

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About a month and a half later, George stood in a club to celebrate Eriq LaSalle's birthday. Eriq's family and friends had rented out the place for the night and Eriq had invited all of his friends, including all the ER veterans. The list included Noah Wyle, Sherry Stringfield, Alex Kingston, Anthony Edwards, some of the actors and actresses who played nurses on ER, and of course, George and Julianna.

Julianna was standing, talking to Alex and Sherry when George caught sight of her. His stomach flipped nervously and he stared at her, sipping from his drink. Noah, who was talking to him, watched him, wondering what had suddenly caught his attention. He had noticed that George had been looking around since he had gotten here, seemingly looking for something. Noah turned his head and looked over his shoulder, trying to figure out what George was staring at. He didn't see anything that he thought would warrant George's attention so he turned back to him.

"George," Noah said and waited for George to shake himself out of his reverie. "What on earth are you staring at?"

George took a drink of his alcohol. "Nothing, sorry. What were you saying?" George asked, forcing himself to listen to Noah and not stare at Julianna. Noah shook his head and continued on. Thirty seconds later, George couldn't stand it and he glanced over Noah's shoulder, looking for her again. She was still talking to Alex and Sherry and George watched her laughing at something Alex had said. Lust shot straight to his gut. He took another drink and directed his attention back to Noah.

Ten minutes later George stood alone, his eyes searching the room for Julianna. When he caught sight of her at the bar, ordering a drink, he stopped and stared, watching her move. His stomach churned with desire. Why had he never noticed her sexiness before? She had always been like a sister to him, but once that flip had been switched that day at his house he couldn't keep his mind off of her. Every night when he tried to sleep he had thought of her and ached for her body. No woman had affected him quite like that before and he itched to get his hands on her again. He thought about what she had said about that day being a one-time thing and thought to himself, over my dead body. He tossed back the rest of his drink and sat it on the nearest table before he began walking towards her. When he reached her he slid his arm around her waist. It startled her, but before she even got a good look at whose arm was around her she caught his scent and knew.

She turned to him and smiled. "Hello."

He smiled back at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges. He simply stared at her, not saying a word.

She laughed a little, her stomach fluttering with sudden nerves. "How are you?" she finally asked as the bartender handed her the drink she had ordered.

"Good," he replied quietly. "You?"

"Great." She took a sip from her drink and studied his eyes.

"Come here," he said and took her hand. She gripped her drink in her free hand, holding it carefully so she wouldn't spill it as he dragged her along. They rounded a corner and he nipped the drink from her hand and placed it on a ledge before dragging her farther down the darkly lit hallway that led to a bathroom and lounge area.

"George!" she protested, but he ignored it. He pulled her behind him until he entered one of the private lounge areas and he closed the door behind them. He turned to her and she could see the look of dangerous lust in his eyes and her throat closed up in half nerves, half excitement. Then he was pressing her back against the wall and his mouth was against hers. She trembled but couldn't fight him, didn't want to fight him. She strained against him, her hands holding onto his hips tightly so that she didn't merely slide against the wall to the floor. His hands dived into her hair and he held on just as tightly for his own balance. He tore his lips from hers and began to ravage her neck.

"Oh God," she moaned, her pulse pounding in the spot where he took a gentle nip on her neck. "George."

He pressed against her and groaned softly. "Jules," he muttered and buried his nose into her hair behind her ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist to keep both of them up on their feet. Then she began to giggle until it was a full-blown laugh.

He finally pulled back to look at her and couldn't help but grin at her. "What?"

"Miss me?" she asked and ran her fingers over the hair near his ear.

He laughed and stepped back. "I'm sorry, Jules. I didn't really mean to drag you away from the party."

She smiled. "It's okay."

"I just needed a taste," he said. Her smile died down a little as she looked at him and felt desire churning in her belly. "Oh no," he said, "I see that look. We have to get out of here before we do something really crazy." He took her hand and turned, leading her out of the room. "I'll get you another drink."

"Wait, George," she said and tugged on his hand as she stopped in the hallway. He turned to look at her as she said, "I need more than a taste."

He nodded. "I know," he replied in agreement. "Tonight, Jules," he promised, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it.

She smiled slightly. "Tonight."

"We'll go back to the party and enjoy it. Spend a few hours catching up with our friends and then we'll sneak out and have our own party," he said and grinned.

She laughed slightly and squeezed his hand. "Sounds like a plan."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Julianna walked up to Eriq and smiled. "Happy Birthday, Eriq."

He grinned back at her. "Thanks Jules."

"I'm exhausted, so I'm going to head out of here," she said and felt slightly bad for lying.

"Thank you for coming."

"I had a great time. It was great catching up with everyone. I hope you had a nice night."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I definitely did, thank you."

"I'm going to head out, too, I think," George said, coming up to them. "Hold on, Jules, I'll walk you out to your car."

She smiled, hoping they weren't acting suspicious. "Thanks," she said and watched them say their goodbyes.

The two men hugged their manly hug, patting each other's backs, before George turned to her. "Ready?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yep. Bye Eriq," she said and they headed outside to their cars.

"My house or yours?" George whispered quietly into her ear as he led her to her car with a gentle hand on her back.

"Mine?" she asked, and he nodded. "I just don't want to have to put these clothes back on if I don't have to," she said and caught the playful glint in his eyes. She laughed. "You know what I mean."

He grinned and held her car door open for her. He patted her butt quickly before she slid into the seat.

She smiled at him and shook her head. "Such a man."

He chuckled. "I'll follow you there. Don't take your time."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

George followed Julianna into the house and shut the door behind him. As soon as he did, she was in his arms and he was leading her towards the bedroom.

"A bed this time," he said.

She giggled against his mouth as they struggled with each other's clothes. "I thought there wasn't going to be another time."

He smiled and kissed her, before tugging his shirt over his head as they headed up the stairs. "Well, we didn't count on this."

She threw her own shirt aside and then wrapped her arms around his neck tightly as she nipped at his ear. He braced himself on the doorframe leading into her bedroom for balance and then they made their way awkwardly to her bed and tumbled down onto it.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Oh my God," Julianna muttered and collapsed on top of George.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. She stretched luxuriously against him and he moaned, loving the feel of her entire body against his.

"Brilliant," he muttered into her hair and she chuckled.

"I don't get this," she said.

He laughed a little. "Yeah, well, I can't say I do either."

"Why, after all this time, do we want to fuck each other's brains out now?"

He laughed. "So lady-like," he teased.

She grinned and looked up at him. "Seriously, though, what is the deal?"

"I don't know. If I did, you'd be the first I'd tell."

She laughed. "Hopefully the only one you'd tell." She paused, growing solemn. "Have you told anyone?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Aside from the National Enquirer, nobody," he joked.

She laughed and smacked his shoulder lightly. "Shut up, I'm serious."

"No, I haven't. I didn't really believe it or understand it myself." He ran his fingertips over her back.

She nodded and folded her hands under her chin as she rested against him. "So I guess we're fuck buddies then?"

He smiled slightly. "I don't know how much I like that term."

"Well then, what would you call it?" she asked.

"This? Well, I guess I would call this fuck buddies, but I'm not sure if I'm okay with things being that way for a long period of time."

"So, you're saying that this won't happen again… again?"

He smiled and brushed her hair out of her face. "No, because I don't think it would last very long before I was tracking you down to do it again. You're in my system now, Jules."

Julianna wondered silently how long that would last. "And what does that mean?"

"I don't know really… just that I am going to keep on wanting you and I'm going to keep on seeking you out, but I don't want it to be something as impersonal as fuck buddies," he said.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Be my girlfriend," he said quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting in a charming, boyish smile that tugged at her heart against her will.

She stared at him for a moment before she rolled over and sat up, facing away from him.

Damn, he thought to himself. Wrong direction, I guess.

"George, do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Well," he said quietly, "what else would you suggest?"

She sighed. "I want you, obviously, and I love making love to you, but do you really think us having a relationship would be the best thing to do?"

"I don't see why not."

"George." She pushed her hand through her hair. "You've been a part of my life for over ten years now, and that's a big deal. You're one of my best friends and I really do cherish that. The first day this happened I worried that it would ruin our friendship, but it didn't. But having a relationship would. When it's over our entire relationship will go down the drain, including our friendship. I'm not sure if I want to chance that."

"You're jumping ahead of yourself, aren't you?" he asked, staring into her eyes. "You're breaking us up before we've even started."

"Do you really think it would last forever?" He simply continued watching her. "You don't exactly have the best track record, George."

"I know that, but there's a reason for that."

"And what's that?" she asked, honestly curious.

He looked her straight in the eye. "Every time I date a woman, something eventually happens that breaks us apart or shows us that we don't really belong together. It's not like I have some master plan to be a bachelor for the rest of my life. When I was younger, after Talia and I got a divorce, I sort of swore off marriage for a while and that whole image got out to the press and the world, but that isn't really who or what I am. I'm willing to settle down when the right woman comes along."

"Do you really think I'm the right woman?" Her eyes searched his for the answer.

"Are you going to give us a chance to find out?" he asked in return.

"Don't you think that eventually something will happen that will show us that we don't really belong together?"

"It's possible, but why shouldn't we find out together? So far, so good," he said. "We've been friends for almost fifteen years, like you said. Good friends at that. We have fantastic chemistry; everyone in the world saw that on television."

Julianna cut him off. "Our characters had fantastic chemistry."

"Do you think we could have pulled that off if we didn't have chemistry, Jules? You know these things because you're an actress. Chemistry between two actors is a big deal in our business, especially with relationships."

"Yes, but chemistry when acting isn't the same as chemistry in a real relationship."

"Are you denying that the two of us have chemistry?" he asked while she stared at him. "We're close friends, Jules, and the sex is… nothing short of amazing." He grinned crookedly.

She couldn't help but laugh a little, relaxing slightly.

"Look, I'm not saying that we'll end up together when we're eighty and all of that, but why can't we find out? You never know," he said. "And I'd like the chance to find out, wouldn't you?" He reached for her hand.

She sighed and looked back at him. "What if we do break up, though, George? Most people can't stay friends."

He shrugged. "We could try to stay friends if it happened."

"You can't predict that, though, because we have no clue what the reason for us breaking up would be. It could be something huge that makes our friendship crumble too," she said.

"I don't want that to happen, but I would rather chance it than not find out at all."

She sighed and looked at him, knowing he was right. You couldn't live life waiting for something bad to happen. "You seriously want to be my boyfriend?" she asked, half smiling. "God, I feel like a kid."

He chuckled, knowing he had won her over. "Would it be so bad?"

She laughed. "No, I guess not," she said and rolled over back on top of him.

"I can't promise there won't be bumps in the road, probably big ones, knowing us. We're stubborn as hell. But we have to find out if it's worth it to fight for us."

"Just shut up and kiss me, would ya?" she asked and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Your wish is my command," he said.

"Oh, I could get used to-" He cut her off with his lips and immediately sucked every last thought out of her.

Maybe they wouldn't last forever, but wasn't it only fair to give love a chance?

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G/J Standalones