December 1st, 2001-January 19th, 2003
~ooooooooooo~
This story is set during the beginning of season five on ER. It's set at the end of July, when they first begin filming the seasons. So, George is obviously still on ER. :)
This fic is a lot different then some of my other ones. In this fic, Julianna was never an actress. She's not famous. In college she was studying art history. So, in this fic she's going to be an art historian, working at a museum in Los Angeles. The thing is, George is still the same guy he is today. So, it's a fic about....Well, sort of how they might get together! You'll see...Read on.
Ron obviously does not exist in this story because Julianna would have never met him in an acting class...Plus, she's not famous....
~ooooooooooo~
Julianna fell to the floor because of the power of the strong arm that hit her. She whimpered and knew she would have a black eye because of that strong fist. Tears leaked slowly out of her eyes and she tried to pull herself along the tile floor in the entryway of her Los Angeles flat.
"Do you know what it's like to be humiliated like that in front of your friends?" The tall, blonde man asked her. She crawled into a corner as he walked toward her. Fear clawed its way up her throat, threatening to spill out. "Do you know how I felt watching you dance with him and making a fool out of me in front of everyone we know? It's required that you dance, socialize, but you were practically throwing yourself all over him. Flirting with him. That's unacceptable." He said and kicked her in the ribs. She cried out and lifted her eyes to meet his ice blue gaze. The eyes that had one time made her sigh now made her cringe in fear. They were so cold, so distant. "Say something!" He shouted. She quivered back, away from him, trying to curl into herself and disappear.
"I...I'm sorry, Matthew, I never meant anything.." He kicked her again and she silenced herself, knowing whatever she said wouldn't change anything. It didn't matter that she really had no idea what he was talking about. Anything would set him off, she had learned. He reached down and grabbed a fistful of her hair. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to go somewhere, anywhere else. If she couldn't get away physically, she could at least get away mentally. He yanked her into standing position and barely even saw the tears that were sliding down her cheeks as he began to punch her in the ribs and the stomach. If he saw those crystal drops, he didn't care about them.
She just went limp and let him have his way with her, as she had to because she was powerless under those angry hands.
~ooooooooooo~
The next morning Julianna woke up alone in their bedroom, dressed in her nightgown. She had passed out shortly after he had pulled her up and started hitting her. She hadn't woken until now. He always left her in bed afterwards to recuperate. She leaned over, her body aching, to read the note he had left her.
Darling Julianna,
I called your work and told them you had developed another case of the flu. I told them you wouldn't be in for at least a few days. You should stay in bed and get some rest. Don't forget that I love you, darling.
Matthew
Julianna crumpled the note in disgust and shifted uneasily in the bed. Everything in her body hurt, including her heart and her mind. She knew Matthew would expect to come home and find her in bed. She always stayed in bed for days after he beat her because she could barely move. But now she knew she would fight any physical pain as long as she got out of there. She knew Matthew wouldn't be home for hours yet, so she slowly got out of bed, ignoring the pain and began to pack all of her important possessions into a suitcase. She had to leave this hell. She had nowhere to go, he would find her if she went to her family. Desolation began to set in as she realized she had no help, but she straightened her spine and knew she had to go, or she would eventually die here, because of him.
~ooooooooooo~
Julianna headed onto the interstate, her hands gripping the steering wheel as she drove the little car, the one she had bought from a junky dealership for a low price just earlier that morning. She kept checking all of her mirrors, to make sure no one was following her. If Matthew found her, she knew she would never be able to escape again. He would find a way to prevent her from going, even if it meant locking her up in the house.
Julianna gained speed, pressing her foot to the accelerator just slightly harder, merging with the traffic. As the seconds passed, little by little, weight slowly lifted from her shoulders. She felt herself getting further and further away and although she was still cautious, she knew she could do it. She might actually get away from him. It was working. The bastard wouldn't even be home for hours yet and then he'd start looking for her, but she'd be long gone. He wouldn't know where to look, because not even she knew where she was going yet.
All of a sudden the car started rattling, bringing her out of her daydreams. The car started slowing down and she wasn't even touching the break. She pressed her foot harder against the accelerator but the car just growled.
"No." She whispered fiercely, but she knew it was no use. The car was useless. Julianna managed to put her blinker light on and she pulled off onto the side of the interstate. The car sputtered to a stop, then died. "No, please, don't do this." Julianna leaned her head against the steering wheel, her breath fumbling in her chest. "This can't happen." She said and bit her lip, fighting the tears. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She reached down and pulled the knob that unlatched the hood. She quickly checked her mirror, making sure no cars were coming before she opened her door. Julianna lifted her aching body slowly out of the car, and shut the door, before she walked carefully to the front of the car and lifted the hood, knowing that even if she looked, she wouldn't have any idea what to do. The inside of a car was the same as the inside of a blender to her. She had no idea what was in either and no idea how to work them from inside. But maybe, by some miracle, she could figure out what went wrong with this stupid, cheap car.
She stared inside, looking at the dirty guts of the car. She didn't recognize a single part inside. Why did this have to happen to her? She wondered, as fresh tears filled her eyes. Why couldn't she just get away from the bastard? Why had she left her cell phone at home? Because she hadn't wanted him to call her and be able to find out where she was, Julianna answered her own question. Tears started to spill over as she looked over her shoulder and wondered if she would be murdered if she tried to hitchhike. It was Los Angeles, for God's sake, of course she would be.
"Why? Why, God, why?" Julianna murmured angrily, knowing even as she said it, that she had already given up all hope in God. He hadn't protected her from Matthew, so why would he help her now?
Just as Julianna was about ready to consider just walking onto the interstate and getting herself run over, a man pulled up behind her in a jeep. She wiped at the tears on her cheeks, embarrassed and frightened by the strange man. Would he hurt her? She wondered and realized it couldn't be worse then going back to Matthew, unless he was a friend of Matthew's. At that thought, she backed up a step and wrapped her arms around herself. The man smiled at her as he walked to her.
"Need some help, ma'am?" He asked, his voice easy and soothing. He had already noticed the fresh, dark circle around her eye. He held out a hand slowly, a cautious gesture, to show her he wasn't going to be harmful. "I'm George Clooney." He said and waited a moment for her to tell him her name. She didn't.
"I uh..I just bought this car this morning and it..died. I left my cell phone at home." She offered quietly. He nodded and smiled slightly as he walked up beside her. She shied back just a little. He leaned over the hood.
"Let's see if I can figure it out." He said and reached inside to fiddle with something. Then he sighed and leaned back, resting his hands on edge of the hood. "The problem is everything." He said and looked at her, squinting against the morning sun.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"This car is a piece of shit. Excuse my language." He said. "Where'd you get this?"
"Marty's Auto Dealership." She said.
"Well then," He grinned, "It's a surprise you made it this far with this scrap of metal." His comment angered her, made her feel like a lowly female, with a pea-sized brain, who couldn't pick out a decent car. Well, if he only knew how fast she had wanted to just get out of this hell town, he would know she hadn't had time to be careful. But she knew enough about men, to know that she shouldn't show her anger. It always got you in trouble; at least it did if you were with Matthew. George straightened and wiped his hands on his jeans and he smiled slightly at her. "I don't think you're going to be getting very far in his excuse for a car, but I have to ask you something." When she didn't say anything, he continued on, studying her face. He could tell that she was beautiful, despite the bruise on her face. "You bought this car this morning in downtown L.A. Now, just hours later, you're heading away from L.A., with a bag packed in the back of your car." He saw the anger flash in her eyes and was delighted by it because it made her all the more beautiful. He wished he could see her get really pissed and let loose, but knew she would refrain. "So, my guess is you're running away from something." He paused. "Or someone." She shifted, wrapping her arms tighter around her. His quick summary of her situation was nothing if not a bit frightening.
"Look, Mr. Clooney, in all seriousness, I don't think my business is of any concern to you." She said, giving him a hint of how that anger could be if totally unleashed. He smiled.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" He asked and felt his stomach drop when her face went completely pale. He continued on quickly, knowing he had frightened her, somehow. "I'm an actor." He said. "On one of the highest rated television shows that currently exist." He watched color seep back into her cheeks, and the anger come back. He chuckled a bit. "It's quite refreshing, actually, to know that you don't know who I am."
"And I'm supposed to care?" She asked quietly, still unsure where she stood on insulting him, but he was really grating on her nerves. He laughed, his eyes twinkling.
"I think I like you." He said. She lifted her chin higher. He smiled. "I'm telling you that because I'm well known. Do you seriously think I'm going to hurt you? Or take you into the middle of the woods and rape you?" He asked.
"Does being an actor have anything to do with what you would do? This is Los Angeles. You've obviously noticed someone has had his hands on me. Why shouldn't I be scared of a stranger?" George's jaw hardened, as he thought of some big man, putting his hands on a woman, on this woman.
"Good point." He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that I'll help you." He said. "I've got ways to help you."
"Such as?" He turned his head and passed his gaze over his jeep.
"Well, a car and a cell phone for starters." He said. She glanced over her shoulder, looking at all the traffic and knowing she had no other choice. "So, how about it?" He asked. "I won't touch you, I promise."
"Okay." She murmured, but felt the cautiousness sink further in and take root. They walked toward his jeep and he motioned for her to get into the passenger side. She climbed in beside him, wary of his movements. She made sure to keep her hands in a good position to reach quickly for the door handle. She also noticed how he kept the door unlocked and wasn't sure if it was because he wanted her to know she could get out if she was uncomfortable or if it was because he merely forgot in his attempt to kidnap her. Then she scolded herself silently for being so ridiculous. This man was being nice. She just hoped he stayed that way. George then reached for his cell phone.
"How about I call a tow truck, first of all. Then we can discuss what to do next." He said. She nodded.
"Alright." She said. He quickly dialed the operator and found out the number for a towing company. Then he called them and arranged for the car to be picked up. Finally he turned back to her.
"Where are you going?" He asked. She looked down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap.
"I don't know." She said and looked over at him.
"Anywhere but here?" He asked and smiled kindly. She nodded.
"I guess." She said.
"I don't want to pry." She raised her eyebrows at him. He chuckled. "Anymore than I already have. But do you have money to get you where you need to go?" He asked.
"I have some." She murmured. "But I'm not asking you for any."
"I never said you did." He said quietly. "How much do you have?"
"Planning on robbing me?" She asked. He got an annoyed look on his face.
"Look, lady, I have enough money so that I don't have to steal from abused wives. I'm just asking because I want to know how far you'll get."
"I have about three hundred saved up." She answered softly, knowing she was being rude.
"That won't get you very far." He said. She sighed, knowing he was right.
"It's all I have." She said.
"What's your name?" He asked quietly. She looked at him. "I want to know for purely selfish reasons. I'm not going to turn you over to someone, I'm just curious."
"Julianna." She said. He nodded.
"Suits you." He said. She looked away, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was used to being flirted with, but this was so much different somehow. "Look, Julianna, I know you don't trust me, and there is no reason you should. But I can help you. Will you let me help you?" He asked.
"Why?" She murmured, looking at him.
"Because I've recently come upon a soft spot for abused wives." He said. She looked away again. "You make me want to help, Julianna." He paused. "After the tow comes, I'll take you to my house. We'll eat lunch and figure out what to do from there, okay?" She looked at him, her eyes widening. "I won't hurt you." He murmured softly. And somehow, in those softly spoken words, she knew he wouldn't.
~ooooooooooo~
After George helped her get the car towed away and taken to a junkyard, he drove her to his house. As they got out of the car, a thought occurred to her.
"Mr. Clooney?" She asked.
"Please, call me George. I'll go insane if you continue calling me that."
"Okay, um, George," She said, testing his name on her tongue, "You were headed out of L.A. when you picked me up. So weren't you actually going somewhere?" She asked.
"Oh.." He looked at her and grinned. "Yeah, actually. I was just going to my buddy's house to play some basketball. I'll call him up and let him now I can't come."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have thought about that earlier. I.." She didn't know what to tell him. If he went, she'd be left alone in a strange house.
"Naw, it's okay, he'll understand. Besides, there are other guys going over. They won't miss me." He said, squelching her fears.
"Are you sure?" She asked quietly. He nodded and smiled at her.
"Of course." He said and unlocked the door to his house. She looked up, for the first time noticing his large house. She gazed inside as he swung the door open. It took all of her control to keep her jaw from dropping wide open. He saw the awed look on her face and bit back a chuckle. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen." He said. She followed him as she looked around, taking in her surroundings.
"You have a beautiful house." She murmured as she walked into the kitchen behind him. He grinned.
"Thank you. What would you like to drink? I've got about everything." He said. She sighed in envy as she looked around the kitchen.
"Um…Water." She said.
"Daring." He said and for the first time ever he got to see a grin on her beautiful face. He was nearly bowled over by that tiny smile. He turned his back to her, not wanting to be caught staring as he prepared two glasses of water. He handed one to her.
"Here ya go. I'm going to call him now, okay?" George said. She nodded and took a sip of her water. He picked up the phone and dialed the number to his friend's house.
"Hey Matt. I'm not going to be able to make it." George paused, listening to the other man talk. "Just doing a little community service." George said and grinned at Julianna. She ducked her head, suddenly shy. "No, seriously, there's this woman-" George got cut off and then he laughed. "No, Matt, it's not like that. It's complicated. I can't really tell you about her right now, but I promise it has nothing to do with sex." He said and smiled widely when he saw the redness on Julianna's neck and only wished he could see her entire blushing face. "Well mostly it doesn't." He chuckled at the shy way she bent her head so he couldn't see her face at all. "Yeah, so I'll talk to you later. Bye." George said and hung up the phone. He chuckled again. "I was just kidding." George said. She lifted her head and nodded a bit, deciding not to reply. He rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, I promised you lunch. What would you like? I've got all kinds of sandwich stuff. I think I might even have some lettuce in the fridge." He said. She shrugged slightly and wrapped her arms around herself.
"A sandwich is fine." She said softly. He smiled gently, amazed at how much her quietly shy demeanor made him want to care for her.
"What kind? I've got ham, turkey, peanut butter and jelly, pepperoni….Um, and I think that's it." He said.
"I don't eat much meat." She replied. He chuckled.
"Figures, this is L.A. right?" When she didn't reply he barreled on. "So, do you want PB and J?" He asked. She nodded slightly.
"That's fine." She replied.
"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded again. "You just want regular peanut butter and grape jelly?" She nodded once more. He turned to get the necessary ingredients for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and set them on the counter. He turned to look at her over his shoulder, just as she finished taking a drink. She placed her glass on the counter and met his gaze. She quickly looked away. He turned his body towards hers as he spread peanut butter onto the bread. "I know this is a bit of a weird situation and all, but I promise that I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to be afraid of me." He said quietly, his voice filled with gentleness. She stared at him for a moment before deciding to reply.
"I know, but it's a bit awkward…I…I've never done anything like this before." She said. He chuckled.
"At least we aren't making wild passionate whoopee yet. That'd be something you've never done before with a strange man, am I right?" He asked. She blushed. He chuckled.
"Julianna, look, I'm a joker. I kid about these kinds of things. When I say them, you shouldn't take them…. figuratively. I do find you very attractive," He said and was pleased when she met his gaze head on instead of looking away, "but that has nothing to do with why I brought you here. I'll gladly help anyone who needs to escape from an abusive man. It's not right and I have the means to help." He said as he finished up the second sandwich. He carried them to the table on the paper plates he had gotten from the cupboard and sat down, motioning for her to sit. She sat across from him and looked at his face.
"Thank you." She murmured. "I really do appreciate the kindness." He nodded and took a bite of his sandwich.
"Well, you're very much welcome." He said and watched as she took a bite of her own sandwich. She chewed quietly and then looked back at him.
"This is very delicious." She said and smiled, the first true smile he had seen on her face that day.
"Oh, I don't know if delicious is the word, but I'm glad you like it. Does it remind you of when you were younger and your mom made them for you?" He asked. She shook her head.
"Actually no, my mom was quite the hippie. It reminds me of when my Dad made them for us, my sisters and I. It was one of the few things he could make." Julianna said. He smiled, delighted in hearing about her family. Even though he had just met her, all he knew was that he wanted to know every thing about her, inside and out.
George began to tell a story of his own peanut butter adventures and Julianna listened, staring at him the entire time. He was so good to look at. She hadn't been attracted to a man in so long. Matthew had wiped out her sex drive. But now, as she watched George and listened to his voice slide over her like warm butter on toast, she felt the stirrings of something in her stomach toward him. She only hoped they would stay small so that she didn't have to worry about other things besides Matthew and taking from this man she didn't know.
~ooooooooooo~
After they had finished eating, George led her to the living room. Julianna was currently sinking in one of his huge soft leather couches. He watched her as she closed her eyes for a moment to rest her weary body into the softness of it.
"Do you need a doctor?" He asked.
"What?" She asked, opening her eyes quickly.
"Your eye is torn all up. You were limping slightly and now you are sinking into the couch like it's heaven." He said.
"Well, it's awfully comfortable." She replied. He smiled.
"You're hurt. And I'm sure you've probably been hurt by whoever he was before. I think you'll know the limit you can take and when you need to see a doctor." He said.
"I'm fine." She replied, lying. She figured one of her ribs were broken, but wasn't about to say so. It wasn't like the doctor could do anything for it anyway.
"You're lying, too." He replied.
"What? I'm not." She replied.
"You're hurt and I can see it in your eyes, the way you hold your body." George replied.
"You said I'm the one to judge if I need a doctor." She said.
"And you did judge. You didn't tell me, but I saw it in your eyes." He said.
"Then what exactly is wrong with me, doctor?" She asked sarcastically. He couldn't help but grin fleetingly.
"I think you broke a rib or two." He said. Her eyes widened. Was it that obvious?
"How would you know?" She asked.
"Because of the way you're holding your body. My sister broke her rib in a car accident once and she did the same thing." He replied. She sighed.
"So, maybe I did." She replied, giving up. Something passed quickly across his eyes that was slightly scary. It didn't make her scared of him, but she'd hate to be the person on the receiving end of that look.
"So you do need a doctor?" He asked.
"I'm okay. There's nothing a doctor can do for me anyway. They'll just prescribe some pain medication and that's all."
"You need the medicine." He said and stood.
"What?" She asked and stared up at him.
"I'm going to take you to the doctor."
"What?" Fear filled her eyes. "You can't. Please, if I go he'll be able to find me. Medical records or something. He'll keep looking for me until he finds me, it's only a matter of time." She said, whispering fiercely. Tears filled her eyes, scared that this man was going to turn her over to Matthew. George sat again and took her head.
"Hey," He brushed his other hand against her forehead. "Jules, I'm not going to help him find you. Do you know anyone that works at Dr. Tiberio's office?" He asked. She shook her head. "Are you sure?" She nodded. "Okay, I'll take you there. We can get a prescription and I'll pay for it and the doctor's visit. The only thing with your name on it will be the prescription and the man isn't going to go looking at every drugstore to see if you've been there, is he?" Julianna shook her head. "Okay then, I'm going to take you."
"George," She said, for the first time using his first name, "I don't know if I should. I can..I can handle the pain. I don't need medication. I can't let him find me." She said. He squeezed her hand and put his other hand on her cheek so she was looking at him, looking into his eyes.
"I won't let him hurt you again." He said. She closed her eyes and desperately wished she could hold onto that hope.
"But I don't even know you!" She said, knowing that she couldn't really trust him. Not yet.
"You can trust me. I'll do anything I can to help you, I promise." He said. She sighed and nodded.
"Okay." She whispered, wishing it was okay to trust him, but knowing she didn't, not yet.
"Okay?" He asked.
"I'll let you take me to the doctor." She said.
"Good girl." He replied. Then he stood and began to help her up, wishing he had known about her ribs before so he could have helped her more. "Lean on me if you need to." He said. She tried as hard as she could, but it was difficult to resist the hard gentleness of his body and so she quit fighting it and sank into him as he led her to the garage.
~ooooooooooo~
They went to the doctor and got her a prescription. As they settled back into his jeep, Julianna sighed, relief filling her. She knew now just how famous George was. All the nurses had sighed and freaked out when he had walked into the room. A few had even asked for his autograph. Julianna was glad that she hadn't recognized any of the people in the office, but she knew that one of them could always tell someone Matthew knew that they had seen George with her. But she figured that it was a small enough chance that she didn't need to worry about it.
"You okay?" George asked. She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, just glad I got through it." She said. He reached over and patted her hand gently.
"Okay, let's go get this prescription filled. I thought of something else while we were in there." He said as he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Yeah?" She asked as her stomach churned a bit.
"You said earlier that you left your cell phone at home, right?" He asked. She nodded. "Well, I was thinking that I could buy another cell phone and let you use it to call your family if you need to. Would you like that?" He asked. She looked at him and tears burned in her eyes.
"I'd love it. Thank you." She said. He smiled.
"See, not all guys are pigs." He chuckled. "At least not all the time. But I was thinking, I could buy it under my name but it could be yours, you know, in case you need to use it anytime." He said.
"I swear I'll pay you back for all of this." Julianna said, promising herself she would.
"Why?" He asked and glanced at her.
"Because, I can't take all of this stuff from you! I can't…can't have you buying me drugs, cell phones, and hotel rooms. I have to pay you back." She said.
"Woah, woah, woah, wait a second. What hotel rooms?" He asked.
"The one I'll be staying at tonight." She replied, as if it was obvious.
"You're not going to a hotel. You're staying at my house." He said.
"What? I can't do that!" She exclaimed.
"Sure you can. I have extra rooms. Loads of them, in fact. You are not going to a hotel." He stated, as if it was inarguable.
"I can't take all this charity from you." She said.
"Fine, if it's that big of a deal, you can pay me back for your prescription using the money you said you have." He said.
"That's only seventy-five dollars!" She exclaimed. "I'll pay for the cell phone, also." She said.
"Uh-uh. That phone is going to be under my name, so it's going to be bought with my money." He said.
"Look, George, I can't take all this from you." She said. He nodded.
"Yes you can. You're going to." He said and reached down to flick the radio on. He turned the volume up and that's that, she thought. He had turned her off with his radio so she couldn't argue anymore. Well, fine, she thought and leaned back in her seat. She'd just pay him back later when she got back on her feet.
~ooooooooooo~
George walked out of the living room to give Julianna some privacy, as she was about to call her mother to tell her where she was. Julianna was grateful that George was giving her time. She was beginning to think it was scary how well he knew her, knew what she needed when they had only met that morning. She dialed the number to her mother's house quickly and pressed the phone to her ear. Within two rings, her mother answered.
"Hello?" She heard her mother's voice.
"Mom."
"Oh, hey. How's my baby girl doing?" Francesca asked, thrilled to be talking to her daughter. It had been over two weeks since their last call.
"I'm okay, Mama. I..There's something I need to tell you."
"Oh, what is it sweetie?" Francesca asked.
"I left Matthew." Julianna whispered.
"What?" Francesca gasped. She hadn't a clue in the world that there was anything wrong between her youngest daughter and her husband.
"I left him." Julianna repeated quietly.
"Why?" Francesca asked.
"Mom, I.." Julianna trailed off, not quite ready to reveal this information to her mother.
"Jules, please, tell me what happened." Francesca begged softly.
"I left him because..he hit me."
"What? He hit you!?" Francesca asked loudly. Julianna cringed a bit. "Why did he hit you?"
"Which time?" Julianna whispered.
"It happened more than once?" Francesca asked quietly, her blood icing over quickly. Somebody had put his hands on her baby girl.
"Yes."
"Are you telling me it's been going on for awhile? He's been abusing you?" Francesca asked. She felt the anger and the pain boiling up inside of her. She'd get her hands on him eventually and she would make him suffer.
"Yes." Julianna repeated softly, ashamed of herself.
"How long has he been hurting you?" Francesca asked softly.
"He hit me the first time three months after we got married." Julianna said.
'You've been letting him hurt you for over two years?!" Francesca exclaimed. A tear slid from Julianna's eye and she wiped it away quickly. Julianna didn't reply. "Oh baby, why didn't you tell me?" Francesca asked and began to beat herself up emotionally for not having noticed before. She should have noticed. Something….Bruises, the way Julianna acted around Matthew, something.
"I'm sorry, Mama." Julianna whispered in a child-like voice.
"No, Julianna, I don't want you to be sorry! It was not your fault. What he did to you was not your fault? I love you, do you hear me?"
"Yes."
"I love you." Francesca said. "I'd like to get my hands on that bastard. Where are you?" Francesca asked as it dawned on her that Julianna wouldn't be at home.
"Actually I'm still in L.A. I'm staying with….with a friend."
"Who? You shouldn't stay with anyone who knows Matthew, they might tell on you." Francesca said. Julianna nodded a bit.
"I know. I'm not staying with anyone Matthew knows."
"They who are you with?" Francesca asked.
"Someone I met…today." Julianna said slowly.
"What? Who? Where'd you meet them?" Francesca asked.
"His name is George Clooney. When I was leaving my car broke down and this man pulled over and helped me." Julianna wanted to continue but her mother cut her off.
"Did you say George Clooney?" Francesca asked.
"Yeah."
"Oh my goodness. The George Clooney? The actor? From ER?" Francesca asked.
"I think so. He's an actor on some show, he said, he didn't tell me which one."
"Oh my goodness. George Clooney. Wow. Well, it doesn't matter because he's still a stranger to you. Are you sure you can trust him?" Francesca asked.
"I think so. Mom, he's been real nice. He bought me a cell phone so I could call you. He took me to the doctor."
"What? You needed a doctor?" Francesca asked, suddenly worried again.
"I broke a rib." Julianna said softly.
"He broke your….Julianna, why didn't you call me? I could've come and got you."
"That's the first place he'll look, Mom. I couldn't have gone with you."
"Why didn't you call the cops?" Francesca asked.
"He's friends with a few cops. I couldn't call them."
"They would've helped. Just because they are friends with him doesn't mean they wouldn't help you."
"But how do I know they would have? If they hadn't Matthew would have hurt me for going to the police. It's better that I left the way I did."
"But you're staying with someone you don't know." Francesca argued.
"I know, but Mom, there's something about him. I know he wouldn't hurt me. I can trust him now, Mom. I know when I see someone I can't trust. I know that look now, Mom. George is a good man. He took me to the hospital and he bought me a phone. He wants to help. And I swear I'm going to pay him back for everything."
"Alright, but if he hurts you, I will know who he is. I won't let him survive."
"Thank you, Mom. I love you. But you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone outside the family about this. You have to keep this on the down low. If Matthew even comes close to figuring out where I am, I'll be in trouble."
"You know I won't tell anyone if it'll put you in danger."
"I know. I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, baby. I'll call your father, to tell him what happened, okay?"
"Thanks." Julianna replied.
"I want you to call me every night, okay?"
"Okay, Mom."
"Promise?"
"I promise." Julianna said. "Do you want the cell number, just in case you need to reach me?"
"Oh, yes please." Her mother answered. Julianna quickly read the number off the piece of paper she held in her hand.
"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow then. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Bye Jules."
"Bye Mom."
~ooooooooooo~
A few minutes later, after Julianna composed herself, she walked out onto the terrace where George was sitting on a patio chair. He looked at her and smiled gently.
"How'd it go?" He asked. She nodded and sat on the chair across the table from him.
"It was okay. She kind of freaked out that I was staying with you. For two reasons really; first of all she couldn't believe I was staying with you because you're, well, George Clooney, I guess. She knows who you are from your show, ER, I think she said?" George nodded. "The second reason she freaked out about was that even though you are famous you are still a stranger to me. She wanted to make sure I could trust you and that you won't hurt me." George sat forward and looked at Julianna deeply in the eyes.
"You know I won't hurt you, right? I'd never lay my hand on a woman that way." He said intensely. Julianna nodded.
"I know. I told my mom that I'm a pretty good judge of character now when it comes to abusive men. I know you aren't one." Julianna said. He nodded and settled back into the seat, satisfied with her answer.
"I'm glad you know that." He said. She nodded.
"Yeah, I gave my mom the cell phone number and she told me to call every night. Oh and I'm supposed to warn you that she knows who you are and if you decide to turn psycho on me, she'll get you back." Julianna said and accompanied this with a wide grin. George chuckled.
"I'll keep that in mind. Now, since you seem to know nothing about me, which I find a great deal refreshing, how about I tell you a little bit about me so that I'm not as much of a stranger to you anymore?" He suggested. She nodded and crossed her arms over her legs, intrigued.
"I'd like that." She said truthfully, wanting to know anything and everything she could about him.
"Okay, let's see. My full name is George Timothy Clooney. My birthday is May 6th, 1961, making me 37 years old. I have an older sister named Ada. My parents are still married and their names are Nina and Nick. I have a pet pig named Max."
"What?" Julianna asked, surprised. He chuckled.
"Yes, Max is a 150 pound nuisance."
"Where is he?" Julianna asked, looking across the yard, half expecting a pig to pop out of nowhere. George chuckled again.
"He's at my friend Matt's house. I was actually going there to pick him up yesterday and to play some basketball, but Matt said he'd keep him for awhile." Julianna nodded and settled back into her seat, relaxed again.
"I was born in Kentucky. You may know my aunt, Rosemary Clooney?" He asked. Julianna's eyes widened a bit.
"She's your aunt? My dad used to listen to her music when I was a kid." Julianna said. He smiled.
"Small world." He said. "Now, I admit, I'm curious about you. Give me a few details." He said. She grinned slightly and looked away. "Don't make me beg." He said.
"Would you?" She asked and cocked her head toward him with a wide smile. He chuckled.
"Depends on my mood." He said. She laughed and he felt it drift over him like warm honey, as he watched her in awe. She was so beautiful, he thought and felt the lust twist in his gut.
"Okay, well, my name is Julianna Luisa Margulies. I hate my middle name so I don't tell many people. But you told me yours, so. I have two older sisters."
"What are their names?" He asked.
"Alexandra, well, we call her Alex, and Rachel." George nodded, watching her.
"I was born in New York but I was raised everywhere. New York, England, France…I went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York but studied one year overseas."
"Really? Cool." George said. She smiled warmly.
"I actually took an acting class and played the lead in a play in college my freshman year."
"Really? Freshman? Wow. Why didn't you pursue a career?" He asked. A shadow passed over her face.
"Mostly because of Matthew." George remained silent and quietly filed the name away in his head. So the bastard had a name, he thought. "When I met him I was still in college. He agreed with my major in art history and thought it was a classy job, being a historian at a museum, so that's what I did. He made me quit the acting class because he thought it was foolish. At the time I just agreed with him because I was so blinded by my love for him." Julianna hung her head. "Boy was that a stupid thing to do." She whispered, mostly to herself. "Anyway, then he found some other woman who met his standards better than I did and he married her. Then three years ago he showed up on my doorstep, and I was still pining for him, so I let him back into my life. We were married a few months later and three months after that, he began abusing me." Julianna said.
"Why didn't you tell someone?" George asked. She sighed.
"My mother asked the same thing. I can't tell the police, because Matthew has friends on the police force. I couldn't tell my parents because I was ashamed. Other than that I had no one to go to. Plus I was scared out of my mind. He had me under his thumb by the time I thought about leaving and by then I was so frightened by what he could do to me, so I didn't leave. I just stayed there for two more years and let him hurt me." Julianna lifted her gaze from her hands and met George's stare. "So, now you know my story." She said. He smiled kindly.
"Any man that does that to a woman, deserves to be hurt badly and then thrown in jail to rot." He said softly. She looked away.
"I don't disagree." She whispered. George reached across the table and touched her arm. He was happy that she didn't flinch.
"I know I'm still a stranger to you and God knows I have no psychology degree, but if you ever just need to talk, I'm always here." He said. Julianna nodded. "Why don't you stay with me for a few days? I don't have to go back to work on the new season until next week. It'll give you a few days to get back on your feet." He said. She nodded.
"I will, only because I have no where else to go. I want to thank you again for doing all this. I'll repay you for everything." She said. He sighed.
"Why can't you just forget about that? I help out friends when they need it, and I think after today we can safely say we are becoming friends," or more, he thought, "Plus I have enough money to last me two lifetimes or more, so you don't need to worry about repaying me." He said.
"It's something I have to do." She replied quietly. He nodded, understanding, but he knew he'd never accept her money anyway. She could push and shove at this all she wanted, but he'd never take it. Besides, he didn't plan on letting her get out of his reach for a very long time. He was beginning to care about her very quickly and it kind of scared him, but at the same time the new feeling made him almost deliriously happy. He didn't care that he had known her only since that morning, he only cared that she made him feel things he'd never felt before and he didn't plan on letting that get away from him. He was never one to compromise his own happiness.
"Okay." He replied softly. "That settles that then."
~ooooooooooo~