Juliet Parrish sat next to Sean Donovan in the small cab of the 4x4 pickup as Ham Tyler maneuvered behind the wheel. Julie's eyes gleamed, but tears did not fall as she kept herself together, although her heart was breaking. She looked at the young boy next to her as he clung to her hand out of fear, although she was a stranger to him. She felt him relax against her as their eyes met.
"How do you know my dad?" he asked and the question took Julie by surprise. Ham Tyler shot her a look. Julie felt her chest shudder as she sifted for the right words.
"Your dad and I are…" Julie's thoughts trailed. "We work together and we're good friends." Ham looked at her again and he couldn't miss the pain hiding in her blue eyes. He wondered if Sean was old enough to understand.
"He'll be back, won't he?" Sean asked.
"Yes." Julie said solidly. "We'll get him back." Julie tried to smile, for she didn't want to frighten the boy. He looked at her for a long time as he eyes felt heavy; leaning up against her, he squeezed her hand and drifted to sleep as the ride back to the new HQ continued on. Tyler looked at Julie.
"Do you have a plan?" he asked flatly.
In truth, Julie didn't have a plan and she felt extremely guilty for this. Surely it was Donovan who implemented the plan for her rescue from captivity not too long ago. Again, Tyler saw pain dance beneath her eyes and re-tracked the question; the last that he wanted was for her to cry.
"I have a plan, okay?" he said. "I've been in touch with the fifth column."
"Already?" she asked surprised.
"I work fast."
"I guess you do," she said as her fingers went to whisk away a piece of Sean's dark hair from his eyes. 'His hair is the exact same color as Mike's,' she thought to herself, but that thought was too hard and she forced its exit quickly. "We'll get him back," Julie whispered to the sleeping boy. "I promise you, Sean..and I'll take care of you until we do," she promised. Tyler pretended not to her hear vow and his eyes never left the road.
They arrived at the new HQ some hours later as Julie woke Sean from his slumber.
"Sean, honey. It's time to wake up." He stirred quickly and when he opened his eyes, Julie saw a familiar look of fear. "Hey…" she said soothingly. "It's okay." Sean gave her a weak smile as they stepped out of the truck. "Come on." Julie said putting an arm around his shoulders to support his stumble. "I'll show you to your room."
Walking inside, resistance members stirred as all eyes went to Julie and Sean who made their way down a long hallway.
"We got you some clothes." Julie said leading him. "We weren't sure of the size, but I think they'll fit." She said looking at him as she opened the door to the small bedroom and they walked inside. "There are sweats in that drawer." Julie said pointing. "You probably want to get out of that uniform."
"Yea." Sean said plainly.
"Also," Julie said opening a small drawer. "Your dad made me promise I'd give this to you." She said pulling out a dark blue L.A. Dodgers baseball cap. She handed it to him and he took it from her uneasily. He stared at it without memory and he looked at Julie. "Your favorite baseball team, right?" she said.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
"Sure. You try and get some sleep. I'm just down the hall if you need anything."
Sean nodded as he sat down on the bed and Julie kneeled down to him. "Goodnight, Sean." She said as she hugged him and his response to her was surprising, for he held onto her for a long while without pulling back.
"Goodnight Julie", he said and she left the tiny room.
Julie made her way down the hall as night closed in on Los Angeles. She felt her eyes swell with tears, but again held back the urge to cry. She heard her name being called and looked to see Maggie Blodgett heading towards her. The look on Julie's face made Maggie's question seem illogical, but it was too late.
"How are you?" Maggie asked with concern.
Julie shrugged. "I'm thinking coffee." She said straightening. "Care to join me?"
"Sure." Maggie replied as they headed towards the kitchen. "How's Sean?"
"It's hard to tell." Julie began. "He's very warm to me, but I'm a little worried."
"How come?" Maggie asked while pouring two cups of coffee.
"His memory just doesn't seem right, but I'm trying not to worry yet. We have no idea what kind of effect the holding tanks have on our minds, especially that of a ten year old boy. He probably just needs some time."
"I'm sure that's it." Maggie said reassuringly as searched Julie's eyes. Julie forced a smile as she savored the warm coffee running through her.
"I used to live on this stuff in Med School," she said with a laugh.
"I bet you did." Maggie replied with a grin. "Do you miss it?"
"What? Coffee or Med School? Na, I'm just kidding." Julie said with a grin. "Yes, very much."
"Think you'll ever go back?"
"If we ever get our old world back, I'll finish," Julie said avoiding the issue that was tearing up her heart. She sighed. "I wonder why they're doing to him right now." She said absently.
"Julie, don't do this to yourself. You can't think about that."
"How can I not?", she asked and knew that her battle with the war of tears was no longer as she felt the warm streaks flow down her cheeks.
"Julie." Maggie said, moving closer to her. "Tyler has a plan, the fifth column are going to help. You can't write Mike off that quick."
"I know. But I'm sure security has been maxed after my rescue, how's he going…"
Maggie cut her off. "Julie, this pattern of thinking isn't going to get you anywhere. You've got to clear your mind, focus on something else. Work in the lab…or something."
"You're right." Julie said getting up. "Tomorrow. For now, I need to get some sleep."
"You do that."
Without further words, Julie got up and headed back to her room. When she got there, she traded in her jeans for a pair of sweats and a faded UCLA School of Medicine sweatshirt. Crawling into bed, her mind became swarmed with memories and images of Mike Donovan.
When she closed her eyes, the memories only intensified as she realized that her heart opened and closed for him; she prayed that she would have the chance to tell him that. Her vision of him was beautiful: his dark hair, lean body, sea-green eyes, and a smile that always found its way to the deep crevices of her heart. She let out a sigh of sadness and frustration as she tossed and turned, knowing that sleep was her enemy tonight. Instead of trying to force its welcome, she threw her blue jeans back on and headed up to the lighthouse to see who was on guard duty. When she walked outside, she was surprised at the coolness that bit her face and she wrapped her arms around her chest, generating warmth. She saw Elias Taylor overlooking the ground of the new HQ with a rifle slung over his shoulder.
"Hi Elias." Julie said softly as her eyes went to the waxing moon.
"Hey Julie.", Elias said glancing at his watch. "Kinda late, isn't it?"
"I can't sleep." She said shortly, avoiding eye contact. "How's the traffic?," she asked, referring to the activity happening on the ground.
"Pretty quiet, actually."
"That's good." She said, her eyes bouncing between the ground and the sky. Elias could not meet her eyes.
"How are you doing?", he asked in a small voice Julie hadn't heard since Elias' brother and her fellow colleague, Ben, had been killed by the visitors. Julie could feel his concern.
"I'm okay.", she said. "Well, actually, I'm scared to death for him, Elias. I know what they do to us up there. I know first hand." She said ducking nightmares that shot from her mind.
"Mike has help up there, Julie. You have to remember that. The fifth column will do everything to get him off that ship. You know that."
"I know. And I have faith in Martin and the others, I do." She stopped without thinking and rested her face in her hands, burrowing tears once again.
"Hey babe." Elias said as he put a strong arm around her shoulder. "You'll see him again. You will. You know how I know?"
"How?," she asked looking up at him.
"He want to come back to his son. And he wants to come back to you. His desire for the three of you to be together will stampede over anything."
Julie smiled. "I hope you're right.", she said as she noticed Elias's gaze at her sweatshirt. "What is it?", she asked looking down at herself.
"I'm sorry." He said again in a small voice. "Ben…Ben had that shirt. It just hit me all of a sudden."
Now it was Julie's turn to comfort him as she thought about Ben and smiled at his memory. "I had some good times with your brother, Elias. He was a very good friend."
"He respected you, Julie. He talked about you a lot. He thought you were amazing."
"Really?", Julie asked both surprised and touched at his remark.
"Oh yea. He always talked about this brilliant young scientist who was going to be a world known physician someday. Ben was a smart man and I can see now why he was in such awe of you."
Julie smiled. "I looked up to him, Elias. He was a very gifted researcher."
"That's what he said about you."
"There was a lot of mutual respect between us." Julie said and she could tell that Elias was swimming through a sea of troubled memories of his older brother. "Go take a walk." She said with encouraging words. "I've got this covered for a while."
"You sure?"
"Definitely."
"Okay. I'll be back in fifteen." He said and headed down the lighthouse.
Julie noticed the breeze thickening and she wiped wisps of blonde hair from her eyes. She saw Elias head down towards the beach below as her ears registered the stillness of the night around her. The crashing of the waves was soothing, the lull of the night inviting as she rubbed her hands together for warmth. It was at that moment that she realized how familiar her hands had become to Mike Donovan and they were suddenly immersed with pain. She remembered the first time she threw her arms around him, without thinking, out of concern for his safety. She remembered the first time that she touched his face, his lips, with her small, delicate hands. She smiled at the memory then found herself drenched with a sadness that one only understands when they're in love. Julie let the weight roll off her shoulders and as the wind howled like the night was injured, she cried.
Around two, Julie decided to try to return to bed. Her lips tasted salty from fallen tears and she headed towards her room. However, she couldn't help but notice the light on inside Sean's room and he heart sped up with concern. Without knocking, she opened the door quietly, only to see Sean Donovan sitting up in bed, Dodgers cap on his head, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Immediately, Julie noticed a glazed look in his eyes as her medical training kicked into gear. She couldn't tell if he might have been sleep walking or of something physical might be wrong.
"Sean?" Julie asked cautiously as she moved slowly towards the boy. When he showed no reaction to her, she kneeled in front of him for a closer look and repeated his name. "Sean?"
Suddenly, like a kitten opening her eyes for the very first time, Sean's eyes were locked on Julie's with such force that she was afraid to look away. Without any kind of warning, he began to cry. Julie pulled him close as he stained her sweatshirt with tears. "What's wrong?", Julie asked as she continued to hold him.
"I dreamt they killed him."
Julie was shocked at his words as a wave of remembrance flooded her; Mike had the same dream about Sean.
"Shhhh." She said as he continued to sob. "It was just a bad dream.", she said biting her lip, willing it to be true.
Slowly, Julie leaned the whimpering boy back in his bed and removed his baseball cap; it still smelt of Mike Donovan. She held it close for a moment as Sean opened his eyes long enough to see the small gesture.
"You love my dad, don't you?" he stated in a way that was more of a truth than a question.
"Yes." Julie said admitting her feelings. "I do."
"Good.", Sean said as he closed his eyes, pulling on Julie's sleeve. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?" he asked.
"You bet." Julie said positioning herself next to him as best she could. With Sean's baseball cap sandwiched awkwardly between them, somehow, through the night, they fell asleep.
When Julie awoke, her eyes darted to the small black wristwatch that never left her arm. She squinted as the early morning light began to open its eyes and peek through the tiny window in the small room. Julie saw it was nearing five am as sat up silently, trying not to disturb Sean, who looked peaceful in his sleep. Julie looked at him for a moment and smiled as her hand reflectively went to her neck, where she began massaging the kink that had burrowed itself into her muscles. She sighed. Without words, she left the bedroom and headed down the dormitory to her own room where she showered quickly then went to the kitchen. Few people were stirring in the early hours as Julie made coffee and sat down at small steel table in the barren kitchen area. She opened a file and began looking over the research notes and reports when Harmony Moore walked in. She looked up and forced a smile.
"Good Morning, Julie." Harmony said as their eyes met.
"Let's hope so." Julie replied as she got up to the coffee that was erupting on the stove like a volcano.
"I'll get it." Harmony said solidly. "I'm getting some for myself anyhow."
"Thanks." Julie replied as her eyes went back to the neatly written notes on the chart. Momentarily, Harmony was setting a cup of coffee, with cream and sugar, in front of Julie as she drank her own black. She waited for Julie to meet her eyes and when she did, she noticed the hands of fatigue that smeared small dark lines under Julie's blue eyes and pulled at her when she smiled. She could tell Julie did not get much sleep the previous night.
"I must look like hell." Julie said, as if reading her mind. Harmony said nothing as she looked down at the table confirming Julie's suspicions. "I spent the night in Sean's room. He couldn't sleep. He's scared to death."
"With good reason." Harmony said as she realized that her conversations in the past with Julie were far and in between. It wasn't very often that she sat down with this frightening beautiful and brilliant young woman and Harmony found herself somewhat intimated by her; she tried to shake herself loose of the fist that was clutching her words. "Did he manage to get some sleep?"
"I think so. He was still sleeping when I left him this morning. Hopefully he can sleep for a while, he needs to regain his strength and energy. He felt so small and frail last night."
"Sleep will help," Harmony said reassuringly. "And when he wakes up I'll make him something extra special for breakfast."
Julie smiled. "That would be very nice. With so much going on, I forgot to ask last night how Robin's doing?"
"Talk about being scared to death." Harmony replied with feeling. "She wakes up in the middle of the night, completely jolted by nightmares, frozen with fear. I can't imagine what might be going through her mind."
"Me neither." Julie said. "According to Willie, she should go into labor any day now. That patch around her neck has come full circle. All we can do now is wait."
"And hope for the best." Harmony added.
"That's a given." Julie said as Harmony scooted her hair out and went to her feet. She looked down at Julie.
"I hope you're doing okay." She said as their eyes met once again. Julie pushed for a smile, but failed miserably. She shrugged as Harmony saw the doubt and fear scatter across her eyes like dry leaves in the fall.
"I'll be fine, thanks." She said with strength that she did not feel. Harmony said nothing more as she exited the kitchen, leaving Julie alone in the swirls of coffee aroma and the tapping of water in the steel sink.
Robin Maxwell jolted from her sleep as if struck by lighting. She sat up, breathing hard, clutching her both her abdomen and neck with her two hands. She felt her eyes swell with tears as her bottom lip trembled and fragments of her nightmare continued to interlock like the loose pieces of a worn out jigsaw puzzle. Reaching over, she grabbed her long terry cloth robe and went to the tiny bathroom to wash her face, her eyes immediately drawn to the strange discoloration embracing her once youthful neck. Unable to stand the sight any longer, she grabbed a towel and through it around her, ran her fingers through her tangled curly hair and headed down towards the kitchen. She could smell coffee drifting through the air and the odor made her slightly nauseous as she swallowed hard. As of late, she had to force herself to eat and her primary menu consisted of dry toast and juice; she couldn't handle any food with more substance. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw Julie sitting alone in the dimly lit room looking over a clean case file, her thoughts distant moons away. She looked up to the sound of footsteps and when she saw Robin, she smiled.
"Hi," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Not very good Julie," Robin replied with a tremble in her voice. "I keep having these nightmares, I can't sleep.." she drifted as her words broke.
"Sit down." Julie said getting up and guiding Robin to a chair. Her hands went gently to Robin's wrist as she checked her pulse and found it somewhat rapid. She felt her forehead, which was warm and clammy, then impersonally removed the towel from around Robin's neck to check the unusual pigmentation of skin. Robin said nothing as she did this, sitting quietly and breathing hard, unwilling to give Julie her eyes. When Robin wouldn't look at her, Julie lifted her chin until their eyes met and Julie could see the horror Robin felt slipping through the windows of her soul. Suddenly, Robin began to cry and reached for Julie, her arms a vice around her neck, as she sobbed uncontrollably in her arms. Julie held onto the girl, her shoulder wet with her tears, until she felt part of Robin's horror pass. Robin pulled away.
"I'm sorry." She said wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
"You don't have to apologize." Julie said sympathetically as she continued to hold Robin's hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked kindly. It had suddenly occurred to Julie that despite of the dozens of people running around resistance headquarters, Robin had no one to confide in, to share her experience with and was probably keeping it all bottled up inside. She had her father, of course, but Julie sensed the seventeen year old didn't share that much with him.
"I'm so scared, Julie. I don't know what to do anymore."
"You're doing the best that you can do in light of the situation Robin. You have every reason to be scared, those feelings are absolutely justified."
"I feel like I'm out of my body. Like I'm watching myself from a window and it's really not me." She swallowed and Julie saw the small bones in her hands defined clearly as Robin clenched her fists. "I don't know if I'm going to get through this."
"You will. You are getting through this, Robin. You don't see your own strength. You've been stronger than you realize."
Robin's spirit lifted a bit. "Really?"
"Yes. I understand the nightmares, the feeling of looking in on your own self. That seems to be the Visitors specialty when it comes to us. I've gone through it. You're going through it. It's happening to Sean. But, we have to remember this and it's very important Robin."
"What?" she asked with hope in brown eyes.
"We are stronger than them. We have the perseverance, the resiliency, and the will to go on, to tread through anything that might come our way. We rely on ourselves but we also have to rely on each other. You need to learn to lean on people a little more Robin. Don't keep everything inside of you. By doing that, you're continuously adding to a burden that is much too heavy for you to handle on your own. Talk to your dad, talk to your sisters, talk to me. Okay?"
Robin smiled and Julie couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her face light up so much. "Okay."
"Now, do you need anything right now? Want some toast?"
"That would be nice."
"Okay," Julie said getting up as Robin's eyes drifted to the case file Julie had been working on. She felt her heart pang when she saw Julie wasn't working some complicated scientific analysis, but something much more closer to home. The neat writing was penned in black ink and stated boldly: "CONVERSION."
Sean Donovan stirred from his sleep and sat up in bed. For a moment, he had to gather his thoughts and remember where he was sleeping; his memories seemed sketchy and this was beginning to worry him. He suddenly saw Julie in his mind as he recalled the kindness in her voice and the support she had given him the night before. Not quite ready to emerge from the warmth that tugged at his feet, Sean put his head back on the pillow and gathered the covers up to his chin. He wondered about his dad, where he was, and what was being done to him. He wondered if he really would ever see him again. He thought about his mom and his best friend Josh and could not the stop the tears that filled his eyes from falling. He thought crying might help him feel better so that's what he allowed himself to do. As sunlight probed through the window like tiny fingers, Sean fell back to sleep and surrendered his heart to dreams.
On her way back from the kitchen, Julie poked her head in Sean's room to see if he had stirred. She smiled as she saw the young boy tangled in sheets, his dark hair wild, his breathing heavy. She closed the door quietly and made her way back to her own room where she showered and prepared to face the day. Medical supplies needed counting, stocks need updating, and food in the kitchen was running low. More than anything, Julie needed a distraction, something to keep her mind turning, for it was when silent crept in that she allowed herself to think about Mike Donovan. She couldn't bare that thought right now, it was too painful, and Julie did not want her judgement clouded by the fireworks exploding in her heart. However, much to her dismay, regardless of how she longed for that distraction, nothing seemed to be helping. Standing in the lab taking stock on blankets and towels, Julie collapsed under the pressure of her own thoughts as she buried her head in her hands. Harmony Moore was suddenly beside her, reading her thoughts and offering her support as best she could.
"I know how you feel Julie," Harmony said with feeling, "but he'll be back…..he'll find a way."
Julie smiled and managed a small "thank you" when the frightened shriek of Robin Maxwell ran through the air. Julie and Harmony turned and what they saw was both fascinating and horrifying. Robin stand there, her hand on her big, pregnant belly, her feet and socks soaked with green amniotic fluid. Julie rushed to Robin's side.
"Oh my God, her waters broken! She's in labor! Harmony help me get her up on the table."
"Julie, look at the color!" Harmony said without thinking, but Julie didn't take notice of her remark as she helped Robin to the table.
"On your side sweetheart, on your side, there ya go. On your side. Okay, now breath like we taught you," she said instructing the young girl. "In…out. In…we need Willie..out..there ya go…"
Harmony fired from the room like a gun as Julie continued coaching Robin with her breathing. Robert Maxwell burst in the room in sheer panic as he ran to Robin's side.
"Daddy!" Robin screamed in horror. "I'm so scared."
"Shhh." Robert said trying to sooth her fears. "Let's concentrate of your breathing." He said with a smile that took more effort than he anticipated. Julie looked at him, her blue eyes alive and intense.
"I'm going to have Father Andrew prep the room," she said quietly, "then I'm going to get into some greens and scrub in. Stay with her until Willie and Harmony get here. I'll see you in there."
Robert nodded in affirmation as he continued to coach Robin and Willie and Harmony entered the room.
Julie jogged down the long corridor and found Father Andrew, giving him a quick summary of what just happened, then made her way to the OR. She knew this day was coming, soon, but she didn't think she'd be so nervous when the moment arrived. She smiled grimly to herself as she thought of the irony involved. 'This wasn't the type of distraction I had in mind' she thought as her eyes traveled to the clock on the wall. She sighed knowing that it was going to be a very long day.
It was. Hours later, Robin delivered a beautiful baby girl. She was healthy and perfect upon Julie's examination, except for one detail: the baby girl had a reptillian tongue. The baby also had a twin, but the twin was not human. The twin was totally reptillian, except for its huge blue human eyes. Momentarily flustered during the delivery, Julie and Robert stepped away from Robin in shock. Luckily, they had Willie to help care for the new baby lizard and aid in its life. However, the reptillian baby only lived a few short hours after its arrival into the world. They did everything they could do for the baby, yet all efforts were unsuccessful. The baby girl, meanwhile, was healthy and thriving. She was eating well and growing at an amazing speed. Only a week after her birth, she was already the size of Katie, Robert's youngest daughter.
Julie continued to be thankful for the distraction. With everything going on around headquarters, she found the days and hours passing in tremendous speed. However, there had been no word from the Mothership or the Fifth Column on the status of Mike Donovan. Julie clung to the hope in her heart that somehow, he would make it back to them safely. Sean seemed to be doing better as well, and this lifted Julie's spirits tremendously. He loved helping her in the lab and seemed genuinely interested in her work. One day, he impressed Julie by reciting almost the entire table of the Periodic Table of Elements. She'd never forget the smile that painted the boy's face when she hugged him and teased him about being a young scientist. Sean seemed pleased. On this day, Julie was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt as she headed down towards the lab to run some more tests. She decided to go by Sean's room to see if he was there. To her disappointment, he wasn't but she saw him as she continued down the hall. She put her arm around him and asked, "You wanna come to the lab and help me out?"
"Sure," Sean replied.
"Julie! Sean!," a voice yelled from down the hall. Julie looked up and saw Mike Donovan and ran in full force to him. She jumped into his arms as he scooped her up in a long embrace. Julie felt her eyes fill with tears as she muffled into her shoulder, "I'm so glad you're back." Mike put her down and took Sean into his arms next.
"Come here," he said embracing the boy closely, then pushing him away to arms length to get a look at him. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Mike asked.
"No. How about you?"
"Yea." Mike said with a pause. "They kept me from you."
Julie smiled as he turned to her again, and to his son, and put his arms around both of them. Disengaging from the mob scene in the hall, they headed down the corridor together, smiling and thankful for being reunited.
"I bet I know what you'd like to do right now." Mike said to Sean.
"What?"
"Play some baseball with your old man."
"I don't like baseball." Sean said without protest.
"Since when? You love baseball."
"No I don't. I think it stinks." Sean said pulling away from Mike and walking away from both him and Julie.
"But it's always been your favorite." Mike yelled. Julie looked at him with concern.
"Take it easy Mike, he's been through a lot. It's gonna take time."
"I guess you're right. Maybe I'm rushing him," he said as they continued down the hall arm in arm.
The rest of the day moved fast as everyone tried to catch Mike up on the latest developments at Headquarters. He was told about Robin, the recently discovered bacterium, and the need for a lizard guinea pig to try it out on. Although Tyler had jokingly suggested Willie, they raided Brian's home later around dinner time and had a successful capture. With Brian being held in a small, circular chamber it was only a matter of time before they knew if the red dust that Julie and Robert had been working on would be a success.
Julie's mind raced with formulas and diagrams as she tried to shuffle through them and get them down on paper. Sitting at her desk in the privacy of her bedroom, she relaxed her furrowed young brow with her fingers as she heard a tap on the door. Instinctively, she yelled "It's open" without looking up. Within seconds, she felt a pair of strong, yet very gentle hands, begin massaging her shoulders and neck. Falling into the rhythm, she let her head hang down low as she mumbed, "Hmm. You keep that up, I might not let you stop."
"That's the point." Mike Donovan said with a smile. Julie laughed as she turned to face him. He sat down on the bed and reached for her hand. "I've been trying to get a moment with you all day today." He said, almost shyly, as he played with her fingers with nothing special in mind.
"I know. Me too." She said gazing into the green eyes she had missed so much. "I missed you." She said quietly, her voice catching on emotion.
"I missed you, too." Mike said gently. "Come here," he said patting the bed next to him as she got up and moved closer. Without hesitation, she sat down next to him then drew him closer to her. She needed to feel his warmth, his breath. She needed to know that he was here and that he was alive. There were no words as they both leaned back onto the bed slowly, arms wrapped around each other in an embrace against time, love and emotion flickering in their eyes. Mike smiled as he slowly stroke Julie's cheek, surprised at the tear that had slipped from her eye. "You okay?" he asked.
"I am now." She said with feeling. "I don't like being without you, Mike. I don't like not knowing if I'm ever going to see you again." Julie said and she was surprised at how easy the confession moved past her lips.
"All I could think about up there was you and Sean. Well, and not being Diana's dinner of course."
Julie laughed. "Not exactly a pleasant thought." She said looking up at him. He winced and she laughed again.
"I missed that smile." Mike said sweetly and he could not resist her lips any longer.
"I missed these lips too." He said as he kissed her gently, his arms gathering her close. Julie melted into him, enjoying both the kiss and the moment of quiet time, for she knew that these times were rare. "Don't leave, okay?" she asked pulling away to look him in the eye. "Stay here tonight."
"I'll stay here every night if that's what you want." Mike said seriously and Julie could tell just how much he meant it.
"It's what I want." She said smiling again, this time causing Mike to grin too.
They were disturbed with a quiet knock on the bedroom door. Julie hollered, "Who is it?" and could barely make out a muffled "Sean" as she said "Come in."
Sean Donovan walked inside, eyeing both Julie and his Dad warmly, then looked to Julie. "Are we going to work in the lab anymore tonight".
"I think I'm gonna call it a night, Sean." Julie said with dancing blue eyes. "It's been a long day."
"Okay. I just wanted to make sure. I'm going in the tv room with Polly. Goodnight.", Sean said almost robotically as he turned to walk away.
"Hey kiddo." Mike yelled. "How about a hug, huh?"
Sean trotted to his dad and jumped on the bed, putting his arms around him and squeezing tight. "I love you dad." He said.
"Love you too kiddo." Mike said as he watched Sean put his arms around Julie as well. She kissed him on the cheek and he smiled at her. "Goodnight Julie."
"Night Sean." She said as he headed for the door. He looked at them, smiled, then locked the door behind him.
"It seems he likes you." Mike said looking at her and smiling.
"The feeling is mutual." She said reaching for the bedside light and turning it off. Mike looked her with confused eyes.
"You ready to go to sleep?" he asked.
He could see Julie smile through the dim room as he took his face into her hands. "Who said anything about sleep?" she asked as she kissed him again as the light of the moon spilled in through the tiny window.