Never Again

Disclaimer: ABC and Callie Khouri own everything.

I am definitely still working on "Lean In To It" but this one shot started coming in my mind and I figured I needed to get it out before next week's episode, since it is based on the preview. So enjoy and please let me know what you think ... reviews are the best!

"If you'll excuse me, I have a show to get to." Juliette pushed her way past Jeff Fordham, a determined look set on her face.

"Yeah, you have a show ... in front of a half full arena!"

Ignoring the sound of Jeff's voice, the stone cold glare in her eyes belied the turmoil raging inside of her. She skipped the elevator for fear of dropping her guard inside Edgehill's building. Three flights of stairs were nothing if it meant saving face at the label. She knew once she was out the door, her tour bus was there, waiting to take her to St. Louis.

She walked out and directly onto the bus where Glenn and Emily were already on board. She breezed past them to her room in the back, tossing the words "let's get the hell out of here" over her shoulder.

With the door locked behind her, she allowed herself to crumble, her label executive's words echoing in her ears ... "I think you're trailer trash ..." ..."Edgehill may have to drop you..." ... "you have a show ... in front of a half full arena"...

What he said to her in their meeting was cruel, and unnecessary and ... absolute fact, she thought to herself. She had always thought she could rise above her past, but she knew that nothing would ever change her poor white trash upbringing. Not to people like Jeff, anyway. And she knew that the show ... the entire tour ... was in jeopardy. He didn't have to tell her.

Tears flowed as she lay down on the bed, hugging her pillow like she used to do when she was a little girl and her mom had gone on a bender. All she wanted to do was have her career, find someone who loves her despite her faults and go about her life like any normal 20 something. But that would never happen. She knew that trouble would always follow. It was like her shadow.

At the foot of the bed, her phone buzzed ... she didn't have to look to know who it was. He'd called her four times since last night. He'd only left the one message, and she couldn't bring herself to listen to it. It would hurt too much, hearing his voice, knowing that he was still with Scarlett. Knowing that he would never see her as anything other than a friend. Knowing that despite that fact she still loved him so much that it hurt.

She slept the entire trip from Nashville to the arena in St. Louis. She had played this venue multiple times and had always felt very much at home with the crowd here. This time she wasn't so sure.

Stepping off the bus behind Emily and Glenn, she saw the venue manager approaching.

"Hi, George," Glenn said, hand outstretched.

"Glenn," the man said as he shook hands with Juliette's manager. Turning toward the star, the stoic look on his face made it clear that something was very, very wrong. "We've got a problem ... The show got canceled."

"What?!" Juliette couldn't push back her already strung out emotions. "They can't do that!"

"Too many people were asking for refunds. The show tomorrow night is still on, but ... that might change too. The ticket sellers are beyond pissed right now, and I would be losing money if we had tonight's show. I'm sorry. I'll be in touch." With that, he turned and silently walked away.

Mouth gaping open, Juliette turned to Glenn. But she was unable to speak.

Her manager placed a caring hand on her shoulder. "We will figure this out. It may take a while, but we will get through this. You know that we will."

Shaking her head and looking around, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. "I don't know that I believe that anymore."

He looked her in the eye confidently. "Yes, we will." He looked over at her assistant. "You two go to the hotel and settle in. I'm going to hang out here and see what I can do."

The two women nodded and retreated back to the bus for the short trip to the posh downtown hotel, leaving Glenn in their wake, seriously worried about the young woman he had brought into the business.

The trip to Missouri wasn't planned. Avery had every intention of working his shift at the Bluebird. He would talk to Juliette when she got back. If she was in Nashville she wouldn't have anywhere else to run. She couldn't avoid him here.

But the nagging feeling in his gut, telling him to go after her wouldn't go away. So instead of heading into work that afternoon, he called someone to cover for him, grabbed his keys and hit the interstate heading north, the same route he and Zoey took to see Scarlett not long ago.

The past twenty four hours had been both gut wrenching and a relief.

Scarlett had put it so simply. Like an old pair of slippers ... it was the perfect analogy. She'd always had a way with words. A slight smirk graced his lips as he thought of the probability that those words might end up in one of her songs somewhere along the way.

The truth was she would always have a small part of his heart in the way that first loves do - remembered fondly, grateful for the good times and the lessons learned. He was glad their parting had been mutual. It was time to move on and they did it on good terms. He did hope that one day they could be friends, but that was something for another day.

Despite the relief of his new found freedom his heart had broken for Juliette when yet another TMZ alert popped up online about "Trouble Country Star Juliette Barnes." He hadn't wanted to click the link, knowing that whatever the video held would knock her down even lower than she already was. But his hand moved on it's own accord, hitting play on the video before he could stop himself.

"There is no God. There is no ..." On and on, over and over.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter, thinking about how fragile she was. He knew that wasn't what she believed. They had talked about religion, faith and spirituality during some of their writing sessions. He knew the video was doctored. He also knew that no one would believe that. And he knew that this could break her.

But even he was surprised at the extent of the public outcry. Watching people burn her CDs on CNN, he knew she was falling apart and keeping everyone at arms length, including him. He had called her, wanting desperately to talk to her. To tell her that he and Scarlett were really and truly over. To be there to reassure her that she could survive ... would survive ... and that he would be right there. If she would let him.

But all he got was her voice mail. Something wasn't right and he knew it.

With that thought, he pressed the gas just a little harder, anxious to get to her, as the radio station playing announced the cancelation of the evenings big Juliette Barnes show.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was as if Glenn was talking in slow motion and the world was moving at warp speed. Placing her hand on her head, she turned away from him, completely lost. Not only did they lose the second St. Louis show, but venues from across the country, the next eight stops, had pulled out of the tour. More would undoubtedly follow.

After surviving the nail polish theft, the split-second marriage, a junkie mother, a murder-suicide and a very public affair, how had an innocent comment turned into the thing that would end her career? Now the whole world was coming down around her and she was alone and unable to fight this on her own. There wasn't anyone. Glenn and Emily didn't count. Their paychecks kept them around.

If only Avery ...

She stopped that train of thought from going any further. Juliette knew the score. Men always chose the girls like Scarlett.

Not home-wrecking trailer trash.

"Juliette?" There was concern filling her manager's voice.

She couldn't look at them so she moved to look out the windows onto the skyline. She wouldn't let them see the devastation in her eyes. "Get out," she said far too calmly.

"I -" Glenn didn't get another syllable out before she exploded.

"I said get out of my room!"

Emily was about to say something, but Glenn shook his head and ushered the woman out the door as quickly as possible. He glanced back one last time, but knew that nothing he said would make this better for her.

Had he waited until she turned around, he would have seen something in Juliette's eyes that he had never seen before.

Absolute defeat.

In the silence, she paced the floor of her suite not sure how she had gotten to this point, to rock bottom, but somehow that's where she was. With tears running down her face, she picked up her phone, sending a single text.

Interstate signs touting the famous Arch were just beginning to show up on billboards when his phone beeped. He glanced down just long enough to see who the message was from. His heart leapt when he saw that it was from Juliette. Finally!

Unable to wait, he held the phone where he could see her words and the highway in front of him at the same time.

"Thank you for being my friend. You were the only one. I did love you."

He couldn't breathe. He wasn't stupid. He knew her better than she knew herself most of the time. She was saying goodbye.

For a moment he forgot where he was and veered into the next, thankfully empty, lane. Straightening the car, he sped up as fast as he dared to go, weaving in and out of traffic all the while trying to call her. But it went straight to voicemail. She had turned her phone off.

Frantically, he tried to call Glenn but couldn't reach him. Panic, fear, desperation, sadness and loss enveloped the car as he made it to downtown. He went directly to the hotel she was staying in. It was always where she stayed in St. Louis, she had once told him. The same suite on the 21st floor. It had the best view. Bypassing the front desk he headed straight for the elevator, thankfully gaining entrance to a completely empty one.

His heart was pounding in his chest, threatening to explode. She couldn't do this to him. Not now. Not when he was finally ready and able to love her back the way she wanted ... the way she deserved.

He had received the message nearly an hour ago.

The elevator was moving far too slowly for him and he watched the numbers creep higher, willing it to move faster.

After what seemed like an eternity the doors creaked open, and the silence of the 21st floor was deafening to Avery. Looking down one hallway, he saw nothing. He walked around the corner and almost cried when he saw Bo - big, hulking, protective but ever loyal Bo - standing in front of a doorway.

He called out to the gentle giant.

"Avery? What's going on man? Juliette didn't say - "

He ran up to the bodyguard as quickly as he could move. "Where is she, Bo?"

"In her suite." Bo wasn't sure what was going on, but he could see the panic in Avery's anxious eyes. "She said she was going to rest and not to bother her."

He paced, shaking his head at the bigger man. "No. No ... she's not resting. Something's wrong."

"Avery, what ..."

He pulled his phone from his pocket and showed Bo the message. Bo was one of the few who knew Juliette enough to read between the lines. His eyes went wide and without another word, the bodyguard turned and pounded on the door. When there was no response, he pulled out a key card and plowed into the room, Avery stumbling in behind him.

Bo saw her first, calling her name and running toward the bedroom.

Time froze when Avery saw her laying there at an awkward angle, half dressed ... unconscious.

"Juliette!" Bo knelt in front of her assessing the situation, while Avery crawled onto the bed, shaking her in a desperate attempt to will her back to consciousness.

"Come on, baby, wake up... please," he begged in little more than a whisper. Holding her lifeless body in his arms made him acutely aware of the fact that she might not ever wake up. That he may never get the chance to tell her the words that he had come here to say.

He couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes, as he looked down at Bo who had pulled out his phone. "She's breathing but barely," he said as he called for an ambulance.

Avery held Juliette, counting each shallow breath for what felt like an eternity before paramedics, along with Glenn and Emily, burst into the room, urgency growing with each second. He was quickly pulled away from the bed, Glenn holding him back and Emily crying beside him as they quickly got Juliette onto a stretcher. Bo was handing an empty pill bottle to one of the paramedics and then following them out the door at full speed toward the elevator.

"I have to go with her." Avery started to follow but Glenn grabbed his arm.

"They are only going to allow one of us to go with her," the older man said. "It has to Bo. For her safety. The hotel has a car on its way for us. He'll take care of her."

"I just ... I need ... I -" he couldn't say anymore. He just stood in front of Glenn and wept like a child. The older man quietly pulled him into a hug.

"I know. I know, son. I know," Glenn whispered like a father would to his child.

Avery felt Emily embrace them both, her tears falling to his shoulder. Suddenly, in the company of relative strangers he felt more like a part of a family than he had in years. He wondered if Juliette knew how much they all cared.

Forty five minutes later, they were tucked away in what was probably used as a emergency room conference room during the day. The hospital staff was aware of the delicate situation and wanted to give them as much privacy as possible, away from the prying eyes of the public.

It was silent when a bald middle age man in a lab coat opened the door. "Ms. Barnes' family?"

Glenn spoke up. "I have power of attorney."

The doctor nodded. A slight smile appeared on his face. "She's going to be fine. We had to pump her stomach, and gave her charcoal, but she has regained some consciousness, and all of her vital organs are functioning. We sedated her and want to observe her overnight. But she should be able to go home tomorrow."

Almost in unison, the trio let out the breaths they had been holding.

Avery felt as though he had been given a second chance at life. He knew that he at least had another chance with the woman he loved. Then and there he decided that he would do everything in his power to never let her get to the point where she felt there was no way out again. He would die himself to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Can I see her?" were the first words Avery had said since they left her suite.

The doctor nodded. "I'll have a nurse take you to the floor we are moving her to."

She felt as though someone had dropped a ton of bricks all over her. Slightly nauseated, she tried to open her eyes, unsure of where she was. The last thing she remembered was tossing the empty pill bottle to the floor, then laying down to wait for the inevitable. The dim light was too much at first as she quickly squeezed her eyes shut again.

The sound of a monitor beeping, in time with her own heartbeat assured her both that she was alive and that she was in a hospital. She couldn't help but wonder how she wound up here ... that wasn't what she thought would happen. It wasn't what she planned.

She heard movement somewhere in the room. Not much, but enough for her to wonder who was there with her. She slowly opened her eyes and squinting slightly, she saw a figure in a chair beside the bed. As her eyes adjusted the person became recognizable.

Before she could close her eyes again and attempt to figure out what he was doing there, he turned to look at her. When he saw that her eyes were open, he was immediately on his feet and at her side. He took her weak hand, and stood there, for a few moments unable to speak.

"Juliette, don't ever do that again," were the first words she heard him say as he blinked back what appeared to be tears.

She couldn't figure any of it out. Why he was there. Why he was acting like this. Why he wasn't with Scarlett. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly, her voice and emotions raw.

"Why do think I'm here?" he responded, his voice breaking slightly.

She didn't answer his question, instead remaining silent, the vision of Scarlett walking out of his bedroom in practically nothing running through her head. He was here because they were friends. It was all they would ever be.

Leaning down closer to her, inches from her face, he prevented her from breaking eye contact. "I'm here because you scared the shit out of me. I thought I lost you before I even had a chance ... a chance to tell you how I really feel ... And to get that damn text message on my way here to see you, finding you like that, and almost having you die in my arms. It scared me more than I thought I could ever be scared."

The realization of what he was trying to say washed over her. Tears filled her own eyes as it hit her how close she came to never getting to see him again. To never hear what he was saying. "I am ... so sorry."

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Don't be sorry. Just let me in. Don't push me away. If there are problems in your life I want to help fix it. Or at least make it better. Don't shut me out."

"What about Scarlett?"

"We're over. I tried calling you. I wanted to tell you, but you didn't answer. She and I weren't being honest with each other. She may deny it, but she still loves Gunnar. And I ..." he paused.

"You what?" she pressed.

He took a deep breath. "I love you. If you asked me to pinpoint when that happened, I don't think I could. Maybe it was when we bumped into each other at the Opry. Or the first time we wrote together. Or at the festival. What I do know is that I love you."

A single tear fell down her face. "I love you, too," she said, as he wiped the tear away with his thumb.

Leaning in, he bridged the gap between them, softly and gently pressing his lips to hers. It wasn't the most fiery kiss she'd ever had, not even close. But the meaning, the sincerity ... the love ... behind it, she knew that it was the defining kiss of her lifetime. There would be time for fiery kisses and love to be made, but it wasn't the time. Not yet. This simple act of affection, from the man who little by little had made her heart his, was reassurance that she was loved.

Rather than take the tour bus back to Nashville after being released from the hospital, she decided to ride back with Avery. She wanted to be alone with him and Glenn thought that a road trip and some time away from tour life would be good for her. Dressed in sweats and a t shirt, with a ball cap on, she could be essentially anonymous as they traveled down the interstate.

She reveled in her new lease on life. The realization that things could have gone a different way hit her hard during the trip and she was ashamed. But Avery took her hand as she cried and told her that it was a mistake, but she had to be grateful that it did work out. Not to think about the what ifs. She knew he was right. She had to look ahead. Back to Nashville.

"Here we go ... home sweet home." Avery looked around his apartment, slight grimace on his face. "It's not the Ritz, but ..."

"It's perfect," she cut him off. "I don't really want to go back to that house. Not right now. I am beginning to realize that I need a break from that part of my life. In fact, I'm thinking about selling it. I don't need it, and not knowing how things are going to play out with the rest of the tour ... " she shook her head and sat down on his couch and watched him move around the apartment. "Never liked it anyway."

He knew there was more to that story, but he wouldn't push. "You can stay here as long as you like. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, but eventually they'll find out where I am and that won't be fair to you or your neighbors." There was no need to elaborate on who "they" were. Protestors, or paparazzi, didn't matter. "There's a cute little farmhouse on the property I have out near Franklin. It's nothing fancy, but it's nice. I think it would be good to live out there for a while. Lay low until I figure out the next step."

"That sounds like a good plan." He stood in front of her, watching as she yawned lightly. "You know what else sounds like a good plan?"

"What's that?"

"Bed."

"Well, that's mighty forward of you, Mr. Barkley. What makes you think I'm that kind of girl?" she teased, faux innocence dripping from her words.

He looked at her with eyebrows raised, a smirk playing at his lips. "Okay, A) do you really want me to answer that? and b) the doctor told you to rest for the next few days. You need to sleep." He took both of her hands and helped her to her feet.

"You're no fun!" she whined light heartedly as placed an arm around her waist and helped her into his bed. The feel of his touch burned into her memory and gave promise of what was to come in time.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as she got comfortable. "You need anything?"

"You." She smiled up at him, a look of peace coming gently over her face. "Will you sing to me?"

Kissing her forehead lightly, he smiled and picked up a guitar sitting in the corner. Returning to the bed, he began to pluck the strings. A soft haunting ballad came pouring out of the instrument, followed soon by his voice, lyrics of love whispering in her ears. Closing her eyes she let the song lull her to sleep, a peaceful rest like she had never known before. Because she knew when she woke up, regardless of Jeff Fordham or the protestors or tabloids or venues dropping her, Avery would be there. And she wouldn't be alone. Never again.

There you go. I would love to know what you think! Please review.