Come Back To Me

I own nothing. That's ABC and Callie Khouri's deal.

I was re-watching 2.15 and couldn't help but ask myself the question what would have happened if Glenn hadn't responded to Juliette's call and she had decided to work with Howie V. How would that have affected her and Avery? It's pure angst, with a side of romance ... maybe ...

This will be a short story ... only 3, maybe 4 chapters. Let me know what you think in the Review section.

It was as if the atmosphere changed. He knew that she had just entered the room, without even turning to face the grand entrance to the massive ballroom. If he hadn't felt it in the deepest part of his soul, the fact that the couple standing beside him stiffened and their eyes went slightly wide would have given it away.

He knew he shouldn't turn. He should just call it a night and head up to his room without even glancing in her direction. But as if on reflex, his eyes were pulled toward her. What he saw when he turned broke his heart even more than she had when she left. A shell of the woman he knew ... the woman he loved once, still ... was working the party like a pro.

The silver mini dress she wore left little to the imagination, and what was showing was nothing but skin and bones. How she had wasted away to almost nothing in the past year was obvious, even to the few people hadn't seen the internet pictures of her at that party, certainly not the first, smoking God knows what, with that what's-his-face actor's hands all over her. She was not the same Juliette Barnes he had fallen in love with.

"Are you okay?"

The voice beside him pulled his eyes from her. Glancing over at Zoey for a brief second, he nodded, not even fully convincing himself that he was. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because she broke your heart a year ago," Gunnar piped in, his arm pulling Zoey slightly closer.

"I'm fine, man." He watched as she disappeared behind a silk room divider, both grateful and devastated to lose sight of her yet again.

"Welcome back!" Avery whispered as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hallway in back of the main room of the Bluebird, away from the prying eyes of the audience as Deacon took the stage. Finally out of view, he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

"Missed you," she mumbled into the kiss.

"I missed you too," as he came up for air. "How was the trip?"

She stepped back and leaned against the wall. "It was ... weird."

He could tell that something was on her mind. She looked as though she wanted to cry, but she fought it. It tugged on Avery's heart and he had to push a little bit. "What's wrong? You're upset about something?"

"Just confused. Glenn quit."

"What?!"

Juliette nodded. "Yeah. One minute I was talking to him about the photo shoot, the next ... he had his luggage packed. I don't know what came over him."

"That doesn't sound like Glenn. Did someone say something to him?"

"I don't know." She fought back the small tears that rimmed her eyes. "Anyway ... whatever. I'm not going to worry about it now. I'll call him tomorrow and convince him that he has to come back."

"So how were things with Howie V?" he asked. He wasn't expecting to see her face light up when he asked the question. He had spent most of the day convincing himself that once she got there she would realize that she needed to be in Nashville. He was wrong.

"It was amazing Avery! I've never seen a studio so big and full of life. I still don't know what I'm going to do, but I could get used to all that." She could hardly hide her excitement.

He forced a smile and took her hand again. "Sounds exciting. And I want to hear all about it. But right now, I've got to go run the soundboard before Gunnar decides I owe him half my paycheck."

"She's a mess." Avery hadn't even heard the head of his label approach. He turned to look at Rayna, who had the same sad expression on her face that he was pretty sure was on his own.

"Yeah," he said, finally turning back around to face her and his band mates. They could tell that he did not want to discuss it further and silently obliged him by changing the subject.

"I think it's just about time to call it a night. You guys have a big day tomorrow. Red carpet! Best New Artist! Grammy performance! Did Glenn give you a call time for rehearsal?" He knew that Rayna wanted nothing more than to get him out of the room. She always wanted to fix things.

Zoey and Gunnar continued the conversation with her, as his eyes drifted back over to the dance floor where a large crowd had gathered around the tiny blonde drunkenly dancing with three equally intoxicated men. It made him nauseous, the disaster she had become.

He'd imagined it all, the house, the kids, the growing old together. But that was before.

The soft candle light against the ivory walls of Juliette's master bathroom cast romantic shadows that danced with the soft guitar music playing on her ipod nearby. Surrounded by bubbles, she leaned back into his arms, appearing more relaxed than she had been in a month. The peaceful feeling was broken by the sound of her phone buzzing against the counter top across the room.

"You need to get it?" he whispered in her ear.

"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I know it's Howie again. I've already spoken to him twice today."

Avery sighed quietly, rolling his eyes. "That guy is relentless."

"He's making some good offers though."

The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach returned, just as it did every time the mega-producer came up in conversation. He couldn't help the overwhelming feeling that the guy was bad news. "Have you heard from Glenn?"

"Nope," she sighed. "He hasn't responded to one phone call or text. I don't think I will. I'm almost over it. Anyway, I don't want to talk about Glenn or Howie right now. It's kind of ruining the mood. Tell me about your day."

He laughed and pulled her tighter, fingers tickling her firm stomach. "Just the normal stuff. Did some writing with Gunnar, then the Bluebird. Oh, and my friend JT from back home called. Hadn't spoken to him in a while."

"Must be nice to have friends from childhood," she said sadly, as he pressed a kiss into her soft hair. She sighed and moved the conversation along. "So what did he call for?"

"Well, he and his wife just found out that they're expecting a baby." He laughed a little at the thought of the guy who had gotten kicked out of catholic school with him being a father. "He'll be a good dad. Wouldn't have ever thought said that before, but hearing how happy he sounds, I think he'll be great."

She looked over her shoulder at him, smile gracing her face. "You know what this means, right?"

"What?" he asked, not really sure what turn the conversation was about to take.

"You have to buy them a baby gift," she said with a smirk.

"Crap. What do you get a baby?"

She laughed at his complete ignorance. "What is it with men and baby gifts. The mere thought of it and you all go pale. I mean, I'm no expert, but if its a boy you buy something blue. Girl, something pink. It's not rocket science."

"Fine," he said, smiling at her. "You can come with me to shop."

"Ha!" she replied, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "Yeah, that's what my career needs. Another tabloid story with photos of me shopping in the baby section. Then I can be the shoplifting, engagement-breaking, homewrecking, atheist, unwed mother who sometimes sings for a living." He felt her give his hand a squeeze under the water. "Don't worry. I'll help you. We'll find something online."

The silence of the moment went on for a while. He knew he shouldn't even go there. He knew she might bolt as soon as the words came out of his mouth, but his curiosity kept him from remaining silent."Do you ever thing about it?"

"Think about what?"

He hesitated, not wanting to scare her. "I don't know. Having a baby one day."

She stilled in his arms. "I ... um ... honestly, I don't know. I've never thought I'd be very good at it. I mean, look at who I had as an example. I don't want to be her. But other times I see Rayna with Maddie and Daphne and part of me thinks that would be nice one day. I guess I'm open to it. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I guess I always thought I would. Not any time soon. But one day."

"You'd be good with them," she smiled. "You're patient. I mean, you a really good at dealing with me. I, on the other hand. would need to take lessons."

"We'll let you shadow Rayna before it happens."

The both ignored the insinuation and laughed. "She'll love that!" She turned to face him pausing with her lips inched from his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You know ... we aren't any where near that point, but that doesn't mean we can't practice for when we do decide that the time is right.

"You coming?"

He looked up to see Gunnar, watching him expectantly, as the ladies walked ahead toward the exit. His eyes darted back to the dance floor once more. She was there, mere steps from him but it might as well have been a million miles. His heart ached, wanting to go to her and shake her. To make her wake up and remember who she really was ... what they were together. But he wouldn't. Her silence had made it very clear what he was to her. "I think I'm going to take a walk. I need some fresh air."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I'll see you guys in the morning." His friend looked at him with concern in his eyes, but eventually nodded and jogged to catch up with his girlfriend and their boss.

Avery didn't turn back to look at her again. He couldn't. Instead he walked through the lobby, hands shoved in his pockets, and made a beeline for the front door of the hotel. With his head down, he didn't see the older man until he had already run into him.

"Avery, you okay?" He looked up to see his manager watching him.

"Sorry, Glenn. I, uh, was just going out to get some fresh air. The others already went upstairs."

"She showed up, huh?" Glenn couldn't hide his feelings about her any better than Avery could, emotion covering his face.

"Yeah."

The manager nodded, and began to walk toward the elevators. "Thanks for the warning."

Avery was left alone with his thoughts as he headed out onto the sidewalk, the weather colder than usual for LA, even in February. He pulled his leather jacket tighter around him as the wind bit at him taking him back to another cold winter's night more than a year ago.

"You've been quiet tonight. Everything okay?"

They walked down the street hand in hand, a cold wind chilling them both to the core. The neon lights of downtown did little to brighten the darkness that surrounded them. The streets were unusually empty, probably due to the winter weather passing through the city. The dinner they had just had been ... different. He knew something was up. For the first time in the months they had been dating, he felt that Juliette wasn't being forthcoming with him.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

He moved in front of her, effectively stopping her in her tracks. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he made eye contact with her for the first time all evening. "Juliette, what is going on? You're not fine. Something's bothering you. I don't like to see you like this, so please. Talk to me."

"Avery ..." she shook her head an tried to look away.

But he was insistent. "Is it something I did?"

She looked back up at him. "No. Definitely not," she said softly.

"Then what is it."

She looked away, taking a deep breath, composing herself. "I made a decision...about the record deal in LA."

He could tell by the look in her eyes what that decision was. He dropped his hands and backed up a step. "You're taking it."

"It's my only option, if I'm going to have any kind of career, Avery. No one in Nashville wants anything to do with me." She paused. "I know you aren't crazy about the idea."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I never said that."

"I know." She moved a step closer to him. "You've been so supportive. But I can see it in your eyes."

He nodded, knowing that she could read him as well and he read her. "I just ... what happens to us?"

"Nothing happens!" she said quickly, fear appearing on her face. "We're still us. I still love you."

"But with you in LA? That's a long way, Juliette."

She reached out and grabbed his arm, desperate to maintain contact. "Then come with me."

"That's not a solution," he said, shaking his head. " My music is here. This thing I've got with Gunnar and Zoey has real potential. I haven't had that in a long, long time. Plus, you know how I feel about LA. It's not for me. And I really have trouble believing that it's you, either."

"Look Howie said ..."

That was his breaking point. For weeks he heard about what Howie thought about this and that. It had to stop. "So that's what this is about? What Howie said?! Don't you see what's happening? He's turning you into someone that you aren't."

He could see the defenses building up in her eyes. "Maybe I am this person," she said quietly.

"Will you listen to yourself?" He leaned down to look her directly into her eyes. "You're letting some guy you hardly know tell you that he is your only shot to get back on top. That's not true. You need to let your talent speak for itself. You are too good to waste your voice on the music he's going to force you to make."

He winced at the fire that suddenly appeared in her eyes. "And I should wait forever for that to happen?! That's hardly fair, Avery? You may be content to do that, But I'm not. I have to take this chance. This city is holding me back."

"Did Howie tell you that, too?"

Standing upright again, he rolled his eyes. "Maybe he told you that I'm holding you back too!"

He saw the confirmation in her eyes, though she continued to deny it. "You are unbelievable! I want to make this work. But you aren't making it easier. Please don't do this."

He looked up at the dark sky above, feeling defeated and unable to fight anymore. "When do you leave?

He had walked blocks and somehow, he didn't really even remember how, he wound up back a the hotel.

The party had begun to wind down, and the lobby was quieter than it had been an hour before. He hurried over to elevators and stepped into the first one to open. He couldn't think of anything he wanted to do more than get up to his room and lock the door. Lock out all the memories that had washed over him since he had first laid eyes on her earlier in the evening.

When the tiny familiar hand slid between the closing doors, he decided that fate or whatever had it out for him.

"Hold the elevator." He couldn't help but notice that she her Alabama twang had reappeared in her drunken slurring state. Even Howie V couldn't control her that much in the shape she was in. She stumbled into the elevator, grabbing onto the wall for support, pushing seemingly random floors in an attempt to make it up to her penthouse suite. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't alone, finally turning his direction. Makeup smeared, dress ripped slightly at the bottom scene, hair bleached ragged, it vaguely reminded him of a moment from their past, sitting on the General Jackson Showboat as she rambled on about how fairytales didn't exist. He believed her now.

Even as drunk as she was, she couldn't hide the shock on her face when she saw him. "You," she said, breathlessly.

"Me," he confirmed, working to remain stoic.

"What ... what are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are." He knew he shouldn't say any more, but the anger he'd kept at bay for 12 whole months couldn't remain hidden forever. He looked her up and down, disdain in his eyes. "Well, not exactly," he spat snidely. He hated himself for the venom in his voice.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" she shouted defensively.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "At least I can walk straight and didn't make a fool of myself in front of the entire music industry."

"Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?" She tried to scold him, but that just resulted in her almost falling over. She grabbed the wall in time to catch herself.

His voice soften naturally as he saw the pain in her eyes. She was hurting. Even after all this time, he could still read her like a book. "I'm the same person I was a year ago. Who are you, Juliette? What happened to the girl I fell in love with?"

"That girl," she said with a scoff, small tears in her eyes belying her stone cold exterior, "doesn't exist any more. I had to get out of Nashville to get rid of her. That city was doing nothing but holding me back."

"You mean, I was doing nothing but holding you back?" he said, clearly remembering their similar conversation on that Nashville sidewalk.

"You said it, not me."

He still dreamed about the look in her blue eyes the day she stopped by his apartment to say goodbye. "We'll talk" had been the last thing she had said to him.

He had stopped trying to call her after the second week. Stopped looking at his phone every waking moment after the first month. The second month he only looked when it rang, hoping it was her name on the screen. It never was. By the third month, he had resigned himself to the fact that it was over. It didn't stop his heart from hurting constantly.

The truth was that he missed her and he still loved her. It was evident to everyone around him.

Which made it that much more painful when he walked into Gunnar's place during the fourth month, only to find them staring and whispering about something on Zoey's iPad. When they heard him set his guitar down, the couple jumped and frantically acted like everything was normal. He could instantly tell they were trying to hide something.

Saying nothing he walked over and reached around Zoey to grab the device she was hiding behind her back. Gunnar and Zoey sat stiffly as he glanced at the screen. The TMZ website was covered with photos of her. Juliette, in short cutoff shorts and a revealing lace top, was walking down a chic LA street, arms around some guy that was apparently famous for something. Avery wasn't sure. All he knew was that it felt like a knife to his heart. It really was over.

Without a word, he handed the iPad back to his friend, turned, picked up his guitar and walked out the door.

The elevator bell rang, signaling a stop at his floor.

She moved to the back of the elevator as he walked to the door, as if she wanted as much space between them as possible.

Before stepping off, he turned and held the door open. His voice was gentle when he opened his mouth. "I miss that girl. The girl who wanted nothing more than to be everything that her mother wasn't. I hope you find her again, before it's too late. Goodbye, Juliette." He turned away, knowing that she was frozen by his words. He hoped she would remember them in the morning.

Let me know what you think in the Reviews!