Two Souls one heart

I fidgeted with the aim of my shirt trying to concentrate on the feel of the thread against my thumb pad to keep the tears at bay.

"Aaron?"

He looked up from the documents on his desk, his left brow rose questioningly.

I took a deep, shaky breath. "It's okay – If you want to break up with me, I understand." My voice was much clearer and steadier than I thought.

Warner gasped and recoiled as if I slapped him. He stood straighter and rushed toward me, I raised my hand to stop him in his track.

"Juliette?" He asked tentatively.

I shook my head; I repeated this speech perfectly in my head. It took me days, days of seeing him pull away, being tense and secretive. He was coming to bed way after I fell asleep and was gone before I was awake. It was like he didn't want to share this bed with me anymore. He didn't know that I saw him with his assistant when he told me he was busy, saw him whisper in her ear as she smiled at him. All these memories broke my heart all over again.

You did it to Adam – You deserve it. A voice kept repeating in the back of my mind.

"I understand Aaron, I promise." I turned away from him and walked back in the bedroom. "Your choices were limited. You might very well be the most beautiful man on this earth but, people were terrified and you were broken." I tried to swallow but winced when the lump of tears in my throat prevented me to do so. "But you are happier now, you have Adam and Jake and…" I sat heavily on the bed looking straight ahead. "You have the right to second guess us. You- you've the right not to love me anymore."

The room seemed frozen in the moment and I could see from the corner of my eyes that he was standing rigidly a few feet from me.

"Juliette –" He let out in a breath.

I closed my eyes, letting the tears running slowly down my cheeks.

I was taken aback when I felt warm hands on my thighs.

I opened my eyes slowly to find him kneeling in front of me his eyes full of pain and anguish.

"Juliette, don't feel like this. The pain – your agony I can't – " His voice broke.

I stood up briskly making him stumble back. Someone any less gracious would have fallen heavily on their butt but not Aaron Warner Anderson; he had the grace and agility of a cat.

I could handle, love, hate, indifference but I couldn't tolerate pity. Not from him, not from anyone. I have been pitied for far too long, I had been a victim for far too long but now I was the leader of the free world, I was lethal. I was Juliette Ferrars and pity had no place in my life.

I faced him, my tears and pain overshadowed by my anger. "I will be fine Warner." I saw him flinch slightly at the use of his last name. "They say time heals all wound. I'll get over it." I'll get over you. That was just as much as I could wish for, knowing perfectly it was a disillusion.

"How could you, for one minute, think that I could not want you?" He asked and there was anger laced with pain in his voice.

I stood straighter, not sure what I could add. "Actions speak louder than words; nothing is truer than what I can see with my own eyes"

"After all the misconceptions you had about me when we first met? Could you not just give me the benefit of the doubt?" He probably could still feel the finality of my feelings. Aaron sighed, raising a finger. "One minute love, just give me one minute."

I opened my mouth to ask him to not call me like that anymore but all I managed was a sharp nod. I wanted to be wrong; I never wanted to be wrong more than now.

Aaron walked back in his office….well our office that we now shared and picked up the phone, leaving the door open for me to hear.

"We need to move it…No it can't wait. She knows – This…" He meet my eyes from his spot by the desk. "I have no other choice, you have twenty minutes."

He walked back in the room, standing a couple of feet in front of me, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

"You're hiding something." I stated but the pain of the cold truth was ripping through me like Anderson bullet had and the pain itself was even sharper.

Aaron extended his hand to me. "Come with me love, once you'll see what I have to show you it will all make sense."

I looked from his hand to his pleading eyes a couple of time before relaxing my stance. I took a couple of step back gesturing to the door. "Lead the way."

Aaron let his hand fall heavily on his side before exiting the room.

I followed him silently through the corridors and as we kept turning and turning I lost count. I was about to ask him to stop when he stop in front of dark wooden door.

He turned briskly to face me. "Could you do me a favor?" He reached in his pocket and got out a tie.

"You want to- blindfold me?" I asked with incredulity. "I am not in the mood for games."

Aaron took a tentative step toward me. "I always trusted you – blind faith. I don't ask for much. Five minutes Juliette, it will all be clear after that. Allow me, please."

No matter how mad or hurt I was, I trusted him with my life. I closed my eyes waiting for him to blindfold me.

I heard him open the door, whisper something before he pulled me gently into the room.

"Just one more minute" he said as I heard the door close. "We're good."

I remove the blindfold, and the sight before me, took my breath away.

Aaron was kneeling before me surrounded of rose petal and candles.

"Juliette Love – This is not exactly how I was planning this but sadly your impatience…" He gave me a small smile. "I know all of your secrets and you know all of mind. You are making me stronger; you are always holding me when I am losing my mind." He took a deep breath. "This is the most important question I will ever ask Juliette and if I was distant it's because I was scared, scared to ask but – but I didn't want you to ever feel unwanted or unloved because Juliette…you're my life." He opened the box where his mother ring rested. "Juliette Ferrars, will you marry me?"

"No" I whispered my eyes still stuck on the ring.

"No?" The hurt in his voice made me look up and I met his eyes full of anguish.

"No…" I pointed at the box. "I mean this is too important this is the only present you ever got."

Aaron smiled. "No."

"No?"

Aaron shakes his head. "It might be the first but not the last and not the most precious." He stood up walking slowy toward me.

"What is?"

"You are. Your love, your unwavering trust, your complete acceptance of who I am. We are one Juliette. You are the most precious present." He brought his free hand to my cheek before leaning in and brushing his lips against my forehead.

He took the ring out of the box. "Two souls, one heart." He claimed showing me the engraving in the ring. "You wearing that ring will be an honor for me."

I stroke the hand holding the ring. "Yes Aaron, of course I will marry you."

I saw the tension escape him all at once as he slid the ring on my finger.

"Were you scared of my answer?"

"Can you blame me? You are magnificent, the most powerful of us all – Our Leader. You are complete Juliette, you don't need me."

"Complete? Yes I am complete Aaron and it is because of you." I reached for his hand and rested it against my racing heart. "I am what I am because you love me. You were my strength when I was weak, you were my eyes when I couldn't see." I smiled thinking of the engraving in the ring. "Two souls…" I whispered.

"One heart" Aaron replied breathless before kissing me into oblivion.