Chapter 25 -

Question and answers

"You ready to go Blondie?" he asks, noticing it was getting close to 9:45. They were pushing their 10 am deadline to meet with Miles.

"Ready as I'm ever going to be" she says fumbling to try and do up the last few buttons on her blouse.

Seeing her struggling he reaches and out places a hand on hers, "Here, I got it for you", he says buttoning up the last few buttons for her.

"You ever going to tell me why you have those stitches?" she asks, glancing down at his hand.

"Doesn't matter" he tells her.

She gives him a look, "What did you do James?" she asks again, persisting till he answers.

"Hit the wall" he says doing up the last button. "Let's leave it at that", he puts his fingers under her chin and tilts her head up so they are looking eye to eye and he kisses her softly. "Let's go do this and put this behind us."

"Agreed", she tells him, not shifting her eyes from his gaze.

Half an hour later they were parking at the police station. He takes her hand, and again looks her in the eyes. "Just tell him the truth Blondie, exactly what you told me last night. You have nothing to hide"

She nods her head, but remains silent contemplating what might occur over the next couple of hours.

Hand in hand they enter the police station and are met by Miles. He escorts them to his office and stops at the door. "Sorry Jim" he says when they reach the door, "I need to talk with her alone"

He's about to argue when Juliet places her hand on his chest, "Its okay James" she says calmly, "I will be alright"

"You sure about this Blondie?" he asks.

Again she gazes into his eyes and nods her head, "I'm sure"

Nodding his head in response he watches as Miles escorts Juliet into his office. An unsettled feeling takes over him as Miles shuts the door. He takes a seat on the bench outside the office to wait.

Three hours later Juliet and Miles emerge from behind the closed door. Juliet looks worn out, but otherwise no worse off than she had when she entered the office.

He takes her hand when she offers it to him. "Everything okay?" he asks, and is met with the nod of her head.

"Miles has asked that I identify Edmund's body"

He shoots Miles a glare, "Don't you think she's been through enough man? First you accuse of her killing the man, now you ain't even sure you got the right man and want her to identify his remains?"

"James", Juliet says calmly before Miles can speak, "Its okay. I already agreed to do it"

"Juliet, honey you don't have to do this" he's amazed once again by her good heart.

"I know that I don't have to do this, I need to do this." She needed to see for herself Edmund was really gone. "Please try to understand"

He shakes his head, "I don't understand it Jules, not one bit." He resounds himself to the fact that whether he liked it or not she was going to do this and he might as well support her.

"I've cleared Juliet, Jim", Miles jumps in. "New evidence and time of death suggests that Edmund died shortly after we found Juliet last night"

"Then why the hell did you drag her down here and put her through this Miles" he snaps.

"Jim", Miles starts.

"James", Juliet chimes in. "I'll explain it to you later. Can we just get this over with? I would like to go home"

"Fine" he says dropping it, encouraged that at least Miles had no plans on arresting Juliet today.

Miles leads them through the station and escorts them to the morgue. He places them in a waiting room while he goes to speak with the coroner.

"Are you sure that you want to do this Jules?" he asks her when they are alone.

She takes a deep breath. "No" she replies honestly, "But I need to do this"

"Why?" he asks confused. "Why do you want to put yourself through this? Let the bastard lie in there cold, dead and alone that's what he deserves"

"I have to know that he is dead" she tries to explain. She stares at the curtain covering the viewing window, "I did this before" she says cryptically.

"What do you mean you did this before?" he asks walking up behind her and placing his arm around her shoulder.

"Even if I didn't kill him, he's dead because of me." She leans into him and he tightens his grip around her.

"None of this is your fault Juliet. You didn't make him pilfer his life savings away. You didn't make his company go broke"

"Didn't I?" she asks looking over at him and shrugging her shoulders. "He died the last time because I told Richard Alpert that he'd never let me work for Mittelos while he was alive, that the only thing that would let me work for them was Edmund getting hit by a bus. He got hit by a bus James" she says monotone.

"He got what he deserved, karma's a bitch Juliet"

"So is time travel" she says looking away from him and staring at the closed curtains.

Before he can respond Miles enters the room. He feels like he could cut the tension with a knife, "Ready Juliet?" he asks.

She nods her head, "Ready as I'll ever be"

Miles steps over the curtain and opens it.

Juliet takes a deep breath and steps towards the window and James falls into step behind her. Looking into the window at the body of the man, she gasps and turns burying her head in James shoulder.

He was surprised by her reaction, "Julie?" he says running her fingers down her head.

Miles closes the curtain, "Juliet?" he asks unsure what her reaction meant.

She takes a moment to let what she'd just seen sink in and finally slowly turns herself and looks from James to Miles shaking her head, "It's not him, that isn't Edmund"

"What the hell", both Miles and James respond at the same time.

"What do you mean it isn't him", Miles asks.

"I mean it's not him" her voice is steadier now. "I was married to the man for years. I don't know who that man is, the likeness to Edmund is uncanny, but that is not Edmund Burke"

"Sonofabitch", James mumbles.

"Juliet, are you absolutely sure?" Miles asks while pulling out his cell phone.

She nods her head as he dials the phone. "This is Miles" he says into the phone. "It's not Burke down here" He exchanges a few more words with whoever it was on the other end of the phone and slams it shut. "We'll find him Juliet" he tells her. "He's not going to get away with what he did to you"

"Sonofabitch" James says again. "You ain't safe with him out there Juliet. He came after you once, what is to stop him from doing it again"

"He's not going to come after me again James" she says turning once again to look at him.

"How do you know that, how can you be so sure"

"Because I saw his face when for the first time I fought back against him last night, he knew that I was not the same person he was married too. He knew I was capable of killing him and if there is one thing Edmund Burke is afraid of, it's death"

"Any clue where he'd go Juliet?" Miles asks.

She shakes her head, "Not a clue, as I told you earlier, before yesterday I hadn't seen or heard from Edmund since our divorce was finalized."

"Alright, well then I guess you are free to go. If we need any more information I know where to find you"

"Thanks Miles", Juliet replies.

"Thanks Miles?" James asks confused. "For dragging you down here, interrogating you and making you identify the body of a man you don't know"

"James, it's alright" she says softly and calmly. "It's over"

"It's not over Juliet, that bastard is still out there. What if he comes after you again?"

"Then you will protect me" she says looking into his eyes.

He looks at her confused, baffled by her sudden calmness.

"There is absolutely no reason to think he'll come after me again. I'm not apart of what he's got going on right now. He couldn't get from me what he wanted." She pauses a moment and sighs, "James, please, I just want to go home. The last few weeks have been crazy and the last few days have been hell. I just want to go home. I want to spend the day with you, with my sister and the kids. Please, just take me home"

He gives in, "I guess I can't deny you that. You'll keep us updated?" he turns and asks Miles.

"Absolutely" he replies. "I can post an officer outside the house too, if that will help"

James nods, "I can live with that" he glances at Juliet. "What do you think Blondie?"

"If it means we are out of here I'll agree to anything"

"Fine" he finally concedes. "Let's go home Blondie"

"Best thing I've heard all day" she says with a smile and then smirks at him and winks, "Well maybe second best"

Miles looks from Jim to Juliet and shakes his head, "I'll check in with you later"

An hour later they arrive back at the house. On the way Juliet had called Rachael and told her they were on their way home.

"We're home", Juliet calls entering the house. Met with silence she calls out, "Rach? . . Julian?. . .. Clem?" Met again with no answer she shrugs her shoulders at James. "Where do you think they are? It was only forty five minutes ago that I talked to Rachael."

He shrugs his shoulders back, "Dunno"

Juliet wanders through the house followed by James, "Rach?" she calls out again unable to help herself feel a bit of panic with being met again by silence. "Maybe they are outside?" she says pushing open the kitchen door, followed closely by James.

Stepping out onto the patio Julian jumps up from behind a chair, followed closely by Clem. "Surprise" he giggles, "S'prise", Clem giggles. She realizes the patio had been decorated in streamers and balloons and food was spread out on the picnic table. Following the children's giggles, Rachael, Jack, Kate and Tom come into the yard from the garage.

"What's this?" Juliet asks surprised. She glances back at James who had a big grin spread across his face.

"We love you Auntie Juliet" Julian says coming to her and giving her a hug. She looks to Rachael, "It's been such a crazy few weeks and we wanted to surprise you." Rachael hugs Juliet, "I wanted to thank you for everything you'd done for me over last several months. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you Jules". Juliet fights to hold back her tears. Pulling apart from Rachael she glances down at Clem and leans down to pick up the little girl. "Did you help with this too sweetheart?"

Clem gives her an exaggerated head nod and hugs her, "Love you mama" the little girl says.

With that, the tears that had been threatening spill over, "Oh honey" she says hugging her tighter and glancing at James. He steps towards Juliet, Cassidy would never be forgotten in Clem's life. Clem would always know that Cassidy was her mother, but if he had his way he and Juliet would raise Clem together and she'd be her mom. "She's sort of jumping ahead here" he says wiping away Juliet's tears.

She gives him a confused look.

"The surprise party was your sister's idea, but Clem and I have been chatting" he says smiling at his daughter, "And we decided we have our own surprise for you too"

When Juliet had been searching the house, he'd quickly slipped into the bedroom and gotten what he needed. "James?" Juliet says watching him get down on one knee and pull a box from his pocket.

"Juliet" he starts, "I should have done this a lifetime ago. I saw a glimpse of what my life was like without you and that's a life that I don't want to ever live again. I love you Juliet" he slides a diamond ring from the box. "Will you marry me?"

Her eyes blur with tears, "Yes" she says voice cracking, "yes I will marry you"

He slides the ring onto her waiting finger and pulls her into his arms and his lips meet hers, "I love you Juliet"

"I love you back" she mumbles against him.