Hi guys! I really love the scene at the very end of the Episode 7 and I tried my very best to put it into words. I hope you are going to like it! Like always, please leave me reviews! (:

Couch

(S01x07 – Part3/3)

Barbie was cleaning the room on an auto-pilot mood. He found it still hard to digest everything that had happened in the past hours. The shocking but amazing experience with helping to deliver a new life into the world was unbelievable and indescribable. He did not plan to do that, to be a part of it. He wasn't a doctor and had no experience with such delicate things. He was a tough guy, a trained soldier an enforcer… Babies were small and fragile. Not something he could handle without accidently causing more harm than good. Or so he had thought.

So he had fully intended to stay out of the whole thing. He didn't know Harriet. His one and only real encounter with her had been this morning in the door and that was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life and probably hers too. He was a real stranger to her so his present would have been probably more distracting than helpful. So he had been leaning against the wall watching the women in the room. Julia was right there next to Harriet to support her and so were Alice and Carolyn. But Harriet was panicking and no matter what Julia or the others said, she was not listening. He watched as Julia pressed her lips together in worry and despair and in the next moment he had found himself stepping closer to calm Harriet down. He wanted to support her, to encourage her. She was obviously important for Julia and that automatically made her important for him too. That in the end it would be him who would help deliver her baby into this world was something he could not have imagined not even in his wildest dreams. But Alice had felt suddenly so bad she could not continue and two lives were on stake so without really thinking it over he had jumped in to help. Julia had been right beside him, of course. Together again they managed to save lives, managed to do something incredible. That moment when the baby was born, had been the moment of joy and utter happiness. The next one: panic and fear. Something was seriously wrong with Alice, she said it was her heart, and from the way it looked it was bad… very bad.

He was just putting the cushions back to their places when Julia looked up at him. Up until now she had been just sitting on the couch twisting her hands in worry. Her deep blue eyes were full with pain and fear.

"That was pretty amazing what you did." She said her voice heavy with unshed tears.

Barbie looked up at her and was about to say she was the one with all the life saving ideas but suddenly the door opened with a loud bang. They glanced toward the entrance at the same time. It was Joe and Norrie. The kids looked tormented as they stopped at the door.

"Where is my mom?" Norrie asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes shone bright with worry. Only God knows how she knew that something was wrong.

"Upstairs." Julia answered quietly and the young girl ran immediately up to the master bedroom. Joe stood frozen to ground staring after Norrie helplessly before he turned toward them again. His eyes were filled with worry, panic and confusion.

He didn't need to ask anything as Barbie quietly shook his head in grief. The young boy dropped his shoulders in dejection and without a word turned on his heels and walked out the door. Silence filled the house for a few moments.

"Why?" Julia murmured after a while her tearful eyes made his heart ache, she had never looked so sad. So hopeless. "Why is this happening?" She asked now her lips trembling but she was stubbornly holding back her tears.

Barbie sat down on the couch taking her hand in his and holding it tenderly but firmly, wanting her to feel safe and protected with him. He wanted nothing more than to take away the pain that she had been feeling.

Julia took a shaking breath. "It is unfair." she whispered clutching his hand like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.

"Come here." Barbie said pulling her gently to him. She went willingly into his arms wrapping her hand around his neck and burying her face into his neck. His fingers run soothingly up and down her back.

"She is going to die…. isn't she?" Julia whispered into his neck her voice muffled as her fingers went into his hair holding him close.

"Yes." He said gently caressing her back and hair. Her small body started to tremble against his with silent tears. He let out a deep breath kissing her hair as he slowly rocked back and forth, trying to calm her down, to comfort her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes as she silently cried into his neck, her left hand clenching around his shirt. Once her sniffles ceased he pulled away a bit to look at her face.

"You okay?" He asked as he stroked her face wiping away the tears with his thumb. She nodded in silence.

The next moment they heard the sound of running footsteps down the stairs. Norrie passed through the open living room's door, her face wet with tears her eyes red and swollen. She was running out of the house. The door snapped close behind her and silence filled the house yet again. Julia and Barbie exchanged a look of sadness and dropped their heads in sorrow.

"I can't believe it." Julia whispered her eyes fixed on her hands resting in her lap. Barbie took them into his again and leaned forwards to place a light kiss on her forehead. "Can we… just stay like this for a while?" She asked glancing up their foreheads now touching lightly.

"Of course." He said adjusting his position on the coach to a more comfortable one. He was half laying on it now, using the arm as a pillow, one leg resting on the floor, the other straight along the back of the couch. Julia was nestled between his legs, her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, their fingers entwined as his thumb gently brushed over her knuckles.

"Are we all going to die?" Julia's flat voice broke the silence and made him frown, his body tensed. "It could have been any of us. Harriet or the baby, Joe or Norrie…" She trailed off. "Me or you… we could have died today." She finished her voice only a whisper at the end.

"No." Barbie said firmly his arms tightening around her his eyebrow twitching.

"You can't be sure." Julia looked up at him. "The Dundees pointed a gun at me today. I could have died. Or you when you unarmed them." She pointed out, her voice matter of factly.

He had been shaking his head all the while she spoke. "No, Julia…" he said and he was aware his whole body radiated tension and went rigid. "No." His statement held such determination, that it left no room for argument. It was simply not possible. As long as he was around he would make sure no harm came upon her. He just could not allow it. He would not. Never. If someone could survive this whole nightmare it would be her. He would make sure of it.

They laid there in silence both of them deep in thoughts, now Julia caressing his hand with her thumb taking in everything that had happened. She glanced up at him, needing that warm connection of his gaze on hers. He placed a small kiss on her forehead reassuring her that she was safe with him. And it seemed to work. Julia relaxed in his embrace her eyes closed as his lips ran over her face and her eyelids.

"You are a hero." She said after a while and Barbie let out a sarcastic huff.

"You of all people should know it is not true." He murmured against her forehead. She turned her head to look into his eyes lifting an eyebrow with confusion. "I am an enforcer Julia. I am the bad guy." He added as explanation.

"You keep saying that." Julia shook her head, a small half-smile found its way to her lips.

"I slipped. Yesterday. I beat the shit out of a guy, because he stole something from a stupid shop. That is me." He said taking his eyes from hers in shame.

"No it is not." She said her voice firm as she turned to face him. "That used to be you. But that is not who you are now. That is not who I see now. Or Joe, or Linda or anyone in the town." She added, her eyes burning a hole into his face, willing him to look into her eyes again. An as he did, he found only warmth and affection there. No judgment. She really was his second chance. He wasn't convinced she was right about that, but if he had changed one bit it was her doing. She was the reason. She really did tame him. She made her a better man.

He let out a sigh and leaned down to place a kiss on the tip of her nose. She closed her eyes and they stayed like that for a while until she suddenly looked up at him again.

"I think we should stay." She said. "They might need you. If something would go wrong with Harriet or the baby or Carolyn…" She trailed off.

"No." He said surprising her and she blinked a few times, her eyebrows rising. He leaned down to place another kiss on her forehead with a smile. "They might need you, Julia, not me." She opened her lips to disagree but she was cut short as he placed a long finger on her lips. "They don't even know me. But I am happy to stay and help… with you." he added lifting her hand to place a soft kiss on it then froze in midair. His smile disappeared, his lips slightly open with surprise as he started at her hand. He ran his thumb over her fingers. Her bare fingers … no ring. Slowly he turned his eyes to her. She watched him carefully her body tense against his.

"Guys, hey!"

Angie's voice shook them from their thoughts and they turned toward the door abruptly letting go of each other's hand.

"I don't mean to be rude but… I was wondering if you could stay the night?" Angie asked coming into the living room and popping down on a chair. She looked tired and exhausted. Julia and Barbie adjusted their positions as well now sitting next to each other on the couch.

"I mean I just got home, my little brother is shaken to the core, Norrie is crying her heart out, there is a dead woman upstairs and another one moaning her, plus a newborn baby with Harriet with whom I had talked about 2 sentences in my whole life. I would kind of need help and support, you know in case things go down." She said in one breath looking at them with hopeful eyes.

"Of course." Julia leaned forward with a smile taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

"Thanks. We eh… don't have any free bedrooms. Carolyn is in my parent's bedroom with Alice, Norrie is in my room, I crash with Joe in his and Harriet and the baby took the guest bedroom. All I can offer is the coach." Angie scratched her head nervously nodding towards the coach they were sitting on.

"It is fine don't worry." Julia nodded with a smile.

"Great, I will go grab some blankets for you guys. And thank you, I appreciate it." Angie said jumping up and giving them an honest, thankful smile.

-0-0-0-0

Barbie was staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. Throwing a glance at the clock it read 01:03am. Still he could not make himself fall asleep. He could still hear Norrie's quiet crying drifting down from above. The kids had gone to sleep about half an hour earlier when they finally managed to convince them it was too late to stay up and they needed to rest. Carolyn, Harriet and the baby did not come down all night. It was understandable of course.

He and Julia made themselves as comfortable on the couch as possible. Angie and Joe had put a comforter and a pillow for him on the floor but he and Julia ended up together on the coach anyway. She nestled herself against his chest so she could hear his beating heart, her hand resting on his shoulder, her head tucked under his chin. He wrapped the blanket around them and held her tightly.

She was not asleep; he could tell by the way her breath was still uneven.

"Thank you…" she whispered suddenly her voice soft against his chest. "For staying here with me." she added tilting her head to look up at him.

Barbie tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear smiling at her. It was a small gesture so sweet and comforting. "Where else would I be?" He asked. Honestly, he might not have had the time to closely analyze his feelings for her yet but he was pretty sure he would always end up wherever she was. If it was in the middle of the forest in freezing cold than there, if at Joe's place on an uncomfortable couch then there.

"Home. Comfortable in the bed instead of on a small coach not big enough for even one person." She smiled at him snuggling closer to him.

Home. Barbie tasted the word in his mind. He had a home once, with his parents when he was a kid. When everything was still good and easy. But as he grew up he began to hate that place more and more. It was a reminder of who his father wanted him to be and who he never ever wanted to become. He had his own place in Zenith now but could he really call it a home? It was a place to crash for the night whenever he was around but that was all. It was mostly empty no personal touch to it. To be honest, he never really had a home since he turned 11.

"I don't think so." He said finally tightening his hold on her waist. "I rather enjoy this coach actually. It is like when I was a teenager crashing at a friend's place."

Julia lifted her head to look at him with a small smile on her lips. "Crashing on a couch huh? I bet with a blonde girl splayed out on your chest?" She asked teasingly.

Barbie gave her a half-smile his hands running up her arms sending shivers up her spine. "I don't really care about my teenage days or nights, which I had spent crashed on a couch… with blondes or not blondes." he murmured placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "But I can say I like the current set up. Crashed on the couch with a beautiful, sexy woman." He murmured against her temple.

"Under different circumstances I would say it sounds rather interesting." Julia said smiling up at him.

Barbie let out a chuckle placing a small brief kiss on her lips. "Under different circumstances I would take you up on that."

So, this was a long one. I really hope you liked it! (: I enjoyed writing it for sure.

Romantic In Denial: Barbie the one keeping the peace and how funny he really was a bad guy before the whole dome thing. But well we like bad guys who are not that bad (:

yas-m: Oh yes absolutely agree! They just look at each other and they already know what the other is thinking.. I love Jarbie soooo much!

Guest: Thanks a lot! I hope you liked this chapter as well!