That morning, they had decided to walk to work, getting some fresh air before being rushed into their respective tasks in the morgue or at the sation house. William had stopped to look at some new tools in a shop window when Julia saw it first. She blinked rapidly but it had disappeared. Maybe she needed some time off work. The long hours seemed to be catching up with her and now she was having allucinations. When she turned around, William was looking at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, taking her arm and resuming their walk.

"Yes, I'm fine." she smiled. "I thought I saw something but I was wrong."

"What did you think you saw?"

"I … you know what? I don't want you to think your wife turned completely crazy in her early days. I'll tell you if I see it again, alright?"

"Alright." William said, confused.

A few minutes later, William stopped again to buy a newspaper at a stand. Julia's attention was attracted by people running in her peripheric vision. She turned her head and she saw it again. People were running away from it and it seemed only to encourage it.

"William?" Julia called.

"Yes." he said, not looking her way as he was paying the vendor.

"William." she repeated, not loosing sight of it as it was walking towards them from the end of the street. "I'm not crazy. Look it's real. William, now!" she almost yelled.

"What it it I … OH Lord is that ..."

"A tiger? Yes. And it's coming our way. What do we do?" Julia asked, fear clear in her voice.

"First, you come behind me." William said, pulling her by the hand and making her stand behind him. "Then, the vendor will open his stand so that we can go inside with him, won't you Sir?"

"Of course." the vendor said, getting out of his fear-induced trance. "Ma'am, come this way please." he continued, opening a gate on the side of the stand.

Julia moved slwoly so as not to attract the tiger's attention.

"William, are you coming?" she asked.

"Sir, the shutters, can you close them from the inside?"

"No Sir, I have to unlatch them from the outside."

"Alright. I'll unlatch them. Julia, you go inside. Now." William said, moving slowly to his right to unlatch the first one, his eyes never leaving the beast who was calmly walking towards them.

"But William ..."

"Now Julia!"

She joined the vendor and watched worriedly William go to one side and the other for the shutters. When he joined her inside, the vendor locked the shutters. Just as the three of them started breathing in relief, they heard a big comotion on the outside. Julia cried in fear and fell in a corner. William joined her and took her in his arms.

"It's alright Julia. The tiger must have jumped on the stand." he said.

"And how is that alright?" she asked, hitting him on the shoulder. "You could have been killed out there!"

"Well if I hadn't stayed out there enough to close the shutters, we would not be having this conversation, that's for sure." he replied coldly.

"I'm sorry William. I'm just scared, I ..."

"Don't worry Julia, it's alright. Everything is going to be alright." William said, carressing her hair.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, listening hard to hear any change from the outside. The newspaper vendor kept looking at them, a smile on his face. When they heard noises and voices from around the newpaper stand, the vendor slowly opened the shutters. When he saw that everything was clear of any tiger, he opened them completely. William and Julia stood up and looked with him. It was as if nothing special had happened. People were walking in the streets as normal, just looking around them more frequently.

"Thank you so much Sir for the protection you offered." Julia said, hugging the man quickly.

"Yes. Thank you." William said, shaking his hand.

They left him and almost ran to the station house. As soon as they entered the building, George ran to them.

"Sir! Doctor! There is a tirger loose in the streets! The telephones have not stopped ringing and ..."

"We know, George. We … met the tiger."

"You did? You're lucky to be safe then. Several people were hurt. I even heard someone say he saw the tiger jump on a newspaper stand."

"Yes, we know. We were inside." William said, catching Julia as he felt her legs tremble under her.

George was about to ask for more details but stopped when he saw Julia's face lose all her colour and when he noticed that William was half carrying her.

"Could you bring us some tea in my office please George?" William asked as he walked Julia to his office. "And something to eat for Julia as well?"

"Yes Sir, right away."

The case was closed, the circus had left the city, and the Inspector was sad to have lost the monkey.

William walked into the morgue as Julia finished her paperwork.

"Are you going to leave me?" William asked.

"What?" she asked, laughing as she looked up from her desk and turned her chair towards him.

"I had my fortune told by Lady Minerva today. She said that I loved a woman, that she was my match but that she does not appear in my future. So I repeat my question, are you planning on leaving me?"

"No I am not." Julia said seriously.

"Good." William said, kissing her. "Just making sure."

"I never took you for a believer in fortune tellers." Julia laughed.

"I don't. But she said it twice."

"She could have said it a hundred times, it would not have mattered. I will never leave you William Murdoch."

"Not even for a lion-like man you found so interesting earlier?" he asked, teasing.

"He is dead William. And even when he wasn't I said he was interesting in terms of his genes. Plus, you know I like skin to skin contact. He didn't have any skin at all, just hair." she said, getting on her feet, her face ending up right in front of his.

"You do like skin." William said, kissing her once more. "Are you ready to go home?" he asked, keeping her close.

"I am." she said.

"Do you want to walk home?"

"I think a carriage would be safer. In case there is another wild animal raoming the streets." she laughed, kissing him before moving away to get her coat and hat.