Music. He could hear it from the street and he was pretty sure it was coming from his house. He hurried out of the cab and nearly ran to the front porch to get away form the rain. The music was definitely coming from inside the house.

"Julia?" he called when he opened the door. "Julia? What is going on here?" he yelled, trying to be heard on top of the music.

He didn't get any answer. He walked to the grammophone and turned it off. The house was completely silent now.

"Julia?" he called again.

He didn't get any answer. He was sure she was home though, her medical bag was on the table and her coat and hat had been thrown on the sofa. He stayed confused until he heard a clap of thunder. With all this noise he had forgotten about the huge storm raging outside. He slowly walked up the stairs and entered their bedroom where he found her as he had expected, rolled into a ball under the covers, her head burried under all the pillows she could find on the bed.

"Julia?" he asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Yes?" he heard a muffled voice answer.

"Can you come out of there?"

"I don't want to." she said. "You turned down the music, now I can hear it."

"Yes, but I'm here now, you don't need the music anymore." William said.

"Alright." Julia conceded, slowly emerging from under the covers.

Her hair was completely messed up, her eyes were puffy from her crying, her cheeks red. She didn't look at him.

"Did the music help?" William asked, getting her hair away from her face gently.

"For a while. But then the thunder was louder than the music so ..."

"So you hid in here." William smiled.

"Well, you were not here so … I didn't know what to do." Julia admitted, blushing.

"Come on, let's go downstairs put the music back on. But no so loud, I could hear it from outside! I am going to make something to eat." William said, taking her hand and pulling her out of the bed.

On the way downstairs, Julia didn't let go of his hand, trapped between both of hers. He led them in the kitchen and made her sit at the small table.

"You're going to have to let me go Julia, I need both my hands to prepare the food." William said, kissing her forehead softly.

Julia let go of him and watched him work around the kitchen. Her eyes never leaving him. She was still trembling under her shawl but the thunder had stopped so she was starting to relax.

"Julia, could you grab me a pan?" William asked.

"Sure." she answered, getting up and walking to where they kept the pans and pots.

As she walked back to him, something hit the kitchen window and sent her running to William, letting the pan fall on the floor.

"It's just an branch, Julia." William reassured her.

"I know it's just a branch William, I know that, but I can't control it!" she said, getting angry.

"Hey, I didn't mean to make you mad. I'm sorry I did." he said, picking up the pan and kissing her on his way back up.

"I know, I'm sorry to. It's just, you know storms make me ..."

"I know. And yet last time you said you loved them." William said. "And yet they turn you in a baby monkey." he laughed. "You know the kind that stays clinging to their mother's stomach."

"Don't make fun of me William." Julia said, burrying her face in his neck, reaxing instantly. "Its the only place I feel safe."

"Alright, this is not going to do for cooking. Let's just grab some bread, ham and cheese and move to the sofa." William declared, moving them solwly.

He would have asked Julia to let him go but he knew that was not going to happen. He had tried before, it never ended well for him.

"I have a question." William said as they sat down on the sofa.

"Alright. Ask your question."

"When did it start? I mean, some people get scared of storms but you … it's a whole other level. What happened?"

"I already told you, William." Julia sighed.

"No, actuatlly you never did. You always find something else to talk about. But I really need to know if I really want to help you." William said, playing with a lock of her hair.

"Well, I must have been five or six years old, Ruby was still a baby. My father had forbidden me to go in the attic because he had all his old files in there and of course I didn't listen."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" William asked, laughing.

"Hey, you want the story or not?"

"Yes, sorry, go on."

"So I went to the attic and … well let's just say that I didn't know you had to block the door open with a wood box and that there was no handle on the inside ..."

"Oh no … you were trapped in there?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"the whole night."

"And your parents didn't notice you were not in bed?" William asked, shocked.

"Well, I sort of waited for everyone to be asleep before going up there, I didn't want to get in trouble with my father."

"And how did that turn out?"

"Not good. Not good at all. I was locked in that old, dark dusty room and to make matters worse a huge storm broke out. I yelled, I cried, I pounded on the door but no one heard me. When my mother went to my bedroom to check on me and she didn't find me in my bed, she woke up the entire house and they finally found me early in the morning."

"Oh my God, that must have been awful!" William said, hugging her tighter.

"It was. And I have been scared of storms ever since. When they happen during the day, I can manage. But at night … I am sent back in that attic every single time. And all the feelings come rushing back. I was so scared that night, William! And on top of that my father got mad at me and yelled like I had never heard before. Only my mother managed to calm me down. After she died, I ended up in the hospital a few times because I was having panic attacks during storms." Julia explained.

"Julia, I had no idea! Why didn't you tell me before?" William exclaimed, getting her face away from his neck so he could look at her.

"Because it's embarrassing." she said, blushing.

"Embarrassing? It's not embarrassing Julia, it's … horrible.!"

"So you don't think I'm stupid, being scared of storms?" she asked shyly.

"Of course not."

As Julia was about to respond, the telephone rang, scaring her back into William's neck. He did not say anything this time, only tried to turn and reach the telephone from where he was sitting.

"Hello? Yes. Oh … I'm sorry but I can't come. Julia is really sick, I can't leave her alone all night. Get someone from another station house. Alright, goodbye."

"Detective Murdoch, did you just lie to the police?" Julia laughed.

"No, I did not. I don't think you are doing well enough for me to leave you alone here all night to go to some island looking into a murder during a game of cards."

"Well, thank you for looking after me." she said, kissing him. "I do feel much safer with you here." she said, her fingers playing with the buttons from his shirt.

"Well, it does appear that you are feeling better, maybe I should call them back."

"Please don't. Make me forget this storm William." she asked, sliding her hand under his shirt.