A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I was working on one of
my other fics and got into a writer's block on it. I hope you enjoy this
chapter; it is the next to last chapter of the story. This chapter is going
to be short, or I think it is. But it is going to be the start of Julie
starting to come back to the Julie we all know and love. I hope you enjoy
and please review. To those that have reviewed: thank you.
A Little Note From C-chan96 The Beta: Yo yo yo my peeps! *people stare blankly at the blonde little white girl who is being stupid* ....Heehee...eh...Just thought I'd pop in and say hello. Hello! I'm sorry that there are a few chapters that have yet to be beta-ed. I'm relatively busy with my own stories and other things, and sometimes I can't get around to editing them. So we're pretty sorry about any that have spelling or grammatical errors, but we ask that you try to ignore them if possible. ^_^ We're doing our best here. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thanks to all those who have reviewed!
*Note to my reviewers*
Astrid the Oh-SO-Mighty: Thank you; I am glad you like it. As for the Beta Reader, I do have one but she isn't always able to check it when I am done. That is why I have A/N's at the bottom of the Chapters telling the readers when she hasn't been able to read it. Thanks for reviewing and please review again.
JennyGirl: I am very glad that you enjoyed the story. But I had no intentions for it to seem that Charlie was treating her like a little girl. In fact, I don't think he was. Think of it like this: Julie just lost her mother, her father is blaming her for it, and he has kicked her out of the house. She needs someone to hold her and give her a little TLC. I hope you see it that way now because I had not intentions for it to seem like he was treating her like a little girl. Well I hope you like this chapter, thank you for reviewing and please review again.
Jo: I am glad that you like my story. But like I said to JennyGirl Julie just lost her mother, her father is blaming it on her, and he kicked her out of the house. I don't think that with those circumstances Julie could pull off her usual tough girl act. As for my spelling, thank you; I know it sucks, it always has. However, if you had read the A/N's at the bottom of each chapter you would know that I have a beta reader and that she doesn't always have time to go over it. So my suggestion to you is read the A/Ns so that you will know whether or not she has read it. I hope you like this chapter, thank you for reviewing, and please review again.
Banksiebabe99: I am glad that you liked the chapter and Julie fighting back to her dad. I think you will find that in this chapter her normal character will be coming back. Thank your for reviewing it means a lot to me. Well, I'll talk to you later, I hope you like this chapter.
C-Chan96: Yes we all know your love for Charlie. It's fine that you didn't get to edit the last chapter, I understand. Julie/Charlie fics are always a good thing. Well, I'll talk to you later.
Okay, now that that is done...on with the chapter. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Chapter 7-
When they got to the airport, Jason couldn't go in with them; instead he parked the car and went with them to make sure they got checked in. When they finished checking in, Jason turned to Julie, who was staring at the ground.
"He Shorty, look at me." He said, and she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.
"I don't want to go home yet. I know I said that I did, but I was just upset." She said softly, "I wanted to spend more time with you."
"Oh Jules." Jason said and pulled her into a hug, "You'll be better off back there than here with dad yelling at you for no reason. You have all your friends there; that can help you through this." He told her.
"They could if they knew." She replied.
"Did you not tell them?" He asked, and she shook her head, "Why not?"
"I didn't want to. We had just won a big game when I found out and I didn't want to spoil it for them." She told him, looking up with her big blue eyes.
"Okay, well I can understand that; but Julie, promise me that you will think about telling them. You need your team right now, and I know that they will not hesitate to help you" He said.
"Okay, I promise." She said.
"Good girl." He said smiling at her, "And I promise that as soon as I can, I will come out and see you. Okay?"
She gave him a weak grin, "Okay."
He pulled her into another hug, and held her for a minute. He then let her go and turned to Charlie, Connie, and Guy, who had walked a few feet away to give them some room.
"Hey guys, take care of my baby sister, ya hear?" He said to them teasingly. They smiled knowing what he was trying to do and nodded.
"Good answer, because I'm coming down some time soon; and if I find out that you haven't taken good care of her, your going to have to deal with me." He finished, and they once again nodded. Jason turned and looked at Julie and grinned, who in turn rolled her eyes.
He laughed and patted her on the head, "There is the reaction I was looking for." He said, which earned him another eye roll.
He laughed once again and walked towards Charlie.
"Hey Charlie, do me a favor and encourage her to tell the rest of the team, will you?" Jason asked him, and he nodded, "But don't bring it up yourself; make her bring it up." He finished. "Yeah, okay. I will." Charlie said. "Thanks man, and just so you know. I was just teasing a few minutes ago about having to deal with me. I know you guys will take care of her. I was just trying to get a normal Julie reaction out of her, which I did." Jason told him.
"I know, I'm glad you did." Charlie said. "I'm worried about her."
"Yeah, I am too; but I think with you three and, if she tells them, the rest of the ducks, she will soon be our tough girl again. I think with her reaction awhile ago, it'll be sooner then we think." He said, grinning a little bit.
"Yeah, I agree." Charlie said, and then looked at his watch, "Well, I think we need to get to the gate."
"Yeah, you do. I'll talk to you later." Jason said and high fived Charlie.
"Yeah." Charlie replied.
Jason turned to Julie and kissed her on the forehead.
"I've got to go, and you guys have to get to your gate." He said, and she nodded.
"Remember what you promised me; that you would think about it."
"I will." She said.
"Good, I'll see you soon." He told her.
"Okay, bye Jassy." She said.
"Bye Shorty," He said; she rolled her eyes once again, and he laughed. He then kissed her on the forehead one more time and headed back to his car.
Julie stood there and watched him go until she couldn't see him anymore. Charlie gave her a few minutes, and then walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Come on Angel; you'll see him again soon." He said in her ear. "We need to get to our gate."
She didn't say anything; she just kept looking in the direction that her brother went and nodded. He led her gently into the airport, with Connie and Guy behind them. About ten minutes later, they were at their gate and sitting in the chairs waiting for their flight to be called.
The whole time they were waiting, Julie sat straight in her chair, staring forward and thinking about what her brother had told her to think about. Charlie set next to her, just watching her. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but decided that she was probably just thinking to herself. He turned to Connie and Guy who were snuggling together and smiled.
"Hey guys." He said.
"They looked at him and smiled, "Hey Charlie."
"Ready to go home?" He asked them.
"Yeah we are." They both said at the same time.
Charlie smiled, "Yeah, so am I."
They smiled, and he turned back to look at Julie. She was in the same position she had been in a few minutes ago. He sighed; he didn't know what to do. He heard Connie sit up next to him, so he turned and looked at her. She was looking at Julie with a worried look on her face.
"She's going to be okay, Connie." He told her, "With the help of her friends, she is going to be okay."
"I know, but she's not right now. She's confused, and hurting. I can see it in her face." Connie said.
"Yeah, you're right; she is confused and hurting. But I think right now she just might be making a decision; we'll be there to help her out in the long run." Charlie said. Connie looked at him with a confused look on her face, and Charlie laughed. "If I'm right, then you'll find out soon."
"Oh, okay." Connie said still confused.
Guy, who kind of understood what Charlie was talking about, reached over and pulled Connie back towards him.
"Don't worry Cons, Charlie's right. She has some decisions to make." He told her. Before she could respond, the announcement that boarding was starting came over the speakers and they all got up. Well...Charlie, Connie, and Guy did anyway. Julie was still deep in thought. Charlie smiled lovingly at her for a minute, and then bent down in front of her.
"Julie, come on. It's time to get on the plane." He told her gently.
"But they haven't announced it yet." She said, confused as why he was telling her this.
He laughed gently, "Yes they have, Angel; you were so deep in thought that you didn't hear it. Now come on." He told her and stood up and held his hand out to her.
"Okay." She said and grabbed his hand so that he could help her up.
Once she was up, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and they walked to the gate and onto the plane. Once they got onto the plane, they put their carry- on luggage above them and sat down. They buckled their seatbelts and sat, waiting to take off. When they were finally taking to the runway, Julie turned to Charlie and nudged him. He looked at her and smiled.
"What is it Angel?" He asked her.
"Where are Connie and Guy?" She asked him.
"We're back here, Jules." Connie told her before Charlie could.
"Why?" Charlie asked her.
"Because once the plane levels off I want to tell you all about the decision I have made." She told him.
"Okay." He said and then turned to Connie and smiled, and she smiled back.
A few minutes later the plane took off and was beginning to level off. As soon as it did and the seat belt light went off, Julie took her seatbelt off and turned in her seat so that she could see Connie and Guy. She was about to start talking but the flight attendant came and asked them what they wanted to drink. They all told her what they wanted and she gave it to them and left. Julie took a drink of her coke and set it down on the tray, looking down at her hands.
Charlie reached over when he saw her do this and took one of her hands in his. She looked up at him, and he gave her an encouraging smile. That seemed to have made her feel better because she took a deep breath and started to talk.
"I've decided that when we get home, I want to tell the rest of the team about what happened and why we have been gone all week." She told them.
"Julie, that's great." Charlie told her. "I'm glad you decided to tell them."
"Well, I actually decided before we got to the airport, because I have been thinking about it constantly since last night. Then when Jason was talking to me awhile ago, he told me that he thought I would be better off back with them because they could help me. I told him they didn't know, and he made me promise to think about telling them. I told him I would, and that is when I knew I would tell them."
"Is that what you were doing in the waiting room in the airport?" Connie asked, "Thinking?"
"Yeah, but I was thinking about how I was going to tell you guys about wanting to tell the team. And of how I was going to tell the team, and when. That is why I was so out of it." She told them, laughing a little.
Charlie, Connie, and Guy laughed with her, happy to see her on the way to being happy again.
"It's good to see you trying to be happy again, Jules." Charlie told her, and she smiled.
"I can't morn her forever; she wouldn't want me to. It's going to take me a while to get over it, but like I said I know my Momma doesn't want me to be sad forever." She told them softly. "I'm going to try to be my usual self again. There are going to be times that I need her, and I realize I can't go talk to her, and that is going to be hard on me. But with you guys and the rest of the team, I know I'll have someone to go to. I don't want to be one of those people that sink into a deep depression. I want you guys to promise me that if you see me doing that you'll try to get me out of it." She finished.
"Of course we will, right guys?" Charlie told her, and Connie and Guy nodded in agreement.
"Thanks." She said and gave them a true smile.
"So did you decide when you're going to tell the rest of the team?" Connie asked her.
"Yeah, I want to tell them tonight." She said.
"That's good. You can't back out of it now that we know the truth." Charlie said dramatically, and Julie laughed.
Julie leaned against the window and quickly fell asleep. Charlie looked away from Connie and Guy to look at her. He smiled at her curled up form, fast asleep.
"Hey guys, we need to be quiet; Julie's asleep." Charlie told Connie and Guy.
They both nodded in understanding, knowing that she was extremely tired because she hadn't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days. Charlie raised the arm in between the two seats and then reached over and gently pulled her into his arms. She whimpered a little from the movement, but when his strong arms went around her she stopped and cuddled up against his chest. He smiled and laid his head back, falling asleep himself.
About an hour and a half later, Charlie was woken up by the pilot announcing that they would be landing soon. Charlie sighed and looked down at Julie, who was still curled up next to him and fast asleep.
"Well, I guess I should wake her up..." He said softly to himself.
"Julie, wake up baby; we're about to land." He said a little louder.
She just whimpered and cuddled up to him a little more. Charlie laughed and hung his head closer to her ear.
"Julie, you need to wake up; we're about to land." He said once again, but into her ear.
She whimpered again, but opened her eyes and looked up at him, "We are?" She asked.
"Yes, we are; and any minute now the seatbelt light is going to come on." He told her softly. She slapped him softly on the arm lightly and sat up.
She looked around the seat for a minute and found one part of the seatbelt; however, she couldn't find the other end of it. Charlie laughed softly and picked it up and gave it to her.
"Thanks." She said and smiled at him.
"No problem, Angel." He told her.
He then turned to Guy and Connie to make sure they were awake. They were, so he smiled at them and turned back to face the right way.
About twenty minutes later, they were on the ground and at the gate. They got their carry-ons and headed out of the plane. When they got out of the tunnel, they started looking for Bombay. Julie started jumping up and down, trying to find Bombay. Charlie laughed and reached out and held her down by her shoulders.
"Charlie!!!! I'm trying to find Coach." She complained. "Can you see him? You don't have to jump."
He laughed, "Would you like me to describe the crowd to you, or would you like me to get you a box?"
She glared at him, trying to act like she was mad at him but couldn't hold it I; she cracked up laughing.
"Thanks, Charlie; I needed that." She said, trying to stop laughing.
"No prob, Jules." He said patting her on the back, an impish smile on his face.
Just then, Julie saw Bombay walking up and ran to him, hugging him. Charlie smiled and walked over to them, followed by Connie and Guy.
"Hey Coach; I thought Coach Orion was coming too." He said.
"Well, he was; but then the team started asking about you guys." He said letting go of Julie and slapping Charlie on the back.
"He's not going to tell them, is he?" Julie asked him.
"He told me that all he was going to tell them was 'you had a family emergency and you would tell them when you got back.'" Bombay told her, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, because I wanted to tell them tonight when I got back." She told him.
"That's good, Jules." Bombay told her. "Why don't we get your luggage and go."
"Okay, but we don't have to rush it." Julie said seriously.
Charlie, Connie, and Guy all laughed at what she said; since she had told them, it was now impossible for her to back out; they wouldn't let her.
"Julie, you're not backing out. Remember what I told you about us not letting you because you had told us? Well we meant it." Charlie said.
Julie looked at him and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on backing out, Charlie. I was just stating that we don't have to hurry." She told him.
He laughed, "Okay, whatever."
She glared at him and walked away towards the luggage pickup, "Jerk."
"I'm not a jerk, I was just teasing." Charlie said to no one in particular and looking pathetic.
"She doesn't need teasing right now Charlie. I know she has her moments when she acts like the Julie we're all used to, but she isn't back 100% yet. Plus, think about what she is about to have to tell the team; she hasn't really talked about it. This is going to be the first time since it happened that she has talked about it." Connie told her 'big brother.'
"I know, Connie. I guess I did go a little overboard." Charlie said, "I didn't mean to. I guess I'm just so used to be able to joke around."
"I know; look, there she is. Go talk to her." Connie told him and nodded towards the luggage pickup.
"Yeah, I will. Thanks Connie." Charlie said and walked over to where Julie was standing, grabbing for her suitcase.
He reached out and grabbed, swung it over the side, and sat it down next to Julie. When he stood up and looked at Julie, she was staring at him with her big blue eyes.
"God, you scared me Charlie." She said when she had calmed down.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. I came over here to get the luggage and to tell you I'm sorry for the way I was acting." He said softly and reached out and pushed some hair out of her face.
"You were trying to make me feel better, Charlie. I'm not mad at you. I know you probably don't believe me, because of the way I acted. But I'm not. I'm just nervous about telling the team." She told him.
"It'll be okay, Jules." Charlie said. "You need to tell them so that they can be there for you,; just like Connie, Guy, and I are now."
"I know, and I'm going to. I want them to know; I'm just nervous." She told him. "It's okay, I'd be nervous too." Charlie said.
She smiled and stepped closer to him, hugging him. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.
Bombay smiled and looked over at Connie and Guy.
"So have they made it official yet?" He asked them.
"Yeah, I think. But the weird thing is that I don't think they have talked about it officially. I think it just happened." Connie said.
Bombay laughed and then quickly got serious. "Well, they haven't had time to talk about it. She's needed him to hold her instead of talk about their relationship." He said.
"Yeah." Connie said.
"Well, the rest of the team is going to be expecting us soon, so we need to get your luggage and go." Bombay told them.
"Okay." Connie and Guy said at the same time.
They then walked up to the pick up and got their suitcases. Bombay walked over to Charlie and Julie.
"He guys, we need to go; they are going to be expecting us." He told them.
"Alright." Charlie said and let go of Julie, but grabbed her hand.
After they had all of their luggage, they walked to Bombay's car and headed back to the school. Thee whole drive was quiet because they were all thinking about what was about to take place.
A Little Note From C-chan96 The Beta: Yo yo yo my peeps! *people stare blankly at the blonde little white girl who is being stupid* ....Heehee...eh...Just thought I'd pop in and say hello. Hello! I'm sorry that there are a few chapters that have yet to be beta-ed. I'm relatively busy with my own stories and other things, and sometimes I can't get around to editing them. So we're pretty sorry about any that have spelling or grammatical errors, but we ask that you try to ignore them if possible. ^_^ We're doing our best here. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thanks to all those who have reviewed!
*Note to my reviewers*
Astrid the Oh-SO-Mighty: Thank you; I am glad you like it. As for the Beta Reader, I do have one but she isn't always able to check it when I am done. That is why I have A/N's at the bottom of the Chapters telling the readers when she hasn't been able to read it. Thanks for reviewing and please review again.
JennyGirl: I am very glad that you enjoyed the story. But I had no intentions for it to seem that Charlie was treating her like a little girl. In fact, I don't think he was. Think of it like this: Julie just lost her mother, her father is blaming her for it, and he has kicked her out of the house. She needs someone to hold her and give her a little TLC. I hope you see it that way now because I had not intentions for it to seem like he was treating her like a little girl. Well I hope you like this chapter, thank you for reviewing and please review again.
Jo: I am glad that you like my story. But like I said to JennyGirl Julie just lost her mother, her father is blaming it on her, and he kicked her out of the house. I don't think that with those circumstances Julie could pull off her usual tough girl act. As for my spelling, thank you; I know it sucks, it always has. However, if you had read the A/N's at the bottom of each chapter you would know that I have a beta reader and that she doesn't always have time to go over it. So my suggestion to you is read the A/Ns so that you will know whether or not she has read it. I hope you like this chapter, thank you for reviewing, and please review again.
Banksiebabe99: I am glad that you liked the chapter and Julie fighting back to her dad. I think you will find that in this chapter her normal character will be coming back. Thank your for reviewing it means a lot to me. Well, I'll talk to you later, I hope you like this chapter.
C-Chan96: Yes we all know your love for Charlie. It's fine that you didn't get to edit the last chapter, I understand. Julie/Charlie fics are always a good thing. Well, I'll talk to you later.
Okay, now that that is done...on with the chapter. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Chapter 7-
When they got to the airport, Jason couldn't go in with them; instead he parked the car and went with them to make sure they got checked in. When they finished checking in, Jason turned to Julie, who was staring at the ground.
"He Shorty, look at me." He said, and she looked up at him with tears streaming down her face.
"I don't want to go home yet. I know I said that I did, but I was just upset." She said softly, "I wanted to spend more time with you."
"Oh Jules." Jason said and pulled her into a hug, "You'll be better off back there than here with dad yelling at you for no reason. You have all your friends there; that can help you through this." He told her.
"They could if they knew." She replied.
"Did you not tell them?" He asked, and she shook her head, "Why not?"
"I didn't want to. We had just won a big game when I found out and I didn't want to spoil it for them." She told him, looking up with her big blue eyes.
"Okay, well I can understand that; but Julie, promise me that you will think about telling them. You need your team right now, and I know that they will not hesitate to help you" He said.
"Okay, I promise." She said.
"Good girl." He said smiling at her, "And I promise that as soon as I can, I will come out and see you. Okay?"
She gave him a weak grin, "Okay."
He pulled her into another hug, and held her for a minute. He then let her go and turned to Charlie, Connie, and Guy, who had walked a few feet away to give them some room.
"Hey guys, take care of my baby sister, ya hear?" He said to them teasingly. They smiled knowing what he was trying to do and nodded.
"Good answer, because I'm coming down some time soon; and if I find out that you haven't taken good care of her, your going to have to deal with me." He finished, and they once again nodded. Jason turned and looked at Julie and grinned, who in turn rolled her eyes.
He laughed and patted her on the head, "There is the reaction I was looking for." He said, which earned him another eye roll.
He laughed once again and walked towards Charlie.
"Hey Charlie, do me a favor and encourage her to tell the rest of the team, will you?" Jason asked him, and he nodded, "But don't bring it up yourself; make her bring it up." He finished. "Yeah, okay. I will." Charlie said. "Thanks man, and just so you know. I was just teasing a few minutes ago about having to deal with me. I know you guys will take care of her. I was just trying to get a normal Julie reaction out of her, which I did." Jason told him.
"I know, I'm glad you did." Charlie said. "I'm worried about her."
"Yeah, I am too; but I think with you three and, if she tells them, the rest of the ducks, she will soon be our tough girl again. I think with her reaction awhile ago, it'll be sooner then we think." He said, grinning a little bit.
"Yeah, I agree." Charlie said, and then looked at his watch, "Well, I think we need to get to the gate."
"Yeah, you do. I'll talk to you later." Jason said and high fived Charlie.
"Yeah." Charlie replied.
Jason turned to Julie and kissed her on the forehead.
"I've got to go, and you guys have to get to your gate." He said, and she nodded.
"Remember what you promised me; that you would think about it."
"I will." She said.
"Good, I'll see you soon." He told her.
"Okay, bye Jassy." She said.
"Bye Shorty," He said; she rolled her eyes once again, and he laughed. He then kissed her on the forehead one more time and headed back to his car.
Julie stood there and watched him go until she couldn't see him anymore. Charlie gave her a few minutes, and then walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Come on Angel; you'll see him again soon." He said in her ear. "We need to get to our gate."
She didn't say anything; she just kept looking in the direction that her brother went and nodded. He led her gently into the airport, with Connie and Guy behind them. About ten minutes later, they were at their gate and sitting in the chairs waiting for their flight to be called.
The whole time they were waiting, Julie sat straight in her chair, staring forward and thinking about what her brother had told her to think about. Charlie set next to her, just watching her. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but decided that she was probably just thinking to herself. He turned to Connie and Guy who were snuggling together and smiled.
"Hey guys." He said.
"They looked at him and smiled, "Hey Charlie."
"Ready to go home?" He asked them.
"Yeah we are." They both said at the same time.
Charlie smiled, "Yeah, so am I."
They smiled, and he turned back to look at Julie. She was in the same position she had been in a few minutes ago. He sighed; he didn't know what to do. He heard Connie sit up next to him, so he turned and looked at her. She was looking at Julie with a worried look on her face.
"She's going to be okay, Connie." He told her, "With the help of her friends, she is going to be okay."
"I know, but she's not right now. She's confused, and hurting. I can see it in her face." Connie said.
"Yeah, you're right; she is confused and hurting. But I think right now she just might be making a decision; we'll be there to help her out in the long run." Charlie said. Connie looked at him with a confused look on her face, and Charlie laughed. "If I'm right, then you'll find out soon."
"Oh, okay." Connie said still confused.
Guy, who kind of understood what Charlie was talking about, reached over and pulled Connie back towards him.
"Don't worry Cons, Charlie's right. She has some decisions to make." He told her. Before she could respond, the announcement that boarding was starting came over the speakers and they all got up. Well...Charlie, Connie, and Guy did anyway. Julie was still deep in thought. Charlie smiled lovingly at her for a minute, and then bent down in front of her.
"Julie, come on. It's time to get on the plane." He told her gently.
"But they haven't announced it yet." She said, confused as why he was telling her this.
He laughed gently, "Yes they have, Angel; you were so deep in thought that you didn't hear it. Now come on." He told her and stood up and held his hand out to her.
"Okay." She said and grabbed his hand so that he could help her up.
Once she was up, he wrapped an arm around her waist, and they walked to the gate and onto the plane. Once they got onto the plane, they put their carry- on luggage above them and sat down. They buckled their seatbelts and sat, waiting to take off. When they were finally taking to the runway, Julie turned to Charlie and nudged him. He looked at her and smiled.
"What is it Angel?" He asked her.
"Where are Connie and Guy?" She asked him.
"We're back here, Jules." Connie told her before Charlie could.
"Why?" Charlie asked her.
"Because once the plane levels off I want to tell you all about the decision I have made." She told him.
"Okay." He said and then turned to Connie and smiled, and she smiled back.
A few minutes later the plane took off and was beginning to level off. As soon as it did and the seat belt light went off, Julie took her seatbelt off and turned in her seat so that she could see Connie and Guy. She was about to start talking but the flight attendant came and asked them what they wanted to drink. They all told her what they wanted and she gave it to them and left. Julie took a drink of her coke and set it down on the tray, looking down at her hands.
Charlie reached over when he saw her do this and took one of her hands in his. She looked up at him, and he gave her an encouraging smile. That seemed to have made her feel better because she took a deep breath and started to talk.
"I've decided that when we get home, I want to tell the rest of the team about what happened and why we have been gone all week." She told them.
"Julie, that's great." Charlie told her. "I'm glad you decided to tell them."
"Well, I actually decided before we got to the airport, because I have been thinking about it constantly since last night. Then when Jason was talking to me awhile ago, he told me that he thought I would be better off back with them because they could help me. I told him they didn't know, and he made me promise to think about telling them. I told him I would, and that is when I knew I would tell them."
"Is that what you were doing in the waiting room in the airport?" Connie asked, "Thinking?"
"Yeah, but I was thinking about how I was going to tell you guys about wanting to tell the team. And of how I was going to tell the team, and when. That is why I was so out of it." She told them, laughing a little.
Charlie, Connie, and Guy laughed with her, happy to see her on the way to being happy again.
"It's good to see you trying to be happy again, Jules." Charlie told her, and she smiled.
"I can't morn her forever; she wouldn't want me to. It's going to take me a while to get over it, but like I said I know my Momma doesn't want me to be sad forever." She told them softly. "I'm going to try to be my usual self again. There are going to be times that I need her, and I realize I can't go talk to her, and that is going to be hard on me. But with you guys and the rest of the team, I know I'll have someone to go to. I don't want to be one of those people that sink into a deep depression. I want you guys to promise me that if you see me doing that you'll try to get me out of it." She finished.
"Of course we will, right guys?" Charlie told her, and Connie and Guy nodded in agreement.
"Thanks." She said and gave them a true smile.
"So did you decide when you're going to tell the rest of the team?" Connie asked her.
"Yeah, I want to tell them tonight." She said.
"That's good. You can't back out of it now that we know the truth." Charlie said dramatically, and Julie laughed.
Julie leaned against the window and quickly fell asleep. Charlie looked away from Connie and Guy to look at her. He smiled at her curled up form, fast asleep.
"Hey guys, we need to be quiet; Julie's asleep." Charlie told Connie and Guy.
They both nodded in understanding, knowing that she was extremely tired because she hadn't gotten much sleep in the last couple of days. Charlie raised the arm in between the two seats and then reached over and gently pulled her into his arms. She whimpered a little from the movement, but when his strong arms went around her she stopped and cuddled up against his chest. He smiled and laid his head back, falling asleep himself.
About an hour and a half later, Charlie was woken up by the pilot announcing that they would be landing soon. Charlie sighed and looked down at Julie, who was still curled up next to him and fast asleep.
"Well, I guess I should wake her up..." He said softly to himself.
"Julie, wake up baby; we're about to land." He said a little louder.
She just whimpered and cuddled up to him a little more. Charlie laughed and hung his head closer to her ear.
"Julie, you need to wake up; we're about to land." He said once again, but into her ear.
She whimpered again, but opened her eyes and looked up at him, "We are?" She asked.
"Yes, we are; and any minute now the seatbelt light is going to come on." He told her softly. She slapped him softly on the arm lightly and sat up.
She looked around the seat for a minute and found one part of the seatbelt; however, she couldn't find the other end of it. Charlie laughed softly and picked it up and gave it to her.
"Thanks." She said and smiled at him.
"No problem, Angel." He told her.
He then turned to Guy and Connie to make sure they were awake. They were, so he smiled at them and turned back to face the right way.
About twenty minutes later, they were on the ground and at the gate. They got their carry-ons and headed out of the plane. When they got out of the tunnel, they started looking for Bombay. Julie started jumping up and down, trying to find Bombay. Charlie laughed and reached out and held her down by her shoulders.
"Charlie!!!! I'm trying to find Coach." She complained. "Can you see him? You don't have to jump."
He laughed, "Would you like me to describe the crowd to you, or would you like me to get you a box?"
She glared at him, trying to act like she was mad at him but couldn't hold it I; she cracked up laughing.
"Thanks, Charlie; I needed that." She said, trying to stop laughing.
"No prob, Jules." He said patting her on the back, an impish smile on his face.
Just then, Julie saw Bombay walking up and ran to him, hugging him. Charlie smiled and walked over to them, followed by Connie and Guy.
"Hey Coach; I thought Coach Orion was coming too." He said.
"Well, he was; but then the team started asking about you guys." He said letting go of Julie and slapping Charlie on the back.
"He's not going to tell them, is he?" Julie asked him.
"He told me that all he was going to tell them was 'you had a family emergency and you would tell them when you got back.'" Bombay told her, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, because I wanted to tell them tonight when I got back." She told him.
"That's good, Jules." Bombay told her. "Why don't we get your luggage and go."
"Okay, but we don't have to rush it." Julie said seriously.
Charlie, Connie, and Guy all laughed at what she said; since she had told them, it was now impossible for her to back out; they wouldn't let her.
"Julie, you're not backing out. Remember what I told you about us not letting you because you had told us? Well we meant it." Charlie said.
Julie looked at him and rolled her eyes. "I wasn't planning on backing out, Charlie. I was just stating that we don't have to hurry." She told him.
He laughed, "Okay, whatever."
She glared at him and walked away towards the luggage pickup, "Jerk."
"I'm not a jerk, I was just teasing." Charlie said to no one in particular and looking pathetic.
"She doesn't need teasing right now Charlie. I know she has her moments when she acts like the Julie we're all used to, but she isn't back 100% yet. Plus, think about what she is about to have to tell the team; she hasn't really talked about it. This is going to be the first time since it happened that she has talked about it." Connie told her 'big brother.'
"I know, Connie. I guess I did go a little overboard." Charlie said, "I didn't mean to. I guess I'm just so used to be able to joke around."
"I know; look, there she is. Go talk to her." Connie told him and nodded towards the luggage pickup.
"Yeah, I will. Thanks Connie." Charlie said and walked over to where Julie was standing, grabbing for her suitcase.
He reached out and grabbed, swung it over the side, and sat it down next to Julie. When he stood up and looked at Julie, she was staring at him with her big blue eyes.
"God, you scared me Charlie." She said when she had calmed down.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. I came over here to get the luggage and to tell you I'm sorry for the way I was acting." He said softly and reached out and pushed some hair out of her face.
"You were trying to make me feel better, Charlie. I'm not mad at you. I know you probably don't believe me, because of the way I acted. But I'm not. I'm just nervous about telling the team." She told him.
"It'll be okay, Jules." Charlie said. "You need to tell them so that they can be there for you,; just like Connie, Guy, and I are now."
"I know, and I'm going to. I want them to know; I'm just nervous." She told him. "It's okay, I'd be nervous too." Charlie said.
She smiled and stepped closer to him, hugging him. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.
Bombay smiled and looked over at Connie and Guy.
"So have they made it official yet?" He asked them.
"Yeah, I think. But the weird thing is that I don't think they have talked about it officially. I think it just happened." Connie said.
Bombay laughed and then quickly got serious. "Well, they haven't had time to talk about it. She's needed him to hold her instead of talk about their relationship." He said.
"Yeah." Connie said.
"Well, the rest of the team is going to be expecting us soon, so we need to get your luggage and go." Bombay told them.
"Okay." Connie and Guy said at the same time.
They then walked up to the pick up and got their suitcases. Bombay walked over to Charlie and Julie.
"He guys, we need to go; they are going to be expecting us." He told them.
"Alright." Charlie said and let go of Julie, but grabbed her hand.
After they had all of their luggage, they walked to Bombay's car and headed back to the school. Thee whole drive was quiet because they were all thinking about what was about to take place.