A/N: After multiple re-writes, this chapter has finally lived to be posted! Yay! Thanks to Brophy for her part as beta, and to Wrenbailey for answering my questions about small town law inforcement!

A massive thankyou to all those that took the time to review the last chapter, thank you so much, the response to it was brilliant and it was fanftastic to hear everyone's favourite parts! Maybe I should slap Julie around a little more in the future?!

Anyway, read on! As you've probably comprehended from the first line (or you will do soon), there is the odd bit of swearing scattered throughout.

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Chapter 8

Unfortunately they were both fucked.

They'd just crossed back over onto the outskirts of Dillon when they were pulled over by Deputy Sheriff Thorpe.

They'd been traveling along at a fairly speedy pace, hoping to make it back to Dillon without any further catastrophes; but fate it seemed was against them.

Spotting the flashing lights of several police cars and an ambulance, Tim hit the brakes and slowed down to a crawl and was then forced to come to a halt as he was instructed to wait for the police to clear the road of debris from a car wreck.

He cursed under his breath in frustration while Julie gave a quiet groan from where she was sitting next to him. "This is not happening." She whimpered.

"Tell me about it. How much road do two cars need? Fuck, open fields either fucking side of the highway."

"Tim!" Jason said with a frown. "We don't know what happened. What if one of them happened to be a drunk driver? One of them could have had a heart attack while driving, you can't just assume the worst."

Stiffening, Tim resisted the urge to deck Street. He loved his best frien, they were brothers in all ways but blood, but there were times when Jason made him feel so lacking…

And Jules, what the hell was she thinking of him now? Now that Street had showed him up, showed her what a selfish, uncaring, immature bastard he really was.

Everything that she thought was complete bullshit about him had just been proved right with one unthinking, hot tempered comment.

Instead of moving away from him, of beginning the process to separate her from himself, Julie inched closer, her hand inconspicuously reaching out and giving his leg a brief squeeze.

Exhaling the air he'd been unaware he'd been storing in his lungs, Tim felt the tension drain away from his body for several brief seconds before it returned again.

Oh shit.

Well wasn't his night just getting better and better.

"Why am I not surprised to see you out here on this stretch of road Riggins?"

"Deputy Sheriff Logan." Tim grit out, struggling to keep any reaction off his face.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about this here crash would you?"

"No sir."

"What are you kids doing out here anyway - wouldn't be thinking of going against Coach Taylor's orders now would you?" The older man drawled, bringing up the instructions Coach Taylor had issued to his Football Team not to get involved with any vengeance rivalry against Arnett Meade. That had spread throughout the whole town within minutes.

"No sir."

Turning his eyes away from the Fullback, Deputy Sheriff Logan peered inside the cab of Tim's truck for the first time since he'd approached the vehicle. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Julie sitting next to Tim, but then his face broke out into a wide grin as he caught sight of Jason.

Julie's breath caught at the transformation. Deputy Sheriff Logan had never been anything but nice to her in the past, she'd been shocked speechless at his attitude towards Tim, and was stunned at the complete 180 as he spoke to Jason and enquired at his parents and life in general.

"That Saracen boy, God knows he took us to State, but I have to tell you son, it's not the same without you out there on the field. It just ain't right. There are those out there that don't deserve to be able to play and yet they do, and here's you, a good, honest, God fearing boy cut down in your prime, it just ain't right."

Tim sat next to Julie, stiff as a board, tension radiating off him in waves.

Next to her Jason shifted uncomfortably and offered a weak smile to the man who's only point throughout the entire speech had been to belittle Tim. "That's real kind of you Deputy. I'll tell my Momma what you said. That'll make her real proud."

"You do that Son." The Deputy said with a nod. "Parents like that, you've a high standard to live up to, but you're going the right way about it."

It was obvious to Julie, despite the fact that she didn't know the reasoning behind it, that the Deputy had a grudge against Tim.

"Was anyone seriously injured in the accident?" Julie asked, finding her voice for the first time since Deputy Sheriff Logan had approached them, and trying to deflect his attention from Tim.

"Minor injuries only." He replied with a curt nod in her direction. "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about."

Julie frowned at the dismissive tone of his voice. He'd always been polite in the past, she had no idea why he was being so funny with her now. She snorted mentally. Stupid her. He wasn't the first one to give her the cold shoulder for breaking Matt Saracen's heart! Never mind the fact that he'd already moved on with his Grandma's nurse and was getting laid on a regular basis!

Well if his treatment of Tim had pissed her off, his attitude towards her for something that had absolutely nothing to do with him had cemented her new found opinion of him. How could she have been fooled by him in the past?

"Town was quiet tonight." Deputy Logan commented. "Any particular reason for that Riggins? I know Street is too smart to go against Coach Taylor's orders but you never were the sharpest knife in the drawer were you?"

Gritting his teeth and struggling to maintain his composure, Tim could feel the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment. Bad enough that Street had witnesses similar conversations time and time again, but to have Julie sat next to him while he was verbally reamed a new one…

"Why would Tim know anything? You don't think that some of the players would have gone against my Dad do you?" Julie asked innocently, shaking her head in a show of dismayed disappointment she nibbled at her bottom lip. "That's terrible. But at least no one can accuse Tim of being involved and suspend him from the team because of it. He's been with Jason and I all evening."

Turning his hawk like gaze on Julie, Deputy Logan sneered at her. "Yeah? And just what have you kids been doing this far out?"

"Out at the lake." Julie lied.

With a derisive chuckle, Deputy Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh yeah? Riggins tell you to say that? I just told you he wasn't the smartest knife in the drawer. You've still got twenty miles to go before you pass the lake on your way into Dillon." He drawled sarcastically.

"Oh I know." Julie replied sweetly, her voice all airy and light. "But I needed to make a stop at the nearest store which happened to be 5 miles back the way we just came."

"Well what did you happen to need so urgently that you couldn't wait to get back to Dillon?"

Julie's next words wiping the smile right off Deputy Logan's face. "Feminine products." She answered smartly. "Do you need to see the receipt?"

"No." He growled in response, a flush of discomfort visible on his cheeks. "That won't be necessary. Jason, make sure you tell your Momma what I said, y'hear me son?"

"Yes sir I will."

"Good. Move along then." Deputy Logan directed Tim towards the now clear road in front of them with a wave of his hand.

Nodding, Tim shifted the truck into gear and pulled away.

"What a jerk." Julie commented to him softly. "Who does he think he is talking to you like that?" She shook her head as she glanced at the time on the dashboard. "Well now we're going be more than late."

"I think that's the least of our worries." Tim told her as he glanced up into the rear-view mirror and watched as Deputy Logan watched them drive away, cell phone attached to his ear.

Catching on, Julie caught sight of the same scene. "Three guesses who he's calling, but you'll only need one."

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At just gone ten o'clock at night,Tim pulled up outside the Taylor house hold,Julie sitting next to him in the same place that she had been in before they'd dropped Jason off home.

Unable to put off the inevitable, but dreading it none the less, they slowly made their way through the front door.

"Just where the hell have you to been?" Eric bellowed as he came barreling down the hall to the front door the minute he heard it slam shut.

Biting her lip nervously, Julie sidled closer to Tim as she eyed her father.

His flashing blue eyes and the red flush along his cheeks told her that her Dad was more than just mad. He was in the middle of a full blown temper.

"Hey Dad." She said quietly, thankful that Tim had remained silent. Maybe she'd be able to deflect her Father's anger off the Fullback.

"Don't you dare give me that Julie. Don't you dare! I am so mad with you right now." He hissed jabbing his index finger at her.

"Eric." Tami said evenly in a warning tone of voice, "why don't you let the kids get into the living room before you start interrogating them, hmm?"

Taking heed of her Mom, Julie started off towards the living room, giving the hem of Tim's shirt a brief tug as an indication that he should follow her.

Before they'd even had a chance to sit down Eric started demanding answers once again. "Why weren't you at Emily's? Is that why you wouldn't let me drop you off? Cause you were sneaking off somewhere instead?"

"Eric-"

"You think your Mother and I don't know where you were tonight? You think I don't know that my daughter, my daughter," he repeated, "lied to Deputy Logan? Do you have any idea of how ashamed that made me feel? To have him calling me up like he did?"

Julie's own temper beginning to flare up, she couldn't help her sarcastic retort. "So where was I then? What exactly was I doing?"

"Do you really think acting smart is going to make things better right now Julie? I know you were out over at Arnett Meade! What were you thinking Tim? Taking her over there with you?!" Eric snapped her attention jumping across to his Fullback. "What were you thinking going over there in the first place? Actually, you know what, don't answer that question, I already know the answer! You weren't thinking!"

"I-" Tim started to defend himself, but was cut down before he could get another word out.

Instead he was forced to grit his steel, lock his jaw and take the verbal lashing from his Coach. He couldn't throw a punch or storm out like he usually would have done if it had been Billy talking to him like this.

"I can't believe you! I asked you not to go. I have taken you into my home, brought you into my family, got you back on the team and this is the thanks I get? I have asked for nothing back from you but this one thing, and you go ahead and disrespect me like that. And what's worse is that you take my daughter along with you!"

Gracie started crying from down the hall, but she was ignored by her Mom and Dad.

"Eric. You need to calm down." Tami told him, knowing that he husband was going to say something that he would later regret if she didn't step in soon.

"No Tami. That boy," he shouted, jabbing his finger at Tim in the same manner that he'd done to Julie earlier, "took our daughter out of Dillon. He had her lie to us. He put her in danger. What would have happened if you and whatever empty headed players with you were caught outnumbered by some of the Arnett Meade boys? You think you would have been able to protect her then? You think that because you can score with a few girls and down beer like it's going out of fashion that it makes you a man? News flash Riggins it doesn't! And if you don't get your act together you ain't even gonna become one!"

"Don't you speak to him like that!" Julie shrieked at her Father. Trembling with rage she moved in front of Tim, pressed the back of her body against his front, her hands reaching behind her to fist in his shirt as though she could physically shield him from her fathers attack. "You don't know what your talking about! You don't know anything! You're persisting on seeing him in the same way that Dillon does and he's better than that! He's honest and decent and smart and funny and caring and he looks out for me in ways that no one else has ever done!"

Angry tears burnt at her eyes and she let go of Tim with one hand to brush them away before reaching back once again.

Her nails were biting into his waist through his cotton t-shirt, but the small sting was nothing compared to the way Julie was standing up for him, even if everything she was saying wasn't necessarily true.

Wanting to offer her some form of comfort in return, his hands settled themselves over her clenched fists.

"Okay, I think we need a time out." Tami interrupted, trying gain control of the situation that was rapidly spinning out of control.

"No Tami, I think we need some answers." Eric spat at his wife before turning his attention to his eldest child. "Julie, you stay out of this!" Eric barked at his daughter signaling that he was in no mood for any of her crap.

"No I won't stay out of it!" Julie shouted back positioning herself in front of Tim as if to protect him from her fathers attack.

"Julie I said to stay out of this! It has nothing to do with you!"

"Yes it does!" Julie screeched her cheeks red with anger, a few more tears of rage slipping from her eyes. "You're taking your anger out on Tim and it's got nothing to do with him! Do you honestly think that he would go against you when you demanded that none of your team retaliate? After everything you've done for him and you think that he would repay you like that? If that's the kind of person you think he is why would you even help him in the first place?!"

"Julie get into your room now!" Eric bellowed, the noise momentarily drowning out Gracie's cries from down the hall.

"No!" Julie shouted back her voice hoarse with emotion. "I'm not going to let you treat him like this! He hasn't done anything!"

"Julie I swear to God, if you do not shut your mouth and get in your room-"

"Eric that's enough."

"I think you should let Eric deal with this Tami." Shelley interrupted appearing from down the hall holding onto a squalling Gracie.

"Shelley, butt out and mind your own damn business!" Tami snapped. "Julie, take Gracie and Tim and go down to your room."

"Riggins you stay right where you are boy!"

"Off y'all go." Tami repeated. "Now. Go."

Keeping hold of one of Tim's hands, Julie took hold of Gracie with her other arm started down the hallway to her room.

"Julie." Tami called out asking for her daughters attention. "You shut your door." She told her, not wanting her daughter to bear witness to the argument that was about to take place with Eric. "You see to Tim's hand too. Get the first aid box out of the bathroom before you close the door."

Swallowing, Julie nodded, passing Gracie off to Tim as he went into her room while she headed into the bathroom to fetch the first aid box.

"Shelley, I believe my husband and I need to have a talk." Tami stated dismissing her sister.

Without a word, although there was a disapproving look, Shelley returned to the spare room that she was occupying.

Hearing the door click shut and then the same sound following from Julie's bedroom, Tami turned to face her husband.

She shook her head at him in disbelief. "Just what were you thinking Eric?" She asked.

"I was thinking that I wanted to know where our daughter had been and why she was with Riggins!" Eric countered, his voice rising with every word. "I was thinking that I wanted to know why we were getting calls from Deputy Logan informing us that Julie was out on the Dillon Arnett Meade border days before one of the most anticipated football games of the year with Riggins when she was supposed to be studying with a girl named Emily! Excuse me for being a concerned parent and wanting to get to the bottom of things!"

"Great job honey!" Tami replied sarcastically. "You really managed to get those answers! Just what was running through your mind when you decided to jump on the pair of them the minute they'd walked through the door? You just made the situation ten times worse! Any slight hope you had of getting anything out of Julie just evaporated into thin air. I don't know whether you've realized it yet or not, but Julie trusts Tim completely. It's him she's sleepwalking to when she wants comfort in the midst of her nightmares. It's him she's confided in about them. I know that you'd rather her be seven and climbing into our bed in the middle of the night, but that's not the case. She's seventeen and just as stubborn as you. Regardless of whether or not it's Tim fault or if he actually has anything to do with it, Julie's not going to give you a chance to blame him!

The only thing that you have succeeded doing is pushing them closer together.

Did you even take a moment to notice the mud and grass stains on her clothing? Did you spot the fact that Tim's right hand was cut up and on his left his knuckles were bruised? Do you really think that by attacking him the moment the pair of them walk through the door that you're going to get anything out of them?"

With a huff, Eric scrubbed his hand through his hair before bringing it down roughly across his face. Blue eyes that had moments before been filled with flashing anger were now looking dull and tired as he began to comprehend his wife's words, the color beginning to fade from his cheeks.

"You know that Jason Street was with them. You know that he isn't the kind of boy to be so stupid as to go over to Arnett Meade to help with whatever foolish revenge prank was happening. Yet immediately you jumped to the worst possible conclusions."

Sighing, Eric sank down onto the couch. "Riggins was in a fight?"

"Presumably. I honestly don't know. One thing I do know though, is that the only way we will ever find out about what happened tonight is if one of the kids involved slips up. As far as either one of them is concerned, whatever happened, whatever the outcome, it's staying between the pair of them."

"You don't think-"

"You see? This is what I mean." Tami said gently. "Jumping straight to the worst conclusion. If Tim had had anything to do with the scrapes and bruises that Julie is currently sporting, she sure wouldn't have been defending him like she was."

"Yeah." Eric said almost inaudibly.

Walking towards him, Tami crouched down in from of him and cupped his face in her hands. "I love you honey, honest to God I do. But you have one hell of a temper, you know you do. I know it only comes out rarely. But you need to be careful that the next time it comes out you don't say something that isn't so easily fixed with a simple apology."

Their eyes locked for a long moment before Tami broke away. "I need to go and get Gracie. You leave Tim and Julie be for a little bit longer. After what just happened, I don't think that we are the only ones with things to talk about.

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Handing Gracie over to Tim as they reached the entrance to her bedroom, Julie continued down the hallway without a sound to the bathroom.

She quickly locatedand pulled out the fully stocked large first aid box (something the family had become accustomed to keeping around, following her growth spurt a few years ago when she couldn't walk without tripping over or banging into something, and God knows that more than one football player has ended up in the family's' kitchen, wounds being cleaned by her Mom after some fight).

Fighting for her composure Julie returned to her bedroom, silence still sounding from the living room and closed the door softly behind her.

Tim was perched on the end of her bed, something that she would have found hilarious if it wasn't for their current situation and Gracie cradled against his chest, no longer screaming like she'd been a few minutes earlier, but still fussing occasionally.

Keeping her eyes adverted from Tim's, Julie opened the first aid box next to him on the bed, tossing various contents on to the bed cover until she found the items she needed.

Her hands were still shaking with suppressed emotion. Clenching her fists together she tried to make it stop, but the more she tried the worse it seemed to become.

She grabbed a packet of antiseptic wipes but was trembling so badly that she couldn't open them, the small packet flying out of her hands.

Red faced she reached over to retrieve it and try yet again.

"Jules." Tim said quietly, his free hand reached out and curled around both of hers. "Hey."

The sound of his voice broke what little composure she had left, "I'm sorry." She sobbed, "I'm so sorry." If she hadn't been such a stubborn brat and allowed her Dad to drop her over to Emily's none of this would be happening...

Hesitantly he stood up and let go of her hands as he did so. His hand reached up and cupped the back of Julie's neck, his fingers reaching up to the base of her skull and tangling in the loose strands of blonde hair swimming about her shoulders. Tugging her forward against him, he pressed her face into his chest. Felt her tears soak through his t-shirt.

He stood stiffly, unsure of what he was doing, only knowing that he wanted to offer Julie some kind of comfort, the same as she'd offered him by defending him to her Dad.

He'd seen plenty of people that backed down from Coach in the past.

Julie's arms crept around his waist, clutching at him as she pressed herself even closer to him.

Dropping his chin to rest on the top of her head, Tim drew in his own shuddering breath, drawing in the flowery, understated scent of Julie's perfume. His fingers tightened imperceptibly.

This… This was new.

The last girl that had come to him crying was Lyla, and he'd ended up sleeping with her to get her to stop. Not his smartest decision. In the long run she'd ended up crying even more.

He wouldn't do that to Julie.

He wouldn't ever give the people of Dillon a reason to shun her or treat her as they'd done Lyla. Not ever.

No one had ever stood up for him like she'd just done. No one. He wasn't ever giving her a reason to regret it.

All but forgetting Gracie in his other arm, he tightened his grip on Julie his arm, clenching her to him.

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A/N: Fingers crossed you all thought they were in character :P

That fight was the reason that the update took so long! Hopefully it was worth it!