A/N: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review/alert/favorite me! It's fantastic to hear that you are all enjoying the story! As always I have a massive thankyou to so say to Brophy for her help as beta, the chapter wouldn't be up now if it wasn't for her. I know it's been a little while since a last update on this fic, but this chapter is 12000+ words so I hope you'll forgive me!
As always, let me know what you think!
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Chapter 12
"Hello?" Julie called out as she entered the house, Tim following along behind, weighed down with twice as many grocery bags as she was carrying.
Dropping her house keys onto the side table in the hall, Julie made her way into the kitchen and set down her bags of groceries on the counter with a relieved sigh as she stretched out her arms to try and retain feeling.
Tim chuckled at her actions, and Julie shot an unamused glare in his direction that didn't have any affect on the Fullback.
Not that she thought it would do.
"Hey Honey," said Coach Taylor, appearing from down the hallway, a freshly diapered Gracie in his arms. "Riggins. The pair of you were gone longer than expected." He commented as he sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, bouncing Gracie on his knee and making the little girl gurgle with laughter.
"Yeah." Julie agreed as she started to unpack the bags on the counter.
"I'm just gonna go get the last few." Tim said, motioning over his shoulder to the hall.
"Okay," Julie replied before turning back to the conversation with her Dad. "We, uh, went to the scrap yard, the library and then got some lunch while we were out. And of course the grocery store. What time did you get back?" She asked.
"An hour or so ago. Your Mom had a hair appointment."
"Yeah, she mentioned something about that earlier. Just put them down over there Tim," She said as he entered the kitchen once again with the last of the bags. "I'll sort them out in a second."
"New top Julie?" Eric asked, diplomatically taking note of the new clothing that appeared to be hanging off his eldest daughter.
"No." Julie replied nervously, licking her lips as she turned away to store the milk in the fridge.
"Oh." He eyed the material dubiously once again. "A little big for you, isn't it?"
Forcing herself to face him, Julie turned around and rolled her eyes at her Dad and huffed in the annoyed teenage fashion that she had mastered. "That's because it isn't mine." Julie snarked in attempt to annoy her father with her attitude so he'd drop the subject of her clothing.
"Whose is it?" Eric asked, her eyes narrowed. "Why are you wearing it?"
Figuring that it was best to stick to the truth as closely as possible, Julie replied, "It's flannel Dad, who do you think it belongs to? Tim obviously, I got milkshake down mine." Hopefully he wouldn't come around the other side of the counter and notice that it was the only thing she was wearing. Now would be a really convenient time for Gracie to require another diaper change.
Picking up a packet of pasta shells, Julie tossed them at the Fullback who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, obviously intending to keep as far away from the discussion as possible. "Can you put those in the top cupboard over there?" Julie asked, motioning over her shoulder.
"Please." Eric scolded.
Flushing in embarrassment at the reprimand from her Dad in front of Tim, Julie glared at Eric before turning to Tim and promptly treated him to the same look of contempt when she caught side of the amusement lurking in his eyes. "Tim, would you be so kind and gracious as to place the pack of pasta shells in the top cupboard? Please?" She drawled sarcastically, her tone dripping with sugar.
After the day she'd had, she really wasn't in the mood for this.
"It's alright, Coach." Tim assured the older man as he threw a teasing grin in Julie's direction. "She's had a rough day today."
"And whose fault is that?!" Julie snapped, whirling round to face Tim as her temper got the better of her.
Immediately, she regretted it, wished she could take the words back. They'd only just got back onto solid ground and here she was, not even five minutes later, throwing it back in Tim's face.
The amusement had disappeared from Tim's face, the implacable mask in its place. It didn't hide the pain in his eyes though.
Before he could answer in a fake jovial manner and brush the matter aside, Julie was reaching out, ignoring her Dad who was watching the pair of them avidly. This needed to be fixed now.
One of her hands reached out and covered his, which was clenched around the pasta packet. "I'm sorry." Julie whispered emotionally, swallowing down the lump in her throat. Her eyes burned, and she kept her face averted so only Tim could see the tears building there. "My temper got the best of me and that was out of line. I'm sorry."
Tim's thumb slipped out from under Julie's hand and he smoothed it down the back of her fingers in an effort to reassure her. His other hand reached out to catch her chin gently and lift her head slightly so he was sure she was looking at him. "Well, seein' as it's you Jules, I'll make an exception." He let got of her chin, and moved his hand towards the strand of hair hanging down the side of her face, his thumb dragging along her cheekbone. "'Sides," he admitted in a mumble as he pushed the lock of hair back behind her ear, "it probably was insensitive of me. I forget you girls tend to be more emotional than us guys." Tim teased in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. Heart to hearts and conversations like these tended to leave him feeling unsettled.
Julie's fingers tightened around his momentarily and then she relaxed, the tension draining out of her body and he was rewarded with a relieved smile.
Eric frowned, watching the scene in front of him with narrowed eyes.
He might not be the most observant guy in the world, but he could hardly miss what was happening right in front of him.
Whatever was happening between his Fullback and his Daughter, it was on a completely different level to her relationship with Saracen.
While nothing might be going on in that respect, he'd be a fool if he didn't admit to himself that based on their relationship at present, the potential was there.
And the more he'd tryto pull them apart, the harder they'd fight to stay together.
He'd have to hope that Riggins remained a thick headed teenage boy who didn't necessarily think with his brain and got side tracked with some Rally Girl or Cheerleader.
And hopefully, Julie would remain his oblivious, innocent daughter.
He could honestly say, it was only at times like these that he wished he'd been given a son.
Besides, he thought logically. At Riggins age, sex was the only thing that really mattered. And he wasn't one of the most perceptive boys that he'd come across. Riggins was hardly likely going to start something with Julie when he had girls flinging themselves at him from every direction possible, more than willing to meet his every whim. If he was going to get involved with Julie it would mean things along the lines of commitment, and exclusivity, over protective parents, curfews, rules, and no sex. Not only that, but he was hardly going to upset everything in the Taylor household when he happened to be living with them either.
Perhaps one of the biggest things that he had to worry about was the fact that since Tim was living with them and hanging out with Julie that she might attract more attention from the boys at Dillon High.
He cleared his throat and the two teenagers broke apart, reminded for the first time since their conversation began that they weren't alone.
Riggins headed across to pack away the pasta while Julie busied herself unpacking various groceries from the bags littering the counter top.
"So I was thinking that I might make some cornbread today as well, to go with the fried chicken." Julie announced to break the silence.
"Yeah?" Eric asked, perking up at the thought of fried chicken just like his Momma used to make.
"Uh huh." Julie nodded. "Cornbread, fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob. Sound good?"
Eric nodded. "Sure does, honey. What's brought this on?" He couldn't help asking.
Outside the house the sound of Tami's car pulling up onto the driveway drifted into the house.
Julie shrugged, "Just feeling generous today I guess." She cast a naughty smile in Tim's direction which had the Fullback tensing. "And I was thinking Tim could cook next Saturday."
Tim chocked, eyes wide at the thought of having to navigate his way around the Taylor kitchen and succeed in not giving the family food poisoning. He'd probably be alright seeing as he had a cast iron stomach, but that had taken a good seventeen years to develop. "I–"
"Julie! Tim!" Tami called out, slamming the door behind herself and pacing through the house towards the two of them.
Julie sighed, knowing that the game was up. Evidently her Mom knew about the show down in the grocery store.
"Honey?" Eric said, rising and walking towards his wife, Gracie still in his arms. "Calm down. What's the matter?"
"What's the matter? What's the matter?" Tami repeated, her eyes flashing as she tossed her car keys onto the counter. "I'll tell you what's the matter. I was just accosted by Brenda Sutton, that's what the matter is!"
Julie groaned and rolled her eyes, stepping back so that she was in line with Tim and mimicked his position of leaning back against the counter.
"Don't you start with that, young lady." Tami warned her eldest daughter. "Don't you dare. I have never been so humiliated, so embarrassed in all my life!"
"So you're not even going to ask for our side of the story?" Julie snapped in disbelief, her eyes flashing angrily as she stood up off the counter where she'd been leaning. "Automatically we're in the wrong?"
Tami slammed her bag down onto the counter. "We'll I'd sure be interested in hearing the story from your point of view, Julie, because I cannot think of what it is you can possibly say to try and redeem yourself."
"Now hold on a moment." Eric interrupted, trying to calm the situation down before it could spiral out of control. "Would someone explain, calmly, just what has happened?"
Motioning to her daughter with a sharp wave of her hand Tami said, "Well go on Julie."
"Simply put, Missy Sutton was flirting with Tim. I asked him if he wanted to meet me out front once I'd paid for the groceries or whether he wanted to come with me to the checkout. Tim said he'd come with me and Missy wasn't too happy about it. Basically she started in on me and Tim made her back off." Julie explained briefly glancing at Tim. "But then as she was leaving she basically decided to empty her milkshake over me which is why I'm dressed in Tim's shirt."
Paying more attention to what his daughter was wearing, Eric asked "What?" at the same time Tami uttered "Excuse me?"
Julie scowled at them. "Well I wasn't going to flash the entire store because my t-shirt had suddenly become see through!"
"What happened next?" Eric asked, shifting Gracie in his arms as he tried to quiet his youngest daughter while keeping up to speed with his eldest.
Tim shifted uncomfortably in his position next to Julie, deciding that it was his turn to speak up. The Taylor's had been good enough to take him into their home, he deserved to be honest with them about what had happened. "The rest of it is kinda my fault, Sir."
Eric glanced out at Tami from the corner of his eye, noting her pursed lips and the strain around her mouth. Knowing that nothing good what going to come out he sighed. "Go on, Son."
"Well Missy kinda went for Jules, an' I told her to back off. We were just about to leave when she started in on her again."
"And?" Eric prompted.
"Everyone had sorta guessed that we'd, y'know, slept together the night before," Tim mumbled, feeling uncomfortable discussing the situation in front of the entire Taylor household. He rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, glancing down at Julie to check that she was still there. "I was a little mean 'bout it."
"Mean? MEAN?" Tami shrieked at Tim in utter anger.
"How mean?"
Tami turned to look at her husband, unable to even contemplate repeating Tim's words. "Well, I think I'll let Tim tell you, honey, cause I sure as hell ain't repeating such disgusting, disgraceful language. I have put up with football players for my whole life." Tami lectured, turning her attention to the shame faced Fullback as she spoke, "I have grown up with them, I have dated them, I have been 'Mrs Coach' for the past twenty years, and never, ever, have I heard of such behavior. I don't have the nerve to repeat what you said to my husband, let alone in Julie and Gracie's presence."
"I–"
"Well go on, Tim." Tami demanded, when he had gotten no further than that one word.
Eric frowned, glancing uneasily between his wife and Fullback. It couldn't have been that bad, could it? "Tim, why don't we go and have a private word." It might have been phrased as a question, but it certainly wasn't one.
"No!" Julie shrieked in protest, automatically stepping in front of Tim to prevent him from moving forward and subconsciously providing a barrier of defense. Her arms went back either side of him to clutch at his t-shirt. "No! Because you'll take him in there and rip him to shreds over something that wasn't entirely his fault and he won't say a word in his own defense! You know he won't!"
Seeing his daughter getting herself worked up as well as his wife, Eric decided they needed another approach. "Okay people, let's all take a deep breath and calm down." Intervening, Eric took hold of Gracie where she'd been clutched against Tami's chest and handed her over to Julie. "You two keep an eye on Gracie for a moment while we have a word about this in private."
Julie sighed as soon as she saw her parents disappear into their bedroom, the door closing firmly behind them. Her body slumped back against Tim's for a brief moment before she realized what she was doing.
Sighing, Tim rubbed Julie's shoulder in reassurance before flicking Gracie's cheek where she sat in Julie's arms, babbling at him.
"You didn't have to."
Julie snorted as she patted soothingly at Gracie's back. "Was what I said wrong?" She concluded satisfyingly when she received no response from Tim. "Exactly." She said softly.
"Jules, I don't want you getting into trouble because of me." Tim said, turning her round to look at him.
"Well I'm not going to let you get into trouble because of me." Julie countered swiftly. "Let's be honest about things, Tim," she continued bluntly. "If I hadn't been in the grocery store with you, you'd have been more than happy to hang out with Missy. Or, you'd have blown her off and there wouldn't have been anyone with you for her to blame."
Tim's lips tightened in a thin line of displeasure at Julie's words, but he couldn't ignore the truth behind them.
"You were defending me. I'm not going to let my parents rip into you because you were protecting me."
"But–"
"No 'if's, but's, or maybe's'" Julie interrupted. "What did we just spend time sorting out earlier on the drive? It's you and me Tim. You and me."
----
"Honey, you need to calm down and tell me what happened." Eric began as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"I'm…I'm…I've never…I just…" Inhaling deeply, Tami tried focus on saying what she wanted to say. Words were never usually a problem for her, even when she was barking mad at her husband. In fact, sometimes, the words came to her easier!
She found it difficult to reconcile the mild mannered, relaxed boy staying with them with such a person who could act as Tim had done in the grocery store.
"Now, just how 'mean' was Tim?" Eric asked calmly, aware that it was him, this time, that needed to be the calm and collected one.
"I'll tell you how 'mean' he was about it!" Tami hissed at her husband in response to his question. "And 'mean' does not even begin to cover it! Not only did Tim initially get the girls name wrong, he then described the sexual position of the night before, the fact that he had to fantasize about someone else before he could 'get off!' This was after he'd inferred that she was a slut and nothing more than a 'easy lay'! And that, is just the general gist of things!"
Eric sighed as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, his mind frantically working on how this situation needed to be dealt with.
"Okay, so we punish him." He said.
"He deserves more than some punishment, Eric! We can't put the boy on a curfew or ban him from the computer or TV! First things first, you need to take that boy over to the Sutton household and have him apologize to the family for such behavior."
"No." Eric replied, putting his foot down.
"No?" Tami chocked out. "No!"
"I'm not saying what Riggins did isn't wrong, I'm not saying that." He assured his wife, palms face up in a gesture of peace. "But you heard what she said, Tim stepped in because this Missy Sutton girl attacked our daughter out of nothing more than jealousy because she's friends with him."
"That is beside the point, Eric!"
"No it isn't." He replied softly. "He was defending a member of this family, he didn't go about it the right way, I'm in agreement about that with you, but he was defending a member of this family; he was defending our daughter."
Running her hands through her hair in frustration, Tami kept quiet as her husband spoke.
"That boy in there, Tim Riggins, he's got a good heart, honey. You know that, otherwise we wouldn't have taken him in. He doesn't lie either. You heard what he said, he stepped in 'cause Missy Sutton was taking out her humiliation on our daughter. The girl knew what she was getting into, no-one in this town can deny knowledge of Riggins' reputation."
"I know, I know." Tami said softly.
"Riggins just has the unfortunate knack for making things worse when he's only trying to make things better."
Tami sighed in defeat, knowing what her husband was saying was true. Stepping forward, Eric drew her into his arms, holding her for a couple of minutes as they both took stock of the situation. "Let me deal with this." Eric said, "I used to be a teenage boy many years ago."
Tami chuckled momentarily before falling quiet once again.
Releasing each other, they walked back into the kitchen to find Tim and Julie talking quietly between themselves as they amused Gracie who was once again bouncing up and down in the Fullback's arms.
Eric watched as the pair of them fell silent on his approach with Tami, but didn't bother to allow the anticipation to build. "Is this true, Riggins?"
Immediately, Julie jumped to his defense. "God! Would you just back off of Tim! It's not his fault some Rally Girl spazzed out just because he wanted to come to the check out with me!"
"Your time will come, young lady, you be quiet!" Tami warned Julie, pointing her finger at her.
"No! It's not Tim's fault! He wouldn't have even said anything if it wasn't because of me! She thought there was something going on between us and got jealous about it! She was the one that started it, said that I was a tease for changing my mind about sleeping with Matt!"
The words poured out of Julie easily, and despite the severity of the situation, Tami wondered how much Julie had discussed with Tim about her relationship with Matt Saracen to be so comfortable bringing up such a private decision in front of him.
"That it was just as well that I'd broken up with him so that a 'real women could take care of his needs'! Tim told her to back off but she refused to. Just kept making things worse. Maybe Tim wasn't particularly nice to her, but it was her own fault!" Julie argued, determined that her parents understand the matter.
As Tami listened to Julie's words, she admitted that her husband was right, that maybe Missy Sutton had brought some of it upon herself. But still…
"I don't care how anybody acts, you do not respond in such a manner!" Eric announced as he shot a side glance at Tami. "Just imagine if one of the football scouts found out about how you acted in all of this, Riggins. That could be a deciding factor! It could cost you a college scholarship!"
Eric regarded the pair of them seriously, handing Gracie across to Tami from Tim. Rubbing his palms across his face, he tried to work out what to do next. "Your Mom's right; to a point. This goes for you too, Riggins." He added, pointing his finger at the Fullback. "People living under this roof, members of the Taylor family, do not, ever, act in such a way. I ain't saying that disagreements don't occur and arguments don't happen, but if I ever hear of either one of you acting in such a manner again, there will be serious consequences. Do you understand me?"
Tami stared at her husband with wide eyes. Surely he wasn't about to let them off with a lecture?!
"I'm sure not condoning it, or agreeing with it, or saying that it's right, but it's done." Eric said to his wife before turning his steely glare towards his Fullback. "Tim you were extremely abrasive, crude and meaner than a rattle snake, as I'm sure you know, your only saving grace is that you were defending Julie." This made all the difference in the world as far as Eric was concerned. "I fully expect to find you out on the field on Monday doing nothing but bleacher runs throughout practice."
Tim nodded. "Yes Sir."
"Anything you want to add to that, honey?" Eric checked, turning to his wife.
"Yes." Tami replied. "The yard needs mowing, my car needs cleaning and the fence out front needs to be repainted. I suggest the pair of you get to it."
Julie held in her sigh, knowing that they'd gotten off relatively lightly considering the circumstances. Even though it was still unfair that they were being punished because of Missy Sutton.
She wasn't stupid enough to voice that thought though.
She also wasn't stupid enough to let her parents know that they were getting off lightly. "Fine." She agreed glumly, her features full of mulish resentment. "Let's go make a start, Tim." Tugging at his hand, they both went to leave the kitchen.
"Julie." Tami called out before her daughter could make her way down the hall.
"Yeah?"
Tami eyed the shirt Julie was wearing with ill-concealed dislike. She was surprised Eric hadn't commented on it already but decided to leave that discussion for another time. Her eyes flickered to the entwined hands belonging to Julie and Tim, who was one step behind her daughter. "Make sure you get changed before going outside, understand?"
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Tim had already made a start washing her Mom's car when Julie got outside. She'd decided to leave Tim's shirt on, pairing it with a pair of old denim shorts and tying the shirt tails into a knot.
She didn't think he'd mind if she got paint on it, after all, she couldn't help but notice the few oil splotches scattered about on the fabric.
There was no way she was sacrificing any of her clothing to the fence paint.
Pulling out the lawnmower, Julie flicked the radio on as she walked by it.
"Not going to help me Jules?" Tim teased from where he was scrubbing at the bonnet with a sponge.
"I've already been drenched once today," Julie responded. "I don't particularly feel like getting soaked in dirty, soapy water."
Tim grinned, shaking his head in amusement as he turned his attention back to the vehicle itself.
Once Julie had hooked up the lawnmower it didn't take her that long to short out the front yard.
Tim complained at the grass cuttings that frequently flew up and stuck to the car, but otherwise they worked quickly and quietly.
Once Julie had finished trimming the grass she got out an old tin of white paint and a paintbrush, heading down to the fence itself with a feeling of dread.
It wasn't that bad, she supposed. After all, it was only the front section, separating the yard from the walkway that needed to be done. The side boundary next door to their neighbors was divided by bushes.
Which meant she got off lightly really, it just took so damn long!
There were the front and back bits. And then the side bits. And then the top and bottom bits of the wood that ran horizontally along the back of the fence.
It was a fussy job, and she knew her parents would come out and do a quality inspection and make her do it over again if they weren't satisfied.
"Slow going?" Tim asked as he appeared at her side, sitting down opposite her, paintbrush and another paint pot in hand.
Julie nodded, dipping her brush into the open can of paint and sweeping it along the wood. "Oh yeah."
"Are you still going to be cooking tonight?" He asked mischievously. "Or refuse because of our punishment."
Julie snorted and then felt embarrassed for emitting such a noise in front of Tim. She continued on blithely, trying to hide her self consciousness. "I think our punishment would become ten times worse if I turned around and declared that I wasn't going to cook now this evening."
Tim nodded with a small grin.
Julie raised any eyebrow at him. "Why? Worried about having to eat my Mom's fried chicken?"
Coating more paint onto his brush, Tim shuffled along slightly to the next bit of fencing that needed his attention. "A bit, that menu you suggested sure sounded good."
"And behold, the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach." Julie laughed, growing quiet as she watched a car drive past the house, its driver deliberately slowing down and peering out the window at them.
Twisting to see what had gotten Julie's attention, Tim scowled as he caught sight of the vehicle. "That Monica Hambley's a nosey old bat." He said. "I swear, she used to call the cops every single time Billy an' me would have a party."
"Invite her next time, that might shut her up." Julie suggested.
Tim was silent for a moment and then Julie's brain comprehended what she'd just said. Tim must have realized when it clicked for her too. His voice was a low mumble. "I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon."
Concern pooling in her eyes, Julie studied him carefully, unsure of whether or not to continue the conversation. "You heard from him recently?"
Tim shook his head. "I know that he was at the game though."
"Of course he would be. He's your brother, even if you're not getting on real well at the moment he'd still want to show you his support."
Tim snorted, dipping his paint brush into the paint can and nearly knocking it over with the force of his action. "Sure. Just like he showed his support for me by turning up to the games after I'd gotten kicked off the team?" He shook his head. "Billy didn't give a shit about showing me support then. You cut him open and he'd bleed blue and gold."
Julie remained silent, not knowing what to say in response to Tim's admission.
Turns out, she didn't have to say anything as the person himself appeared.
Julie didn't take much notice of the vehicle until Tim's head whipped round as he recognized the sound of the engine.
It pulled up to the curb and the motor cut out.
Slowly, Tim stood up, his eyes dark. "You'd best go back in the house, Jules." He said quietly, his voice as remote as his face.
Julie bit her lip, she recognized that mask of his. She'd seen it, she'd caused it herself. It made her want to pull him into her arms and never let him go as if he was some lost puppy.
"You'll be okay?"
"I'll be fine. Riggins' arguments tend to end with a few punches thrown and I don't want to take the chance you might get hurt." His hand found the small of Julie's back and he urged her towards the house.
Frowning, Julie reluctantly made her way to the front door, making sure to keep her eyes fastened to the scene in front of her.
Billy was waiting by the side of his truck, sprawled out against it, and Julie saw him glance up at her briefly before turning his attention back to his little brother.
Remaining in the same position where she'd left him, Tim was standing stock still, his fist closed around the handle of the brush he was holding.
As soon as she took the step up on the porch they both moved. Billy stood up straight and took a step onto the lawn from the sidewalk while Tim moved towards him with a deceptive, lazy couple of strides.
Gradually, they came closer together, and with every step they took, Julie could feel the tension between the pair of them heighten.
Respecting Tim's request, Julie went inside, calling out for her Dad as she did so and darting round to the front window to see what was going on.
"Dad!" She shouted again after a lack of response.
"If you want to speak with me, you can come here!" Eric replied from down the hall.
Julie sighed but made no move to do as he'd said, keeping her eyes fastened on the Riggins' brothers instead.
Billy was saying something, his brow hanging heavy over his eyes and he dug his hands deep into his pockets.
She couldn't see Tim's face, but the agitated shifting of his weight and the tense line of his shoulder told her that whatever Billy was telling him wasn't going down well.
"Dad!" Julie hollered. "Billy's out front talking to Tim." She paused, watching Billy shove at Tim's shoulders and cuff the side of his head before swinging his arms in conjunction with what he was saying.
Tim hadn't moved under the force of the push, but it still gave Julie a bad feeling.
"It looks like they're about to break out into a fight!" She warned her parents.
"What?" Came the respective questions from down the hall, her parents appearing as if by magic.
Together, they both peered out of the window, and Eric cursed under his breath as Tim turned to walk away only to be hauled back round by Billy.
Quickly, he headed for the front door, determined to get to the situation out front before it could develop even further.
He sure as hell didn't want to break up a fight that involved a Fullback in his prime and his older brother that had put in many credible performances as a Linebacker.
Tami anxiously peered out of the window. "What happened?"
Julie shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "I don't know. Billy turned up while we were painting the fence and then Tim had me come inside."
The argument reached its climax before Eric was even off the porch, Tim knocking away Billy's hold on his shoulder and forcing him back a few steps.
Then, in typical Tim Riggins fashion, he walked away without looking back.
He got straight in his truck and revved the engine loudly, deliberately drowning out whatever it was Billy was trying to tell him.
Billy's own truck blocked the end of the drive, something that Julie later realized had probably been done on purpose.
In retaliation, Tim reversed his vehicle over onto the neighbors' drive. How he didn't manage to scrap the side of their car, Julie didn't know, but the flower beds weren't so lucky.
The tires rolled over the plants dividing the two properties, squashing blooming flowers, crushing the leaves and churning the mud as the tires squealed and spun with Tim's driving.
Seconds later, the pick-up truck was out on the road and fast fading out of sight.
Julie frowned, biting nervously at her bottom lip as she hugged herself.
Next to her Tami sighed, forcing herself to be patient as Eric had a few words with Billy and then turned back towards the house as the elder Riggins brother jumped back into his truck and disappeared out of sight down the road.
As the door slammed shut behind Eric, both Tami and Julie swung around, walking a few steps forward to find out what had happened.
Rubbing tiredly at the side of his face, Eric ruefully reflected that life had been far quieter when Tim hadn't been living with them.
"What did Billy want?" Julie asked at the same time as Tami spoke.
"What happened?"
Heading over to the fridge, Eric pulled out a soda, despite the fact he could really use a beer, and cracked the can open.
"It was about what happened in the grocery store, wasn't it?" Julie announced.
He nodded in agreement. "Some of it." Taking a drink, Eric turned his eyes to his wife. "I believe Billy had a couple things to say about Tim's behavior since moving in with us." Several words were left unspoken as they were communicated silently between the pair of them. 'About Julie'. Eric's eyes conveyed to his wife.
Sighing softly in agreement, Tami's stance softened, knowing what it was Eric was telling her.
Evidently it seemed that Billy was taking the news about Tim and Julie's suddenly close friendship in the same way as the whole of Dillon; with shock. Only being Tim's brother, he wasn't keeping his opinion or thoughts on the matter quiet.
Picking up on the under currents going back and forth between her parents, Julie scowled, annoyed at feeling left out of the loop.
She had a general idea of what had happened though.
Tim might have ushered her inside the house under the impression that he wanted her out of the way in case she got caught in the crossfire, but logically if he knew Billy would be bringing up their friendship, he wouldn't want her to be there for that either.
In some respects she couldn't help but understand that in his own way, Billy was looking out for his little brother, but it didn't completely quash the resentment she felt having witnessed his interaction with Tim.
Knowing that if she didn't get on with something then she'd spend the whole day brooding over what had happened, Julie informed her parents that she was going to finish painting the front fence and disappeared off into her bedroom for her Ipod. Hoping, as she turned up the volume, that the music would drown out her thoughts.
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Despite the fact that Tim hadn't returned at all in the afternoon, Julie kept her promise and made corn bread, fried chicken, potato salad and cooked the corn on the cob they'd brought at the store earlier that day.
Tyra had turned up shortly before dinner, eager to find out what had actually happened in the grocery store, as by the time she'd heard of it, it had been twisted out of proportion several times.
'No Tyra,' Julie had informed her best friend. 'Missy Sutton did not start flinging cartons of eggs in my direction.' 'Bobby-Ray Milton didn't get caught in the crossfire and knocked unconscious by Tim.' 'Tim never said who it was he was fantasizing over when he had sex with Missy! It certainly wasn't me!' And so on, and so on.
Honestly she was beginning to think Tim had been the lucky one, escaping the wrath of the blonde hurricane.
Although Julie was being punished for her part in the grocery store, Eric and Tami, learning that Mindy was working that evening and that Tyra's Mom had a date with a trucker from out of town, insisted that Tyra spend the night. They weren't at all comfortable with the thought of the teenager going home alone.
Steadfastly through the night, Julie had refused to be left alone with Tyra, knowing that otherwise she'd be caught in the middle of an interrogation that her parents had no hope from rescuing her from.
Julie had initially been worried that, without either one of them present, Tyra would start asking questions that she didn't feel comfortable explaining or lying about, or, in some cases, that she didn't even know the answer to.
However, displaying an unusual and uncharacteristic sense of tact, and picking up the warning signals that had been clearly displayed in Julie's responses to her initial questions, Tyra made the correct decision to keep her mouth shut, to leave Julie be and not push the subject, which worked out well for both parties included.
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, everyone attempting to ignore the elephant in the room which had been left behind in Tim's absence.
Julie knew that she wasn't in the best mood for company, and rather than talking too much and saying something that she would at a later date be sure to regret, decided that it would be better for everyone if she remained an inactive participant in the conversation at the dinner table.
It was only later on in the evening when the pair of them were getting ready for bed, busily removing makeup and jewelry, that Tyra finally said anything.
Swiping at a spot of make up to remove it from her cheek, Tyra turned her attention to her best friend. Julie might be younger than her, but it had never been an issue in their friendship and Tyra would have been lying if she didn't admit to herself that at time, it was quite flattering to have someone come to her for advice and support. "You sure you're alright, Julie?"
Julie mumbled a somewhat positive response, unable to admit what was really on her mind. Tyra would only think her stupid and naive if she announced that she was worried about Tim.
The blonde was probably right not to worry too. After all, she'd spent the better part of their relationship making up and breaking up with Tim walking off into the sunset only to return a little bit later on, looking a little worse for wear.
He was fine.
He was bound to be fine.
It was Dillon after all.
But that didn't stop the concern that Julie felt at his disappearing act.
She took a deep breath. "I'm just tired. Sorry I've been in a bitchy mood all evening, it's just been a really long day."
Tyra smirked, but the expression didn't hide the concern in her eyes. "I'm not surprised."
"Yeah, and that wasn't the worst of it." Julie commented, referring to the grocery store incident.
"No?"
"Nope." Julie replied succinctly. "Drenched in strawberry milkshake and wearing Tim's shirt, who should I walk into but Matt and his perfectly presented, never has a hair out of place, Nurse?"
Tyra groaned, her face a picture of sympathy. "Oh, honey…"
"Oooh yeah. Humiliating with a capital H." Julie sighed, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She felt exhausted, but knew instinctively that sleep wouldn't come easy that night. She just hoped that she didn't have any nightmares or start sleepwalking while Tyra stayed the night.
In fact, it was the first sleepover she'd been involved in since the storm that had started all of her problems.
"I'm just glad that it's nearly over. Tomorrow is a new day." Julie said resolutely while climbing into bed.
"I know the feeling," Tyra said with a yawn while she folded her clothes and dropped them down onto the little chair Julie had in her room. "Work was manic today."
"At least you've got tomorrow off though, right?"
Snorting, Tyra climbed into the other side of Julie's bed and let her head hit the pillow with a thud. "Only if I don't get a call askin' me to go in. Dorleen better be back tomorrow."
"Can't you say that you can't go in?"
"Yeah," Tyra agreed glumly. "But I need the money so…" Her voice trailed off.
The bedroom door opened to show Tami poking her head round. "Night girls, don't stay up too late talking."
"We won't." They assured her.
"Night Mom."
"Night Mrs Taylor."
"Goodnight," Tami replied as she flicked the light switch out and closed the door softly behind her.
"Sucks." Julie said, going back to their earlier conversation before her Mom's interruption.
"Yep, but money makes the world go round." Tyra said cynically.
Julie nodded in the dark, and then realized that her friend couldn't see her. "Yeah." Yawning so widely her eyes watered, she forced her body to relax and tried to put the knowledge that Tim wasn't home yet out of her mind.
Billy had been by about three thirty, and it was now nearly quarter to twelve. He'd been gone for over eight hours, she calculated, glancing across at the digital neon bedside clock.
She knew her parent's were concerned, she'd not missed the way their eyes had strayed to the clock more and more often as the night had progressed.
The silence between her and Tyra lengthened. "Night," she murmured quietly, reluctant to break the moment.
"Night," came the drowsy mumble from Tyra as her friend shifted, rolling over onto her side.
'Night.' Julie mouthed the words to herself and rubbed her eyes as she tried to get comfortable without disturbing Tyra.
Closing her eyes, she willed sleep to come for her. Her eyelids were heavy and scratchy, and she wanted nothing more than to drift off into a peaceful sleep.
With an annoyed sigh, Julie opened her eyes and rolled over onto her stomach, glancing across to the bedside clock.
Eleven forty seven.
Great.
----------------
With grit and determination not often used off the football field, Tim kept his eyes away from the digital clock on his dashboard and on the Taylor driveway as he guided his truck up onto it and shut down the engine.
He was familiar with regretting his actions, Jason and Lyla just to name a few, but he'd never had to face the reactions quite so soon after the event itself.
Coach or Mrs. Coach weren't going to be too happy with him suddenly turning up at two in the morning to crash on their couch.
They'd both gone out of their way to make sure that he felt comfortable in their home, but one thing that had been made very clear was that he was expected to be in within a reasonable hour and not to wake the entire house as he did so.
Which was fair enough, he reasoned. What with Gracie's sleeping schedule, Shelley who was staying with them, and Julie, the house was packed full of people as it was.
Switching off the front lights of his truck, Tim opened the driver side door as quietly as possible and got out, closing it behind him with similar care.
He didn't really want to get ripped a new one by Coach T after the day he'd had.
There had been a few places he could have crashed; multiple cheerleaders beds, on the couch belonging to a couple of the guys on the football team he could stand, hell, his own truck if it came to that. But for some unexplainable reason he'd decided against all of those options and had gone back to the Taylor house.
Trepidation filled his body as he walked towards the door and located the spare key kept on top of the door frame.
The door swung open easily, allowing Tim to step in and lock it behind himself.
He was unsure of his welcome, and didn't know whether to be relieved or not that no one was waiting up for him.
The thought of being around anyone after what Billy had said…
Even his own fucking brother!
A side light in the front room had been left on, and it provided a dull glow of enough light for him to navigate his way through the hallway without hitting any items of furniture.
His stomach rumbled, reminded him uncomfortably that Julie had been making dinner that night.
That they'd spent most of the day teasing each other over her cooking skills.
And then that thought lead to the fact that he'd left her to finishing painting the yard fencing by herself, which would have taken several more hours, in punishment for something that she hadn't really been a part of.
His eyes strayed towards her bedroom.
If anyone had reason to be pissed at him it was Jules.
As if by thought, she appeared, pulling the bedroom door behind her.
She looked tired, her hair falling haphazardly about her face and down across her shoulders as she padded quietly towards him.
The sight of Tim's face, tight and closed off, helped Julie refrain from speaking. She studied him silently, her hand rubbing at her itchy eyes as she walked past him and into the kitchen.
Struggling to know what to say, Tim did what he did best and stayed quiet, remaining still on the spot and merely turning around to keep Julie in his sights.
He braced himself for what was sure to come. The arguments, the accusations, the nagging as she demanded to know where he'd been.
"You eaten?" She asked, breaking the silence as she opened the refrigerator door, the light from the fridge itself giving him a better view of her.
"No."
"Sit," Julie told him. Plate in hand, she closed the fridge and flipped on one of the spot lights in the kitchen.
There was plenty else that she wanted to say, but one look at his face told her that he felt bad enough, that she didn't need to add to it.
Besides, it wasn't any of her business where he'd been, she reminded herself strictly. Tim didn't report to her. She wasn't his girlfriend, he didn't owe her anything.
Unwrapping the cling film, Julie set the plate down in front of him without another word.
Faster than her eye could see, his hand reached out, clamping down over her own.
Lost for words, Tim ran his thumb over Julie's knuckles, somehow hoping to convey to her his appreciation via the simple gesture.
Turning her hand over in his grasp, Julie gave it a squeeze to show she understood what he was trying to communicate.
----------
The movement of the mattress as Julie left the bed woke Tyra.
Her brain still fogged with sleep, she didn't think anything of it, subconsciously waiting for the sound of the toilet flushing or the sound of her best friend moving around.
Instead, a brighter glimmer of light crept beneath the door, pulling her from her sleep as her brain realized that something wasn't quite right.
The low murmur of Julie's voice filtered through to her brain, and Tyra lay still for a moment, her body tense as her imagination ran wild.
Cautiously, she sat up, holding her breath as the bed springs creaked. Slowly she pulled the covers back and slid her legs over the side of the bed.
Creeping over to the door, Tyra pulled it a little further open and peered as far around the door frame as she dared.
She could just see Tim, sat up at the breakfast bar, a plate of food in front of him.
Julie was out of sight, but she appeared a moment later as she placed a glass of juice in front of Tim to go with his dinner before she moved out of Tyra's line of sight once again.
Seconds later and the blonde appeared again, walking round from the kitchen to settle herself on one of the stools next to Tim. Julie slumped over the counter, pillowing her head on her arms, which allowed Tyra to see the upper half of her ex-boyfriend.
Tyra knows their not dating.
She knows that.
But she can't help but feel jealous over the way Julie is dealing with the situation.
If that had been her out there in the kitchen, Tyra would have demanded to know where he'd been. Who he'd been with. What the fight with Billy had been about.
She'd have taunted him with his ability to simply walk away as he always did when it got too much for him.
She'd have brought his father up, knowing what a sore subject it was, she'd have brought it up and thrown it in his face. 'Just like your Daddy, Tim, walk away. That's the only damn decent thing he ever taught you.'
She wouldn't have remained quiet like Julie was doing.
She'd have pushed, and pushed, and pushed in her quest for answers until they ended up in another argument which more than likely involved Tim walking straight back out the door.
Tim said something, but Tyra couldn't hear it since it was in his customary mumble, which was difficult at times to understand even when he stood immediately opposite you.
Whatever it was that he'd asked, Julie shook her head to it in response, and Tyra watched, eyes glued to the display in front of her as Tim wiped his hand on his trousers before tucking a loose couple of strands of hair behind Julie's ear gently.
The pair of them were silent as Tim set about demolishing the plate of food Julie had set out for him.
It was then that Tyra realized why Julie had been so insistent on putting aside some of the chicken before they'd sat down for dinner that evening.
"'s good." Tim said, Tyra barely catching the words. He glanced over at Julie and then turned his attention back to his plate. She caught the odd words or two about his argument with Billy, reading his lips at times as best she could to try and piece together what he was saying.
Sucking in a breath, Tyra bit down on her bottom lip, wondering why she was still amazed at the stupidity of the Riggins brothers.
"Jules?"
Tim smiled softly, amusement and affection coloring his face as he looked at Julie sat next to him, still slumped over on the breakfast bar. And maybe, just perhaps, there was an edge of relief about his expression as well, that Julie had been there, next to him, listening to his story, but hadn't witnessed the vulnerability that he'd displayed.
Standing up, Tim walked around to the kitchen, and Tyra caught glimpses of him as he cleaned up. He discarded the chicken bones into the trash and put his glass and plate into the sink.
Living with the Taylor's had taught him a little about cleaning up after himself, she thought.
Her heart skipped a beat as he turned down towards her, and just as she was about to dart back into the room, convinced that he had seen her, Tim stopped.
Tyra didn't dare peek around the door again, but she stood close to it, her ears on full alert as she heard Tim knock on the Coach and Mrs. Taylor's bedroom door.
She heard movement from the next bedroom, and listened as the door swung open.
"Riggins?" Coach Taylor asked. "Do you know what time it is son? Any apology you've got can wait until the morning."
"Yes Sir." Tim replied. "It's just, Jules, sir."
"Julie?" Echoed Coach Taylor.
"She's, uh, asleep. And you said…"
"I know what I said, son. Don't worry about it." There was a pause. "How can she sleep like that?" Coach Taylor asked in disbelief.
There was a slight grunt. "I'll tell you something, this sure was easier when she was six." And then the sound of Coach Taylor's voice was getting closer. "Get some sleep Riggins."
Darting back to the bed, Tyra yanked the covers up over her and turned her face into the pillow as she held her breath and then concentrated on trying to breathe slow and steady.
She felt the light from the hallway illuminate her face, a flicker of relief running through her body as it gave her an excuse to frown 'in her sleep' and turn her face away.
The bed dipped as Julie was placed back onto her side and the covers pulled back up over her.
Heart pounding in her ears, Tyra listened anxiously for the muffled sound of Coach Taylor's feet on the carpet as he left the room, the quiet click of the door following his exit.
She had no idea why she felt as worked up as she did.
Okay, so she might have been spying on the pair of them, but it was out of curiosity rather than the ambition to use what she had learned maliciously. And she was worried for Julie too.
Tim had the uncanny ability to draw people to him. Tyra herself had felt the power of it more than once and she didn't intend for Julie to experience the same pain and humiliation she had felt when things inevitably fell apart.
Twisting about on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position, Tyra tried to reason with herself over her actions which only resulted in a self-induced headache.
She looked over at Julie enviously, fast asleep with none of the issues that had plagued her earlier and kept her awake for most of the night. Tyra couldn't help but notice the number of times that Julie had tossed and turned.
Instead of the peaceful sleep she'd been in before Tim had arrived home, Tyra was now stuck facing a long, restless night. And she had no one to blame for it but herself.
---------
The heat of the Texan sun burnt through his football uniform, forcing Tim to swallow down the nausea he felt creeping up on him.
He'd spent the entire practice doing bleacher runs, in full kit, as punishment for his behavior in the grocery store, for skipping out on Julie after the fight with Billy and to make up for the fact that he'd run over Mrs. Ryan's flowers with his truck.
It could be worse, Tim tried to assure himself as he turned upwards to the top of the bleachers for the umpteenth time. It could be worse. Could be suicides instead.
It wasn't working though. He fucking hated bleacher runs. At the end of a hard session his knees always felt weak and unstable and he could never quite get over the feeling that they were about to give out on him as he walked down the steps back out onto the field.
It was a similar sensation to being drunk; but without any of the enjoyment of getting to that point of being wasted.
Sucking air into his lungs, he pumped his arms hoping to get some momentum going to help get him through it.
A shrill whistle disrupted him from his thoughts, his head lifting to make sure he'd not imagined it.
Practice was over.
His body stopped as suddenly as if someone had turned the power switch on him, his legs seizing, the muscles cramping, his heart and lungs working overtime to get oxygen pumped around his body.
Practiced fingers worked at the clips on his helmet so he could rip it off, relief rushing through his body at the sensation of cool air on his head.
His hair a sweaty mess, Tim rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead to remove the perspiration that had built up there.
Mouth dry, he tried to swallow, collapsing onto one of the empty rows of bleachers which made a sound of protest at his sudden weight dropping down on them.
That was one practice he wasn't ever going to forget.
Closing his eyes, Tim swiveled round and lay back on the bleacher itself, concentrating on taking in the maximum amount of air possible. Too tired to even contemplate taking off his shoulder pads that dug uncomfortably into him.
The sensation of a shadow skittering over his face had Tim opening his eyes, peering up at who had approached him.
"Hey."
"Jules." He replied, interrupting his breathing cycle for a brief couple of seconds.
With a heavy hand, he patted the bleacher beneath him, indicating that she should sit down while he caught his breath.
His eyes falling shut against the harsh glare of sunlight, Tim lay still, allowing his body to recover. He gave a slight start at the feel of Julie's hand brushing away a couple of strands of hair stuck to his face and then a sigh at the sensation of a cold bottle of drink being pressed to his forehead.
"You look like shit, Tim." Julie informed him bluntly, not bothering to sugar coat her words. 'But you still look as hot as hell,' she thought silently. It was unfair that people like Tim Riggins could still look more attractive on their bad days, than most people did on their good ones.
Skin flushed from heat and exertion, his damp hair a tangled mass, Tim had managed to sweat through his under armor and his training top.
His body protesting with every move he made, Tim stuck his arm out in Julie's general direction, thankful it only landed on her knee and nowhere else. "You're a sweetheart, Jules." He said in reference to the fact that she'd brought a drink up to him. "Think you could open that for me?"
A snort from Julie told him exactly what she thought of that request, but the bottle was lifted from his brow all the same and the cap twisted off for him.
"Here," Julie said pushing the drink into his hand.
Forcing himself to sit up, using Julie as leverage, Tim sipped at the drink, knowing that if he drank too much of it too quickly he'd only end up being sick or having stomach cramps for the rest of the evening.
The Gatorade went down easily enough, and Tim wondered where she'd picked up on his preference for it over water.
"Man, I am going to sleep well tonight."
Julie smiled at him. "You can crash in my room for a bit if you want while I help Mom get dinner ready."
A smirk curled at Tim's lips that had Julie blushing. "Now there's an offer."
"Uh, guys?"
The pair of them turned towards Michael Turner, one of the linebackers who was stood a little way away from them. His eyes were wide, flicking between the pair of them, and Tim's hand where it still rested on Julie's leg.
Rubbing his hand calmly over Julie's knee, Tim drew it away, transferring the empty bottle of Gatorade into his hand as though it were perfectly usual for him to be touching any part of Julie Taylor.
When nothing else was forthcoming, Julie's snarkiness broke out. "Can we help you with something?"
"Mac wants to see you do some stretches and hit the showers before your muscles seize."
Glancing over Julie's shoulder, Tim could see Mac down there, having a word with another one of the players while the majority of them headed in towards the lockers rooms.
Tim nodded, and then raised an eyebrow as Turner just stood there.
"Oh. Right." The linebacker said with a smirk, suddenly realizing that Riggins didn't want him hanging round. He was off like a shot, eager to catch up with a few straggling team mates who all glanced back their way as soon as Turner reached them.
In movement's that proved to be long accustomed to practice, Tim pulled off his training jersey with little difficulty and began picking at the laces on his shoulder pads.
He huffed in frustration once it was starting to take him a lot longer to unpick the tangled knot he'd made earlier.
Standing up in front of Tim, Julie brushed his hands aside and began to loosen the string herself.
Tim said nothing, his eyes alight with amusement at Julie's actions.
Generally, he didn't like to be fussed over, and several years of Rally Girls and Cheerleaders who loved to do just that had turned a general dislike into full blown disgust.
But there was something about Julie Taylor.
She didn't force it upon him.
She didn't smoother him.
She was always happy to hang out and spend time doing stuff with him, but didn't cause a scene or show any resentment when he announced he was going fishing with Street and Herc as he'd done on Sunday afternoon.
His arms rested on the top of his thighs as his hands waited impatiently, tapping at his knees and scratching at the material of his shorts.
Julie shuffled closer, eyes squinting as she focused her attention on the problem before her, his hand brushing against the side of her leg.
Her skin was soft and smooth, his fingers just centimeters away.
It would be so easy just too…he cursed mentally, dragging his eyes away from the tanned skin to focus on something else.
To his left, he spotted Saracen, staring up at them even as Mac talked to him, motioning to the clip board in front of him with various plays, notes and diagrams scrawled out.
He was really getting sick of the Quarterback mooning after Jules.
He had a new girlfriend; he'd not wanted to get back with Julie, and now, simply because she was friends with him, Matt couldn't stop watching her.
It pissed him off.
The same as Saracen's advice had that afternoon in the grocery store. He didn't need to know how to manage Julie or how to deal with her. He knew, a majority of the time, how she was going to react to something. The only time he had doubts over her reactions was when he was entered into the equation.
Juleshadnothing to do with Seven any longer.
The rest of Dillon knew that.
It was time the Quarterback started to remember it too.
"Here you go," Julie murmured to him, finally having won the battle with the knot. The same as before, her hands automatically reached for the side straps of his shoulder pads and loosened them.
Standing, Tim thanked her as he pulled off the pads and set them down on the empty bleacher. Methodically, he started to go through stretches that were ingrained in his mind. Quads. Hamstrings. Calf muscles. "How come you're here so late this afternoon?"
Julie shrugged. "What? I thought you were all for your own personal cheerleader!" Tim grinned at her teasing, and Julie continued before he could get a word in edgeways. "I had a paper to finish. Mom wanted to take Gracie to the baby yoga class that was being run earlier this afternoon, so I said I'd catch a ride home with you or Dad."
"Get it done?" He asked, wondering when he'd started to become engaged in small talk about homework, school or grades.
Nodding, seeing that Tim was done, Julie picked up his helmet, swinging it in her hand by the metal bars that protected his face during games.
"Ready? Tim?" She asked again when he received no response to her initial question.
The next thing Julie knew she was wrapped up in a hug, pressed to the Fullback's chest. Automatically she wrapped her arms around him in return, the helmet knocking against his back. "Sorry." His body was stiff with tension, but gradually, she felt him relax and press a kiss to her forehead.
Trying not to let the scent of a hot, sweaty footballer cloud her senses, Julie asked, "Are you okay?"
Silence stretched for a long minute, and when Tim did reply to her question, his words were mumbled, all but muffled by her long hair. "You just looked like you could use a hug."
Knowing that was a blatant lie, Julie decided to let it go. She knew how difficult it would have been for Tim to reach out to her like that, especially with so many people about.
He might be free and easy with the Rally Girls and Cheerleaders in the school, but she hadn't missed the tension in his body the day they'd shared lunch in the stands, and how uptight he got about reaching out to her in front of the residents in Dillon.
She knew that the people of Dillon were talking about the pair of them, whispering that someone of Tim's stature would never be good enough, would never be allowed to touch Coach Taylor's daughter.
It wasn't fair to either of them.
The peace between them was shattered by her father's voice. "Everything all right up there?" He asked, standing a couple of rows down from them.
When Tim stiffened against her, Julie sighed. Keeping her arms about Tim's waist, Julie twisted round to face her father, tucking her head beneath Tim's chin as she leaned further into him. It gave the impression that Tim was literally holding her up. "Yeah," she said tiredly. "Matt was just…" Julie allowed her voice to trail off, deciding to let her father come to his own conclusions.
Eric frowned in concern.
He was aware that her break up with Matt Saracen had taken its toll on Julie, and that the recent addition of his new girlfriend had only added to the pressure that Julie felt when it came to keeping up appearances.
And his family thought he was blind to all but football…
Although Tami would probably argue that it still was football related since Saracen was his Quarterback…
"Well, it won't be long before we're done, honey."
"Okay." Julie said pitifully, struggling to keep any amusement from her face as she felt Tim squeeze her.
"Time to hit the showers, son." Eric said, "I'll take it from here."
Ruffling her hair before Julie could protest, Tim let the little blonde go, catching her again only moments later as Julie agreed with her dad. "Yeah Timmy, you stink!"
Julie squealed while Eric rolled his eyes at their behavior. "Enough rough housing you two. It's all fun and games until some one gets hurt."
"Yeah, Tim, y'hear that? You'll get hurt!"
"I don't think so Taylor! You're smaller after all, and a girl."
A loud piercing whistle broke them apart. "Riggins, shower. Julie, wait in my office while I finish up. I just need to have a word with Mac," he told his daughter, motioning over his shoulder to the older coach waiting down at the bottom of the bleachers, looking up at them with unabashed curiosity.
Grabbing hold of his shoulder pads, Tim started down the steps, his knees protesting every step of the way while Julie bounced along beside him.
Casually, he swung an arm around Julie's shoulders, pulling her close to him. "Quite the little game there, Taylor."
Laughing, Julie tossed her hair back over her shoulder and turned her nose into the air. "Hate the game Tim, not the player."
Eric shook his head as he watched the pair of them walk away, the sudden laugher escaping from his usually dour fullback.
They were good for each other, he decided. Then, without another thought he turned his attention back the matter at hand; football, and headed down to speak with Mac.
---------------
Several days later…
Tami eyed her husband with unashamed curiosity.
The entire evening Eric had been all but vibrating his good mood. He was practically oozing satisfaction.
Over what, she had no idea. The last time she had seen him acting in such a way was when they'd won state.
Something was going on that she was unaware of.
Smoothing down the bed cover, Tami sat back against the pillows resting against the headboard, set her book down and then turned to her husband. She watched him without making any pretence about what she was doing.
His lips curled in a little smirk that she knew, having more to do with what he was thinking about than the playbook in front of him.
He'd been acting out of character all evening. She'd lost count of the number of times he'd referred to Tim as 'Son', and herself and his daughter's as 'Honey'.
He'd jumped all over Julie's comment about the latest film she was planning to go and see at the weekend, all but insisting that she and Tim went to see it that evening, despite the fact it was a school night and the film didn't start until nine. On top of that, he'd insisted on giving them the money to pay for tickets and then thrown another twenty dollars at them for 'snacks' in case they got hungry.
Both her daughter and Tim had been unsure of Eric's sudden new outlook on the pair of them spending time together, especially after the Missy Sutton episode. But Julie had been determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth and hadn't given Tim any choice in the matter.
Although Tami had the feeling that if Tim hadn't wanted to go along with Julie's scheme he wouldn't have done.
Just the same as Julie wouldn't have been so insistent if she'd known that Tim wasn't interested.
For some reason they each seemed to think that the sun shined out the other.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" She finally asked.
The smirk on Eric's face became more pronounced and then broadened into a wide grin as he looked over at her, the blue eyes she'd fallen in love with sparkling at her.
"Eric?" Tami prompted impatiently.
"Who knew, inviting Riggins into our home would be the smartest thing that I have ever done, aside from marrying you?"
Staring at him in disbelief, Tami announced that he'd lost her.
"You see, everyone in this town, myself included, was dubious about bringing Riggins into a home that had a beautiful, smart, funny, teenage daughter." He drawled. "Everyone thought that I'd have to keep an eye on him the entire time, that a boy like that couldn't be trusted. That he'd be kicked out of the house within days. As it is, he's better than a chastity belt!" Eric reported gleefully.
Tami choked. "Excuse me?!"
"Our daughters 'off limits', Tami! Julie is 'off limits'! Riggins has done a better job than even I could!"
"Hold up." Tami said, her hand raising to reinforce her command as she rapidly tried to wrap her head around whatever it was Eric was saying. "Where did you hear this? Who did you hear this from?"
"Couple of the boys on the team." Eric replied with a satisfied smile, not at all bothered by his wife's ire. "Overheard them talking in the locker room, they didn't realize that I was still there. Apparently the whole town has no idea what's going on between the pair of them, the teenagers at Dillon High included, and none of them are too keen at the idea of ending up on the wrong side of Riggins fist. Julie's never going to date again!" He finished off cheerfully.
He chuckled to himself.
"So you deliberately sent them out to the movies, on a school night, to fan the fire?"
"Yep," Eric responded, not looking at all repentant.
Tami's head fell back and hit the pillow with a dull thud as she sighed. Never in a million years had she expected this reaction from her husband at the gossip flying around town; that their daughter was involved with the notorious Fullback.
--
A/N: When I first suggested that last scene to Brophy she couldn't work out how I was going to make it fit, after all, Coach Taylor is known for his over protective streak! But I figure it works pretty well ;D