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"Juliet."

The scent of her, the touch of silk…

Lassiter's eyes slowly flickered open.

"Juliet?"

He was alone on the couch, stiff and uncomfortable. He expected to find Juliet nearby, but he was cold and alone.

A dream. Touching her, making love to her… it had all been a dream.

He scrubbed his hands roughly over his face, then sat up. His back popped and he groaned as his muscles protested the movement. The disappointment he felt at the realization the encounter had all been a dream was intense and unexpected. He was crazy about her, but there was a sense of relief present as well. If he had made love to her in her present condition, he didn't think he would be able to forgive himself for taking advantage of her.

"Carlton?"

Her soft voice interrupted his self-loathing. He turned his head in the direction of her voice. She was standing a few feet away, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Her hair was messy and her eyes were sleepy. She yawned and wiped at her eyes. "Morning."

"Good morning." He stood up and walked around the couch, over to her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I guess." Her stomach growled noisily, and she blushed.

"You're hungry. Sit down and I'll make breakfast."

"Carlton, you don't have to…"

"But I want to." He gave her a reassuring smile before he headed into the kitchen.

It wasn't long before the apartment was filled with the aroma of pancakes, bacon and fresh coffee. He made Juliet a plate and a cup of coffee as he called her name. "Juliet."

She stood up and went over to the kitchen table. "It smells wonderful," she commented as she sat down.

"Thank you." He placed the plate and cup of coffee in front of her. Then he fixed his own plate and sat down beside her.

They ate in silence, just enjoying each other's company. He was happy to be there with her, but a small part of him was reserved. She wasn't completely herself, and he was still very much worried about her.

A knock at the front door startled them both. Lassiter put his fork down and got up. "Finish your breakfast," he gently encouraged as he moved to answer the door.

"Mm hmm."

Smiling, he pulled the door open. Immediately that smile faded.

Maryanne and Lloyd were standing in the hallway. Maryanne spoke first.

"I'm sorry we didn't call first, but we wanted to see Juliet."

Lassiter hesitated to welcome them into the apartment. "We're eating breakfast." It was a lame excuse, but it was all he had.

"We want to see her."

They stared at each other for a while, until he finally gave up and allowed them into the apartment. "Juliet, your parents are here."

"They are?" Juliet stood up and watched her parents walk into her apartment. "Hi."

"Hi, sweetheart." Maryanne rushed to hug her only daughter. "You look wonderful."

Juliet smiled and glanced at Lassiter. "Thanks."

Taking Juliet's hand, Maryanne led her over to the couch and urged her to sit down. "I brought a few things for you…" She reached into her purse and withdrew a small photo album. "I thought seeing these might help you remember."

Feeling out of place, Lassiter went into the kitchen and began cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. He knew he couldn't reasonably keep Juliet all to himself, but it didn't stop him from wishing he could. She wasn't his to keep, as much as he wanted her to be.

Stop it, a small voice whispered. He was heading down a very dangerous path, one he knew he would never be able to return from. One that could only end in pain and despair for him. He had enough of it already in his life. He didn't need more.

But he couldn't help thinking he wanted it.


An hour later, Juliet's parents left. Fifteen minutes into the visit, she noticed Carlton disappear into her spare bedroom, and she felt a sense of regret and responsibility toward him. He was her friend and partner. Her parents were her family and her blood, but Carlton was something more. Theirs felt like a long and complicated relationship, even if she couldn't remember most of it.

She saw her parents out before she went down the hall. She found Lassiter in the guest bedroom, pacing around the room slowly. "Hey."

He looked at her, surprised. "Did your parents leave?"

"Yeah." She leaned against the door and watched him thoughtfully. "I think they were frustrated."

He frowned. "They shouldn't have been. The doctor told them you have to remember things on your own."

"It's exhausting."

"I know it is." He approached her, his expression reflecting his concern. "But you'll get there."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Reaching out, he gently grasped her shoulder with one hand. "Go get your jacket."

"What?"

"Go get your jacket. We're getting out of here."


"Where are we?"

Lassiter smiled as he guided her onto the beach. "We've spent a lot of time here." There was a bench a few feet away, and the sand was soft and easily gave beneath their feet as they walked. "The first time we were here, we had just been partnered up. I was an ass and you were more patient than I deserved."

"Really?"

"Yes."

They sat down on the bench, and Lassiter made sure he was on her left side, just as he always was. The first time they had sat there, he remembered thinking she looked like an angel. He looked at her and smiled.

Some things never changed, he supposed.

"It's beautiful out here," she commented, watching the waves as they crashed against the shore over and over again.

Not as beautiful as you, he thought as he rested his arm along the back of the bench. "You've always loved watching the waves on the beach."

"Hmm. It's nice."

"You grew up near the beach in Florida. You've always told me you prefer the ocean to the mountains, but you think the mountains are beautiful." The smell of the salt water carried on the breeze was refreshing.

"I do?"

"Yes."

She made a thoughtful noise, but her focus was on the ocean.

He was caught off guard a moment later when her head came to rest on his shoulder. He stiffened, but a moment later he forced himself to relax, and after another minute he gently touched his head to hers. A comfortable silence enveloped the two of them, and for the longest time, there was only the two of them and the waves that pounded against the beach.


"You're kidding me!"

Lassiter laughed as they walked up to her apartment building. "I'm not! You had the brilliant idea to throw me a surprise party for my birthday. So you went into my desk and found a little black book of what you assumed were my friends. Then you invited them all to my house. So I came home to find my yard full of people I had arrested over the years."

She laughed uncontrollably, and he delighted in the sound. "No!"

"Yes. I had to move." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to her apartment. "But you never threw me another surprise party again."

"I can't… I'm so sorry…" She burst into another round of laughter.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Jules!"

Juliet and Lassiter turned around to see Shawn Spencer jogging toward them. Immediately Lassiter's hackles rose, and his protective mode kicked in. He could tolerate Juliet's parents because they were her parents. Spencer was her ex and she was well aware of his not-so-little white lie.

Without a second thought, he stepped in front of her and glared at the younger man. "What do you want, Spencer?"

"Back off, Lassie. I want to see Jules."

"Too bad."

"Yeah, well, too bad for you." Shawn sidestepped Lassiter and smiled at Juliet. "Hey, Jules. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Juliet replied cautiously. "Thank you for asking."

"Why wouldn't I? I'm your boyfriend."

Before Lassiter could correct him, Juliet beat him to it.

"No, you're not, Shawn."

Shawn's eyebrows shot up to his perfectly maintained hairline. "What? Did you get your memory back?"

"No."

"Then-"

"We're not together, Shawn. I appreciate your concern, but it might be better if you give me a little space."

"You're not well, Jules," Shawn tried to insist, holding a hand out to her. "You don't remember how crazy I am about you."

"Maybe I don't. But I know how I feel, and I don't feel anything romantic for you."

Lassiter felt a rush of pride swell up inside of his chest, but he didn't let it show. "You heard her, Spencer. Leave."

"Stay out of this, Lassie." He tried once again to get past Lassiter, but Lassiter shot a hand out and firmly gripped Shawn's shoulder.

"Leave or-"

Out of nowhere, Shawn's fist came out and connected painfully with Lassiter's nose. A grunt of pain escaped Lassiter, but to the surprise of both men, Juliet stepped between them.

"Shawn, get out of here!" She turned toward Lassiter.

He could feel blood ooze from his nose. He quickly grasped the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Hell…"

Without a word, Shawn turned around and stalked away, muttering to himself.

Shaking her head, Juliet gently took Lassiter by the elbow. "Come on, Carlton." She guided him into her apartment building.

He followed her without hesitation, but his blood was boiling. If Juliet hadn't stopped him, he probably would have broken Spencer's nose and taken great pride in doing so.

Unlocking her door, Juliet ushered Carlton into the apartment. "Go sit down."

"I'm okay, Juliet. It's-"

One look from her made him shut his mouth. He obediently sat down on the couch, tipping his head back to try and stem the flow of blood. His nose wasn't broken, but it would be tender for a while. He would have loved to arrest Spencer for the blow, but Juliet needed him more. He would deal with Spencer later.

Juliet quickly made an icepack and gathered paper towels, as well as a damp washcloth. "I get the feeling you two don't get along," she muttered as she sat down on the couch beside Carlton.

Lassiter snorted. "He needs his ass kicked."

Gently pulling his hand away from his nose, she cleaned the blood away. The flow of blood had slowed to a small trickle. She placed the icepack against his nose. "I don't think it's broken."

"It's been broken before. Luckily Spencer has a crappy right hook." He hissed as she pressed the icepack more firmly to his nose.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." The last thing he needed was her apology. If anyone needed to apologize, it was him.

"No, it's not." She hesitated briefly, her blue-green eyes clouded with worry and anger. "Carlton?"

"Hmm?"

He froze when she leaned over and gently kissed his temple. His hesitation was brief as he contemplated his next move. Finally he leaned into her and closed his eyes.

Shifting carefully, Juliet guided his head to rest against her shoulder.

Softly groaning, he settled closer to her. He knew he should have pulled away, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away from her. "You, uh… We shouldn't be doing this," he finally whispered, but he contradicted his own words by nuzzling her shoulder.

"We shouldn't," she agreed as her arm slid around his shoulders and held him tightly to herself.

"I should get up." His hand came up and his fingers gently toyed with a long lock of golden hair.

"You probably should." She let her fingertips lightly massage his scalp.

"Yeah…" He sighed. The pressure of her fingers against his scalp was comforting, and before he could second guess himself, he fell asleep nestled against her.


It was dark when Lassiter opened his eyes again, and for a moment, he was confused. Then he remembered what had happened earlier that afternoon. Spencer had hit him, and after letting Juliet tend to him, he had fallen asleep with Juliet. Judging by the warmth he felt, he could tell Juliet was still there with him. He tilted his head until he saw her face. She was asleep, her long eyelashes fluttering against her skin as she breathed deeply.

God, she was beautiful.

He surmised they had been sleeping for a few hours at least, and while he didn't want to disturb Juliet, he didn't want her sleeping on the couch. So he carefully slipped away from her and pushed himself to his feet. Then, after arguing with himself for nearly a minute, he finally slipped his arms under Juliet and lifted her against his chest. She stirred and snuggled into his chest, sending a wave of warmth over him. Smiling at her, he carried her into her bedroom and gently placed her on the bed. As he removed her shoes and pulled a blanket over her, she moved and called his name.

"Carlton?"

"I'm here, Juliet," he whispered.

"Stay with me."

Did he dare? After the vivid dream of making love to her, he was afraid to allow himself to get too close to her. But she was asking for him, and what was the harm of staying with her, as long as he stayed on top of the covers while she was under them? He would be close enough to help her if she needed him, but there was nothing inappropriate about the closeness, he rationalized.

Finally satisfied, he slid off his shoes and went around to the other side of the bed. Then he lowered himself onto the mattress, taking care not to get too close. But Juliet decided that for him. She rolled over and snuggled into his side, draping a possessive arm over his chest. He froze and stared up at the ceiling.

For the longest time, he remained wide awake and aware of each breath she took. He was incredibly lucky she was still alive, even if she couldn't remember him. She would regain her memory eventually, and for the first time, he allowed himself to believe she just might care about him the same way he cared about her.

"Good night, Juliet."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Bwhahaha. I know, I'm evil. Thanks for reading, and please review!