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"Carlton."

Lassiter heard it, but at first he was convinced it was his imagination. Then he heard it again. He forced his eyes open. He was still in Juliet's room, in her bed, and he could feel her warmth close to him. Slowly he turned onto his side, toward her.

Caught in the throes of some nightmare, Juliet had twisted the sheets around herself and was moaning in her sleep. "Carlton!"

The panic and distress in her voice triggered something in Lassiter. He quickly sat up in the bed and reached out, closing a hand over her shoulder. "Juliet, it's okay," he soothed. "I'm right here."

Her eyes suddenly shot open. Sitting up in the bed, she pulled a sheet around herself, even though she was fully clothed. "Carlton?"

"Right here."

Still breathless, she scooted over in the bed until their hips were touching. Then she grasped his hand tightly.

"Are you okay?" he murmured, unable to resist sliding his arm around her slender shoulders.

She let out a shuddering breath. "I was tied to a chair… There was a giant clock behind me…"

His heart broke for her as his mind recalled, with vivid detail, the night of her abduction.

"My mouth was gagged and…and all I could see were the cars on the street below…" Her chest heaved as she spoke. "I thought I was going to die."

Not trusting himself to speak, Lassiter drew her closer to him, until she was practically in his lap. Then he held her tightly, feeling her small body shake with each breath she took. His emotions swung between happiness at her recollection, anger over the event he had once thought was buried, and a need to protect her from anything and everything he saw as a threat to her. She returned the embrace eagerly, allowing him to relax and hold her even closer.

"What happened to me?" she finally whispered, sending a knife through his heart.

He hesitated to answer, mostly because he wanted to shield her from the pain and fear associated with the memory. But eventually she would remember. "You were abducted…" he started slowly, hesitantly, "…by a psychopath obsessed with Shawn Spencer and Alfred Hitchcock. She tied you to a chair and dangled you from the clock tower in town. Spencer figured out where you were. Guster and I were able to get to you in time." He left out the part where Spencer had elected to go after his ex-girlfriend instead of Juliet. He also neglected to remind her of the three days she had spent in his apartment, which no one else knew about and after it happened, they had never discussed it again. "Do you remember anything else?"

She shook her head wearily. "Just the clock tower. Then…" Her blue-green eyes widened slightly as she looked up at him. "Then you. You were there, and you held me."

He nodded. "I was, and I did." It had been the last thing he expected to do after rescuing her, but holding her in his arms as she cried, being able to protect her, at least for the moment, had meant more to him than he would ever say. She was his best friend, the reason he retained most of his sanity in the wake of their work. What wasn't she to him? "You needed comfort, and I was the only one you would allow near you." A fact he was very proud of. She had trusted him enough to let him in when she was most vulnerable, something he was still learning to do himself.

"Makes sense," she said softly.

He glanced at the clock by her bed. It was a little after two a.m. "You should go back to sleep," he murmured. "You still need to rest and recover."

"I am recovering," she argued. "I remembered something."

Smiling softly, he guided her back against the pillows and straightened the sheets out again. Then he pulled them over her.

She settled under the sheets and rolled onto her side, yawning. "Carlton?"

"Hmm?" He made himself comfortable on top of the sheets.

"Thank you."

His brow furrowed. "What for?" As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything worthy of her gratitude. He had simply done what any good friend would do.

"For being here."

Before he could formulate a response to her words, she drifted off to sleep, leaving him wide awake and his mind racing.

"You're welcome, Juliet."


"I think you should go back to work."

Lassiter jerked his head up and stared at Juliet, who had suddenly lost the ability to look at him. "What?"

Almost a week had passed since he had brought her back to her apartment after being released from the hospital. Was she tired of him already? Had he done something to upset her? He frantically searched through his brain and came up empty.

"You should go back to work. You have a life of your own…"

"Not right now, I don't," he quickly asserted. "Juliet, you don't remember it right now, but work has been my life for years. I've barely taken any sick leave, and I've never taken a personal day."

"Until now," she pointed out quietly.

He nodded. "Until now. And I can't think of a better reason to take leave." Aside from a few snippets here and there, she hadn't recovered her memory completely, and he didn't trust anyone else to look after her. Not even her family, who called and visited with regularity.

"But I'm just your partner. I'm not your wife, or even your girlfriend."

"Stop right there, Juliet," he growled. Maybe she wasn't family, but she was his partner and his best friend, and he would be damned if she let herself think less. "No, you're not my wife or my girlfriend. But you've been my partner and my best friend for seven years, and that commands a lot of respect." And love. "Until you're back to yourself, I'm not leaving you."

"What if I'm never myself again?"

And just like that, there it was. His worst fear summarized in just six simple words. What if I'm never myself again? What if she never regained her memory? What if she spent the rest of her life like this? What if she never remembered who she was, or who her family and friends were?

What if she never remembered him?

Suddenly standing up, he glanced down at her. She still wasn't meeting his eyes. "Juliet, look at me." His voice was gentle yet commanding.

Her slender shoulders shuddered.

"Juliet."

Finally Juliet looked up at him, tears glittering on her cheeks.

Grasping her elbow gently, he pulled her to her feet. Then he maneuvered her into his arms and held her tight. She stiffened against him, but after a moment she relaxed and burrowed into his arms.

"I know you're scared," he whispered as the scent of peaches permeated his nose. "But even if you don't get your memory back, things will be okay. You're alive." He closed his eyes and sighed quietly, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. "I thought you were going to die. But you proved everyone wrong."

She remained quiet in his embrace, but her arms slowly came up and eased around him.

"You're starting to remember bits and pieces, and your doctor says that's great news. You just have to be patient." He chuckled softly. "I'm not the person to lecture about patience, but I'm going to do it now. Be patient and don't force it. It's coming back to you."

"It's you," she whispered, startling him.

"What's me?" he wondered just as softly.

"I've been… so scared. I don't recognize my own family, or the man who used to be my boyfriend. But I trust you. I trusted you the first time I opened my eyes, before I even had an idea of who you were. I just trusted you."

He couldn't resist kissing the top of her head lightly. "We put our lives in each other's hands every day. We spend almost all of our time together. I feel like you should have trusted your family first, but I'm grateful I'm the one you trust." He was more grateful than she would ever know.

Slowly she pulled away from him, but she remained in his embrace. Tipping her head back, she regarded him with a sweet, sad look.

"What?" he whispered, his mouth suddenly dry.

Her hand came up and gently touched his cheek. "You are amazing."

"I'm not," he insisted gruffly.

"You are."

"I just care about you."

"I know." Her hand slowly fell away from his cheek.

He missed her touch when she pulled away. Clearing his throat, he murmured, "What do you want to do today?"

"Let's go for a walk."


A half hour later, they were at a park Juliet frequented. It was close to her home, and Lassiter hoped it might trigger something in her mind. As they walked, she slid her hand into his, and he smiled and curled his fingers around hers, clasping her hand tightly. She had picked a great day for a walk. Children ran back and forth, screaming and calling to each other. Dog owners tossed Frisbees, and one couple enjoyed a picnic in the grass.

"This is a nice place," Juliet said with a smile.

"Yes, it is. I can see why you jog here."

"I do?"

"Every day, unless we have a case and we have to work late."

"Hmm." Her eyes suddenly went wide as they approached a large tree near the jogging path.

"Juliet?" He watched her, worried. "What is it? Do you remember something?"

She released his hand and ran toward the tree. He swore and chased after her.

"Juliet!"

She skidded to a stop in front of the tree and reached out, placing a trembling hand against the bark.

"Juliet, what on earth…"

"I remember this tree!" She spun around and looked up at Lassiter. "I remember…"

He held his breath and waited.

"A picnic… You were there!" Her fingers moved over the rough bark. "It was hot."

Closing his eyes briefly, he let relief from a small victory wash over him.

She was coming back to him.


Shortly after returning to her apartment, there was a knock on the door. Juliet was sitting on the couch, and Lassiter was sitting in her recliner as they watched the TV. When he heard the knock, he motioned for her to stay where she was. He stood up and hurried to the door.

The door swung open to reveal Buzz McNab. The tall officer was standing in the doorway, holding a large basket of what looked to be muffins. He smiled awkwardly at Lassiter. "Afternoon, Detective Lassiter."

"Afternoon, McNab. What can I help you with?"

"I'd like…if it's okay…I mean…" McNab's face flushed. "Could I see Detective O'Hara? This is from the squad."

The corners of Lassiter's mouth twitched into a smile. He hadn't thought about how Juliet's absence might affect the rest of their coworkers. Everyone adored Juliet. Of course they would want to know how she was doing. He had been keeping Vick updated on Juliet's condition, but calling anyone else hadn't crossed his mind. "Sure, McNab." He pulled the door open, allowing the younger officer into the apartment. Then he closed the door and locked it again.

Juliet turned off the TV and eyed McNab curiously. "Hi."

McNab set the muffin basket down and leaned in to hug Juliet. "I'm glad you're okay, Detective O'Hara."

"Thank you…" She pulled away from the embrace, her brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Buzz. I'm Buzz."

"Thank you for the muffins, Buzz."

Lassiter was torn between encouraging the younger officer to stay and asking him to leave to avoid getting Juliet worked up in any way. In the end, Juliet took the choice out of his hands when she asked Buzz to sit down and talk to her. Keeping a cautious eye on Juliet, he returned to the recliner and sat down.

A half hour later, after a pleasant conversation between Juliet and Buzz, Buzz said goodbye. He seemed relieve to see Juliet was still Juliet, even if she couldn't remember him or anyone else. He left the apartment with a smile, and when the door closed, Juliet looked at Lassiter.

"He seems…sweet."

"He is." But Lassiter was quick to change the subject. "Are you hungry?"

A light chuckle escaped her. "Is that your answer to everything?"

"Almost."


Dinner was passed in companionable silence, and Juliet couldn't help but notice how quiet Carlton was. She wondered if it was his natural personality, or if her condition had something to do with it. He insisted on washing the dishes, so she ambled into her bedroom and looked around at the soft blue walls. It was clear she spent a lot of time in there. Clothes hung neatly in the closet, and almost every inch of available space was covered in books and pictures. Stepping into the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. The face looking back at her was pale and tired; no wonder Carlton was always pushing her to eat and rest.

Sighing, she left the bathroom and returned to her bed. Thoughtful as always, Carlton had made the bed in what she assumed was the way she normally made it. She sat down on the foot of the bed and cradled her head in her hands.

"Juliet?"

She looked up when she heard Carlton's kind voice. "Hey…"

"What's wrong?" He sat down beside her on the bed, but kept a distance between them.

"Nothing."

"Juliet, I know you better than that."

"But I don't," she snapped. "I don't know myself at all."

His voice turned firm. "I know you're upset, Juliet, but you're starting to remember. We just have to be patient a little longer."

His patience and unconditional acceptance was frustrating her. Why, she didn't know. "I'm sick of being patient." Pushing herself to her feet, she began to pace the room. "Maybe you should go home tonight."

He hesitated. "Juliet…"

"No. Just go. I need some time to myself."

The look of hurt on his face broke her heart, but he nodded. "Okay." He got to his feet and started to walk past her, but he stopped suddenly and kissed her cheek. "Call me." Then he was gone, leaving Juliet standing in the middle of the room with her hand to her cheek where he had kissed her.

What had she done?


Two uneventful days went by after Juliet asked Carlton to leave her apartment. Truthfully, she regretted the decision five minutes after he was gone. But she reasoned that she needed to get reacquainted with her surroundings on her own, and that she needed to get used to life without Carlton. They weren't married, and though they had shared a very intimate kiss, he wasn't hers to ask to stay. He had a life of his own, a life he had been neglecting in favor of staying with her night and day.

On the third day, after cooking breakfast for herself, she finally felt brave enough to leave her apartment. It was warm outside, so she dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Then she found a pair of sneakers and brushed her hair into a loose ponytail. After giving herself a onceover in the mirror and deciding she looked halfway decent, she left the apartment and headed down the sidewalk, in the direction of the park where Carlton had taken her.

She wanted to see the tree again.


Lassiter felt lost as he sat at his desk and pretended to read over a file. He hadn't seen Juliet in three days, and though he called her regularly, he wanted to see her. He wasn't her boyfriend or family, and yet he couldn't squelch the need to see her, to know she was okay. She sounded fine on the phone, but he needed more.

Vick's door suddenly swung open, startling everyone in the bullpen. "Lassiter!" Her voice screamed urgency.

Lassiter quickly got to his feet, but his knees threatened to buckle with Vick's next words.

"It's Juliet."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Queen of cliffhangers, yes I am! Bwahahaha! Thanks for reading, and please review!