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A/N: This story is for KarlieQ as a celebration of her in general and as a thank you for all the wonderful stories she's posted. I never thought I could be a Jessica/George shipper, but, thanks to KarlieQ, here I am. I love them almost as much as I love Jessica and Seth. Almost…wink wink.

Jessica watched with grim satisfaction as retired Lieutenant Detective Barney Kale was handcuffed, placed under arrest, and placed in the back seat of the local sheriff's car. She looked around but saw no sign of Seth.

"Amos," she asked quietly, "have you seen Seth?"

"No, now that you mention it, Miz Fletcher," drawled Amos. "I haven't seen him since we cracked this thing."

"Mm," hummed Jessica, looking around. She wanted to be sure he didn't disappear again.

"Likely he's gone back for his car, Miz Fletcher." He thumbed in the direction of his own vehicle. "You want a ride back?"

"No, thank you Amos. I'm going to do a little more poking around here. I'll just get Mr. Sanford to drive me to the bus station."

"Suit yourself, ma'am." Amos tipped his hat. "I hope you find him."

Jessica looked at him, then smiled faintly. "So do I," she murmured.

She had a pretty good idea of where he'd holed up. She took the nearest path to the little dock, and there he was, staring out over the water. She picked her way slowly over to him.

"Expected you fifteen minutes ago, woman," said Seth gruffly.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "And I expected you to watch the lieutenant's arrest."

He took a deep breath, and covered her hand with his. "I knew you'd bear witness for us both."

She squeezed his shoulder. "But why, Seth? Why didn't you want to see that…that…odious man arrested? He tried to—"

Seth turned slowly. "I know, Jess." He blew out a breath. "I'm not worthy to stand in judgment over any man." He held up his hand. "Even a man like Kale."

Jessica drew up in her ire, and ordinarily Seth would have smiled to see it. "How can you say that? You aren't anything like him, Seth. Not anything," she said fiercely.

"But I was, Jess. That's the problem. I found I was capable of being just as grasping, as conniving as he turned out to be." He turned his face from her. It made him sick to think of her beautiful, kind face…her unfounded belief in him shining in those huge blue eyes.

"Seth Hazlitt, you have the most overactive nobility of anyone I've ever met. Look at me." She put a gentle hand to his cheek and turned his face to hers. "Look at me, Seth." As he turned reluctantly to face her, tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh, Seth." She grasped both his hands in hers. "You just can't think you're anything like him."

"I'm not the man you think I am, Jess," he said in a choked whisper. "You think I'm honorable. I'm not. How do you think I ended up in a situation like Juniper Lake in the first place?"

Jessica fixed him with a piercing stare. "I don't know, and I don't care. I know you now. Today, this moment. I know the man you are, Seth Hazlitt. Whatever sin you're punishing yourself for," she added shrewdly, "it's time to stop. Whatever debt you think you owe is paid."

"I wish I could believe you."

"Then believe me," said Jessica pertly.

He cleared his throat. "It's not that easy, woman," he rumbled. "Your good opinion of me—"

"Could never be lost," finished Jess quietly.

"But you don't know that," said Seth, and the anguish in his voice pierced her heart. He turned toward the water and took a shuddering breath. "I was angry, so angry after Ruth died. I did everything. Everything I could and still she died. I had to tell Margie," he choked. Jessica longed to touch him, but something held her back. "Ruth was…well, she was what kept me…she didn't let me…I was a better man when she was alive. I wanted to be that man for her. I wanted to be what she saw in me, what I couldn't see in myself. When she died, it was like God put out the sun. Margie was older, you remember. She was almost in college. She didn't want to go. Didn't want to leave me, but I persuaded her. Guilted her into going." He turned his head to the side. "I'm not sorry about that," he said strongly.

"I should think not," agreed Jessica and she was relieved to see a small smile.

"After Margie moved out, I was alone. I had my work, but I was too angry. Didn't think I was good enough anymore. Ruthie believed in me, Jess. She put all her faith in me. It nearly killed me," he said softly. "Margie was the only thing keeping me going then." He sighed. "I don't want to tell you this next, Jessica."

"Then don't," said Jessica simply.

"How can you…" He turned abruptly to face her. "You believe in me, Jess. You defended me in front of everyone, in front of that sonofa—," he caught himself. "That detective," he said scathingly. "You believe in me just like Ruthie did, and I don't deserve it, Jess. I don't deserve you."

"You should let me be the judge of what I do and don't deserve, Seth Hazlitt," she said crisply, and for a moment he could see the stern but kind (and sexy, God help him) teacher she must have been.

"But that's just it, Jess. If I don't tell you, our friendship will be based on a lie…will continue to be based on a lie. And if I do tell you, well…I don't want to lose you." He held out his hands impulsively and Jessica moved to grasp them in her own. She held his hands firmly in hers and didn't take her gaze from his.

He took a deep breath. "It probably goes without saying that I crawled into the bottom of a bottle. I had been a good doctor, and the hospital administrator was a friend. He put me on to reviewing insurance claims for medical fraud. It was enough to keep the creditors at bay and Margie in school. It was mind-numbing, but what else could I ask for?" He closed his eyes for a long moment. "There were always women. Always." He opened his eyes. "Not while Ruth was alive. Not while she was my wife. But before. And after." He looked away from her. His fingers strayed to Jessica's pulse, solid and steady, just like the woman before him. He didn't deserve her friendship and wasn't worthy of anything more. "I was a careless man in that life, Jess. One of Ruth's friends, a nurse she'd worked with years ago, she started coming by. She was attractive, intelligent." He let out a noisy breath. "Do you remember Psycho?"

Startled, Jessica nodded her head.

"I always think of Janet Leigh as Marion Crane when I think of that girl. That woman," he corrected hastily.

"Oh, Seth," began Jessica.

"She wasn't murdered, Jess, but she was a sort of embezzler. A thief. Just like Janet Leigh in the movie."

"Thank goodness," murmured Jessica.

"She was the nurse for an anesthesiologist at the hospital. We'd been seeing each other, casually, for a few months when I noticed certain…irregularities."

"Such as?"

"For one thing, she didn't work the hours I associated with a busy practice like that. She had an unusual amount of free time. And her car was new and a nice one. Not the top model, but just under it. I began to notice that. She didn't own the finest things, but the things she owned were fine, if you understand me."

"I think I do. Was it fraud?"

"A-yuh. I began looking at prior claims the insurance company had paid out. The office had been billing with a code that yielded them a higher payment than the service they actually performed. Upcoding, it's called. I found a couple of instances, but ultimately the insurance company found them all. This had been going on for years. It turned out to be a tremendous sum of money."

"What did you do?" asked Jessica quietly.

"I turned her in, of course! But not before I thought about it. I thought very seriously about blackmailing her and using some of that money to pay down Ruth's medical bills. To get me out of the deep hole I was in." He looked at Jessica. "I'm not proud of that, Jess. I was this close," he held up his thumb and forefinger, "this close to committing insurance fraud myself, not to mention extortion!"

"But you didn't!"

"But I considered it, Jessica. Seriously."

"Seth, you hold yourself to an impossibly high standard!"

"No higher than yours, Jess." He pulled his hands from her grasp. "Admit it, you think less of me now."

"I do not think less of you, Seth. How could I? You did the right thing!"

"Well I almost didn't!"

They glared at each other for a moment, then Jessica began to laugh, a great gulping laugh that caused her to clutch her stomach. "Seth Hazlitt," she wheezed, "you are the most bombastic, frustrating, ridiculous man I've ever known." He appeared angry at first, then he began to laugh as well, and soon they were holding each other up, laughing and Seth was very nearly crying. After a few minutes, Seth gently placed Jessica back on her feet and they both wiped the tears from their eyes. She looked expectantly at Seth.

"Afterwards, the insurance company settled what was left of Ruth's bill. I sold the house and almost everything we owned. I had a little money, and I needed a place to get my head screwed back on straight, so I invested all but what Margie needed in Juniper Lake. And now you know."

"Oh, Seth," said Jessica quietly. They stood at the water's edge for a long moment, Jessica holding one of his hands in hers and stroking it with the other. "Let's leave this place, Seth. Let's go home."

"Jess! You can't go anywhere with me! Look at me! I look like a bum. A derelict." He looked at her tenderly. "You can't be seen with someone who looks like me."

Jessica put her hand on his arm before he could smooth his hair down. "Don't you dare! I think you look…handsome."

"Come now, Jessica. Don't tease." He was quiet for a moment. "It hurts too much," he said softly.

"I'm not teasing," she said quietly. "I never want to hurt you, Seth." Seth tentatively put his other hand on top of hers. She looked up at him through her lashes. "Should we get those bus tickets?"

Seth nodded, afraid to speak and break the spell. If it was a dream, he didn't want to wake.

She smiled that brilliant, heartbreaking smile. "Let's go home."

He insisted on buying their tickets. "It's the least I can do, Jessica." He allowed himself to place a gentle hand on the small of her back as she walked up the steps and onto the bus. He followed her to their seats and they argued briefly over who would take the window seat, but Jessica won in the end.

Seth was quiet for the first half hour of the trip. He stared out the window, but he continued to shift in his seat, jiggle his leg, tap his feet. It was clear he wanted to talk to her, and she suspected he was debating internally as to the merits of waiting until they had some privacy. She was confident his anxiety would win out in the end; he just needed a nudge. She slipped her hand in his. He turned abruptly, looking shocked but pleased. "Why are you here, Jess? Why did you come here?"

"Because I thought you needed me. Because I was afraid, afraid of what might happen to you. I wanted to help you, if I could."

"But why me?"

"Because it's you, Seth! Your character…your soul, I suppose…" She cut her eyes at him shyly. "It's who you are inside…the real you that only a few of us are lucky enough to see." She squeezed his hand. "Not so much your exterior, but..." Jessica let her eyes linger on his face and his heart stopped. "As I said, I think you look handsome." She raised an eye. "Rakish. I'm proud to go anywhere with you, Seth." She stared into his eyes. "It's you, Seth," she finished softly.

Quick hot tears pricked his eyelids and he reached for Jessica's other hand.

Jessica leaned in closer. "Oh my darling," breathed Jess. "Don't cry."

"These are happy tears, Jessica," he rumbled as softly as he was able. "I never let myself hope…" Seth leaned forward, then remembered they were on a bus full of strangers. "I wish I could kiss you," he said softly.

"Who says you can't?" asked Jessica saucily.

He put his lips close to her ear. "I'm afraid if I kiss you now, my dear, I won't be able to stop." The low, deep rumble of his voice sent shivers up her spine.

"I'm not sure I could let you stop." She chuckled at the look on Seth's face. "Do you think women are so vastly different from men, Dr. Hazlitt?"

He brought their clasped hands to his lips. "I do, indeed. I think women are vastly superior. And there's one woman in particular I find superior to all the rest."

"Oh, now Seth, really."

"It's true, woman! Look how you put that detective in his place. Watching you circle around him was indescribably —" He stopped himself.

"What," asked Jessica curiously.

Seth shifted in his seat. "Let's leave that for another time." He squeezed her hand and smiled. "Does this mean we're officially courting?"

Jessica laughed. "Yes, but I think the term now is dating."

"Bah," said Seth dismissively. "I'm not dating you, woman. I'm courting you. There's a difference."

"Is there?"

"Yes," said Seth firmly. "And I'm going to enjoy showing you the difference."

Jessica smiled, then leaned back in her seat. Seth mimicked her movements, and when he settled, Jessica leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad we're going home," murmured Jessica.

"A-yuh," agreed Seth complacently, "but wherever I'm with you is home."

Jessica shifted so that she could see Seth's profile. His eyes were closed and a small smile played across his lips. He patted her hand. "We've got a few hours of travel, Jess. I don't know about you, but I didn't get much sleep last night. Or the night before."

Jessica squeezed his hand and settled in beside him. He freed their hands so he could wrap an arm around her. As she curled into his warmth, snaking her hand around his middle, she sighed in contentment. Seth tightened his grip on her as the steady rumble of the wheels carried them down the highway. Yes, he thought. I'm home.

A/N: When my daughter was little, one of her favorite songs was Home by Edwin Sharpe. It came up in my playlist recently. It's such a happy song, and the line home is wherever I'm with you stuck with me. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've read and re-read each of KarlieQ's stories so many times. I love the way she writes Jessica and her Seth and George characterizations are superb. Thanks for all the happy reading!