So, Miles went to the gym. And then the library. And then back to the gym. Jeez, James and Juliet should just move in together already, shouldn't they? ;D Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and sharing your thoughts, I love hearing what you think!
They sat on the floor in the living room and pigged out, not even bothering with plates, digging straight into the cardboard containers with chopsticks instead. They were wearing matching outfits, both of them in James' t-shirts and a pair of James' shorts.
"Mmf," Juliet grunted, putting an almost empty box of sesame chicken on the coffee table and pushing it away. "No more. I'm gonna pass out."
"I do love a woman with an appetite." said James, smiling big as he chewed. Juliet leaned back against the couch, running her fingers through her still damp hair as she let out a deep sigh of contentment and overeating. Her hair was curling as it dried, and James was enjoying watching the transformation. He liked seeing Juliet in her natural state.
"I don't mean to sound like a girl or nothin'," he said. "But I was wondering..."
Juliet chuckled, trying to think of any question that could possibly make James Ford sound like a girl. He'd grown hesitant all of a sudden, like he was having trouble getting the actual words out.
"Can we make this exclusive?" he asked.
It took her a moment to process what he meant. It hadn't occurred to her that they weren't, though it hadn't really been discussed. He was of course referring to whatever it was that they'd started with each other, their relationship. It struck her as sweet, for him to be the one to point it out and ask. It meant he'd been thinking about it, at least.
"Are you asking me to go steady, Ford?" she asked, because she couldn't resist a sarcastic remark.
"I am." he said, masking his fear with confidence. If he was going to embarrass himself with mushy relationship talk, he didn't see the use in only going halfway. "I know there's a ton of guys interested in you. And I know 'cause I work with a whole bunch of 'em. I wanted to make sure I laid my claim."
"James." she said slowly, making it sound like she might actually say no. "I think we've always been exclusive." she continued slyly. "We just didn't know it yet."
James smiled, and tossed another empty carton onto the coffee table. He liked that. Good thing they'd finally figured it out.
"Now, I don't mean to sound like a girl either," said Juliet. "But...when did you know you wanted to ask me out?"
It was James' turn to razz her this time. He leaned back on the couch and looked at her, smiling, until she got self-conscious and covered her question with a joke.
"You know, since it took you forever..." she added, rolling her eyes with mock exasperation.
"The day I met you." James said, without a hint of doubt.
Juliet's expression grew bittersweet, her brow furrowing gently. "Why did it take you so long?" she asked lightly, knowing full well she could have asked him out herself. She had her own reasons for waiting.
"I was preoccupied." he said, putting it simply. "You wouldn't have wanted to date me back then."
"Ohhh, but I did." Juliet said dramatically, hinting at the many fantasies she'd indulged in over the time they'd known each other as acquaintances.
"Well it's a good thing we're makin' up for lost time then, huh?" said James.
Juliet nodded, drawing her knees up so she could rest her arms on them. "The day we met?" she repeated, a delayed reaction, as if she couldn't believe it. "Really? You didn't even know me."
"You know why the coroner's office don't have beauty contests, Juliet?"
At this, one of Juliet's eyebrows went up. She sensed a punch line coming.
"'Cause they don't usually look like you. If you had any idea how cute you look in a lab coat, with your hair pulled back and those big plastic glasses you gotta wear...you wouldn't be asking these questions."
Juliet bit her bottom lip hard to keep her grin from spreading too wide. She's always thought the white coat and goggles would be her curse when it came to attracting the opposite sex. To know her beauty shined through those things, or could even be enhanced by them, meant a lot to her, even if she didn't believe it in her heart. James could tell she didn't believe him, and her modesty made her even more beautiful to him. She had no idea how beautiful she was.
"What about you, when did you know?" James asked her.
"When did I know I wanted you to ask me out?" she said, eyes sparkling. "The day I met you."
"Aw, come on, you're just sayin' that." James teased. "Copy cat."
"I'm serious! You brought me my first autopsy, you know."
"No, I didn't know that." he said. "So you were an autopsy virgin before I came along?"
"No, not exactly." said Juliet, smirking at him. "They do make us practice before they let us fuck up a real case. I meant my first autopsy as assistant medical examiner. I knew right away you were different. Everyone else was always working for clearance rates, instead of working to find out what really happened. They just wanted a convenient explanation, and they all acted like winking at me and flirting would make me sign the certificate faster."
"I didn't wink and flirt with you?"
"Well, yeah, you did," Juliet admitted with a smile. "But I liked it when you did it. You weren't trying to play me for a signature like all the other guys."
"I didn't have to. You're good at your job."
"Thank you, James. The fact that you believe that is what makes you so good at your job."
"Well, you're good..." said James. "And you're hot. Did it ever occur to you that they were flirtin and winkin' at ya 'cause they wanted a date?"
Juliet thought about it, feeling a bit foolish. Amelia had always told her that all the guys were interested in her, but there had been so many reasons to dismiss the ramblings of a horny old woman. "I guess not." she admitted. Juliet winced, remembering one particular exchange, when she'd told a homicide detective that he shouldn't bother sweet talking her. She may even have used the phrase 'snowball's chance in hell'. She had the perfect excuse - she'd been married the whole time, though she'd already been well on her way towards a formal separation when she started at the morgue. She'd always considered herself off limits, taken without the benefits of being taken, remaining clueless to all the men (and at least two women) that had their eyes on her the whole time. "So...every time I thought I was being professional, I was actually shooting them down?"
"Don't worry about it." said James. "Gals like you can get away with anything." he added smugly.
"Oh really?" said Juliet, as if she were daring him to say it again.
"Yup. I let you hog the sesame chicken, didn't I?"
Juliet chuckled, but didn't take the bait. She simply smiled at him, and rested the side of her face on her folded arms.
"James?" Juliet said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
James didn't ask, but Juliet could tell by his expression he was thinking ...For what?
"I'm glad one of us finally found the balls to ask the other out." she explained.
"Me too." said James. "Because if there was ever a perfect day, I'm havin' it right now, with you."
"Me too." Juliet echoed.
After a while she lifted her head and ran her fingers through her hair again, pulling it all to one side and gathering the curls on one shoulder. She knew she'd missed the perfect opportunity to come clean about Edmund and their complicated marital status, but it wasn't like her to ruin a perfect day. It wasn't like James either; he'd glossed over his past again, too. So, instead of talking, Juliet crawled over to James, and he straightened his legs on the floor so he could pull her onto his lap. She straddled him, and his hands went to her thighs, sliding them down the pair of shorts he lent her until he felt bare skin. He slid his hands back up, underneath the fabric, and squeezed. He took in a deep breath and let it out slow and even, a silent growl. "Damn..." he said quietly, his eyes wandering over the old t-shirt she was wearing, thinking about what was underneath.
"What?" asked Juliet. Her arms snaked around his neck, and she leaned closer.
He lifted his gaze from her chest to her eyes, and he smiled. "You look sexy in my clothes." he said. He slid his hands higher, and Juliet lifted herself just enough for him to get a handful of her ass. She hummed softly, pressing her body against his, staring into his eyes and asking without speaking if she was sexy out of his clothes too.
"You wanna go back to bed?" he asked.
Juliet lowered her head so she could put her soft lips to his. While she was kissing him, while she found his tongue with her own, Juliet thought about all the things she wanted to tell him. James thought about his secrets too, in the moments before the needs of his body and the force of his lust consumed his mind. It felt too good to stop, and they both felt that there would be plenty of opportunities to share their baggage in the future. In the moment, it didn't matter what should have been said, or when roommates were going to be home or how many times they'd already done it. The sun was just starting to set and all that mattered was getting more of each other's bodies. They had faith that more of their minds would follow.
You wanna go back to bed?
Breaking away so she could answer his question, Juliet nodded.
We have time.
The following day was the beginning of a new work week, at least for those still employed by the Los Angeles Police Department. When he thought the coast was clear, James took his personal phone out. He should have known it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Uh oh, look who's calling his new lady." said Miles as he entered the squad room and saw James putting his phone to his ear.
"I hear a word from you during this conversation, you're gettin' a taser to the nut sack." James warned him, since he was still waiting for Juliet to pick up.
"Tell her I said hi." Miles leaned over his desk toward James, as if trying to listen in. "Tell her I miss her, and I can't wait for our threesome-"
James put his hand over Miles' face and pushed his partner away. Then the phone stopped ringing and he had to concentrate. "Hey..." he said, knowing he'd get teased for the uncharacteristically happy tone of voice. "...Just callin' to see how you were doin'......I missed you this morning......yeah? How's she holdin' up?"
Meanwhile, Miles sat back in his chair and made a series of faces and lewd hand gestures.
"You wanna grab lunch?" James asked Juliet, using all his strength to throw a pencil at Miles' face.
"Hey, you're gonna put my eye out!" whined Miles after he batted it away. Miles threw another pencil back. James caught it in mid air, listening very intently to Juliet's answer.
"Alright....see you then."
Miles waited for James to set his phone down. "I can't take any more of this drama, James. You have to choose. It's her or me."
"After the weekend I had? I'm gonna have to go with Juliet."
"Can't say I blame you." Miles conceded with a shrug as he looked through the folders on his desk. James, with just a hint of a smile on his face, bowed his head so he could start typing up a report. A beat passed before he heard Miles say, "Oh, James..." in a falsetto, a fairly accurate impression of what he'd heard from his roommate's bedroom the previous evening. James looked up from his keyboard, a mix of death-glare and smirk for his best friend the jokester. "Ohhh, Jaaames." Miles continued from memory, getting louder just as Juliet had. "Oh god, right there!"
James chuckled sheepishly and looked around to see if anyone else was watching Miles as he tipped his head back and let out a long, continuous moan.
"You heard all that, huh?"
Miles cut himself off abruptly, opening his eyes and looking back at James. "I'd have to be deaf and living in the mountains of China not to hear what was going on in your bedroom, Ford."
"You need some headphones." James said smugly.
"I need a marching band." Miles countered.
"Straume." Abbadon barked from across the squad room.
Miles turned and snapped to attention. "Yes sir?"
"Where were you all morning?"
"Informational meeting regarding the sergeant's exam, sir."
"Oh shit, I missed it?" James said quietly.
Abbadon nodded stoically, and Miles waited until he went back to his private office. "There's gonna be another one." he said to James. "So you are going to take the test?"
"Hell yeah, and I'm gonna pass it, too." said James. "And when I make sergeant I'm gonna pull rank on you so hard..."
"Oh James," Miles interrupted, adopting his fake valley girl tone. "Pull your rank all over me..."
"Was that who I think it was?" Rachel asked once Juliet pulled the phone away from her ear. Juliet smiled and nodded, tucking the phone back in her purse. "Awww," said Rachel. "You get all smiley whenever you talk to him."
Rachel smiled at her sister, from the examination table in a new oncologist's office. They were on the hunt for a new treatment, for second and third opinions and for as much information as they could find. Juliet hadn't understood at first, but she knew now that talking about James was a welcome distraction for Rachel, from the needles and sickly beige walls of the rooms they were soon going to be spending their days in. So Juliet allowed the sheepish grin to take over.
"We're going to meet for lunch. Wanna come with?"
"Nah." Rachel said, acting non-chalant. "I'm not feeling so perky. I'd rather meet him when I don't feel like a walking bag of garbage."
"Rach..."
"Don't even think about cancelling your date." Rachel warned her. "I'm just..."
"I know." said Juliet, because Rachel didn't have to explain a thing.
They met at the small restaurant in the atrium of the gigantic hospital complex. The treatment center was adjacent to the research facility, Juliet's old stomping ground before she'd left to seek work with the LAPD. She'd originally made the move to distance herself from Edmund and the world of medical research, to prove that she could achieve something on her own. Now that she'd proved she could be successful while free of his influence, she had the confidence to go back and compete with Edmund's exclusive circle. And now that she had someone new to share her life with, she thought she'd invite him into the world she was rejoining.
Juliet was already seated when James arrived. She smiled and stood to greet him as he approached the table. He was sporting her favorite look, jeans and that snug blue t-shirt, and his jacket barely covered his holstered firearm. As macabre as her work in the morgue had been, that look almost made her miss it. Almost. James may not have been the only cop that could pull it off, but he was definitely her favorite, and now he was all hers.
"Hello, gorgeous." said James, returning her smile and giving her a kiss on the cheek. He'd noticed her outfit too; she had on a black pencil skirt and a beautiful silk blouse, and he knew it was for the meetings she had after her appointment with Rachel. It stirred the long dormant jealous streak in him, thinking about all the guys that would get to work with her dressed like this. Where was that lab coat when he needed it? The swanky hospital setting itself made him feel a little out of place. It was too quiet, full of people a lot richer and more educated than him and the people he was used to hanging out with.
"Nice digs ya got here." he said as they took their seats. He was looking around the sunny atrium, comparing it to the dingy, out of date office he worked in. The police station's cafeteria was a vending machine. "I bet you even have computers made after 1998."
"Our clearance rate is better, too." Juliet teased him.
Another meal and another pleasant, easy conversation was well under way. James had Juliet laughing at his stories of working and living with Miles, and it was starting to feel like nothing could ruin their day. It was so easy to forget that there was always going to be that one asshole that couldn't stand the sight of two people having a good time, an asshole that couldn't stand the thought of two people being happy. Especially when that asshole thought one of the people in question still belonged to him.
The asshole had arrived in the atrium with two of his colleagues, colleagues he told to wait while he went to talk to his wife, the wife that just happened to be having lunch with another man. How awkward.
Juliet sensed someone near their table, but she was too caught up in James to pay that someone any attention until he spoke up.
"Well." said an unfortunately familiar voice. "This is quite the coincidence."
James looked up at the man that stood next to their table, but the man wasn't looking at James. Judging from the sarcastic tone he used, and the way he looked down at Juliet, James knew it had to be an ex. James looked back to Juliet, who stared straight ahead, her face now hard and expressionless. Her gaze fell to the table when he looked at her, like she was ashamed, embarrassed, or worse; like she'd been caught. Like she'd made a mistake bringing him here.
"Can I speak to you for a moment, Juliet?" Edmund said, like a principal to a vulnerable high school student. Juliet's expression hardened even more at his request, which was not a request at all but an order. As if she was an idiot child, and he the wise parent. As if he still had any control over her whatsoever. Her head turned slowly, and she wondered if the newfound power in her eyes would surprise him. They hadn't seen each other in a while.
"No." Juliet said simply. She could see a shift in him when he was refused. He tried to hide it, but she knew him too well. He didn't like this new version of her one bit.
"Juliet-" Edmund began.
"Excuse me." James cut in, brash and loud, the bossy cop in him a perfect mix of friendly and threatening. Edmund turned to him. "The lady said no." said James.
"And you are?" asked Edmund, feigning apathy toward Juliet's new man.
"Don't matter who I am." James said, still playing the part of the calm, objective cop. "The lady's not interested, so why don't you take a walk?"
"Do you even know who you're talking to?" Edmund asked, trying to belittle him. "I'm-"
Juliet felt a great deal of satisfaction when James stood and brought himself to his full height right next to Edmund. He was easily a foot taller than her ex. To his credit, Edmund didn't flinch, but Juliet's satisfaction came from knowing he was steaming mad about being confronted by some lowly public servant on his own turf, the hospital.
"I don't give a good god damn who you are." James interrupted him. "Juliet doesn't want to talk to you, and I don't want you around either, so I suggest you leave."
Edmund stared at him, and a short, forced, derisive laugh pushing its way from his throat. He turned back to Juliet and tried to get one more jab in before he took James' advice.
"Does your boyfriend know you're still married?" Edmund asked with mock curiosity, for the benefit of all that were present, like it was a bomb only he could drop. From the corner of his eye, James saw Juliet turn away, pick up her water glass and take a sip. Then James had a quick vision; it involved picking Edmund Burke up by his collar and the seat of his pants and breaking him in half over the table he and Juliet shared. The old James, the James that barely made it through Academy, would have done it in a second, but that would have been too easy with a little weasel like Edmund. James would get sued, probably lose his job. Guys like Edmund responded better to intimidation and shows of mental power. So James simply smirked and stared him down. He'd deal with that whole married thing later.
"Let me guess," said Edmund, giving James a good once over. "You met at work. I suppose a detective is what passes for top tier down at the precinct."
Trying to insult her sexy, protective cop? Now that was going too far.
"There's no need for a measuring contest, Edmund." Juliet spoke up, her voice smooth and steady. "I already know whose is bigger." She turned pointedly to James when she said it, and they smiled serenely at each other. Edmund forced another laugh, thinking it could hide how much it bothered him to see Juliet with another man, to think about her being with another man. Being satisfied by another man.
"Alright, Jules. When you're done rebelling," Edmund said to Juliet, as if her relationship with James was just a fling to get back at Edmund for all of his misdeeds. "There's a job waiting for you at this hospital. We both know all those big ideas of yours aren't going to get you anywhere without my connections. Enjoy your lunch."
James watched Edmund leave with a mixture of awe and disgust. Juliet hadn't mentioned him at all in the few intense days they'd spent together. He couldn't blame her, really. Edmund was obviously a prick of the highest order. Avoiding him as a topic of conversation seemed only natural. There was, however, the sticky subject of Juliet still being married to said prick. James returned to his seat, slouching in his chair and wishing Juliet didn't look so guilty.
"Mind if I ask what that was all about?" he said gently.
"I'm sorry, James. I -"
"Don't apologize yet. From the looks of things, he deserves whatever it is you're doing to bug him so much. Just be honest with me. That's all I'm askin'."
Juliet nodded, smoothing the napkin in her lap and then tucking her hair behind her ear. "We've been legally separated for a year. I want a divorce; he doesn't. And he thinks taunting me with job offers will make me stay. He's very well known and very well connected. Basically, if you want placement at any of the high end research facilities in town, he's the one you have to go through."
"Lemme get this straight - he's holdin' your career hostage so you'll stay married to him?"
"That's pretty much the long and the short of it." said Juliet, a melancholy smile gracing her lips. Like she was resigned to a fate under Edmund's thumb.
"Maybe I shouldn't come back here then. That thought alone makes me want to punch the little fucker right in the face. If you'll excuse my French."
"I like your French." said Juliet. "And please, punch away."
"Don't tempt me with permission."
"What if I told you it would turn me on?"
James and Juliet both chuckled; a comment like that would normally turn James into a growling animal, but there was still the problem of Edmund between them. Juliet's smile was still sad, still embarrassed. She hated Edmund, but was still being held back by him, and even more so by her own self doubt.
"He put me through med school." she explained. "I married him when I was an undergrad, and he was already a doctor. He thinks I owe him, I guess. I don't know. Maybe I do."
"You can't think like that, Juliet. You don't owe him a damn thing. For puttin' up with him that long, I'd say he owes you."
Juliet smiled, but didn't reply.
"How many times did he cheat on you?" James asked, thinking he was being clever. Juliet blushed, smile gone, and James suddenly felt awful. Seeing the humiliation so clearly in her eyes made his stomach churn. He was ashamed he'd brought it up and even more angry at Edmund than he'd been before.
"Sorry." he said, as uncomfortable as Juliet now.
"No," cooed Juliet, feeling like she'd ruined lunch and everything that would come after it with her stupid baggage. "It's just...when I found out what he was doing - and he was doing a lot - I also found out how many other people already knew about it. It felt like I was the last one to know. Is it that obvious?" she asked. "Am I that pathetic girl that gets cheated on?"
A sad form of laughter was stuck inside of her. It was funny to her, in a small way, but it was also still too painful to express that way. For James, the full realization was setting in, why Juliet didn't know her true worth. Edmund had really done a number on her self esteem.
"It's not obvious because of you, Juliet." James told her. "Guys like him...they got a way, and they don't change that way. They sleep around to feel powerful. They cheat on their wives to feel powerful. Now, I'm no saint and I'll never claim to be, but I don't understand how a guy like him could cheat on a woman like you. I don't. And I'm not just sayin' that."
"I know." Juliet said softly. "I believe you."
"Why don't we get outta here," James said abruptly, tossing his napkin on the table along with some cash from his wallet. "Go for a walk in the park, or somethin."
"Okay...?" said Juliet, unsure and still flustered from the confrontation.
James stood, and held out his hand for Juliet to take. "I wanna tell you why I became a cop." he said, and when she looked up at him and slipped her slender hand into his, he knew he was doing the right thing.