The next morning, a still sleepy Juliet knocked on Rachel's door. They'd decided to start walking in the mornings before Juliet went into work, and before Rachel's treatment if she was going to have any that day. Rachel swore she felt better than she ever had in her life. Juliet assumed it was just the immediate reprieve from the more traditional treatments, which abused the healthy parts of her body as much as the sick parts.

"Aw," Rachel said when she saw her sister in new work out clothes. "Don't you look cute!"

"We have to fit in." Juliet deadpanned. "Everyone here is gorgeous."

"You know, they say that about LA," Rachel reminded her. "And it's really not true..."

"Well, it's certainly not true anymore, now that we're gone."

It was a beautiful day, and they both remarked on it as they started down their block. Juliet didn't want to make a big deal out of what had happened the previous night, since it had turned out to be nothing, but she still had to get it off her chest. It was still bothering her, deep down.

"Something weird happened last night." she began, unsure.

Rachel glanced at her sister. "After I left?"

Juliet nodded. "I called James, just to say good night. And I heard a woman's voice in the background."

Rachel's eyebrows rose slowly. James wouldn't dare, she thought. Not James.

"Whoever it was," Juliet continued. "She was asking for more beer or something. I swear to god, Rachel, I thought I was going to have a stroke."

"Who the hell was it?" Rachel asked, all ready to get fired up for Juliet. "You made him explain it, right?"

"It turned out to be nothing." Juliet assured her. "He said Miles had a friend over."

Outwardly, Rachel's only reaction was a calm nod. Inside, it felt like her heart suddenly turned into a heavy rock, which fell straight down out of her chest and hit the sidewalk with a dull crack. Much to her dismay, Miles having a female friend over was not 'nothing'. Sure, it made everything fine for Juliet and James. But for Rachel and Miles...

Except there was no 'Rachel and Miles.' They weren't a couple. They were just buddies that happened to fuck on occassion, and not anymore since she'd moved away. So why the hell did this news hurt so much?

With another jolt or realization, Rachel remembered the flirty texts they'd been sending. Flirty by their standards, at least. It would have been at the same time Juliet called James.

The immediate conclusion that Rachel came to was that she must not have been Miles' only 'buddy.' And replaced so soon? She suddenly felt a lot less special.

Juliet was looking at Rachel. She'd noticed the change come over her older sister.

"Rach?" she said gently. "You okay? We didn't overdo it, did we?"

Embarrassed, and wondering exactly how much time had elapsed since she'd become so lost in her thoughts, Rachel looked up and tried to smile convincingly.

"I'm fine." she said to Juliet. "Really. I just got a little distracted."

"Okay." Juliet said, still worried but willing to give Rachel the benefit of the doubt. Looking forward to the path ahead of them, Juliet kept walking. She didn't realize Rachel had stopped dead in her tracks.

"Wait." said Rachel. She'd just lied to Juliet's face about her feelings. Beyond feeling rejected by Miles, Rachel felt guilty for shutting Juliet out, just so she could hold on to the excitement of a dirty little secret. A secret that Miles apparently did not hold so dear to his heart.

Surprised, worried, a little confused, Juliet turned in place and looked at Rachel. Rachel hesitated, not sure where to start.

"I slept with Miles." she admitted slowly.

Juliet stared, and blinked. There was an excruciatingly long pause as Juliet processed the information being given to her.

"...You what?" she said calmly. It was so out of left field, she wanted to be sure she understood the words she was saying.

Rachel sighed, her shoulders slumping a little. This is what she was trying to avoid - making a big deal out of it, since it was never supposed to be one in the first place. Juliet knew then that she'd understood perfectly. Her jaw dropped, and then there was a smile taking over Juliet's features, one of those really excited ones that would probably lead to giggling and teasing.

"Are you serious?" Juliet asked, trying very hard to keep those giggles inside.

"Is it really so ridiculous?" Rachel countered defensively.

Juliet scoffed, still amused and shocked at this development. It wasn't the sex that had her floored, it was the fact that Rachel hadn't told her before now. "How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"Uhm..." Rachel put her hands on her waist and rolled her eyes up to look at the tops of the palm trees, as if trying to remember the first time.

Juliet scoffed again, truly amazed.

"Remember when we went to the pier in Santa Monica?"

"Rachel!" Juliet all but squealed.

Blushing slightly, Rachel's face was transformed by a sheepish smile. Juliet gasped slowly, remembering that was the night she and James had their talk. Miles had given Rachel a ride home and hadn't come back to the apartment until the next morning.

"Yep." Rachel confirmed, reading her sister's mind. Juliet shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms. She was blushing a bit too. Now that the shock had worn off, she felt insulted over being kept in the dark for so long.

"You were hooking up this whole time?"

"Not all the time, just..."

Juliet raised her eyebrows. You better tell the whole truth now, they said.

"Okay," Rachel admitted. "It picked up a little at the end there..."

Juliet snorted, insult giving way to utter amusement once again. Rachel's eyes widened, giggles forming deep in her belly, and she covered her mouth with one hand as if realizing for the first time how shocking it would be for Juliet to hear about it now. Juliet shook her head and chuckled, smirking at her own obliviousness.

"I can't believe you never told me."

Rachel started walking, and pushed Juliet's lower back gently with one hand to get her turned around and going again too.

"You didn't suspect anything?" Rachel wondered, glancing at her with a soft smile.

"No clue whatsoever." said Juliet. She shook her head, thinking back on the last few weeks. Then it hit her. "God...I was really wrapped up with James, wasn't I?"

Rachel smiled again. "You still are." she said. Juliet looked like she wanted to apologize for it, but Rachel cut her off before she could begin. "You're in love! It's natural for the world around you to just...fade away."

Juliet glanced at her worriedly. "Was I neglecting you?"

"Jules, I'm not a child. I do have a life of my own, you know."

Juliet tsked, smacking Rachel's wrist lightly with the back of her hand. Rachel giggled.

"And it's not like Miles and I were dating or anything. We just started hanging out, as friends. And...found interesting ways to pass the time."

Juliet grinned. Now that she had time to process it, she thought it was kind of adorable.

"You two are a really good match." She looked at Rachel with a sly smile.

"Please don't say that." Rachel said with a dry tone.

"Why not?"

"For starters, it seems like Miles is over it."

"Ohh," Juliet slumped visibly as she walked, as the entire conversation - Rachel's reaction to Juliet's phone call story and everything after it - finally clicked in her mind. "Shit." she said, as if she'd ruined everything herself.

"It's nothing." Rachel assured her, but Juliet knew better.

"Did you want it to be something?"

Rachel stared down at the sidewalk passing under their feet. "No..." she said, even though she could feel the toes of her sneakers kicking the little rock that had been her heart a few minutes ago. "At least...I didn't think so." She forced a sarcastic, mirthless laugh. "Funny, I didn't want anything more, until I definitively couldn't have it."

Juliet sidled up closer, snaking her arm around Rachel's in a comforting gesture.

"It's just my jealous streak." said Rachel, trying to explain her emotions away. "It's not fair to expect him to give up on all other women just because we hooked up a few times." Rachel sighed quickly, impatient to get over these annoying feelings. "Feel free to interrupt me at any time, Jules. I sound like one of 'those' girls."

"We don't even know for sure Miles is hooking up with this mystery woman."

Rachel gave her a look. "Having a girl over on a Friday night? For drinks? I gave him the goods for a lot less than that."

Juliet laughed at her comment, but she wouldn't let her sister wallow so easily. "All James said is that Miles had a friend over. He didn't say they were 'gettin hot'n'heavy' or anything like that."

"Is that your James impression?" Rachel asked, highly amused.

Juliet grinned, and hugged Rachel's arm tighter. "You like?"

"Yeah, it was perfect."

Juliet chuckled, and they walked in silence for a while, with Juliet still holding on to Rachel's arm. She looked at her sister, whose thoughts seemed far away. Between her illness and her usual attitude toward relationships, it was rare for Rachel to let herself get down in the dumps over a guy. In a strange way, it gave Juliet some hope. Rachel really must have been feeling better physically, to let her heart slip away like that.

Miles was a pretty special guy, Juliet knew that. James would say he was 'special' in a different sense, but either way, he was definitely one of a kind. It was difficult for Juliet to imagine him being romantic...though, Rachel didn't much go for romance in the traditional sense. It made their moving away even more of a shame.

Juliet broke the silence with a question.

"How was the sex?"

Rachel looked at her sideways, and her mouth formed a smirk. She shook her head.

"Come on," Juliet cajoled her, wiggling her arm. "I told you about James..."

"It was good." Rachel stated simply. The way she smiled when she said it told Juliet a lot more. "It was great," she said. "It's the only time he ever shuts up."

Juliet laughed, and gave a sympathetic aww as she tried to imagine Miles so distracted that he had nothing clever to say.

Rachel sighed melodramatically, and squeezed back on Juliet's arm. "Oh well, it's over now. Maybe I will ask Richard out, to get him off your back. Give him a taste of the other Carlson sister."

"He wouldn't know what to do with you." Juliet joked, worrying for Richard's safety.

Rachel's chuckle was sinister. "I'll break him in. He'll never be the same again."

"Be gentle," said Juliet. "I want him to stay sweet while I'm working here."

Rachel laughed and shook her head again. "This is going to be an interesting few months."

James felt like he hadn't slept at all.

He and Kate had managed to have a civilized conversation, even if most of her questions were thinly veiled attempts at proving his current girlfriend didn't actually mean that much to him. The idea that Juliet had moved so far away and expected him to behave seemed to tickle Kate. James had not seen the humor in it. Kate still didn't get that James had changed, that he could even have a healthy relationship with a woman in the first place, let alone a long distance one.

Kate had been the one to inspire a lot of that change. The experience of having his heart stomped all over - and he was man enough to admit that he'd stomped all over Kate's as well - was not one he had been keen on repeating.

Juliet changed him too - for the better. She'd finally gotten him to open up and let go of the past, because she'd been open to him, and ready for all the love he had to give. All Kate wanted, at least it seemed this way a lot of the time, was attention. As soon as she got it, she would look for something new. James had been her safety net, one that she did not take very good care of, expecting it to be there every time she fell no matter what.

Now her net was gone. She'd have to find a new one, or change her ways.

But that was the least of James' problems. He'd tossed and turned all night, not because he was worried about Kate - no, he was beyond falling for that trap - but because he'd told that one small lie to Juliet. And being the sweetheart she was, trusting him completely, she'd accepted it without question.

It was also bothering James that he'd included Miles in the lie. Not only would Miles be pissed, on principle, for being connected to Kate in any way, but James hadn't had the chance to tell Miles that he had a cover story to keep. Miles had gone to bed early, to get out of the living room and away from whatever conversation they were going to have.

James had a lot of explaining to do.

He glanced at his clock. It wasn't quite seven. Kate had promised to be out early. At this point she wanted to avoid Miles just as much as Miles wanted to avoid her. Since James was awake already, no chance of snoozing the morning away, he decided to go out to the living room and check to see if she was still there. As good as she was at showing up out of the blue, she was even better at sneaking off without warning.

When he walked out, he found her awake, dressed in the same clothes as the night before, folding up the blanket she'd borrowed. The awkwardness set in again when she caught sight of him hovering near the hallway, in old old t-shirt and plaid pajama pants. She looked at his face, judging him before he could judge her.

"You look like you got hit by a truck." she said.

Six years ago it would have been mean but playful. Now she just sounded bitter. It was made worse by James' total lack of response. Cruel banter had been their thing. There was always some silly insult to hurl at one another. Now he crossed his arms, leaned against the wall and watched her fold the blanket, and she realized again how much things had changed between them. Instead of regarding her with an exciting mix of anger and unrequited desire, he looked at her like he was concerned for her overall well being. It used to be so hot between them. All she had to do back then was flash that special smile, and look up at him through her eyelashes. It was the idea of not being objectified that offended Kate the most.

"You want coffee?" James asked.

"No," Kate tossed the folded blanket onto the couch. "Thanks. I'll grab some on the way."

"You sure? I'm gonna make some anyway..."

Kate smirked and tied her hair back with a band she pulled from her jeans pocket. She knew he was just offering to be polite.

"I'll be surprised if Miles doesn't burn this couch after I leave." said Kate. "I'm not gonna risk taking his special coffee."

James chuckled, the hint of a genuine smile forming on his mouth. "Well...aside from showing up unannounced, you were a decent houseguest."

Kate's lips formed a tight smile. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Sorry if I got mouthy last night." she said. "That's why I don't like that beer. It turns me into a bitch." She didn't give him a chance to agree before she continued. "And I'm sorry for showing up like I did. I just..."

"You didn't expect me to have other commitments."

Kate looked away, staring at a point beyond the spot on the carpet at which her eyes were actually pointed. She'd expected a lot of things. Nothing worth discussing, if she wasn't going to get them.

"I'm gonna go." she said, hefting the duffel bag onto her shoulder. She walked slowly toward the door, and stopped half way. This was usually the point at which one of them begged the other to stay and talk it out. She turned to James, who was still watching, reticent, from the end of the hallway. "I'll probably be at the usual place the next few nights, if you want to come have a drink with us." Kate smiled inwardly, listening to herself assume. "If the usual place is still there." she added.

It was a popular hang out for off-duty officers. Kate had become a regular while their lives were still tangled together.

"It's still there." said James. He let the comment hang there without making a commitment either way.

"At least some things never change." said Kate, with that sad half smile that was supposed to melt your heart. Or knock you back into that pile of quick sand you just got yourself out of. "I'll see you around, James."

"I'll see ya when I see ya." said James, somewhere between wistful and sarcastic. He still wasn't sure what to make of Kate, or her visit. All he knew was that he needed to talk to Juliet and straighten everything out. In the meantime, he'd give Kate a wide berth and let her sort the demons out on her own this time around.

Miles must have been awake already too; as soon as the door closed behind Kate, his bedroom door opened and he poked his head out.

"Is she gone?" he asked without a hint of humor, not even his pitch black or dry humor.

"Yep." James replied. He kept his back to Miles, still deep in thought.

Miles opened his door the rest of the way, and walked down the hall toward the kitchen. "Don't be sad, grandpa." he said, punching James on the shoulder as he passed. "Shunning her is the right thing to do."

James had to catch his balance; Miles packed some fury in his friendly punches. He sighed again, still tired, and remained leaning against the wall. Miles was rooting around in the fridge for whatever junk food was going to be his breakfast.

"It's not just Kate I'm worried about." said James.

"Well, you shouldn't be worried about her at all, so...what else could possibly be troubling you?"

James shifted uncomfortably. "...Juliet heard her voice over the phone."

The sound of fridge rummaging stopped abruptly.

"You're kidding." said Miles, mostly to the old carton of milk. "Right?" he called out as he stood up. "Tell me you're kidding."

James braced himself internally, his face a preemptive wince. "I told her you had a friend over."

Silence. Then the sound of the fridge softly closing. James couldn't hear Miles anymore so he turned around, and found his roommate standing right behind him.

"That is fucked up on so many levels." Miles began.

"Now, before you go all melodramatic on me-" James tried to interject.

"I don't even know where to begin." Miles talked over him.

"- I gotta point out that she really behaved herself this time."

"What did I tell you about letting her into our apartment?! Did you even check her bag?!"

"She's gone, Miles!" said James, waving his arm toward the door. "Never to return! And I made it more than clear there's no room in my life for her, whether she's in trouble or not." Some of the certainty left James' eyes as he tried to recall the conversation from the previous night. It had all been quite cold and distant, curt and defensive at times, but mostly just polite small talk. It was almost as if they hadn't talked at all. James had not stayed up much later than Miles.

A different thought entered Miles' mind then, distracting him from his basic intolerance of all things Kate.

"Shit!" Miles said suddenly, remembering a specific text he'd left unanswered.

"What is it now?" James furrowed his brow, and watched Miles go back to his bedroom to find his phone. Compared to the way Miles was acting now, Kate had been downright angelic.

Miles wandered back into the hallway, scowling worriedly at his phone. "If you told Juliet I had a friend over, then that's what she'll tell Rachel."

James hesitated, hoping that a short pause would help him understand what Miles was talking about. It didn't.

"So?" James demanded. "What does Rachel have to do with this?"

Miles glanced up at James. He didn't even have to say anything. James could tell by the sudden 'Who, me?' look in Miles eyes that something was up. He'd let something slip. In turn, Miles could see the recognition in James' expression.

"Girls." said Miles. "They can't keep their mouths shut, you know?"

"What does it matter what Rachel thinks?" James asked, rephrasing the question. He beheld a very rare sight: Miles flustered and not sure how to explain himself. Miles reached up and scratched the back of his head, wincing at the prospect of coming clean after keeping his own secret from James for so long.

"I, uh..." Miles stammered. "I may have had sex with Rachel." he stated matter-of-factly.

James' eyes grew wide, as slowly as the disbelieving smile spread on his face.

"You and Rachel." said James.

"Me and Rachel." Miles nodded.

"Had sex." James repeated.

"We had sex." Miles confirmed. "Real casual like. When you guys weren't looking."

James narrowed his eyes. "You fuckin' with me, Straume?"

"Nope." Miles said stiffly. "Just with Rachel."

James stared hard at his partner's face. Miles was actually uncomfortable talking about it, so it had to be true. Even his jokes were half-hearted.

"Well I'll be god-fuckin-damned." James marvelled. "This is quite the Saturday morning revelation, Straume. Not a word to me, this whole entire time?"

Miles made a dismissive sound, and retreated toward the living room. "It wasn't a big deal." he said, dropping onto the couch. "Just for the past few weeks, before the move. We hooked up a few times."

"You get laid for the first time since -"

"Oh, come on." Miles complained before James could finish.

"And you didn't tell your bestest friend in the whole wide world?"

James followed him into the living room. Miles was slouching - hiding - on the couch, chin tucked against his chest, staring at the little screen of his phone. It was too late to answer Rachel's flirty message, and too early in the morning to start a new exchange. He ignored James, who was watching him with great amusement now that the secret was out.

"What's the big deal if it's 'no big deal'?" James asked, his tone gentle but clearly mocking his overly sensitive friend. "You got feelings for this chick?"

"Nah." Miles scrunched up his nose, trying to play it off. "We were just texting last night. Don't want her to think I had some random girl over at the same time."

"How sweet." James said sarcastically, a smug smile to go with it.

"You're gonna keep giving me shit about this, aren't you?" Miles asked, turning his eyes toward his friend as James sat in the chair opposite the couch.

"Remember all the shit you talked when I started dating Juliet?"

"I let you do unspeakable things, at unspeakable volumes, in a room adjacent to mine." Miles reminded him.

"And I got to hear about your severe emotional distress and mental anguish every god damn day of the week!" James countered.

Miles couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the memories.

James leaned back in his chair, folded his hands behind his head and watched Miles intently.

"You knock her up?"

Miles did not reply, but his facial muscles flattened into an obvious look of disapproval.

"See," James grinned, and pointed at Miles. "That's how I know you like her, you don't like me jokin' about her."

"Of course I like her, she's a good friend." said Miles, still playing it casual. Then, with one eyebrow raised, he said "I don't stick my dick in every girl I meet."

"Ooh!" James chuckled. "Ouch. Straumey, that hurts. And I'm a committed man now, those old days can't be used against me anymore."

"Yeeeah, well." Miles sighed. "We're still just friends, Rachel and I. Figured she'd need some space, with her new treatment and all."

"Looks like she got it." James said smugly.

Miles turned to look at him. "You're really gonna make that joke? When your girlfriend moved the same exact distance away from you?"

James chuckled once again.

"Oh man, you are loving this." said Miles, with the most sarcastic form of excitement.

"Sure am."

"It took your mind off lying to Juliet, at least."

The smug smile was wiped away by that comment.

"Ah, fuck." James muttered, getting up to find his own phone.

Miles would have stolen the smug smile and thrown it right back at James, but he was thinking the same thing. Ah, fuck. The girl he liked was on the other side of the country and he was worried what she might think of him having a 'friend' over. To tell Rachel the truth would be to blow his friend's cover. Partners were living alibis, no questions asked. It was just the first time Miles felt truly shitty about it.

To top it all off, there was the insult being added to the injury.

"Why did it have to be Kate?" Miles mumbled to himself.

As if waiting for the perfect cue, Rachel texted Miles as the words faded from his lips.

Heard you were having fun without me ;)

Miles chuckled sadly. Rachel would have loved to hear the whole Kate story, he thought. In that way people like to hear about school buses full of children being driven off of cliffs. They could have sat for hours, dishing and bitching together, just for kicks.

No fun yet. Miles reported. A truth to hide the lie. At least Rachel seemed to be fine with the idea. I'll keep you appraised of the situation. he added, to keep it light. They were friends, after all.