"That bruise has finally faded," Carrie said as Julia walked into her office and she slumped down in the chair across from her. Julia quietly picked at her nails as she avoided her gaze. She knew she needed to talk to someone, but she wasn't sure what to say. "You okay?"

"I'd normally go to Kim about this but with her being gone- you're the only person I can ask…" Julia muttered as she massaged the back of her neck and tried to find the words. She knew that this was anxiety talking, but she didn't know what to do with it and she didn't want to turn it on Axe. "Axe and I had been planning a trip before all of this started, we're supposed to fly out next week. I…I just have this feeling that he's going to propose."

"And you want my advice on what to say?" Carrie asked as Julia shook her head. She had known what she would say to him from their first date. Even if there had been no soulmate thing, he had stolen her heart that day and had kept stealing it ever since. "Oh- you want my advice on if you should still go?"

"Yeah, I mean the timing is horrible and with both of them goodness knows where- I just don't know if we'll actually be able to get away," Julia said as she let out a groan and Carrie stood up and walked over to her. "We need this, Carrie. I need this."

"Then go. You don't see Tommy and Kimberly canceling trips because of ranger things. Sure, they sometimes get teleported across the world, but they go. They do the things that matter to them," Carrie said as Julia nodded and she let out a shaky breath. "Are you sure you're okay with him proposing?"

"What if I'm wrong? What if…what if I'm getting my hopes up for them just to be…" Julia trailed off as Carrie grabbed both of her hands and she felt Julia shaking. She had never seen her like this and she didn't know why she would be this way now. "He's never disappointed me on the big things, little things- sure…I just don't know how to deal with this."

"Do you know if he has a ring?" Carrie asked as Julia nodded, but completely avoided her gaze. "You accidentally found it?"

"Last night- I was putting up laundry and I saw the box and I opened it and then shoved it back where it was before he caught me staring at it," Julia said as Carrie pulled her into a hug and she settled against her shoulder. "It was a back of my mind thought until I saw it and now…"

"I don't think Axel would want you to feel anxiety about this, maybe just tell him that you found it?" Carrie suggested as Julia violently shook her head. "Why not?"

"What if he changes his mind? I invaded his privacy by looking in that box and…"Julia quieted as Carrie gave her a confused look. From what she had just heard, Julia had been doing a normal chore that could be split between any couple and she saw something that sparked her interest. She had looked through a lot more than that with past boyfriends and it had never been a problem. "I didn't do something he'll hate me for?"

"Not even close," Axel said from the door as they both jerked up to see him standing there and Carrie cringed. She was sure that this was not going to lessen Julia's anxiety, even though Axel's face said that he was concerned more than anything else. "My laundry had been sitting in that pile for two weeks- you did me a favor and I let my sock drawer get more empty than I planned. I do have a specific place I want to ask and it's not Carrie's office. Here's the write up you asked for, by the way."

"Axe…I…" Julia stuttered as he walked over to her and she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his stomach.

"I'll give you a few minutes," Carrie said as Axel nodded and she walked out, silently closing the door behind her.

"This has to do with Damien, doesn't it?" Axel asked as he squatted down in front of her and he reached up to wipe away the tears hanging on to her eyelashes. "Julia?"

"Any time I ever found anything or asked about something that I saw- he would just go off. Yell about how it was none of my damn business and…" Julia trailed off as he gave her a sad smile and she let out a shaky breath. "I know you're not him, but I…I looked in that box and that all came back and I…"

"You were curious about a ring shaped box in your boyfriend's sock drawer. I'd be curious if you had an xbox laying out in the middle of the closet near my birthday," Axel said as he pulled her back in for a tight hug. "I love you, Jules and it is going to take a lot more than you taking a look in a box for me to be mad at you."

"How can you be so steady?" Julia asked against his chest and he leaned back a bit so that she could see him. "How?"

"I'm not always this way and I'm sure we're going to have our share of fights, but that'll be on big stuff. Not this," Axel said as Julia slowly nodded as she wiped her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "I've got fight training in five minutes, I'll see you tonight."

Julia straightened up her desk and grabbed some papers to review. They were building the curriculum as they went and while combat training was important- the age ranges meant accommodating around a normal high school schedule and moving into the oddest college curriculum she had ever seen. The first semester had given a lot of insight into what they would need to add and this semester was proving equally difficult to navigate. Tommy was the only one who had any expertise in curriculum development and he had now disappeared.

"Ready to head in?" Axel asked as he stood in the doorway and she looked up to see him wiping the sweat off his face with his t-shirt. He paused as he noticed that she was staring at him and he then quirked his head to the side. "Or I can join you for a bit."

"Julia! I have a question about the history lesson from today," Emma said as she knocked at the door and Axel forced back a groan. Emma was an amazing student, but she had horrible timing. "Do you have a minute?"

"I'll be home in a bit," Julia said as she walked over and gave Axel a quick kiss before whispering in his ear. "Don't clean up without me."

"I'll get dinner ready," Axel said with a wink as Julia passed him some books to take back to their place and she then turned around to face Emma.

"I hope I didn't interrupt. I just don't understand how or why the first rangers killed the Guardians," Emma said as Julia gave her a kind smile and she heard the door close behind her. Bless Axel. He might want to spend the night with her, but they both were learning that they could not neglect the students' needs and questions about lessons were up there on the needs list.

"I'm so sorry- it took longer than I thought it would. She had some really good questions on things that well…I didn't know anything about until I looked through the records and…" Julia trailed off as she locked eyes with Axel and saw the ever so slight desire that was always there spark. "You actually waited?"

"Showers are always better with you, plus Cam asked to spar when I came down here and I only just got back," Axel said as Julia chuckled before she checked that the door was locked and then stripped off her shirt and quickly lost the skirt as she walked towards the bathroom and their shower. "Did I do something good that I didn't realize today?"

"Yes and no. I'm really grateful, Axe," Julia said as she turned around he collided with her and she noticed the faint blush across his cheeks. "Enjoying what you see a bit too much?"

"Something like that," Axel whispered as his voice deepened and he reached around her to cup her butt and pull her towards him. He felt her arms settle around him and dip under the waistband of his shorts. He let out a moan as she ground her hips into his and then pulled away. He watched her turn the shower to somewhere just shy of scalding hot before she returned to him and pulled down his shorts. He stepped out of them and quickly relieved her of her clothes as well.

"I need more time with just you," Julia whispered as he picked her up and walked them into the shower. "I just…"

"We'll make that happen," Axel said as she flashed a radiant smile and that quickly changed to pleasure as her back hit the far wall and he drove into her. "Because I need it too."

AN: The story is going to split for the next few chapters. A chapter from each location will be posted each week. If you want to read what is going on, on Earth in order you can read Chapters 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, and 24 once they are completed. If you want to read the Kimberly and Tommy chapters together- they will be chapters 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25, 26. Chapter 27 will then bring it all back together.