Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you

[dharmalady]

Juliet Scott was married for five years. Three of them were good. She was young, Damien was too. They were in love and carefree; had fun and had a lot of sex, traveled to a lot of places. She'd been on track to start med school but when she met Damien, she wanted him instead, and she thought she'd always choose him over everything.

Until she got pregnant.

He stuck around for a few months but then, conveniently his job took him away and the stretches of time between being home and being gone were longer. He was never a bad dad to Mia, not once, but it was like a chore to be home, to be a husband and civilian again. Juliet missed him but she tried to talk to him about it and it was a fight, every time. He had a job, he had missions, he couldn't just give that up. So she decided a year and a half ago to not make him choose anymore. She sent him divorce papers, certified mail, with a letter explaining to him that she was tired of feeling like she and Mia weren't a priority. Like he didn't want to be there when he was back in the states. She wasn't surprised when she got the signed paperwork back with no note in response.

She and Mia have been solo ever since, the two of them moving to Miami to be closer to Juliet's sister. Med school finally happens, and now Juliet's an intern and Mia is five. It's been hard, harder than Juliet ever thought she'd have to do on her own, but she's doing it. She's never told Damien he can't be a part of Mia's life, she's never tried to keep him away from her. When she moves, she makes sure someone in his branch of the military, wherever he is, gets her address. She's not even angry at him anymore, just sad that it ended this way between them.

Comments

[inthewar]

He's sleepy, but he hears her and he smiles a little when she kisses his skin. Reaching out, he grabs her wrist for a moment, kissing her knuckles briefly before letting go and just barely opening his eyes to smile again at her.

[dharmalady]

Juliet feels light in a way she hasn't since before she ever found out she was pregnant with Mia. Things with Damien were always so easy before that, they had fun, they supported each other. A lot of her hurt and anger stemmed from feeling abandoned by him, but now, the more he's here and the more he does, the more those memories of how good they were together come back. She's happy, she realizes, with him and in general, but she doesn't necessarily want to rush into anything. They've both changed over the years, she knows that. Still, she knows she loves him. He knows it, too.

When she gets back, she has chicken strips for Mia with french fries and fruit, a burger and fries for Damien, and a pasta dish with a side salad and bread for herself. They settle in to eat together, then after about an hour go to the pool. Mia has a little polka dot Minnie Mouse swimsuit, and Juliet's wearing a black bikini. She knows this will wear Mia out again and bed time will be easy.

[inthewar]

Damien is just so in love with his family, and even if he's not with Juliet the way he wishes he was, he loves what they've built together, this amazing life they have with their little girl.

Juliet is so fucking sexy, and it's hard not to stare at her as they go swimming, with Damien in Mickey Mouse boxers to match Mia.

[dharmalady]

Mia's having so much fun laughing and splashing with her daddy and she points to a slide. "Daddy, will you go on that with me?"

[inthewar]

It seems like she doesn't even remember what happened, doesn't remember him having to tell her no. It's such a relief, and he feels better about having to do that again in other situations.

"Yeah, baby," he grins at her, kissing her and scooping her up, carrying her over to the slide so they can go down it together.

[dharmalady]

She calls for mommy to watch, and then as they slide down she laughs so happily, and they do it again and again. Then she wants to do it with mommy so daddy can watch. Finally, Mia's just worn out again, though there's no tantrum this time. She just lets her daddy hold her in the water, her little cheek against his bare shoulder as they move through the water.

[inthewar]

He's cradling her so tenderly, moving slowly through the water with his baby girl held so lovingly and protectively in his arms. He has no idea how much love is in his eyes, and it's just so obvious that she's everything to him, his lips pressing to her temple.

[dharmalady]

Juliet is looking at Damien, watching him with their daughter from the steps of the pool and it's a look he probably hasn't seen in years. It's soft, and tender, and all she can think is that she wants this back. All of it. Seeing him with Mia this way does everything to Juliet, and she never wants it to end.

[inthewar]

When he's in about three feet of water, Damien sinks down just a little, letting the water get to about Mia's waist, just stroking her head. His eyes drift to Juliet, though, and he smiles at her. Seeing that look in her eyes gives him hope.

[dharmalady]

Once it starts to get dark, they head inside and Juliet gives Mia a bath before they all share cookies in one bed, watching the cartoons the resort plays on a loop on one of the channels. Once Mia's asleep though, Juliet shifts and gets up, tucking her in and kissing her forehead before murmuring she's taking a shower.

Twenty minutes later she's out, in a tank top and shorts, and she crawls into bed. She wants to ask him to sleep in the same bed with her, wondering if that would be too much, wondering if he's thinking of asking the same thing.

[inthewar]

God, she's so damn beautiful, and Kurt just can't believe she really...she loves him. She still does, and he knows it. He's stretched out on his bed, reading a magazine, but he smiles at her, eyes roaming over her body before meeting her eyes again. He wants to sleep next to her, but he doesn't want to push her if she's not ready.

[dharmalady]

Instead of asking anything out loud, Juliet reaches her hand out across the gap between the beds, beckoning him closer. The way he looks at her makes her stomach flip in a way it hasn't since him, and now, she just wants to be in his arms.

[inthewar]

He wants to be close to her more than anything, and Damien smiles a little wider, putting the magazine down and crawling into the bed next to her, wearing just his boxers.

[dharmalady]

Without hesitation, Juliet tugs herself into his arms, resting her head right on his chest and closing her eyes. This feels so much like home, and she's emotional about it, clinging to him in return.

"This is the first time everything's felt okay since Rachel died," she whispers.

[inthewar]

He likes knowing that she feels safe with him, that she wants to curl up close to him like this, and he presses soft kisses to her temple as he holds her with one arm. "That's all I want, Jules. For you to be okay."

[dharmalady]

Juliet kisses his wrist softly, then closes her eyes, drifting off to sleep in his arms. She never moves once through the night, pressing close and sleeping comfortably.

The rest of the Disney trip, they sleep in the same bed, but when they get home, Juliet isn't sure if she should ask him. It's not the same room anymore, and so, that first night, she tries just going it alone. But sometime around midnight, she sends Damien a text that simply reads 'come in here' and waits.

[inthewar]

Damien's feeling excited but he reminds himself to just calm down and take it easy. He doesn't know what she wants just yet, though the fact that they're at home and Mia is in her own bedroom certainly changes things a little. He gets to her room, keeping the door open a crack in case Mia needs them.

"Some sexy chick texted me..."

[dharmalady]

Juliet laughs and throws the sheet back for him to crawl under. "You've already made it really damn hard to sleep alone again." His arms around her has always felt like heaven to her, strong and secure.

[inthewar]

"I just have that effect on people, I guess," he grins and gets under the covers with her, without hesitation.

[dharmalady]

Covering up again, she holds onto his arms against her and sighs contently. "You have that effect on me. You've been having a pretty big effect on me lately."

[inthewar]

"What are we doing, Jules? I mean, this is good, I like it. But what is this?" He asks softly, stroking her arm.

[dharmalady]

"This....is..." Julie turns so that she can actually face him in the dark. "This is me wanting to start over, Damien. I want...us again. Slow for now, but I...really want to try."

[inthewar]

"Well, that's a fucking surprise," he speaks softly. Because he thought he ruined it for good. "A good surprise, though."

[dharmalady]

"Believe me, I'm surprised too," Juliet says softly before reaching out to cup his face in one hand. Her thumb moves over his cheek lightly as she talks to him. "I've been watching you and how you are with Mia, how much you want to be here. You're doing everything right. And you know that I love you." She said as much, and drunk or not, she meant it.

[inthewar]

"Yeah. I do," Damien smiles softly, reaching out to stroke her hair in return, his fingers so tender. "I love you, too, Juliet."