Julie leaned over and kissed Cindy good night.
"Sleep tight sweetheart," she said.
Carefully, Julie tip-toed out of the room. Mid afternoon naps were her friend.
Julie laid down on the lounge and let out a long sigh of relief. There were all sorts of things she should be doing right now. Work. Cleaning. But she couldn't be bothered doing any of it right now, and flipped on the TV instead. Her brain simply was not in the mood.
Bobby
Bobby slid his key into the lock, noting how strange it felt to be back at the apartment. He'd thought about calling first, but he really didn't know what he was going to say to Julie - he still didn't know what to say, but it would probably be easier in person. Or harder.
After a lot of lengthy talks with Hank, Bobby had made the decision to start the separation process and not drag out this "let's take a break" business. It wasn't fair on any of the people involved, and the more time Bobby spent away trying to make a decision, the more he stopped thinking about his other life and put off making any plans for the future. And health wise, the stress was starting to take it's toll on his body again, and as his best friend and his doctor, Hank was firmly telling him that he had to make a move.
He walked into the house, hearing the TV faintly and decided to investigate that before looking anywhere else.
"Julie?" he called softly.
Julie
Julie looked up at the sound of the door and was already on her feet by the time she heard her name.
"Bobby?" she called back.
That would be when she spotted him - and restrained the urge to run over and give him a hug.
Bobby
"Hey," Bobby greeted when he saw her. "Merry Christmas and everything."
He remained standing a few feet away from her.
Julie
"Merry Christmas. Happy New Year," Julie replied with a smile.
Then, not knowing what else to say, she chewed her bottom lip for a moment.
"Cindy and Dax are sleeping."
Bobby
"Aww, I was going to teach them to play football!"
Bobby grinned.
"Ok, I can't even play football."
Julie
Julie giggled.
"I was gonna say," she grinned at him.
Bobby
"I can't believe you're insulting my sporting prowess."
Bobby sighed dramatically.
"Hey, so I thought we could get some food and talk? No fighting, just... the two of us talking like we used to?"
Julie
Julie smiled.
"That would be nice," she said. "Raid the kitchen or order take away?"
Bobby
"It depends," Bobby said, very seriously.
He followed her into the kitchen.
"Do you have tasty junk food in the kitchen?"
Julie
"Possibly," Julie replied.
She opened up the fridge and started pulling out munchies.
Bobby
"Just no twinkies," Bobby said, still serious. "I only eat them with Hank. And I couldn't cheat on him."
He grinned and sat down on one of the stools at the bench.
"So," he said, his tone gentle. "How was your Christmas?"
Julie
Julie shrugged.
"Noisy, mostly. Note to self, don't buy toys for little kids that have sound."
Bobby
"Or go deaf before you have kids, it's a perfect solution with no problems whatsoever."
Bobby tapped his fingers on the kitchen counter for a second.
"And the business? How's that?"
Julie
"It's good. Things are starting to settle down as far as new subscriptions are going, but that's all good."
She considered.
"Going deaf... it is a tempting idea, except that I wouldn't be able to talk on the phone or test new sounds and music any more, so perhaps not..."
Bobby
Bobby nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, that's part of the reason I came to talk to you today... about the apartment."
Julie
"Yeah?" Julie asked. "What about it?"
She studiously avoiding the sinking feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach.
Bobby
Bobby was trying to find a way to word this nicely, but he knew it was never going to come out right.
"I guess... as of right now, I don't really think we're ready to live together again, so I was going to move all of my things out. I'm going to be moving in with Lennon until I find another place. And, I was, well, sort of wondering if you wanted to buy this place off me."
Julie
Julie was silent for a good few minutes.
"Right," she said finally. "Like I'm really going to stay here, when every room in this place reminds me of you. It's hard enough going to bed with that empty spot next to me, and now you're not coming back?"
Bobby
"Guess not."
Bobby was silent for a moment.
"Then I guess I'll sell it."
Julie
"Fine. You do that," Julie replied. "And I'll... I'll..."
Her eyes fell on one of B'Elanna's toys.
"I'll move in with Zac."
Bobby
Bobby shrugged slightly.
"Alright."
He was a little taken aback by how hostile she was being.
"I still want to see Dax and Cindy though, so... we'll have to work something out there."
Julie
Nothing. Not even the mildest reaction to the idea of her moving in one with of her former boyfriends. Julie frowned, slightly annoyed with his lack of response.
"Well, New York and Tulsa both have amps so the distance shouldn't be a problem. Just working out what times."
Bobby
"That sounds like the best plan."
Bobby paused for a moment.
"I think I'm taking this next semester off, Hank thinks it's the best thing I can do for myself at the moment, so we can get more of an idea of how often I can come out to see the girls."
He realised that he hadn't even mentioned the possibility of visiting Julie as well, it sounded like he was just coming to see his daughters.
Julie
Julie pursed her lips together.
"Well, good. I mean, it would be a little silly to set something in stone now if we don't know if it's even going to work," she replied.
Bobby
Bobby was silent for a long moment.
"We can still attempt a friendship, right?"
Julie
There was a long pause.
"I... I don't know..." Julie replied finally. "I had hoped that you and I... but evidently that's fallen through. I still..."
Julie shook her head.
"It hurts too much right now."
She took a breath.
"Still, if only for Dax and Cindy's sake, I'd... I'd like to try."
Bobby
"Good, good."
Bobby scratched his head.
"Um... look, I better go, I have some stuff to sort out for school."
Julie
"Yeah. Whatever," Julie replied. "I'll let you know when I've moved out."
She avoided looking at him. She knew if she did, she would just burst into tears.
Bobby
"Ok..."
Bobby got up from his chair.
"I'll see you around."
And with that, he was gone.