Family Affair

Part 7

By Ri

Please see part one for all disclaimers.

Julie walked briskly through a plush forest. She was amazed by the beauty but was concerned by how quiet it was. 'Where am
I? How the hell did I get here?' She thought as she continued to walk. She came to a clearing and could see a clear beautiful river with a waterfall. 'No car noises, no pollution, no airplane engines...Oh my God...I'm dead. I...Oh I can't be...no I have so much to live for... so much to do...I promised Diana...' She sat down on a log and started to sob uncontrollably.

"You're not dead." Said a familiar voice behind her.

Julie looked up quickly and looked over her shoulder at ...herself. She was different and yet the same. She had clear blue eyes and raven black hair like Julie had when she was a teenager. She looked older then Julie though and had what Julie could only call an amused and compassionate expression on her face.

"You're...You're..."

"A friend." Said the woman quietly as she sat down next her descendant on the log with a sweet smile.

"You're a dead ringer for me." Julie said with awe.

"Nice choice of phrase, Jules." The woman said with a chuckle.

Julie cautiously smiled back and said. "Yeah, wasn't thinking. So I'm not dead? Then where am I?"

"You're in...well let's just say you're unconscious and your poor body is in so much pain it needed a peaceful place to recover. Also I really wanted to thank you."

Julie digested all this with amazement. "Thank me?"

"Well it isn't every day I get to see how far a descendant of mine can take her life in directions I never even dreamed of. I am so very proud of you, Julie. You have had a very hard life and you truly have made something of yourself without ever really hurting anyone. That's something I could never achieve and I spent my whole life time trying to atone for it...I also want to thank you for taking such good care of.....um Diana. She's done well too. I'm very proud of both you. You are both on excellent paths; I just thought you'd like to know that your ancestors are very proud of you..." The woman got up and went to the edge of the water to get control of her emotions.

Julie blinked back tears she didn't even know were falling and asked. "Who are you?"

I am your ancestor, that's all you really need to know," The woman replied quietly with her back to Julie. "Julie just keep doing what you're doing." The tall beauty turned back to Julie and her face was composed again but there were still tears in her eyes. "You're going to be going back soon... Give a hug to Diana from me....remember we're very proud of both of you..."

As the woman talked the image started to fade to white, but she heard the words ringing in her ears and a sweet smile was on Julie's face as her eyes opened and the first thing they fell on was the teary green eyes she most needed to see.

"Julie, oh thank God!" The young blonde said sobbing with relief.

Julie tried to get up so she could comfort her love but she found that she couldn't even lift her head. "Shhh, baby...I'm fine... we're ok...come here. Honey please come here...."

Diana went to the bedridden woman. She carefully avoided all the tubes that were going in and out of Julie's arm and caressed her cheek, her face streaked with tears.

Julie had been unconscious for a week. Mickey's personal doctor stitched her leg and started the transfusions immediately, but she had lost so much blood that she was fighting for her life. Julie had been delirious or she simply drifted in and out of consciousness mumbling to herself. Diana wouldn't leave her side, even under Mickey's steely gaze and stern warnings about getting in the way, she stubbornly wouldn't move a muscle.

'No wonder, Baby loves this stubborn little thing. They're two of kind.' He thought as he gave in. He just moved a second bed into the guest room.

Diana had been terrified that she had lost Julie forever. She kept a constant vigil by her side until she had moaned and opened her beautiful but red rimmed eyes. Diana gently kissed Julie's swollen lips and softly stroked her tangled hair. She was grateful to hear Julie's voice and was slowly feeling with each passing minute that her world was complete once again.

Once Julie saw that Diana had calmed down she asked quietly. "Where are we, Sweetheart? Is this a hospital? How long have I been here? What happened to...."

"Shhhhhh," Diana said patting a beloved cheek tenderly. She smiled at Julie, "Calm down, My love, I will answer all your questions. First off we're in Mickey's guest house, as you can see the furniture isn't hospital standard. You, my darling, scared all of us to death. You've been uncounscious for a whole week..."

"A week!" Julie said startled. She began trying to sit up.

"Lay back down. Come on Love, you need to heal and I'm going to make sure you do. I had to fight your big tough friend Mickey to let me stay, so I think I can take one weak beautiful movie star, whom I love if I have to.."

"Damn right you can." Julie replied with an incredulous smile. "You took on Mickey? Yeesh Diana you are something else. I love you." Her face was full of awe and love.

Diana's face was an exact mirror as she said. "Yep, it wasn't hard. I simply stubbornly refused to leave you and he... well he kind of laughed, shook his head and set up that bed over there. Though I never used it..."

"What do you mean you never used it, Squirt?" Julie was afraid that she already knew.

"Well I never really left that chair..."

"Diana!" Julie scolded.

"Don't you start! I had Mickey, Momma and the Doctor all harping at me for a week. I got to see you wake up first!" There was triumph in the green eyes.

Tired blue eyes sparkled and Julie shook her head, "What the about the film?" deciding it was best to change the subject. Diana smiled broadly knowing exactly what Julie was doing.

"The studio brass took care of the postponement thanks to a little pressure from Mickey and Agatha herself. You were having your appendix removed..."

"My what?!?"

"Honey, you were very sick. You were delirious due to the loss of blood. We were afraid you wouldn't live. Momma and I have been beside ourselves with worry...Julie...I'm glad you're coherent and can understand me... Don't you understand how bad it was?"

Julie nodded her head and then she wanted to hug Diana so desperately she tried to sit up again.

"No Julie please stay still. I want to take you home..."

Julie then realized just what Diana had gone through. She shook her head in sadness. "Please Love, let me hold you?" She asked quietly of her soul mate.

Diana gently crawled into the bed and carefully placed her arms around the injured woman kissing her deeply. Julie relished the kiss and deepened it even more. As they parted she gently brushed her fingers through the beautiful golden hair and gratefully breathed in her scent.

After a few minutes of gentle bliss Julie's thoughts turned dark. She thought of the man who had caused all this and desperately wanted to know what happened after she lost consciousness. Gently she lifted Diana's face and asked in a quiet voice. "What happened to Edwardo?"

Diana looked down at her own hands and then glanced back up through her bangs. "Mickey's man killed him...He was...He almost....Mickey couldn't...."

"Ok, shhhh." She layed Diana's head on her shoulder, "I understand. I'm so sorry my love, that you had to go through all that. My only desire is to protect you and because of me..." Now Julie was crying. Suddenly their positions reversed and Diana was comforting her injured soul mate.

"Jules, you are all that I need. You are my everything. You protect and love me and I am so very relieved that you're still with me. That's all that matters to me. I need you so much and you promised me..."

Julie smiled through her tears, "And I always keep my promises, don't I?

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It was one week later and Julie was on the fast track to full recovery. She still limped, but considering the extent of damage to her leg by the stab wound it was a remarkable recovery. Julie found that she was annoyed by her body's betrayal. Diana merely ignored the gripes since she was so relieved just have Julie safe and home. Diana knew of Julie's ability to heal quickly and she was sure that the limp would be gone by the time they began shooting again in two weeks.

They were out by the pool. The heat of the California sun was helping Julie to heal. She relished the feel of the sun against her skin. Diana however was covered from head to foot due to her fair skin. All she cared about was being close to Julie. She really couldn't care less about the sun under all that cloth.

"Hon, please go inside. I'm really worried about you. You're going to suffocate in that outfit..."

"I'm fine. I want to be with you and..."

Julie got up and picked up the smaller woman in her arms carrying her into the cooler interior of their home. She continued
carefully up the back stairs to their room with hardly a limp.

"Julie, put me down. You're going to aggravate that leg and..."

"And what? My leg is fine. Besides don't you think I want to be with you too?" She asked as she gently put her down on the bed and took her huge picture hat off. Then in a slow and seductive dance she began to remove each article of Diana's clothing with a teasing flourish. "You know..." She began as she removed the afghan style dress Diana was wearing, "This is really rather erotic. I think I'm enjoying this way too much." She smiled brightly as the skin she was revealing began turning bright pink on the way to becoming a bright red blush of embarrassment and arousal. "And I really do love this shade of pink on you, My Love." She bent down to remove the naked woman's sandals. "Interesting positioning." She said as she started to kiss the lithe limb before her as made her way to her destination. "I don't think we'll be going back down stairs any time soon my love."

============================================================================

"Jules?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you okay, honey?"

Julie turned in bed and brought Diana even closer to her. "Yes. Why?"

"Well... you're wonderful as usual... but you seem a little distracted. Is it me?" She asked in a very small voice.

Julie let out a little cry of distress and started to kiss Diana in little nips on her face and neck as she answered her. "You are the most wonderful person in the whole world... I love you. What do you mean by distracted?" She then kissed her love deeply and passionately making it temporally impossible for her to answer.

When they parted Diana was blushing and she snuggled into the crook of Julie's neck. "You... well your mind has been some where else alot and I thought maybe...well...you were bored..."

"No!" Julie hugged Diana fiercely. "You will never ever bore me. You couldn't! Ever. Diana I really mean that. Please believe me, really." Julie pulled back and looked beseechingly into her love's emerald eyes.

Diana nodded. "Thank you. I feel better.. but... Julie, what are you so distracted by?"

Julie brought Diana's head back to her chest and gently caressed her hair as she very quietly told her of the encounter with her ancestor while she was unconscious.

"She mentioned me?"

Julie nodded her head. "Uh huh. It was like she knew you, Squirt. I mean she said she was proud of us. Here I am thinking I'm the world's biggest screw up for getting in that situation and this incredible, kind ancestor, who looks like me, for Pete's sake, says she's proud of me. Of us. It was an incredible experience. I guess I just keep thinking about it. I'm sorry you..."

"No, it's ok. I understand better now...Jules. Do you think it was real?" Diana asked her voice full of awe.

Julie looked deeply into Diana's eyes and smiled sweetly, "Yes. Yes I do. I really don't know why I do, but it's right, here in my heart. Do you think I'm nuts?"

"Of course not!" Diana kissed Julie's nose and nuzzled her neck. "I think you are the sanest, most sensible person I know. It seems incredible that your ancestor would do that for you. It was very kind of her. It shows how alike you are." She said with a big smile full of pride on her pretty face. Her green eyes sparkled with affection.

Julie smiled back slightly dazzled as she replied, caressing Diana's cheek. "Yes it was. It makes me wonder who she was and what was she like, and your connection to her. She was very affectionate about, you know, love. I mean she cared deeply about you and about us and our relationship. It stayed so strongly with me as I left her. That feeling of love and affection."

"I wish... you'll think this is really silly..." Diana's voice trailed off.

Julie chucked her chin and said. "No I won't. What?"

Diana locked eyes with Julie. "I just wish I could have met her."

Julie smiled and kissed Diana's forehead then she brought both of them into a more comfortable cuddle under the blankets. "It was like she knew you, love. She knew us. It's like she lived it. I felt like it was my soul speaking to me. Like she chose a place to impart that I am finally on the right track, that we are both on the right path and for us to keep on going. It was indescribable."

Diana laughed gently."You're doing pretty well. So what do you think this means for us?"

Julie shook her head. "I don't know. I think we'll just have to take things one day at a time. We'll do our best just like we always have. This is like a gentle guide showing us we are doing the right thing. I think we're ok, Love...Don't you?" Julie's voice went into a hesitant question full of vulnerability.

Diana brought Julie's chin up so that there eyes were locked on each other. "We're more then ok, My Love...we're perfect."

To be continued....

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