**um…Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer believe that GC will have children and be married before he turns 40 or a few years after, or something. ($10,000) so this story is revolving around that…sort of.
**I know JM probably wouldn't think that way (near the end) but oh well. My stories are notably l-a-m-e…

40

George turns 38, and a month later, at an ER party, he slips away from the partying crowd. He sits in the corner, leaning against the wall. Looking up, George sees Julianna laughing with Alex Kingston and John Wells. He sighs, and looks down again. A moment later, someone says, "Hey, George."
Startled, George's eyes open quickly, and he turns his head. "Julianna," he says softly. His throat is sore, and his heart is pounding.
She sits down beside him, hugging her knees to her body. "This isn't like you, What's wrong? Why so quiet?" Julianna asks.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Just a sore throat," George says. He looks at her. "I'm fine."
Before he can stand up to leave, Julianna holds on to his arm gently. George stops, and says nothing.
She says, "Trouble with a woman?"
He hesitates. "She doesn't feel anything towards me. I know it."
"How can you be so sure?" Julianna asks. She studies his handsome face. George, for the first time ever, looks truly sad. And he isn't acting, either. Her heart aches.
George looks down. "Cause she's involved with someone else. I know I shouldn't continue this. I can't break them up. It'd be selfish of me. But it's just that…I'm in love with her. I can't do anything about it though. I'm sure she's in love with her boyfriend, and she has no place for me."
Julianna said quietly, "Oh." She shifted slightly, closer to George. To be honest, she was in love with him. Sure, she had been in love with Ron, but never like this. And now, though she was still with Ron, she knew that she was no longer in love with him. She loved him, but she wasn't in love. If only George would love her back. "George, I say you should just go for it. Maybe you're wrong. Maybe she does feel something for you, but is shy to admit it. Just go up to her and do something drastic, like…uh…kiss her!"
He was taken by surprise by that suggestion. He shook his head. "No, I can't. That'd be unfair to her. And what if she hates me?"
Julianna's heart sank. But she put on a smile. "To hell with all that, George. It's a risk you've got to take. So just go ahead and kiss her. Right now. I'll be waiting for the good news."
George just looked at her with his deep, brown eyes.
"George, go…" she prodded gently.
And without warning, he was kissing her.

When they finally pull away, they are breathing deeply. Has anyone seen them? Looking around, it seems as if time had been standing still. Everyone is still partying.
George says to Julianna, "I'm sorry, I just…..I guess I……….Damn." He doesn't know what to say.
She says, "I don't hate you. I….." She doesn't know what to say, either. So instead, she takes his hand.
He squeezes her hand. "Can we talk? There's so much I have to say."
Julianna nods. They stand up, and he leads her to the table. George says loudly, "Hey everyone, Jules and I are gonna go now. She's begging for me to teach her to shoot hoops, and being the gentleman I am, I just cannot disappoint her, or miss this opportunity to watch her sweat."
Julianna, along with everyone else, laughs. They says their 'Cya's and leave.
Later, in George's car, she breaks the silence. "Can we go to my place?"
"Ron's not there?"
"He's filming this week…"
"Oh…ok. Sure." George is nervous. What is he going to say to Julianna?

After Julianna lets George and herself into her house, they sit down on the couch. She hugs a cushion while he looks down at his hands. Three minutes later, George speaks.
"I know this isn't fair to you, Jules. After all, you are with Ron. I've been trying to control my feelings for you, but it's too damn hard. I can't get you out of my mind…"
She looks down at the cushion. "I---I can't stop thinking about you, either, George. And I have thought about Ron and me. I'm not in love with him anymore, like I am with you. I love him, but like a really good friend, now. It's going to be hard breaking up with him, but I promise you, I will get it done."
"But do you want to be with me? Cause if you don't, it's alright. I mean, Ron can probably make you feel more secure. And if you want security, I'll understand." He puts a hand under her chin and guides her face, so she is looking at him. He lowers his hand. "But if you do give me a chance, I'll show you how much you mean to me, Julianna." Then he drops his head down again.
"I do…I want to give us a try. It's just that, I don't want to be so harsh on Ron when I break up with him. He's such a great guy."
George nods. He puts a hand on Julianna's knee and says, "Take all the time you need. I don't want to rush you into anything. I'd like you to think things through, cause whatever you decide, I'll accept. Just take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
Julianna is touched. "Awww….I…." She stops, and then smiles. "Thank you."

Ron returns a week later, and comes into the kitchen, where Julianna was. He says quietly, "Hey, Jules."
Julianna turned around. "Oh, hey Ron. How was the filming?" She goes over to him and sets his suitcase down for him.
"It was alright. Toronto weather actually isn't that bad." Ron looks nervous. "Jules, can we talk?"
"Sure." They go to the study, and sit down. A moment of silence passes before Ron speaks up. Finally he looks at Julianna.
"I think we shouldn't be together anymore, Julianna. It's been great, and we've had fun together, but--"
"But we shouldn't force ourvselves to be together. It'd be better for us to be friends," Julianna says, finishing his sentence.
Ron is surprised. "You feel this way, too?"
Julianna takes his hand lightly. "Ron, you're so wonderful. I'm glad I could be with you these past few years."
He squeezes her hand. "I'm glad we were together, too. I hope you can become one of my best friends now. Because even if we can't make it together, we can still be friends, right?"
She nods, smiling. "I'd like that, Ron." She looks down, then back up at him. "You've fallen for someone you've been working closely with, haven't you?"
He looks at her, and says, "I…..yeah. I guess I have." Pausing and thinking for a moment, he suddenly has a small, amused grin on his face. "George, right?"
Julianna laughs. "You're good."
They exchange smiles, and then hug warmly.

When Julianna finds George, she brings him to a park, and sits him down on a bench.
George, puzzled, asks, "Is everything ok?"
"Ron and I broke up yesterday."
He suddenly springs up. "Are you alright? Was it ugly?"
Julianna smiles and says, "No, it was fine. It was mutual and we're friends. Ron met this girl on the set of his new movie. And I met you."
George can't help grinning. "So, you wouldn't mind if I…" And he kisses her passionately.
When they pull apart, she says, "Not at all." Then they kiss again.

About a year later, George and Julianna are still happily together. It is 2 months after his 39th birthday, and the couple is at a charity event. During dinner, Julianna whispers in George's ear, "Gotta go to the girl's room. You behave now, ok?"
He pretends to look disappointed. "Again? Aww, you women" But he smiles playfully and kisses her.
In the washroom, Julianna sees Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer, and says a friendly, "Hi."
They say hi to Julianna, and after she comes out of the stall, Michelle says, "So, Julianna, how are you and George?"
Taken a bit by surprise, she says, "Uh…with George? We're very happy."
Nicole says, "That's nice. He's such a gentleman, isn't he?"
Julianna smiles, thinking about George. "Yeah, he is."
Michelle jokingly says, "Just don't let him charm his way into getting you to marry him and having kids so quickly, Julianna."
Confused, she asks, "Why?"
"Because I placed a bet with him that he wouldn't be married with kids before he was 40. Of course, it was just for fun. Imagine it, for $10,000!" Nicole says, laughing.
"Oh, I see," Julianna says.
She is quiet when she returns to George's side back at the table. During the rest of the night, she thinks about whether George really loves her like he says he does.
When the limo drops them off at George's house, later that night, he takes Julianna's hand in his and tells her to close her eyes. So she does.
"What is it, George?"
"Something." A pause. "Ok, open them."
Julianna opens her eyes and finds him on one knee, in front of her. "Julianna, will you marry me?"
Her heart is beating quickly. She wants to marry George, but not because of a stupid $10,000 bet--not now, not so rushed. Tears welling up in her eyes but not falling, Julianna bravely shakes her head. "No….I can't…"
George is heartbroken. Does Julianna not love him? He says, "Why?…Julianna, I love you."
"I---I'm not marrying you, George," Julianna says, fighting back her tears. She runs away, not once looking back.
He runs after her, calling her name. When George sees her slow down because of her shoes, he speeds up to her and holds Julianna in his arms, from behind her. "Julianna…"
Now crying, she says, "Leave me alone. Why are you trying to rush this? I'm not marrying you now because of a stupid bet."
"A bet?" George is puzzled for a moment as he holds Julianna closer. Then he figures it out. "I'm not proposing to you because of Nicole's bet with me! I don't want to marry you because I want you to rush and have kids before I'm 40. I want to marry you cause I'm in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please believe me, Julianna."
As she listens, Julianna stops crying, and turns around in his embrace, to face him. She looks at George and wraps her arms around him. "I'm in love with you, too." Hugging him warmly and tightly, she puts her cheek against his. "I do want to marry you, George. But maybe in a year or so? When you're 40...?"
George smiles. "Ok. You said it, Julianna."
They kiss.
"When I'm 40."