Unexpected Familiarity

Disclaimer: I do not own Higher Ground, the show's concept, characters, or anything else affiliated with the show. Apologizes if I got any aspects concerning jobs or therapy wrong.

Warning: Not a Scott and Shelby story. Nothing against them but wanted to do something else. Hope it doesn't offend anyone.

Scott looked out of the plane window at his approaching destination of Pasadena, California. He was spending two weeks there on a business trip with his associate Jeremy. They had made plans to host parties for potential clients. Not ragers but small cocktail parties. Neither one of them were huge partiers…anymore. Their company was looking at expanding into California. He and Jeremy had already spent two weeks in San Francisco. Jeremy spent what seemed like most of the trip on the phone with people from Pasadena. They seemed very interested in the company opening a branch there.

Jeremey leaned over Scott to look out too; "Hey, I've been talking to a confirmed new client here for the last two weeks. He seems pretty nice. He's originally from Washington, so I told him you were too. He asked from where and what high school you went to. I said a boarding school called Horizon but left it at that. He said his wife's best friend went there too. Her names Juliette. Small world, huh?"

A tight knot formed in Scott's stomach. He continued to look out the window. Jeremy looked at his clenched jaw and got the message. Jeremy had become a good friend because he knew about having serious past issues. While he didn't know exactly why Scott went to Horizon, he knew Scott had a torrid past that involved drugs and abuse. Like Daisy, Jeremy had alcoholic parents. Unlike Daisy, he had followed in their footsteps as early as thirteen. He was a recovering alcoholic though; nine years sober.

Scott immediately thought of Shelby. How could he not think of her? They had taken a "break" ten years ago. Scott was thirty-one now. They dated into college before Shelby said she needed a break. The reasons weren't the standard ones, and he knew she wasn't doing it as an excuse to leave him. She definitely didn't want to hurt him. However, she needed to discover who she was as an individual person. So much of her recovery involved Scott and being with him. They had become a crutch, and for better or worse, she thought they both needed to learn how to do things on their own and find strength in themselves. She wanted to see what life held for her now that she was learning to move on from her past.

Daisy also added that Scott needed to be less reliant on others fixing him. Daisy always felt Scott leaned too much on Shelby for emotional support, which took Shelby's energy away from her own recovery. He took more than he gave back. Shelby was now a social worker in the Pacific Northwest, while Daisy was a forensic scientist. Shelby and Daisy were still close. Shelby occasionally contacted him to see how he was doing.

A few hours later:

"Your former classmate Juliette will be at the party," Jeremy told Scott as they took the elevator to the building's roof. Scott found himself nervous and excited. He was happy to see someone from Horizon, but he hadn't spoken to her since they graduated. They had e-mailed each other their first year of college to check-in but eventually lost touch with each other.

The approaching twilight gave everything a soft, pastel lightening. The strands of lights added a soft glow. It put Scott at ease. He looked around for Juliette. He looked through the crowd a few times before finding her. Who he saw was not his Juliette though. His Juliette was young and adorable. This Juliette was alluring. Her long, straight hair framed her face, spilling over her laced covered shoulders. Her face was longer and thinner with pronounced cheekbones. He never noticed her eyes were green or how wide her mouth was until now. She was slender, yet had filled out some from high school. Having considered her the closest thing to a sister in high school, he felt guilty for admiring her beauty.

As if sensing his eyes on her, Juliette looked at him and gave him one of her huge smiles. "Scott, it is so good to see you again," she walked over giving him a firm hug. She smelled like roses, Scott noted. "Scott, I put you next to me at dinner, if it's alright with you? We have years of catching up to do." Without thinking Scott said, "We have two weeks to catch up. Hopefully, this won't be the only time we see each other."

After their work day ended, Juliette would pick him up and show him the area. She had been back in her hometown for five years and was an editor at a publishing company. She still saw a therapist a few times a year to make sure she stayed on track. As for her and Auggie, their differences had driven them apart. She still struggled with losing him, especially knowing he was married and had a baby. She had dated some, but wanted to learn to live on her own. She had always relied on others. Scott's chest tightened as this sounded similar to Shelby. Her mom lived in Laguna Beach. Juliette's therapist said her mom was probably a narcissist or had an undiagnosed personality disorder. "This whole time I thought I had the issues, but it was my mom who had the real problems," Juliette said one night over dinner.

"You're still lively and chipper, but you seem calmer too. More confident too. Not as hyper or perky as you were at Horizon," Scott told her.

"It wasn't real. It was all an act or at least most of it was. My perkiness was one of the best masks. Your moodiness kept people away. At least for a little bit, but more than anything it showed you were in pain and needed help. Mine repelled people. It hid how much pain I was in, but it got people to leave me alone. You showed how much pain you were in by the amount of anger. Peter knew the perkier I was the more pain I felt, but he couldn't gage the depth of it like he could the others. Although, I was moody and emotional at times too. Mostly when my mask became too heavy to wear."

Scott sat silently as he processed her words. She continued, "Everyone thought you and Shelby were alike, but you and I were the ones who had the most in common. We were both takers rather than givers in our relationships. We were both moody and emotional. However, you got away with it more. You threw a fit, and everyone coddled you because you were in pain. You were sensitive and wounded. I did something similar, and I was a spoiled, drama queen seeking attention. Double standards, "Juliette said nonchalantly. Any bitterness had been eroded due to her nature.

Scott excused himself and went to the bathroom. He really had been selfish. He was selfish long before his problems had started though. The stereotypical only child. At Horizon, he unintentionally acted as the world revolved around him…and Shelby, after she accidently entered his orbit. Daisy had told him a few times early on, but she had been harsh. More was gotten with honey than vinegar. When he returned, Juliette had paid the bill and was wearing her cream colored, suede jacket. Her dark hair braided into an intricate design. Her big eyes looking at him with concern. She looked like the Jules he remembered.

"Scott…"

"Please, don't apologize. I'm sorry you felt that way, but I'm glad to know now. Shelby probably left me for similar reasons."

They walked down the street some before Juliette gently took his hand and laced it through hers. "We all had good times together, and we all grew. It was really nice to see you again. It gives me a sort of comfortable familiarity, which is why we briefly dated in the first place. You made me feel normal," she whispered.

He stopped and looked at her. "I could use that comfortable familiarity again," he whispered back. She titled her head up and closed her eyes. Scott held her face in his hands and kissed her. They broke apart and smiled before kissing again.