Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

Julian

There was the Joanna he knew as a teenager and the Joanna who just returned to his life after 17 years. The latter of the two was still lovely, graceful and smart. The only difference now was the slight curves of her youth had become the hourglass figure of a matured woman. When he first saw her the day of his sister Vivian's wake, it was like all the air had been sucked out of him. He knew that she would one day grow into a gorgeous woman, but the extent to which she had, was mind-blowing. To top it off, she was still irresistible in her adulthood. Besides her body, her wit and her spirit were still just as alluring. This is why he cherished the moment he was in then: her lying beside him in bed in the mansion, just like old times. Joanna's skin was warm against his as she rolled over slightly on to her side. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled that earth-stopping smile.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning." He planted a soft kiss on the bridge of her nose. His hands slid down from her waist and over the arch of her back to rest firmly on her backside. She let out a satisfied hum as she pressed herself even closer against him and kissed him on his neck. His body reacted with renewed arousal that he was sure she felt; he could tell by her smirking face.

"You are so sexy," he said, pecking her on the lips. Her coy smile and the open-mouth kiss she gave in response, proved his words exactly.

Joanna

As a teen Julian was notorious at school for being a playboy.

"My brother's such a manwhore," Vivian would say. "He's gross."

Joanna would nod and agree, all the while harboring her own crush. It hadn't started that way though. For the longest time, she didn't really pay attention to Vivian's brother. In Junior High, Julian was still lanky, awkward- and subdued. He wasn't a mama's boy, but he loved his mother the way Vivian did. They both adored Katherine.

Maybe it was seeing his mom struggle with depression, but something changed when he hit his Senior Year of high school. Julian became something like a bad boy. Though Joanna didn't really find that aspect of him very attractive, she did find something appealing about the new confidence he exuded. Of course it also helped that he'd surpassed the awkward phase and developed into a hunk.

It killed Joanna to count herself among the legions of girls that had a crush on Julian because she became one of many. The only difference was she hid it very well. In fact, she went from talking to him casually to avoiding him pretty much at all costs. If they saw one another, it was usually by accident, and it would be so uncomfortable for Joanna that she kept their conversations short. Fortunately he didn't spend as much time at the mansion by that point, and when he did, he was busy with some girl.

It wasn't until another encounter that things changed. That afternoon was distinct in her mind.

"Hey Joanna," he said to her. She was coming down the hallway and had nowhere to run to. A deep blush permeated her face, just at the sight of him.

"Hey Julian."

She was getting ready to walk away when he said, "I was thinking we should study for Calc together some time."

Joanna was so caught off-guard that she couldn't speak. She still had nothing to say when he smiled at her.

Study? she thought. Julian despite his antics somehow managed to get good grades. Perhaps it was the promise of a Ferrari Spider if he got A's and B's. It seemed backwards, but he'd always been naturally bright. He was also a grade ahead of her and really didn't need her study help.

"Uh," Joanna finally said. "Sure."

Julian

Julian always liked Joanna.

In his dorky, Junior High days, she was the one girl who stood out to him. She was beautiful and smart. She was also his sister's best friend, so she was naturally kept at a distance. They were cordial though and he relished the moments he got to talk to her. Joanna only faded from his mind when family issues started. That was about the time that he just wanted to get away. He stayed out late, drank like a fish, and got a different group of friends. By that point, the girls started flocking in droves, and by Senior Year he had a reputation. Joanna stayed on his radar but he figured she probably despised him, due to that reputation. It didn't help that Vivian didn't exactly speak highly of him either.

Still, it was nice to occasionally see and talk to Joanna, even though it seemed like she ran for the hills whenever they crossed paths. This made him nervous but he managed to appear nonchalant the day he finally approached her. He asked her to study, which he really didn't plan on doing. He had great memory, was good with math, and preferred cramming. It was basically just an excuse to spend time with her.

He remembered her response vividly. "Uh, sure." Her voice sounded so apprehensive that he expected the worse to come of it. That didn't happen though. When they met to study in their family's huge dining room, there was an instant connection. She really was beauty and brains. The first thing she'd asked him was where would he go if he could go any place in the world. His random answer was Istanbul. Hers was Spain. She had dreams to travel and goals for herself that Julian found fascinating and refreshing.

"I think I could see myself being a lawyer one day," she said, "or maybe a cop."

Their conversations about dreams and goals continued. No studying went on. They also didn't make out, as part of him hoped for. Still, that day wasn't a disappointment at all. It established their relationship as friends and confidants.

Joanna

When Joanna and Julian became friends, things became tense on all fronts. For one, she still had a crush on him and he had other girls. When she found out about them, she would give him the silent treatment. They wouldn't have their little chats. She wasn't there for him to vent to about his frustrations with his parents. She wasn't there to listen to his fears or his successes. No, she punished him for seemingly not feeling the way she did. Later, she'd feel like crap when she saw him sitting around at home moping. Of course then they'd start talking again and he'd renew all of her feelings by saying, "thanks for talking to me Joanna, you're the best," or "talking to you is so natural," or the worst and most painful: "you'd be easy to fall for." But then Joanna would see him with a girl and the cycle would begin again.

The other problem was their friendship disrupted her relationship with Vivian. Vivian was possessive as a friend and couldn't see why Joanna wanted to be Julian's friend too.

"Ugh! You want to sleep with my brother too?" she said in an accusing voice.

"No," Joanna had said. She enjoyed Julian's company. While being easy on the eyes, he was also good to talk to, even if that talking was always sprinkled with flirtation.

Julian

Julian couldn't go any further than kissing with other girls. The closer he got to Joanna, the less and less other girls mattered. Eventually it just reached the point where they didn't matter at all. She was all he really wanted, but the idea of rejection terrified him and it didn't help that Vivian, more than ever, hated Julian for 'stealing' her friend.

All of this took a turn, with the passing of their mother.

Vivian was a wreck after Katherine's death, so Julian tried to be strong for his sister. He wasn't too strong himself, but thank God they both had Joanna. She always had a kind word to say. "I know how it is to lose someone," she said to him while rubbing his back. It was only a few weeks after Katherine's death and it became the first time he held her hand. Joanna seemed surprised at first, but then locked her fingers even tighter in his. From then on, he was at home walking around with her hand in his. Hiding, of course, but spending every moment they could doing so.

Things just seemed to progress from there because the next week, after they had talked a while in his father's study, he stood up and kissed her on the lips. She seemed shocked again, but then her relaxed smile said it all. Vivian, of course, knew what was happening. She had an unusual intuition and knew about her friend's whereabouts.

His sister's initial disapproval, however, didn't make him fall any less.

Joanna

Joanna knew she was beyond a crush now. It just made her feel guilty that she was away from Vivian. Her friend had a way of being self-destructive and she couldn't keep an eye on her so much when she was busy kissing her brother.

Joanna's heart did get what it wanted though. The Bowers rooftop garden became she and Julian's little spot and they never seemed to be found by anyone while making out there. It only got weird when she one day found herself with her shirt off and his fingers beneath her bra. He had just finished removing his crisp, button-down when he whispered, "I want you," into her ear. Suddenly Joanna became aware of where they were: lying on a blanket, on the Bowers' roof. This wasn't how she pictured her first time. She pulled back from him and straightened out her bra.

"You okay?" he asked.

She just nodded and he let out a sigh. "I'm moving really fast," he said pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry." He kissed her on her cheek. It was in moments like these where she really did feel like he cared about her. She did still have her moments of doubts, however.

"Are you trying to distract yourself from thinking about your mom?" she asked him. "I mean, is that what this is?" The beat of silence scared her a little, but then he finally answered.

"No, Joanna." He said as held her tighter. "Remember I told you were easy to fall for?"

Joanna

It was a little over a month later, the day after her birthday, that it happened. Julian gifted her with a gold cross necklace.

"I love it," she said. He came and sat next to her on her queen-sized bed and put it around her neck.

They were on summer break and by the noontime they were basically left alone in the mansion. This wasn't the best situation for hormonal teens, but no one besides Vivian knew about them.

"Thank you," Joanna told Julian, kissing him quickly on the lips.

"You're quite welcome."

They sat in silence for a moment and Julian's blue eyes seemed to just devour her. It was so intense that she started flushing and breathing hard without anything even happening. A deep kiss turned into them falling backwards on the bed, and before she knew it, she was lying down with him on top of her, in nothing but her bra and panties. As he finished undressing her, his hands delighted in her body the same way his eyes had earlier. He wasn't even undressed himself and was still in his black boxer briefs as he covered her in little licks and kisses.

"You're beautiful." He told her with a smile that flaunted the tiny creases in his cheeks that she'd grown to adore.

Joanna was trembling when he moved over her and settled in the cradle of her hips. "Are you OK?" he whispered.

She took a deep breath and nodded, feeling at ease in knowing that he cared about this being her first time. He brought his lips down on hers and the beauty of that moment blotted out any doubt that she'd fallen in love.

I tried to do a thorough edit but sorry for any residual typos.

A/N: I tried to stay true to the show as it is, but their teenage years are pretty foggy, so I tried to fill in gaps in the story. If it's not a fact in the show, I just probably made it up. I really like the J/J pairing and hope the show stays on air long enough for it to grow more.