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They aren’t naïve enough to believe that outside of the Dome their connection will hold strong. Barbie understands, quite clearly, that if Cox hadn’t led Julia right to him, the only sane single young man in town, she never would have considered him for a moment. He isn’t worth the attention of someone as intelligent and strong as Julia Shumway.
He also doesn’t believe that, if it weren’t for the Dome, he would have given Julia a second thought. If he had the freedom to drift away from her, and if there were other subjects for his eyes to roam too, he never would have payed attention long enough to see her for the amazing woman she is.
Barbie is never so careless as to thank fate for the Dome, but he has no qualms over thanking fate for Julia.
So even though he knows that loving someone for what she’s done is far different from loving her for her, he still finds himself clinging on. The desperate feeling he had when the Dome came down to hold her attention for as long as possible, before the outside world came crashing in, lingers even after Cox asks how Ken is. Even after they spend 3 nights on opposite ends of a hospital, and even after the government compensates each survivor with land, money, and anything else they may need to make a fresh start.
“Vermont” Julia says, lip quirked in a half smile like she has a comment but chooses to hold it back.
“15 acres” Barbie confirms. They hadn’t decided together when it came time to pick their land, but Barbie is satisfied to see that, like himself, Julia has selected somewhere in New England. Near, but not too near. “New Hampshire, how Republican of you.”
“A family friend founded a paper out there. Not a town newspaper, but it still only covers a small region, 5 or 6 towns. The founder, Isabella Simmons, passed away a few years ago and it has been declining ever since.”
“And you plan on saving it.” Barbie says, fondness seeping into his voice.
She smiles again, with a familiar sparkle of determination in her eyes, “Yes.”
Barbie reaches for her, his need to touch is just as strong as it was in the Dome, even stronger. Sometimes it’s to make sure she’s real, that he isn’t still in a prison cell, or gasping for air out in the orchard. He needs to feel her to know that he didn’t just make up this perfect woman, this savior, as a way to cope.
Other times he’s sure he’s out, he knows he’s safe, but he still wants to touch. As inorganic as the circumstances were, it still feels like he loves her.
“There’s a military position waiting for me in DC too, if I want it.” He says, arms wrapping greedily around her. Julia leans into him, but doesn’t turn to him. They haven’t kissed since the Dome lifted.
“But you don’t want it.”
Barbie frowns, “No.”
“Hmm, well I’m sure those hippies in Vermont like diner food as much as the rest of us.” Her voice is teasing and calm, but with the way she squeezes his arm Barbie knows she’s also beginning to realize just how far an entire state between them will feel.
“Nah, they’re probably all vegetarians.” He says, pressing a lingering kiss to the side of her cheek, hand roaming from her waist to her hip, “I need to work somewhere with meat lovers. I hear Northern New Hampshire residents are hearty eaters.”
Julia doesn’t respond, but she twists in his arms to face him and rests her hand delicately on his cheek.
She kisses him.
~*~
They aren’t naïve. Barbie keeps his 15 acres, and Julia works as if she doesn’t have her survivor’s check sitting in the bank. They know that Dome love isn’t real love, that dependency can be dangerous. So they wait for it to go away. They wait for their demons the catch up with them, or for their freedom to wedge them apart.
But years go by and the time never comes.
Julia’s paper thrives. Barbie works as a line order cook at a shitty diner, then as head cook at a slightly nicer one, and then he and the remaining Twitchell siblings open their own place 30 minutes south of Julia’s land.
Julia’s land hosts Barbie’s garden, and then Barbie’s garden becomes their garden and Julia’s land their land. When Ollie Dinsmore stops by, all grown up and determined to live a real life, Barbie turns over his 15 acres, for the young man to start his own farm on, without a second thought. He doesn’t need it.
They still wake up in the middle of the night, afraid, or sad. Convinced they’re unable to breath. They struggle with survivor’s guilt, PTSD, depression and more. They get 3 check-ups a year to make sure their lungs are still functioning properly. But they go through it all together.
Barbie doesn’t know if it’s their experience that makes it so easy for them to understand each other, or if it’s the same shared determination that was apparent from the moment they met. He doesn’t know how much the Dome factors into their connection.
But “I love you for what you did” turns into just “I love you” and they find that it isn’t naïve to believe that love under the Dome can last after all.