Julian unlocked the front door of Emmaline's home to be greeted by Mawko and Winston.
"Hey, you two!" He greeted them cheerfully. "Winston, my boy, I gotta send you home, but only for six months, then I promise I will bring you back, I want to stay here in Brisbane, and I want you with me!" He then smiled at Mawko. "Besides, looks like we both might have found the love of our lives!"
She edged forward, and he gave her his affections.
Winston's travel carrier was ready.
"You really are a classy lady, Miss Mawko!" He said to the Husky.
"Sentimental!" Came a familiar, sickly, sweet voice. "It's a dog, you moron!"
Mawko's fur stood rigid on her neck and down her back, and a blood-curdling howl erupted from deep in her chest up into her throat.
"She's family, you..."
"Amelia Hatchford!" Came a strong female voice, "Get out of my best friend's home and do yourself a favour, turn yourself in!"
Julian didn't have the slightest clue who the woman in the door was.
"Mr Julian Lennon? So nice to finally meet you! I'm Mrs Tilly Almasi! I'm Dr Emmaline's best friend, have been since we were five! You're not hurt, are you? The dogs? Are they fine? My Emmy adores her Miss Mawko, heaven forbid anything happens to that Husky!" She said to John's son.
"I'm fine, Mrs Almasi, thank you! The dogs are fine too!" He said, breathing heavily.
"Oh please, call me Tilly, I insist!" She said, smiling.
Mia was looking around nervously almost like she was formulating a plan for escape.
"Don't even think about it, Amelia!" Came a powerful, Egyptian voice.
Zosar Almasi, one of the most powerful men in all of Egypt stood in the doorway. He knew middle eastern royalty, rubbing shoulders with Sultans, Princes, and Kings.
The petite blonde surrendered.
"My! For once you're actually using your brain, Amelia!" Tilly said as two police officers came in to arrest her.
"Zosar," Mia said politely as she was handcuffed and taken out of Emmaline's house.
"That airhead does NOT know when to give up does she??" Tilly said, attempting to lighten the mood.
Julian chuckled, he felt at ease around Tilly.
"I'm sorry Julian..." She apologised "both you and my Emmy have been through enough! Oh, where are my manners, Julian, this is my husband, Mr Zosar Almasi!"
Julian shook hands with the handsome Egyptian and then gently kissed the back of Tilly's hand. "Thank you! Both of you! Your timing is impeccable, thank you!"
"Emmy's uncle Harvey gave me a call after he found out Mia was behind it all" Tilly told him.
"But we decided to make time and come back to spend some proper time with her!" Zosar added.
"How did Amelia get out? She was under arrest, Harvey said!" Julian asked. "What if Emmaline was home??"
"When angry, Emmaline can actually be quite a powerful opponent Julian, she was caught off guard in Lennon's Restaurant" Tilly began "Julian, Amelia has always been jealous of Emmaline! And although Zosar is powerful..."
"That's right! Emmaline said that he is one of the most powerful men in Egypt! All he should have to do is get it through her head to leave Emmaline alone! Zosar, that is all I ask!" Julian said.
"I will do my best but Amelia has always had selective hearing," He said. "And how she got out, well she does have friends in high places, she's a snake, as slippery as they get!"
"Then if you don't drum it into her head, I WILL!" Julian said, a snarl in his voice.
Both Zosar and Tilly gave Julian their full attention.
"I have waited my entire life for Emmaline to come along!"
"You love her!" Tilly said, her eyes lighting up happily.
"I do Tilly, I do!" He said, just smiling at the thought of his Emmaline.
"Okay let's get Winston back to the airport to get him home and on the way, I want to ask you so. Many. Questions!!" She said happily.
"Like what colour bridesmaids dress would you look best in?" He asked, with a grin as they headed to the Uber that was waiting for them.
"Pfft! Lennon, try chief bridesmaid, matron of honour if you prefer!" She bit back, once they were all in.
Zosar smiled happily at the playful bickering of his wife and Julian.
"Well, they'll be plenty of time to decide what colour looks best on you and what goes with everything else, we're not a couple yet, not officially!" He told her, playfully poking his tongue out at her.
She pulled a face at him in return and said, "You just need a little nudge, is all!"
"Like what?" He played along.
"Like for her lip to heal first!" Tilly said mischievously. "She's just gotta be dying to taste how sweet and irresistible you are! And once she gets the taste of you..."
"She'll what?" Julian grinned.
"She won't be able to keep her hands nor her lips off you Lennon!" Zosar grinned.
"You're playing with me! You're both bluffing!" Julian scoffed. His mind, however, was going into complete overdrive. All his dreams would come true the day or night Emmaline took him completely, his body, his heart, his soul.
He suddenly felt a powerful stirring in his pants.
Tilly giggled and gently touched her forehead against Zosar's "he's perfect for Emmy, absolutely perfect my darling!" She whispered.
Zosar laughed gently "you'd want to get yourself calm again before we get to their airport, my friend!"
They couldn't help but watch him, slow his breathing, shift his position and calmly meditate as the Uber travelled along to the airport.
Tilly grinned at her husband "You could use a few pointers from Jules, you know? You oversexed male!"
"So, when Winston gets back home, who is going to look after him?" Tilly asked as they headed to the entrance of The Stamford Plaza.
Julian held the door open for her. "My lovely next door neighbour will pick him up and look after him until the six months is up and I can have him brought back here for good!"
She gave him a mischevious smile "how did you get him here so quick?"
Zosar trailed close behind.
"Obnoxiously, I thought I could just put him on a plane and fly him here!" Julian said, not trying to weasel his way out of it. "Bit like Dad, really"
"Ah, but friend, you are not your father," Zosar said as one of the hotel staff showed them to the table where Harvey, Sylvie and Emmaline sat.
"And be thankful, Emmy wouldn't have a bar of it if you were!" Tilly added as they greeted their friends already at the table.
"I'll keep that in mind, dear Tilly!" He said to her as he sat beside Emmaline.
"What are you keeping in mind?" She asked.
"To never be just like my father!" He said placing a soft kiss onto her cheek.
"Julian, my darling, you will NEVER be just like your Father," Emmaline said, her hand gently cupping his cheek. "Becuase even though you were born to him, you are your own person, you are John Charles Julian Lennon, not John Winston Lennon!"
He chuckled lightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"He did change his middle name to Ono..." he said, sniffling, but that smile was there, that smile that she simply adored and yeared for.
She knew, that she wanted to make him happy, to make him see how much he meant to her.
"I prefer Winston, it suited him better!" She said with a smile as a staff member of the restaurant worked around the round table pouring them all a glass of champagne.
"Gee, kids! Get a room!" Came Harvey's playful teasing.
Zosar smiled, picked up his glass and nodded at Tilly.
She cleared her throat and smiled when the group gave her their attention.
"I know that Harvey and his lovely lady Sylvie, originally wanted for this to just be a High Tea between them and his niece and Julian, but I and Zosar feel so blessed to have known Harvey's Kitten for as long as we have! There is love at this table, just over three decades for my husband and I, Harvey, although he and Sylvie are a new couple, he has had the strong, honest love of a woman, for five amazing decades, and of course..."
"The rookies!" Harvey joked, winking at Emmaline and Julian.
"Detective Gordon, you have not changed a bit have you?!" Tilly said, smiling at the seventy-five-year-old.
"To Julian and Emmaline, may you two find all the happiness, love, hope, dreams and the life you have always wanted, I love you both! We ALL love you both!"
"To my Kitten and Jules!" Harvey toasted, his glass raised, beside him Sylvie raised hers.
"Are you guys trying to make sure you're on the invitation list for the wedding cause I assure you, you all already were the moment Emmaline came into my life!" He said. "but please, give u a little time! We are after all...rookies!"
Everyone laughed, there was friendship between the six adults, there was love and trust.
"Julian" Sylvie began "next time you see a hippo, whether it be back in Egypt or in a zoo, thank it! It led you to Emmaline!"
He smiled at Emmaline "I will Sylvie, I will!"