Reviews For The Ties That Bind
Reviewer: Okapi Signed [Report This]
Date: June 26, 2010 6:08 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

Great follow-up to the episode!  I love these scenes...they all ring so true.  I could see Juliet working throughout the day and afraid to go home and fighting her own fear.  And of course Lassie would be there for her every painful step of the way.  He gives her the space she needs and the time but then he's also there to tell her when she really does need to go home.  I love the scene at her place too...Lassie's so exhausted he almost can't help but sleep and she still can't.  At the end she's finally able to come to terms with her fears and anxiety, with Lassiter's help...not to overcome them yet but to know what she's going to have to do to overcome them which is a step in the right direction.  

Thanks so much for the great episode tag!! :)

Reviewer: KitKatt20 Signed starstarstarstarstar [Report This]
Date: June 21, 2010 9:45 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

Oh, gosh, that was amazing. Your write so well, the story just plays out seamlessly and the raw emotions of the characters really got to me... I love it. An excellent tag to a great episode, and gives such closure to the finale. I sincerely hope there will be more partnership moments between Juliet and Lassiter in the next season, because reading this definitely had me craving for more.

Beautifully done. You should do one-shots more often!

Reviewer: goingsparrow Anonymous [Report This]
Date: June 17, 2010 9:01 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

Just beautiful.  I'd ask for a followup but this is perfect.

Reviewer: silverluna Signed starstarstarstarstar [Report This]
Date: June 17, 2010 3:07 am Title: The Ties That Bind

This is a wonderful story. There are so many great elements at work here. Juliet's side of the story really bears explanation—and it's awesome to see it done in a non -Shules way. I love seeing this from Juliet's POV, having her emotions rare and bared, and having Lassiter be right there for her, stuck to her side like glue, throughout the whole aftermath. Poor thing could barely take a bathroom break without having the door guarded by her partner making lethal threats on her behalf. ;) I thought those were awesome details by the way. 

I love how you seamlessly wove past events into present ones, and again, let us see what happened to Juliet after she became Yin's captive, and how badly it really affected her, so much so that she'd rather stay at the station all night long retyping paragraphs five times than go home and face her empty, shadowy apartment alone. You did such a good job illustrating her barely suppressed fear.

I love the way you write Lassiter and Juliet playing off each other; it was such a nice touch taking them year by year, and what Juliet imagined would be Lassiter's reaction to her breaking down on the clock tower for each—it felt authentic and accurate; she really did make an investment in him with her diligent cheerfulness. 

Shawn's intrusion was kind of sweet, with his police dressed teddy bear and muffin; I could see Shawn trying to make things better with toys and food. I was glad that Lassiter was ready to hustle him out of there as soon as Juliet gave the signal—I mean, Juliet was really only targeted by Yin because of her connection to Shawn; so a day after the events is really not the time poor Juliet should have to deal with Shawn and all of those emotions on top of everything she's already going through.

Loved loved loved the visual of Juliet's screen going dark and Lassiter holding the power cord in his hands. It was funny, and it was also a subtle representation of the power he still holds, that he's still slightly above her—he *can* make her go home. I liked that he didn't flinch or snap back at her after her mini-tirade—and that eventually Juliet realizes that he understands what she's going through because he faced his own death during the events of "Yips". 

Juliet's fear was almost tactical, her insistence to turn around and go back to the station, just so she doesn't have to be at home, alone, with her irrational fears of Yin's return, and of the night she almost died, barely 24 hours before. Loved that Lassiter decides to stay with her without a word, just hunkers down on her couch for the night. 

This was great:

Since the first moments after she'd turned out the lights and crept into bed, she'd been in a heightened state of awareness.  Even though she was trying for the exact opposite effect, Juliet found that she just couldn't relax at all.  From the rustling of branches outside, to every click and pop of settling interior walls, the old, formerly familiar sounds of her home were suddenly ominous and frighteningly new.  Innocent noises that used to mean 'The bushes outside my window need to be trimmed' were now translated into 'Is that him?  Is he trying to break in to my bedroom?'  Phantom intruders assaulted her senses, providing small injections of adrenaline into her system every few minutes without mercy.  Even the shadows in her darkened bedroom seemed to come to life with newfound menace, a constant reminder that the man who'd held her captive could be hiding anywhere.  Juliet's quilt swallowed her shrinking form as she slowly began sinking lower beneath its folds in a ridiculously adolescent attempt to hide from the night.  Her heart pounding faster by the minute, Juliet's sleep-deprived mind was rapidly spiraling towards panic.

So perfectly done, illustrating how even the familiar sounds of your own house can turn against you when you're *just **that** scared*, and poor Juliet is way passed that point. 

LOL, the "dysfunctional slumber party" was just adorable. This Lassiter really does belong in Season 4 (or later)—Season 1 Lassiter would never snuggle. ;) I mean, comfort his partner by holding onto her in an almost intimate way. Season 1 Lassiter was much too uptight for such friendliness or compassion. Nice touch having poor Juliet feel guilty for not being there for Lassiter after he was almost murdered, especially because it's almost a trigger to release her emotions all over him again with less fear of how he'll react—she's been constantly fearful that he'll be condescending, judge her, or that, worst of all, she'll lose the position of "tough, can handle anything" detective almost equal to Lassiter that she worked her ass off to earn. But when they are having their SWEET partner moments, she really sees that she hasn't jeopardized anything by opening up. Again, Lassiter asserts his authority, and I was glad to see her accept it as part of their working relationship, and friendship, to see that he knows what's best for her in this situation, and how to work through it best. 

My favorite part of the story is the echo of 8 year old Juliet going to her big brother Ewan's room during a particularly nasty tropical story in Miami to adult Juliet finding the role of  "big brother" adequately filled by her partner, more than willing to stay at her apartment, sleep on the floor next to her and hold her close so she feels safe. The last two parting images were beautiful—Lassiter as Juliet's hero, and the "frightening storm raging in her memory" lessened by Lassiter's empathy, kindness and willingness to protect her and stay by her side, literally.

Wonderfully done tag. :)

Reviewer: 88Keys Signed [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 11:58 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

This is a nice story for Juliet and Lassiter.  I love their partnership, and how it has grown.  You showed Juliet's fear and emotions well.  I particularly liked the part where she comes home to her apartment and it doesn't look the same anymore.  And the callback to "Shawn Has the Yips" was nice.  

Hmmm...I should finish my Mr. Yin tag.  :)

Reviewer: Emme Anonymous [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 6:20 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

excellent!

Reviewer: meimichan Signed starstarstarstarstar [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 4:56 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

I love how you write Lassiter and Juliet as friends, SO MUCH. I loved the whole thing.  Lassiter is so the overprotective big brother for her, something I've seen a bit of in the show for awhile now actually, not just in S4. If the show had shown this, I could see it happening. I also liked how Juliet felt even worse about herself for not doing for Lassiter what he's doing for her-any chance of that being written in some other story, or is she going to figure out that Lassiter by now already has his way of dealing?

I do think my favorite part was actually your little add-on to the story, where Juliet and Abigail were being held together and Juliet tried putting up what fight she could.  Also kinda gives another reason why Abigail broke up with Shawn at the pier-they probably both figured out why they were being held by Yin, and Shawn's not exactly known for subtlety.

There are not nearly enough good friendship fics out there for this show, and you do them so well (Shawn/Lassiter, Juliet/Lassiter), and I would much rather read about the growing friendships than romance with these characters, so keep writing! Your stories are excellent. 

Reviewer: Flutegirl Signed [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 4:30 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

This is great! I can really see it happening.

Reviewer: Samantha Anonymous [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 2:22 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

That was a really really sweet, adorable story. I loved how Lassiter was so good with Juliet and became like her big brother to her.

Reviewer: Zebra Signed [Report This]
Date: June 16, 2010 1:50 pm Title: The Ties That Bind

You write the most beautiful stories, you really do. You get inside the characters' heads way too well to be normal and really analyze events that a lot of people would normally look right over. For instance, how Lassie was doing after Shawn has the Yips. I never really thought about it, he's too Lassie for me to imagine him being afraid after that, but then when you explain it here it just feels so right, like 'duh that's what happened', and it takes a really good writer to be able to do that, in my opinion. I greatly look forward to the next fic that you throw our way :)



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