A/N: Brandon Foster deserves the world. That is all.

CALLIE

It was midnight...okay almost midnight, and Callie Adams-Foster wasn't sure why she was even still awake. Well, that's not entirely true. She was still awake, because she'd been unable to go to sleep. What she really was confused about was why that was so. Normally she had little problem falling asleep, unless, that is, Mariana kept her up snoring. Contrary to her sisters belief, she did snore. Callie had even recorded it once just to prove it to Mariana, but she had still refused to believe it.

The only other factor that occasionally caused Callie insomnia was when she had so much on her mind, so many worries, that she couldn't turn her brain off. Tonight; however, had been different. Callie hadn't had anything on her mind that might've kept her awake. She didn't feel stressed or worried or upset. Her bed had just felt too hard, and she hadn't been able to get comfortable. She'd felt restless, and hot, and had eventually concluded that perhaps she was getting sick, and had headed downstairs to make herself a cup of tea. Tea always helped her feel better, and often, helped her sleep better too.

She hadn't heard him enter the kitchen, she hadn't expected anyone to be awake at that hour of the night. So, naturally, when he cleared his throat behind her, she whirled around in surprise, spilling tea all over the floor as she did so.

"Shit," she grumbled, quickly grabbing a paper towel from the counter and bending down to soak up the spill. The boy who's presence had caused the accident, although indirectly, dropped to the floor in an effort to assist her at cleaning up the spill. Callie pushed his hands away, "It's okay Brandon. I got it." She mumbled quietly, wipping up the rest of the tea and depositing the now wet paper towel into the trash can.

She turned back around to find Brandon Foster staring at her, an odd expression on his face. One that looked almost painful. Upon instinct Callie moved in his direction, resisting any urges to place her hand on his, or wrap him in a hug, resisting any urges to comfort. She was adopted. They were brother and sister now.

There was no going back.

"Brandon, what's wrong?" Callie's voice was quiet, though she hoped he would be able to pick up on all the underlying things she wanted to say to him. Or perhaps, she hoped he wouldn't. After all, that would just cause him more pain, and she'd already hurt him enough.

Hurt the boy who'd done nothing wrong but love a girl who didn't love him back...didn't love him enough back. Enough to give up a family, that is. Brandon understood though, he always understood, she loved that about him. Among other things.

"We need to talk," Brandon's voice brought Callie from her thoughts and she was surprised by the heaviness of his tone. He was clearly emotional about something, and obviously it had to do with her. Callie desperately racked her brain for some kind of connection, what have I done this time? Had he seen her kissing Aaron? No. She hadn't kissed Aaron at all since they'd decided to be 'just friends,' besides Brandon was perfectly happy with Grace...Grace! His girlfriend who had cancer. Perhaps her treatment wasn't going well, and he needed someone to confide in, and had, naturally picked Callie. Yes, that must've been it.

"Is it about Grace?" Callie asked, worry evident in her tone. She wasn't a fan of the previous girls Brandon had dated, for obvious reasons, but she couldn't help but find Grace's spunk and bravery inspiring. She'd gone through so much in her twenty-years, she deserved better. She deserved Brandon.

"Yes," Brandon's response was simple. Callie waited for him to elaborate, but after several moments it was clear he required that she speak first. So, she did. Anything for him.

"How bad is it?" Callie asked, her hand finding his despite her brain telling it not to.

Brandon pulled his hand away sharply, almost as if Callie had burned him. She frowned, and hurt flashed in her eyes. What was wrong? Why was he acting like this? Like she shouldn't comfort him? Maybe because you shouldn't. The logical side of Callie's brain cut in, He's just following the rules. The rules you chose when you decided to be adopted. The thought calmed Callie slightly, it made sense that Brandon would pull away. Brothers and sisters didn't hold hands. Callie couldn't help but feel as though there was something else holding him back though, something more. Something he wasn't telling her.

"How bad is what?" Brandon sounded confused, as if he couldn't follow what Callie's words were implying.

"Grace," Callie said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You said we were talking about Grace, so how bad is it?" After a few more moments of Brandon being unable to connect the dots Callie added, "The cancer."

Brandon's eyes widened in recognition and he quickly shook his head. "That's not it." He said this rather rapidly to the point where Callie wasn't one-hundred percent sure those were his exact words. "Actually her treatments going well," A smile briefly swept across Brandon's face. Callie loved it when he smiled. He did it so rarely. Too rarely. "Really well."

Brandon's smile momentarily brought one of equal strength to Callie's face. When he was happy she was happy. However, her smile turned to that of a frown when she took in Brandon's words. Grace was fine. If Grace is fine why do we need to talk about her? Callie's expression must've said it all, because Brandon took up the conversation from there.

"We need to talk," he repeated, his smile fading just as Callie's had. The brunette's heart clenched as she prepared for the worst. It was evident he wasn't there to present her with any good news. "I need this to be over."

Callie's mouth opened to resemble the shape of an 'o.'

That was not what she had expected him to say.

In fact, that was the last thing she had expected him to say. It hadn't even been an option. They were over after all, they'd been over since the minute her adoption was finalized...hadn't they?

"We are over-" she began, unable, for some reason, to hold his gaze. The temperature in the room seemed to increase in mere seconds, and her legs suddenly felt shaky. She needed to sit down. Her arms automatically reached out for the kitchen table, using it to steady herself.

"Truly over," Brandon cut in. His voice was hard, but Callie could see the sorrow in his beautiful green-grey eyes, and could feel the pain in his words. She imagined she exhibited similar signs of anguish, mixed with surprise, confusion and love. Broken love from a healing girl to a broken boy. A boy she'd broken, a girl he'd healed.

"I love you," Brandon continued and Callie's eyes snapped to find his. Now, even more confused than she was moments earlier. Was this a confession of love or a goodbye? Perhaps both?

"I love you too," Callie said automatically. For some reason it didn't feel wrong to say it then, it just felt like she had to do it. She had to say it, because Brandon had to hear it. He had to know. He had to know she loved him. Not enough. Callie pushed the voice inside of her away. How dare it try and measure her affection for Brandon Foster. He was her best-friend, the first person she'd trusted since her mother's death, the first person she'd opened up to about Liam, he was her everything.

He was her brother.

"I love you," Brandon repeated. His eyes were now brimming with tears, and Callie knew it was only a moment of time before tears found her eyes as well. However, she wasn't as confident she'd be able to hold them back. "Of course I love you, I'm always gonna love you." Brandon continued, and Callie's mind flashed back to a similar conversation between the pair after she'd kissed Brandon at the GU fundraiser.

"You're the reason I can't be with you, Callie. You don't know what you want, you're just reacting all the time. Okay? And you only come to me when things are hard for you, or when everything is going wrong. Do I have feelings for you? Of course I have feelings for you. I'm always gonna have feelings for you, but I don't...I don't trust you."

That had been one of the rare occasions in which Brandon Foster had hurt Callie Adams-Foster, although looking back on it Callie knew Brandon had been right. However, at the time it had hurt. It had hurt a lot.

"But I..." Brandon struggled for words, bringing Callie back into the present.

But I don't trust you. Callie thought to herself, her mind floating back into the past.

"But I pick Grace." Brandon's words sent a feeling that resembled an electric shock through Callie, and her hands gripped the table so hard she winced in pain. Her legs resembled that of jello, and her mind was racing as it attempted to make sense of what Brandon meant. He picked Grace? Hadn't he already picked Grace? Or perhaps, he had still picked me, but I had picked a family, and now he is finally letting me go. Callie wasn't sure how she felt about that idea-no on second thought she knew how she felt about that idea; she hated it. She didn't want Brandon Foster to give up on her. On them. But haven't I already given up on him? Wasn't it selfish to want him to wait around for me, for something that could never happen. If I truly love him, like he loves me, I'd let him go.

But she couldn't.

Brandon Foster was the kindest, bravest, most caring man Callie had ever met. Hell, he was probably the most kindest, bravest, caring man there ever was. He deserved the world. He deserved anything he wanted. He deserved her, that is, if he still wanted her. The question of whether she deserved him was unclear. What Callie did know though, was that Brandon Foster deserved to be with who he wanted to be with, and, if that was Grace, which it seemed to be, she needed to let him have that. She needed to let him go.

But she couldn't.

"I choose Grace," Brandon continued, and it was then that Callie felt the tears begin to fall. Felt them cascade down her cheeks and fall clumsily to the ground beneath her. Is this how he felt when I chose a family over him? It must've been. It must've felt like hell. Like living hell.

"Why?" Was all Callie could muster through her tears, and the snot that was growing thick in her nose. She probably looked like complete crap, but she felt like it too, so for once, she didn't care, in fact, she never cared to let Brandon see her cry. Because she knew he'd think she was beautiful regardless. He was just like that.

He was just so pure.

"Why?" Brandon echoed, clearly in a similar state of distress of Callie. After so many months, they were finally letting each other go. For real this time, a goodbye that was the end of the chapter that was Brandon and Callie's relationship. A goodbye that, unlike the others, was final.

Callie choked back a sob, "Why?" she repeated. Desperate for answers, no matter how hard they hurt. She'd chosen to be adopted in order to protect the family, to not hurt the people she cared for the most. Though, she could now see in efforts to protect others, she'd destroyed the individual who cared for her the most of any of them. She'd hurt Brandon Foster in ways that she probably could never understand, ones she could never forgive herself for. Deep down, she'd always hoped she'd be able to repay him. She'd always hoped that somehow, something completely out of their control would take place and her adoption would have to be reversed. A part of her had always hoped that they were destined to be together, that they were soulmates, and that in the end things would work out. That in the end they'd be together, and she'd be able to make up for all the pain and suffering she'd caused him for the rest of her life.

But now...

Now Callie was beginning to see that life truly wasn't a fairytale, and not every relationship had it's happy ending. She'd made a choice to be adopted, and in doing so, she'd closed down any possibility of a relationship with Brandon.

She had no one but herself to blame for the pain she was feeling at that moment. No one but herself.

"Why?" Brandon let the word hang in the air as he struggled for an answer. "Because I deserve her. I deserve someone who picks me back." His voice was hard again, serious. Callie opened her mouth to respond, to agree, but he pressed on. It looked as though it both devastated him to say these words, and lifted a weight off his shoulders at the same time. "I deserve someone who cares about my feelings and doesn't drag my heart through the mud. I deserve someone who appreciates me, and who loves me, and cares for me, not when everything is going wrong, but when everything is going right. I deserve to be happy and I wasn't happy when I was with you."

Ouch. Callie winced.

"I wasn't happy, because I was constantly worried that you'd change your mind. Or that I was depriving you of being truly happy, and loved by a family you could call your own. I was afraid that I was in your way, and that if you ever chose me, you'd resent me, or wish you'd picked otherwise. In the end, you didn't pick me, and although that nearly destroyed me, in a weird way I'm thankful." Brandon met her gaze, and held it for a moment before continuing. "I'm thankful you didn't pick me, so that I never had to worry that you were settling for me, just to prevent my feelings from being hurt. I'm thankful you didn't pick me, because I was able to channel all the hurt and suffering you caused me into music. Into incredible music. I'm thankful you didn't pick me, because it allowed me to grow independently as a person and..." Brandon took a deep breath. "It allowed me to meet Grace."

Tears were now falling from Brandon's eyes as well as Callie's, and she wanted nothing more than to wipe them away. To pull him into her arms, and apologize for everything she'd ever done to hurt him. Despite everything, Brandon managed a small smile, and despite the fact her heart felt as if it had been trampled all over, and her mind was whirling to process all the information she'd just heard, Callie's lips curled upwards as well. Seeing Brandon happy, made her happy.

"I love her," Brandon repeated. "I love Grace, but I haven't been able to feel loyal to her yet."

"Because of me?" Callie's voice was hallow.

"Because of us," Brandon confirmed. "I'm sorry if this makes everything worse, but I needed to say it. I needed this to be over. Truly over. I needed to feel like I wasn't lying to Grace, or secretly hoping for us to work out. Now I can see that I love her, and that I'll always love her. And maybe I'll always love you too, but that doesn't matter. What matters is who I pick, and I pick her. I choose her." Brandon finished, his tone of nothing but relief.

Callie wasn't sure what came over her. She wasn't sure exactly how it happened. She wasn't sure why she'd felt the urge to break the rules, after being adopted for so many months. But suddenly, she was kissing him. She was kissing him. Kissing him hard. And, she realized with a grin, he was kissing her back. As if his life depended on it. And maybe, in a screwed up way, it did.

This went on for what felt like several sunlight days, until, breathless, Callie pulled away.

"I choose you," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. Feeling, for the first time since she was adopted, truly happy.

"I choose her."

If I'm being honest I think Grace will die in the finale, but that's just me. If you enjoyed this I have other (slightly happier) brallie fanfics I'd love for you to check out!

~Vivian