Brandon didn't know. He did not know this girl, either. So how could he know if Lena had made the right choice or not? Stef assured her that a girl from juvie would bring nothing but trouble. Mariana thanked the heavens because 'she'd rather die than share a room with some criminal'. And when Jesus accidentally spilled his milk all over the table the thought of Callie, this girl from juvie who had been put in a group home instead of sitting at this dinner table, eating lasangea with them, dissappeared. Just before the liquid soaked through his jeans and he jumped up in alarm, Brandon noted that Callie was a very beautiful name.

With a clean pair of jeans, Brandon sat down by the piano the next day. This was always his favorite part of school. Being here, in the music room with the wonderful sounds his fingers were making and nothing and no one to disturb him. He started the melody he'd been playing for days now, trying to get it exactly right for his audition tonight. He'd never written a piece of his own before and he was very proud of what he'd come up with. His fingers telling the tale of him and his mom, and then Lena, and then the twins. Telling the tale of a family. But he finished with the feeling of incompletion. It was stronger now than ever before. Something was missing. And he didn't know what. Sighing, he gazed out the open window as if that something would appear there. Maybe someone, standing by that window and looking at him with caution in her glare. But there was nothing there.

There was someone behind him, though. Talya greeted him with a kiss and had that adoring smile on her face that always had him smiling back at her. She was so kind, and sweet, he thought. She was when they first met at thirteen when she'd just started at Anchor beach and she was now, when she insisted on sharing her blueberry muffin with him during lunch that day. Two years later she was still as kind, still as sweet. So he told her they would survive the distance. Talya at Berkely, majoring in fashion management and Brandon at Julliard pursuing his dream. They saw eachother at thanksgiving, both having so much to share about their amazing and slightly stressful first semester at college. Then at christmas again. But as Brandon caught himself longing for their daily calls to be over so that he could get back to his music, he knew they were over. Though, once in a while, he found himself missing that smile of hers.

He didn't stay single for very long. Her name was Sarah and she was a singer. To be more specific, she was a singer, singing a few feet away from where Brandon was bringing the melody to her lyrics. Working on a project together, they got to know eachother really well. The first thing Brandon noticed about her was her hair. It had this beautiful chestnut colour and fell in curly waves down her shoulders. He would stare at that hair for hours during rehersals, imagining what it would be like to touch those soft curls or perhaps even smell them. The second thing Brandon noticed was her eyes. They were green. For some reason, Brandon had always wanted them to be brown. Dark brown.

The second he touched that hair he forgot all about the colour of her eyes, though. My god, he adored that hair. Sarah never knew why Brandon always prefered doggystyle whenever they were having sex and if she ever asked him about it, he suddenly got very distracted by something. But how was he supposed to tell his girlfriend he'd rather be grabbing onto her hair than looking into her eyes when fucking her?

Five months after graduating from Julliard she wasn't his girlfriend anymore. Brandon and Sarah were married in San Diego, Californa in front of all their family and friends. Sarah's parents were the ones crying the hardest since she'd be moving across the country. She didn't mind though, she'd always wanted to live on the west coast.

Brandon and Sarah bought the cutest, little yellow house, not too far away from his moms. With Jesus and Mariana off at college the house must have seemed very empty, because moms invited him and Sarah over for dinner every other night. Soon they became much too busy to answer dinner invitations when their oldest was born. They named her Hailey. Not long after that Sarah gave birth to a boy, Jamie.

Brandon loved being a father. He loved playing hide and seek with his children in the backyard. He loved how they always had their way of surprising him, wether it was with a new drawing or a new word they learned that day. And he loved kissing them good night and knowing he would wake next day to yet another adventure.

Ever since his children were born he'd keep a photo of them by his piano at work. He'd gotten a job as a piano teacher when he'd moved back to San Diego. A job he enjoyed very much. He always knew he'd be great at teaching. Seeing that smile on the kids faces as they got the song just right, it made him the proudest person on earth.

Brandon was happy.

It was just that song. The first piece he ever wrote. It still seemed incomplete. Why it bothered him this much, he had no idea. Maybe because he was a perfectionist. Maybe because the first song he ever did was also the one he never finished, never really. Maybe because... He really did not know. His moms and Sarah had told time and time again that he was beating himself up over nothing. The melody was beautiful. Yes it was, Brandon agreed, but never as beautiful as it could have been.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when Brandon was at work. He wasn't sitting by his piano, though. In fact, he wasn't teaching piano this lesson. He'd been asked to fill in for a sick colleague of his since it was known he was skilled at another instrument as well. Waiting for his student he sat, strumming on the guitar and gazing out the window. Hearing the door opening behind him, he stopped and turned.

Dark brown eyes. Thick, chestnut curls. A scar on her forhead. And the cutest button nose he'd ever seen. Brandon knew this woman. No. He didn't. He'd never met her before in his life... But he knew her. Except that he didn't. Did he? She was looking at him with questioning eyes and he realised he was staring. He'd better say something, fast. Anything.

"You're not here to learn how to play the guitar, are you?"

She looked too old to be a student, though Brandon wouldn't call her old. She seemed to be in her early thirties, like him. She laughed.

"No, sir! But my son is."

That's when Brandon noticed the little boy standing beside her, cluthing her hand in his smaller ones.

"Oh! Hello there! I'm Brandon Foster, I'll be filling in for Ms. Addams today."

The kid looked a bit timid and took a tighter grip of his mothers hand. She smiled and suddenly Brandon was smiling as well.

"I'm sorry he's just shy. I'm Callie, and this is Hayden"

Callie. That name was so.. familiar for some reason. But he didn't know anyone named Callie, he was sure of that. The name was far too beautiful to ever forget. As was she. He was staring again.

"Well come in then, Hayden! Have a seat over there and let's look at your homework for this week"

He did. But Callie remained at the door. Why wasn't she coming inside? Why did he want her to?

"I'll be waiting outside then Hayden."

And she closed the door and left. Brandon forced himself to tear his eyes away from that door and look at Hayden. He forced himself to play note after note of 'Hey Jude' and not think of how this woman, Callie was sitting just outside... Not think about it! And he listened intently to an eight year old trying to play note after note of 'Hey Jude' to keep himself from asking the one question he wondered why he was asking in the first place. Who was she?

"Uh... That was great, Hayden! Really! Now. I'll tell Ms. Addams you have this song for next week and hopefully she'll be well by then."

Brandon watched as the boy scooted down the chair, guitar in hand, and made his way to the door.

"Good bye Mr. Foster."

"Good bye."

The second Hayden closed the door behind him, Brandon got up and raced towards it. A second went by as he debated wether or not he was crazy. It took him just that second to realise that, yes, he was indeed nuts. Then he realised he didn't care. And he opened the door.

"I'm sorry, I just have to ask you something. I was just wondering, uh, if... Well, you just looked so familiar and I, uhh... Have we met?"

Okay, Brandon knew he'd seem insane but he didn't plan on sounding like a blabbering idiot.

Those brown eyes didn't stare at him like he was some idiot. But they did stare, in a way that had Brandon's insides going on the tilt-a-whirl. They stared like they understood, like they were wondering the same thing.

"I, I don't think so.. I think I'd remember that."

And with that, Callie left. She left him standing there with that same feeling he always got whenever he thought about that unfinished melody. He would never be able to finish his piece, would he? Watching Callie's figure growing smaller and smaller in the distance, he knew he wouldn't. But perhaps he could have. Perhaps he could have finished it, in a life that could have been.

The first thing Brandon did when he woke was reach to his left. Searching for her. And finding nothing but sheets. Turning his head, seeing that void space, he panicked. He had to find her. Had to find her. Had to..

"Jeez Brandon, you look like you're chocking. You okay?"

Turning off the light in the bathroom, and shutting the door behind her, she squinted at him through the dark.

"Callie."

It was really her. Just the sound of her voice was soothing. So, he really didn't need to stare at that hair, that nose, that scar... those eyes. But he wanted to. He wanted to relish in the beautiful mess that was Callie, having to pee in the middle of the night.

"What, Brandon?"

All he managed to get out was her name, over and over again. Like saying it once wasn't enough. He wanted to say it so many times, it would make up for a life when he had to live without it. Her look of confusion turned into one of surprise when Brandon practically hauled her onto their bed. Then he plunged his tounge down her throat so if she was planning on asking him what the hell was up with her husband, she never got the chance.

Brandon wanted to kiss her all over. Her jaw, her throat, the swell of her breasts... and as he got to her stomach he lifted her shirt just above the belly button to plant one last, gentle kiss there.

As he laid with his head against her abdomen with her fingers threaded in his hair, Callie could speak again.

"What is it, Brandon?"

"I just... had the weirdest dream."

Callie laughed. My god, he loved that laugh.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to have the weird pregnancy dreams!"

When she didn't hear Brandon laugh, she said with a gentle voice,

"What was it about?"

"I never met you."

Callie's fingers gripped his hair tighter and he knew she understood. She always did.

"Kiss me."

She said it in a whisper.

Brandon said nothing and just pressed his lips to hers.

Then he was inside her and she screamed.

Just like a beautiful melody.