On The Set

She was at her breaking point. Alex had been rubbing it in her face all day that she had slept with Julian. This was a bad, bad idea. Why had she agreed work with them? Was she a masochist?

"Don't be jealous Brooke. After all, I am a younger, hotter version of you. Its only natural he chose me." She was spitting her venom again, god she was such a bitch.

"I thought you were Brooke Davis? Who knew you couldn't handle a little competition?"

"And who knew that five seconds after rehab you'd return to your raging bitch ways?" Brooke shot back at her.

"Maybe you should just make up your mind." Alex challenged her.

"What are you talking about? How does seeing you naked in his sheets help me make up my mind?" Alex's smile faltered a little, she looked confused for a second, but she was determined to push her.

"Well I can't help being cranky. After all I'd much rather be wrapped up with him, do you know there's this thing that he does with his tongue, I think he's spelling my name…" her thought was cut off as she saw a tiny fist come flying to her face. For a tiny girl she sure could hit, Alex fell to the ground trying to shake the stars out of her vision.

"Brooke!" Julian yelled at her rushing to Alex's aide.

"What the hell, get off my set!" he demanded.

"Gladly!" Brooke yelled back at him.

Throwing her hands up in the air and breaking through the crowd that had gathered around her, she stormed off.

"Are you okay?" Julian asked, helping her back up to her feet and motioning a crew member for ice.

"Oh Julian, I'm sorry." She looked up at him with shocked and anguished eyes.

"What are you sorry for, I didn't see you throwing any punches?"

"I thought she was jealous that I slept with Alexander and I was giving her a hard time about it all day because I thought it was so screwed up she'd be upset about that when she's got this thing with you. But she just described me in bed like she saw me, like she saw me when I was in your room, sleeping, naked." She explained in a rush. How did she always screw things up so badly?

"Shit, shit, shit!" Julian was confused. Why would she come see him in his room, and how did she get in. He was fucked, royally fucked.

Brooke's House

Pouring herself some Johnny Walker, she tossed back the tumbler in one go, trying to sear the anger out of her.

She couldn't do this, this was too crazy and complicated. She had to figure out another way. Flipping open her contact list on her iPhone, she scrolled down to some potential prospects and got busy schmoozing.

A Few Hours Later

Julian nervously approached the door and did a quick knock. Brooke opened the door and frowned when she saw him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Julian pleaded with her giving her that half smile that always made her melt.

"Ok, but I don't really see the point." She walked away from the door, thankfully not slamming it in his face.

"Look, I'm sorry for hitting Alex. I didn't hit her too hard though; a little make-up and she'll be fine for shooting." Brooke apologized.

"Oh." Does she not care anymore? Is that was she was trying to say?

"Listen, I didn't sleep with Alex. She used my room because her room has loud neighbors. I slept in her room cause you know I'm a heavy sleeper. She was with Alexander, not me."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yea, okay."

"You don't believe me!" Julian accused her.

"No Julian I believe you. You say nothing happened then I get it."

"Okay. So why did you come to my room last night?" Julian asked, thoroughly confused at the lack of protests and arguments and disbelief.

"I thought we could try to get back together."

Julian smiled and did a little happy dance in his head, he went to step in closer to her so he could kiss her but she matched his step and took one backwards. He knew it was too good to be true that it would be that easy.

"I was wrong Julian, we are not ready. And I've come to realize that we never will be ready. We are a terrible fit for each other."

He felt his heart crush up into a mangled mess at her words. How was he ever going to get past her walls? Why wouldn't she just accept that he loved her and let him in?

"Okay," he sighed in resignation to wait, "so I'll see you tomorrow?"

She bit her bottom lip and looked guilty.

"No, I won't be there."

"Brooke, you can't just bail on me. You know this is a huge deal. I understand if you need a day to cool off but I really need you there."

Walking over to her phone she ripped off a piece of paper from the pad lying near it.

"Here." Her delicate scrawl listed names of people and their phone numbers.

"These are people that have the talent and experience to do what you need done. I listed them in the order of when they can get here. The top one, if you call him today, he's willing to fly in on the next available flight."

"Brooke, I don't want these people, I want you." He protested waving the stupid piece of paper around.

"I'm sorry Julian, this is the best I can do for you. I've talked to all of them, they are excited to work for you."

"All this because of a misunderstanding?"

Sighing, she let out the breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

"No. I'm doing this because I don't like who I am when I'm around you." She looked at him, hoping he would understand.

"So you're just gonna avoid me forever. This is a small town Brooke, we will run into each other."

"I'm going back to New York."

Julian turned around, trying not to freak out, sometimes he just wanted to shake some sense into her.

"How long this time?" He asked with his back still to her.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll come back after you finish shooting and leave. Maybe I'll just stay in New York."

Spinning around he grabbed her arms and pulled her flush against him.

"You can't do this Brooke. You can't just run away every time things get hard."

Shaking her head sadly at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"I'm not running Julian. I don't want this, I don't want to be this person, I don't feel good about it, or us." She whispered in his ear. Above all else, she wanted him to understand and accept her decision; she didn't want to hurt him.

Julian felt a dampness as he pressed his face into her hair. He hadn't realized he was crying.

"It doesn't matter how far you go Brooke, you can't outrun us. You can't outrun me. Wherever you go, I'll come after you, so you are just going to have to figure out how to feel good about yourself some other way. I'm not letting you get away. Last time I did you came home with another man." He said, smiling about his own weak joke about Alexander.

"I'm sorry Julian." She pulled away from him, pressing her lips ever so softly against his for the most painfully briefest of kisses they had ever shared.

"Do great things Julian, you deserve them." With that and a squeeze of his hand she walked away, retreating to her bedroom and shutting the door.