This is for Jules, who wanted something small with Wilson & Cameron and it had to include the prompt "This can't happen again". This AU of course, but oh so much fun.

Jules, anything for you!

The first time; she showed up at the doorstep of his new apartment with a bottle of wine and a sad smile that he fell for it. Hard. She smelled of vanilla twisted in heartache and he just knew his heart would break on this path she would lead him on. The silence was oppressive that night, yet spoke volumes to them. He was nothing that she wanted, yet everything she needed. He wondered if she was simply waiting for someone to put her back together and decided maybe, just maybe he could be the one to do that for her. He had kissed her, lips touching hers with the softest insistence, gently persuading her to stay. When she asked that the lights be turned off, he wasn't sure if it was to hide the light of shame in her eyes or to help her pretend.

He hated her a little for that.

They were no words exchanged that night, just the slight cadence of breath taken and given. In the wee small hours of the night, when the moonlight filtered through the windows illuminating her face, he wanted to be the one to discover her wounds and banish them for her.

But he knew that this shouldn't happen again.

The second time; he discovered that he missed her. She had sought every opportunity to avoid him; eyes darting away every time he tried to capture them. Finally he saw his chance as he watched her gather her things for the night. He followed her quietly, catching up to her as she left the hospital. He called her name softly and remembers wincing when he saw the hesitation gather in her stance. She had turned to look at him, her eyes sliding over his frame, not quite meeting his stare. He asked if he could come over that evening. Once again the silence had settled over them, dark and full of unfulfilled promises. He waited for and watched while she shifted her weight from one foot to the next. Left to right, right to left. In that moment, he almost gathered back his pride and walked away from her.

Almost.

Then, she had gifted him with a smile and he knew that just for one night, i he /i could pretend that she cared about him, perhaps even loved him a little. When he had brought his face closer to hers, she reached out and ran her hand along the day old stubble on his face. As he watched her eyes start to cloud in confusion; he decided in that moment that he was going home to shave. One less reminder for her.

Because after tonight, he wouldn't let this happen again.

The last time; that was almost exactly like the first. A sweet smile at dusk, hand wrapped around a bottle of wine and he experienced a sense of déjà vu. They had been here before and this would be the path that would break him. She led him down and he felt a little like Alice her first time in Wonderland. Following her in bewilderment, the allure that strong. She had wound her hands through his hair and as a silken sigh slipped from her lips, and the warmth of her sweet breath burned his, he decided he could very possibly follow her anywhere. In the morning, she had gathered her things as quietly as she could, intent on avoidance once again. Her eyes had strayed to his and she smiled ruefully when she discovered he had been watching her. Even before she said the words, he knew that they were going to splinter a piece of his heart and that she would carry that piece with her when she left.

"This can't happen again."

When she turned and walked away, the scent of vanilla surrounded him and he knew that it was his heartache; his heartbreak that had been entwined in her scent from the first.