Hey so this is a little Bropez ficlet. A couple of people asked me would I do one so I hope you enjoy this. It is in no way connected to my other stories. I might do another chapter or two, I'm not sure yet. Hope you enjoy and please review to let me know what you thin Also if anyone has any other prompts let me kno love you all x x

Lauren breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out into the chilly night air. The high-pitched shrieks of laughter and the steady beat of the music were cut off as she slid the patio door shut behind her and savoured the sudden serenity of the garden.

It seemed as though the entire U of M theatre department was packed into Brian's family home, which he'd offered up as a venue for Darren and Joe's surprise party. Lauren couldn't believe his parents had been so relaxed about letting a crazed bunch of college students run rampant in their house, but she supposed Brian's laid back nature had to come from somewhere.

She shivered slightly and rubbed the sides of her arms ferociously, trying to stay warm. Looking around, her eyes fell on an old rusted swing-set. She began to walk away from the security of the light that shone out through the glass door, and towards the shadow-hidden end of the garden, curiosity getting the better of her. Her foot squelched as she stepped on to the lawn and she felt her heels sink slightly into the ground as she applied more pressure.

She wandered down towards the end wall and smiled as she saw the dark outline of a tree house in the upper branches of a large oak, whose broad trunk was easily over a metre in width. Lauren scurried over and grabbed hold of the rope ladder that hung down. She kicked off her heels and began to climb.

The rope was old and frayed and she could feel her hands beginning to get raw and irritated as she neared the gaping hole in the floor of the tree house. On reaching the top she pulled her body through the hole and looked around her. The floor space itself was empty, save for a few old sweet wrappers and a faded blanket. The walls, which glowed white in the moonlight, were plastered with posters and DC comic strips. One wall however was completely bare and it was only as she crawled nearer to it that she saw it was engraved with initials….a lot of them.

"B.H + A.K…. B.H + E.R, she read aloud quietly. Her eyes scanned the surface of the wall and she felt like she was reading a timeline. Some were obviously written in the hand of a child, while others looked as though they'd been written more recent - although his untidy scrawl hadn't improved much in the last 14 years.

"Someone was a lady's man."

Brian poked his head around the kitchen door and frowned in confusion when he saw she wasn't in there. He'd searched the entire house and still, there was no sign of her. He returned to the living room where a few of the guys were playing the x-box,

"Hey guys, have you seen Lopez?"

Dylan turned and looked around him as if expecting to see Lauren standing right beside him. Brian sighed in exasperation and ran his hand through his messy brown hair.

"No man, not since the game of twister."

"I think I saw her go outside about a half hour ago," Darren chipped in, putting his games consoler down and rushing off towards the bathroom.

Brian nodded and left them to their game. Closing the patio door behind him, he searched the darkness for her small figure. Shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, he strolled down towards the end of the garden. His face broke into a smile as his eyes landed on a pair of red heels that had been left abandoned by the base of the old oak tree. It was strange how someone so small was always drawn to places up so high. He scaled the tattered rope ladder effortlessly and peaked his head through the hole.

His face softened when he saw her familiar silhouette, sitting up cross-legged. Her back was to him as she looked out the glassless window. She was lost in her own world and seemed oblivious to his presence. He climbed through the hole and edged nearer to her as silently as he could.

He couldn't help but stare at her, transfixed by her beauty... but he could never have her. She was like the forbidden fruit. Always there, pulling him in. Lauren and Joe had been dating on and off for the past two years and even though they weren't together at the moment, he knew there were still feelings between the two. Plus you know she sees you as a friend, nothing more, he constantly reminded himself.

He snuck right up behind her and whispered in her ear,

"You know this tree house is haunted?"

Lauren's breath caught and she jumped, his warm breath tickling her ear. However her face relaxed into a smile when she saw it was Brian and she hit him playfully across the arm.

"You scared the shit out of me!"

Brian laughed and sat down beside her. "Look how beautiful the moon looks tonight," she whispered, pointing up at the silver orb that hung amongst the stars. He looked down at her and felt his stomach flutter nervously. The moonlight cast a pale glow on her face and her eyes sparkled as she gazed wide-eyed up at the night sky. Her waved brown hair fell perfectly around her face and Brian found it impossible to tear his eyes away.

Why was he doing this to himself? Instead of allowing his feelings to fade, he found himself falling for her more and more. He knew he acted like an asshole around her sometimes, constantly making sarcastic comments and taunting her, but it was the only way he felt he could hide how he really felt. Tonight felt different though, it was almost like he no longer had the energy to hide.

Lauren turned her head towards him and he quickly averted his eyes, hoping she hadn't noticed. If she had she pretended otherwise,

"You're very quiet," she observed, "what's up?"

"Nothing, just thinking," he replied.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while before Lauren spoke again,

"It's hard to believe we've all only known each other little over two years, isn't it? We're like a family."

Brian remained silent, allowing her to continue, "I remember the first day I met everyone… except for Jim because I was pretty drunk when I met him for the first time... I remember I saw you in that two-man show with Nick at the Holiday Club. You called me up on stage and I was so embarrassed!"

Brian chuckled at the memory. Her face had gone bright red as he had grabbed her hand and pulled her up beside him. He would never forget seeing her for the first time. She was one of those people who gave off an aura that makes you just want to know them.

"Oh ya, you were the girl in the sparkly top who looked sassy as hell."

She rolled her eyes, but he knew she was only messing.

"Then later that night you were at Dylan's party and you challenged me to a game of Guitar Hero… which I still think you cheated at!" Lauren reminisced.

"That was an awesome party," Brian recalled wistfully, "and I did not cheat… you just really suck at that game. You were so angry when you lost that called me a butthole. Then you started laughing your tipsy head off when you realised my initials were B-Hole."

She rested her head on his shoulder and he could feel her body vibrating slightly as she laughed a little at the memory. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. Her long lashes rested delicately like crescent moons on her cheek bones. She shivered slightly and Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in close to him. He rested his chin on her hair and smelt the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo.

"Bri?"

Her eyes were still closed and he mumbled a response, acknowledging her.

"That's a lot of initials on that wall over there. How old were you when you did those?"

Brian lifted his head and looked over at the wall which, as she had pointed out, was covered with markings. Reluctantly he pulled away from her and her brown eyes fluttered open in surprise. He took her small hand in his and pulled her over towards the engravings.

"This one here," he said, pointing at a particularly faded one, "I did this when I was eight. Annie Kavannagh was her name. She was my first crush. I remember I bought her a 24 pack of markers for Valentines day- the scented ones- and she broke my heart when she told me that another boy had bought her the 32 pack."

"Aw, if a boy had bought me markers when I was eight, I'm pretty sure I would have married him. Why are some of them in a heart and others not?" Lauren asked quietly as she traced the heart around a certain B.H + G.T.

"The ones with a heart around them are the ones that actually developed into something."

"Oh," Lauren breathed as her eyes landed on a pair of initials down at the very bottom. There was the beginning of a heart engraving around them, but it wasn't complete.

"B.H + L.L," she read quietly. She turned her head expectantly when Brian didn't respond and her mahogany eyes met his blue-grey ones.

"That one's still pending," he replied softly, looking straight at her.

She started to lean in towards him and he felt his stomach doing flips inside him as he finally felt her soft lips touch his. He responded, tenderly kissing her back. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest as the kiss deepened. She opened her mouth slightly, inviting him in. She fit into him perfectly and he found himself lying back slowly on to the wooden floor, pulling her down with him.

His head was screaming at him that this was wrong while his heart had finally satisfied it's hunger. But no, he shouldn't be doing this, Joe would never forgive him. No... he couldn't do it. Suddenly Brian pulled away from her and sat up. He buried his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at her.

"What?...Why?" Lauren stuttered, her eyes watering slightly as she still lay on the floor behind him. He stayed silent unable to fully understand his own actions, let alone explain them to someone else.

"I'm sorry," she choked, as he heard her getting up to leave.

"What? No," Brian's head whipped up and he leaped up in front of her, blocking her exit. Her head was bent but he could see droplets of tears hitting the wooden floor, falling from her hidden face. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. The confusion and hurt were evident in her eyes and he felt his heart contract with guilt.

"Lo look at me. Don't be sorry…. I should be the one apologising. I…I love you," he blurted out, "I have since the day we first met, but I couldn't, and still can't do anything because…"

"Joe," she interrupted, understanding.

Brain nodded, "he's one of my best mates," he explained distressed.

Lauren wiped her eyes and looked down at the initials by her leg, "why do our initials have an unfinished heart around them?"

Brain followed her gaze, "because I knew it was more than just a crush and I didn't want to give up hope, whether you were with Walker or not."

"Brian, Joe and I are not together anymore," she said, finally looking him in the eye.

Brian shook his head, "but you still have feelings for each other… I can't... I won't"

Lauren took his face in her hands and stroked his cheek with her thumb. Tears were silently flowing down her cheeks and Brian felt a pang in his chest knowing that it was his fault.

"Brian? Lo? You guys out here? We're playing a game of truth and dare. Get your ass's in here!"

They heard Joe's husky voice shout up at them from the door of the house.

"We're coming," Brian called back, as he gently removed Lauren's hands from his face.

She let her arms fall to her side and she brushed past him towards the ladder to climb down.

"I love you too B-Hole."

It was hardly a whisper, but he heard it, before she disappeared down the hole. He crouched down in front of their initials. When he made them the Summer after he'd met her, he'd never thought that he'd be the reason it wouldn't happen. He picked up the stone that had been left under the old blanket since he was eight years old and applied its pressure on to the wood.

He stepped back when he'd completed it and stared at the now complete heart. He'd waited so long for the day when he would be able to do that, but never had he considered that it might end before it had even begun.

He climbed down the rope ladder, the stone still in his hand. When he reached the ground he began to walk back towards the light of the house. Outside the patio door, he stopped and held the stone out in front of him. He turned around and mustering up all of his strength, he hurled the stone out into the back of the huge garden allowing the darkness to swallow it up.

No one else would ever compare to her. She was forever engraved on his heart.

Thanks sweeties x x x