I don't know how long this little story is going to last... it may go on for a few more chapters. We'll see... thank you so much for reading and if you feel like leaving a review, I really really appreciate it! I'm still thinking about my other stories, and I should have some more written soon. Thank you again!

4:00 PM

It wasn't until his hand was throbbing that Julian was finally calm. He blinked a few times as he looked at the unconscious ass of a director lying on the floor. Fuck! He didn't regret knocking the douche bag out, but he knew that his father was going to be pissed and it was going to make production of this movie that much more difficult.

The punch he landed on the director was partially for Alex's benefit, but to be fucking honest it had a lot to do with his frustration regarding Brooke. He only wish that Crocodile Dundee was here too, so that he could deliver a punch to the Australian man whore.

He was going to have to get out of here, before he did something else that he would later regret. He was going to have to find a director in addition to finding a new prospect for the costume designer. G-d help him, but he still wanted Brooke... in more than a professional capacity. He just didn't trust himself around her, and there was the more pressing issue of her acceptance. After he barged into her store and treated her like crap (even if he felt she slightly deserved it) he didn't know how he would be able to earn her assistance.

6:00 PM

Damn... Fuck... Shit... bad news travels quickly. He watched Paul walk out of the office and he knew he had only one place to go. Julian had one person to go to for help, and if she said no he wasn't really sure what or where to turn. He wasn't ready, and he was pretty fucking certain neither was she. This was just too soon, but filming began next week and he really couldn't afford the luxury of waiting for them to figure things out before asking her to work with him.

Sighing deeply, Julian rubbed his face with his slightly callused hands. How exactly was he going to convince Brooke Davis to work with him on this movie?? It was completely shitty of him to even ask her to work with him. She despises Alex... she'd probably sabotage the film with some bizarre subliminal costuming that he wouldn't even realize until the premiere.

Julian laughed out loud at the absurdity of the situation. He ignored the concerned and anxious views from nervous assistants walking through the room. Sighing again, he thought about going to Victoria instead of Brooke. That was a cowardly move that he wasn't seriously considering, but damn if that wouldn't make things easier!

7:00 PM

He had paced outside of Clothes Over Bros. for about fifteen minutes before finally getting the courage to go inside. Various openings and dialogues were fighting in his head. Should he be contrite and apologetic? Should he be flirtatious? Should he demand? Should he guilt her into working with him? Brooke is such a complex woman, and he knew he was going to have to tread carefully and correctly in order to win her assistance.

The cool wind was not really helping him collect his thoughts, and he finally decided he just needed to rip the bandage off and confront his problems with Brooke. He loved her, but he needed her in a professional capacity almost as much as he needed her in for his romantic fulfillment. Besides, if he waited much longer, there was a greater risk of running into Alexander... and he didn't really trust himself to not do something embarrassing in that situation.

Walking into the store, Julian immediately began to head towards the back where he knew he'd find Brooke designing. He walked slowly through the store, noticing as if for the first time, how many aspects of this store captured Brooke's personality. He shouldn't be surprised, but he was. He chuckled softly at the irony of how difficult it was for Brooke to open up to people, to him. She fought a long and hard battle to prevent him from getting to close and to keep herself from opening up to him, but she willingly and freely exposes intimate details of herself to strangers through her store.

He breathed deeply, savoring the scent that reminded him of Brooke and that conjured up an infinite number of memories with the woman he loved. The smell of Brooke permeated every fabric, every fiber, every molecule of air in the store. The scent was one that was indescribable and unique. He remembered whispering to her one night when he was nuzzling her neck, intoxicated by her smell, that she should market a fragrance. He grinned slightly as he remembered her eyes sparkling in pleasure to his words and his lips.

The music made his lips break into a full smile as he pictured Brooke's carefree dancing to the song from one of his favorite movies. He turned to the spot near the counter where he saw her awkward and ridiculous Molly Ringwald dance moves. It may sound crazy, but he knew he loved her in that moment, that instant changed his heart forever because it became the property of Brooke Davis.

Running his fingers along the smooth counter, his eyes darted to the walls of the store. The color reminded him of their bedroom and some of his favorite pieces of Brooke's lingerie. He was never a fan of purple and didn't really understand why or how anyone could defend it as their favorite color. But now?? Now purple was his second favorite color because it reminded him so vividly of Brooke. Red was definitely his favorite, because of just how damn sexy and amazing Brooke looked when she was in red. The memory of Brooke in a crimson dress with a revealing slit along the front that reached near her upper thigh was making Julian's pants uncomfortable, and he tried in vain to think of frogs and baseball in order to slow his blood flow.

In an attempt to think of something other than the last time he made love to Brooke (which was too fucking long ago), he turned his back from the counter that he and Brooke had had numerous sexual adventures and looked towards the front door. His eyes landed on the centerpiece of Brooke's current collection. The sexy and revealing dress showcased in the middle of the store reminded him of just an ordinary night at home. Chinese takeout, red wine, music quietly playing in the background made it nothing special or particularly memorable, except that was the design she was working on before she left her pencils and pad on the counter to straddle him on the couch. Julian stepped forward to run his fingers along the silky fabric and almost walked out of the store. The memories of his time with Brooke, their life together, was painful and he didn't know if he was strong enough to work with her now.

He was scared that he had pushed her too far, and scared that she wouldn't come back to him. He was also scared that she would come back to him before she was really ready. He knew that he couldn't take her back yet, not unless she trusted him. Until she trusted him completely, Alex could be any star of any movie or any associate that he worked with in the future. Brooke had to know that he loved her, no matter who or what came along.

Reaching the entrance to Brooke's design studio, Julian paused to watch Brooke work. She was beautiful lost in her creative process. She was working with an intensity that he only saw when she was upset, and he wanted to punch himself for causing this artistic output. This was going to be harder than he thought...

He walked softly into the room and cleared his throat to get her attention. This was it... there was no turning back as her wary hazel eyes focused on him. He could immediately feel the tension radiating from her body, and he wanted to beg for her forgiveness for everything... this afternoon, the past few months, shit anything and everything that caused her one moment of pain or doubt.

"I'm sorry about this morning." He thought he'd start small and work his way from there. He was making his way towards her, but had to remind himself not to get to close. He waited anxiously to see how she would respond, and he was relieved to see that she wasn't angry and throwing him out of the store.

He could see his own pain and confusion mirrored in her eyes, her body, and her voice. "I'm sorry too. I should've brought the box to you myself. But I just thought it would be too hard to see you."

I am the biggest fucking asshole on the planet... Julian thought to himself. She was so uncomfortable and unsure, her hands were fidgeting and her eyes would barely make contact with his own. He hated that he shared any responsibility for her uncertainty and discomfort. He was supposed to protect her and be there for her, so how did it come to this? How was it that he was protecting Alex and Brooke was here alone?? He had been sure up until this point that the situation was caused by Brooke and her insecurity, but looking at her fragile perch on the stool he wasn't so sure anymore and he hated himself for what he was about to ask of her. He hated that he was going to ask her to be in an uncomfortable position, but he had to... not just for the movie, but for them.

"That makes what I want to ask difficult..." his voice trailed off and he tried his best to be strong and sure. His words began to flow and he tried to quickly and briefly explain that he needed her to be his fashion designer. He wasn't surprised by her incredulous response and resistance. He couldn't help to grin at the horrible timing and selfish request he was making of her.

"You're the only one that I trust, and I need the best for this movie." Honesty... plain and simply honesty. He knew that the only way they would find their way back to each other was through some brutal, painful honesty to deal with their issues.

She was balking at the request, but she wasn't denying him. Uncertainty was etched on every feature of her unforgettable face. Julian knew he had a shot, hell, a fantastic shot, of getting her to agree to work on this movie. She may not see it, but this was symbolic for the two of them. If she could find her way to work with him on the film, then he knew they could find their way back to one another.

He didn't want to press her too hard, even if he still wanted to ravish her body and rip that plaid dress off her body. Shaking those thoughts from his mind he urged her to think about it, and he had to grin a little because he knew that he was thinking of something completely different from what she was trying to wrap her head around. "You won't even have to look at me if you don't want to." He looked up with her with teasing eyes and continued to stand there, unwilling to leave and be alone again. His heart raced as he watched her roll her eyes, not in annoyance, but more in amusement and exasperation. He knew this was a huge request, but she was thinking about it and that was more than he could hope for under the circumstances. And for the first time in a long time, he could genuinely smile and be hopeful for what he and Brooke would be in the future.

9:00 PM

Julian was still grinning. It had been ten minutes since Brooke Davis officially agreed to work on the movie with him, and he couldn't stop smiling or his heart from racing at the endless possibilities the next couple of months could bring.

He really wasn't sure what to expect when he heard her husky voice questioning his earlier assertion that she was the best. He looked up and was relieved to see that she was relaxed and poised in her confidence. Brooke's lips were curled ever so slightly in a small smirk as she made her way closer to him. The playful conversation didn't allude to their recent past, but reminded him of their tumultuous, but entertaining beginning.

Sitting at his desk, his fingers absentmindedly traced his smiling lips. He chuckled at the image of Brooke's seductive sauntering in and out of his studio. That dress hugged her curves the way he wanted to right now, and he had to once again adjust himself in his pants. As arousing as her physical presence was, he was more interested in the change in her approach and her attitude towards him. The distrust was gone, and it was replaced by the girl her used to know... the girl he still cherished and loved. He was replaying their banter over and over through his head. It was so easy and fluid, just like they used to be... just like they were supposed to be.

The more he tried to clear his head of Brooke Davis, the more she dug her heels into his brain and wouldn't leave. Julian suddenly jumped up from his desk and made his way towards the door. He grabbed an apple from the service table, and threw it in the air and caught it, laughing at the memory of Brooke's earlier action.

He was tempted to head towards Brooke's house and finally free her from that sinfully tight dress, but instead he headed towards the empty hotel room. He continued to smile as he slowly undressed, imagining Brooke's similar actions in her own room across town. Naked, Julian started his ipod and shook his head as Brooke's song blasted from the speakers and he made his way into the bathroom for a long shower. He closed his eyes and relaxed against the steam. In the privacy of his hotel's bathroom, Julian let his hand relieve his built-up frustration and loneliness without Brooke.

11:00 PM

Lying in the cold hotel room, Julian thought of Brooke. His mind couldn't stop picturing her and remembering her, and his heart couldn't stop loving her. He unconsciously ran a hand along the opposite side of the bed, the side that Brooke always slept on, even though he knew it was empty because she was in their bed across town. Julian let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. Finally, for the first time in weeks, Julian Baker was able to sleep.