CHAPTER FOUR

"So I looked over at Dr. Maguire and said, 'Well, it's just like algebra. Whatever you do to one side, you've got to do to the other.'" Emerson immediately laughed at his own joke as he took a bit of his grilled chicken salad.

Piper just shook her head and managed her own small smile, but she was barely listening. She just stared down at her own plate and let her thoughts drift back to Dean. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? All through lunch the ridiculous surfer kept popping into her head, and she couldn't concentrate on what her own fiancé was saying. She couldn't allow this. Four years. She was over him; she had to be. Yet she let her memories drift back to that night on the bridge.

******

Piper clutched the bridge's railing as she stared into the black water of the Thames River. The only sound was the deep moan of a lone tugboat, while the only light came from the streetlamps and the moon overhead. She felt the soft breeze lift and play with her long hair as she waited for Dean to show. This wasn't going to be easy. In fact, she could already feel her heart breaking.

A while back he had stood her up for what seemed like the umpteenth time. He had apologized and said it wasn't his fault. He had been delivering drugs to a customer and they had become violent, but he promised that it was the last time. He really was going to give up dealing this time and find a legitimate job. She wanted to believe him and wanted to give him another chance, but she had heard the same story before. She couldn't let this go on. She had a life; she couldn't wait forever for Dean to grow up.

"Piper? You said you wanted to talk?" A voice asked behind her. She turned around and saw Dean standing there. She could barely make out his features in the waning light, but she knew it was him. He reached out to pull her into a hug, but she stepped away. She looked down at her feet.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"We can't see each other anymore." There, she had said it. All her planning, all her preparation, and it had just tumbled out of her.

"What? Why?" She could hear the hurt and confusion in his voice, but she couldn't make herself look up.

"I can't deal with this anymore. I.I'm sorry." Warm tears began to form in her eyes, and she knew she had to leave before Dean could see them. She turned away and started towards her car when Dean touched her arm.

"Wait a minute! That's it? You're not even going to give me a reason?"

She wouldn't look at him. She just struggled against his hold. "Let me go, Dean."

With one swift pull, he turned her around. Gently, he lifted her face to meet his eyes. She could see confusion more than anything else reflecting in them. "What's going on? Where did this come from?"

"I can't deal with you anymore. I can't deal with your drug dealing. I can't deal with your friends. I can't deal with you only thinking about yourself." The sound of her own voice surprised even her.

Her angry tone caused him to step back. A look of shock seemed to come over his face as he pushed his sandy hair out of his eyes. "Piper? Why didn't you tell me? What.?" He looked up at her, and she could see tears forming in his eyes. "I'm changing. Once I get this job with the paper, I won't deal drugs anymore. I promise."

She shook her head and stared out at the water. She couldn't handle the look in his eyes. "I can't wait on you forever, Dean. I have to grow up. I have to move on."

"Piper?" He stepped forward again, and she quickly stepped back.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"But.you can't just leave like this! We can work it out."

Finally, she looked him straight in the eyes and said the words that she forever regretted. "You're a stupid little boy, Dean, and I don't ever want to hear about or see you again!" Without waiting for an answer from him, she had turned and run.

*********

"Piper? Did you hear what I said?" Emerson's perfect British accent brought her back to the present. She looked up at him and blinked a couple of times.

"What? I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Emerson just chuckled and leaned forward in his chair. "I suppose it's been a long, stressful day." He placed a delicate hand on top of hers and smiled. "I was talking about our six-year plan."

A look of confusion crossed her face. "The six-year plan?"

"Yes." With that, he began to laugh. "Please, Piper, you remember the plan, don't you?"

She covered her eyes and began to laugh with him. "Oh, no. I suppose I forgot. Could you run it by me again?"

Emerson's brown eyes lit up. "Of course. You see, right after we're married, we're going to spend exactly three days in Egypt, riding camels and learning about the history. Then, when we come home, we'll move into my apartment, and I'll begin teaching at Oxford again."

"Egypt?" Piper interrupted. "I thought we agreed on Rome."

"Well, it turns out I have to lecture at the university in Egypt one of those days so why not kill two birds with one stone? Anyway, I'll look into some real estate, and in exactly one year, we'll have a house of our own right here in London."

"A lecture? Emerson, it's our honeymoon," Piper interrupted again.

"Piper, there's nothing I can do about it. Now, please let me finish," Emerson answered with an exasperated sigh.

Piper promptly removed her hand from underneath his and crossed her arms. Emerson barely noticed and continued on with his six-year plan.

"Exactly two years after we get the house, we can begin to have children. We'll have two, a boy and a girl. They'll be two years apart and be extremely smart and well behaved. The girl will learn to play the cello and the boy will be an excellent football player." When he finished, Emerson sat back in his chair, looking completely satisfied with himself.

Piper just stared at him. "You can't plan what kind of children we're going to have," she finally said after an awkward pause.

He just chuckled again. "Oh, Piper, I do suppose you're right. If we have two girls or two boys, I'll be fine with that as well, but the rest will work according to plan. You'll see."

She lowered her defenses and smiled. "Well, I suppose you're right." Dependable and adult. Emerson was completely dependable and adult. He was the opposite of childish, irresponsible Dean, and that's what she wanted. Even if she didn't like the idea of having her whole life planned out, she wasn't going to tell Emerson. He seemed so pleased with himself and why ruin a good thing? Yes, this was certainly the right man to marry, and with that thought in mind, she leaned over and kissed him.

********

Threshold Arms. The name of the pub was scrawled across a big wooden sign and brought a smile to Dean's face. He remembered a night four years ago when he and Josh had kidnapped their fourth best friend and the anxiety- stricken owner, Terry, for a wild weekend in Cornwall. That had been a long time ago when he was a different man. Now he was there for a different reason. He needed a place to stay and a beer.

He stopped staring at the sign, readjusted his overnight bag, and headed inside. A traditional Scottish tune filled the air as Dean entered the smoky room. The atmosphere was friendly and casual and Dean found himself dancing to the quick licks of the fiddle and the mournful sound of the pipes. Even when playing a fast tune, the pipes could sound like they were crying. When the song ended, he made his way through the throng of patrons who were raising their pints to him. He finally made it to the bar and sat down.

"Hey! What can I get you, cutie?" a female voice asked. Dean looked up at a cute brunette with a big grin.

"Can I get a beer?" he ordered.

"Sure." As she began to work on his drink, he leaned over the bar. "Are you new? I don't think I've ever seen you here before."

She smiled. "Not really. I've been here for about eight months." Her eyes never left the pint she was pouring.

"What's your name?"

"Susan." When she finished, she slid the drink down the bar towards him. Dean caught it with no problem and took a swig. Susan turned to help another customer, and then began to make another drink. When she got close enough to him, Dean called her name. She glanced up.

"When you get a moment, could you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Sure, cutie." She returned to the drink as she listened to him.

"Could you tell Terry that Dean is here?"

She looked at him. "You mean the owner? He's not here tonight, but his wife is."

Dean's face lit up. "Sarah's here? Great. Well, tell her I'm here, then."

"Sure thing, cutie." With that, Susan turned and handed the other customer his cocktail. She then disappeared into the back for a second.

Dean sat back and smiled. Sarah. He had liked Terry's wife the moment he met her. She was quiet, but she had a sense of adventure a mile wide. She also had a good head on her shoulders, and she often had the ability to calm Terry down when he would start to have another panic attack. She was good for him, and it would be good seeing her again.

"Dean?" He looked up at the sound of his name to see a small redhead coming towards him. She walked behind the bar and flipped up the passthrough. When she reached him, she pulled him into a big hug. When they parted, she placed her hands on her hips. "So, what brings you back to London?"

"Oh, it's a long story. I don't know if you've got the time for it."

"Sure, I do. Come on into the back. It'll be good to talk to you again." She moved back so Dean could slip off the stool then started back through the crowd towards the passthrough. Dean followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the small table in the back of the room. He took another drink of his pint as Sarah sat down.

"All right, Dean. How's all of your unfulfilled potential doing?" she asked.

Dean chuckled. Sarah always asked him that ever since she told him that was how Terry described him. They both knew that Dean had finally fulfilled that potential with his surf shop, but she still asked him the question.

"It's going well. Actually, that's not the reason I'm here. I was kind of hoping I could stay with you and Terry for a little while," he began.

Worry filled Sarah's eyes. "You haven't lost the surf shop, have you?"

"No! No, nothing like that. I'm, well, I'm trying to rekindle a lost love, and I need a place to stay." Dean looked down at his beer and kept his eyes there.

"A lost love?"

Sarah's voice sounded interested so Dean took a deep breath and plunged into his story. He told her all about Piper, the picture, JC and Josh helping him, and his most recent meeting with the pretty veterinarian. Sarah just sat there and listened to every word. Occasionally, she would ask a question here or there, but mostly she listened. When he finished, she leaned on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

When she didn't say anything, Dean lifted his eyes to her. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

She shook her head. "No, I just think you did it all wrong."

Dean knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Dean, you can't just waltz back into a woman's life and expect her to fall in love with you all over again, especially if she's planning on marrying another man. She has to be reminded, romanced. You have to help her remember why she fell in love with you in the first place."

Dean took another drink. "I thought I did that. We talked about the past."

Sarah sighed and shook her head. "Men." She crossed her arms and regarded the surfer in front of her. "Bringing up the past usually brings up the bad stuff."

A feeling of dread clutched Dean's stomach. "The bad stuff? I didn't want to bring up the bad stuff."

"Dean, here's a bit of advice. If you really want this girl back, show her you've changed. Show her that you're the same man she fell in love with, but that you've learned from your mistakes. Get her attention by doing little things."

"Little things? Like flowers and stuff?"

Sarah nodded and smiled. "Yes. But there is something very important that you must remember."

Dean leaned a little closer to her as if she were going to whisper the biggest secret ever about women. "Yeah?"

"You have to be sincere. Remember the woman is engaged. If she's going to break that engagement, it has to be worth it."

Dean sat back and digested that bit of information. It had to be worth it. Sarah was right. If there was one thing Dean knew for sure from seeing Piper again, it was that he loved her. He had always loved her, even when she broke it off on the bridge. The thought of her with Emerson made him sick, and he knew he had to change that. He knew he couldn't just give up. He looked Sarah in the eyes.

"It's definitely worth it. Of that, I'm sure."

Sarah nodded, satisfied. "Good. You always did have a good heart, Dean. Now finish your pint, and head on upstairs. I think it'll be all right if you stayed for a few days." She stood up and started out towards the pub. She looked back at him and smiled. "Besides, you'll need all the help you can get." With that, she left Dean to his beer.