AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter has a lot of UST and a cliffhanger.

WARNINGS: Language, Violence, Sex, Innuendo, Themes

ENJOY!

xxxx

Brooke couldn't stop thinking about the kiss.

Obviously it never should have happened, but Dean leaving so abruptly made her think that maybe he had…maybe he had meant it? All she knew was that now thinking about him turned her on even more, and she couldn't be alone in the same room as him no matter what because given her dry spell? She would pounce on him. She would make a move and she wouldn't be able to stop herself and for some reason, she was more than alright with that. Brooke Davis had wanted Dean Winchester since she was 9.

Dean couldn't stop thinking about the kiss either.

Obviously Dean had wanted to kiss her, but she was his little sister now and that was how he was supposed to treat her…right? Sure, neither of them had wanted this, but it was about their parents' happiness and they had wanted that for them and sucked it up and never…never told them. Dean hid his feelings, Brooke hid hers, and they just toughed their way through their lives and now Dean was happy right? He could push past this and get married, and everything would be better.

Then again, Dean was old enough to know that that was not how it worked at all—he couldn't just get married and be over Brooke. She was his everything and even though it hurt, he knew that he was going to get though it somehow. Brooke was happy to see him and they could totally hang out together and things would be fine, right? They were going to be what they used to be…before the feelings…at least if Dean had anything to say about it.

He knew how Brooke felt about cheating, and he definitely couldn't let himself get into a situation where he might cheat on Cassie, and not with Brooke. Not with his 'sister'. They weren't all that happy of course right now, but if they talked things out, then they could be again, right? Dean just wanted everything to get better and for everyone to be happy, and he honestly couldn't do that if he harbored these feelings like this. He had to just be the big brother and he could do that…he'd had practice with Sammy.

Brooke on the other hand, didn't have any practice.

She was used to being an only child and then she'd let Sam in as a sibling and things got worse from there. With Sam they got better—she was completely able to be his practically twin sister—but she and Dean just couldn't get along because of the front. Now this kiss had happened and Brooke didn't know what to do, but she knew she couldn't make a move back, no matter how badly she wanted to. Her family just would never understand and neither would their friends, or her fans and just…it seemed like a hopeless situation and Brooke was depressed for the general part of the day.

Then again, Brooke felt happy.

She was reading into the kiss, yes, but she and Dean weren't related by blood. For several years they were e-mailing and they'd chatted on webcam and all around things had been great between them and they were just letting this get in the way, right? They were just psyching themselves out because they were afraid of what everyone else would think, but what would they think? Brooke needed to talk to Dean about this, and so she went over to his place, smoothing down her clothes.

Unfortunately, Brooke hadn't expected to have Cassie open up the door, and she didn't know how she felt. Cassie looked really happy, but Brooke kind of felt like she didn't want Cassie to be at Dean's place—they weren't living together were they? Brooke hadn't gotten that memo if they were and yet she knew that she had to put on a good face because she was trying to be friendly. Cassie thought of her as Dean's little sister and she couldn't just right off the bat hate her.

"Brooke! It's so nice to meet you!" Cassie exclaimed as she moved to hug Brooke.

Brooke tried to force a smile. "Cassie…you live here?"

"No, I'm just waiting for Dean to get home," Cassie said as she pulled back.

She had a look on her face that said this was awkward and it was probably because Brooke hadn't hugged her back. Brooke was trying to figure out how she was feeling, but she just didn't like the idea of Cassie being at Dean's and it was kind of making her feel bad because she was the 'sister' here and shouldn't be upset. This was Dean's fiancée and Brooke was supposed to be a really good person, but she couldn't bring herself to be. She was jealous…she was really jealous.

"Oh, so he's not home yet?" Brooke asked her. "I just wanted to talk to him. How are you?"

Cassie smiled and waved her in. "You can come in and wait for him if you want to."

"I don't want to impose," Brooke responded, shaking her head. "Obviously you want to surprise him, so I'll wait until tomorrow. It's okay."

"I insist," Cassie told her with a smile.

"No, it's okay," Brooke responded, forcing a smile. "Dean can wait…"

Cassie took a deep breath and nodded as Brooke went down the walkway, wondering what that was all about. She didn't understand why Brooke was so awkward around her and yet she was happy that Brooke was going so she could see Dean without her, and that was when Brooke ran into Dean on the walkway. Cassie had gone into the house to set up some dinner, and Brooke stood there stiff as Dean approached her slowly. Things were a little weird after the kiss, but he still smiled at her…even though Brooke had no smile to give him.

"She's nice," Brooke said, moving so she could go past him.

Dean looked at the house and then to Brooke. "Yeah…yeah, she is. You coming in?"

"No, I don't want to," Brooke responded, hearing Dean start to walk after her toward her car. "I really, really don't want to."

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Dean asked her, feeling like his heart was hammering in his chest. "You're acting angry."

"I'm not acting anything," Brooke told him as she opened up her car door and looked at Dean, which made her feel like she was going to vomit. "Have fun with your fiancée."

Dean opened up his mouth to say something, but it turned out that there was nothing to say as Brooke slammed that door. He felt like something had happened and he wanted to know what, but it also made him feel a slight flutter in the pit of his stomach. If Brooke was mad just seeing Cassie, then that meant something, right? It meant that she didn't like her and what was not to like? Cassie was very kind and she always made a good first impression but Brooke was storming out and yelling at Dean.

Could it be that Brooke was…jealous?

xx

Honestly, Dean couldn't figure out why Brooke had gotten so upset seeing Cassie and it had ruined his whole night with her. Cassie had just wanted to spend a night in with dinner and some time in bed, but Dean hadn't been up to sex at all because he just wanted to know what had happened with Cassie and Brooke. The story he had gotten from Cassie was that Brooke had wanted to see him and then just left, but Dean knew something else had to be there and Cassie was worried…Dean seemed so focused on this.

She also wasn't a complete idiot.

Cassie knew that no matter what happened, Dean was a decent fellow, but the way he talked about Brooke made her slightly envious. It was like he put her above everyone else and that meant her too. She had tried so hard to just ignore it because she was his sister and he loved her, but she was pretty sure now that there was something else going on there and she knew it. Dean was so upset that Brooke was upset and Cassie was starting to put two and two together even though she didn't want to put anything together. She wanted Dean, but Dean very obviously always had his mind somewhere else and it wasn't focusing on her at all.

So at breakfast that morning, Cassie made Dean breakfast and sighed a little as she sipped her coffee, Dean on his phone trying to call Brooke. Three morning calls? Four texts? It was overkill, but Cassie didn't even have a ring yet and somehow she knew that she wasn't going to have one. She was devastated and she wondered why Dean had even proposed in the first place, but she didn't want to be the other woman and if she was, she was willing to bow out. It was strange, sure, but even she knew that Dean and Brooke wouldn't be 'wrong'…just 'weird' and definitely hard for everyone to accept.

"You and Brooke aren't related by blood, right?" Cassie asked Dean suddenly as he ate a piece of bacon.

Dean looked up at her. "No…no, we're not. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know why you haven't made a move on her yet," Cassie told him directly, shaking her head when Dean tried to speak. "No, Dean, it's okay. I've seen how you act when it comes to Brooke being mentioned, but at the same time, I chose to ignore it. I mean she was your sister, but you just—you love her. When you talk about her, you get a look on your face that you never get with me."

"Cassie…" Dean tried, sighing when she shook her head again.

"No, it's okay, I get it," Cassie said shaking her head. "I got it even more when last night she was so upset to see me and left, and fought with you, and then you couldn't even get excited for sex with me."

Dean cleared his throat. "It was just a long day."

"I'm just not Brooke," Cassie told him with a shrug. "You must have been trying to ignore it because it feels awkward to like her, but you can't choose who you love."

Dean swallowed—Brooke had told him that before. He knew that it was true, but it hurt him to have Cassie say that when she was clearly breaking up with him, and while he was talking to her, Brooke was with Sam and Haley at the house. She didn't want to deal with Peyton, who was telling her how terrible she was being to Cassie and Dean both, and so she went to get some brotherly support from Sam. Sam had one arm around Haley and the other around Brooke, Brooke upset she'd interrupted them, but also really just needing Sam and glad he was so easy to come to.

She hadn't told him exactly what happened, but Sam wasn't as clueless as everyone had thought—he knew Brooke had a thing for Dean before their parents got married. He just didn't know that Brooke still had a thing for Dean, and he didn't know that Dean had a thing for Brooke. Everyone thought they argued because of how similar they were and because Brooke and Dean both liked to sleep around and then lecture each other on how that was a 'terrible moral thing'; and now Brooke was here because she and Cassie had had a terrible first meeting. Taking a deep breath, Sam kissed the top of Brooke's head, nuzzling her hairline as Brooke closed her eyes.

"You can make it up to Cassie," Sam told her with a shrug. "She's a sweetheart, she'll get it."

Haley nodded in agreement. "Besides, you were just flustered."

Brooke nodded because she just wanted to forget it, but all three of them were alert when Dean walked into the living room. The three kids all had keys to the house still and Dean knew that Brooke was there because John had told him that Brooke seemed down, like she needed her 'big brother'. Even though that wasn't how Dean wanted to be there for Brooke, he needed to see her because he was being driven crazy thinking of all of the reasons Brooke could have potentially been mad.

"Brooke, can I talk to you?" Dean asked her quickly, before he lost his nerve.

She swallowed, feeling her heart beat fast again. "Yeah…I mean, I owe you an apology, I guess. You and Cassie both."

"Just…we just need to talk," Dean told her, Sam and Haley exchanging looks with each other, because the atmosphere suddenly felt awkward.

"Sure…outside," Brooke said, getting up and heading out back.

Dean nodded, following her as Sam and Haley just shrugged and then Haley stole a kiss from her boyfriend. She wanted everyone to get along and apologize and it seemed like Brooke and Dean were headed in that direction—at least mostly. When they got outside, out of sight of everyone else, Dean reached out to take Brooke's hand so she'd stop walking away from him, but she didn't turn to face him. Nodding at her body language, catching her holding her breath, Dean stepped up behind her and rested his lips against her ear a moment, Brooke shivering, and Dean was no fool here when it came to that kind of body language.

"Brooke?" Dean asked her slowly.

Brooke swallowed but answered quietly, "Yeah?"

"Cassie broke up with me…" Dean began, trying to read her some more.

Note: Cassie knows and Dean came, huh? And he wants to talk to Brooke? How could that possibly go? And with them so worried how everyone else will think about it…what will they do? Feedback is always appreciated!