AN: This chapter was one of my favorites to write and most of it has been written for quite some time now. I tend to write out of sequence, when the inspiration strikes in my over-active mind. I really hope you like this one as much as I do! Sam is one very busy girl in this update. LOL I am very excited to hear your thoughts as we are FINALLY winding down. I am kind of sad, kind of excited about that since this is the first story I have completed that wasn't a one-shot. Thank you to all of my readers and for the generous reviews for making this story what it is!!! You are all so amazing and I am truly blessed because of you!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with OTH. If I did there would be no delay in renewing the series for a season 8! LOL I am also just borrowing the title of this chapter "Learn My Lesson" by Daughtry. The title of this chapter is very important and if you read my second authors note after the chapter, you will find out why! :D All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.
Chapter 10: Learn My Lesson
As promised Brooke was up early, mostly from not having been able to go to sleep, to cook Sam her favorite breakfast before her daughter left for classes. To kill time Brooke straighten up Sam's place even though they hadn't really spent much time there, she packed all of her belongings up and got ready for her business meeting regarding the Los Angeles location of Clothes Over Bros. She did her best to keep her mind occupied and off of a certain sexy producer she knew. However her efforts were not very successful considering he invaded her thoughts at least every thirty seconds it seemed. She wondered if this is what she had to look forward to for the remainder of her existence. That sentiment held no appeal for her. She was hoping that once she landed back on familiar ground that Julian wouldn't be such a focal point and she could just chalk up all of the energy she had spent thinking about him the past few days on the fact that she had been in his territory. Her heart realized that was just wishful thinking on her part but her head was anxious to test the theory anyway. She knew there was no way she would be able to eradicate him from her mind or heart, she loved him far too much and way too deeply for that. However she knew she needed to find some way to manage her feelings and reconcile the reality of things against the way she longed for them to be. To do anything else was courting misery. Despite this recent journey of self discovery Brooke was determined to not let it affect her life as much as it had this past weekend. Being in Tree Hill, surrounded by her friends and her routine would make it easier to do that. She could acknowledge that while this trip had changed her, it didn't mean it had to change the way she lived. She wasn't going to wallow in her sorrow, she would find a way to take delight in the pleasures life offered just as she always has. She understood that loving Julian was inevitable and getting over Julian was impossible but that didn't mean the world had to stop for Brooke Davis, it simply couldn't, she would not allow it to no matter how much exertion it required!
Relieved that her head was in a relatively better place than when she had began her day, Brooke made it back to the apartment just minutes before Sam arrived. She had been in the process of fixing them a light lunch when Sam walked through the door. While they ate Sam chatted about her classes and her morning encounter with Daniel. It brought Brooke immense pleasure to see her daughter so happy and knowing she was made it that much easier to return to Tree Hill without any worries about the life Sam was creating for herself. Of course that didn't stop her from missing the young girl who brought so much joy into her life, not to mention many challenges as Sam was about to prove several minutes before Brooke was preparing to leave.
Sam watched and waited nervously while Brooke completed her task of lining up her designer luggage set by the door before she handed her mother a piece of paper.
"What is this?" Brooke inquired as she opened it up.
"It's the address to Julian's office. If you leave right now, you will have time to make it there before you have to head over to the airport."
Brooke shook her head and handed it back to Sam. "No." Brooke said firmly. "I have nothing more to say to him."
"You have plenty to say to him!" Sam argued.
"No, I don't, not after yesterday." Brooke clarified.
"But you promised me yesterday morning that you would consider talking to him."
"I did, Samantha! Do you think I have thought of little else?" There was no need for Brooke to go into detail with the young girl about how much she agonized over it the night before and even most of today. "I just can't. How many times do we have to have this conversation anyway?" Brooke asked annoyed, knowing the lack of sleep was finally catching up to her. She not slept at all last night due to the fact that every time she closed her eyes she would see Julian and "her" together so she eventually gave up trying to sleep altogether. But again that was not something she felt the need to share with Sam.
"As many times as it takes until you start to make sense again," Sam persisted.
"I am, just because you don't like hearing it doesn't mean it is asinine. He is happy and that is all that I have ever wanted for him. It doesn't matter how I feel anymore."
"Don't you ever get tired of being a martyr? Can you really go back to the way things were before this weekend and you realized your true feelings? Are you seriously going to live your life as if nothing has changed?"
"Of course not! Do you think this is easy for me? I am going back to Tree Hill knowing that I am leaving a huge part of my heart behind. I am always going to love Julian, Samantha, just as I have loved him all this time but it doesn't matter anymore. Too much time has passed for us."
"You don't know that for sure though because once again you are taking the easy way out. You are making the same mistakes you did in high school by assuming that Julian knows how you feel but doesn't care and that is simply not the case. How could he when you have never once put your heart on the line for him and told him how you feel?"
It was hard for her to argue when Sam was absolutely correct. Brooke had never tried the way Julian once had all those years ago. She recalled he had tried, several times in fact, during their last few days together before she finally broke his resolved and pushed him away permanently. When she weighed her efforts against Julian's, Brooke could see how she would be found lacking both by Sam and her own estimation. She had gone back and forth in her mind about what she should do but ultimately it all came back around to her complicating his life unnecessarily, especially when he already had someone. She couldn't justify telling him years later that she loved him. In all the scenarios her mind created for her , it always ended the same, with Julian saying he had had moved beyond it and she was left with nothing but stinging rejection, much like she had suffered on Saturday night, only magnified. She figured it was best to spare both Julian and herself any more awkward and uncomfortable encounters. Of course this was rather difficult to explain to her hopeful daughter, so instead she just said, "Sam, I am sorry but you are going to have to let go of this dream."
"Apparently. If only it were as easy for me as it is for you. It must come with years of practice, right? Maybe you're right though, maybe you are not the woman for Julian after all. Love isn't something you give up, it is something you have to fight for and fight to keep but you wouldn't know anything about that since you are always so quick to give it up."
"That is not fair. You have no idea how difficult this is for me." Brooke knew Sam was purposely trying to hurt and she succeeded. Her harsh words hit their target and caused deep cuts on her already battered heart. She didn't blame her though as she knew Sam could not possibly understand the complexity of the situation or the heart ache she was experiencing with every breath she took. She prayed her daughter NEVER felt this kind of heart break in all her life.
Sam shrugged casually even though the emotion in her voice betrayed her. "If you say so. You're making it looking pretty damn easy to me."
Brooke shook her head, knowing she was never going to get her to understand. "I don't want to argue with you anymore about this. Can we please not end this visit on such a bad note? It's going to be a few weeks before we see one another again. Can we just agree to disagree?"
"Whatever! It's not like I really have a choice now, do I? You have made it abundantly clear that you aren't going to do anything to change the situation and I will have to accept it. However don't expect me to pretend it doesn't bother me or that this is the only way."
"I can live with that so long as you keep your opinions on the subject to yourself as of now."
Unfortunately there wasn't much to say after that. The two girls grabbed a quick coffee at a nearby Starbucks and kept to safe topics of conversation before they returned to Sam's apartment. Rather than head right out the door again like Brooke expected, Sam wandered over to her couch and sat down as she picked up a folder that Brooke hadn't noticed before. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this but since my stubbornness seems to rival yours, I would like you to take a look at these, please." Sam asked quietly as she spread several items out across the coffee table, the natural light from the sun shining through the bay living room window and onto the objects covering the surface.
Her curiosity peaked; Brooke hesitantly crossed the room to sit down on the couch next to Sam.
"Look at these." Sam instructed as she waited patiently for Brooke to study the three pictures laying face up.
The first was a picture of Brooke and Julian from the beach in which she was propped on Julian's back as the ocean waves lapped at their bare feet, both of them sporting their trademark smiles for Sam as she had taken the picture back when they had been dating. Brooke remembered that day as being an extremely fun and carefree one. It was obvious that the couple they had once been were radiant in their happiness and it made her crushed her to recall how blissful she had felt during that time. She missed being that happy and she realized know how much she had taken it for granted before. It felt like such a long time ago and yet looking at snap shot it still felt like yesterday. She forced her eyes away from the first picture to scan the rest.
The next picture was an eight by ten that consisted of two different images, the first one Brooke recognized as being taken from inside of the Ivy. She deduced that Sam must have taken it while she had conveniently excused herself to go to the restroom. Once again the picture was of the two of them smiling. Julian was flashing his infectious, flirtatious grin and Brooke was giving her infamous dimpled one in return. How could she not though since just looking at his smile right now made her want to smile? She couldn't help but admire how photogenic he was. After looking beyond his smile she noticed his eyes twinkling with mischief and she sighed. It was great to see him so content and it was even better that it was in her company. The other image that filled the glossy paper was one that Brooke remembered vividly but seeing it captured on film took her breath away. She hadn't realized how intimate the pose had been when she had first turned her body into Julian's with her hand resting on his chest as they held hands and he had his free hand securely on her waist to keep her steady during their campus tour of UCLA. There was a very sexy quality about it despite the fact that it was a candid moment caught on camera. What really drew her eyes though was the way Julian had angled his head towards her, almost as if he was going to bury his head in her hair as she whispered to him. There was no mistaking the look of longing that filled Julian eyes and it made her ache inside because of the intense vulnerability she saw on his features. She knew it was something Julian hadn't meant for her to get a glimpse of and she felt guilty about that.
Finally the last picture was one of Julian sitting with Vanessa at the Café. From the image Brooke figured that Julian must have been smiling at something Vanessa had said. To the average eye they would appear to be a happy couple. Vanessa was smiling brightly as she looked intently at Julian. Julian was smiling as well. But Brooke knew everyone of Julian's smiles and she immediately recognized that something was off in this photo compared to the others. One wouldn't notice it at first glance but since she took her time to appraise the picture, it was obvious to her that his smile appeared to be forced considering that it never reached his eyes. They lacked his usual spark; in fact as Brooke leaned in closer to inspect the picture she could only describe them as being flat, almost completely devoid of emotions. But that couldn't be right since she had witnessed the happy couple for almost an hour. Then again she hadn't been looking into his eyes as she was now. She had only seen their profiles. They claimed a picture was worth a thousand words and Brooke had so many going on in her head currently that she was inclined to agree. Could she have been wrong? Could Julian really not be as happy with Vanessa as she had thought him to be? Was it even her place to judge his happiness by a picture? Was it even fair to compare his smiles and make an assessment of his emotional well being by the photos alone? Then again could she just be seeing what she wanted to see?
As if Sam could hear her thoughts she heard her daughter commanded, "now you tell me which one Julian looks happy in."
There was no way Brooke could answer that because of the confusion that clouded her mind, so she carefully delayed answering the question and asked one of her own instead. "When did you take this one?" She pointed to the photograph of Julian and Vanessa.
"Remember when I told you I forgot something in the restaurant?"
Brooke nodded her head.
Sam shrugged indicating that was her answer as she headed towards the door to grab the handle of one of the suitcases. "You didn't respond to my question from before but I don't think it is necessary. We both know the answer." She said before she crossed over the threshold into the hallway leaving Brooke alone and starring at the pictures, her fingers tips sweeping over the images of her and Julian from brunch and from the scene of them on campus with Sam. She didn't want to feel the fluttering of hope in the pit of her stomach and in heart. It was too damn painful. It really just hurt too much and she did her best to dismiss it, to extinguish it from springing to life again.
She grabbed the two photographs of her and Julian, placed them in her carryon, then grabbed her remaining suitcase and left to go join Sam downstairs, where they exchanged an uncomfortable good-bye as Sam was still unable to accept Brooke's cowardice. If Brooke were being honest with herself she couldn't entirely blame Sam for feeling the way she did. Brooke often wished she were as brave as the rest of the world saw her to be, expected her to be but in the end she could only do what came naturally: protect her heart and make sure those she loved most were happy even at the expense of her own happiness. She just wished she could take away the disappointment Sam was currently experiencing. With a heavy heart, Brooke watched the scenery pass by thru her blurred vision caused by her burning tears on the way to the airport.
Unbeknownst to Brooke, Sam raced in her car desperate to get across town for one last attempt to save her broken family.
*************
"Well, well this is certainly a surprise Samson!" Julian greeted as soon as Sam opened his office door unannounced. His assistant knew Sam was allowed unlimited access to him, no matter what he was in the middle of. "You do remember that this is MY office, where I work?" He asked as he set aside the script he had been reading.
She gave him a "duh" look as she replied, "why else would I be here? I didn't brave five o'clock traffic because I was bored."
"Just checking since you failed to recall that my favorite spot to eat breakfast every Sunday morning was the exact same place you showed up at yesterday as well with Brooke."
Sam rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. "Yes the purpose of my visit is just as calculated as our run in at the restaurant was. So what are you going to do, ground me?"
"Don't push it young lady!" Julian warned. "I have every right to be annoyed with you right now."
Sam sighed, knowing he had a point. She also knew that fighting with him was not going to help her cause. It was going to be difficult enough to get him to listen to her as it was. She needed to reach him before it was too late. "I am sorry." She mumbled.
Julian nodded his head, "apology accepted, so long as you tell me why."
Sam huffed out a breath as she took a seat in front of his desk. "I really wanted this weekend to be a chance for the two of you to start over again. I hoped enough time had passed for both of you to realize what everyone else has known all along, you belong together. "
"Oh Sammy!" Julian sighed. "I am sorry you are disappointed. I know things didn't work out the way you had hoped. I thought you had accepted this though. I know I have."
"But it doesn't have to be this way." She insisted stubbornly. "She gets on a plane in a little over an hour."
"I know."
"So you still have time to do something."
"Like what? What do you expect me to do?" He demanded.
"Go find her, talk to her, and tell her you love her."
"I can't." Julian shook his head.
"Why not? Is it because you don't love her anymore?" Sam challenged.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't love Brooke Davis. Loving her is always going to be a part of who I am." He admitted quietly. If there was one person in the world he could admit that to out loud, it was the girl who was a daughter to both Brooke and him.
"Then how can you just let her walk away again? Can you help me understand that please?"
"Nobody walked away the first time Sam." Brooke had shoved him out of her life he thought and she ran away from him rather than toward him but he didn't share those opinions with Sam. "Nobody is walking away this time either. Brooke is returning to the life she loves, she made her choice a long time ago."
"Maybe it isn't the one she would make now if she knew staying here and being with you was still an option." Sam replied knowing she was treading on thin ice with the delicate subject matter. She was dying to tell him how Brooke really felt about him but she didn't want to break her mother's confidence in her. That was something that Brooke needed to tell Julian. But it was killing her to keep it inside because she knew if Julian found out it would change everything. The strength of her conviction on that fact made it easy for her to practically beg him with tears in her eyes. "Please just go and talk to her."
"There isn't anything left to say Sammy. Brooke and I said good-bye when she left my place Saturday night. We have made our peace with the pastand we are on better terms for any events that concern you in the future, which is more than we have had the past two years. You should be happy you accomplished that much."
"I am but-,"
Julian cut her off. "This really isn't helping anyone Samson. I am asking you to let this go." She had no idea how much this conversation was making him bleed on the inside. Her words were like sharp razors cutting into old wounds and creating new ones. He should be used to the feeling by now considering how often he had felt like this in the past three days. "Please."
Sam could see than anguish in his eyes and was consumed with guilt. She knew that the two people she loved most in this world were hurting all over again and the ironic thing was they were both hurting over the same exact thing. The truly sad and ironic part of this situation was that all of their suffering could be avoided if only they were both less stubborn and more willing to take a risk and expose their heart. Unfortunately there was nothing more that could be done, not without breaking someone's trust. She had failed to reach either of them.
"Okay." She surrendered softly. She sighed in defeat, quite sure she was feeling as miserable as Brooke and Julian were, maybe even more so since she knew both of their truths.
Julian released a breath of relief. "Thank you."
"I am sorry this was so hard for you but I am not sorry I tried. I will never understand how two people who are clearly made for one another would rather live their lives in misery just to avoid taking a chance on love. It seems like such a shame to give up before you have even tried. I hope when I am lucky enough to find the kind of love that you and Brooke were blessed to find together that I will have the courage to fight for it rather than just let it slip away."
"I hope you do too Samson." He stood up from behind the desk and crossed over to stand in front of her. "In fact I know you will because you are fearless and so strong. Please don't ever change or let anyone tell you differently." He replied before pulling her up to give her a hug.
Sam held on to Julian, a man who had been her hero for as long as she had known him, the only father she had ever known, the man she had wanted to help give back his heart to since she felt partially responsible for Brooke rejecting his offer to come to LA in the first place.
As if he read her mind, he pulled back and looked at her. "I appreciate what you tired to do this past weekend but none of this is your fault. You need to stop trying to make up for something that was never your fault."
She was shocked to realize that Julian saw the main motivation behind her actions over the past weekend without her having to say anything. She was lucky to have someone other than Brooke who cared enough to see the real her, who had been there all these years to listen to her. Since he had the guts to confront her it was only fair she have to courage to confirm the truth in his theory. "But it was, had it not been for me she might have taken the chance on the two of you and moved to LA."
Julian shook his head adamantly. "The issues Brooke and I had, they had nothing to do with you. You need to let go of this guilt you feel Sam because it is entirely misplaced. I promise you that if Brooke were to ever find out that you felt this way, it would break her heart."
Sam bit her lip, knowing he was dead on with account of the whole wretched situation. "I know and I will try."
He hugged her again and replied "good. Please try really hard."
"I will." She promised. "I just wish you would try too."
"Samantha Nicole!"
"I know but I can't help it. I just don't understand how you can be so wise about some things and then seconds later be a complete moron about other things."
"Unfortunately it is a trait most guys share, so you better get used to it since you seem to be involved with one."
"I am hoping Daniel is the exception."
"I wouldn't count on that."
"You didn't like him?"
"I didn't say that. The jury is still out until I get to know him better. I liked his parents and I am sure he isn't as horrible as I originally thought. I am trying to keep an open mind since he seems to be important to you."
It was funny how his words mirrored Brooke's advice on giving Vanessa a chance. Sam was going to keep that to herself for now as she was still adjusting to her new attitude in regards to Julian's hoebag. "I will take that."
"You should since it is the best you are going to get out of me. You're my girl and no one is going to be good enough for you."
"You are impossible."
"As are you Samson." He assured her with a grin.
"So, speaking of keeping an open mind, how was your date with hoe, with Vanessa yesterday?" Sam quickly corrected her natural instinct to trash Vanessa.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Not really," she admitted honestly knowing her attitude towards Vanessa was not going to change overnight, especially since she firmly believed Julian was making a mistake with her. "But I am trying."
"Why?" He asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.
"I promised Brooke I would try after she spent most of breakfast campaigning on your behalf. She made quite a compelling argument against why I shouldn't make things difficult for you now that you have clearly moved on and found someone who makes you happy. I finally gave in and so this is me…trying, as promised." Sam explained with a careless shrug.
He wasn't sure how he felt about that! He supposed he should have felt grateful that Brooke was paving the way for him with Sam to accept someone else in his life. There was no denying that Sam could make things difficult by not approving of anyone he was romantically interested in. When the time came for him to get serious, ideally he wanted the two most important women in his life to get along. Apparently Brooke knew of Sam's issues with Vanessa and decided to take it upon herself to intervene on his behalf. While he could appreciate her efforts, it also pissed him off because on some level he wanted Brooke to be jealous! He didn't want Brooke to be okay with him being with someone else. He wanted it to bother the hell out of her. But no by trying to smooth the way she was practically giving him her blessing to move on. He certainly didn't want Brooke fighting his battles for him either when he was more than capable of it. Besides he didn't see how it was her responsibility to make things perfect in his world when she was the one who knocked it off its axis all those years ago. If this was some twisted way that she thought she could make up for everything she was mistaken. Screw that, he thought irritably. Realizing how worked up he was getting over Brooke's theoretically thoughtful gesture; Julian forced his attention back on to Sam, who was eyeing him carefully.
"I am sure that is not easy for you. I appreciate the effort."
"You have no idea how difficult it is," she said. "I guess I should get going. I have to try to reach Brooke before she gets on the plane. We kind of got into it just before I headed over here."
"Samantha!" Julian exclaimed again forgetting his own issues with Brooke from a few seconds ago. He didn't have to ask her what the nature of the disagreement had been about, he knew with certainty that Sam had tried to persuade Brooke to do something about this situation as well. It was obvious Brooke hadn't changed her mind either. Just more evidence that he was right to do nothing, there was nothing left to fight for and hadn't been for years now. If he hadn't known it before, he did now since she was more than willing to pass him off to someone else without another thought.
"I know, I know. I am going to make it right."
"You shouldn't have started anything with her in the first place."
Sam shrugged rather than voice her disagreement since he wasn't playing with a full deck. He was missing the most vital piece of information in this whole puzzle. "I will take care of it."
"You better."
"Yeah, yeah," she said as she headed towards the door.
"We will talk later." Julian promised as he watched her leave. "I love you Samson."
She stopped at the doorway and turned to give him a smile. "I love you too, dad."
Julian was grateful that Sam had chosen to slip that in on her way out the door because he was unable to control the sudden tears that filled his eyes. Even with her introducing him as her parent on Saturday at the University, even with her confession of him being the closest person she had to a father, it still didn't prepare him for the impact of her hearing her call him dad for the very first time. He honestly had never expected her to ever call him that and he had been more than okay with it. But he hadn't realized how much it would matter to him, how it would make him feel and how much of incredible honor it was for her to do so. More than that, it was the absolute best gift he had ever received, no question. He recalled the beautiful moment when Sam first called Brooke "mom" and how that had changed Brooke's whole life in a split second, now he truly understood the magnitude that title could have on someone. It had been amazing to witness but to now have his own experience, his own moment and the fervency that filled his heart was incomparable, it was so impossible to describe or even attempt to do justice to. He never imagined that having someone call him dad could make his life feel so complete but it did all of a sudden. He hadn't comprehended that it would be so significant to him or affect him to the point that he was actually crying tears of joy. There couldn't be a better feeling on the planet than the one he was feeling right now, Julian decided. It meant the world to him that she had chosen him to be her dad in all the ways that mattered, the father of her heart. If Sam was the only daughter, the only child he ever had, he would consider that the greatest blessing life had ever bestowed upon him.
Once he finally recovered from his shocked state and began to reflect on the rest of Sam's visit, he could feel the confusion edging his newfound joy to the background. Julian returned to his desk and gathered up his things. He wasn't even going to pretend that he could concentrate on work after Sam's visit, not with all her words echoing in his head, not with an image of Brooke sitting alone in one of the terminals at LAX waiting to board a plane back to the place she called home unexpectedly dominating his mind.
Julian was immediately frustrated with the direction of his thoughts and collected some material so he could at least work from home. On his way out, he informed his assistant that he was calling it a day and to only contact him if it was an emergency. He brooded all the way to his car and as he pulled away from the studio parking lot, he hesitated at the entrance to merge into traffic. He debated with which way to turn. If he wanted the peace and comfort of his home, he needed to turn left. If he wanted to follow his heart, he should turn right. This should have been an easy decision for him; there shouldn't have been any wavering in his mind at all however he sat in the idling car until the driver behind him finally became impatient enough to blow his horn, breaking Julian out of his daze. Knowing he had run out of time Julian turned on his signal and pulled out on to the road.
AN 2: Please don't kill me for ending it the way I did. :D I know it was kind of cruel but you have to admit it made for a really great stopping point, not to mention some good dramatic suspense. LOL So any guesses as to which way Julian turned. Did he go home? Or did he go to the airport? If you want a hint…look up the lyrics or listen to the song title of this chapter, it might give you the answer as I think the song fits Julian's perspective perfectly at the moment. I am so anxious to hear any thoughts or guesses you may have. Or even what you would like to see happen as I only have a few things figured out for the next chapter. I would like to give you what you want as my way of saying thank you for making this such an incredible journey! This is your story as much as it is mine. I have said it before but I will say it again because it is the ABSOLUTE truth…YOU are the BEST readers EVER!!!!
I also want to especially thank one of my readers, Babi, for giving me the idea of having Sam call Julian "dad" for the first time. I hope you like how it played out! Thank you so much for sharing the idea with me in one of your previous reviews. I loved the concept and I think you were right in that it was needed! :D Not to mention long overdue! LOL
Stay tuned for…The final chapter in Brooke and Julian's tortured love story!!! (WARNING: I am going to take my time with this one as I want it to be as close to perfect as I can get it for you all. I will try not to keep you waiting too long though, I promise.) I might follow up the last chapter with a possible epilogue, but I haven't decided on that just yet. Maybe you can convince me! LOL *mischievous grin*
As always I would like to take this time to thank a couple people who graciously left reviews for my previous chapter, that I wasn't able to respond to until now…
Sab ~ Please don't apologize about not reviewing, I understand how RL takes priority! I am however grateful to hear from you! I missed hearing your thoughts but again I totally understand! :D Thank you so much for your phenomenal review, it means so much to me! I miss Sam something fierce on the show as well. She had such an amazing dynamic with Brooke and Julian! It makes me so sad that she isn't a part of their lives anymore. That NEVER should have happened and I am glad for any opportunity where I can fix that! BJu are being very OOC on the show for not keeping up with her, imo. But then BJu have been very OOC for most of the season, imo and they are just now finding themselves and one another again. Sorry, I am getting off topic, anyway… Sam really is the voice of reason in this story! It is funny because when I first thought about this story I never expected her to be in this as much as she is. I love when writing just takes on a life all its own. I love that my amazing readers like you embrace everything I come up with!!! I am so happy to hear that you hate Vanessa! I do too! LOL But thank you for enjoying the way I wrote her! I think I would be sad if anyone actually liked her! LOL Yeah I could resist adding in how Julian spoils Sam. I could see him doing that. Sam has his heart and devotion!
Yep BJu are ridiculously stubborn! I am relieved that you don't blame Julian for wanting to leave as soon as he saw Brooke and Sam at the café, especially since he knew Vanessa was there! Brooke and Julian know Sam just as well as she knows them! That is one of the reasons why I love this family so much. Sam is so like them even if she isn't theirs biologically! It makes me so happy to know you were not disappointed by Vanessa. She really is a B*TCH! Let's just say in Julian's defense that the girl is a really good actress and they are still in the get to know one another phase, where people always put up pretenses. Not to mention that women just have better intuition! LOL Aw I am sorry that I hurt your Brulian loving heart, I really didn't mean to! Reading that made ME sad! It was hard to write as well but it was also the realistic thing to do. Plus I think on some unconscious level I like to write a tortured Brooke. LOL But I didn't mean to make YOU sad! I hope you will forgive me and I will try to make it up to you in the next chapter! ;) Yep Vanessa is a crazy, delusional B*TCH when it comes to Julian and where his loyalty lies. LOL
I am ecstatic to hear that you enjoyed their "good-bye". I had to let you readers know in some way that it wasn't as easy as it seems for them to walk away from one another, no matter how much they try to pretend the contrary. These two have a connection like no one else, imo!!! They are meant to be! They are the epitome of EPIC, imo!!! It was hell for Brooke to witness their display of the happy couple. It was hell to write too, let me tell you! I wanted to gag! LOL But it also made sense for Brooke to be so discouraged by seeing them together. Admittedly it also makes for good drama and angst! But I believe it is also in Brooke's character to give up after seeing them together! Knowing and seeing Vanessa makes it a reality she cannot deny even if she is wrong about them! I am glad that you can see her side of things so easily even if it is not what you want her to do. That reassures me that I am doing my job! : ) Part of Brooke's problem is she believes love is about sacrifice, she doesn't realizes that it is also about fighting for what you want. Relationships take work and if you really love someone you are willing to do whatever it takes! I agree with you though Julian is the ONLY one for her and she is the ONLY one for him!!
Aw, I am so delighted that you listened to the song choice and that it enhanced the reading material. It was an amazing suggestion on your part and I am thankful that you shared it with me in the first place! It is wonderful to know that my writing could affect you so much! That is beautiful praise for me! Thank you for your kind words! I am incredibly moved by your claim that this story is your favorite. That blows my mind because of all the other amazing BJu stories out there. But I am honored by your enthusiasm for this story and that fact that you are so drawn to it!!! There are not enough words to describe exactly how your review made me feel. It is deeply inspiring on every creative level there is! (FYI: It was while I was reading your review that I got the idea to add in Sam showing the photos to Brooke as "proof" of where Julian's happiness really lies in Chapter 11!!! Just thought I would share that with you as it was never originally part of my plan since this chapter has been written for months now!!! LOL) I truly appreciate you finding the time to leave me your fabulous comments! Brooke and Julian are my favorite couple to and it is a sincere pleasure for me to be able to entertain you with my interpretation of them! THANK YOU!!!!
Sunshine ~ LOL!!! Your review cracked me up! Your enthusiasm for this story always makes me smile!! I miss Sam and Brooke too! So much!!! What I wouldn't give to have her make another appearance on the show. *SIGH* ;( I try to incorporate as many light hearted moments as I can to balance out the angst. I don't want to get too repetitive. Sam certainly has her opinions on how things could be fixed, as my newest chapter reiterates. She is definitely caught in the middle because she knows both of them the best! LOL Poor Sam is trying so hard but Brooke and Julian are just not cooperating with her schemes. LOL You are right though, they should have talked about what happened the night before but the presence of Vanessa made that impossible. Not that they would have in any case, not with both of them in protect their hearts mode. I loved your description of how they almost got carried away the night before. LMAO!!! Yeah I really couldn't make Vanessa all that likable, I thought about it and I suppose I went the predictable route but it worked so I liked then end result and it seems all of my readers agree! :D
I am glad you approved of the way Brooke handled Vanessa. I agree she showed more restraint than I would have! LOL I also agree that they are both so frustrating at times. But that is why they are so much to fun to write for. I enjoyed your comparison of Brooke to Peyton, I hadn't thought of it that way but you are absolutely right. I suppose we all handle things differently and I can say I much prefer Brooke's way. : ) It seems more in her character. I also think you will like what happens next! I hope so, in any case. Thank you so much for all of your lovely compliments! I appreciate you be so willing to share your thoughts with me! I am absolutely delighted that you are so enthusiastic about this story!!! It warms my heart!!! Thank you!!!
Jessy ~ Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the last update as much as you did. I think I have come up with a minor scenario in which you will get a tease of Jealous!Julian. At first I wasn't sure if I could fit it in at all with what I have planned but I think I have it all worked out now. I hope so in any case because I would hate to disappoint you! If not I will definitely work it into another story. I promise these two are going to get their acts together, the question is who will do it first considering how stubborn they both are? LOL Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review. I enjoyed hearing what you thought and it is exciting to know that you are loving the story as much as you are! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long with this update. :D Thanks again!!!
