A/N: I know I did it again, don't kill me! I promise it WILL get worked out, really it will! You'll see!
Bren and Phil were standing in her kitchen on opposite sides of the counter, not really looking at each other. She was staring into her glass of water, not able to make herself look at him right now, she knew she would give in if she looked at him again. The anger was still there for her, and she wasn't about to let go of it yet. His reaction to her at the hospital had been far from what she'd wanted, and it had hurt her deeper than she thought at first. If it meant being selfish and holding onto her anger for a while longer, then she would do it just to let him see how much it hurt her.
Sliding the glass away from herself, she sighed heavily and then gathered enough courage to look up at him. "I said we would talk, but it won't change anything. The day I left was the day I put Dutch Harbor and crabbers behind me for good." Her voice was even and didn't reveal any of the pain she was feeling in her heart. Phil lifted his head and looked over at her, his blue eyes looking straight at her, but they were just as guarded as her own green eyes.
He watched her, looking for any sign that would say otherwise, but he found nothing, not that he ever expected to see anything. "So that's your final decision on it then?" She nodded firmly and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning her hip against the counter. "I made a mistake by going there in the first place, its not my world." Her tone was passive, but that was far from how she was feeling in her heart, she wanted to hug him close, kiss him and beg him not to leave Texas.
Putting his glass down, he turned to leave the kitchen, glancing back at her over his shoulder, his heart begging him not to go. "You're right, you don't belong there, its best you left when you did." The words hit her hard and Bren felt herself fall apart inside, but she held up her strong front. Placing her hands on her slim hips, she looked away from him like she didn't even care. "Well, there's nothing keeping you here, so go back to Dutch Harbor."
Forcing herself to move from the spot, Bren brushed by him and went out onto the side porch, Sasha following her out. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Captain Harris." Her voice was tinged with anger, but she didn't look back at him even once. The depth of her anger and pain revealed itself to Phil in those words, and he regretted ever speaking them. Not about to show weakness, he left the kitchen and went out the front door without a word.
Jake had been sitting on the front porch, jumping up from his chair when his father came back outside, a hopeful smile on his face. One look at Phil's face made the smile disappear, "What happened, dad?" Glancing at his youngest son, Phil shrugged his shoulders and then went down the steps, heading toward the car. It had been a long time since Jake had seen his father so upset, but then again, he hadn't seen how Bren was either.
Turning around, he stepped into the house and looked around for her, spotting her out on the side porch leaning against the railing. Slowly, he walked to the doorway and then stepped outside with her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Feeling the hand, Bren turned around quickly, tears running down her cheeks even though she tried not to cry. Jake looked at her for a few seconds and then jerked her into a tight hug, resting her head against his shoulder.
Bren lost it then and started to cry against his shoulder, her hands clinging tightly to the back of the shirt he was wearing. Closing his eyes, Jake stroked her hair and let her cry, not saying anything at all, because words wouldn't help when they were from him. He didn't know what possessed him to come to her like this, but he wanted her to be happy, with his dad. "Please don't cry, Brenna. You're too nice to be crying like this." His voice was soft, and he hoped that he was comforting her in some way, hating to see her so sad.
Josh came across his brother and Bren, instantly getting concerned when he saw that she was crying. Coming up onto the porch, he looked at Jake and then at her before putting a hand on her shoulder, "Bren?" She looked over at him and slowly pulled herself away from Jake, trying to get herself under control. "I'm fine, but you two should go with him." The younger of the two nodded and gave her a light smile before walking off of the porch and heading toward the car.
Looking back at her, Josh brought her into his arms for a soft hug, folding his arms around her as gently as he could. Bren let him hug her, returning it with one of her own, they made her heart break even further than it already was. They loved their dad so much, but they also cared for her or they wouldn't have done all this. Josh tilted his head and squeezed her tightly in his arms, "I won't let you give up on him, not now, or ever. When love is involved, there will always be a way, no matter what gets said or done between two people."
He released her and then turned, heading toward the car where Phil and Jake were waiting, leaving her staring after him. Turning away, she walked back into the house, hearing the car start and then pull out of the driveway. Pain hit her hard and Bren started to cry again, harder than before, hitting her knees while her heart broke. She wanted Phil Harris in her life, every single day of it, and more than anything right now, she wanted him in her arms where he belonged.
