Chapter 2

Family Business

Brooke and Haley sat outside on Brooke's balcony. It was a beautiful, sunny day and Haley couldn't help questioning Brooke about her chance meeting with the intriguing Dean Winchester.

"So basically all you know is that he's new in town and he has a brother."

Brooke nods, "He said he was here on family business. Do you think his family lives here?"

Haley shrugs, "Maybe. But I don't know of any Winchesters in Tree Hill." She turns excitedly around in the lounge chair to face Brooke, "Tell me. How hot was he?"

Brooke smiles to herself and looks at Haley, "He was unlike anyone I have ever seen! He's definitely the tall, dark, and handsome type. But let me tell you, there was just something about his eyes." Brooke looks straight ahead at the beautiful view. "You could get lost in them." She lightly laughs to herself and looks down.

"Brooke Davis, I believe you are blushing."

Brooke giggles and playfully hits Haley on the arm, "I am not!"

Haley laughs, "Yes you are!"

Brooke hides her face in her hands and says in a muffled voice, "Haley, this isn't like me."

"Brooke, it's okay to be like this. Maybe you see something in him like what I saw in Nathan."

Brooke's hands fall to her lap, "You really shouldn't be comparing my "relationships" to yours and Nathan's." She smiles at Haley and gently pats her leg, "I'm not that lucky."

Haley shrugs, "You never know."

Brooke sighs, frustrated. "Well I do know that I don't need to be getting all crushed out on a guy who I don't even know if I'll ever see again!"

"Well he said you'd meet again…"

"Right, but I don't know him. He could've been lying through his teeth just to get rid of me." She covers her face again with her hands, "I acted like a complete idiot around him!"

Haley gently takes Brooke's hands and pulls them away from her face, "Brooke, look at me."

After a moment, Brooke slowly looks at Haley.

Haley smiles, "Just have some faith, Brooke Davis! Sometimes it's all you need."

*****

Sam sat at the table in the hotel room, trying to find some information on the computer. They still had no idea why Castiel had sent them there. Sam was beginning to wonder if it was just another "angel" joke being played on them. But Dean insisted something must be wrong if Castiel wanted them to be there.

Sam hears the sliding of the room key as the door opens and Dean walks in, "Have you found anything yet?"

Sam sighs and shakes his head, "Nothing." He catches a small bag of chips that Dean tosses his way, "Thanks!"

Dean sits down on one of the beds, "So nothing unusual has happened here at all?"

Sam shrugs, "Well if you count some guy having a heart attack, burning alive while trapped in his own car dealership, killing his own brother, going to prison, trying to kill himself, and being hit by a car as being unusual….then okay."

Dean's eyes widen, "This is all the same guy?"

Sam nods, "Yeah. I think someone just has it out for him. Nothing supernatural related."

"No kidding." Dean gets up and walks over to the computer, "So, nothing on this Brooke Davis?" He leans down to get a closer look.

Sam smiles and rolls his eyes as he watches his brother get all antsy, "Nothing unusual. It seems she's led a fairly normal life." He clicks on one of the tabs and a window pops up with articles about Brooke, "She was captain of the cheer squad, senior class president, she started her own clothing line when she was only 17…."

One of the pictures catches Dean's eye and Sam's voice begins to fade. It must've been taken when she was in high school. She looked younger and her hair was longer, but she still had those eyes and that dimpled smile that could light up the whole room. A smile slowly appears on his face.

"….and then she moved back here to open one of her stores. She's been back for almost 2 years. And I must say, she really is beautiful."

Sam notices he's not getting a response, "Dean?"

Dean clears his throat, "Yeah, she seems normal. But um…" He walks over and grabs his keys off the nightstand, "I think I should do some more investigating." He shrugs, "You know, go talk to her and see if I can find out anything that's maybe hidden under everything else."

Sam leans back in his chair and places his hands behind his hand, "So you're going to find out what's underneath all the clothes?"

Dean glares at Sam and says defensively, "No, Sam! I'm not going to try and see what's underneath her…I…"

"Dean! I meant her clothing line. Not her actual clothes."

Dean's face turns a shade of pink and he tries to coolly shrug it off, "Right! I knew that."

Sam smiles, "Of course you did."

Dean rolls his eyes and bolts out the door. Sam laughs and shakes his head, "What in the world is Castiel setting you up for, Dean?"

*****

Brooke gathered the last of her things at Clothes Over Bros. It would be getting dark soon and ever since she was attacked that one night, she didn't like staying once the sun went down. She hears the door chime, but doesn't look up.

"Sorry we're closed."

"Well it seems I'm too late for the sale. All the clothes are already gone."

Brooke's heart skips a beat when she hears the deep, familiar voice. She looks up and sees Dean smiling at her from across the counter.

She laughs at his remark, "Cute. Very cute."

Dean shrugs, "Yeah, I thought so."

"So what brings you here this evening? You need more directions?" She teases him with her eyes.

"Actually I do." Dean leans in a bit closer, "But I'd like for you to actually show me this time."

Brooke's smile brightens, "Well you're in luck, Dean. I was just closing up. Where do you need to get to?"

Dean turns around to look outside, "I would like to see, "he spreads his arms out dramatically, "The Riverwalk!"

Brooke laughs, "Seriously? You're staring right at it."

Dean turns back around to face her, "Well yeah, but you have no idea how bad I am with directions. I mean, it might be right in front of me, but I still have a tendency to wander in the wrong direction. Unless of course… "He flashes that flirty grin of his, "I have someone to guide me."

Brooke slowly smiles and shakes her head, "Just so you know, I don't buy that line for one second."

Dean lightly laughs and looks down to hide his embarrassment, "Of course not."

Brooke pulls her purse up on her arm and gathers some papers, "But lucky for you, my date cancelled on me tonight," She walks toward the door and sighs dramatically, "So I have nothing better to do."

She turns around to see Dean propped up against the counter with his arms folded, smiling at her every move. He slowly walks toward her, "And just so you know…." As he's about to pass her, he leans down very closely to her ear and whispers, "I don't buy that line for one second."

Brooke looks at him with her mouth gaped open in amusement. Apparently two can play this game. Dean opens the door and motions for her to step outside, "Shall we?"

*****

Dean and Brooke walked slowly down the riverwalk, slurping on cherry icees.

"Wow." Dean takes another sip, "These are amazing."

Brooke smiles, "I told you Tree Hill had the best in the state."

"When my brother and I were kids, we would drink these things like crazy. I remember we'd play some sort of game like who could get brain freeze the fastest or whose tongue would turn red the quickest."

Brooke laughs, "You must be really close to your brother. I've always wondered what my life would be like if I had any siblings."

"Your parents didn't want more kids?"

Brooke sarcastically laughs, "Hardly! They didn't even want me."

Dean looks at Brooke, surprised. How could anyone not want this beautiful girl as their daughter? She was so fresh and full of life.

"I'm sorry."

Brooke looks at him and sadly smiles, "You know what? It's okay. I've made a good life for myself and I've made some amazing friends along the way. They're the best family I could ever ask for."

Dean smiles at her optimism. She was obviously a fighter, much like himself. Unfortunately, she saw more good in the world that he did.

"So how did Clothes Over Bros come about?"

Brooke takes another sip of her icee and smiles, "Well I was a 17 year old girl who found that designing clothes in her spare time helped ease her broken heart. After I graduated, I went to New York to try and get my fashions noticed. Eventually it paid off and Clothes Over Bros became a world-wide phenomenon. But now…"

Dean notices the sudden change of tone in her voice. He remembers the look of sadness she had the day before when he mentioned her store being almost empty, "Now…what?"

"Victoria has control over my company and from what I've heard, it's not doing so well."

"Is Victoria your manager?"

"Worse!" Brooke looks at Dean and sort of smiles, "She's my mother."

Dean looks at Brooke curiously. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

Brooke laughs, "Yeah, you're not the only one who wondered why the hell I let my bitch of a mother get involved. But I was a naïve, teenage girl who believed her when she told me she wanted things to change between us, "she shrugs, "I guess it's true when they say all a girl wants is her mother's love."

"So why did you let her have your company?"

Brooke sighs, "Some things happened that took me a long time to get over and I realized if she wanted the money that bad, then she could run the company herself. It was never about the money for me. It was about doing something I truly enjoyed. I guess I just figured if I started this line when I was only 17, I could find a way to start it up again and do it my way."

Dean smiles at Brooke, "Feisty!" he leans closer to her, "I like that."

Brooke laughs and playfully pushes him away, "What about you? I hope your family business hasn't pushed you and your brother apart."

Brooke notices a change in Dean's eyes. They seemed to go darker. She wondered what kind of past Dean had. It seemed to be much darker than her own.

"Well, our family business is much different than yours. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't been hard. Sam and I have definitely been through a lot in the past 4 years. He's my little brother so I worry about him constantly, "he sighs," Especially right now.

Brooke looks at Dean, concerned. "Is he okay?" They both stop walking and Dean stands there a moment, looking down.

"For right now he is. But I'm worried that he's starting down a dark path." He finally looks back up at Brooke with pain in his eyes, "A path that, if he chooses to follow, he might never make it back."

Seeing Dean's pained expression, Brooke realizes that all she wants to do his take him in her arms and comfort him. Let him know there's nothing to worry about. She had only known him for a day, but it felt like a lifetime.

She lightly touches his arm and looks at him intensively, "Listen to me, Sam sounds like he has a good head on his shoulders and I'm sure whatever is tempting him right now, he'll remember where he came from and he'll choose the right path."

Dean slowly nods as he listens. Brooke smiles and says softly, "And besides, with a big brother like you watching over him, I have a feeling he knows that he's right where he should be. I may have only known you for like a day, "she lightly laughs but quickly gets serious again, "But I know that you would never let anything happen to him and I'm sure he knows that too."

Dean stares at Brooke. He wonders how this girl he's only known for such a short time can have such an effect on him. A teasing grin slowly appears on his face, "So, just how red is your tongue now?"

Brooke flashes a flirty smile and says in a low, sexy tone, "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

Dean arches one of his eyebrows and smiles, "Is that so?"

Brooke nods. Dean reluctantly sticks his tongue out all the way then puts it back in.

Brooke laughs. She slowly sticks hers out in lady-like fashion then quickly pulls it back in. Dean laughs, "Tease."

"Oh look! I was hoping you would get to see this."

Dean's eyes follow where Brooke is pointing. Right in front of them is the most beautiful sunset he's ever seen. It was so surreal how the colors rippled in the water.

"This has always been my most favorite time of the day. You've never seen a sunset until you've seen it like this. Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

"If you had asked me that two days ago, I would've said yes."

Brooke looks at Dean and sees him staring at her with his deep, green eyes. She felt an intensity between them that she's never really felt before with another guy. The moment starts to turn into something more when Brooke's cell phone rings. She nervously laughs, "I'm really sorry. Excuse me."

She turns around and fumbles through her purse to find her phone. She quickly takes it out and answers, "Hello?"

Dean exhales a sigh of relief. He just knew if Brooke's phone hadn't of rang, he would've gotten himself in much deeper than he needed to. There's no way he could get involved with one of their "clients". What would be the point? After their job is done, whatever it may be, they would leave and he would never see Brooke again.

"Well have you tried both of their cells?"

Brooke's words catch Dean's attention. Something wasn't right.

Brooke sighs, "I know, Haley. Just stay calm and wait for another hour or two. If you haven't heard from them by then, we'll go over to their house together and see what's going on. I'm sure everything is fine….Okay….bye."

Dean walks closer to Brooke, "Everything okay?"

Brooke turns around and Dean notices her worried expression, "I don't know. That was my friend, Haley, and she can't get in touch with two of our friends."

"Well how long has it been since you've heard from them?"

Brooke shrugs, "I haven't talked to Peyton since yesterday. I think it's the same for Haley. I'm sure it's just nothing and we're over-reacting."

Dean has a feeling that's not it at all, but he doesn't want Brooke to worry. He puts on a reassuring smile, "I'm sure they're fine."

Brooke nods and puts on a brave smile. Dean lightly touches her back, "Come on. I'll walk you to your car."

A few minutes later, Brooke gets in her car and waves at Dean before driving off. He smiles and waves back. A few moments after she's gone, Dean's expression turns into concern and he pulls out his phone to call Sam.

"Hey Sam, it's me. I think we've finally got something."

He walks to his car and unlocks the door, "I'm on my way back to the hotel right now to fill you in." He gets in and starts the engine, "See you soon." Dean ends the call and quickly drives off, never noticing that someone or something had been watching their every move.