A/N: Thank you to my one (or two?) readers. Sorry for the updates, but this middle part is killing me. I've writing the ending and lots before it, but there's this here gap in the middle *sigh* - I'm working in on it for ya, I promise. Xox

New… and?

1Mike McQueen was glad to done with a very long day of work. He was startled to here his name.

"Mr. McQueen!"

"Harrison? What can I do for you?" Mike was more than a little wary. He wasn't sure what the boy's relationship with his daughters was since Brooke got out of the hospital, but they all seemed to be close still. More than once, Mike found himself worried about how close he seemed to be, especially as he could never tell which of his daughters the boy was actually dating at any given time.

The boy didn't seem phased by the older man's reticence. "I... I needed to come see you. I kinda had a fight with Brooke and Sam."

Mike flinched, slightly. "Well Harrison, I don't think it's my place to..."

"Oh No! No! I wouldn't dream of asking anything like that. It's just that I'm… worried about them. I think they're setting themselves up for a lot of trouble and I don't want to see that happen."

"Trouble?! What kind of trouble?"

Harrison's face was full of concern. "Can we… go somewhere?"

A few minutes later, they were staring across the table of a coffee shop. Mike's expression was impatience mixed with curiosity.

Harrison started in. "You know that Brooke and I broke it off... whatever... Sam and I too."

Mike answered, "I'm aware. Look, if that's what this is about..."

"No, it's not. I'm past it – really – but I still care about them and I don't want to see anything bad happen to them."

"And what are you worried about happening to my daughters?"

"There are a lot of guys that'd be happy to date either of them – nice guys – guys that are probably better for them than I was – and that'd be fine – but what they're doing."

"What are they doing?" Mike asked.

"Mr. McQueen" he sighed. "It's all over the school that they're seeing… Well, that they're seeing each other."

"What!" Mike shouted, "That's ridiculous."

"I thought so too. I've almost gotten into fights over it, but it's everywhere, true or not – and everyone's talking about it."

"Harrison, I have to tell you, I find this very hard to believe."

"I understand – I really do – and I felt the same way, but, you're their father, and I thought you should know."

Mike stood up. "I appreciate that Harrison, but I thought you'd know the girls better than that."

The goodbye was less than cordial, with Mike visibly angry. He'd never pegged Harrison as one to make up stories, especially not something like this.

No, he realized, sitting in his car, it was more likely that someone else had started this stupid rumor to hurt the girls and Harrison had naively believed it. Of course, he'd believe it, Mike thought, it would let him off the hook for being dumped by both of them.

Still, if someone was spreading gossip like that about them, there could be other things to worry about. The only thing he couldn't understand was why, if the girls were being bullied like that, would see Sam put up with it, or Brooke keep it from him?

Could there be any truth to it? Mike knew Brooke wasn't like that, but Sam? Frankly, it didn't think it was impossible. The girls had become close. If people thought Sam was gay, then they might have assumed that she and Brooke were – the idea made he cringe – a couple. Brooke would almost certainly come to Sam's defense, and the people who start rumors would assume that she was only doing so because she was gay too, instead of just a loyal friend.

Feeling confident he'd figured everything out, Mike started the car. He realized that he'd at least have to ask Brooke about it, which he really didn't want to do.

Harrison was sitting in his car, breathing deeply and smiling.

*******************

Brooke and Sam didn't say much on the drive home from school. Sam told Brooke about the confrontation with Nicole and they both knew that, even if Nic hadn't lied about not telling their parents about them, she was right that someone would before long.

They were relieved when Jane smiled at them. She hadn't heard anything yet, it seemed.

"Look girls, I have to run some errands. Can one of you watch Mac for awhile?"

"I can do it," Brooke offered. "Sam's going out with Lily and Carmen." Sam gave a guilty grin as an apology.

"Oh, thank you Brooke. Are you sure you don't want to go too?"

"No, I'm fine, really." Brooke knew that Carm and Lily most likely wanted to gossip about her and Sam, so Brooke had declined with faux disdain.

Brooke was alone an hour later when Mike came in. After she told him where everyone was, he asked her to sit with him in the kitchen.

"What's up Daddy?" Brooke asked. The serious look on her father's face had her worried.

"Sweetheart, I wanted to… – is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Like what, daddy?" Brooke hands were clenched on her lap. She swallowed hard after speaking.

"Is there anything going on… at school, maybe?" he continued.

"No." She shook her head. "Just the usual stuff."

"No one causing trouble?" Mike asked. "No one starting rumors."

Brooke eyes went wide. "You know, you don't you?"

"I heard that the kids were… spreading rumors about you and Sam. Is that true?"

"Yes, daddy." Brooke wiped a tear that was running down her cheek.

"Do you know who started these rumors? or why?" Mike was finding it hard to remain calm. He wanted to scream. How dare anyone do this to his little girl?

Brooke hesitated. She was about to tell him a lie. It'd be easier. It was always easier to lie, to ignore whatever was inconvenient.

But that wasn't who she was – not anymore. She kept repeating that to herself as she took her father's hand.

"They… t-they're not just rumors daddy." It seemed to her that the air in the room was thicker, harder to breathe.

"What?" Mike looked at his daughter, his face painted with shock. Her face was red and she was shaking. Her eyes and cheeks were wet.

"What are telling me?" Mike went on. He was hoping he'd misunderstood her, that she was talking about something else.

"I… I have…" Brooke swallowed again. "I have something to tell you – and I want you to listen to me."

Mike McQueen wanted to interrupt her. He just couldn't make his mouth move.

Brooke had thought about what she'd say to her father. She also thought about every means possible to avoid doing it.

"Daddy, I'm… I'm…" This is stupid, she thought.

"Oh fuck it! – Daddy, I'm in love with Sam."

It was, it anyone had brought a stopwatch, thirteen seconds later that Brooke swallowed, twenty-one seconds later that Mike let out a deep breath, and forty-seven seconds later that Mike asked, "How?"

Brooke smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Mike just seemed stunned, but not angry.

"Are you out of your mind!" he shouted.

Brooke's smile dropped.

Dammit, she thought.

*******************

Dammit, Sam thought. She was seriously considering strangling Carmen and Lily. What was supposed to be pizza-and-movie night had turned into pizza and "pick-on-Sam" night in Josh and Lily's apartment, Josh having been sent packing for the evening.

"Guys, seriously, we have not 'done it!'"

"Oh come on," Carmen said. "Why not? She's right there in the house with you!" They were all giggling too hard to even eat.

Trying to catch her breath, Sam answered, "We… we just haven't yet. It's all… new and… fun! We don't want to rush, ok?" Sam was blushing.

"Rush!!" Lily shouted, falling onto her back on the bed. "It's been two fucking years!"

*******************

"What could you possibly be thinking?" Mike shouted, pacing across the kitchen floor.

"I'm thinking I love Sam, daddy, and I think that she loves me too."

"How the hell can you be in love with her? She's your sister!"

"She is so not my sister!" Brooke said, walking up to her father. "She's your wife's daughter, not my sister! You're not her father, Jane's not my mother, and no one's adopted anybody, so don't throw that at me."

"But we're all living here together – as a family. Do you want to ruin that?" Mike was rubbing his forehead.

"I'm not going to ruin anything, daddy. Sam and I are going to college next year. You and Jane and Mac will be here and, except for holidays, and summers, you're not even going to see us that much."

"You and Sam are not shacking up in college!"

Brooke was getting very tired of this conversation. "Daddy, Sam and I may – or may not – go to school together. We may – or may not – live together after college. I don't know. It's all… new and… wonderful.

"Brooke, you're not even gay – you dated Josh and Jamie." Mike spun a chair around and sat down.

"I know daddy, I know it's sudden for you, and new – it is for me too, but it's just… right." Brooke reached out to touch her father's shoulder, but pulled back. "For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm not pretending to be someone else – that it's finally me."

"Right?" Mike was rubbing the sides of his face with his hands. "How can any of this be right?"

"It just is daddy. It is for me." She rested her hand on her father's shoulder.

*******************