Hi all!

Been forever since I updated, but I have seriously been swamped with work and school lately. Either way, I am doing my best to finish this story within a reasonable amount of time, so please stick with me anyone reading. Had a few family issues lately and been a bit down too, but sharing this with you guys really is a bright spot for me right now, so thank you to anyone who reads (and/or reviews).

(Speaking of, if you guys could offer a few reviews for this chapter or the story in general so far, I'd really appreciate it.)

Peaces!

Chapter 17

Moonlight. Screaming.

The moon lit up the night sky as Callie kicked at the ground ahead of her. Brandon walked along beside her in silence and the sounds of the city that clearly slept even less than New York surrounded them. Callie couldn't pretend not to be angry and annoyed at Mariana and Sophia sneaking out to a party. But, having Brandon with her was making the search a little easier. So far, they'd taken a cab to where the original party was and found out from a straggler that the party had moved to some rich kid's house.

The address turned out to be a bust and they were told there by a girl named Isabella that the party was now at the beach as her parents had come home from their vacation unexpectedly.

Callie thought to show the girl photos of Mariana and Sophia on her phone and the girl nodded "Yea! Lexi was here! And so was Margo." She said pointing to Mariana and then Sophia. Callie turned and stared at Brandon wide-eyed, both clearly thinking that, due to their personal experiences with them, fake identities equaled trouble.

"I mean, they said they were 18, but honestly, they seemed a bit younger than that. Especially Margo." Isabella said as she ended with a mischievous grin and added "But, it's not like Kyle cared." At the horrified looks on Brandon and Callie's faces she faltered a little "Oh, no! It's nothing like that. Kyle's just 16 himself. It's just he's a total horn dog." And she finished as if the explanation should make them feel better "I mean he'll jump anything with legs!"

Callie tried to shove the thought to the back of her mind as she and Brandon made their way down the beach towards want looked like a sparkling light show. Callie felt the relief teeming through her as she realized that they were probably finally about to find their sisters.

"So," Callie said gently, "Jude invited you, huh?" as she glanced over at Brandon.

Brandon smiled softly and nodded "He really did." he said with a laugh. "But, I didn't know that he didn't tell you."

"Yea, well, I believe you. I was just surprised."

"I know. I was too. But, I mean, it hasn't been the worst surprise has it?" Brandon said with a slightly anxious tone and Callie could feel his eyes on her.

Callie glanced over at Brandon nervously and walked nearer to the water kicking at the tide with her feet. As an added method of distraction, she slipped her flip-flops off, catching them up in her hand. "No. Not the worst surprise at all." Callie said and then added with an awkward smile "And I should've said this earlier: but, thank you for the Aspirin."

A joke seemed to play behind at Brandon's eyes, but he said only "You're welcome."

The silence washed over them again and Callie listened to the sound of the waves as they trudged along quietly.

Callie tried to imagine up the awkward feeling that should be existing in this space. After their last encounter at her Dreams Girls United event ended in an almost kiss. But it just…wasn't there.

"I just can't believe Mariana would do this." Brandon said suddenly shaking his head in annoyance. "She's usually so responsible. Especially lately."

Callie tried to look as though her mind had only been on their missing sisters as well as she nodded in response. "Yea, well… Believe me, I know Sophia. She can be very persuasive. She has some crazy notion of having a "perfect Spring Break adventure". I'm sure this was her idea."

Brandon laughed shortly and then said under his breath "Must be genetic."

Callie huffed with mock offense, "And what is that supposed to mean?" she said crossing her arms.

"It means: you Quinn girls have a way of finding trouble." Brandon said with another shake of his head as he glanced down at his phone "And having we Fosters trudging around at 3 in the morning trying to get you out of it."

"Hey, Foster! Don't even try it." Callie said with a genial laugh as she shoved Brandon playfully and then pointed up at him. "You must be forgetting that I lived with you guys for a year or two and the Foster kids are just as well-acquainted with trouble as we "Quinn girls" are." They laughed together and Callie wondered at the tone of their conversation. She couldn't remember the last time she and Brandon had been able to tease one another comfortably. Suddenly, she wasn't as mad at Mariana as she had been.

Callie had a thought and said slowly playing with the sleeves of her jacket, "You know what's weird though?"

"Hmmm?"

"Everyone else thinks I'm really dull. Too serious."

"I find that unbelievable. You're just about the craziest person I know. Who exactly is this ;everyone else' you speak of?"

"I don't know." Callie said shrugging as the lights that lay ahead of them seemed to inch closer "The girls at the center, Daphne. That's pretty much my social circle nowadays."

"That's the whole circle? What about hobbies or actual friends?" Brandon asked, "No cooking book clubs or guitar lessons? What about photography. Do you still take pictures?"

Callie shrugged as she thought over each question. She wasn't even sure why he mentioned cooking book clubs, because she'd never been in one. No, she hadn't played the guitar since she'd visited Brandon for "Sanctuary". But photography…? She hadn't thought of it in ages. Leave it to Brandon to call up this memory of that long-forgotten hobby.

Considering it made Callie remember that for her 18th birthday, Robert had given Callie a professional grade camera. It had been quite a while since she'd felt the desire to photograph anything though.

"No. The center is pretty much my life at the moment. Maybe I'll try to get back into taking photos this summer. It will probably help to have another hobby. Something else to occupy my mind."

Other than you, that is. Callie thought.

Brandon nodded "That's good. Believe me when I say that not having a release isn't exactly a good thing."

Callie nodded but said with slight annoyance "Easy for you to say. You're favorite hobby also happens to be your giftt and what you want to do with the rest of your life. We can't all be so lucky, Mr. Foster."

Brandon shook his head and glanced over at her. In the moonlight, Callie caught a glimpse of some unspoken sadness in those deep eyes "It's not like I asked for it. And music just happens to be the most resounding one at the moment…but it's not the only thing I wanted to do with the rest of my life."

Callie felt a sense of longing at the statement that she couldn't quite explain. But out loud she only said "So…does that mean that you are finally ready to audition for Juilliard again."

"Actually, yea." Brandon said in a cautious tone. "It does."

Callie was shocked into near silence and then she stammered "T-that's amazing Brandon! So you're going to audition again? When?"

Brandon smiled slightly before his solemn expression returned and then he said "Next week, if all goes well."

"Wow, next week. That's so…"

"Soon? Yea, I know it seems that way, but's not really. It's been almost a year and a half since I last auditioned. And I've been working on this piece for…forever it seems. I think I finally got it perfected though. And since I only have one more chance, I knew I was going to have to give it everything."

"What do you mean by one more chance?" Callie asked with a genuine curiosity as she pulled her hair up in a ponytail in her fingers thoughtfully, keeping the flip-flops in her other hand.

Brandon sighed wearily. "You only get two auditions for your undergrad with Juilliard. Which means if I don't get in this time…"

"But, you got in before, Brandon."

"I know. But, it's different this time. I'm not some shiny, new high-school graduate who played at Disney Hall a few months before. I'm some 19 year old second-chancer who screwed up his first admission by taking the SATs for someone else."

Callie rolled her eyes, "How long are you going to keep beating yourself up about that, Brandon? You made a mistake. I've made plenty. It doesn't mean you don't get to keep trying again. That you don't deserve to be happy."

Brandon gave a sad smile. "Believe me, I know. I know it seems like I'm always grating at you about it and I don't mean to. It's just that…" he trailed off as he bent and picked up a seashell and smoothed it over in his hands.

"Just that, what?"

"You're…well, you're really the only one I talk to about it." Brandon said with a self-conscious laugh. "So it's not that I haven't gotten over it. I honestly have. It's just that I only ever feel comfortable enough to talk to you about it. I guess I kind of start back over at the same place I left off when I talk to you about it again."

The statement caused Callie to smile and feel a warm rush. Suddenly she didn't mind as much that he always seemed to focusing on this same obsession.

"But, I promise it's not because I'm being down on myself this time. I'm not. I'm just being a realist about it now. I have literally poured everything I have into the piece for this audition. So, if it's not enough, I know that it wasn't meant for me, you know? But besides that, I am hanging onto the hope of anything. Even a waitlist offer." He finished with a light laugh.

Waitlist offer?

Callie glanced ahead of her and saw that the party seemed to be edging slowly closer still. But now her heart was pounding at the thought of Brandon's last words "A waitlist offer…" she said thoughtfully and Brandon nodded.

"Yea. You know, when you don't get in, but you also don't get rejected outright? They sort of give you the option that you let them know by some deadline that you're willing to wait and see if spots open in the following semester."

"No, it's not that. I mean, yea, I know what it means." Callie said out loud, although inwardly her mind was still racing "I just…I never thought of that." She said as she tugged at her sleeves absently. What if the letter from NYU was a waitlist letter? Had she missed her chance to accept a waitlist offer? How long did you have? Weeks? Days? She tried to remember what the college counselors had said over a year ago.

Brandon shrugged a little "Well, it would be better than the alternative wouldn't it?"

Callie realized that Brandon still thought they were talking about Juilliard and so she smiled softly "That's true. But I'm sure you won't have to worry about that."

The silence resumed for a little while and Callie noted that the party was almost to the point that she could see the actual faces of the dancing figures.

Now, Callie's stomach was tied into nervous knots. What if she'd missed her chance at accepting a wait list offer? What about…New York? What about the Social Work program that the Advisor at the tour had told her all about?

And what about…?

Callie glanced over at Brandon.

In this moment, it occurred to Callie that neither she nor Brandon had felt the need to address the almost kiss at the Dream Girls United Event, but still they were…easy. Things with Brandon and Callie had always been this way. One moment they were kissing one another desperately, the next they were playing the cookie-cutter foster-sibling role for the family's benefit. One moment they were arguing about their feelings for each other and the next Callie was claiming Brandon as her best friend to total strangers. But in between everything else, Callie noted, this part had always been easiest.

They honestly sucked at playing enemies, sucked worst at playing just friends with a checkered past. And of course, "brother and sister" was the hardest role of all. But, Callie realized, that was the thing. Everything else was just that: a role. By themselves, Brandon and Callie had always been just that: Brandon and Callie. Who they were together and who they were apart. And maybe that's why being alone together felt the easiest of all. Because alone together, was probably the only time the two of them hadn't been playing a role with each other for someone else's benefit.

Like when we were up at the cabin…

"So…" Brandon started again softly, breaking into Callie's long train of thought. "The whole lack of a social circle of friends who don't think you're boring? That means there's no guy in your life these days, then?" He asked in a tone that seemed to intentionally lack interest. As he spoke, Brandon bent down and picked up a few more seashells and tossed them haphazardly into the ocean.

"No. Not since Aaron. But then he never thought I was boring." Callie laughed glad for the break into her unproductive line of thought. "In fact, he'd agree with you. He called me a "magnet for trouble" once." She said and the two shared a laugh before Callie followed saying "Although, to be fair, I was in the middle of investigating a murder at the time."

As expected that quieted the moment. But before the silence drug on too long, Callie said "What about you?" Brandon looked at her questioningly and she added "No, New York fashion models turning your head yet?"

Brandon laughed deeply "As if, I could even get a New York fashion model." He said incredulously.

"Brandon, you could get a model easy."

"Yea, right. In an alternate universe."

"You know you could. You're really cute."

"Cute? Gee, thanks. I feel so manly now."

"I mean, yea. But, you're not just cute. You're kind and tall and funny and…dorky."

"Dorky?!"

"Yes, but in a sexy way. You know like, the guy. You know the guy who plays…Ant-Man?" Callie said grasping for the name.

"…Paul Rudd?"

"Yes! You're sexy dorky: like Paul Rudd."

"Paul Rudd is like 50, Callie!"

"Okay, fine. A young Paul Rudd." Callie said trying to undo the damage she had done. "Haven't you ever seen that other movie…Clueless? The one that Mariana and Lexi loved so much?"

But Brandon was shaking his head as he said with a laugh "Why don't you just quit while you're ahead, Callie?!"

Callie resigned to the silence again before remembering her original point.

"I just meant…I mean that you could get any girl you wanted." She said softly. "I'm just surprised you haven't dated since you've been in New York."

"I have." Brandon said nonchalantly and Callie felt the tightness in her stomach that she knew she shouldn't feel.

"Oh…So you do have a girlfriend?" Callie said feeling nauseous suddenly.

"No. I mean I did. But for just a little while. Her name was Ariel."

"Like as in the little Mermaid?" Callie said, trying to hide her jealous distaste for the name.

"No. Like as in the girl who I was mistakenly paired up with as a roommate the first time I went there." Brandon said, oblivious to Callie's annoyance. "When I got back, I found her online since she was literally the only person I knew in New York. We dated for about 2 months. But, it didn't work out. She had this whole philosophy about those 4 years being for her. And for me too. She didn't believe in monogamy."

"But," Callie said as she saw that the figures of the people on the beach were fully visible now and the sound of their music was beginning to drape over her. "You do?"

"Of course, I do." Brandon said with a nod raising his voice a little above the impending noise, as he pulled his jacket tighter around himself. "I would never give time to a relationship that wasn't committed. But that's part of the reason I've decided not to go there again until I can fully commit to one you know? Ari wasn't right, but she wasn't wrong either. I mean, Juilliard or…wherever I go-"

"You're going to Juilliard, Brandon."

"…The point is, it's going to be tough: going to school, practicing, studying, working possibly and dating? It'll be a lot. So I honestly wouldn't even go there again. Not right now." Brandon finished in a raised tone as they finally came upon the party.

Callie nodded and tried to sort out her feelings. Disappointment, sadness and ache. But she wasn't really sure if she had the right to feel any of these.

Then, Brandon started again "Unless…I mean…" he trilled out absently his voice lower, as his eyes began searching the faces they were coming upon.

"Unless what?" Callie asked closer to Brandon's ear so she could be heard. She felt herself suddenly desperate for his answer.

Brandon looked over at Callie and said with a quick search of Callie's eyes "Unless, I were to fall in love again."

Callie wasn't sure if she had stopped first or Brandon had. But here they were frozen in place staring into each other's eyes.

Fall in love.

Again.

Brandon had fallen in love with Callie once. Couldn't he fall in love with her again?

Before any more questions could be asked or even thought of, all questions ceased at a recognizable sound.

A scream.

Mariana's scream.