Unbroken Season 1

Chapter 18 The Look Of Love

“…You give me strength to Crush, crumble anything… Break down any steel door, see through every sting… “

Nimble fingers moved over the keys as Brooke typed out her inquiry. When the sound of the pecking finally stopped, the dark-haired woman sat there, skimming over the content again. Allowing her mind to wander, Brooke was soon immersed in her thoughts about what the future would hold. The musician remained in that dream world for a few moments, until the pain from biting her lower lip brought her back to the screen before her. She read through it very quickly once more, then deciding that she was satisfied with what she had written. The woman nodded, confirming her commitment to her plan. With the stroke of one key, the E-mail was sent off to numerous businesses as blind copies.

Delighted with herself, Brooke pushed the keyboard back under her desk. Moving closer to the screen, she maximized her favorite window and sighed. “Yep, it may not be the whole kit and caboodle but it’s the closest that I’m gonna get. I’ll accept that if everyone else will.” She shook her head, chastising herself. Like I have the deciding vote here. Yeah, right.

The overpowering urge to lay her eyes on the one person in the whole world that could make all her dreams come true forced Brooke from her chair and across the hall to where Sam was napping. The tall woman stood in the doorway for a moment or two while her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit bedroom. The features of her lover were barely visible in the light cast by the lone candle burning on the nightstand, but it was enough for Brooke’s body to start reacting.

Whether it was just her nature to be so intense with her convictions or the pull that the small blonde had over her, it didn’t matter. What did matter was that Brooke knew how deeply she needed Sam’s love. Just thinking that there could ever be a time that they may not be together nearly brought the musician’s world crashing down around her. She could feel her chest tightening, her lungs gasping for air, and the unbearable feeling of emptiness sweeping over her just thinking about it. If at any time in her life she had considered herself as strong, independent, and not needing of anything, it wasn’t now. This long Thanksgiving weekend had proven that to her in more ways than she cared to deal with.

Her mind raced over the last few days, picking out highlights of the events that had taken place.

“I…I thought it would be nice, you know…to have my parents meet your Aunt.” Brooke held on to Sam’s hand, “I figured since all my sisters know, we might as well make it a bit more official and let the families meet.” Brooke let Sam’s hand slip from her own as she hopped up onto the counter, then sat with her arms braced on the edge, looking down at her legs swinging back and forth. The tall woman grew very quiet for a moment, then let her eyes roam around the room. “You know…maybe tell Dad about us.” Blue eyes glanced briefly in Sam’s direction. “What do ya say?”

“I guess I just never thought that we’d be doing this. I mean…” Sam’s smile got bigger, realizing how good it felt to have someone in her life. “It feels kind of nice to be out in the open about our relationship.”

The taller woman drew Sam into an embrace and kissed the top of her blonde head. “Yes, it does.” Brooke laid her cheek against Sam’s head and they stood there for several minutes, enjoying the feeling of love that surrounded them.

“Do you think he’ll still like me…I mean…after he knows?” Sam’s shyness was evident.

“Are you kidding?” Brooke’s face broke into a beaming smile. “He’ll absolutely love you.”

The tall woman stood gazing at Sam and nodded her head as she muttered softly under her breath, “And you were worried. I knew he’d love you.” Brooke smiled as she remembered her father’s concern for her happiness and his round about way of talking to her.

“Your mother seems to think that I need to talk to you, Brooke.” Henry swiveled his chair to face her. “So, how’s life lately?”

“Life…” Brooke smiled, “Life is wonderful.”

“And work…Is your company doing alright?” He asked, studying her closely.

“Work is great. In fact, Peter starts working for me after the first of the month.”

“So, what’s up with you doing all this…” Henry looked for the right word to use, “…stuff,” he coughed, “for C.C.’s roommate?”

Brooke sat up, looking rather perplexed, “Stuff? What stuff? Do you mean the birthday party?”

“Yes, the party at your house, the band coming together, all the running around to take her places. Those things…and well, like today.”

“Today…” Brooke thought for a moment, “Today is not for her, Dad. Today is actually for me.”

“Where are you going here, Brooke? How is today for you?”

“Dad,” Brooke leaned forward in her seat, “I love her and she loves me.”

Brooke’s thoughts fast forwarded to the Thanksgiving dinner and the impression that she believed cemented in everyone’s mind how they would view the newly proclaimed couple from that moment on.

Julie knelt in Sam’s lap and got right up into Brooke’s face, her hands resting on her hips. “Do you like her?”

Brooke spoke without hesitation, “Yes, a lot.”

The tot turned her face toward Sam, and leaned in to touch their foreheads together. “Do you like her?” Julie pointed to her Aunt Brooke.

The dark-haired woman looked down at her plate, not wanting to put Sam in an uncomfortable position when she realized that everyone else’s eyes were riveted on the blonde.

“Well, yes…but…” Sam looked away from Julie and let her gaze fall on the woman beside her. “I more than like her. I love her.”

Hearing the words, Brooke slowly raised her head and looked over to Sam with a smile on her face. “And I love Sam, Julie.”

Sam reached her hand over to Brooke’s and held on to it tightly. “There’s a big difference between liking and loving, Julie. In loving, you do it with your whole body and soul…not just words.”

Brooke quickly fast forwarded to her reply and came away with that same tingling, yet self-satisfying feeling that had enveloped both her body and soul that evening.

“She’s right, Julie. It’s more than just being around someone for a short time. It’s a lifetime commitment. One that you’d willingly make and never look back on with regret.” Brooke’s gaze that had started out on her niece now ended staring into the inviting green eyes of her lover. “And I love Sam with my whole body, heart, and soul. There’s never another that I’d want, or would need to make my world complete.”

The warmth of that moment spread through Brooke’s body again, just like she knew it would every time she bought it back to her mind. There was something special about that brief period of time. Deep in her heart, the dark-haired woman knew that their love had been declared in no uncertain terms to all whom had been present. God, Sam…what I wouldn’t give to be the ice cream in your bowl for the rest of my soul’s lifetimes.

Veiled in the shadows of the doorway, Brooke listened to the rhythm of Sam’s breathing as she slept. It was as soothing to the tall woman’s soul as was the toast that her father had made at the dinner.

In the moment of silence that loomed over the room, Henry rose to the occasion as he cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. “I propose a toast.” He raised his glass, then looked to Terri and Rick. “To new life…” he turned to Brooke and Sam, holding his glass up to them, “…to new love. May our family grow bigger and thankful for the love that a child…” Henry let out a chuckle, then corrected himself, “Well, actually two children have shown us here tonight.”

Feeling the moisture gathering in her eyes, the musician wiped them before the drops could form. God, that meant so much to me. I bet they were all thinking that he was referring to Julie and Terri’s unborn child. Brooke’s mind played back the scene that happened right after everyone started to spread the toast through out the table.

After offering up the toast and listening to the youngest member of the assembled family, Henry raised the wineglass to his own lips and drank a sip before turning to look at his wife. Leaning down, he bestowed a delicate kiss on her cheek. The look of love twinkled in their eyes as they glanced first to each other, then out over the people gathered at the table. As if planned, the couple left their seats and moved around the table, smiling readily at their gathered family members and nodding to friends.

Brooke was the first to feel the touch of her father’s hand on her shoulder and turned to look at the man. He leaned in to her and whispered. “I can see that love you were talking about.” His eyes glanced lovingly toward Sam. “Thank you for sharing it with all of us.”

Before the woman could do anything more than smile subtly and nod, her father’s hand slipped from her shoulder as he continued around the table to where Terri was standing. Brooke watched her father as he duplicated the same touch with his hand on Terri’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper softly so no one else would hear. Again, he didn’t wait for a reply, but continued on back toward his seat. Terri seemed to glow when she leaned in, resting her head on Rick’s shoulder, her hand gently resting on her abdomen.

The rush of warmth that flowed through Brooke’s body was unbelievable as she felt small, delicate fingers lacing into hers. Their shared glance was enough for both as Brooke lightly squeezed Sam’s hand in hers. This Thanksgiving was truly special, and Brooke readily earmarked it for a special place in her memory.

Brooke took in a deep breath and resigned herself to working on things that were closer at hand, in this lifetime to be exact. She took a lingering look at the blonde nestled sweetly on the bed with the afghan thrown over her, then silently closed the door and moved back across the hall to her office.

Settling into her high-backed leather chair, Brooke retrieved the phone number of her long-time friend and set her call in motion. She looked down at her watch with the first sound of ringing. “Hmm…She’s young, she should still be up,” Brooke mumbled when she considered the time. The ringing continued until the phone was picked up.

“Humphreys’ here. Whatcha want?” The woman’s voice sounded distracted.

“Nice to talk to you, too.” Brooke paused for a few seconds before greeting her friend in her usual manner. “What’s up, Janet?”

“Brooke?” The woman sounded surprised, “Hey, don’t tell me that it’s time to celebrate again?” There was the sound of muffled laughter. “How old are we this year?”

“Well, we’re going to be thirty-one, but who’s counting.”

“I am for one, or did you forget that we’re the same age?” Janet paused then sounded a little puzzled. “Hey, wait a minute. We just did that a couple of months ago.” The sound of pages flipping wildly came over the phone. “Yeah, we did,” the woman chuckled, “in June.”

The dark-haired woman joined in the laughter. “And they told me you were losing it,” she teased.

“So why the call?” Janet paused before she did a little teasing of her own. “What’s the matter, no big stars to promote or did you just want to harass someone and my name was next on your list?”

“Well…” Brooke cleared her throat. “I know that we haven’t talked for a while, so I thought I’d give my longest living, best buddy a call and invite her out for lunch.” Brooke paused for a moment. “So, how about it?”

“Lunch, huh?” There was silence on the other end. “Why do I think there’s something else?”

Brooke could almost hear the wheels beginning to turn in Janet’s mind and spoke up rather hurriedly to prevent them from continuing to grind away. “You mean that you actually want a reason for me spending my time and money on you? Janet, I thought we were long past that point.”

“Oh, so you’re buying? You know us professors don’t make the money you executives do.” Janet readily chuckled, “For you Brooke, any time…as long as you’re the one paying. So when and where?”

“Well, let’s make it easy on you. I have no real set schedule. When are you free?” Brooke tried to act nonchalant about the whole idea.

“Yeah, rub it in,” Janet laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s not you that has to babysit some of these groups at three in the morning when their buses break down in between gigs.” Brooke turned serious. “So, how about tomorrow? I’ll even come pick you up on the campus. What do you say…it will add some sparkle to your drab Monday routine?”

“You’ll be in town on Monday…tomorrow? What’s the occasion?”

“What do you mean? The campus is only an hour away,” Brooke rebuked.

“Come on, Brooke. I know you and that’s a big chunk out of the middle of a workday.”

“So?” Brooke paused for a moment. “What’ll it be…yes or no?”

“Hey, I’m not refusing.” Janet was quick to point out. “Yes, come get me at the campus.”

“Okay, what time?”

“Hmm…would one o’clock be too late for you? I have class until then.”

“Nope, that’ll be just fine.” Brooke smiled as she made a mental note for herself.

“Okay, I’ll see you then, Brooke.”

“Thanks, Janet. See you.” Brooke pulled the phone from her ear and then thinking of something, yelled out. “Hey, don’t hang up.”

“Yeah?”

“Where do you want me to meet you?”

Janet chuckled, “Good thinking Brooke, you still remember what happened last time, eh?”

“How could I forget sitting through a boring lecture on Quantum Physics waiting for you to show up? Nope, not doing that again. Where do you want me to meet you?”

“How about my office? It’s still in the same place since the last time you were there and my nameplate is even on the door. I’ll be the living and still breathing figure behind a desk that’s chock full of papers to correct. I’ll see you then, kid.”

“Ah…so you remember that age comes before beauty?” Brooke teased the woman for the mere fifteen minutes that they were born apart. They shared a good chuckle together before Brooke ended the conversation. “Well, I’d better let you go get that beauty sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye.”

Putting the phone back onto her belt, Brooke sighed. “There, that’s taken care of.” She turned back to her computer and stared at the web site that filled the screen. It wasn’t long afterward that she heard her bedroom door sound with that familiar little squeak the hinge gave when it fully opened.

Seconds later, Sam was puttering down the hall and giving a polite little knock at the half-opened office door. “Hey, Brooke…” the woman brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

“Yes, Darlin’?” Brooke minimized the web site on the screen and turned her chair to more openly face the door.

“I think I’m finally rested enough to go to bed now.” The blonde stretched her shoulder muscles. “God, who would have thought that one small child could wear you out for days? You going to come to bed any time soon?”

The dark-haired woman chuckled as she turned off the computer. “Okay, Darlin’, I get the message. I’m coming.” Brooke got out of the chair and headed out after Sam as she made her way back to the bed.

“Okay, I’ll be the lump on the right when you get here,” Sam mumbled as she entered the bedroom.

“And which right will that be…right on the bed or right looking at the bed?” By now the tall woman was only a step or so behind her lover.

“Right next to you, Love.” Sam rounded the corner of the bed, pulled down the covers, and then crawled in.

Brooke smiled as she turned into the bedroom noticing Mario still curled up on his large pillow. She shook her head at his comfortable repose and began to strip for bed. “What’s the matter, Mario…you still tired too?” The tall woman got under the covers of the bed as the dog barely moved his head to look at her, then slowly repositioned himself to the other side as his mistress did the same.

With the backside of the young woman nestled into her tall teddy bear lover, she whispered, “Night Brooke.” There were a few seconds of silence and then the name was spoken again. “Brooke?”

“Hmm…?” the older woman kissed Sam’s ear.

“Do you think that Chastity Loran will give us that much love?”

“As much as Julie did?”

“Yeah,” Sam sighed out the word.

Wrapping her arms around the woman in front of her, Brooke kissed Sam’s shoulder before answering. “No…”

“Huh?” Sam was caught off guard by the answer.

Brooke felt Sam’s muscles tighten up. “She’ll give us more,” she continued her statement.

“Oh…okay, I was hoping you meant that.” Sam relaxed again. “I think so, too.”

“Of course I mean that,” Brooke lightly kissed the blonde’s ear. “She’s gonna be crazy about you, Sam.” The tall woman closed any gaps her body may have had in touching the woman next to her and then draped her hand over the Sam’s side, letting it rest on the blonde’s stomach.

“Crazy, huh?” Sam turned her head back toward Brooke.

“Yep, crazy.” Brooke nodded for effect as she started to trace circles on Sam’s taut abs, dipping lower towards her pelvic region with each lazy circle.

“So…” the corners of Sam’s mouth turned slightly upward, “You trying to wake the baby up or what?”

The deep chuckle resonated in the darkened room. “Wish I could, but she’s not in there yet.”

“Hmm…I know, but that doesn’t mean we can’t practice the techniques that it will take to get her there,” Sam coyly offered, sounding more awake than before.

Brooke smiled, “And you know my philosophy…practice makes perfect.”

Sam turned to face the beaming woman next to her. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She locked her arms around Brooke’s neck and melded into a kiss.

The tall woman sauntered down the long corridor until she came to the door marked, Professor Janet T. Humphreys, Marketing Sciences. Brooke took her hand out of the pocket of her leather jacket and slowly ran a finger over the smooth-finished nameplate. The gentle upturn to the ends of her mouth showed the pleasure she took in her friend’s accomplishment. Casting her eye to the closed door, Brooke raised her hand and tapped out a playful rhythm on the wood, then leaned her shoulder up against the doorjamb and waited.

The rustling of papers was the background noise for the casually called out, “Come on in.”

Letting her hand drift down to the doorknob, Brooke turned it. Slowly pushing the door open as she remained leaning against the doorframe, Brooke peered into the office looking for her long-time friend. There, behind the huge metal desk with mountains of paperwork haphazardly placed atop it, stood a woman with long, brown hair. The precariously placed pair of glasses perched high on her head bobbed as she shuffled through a stack of papers rather intently.

The woman never looked up from her task. She just spoke as though it was the answer that she gave everyone. “And before you go any further, I’m not changing your grade or giving any make up exams.”

Brooke stood with her arms crossed over her chest, still leaning against the doorframe. “Well maybe I don’t want you to change my grade.” The tall woman looked around the room, then settled back on the woman at the desk. Damn, I can see that you haven’t gotten any neater with age, Janet. It’s time to have some fun. Brooke turned on her most sultry voice and started to tease her old friend. “Maybe I just wanna try to seduce you into a better grade. What do you say to that, teach?”

“Huh?” The harried woman lifted her head to see who was coming into her office. “Oh, it’s you, Brooke. I should have known.” She glanced down at her watch and nodded, “It is almost one.”

The leather-clad woman nodded her greeting, “Just checking to see if you were paying attention.” Brooke stepped inside the office and smiled.

“Well, if I was, you’d know it…” Janet paused for a moment, looking the tall woman over, letting a delicious smile come to her face, “…but then again, John wouldn’t let me celebrate with you anymore.” She gave a soft chuckle, as she winked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to treat you like one of the students…” she started, then waved her friend in, “…it’s just an old habit. You say the same thing around here often enough and soon it just keeps repeating itself.” She shuffled another stack of papers and moved them to the only empty space that there was. “I’ll be with you in a second as soon as I find something.”

The musician scratched her cheek as she watched her friend immerse herself back into the piles of paperwork. “What are you looking for, Janet?”

“I’ve got to get out a release for companies to employ my students during their internships. I use it every year. I have contacts in some of the companies that we use every year but I’m always on the lookout for new ones.” She flipped through a stack of paperwork rather disgustedly, then moved onto the next one. “Hey!” Intense hazel eyes flashed up to stare at the woman in the doorway. “You’re a CEO now that you’ve got the record company. Why didn’t I think of you before? Would you care to take an intern on yourself?”

Brooke held her breath as she let the words invoke visions in her head. Feeling the heat of a blush starting at the base of her neck, she quickly took off her jacket and slung it over her shoulder. “Ah…” Brooke tried to give the appearance of mulling the questions over. Okay, so I don’t have to ask for an intern now, but…do I really want to look that eager? The tall woman shifted her weight, bringing a finger up to tap against her pursed lips meditatively.

“Come on, Brooke, we were all students once. You know how hard it is to find people that will really teach these kids the ropes. If I remember clearly…” Janet pulled her glasses down off her head and put them on, giving the tall woman the once over, “…you were one of them, too.”

“Okay,” Brooke nodded. “You’ve got me there. When you find those forms, I’ll fill one out.”

“You sure?” Janet watched her friend for any sign of misgivings as she motioned for Brooke to close the door.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Actually, that’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.”

“You know, some of them can be a real challenge,” she whispered, then nodded. “I could arrange for you to…”

“Nope,” Brooke crossed her fingers as she thought about what she was about to say. God, don’t let me screw this up. “I’ll just tell you what I’m looking for and you can give me your best match up. You make the call, Janet.” Of course, I’ll stack the deck in Sam’s favor.

The professor picked up another stack of paper and sorted through it. “You know that this is for Public Relations work, right?” She cast a quick glance to Brooke, then back down to the papers. “I’m not doing a class on how to be a groupie here,” she teased.

Grasping her chest with her free hand, Brooke faked a surprised pain. “Janet,” she drawled out in a hurt tone, “…that was cruel.” Brooke straightened up and let a lone eyebrow raise high on her forehead, “I know that it would be for Public Relations work. You know, that I never did that groupie thing.”

Janet looked up and winked. “I know. I just didn’t want those rumor mills to go dry.” She looked back down at the papers in her hands, “Ah-ha, here it is.”

The woman grabbed the top sheet and took several quick steps to the copier in the corner of her office. “One benefit to letting them keep it here,” she smirked referring to the copier. “If they only knew my ulterior motive. You know that they say we have a motive for everything we do.” The woman cast a quick glance over her shoulder, then concentrated on punching a few numbers on the machine’s operation panel.

The Sahara Desert suddenly sprung out of nowhere and settled in Brooke’s mouth as she tried to nervously swallow. She knows…she knows. I know she knows what I’m really here for. The palms of her hands became cold and clammy. She closed her eyes and tried not to think of being without Sam in the months to come. Good God Sam, don’t hate me if I screw this up for us. Brooke listened to the whirring sound of the copier for a moment as she tried to compose her thoughts. When she opened them, a rather eager looking professor was standing in front of her.

“So, here you go.” Janet held out a copy of the form for her to take. “Hot off the press.” The woman winked and giggled. “You can’t say that I didn’t give you one first,” she held out the paper for Brooke to take. “You know, the sooner you fill it out and get it back to me, the better choice you get.”

Even though every fiber in Brooke’s body screamed to grab the paper and run to the desk, hurriedly fill it out and hand it back to the woman before her, she didn’t. Instead, the tall woman looked at it for what she thought was close to an eternity, before she slowly extended her hand and took it from Janet’s grip. “Ah…great,” Brooke said hesitantly as she looked the form over, then rolled it up, tapping it nervously against her leg. “So, you ready for some lunch?”

The other woman nodded. “Yeah, I scouted things out for us. Let’s head on over to the Student Union, I hear Chicken Salad is the special today.” Janet looked over and winked at her friend. “I bet you haven’t had one of those since we graduated.”

Brooke nodded and turned to walk out the door, rolling her eyes at the thought. She knows…everyone knows. “Great,” the tall woman sighed, “…just great.” She glanced at the small mirror on the wall next to the door. Well, at least it’s not tattooed on my forehead yet.

Looking up from the form in front of her, Brooke pushed it across the table, then resumed her meal that she’d only picked at until now. “Okay, here ya go, Janet. Wanna look it over?”

The brown-haired woman let her eyes focus on the neatly filled out form. “Hmm…” she barely had it in her hand when she pointed out a flaw. “I think you missed a spot. Here…” Janet tapped the paper with her fork, “…I need to know what background, not hair color. And if blonde is your answer, I think you’re in the wrong business, my friend. Since when did the music worry about hair coloring.” The woman shook her head, “No, don’t go there…I know anyone can be a blonde.” Janet’s mouth curled up into a smile as she looked over at the woman across from her. “Yes, even you Brooke, so let’s not go there.”

The tall woman blew out a breath. “Oh…uh…sorry.” Brooke could feel the blush as it came to her cheeks. “My mind was somewhere else.” She grabbed the form and amended it, then handed it back to her friend. “Here you go.”

Janet studied Brooke for a long moment, then smirked. “You got your sights on someone?” She turned and looked around to see what could possibly have Brooke so distracted.

“Well, I…uhm…I…uh…” Brooke stuttered, not knowing what to say. “I was just trying to hurry and help you out.” She took her fork and played with the salad in front of her. “You know, friends do that sometimes for no reason at all.” Brooke paused for a second, then said it again, keeping it fresh in Janet’s mind. “Help other friends out, that is.”

Seeing no one that stood out in the room, Janet looked back to the paper in her hands. After skimming over it, the professor quickly ran through her students in her mind. “Hmm…I’ve got several that could fill this request.”

A strained look at being casual brought a flash of blues eyes up to meet the intently watching hazel ones. “Oh, yeah?” Brooke saw the look on her friend’s face and let her eyes gaze back to her plate. “Well, I definitely want a senior. You know, someone who’s almost done with college.”

“You got plans for them afterward, Brooke?” Janet paused when she saw the dark-haired woman stop in mid motion as she raised the fork to her mouth. “I’ve got a wonderful computer nerd, Brandon and then there’s always Cory. He’s great with graphics and then there’s…”

“Ah…” Brooke swallowed hard knowing that these names were not the one she wanted to hear, “I was thinking it might be someone with a strong musical background.”

“Music?” Janet said, rather amused. “Oh, yeah, that is what Brownstone is all about,” she teased the executive, “…isn’t it?” The long time friend quickly let the teasing drop when she saw the familiar raised eyebrow. “Music, huh?” Janet got back to the business at hand. “Now, that could be a problem.”

“Problem?” Brooke’s voice cracked as she tried to hide her concern. “Why?”

“Have you heard what the kids listen to these days?” Janet looked to the heavens and shook her head. “It’s trash, garbage, noise…not like in our day.”

The raised eyebrow made another appearance as Brooke leveled her gaze at Janet. “Should I remind you who produces some of that music, my dear professor?” There was a long moment of silence before both women seated at the table and let out a round of laughter.

“Oops, I guess I kind of forgot,” Janet hid her face behind a napkin, then wiped her mouth with it and laughed some more.

“Seriously Janet,” Brooke leaned on the table with her elbows, looking her friend in the eye. “I don’t want someone who just listens to music. I want someone who believes in it.” The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes, “I could care less about the graphics and computer use of it all. I want someone who is going to want to do this…to live and breathe music…to make it be their life.” Brooke sat back in her chair. “If they’re not happy with it, then I won’t be happy with their work.”

Janet was impressed at the dedication Brooke demanded of herself and those who would work for her. “Wow! You were always the kind who had deep feelings for everything that you did. I remember that now.” The woman paused, then slowly started shaking her head. “And you want me to find you the same kind of student? You’ve got to be kidding. These youngsters won’t even commit to a date for next week and you…”

“I don’t want a younger version of me, just…” Brooke interrupted her friend, “…someone close…someone that…” The tall woman suddenly became distracted with the sight of a familiar blonde who walked into the room.

“Ah…so, you want someone that…” Janet noticed that Brooke’s eyes were tracking someone as they crossed the room. Turning in her chair, the professor smiled seeing one of her students headed in her direction. “Maybe you just need to interview them yourself, Brooke. In fact, why don’t we? Here’s one of my students now.” Janet turned back to the table and looked at the growing smile on Brooke’s face.

Brooke hadn’t heard a word that Janet was saying. The executive’s mind was on other, more important things at the moment once her eyes met with those familiar green orbs. God, doesn’t she just look fantastic? Man, what I wouldn’t give to be with her right now…and to think that I dropped her off just a few hours ago. Sam, you can wave all you want to me as long as it’s a hello wave and not good-bye.

Pushing her chair back, Janet stood up, waving at the blonde to get her attention. “Here, let me introduce you to one of them. Sam…” she called out and waved again, getting the girl’s attention. “Oh Sam, can you come here for a few seconds?”

The blonde pointed to her chest and watched the professor nod. She headed for the table, as she drank in the image of her tall lover who was getting up and stood at the table to greet her. Sam pulled her attention away from Brooke long enough to be polite. “Yes, Mrs. Humphreys?” Out of the corner of her eye, the young woman caught the wink that Brooke had just given her and couldn’t help but smile.

“Now this,” Janet turned back to look at Brooke, “…is one of my senior students.”

Curious, Sam mouthed out to her lover what was on her mind. “What are you doing here?”

Brooke grinned and waited for the woman to direct her attention back to Sam. She then shrugged, blowing her a discreet kiss.

“Sam…”

“Yes,” the blonde focused once again on her teacher when her name was called.

“Sam, this is Brooke Gordon. She’s one of my oldest friends,” Janet turned to look over at the tall woman and chuckled. She watched as, oddly enough, Brooke pulled out a chair and offered it to the student.

“Honestly, Janet…” Brooke smiled as Sam took the seat offered to her. “…We already know each other. She’s ah…she’s C.C.’s roommate this year.”

Sam glanced at the dark-haired woman then smiled, gazing back at her instructor. “Yeah, that’s right. I room at the dorm with C.C.”

Surprised by the revelation but not letting that show, Janet took a seat as well, “So, you know each other? Well, that might be good.” She directed her next question to Sam. “Maybe you can answer a few of Brooke’s questions then?” She turned to look at a completely at ease woman resting her chin in her hand as she gazed at the blonde.

“So…” Brooke chose her topic, then asked, and “How was class today?”

Sam smiled innocently, “Not bad, although, I can’t seem to keep my eyes open on Monday mornings.” The blonde giggled, then realized that she’d just left one of Humphreys’ courses not an hour ago. Turning quickly to the professor at the table, she amended her answer. “It’s not you or your class Mrs. Humphreys, it’s ah…I just don’t seem to get enough sleep on the weekends.” Green eyes darted to blue then settled back on her professor.

Brooke felt compelled to offer her suggestion, even if she did tease her lover. “Maybe you should start sleeping a bit more at night…or go to bed earlier.” Brooke looked to Sam, waiting for an answer.

“I’m amazed, Brooke.” Janet noticed the rapport the two had. “You sound like she’s another sister of yours or something.”

“Sorry,” the musician turned her focus to Janet. “What were you saying?”

“Ah…Professor,” Sam spoke up. “What did you want, exactly?”

“Well, I wanted your views on music.” Janet sat back and folded her hands on the table. “What do you think of it?”

Brooke caught the blonde’s eyes, then gave a little wiggle to her eyebrows in challenge.

“Hmm…” Sam looked from one woman to the other. “I know that music is a way to express one’s self. That if you let it, it can take you away to worlds that can be…uh…” the blonde shrugged, “…exciting and filled with emotion.”

Janet glanced over to Brooke, noticing the smile that graced her face, her eyes riveted on to Sam’s every word.

“It’s a kind of outpouring of the heart,” Sam continued, then looked down into her lap, where her hands were resting, in a moment of shyness, as she grew quiet. Surprised by the sensation of Brooke’s familiar touch as the tall woman gave her lover a comforting squeeze, Sam glanced up at the dark-haired woman. The blonde quickly slipped her hand away trying to keep her mind concentrated on her answer. She tapped on the table with her finger, then shrugged. “I guess that’s it.”

“Hmm…interesting.” Janet voiced her opinion. “What do you think, Brooke? You’re in that industry.”

“I…uh…I’d have to agree with her, Janet. She’s completely…” Brooke placed her hand on the table and drew forms with her finger on the tablecloth, “…completely right with her perceptions of what music is all about. For that matter, what life is all about.” The dark-haired woman glanced from Sam to Janet, then back down at the table. “Well, at least in my opinion it is.”

The professor watched as Brooke’s penless doodling brought her closer and closer to where the young blonde’s arm rested on the table. Just when Janet anticipated the interception of one hand with the other, Brooke pulled back, letting it end with a gentle pat on Sam’s hand.

Seeing the puzzled, but slightly amused face of her instructor, Sam shifted in her chair. “Ah…Professor Humphreys…” she waited for the woman’s attention, “I’ve got a class in a few minutes, is that all you needed from me?”

“Well…” Janet rubbed her chin, studying her long time friend. “I ah…I think that’s all I need.” She waved her hand at the blonde. “Thanks, Sam. You’ve told me enough. Maybe I’ll finally be able to make some sense out of my friend here.” She motioned to Brooke and nodded.

“I was glad I could…ah…help.” Sam answered cautiously, then stood up to leave. “I’ll see you later for class then, Mrs. Humphreys.” She turned toward Brooke and nodded, “Brooke.”

The tall woman reached out to stop Sam as she turned away to leave. “Ah, Sam?” Brooke watched as green eyes gazed back at her. “When you see my sister, C.C.,” she intensified her gaze, “…give her my love.”

She watched as Sam nodded with a knowing smile that the message was for her and not C.C. Suddenly Brooke realized that her face was conveying the love that was in her heart. It was right then, she knew she had screwed up. Her mind flashed with the image of the same look she had seen in her parents’ faces after that toast. She wiped the beaming smile from her face, then sank slowly back into her chair as she visually followed the blonde on her way out of the room. Seeing Sam stop short at the door and wave back at her, Brooke sighed, then closed her eyes waiting for the inquisition to begin.

Janet studied her old friend for a long moment, then asked. “So, are you going to tell me what that was all about or do I have to guess?”

“Uh…what?” The executive bit nervously at her lip. “What are you talking about?” Brooke’s eyes darted around the plates on the table, never rising to look her friend in the eye.

“You,” Janet chuckled at Brooke’s nervous stalling, “You big fraud. Remember, I’ve known you since birth.” The professor lowered her voice. “Does she know that you’re…ah…you know…a lesbian?”

Brooke swallowed hard, “Yeah, she knows.” Oh, how well she knows me, Janet? You’d be surprised.

The woman sat back in her chair. “I keep forgetting how open you and your family are. So, tell me, Brooke did it shock her?”

Suddenly Brooke wasn’t hungry and she pushed her plate away. “No.”

“Hmm…I figured as much.” Janet leaned forward, “She’s a pretty open-minded kid.” The professor smiled, “I bet C.C.’s happy to have her.”

“I…ah…yeah, I guess so. They seem to get along great.”

“Good thing, with those rooms being so small and all.” Janet shook her head. “Jeez, I don’t see how two of them could be sharing one room without being really close,” she smirked as she watched for Brooke’s reaction.

“Well…” Brooke rolled her shoulders, unconsciously. “C.C. has had no trouble with her and Sam isn’t there on the weekends.”

“I bet.” Janet watched Brooke intently. “Sam always seems so accommodating.”

“Accommodating?” The lone eyebrow raised in question.

“You mean you haven’t noticed?” Janet winked. “I see the two of them on campus a lot. Makes me think that they could be joined at the…uh…hip or something.” She watched as Brooke’s expression changed.

“No, it’s not like that with C.C., Janet.”

“Are you sure?”

“They’re just best friends…” Brooke defended them. “I’m positive.”

“Say, wasn’t it about this age that you came out of the closet?

“Well, yeah…but C.C.’s not…they’re not…”

“And just how would you know about how Sam spends her weekends? Hmm…?” Janet smiled knowingly at Brooke and waited for her suspicions to be confirmed.

“Well, I…uh…I…” the executive realized that she couldn’t hide it any longer and she let her shoulders slump forward as she uttered her last word, “Busted?”

The professor nodded, “Most definitely busted.” Janet picked up the form that was lying on the table and shoved it into her purse. “Well, that’s one less to fret over.”

“What?” Blues eyes flashed with worry.

“Why should I worry about placing her when you’ve obviously already made my mind up for me.”

Fearing that her worse nightmare was about to come true, Brooke looked down at the table and confided in her friend. “You know, I wasn’t going to ask for you to let her work for me. I…uh…was just hoping that…” Brooke swallowed hard, “…I don’t know. You’d keep her in the area at least.”

“Hmm…” Janet leaned in and stared at the woman across from her.

“I uh…I know that she could be placed anywhere.” Brooke took in a breath and let it out, then repeated the word, looking into Janet’s gaze. “Anywhere for the entire semester and…”

The professor locked gazes with her friend. “Well, Brooke, this sheds a whole new light on things. I’m going to have to really think about this before I make any kind of decision as to where I place her now.”

“Janet, you know that I’d be fair. I wouldn’t let her just ride out the term…because we are…” Brooke hesitated when she saw the stern look on the woman’s face. “Awe, fuck,” Brooke muttered under her breath as she leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes to the pain. I am so sorry, Sam. God, why does it have to hurt so bad?

“Do you still want to offer the internship, if Sam’s not the one to get it?” Janet held out the form in her hand. “Brooke, I need to know that you’ll honor your word and treat whoever I send you with the utmost dignity and respect. I’ll need to know that you’ll teach them and be a mentor without any malice because of the outcome.” The professor waited as Brooke thought for a moment, then slowly nodded her head.

“Yeah, I’ll honor the offer. I gave you my word when I signed the form.”

“You know, Brooke, I could really care less but how would it look to anyone else? I mean… I don’t really care if you hired her right out of school and spent every free moment in your office doing whatever it is that you do together. But right now…it’s still my turf. It’s my call. Think of the field day that the papers would have it they found out that, after knowing you two are involved, I placed her in your employ for her internship.”

“All that I’m asking, is for you to give Sam the best placement that she deserves. I’m not asking it for me. I’m asking that for her. She deserves to have the mentor that will teach her the most and offer her the challenges that she needs in order to grow.” Sad blue eyes looked up, locking onto Janet’s face. “I know that even if you’d take yourself out of the picture and let someone else do the placing, I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell to have her be matched up with my company. But I’m willing to take it…I’m more than willing to take that chance, Janet.” Brooke sighed, then muttered half to herself, “I have to…I love her too much to just let her walk out of my life.”

The brunette looked over to the pathetic looking woman who sat on the edge of Sam’s bed, as she slowly rocked back and forth, deep in thought. This was a pensive, almost despairing, side of Brooke that was rarely seen. C.C. knew that something had happened. The only thing that she needed to know was what, before she could try to help.

“So, you’re all bummed out about what, Sis?” C.C. continued selecting her outfit for the evening from her closet as she tried to figure out what was troubling Brooke. “You look like you just lost your best set of drums in a card game.” The brunette glanced over to Brooke, but there was no change in her demeanor. “You got some trouble at work?

The sulking woman knew that once C.C. started prying, she’d never stop. Her and that damn inquiring mind. I might as well tell her. God, how am I going to tell Sam? Brooke felt her heart quicken with the thought as the ache grew within her chest. She swallowed hard and started slowly. “I…I just had lunch with Janet.”

“Janet, eh?” C.C. noticed the ashen appearance to her normally healthy looking sister and decided to take the lighter approach. “It’s not your birthdays again, is it? Or are you two just planning something bigger than your usual night on the town this year?”

The dark-haired woman lifted her eyes to her sister’s concerned face. “Yeah, Janet…” Brooke mumbled, “…and no to the second part.”

C.C. took the sweater off its hanger and held it up to her as she made her mind up about it. “Something up with her? She’s not ill is she?”

“No…she’s ah…”

“Divorce…new baby…what?” The brunette shifted her eyes to her sister.

“She’s Sam’s Public Relations Professor.” The words tumbled dryly out of Brooke’s mouth as though it was the key to some hidden treasure.

“Humph…” C.C. smirked, “Imagine that. Small world, huh?”

Pensive blue eyes studied the brunette for a moment before revealing more of her life for the woman to see. “I signed the paperwork to accept an intern at Brownstone for the semester.”

The young woman let out a laugh. “I bet Janet had a good laugh at that one. Imagine you, Ms. I’ll-Do-It-Myself mentoring someone.” C.C. shook her head at the thought. The young woman turned in time to see her sister rolling her eyes at the perceived concept that everyone had of the musician. “So, who are you hoping for?”

Brooke took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out before she spoke. “Honestly?” She looked up to C.C.’s concerned gaze. “Sam.” Brooke bit back on her lower lip as the events of the shared meal came rushing through her head once more. When the snippet of replay froze on the entrance of blonde hair, the tall woman leaped up from the bed and started to pace using only a few long, legged steps to cover the entire length of the dorm room. “Oh God, C.C., I was talking to Janet while we were eating lunch at the Student Union and Sam showed up.”

Brown eyes followed the woman back and forth for a moment before curiosity got the better of her. Tossing the clothing in her hand to her bed, C.C. stepped closer to her sister as the woman started her turn. “And…?” C.C. looked up, seeing the terror in her sister’s eyes. “Scoop, girl, scoop. You know us inquiring minds, we’ve got to know.”

The older woman stood perfectly silent, as the continuously running scene played out in her head again.

Desperate to know, C.C.’s mind began to come up with possible scenarios of the meeting. “What the hell did you do? Kiss Sam?” Then another scenario caught her attention and the woman’s brown eyes grew bigger. The brunette took hold of her sibling’s shoulders and shook her. “Good God, Brooke…tell me you two didn’t clear the table in the middle of the Student Union and…and…”

“I might as well have,” the whispered words showed the numbness of Brooke’s soul. “I think I blew it. Janet knows about Sam now.”

Questioning eyes searched the tall woman’s face for answers. “She knows what…that Sam’s gay? Brooke, she doesn’t hide it. Everyone knows she’s gay. She told me the first night we roomed together. She’s not ashamed of it.”

Brooke closed her eyes and bit back on her lower lip.

Sensing that Sam’s sexual preference was not the issue here, C.C. sought more answers for her inquisitive mind. “Okay, so that’s not it. Come on, Brooke, I need more to go on than lip biting.” The brunette crossed her arms in front of her chest and cocked her head to the side. “Let’s start from the beginning then. How did you explain knowing Sam to Janet?”

“Well, she already knew that you two were friendly and…” Brooke cast her eyes to the floor, then nervously glanced up at C.C.’s face. “And…” she shook her head, “Oh Hell, I don’t know…” the tall woman pushed past her sister and sat back down on Sam’s bed. “I guess she could tell by the look on my face.”

“Whoa!” C.C. spun around to face her sister. “I thought you wanted to tell the world about the two of you. Is this one of those double standard things? You know, okay for the family but not anyone else. Brooke if you’re worried about what you’re friends might say…”

Blue orbs flashed faster than the glitter of a rare jewel being hit by the sun for the first time. “I do want everybody to know.” Brooke’s chest shot out and her shoulders squared for the first time since she’d arrived at the dorm. “I’m not ashamed of Sam or the fact that we’re lovers. It’s just that…” the woman paused, then vocalized what really was on her mind. “Now, I don’t know what Janet’s going to think about the whole intern thing. I wasn’t really asking for Sam. I just wanted to know how good the chances are of keeping her in the area.” Brooke looked at her sister in earnest. “You know, if there’s anything good enough for her here.”

There was a moment of silence, then Brooke confided in her sister. “C.C., I don’t think I’d survive being away from her for five months.”

The brunette studied the pathetic looking face on her sister and sat down on the bed with her. “Sis…” C.C. patted her sister’s hand. “I’m sorry to say it…but I think you just sent your girl to Siberia.”

The woman let her chin drop to her chest, uttering a single word, “Great.” There was a long drawn out moment of silence, then Brooke’s deep voice rumbled out her thoughts. “Thanks for making me feel better, Chase.” Unaware of the door opening up into the room, she shook her head, then mumbled ambiguously. “I really fucked this up.”

The small blonde dynamo bustled into the room and whirled around to see Brooke and C.C. sitting on her bed. “Hey, now what can be so bad?”

Two pairs of Gordon family eyes lifted to meet the serendipitous woman who had just entered the room, but only one chose to speak. “Hi, Sweetheart.”

The lackluster response of her lover caught Sam’s attention and she quickly remembered the words that she had heard as she came through the doorway. “Fucked what up, Hon?” Sam’s eyes were full of concern for her loved one. “Did you lose out on a new band?”

Sam sat her armful of books down on the desk, then moved over toward Brooke and placed a gentle hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Not talking, huh?” She leaned down, then looked into Brooke’s eyes and wondered what was wrong.

The blonde studied her lover’s face for a moment then glanced over to C.C., getting the impression that there was more going on than she knew about. Sam leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Brooke’s head, then moved back toward her stack of books on the desk. “So, what was that whole thing with Humphreys about…? You know, I just about died when I saw you there in the Student Union, when I was cutting through for my next class.”

“Well, I…ah…”

“Hey,” Sam turned around and took a step closer to her bed so that she could touch her hip against Brooke’s shoulder, then leaned down and whispered in her ear. “It really did make my day go faster.” Sam winked and gave her another quick kiss but this time on her cheek.

The stunned woman touched her check, feeling for the kiss, hoping that it would not be the last one she would share with Sam, once she found out her misfortune. Mustering all the courage that she could, Brooke admitted, “Sam…I think I just screwed up royally.”

“Huh?” Sam looked to her lover. “Would you care to explain that a little more in detail?”

“Janet and I met for lunch and well…” Brooke took in deep breath.

“Hey,” Sam rubbed Brooke’s hand with her own. “If you’re worried about introducing me as C.C.’s roomie, I understand.”

“You noticed, huh?” Blue eyes darted to green. “I just wanted to see how good the chances are for you to intern in the area…” Brooke paused. “You know, one that would be perfect for you and…well…” she shrugged her shoulders. “Your Professor knows about us now. I guess it was that look on my face that gave it away when I asked you to tell C.C. that I loved her.”

“Well…you know what I say.” Sam wrapped her arm around Brooke and gave her a squeeze. “I say that I don’t care who knows. I thought we were clear on this, Hon.”

“Yeah, but…I also signed the paperwork to accept an intern…” she looked over to Sam, hoping that she would understand. “Now, C.C. thinks you’re going to be sent to Siberia.”

“Ah…You’re giving someone a chance.” Sam thought for a moment, suddenly realizing her lover’s hopeful intentions. “Oh…oh, I see.” The blonde pursed her lips deep in thought then verbalized them. “C.C. doesn’t think that your friend will keep me here now…huh?” She studied her lover, then got up and walked a step or two away. “Brooke…answer me two questions, okay?”

“Well, yeah. You know I will, Sam.” Brooke’s brow furrowed as she contemplated what they might be.

“I know that Humphreys is married, but did she ever…I mean…when you were younger…have a crush on you or try to date you?”

“No,” the answer came without Brooke having to even think about it. “Why would you even think such a thing? Sam, Darlin’, you know that you’re the only one who captured my heart.”

Sam looked to C.C. seeing the mirrored denial on her face. “I know.” Sam’s softly spoken words showed her sorrow for having to ask the question. “I…I was just trying to figure out where the Professor was coming from.” She gazed into Brooke’s face, hoping to be forgiven. “Okay, now for the second question. If she’s your friend, wouldn’t Janet want to see you happy?”

“Yeah…” Brooke nodded. “I would hope so.”

“Well, why worry about it?” Sam shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. “She’ll make the right decision Brooke, face it.”

“But you didn’t hear the whole…” Brooke raised her hands and used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air. “How would everybody react if they found out that she knew about us and kept you here?”

“Brooke, Honey…” Sam tried to reason with her, “…it’s out of our hands, whichever way it goes.”

Sighing, Brooke finally nodded in agreement. “I know. I’m sorry, Sam.”

“Hey, I appreciate the thought.” The blonde smiled radiantly just thinking about working side by side with her lover. “If it happens that I would get assigned to your company, we’ll just be the professionals that I know we can be.” Sam cleared her throat, “And what we do in our spare time…well…” the young woman smiled lecherously at Brooke, “…that is for us to know.”

Overcome with the biggest grin that she thought her face could ever have, Brooke’s mood changed dramatically as she got up from the bed and wrapped strong, loving arms around the blonde. “I love you, Sam.” She gazed into the woman’s eyes for only a moment before she was compelled to give actions to her emotions and slowly brought their lips together in a kiss.

After the kiss ended, Brooke shyly chuckled.

“What?” Sam’s eyes searched her lover’s face.

“You know, I never did get dessert after lunch with Janet.” Dark eyebrows wiggled a time or two, and then Brooke’s smile grew bigger as her one eyebrow temptingly challenged her mate.

C.C. sat there on Sam’s bed watching the romantic little interlude play out right before her very eyes until she dreaded what might be next. “Ah…” the brunette jumped up from the bed. “Well, look at that.” She tapped her totally absorbed sister on the shoulder. “Why don’t we all go out for dinner? Then you can have dessert, while I study in the library. Hmmm…?” Brown eyes sparkled at the thought of her idea and she tried to move her sister toward the door.

“That’s just like you, Chase.” Brooke shook her head as she still maintained eye contact with Sam. “You’re always thinking with your stomach.”

“Hey, if it was my stomach that I was thinking with, Sis, I’d send out for a pizza and stay home.”

Brooke turned her head toward her sister. “Oh…excuse me. Let me rephrase that.” Blue eyes glared at the brunette. “Just like you Chase, always thinking with my wallet.” Brooke showed her sister a contemptuous grin, thinking that she’d hit the nail on the head.

Undaunted in her effort, C.C. reached for the door while still tugging on Brooke’s sleeve. “Well, that…and my roomie.” The brunette rolled her eyes and smiled. “Come on, Brooke, we all know how much better you perform on a full stomach.” C.C. winked at the blonde and then took off running through the now opened door.