TITLE: The One About Brooke...

SERIES: Stand Alone

RATING/PAIRING: "R" is safe; Brooke/Josh but read on

AUTHOR/E-MAIL: Snarlsnout@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMERS: Ryan Murphy et al (Characters/settings)

SUMMARY: Brooke/Josh (Vers. 4.0 "Last Tango")

A/N: I think everyone can empathize with the doomed romance that Brooke and Josh had--the writers portrayed them handling it in a mature, believable manner --and I hope I've done the same. I really suck at dialog and I've not written these 2 characters in much detail previously, so please let me know if I've got a handle on them or not, eh? Also, this is the fastest story I've ever cranked out--hope it doesn't show...

Brooke gasped as she felt the last spasm of Josh's orgasm inside her. She clutched him to her as tight as she could; her slender arms and legs entwined around his muscular body.

Josh let out a low groan, or was it a sigh? Brooke felt him softening inside her and loosened her hold as she realized he was trying to discreetly withdraw and remove the condom with least amount of attention drawn  to the act as possible...

He lay beside her now, rapid breaths gradually returning to normal. His face bathed in sweat; the look of sheer exhaustion...She wiped some damp, matted hair back off his face and curled up quietly next to him--close, but not encroaching. She just wanted to study his face. She thought she'd known everything there was to know about him; about herself; about being together, but these few months had changed everything...no, ~sex~ had changed everything...

Finally recovered, Josh opened his eyes and noticed the blonde watching him. She bit her lower lip nervously and downcast her gaze. Josh held out his arm and she cuddled up with her head resting on his shoulder... She listened to his heartbeat and the slight catch in his breathing---

"Brooke...I--it just wasn't there for you, was it?"

She let the silence hang as she contemplated her words...

"B, look if there's something you need--if you want me to do anything different...I mean I'm as new to all this as you are..."

"God Josh, NO! It's not you--you were incredible..."

And the thing was, she really meant that. She must've have put him through 20 different positions trying to find something/anything she felt comfortable with. She was amazed at the athlete's endurance (the self-control of a porn-star as opposed to your basic horny teenager). She knew he really was thinking of her--he'd always thought of her happiness; always been considerate of her feelings. As she'd always tried to be with his. They'd been together since the 8th grade; shared everything together, in a lot of ways they were best friends; experiencing everything they'd been through only with each other. Could that bond between them withstand this?

"Brooke, I love you--if you're not satisfied--it diminishes it for me too...You say it's not me---"

"So it must be ME?!?" she asked surprised.

"N-n-no baby--I know you're giving me all you're capable of right now...I-I meant, is there s-someone else?"

Wow--there it was...Brooke had always loved that quality in Josh: sometimes he could be as dense as box of rocks, but other times (usually when she least wanted to deal with it!) he could cut straight to the heart of the matter...

"Josh, I...I'm really not sure...I've been having these weird thoughts lately and...well, haven't you ever wondered? Aren't you curious what it would be like with someone else... someone who could fully appreciate all you have to offer?"

"Well, actually..."

(What? That was a rhetorical question you idiot! Way to complicate the issue Brooke!) the blonde chagrined herself.

"...you know Sam, right? McPherson?" Josh stammered.

"Step-sister? Heinous hair? Appalling fashion sense? And a personality to match? Lives like one room over?"

"Well...she had this really big crush on me for a while..."

(Sam? Sam doesn't like boys!--Sam doesn't like ~anyone~!)

"Well...I was always nervous around her--like how should I act, you know? So I started talking to one of her friends about it--Lily? (Brooke blinks, Josh stumbles forward) Anyway, she clued me in on a lot of things and...and we really hit it off...I mean, soon we were talking about everything..."

"W-w-wait...you want to date Lily Espisto? That tree-hugger girl? She is kind of cute, I suppose...I just didn't think she'd be your type..."

"C'mon Brooke, don't go all Nicole on me--you're the one who's always complaining about being judged superficially--you've taught me to look for the substance...not just style."

"So what about Sam? Is she not substantial enough for you? My God, with her total lack of surface, she must be...deep" Brooke flubbed the metaphor; too confused to think straight. "Too be honest, I could see Lily and ~Sam~ together before the two of you..."

"Actually, according to Lily, she's interested in someone else now..."

"Harrison" Brooke stated, then wavering "or maybe that new guy...George?"

"Um, I think you were probably closer the first time... Hey! I've said too much already--but from what I've been picking up on lately...it's probably a mutual thing..."

"Well good. Now everybody's got somebody but me..." Brooke muttered. Adrift in a sudden wave of melancholy, she pulled the covers up over her. "Maybe I should ask the all-knowing Sam McPherson for some advise on ~my~ love-life..."

"Maybe you should, B..." Josh began, mustering his courage, "Maybe she's exactly the person you should be talking to about it..."

"H-h-how did you know?" Brooke whispered; flabbergasted.

"I may not know a lot Brooke, but I know you. Sometimes I think we know each other better than we do ourselves..."

"What should I do Josh?" Brooke asked, agreeing with the observation.

"I really think it might be there for you B...and it's not that easy to find--look how long we've been working at it..." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and smiled a bittersweet smile as they both acknowledged the turning point.

"I think we found a little bit of it" she smiled radiantly and kissed his cheek, "I know I'll always cherish it..."

"Me too," he replied craddling her in his arms, each accepting this new, altered bond between them...the comfort level only increasing as they let go of all the sexual tension that had been dividing them the last few months...

"Sam McPherson..." Brooke sighed. "God, we're so different ...do you think she's...attractive?

"Hell yea! I'd totally do her--er, um, if I was a lesbian I mean..."

"And you and Lily, huh?" Brooke teased.

"Sure. Maybe we could double-date sometime...or not..." Josh ventured, uncertain whether the blonde's scowl warranted defensive manoeuvres, but then pushing his luck--"And Brooke, if it doesn't work out for you and Spam, you're always welcome to come experiment with Lily and me..."

Brooke rolled her eyes, groaned loudly at the tasteless joke and pulled the covers over her head...

"Well?" Josh poked the lump in the ribs until he'd solicited the anticipated giggles. "Well? What--no return invitation!?! Where's the love now, McQueen? Huh?" He continued, soon joining Brooke in hysterical laughter...

In the next room, Sam momentarily contemplated knocking on the wall--as if that banging headboard hadn't been torturous enough; she would not endure 2 hours of giggly, lovey-dovey afterglow...She slipped her headphones back on and cranked the volume...

The End