I don't wanna be like Cinderella (Open)

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

Brooke was scrolling through a bridal magazine trying to pick out a dress. So many to choose from, so little time. Having picked out the plates, lace, the music, the list, the cake, everything except her dress. Why couldn't she just find the perfect dress right away like she could with everything else? She finished going through it finding nothing that screamed out at her right away. Even after reading what each dress had, she hadn't found the right stuff! She'd written down her favorite pieces to each one, maybe she'd have to get it cousom tailored.

She threw the magazine away and then looked over to where her boss should've been. No matter how mean she was to the guy, he didn't fire her. Of course, she was beautiful and of course she'd be the one who didn't get fired because of looked. What she'd forgotten was that Tom wasn't working today, how had she forgotten? She looked around, no one was there. Maybe everyone was out today. She walked behind the counter and made herself a butterbeer. Oh the joy of peace and quiet. With all the work she'd done for the wedding she hadn't had a moment where everything just stopped. It might kill her moment of joy if someone walked in. Why did peace only come when everything had stopped. She wasn't even sure what was going to happen with this marrige, didn't even know how she was going to react to kids. The only kid she'd really thought was going to grow up great was Julius and she didn't really like him. She kept cursing thinking about how in the world she was going to get along with children.

She finished her glass and washed it. Atleast I earn a steady pay, she thought. The only reason she'd gotten a job here was so she wouldn't have to go back to the orphanage, she hated that place. No one understood her there, it made her feel like a freak. The only time she never felt like that was when she was showing up other teams at cheer competitions across North America. She went up to her room, grabbed another magazine and then started going through it, but heaven forbid she had a 'Cinderella Dress'.

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

Damie decided to drop in and visit Brooke at work. He didn't usually, but he was about to go back to Italy to help out with the war effort on that front for a few weeks. She'd kick his ass when he got home if he didn't give her fair warning first.

He winced at the sound his military-issue boots made on the floorboards of Brooke's place of work. He didn't like them very much; they always made a god-awful noise, but they kept his feet from getting chopped off or something.

He smiled at her across the counter when he got to it, nervously picking at his uniform and offering her the extra set of dog tags that he always kept on him.

"H-hey, Brooke...I'm headed back in the morning," he explained softly.

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

Brooke looked up with a bit of a scowl leaving? He was leaving? They sil all kinds of planning to do! No matter how much they'd gotten done, there was still a lot to do.

"What?" she asked placing more emphasis on the word then she should have, "If you die, I swear, I will kill you again." her Jersey drawl was always placing emphasis on A's and making the way she said some words kind of messed up. "I can't believe you're leaving! Do you know how much is still left to do!? I can't do it by my self and there isn't really anyone who can help me."

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

He sighed and pulled up a chair to sit in front of her, angling his head to scan the page of dresses. He'd reallly wanted to be involved in the wedding-planning process. She was probably furious with him for going back, but he really had no choice. They were fighting a war on two fronts, and he was needed on one of them.

"Brookie, if I die, and you kill me, it won't reallly change much," he pointed out. "I'll still be dead. And I have orders! We're fighting a war on two fronts at the moment, and I'm needed on the Italian front. I'll be back in two, three weeks. Gabe, Jay, Al and Lys ((Talon)) will be with me. Everything will be fine."

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

She started to cry, oh the joy of being good at this. She clenched her fist on the page and almost ripped it out, had to make it look real. She crossed her arms and put her head on them, it really seemed like she was crying.

"B-but how will I get all of this done? I've got so much to do and what happens if you don't come back? All of this will be for nothing!" she cried. Now they were real tears, and her mascara was running.

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

He stared at her blankly when she started crying. Not this again. She did this a lot when he had to go back to Italy; he had issues telling if it was real or not. It was probably safest to assume that she was faking.

"Brooke, I have to do this. It's my job, and I'm proud to be serving Italy. Anyway, I'm sure I'll be back!" he added cheerfully. "My cousins and Gabe are going to be there, too!"

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

Brooke was really crying, she didn't even mean to start really crying. She pulled out a little mirrior out of her pocket and cried even more. Her mascara was running and her eyes were red and puffy.

"Now I look horrible. What if you don't? See the pessimist side of it! How do you think I'll feel?!" she drawled, "Hand me a napkin would you?"

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

He handed her the requested napkin and took her free hand, trying to smile reassuringly. This was the real crying stage where she began to fret over him possibly not coming home. They'd gone over this before. They went over this every time he went away.

"Bambina, you have to have faith that I will come home. I'll be with Gabe; what's the worst that could happen?" he asked.

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

Brooke was in the middle of cleaning off her mascara when she shook her head. Gabe. Even though he was Damien's twin, she didn't like him. She kept crying so she had to keep wiping up mascara.

"So what if you'll be with Gabe, what do I care? For all I know he'll leave you for dead. I just don't want all of the hard work that went into all of this to be for a lost cause. This is the only thing I've really had to look forward to since I was eight." her jersey drawl was so out there and noticeable that anyone who looked in would ask why there was someone with such an accent there.

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

He smiled a little and reached across the table to help her wiping away her tears. Why was everything difficult with this girl? He wished that his family could see the side of Brooke that he did; she really wasn't all that bad...

"Pretty baby, you should say so if you're worried," he chided. "People would think better of you if you were more honest. Gabe is my twin brother; I doubt that he'll leave me for dead."

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

Even though she was crying, she could still pull off a scowl. Holding his hand she brought it to her lips and kissed it. Being worried was for the weak, she wasn't weak. Instead of being worried, or scared she was concerned.

"I'm not worried, I'm concerened, there is a huge difference got it?" she looked sad still but she had a glare on her face. "I am honest... I'm just not picture perfect and super sweet. I'm the girl you don't want to know half the time."

[Damien Voltaire Cavaliere]

"I'm glad I know you," he murmured.

He smiled a little when she kissed his hand. Yep. She was worried; she just didn't want to admit it. One had to be careful when dealing with Brooke. She was such a tempermental woman. He could never be sure when he was stepping outside of his boundries.

[Brooke Alice Barrow]

"You're probably going to be the only one." she scoffed.

She refused to believe she was worried about him never coming home. She knew he would so she wasn't worried, she just had that feeling of it all being worth nothing! She knew it was all going to be for nothing if he never came back.