I think this might be a possible oneshot. I don't know if it'll work. Please read and review.

Abby knew she lost him the day Brittany came back from the UK. She knew it when he dropped her hand and rushed towards the blonde woman. She knew it when he gave up on everything he believed in just because the she pouted.

She was everything Abby couldn't be; kind, soft spoken, and beautiful. She was everything Dan wanted in a woman.

"Abs, she's his best friend, there's nothing you can do." Abby turns to her best friend, Emma.

Her unspoken question is answered when Emma gives another sigh, "I'm his sister, like it or not, I know."

"I've been with him for the past 10 years, I'm not going to be thrown away like this."

Emma gives her a pitying look.

"Let me do this, I'll give up if it doesn't work."

Emma looks worried before she finally nods her head. "Good luck."

"Abs, come 'ere."

Abby hides the shiver of excitement she got just from hearing his voice. She clears her throat once before answering, "What happened?"

He looks practically buried in his pile of paperwork. "What should I do? I need to prepare a speech at tomorrow's party. I wrote one before but Britt said it was utter crap. I asked her to help me but she wasn't free."

She hides her clenched hands behind her skirt. He wouldn't have asked her if Brittany didn't have time for him.

She shakes herself out of it, and holds her hand out, "Gimme, I'll look over it."

He hands her the paper and sends her a boyish grin before walking away, "You're the best, I knew there was a reason why I love you."

She stares after his broad back, before she's rudely smacked on the back. She rips her eyes away from Dan. "I needed that."

"Get over him." is all Emma says before she walks away from her.

Abby pushes her wandering thoughts out of her mind and grips the paper. She scoffs. When had he ever told her he loved her just because he wanted to?

It was clear as day how much space she stood in his heart when he chose Brittany over her again. On the day she needed him most. The day where he and a selected few knew how hard it was for her, her parent's death anniversary. And he left her on the streets just because of one call from Brittany.

She closes her eyes, pretending she doesn't see the pity on her best friend's, avoiding the concerned looks Matt was giving her.

"Why can't I have that much hold on him?" Abby asks, once she's steadily buried in Matt's arms.

She knows he's hesitating to answer, to defend Dan, Matt was Dan's younger brother after all. "She's Brittany."

"What if I could-"

"Don't." Matt was quick to interrupt, "Don't do it." He sounds desperate. "Don't do this to yourself. You know he loves Brittany. No one can change him except her."

"Why can't I? I've been with him for 10 years. Doesn't that at least amount to something?"

He presses her head closer to his shoulder, softly stroking his hair. "He loves her." The words are spoken quietly and simply, but it stabs her straight in the heart. She knows that. She's known that since the day Brittany came back.

She remembers the first time she saw the bracelet. It was beautiful; elegant and flawless. Her hands involuntarily moved to the bracelet but was quickly pushed away.

Her eyes quickly snapped from the bracelet to the man obstructing her way to the bracelet. Blue eyes and sunkissed hair. Dan.

"Don't touch it." The bracelet is quickly tucked and locked away.

"Sorry," she mumbles out quickly.

As if apologizing for snapping at her, he explains that he's keeping it for the woman he believes that he'll have a future with.

She's never seen the bracelet ever since, but she remembers it clearly as if it was yesterday.

"No." His voice is calm and unaffected.

"I just want to see it." She begs, "I won't touch it. I promise I won't even breath on it."

"I told you, no." He sounds annoyed, brows pinched together.

"Do you not trust me?"

He knows he trusts her, he knows if he shows her the bracelet, nothing would happen to it. "I trust you."

"Then show me the bracelet."

There's a nagging feeling in his brain, screaming at him, telling him to show it to her. The bracelet is already on his desk, nestled safely in the dark red box but he shakes his head anyway. "I need to get ready."

He thinks he sees a flash of something in her eyes; maybe sadness or defeat. It's gone when he blinks so he pushes the thoughts and her out of his office.

"I'm not going out 'til you let me see it." She resists, pushing against him. They scuffle childishly against each other.

The door opens and Matt stares at both of them, Brittany by his side.

Dan recovers first and instantly drops his arms, the arms that were wrapped around her. "It's not what it seems."

Matt looks straight at her, his grey eyes piercing through hers. If his eyes weren't a different color, he'd pass as Dan's twin brother. It was unnerving seeing so much concern in someone who looked like an exact copy of Dan.

The hustle and bustle in the office seems to fade away and she can't seem to tear her eyes away from Matt's.

"Abby?" she widens her eyes when she realized Brittany was calling for her attention.

"Sorry, my brain just wandered away from me."

Brittany lets out a delicate and feminine giggle. "It's ok, it happens to me too." This was why there was no way Abby could hate the blonde girl; she was too nice. "I was asking why you were in Dan's office."

Before Abby could open her mouth to answer, Dan quickly slaps his hand over her mouth. "She was just leaving."

Seconds later, she's standing by Matt, door shut in her face, Brittany's giggle drifting from behind the closed door.

"What's in that red box?" She hears Brittany asking, knowing she was asking about the bracelet she'd been trying to get him to show her since she last saw it.

Abby let's out a laugh, it sounds bitter, even to her own ears.

Matt wordlessly pulls her into his arms.

Defeated. Crushed. Vanquished. Creamed.

Those were all the words that ran through her head when Dan walked into the room, Brittany, grinning winningly in his arm. The bracelet, forbidden for anyone, glittering on her wrist.

A mirthless laugh escapes from her lips. It was time for her to give up. She hadn't even stood a chance against the blonde beauty.

The looks Emma gives her when Dan reads the speech Abby had written for him don't escape her notice. The crowd loves it; laughing at the right places, clapping and hooting when he finishes.

The awkward hug and the whispered thanks he gives her feels like a slap to the face. The fact he practically runs back to Brittany after the hug feels likes another slap to the face.

The feeling of running overwhelms her but she shakes her head and pretends that everything is okay for the rest of the evening. The tears threaten to show themselves to the whole world but she blinks them away, Emma would be there in an instant yelling at her for ruining her makeup she had so painstakingly done for her. Maybe she'd cry when she gets home, when she's alone.

She finds courage in the squeezes Matt gives her for the rest of the night, letting him drag her around from conversation to conversation. He doesn't let go of her hand the entire night and she enjoys the feeling.

"He loves you." Emma, always straight to the point.

"Who?" she pretends not to understand.

"Matt."

"That's not true." It comes out whispered and throaty. She knows she's lying to herself. She feels the lingering touches, sees the love in his eyes and hears the careful tones he uses when he talks to her.

The look Emma levels at her tells her she's not successful in lying to her either.

"I…" She trails off, not knowing what she wanted to say.

Emma knows that too, so she lets her off the hook.

"She loves you."

Dan continues to scribble against the white sheet of paper. "Who?"

"Abby." Emma spits out.

The pen stops moving. She knew he was aware of it. She was his sister afterall.

"Does she?" he says it with the same tone he'd use when he'd order lunch.

Emma's hand slams against the table, disrupting the pile of neatly stacked paper on his desk.

He looks up, seemingly exasperated. "What do you want?"

"If you're going to moon over Brittany, do it. But if you hurt Abby, brother or not, I will hurt you back."

"When have done anything to warrant this?"

"You knew she loved you." He opens his mouth to retort but she continues on. "Everyone sees it. She's been at your side for so many years, at your beck and call. She's been there when our father left us, for all of us. She's been there helping you write your speeches ever since you got the job. She's been there supporting your shitty ideas, even when everyone knows they're crap. And what do you do? Throw her aside once Brittany comes back."

His mouth snaps shut.

She gives a satisfied smirk, places an envelope on his desk. "It's from your secretary, she's quitting."

He runs his hand through his hair, annoyance schooling his features.

"It's your third one this month. You can't expect them to do all the work you give them." Emma stabs a finger at the desk outside his office, "Only Abs could stand being your slave."

She grabs her bag to leave, finished saying everything she needed to say.

She stops at the door and turns toward him, "Matt loves her, you know."

She doesn't stay to see his dumbfounded face.

She watches as Brittany places her hand on Dan's shoulder, like it always belonged there. In a way, it always had, reserved especially for her. The bracelet he had forbidden her to touch, even look at again, once again sparkling on her wrist.

"Abby, help me with my speech?"

She looks incredulously at both of them. "I-"

"Can't." There is a weird shiver of excitement that goes through her when she hears the deep, baritone voice. "She's going out with me."

Before she can open her mouth to tell Dan that it's a lie, Matt pulls her out of the office and out of the building. She lets him because part of her wants to spend time with Matt and the other part of her wants to believe that she's letting him pull her because she doesn't want to work on Dan's speech.

They jerk to a stop in front of Matt's car, a black Lexus LFA, she'd always been weak against his car.

"Why did you pull me away?"

"You were going to do it. Did you really want to stay?"

"I-" Her eyes stay glued on his car. "I was going to say no."

He scoffs. "You're like an open book, you wear your heart on your sleeves."

"So what if I was going to say yes to him? It's not a sin to help a friend."

"A friend? Are you sure that's all he is to you?"

The tears she hadn't cried last time seems to rush out. "Why do you have to do that." It doesn't come out as the question she wants it to be.

"It's because I-" He hesitates. "You want to drive?"

She accepts because she loves driving his beloved car and because they both knew what he was going to say. Both knew, she wasn't ready to hear it.

Seeing her smile brings a smile to his own lips. He watches her skipping around, from one thing to another.

She had always loved these shops; small craft boutiques.

"Matt, come look." Their earlier argument forgotten, she grabs his hand and tugs. He allows her to drag him across the room towards a wolf origami necklace. "It's cute right?"

He holds up the pig necklace, "This fits you more."

She makes a face at him, "I do not look like a pig."

He chuckles, "I never said that."

She smacks him on the arm, "You did."

A woman approaches them with a grin, "You two are such a cute couple, both of you are so picturesque."

"We-"

A nudge from Matt stops her completely.

The woman grins again, "If you two have time, would you mind terribly if I took a picture to put on the wall?" Their similar masks of confusion prompts the woman to keep speaking, "I work here, and when I see couples having enjoying their time in my shop, I just can't help but want to take pictures of them."

She explains that she wanted them to wear the couple's necklace while they take the photo.

"We aren't-" Abby is once again cut off.

"We don't mind."

Abby whips her head towards Matt. She gives the woman a small smile, "Excuse us for a second."

Once they're out of earshot, Abby whispers frantically, "What are you doing?"

"It's better than embarrassing her by telling her we weren't a couple." He grins, "Plus she's giving us a free necklace, why not?"

She shrugs. It didn't hurt to take a picture.

She fingers the bracelet. It was a cute idea. A interlocking key and lock bracelet and necklace set. The bracelet only to be taken off with the key on the necklace.

The shopkeeper had happily pranced around both of them, snapping photos.

They spend the rest of the time laughing and joking around the store.

"Why do I have to come along?" Emma groans.

Abby smiles at the saleslady as she scurries off to find the correct size. "It's his birthday, I want to find something for him."

"He can buy his own clothes."

She ignores Emma's complaining, browsing through the rest of the hangers. She stops in front of a linen herringbone sport coat.

She pinches the coat between her fingers, smooths her other hand across the material. The image of him wearing the jacket brings a smile to her lips.

"Are you getting this?" All of a sudden, Brittany was right beside her, holding a navy suit in her hands.

She forces the smile to stay on her face, "Yea." She finds the saleslady once again, "Can I get a size 40 of this please?"

Brittany grins, "He'll look amazing in it."

She thinks so too.

"Go out on a date with me."

She blinks at him.

"It's my birthday, shouldn't you at least give me this?"

"I-" She stops. He opens his eyes wide and gives her the puppy dog face. He knew she was defenceless against it. She splutters and looks him in the eye. She sees the hopeful expression on his face and she softens. "I'd like that."

His grey eyes light up instantly and he grabs her around the waist, pulling her off her feet and spinning her in circles.

They are both breathless from laughter when he finally puts her down on her feet.

"You can't go back on your word." She smiles softly when he says it, all innocent, like a little boy.

"Ok."

"Pinky promise."

She giggles but lifts her pinky finger and lets him entwine his around hers.

She recognizes the suit because it's the only one she didn't buy for him. It's the navy blue one Brittany bought.

"Can you help me proofread my notes tomorrow?"

She wants to laugh. When has he ever purposely seeked her out aside from work related things? She could count all the times with one hand.

"I can't."

The papers are in her hand before he realizes what she said, "Why?"

"I'm busy." she answers.

His furrowed brows tells her how confused he is. "Doing what?"

She considers not telling him, but there wasn't a reason to hide it, "I have a date with Matt."

He looks completely befuddled, "Matt, as in my little brother Matt?"

"Yes, Matt, your younger brother."

He narrows his eyes at her, "Why are you going out with him?"

She frowns, what's with the questions, he never cared. "He asked."

"You'd go out with any guy who asks you out?" He spits out, "I never knew you were that type of woman."

"Why are you acting like this? It's Matt, your brother. He's sweet, kind, and everything a woman wants in a man. Even Brittany thinks that we'd be good together."

"Why the hell do you think I'd allow this to happen because Brittany said so?"

She feels irritation rise in her, "When have you not listened to her?" It's his turn to splutter. "You listen to everything she says, I tell you that firing the brooker was a stupid idea and do you listen? No. Why? Because Brittany said so. I tell you to hire the artist for our ads, what do you say? No. Now she's famous, what do we have? No one. Why? Because Brittany didn't like her."

She's panting when she's done. They both lapse into silence.

She feels the anger melting away and starts to regret it.

"Where's the suit jacket you bought?" He sees the hesitance in her and laughs, "I thought it was for me."

Abby fiddles with the papers in her hand.

He speaks up again just when she gets the courage to turn and leave. "Who was it for?"

She doesn't look him in the eyes, "Matt."

He lets out a humorless laugh, "So close, yet so far."

She puts down the papers, "I can't do this anymore. I thought it'd be fine, but I can't."

He stands up so quickly, his chair bangs roughly against the bookshelf behind his desk. The anger on his face contorts his features. She feels a shiver of unease but quickly pushes it away, she's in his office made of glass, he wouldn't do anything to her. He had no right. "You can't just leave like that!"

"Why? What's the point of me staying here with you? Ever since Brittany came back, I was immediately pushed back. My ideas, my feelings and my needs."

"I did no such thing."

She scoffs, "Was there ever a time when you put me before her?"

"I-"

"If I told you I loved you would you have said it back and meant it?" She sneers at him when he doesn't answer, "I knew I could disappear from your life without you even knowing it the day you kicked me out of the office without even showing me the fucking bracelet. Oh, I got to see the bracelet alright, see it glittering on her wrist."

He has the decency to look remorseful. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm the one who's sorry. Sorry for thinking we'd have a future together, sorry to think that you would love me back, sorry to think that you'd choose me over Brittany."

It's only when the door closes behind her, she lets her tears come.

Whew~ I'm done. Do you want another chapter? Or do you want it to end like this? I was thinking of writing another chapter. But I'm not sure if I want her to be with Matt or Dan. :D I think I'm leaning towards Matt, but Dan works too~ :)