Title: It Feels Like Home To Me

Summary: Life has never been better for Lucas Scott. He's a successful NBA player for the LA Lakers and his fiancee Peyton Sawyer is pregnant with their first child. Things couldn't get any better, right? So when his publicist Lindsey calls him to tell him that his latest book has been made into a movie and he needs to direct it, he decides to pack up his life and head back to where it all started: Tree Hill. Brooke has been living in New York City for the last seven years when she decides its time to head back home. What happens when she comes face to face with the man that broke her heart all those years ago?

Genre: Romance/Angst

Disclaimer/Note from the author:

I have tried SEVERAL times to keep watching One Tree Hill after Brucas broke up in S3...but the longest I have managed to ever go on was about two episodes into S5 and then I quit again. Trust me, I've re-watched Seasons 1-3 about twenty billion times, but I can never really get past the Brucas break up...It's too painful and I would rather kill myself than watch Lucas call Peyton "Pretty Girl" - I'm sorry, that's a Brucas thing, Mark how dare you!

So as you can guess, I always found it hard to watch Leyton scenes in general, because they had no real passion or chemistry and they felt more like brother and sister to me than an actual couple. Also, I'm super BIASED. I loved Brucas together. They are my OTP of otps- so I went down with that ship and I regret nothing.

With that said, my knowledge of OTH is really cloudy. I know that Leyton get married in S6 and Bruilian somewhere in S8 (I think) but I don't really know much else, so please forgive me if this story is a little vague or confusing in parts. This story is going to be picking up from the where the S3 finale left off, but it will be a time jump story. Sounds confusing right? Well, just read my other note before the start of the chapter, okay?

Thanks for reading. If you like the story, please leave me a review..even if its just to say how much you love Brucas, because I really need to hear that more people were heartbroken that they weren't endgame and that it's not just me.

Date Published: 15 July 2014

© theboyfriend-and-theprettygirl, 2014

So this story is going to be different from the show. Let me quickly fill you in: Brooke & Lucas break up in S3 like on the show, but Brooke finds out at the start of their last Senior year (S4) that she is pregnant with Lucas' child. She wants to let him know about the baby and that she's going to keep it, but he's already with Peyton at that point, so she drops out of Tree Hill High School and moves to New York without telling anyone where she is going. She cuts off all contact with everyone and nobody has any idea where she is or how to find her.

Four years later, Lucas has finished his NBA scholarship and is drafted by the LA Lakers. He plays with them for the next three years and becomes their number one star. During the time he was playing with the Lakers, he has written a book and with the help of his publisher Lindsey, it gets picked up for a movie. Peyton followed Lucas to LA to be by his side and they have been living together for the last seven years.

Chapter One: Who says you can't go home?

"Brooke! I can't believe that you had a baby and that you never told me!" Haley exclaimed loudly, punching her best friend hard on the arm.

"Ouch." Brooke said, rubbing the spot where her friend's fist had made contact with her body. "That really hurt Hales."

"Not as much as finding out that your best friend had a baby seven years ago and didn't tell anyone."

"You know you don't mean that-"

"No, Brooke I'm being serious!" Haley cried out. "Trust me, it was bad enough that you totally packed up your life and moved away without so much as a goodbye or let alone where the hell you were going...but having a baby and raising it by yourself?! I don't know whether to be hurt or shocked."

"Haley, I wanted to tell you."

"But you didn't." she said sighing heavily. "Was it something that I did?...or said? Because I have been driving myself crazy for the last seven years, rehashing what went down back then. I still don't know what made you leave Tree Hill in the first place! I mean, I think it was Lucas...well, more specifically Lucas and Peyton being together but you never know...it could've been me, I guess."

"Of course it wasn't you." Brooke said reaching across the table to squeeze her friend's hand. "And FYI, you were the person that I was most upset to leave behind."

"I know. I know." she said rolling her eyes. "I got your note. I'm not going to lie, I was very touched when I learnt that I was the only one that got a letter. But still, it would've been better if you had told me in person!"

"Why? So you would've convinced me to stay?"

"Yes."

"That's why I wrote you a note." she said poking out her tongue quickly, before Haley reached out and punched her again.

"Ouch Hales. Okay, seriously no more punching me! I bruise like a peach." she said rubbing her hand up and down her arm.

"Fine." she hissed. ""So New York, huh? Man, I miss New York."

"I do too." Brooke said sighing heavily. "So much."

"What made you come back, then?"

"You mean other than to see you?" she asked cheekily. "Tree Hill is my home. I really missed the place, you know? I missed you and Nathan.. and I guess, the rest of the people here. New York is not a friendly place. It's nothing like Tree Hill and I didn't want to raise Sienna in there. I wanted her to see what it was like here. Plus, it was time to come back...I figured you would be missing me too much."

"You only totally came back because Lucas is in LA, didn't you?"

"Oh, he's in LA?" Brooke asked pretending to sound surprised. "I didn't know that."

"Sure you did. He's all over the news every weekend being the Laker's MVP in like... every game."

"Fine. I lied." she said rolling her eyes. "I'm happy that he's in LA and not here. It makes things easier. I don't think I would've come back if he was here."

"So, you haven't spoken to him since the break up?"

"Nope." Brooke said shaking her head. "I mean, I saw him once at JFK airport.. he was with the team. I literally bolted before he could spot me, but that was the last time I saw him. I think it was like two years ago now..."

"So, you've obviously heard that he proposed to Peyton."

"I might have read that online somewhere."

"Are you okay with it?" Haley asked before taking a sip of her cappuccino.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she said shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, we broke up seven years ago."

"I always thought you two would get back together."

Brooke bit her bottom lip. "I always knew he was going to end up with her." she said sighing heavily. "It was always going to be Peyton."

Haley shook her head from side to side. "No, I always thought it would be you. Lucas never loved anyone the way he loved you, Brooke."

"I don't think he ever loved me, Hales." Brooke said softly. "If he did, he would've fought for us."

"To be fair, you broke up with him and he had no idea why."

"That still didn't stop him from running into Peyton's waiting arms a few weeks later."

Haley sighed. "Have you been keeping in touch with Peyton?"

"Are you kidding me?" Brooke asked rolling her eyes. "She's practically the reason why I ran away to New York in the first place, Hales."

"I haven't really spoken to her either. I mean, Lucas calls every now and then to say 'hi' to us but she never really talks."

"Can we change the subject?" she asked quickly. "I haven't seen you since I was 17 and you want to talk about the girl that stole my boyfriend off me, twice?!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry." she said grimacing a little, before smacking her hand to her head.

"So Jamie is getting big. He's what, almost 8 now?"

"Yeah, he will be 8 next month." she said smiling, looking over at Jaime and Sienna playing in the corner of the Cafe. " Hey, so you never told me...who's the father? Is he in Sienna's life?"

"Uh. The father...he's um, he's..." Brooke said before taking a sip of her coffee. "He doesn't know that I had Sienna."

"You didn't tell him?"

"Not really. When I found out I was pregnant he had already moved on."

"Brooke, he sounds like a jerk."

"It's really not his fault. I should've made an effort to tell him, but instead I pushed him away."

"That's not the point."

"I can't really blame him if he doesn't know, Hales."

"Well, you should tell him. He might surprise you."

"What part of he had already moved on, didn't you hear?"

"Ha ha ha." Haley said rolling her eyes at her friend. "All I'm saying is that if I were a guy...I would want a chance to get to know my daughter."

"I'm sure its for the best, this way."

"That's really not your choice to make though, Brooke. I mean, what are you going to do when Sienna starts asking questions? What if she wants to get into contact with him?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll tell her he died? Or that he moved to England?"

"Brooke!"

"What? It's better than saying that he broke my heart into a million pieces after he promised that if he ever got a second chance he'd never let me go again!"

"Brooke..." Haley said quickly, dropping her coffee cup through her hands. The cup hit the table with a loud thud and spilled the remainder of her coffee across the table. " Is Lucas the father?!"

-x-

"A random guy in New York?" Haley repeated, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at her friend. "So, it's not Lucas then?"

"No way!" Brooke said rolling her eyes quickly. "Do you want another coffee? I'm out. I'm getting another cappuccino."

"Brooke, hold on." Haley said reaching for her arm before she could walk away. "It is Lucas, isn't it?"

"No, Haley. I've already told you this. It's someone I met in New York. He was a fling. I only slept with him once and by the time I had realized that I was pregnant, he was gone. That's it."

"Brooke Davis, you are lying!" Haley exclaimed loudly, scoffing at her friend.

"I'm not." Brooke said defiantly.

"Your nostrils are doing that thing..."

"What thing?"

"The thing they do when you lie...they are flaring up."

Brooke touched her nose quickly and rolled her eyes at her friend. "Do you want another coffee or not? You spilled yours all over the table, you klutz."

"What I want is for you to start telling me the truth, Brooke!" Haley said throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. "You know I won't judge you or anything if Lucas is the father. Hey, I already told you I was on Team Brooke ever since he told me that he was going to win you back after the first Peyton incident."

"Haley..."

"Come on, Brooke. What are you afraid of?" she cried out quickly. "It's Lucas. That's why you ran away, isn't it? Because you were pregnant and you were too scared to tell him because being the idiot that he is, he was probably back with Peyton? It all makes so much sense now."

"Fine." she snapped quickly. "Lucas is the father but you can't tell anyone! Do you hear me? You can't tell Nathan and you sure as hell can't tell Lucas."

"Brooke..."

"I'm being serious, Haley! Nobody can know."

"He deserves to know, Brooke."

"He's engaged to Peyton, Haley!" Brooke cried out loudly.

"That doesn't mean that he shouldn't at least have a choice to get know and be present in his daughter's life."

"It's easier this way. It's too complicated."

"Maybe for now." Haley said shaking her head in disagreement. "But Sienna will start asking questions eventually and trust me, if you think things are complicated now...try dealing with Lucas and your daughter both being furious at you for keeping such a huge secret from them."

"I don't know what you expect me to do." Brooke said throwing her hands up in the air dramatically. "It's not like I can call him out of the blue and be like 'Hey Lucas, haven't spoken to you in seven years but congrats on making the Lakers, oh and by the way I had a daughter and you're the father..say hi to Peyton for me.' Do you know how awkward that conversation is going to be?"

"Well, don't do it like that." Haley scoffed loudly.

"Look, Haley...there's no right way to tell him, okay? I've left it too long now. If he ever finds out he will just be mad at me for keeping it from him all these years. I've thought about telling him before but he's been with Peyton ever since we broke up, so there's really no point. Besides, Sienna and I are doing fine without him. We don't need anything from him. I don't need money. The two of us are just fine and plus, I'm not alone anymore. I'm back home and I have you..and Nathan...we are going to be fine."

"All I'm saying is that Sienna deserves a chance to get to know her dad."

"She's 7 years old! We've survived without him for this long, I'm pretty sure we will cope, Haley." Brooke said shaking her head quickly. "And if down the track she wants to go and find her dad...we will cross that bridge when we get to it."

"Whatever you say." Haley said sighing heavily. "For the record, I do not like this plan but there's no use fighting with you when you've already made your mind up. We should get going. Nathan is really excited to see you. I'm so happy that you are back! I've missed you so much!" she said wrapping her arms around her best friend for a tight hug.

"I missed you too, Hales." Brooke said quickly.

-xx-

Author's Note:

So what did you think? Should I continue this? The next chapter will have some Brooke & Lucas so I hope you guys keep reading.

I will only be posting this story if people are reviewing..I'm working on way too many stories at once, so I update them in order of demand lol.

If you like it, or want me to continue...you know the drill...please leave me a review. Otherwise I might scrap this story and focus on my other ones.

Paris xx