A/N: I'm not quite sure where I want this story to go. It is completely AU so it's up to me I guess. Um…I welcome reviews…good and bad…I need all the help I can get. This is my first OTH fanfiction…I've always just written Charmed stuff before. Um….this is going to be a BALEY friendship fic so most of the story is going to focus on them and Charlie. I dunno, I might make it into a Baley romance…I guess we'll just see how it goes from here…thanks for reading...and plz review!

Brooke Davis never ran away from anything. She never ran from her problems, or from a fight, or from fate. But when she discovered that her boyfriend and her best friend were cheating behind her back, she ran. She would have run away from Tree Hill, but she had no where to go. Instead she ran straight to the only place she could think of, Karen's Café.

She wasn't quite sure why she ran to her boyfriend's mother's café, but it was the only place she could think of where she wouldn't be alone but she wouldn't be near Peyton or Lucas either. Part of her had always considered Karen her mother considering her mom, or dad for that matter, was never around. She assumed that was where her fear of being alone came from. But Karen had always been there on those nights when Brooke just couldn't handle the silence. They would meet at the café and chat over hot cocoa. When Brooke finally started to get sleepy, Karen would take Brooke to her house and let her stay the night. That was also where Brooke and Lucas met. For the longest time they were just the best of friends, but after a few years of Brooke crashing at the Roe house, they began to like each other as more than just friends. Now, as Brooke ran through the front doors to Karen's Café, the memories of those nights came crashing back. These memories only succeeded in making Brooke unable to hold her tears back any longer.

When the bell over the door jingled signaling the entrance of a customer, Karen looked up from what she was doing. She began to smile when she realized that it was one of her favorite people in the world, but she quickly turned her facial expression into one of deep worry when she noticed the look on Brooke's face and the tears streaming out of her beautiful eyes. She dashed around the counter and without asking any questions took Brooke into her arms and hugged her. They slowly sank to the ground as Brooke's whole body shook with heart-wrenching sobs. Karen stood the two of them up and directed them to the back room of the café. Since there were no customers, Karen locked the door and closed for the day. She had a feeling this was going to take a while.

Karen rushed back to Brooke's side to try and comfort her. Karen found her in the same place she had left her still crying her heart out. So Karen walked over and resumed the comforting tactics that had worked countless times before. However, Karen somehow knew that this time was going to be a lot different.

"Brooke, sweetie, just calm down and tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." This seemed to do the trick seeing as to how Brooke took deep breathes and began to stop sobbing. She could not, however, stop the tears from coming. As she looked Karen dead in the eye, tears were still streaming down her porcelain skin and onto her Gucci blouse.

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Sweetie, you know that you can tell me anything. You're like my daughter. I love you just as much as I love Lucas." Karen noticed that at the mention of her son's name, Brooke tensed up.

"Well, it's going to break your hear Karen. It really is."

"Well, my heart is breaking just sitting here watching you cry your heart out and not knowing what's wrong. I can't stand not knowing what's bother you because then I can't help you. Please sweetie, just tell me what's the matter."

"Fine. I was at your house looking for Lucas when I went into his room and saw that his computer was on. I looked at the screen and I saw him and Peyton together in Peyton's room. I think you can figure out what they were doing." Brooke said all of this in one breath. She had managed to stop crying long enough to convey her discovery to Karen, but now, retelling her nightmare, she began to cry again. Before long she was dry heaving in a fetal position on the floor.

Karen couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her son was cheating on Brooke. They were supposed to be together forever. They had known each other since they were in preschool together Brooke spent the night at their house when she was especially lonely. She couldn't believe that her son, whom she had tried so hard to raise right, had cheated on one of the only people in his life that had been there for him through practically everything. She finally broke out of her shock instated trance, and looked down at the child that she felt like she had basically raised herself. Karen crouched down next to Brooke and took her into her arms for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"Brooke, what Lucas did was wrong. But I want you to know that that is not going to change a single thing between you and me. You are just as much my daughter as he is my son. I love you Brooke." This seemed to do the trick as Brooke's sobs became less severe and violent.

"Really? Because I was really worried that you wouldn't want to be around me anymore since Lucas and I didn't go out any more."

"Brooke! That's crazy! How could you even think such a thing?"

"I don't know. I guess you would just side with your real son instead of some girl you just took in because her lousy parents are never home to take care of her."

"Look, Brooke, I could never just abandon you like that. We have been through too much together. Why don't we go back to your house and I stay the night with you tonight okay? We can figure out what we are going to do tomorrow ok? I'll be on your side every step of the way okay sweetie? I love you."

"Oh, Karen, I love you too! More than you know."

After deciding to return to Brooke's empty mansion, the two girls ate dinner in silence. Slowly, they climbed into Karen's car and made their way to Brooke's house. Karen and Brooke climbed the stairs to Brooke's front door and opened it into a huge foyer. Without saying a word to each other, the two women made their way up the stairs and into Brooke's room. Though they were like mother and daughter, they were also like best friends. Karen didn't need to ask where to sleep because she knew there was already an extra bed waiting for her. Long ago, Brooke and Karen had pulled the guest bedroom bed into Brooke's room for those nights when Brooke needed someone but didn't want to leave home.

Brooke made her way into the bathroom to shower and change while Karen pulled out the drawer that was designated for her own clothes. She pulled out some pajamas and waited patiently for the shower while Brooke took her time. While waiting, Karen got lost in thought. She often thought about how loving and sweet Brooke was. She liked to think that she had something to do with that. She never did understand how her parents could just shoveled money at her instead of just loving her and being there for her. That is all she wanted after all. Before Karen could become too lost in thought, Brooke came out of the bathroom and silently made her way towards her own bed. She climbed in without saying a word to Karen. Karen took this as a sign to just take a shower and get into her own bed.

After Karen showered and changed, she slowly opened the bathroom door to find Brooke asleep. She crept over the Brooke's bed and just looked at her for a few minutes. Brooke was stunningly beautiful, and to accentuate her beauty, she was one of the most loving people she had ever known. She still couldn't understand how Lucas could cheat on this lovely person sleeping in front of her. Karen slowly bent down and kissed Brooke softly on the head and then made her way to her very own bed. After saying a quick prayer for Brooke, Karen was sound asleep as well. But not before thinking that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Waking up to the sun shining through her lacy curtains immediately put Brooke into a sour mood. The weather seemed to be mocking her situation. Usually, on days like these, she and Lucas would go down to the beach and stay all day until the sky turned dark and the stars came out. Then they would lay there and stare and the stars in a comfortable silence. On special days, Lucas would stand up and make Brooke dance with him under the stars. Now she hated sunny days.

After having this mocking memory spoil her already bad day, Brooke looked around for Karen. After not spotting Karen in her bed, Brooke caught a whiff of a delicious smelling breakfast. This seemed to brighten her mood just a bit; she did love Karen's cooking after all. Dragging herself out of bed, she pulled on her robe and made her way down stairs.

Even though all the stuff that she was going through with Lucas and Peyton, Brooke had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that today was going to be okay. She couldn't explain what she was feeling, but she just knew that something was going to happen today that would make everything else be okay. That is what Brooke was thinking about when she finally made it into the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen, she smiled at the one person remaining in her life that she trusted and loved.

Hearing some sort of noise behind her, Karen turned around and smiled warmly at Brooke. "Come here sweetie. I made your favorite breakfast, mac and cheese, grits, and French toast. I still don't understand why you like macaroni and cheese for breakfast. I mean, that is kind of weird."

"Are you kidding me, mac and cheese is the food of the gods."

"Did you sleep okay sweetie?"

"Well, considering what went on yesterday, I slept okay. It wasn't the best sleep ever, but it was alright I suppose. It helped having you there with me. Just knowing that you're here for me means a lot." Brooke had tears rimming her eyes and threatening to spill over. She refused to cry though. She hated to cry in front of people. The only people who had ever seen her cry were Karen, Lucas, and Peyton. Although she knew that she could trust Karen, she still felt like she had cried enough over everything.

"Well, just know that I am always here for you sweetie. I love you dearly."

"I love you too Karen."

"Well, on a lighter note, I was wandering if you could keep me company at the café today. Tuesdays are pretty slow days and I tend to get lonely in there with no one else. What do you say?"

"Well, I guess I could find time for you in my busy schedule. DUH! Karen, you don't even have to ask!" With that said, the two women got ready and headed to the café.

Once they had opened up and gotten the usual morning crowd out of the way, they hit the typical mid-morning slump. It was rather boring in the café at the moment for Brooke. Karen was in her office doing some paperwork and Brooke just sat up front incase any customers came in. While sitting there, examining her cuticles, the bell above the door jingled. Brooke looked up but saw no one at the door. Curious, she walked around the counter on her way to the door to see if anyone on the street had tried to come in. However, when she turned the corner, she found the source of the jingle. A little girl with curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes stood in the middle of the store. This girl didn't seem to be lost or afraid, but she couldn't be more than 2 or 3 years old. Brooke leaned down to be leave with the girl so she could talk to her. "Hello honey, what's your name?"

"My name is Charlotte Joyce James but you are weally weally pwetty like my mommy, so you can call me Charlie. I am free years old. What's your name?" the little girl asked with a confidant voice. Brooke laughed quietly at the enthusiasm that the little girl possessed. She had defiantly met a three year old quite like this one.

"Well Charlie my name is Brooke. Where is your mommy sweetie?"

"Oh, my mommy is wooking for a job and I got bored so I went away and dat is when I came into here."

"Well, what is your mommy's name Charlie?"

"Her name is Haley something James. I don't know her middle name." Brooke didn't recognize that name at all so she figured Haley, Charlie, and Charlie's father was new to Tree Hill. She could safely make this assumption considering Tree Hill is one of those towns were everybody knew everybody else.

"Well Charlie, I think you should go back to your mommy and daddy sweetie. I bet they are worried sick about you."

"Oh, I don't have a daddy. Mommy says he is a vewy mean man cuz he don't want to be wif me. Mommy says that he don't wuv me like a weal daddy should." Though shocked at the bluntness of the statement, Brooke didn't let it show.

"Oh, okay, well do you want me to help you find your mommy Charlie? I'm sure she is wondering were you are."

"Otay, but only because I wike you and I tink you are vewy pwetty."

Brooke couldn't help but chuckle at the little girls reasoning. She wondered if everybody was like this when they were three years old. "Okay Charlie, let's go find your mommy."

But before Brooke and Charlie could even make it to the front door, a girl no older than Brooke charged in, panting, with a hysterical look on her face. She had wavy brown hair, the same color as Charlie's, and chocolate brown eyes. She couldn't be more that 5'1" tall which made Brooke feel tall at 5'3". The young woman was thin, but healthy looking. All in all, she was gorgeous. "Thank god Charlie! I thought you were kidnapped! Don't you ever do that to me again! OK!"

"Otay mommy."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, yes ma'am."

Brooke couldn't hold back her giggle yet again as she watch the formally confidant little girl shrink behind her in an attempt to hide from her mother. Brooke decided this would be a good time to introduce herself to whom she assumed was Haley.

"Hi. I'm Brooke Davis." Haley noticed for the first time, the person's hand that her daughter had been holding. She was absolutely the most beautiful person Haley had ever seen. She had dark brown, straight hair that feel a little past her shoulders and deep brown eyes that you could get lost in forever. But what really made the woman in front of Haley stunning were the deep dimples that were on display with her smile. Her smile was one of warmth and love. But Haley noticed that the smile didn't quite reach Brooke's eyes. For some reason, Haley felt that she and Brooke had a lot in common and if given the chance, could become great friends.

Snapping out of her trance, Haley reached for Brooke's outstretched hand, "Oh, I'm so sorry. You must think I am the rudest person ever. I'm Haley James. Thank you so much for finding my daughter. She seems to really like you. She doesn't take so easily to people. Usually she just screams at them and tries to abuse them."

"I don't think you're rude at all. You were just panicking about losing your daughter. And anyway, I didn't really find her. She sort of found me. But I'm just glad that she's okay. I'm rather surprised as well. I've never met such a spirited little girl in my life. Anyway, so are you two new in town?" Brooke couldn't help herself. She was a curious person my nature.

"Actually, yeah, we are new in town. Little Miss Priss and I just moved here about a week ago and I'm out looking for a job. No luck so far though. It seems that here in Tree Hill you just have to know someone to get a decent job, you know?"

"Oh believe me, I know."

Before Brooke could say anymore, Karen emerged from the back of the café. "I heard yelling. Is everything okay out here?"

"Oh yea Karen, everything's fine. This is Haley James and her daughter Charlie. They just moved here last week and Haley isn't having much luck finding a job. Aren't you looking for some more help?"

"Actually, I am. Have you ever had any experience being a waitress?"

"Well, not really. But I am a people person and I love to meet new people."

"Well, that's good enough for me. What do you think Brooke?"

"Well Karen, I think we just found ourselves a new waitress."

After receiving the job, Haley picked Charlie up and began to jump all around the café with her. Karen and Brooke just looked on in amusement. The same feeling that was in the pit of Brooke's stomach this morning returned as she stood there watching mother and daughter dance around the room. She was drawn to this woman for some reason she didn't quite know yet. Nevertheless, Brooke was determined to find out. Maybe Haley and Charlie were just the people Brooke needed in her life to help her though the rough times she was about to face. For some reason, Brooke guessed that these two girls were the answers to her prayers.

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH or any of the characters. All I own is Charlie and the story line…that's it.