June 2nd, 2005

"Lucas, what is going on? Why are you doing this?"

Lucas shook his head, not knowing what to tell Peyton. They sat on the river court, looking out over the darkness that enveloped the small town of Tree Hill. Mist rose off the waters of the river, casting an eerie glow as the pair talked.

"Peyton, this is something that I can't explain. It's just something I have to do."

Peyton pursed her lips and shook her head. "Lucas, between your scholarships and the money set aside for you, you have a FREE RIDE to UNC-Chapel Hill. Why would you throw that away?"

Lucas looked at her and shrugged. "Peyton, I don't see it as throwing it away."

"Lucas, listen to me…you have your whole life ahead of you. Saying it's something that you have to do just isn't going to cut it!"

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but no words were spoken. Peyton nodded and turned away from Lucas. "This is about Brooke, isn't it?"

Lucas shook his head in a lame attempt to deflect away her accusations, but his feelings were clear. Peyton nodded and put her head in her hands. "You're running away. You're running away from her…from your feelings. Lucas…"

Lucas cut her off. "Peyton, I can't stay here. I can't stay in Tree Hill. I can't stay in North Carolina. No matter what I do, I'm reminded of how badly I screwed up. Distance is what I need."

Peyton nodded and knelt on the ground, putting her hands on his legs and looking up into his eyes. "Okay then! Get some distance! Travel the world! But please, Lucas…the SEALs aren't where you're supposed to be. You're called to something greater."

Lucas shook his head and turned away. "It's not just distance, Peyton. All my life, I've wanted to do something greater, serve something bigger than myself. This is my chance to do that. I'm not just joining up to run away. I WANT to do this."

Peyton stared at him, her eyes suddenly filled with tears. "So that's it then? There's nothing I can do to talk you out of this?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, Peyton, there's not."

Peyton nodded and slowly stood up, wrapping him in a tight hug. She began to walk away, but turned back and asked one last question. "Are you going to tell her?"

Lucas turned back to the water and sat in silence, ironically answering Peyton's question in a deafening manner.

April 11th, 2011

Brooke slowly stood up from her desk, stretching out her limbs in an attempt to get her blood moving. She had been looking over projects and budgets for hours, and with the exception of her eyes scanning line after line, had hardly moved a muscle.

After stretching, she turned around and looked out over the city of New York that lay before her. Hundreds of feet below her high-rise, hundreds of people, who looked like ants from that far up, were busily going about their daily lives. She smiled sadly, imagining how happy some of the people were.

Brooke hadn't known that kind of happiness in years. Despite hopes of staying friends with all of those in Tree Hill, Lucas's affair with Peyton and his ensuing exodus from Tree Hill had caused a schism in the once tight group of friends. Times changed, lives transformed, and slowly but surely, relationships fell apart.

Brooke walked back to her desk, opened up a drawer, and pulled out a small picture. It had been months since she had talked to anyone from her little hometown in North Carolina, which hurt her deeply. But what wounded her even more, what cut her to her core, was smiling at her from the little photograph. It was the picture of her and Lucas on the beach, just a few weeks before Haley's wedding. Just a few weeks before her life seemingly began to hit the fast track. And, most importantly, just a few weeks before the last time she would speak to Lucas.

Brooke sighed and put the picture back in its place, hidden at the back of her desk drawer. As she did so, she used her free hand to wipe away the small tears forming at the cusp of her eyelashes, threatening to spill out onto her otherwise perfect face.

Brooke straightened herself, attempted to force the feelings back down inside, and threw herself back into her work, trying to ignore the feeling of heartbreak that seemed to open anew every day.

"Attention on deck!"

At those words, all of the SEALs sitting around in the team room stood to attention. As they stood to attention, two men walked in. The first, Commander Alex Martin, was a tall and athletically built Lieutenant Commander who had served in the SEALs for nearly a decade. The second was a tall, strong Lucas.

Nearly six years had passed since he and his friends had graduated from high school and almost that long to the day since he had left Tree Hill for boot camp. The road had been long and tough. Several months of boot camp was followed by six months in Coronado for the infamous BUD/S training regimen. After that, he spent nearly two years learning every aspect of being a warrior, sharpening his mind and his body alike as he perfected the craft of the Navy SEAL.

Two and a half years of training was followed by over three years of active duty, serving with SEAL Team Ten in every corner of the globe, earning Lucas three tours to his credit and a reputation as an elite operator.

His reputation produced a chance to join the elite SEAL Team Six. After several months of training, he was welcomed into SEAL Team Six, also known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He was transferred to Joint Base Marshall in Tree Hill, where SEAL Team Six quietly lived their lives in a constant state of readiness.

It was there that Lucas found himself on this day, being introduced by Lieutenant Commander Alex Martin to the rest of the team. While his focus was on the words of the commander, his mind slowly drifted to Tree Hill. His new duty station was the closest he had been to his hometown since he had left on the dark night of June 2nd.

A few hours later, Lt. Tim Riggins walked onto the deck of a small two-bedroom house that lay on the Carolina coastline. Sitting in a deck chair and watching the orange glow of the setting sun from the west cast a rainbow of colors over the Atlantic, was Alex Martin.

Alex was beloved by all he served with. He had enlisted immediately after high school, chasing the dream he had kept since he was a boy of becoming a SEAL. Upon graduation of SQT, the final hurdle in becoming a SEAL, Alex had immediately tried out for the fabled SEAL Team Six. He graduated top of his class and served with honor and distinction, his work ethic and care for others leading to promotion after promotion within the ranks.

Alex was a mustang, an officer who had joined as an enlisted man. He cared deeply for his men and would constantly put himself on the line for them. He shielded them from politics and legal traps, instead taking the outside world and its threats head on. He was endeared by his men, respected by those above him on the chain of command, and considered a model officer by all.

Alex had been one of the driving forces behind Lucas's drive to join the brotherhood. He was Haley and Quinn's cousin and had been the talk of the town for years. Haley had regaled her friends with story after story of the world outside of America, and even though he rarely talked about his work, Haley still managed to pry bits and pieces.

While Haley and Alex were close, Quinn and Alex were even closer. The pair had been one another's best friend since they were able to walk. They were inseparable growing up and maintained their bond into adulthood. When Alex's father began to tear his family apart, Quinn was there to listen and calm the enraged young man. When her father died, Alex was there to walk Quinn down the aisle. When her marriage began to fall apart and Quinn was terrified to tell anyone, Alex was there as an ear to hear and a shoulder to cry on. When Alex couldn't confide in any of his brothers in arms with the burdens of leadership, Quinn was there to help pick him up.

Alex drew his identity in family, both blood and sweat. His blood family was what Alex treasured and fought for, what guided him in the darkest times. His family of sweat, his brothers in arms who he trained, fought, and was willing to die for, also defined the man. His willingness to do anything for his men made him approachable, and that was why Tim Riggins found himself sharing a beer with his superior.

Tim looked out over the coast and whistled. "Wow…that's beautiful, isn't it?"

Alex nodded. "Growing up in Tree Hill, I always loved the sunset and sunrise. It's the most beautiful part of the day. When you see a scene like that...you can't help but feel a little bit of hope."

Tim looked over at Alex and chuckled. "You're quite the deep thinker, aren't you, sir?"

Alex gave a small laugh and remarked, "What brings you around, Tim?"

"Well sir, I wanted to get your feedback on the new Chief. He seems a bit young. He's my age."

"He's young, I'll give you that. But he's a good guy. Good operator. Good leader. He's gonna mesh well with the team. Trust me."

Tim shrugged and nodded. "If you say so, sir."

"You'll like him. You're a Bobcats fan, right?"

Tim was a bit thrown by the question, but nodded. "Yessir. Why?"

"Lucas's brother, Nathan, plays for the Bobcats. Lucas convinced Nate and the Bobcats to get y'all a bunch of tickets. Go to the game, get to know him. any worries you've got will disappear."

Tim nodded and finished his beer. "Roger that, sir. I don't have doubts. He's just an interesting case."

"Tim, I believe a philosopher once said that we are all a bit interesting. It's a matter of appreciating it, rather than judging it, that creates a unit that can bond in brotherhood."

Tim laughed and said, "That line of thinking is why they pay you the big bucks."

Alex scoffed and remarked, "The Navy and big bucks don't go together very well."

The pair laughed and continued to talk as the sun disappeared and darkness encased the coast.

After finishing the seemingly endless plethora of paperwork that the Navy had for him, Lucas stashed his gear in the armory and headed for his house, a two bedroom unit identical and adjacent to Alex's. Rather than sit on the porch, Lucas instead crashed on his bed, a feeling of exhaustion setting in. Before the darkness of sleep overtook him, he pulled out his phone and placed a call.

The phone rang for several minutes before a sprightly voice answered, "Hello?"

Lucas smiled and said, "Hey, Hales."

Back in Tree Hill, Haley's smile widened as she exclaimed, "Lucas! It's so good to hear from you!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Busy couple of weeks."

"How's the job treating you?"

"Pretty good, all things considered. Like I said, busy couple of weeks, but all in all it seems to be coming together pretty well."

"So, are you home? Back in Coronado? Or are you calling me from some secret base in the middle of some distant land you can't tell me about?"

Haley chuckled, but Lucas cleared his throat in hesitation. After a moment of silence, he responded. "Actually, about that, Hales…the Navy reassigned me. I'm with Team Six now. They stationed me at Marshall."

Haley was quiet for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you tell me, Lucas?"

"I don't know, Hales…it just slipped my mind."

Haley snapped, "It slipped your mind to tell me that you were moving across the country and would be the closest you've been since high school? That "slipped your mind"?"

Lucas shook his head. "I'm sorry, Haley. I just-"

Haley cut him off. "Lucas, Jamie hasn't seen you in months. People here are dying to see you!"

"Haley, you know how I feel about Tree Hill. There's just too many memories. All the stuff with Dan, Keith, my mom…it's just a lot."

Haley was silent for a moment. "Lucas…I know that a lot of this has to do with Brooke, whether you want to admit it or not. You need to come see your friends and family. You owe them that."

Lucas was quiet, but knew she was right. "I'll think about. I promise."

Haley nodded. "That's all I can ask. I love you, Luke."

"I love you too, Hales."

With that, Lucas hung up and leaned back, rubbing his eyes with his hands, doing his best not to relive the many memories he had in his hometown.

Alex had settled in bed, shut off his lights, and was in a state of near sleep when the phone range. He rubbed his bleary eyes and answered in a groggy voice. "Hello?"

"Alex, it's nine at night. How on earth are you already asleep?"

Alex chuckled at Quinn's voice and remarked, "It's a talent, Quinny. What's up?"

"Well…I just stopped by Haley's. she's a little upset with you."

Alex sighed and nodded. "I couldn't tell her about the transfer. Classified intel."

Quinn rolled her eyes and remarked, "Really? You're going to play the classified intel card?"

"What? It's a good one to use! Look, I didn't want Lucas to be forced to confront Tree Hill until he was ready."

Quinn tried to find a comeback, but couldn't do so. As per usual, Alex knew his men better than most of their own families did. Alex soothingly remarked, "Look, Quinny, when he's ready, he'll go be a friend again. But until then, everyone that cares about him should know that he needs to do this when he's ready, not just when it's finally convenient for him."

Quinn nodded and asked, "Speaking of visits, when are you coming up? I miss my best friend."

Alex shrugged. "I'll try and find time, but it'll be tough over the next couple of weeks. My team is on rotation."

"You're always on rotation."

Alex sighed. "Such is the life of a Tier One operator. I'll try and get away when I can, okay? I promise."

Quinn sighed, but nodded. "Stay safe, Alex."

"I will, Quinny. I love you. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Love you too, Alex."

The two hung up and laid in their respective beds, thinking about how Alex's entire existence could be uprooted with in a single moment.

Lucas rolled over in bed and opened the drawer of his nightstand. Inside, he found his copy of the beach picture. He looked at the smiling faces of two young teenagers in love. He saw the adoration in his eyes as he held Brooke. Lucas sighed as he continued to stare at the picture. That picture had been stashed in his vest, close to his heart on every single fight and in every single firefight. No matter what, he always held Brooke close to his heart.

A moment of pleasant flashbacks were interrupted by a return to his stark reality. Lucas slowly leaned over and slid the picture back inside of his drawer, turned off the light, and closed his eyes, knowing that as much pain as it would cause in the morning, he would dream of Brooke in the dark of the night.

(Well there it is! The first chapter. I have always loved and been fascinated by the military and wanted to try and write a good military OTH story. The story will focus on three people: Lucas and Brooke, obviously, and Alex Martin, who was just introduced. The story will watch as Lucas heads back to his home and rekindles relationships, as Brooke makes a choice between career and life, and as Alex develops relationships with his cousins, sisters, and mama, as well as a special someone. All of this will be intertwined with multiple deployments and detailed chapters of Lucas and Alex, along with their brethren, in combat. There will be military lingo, but I'm going to drop a special reference chapter later on when we get into the thick of it, detailing terms and what they mean, as well as the entire team and the gear they use and the uniforms they where. This stuff is cool to know, but isn't even close to absolutely necessary! You can read this story without a lick of knowledge about the military. There will be PLENTY of awesome plot that I think you will really like. I love reviews and hearing what you think , so follow, review, and I hope you enjoy!)