I'm Gonna Love You More Than Anyone
It was late and Brooke could not sleep. She had been up all night reading the letter. She had gone over it hundreds of times in her head. Each time the words had a different meaning...
Dear Brooke, I know we left things pretty bad but I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am. I really hate the way things ended between us and just wanted you to know no matter what I will always be there for you. I also wanted to explain about some of the things I did. I feel like you deserve to know. I guess the only way to say it right is this. It's kind of like when you plan on going to one college for a really long time. You plan your whole life around it and think about it all the time. But while all this is happening an even better college accepts you. And even though you know it is a much better college and you know that's where you, you would be happiest part of you still wonders what if. I should have never wondered Brooke. I love you and I hope you can find it somewhere to forgive me. As for now Keith and I are moving to Charleston. Maybe I will see you when I come to visit.
-Lucas
How could he do this to her? Just when she thought she was over him and was moving on he had to go and write that really nice letter. She even had a date tomorrow tonight with the most popular guy in school. What did she need Lucas Scott for? Sure all this guy tomorrow tonight would want was sex but at least he wouldn't cheat on her. Even if he did it wouldn't matter because it wouldn't be with her best friend. What did it matter if Lucas moved? It was better that she didn't have to see him anyway! But as she thought about this she couldn't help but feel sad. She knew it was all a lie. She had been in love with Lucas Scott from the very first time she laid eyes on him. It wasn't love like you have with a hot movie star you see on TV or a jock at school. This was love like whenever she saw his smile her heart jumped. Sex or making out, none of that mattered with Lucas. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her and now he was gone. Brooke turned over and looked at the clock. It was 1:36. Why couldn't she sleep? Her head was pounding. It wasn't a hang over. She hadn't had anything to drink since she sent Nikki on her way. Finally she closed her eyes and was asleep.
Lucas woke up to the sound of Keith falling down the stairs. This was a morning ritual now. Maybe it was the fact that Keith had never had steps or maybe it was Keith was just too tired to look where he was going. Whatever it was Lucas could never sleep past 6:30 because of it. He grabbed his sweatshirt and running pants and jogged down the stairs. Keith was in the kitchen nursing his ankle. "Hey man... You okay? Stairs can be a hard thing to master" Lucas joked. Keith did not look amused. Lucas grabbed a chewy bar and jogged out the front door. He loved his morning jog. It always helped him clear his head and lately that had not been an easy thing to do. With everything going on in his life it was nice to have time where he didn't have to worry about anything. Since he and Keith had gotten here a week ago he had been jogging a lot. He had cleared his head of Peyton and her issues. He had decided it was best not to think about the whole Nathan Haley getting married. The there was Brooke. As hard as he had tried he could not get her out of his mind. He loved her. He had spent so many nights trying not to, trying to say that all he cared about was sex and how she looked but he couldn't do it. He liked who he was with her. She made him a better person. As Lucas jogged on he kept thinking a bout Brooke and what she had thought of his letter until he noticed a girl about his age stopped on the side of the road. She was about 5'8 and had short blonde hair. She was pretty but not pretty like Brooke a different kind of pretty more like Haley. "Hey... Can I help you?" Lucas asked. The girl looked really scared and as crying. "Yes... um do you have a phone? My car broke down and my phone is dead and my parents are going to kill me and" The girl was in hysterics "Look calm down... I live about ½ a block from here and my uncle is a mechanic. My name is Lucas" Lucas was trying his best to calm her down. "Really! Oh my Goodness you are the best! My name is Laney... Laney Smith" She looked calmer and her tears were stopping now. She seemed like a really sweet girl. Her clothes were modest and her hair wasn't done in any special way. As for make-up from what Lucas could see she had none on. "Come on... Lets go hey my uncle Keith"
Brooke looked up at her alarm clock. It was 8:46. She had been awake since 7:00 thinking about what to do. Should she go to Charleston and tell Lucas what a Jerk he was but she loved him anyway or should she stay home and go on her date try to move on. She didn't even know why she was doing this to herself. She knew what she had to do. She would never be happy without Lucas. As soon as she stood up she had to sit back down again. What was wrong with her? She was dizzy all the time and had headaches. Maybe she was just run-down... Maybe she was too stressed. Whatever she was she had a feeling going to see Lucas was not going to make it any better. She walked over to her closet grabbed a suitcase and started packing. Packing was always hard for Brooke because she had so much she never knew what to take. In this case she would take it all. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As soon as she was finished packing, she drove to Karen's Café for some breakfast. Even though she and Lucas hadn't ended so well she and Karen still talked. As she swung open the diner door she scanned the place to see if there was anyone she knew. Just the usual were there. Haley was working. Nathan was sitting at a booth reading the sports section wit Peyton and Tim. She really didn't want to talk to them but she had to let Peyton know she was leaving so she wouldn't worry and so that she could break her date with Mark for her. She walked over and sat down. Peyton looked up. "Hey... Haven't seen you in a couple of days... You ok?" Peyton seemed concerned but Brooke didn't really care. Part of her was still mad at her for what she had done. "Yea... Look Peyton I gotta go out of town for a while... Can you cover for me?" Peyton looked confused but she knew from the tone in Brookes voice she didn't have a choice. "Yea sure... Anything I can do?" Brooke wasn't listening. "Look I gotta go I will call you when I get there" Brooke stood up and walked out. She wasn't hungry anymore. She had a lot of driving to do. Before she drove to Charleston she was going to stop and see her Grandmother for a couple of days. She hadn't seen her in a while and Brooke knew that she didn't have long. Plus She needed a few days to clear her head before she saw Lucas.
It had been just 3 days since Lucas had met Laney and they were already hitting it off. She was 16 and a nice Christian girl. Even though Lucas didn't usually go for girls like this he knew that it would be good for him. She was nothing like Brooke and that was what he needed. He loved Brooke more than he ever thought he would love any girl. But the way things were looking she didn't feel the same way so he needed to move on. Laney was funny and was always teaching Lucas how to enjoy life without cussing or having sex. He liked how she was a virgin and proud of it. She was in a way a lot like Haley. Lucas was sitting on the front porch waiting for Laney... She was always early which meant Lucas had to get up earlier so he would look decent when she came. As she walked up in the parking lot she smiled and kissed him on the cheek then blushed looking like she had regretted it. "I'm sorry Lucas... I shouldn't have done that. I... I just think we should be more than friends" Lucas had no problem with this. "Yea sure" He said with a grin on his face "So we are dating now?" Laney smiled and kissed him on the lips this time "I guess we are" When she kissed him it wasn't what he had expected at all. There were 2 women he had really kissed him his life. Peyton which was mostly lust and Brooke who when he kissed her he really felt it. Of course he lusted for her but there was more to it and they both new it. Now with Laney it was like kissing Peyton. He would just have to get use to it. Laney turned to him looking hurt "Did I do it wrong?" she asked looking really nervous "No... You did it fine" Lucas said then started kissing her... "It was fine"
Brooke was so tried of old people she didn't know what to do. She hated them. The way they always pinched your cheeks and talked about how big your boobs were getting. She was 17! Of course her boobs were bigger than when she was 11. She had ended up staying a lot longer than she had planned. In fact, 10 days longer. What was up with that? She didn't know what was wrong with her. Maybe she was getting a soft spot. But now she was back on track. Going to see Lucas. That was one good thing about staying so long. She had A LOT of time to clear her head and now she knew exactly what she was going to do. She picked up her cell phone to call Peyton and her answering machine picked up "Hey Its Peyt... Yea I know you wanna talk but I'm not here so leave one" "Hey its Brooke... Look I am gonna be way longer than I thought... Call me ok? All right I'm outtie." She had been on the road for 30 minutes now and had a long way to go... As it turned out Greenville where her grandmother lived was in North Carolina... Not South Carolina like she thought so It was way more driving. As she went on her car started making a very bad noise...Brooke looked at the gas tank... Empty... "Great" she thought "just great." The car slowed down and came to a complete stop. She was in the middle of nowhere with no gas...On top of that she felt like crap this whole trip. What was she doing??
Lucas was adjusting a lot better to Charleston now that he had a girlfriend. Even though they had only been dating for 11 days it seemed like a lot longer. His only problem was the longer he dated Laney... The more he wished she were Brooke. He knew it was bad but he couldn't help it. He had told Laney all about him and Brooke so that they would have no secrets. And even though she was disappointed to find out that he wasn't a virgin she seemed ok with the whole thing. Today they were going to drive down to Edisto Island with her parents for a week. As he finished packing Keith came in and had the look on his face like he really wanted to talk. "What is it Keith?" Lucas asked annoyed "Look Luke... I know I told you I wouldn't mess with your private life but do you think it is right to do this to this poor girl?" Lucas could not believe what he was hearing! Keith was judging him. Out of all the people he thought Keith would be the one to understand about moving on. "I've got to go..." Lucas said and walked out the door to meet Laney. Laney was waiting in the car with her parents Billy and Jean. Her father Billy was a preacher at the Church here and her mother had been a nurse on the maternity ward forever. They were both older... at least a lot older than his mom and look really scary. Lucas climbed into the backseat of the car and kissed Laney. Apparently her parents didn't like this. "Excuse me son" Her father said starting the car "Before you start kissing our daughter we would like to know a little bit about you" Her father looked very stern and serious. Lucas didn't know whether to lie or tell the truth. He decided that telling the truth would probably be best because lying hadn't gone too well for him lately. "Well sir... I am from Tree Hill North Carolina. My mom owns a café there and we are really close. My dad and I don't get along..." Lucas explained the whole story about Karen and Dan and how he was born. Then about Nathan and how Dan was a jerk. Then about the Brooke and Peyton (leaving out certain details about sex and other things for obvious reasons) then finally got to the part about how moved here with Keith. When he was finished they had already been driving for an hour. Both her parents looked shocked. "Well Lucas... We... Umm... We are glad to have you here with us" Lucas then regretted the whole thing and didn't talk the rest of the way there instead thought about Brooke and wondered what she was doing.
Brooke was sitting in her waiting for the damn tow truck. She had called over an hour ago and they were still not there. She hadn't eaten in 4 hours and was feeling really sick. She turned and looked at the clock. 3:30. What was she doing? Maybe she should just go home. She was in the town of Farmville NC. Farmville. What a name. She had already had 3 guys try to pick her up and she was just ready to get going. Finally she saw the tow truck pull up. A big man stepped out. He had to of weighed 400 lbs. He was huge. "Hi... I'm Bob," He said with is cheap cigarette in his mouth. "Ready to go?" Brooke sat up in the front seat and fiddled with the radio station while he was loading her car. "Miss... I need to see cash before I take you anywhere" Brooke pulled out her wallet and showed him a $50. "There... Now can we just go? I have to get somewhere." Bob looked annoyed but pushed himself in the drivers seat. "So... Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked with a devious grin on his face. "No actually a girlfriend... Her name is Peyton" Bob fidgeted a little "Right sorry... I couldn't tell" Brooke was starting to feel really sick. "Uh can you pull over" Brooke was serious "Lady we just got" "Pull over" Brooke yelled. She stopped the car so she could throw up. She hadn't eaten much today so there wasn't much to throw up. She climbed back into her seat and they left.
Finally they were there! Lucas didn't think he could bear the silence any longer. He jumped out of the car and grabbed his and along with Laney's then followed Jean and Billy up to the trailer. "Now Lucas you are going to have to sleep on the couch" Jean said with her heavy accent. "That's fine... Can I help you guys with anything else?" All 3 of them looked offended. "Son... There is only 1 guy that you are speaking to and that is me. I would prefer it if you addressed with our names... That is why the good lord saw it fit to give us names" Lucas couldn't believe this. "Yes sir" Lucas said shyly. "Now you two head on down to the beach we will be down yonder in a little while," Jean said as she carried the last bag into her and Billy's room. At least when he was dating Brooke he didn't have to worry about her parents. Laney's were just creepy. "Lucas come on lets go!" Laney was getting inpatient "Alright beach here we come" Laney was wearing a green bathing suit with a built in skirt. It looked like something an 85 year old would wear. Nothing like the skimpy thongs Brooke would wear when they were in the Jacuzzi... That is when she wore something... most of the time she preferred to go naked... said it made her feel free. Lucas never complained. Here he was again... at the beach with a sweet beautiful girl and he had Brooke on his mind. As they reached the beach he noticed all the oyster shells sticking up in the sand. "What the hell??" He was amazed "Lucas it is heck and they are old oyster beds. They are really sharp so don't step on one." When Laney spoke she had this confidence about her that made Lucas not worry about her parents. He was here with her to have fun and he was going to.
Finally Brooke was there. After 2 ½ weeks of driving and dealing with old people and tow truck drivers she was here! As she passed the sign that said "Welcome to Charleston" she picked up her cell phone and dialed 411. "Yes I need the address for Keith Scott... Yes he just moved here. Thank you" Brooke fingers started shaking as she listened to the operator give her the address. Again she started wondering if coming here was the right thing to do. As she drove down the crowded streets she noticed all the rainbow houses. It was the Rainbow Row. Lucas had told her about this while they were dating. It was a group of houses all beside each other each painted a different color. Lucas had said that one day he wanted one of these houses as a summerhouse where they could raise their kids. They had talked about that a lot when they were dating. Where they would live, how many kids they would have, what they would name them. She had always told him that if they did get one of those houses she would paint it hot pink. He had tried to tell her 100 times that she couldn't do that but always argued with him that when they were married that she could do whatever she wanted. Now things were so different. Now she didn't even know if they could work things out. Finally she came to the address the operator had given her. It was an apartment complex named Windy Ridge. The apartments were not trashy but she thought that maybe Keith could have done better. She drove up to the set where they were supposed to live and parked the car. She sat there for 10 minutes worrying and peeling all of her fingernail polish off and then finally knocked at the door.
Lucas, Laney, Jean and Billy were almost home. Despite what Lucas had first thought he had had a lot of fun. He and Laney had played out by the pool pushing each other in. Jumped the waves in the ocean where he preceded to loose his bathing suit. They had stayed up late looking at the stars talking about stuff he didn't know anything about. Laney had showed him how to fish in the sound and how to water Ski. Over all Lucas had had a lot of fun. Every night when he wobbled into the den/living room/dinning room area to sleep on the couch the same thing had come to his mind. Was this who he was meant to be with? This girl who did not care about how she looked? Who was happy with who she was? Sure she was trying to change him to fit her parent's expectations but she was sweet. Sure she would take him into a store and tell him how he had to be a rich lawyer one day so they could have lots of money and a big house. But those were just dreams coming from a little girl who didn't have much. They were a lot a like and that made things fit together with then, and then it would happen Brooke would slowly creep into his mind and he would think about how she never wanted him to change for her. She liked him for who he was and what he had. She hadn't cared that he didn't have much money, or that his clothes weren't the best. All she had wanted from him was for him to be there for her in the morning when she woke up and when she went to bed at night. All she wanted was to be loved and to love him back. Why was he doing this to himself? He looked out the window and saw the sign "Welcome to Charleston". As they passed the rainbow row he wished Brooke were here to see it. It was so beautiful and it was what they had always said. They were going to get a house there and she was going to paint it hot pink. Brooke was funny like that. She didn't care about rules or what people thought. She lived life her way and taught Lucas to live life his way. "Look Lucas, Don't you love the rainbow row? Isn't it beautiful! I read in the newspaper the other day that there is the comity that wants to change the colors! Who in their right mind would want to mess up such beautiful art work" Laney said with an angry tone in her voice. "Yea..." Lucas muttered... "Why?"
Keith opened the door with a very shocked look on his face. From his look you would have though that the Ed McMann had come to give him his million dollars. "Brooke... Uh what are you doing here" Keith said stunned. Brooke looked him straight in the eyes and could tell he already knew. "I came to talk to Luke... Is he here?" Brooke's fingers were shaking and she could feel her heart beating against her chest. "Um... He should be back any time now...Brooke we've been here for almost a month now... What took you so long?" Keith asked looking disappointed. She explained about the letter and how she hadn't known what to do and then the mix up with her grandmother and then about her car and how she had been sick but was feeling much better now and how she was still in love with Lucas. Keith sat there and listed contently. When she finished there was a long pause and then Keith spoke. "Brooke...I know you love him, and he loves you but Luke is doing good here. He found a sweet girl named Laney who he was taken a liking too. I'm sorry." Brooke was shocked. Not that she didn't think Lucas could find another girl, it was just she didn't think that he would be able to so fast. But then again it had been months since they had broken up. "Oh... Well good for him." There was another long pause "Keith I need to let him know that I am sorry. Even if we are just friends it is better than what we have now." Keith looked as if he knew exactly what she meant. "Come on maybe you should wait in his room until I get a chance to talk to him and get Laney out of here K?" Brooke agreed and followed Keith upstairs. Laney... What kind of a name was Laney? She walked into Lucas' room and sat down on his bed. A tear fell down her cheek. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come. "I am going to go get some work done downstairs. Give me a cal if you need anything" Brooke smiled at Keith and he walked out. She looked around Lucas' room. It looked just like Lucas. He had a new bedspread that was green with blue stripes and his old nightstand beside it. On his nightstand he had a few pictures. One of him and his mom when Lucas was about 8, one of him and Haley one Halloween where she was dressed up like a teacher and he was a pirate, and then there was one on the very corner. It was of him and her. She was grinning her big cheesy cheerleading grin and he had on some macho face and was giving her bunny ears. She had the same picture on her nightstand. Just as she turned to look at the pictures on his dresser she heard a car pull up. It was Lucas.
As the Smith's pulled up into the parking lot, Lucas saw Keith in the front taking out the trash. Keith was motioning at Lucas with all of these weird hand signals, which Lucas had no idea what they meant. Jean parked the car and Lucas and Laney got out. Billy and Jean went and cornered Keith while Lucas ad Laney went into the house. Just as Lucas open the front door Keith yelled at Lucas "Luke wait..." He ran over to Lucas with a nervous look on his face. "You and I have some things we need to get done in your room. Maybe Laney can come back over later?" Lucas had no idea what Keith's problem was but he agreed. "Ok muffin. I will be back over about 7:00 ok?" Lucas nodded at her and the Smiths left. Keith and Lucas walked into the house and Keith motioned for Lucas to sit down. "Keith, what is up man? You are scaring me!" Keith looked down at his feet like he did that time he ran over Lucas' new bike. "There is a present in your room for you" Keith looked up and had a nervous grin on his face. Lucas had no idea what it could be. He walked up the stairs and opened his room door.
"Brooke..." Lucas managed to say... he didn't know if she should hug or kiss her or kick her out. "Hey Broody..." Brooke said trying to break some of the tension. "I got your letter" Lucas sat down on his bed beside her and didn't know what to say. "Just now?" Lucas was kind of mad that it had taken her this long to come "No..." Brooke explained about how she didn't know what to do when she got it and then all about her trip. Then Lucas told her all about Laney and how they had met just a couple days after he came here. They talked for 2 ½ hours like there was nothing wrong until Brooke decided to be the first to bring up the touchy subject of "Them" "Lucas... I'm still in love with you" She said plainly and quietly. A tear ran down her cheek as she said it. "I think about you all the time and I understand... well I can learn to understand if you are with this new girl... I just needed you to know." Lucas was stunned. He hadn't expected Brooke to say that... any of that. He turned and looked at her. "Brooke... I... I love you too." He turned and kissed her more passionately than he had ever kissed anyone one. After a few seconds they stopped and put their foreheads together. "What about Laney?" Brooke said with fear in her voice. Laney... Lucas had totally forgotten about her. "Shit..." Lucas muttered. Brooke looked hurt but he knew she understood. "Luke... if you break up with her... I will be the Peyton in this triangle and I will NOT let that happen. I love you Broody Lucas Scott and if I have to wait then well I will just have to wait" Lucas smiled "Brooke... Just as Lucas finished her name there was a knock at the front door. "I am guessing that would be Laney" Brooke turned to Lucas and kissed him on the forehead. She finished just as Laney walked in his room. "Hi... I'm Laney... You are?" Laney said in a sweet but snobby way. Brooke could tell Lucas was getting really nervous "I'm um...I'm Tallulah. I am Lucas' cousin from Tree Hill. His mom sent me to make sure he was eating enough...you know how moms can be. So... You're his girlfriend?" Brooke spoke so convincingly Lucas was even starting to believe her. She was talking like crazy Brooke. The crazy Brooke he loved. "Yea... We just got home from the beach and were going to go to dinner. Would you like to come? I have a brother who would love to double?" Laney seemed excited as she spoke. Like she was on one of those matchmaking shows. "I would love that" Brooke smiled her famous cheesy grin. "Okay... I ill go get him...I will see you too at Shoney's at 9:00... Sound good?" Brooke and Lucas both nodded and Laney left. "Shoney's" Brooke asked as she kissed Lucas "Ye hah... What should I wear?" Lucas spent the next 30 minutes watching Brooke model her sexy shorts and tops until he picked out the most revealing one she had brought with her. "I am going to break up with her Brooke" Lucas started but Brooke cut in "No Lucas... She is going to break up with you... Do these pants seem tighter on me than usual?" Lucas looked and Brooke and grinned. He loved her devious plans. "And why would she break up with a great guy like me?" Brooke looked at him in the eyes and kissed his nose. "Because at dinner tonight you are going to talk about me all night" Brooke smiled her cute smile and grabbed her pocket book. "You or Tallulah" Lucas grinned. He had missed this. He knew they still had a lot of talking to get through and he still had a lot of explaining but for now it was nice to just be Brooke and Lucas... Or in the case Tallulah and Lucas.
Lucas and Brooke drove up to Shoney's in Brooke's convertible. "You ready Tallulah?" Lucas asked with a grin on his face. "Why yes I am..." Brooke said in a fake southern accent. Laney and her brother were already there waiting up by the entrance. "Now remember talk about Brooke non-stop because you love your cheery Brookee so much!" Brooke told him as they walked up to the entrance. "Tallulah... This is Jimmy... My older brother" Jimmy was tall and lanky much like Laney. He had bright orange hair and more freckles than could be counted. "Great... Lets eat" Lucas said as they started to walk in. "You owe me big"...Brooke muttered under her breath. The hostess sat them down at a booth. Brooke and Jimmy on one side and Lucas and Laney on the other. "So... Laney, How long have you tow been dating...is he really as kinky as his ex's tell me?" Brooke said with a smile on her face. Lucas kicked her in the shin from under the table. "Actually I am saving myself for when I get married" Laney smiled with a proud look on her face. "Haley??" Brooke muttered "No Laney..." Laney said back looking confused. "Right...So... Jimmy are you the same way?" Brooke turned her head to Jimmy who looked like he was in a daze. "Why yes ma'am. Daddy says it's a sin to have adult relations with another person before the good lord has blessed your relationship." Lucas could tell he better stop Brooke before she got on a role. "Brooke and I use to come and eat here..." Lucas spent the whole night talking about Brooke. Brooke spent the whole night making cracks at Laney and Jimmy saying things like "Oh My God that reminds me of the time that I had the 3 some with Mark and Josh" or "So am I going to go to hell because I have had sex?" By the time it was time to go Laney and Jimmy were thoroughly disgusted with Brooke and Laney was not too happy with Lucas. "Well Lane... I am going to walk Miss Tallulah to the car. Give you and Lucas some private time. Brooke gave Lucas an evil glare as they walked to the car. "Look Lucas we need to talk... I think you are still in love with this Brooke girl. Maybe you and I should not see each other until you figure things out. Laney looked hurt as she was speaking but seemed to be handling it ok. "Look Laney... The truth is Brooke is the love of my life. I cant get her out of my mind, and when I met you I thought that maybe if I fell in love with you I would forget about her" Laney had a tear running down her cheek. "Ok Then... I better go" Laney walked away and Lucas just stood there. He wasn't sad but he did feel guilty. Keith had been right. He had been leading her on the whole time. Because he and Keith both knew if Brooke hadn't come to him he would have gone to her at some point. Brooke was waiting by the car when he finally started walking over "You ok?" She asked with a concerned look on her face. "For the first time in months yea... I actually am." He kissed Brooke on the forehead and they drove home.
Brooke woke up to the sound of crashing and cussing "What the Hell!" Lucas started laughing, "Keith hasn't mastered the stairs yet" Brooke turned over and kissed Lucas "How is anyone suppose to get any sleep around here..." Lucas looked her deep in the eyes. "Maybe is we had actually slept instead of doing what we did..." Brooke looked annoyed "yea, yea" She stood up and then had to sit back down because she felt so dizzy. "Hey... You okay?" Lucas asked looking really concerned. "Yea I've just been sick... I'm ok" Brooke lied. She didn't know what was wrong with her. "Hey I am going to go make some breakfast. What do you want?" Lucas smiled at her. He had treated her like a queen ever since she had gotten here. "Hmmm I don't know I will go with you" Just as they both got up her cell phone rang. "Its probably Peyton. I haven't called her in like 5 days..." Brooke searched her bag for her phone and then answered "Hello... Yes this is she. Are you sure? Maybe you are wrong this time too" Brooke was starting to yell "Yes I have but... Umm yea sure talk to my boyfriend Lucas" Here... Brooke said really annoyed... "He wants to talk to someone more rational" Lucas looked at her confused but took the phone anyway. Brooke went and sat down on the bed and put her face in her hands. "Hello... This is Lucas Scott... Right... I see... Are you sure...Ok I will talk to her... yes thank you... Bye" Lucas turned and looked a Brooke who was crying on the bed. "Brooke..." Brooke stopped him "No... Lucas... No we're to young. No..." She was breaking down. He walked over to the bed and held her in his arms while they both cried. Finally he broke the silence "Brooke... He says you need to go to a doctor and get some test run since we didn't know. He also says they will give us some options." Brooke pulled her head up out of his chest and looked him in the eyes "Lucas we can't have a baby... Not now... Not when we are just working things out," She was still crying. Her make-up was running and she was shaking. "Brooke... It's going to be on... Lets go. We can go to where I get my shoulder checked" Brooke stood up and grabbed his and. They walked down stairs and left.
The ride there was quiet. Every once in a while Lucas would sigh or Brooke would sniffle. When they got there Brooke sat in the car for a few minutes before finally getting out. Lucas walked over and opened her door then, He grabbed her had and pulled her up. "Brooke... It's going to be ok." She just nodded knowing that if she spoke she would cry again. They walked in together hand in hand and checked in. As they waited the seconds passed like hours. Brooke cried some more and Lucas just sat there stiff. The finally "Brooke Davis the doctor will see you now" Brooke stood up and started to walk when she noticed Lucas didn't get up. "Lucas..." She was starting to cry hard again "You... You aren't coming?" Lucas stood up fast and ran to her side "I didn't think you would want me back there" A tear ran down Brookes cheek. She grabbed Lucas's hand and pulled him with her. She wasn't going to do this alone.
When she got back to her room she sat in the chair and the doctor came in. "Hi... I'm Dr. Weaver... Before we do anything I wanted to discuss your options with you. Do you know what they are?" Lucas and Brooke both shook their heads. "Ok then... Well first of all there is abortion" Brooke stopped her and looked at Lucas then turned back to the doctor "I... I don't want an abortion Lucas...We have to give this baby a chance" Lucas was relieved she said this he turned to her "Brooke... Whatever you want to do I am here for you" Brooke smiled and turned back to the doctor. "Well then there is adoption... There are millions of couples who want a child out there but can't have any." Brooke thought for a minute "I don't know if I can do that. Lucas... We're being selfish if we do that. It's not like we don't have the money or the time. And what if this child comes to us in 18 years and wants to know why the hell we didn't love I enough to keep it?" the doctor cut Brooke off before she could continue. Maybe I should run the test now and give you two time to think. "Yea... I think that would be best" Lucas said. The doctor took some blood and then did an ultrasound. "Right there... that's your baby. Would you like to know the sex?" Brooke looked at Lucas with pleading eyes. Lucas nodded at her. "Yea" Brooke said in a crackled voice. "Well it looks like a girl. Your about 16 weeks along. I am going to leave you 3 alone to talk" The doctor picked up the chart and left the room. Brooke and Lucas stared at the ultra sound picture for what seemed like ages until Brooke broke the silence. "Lucas... If we keep this baby are you going to regret it later? I know you keep saying it is my choice but this screws up your life too" Lucas turned to her and kissed her on the forehead "Brooke I'm not Dan. I am going to love this baby no matter what" Brooke smiled and a tear ran down her cheek. "Good because I really don't want someone else screwing up out baby... That's our job" They both smiled and sat there together looking at the picture of their little girl.
It had been 3 weeks since they had been to the doctor and they were both starting to accept the news. Brooke had decided that the babies name was going to be Emma and Lucas wanted her to be named Katherine so they had compromised. Emmalyne Katherine Scott. And were going to call her Emma. Brooke always liked rich sounding names. No one knew that Brooke was pregnant yet because neither of then had had the courage to tell anyone. She was also starting to grow out of her clothes. Brooke knew that they weren't going to be able to keep this to them selves for much longer but they would as long as they could. Brooke turned over and looked at the clock... it was 4:30. "Luke...Luke... Luke are you awake?" Lucas groaned and turned over "I am now..." Brooke grinned, "Do we have any ice crème?" Lucas groaned again... "Brooke it is 4:30... How can you want ice crème now?" Brooke sat up and started to pout "Lucas... I don't want ice crème... but your daughter does" This always won Lucas over. "Ok, ok" he grinned "What kind? Brooke put her finger to her mouth "Hmmm Strawberry with chocolate syrup and whip crème" Lucas stood up and out his pants on...."And you wonder why you are growing out of your clothes" Brooke looked annoyed "Ha, ha now hurry before Keith wakes up" Keith knew Brooke was staying here but he thought she was in the 3rd bedroom. She had to wake up early every morning and move to that bed.
It was 7:15 and Lucas, Brooke and Keith were eating breakfast. Brooke and Lucas had decided that they should tell Keith first. Keith turned and looked at Brooke "Wow Brooke we're feeding you well aren't we?" Brooke smiled nervously.... Then Lucas broke in "Keith... Um... Brookes pregnant." Keith dropped his fork and just stared. Finally he spoke "I though you two were sleeping in separate beds?" Brooke spoke this time "Keith... I'm 6 months pregnant" Keith turned and looked at her. "Oh...I thought..." Lucas explained how the test got mixed up and that she had been pregnant the whole time, that it was a girl and they were keeping it. After he finished Keith looked a Lucas with a very concerned look..."You need to go home and tell your mom" Lucas and Brooke both knew that they had too. "I know..."
Lucas and Brooke had been driving for a while when they finally got to Tree Hill. Brooke looked down at her stomach. It was getting huge. "Broody... I'm getting fat" Lucas turned and looked at her laughing "Cheery... Your pregnant" Brooke hated when he did that. He always had an answer for everything. Just once she wanted him to say something like "No your not" or "What are you talking about" But no... He liked the fact that she was going to weigh 500 lbs. "I have an idea... I carried your child for 6 months now you carry it for the other 3" She always called it his child when she was annoyed or mad. "I would if I could but how would we explain that one to my mom? Brooke smiled she did love the way he could turn a bad situation into a good one and this was a bad situation. Finally they got to Karen's house and pulled in the driveway. "Here we go" Lucas said with a nervous look on his face. "Hey whose car is that?" Brooke saw a blue convertible sitting in the driveway. "Who knows" Lucas said. They walked up to the house and rang the doorbell just incase she had company. "Luke... Maybe we should wait and let the baby tell her." Brooke was shaking a lot like the day they found out they were pregnant. "Brooke... It's going to be ok..." Lucas said not too convincingly. Karen came to the door in a frazzle. Her hair was all out of place and her shirt was on backwards. "Mom... Are you ok" Karen came out and shut the door fast behind her. "Lucas, Brooke, What are you two doing here?" Karen was fidgeting. "Well mom it would be nice it we could talk inside" Karen thought for a minute. Just as she was about to speak the door opened and it was Dan. "Mom..." Lucas started "What the hell are you doing?" Brooke looked at Lucas's face. He was obviously shocked and hurt. "Lucas...It's... It's my life. Dan isn't as bad as I use to say. Lucas come in and talk" Lucas stormed passed her and Dan. "Brooke Sweetheart... come in" Karen said as she saw her stomach. When they all got in the den (including Dan) Lucas spoke. "Mom Brooke is 6 months pregnant with our daughter and we are going to keep the baby." Lucas spoke really fast. It was making Brooke really nervous. "What... Who did this happen?" Brooke thought it was better if she talked to Karen this time "There was a mix up with the test last time...Lucas and I went over all of our options and thought it was best that we kept the baby" Karen and Dan both looked shocked. Brooke looked down at Dan and noticed his zipper was down. "Lucas..." Karen started but she couldn't finish. She left and went to the bathroom. Now it was just Dan, Lucas, and Brooke. Dan had a smug look on his face. Brooke turned to him "Don't you say a word... Pregnant women have been known to kill people and then plead insanity. I am not past that." Brooke stood up and pulled Lucas into his room so they could talk. "Luke... Come on... lets just go to bed" Lucas laid down Brooke beside him and they both went to sleep.
It had been 2 months since they had told Karen. They decided to stay in Tree Hill because it Brooke hated to ride. Plus Brooke was having fun with Peyton and Haley baby shopping. Between the 3 of them they had spent more money than she cared to tell Lucas on baby stuff. Peyton seemed okay with the whole thing, at least as far as Brooke could tell. Nathan and Lucas were spending a lot of time playing basketball and talking about the fact that Dan and Karen were sleeping together. Brooke was huge and had to buy a whole new wardrobe because none of her other clothes fit her. She had still not called her parents and told them about the baby because she figured she would just let the baby tell them when it was old enough. Today Peyton, Haley, Karen and Deb were throwing her a surprise baby shower. They had been talking about it for 3 weeks. Brooke knew about it because Peyton... the brilliant person she was left Lucas a message on the answering machine about it. Brooke came home, checked the messages and well she didn't want to ruin their fun so she had to act surprised. Brooke walked up to the café and open the door "SURPRISE" they all yelled. Brooke had a pretend smile on her face. "Oh My God you guys! I had no idea!" The party was fun. There were a lot of presents most of which she was going to return the next day because she didn't them. They played a bunch of dumb games that she didn't understand and now she and Lucas were on their way home. Brooke fidgeted in the seat. "You okay?" Brooke felt like she was dying. Her back was killing her. "Yea... I think... Aw my back" Brooke was tossing in the seat. "Come on let's go to the hospital" Lucas had a worried look on his face. "No... Luke... I'm fine." Brooke could tell that he didn't believe her and she was glad. Lucas drove up to the emergency entrance and helped her in. By now she was screaming in pain "Son of a bitch!" Brooke was yelling every cuss word in her vocabulary. "Can I get some help here?" Lucas yelled. A nurse came up to them and gave Brooke a wheel chair. "How far a long is she?" The nurse was walking fast and pushing Brooke. "Umm 8 months... Is she going to be ok?" The nurse pushed Brooke into the elevator and took her up to labor and delivery. "Lucas... Its too early" Brooke cried. "Brooke is going to be fine I promise you." Lucas tried to be reassuring but he wasn't doing a good job of it. "It hurts!" Brooke was yelling. "Its not fair! I had to get fat and have swollen ankles and now I have to do this! Lucas keep that thing in your pants next time!" Finally they got her to the room and the doctor came in. "Ok Brooke I am going to check you now" There was a short pause. "Ok Brooke you are 10 centimeters you have to push now." Brooke turned and started moaning "Your kidding me... Don't you have any pain meds! I'm dying here" They doctor was getting agitated. "Brooke push!" 15 minutes later Emmalyne Katherine Scott was born. Weighing 4 pounds 3 ounces, 17 inches long.
Brooke sat in the bed with Emma in her arms. "Luke... She's perfect." Brooke was crying. She slid over on the bed to make room for Lucas. "Hey Emma that's your daddy. He is going to spoil you rotten. You just always remember who went though labor with you and had no pain meds." Brooke smiled and Lucas and handed Emma over to him. He rocked her back and forth and kissed Brooke on the forehead. "You did good mom" Lucas smiled... Brooke looked at him "Ok Broody don't get all hallmark on me now...I did didn't I?" They both laughed, "I love you Brooke" Brooke looked up from Emma "I love you too
It was late and Brooke could not sleep. She had been up all night reading the letter. She had gone over it hundreds of times in her head. Each time the words had a different meaning...
Dear Brooke, I know we left things pretty bad but I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am. I really hate the way things ended between us and just wanted you to know no matter what I will always be there for you. I also wanted to explain about some of the things I did. I feel like you deserve to know. I guess the only way to say it right is this. It's kind of like when you plan on going to one college for a really long time. You plan your whole life around it and think about it all the time. But while all this is happening an even better college accepts you. And even though you know it is a much better college and you know that's where you, you would be happiest part of you still wonders what if. I should have never wondered Brooke. I love you and I hope you can find it somewhere to forgive me. As for now Keith and I are moving to Charleston. Maybe I will see you when I come to visit.
-Lucas
How could he do this to her? Just when she thought she was over him and was moving on he had to go and write that really nice letter. She even had a date tomorrow tonight with the most popular guy in school. What did she need Lucas Scott for? Sure all this guy tomorrow tonight would want was sex but at least he wouldn't cheat on her. Even if he did it wouldn't matter because it wouldn't be with her best friend. What did it matter if Lucas moved? It was better that she didn't have to see him anyway! But as she thought about this she couldn't help but feel sad. She knew it was all a lie. She had been in love with Lucas Scott from the very first time she laid eyes on him. It wasn't love like you have with a hot movie star you see on TV or a jock at school. This was love like whenever she saw his smile her heart jumped. Sex or making out, none of that mattered with Lucas. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her and now he was gone. Brooke turned over and looked at the clock. It was 1:36. Why couldn't she sleep? Her head was pounding. It wasn't a hang over. She hadn't had anything to drink since she sent Nikki on her way. Finally she closed her eyes and was asleep.
Lucas woke up to the sound of Keith falling down the stairs. This was a morning ritual now. Maybe it was the fact that Keith had never had steps or maybe it was Keith was just too tired to look where he was going. Whatever it was Lucas could never sleep past 6:30 because of it. He grabbed his sweatshirt and running pants and jogged down the stairs. Keith was in the kitchen nursing his ankle. "Hey man... You okay? Stairs can be a hard thing to master" Lucas joked. Keith did not look amused. Lucas grabbed a chewy bar and jogged out the front door. He loved his morning jog. It always helped him clear his head and lately that had not been an easy thing to do. With everything going on in his life it was nice to have time where he didn't have to worry about anything. Since he and Keith had gotten here a week ago he had been jogging a lot. He had cleared his head of Peyton and her issues. He had decided it was best not to think about the whole Nathan Haley getting married. The there was Brooke. As hard as he had tried he could not get her out of his mind. He loved her. He had spent so many nights trying not to, trying to say that all he cared about was sex and how she looked but he couldn't do it. He liked who he was with her. She made him a better person. As Lucas jogged on he kept thinking a bout Brooke and what she had thought of his letter until he noticed a girl about his age stopped on the side of the road. She was about 5'8 and had short blonde hair. She was pretty but not pretty like Brooke a different kind of pretty more like Haley. "Hey... Can I help you?" Lucas asked. The girl looked really scared and as crying. "Yes... um do you have a phone? My car broke down and my phone is dead and my parents are going to kill me and" The girl was in hysterics "Look calm down... I live about ½ a block from here and my uncle is a mechanic. My name is Lucas" Lucas was trying his best to calm her down. "Really! Oh my Goodness you are the best! My name is Laney... Laney Smith" She looked calmer and her tears were stopping now. She seemed like a really sweet girl. Her clothes were modest and her hair wasn't done in any special way. As for make-up from what Lucas could see she had none on. "Come on... Lets go hey my uncle Keith"
Brooke looked up at her alarm clock. It was 8:46. She had been awake since 7:00 thinking about what to do. Should she go to Charleston and tell Lucas what a Jerk he was but she loved him anyway or should she stay home and go on her date try to move on. She didn't even know why she was doing this to herself. She knew what she had to do. She would never be happy without Lucas. As soon as she stood up she had to sit back down again. What was wrong with her? She was dizzy all the time and had headaches. Maybe she was just run-down... Maybe she was too stressed. Whatever she was she had a feeling going to see Lucas was not going to make it any better. She walked over to her closet grabbed a suitcase and started packing. Packing was always hard for Brooke because she had so much she never knew what to take. In this case she would take it all. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As soon as she was finished packing, she drove to Karen's Café for some breakfast. Even though she and Lucas hadn't ended so well she and Karen still talked. As she swung open the diner door she scanned the place to see if there was anyone she knew. Just the usual were there. Haley was working. Nathan was sitting at a booth reading the sports section wit Peyton and Tim. She really didn't want to talk to them but she had to let Peyton know she was leaving so she wouldn't worry and so that she could break her date with Mark for her. She walked over and sat down. Peyton looked up. "Hey... Haven't seen you in a couple of days... You ok?" Peyton seemed concerned but Brooke didn't really care. Part of her was still mad at her for what she had done. "Yea... Look Peyton I gotta go out of town for a while... Can you cover for me?" Peyton looked confused but she knew from the tone in Brookes voice she didn't have a choice. "Yea sure... Anything I can do?" Brooke wasn't listening. "Look I gotta go I will call you when I get there" Brooke stood up and walked out. She wasn't hungry anymore. She had a lot of driving to do. Before she drove to Charleston she was going to stop and see her Grandmother for a couple of days. She hadn't seen her in a while and Brooke knew that she didn't have long. Plus She needed a few days to clear her head before she saw Lucas.
It had been just 3 days since Lucas had met Laney and they were already hitting it off. She was 16 and a nice Christian girl. Even though Lucas didn't usually go for girls like this he knew that it would be good for him. She was nothing like Brooke and that was what he needed. He loved Brooke more than he ever thought he would love any girl. But the way things were looking she didn't feel the same way so he needed to move on. Laney was funny and was always teaching Lucas how to enjoy life without cussing or having sex. He liked how she was a virgin and proud of it. She was in a way a lot like Haley. Lucas was sitting on the front porch waiting for Laney... She was always early which meant Lucas had to get up earlier so he would look decent when she came. As she walked up in the parking lot she smiled and kissed him on the cheek then blushed looking like she had regretted it. "I'm sorry Lucas... I shouldn't have done that. I... I just think we should be more than friends" Lucas had no problem with this. "Yea sure" He said with a grin on his face "So we are dating now?" Laney smiled and kissed him on the lips this time "I guess we are" When she kissed him it wasn't what he had expected at all. There were 2 women he had really kissed him his life. Peyton which was mostly lust and Brooke who when he kissed her he really felt it. Of course he lusted for her but there was more to it and they both new it. Now with Laney it was like kissing Peyton. He would just have to get use to it. Laney turned to him looking hurt "Did I do it wrong?" she asked looking really nervous "No... You did it fine" Lucas said then started kissing her... "It was fine"
Brooke was so tried of old people she didn't know what to do. She hated them. The way they always pinched your cheeks and talked about how big your boobs were getting. She was 17! Of course her boobs were bigger than when she was 11. She had ended up staying a lot longer than she had planned. In fact, 10 days longer. What was up with that? She didn't know what was wrong with her. Maybe she was getting a soft spot. But now she was back on track. Going to see Lucas. That was one good thing about staying so long. She had A LOT of time to clear her head and now she knew exactly what she was going to do. She picked up her cell phone to call Peyton and her answering machine picked up "Hey Its Peyt... Yea I know you wanna talk but I'm not here so leave one" "Hey its Brooke... Look I am gonna be way longer than I thought... Call me ok? All right I'm outtie." She had been on the road for 30 minutes now and had a long way to go... As it turned out Greenville where her grandmother lived was in North Carolina... Not South Carolina like she thought so It was way more driving. As she went on her car started making a very bad noise...Brooke looked at the gas tank... Empty... "Great" she thought "just great." The car slowed down and came to a complete stop. She was in the middle of nowhere with no gas...On top of that she felt like crap this whole trip. What was she doing??
Lucas was adjusting a lot better to Charleston now that he had a girlfriend. Even though they had only been dating for 11 days it seemed like a lot longer. His only problem was the longer he dated Laney... The more he wished she were Brooke. He knew it was bad but he couldn't help it. He had told Laney all about him and Brooke so that they would have no secrets. And even though she was disappointed to find out that he wasn't a virgin she seemed ok with the whole thing. Today they were going to drive down to Edisto Island with her parents for a week. As he finished packing Keith came in and had the look on his face like he really wanted to talk. "What is it Keith?" Lucas asked annoyed "Look Luke... I know I told you I wouldn't mess with your private life but do you think it is right to do this to this poor girl?" Lucas could not believe what he was hearing! Keith was judging him. Out of all the people he thought Keith would be the one to understand about moving on. "I've got to go..." Lucas said and walked out the door to meet Laney. Laney was waiting in the car with her parents Billy and Jean. Her father Billy was a preacher at the Church here and her mother had been a nurse on the maternity ward forever. They were both older... at least a lot older than his mom and look really scary. Lucas climbed into the backseat of the car and kissed Laney. Apparently her parents didn't like this. "Excuse me son" Her father said starting the car "Before you start kissing our daughter we would like to know a little bit about you" Her father looked very stern and serious. Lucas didn't know whether to lie or tell the truth. He decided that telling the truth would probably be best because lying hadn't gone too well for him lately. "Well sir... I am from Tree Hill North Carolina. My mom owns a café there and we are really close. My dad and I don't get along..." Lucas explained the whole story about Karen and Dan and how he was born. Then about Nathan and how Dan was a jerk. Then about the Brooke and Peyton (leaving out certain details about sex and other things for obvious reasons) then finally got to the part about how moved here with Keith. When he was finished they had already been driving for an hour. Both her parents looked shocked. "Well Lucas... We... Umm... We are glad to have you here with us" Lucas then regretted the whole thing and didn't talk the rest of the way there instead thought about Brooke and wondered what she was doing.
Brooke was sitting in her waiting for the damn tow truck. She had called over an hour ago and they were still not there. She hadn't eaten in 4 hours and was feeling really sick. She turned and looked at the clock. 3:30. What was she doing? Maybe she should just go home. She was in the town of Farmville NC. Farmville. What a name. She had already had 3 guys try to pick her up and she was just ready to get going. Finally she saw the tow truck pull up. A big man stepped out. He had to of weighed 400 lbs. He was huge. "Hi... I'm Bob," He said with is cheap cigarette in his mouth. "Ready to go?" Brooke sat up in the front seat and fiddled with the radio station while he was loading her car. "Miss... I need to see cash before I take you anywhere" Brooke pulled out her wallet and showed him a $50. "There... Now can we just go? I have to get somewhere." Bob looked annoyed but pushed himself in the drivers seat. "So... Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked with a devious grin on his face. "No actually a girlfriend... Her name is Peyton" Bob fidgeted a little "Right sorry... I couldn't tell" Brooke was starting to feel really sick. "Uh can you pull over" Brooke was serious "Lady we just got" "Pull over" Brooke yelled. She stopped the car so she could throw up. She hadn't eaten much today so there wasn't much to throw up. She climbed back into her seat and they left.
Finally they were there! Lucas didn't think he could bear the silence any longer. He jumped out of the car and grabbed his and along with Laney's then followed Jean and Billy up to the trailer. "Now Lucas you are going to have to sleep on the couch" Jean said with her heavy accent. "That's fine... Can I help you guys with anything else?" All 3 of them looked offended. "Son... There is only 1 guy that you are speaking to and that is me. I would prefer it if you addressed with our names... That is why the good lord saw it fit to give us names" Lucas couldn't believe this. "Yes sir" Lucas said shyly. "Now you two head on down to the beach we will be down yonder in a little while," Jean said as she carried the last bag into her and Billy's room. At least when he was dating Brooke he didn't have to worry about her parents. Laney's were just creepy. "Lucas come on lets go!" Laney was getting inpatient "Alright beach here we come" Laney was wearing a green bathing suit with a built in skirt. It looked like something an 85 year old would wear. Nothing like the skimpy thongs Brooke would wear when they were in the Jacuzzi... That is when she wore something... most of the time she preferred to go naked... said it made her feel free. Lucas never complained. Here he was again... at the beach with a sweet beautiful girl and he had Brooke on his mind. As they reached the beach he noticed all the oyster shells sticking up in the sand. "What the hell??" He was amazed "Lucas it is heck and they are old oyster beds. They are really sharp so don't step on one." When Laney spoke she had this confidence about her that made Lucas not worry about her parents. He was here with her to have fun and he was going to.
Finally Brooke was there. After 2 ½ weeks of driving and dealing with old people and tow truck drivers she was here! As she passed the sign that said "Welcome to Charleston" she picked up her cell phone and dialed 411. "Yes I need the address for Keith Scott... Yes he just moved here. Thank you" Brooke fingers started shaking as she listened to the operator give her the address. Again she started wondering if coming here was the right thing to do. As she drove down the crowded streets she noticed all the rainbow houses. It was the Rainbow Row. Lucas had told her about this while they were dating. It was a group of houses all beside each other each painted a different color. Lucas had said that one day he wanted one of these houses as a summerhouse where they could raise their kids. They had talked about that a lot when they were dating. Where they would live, how many kids they would have, what they would name them. She had always told him that if they did get one of those houses she would paint it hot pink. He had tried to tell her 100 times that she couldn't do that but always argued with him that when they were married that she could do whatever she wanted. Now things were so different. Now she didn't even know if they could work things out. Finally she came to the address the operator had given her. It was an apartment complex named Windy Ridge. The apartments were not trashy but she thought that maybe Keith could have done better. She drove up to the set where they were supposed to live and parked the car. She sat there for 10 minutes worrying and peeling all of her fingernail polish off and then finally knocked at the door.
Lucas, Laney, Jean and Billy were almost home. Despite what Lucas had first thought he had had a lot of fun. He and Laney had played out by the pool pushing each other in. Jumped the waves in the ocean where he preceded to loose his bathing suit. They had stayed up late looking at the stars talking about stuff he didn't know anything about. Laney had showed him how to fish in the sound and how to water Ski. Over all Lucas had had a lot of fun. Every night when he wobbled into the den/living room/dinning room area to sleep on the couch the same thing had come to his mind. Was this who he was meant to be with? This girl who did not care about how she looked? Who was happy with who she was? Sure she was trying to change him to fit her parent's expectations but she was sweet. Sure she would take him into a store and tell him how he had to be a rich lawyer one day so they could have lots of money and a big house. But those were just dreams coming from a little girl who didn't have much. They were a lot a like and that made things fit together with then, and then it would happen Brooke would slowly creep into his mind and he would think about how she never wanted him to change for her. She liked him for who he was and what he had. She hadn't cared that he didn't have much money, or that his clothes weren't the best. All she had wanted from him was for him to be there for her in the morning when she woke up and when she went to bed at night. All she wanted was to be loved and to love him back. Why was he doing this to himself? He looked out the window and saw the sign "Welcome to Charleston". As they passed the rainbow row he wished Brooke were here to see it. It was so beautiful and it was what they had always said. They were going to get a house there and she was going to paint it hot pink. Brooke was funny like that. She didn't care about rules or what people thought. She lived life her way and taught Lucas to live life his way. "Look Lucas, Don't you love the rainbow row? Isn't it beautiful! I read in the newspaper the other day that there is the comity that wants to change the colors! Who in their right mind would want to mess up such beautiful art work" Laney said with an angry tone in her voice. "Yea..." Lucas muttered... "Why?"
Keith opened the door with a very shocked look on his face. From his look you would have though that the Ed McMann had come to give him his million dollars. "Brooke... Uh what are you doing here" Keith said stunned. Brooke looked him straight in the eyes and could tell he already knew. "I came to talk to Luke... Is he here?" Brooke's fingers were shaking and she could feel her heart beating against her chest. "Um... He should be back any time now...Brooke we've been here for almost a month now... What took you so long?" Keith asked looking disappointed. She explained about the letter and how she hadn't known what to do and then the mix up with her grandmother and then about her car and how she had been sick but was feeling much better now and how she was still in love with Lucas. Keith sat there and listed contently. When she finished there was a long pause and then Keith spoke. "Brooke...I know you love him, and he loves you but Luke is doing good here. He found a sweet girl named Laney who he was taken a liking too. I'm sorry." Brooke was shocked. Not that she didn't think Lucas could find another girl, it was just she didn't think that he would be able to so fast. But then again it had been months since they had broken up. "Oh... Well good for him." There was another long pause "Keith I need to let him know that I am sorry. Even if we are just friends it is better than what we have now." Keith looked as if he knew exactly what she meant. "Come on maybe you should wait in his room until I get a chance to talk to him and get Laney out of here K?" Brooke agreed and followed Keith upstairs. Laney... What kind of a name was Laney? She walked into Lucas' room and sat down on his bed. A tear fell down her cheek. Maybe it had been a bad idea to come. "I am going to go get some work done downstairs. Give me a cal if you need anything" Brooke smiled at Keith and he walked out. She looked around Lucas' room. It looked just like Lucas. He had a new bedspread that was green with blue stripes and his old nightstand beside it. On his nightstand he had a few pictures. One of him and his mom when Lucas was about 8, one of him and Haley one Halloween where she was dressed up like a teacher and he was a pirate, and then there was one on the very corner. It was of him and her. She was grinning her big cheesy cheerleading grin and he had on some macho face and was giving her bunny ears. She had the same picture on her nightstand. Just as she turned to look at the pictures on his dresser she heard a car pull up. It was Lucas.
As the Smith's pulled up into the parking lot, Lucas saw Keith in the front taking out the trash. Keith was motioning at Lucas with all of these weird hand signals, which Lucas had no idea what they meant. Jean parked the car and Lucas and Laney got out. Billy and Jean went and cornered Keith while Lucas ad Laney went into the house. Just as Lucas open the front door Keith yelled at Lucas "Luke wait..." He ran over to Lucas with a nervous look on his face. "You and I have some things we need to get done in your room. Maybe Laney can come back over later?" Lucas had no idea what Keith's problem was but he agreed. "Ok muffin. I will be back over about 7:00 ok?" Lucas nodded at her and the Smiths left. Keith and Lucas walked into the house and Keith motioned for Lucas to sit down. "Keith, what is up man? You are scaring me!" Keith looked down at his feet like he did that time he ran over Lucas' new bike. "There is a present in your room for you" Keith looked up and had a nervous grin on his face. Lucas had no idea what it could be. He walked up the stairs and opened his room door.
"Brooke..." Lucas managed to say... he didn't know if she should hug or kiss her or kick her out. "Hey Broody..." Brooke said trying to break some of the tension. "I got your letter" Lucas sat down on his bed beside her and didn't know what to say. "Just now?" Lucas was kind of mad that it had taken her this long to come "No..." Brooke explained about how she didn't know what to do when she got it and then all about her trip. Then Lucas told her all about Laney and how they had met just a couple days after he came here. They talked for 2 ½ hours like there was nothing wrong until Brooke decided to be the first to bring up the touchy subject of "Them" "Lucas... I'm still in love with you" She said plainly and quietly. A tear ran down her cheek as she said it. "I think about you all the time and I understand... well I can learn to understand if you are with this new girl... I just needed you to know." Lucas was stunned. He hadn't expected Brooke to say that... any of that. He turned and looked at her. "Brooke... I... I love you too." He turned and kissed her more passionately than he had ever kissed anyone one. After a few seconds they stopped and put their foreheads together. "What about Laney?" Brooke said with fear in her voice. Laney... Lucas had totally forgotten about her. "Shit..." Lucas muttered. Brooke looked hurt but he knew she understood. "Luke... if you break up with her... I will be the Peyton in this triangle and I will NOT let that happen. I love you Broody Lucas Scott and if I have to wait then well I will just have to wait" Lucas smiled "Brooke... Just as Lucas finished her name there was a knock at the front door. "I am guessing that would be Laney" Brooke turned to Lucas and kissed him on the forehead. She finished just as Laney walked in his room. "Hi... I'm Laney... You are?" Laney said in a sweet but snobby way. Brooke could tell Lucas was getting really nervous "I'm um...I'm Tallulah. I am Lucas' cousin from Tree Hill. His mom sent me to make sure he was eating enough...you know how moms can be. So... You're his girlfriend?" Brooke spoke so convincingly Lucas was even starting to believe her. She was talking like crazy Brooke. The crazy Brooke he loved. "Yea... We just got home from the beach and were going to go to dinner. Would you like to come? I have a brother who would love to double?" Laney seemed excited as she spoke. Like she was on one of those matchmaking shows. "I would love that" Brooke smiled her famous cheesy grin. "Okay... I ill go get him...I will see you too at Shoney's at 9:00... Sound good?" Brooke and Lucas both nodded and Laney left. "Shoney's" Brooke asked as she kissed Lucas "Ye hah... What should I wear?" Lucas spent the next 30 minutes watching Brooke model her sexy shorts and tops until he picked out the most revealing one she had brought with her. "I am going to break up with her Brooke" Lucas started but Brooke cut in "No Lucas... She is going to break up with you... Do these pants seem tighter on me than usual?" Lucas looked and Brooke and grinned. He loved her devious plans. "And why would she break up with a great guy like me?" Brooke looked at him in the eyes and kissed his nose. "Because at dinner tonight you are going to talk about me all night" Brooke smiled her cute smile and grabbed her pocket book. "You or Tallulah" Lucas grinned. He had missed this. He knew they still had a lot of talking to get through and he still had a lot of explaining but for now it was nice to just be Brooke and Lucas... Or in the case Tallulah and Lucas.
Lucas and Brooke drove up to Shoney's in Brooke's convertible. "You ready Tallulah?" Lucas asked with a grin on his face. "Why yes I am..." Brooke said in a fake southern accent. Laney and her brother were already there waiting up by the entrance. "Now remember talk about Brooke non-stop because you love your cheery Brookee so much!" Brooke told him as they walked up to the entrance. "Tallulah... This is Jimmy... My older brother" Jimmy was tall and lanky much like Laney. He had bright orange hair and more freckles than could be counted. "Great... Lets eat" Lucas said as they started to walk in. "You owe me big"...Brooke muttered under her breath. The hostess sat them down at a booth. Brooke and Jimmy on one side and Lucas and Laney on the other. "So... Laney, How long have you tow been dating...is he really as kinky as his ex's tell me?" Brooke said with a smile on her face. Lucas kicked her in the shin from under the table. "Actually I am saving myself for when I get married" Laney smiled with a proud look on her face. "Haley??" Brooke muttered "No Laney..." Laney said back looking confused. "Right...So... Jimmy are you the same way?" Brooke turned her head to Jimmy who looked like he was in a daze. "Why yes ma'am. Daddy says it's a sin to have adult relations with another person before the good lord has blessed your relationship." Lucas could tell he better stop Brooke before she got on a role. "Brooke and I use to come and eat here..." Lucas spent the whole night talking about Brooke. Brooke spent the whole night making cracks at Laney and Jimmy saying things like "Oh My God that reminds me of the time that I had the 3 some with Mark and Josh" or "So am I going to go to hell because I have had sex?" By the time it was time to go Laney and Jimmy were thoroughly disgusted with Brooke and Laney was not too happy with Lucas. "Well Lane... I am going to walk Miss Tallulah to the car. Give you and Lucas some private time. Brooke gave Lucas an evil glare as they walked to the car. "Look Lucas we need to talk... I think you are still in love with this Brooke girl. Maybe you and I should not see each other until you figure things out. Laney looked hurt as she was speaking but seemed to be handling it ok. "Look Laney... The truth is Brooke is the love of my life. I cant get her out of my mind, and when I met you I thought that maybe if I fell in love with you I would forget about her" Laney had a tear running down her cheek. "Ok Then... I better go" Laney walked away and Lucas just stood there. He wasn't sad but he did feel guilty. Keith had been right. He had been leading her on the whole time. Because he and Keith both knew if Brooke hadn't come to him he would have gone to her at some point. Brooke was waiting by the car when he finally started walking over "You ok?" She asked with a concerned look on her face. "For the first time in months yea... I actually am." He kissed Brooke on the forehead and they drove home.
Brooke woke up to the sound of crashing and cussing "What the Hell!" Lucas started laughing, "Keith hasn't mastered the stairs yet" Brooke turned over and kissed Lucas "How is anyone suppose to get any sleep around here..." Lucas looked her deep in the eyes. "Maybe is we had actually slept instead of doing what we did..." Brooke looked annoyed "yea, yea" She stood up and then had to sit back down because she felt so dizzy. "Hey... You okay?" Lucas asked looking really concerned. "Yea I've just been sick... I'm ok" Brooke lied. She didn't know what was wrong with her. "Hey I am going to go make some breakfast. What do you want?" Lucas smiled at her. He had treated her like a queen ever since she had gotten here. "Hmmm I don't know I will go with you" Just as they both got up her cell phone rang. "Its probably Peyton. I haven't called her in like 5 days..." Brooke searched her bag for her phone and then answered "Hello... Yes this is she. Are you sure? Maybe you are wrong this time too" Brooke was starting to yell "Yes I have but... Umm yea sure talk to my boyfriend Lucas" Here... Brooke said really annoyed... "He wants to talk to someone more rational" Lucas looked at her confused but took the phone anyway. Brooke went and sat down on the bed and put her face in her hands. "Hello... This is Lucas Scott... Right... I see... Are you sure...Ok I will talk to her... yes thank you... Bye" Lucas turned and looked a Brooke who was crying on the bed. "Brooke..." Brooke stopped him "No... Lucas... No we're to young. No..." She was breaking down. He walked over to the bed and held her in his arms while they both cried. Finally he broke the silence "Brooke... He says you need to go to a doctor and get some test run since we didn't know. He also says they will give us some options." Brooke pulled her head up out of his chest and looked him in the eyes "Lucas we can't have a baby... Not now... Not when we are just working things out," She was still crying. Her make-up was running and she was shaking. "Brooke... It's going to be on... Lets go. We can go to where I get my shoulder checked" Brooke stood up and grabbed his and. They walked down stairs and left.
The ride there was quiet. Every once in a while Lucas would sigh or Brooke would sniffle. When they got there Brooke sat in the car for a few minutes before finally getting out. Lucas walked over and opened her door then, He grabbed her had and pulled her up. "Brooke... It's going to be ok." She just nodded knowing that if she spoke she would cry again. They walked in together hand in hand and checked in. As they waited the seconds passed like hours. Brooke cried some more and Lucas just sat there stiff. The finally "Brooke Davis the doctor will see you now" Brooke stood up and started to walk when she noticed Lucas didn't get up. "Lucas..." She was starting to cry hard again "You... You aren't coming?" Lucas stood up fast and ran to her side "I didn't think you would want me back there" A tear ran down Brookes cheek. She grabbed Lucas's hand and pulled him with her. She wasn't going to do this alone.
When she got back to her room she sat in the chair and the doctor came in. "Hi... I'm Dr. Weaver... Before we do anything I wanted to discuss your options with you. Do you know what they are?" Lucas and Brooke both shook their heads. "Ok then... Well first of all there is abortion" Brooke stopped her and looked at Lucas then turned back to the doctor "I... I don't want an abortion Lucas...We have to give this baby a chance" Lucas was relieved she said this he turned to her "Brooke... Whatever you want to do I am here for you" Brooke smiled and turned back to the doctor. "Well then there is adoption... There are millions of couples who want a child out there but can't have any." Brooke thought for a minute "I don't know if I can do that. Lucas... We're being selfish if we do that. It's not like we don't have the money or the time. And what if this child comes to us in 18 years and wants to know why the hell we didn't love I enough to keep it?" the doctor cut Brooke off before she could continue. Maybe I should run the test now and give you two time to think. "Yea... I think that would be best" Lucas said. The doctor took some blood and then did an ultrasound. "Right there... that's your baby. Would you like to know the sex?" Brooke looked at Lucas with pleading eyes. Lucas nodded at her. "Yea" Brooke said in a crackled voice. "Well it looks like a girl. Your about 16 weeks along. I am going to leave you 3 alone to talk" The doctor picked up the chart and left the room. Brooke and Lucas stared at the ultra sound picture for what seemed like ages until Brooke broke the silence. "Lucas... If we keep this baby are you going to regret it later? I know you keep saying it is my choice but this screws up your life too" Lucas turned to her and kissed her on the forehead "Brooke I'm not Dan. I am going to love this baby no matter what" Brooke smiled and a tear ran down her cheek. "Good because I really don't want someone else screwing up out baby... That's our job" They both smiled and sat there together looking at the picture of their little girl.
It had been 3 weeks since they had been to the doctor and they were both starting to accept the news. Brooke had decided that the babies name was going to be Emma and Lucas wanted her to be named Katherine so they had compromised. Emmalyne Katherine Scott. And were going to call her Emma. Brooke always liked rich sounding names. No one knew that Brooke was pregnant yet because neither of then had had the courage to tell anyone. She was also starting to grow out of her clothes. Brooke knew that they weren't going to be able to keep this to them selves for much longer but they would as long as they could. Brooke turned over and looked at the clock... it was 4:30. "Luke...Luke... Luke are you awake?" Lucas groaned and turned over "I am now..." Brooke grinned, "Do we have any ice crème?" Lucas groaned again... "Brooke it is 4:30... How can you want ice crème now?" Brooke sat up and started to pout "Lucas... I don't want ice crème... but your daughter does" This always won Lucas over. "Ok, ok" he grinned "What kind? Brooke put her finger to her mouth "Hmmm Strawberry with chocolate syrup and whip crème" Lucas stood up and out his pants on...."And you wonder why you are growing out of your clothes" Brooke looked annoyed "Ha, ha now hurry before Keith wakes up" Keith knew Brooke was staying here but he thought she was in the 3rd bedroom. She had to wake up early every morning and move to that bed.
It was 7:15 and Lucas, Brooke and Keith were eating breakfast. Brooke and Lucas had decided that they should tell Keith first. Keith turned and looked at Brooke "Wow Brooke we're feeding you well aren't we?" Brooke smiled nervously.... Then Lucas broke in "Keith... Um... Brookes pregnant." Keith dropped his fork and just stared. Finally he spoke "I though you two were sleeping in separate beds?" Brooke spoke this time "Keith... I'm 6 months pregnant" Keith turned and looked at her. "Oh...I thought..." Lucas explained how the test got mixed up and that she had been pregnant the whole time, that it was a girl and they were keeping it. After he finished Keith looked a Lucas with a very concerned look..."You need to go home and tell your mom" Lucas and Brooke both knew that they had too. "I know..."
Lucas and Brooke had been driving for a while when they finally got to Tree Hill. Brooke looked down at her stomach. It was getting huge. "Broody... I'm getting fat" Lucas turned and looked at her laughing "Cheery... Your pregnant" Brooke hated when he did that. He always had an answer for everything. Just once she wanted him to say something like "No your not" or "What are you talking about" But no... He liked the fact that she was going to weigh 500 lbs. "I have an idea... I carried your child for 6 months now you carry it for the other 3" She always called it his child when she was annoyed or mad. "I would if I could but how would we explain that one to my mom? Brooke smiled she did love the way he could turn a bad situation into a good one and this was a bad situation. Finally they got to Karen's house and pulled in the driveway. "Here we go" Lucas said with a nervous look on his face. "Hey whose car is that?" Brooke saw a blue convertible sitting in the driveway. "Who knows" Lucas said. They walked up to the house and rang the doorbell just incase she had company. "Luke... Maybe we should wait and let the baby tell her." Brooke was shaking a lot like the day they found out they were pregnant. "Brooke... It's going to be ok..." Lucas said not too convincingly. Karen came to the door in a frazzle. Her hair was all out of place and her shirt was on backwards. "Mom... Are you ok" Karen came out and shut the door fast behind her. "Lucas, Brooke, What are you two doing here?" Karen was fidgeting. "Well mom it would be nice it we could talk inside" Karen thought for a minute. Just as she was about to speak the door opened and it was Dan. "Mom..." Lucas started "What the hell are you doing?" Brooke looked at Lucas's face. He was obviously shocked and hurt. "Lucas...It's... It's my life. Dan isn't as bad as I use to say. Lucas come in and talk" Lucas stormed passed her and Dan. "Brooke Sweetheart... come in" Karen said as she saw her stomach. When they all got in the den (including Dan) Lucas spoke. "Mom Brooke is 6 months pregnant with our daughter and we are going to keep the baby." Lucas spoke really fast. It was making Brooke really nervous. "What... Who did this happen?" Brooke thought it was better if she talked to Karen this time "There was a mix up with the test last time...Lucas and I went over all of our options and thought it was best that we kept the baby" Karen and Dan both looked shocked. Brooke looked down at Dan and noticed his zipper was down. "Lucas..." Karen started but she couldn't finish. She left and went to the bathroom. Now it was just Dan, Lucas, and Brooke. Dan had a smug look on his face. Brooke turned to him "Don't you say a word... Pregnant women have been known to kill people and then plead insanity. I am not past that." Brooke stood up and pulled Lucas into his room so they could talk. "Luke... Come on... lets just go to bed" Lucas laid down Brooke beside him and they both went to sleep.
It had been 2 months since they had told Karen. They decided to stay in Tree Hill because it Brooke hated to ride. Plus Brooke was having fun with Peyton and Haley baby shopping. Between the 3 of them they had spent more money than she cared to tell Lucas on baby stuff. Peyton seemed okay with the whole thing, at least as far as Brooke could tell. Nathan and Lucas were spending a lot of time playing basketball and talking about the fact that Dan and Karen were sleeping together. Brooke was huge and had to buy a whole new wardrobe because none of her other clothes fit her. She had still not called her parents and told them about the baby because she figured she would just let the baby tell them when it was old enough. Today Peyton, Haley, Karen and Deb were throwing her a surprise baby shower. They had been talking about it for 3 weeks. Brooke knew about it because Peyton... the brilliant person she was left Lucas a message on the answering machine about it. Brooke came home, checked the messages and well she didn't want to ruin their fun so she had to act surprised. Brooke walked up to the café and open the door "SURPRISE" they all yelled. Brooke had a pretend smile on her face. "Oh My God you guys! I had no idea!" The party was fun. There were a lot of presents most of which she was going to return the next day because she didn't them. They played a bunch of dumb games that she didn't understand and now she and Lucas were on their way home. Brooke fidgeted in the seat. "You okay?" Brooke felt like she was dying. Her back was killing her. "Yea... I think... Aw my back" Brooke was tossing in the seat. "Come on let's go to the hospital" Lucas had a worried look on his face. "No... Luke... I'm fine." Brooke could tell that he didn't believe her and she was glad. Lucas drove up to the emergency entrance and helped her in. By now she was screaming in pain "Son of a bitch!" Brooke was yelling every cuss word in her vocabulary. "Can I get some help here?" Lucas yelled. A nurse came up to them and gave Brooke a wheel chair. "How far a long is she?" The nurse was walking fast and pushing Brooke. "Umm 8 months... Is she going to be ok?" The nurse pushed Brooke into the elevator and took her up to labor and delivery. "Lucas... Its too early" Brooke cried. "Brooke is going to be fine I promise you." Lucas tried to be reassuring but he wasn't doing a good job of it. "It hurts!" Brooke was yelling. "Its not fair! I had to get fat and have swollen ankles and now I have to do this! Lucas keep that thing in your pants next time!" Finally they got her to the room and the doctor came in. "Ok Brooke I am going to check you now" There was a short pause. "Ok Brooke you are 10 centimeters you have to push now." Brooke turned and started moaning "Your kidding me... Don't you have any pain meds! I'm dying here" They doctor was getting agitated. "Brooke push!" 15 minutes later Emmalyne Katherine Scott was born. Weighing 4 pounds 3 ounces, 17 inches long.
Brooke sat in the bed with Emma in her arms. "Luke... She's perfect." Brooke was crying. She slid over on the bed to make room for Lucas. "Hey Emma that's your daddy. He is going to spoil you rotten. You just always remember who went though labor with you and had no pain meds." Brooke smiled and Lucas and handed Emma over to him. He rocked her back and forth and kissed Brooke on the forehead. "You did good mom" Lucas smiled... Brooke looked at him "Ok Broody don't get all hallmark on me now...I did didn't I?" They both laughed, "I love you Brooke" Brooke looked up from Emma "I love you too