Author's Note: I'm still writing When It All Falls Apart. This is just a side project. Oh, and the Carrie in this fic has nothing to do with anything you may have read in OTH spoilers. I just used the name, nothing else.

We Start Again From Zero

Seven attempts later and Haley finally managed to get James to stay still long enough so she could put a clean t-shirt on him. Her accomplishment was short-lived when James immediately broke free of her grasp and ran outside into their yard to play.

"Not in the mud!" Haley yelled after her son but she knew it was pointless. Shaking her head she resolved that her son would just have to be dirty when Nathan arrived.

Glancing around her house, she noted that with James preoccupied in the yard, now was a better time than ever to start cleaning up the living room. Motherhood had taught her that it was virtually impossible for anything (or anyone) to stay clean longer than half a day. Haley could either be one of those mothers who followed their children around with wet wipes and a vacuum all day and keep her house immaculate or she could actually get some rest and just let her son and house be a little dirty for a little while. Nathan would give him a bath before bed anyway.

So while James played with his tricycle outside, Haley was in her kitchen washing dishes with furtive glances towards her son to make sure he wasn't running into walls or picking up slugs. That was until the doorbell rang and interrupted her mid-wash. Wiping her hands with the nearby dishcloth she went towards her door, ready to tell Nathan that he was three hours too early.

Instead a different visitor had arrived.

"Tutor Mom!" Brooke's huskier-than-she remembered voice surprised Haley more than the fact her old friend was standing on her doorstep. "How are you?"

It took Haley a few moments to collect her thoughts. "Brooke, hey." Haley allowed herself to be pulled into a deep hug from the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, invite me in and I'll tell you." Though Brooke was wearing huge glasses that covered half her face and a scarf, Haley could see the brunette's dimples on her cheeks form when she smiled.

"Um, sure." Haley moved aside and allowed Brooke in, looking outside for any sign of a car. "How did you get here?"

"I called a cab from the airport." She replied. Only then did Haley see the three suitcases that accompanied Brooke.

"Oh..." The ex-tutor tried to think back to any conversation, email, notice that may have involved Brooke coming to Tree Hill with suitcases and in her home. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I." Brooke replied but Haley glanced down at the suitcases.

"Really?" she muttered. "Can I offer you some water or something?" Haley asked. Brooke shook her head.

"No, I'm okay. I would like to pee though. Mind if I use your bathroom?" Brooke asked. Haley nodded and pointed her in the direction of the bathroom. Brooke thanked her and went off to find it.

Haley used that moment to mouth a 'wow' and look at the middle of her living room that was occupied by Brooke's luggage. Haley checked the airport tag. "All the way from California." She said to herself. Her thoughts quickly went to her son and she went to collect him from the yard knowing that any conversation with Brooke would probably last a while.

It was ten minutes before Brooke emerged from the bathroom. Though Brooke lit up when she saw James in Haley's arms, Haley could tell that Brooke's make-up had been hastily reapplied in that time but it couldn't quite hide Brooke's slightly red eyes.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Haley asked tentatively.

"I'm fine. Tired is all." Brooke waved a hand dismissively and turned her attention on the little boy. "How is James doing? Wow, he's gotten so big."

"Hmm," Haley said a sudden rush of resentment building over her, "maybe because the last time you saw him he had just come home from the hospital." She said bitterly. Brooke looked back at Haley guiltily.

"He's gorgeous." She attempted to change the subject but Haley wasn't quite done. Putting James down in his play pen, she crossed her arms and faced Brooke.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, "Seriously, Brooke."

"Checking in on my favorite Tutor Mom and her Tutor Boy." Brooke said, her voice doing its best to remain cheerful.

"After four years?" Haley pressed. Brooke sighed.

"Look, I know I haven't been the best godmother-" she began.

"No, you haven't." Haley interrupted.

"James is like four. He doesn't even know what that is. But I'm here now and ready to be the best goddamn godmother in the world." Brooke sounded hopeful.

"First of all, don't say 'goddamn' in my house. And secondly, give me one reason I should." Haley shot back. After a brief moment Brooke spoke up again.

"I'm his godmother, Haley. You chose me." Brooke didn't really seem to get it, which further irritated Haley.

"I did... four years ago when you and I used to actually talk. When I used to see your face every day and when you would force yourself into every little aspect of my life."

"I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch."

"Brooke, you were my best friend. Even more than Lucas because I could tell you things I couldn't tell him. I'd never had a best girlfriend before and you were it. But then everything just stopped like you dropped off the face of the planet."

"I was in California" was Brooke's meek excuse.

"And I was in Tree Hill trying to be a mother and watching my marriage disintegrate. When Nathan and I got a divorce, I needed you so much. But you didn't even call. You can't show up here now because you need me. It doesn't work that way." Haley's voice had reached a level that even she hadn't heard since her fights with Nathan. Brooke cleared her throat.

"Well... I guess you sure told me, huh? I'll show myself out." She brushed her hair out of her face and retreated back to where her suitcases where.

"Brooke..." Haley began to regret the way she had approached the topic, especially since, after four years, she wasn't even sure how to approach Brooke with everything that had happened.

"No, you're completely right. I didn't keep in touch and I didn't call when you and Nathan split up. But what was I supposed to say, Haley? When I heard about it, it had been two years since we'd spoken and I was scared that you wouldn't want to hear from me. Just like now when I'm here and all you want is me out of your house." Brooke shook her head, "And I don't blame you. Even I don't want to be around me."

Haley sighed inwardly, still angry at the girl but part of her was pleased to see her too. The part in her that missed her old roommate dearly and craved that close companionship once again.

Haley didn't say anything except watch Brooke walk back out onto the street with her bags rolling behind her and hailing down a cab. Within moments Brooke and her baggage had left the street – and Haley's home – empty.

Tree Hill had exactly one motel so Haley knew exactly where to find Brooke an hour after she had stormed out of her house. Her only hope was that Brooke was there and hadn't caught the first flight back to California. Of course, another concern was whether Brooke wanted to see her or not.

She knocked on Room 103 and thought that maybe the clerk had given her the wrong number when there was no reply. Until she heard a quiet "I don't want anything, thank you" come from behind the door.

"Brooke, it's me. Can I come in?" Haley asked but received no reply. "I brought James with me and he wants to see his godmother." She coaxed. She heard a muffled chuckle and the door opened. Brooke's make-up was smudged and the red circles around her eyes were evident.

"Hi." Brooke offered a small smile.

"I thought you might have been at the airport." Haley admitted. "I'm glad you're not."

"I was going to but I'm so tired. I didn't feel like another flight." She explained. Haley nodded in agreement though it had been years since she last took a plane anywhere.

"Nathan has James this weekend. We could talk. We should talk." Haley told her. Brooked nodded. "Did you unpack yet?" Brooke shook her head. "Good, because you're coming home with me. Brooke Davis doesn't sleep at a motel."

With James safely settled down for his afternoon nap, Haley stirred two cups of coffee in her kitchen and tried to think of a good opening for a conversation with the girl in her living room. Their car ride had been silent except for Brooke's sniffling as she took off her make-up and some idle conversation about some small changes around their town.

Brooke stood in the living room inspecting each photograph that Haley proudly had displayed on the fireplace. There were many pictures of James at various ages and with Haley's parents and siblings but nothing else. She half expected to see one of Nathan with James but there was none to be found. Also absent were pictures of Lucas, Peyton and herself. Brooke frowned slightly. She knew that in her home at least there was one picture of her with Haley and Nathan taken at their wedding. While she could understand why Haley may not have wanted to keep a picture of her ended marriage, she couldn't understand why Haley had seemed to cut everybody but her family out of her life.

"Do you still take sugar?" Haley asked from the kitchen.

"No, I'm trying to cut back," Brooke replied. Moments later Haley arrived with two cups of coffee. "Thanks." Brooke took the mug offered to her and Haley motioned for her to sit down.

"So…" Haley said. "Earlier was intense." Brooke nodded solemnly. "I really didn't mean to snap at you, Brooke." Haley apologized. "I just wasn't expecting to see you. I think I even gave up on hearing from you a few years ago."

"I guess I'm not so great with the communicating thing," Brooke agreed. "But it's nothing to do with you. I just—things just kind of got away from me. Days become weeks, weeks become months and months become years and before you know it, it feels like it's gone along too far for you to reach out again."

"I know what you mean." Haley nodded her head.

"You look great, by the way," Brooke said. "You're really rocking that mom look." Haley chuckled.

"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment."

"James is… he's amazing." Haley smiled proudly. "You've done a great job."

"It isn't just me. It's Nathan too."

"What happened between you two, Haley? I thought you guys were perfect for each other." Brooke noted how Haley's whole demeanor changed when she mentioned her marriage.

"Well, I guess it wasn't the case. It's that drifting thing you were talking about." Haley shook her head. "So what are you up to?" she asked in a clear attempt to avoid the subject. "Last I heard you were in fashion design. Still Clothes Over Bros?"

Brooke shrugged. "I skipped college and went straight into business. It kind of worked for a while, but it was too much work for someone with no experience. High School doesn't really prepare you for the real world. Twenty year olds aren't really supposed to run a business. People take advantage of you easily." She sighed. "I thought about going to college but me and learning don't go together well. So after spending a summer with my parents – who drove me insane, by the way – I managed to get a job as an assistant buyer. It's not exactly the glamorous life but at least I'm in fashion and learning something."

"And now?" Haley asked.

"Now, it's all up in the air. I've used up all my sick days, taken a week of personal days. I'm expecting to be fired any minute now." Brooke placed her head in her hands. "Wow, I screwed up big time."

Haley, who still didn't know exactly what Brooke had done to put her job in jeopardy or end up here in a mess, placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It can't be that bad."

"Yes it can." Brooke muttered. "If you only knew…"

Haley's cellphone began to chime and the girl checked her phone for the incoming message. "Crap," she said out loud. Brooke looked at her questioningly. "Nathan's on his way to pick James up and I don't have any of his stuff ready. Could you just hold on here for ten minutes while I get him ready?"

"Sure," Brooke nodded. "I'll just finish my coffee."

Haley nodded and ran off in search for James' weekend bag while Brooke waited silently on the couch.

Fifteen minutes later, Brooke heard a car pulling up and the doorbell ring. Haley was nowhere to be found.

"Haley!" Brooke yelled up the stairs to the place where she'd last seen Haley disappear to. "I think he's here."

"Could you open the door and tell him I'm coming?" Haley requested, without realizing that Nathan and Brooke hadn't seen each other in years. Brooke, however, knew this and tried to think up an excuse to avoid having to do so. Seeing Nathan definitely wouldn't make things easier. But she knew that Haley had already done a lot by letting Brooke be in her home and it seemed that the young mother had enough on her plate. So she opened the door.

The look on Nathan's face was priceless. Brooke would have laughed if she wasn't so nervous to see him. Shock, confusion and then anger flashed through his features until he managed to say something.

"I thought you were in California."

"Nice to see you too, Nathan," she extended a hand out for him but he didn't take it. "I came back." She explained.

"Right." He didn't seem convinced. "Is James ready yet?"

"Haley will bring him down in a minute." She told him. He gave a curt nod. They seemed to look at everything else but each other. "How are you doing, Nathan?" she questioned.

"Fine." He answered quickly. "So, everything okay with you?" The question, though not unpolite, contained harsh tones underneath it. She knew he knew something. Now the question was who would throw down the gauntlet.

"Not really. See, you hurt my friend." It seemed to be her.

"Brooke... Haley and I got a divorce two years ago." He sighed as he said it, as if he was already annoyed with the question or her presence.

"I know but I wasn't around then. Now I am." She crossed her arms, "Are you stupid? You let someone like Haley go?"

"It's not any of your business, Brooke." He said it through clenched teeth, refraining from saying something else.

"It isn't?" Brooke was a little hurt. She'd been maid of honor at their wedding after all.

"No, it really isn't. Look, what happened between me and Haley is our business. If she chooses to tell you, then so be it, but you can't come around here and judge me or her just because you're back. I mean, god, last time I saw you was Rachel's graduation party." He looked her up and down and shook his head.

"Yeah and the two of you were pretty happy. What happened?" she softened her tone, genuinely sad to see the two of them broken up.

"A lot happened, Brooke. You just weren't there to see it." He looked down at his shoes and then back at his car. Brooke followed his gaze to the woman sitting inside it, flipping through a magazine.

"I see you found yourself a skank. You moved on quick." She commented. His eyes narrowed and he looked at her in the eye.

"Her name is Carrie, and she's not a skank."

"She's blonde..." Brooke started.

"Weren't we just having a conversation on you judging me?" he snapped.

"We're grown ups, Nathan, I can say whatever I want to you."

He paused and then a sly smile came to his face. "You know, I got a phone call from Lucas the other day. He and Peyton are doing just fine. The wedding plans are coming along great. I'm glad they managed to get over that little bump in the road."

"That's out of line..."

"No, what is out of line is you telling me that the woman I'm seeing is a skank. At least she wasn't the other woman." When he said it, Brooke's breath seemed to get caught in her throat and she couldn't say anything; knowing that she would probably burst into tears again. Instead, she clenched her jaw shut and looked at him. His smile turned into hatred and disappointment. She knew she couldn't defend herself after that.

"Nathan! You're early. James is ready now." Haley's voice interrupted the tense moment. She handed Nathan James' bags and then, after giving her son a kiss, the boy himself.

"Thanks, Haley." Nathan said, taking his son into his arms. "Nice to see you, Brooke." He said, fake sweetness covering up the true nature of their conversation. She managed a weak smile while Haley stood beside her, watching her son being taken away by her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. She still wasn't used to that sight.

As their car drove off, she stole a glance at Brooke and noticed how uncomfortable she looked.

"Hey," Haley said, shaking Brooke out of her thoughts. "How about we go back in and finish that conversation? I have butter pecan ice cream somewhere."

Brooke chuckled quietly and nodded. "Sure. That sounds great."

As Haley shut the door behind them, she realized that this would be the first weekend in two years that she didn't spend alone.

To Be Continued…