Author's Note: OK People this is the much anticipated sequel to Blue Christmas… This whole story is like a series of flashbacks… It all starts with Brooke on bed rest during the last month of her pregnancy. She begins to catalog and scrapbook her and Lucas's life to that point… Hope you all enjoy it…
Disclaimer: I don't own anything OTH related, if I did the show would have gone a different direction. I do own the premise of this story and any original characters.
Edited to Add: Hi guys! I'm finally going to finish this story. I went through the three chapters I had up already and made some edits, for the sake of continuity it's in the same time frame it was originally in. So it's 2010 in this world. Thanks! Krystal
New York State of Mind
Chapter 1:
Pregnancy Update: 29 days to go…
Gracie Boo:
The doctors decided to put me on bed rest yesterday… Apparently you're already pointed the way you're supposed to be for delivery Gracie… Daddy is worried you're going to arrive before he returns from Los Angeles. I told him to go on the trip so now he's convinced you're going to arrive while he's away… Aunt Haley is coming over today with your cousin Jamie, I have a project for her and she doesn't even know it yet… I'll write more tomorrow… I can't wait to meet you Grace…
Love You Always…
Mommy
"Brooke?" Haley called from the door after she let herself in, Jamie in tow nearly asleep in his stroller.
"You know I'm here… It's like house arrest." Brooke called from the bedroom down the hall.
Haley put down a sleepy Jamie in the port a crib and headed to the bedroom, "How you holding up?"
"I'm miserable if you must know." Brooke huffed, "Lucas has been calling non stop to check on me. He keeps insisting on coming home…"
Haley laughed, interrupting Brooke's pity party, "He's just worried Brooke, Nathan was the same way when I was pregnant with Jamie."
"Yeah, but you didn't have to go on bed rest," Brooke wanted to cry, she hated when Lucas worried it made her worry about his heart condition.
Haley sensed Brooke was on the verge of tears, "Honey it will be alright," she rubbed she shoulders, "come on lets move around a little, when was the last time you got up?"
"I was scared too," Brooke choked, "No one was here, I didn't want something to happen while I was alone. Lucas told me he wanted to get me one of those panic buttons to wear around my neck, I told him he was crazy. Now I'm thinking I should have just said yes."
Haley wrapped her arms around her friend, "it's alright to be scared. Now let's do something, you had something in mind when you told me to stop by today didn't you?"
Brooke smiled through the tears, "I want to scrapbook mine and Lucas's love story for Gracie to have when she's older."
"That's a wonderful idea," Haley said, "where do we start?" She helped Brooke off the bed.
"Ummm… There's a bunch of pictures and mementos in the spare room. It shouldn't be a crazy project, Lucas and I don't have say as long a history as you and Nathan do." Brooke giggled and rubbed her back.
Haley shrugged, "I was into a lot of that stuff at first, it gets old. Nathan and I don't keep anything anymore. It's amazing I still have my wedding dress somewhere."
Lucas stared off into space as he watched the minutes tick away, he gasped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, "Hey Nate."
"How's the book tour going?" Nathan asked.
"It's great mostly, but the waiting part really sucks." Lucas laughed, "Have you seen my wife lately? How's she doing?"
Nathan replied, "She's fine, Haley and I brought her dinner last night. Hales and Jamie are over there right now actually."
Lucas sighed, "Good. I don't like her being alone while I'm gone. This is the last leg of the tour. I told my publisher all other dates would need to be postponed till after Gracie is born" Lucas smiled at the thought of his daughter, "Any luck convincing her to stay with you guys a few days?"
Nathan scoffed, "Not a chance. Brooke Davis-Scott is one stubborn woman when she isn't nine months pregnant, I'm not asking her to do anything big brother."
Lucas laughed, "I know, that's one of the things I love about her. So how's my nephew doing? I can't believe he's nearly 6 months old already."
"Me neither," Nathan paused, "He's getting so big, it's awesome though big brother… Fatherhood is something else. And just think Jamie and Gracie are going to grow up together."
"I know, we'll get to relive the childhood we never got to have," Lucas smiled thinking of his life before his brother came around. Lucas looked up and saw Simon, his publisher waving for him to wrap it up, "Nate I gotta go before Simon has a stroke. Are you still picking me up from the airport in a few days?"
"Yep, Brooke was trying to convince me that I should let her get you." Nathan and Lucas both laughed, "I told her, not a chance, she might be crazy but I would rather deal with her than incur your wrath."
"Yeah, I would widow your wife if you let Brooke pick me up. She's supposed to be resting until Gracie comes." Lucas said before getting another death stare at Simon, "I need to go, see you in a few days."
Brooke looked at the four boxes Haley brought into the living room, "I thought you said it wasn't a lot?" She huffed.
"I didn't think it was a lot," Brooke giggled, "Sorry Hales."
"So where should we begin?" Haley asked, "BW or AW?"
"What are BW and AW?" Brooke asked.
"Before Wedding and After Wedding…" Haley rolled her eyes, "Obviously."
"Ummm…" Brooke thought for a moment, "Before Wedding is probably the best place to begin right."
"I agree," Haley smiled. "I have post-its ready, we'll separate into three piles," she held up the first post-it, "Book it," second post-it, "trash it and…" third post-it, "save it."
"OK," Brooke opened the first box and could smell the pressed flowers, "this is going to be so much fun Hales."
Before Haley could answer Jamie began to stir and fuss from the port a crib. "One second, I'm sure he's just hungry, and needs to be changed, I'll be right back."
Brooke nodded and removed some stained chopsticks and a fortune cookie from Szechuan Gourmet; she giggled to herself and instinctively rubbed her swollen stomach, "our first official date."
*Flashback*
"Brooke honey, why couldn't we have just ordered in?" Lucas whined running his hands up and down her back.
"Because we haven't left your hotel room since we got to New York," She shimmied out of his grasp, "it's time to rejoin the living."
"Fine," Lucas huffed, "If you insist."
"I do, besides I thought you loved Chinese." Brooke turned the corner, "This is the best Chinese restaurant in the city."
Lucas grabbed the door, "I love Chinese almost as much as I love you." He kissed her nose.
Their noses were met with the tangy aroma of sweet and sour sauce, "How many?" the Asian girl behind the corner practically yelled.
"Just two tonight," Brooke smiled. The girl showed them to their table and Brooke looked at Lucas, "so what do you think?"
"It looks authentic," Lucas laughed, "so what's good here?" he said examining his tattered menu.
"Try whatever you want, it's all quite tasty." Brooke put down her menu, "I always order the same thing," she giggled, "Egg Flower Soup, Broccoli Beef, Steamed Rice and a Sushi Plate."
"Mmmmm…" Lucas licked his lips, "that sounds delicious, I'm glad you made me leave the hotel room, I'm ravenous and the mini bar only has booze and snacks. We had to leave if we wanted to get any real sustenance." Lucas took Brooke's hand in his and kissed her palm, "So are you still glad I came out here with you?"
"Of course Luke, this past month has been incredible. I wouldn't change a thing about it," Brooke kissed his cheek, "Now if we could just find a small flat in our budget I would be in heaven."
After they ordered their food they both just sat in silence for a few minutes enjoying each other's company, "so are we going to tell anyone that we're engaged?" Lucas managed to say after a while.
"Well I decided I would let you take that back if you want," Brooke shook her head; "I know we were just caught up in the moment of New Years Eve. You can propose to me again when you're ready to."
Lucas laughed, "Do I seem like the kind of guy that gets swept up in the moment. I proposed to you because I love you." He kissed her hand again, "I want to marry you Brooke Davis."
Brooke blushed, "I can't believe we're talking marriage on our first date."
"Well we're not exactly the typical couple Brooke. We can take this whole thing slower if you want to." Lucas said, hoping she wasn't having second thoughts.
"I just think we should live together first, you might decide you can't stand me." Brooke grinned. "I hog the counter in the bathroom, I hate doing laundry, I pay a service to do it for me..."
Lucas laughed a big belly laugh and cut her off, "That isn't going to happen, if anyone is going to decide they cannot stand the other, it's going to be you with me. You live in Manhattan, does anyone do their laundry? And the way to solve the bathroom problem is to make sure you have a vanity in our bedroom."
Brooke slapped at his stomach, "How about we talk about getting married when your divorce from Peyton is final."
Lucas kissed her temple and chuckled, "Deal."
After dinner they walked back to Lucas's hotel, "We need a picture to remember this night."
"I'm never going to forget a single night I've spent with you pretty girl." Lucas said wrapping his arms around her waist.
Brooke fumbled through her purse, "Ah ha! There it is, I knew I had it with me."
Lucas laughed, "Gees think that bag is big enough?"
Brooke turned and pointed a finger in his face, "Hey, enough of that. I never know how my day is going to go," Brooke flashed the side of her big boho bag, "So I need to be ready for anything in a moment's notice."
Lucas laughed, "Alright, well what's the camera for?"
Brooke rolled her eyes, "You don't know anything do you. I work for a fashion magazine. What if I see something absolutely fabulous while I'm out? Camera phones aren't always reliable, so I keep an inexpensive digital with me at all times."
"You're a regular Mary Poppins pretty girl." Lucas hugged her, "Wait… a Donatella Versace-pins."
"Very funny," Brooke paused and put her hands on her hips, "Alright smile broody."
Lucas posed for the camera and then took a picture of Brooke, "Now lets try and take one together." Lucas pulled Brooke into an embrace and stretched his arm back as far as it could go, "Say I love you Lucas…"
Brooke giggled, "I love you Lucas…"
"Brooke?" Haley called. Brooke smiled, "Where'd you go honey?"
"I was just remembering mine and Lucas's first date," Brooke said handing the stack of pictures to Haley.
Haley noticed the fortune cookie, "Yummy Szechuan Gourmet, that's Nathan's favorite. I didn't know that's where you and Lucas went on your first date." Haley laughed, "This cookie is incredibly stale I bet. Why didn't you ever open in and read the fortune?"
Brooke shrugged, "No idea, I wanted to keep it for some reason I suppose. Let's open it now, see what it says."
"Are you sure, you've kept it intact this while time?" Haley smiled, Brooke nodded, "Good idea then it will be a nice addition to your scrapbook."
Brooke felt the plastic crinkle in her hand and she pulled out the fortune cookie, and opened it and giggled, "Here… Take a look at that."
Haley looked at the tiny paper, "Well isn't that just perfect." She set down the fortune, "True love conquers all obstacles."
Thank you for reading, please review, review, review!
Krystal