A/N-So….basically I'm completely horrible about updating any of my stories. I'm sorry but I just don't have the time to dedicate regularly to them, so I've stopped updating or uploading much of anything. Luckily this is a one shot so hopefully no disappointments. Set at Brooke and Julian's wedding. I really didn't know where this was going when I first wrote it, so hopefully you like it. I have so many thoughts running through my head based on the stuff on the show right now and rumors of Chad coming back, this is a result of that.

"Hey there."

A mysterious but yet oh so familiar voice rings through the fairly tale castle room where Brooke Davis applies her makeup and adjusts her hair one final time. She turns, taking her mind off the mirror for the first time all day.

She is speechless for once. It's been several years since she's even laid eyes on him. She simply smiles as he continues his thought…. "Pretty girl."

She sighs and looks to the floor, heart aching. "Hey stranger," is all she can manage to spat out.

He moves towards her, carefully wrapping his arms around her like opening up a present on Christmas morning. Brooke is hesitant, but this he expects. She lightly wraps her arms around his back and lets her head fall on his chest.

As soon as she gets the chance she backs away, planting the same fabricated smile on her face. "So, a few things have happened while I've been gone," he says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, just a few," she says with sarcasm, rolling her eyes.

He chuckles, amazed at how well he can still read her every move. As if time stood still, and they were still standing in the halls of Tree Hill High School instead of in this church in front of the gigantic court yard where she is about to get married.

He snaps out of his squinty gaze that according to Peyton, he always has when thinking deep thoughts. "You know it's the funniest thing."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" she says, going back to the mirror to continue primping.

"Well everything I know is by word of mouth. Haley has been writing me letters, rather déjà vu huh?"

Brooke smiles a weak grin of acknowledgement. "I guess."

"And I know you've been talking to Peyton on the phone, getting all the updates on Sawyer, and secretly hating her for it."

Brooke lifts and eyebrow at this one and grins slyly. "Do not."

Lucas slips his hands in his pockets, standing casually behind her. "But if there's anything I know, it's that there's always a Brooke Davis side to the story."

Silence. More mascara. Hair out of place.

"I'd love to hear it, right from the source."

"I would you know, except that I'm a little busy trying to get married," she says, twirling the same hair for the fourth time.

Lucas grabs her shoulders and turns her around, making her look him in the eye. "You look perfect Brooke."

He observes her porcelain skin, the mole placed perfectly on her cheek, and those sparkling eyes that stop his thought process for a second while she looks at him taken back.

He drops his hands from her shoulders and continues. "Trust me, I've been to enough of these things to know, the wedding will not start without you."

She smiles ever so slightly to herself before saying, "I still don't have time."

"Give me the recap then."

She just hesitates, looking at the floor. He grabs her hand and pulls her to the couch, sending chills up her spine and memories flashing through her head.

Apparently he's not giving up. Fine.

"Well, um…..you already know all this."

"Come on, please?" He gives her the puppy dog face that takes her right back to being 16, sitting at the mall's food court while he begs her for the French fries back that she's stolen. She can't resist.

"I guess the biggest thing is…..I found out I can't have kids. That was, to say the least, really hard to take."

"I'm so sorr…"

"Especially considering those scares we had in high school, you know?" His guilt washes away as she starts ranting on her own. She needs this. "I mean how does that happen? Are my eggs only fertile while I'm young and ripe? Do they only respond to certain sperm?"

Lucas clears his throat, laughing a little as he does.

Brooke slaps his arm with a smile. "Come on, I'm not joking! I almost asked you to be my sperm donor."

The smile falls off Lucas' face. "Seriously?"

"No joke."

"When?"

"Let's see, this was right before…" Brooke holds out her fingers, counting backwards, "wedding number one."

He nods and rolls his eyes.

"So…just out of curiosity, what would you have said?"

He pauses for a moment, his eyes squinting. She is no stranger to this face.

"Yes."

Her heart stops for a moment. "Yes?"

"Yes. I would of said yes."

"Really?"

"How many times do I have to say it, yes! Does the offer still stand?"

Brooke chuckles under her breath. "Is that really an appropriate question to ask a woman right before she's to be married?"

He shrugs. "You're not just any woman Brooke Davis."

She smiles. "You still have a way with your words, don't you Mr. big time author?"

"If you say so."

The silence lingers over the room again.

"So…you and Julian huh?"

"Yep."

"How did all that happen?"

"Well, after you left town I went and found him….in LA. The rest was history. With a few bumps along the way of course."

Lucas frowns. "So it was my disappearing from town that made your interest in Julian grow huh?"

Brooke shakes her head with a grin. "I never thought you would."

"Would what?"

"Disappear from town. I mean, we had it pretty well established that Tree Hill….its home."

"It still is."

"So why'd you leave? Peyton told me you wanted Karen to have some time with her granddaughter. Did you take an extra few laps around the world or something?"

The corners of his mouth curl up."That's how it started. Then Sawyer grew to love being around Lily. Peyton wanted to focus on just being a mom, so she let Haley handle the label. Then we took a few extra laps."

"I see. And was it worth it?"

"Sure. Always makes you appreciate being home more."

"Right."

They stare at their hands. "Is that enough of an update because I really should be going now."

"I guess. I mean, of course I can just get the rest of it later."

Brooke kinks an eyebrow at him. "When exactly is later? Because after getting married I was sort of planning on actually going on my honeymoon."

"Whenever you get back home then."

Her eyebrows lift and the information washes over her face as she squeals with a genuine smile and leaps over to hug him. "It's a date," she says, squeezing his back.

He grins that goofy grin at her as she pulls away with the smile in slow motion. "Now that we have that settled," she says, standing up and heading for the brush again.

"Brooke, wait," he says, standing up after her and gently grabbing her arm. She turns around with a soft happiness in her eyes that he hasn't recognized since he walked in. She says nothing and her face turns serious as she can tell he's about to say something important.

"Do you remember….junior year?"

"Yeah, well….most of it." She says with a wink.

"Do you remember when we went to Keith's wedding together?"

"Lucas, I'd hardly call that a real wedding. We didn't even get to the reception, which every real wedding planner knows is the most important part of the wedding. After exchanging the vows and all that crap of course."

"Brooke."

"Yes, it may ring a bell or two," she says, giving into the serious tone.

"Remember how you cried after reading my best mans' speech?"

"Mhhmm. You always had that damn way with words."

"And then how you said you had hoped that someday, at your wedding, someone would say something that nice about you?"

"Yes…."

He pulls a paper out of his pocket and begins to unfold it as Brooke's eyes widen with curiosity, her jaw hanging with shock.

"Lucas Scott, you didn't," she says, and he can hear the emotion in her voice, see the glimmer of tears she is fighting back.

"The night Peyton told me that Julian had proposed to you on your trip to Utah, I stayed up all night writing this."

She lets her head fall to the side and let's the tears well up a little bit more, once again, speechless.

"And I was hoping maybe you'd let me read it. Maybe at the reception or, whenever."

"How about right now?" she asks, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I don't think so."

"But Lucas!" she protests, the childish excitement written all over her face.

"It might ruin your makeup, which you just spent hours on."

"I can always fix it. Like you said, the wedding can't really start without yours truly."

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise at the wedding," Lucas protests, amused.

"Maybe it's better that way. You know, so I don't get too emotional after a few drinks if you know what I mean."

He shakes his head. "No."

"Pleeease Lucas?"

"I just can't, not right now."

"Such a tease," Brooke says, pouting. Both of them catching the afterthought of that comment. "How about just a recap? Or a preview?"

She always was stubborn. "I'm not sure…."

"Come ON dude, you so owe me. I just gave you your info! Besides, you can't really say no to a bride on her wedding day….can you?"

He looks into her eyes, full of a childish hope.

"Fine. But I am not happy about this."

"Noted broody. Now give me something!"

He opens the page, skimming all the writing, trying to pick the right words to say. Little did she know how many times he had been so precisely trying to come up with the perfect words for her that he hadn't been able to say anything at all. And maybe somewhere in the very back of his mind, this was his last chance before she walked off and didn't come back. Just like the night he started writing Ravens, no words good enough to make her stay, but pouring out on the page with the feelings of loss after she walked out the door.

She observes him as he studies his words, trying to put them together carefully. She crosses her arms and begins to tap her foot. "You know, you shouldn't make a lady wait on her wedding day either."

This time he doesn't even chuckle at her remark, but simply replies "Just give me a sec," continuing to devour the page with his eyes. This is the time she wishes she could read backwards, all the carefully written and delicate words on the other side of the paper. The truth is she doesn't know how this will make her feel, but she is afraid and anxious to find out.

He sighs deeply before settling on the perfect tidbit to reveal to her. "It was one late night after a basketball game that the spunky brunette appeared in my backseat, half naked. I didn't take her seriously to be honest. But then she said something to me. She asked 'Did you feel it change?' I responded confused. 'Feel what change?' 'Everything. I mean how many moments can you point to and say, that's when it all changed? You just had one.' She gave me a smile, and I realized she was right. My life was never the same after Brooke Davis became a part of my world. She would become the biggest part of my world. A complex girl understood by few but loved by many. Well Brooke, I'd just like to take this opportunity to point out for you that this is one of those moments, just like you did for me all those years ago. One of those moments when everything changes. So take it in with every bone in your body, enjoy it to the fullest extent. Because you deserve it. You deserve to be happy."

He looks up to find the strangest look he's seen on Brooke's face in a while, one he hardly recognizes. Tears stream down her face, her perfect makeup ruined. "Lucas…"

"You don't have to say anything. I knew I shouldn't have let you…"

He is cut off by the abrupt feeling of soft, gentle lips covering his. His eyes close and he moves his hand to her face, feeling the tears. God she's beautiful.

She pulls away after a sweet gentle kiss and says "No one tells me what to do," with a smile. "You should know that by now."

Lucas can only manage a goofy grin in response.

"I love you, you know that?"

He nods. "I love you, do you know that?"

She sighs, the smile falling from her face. "I think I've always known. I just couldn't bring myself to believe it."

Lucas bites his lip, unsure of where this is going. "There isn't a day that's gone by that I haven't, Brooke."

She shakes her head, continuing to stare at the floor with her mouth shut tight. "Then why?" she says under her breath.

"What?"

"Then WHY all of this? Why are we standing here before my wedding to another man. How are your wife and kid standing outside? It doesn't add up."

"Not everything can be scientifically predicted or perfect Brooke. Most matters of the heart don't add up."

She looks up at him, desperation in her eyes. "I pushed you."

"I listened."

She rolls her eyes with a smile of disbelief. "I don't know Luke."

He takes one of her hands in his. "What are you thinking about?"

"I don't know…"

"Yes you do."

"I just…Luke come on."

"I'll tell you what you aren't thinking about. When I take your hand, when I put my arm around your waist, when I pull you real close like this…"

Their faces are nearly touching. She has stopped breathing, a deer caught in headlights.

"You aren't thinking about Julian and how much you love him. I'm not thinking about Peyton or how guilty I feel. Those things may be true, but when I'm with you…you're all I see. Just forget everything outside of these walls Brooke."

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

"Do you love me?"

"I already said yes…" she says, lacking the thought process to think of anything grand to say.

"Are you in love with me…Brooke?"

Her nostrils flare with frustration. Lucas takes his hand, placing it on her face. "It's okay, I promise. If I ever got a billionth chance, I'm not going to say I'd never hurt you. But I'd never leave your side again as long as I live. I want to be that guy for you. I am that guy for you, Brooke Davis."

She blinks hard, a billion thoughts running through her head at once.

"And if I'm not, say the word. What I said still stands. You deserve the greatest happiness that one can find. Only you know where you find that."

She lets go of the madness in her head and simply looks at him with a grin. "This is ludicrous. This is crazy."

"Does that mean..."

"I was wrong Lucas."

"Wrong? About what?"

"After that night in New York. When you kissed me…I thought it was all about Peyton. I thought I could throw myself into my work once again and forget you. I thought I could find that aching in my heart for you in someone else."

"I'm hoping there's a but."

"There is."

He stares at her in disbelief. This can't be really happening.

"That night I went home to my mom who reminded me that I had far too much to lose for a boy. And I said 'Lucas Scott was the one boy I might have lost it for.'"

"Yeah?" he asks, anticipation in his voice.

"But I was wrong."

His face drops, and Brooke smiles.

"Obviously you are the one boy that I have lost it for. Clearly I've lost my mind. I've lost my sanity. But I've finally found my heart."

He grins, cupping her face in his hands. "You know, I was hoping you'd say that."

She smiles with a sparkle in her eye. "Are you gonna kiss me now?"

"Try and stop me," he says, leaning in and embracing her in a passionate kiss.

Suddenly their bones are ignited and their feet light as feathers as Brooke runs her hand through his hair, Lucas responding by grabbing her around the waist and pulling her as close as possible.

They pull away after a few minutes, their foreheads resting on the others.

"I don't want to go out there," Brooke says, breaking the silent happiness. The elephant in the room.

Lucas steps back, looking at the door. "It's okay. We'll face it together."

She nods as they reach for each other's hand and head for the door. Head for the rest of their lives. Two souls facing it together.

People who are meant to be together always find their way in the end.