Passenger Seat
Summary: Brucas future songfic, one-shot. They're on their way to college together (but they're not together).
AN: Song by Stephen Speaks…quick, get it now and put it on repeat. (Written as if only the first few eps of season 4 happened and LP never really took off.) Peyton is purposely not mentioned, so if you're wondering what happened to her…well, imagine that Brooke is finally Lucas' #1 priority for once. His only priority outside of his family—their relationship is at a point where it doesn't matter anymore.
I look at her and have to smile
As we go driving for a while
Looking nowhere in the open window of my car
Lucas looked over at the brunette girl sitting to his right, in the passenger seat staring silently out the window at the passing cars and lights of the highway. He smiled slightly to himself, thinking about how far they'd come since she'd first appeared in the backseat of his mother's beat-up old car. She was right. Everything did change after his debut to competitive high school basketball. Just like he'd said to Skills after his first game, things might've been a lot easier. He would never have lost Brooke…twice. Keith and Jimmy would still be alive—his uncle could've watched his child grow up. Luke never would've picked Skills to have more wisdom out of the two of them to point out that if he hadn't left the Rivercourt, his relationship with Nathan would still be non-existent, Haley would still be that shy hermit who felt most comfortable wearing that ugly-ass poncho, and he wouldn't have ever gotten together with Brooke…twice. Now, three times, if he only had the guts to do it, make it official.
And as we go the traffic lights
I watch them glimmer in her eyes
In the darkness of the evening
And now, here they were. They were off to Duke together, driving in Keith's red Mustang with the windows down and the radio switched to the local love song dedications program. The reception was crackly, signaling that they must be somewhere between Tree Hill and Durham…somewhere where the houses were few and far between, where the towns had such small populations that everyone knew everyone else by first name, like a big family, and where horses could occasionally be sighted as a glint off a shiny coat if you tried hard enough to look into the darkened distance.
But he couldn't keep his eyes off of her to notice, with his eyes spending equal amounts of time on her and on the long stretch of straight road ahead. He had, after all, made a promise to his mother to arrive in one piece. Understanding the comfortable silence between them, he rested his hand on top of hers. Noticing the contact, she smiled slightly and turned her gaze over to him.
Those eyes, in which he had seen so much emotion and so much hiding in the past, he currently saw the silent words, as plain as day, "I'm ready to love you, too."
And I've got all that I need
Right here in the passenger seat
How they got back to this point in their relationship this time is a whole other story meant for another time. But this time, it was for good. He could feel it in his bones, in his veins, in his heart. And she could feel it, too. It had seemed impossible to reconcile their problems at first, but time and Lucas' persistence had helped heal the wounds in their relationship. Development of their friendship had once again acted as the band-aid to prevent the wound from splitting and now they were stronger than ever. Whispered words in the dark—the messenger for each other's innermost feelings and insecurities.
And why Brooke? Why her, again, this time? Not because she kinks her eyebrow when she's trying to be cute, not because she quotes Camus even though he's never actually seen her read, not because she misses her parents (even though she won't admit it) and certainly not because they were about to get pneumonia…
This time, the speech didn't need to be long or embarrassing. In fact, there wasn't going to be a speech at all. They knew it was different. They both knew that they finally knew everything there was to know about each other. And they knew that they could finally trust each other without the weight of their pasts to sway them. Senior year had changed them so much that they could never go back.
Oh and I can't keep my eyes on the road
Knowing that she's inches from me
Brooke absentmindedly played with the fingers that were entwined with hers. Six months ago, she would never have imagined herself doing this. She had half her belongings packed up, some of it in the car with them and the rest of it in a moving van which they had shared with a few friends moving out to Durham to attend Duke. The other half was kept in Lucas' attic alongside the things he had also left behind. Shoved into the attic, rather, whilst Karen made room for the baby in his old room. It was funny to think that after everything that had happened in that room that there would soon be a newborn living and growing up in there, making the room her own. That's right, 'her'. Karen had found that out a few months ago but hadn't yet thought of a name—a hindrance when you have to keep referring to it as 'the baby' or 'her'.
Despite the fact that she wouldn't have expected this outcome, she wasn't surprised either. She was happier than she had ever been and what seemed to be the impending future for the two of them was full of the dreams that they'd always dreamt up together. If anything was constant in their relationship over the years, it was how they imagined their future. And now they were about to live that dream…as soon as they finally got together. Going to the same college, living in an apartment together off-campus, probably engagement around graduation time and a dream wedding within the year following…then the kids, a boy and then a girl so that her big brother can protect her while she secretly crushes on one of his friends. Of course, that was far further into the future than either of them dared to dream (at least not until they were officially together again) but ultimately the dream merely entailed being happy and together.
She licked her dry lips—maybe it would've been out-of-character for her to have been so silent for the past half hour, but just being with Lucas during such a pivotal event in their lives felt so right that she couldn't bear to spoil the mood with meaningless chatter. Besides, she was getting slightly sleepy…
"You thirsty? We could get some coffee? There's a service station in half a mile," he said, forcing her eyes to snap wide awake. She shouldn't be falling asleep on him, she scolded herself. Sure, she wasn't a great navigator but at least she knew which page of the directory they were on if they ever needed it in an emergency.
"Mmm, definitely. I need a nice hot mocha to keep this sleepy brain awake."
He chuckled softly as he pulled into the service station. He didn't even know what was so funny; he merely found the sight of Brooke struggling to stay awake adorable. It was moments like these where he was reminded of what it felt like to be with Brooke which convinced him that the time was right for them to be together as a couple again.
We stop to get something to drink
My mind pounds and I can't think
Scared to death to say I love her
He stepped through the automatic doors whilst Brooke groggily followed, perking up upon the sight of the magazines on display.
"Yes?" The attendant asked, distracted by the football game currently being replayed on his tiny black and white security monitor, fitted with a makeshift antenna made of coathanger wire. Not the brightest bulb in the box, evidently, since that was the only monitor they had.
"Can I have a small mocha with extra foam and a large latte to go, thanks?" Lucas asked as he counted the coins in his hand that he'd just fished out of the ashtray of his car.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who knows what you're talking about?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "This isn't a café, son. It's either coffee or hot chocolate. Self-service." The attendant said, pointing over to the stand opposite the counter.
"Okay, then I'll just pay for a coffee and a hot chocolate now and save myself the walk back here." He handed over the coins and bid the guy, Chuck, farewell.
Calling upon the skills he'd gained at his mother's café, he expertly mixed a hot chocolate and a coffee together to get two mochas, moving all of his own foam into Brooke's cup. He was no fan of mochas, but at least he wouldn't miss the foam.
"Let's roll, Brooke," he called to her. She had been absorbed in a gossip rag which was once again reporting Lindsay Lohan's latest escapade, the most recent celebrity divorces and, of course, the latest hook-ups. He shook his head—he would never understand why she cared about that stuff.
Upon seeing the steaming beverage, she quickly took it off his hands and took a sip. "Yum. Not bad for service station coffee made by a greasy guy called Chuck."
"Br—" Lucas tried to protest.
"Thanks Chuck," she said, grinning and hopping back into the passenger seat.
He laughed and shook his head, getting in beside her. He took a tentative sip of his own cup and was surprised by the taste. "Hey, Chuck does make good coffee. Considering what he had to work with, anyway. However, I think he resents being called 'greasy'." He gave her a teasing look and put his pseudo-mocha into the cupholder beside hers.
"Fine then. 'Chuck' is the hottest guy I've ever known," she said with an amused tone.
"Not good enough," he replied as he started the car up again.
"Picky… Okay, how about… He has an amazing body—just enough muscle, the most adorable messy hair, a cute nose to match and the most incredible blue-green eyes…" she trailed off, realizing the implications of her compliments. Their feelings hadn't been as blatant as they had for the last few hours that they'd been on the road, ever since they left a crying Karen on her doorstep, waving them goodbye.
Lucas slowly met her eyes and saw the love he had seen there earlier, and he couldn't shake his desire to confirm their feelings with a kiss. So he pulled over, yes, on the side of the highway, only just remembering to turn on his warning lights before removing his seatbelt whilst she did the same.
Approaching each other cautiously, but knowing exactly what they wanted—and knowing that it was what they both wanted—they came closer and closer. Lucas cupped her cheek in one hand, running a thumb over her soft skin lovingly.
"I love you," he said, even though he didn't need to say it out loud for her to know that. She wordlessly mouthed the words back, not sparing a moment before joining their lips in a soft, tentative kiss. It was as if they were rediscovering each other, which they had already done emotionally. It was sweet, desperate, loving, breathless and slow, and they savored the kiss for its duration. When they broke apart, Lucas kept her close and leaned his forehead against hers as they fought to regain their breaths.
"So…I guess we're official?" Brooke joked.
Lucas let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "I guess so," he said, grinning in giddy happiness.
And they just held each other for a while, enjoying each others' company and basking in the quiet North Carolina moonlight.
Then a moon peeks from the clouds
Hear my heart that beats so loud
Try to tell her simply
That I've got all that I need
Right here in the passenger seat
Three years later and they found themselves on that same highway, but on the other side. They were going in the opposite direction, back home to Tree Hill. Back to celebrate their respective graduations with their friends and families. Lucas had even more exciting things to celebrate, though. But only if things went according to plan.
The box was burning a hole in his pocket. He'd been carrying it around for weeks, fearing that leaving it anywhere else would ruin the surprise, or give him bad luck or just go 'poof!' and disappear.
He had already gained permission from her father. She had reconciled with them with lots of encouragement from Lucas and now the small family was on the mend. They weren't perfect—no family is—but they were getting there and Lucas was looking forward to being a part of it.
But the hard part had yet to come.
Oh and I can't keep my eyes on the road
Knowing that she's inches from me
He looked over at Brooke, who was trying to read the map by turning it in every possible direction, even though she didn't need to. He knew the way, now. Which was why his slowing down caught her attention as they stopped to the side of the road.
"Why are we stopping? Are we out of gas?" She asked, puzzled and slightly alarmed.
"No, we're not," he said, smiling reassuringly at her. He pressed the button for the warning lights and undid his seatbelt. "Come with me."
Still confused, she complied and joined him on the side of the road, where he clasped her hand tightly in his.
"Do you trust me?" he asked. She nodded without hesitation. After a short pause, she found them running across the lanes of the highway, climbing over the barriers in the middle and then crossing to the other side.
"Lucas! Are you crazy?" She yelled when she got to the other side, although she was trying not to smile.
"Nope, I'm just madly in love with you. And I didn't know where else…"
"Where are we? I think I fell asleep."
"Don't you remember Chuck?" He feigned shock and disappointment.
She slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Of course I remember him. I'd never forget. It looks so different here during the day."
"Well, maybe it's not the most romantic place. But it's special to us, right?"
"Of course. What are you getting at?"
Lucas fumbled for the box in his pocket, found it and clasped it tightly in his fist…
…As he got down on one knee.
"You ready to go inside and tell everyone?" He asked her, unable to keep the smile off his face. They sat outside his mother's house in his car, contemplating their news. He held her hand in his, admiring the ring sparkling on her finger.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," she said nervously.
"I promise that everything will be okay," he said confidently, which helped calm her nerves.
"Okay, yeah, I know. It's just…how do you tell someone?"
"It's happy news. Just say—"
"Congratulations! You're going to be a grandma?"
He rubbed his wife's abdomen lovingly and proudly said, "He's going to be beautiful."
Oh and I've got all that I need
Right here in the passenger seat