Author's Note: Hey guys! Now I know you must be wondering where I've been all these months without any updates to ITPOAA, but I assure you that I am still working on the next chapter for that story. It's just been a really hard chapter to write with all the drama and stuff and lack of inspiration, not to mention college and work and studying take up a majority of my time. I don't know why I am posting this story when I obviously have ITPOAA to work on and a busy schedule, but I felt compelled to post this story. While Laley and Baley are my two favorite couples, I have always loved the idea of Nathan and Brooke with each other so this story is a Brathan, or as I like to call it, Nookie. This story is based off of Kenny Chesney's song, "There Goes My Life." I suggest you listen to the song or read the lyrics before you read the story. This story takes place after Brooke finds out about Peyton and Lucas and Haley goes on tour. They are in their senior year. You can basically get the gist of the story by listening to the song, but I plan to add a few of my own little twists to make it unique. Anywho, I'll let you get to reading the story. As always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the CW.

Rating: K+ to T

There Goes My Life

Chapter 1 – Nothing More Than Friends

Shaking, with her arms wrapped around herself, Brooke trudged up the steps to his house, dreading the conversation she was about to have. She knocked lightly on the door then waited while she tapped her foot nervously. He answered the door a few minutes later and his piercing blue eyes gazed into hers with confusion in them. "Brooke, what are you doing here," he asked. "I-I um," she began, dropping her gaze to her hands before she looked back up at him, "Can we talk?" "Sure," he responded as he stepped aside and gestured her in. She shook her head, "Not here." He nodded and followed her outside as they walked along the familiar sidewalks of the town they had lived in their whole lives.

"What's up, Brooke," he asked after a few minutes of silence, wondering what it was that she needed to talk to him about. "Um, about that night..." she bit her bottom lip as she stared at her hands again, fiddling nervously with them. "Brooke, you said you didn't want to talk about that night ever again, that it was a mistake and you just wanted to forget about it," he replied, confused as to why she was dredging up the past. "I-I did, I just...I can't stop thinking about it... What we did has consequences..." Brooke choked up and tears welled in her eyes as she hugged herself even tighter, "I-I'm pregnant, Nathan."

He stopped short and looked at her with wild eyes, "W-What?" "I said-" she started but he cut her off. "I heard what you said," he responded, holding up his hand, "Are-Are you sure?" "Two pregnancy tests and about three weeks late say I am," Brooke replied as the tears spilled onto her cheeks and down her face, "What are we going to do?" Nathan let out a large sigh as he ran a hand through his hair then rubbed his face, "I don't know. Do you want this baby, Brooke?" She gazed at him with confusion in her eyes and an angry glare, "How can you ask me that? I am not going to get an abortion, Nathan. I can't believe you- You know what? Forget it. If you don't want to be a part of this baby's life then fine, I'll raise the baby on my own," Brooke shook her head as more tears filled her eyes and she turned from him, starting to walk away, "I knew I shouldn't have expected anything more… You are Dan Scott's son after all." She choked on a sob before she started to run away from him.

A million things were running through Nathan's mind at the speed of light. He was too young for this. He wasn't ready to be a father; he's only 17. He's just a kid. How is he going to raise one? He saw all his dreams going up in smoke. He was supposed to get out of Tree Hill, away from his lunatic of a father. Basketball was a way out for him. He had promised himself that he would never be like his father yet here he had followed in his footsteps and gotten a girl pregnant. So when Brooke's last words reached his ears, he made a new promise. He vowed that he would be there for Brooke and their child. He would take care of them. He would be a better man than his father was.

"Brooke, wait," he called as he rushed to catch up to her. "Leave me alone Nathan. You've said all you needed to say," she started to run faster. "No I haven't," he replied as he grabbed her arm. Brooke turned around to face him and tried to pull her arm from his grasp, "Nathan, let go of me." "No, not until we talk about this," he responded. "I think you pretty much gave me your answer, Nate," she wiped some tears from her eyes, "Please let me go." "I want to be in this baby's life, Brooke," Nathan said as he loosened his grip and gently pulled her towards a nearby bench, "here, come sit." "Don't lie to me Nate," Brooke responded, "you wanted me to get an abortion." "That's not what I meant when I said that, Brooke," he replied, still keeping his hand around her arm just in case she tried to run, "I was just trying to get a feel on our options. If you want to have this baby, Brooke, then we'll have it. I'll be there for you and the baby." She looked up at him with glistening eyes, "Really?" He nodded and gave her a small little half-smile. She returned her own uncertain smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, "Thanks Nate."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Brooke looked up at him and asked with a wavering voice, "Nate, will you come to my house with me and stay for a little while? I really don't want to be alone right now." "Of course," he responded as he stood then helped Brooke to her feet. They walked side by side back to Brooke's house and she let them in with her keys then tossed them along with her purse on the table beside the door. "Home sweet home," Brooke sighed as she stared around the quiet, empty house then replied, "Come on, let's go up to my room." They started to ascend the steps but when she neared the middle of the staircase, Brooke pressed a hand to her forehead and took an unsteady step backwards. Nathan was right behind her and he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling, "Careful." "I-I just felt a little dizzy that's all," she responded shakily. "Let's get you up to bed," he replied as he slowly guided her up the rest of the stairs and into her room.

"I'm going to change into something more comfortable," Brooke said as she went to her dresser and tried to find something to wear. "Do you think that's wise? I mean, with you feeling dizzy and you'll be alone in the bathroom…" "I won't lock it," a small smirk played on her lips and he saw a bit of the old Brooke reappear, "I could change in here if you want." A light tint rose to Nathan's cheeks and he replied quickly, "No, that's okay. Just call me if you feel dizzy or sick, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you." She gave him a small smile before she retreated to the bathroom. Once inside, Brooke leaned against the counter and choked back a sob so Nathan wouldn't hear. He didn't care about her. He only cared about the baby she was carrying inside of her. He wasn't attracted to her anymore. It had only been one night of passion but in those few hours they spent together, she felt as if he loved her. How foolish she had been. Now she was just an incubator to him.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on the bathroom door. "Brooke, are you okay? You've been in there for five minutes," his voice sounded worried. "Christ Nate, can't I use the toilet and wash my face? I don't need you hounding me every minute. Is this the way it's going to be through the rest of this pregnancy? Because I'm telling you right now that I won't stand for it," she finished changing her clothes and threw open the bathroom door. An expression of relief washed over his face, "No, I was just worried. You were feeling dizzy. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Brooke sighed as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry. I'm just not used to having someone look over my shoulder, looking out for me. I've lived a majority of my life alone. It's going to take some getting used to but don't do it too much. It's annoying." "I'll try to work on it," he grinned as he grabbed her forearm and led her towards the bed. He pulled the sheets back and allowed her to get in then he covered her up to her shoulders. "You get some rest," he replied then turned away and headed towards the door. A hurt expression flashed across her face as she asked, "I thought you were going to stay." He turned back to face her and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes, "Oh no, Brooke. I'm not leaving. I'm just going downstairs to get some water. I'll be right back up." "Okay," she responded quietly.

When he returned, Nathan saw Brooke curled up and she looked about ready to cry. "Hey, what's wrong," he asked concernedly as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, beginning to rub her back in slow circles. "What are we going to do, Nate? We're only seventeen. How can we take care of a baby if we can barely take care of ourselves," she inquired with glistening eyes as she craned her head to look at him. "We'll figure it out. We're in this together, okay? We've got about seven months to figure it out. Right now, just get some rest," he replied as he dropped his hand from her back and moved to a chair near the bed. "You aren't going to lay down with me," she asked. "I'm not tired. Don't worry, I'll be right here. I'm not leaving. I just need to think about things for awhile," he responded as he ran a hand through his hair. "Okay," she replied meekly, "Nate, will you rub my back some more?" "Sure," he answered, moving back to his previous position on the bed. "Thanks," she said quietly as she closed her eyes. He rubbed her back in small circles and long strokes until he felt her breathing slow and even out. She was asleep. He then returned to the chair to contemplate what Brooke had said.

Hours later, Brooke's eyes slowly fluttered open. The day's waning sunlight drifted from the opening in her curtains, signaling that it was already late afternoon. Her eyes searched the room for Nathan but she didn't have to look far. She found him hunched over in the chair, his face buried in his hands. "Hey," she whispered hoarsely, trying to get his attention. His head shot up and she saw the worry in his eyes, his forehead wrinkled in concern. "Thank god, you're alright. You slept for a long time. I wanted to wake you up to see if you were okay but I knew you needed to sleep. How are you feeling?" "Better. I was just exhausted. I wasn't feeling too great this morning and with my emotions being out of whack and all the stress…I just really needed to sleep. Thank you," she responded. "No problem," he replied then scooted the chair closer to the bed, "Listen, we need to talk. I thought about some things while you were sleeping and I want to discuss them with you." "Okay…" she said warily. "I want you to move in with me," Nathan stated and Brooke started to say something but he stopped her, "but before you say anything, let me explain. I don't want you to be alone in this big house; you could get hurt. You could have fallen down the stairs today Brooke, had I not been there to help you. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby and I would feel much better if you moved in with me so I can make sure that nothing does."

Brooke was silent for a few minutes as she thought this over then responded, "Okay, I'll move in with you." "You will," he asked, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, I mean, I won't be able to live here for very long. Once my dad finds out that I'm pregnant, I'll be out the door. He'll disown me," Brooke said as she sat up in the bed and folded her legs. "Yeah, Dan's gonna flip. It's a good thing I'm already emancipated," he let out a soft chuckle. "I'll need to get a job too. Dad will cut me off from the Davis Family bank accounts so I won't have his money to live off of and we'll need things for the baby," Brooke responded. "I don't want you working while you're pregnant," Nathan said adamantly, "It's too much stress on you. You could get hurt. Something could happen. I'll just have to get another job." "Nathan, no. You can't work two jobs when you have school and basketball too. I don't want all the responsibility to fall on you. We're in this together, remember? I'll find a job that's easy. I'll be careful, I promise," she responded. He gazed at her warily for several seconds before he sighed, "I don't like the idea of you working but I need to stay on the basketball team. Basketball is my only way out of this town."

Brooke nodded in response as thoughts ran through her head. "Nathan…" she began hesitantly then looked up at him, "What about us?" "You and the baby will come with me of course. I know how much you've always wanted to get out of Tree Hill too," he replied. "No Nathan, I mean…" she responded quietly, "I mean us, you and me." He stared at her for a moment, surprised, "Do you want there to be an us? We don't have to be together, to be together. What I mean is, we don't have to be together, boyfriend and girlfriend, to raise a baby together. We can just be two friends living together and raising the baby together. I mean, if you want us to be together…" "No, you're right," Brooke responded, closing her eyes briefly to fight the tears welling behind them. Nathan tried to hide the expression of hurt flash across his face when she said this. He was hoping that she would have said yes. This was going to be torture for him. What had he gotten himself into? He was going to be living with the girl he loved, the girl he was going to have a baby with, and he couldn't touch her. They were only friends, nothing more.