Disclaimer- I don't own One Tree Hill.
A/N- I wrote this a long time ago, and just never got around to posting it. So here hopefully it'll soothe your broken BL hearts. Hope you guys like it.
Brooke Davis groaned in frustration. It was always when you can't find your keys that the phone starts to ring.
"No, no, NO!" she cried digging through her purse.
"This is Brooke Davis please leave a message after the beep." She could hear her answering machine picking it up, right as she fit the key in the door, shoving it open, she ran for the phone.
"Brooke? It's Chase." Brooke pulled her hand away just in time, "I guess you two aren't home. Well uh call me back. I need to talk to you, about what happened last week… Look please just call me."
"Fat chance." She said, picking up the remote and turning on a random soap opera channel. She started flipping through the mail and paused as she noticed the return address. Tree Hill North Carolina.
DearMs. Davis
Congratulations on graduating the prestigious college of your choice
"How very personalized." Brooke said sarcastically.
We are currently in the process of planning a reunion for the class of 2007, and as you were the Senior Class President the rest of your class is hoping you and any children or spouse you may or may not have will attend.
Please RSVP by the 22nd of July.
Signed
Principal Alan Turner
"Who throws a four year reunion?" Brooke glanced down at the very bottom of the page to see, reunion committee head, Bevin Mirsky, "Oh." The phone rang again and Brooke glanced at the caller id, "Hi Haley."
"Hey Brooke, did you get it?" Haley asked.
"The reunion invite?" Brooke asked, "Yeah, I got that."
"No, I meant the apartment." Haley said.
Brooke sighed, "No. Apparently having a clothing line that hasn't come out with a new design in two years doesn't exactly scream, "Rent an apartment to me."
"You could always come back to Tree Hill. You both can stay with Nathan and me. We have the house all to ourselves, we could be roommates again, you can pack and be on the next flight here." Haley said.
"I don't know Hales." She picked up another letter; identical to the one she'd just opened for the reunion, addressed to Chase Adams, "On second thought, maybe we'll come for a visit. Not to stay, just for a couple weeks for the reunion." She flipped through more of the mail and spotted a couple bills addressed to both Chase Adams and Brooke Davis, " We'll be on the next flight out."
"Oh James will be so happy. He loves Penelope so much." Haley said. Brooke glanced at her three year old daughter enthralled in the soap opera on the television.
"I'll call you after I get my flight information." Brooke said.
"I'll let Nathan know." Haley said.
"Um Haley? Lucas he doesn't… he doesn't know about Chase right? Cause I mean I know I told you and Nathan but-"
"Brooke relax, Nathan and I didn't say a word. The only detail of your life than anyone in Tree Hill knows about is your fashion line."
Brooke glanced over at Penelope, "What about-?"
"Well okay, yeah, Penelope, but that's it." Haley said reading her mind, "Just buy the ticket, and come to Tree Hill spend some time with your god-son, let me see my god-daughter, and have some fun with your friends. We always promised to see each other after college."
Brooke sighed, "That's probably what confused Bevin." Haley laughed, "Alright I'm buying my ticket. You sure are pushy Tutor-mom."
"I'll talk to you later Fashion-Girl." Haley said.
"I knew one of these days I'd brush off on you." Brooke chirped happily, they said their goodbyes and Brooke hung up, "So Bear, what did I miss?" she added walking over to the TV.
"Well, Henry cheated on Clarissa with her best friend Angelina, a week after they started dating. Angie didn't tell Clarissa, but she found out and now she's putting out a punch-"
"Hit." Brooke corrected.
"Right, hit out on her. But the guy that she hired to do it fell for Angie, so Angie ended up cheating on Henry, and he went back to Clarissa begging for her forgiveness." Penelope described.
"Did he forgive her?" Brooke asked.
"Don't know yet, it's a commercial." Penelope said, as she went to sit on the couch next to her mother she glanced around, "When's daddy coming home?"
Brooke sighed and reached for the remote. Penelope made a noise in protest when the TV went off, "The dvr is recording it." Brooke said, and then made her daughter face her," Okay Bear, we have to talk."
"About daddy?"
Brooke nodded, "About daddy and Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan."
Penelope grinned, "I love Tutor-Aunt."
"I know Bear but you have to listen." Brooke said, "Now mommy and daddy love you very much, you know that right?" Penelope nodded, "Okay well daddy and I are thinking about taking a little break, which means that you and I are gonna find a new apartment… to live in."
"With daddy?" Penelope asked confused.
Brooke shook her head, "Without daddy."
"But… I love daddy." Penelope said, "I want daddy to be with us."
"I know Bear, but-" Brooke held back her tears and pulled her daughter to her, "Mommy and daddy can't… we just can't be together anymore. Mommy promised herself long ago that she wouldn't be in another one of those relationships." Penelope looked up at her mother with confused and sad eyes, Brooke shook her head and muttered, "Never mind."
Penelope sniffled and asked, "What about Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan?"
"Hmm?" Brooke asked stroking the young girls soft brown hair, "Oh right. Well you remember mommy and daddy telling you stories about high school?" Penelope screwed her face up trying to remember, Brooke laughed, "Well four years ago mommy and her best friends swore to get together after we graduate college, you know the place mommy would go in the mornings when Mrs. Jewels across the hall would watch you. Well Bevin, one of mommy's best cheerleaders is throwing a reunion for our whole class. So we're going to go visit Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan for a couple weeks. You'll get to see James."
Penelope was happy to hear she'd be seeing Haley, Nathan and James, but she was still upset over her father.
That evening Brooke purchased her tickets online, called Haley with the details, packed some stuff, and sorted through the rest of the mail. Her parents had paid for her four years of college, without any questions about her life or Penelope. She'd been using her savings from her clothes to support herself, Chase, and Penelope for the past year and a half. Chase had tons of student loans, and their rent wasn't cheap.
Brooke picked up the phone and took a deep breath, "Hi."
"Brooke! Thank god you called." Chase said happily, "Look I need to talk to you-"
"Chase please save it!" Brooke interrupted. She didn't want to let herself get sucked back in, "I wanted to let you know that I'm going away for a little while. I'm taking a…break, yeah a break."
"Brooke, no." he said, "Look, I'm coming over. I haven't had anything to drink, we can just talk and see what happens."
"No Chase, the door is locked and it's staying that way."
"I have my key Brooke." He said before hanging up.
Brooke put down the phone. She had about twenty minutes give or take before Chase showed up. She took another deep breath and jumped up, "Penelope! Pen sweetie, wake up!" She could hear the unhappy tears of a tired girl being awaken, and her heart went out to her baby daughter, but she wasn't gonna let Chase weasel his way back in.
"Mommy." She cried.
"I know baby, mommy's sorry, but we have to go to see Aunt Haley. You wanna see Tutor Girl right?" Penelope nodded through her tears, "Okay well come on Bear, you need to come to the car." Brooke grabbed Penelope's pillow and blanket, as she headed back to the living room.
"Laws be damned." She thought to herself as she pulled out her cell phone on the way to the airport, "Hey Hales, yeah I know it's late. Listen change of plans, I'll be there in like four hours, it's gonna cost me a fortune to change my flight this short of notice so I wont really be able to afford a cab, can you or Nathan pick us up?"
"Brooke? What?" Haley asked sleepily.
"It's an emergency Hales please?"
"Fine, sure I'll send Nathan. Night Brooke." She yawned.
"Night Tutor Girl." Brooke sighed.
The whole ride Brooke was fidgeting in her seat. While she loved the idea of seeing Haley, Nathan, Bevin, and all her other friends, she was dreading setting foot in Tree Hill again. Even though she'd promised four years ago to meet back at the River Court after graduating college and making her place in the world, she knew a few months after she'd left it would never happen.
Sure Brooke had loved LA with Peyton. The first month it was just the two of them on top of the world. Lucas had come to visit Peyton but she'd been busy working, so he'd hung out around the place with Brooke, and it hadn't been awkward at all. When Peyton finally got back the three of them went out for pizza and it was great.
It was the following week that Brooke missed her period. She called Chase almost immediately and he told her to come home right way.
So she left. She and Peyton had barely spoken since. It's not that Peyton was angry with her, it was more like she saw how Chase had been controlling and demanding of Brooke even then.
At first Peyton had called and begged Brooke to come back. Just to finish out the summer, but Brooke had declined saying Chase thought it was best if they stay near his school.
By the time Penelope was born Peyton had given up. They hadn't spoken in years. Sometimes Haley told her about the places Peyton traveled to signing new clients, but mostly Brooke tried to steer clear of that topic, because it hurt too much.
Haley had gotten a teaching job at Tree Hill high secured for the fall. She'd be going from Tutor Girl to Teaching Girl, and she couldn't be happier about it. After living out his dream of college ball Nathan opted to be a stay at home dad so Haley could pursue her teaching.
As Brooke grabbed her suitcase from the overhead compartment Penelope started to wake up.
"Mommy?" she asked sleepily.
"I'm here Bear." Brooke said, putting the suitcase on the floor and picking up her daughter, "It's early so we're gonna find Uncle Nathan and go to his house okay?" Penelope nodded.
"Brooke!" Nathan called, as they stepped of the plane.
"Uncle Nathan!" Penelope yelled.
"Squirt." He greeted taking her from Brooke's arms.
"Thanks for coming Nathan." Brooke said gratefully.
"Anything for my second favorite cheerleader." He joked.
"Second favorite? Yeah you keep telling yourself that." She said tapping the bottom of his chin.
"I got a car seat in the back for her." Nathan said as they walked to his car.
"Okay Bear go back to sleep, we'll wake you when we get to Uncle Nathan's." Penelope nodded sleepily, "I don't know what to say Nate."
"You don't have to say anything Brooke. If he wasn't her father I'd kick his ass." Nathan said low, "Cheating on you in your own home, with her in the next room sleeping. You know what hang on I'm making a u-turn, and buying a plane ticket, you can make it to Tree Hill from here right?"
"Nate." Brooke said softly.
"I know." He sighed, and kept going.
Brooke stared out the window at the sun rising, she hadn't slept on the plane like Penelope had done, so she was tired. Nathan seemed to sense it so he lowered the radio and let Brooke relax.
But Brooke was far from relaxing. Yeah Chase had cheated on her, but that was the least of her problem with him. She'd never told Haley about his drinking. At first it was nothing, a little wine with dinner, then it became a little vodka at breakfast, a little Gin at lunch, and a lot of wine with dinner. The first time he hit her he apologized profusely. Penelope was just a year old and sleeping in her crib not twenty feet away as Brooke wiped her cheek. Chase seemed to sober up immediately and helped her hold ice on it swearing he'd never drink again. That had lasted about three days. The second time he hit her he didn't apologize. Brooke was just grateful he'd never laid his hands on Penelope. When she found him in bed with a woman half his age, her sweet little girl sleeping in the next room, Brooke finally found her courage and kicked him out two weeks ago. She knew he'd been cheating on her but in their home? It was too much.
Before she knew it Nathan was pulling into that familiar driveway. The one she and Peyton had visited so often in their teens. She recalled having a fight under the sprinklers with Nathan the night before prom, playing Candy Land with Haley a few days after Haley gave birth to James, sharing a kiss with Lucas in their junior year during a party.
"You okay?" Nathan asked.
"I'm fine." Brooke lied, trying to keep herself from crying. Everything was so simple back then. They were carefree. 'Footloose and Fancy Free,' she thought to herself opening the door, her face screwed up in disgust, 'did I really just think that? God, I am such a mom."
"She's still sleeping." Nathan said picking up Penelope, "I'll put her in James's room. Haley should be in the kitchen, she promised to have breakfast made."
"Tutor Girl?" Brooke called entering the kitchen, "Oh my God." She gasped as she found herself face to face with her ex-boyfriend.
"Brooke? Lucas asked.
"Luke." She said, taking a second to glare at Haley.
"Lucas just showed up, it was a surprise." Haley explained.
"Haley's been trying to usher me out, now I know why." He said softly, as he grabbed his coat.
"No Luke, you don't have to leave." Brooke said, "I'm visiting Nathan and Haley for a little while."
"Oh where's Chase? Did he stay behind with your daughter?" he asked.
"No Chase and I aren't together anymore and Penelope is-" Brooke got interrupted by her daughter running into the kitchen.
"Mommy my stories!"
Lucas choked on the orange juice he was drinking. This little girl looked exactly like Brooke. He barely saw any traces of Chase.
"Baby it's too early for your soaps." Brooke said leaning down and brushing the curls out of her daughter's eyes.
"Where's my little girl?" Haley asked thankful for the distraction.
"Tutor-Aunt!" Penelope said happily once Brooke assured her the shows weren't on yet once again.
"What have I told you? It's Haley." She said picking up the little girl and tickling her.
"Tutor-Haley." Penelope giggled happily. Haley finally put Penelope down on the counter, where Lucas was still staring at her amazed, "Who are you?"
"Pen, this is your Uncle Lucas." Brooke said.
"You're that man from the picture mommy has on her dresser. It's you and Uncle Nathan, and Aunt Haley, and Mommy, and a yellow hair lady." Penelope said.
"Peyton, honey. Mommy's told you her name is Peyton." Brooke said taking mug of coffee Haley was handing her.
"Um yeah." Lucas mumbled trying to remember a time when the five of them had posed for a picture, "I'd better get going, but Brooke it was great to see you again. Penelope, nice to uh meet you… I gotta go."
As Lucas quickly exited the kitchen Brooke could only watch him go. She wanted to say more but after three and a half years, what could she say.
"Peyton's in town." Haley said.
"What?" Brooke asked dropping the piece of toast she'd picked up.
"Yeah. Well you know our arrangement four years ago. Everyone except-" Haley was about to say Chase but she noticed Penelope staring at her so she stopped herself and instead said, "Anthony, will be at the River Court tomorrow night."
"Whose Anthony?" Nathan asked.
Haley rolled her eyes, "No one baby. Anyway no one knew you'd be here. I mean Nathan and I are the only ones who still have contact with you and for the most part no one really knows about that. After the whole Anthony thing we just figured you probably would have too much to do than spend all that money to come back here. But Peyton flew in earlier this week, and we heard Rachel's taken off a couple weeks for tomorrow and the reunion. Did we tell you about her new job? It's like she's following in my sister's steps and they've never met, she's a Coyote. Like from the movie Coyote Ugly."
"There's an actual Coyote Ugly bar?" Brooke asked.
"Apparently." Haley shrugged, "Skillz actually got Luke's old job as assistant coach job at Whitey's college, so he and Bevin only live a couple hours away which is how Bevin got the committee job in the first place. I went over there yesterday after we talked, and had a long conversation with Principal Turner. Bevin is in charge of all of the reunions for our class, and well like we thought she got mixed up and told Principal Turner that it was far too late to cancel it now, the whole thing was already planned."
"What about the actual class that should be having it's tenth or twentieth or whatever reunion?" Brooke asked amused. That did sound like Bevin.
Haley shrugged, "I don't think the school generally has a class reunion in the middle of summer."
"How did Turner not know about it? His signature is at the bottom." Brooke asked pulling her invite out of her purse.
"He didn't read it. He just used that stamp thing that has his signature on it all ready. That's how Bevin got him. Told him that she'd call off the reunion and tell everyone she was sorry that the principal couldn't be bothered to read the paper before he signed it."
"Go Bev." Brooke said. Haley nodded.
Brooke spent the day catching up with Haley and Nathan. Penelope played with James and watched her soaps. Things were going well and they'd only been there for about twelve hours. Chase hadn't called demanding to know where they'd gone to, and Haley was slowly killing her with the food she was shoving down Brooke's throat, but Brooke wasn't complaining. It was nice to have someone cook for her, for a change, so she welcomed it.
Before she knew it, it was time for bed. Brooke hadn't realized how tired she was till her head hit the pillow. Penelope was already asleep next to her. Brooke's thoughts rolled back to earlier that morning in the kitchen with Lucas. It had been awkward but it felt nice. The four of them together again. All that was missing was Peyton. God she missed Peyton. Maybe she would go to the River Court tomorrow, She'd already seen Lucas and survived. Why not take on everyone else?
"Yeah." She said to herself right before slipping into a deep slumber, "I'll go tomorrow."
The last thing Brooke ever expected happening again was waking up to the face of Lucas Scott. But here there he was. Standing over her bed the next morning shaking her awake.
"Lucas?" she asked.
"Finally! God you sleep like a brick." He complained sitting on the edge of her bed.
"What are you doing here?"
Lucas seemed to recover from whatever amnesia he was suffering as he jumped back up, "Uh, it's like two in the afternoon. I came over to drop off a book I borrowed from Haley. Nathan isn't home so she's downstairs with the kids and she sent me to wake you. I said no, but she's in the kitchen prepping for dinner and she had a knife and…"
"Okay. Okay." Brooke said, "Thanks for the paragraph out of your next book." She added jokingly.
"Seriously though." Lucas said after grinning at her, "Haley will kill me if you don't come back down with me."
Brooke laughed and nodded. "Tell her I'll be right down."
After Lucas left Brooke got up and combed through her hair. It was only her second day in Tree Hill and things were already getting complicated with Lucas. Her phone beeped in the corner of the room letting her know she had a missed message, but she was so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn't even notice.
"Mommy!" Penelope said as Brooke came down the stairs. Penelope and James seemed to be enthralled by something Lucas was reading, "Uncle Lucas was reading us his book. He called you beautiful and brave."
"I remember." Brooke said smiling at her daughter.
"It says that you helped my mommy when she was gonna have me." James said.
"She did." Haley nodded from her spot at the kitchen door, "Your Aunt Brooke was the best girl friend mommy ever had."
Brooke grinned at Haley and shrugged, "It was all Rachel's fault anyway for spreading the rumors. I just didn't deny them."
"So any idea what time everyone's meeting at the River Court tonight?" Lucas asked.
Brooke looked at Haley as she took a seat on the couch next to Penelope, "I could call Peyton and see what time she wants to be there." Haley shrugged.
"What ever happened with you and Peyton anyway?" Brooke asked Lucas as Penelope crawled into her lap.
Lucas laughed a little, "After you left LA Peyton got kind of distant. She threw herself into her work and it just became hard. So we took the easy way out. I loved Peyton but we just weren't strong enough to make it. Especially not long distance."
"I'm sorry." Brooke nodded.
That evening around five o'clock Haley, Nathan, Brooke, and the kids headed to the River Court, no one else except for Lucas knew Brooke was in town let alone actually coming.
"Maybe this is a bad idea." Brooke said as Nathan tried to find a good song on the radio.
Haley smacked his hand away and started flipping through the stations, "What will happen to Brooke when we get to the River Court?" Brooke grinned remembering the familiar game for their teen years. Though her grin faded as the song started playing.
There were things I'd never do again
but then they'd always seem right,
There were nights of endless pleasure-
Haley shut off the radio quickly, "I don't know if that's a good thing or not." Nathan commented.
"It's not." Both girls said in unison, as Haley pulled onto the River Court.
"Mommy where are we?" Penelope asked, as Nathan unbuckled her from the car seat.
"We're at a basketball court that your Uncle Nathan and Uncle Lucas used to play at when they were younger." Brooke explained taking her hand and walking over to the picnic bench, "This is a bad idea." She added once more as a car came into view.
"Relax." Haley said sitting next to her, "It's only Lucas."
"Though the car behind him…" Nathan trailed off as he picked up James so he could shoot the ball.
"Yeah, that car is Peyton." Haley said.
All the color drained from Brooke's face as the two cars parked. Lucas got out first and gave Peyton a hug, then the two started for the others. Peyton froze when she caught sight of Brooke.
"Hi P. Sawyer." Brooke said softly getting off the picnic table.
Peyton stared at her speechless, while Brooke looked at her feet, "Oh my god." Peyton breathed. About a minute passed with the two of them staring at one another, before they both ran to one another hugging and crying.
"I'm so sorry I left P. Sawyer." Brooke cried.
"I'm so sorry I never called." Peyton cried. Another couple minutes with tears and apologies passed before Peyton caught sight of the tiny brown haired girl who was playing basketball with Nathan and James, "Is that…? Is she..?"
Brooke nodded wiping her eyes, "Pen sweetie, come here. I want you to meet your Aunt Peyton." Penelope abandoned the game to listen to her mother, "Peyton this is Penelope Elizabeth Ad-…Davis."
"Elizabeth?" Peyton asked.
"You were my best friend Sawyer." Brooke shrugged. Peyton threw her arms around Brooke again.
"Well, well, well, Brooklyn Fat Ass Davis." A voice from behind the girls said.
Brooke and Peyton turned to see Rachel, Mouth, Bevin, and Skillz having just arrived, "Slutty McHobag." Brooke said hugging Rachel.
"Brooke with a kid. I think hell just froze over." Rachel said.
"Oh right. Penelope never ever use the words that mommy and Aunt Rachel use. Got it?" Brooke asked. Penelope gave her the patented Davis eye roll as she went to join Lucas and Nathan on the court again.
Brooke smiled as Lucas picked Penelope up so she could dunk the ball, "Yes! You're amazing! You're the best female basketball player ever!" he said while tickling her.
"Uh oh." Rachel said exchanging glances with Haley, Peyton, and Bevin, "Our little Brookie is in love. Again."
"Shut up." Brooke said making sure Lucas didn't hear her,
"Cheery and Broody sitting in a tree." Peyton sang softly.
"ABCDEFG" Bevin sang along. The other girls laughed and patted Bevin.
The boys were all playing basketball with the kids, and the girls were all laughing and telling jokes, so no one noticed when the last member of the group showed up, except his daughter.
"Daddy!" Penelope called from her spot on Nathan's shoulders. Brooke froze.
"Hi baby." Chase said. He was clearly drunk, Brooke could tell and she hadn't even turned to see him yet.
"What- Wha- uh what are you doing here Chase?" Brooke asked standing up.
"Oh you know," Chase shrugged, "Coming to see some old friends."
"What friends?" Haley asked, standing next to Brooke. Lucas took Penelope off Nathan's shoulders and held her protectively in his arms.
"I wasn't talking to you Haley." Chase said angrily, "Now Brooke, I think you and Penelope should come home with me. Now."
"Daddy, don't." Penelope called, "Don't hit mommy again."
"Penelope." Both Brooke and Chase said. Chase in anger, Brooke in desperation.
"Haley." Lucas said, trying to keep his tone even, "Take Penelope and James out of here."
"What?" Haley asked.
"Now Hales." Nathan said, as Lucas handed the little girl over.
"Okay." She said, Bevin followed to give her a hand.
"What did the kid say Brooke?" Rachel asked, anger taking over.
"She has an overactive imagination." Chase said reaching for Brooke's arm.
"Oh I wouldn't Clean Teen." Rachel said pulling Brooke closer to herself.
"Brooke did he hit you?" Lucas asked not taking his eyes off of Chase.
"Yes." She said softly.
Everyone thought it was Lucas, hell Lucas thought it was him who went for Chase but it wasn't. It was Mouth, followed by Nathan, then Skillz. Lucas was the one who wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.
"Stop." She finally said after each of the boys had punched Chase, "Please, he's not worth it. Let's just go."
"It's not over Brooke. You can't keep my daughter from me." Chase said weakly from his spot next to the picnic table.
"You take one step near her or Penelope ever and you'll answer to me." Lucas spat at him.
After they got back to Nathan and Haley's Brooke didn't want to see anyone. She just went up to her room and locked the door. When she finally heard everyone leave and Penelope had come up to bed, she knew she wasn't gonna be able to sleep that night.
When the clock hit twelve she decided to get up again, "Pen, baby? Come with mommy. We have to do something."
"What?" Penelope cried.
"You can sleep in the car baby, come with mommy." Brooke quickly scribbled a note for Nathan and Haley and borrowed one of their car keys.
The door was never locked. That's what she always loved about it. No matter what time it was his door was always open. The room had changed since the last time she'd been there. He was an adult now and his room reflected that. His bed was now a full sized bed instead of the twin he'd grown up sleeping in. His younger sisters toys were scattered near the door.
Brooke placed Penelope on the bed next to him, and then slipped under the covers herself. Lucas stirred a little and opened his eyes.
"I was hoping you would come." He whispered, brushing Penelope's hair from her eyes.
"Just like old times." Brooke whispered wistfully, "Thank you for being there for me today,"
"You know you're gonna have to talk to me about it one day." He said cupping her face in his hands.
She nodded, "I will." She stared into his eyes, "I missed you Lucas."
"I missed you too." He said, pausing slightly before adding, "Pretty girl."
And so they went to sleep, Brooke feeling safe and protected, the one thing Chase could never give her. It wasn't a commitment, it wasn't a relationship, it wasn't even a promise, but it was a start.
But Lucas did make a promise to himself as he watched Brooke fall into a peaceful slumber, he wasn't gonna take the easy way out with her this time around.