Into the sunset

by Clavyus

This begins when Lucas, Nathan, Haley and Jamie get to college. Lucas meets Maddie, and as their relationship deepens, it leads to a break up between Lucas and Peyton. Brooke becomes aware of it, and begins to question her reasons for breaking up with Lucas. Eventual Brucas endgame, mostly.

1. Chapter 1

A.N. This fic begins a couple of months after the end of the fourth season. Lucas meets Maddie in college. His relationship with Maddie deepens, and it leads to a break up with Peyton. These developments come to Brooke's attention, and she begins to question her reasons for breaking up with Lucas. The endgame is Brucas, mostly. I don't own OTH.

Into the sunset – Chapter 1

Clarksson College

It wasn't the first choice for any of us. First choice was UNC for me, Duke for Nate, Stanford for Hales and a comfortable retirement for Whitey. Instead, here we are, with three-month-old Jamie in tow, making the best of a screwed up situation. For Whitey, it was a job he never wanted, coaching a college team that hadn't seen a winning season in thirty years. For me, a scholarship as Whitey's assistant coach, the pursuit of a double major on sport science and literature and a long distance relationship with sexy, talented and temperamental Peyton. For my brother Nate, his last chance at the dream of playing competitive basketball. He will probably be the best freshman shooting guard in the NCAA, playing for a nothing team by virtue of poor choices, bad luck and his own brand of integrity. For Hales, the opportunity of keeping her family together while pursuing the modest dream of a teaching degree in American and English literature and supporting her husband's dream. A beautiful girl of incredible gifts, a talented and nationally recognized singer-songwriter, the valedictorian of our class, and my dearest friend. For all of us, a new beginning.

We've left Tree Hill bright and early, and we are arriving at the township of East Clarksson, on the hills of South-Central North Carolina four hours later. We are a little convoy composed of a large U-Haul truck containing most of our worldly possessions, my seventy-eight Mustang and Nathan and Haley, Naley for short, beat up old Honda. We park our convoy in front of a small white single-story house. It's an old house, and a little beat-up, with a tiny frontyard, a porch, a small living area with an open-plan kitchen, three bedrooms, one of them fairly large with an en-suite bathroom, two smaller bedrooms sharing the other bathroom, and an enclosed back porch, opening to a shaded area in the back. I'd come house hunting two weeks back, and found this house at reasonable price, about fifteen minutes on foot from the campus, a nice discount on rent, as I offered throw in some repair work on the house and a small park across the street, with children's toys and a sandbox.

As we stops, Haley picks up Jamie, who is awake and in a good mood, and takes him inside. We had placed most of the baby material in the trunk of the cars, as we knew that was first priority Get the baby installed. We put all of the baby stuff in the bedroom that was going to be the nursery, so that Haley could take care of Jamie, while we unloaded the heavy stuff. Next we planted an icebox with beer and sandwiches near the front door, took out our shirts, and got to work. We were pretty exhausted by the time we unloaded everything, and the sun was already setting. We pick up a couple of beers and sit on the curb in front of the house, happy for just a bit of quiet. That's when I notice what appears to be a young boy, blonde, wearing an old army jacket twice his size, gray sweat pants and converse sneakers sitting at a bench on the park across the street, and staring at our house. Being curious both by nature and following a writer's instinct for acquiring new material, I told Nate to head in for a shower, while I cross the street to speak to the boy.

As I come close, one thing becomes apparent. The boy is actually a tiny blonde woman, probably my age or a bit older. I find myself looking into a pair of bright blue eyes, clear as the sky, brimming with intelligence and a curiosity similar to my own. A second after our eyes met, she smiles at me, a friendly smile that makes me revise my initial impression about the girl. From ordinary pretty to outright beautiful. Of course, I can't help but smile right back.

"Hello, beautiful. My name is Lucas. Can I help you?"

She preened a bit, clearly pleased with my compliment.. Not shy. "I'm sorry, handsome. I'm Madeleine, but everybody calls me Maddie."

All right. Really not shy. "Thank you. Why did you apologize?"

"For staring. It's not really polite."

"No damage done." I sit next to her and stretch my legs. "But what were you doing?"

"It's mostly a game I play with myself. I observe and try to draw conclusions."

"In that case, it's an interesting activity. I certainly do it myself. Shall we trade observations?"

"Well, here are a few of mine. The three of you are freshmen at the college, moving in today. You and your male friend are some kind of serious athletes, probably basketball, and you two played together. Your friend is married to the brunette and the baby is theirs. The brunette is your sister.

How I am doing?"

"That is extremely impressive Maddie. Not perfect, but close enough to be scary."

"Tell me."

"Well, we are, in fact, freshmen moving in. My housemates are a married couple, with a three month old baby. He is my brother, but the brunette is my closest friend, and she certainly feels like a sister to me. My brother and I used to play basketball, he is here on basketball scholarship, and so am I, but I don't play anymore. Instead, I'm here as an assistant coach."

She smiles even more brightly. The pride of exercising a difficult skill. I like this girl. "Your turn."

The accent and her quicksilver mind help with some of the guesses. Covert observation under disguise suggests some of the rest. I also guess a tight wiry strength under the baggy clothes."You're from the west coast. Top of your class, sophomore here at Clarksson. Blue collar family, I'm guessing one of your parents is a cop. You are a serious athlete too. Gymnastics or track."

"You're pretty good too. I'm from Santa Barbara, and my father is, indeed a cop. Good job. I'm actually a freshman like yourself, but I've been taking part on a summer internship, so I've been here already for a couple of months. I am a serious athlete, but in martial arts. Regional titles in wrestling and a black belt in kickboxing. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes. She is actually in LA."

"I have a boyfriend too, back in Santa Barbara. So, this invitation is purely innocent. Do you want to go grab a pizza? I'm in serious need of a friend, and you're the best prospect I've seen in the past couple of months."

"Absolutely. If I have to spend all my time with the lovebirds in there I'm going to go insane. I'd love a friend too. Let's go inside. I'll introduce you, grab a jacket and my wallet, and we're on our way."

"Nate, Hales, this is Maddie. She is a freshman too. These two are Nathan Scott and Haley James Scott, and the squirt is James Lucas Scott, my nephew, godson and the cleverest baby this side of the Mississippi.

"The name is Madeleine Ward, but Maddie is fine. It's very nice to meet you two." She frowns. "Haley James Scott... singer? When the stars go blue? Girl, if that's really you, I love that song."

That gets a big smile from Haley. "All right Luke, good job. This one is a keeper."

"We're going out for a pizza. It won't be long."

"Excellent job, big brother. Five minutes in town and you already have a date with a hot girl. I want to be you when I grow up." There's a slight note of disapproval in his voice. As it happens, Nate is also a former boyfriend and a very dear friend of Peyton. "By the way, did he tell you he is taken?"

"Yes he did. So am I, as a matter of fact. But, I might not mind a little cheating with the right boy." She winks at Nate. "Bye gorgeous. Bye Haley Scott.."

Haley's smile turns into a frown "Ok, Luke. Maybe not a keeper after all."

"C'mon sweetie, you don't want to keep all the goodies to yourself."

"That's fine girl.. You can have a go at blondie there, and take up any issues with a certain sarcastic lady currently in LA. I do suggest you keep your fingers away from the brunette. If you want to keep them, that is."

Maddie laughs, an infectious earthy laughter that contrasts a bit with her Tinkerbell physique. "It's a deal, Haley dear. With your permission, I'll take blondie here for a spin, and endeavor to keep my fingers."

Once outside, I ask her. "All right, Maddie, drive or walk?"

"Oh, walk. It's a beautiful night, and the pizza place is fifteen minutes away."

We walk slowly and in silence, enjoying the noise of the cicadas in the late summer night. She wears the silence comfortably.

"It's a very nice family, Luke. You're lucky."

"I know. They needed my help, and I'm happy I can be here for them. I think I need them too."

A pause. "Maddie."

"Yes, Luke?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I mean, actually, I don't know. I grew up a single child. My mother left when I was ten. She might have other children now, for all I know. What about you, aside from Nathan? You're twins, I assume."

"No, we are half brothers, same father, different mothers. I'm three months older. I grew up a single child, raised by my mother. I also have a baby sister, Lily, born the same day as Jamie."

"And your brother, who was not raised with you, ends up married to your best friend, and you are living with them. Wow. There must be quite a story there."

I can't avoid laughing. Of course, she gets a bit miffed. She wasn't really joking. I raise both my hands at her."I'm sorry Maddie. You are right on the money, as usual. There is quite a story there. As a matter of fact, I wrote a book about it. It's called "An unkindness of Ravens" and my girlfriend sent it to a bunch of publishers. I've got a few rejection letters, but, who knows?"

"An unkindness is a bunch of ravens, no?"

"That's right. The basketball team of our high school was called the Tree Hill Ravens. We won last year's North Carolina state title."

"Wow. That's a really big deal. Not even Jordan has that ring, no?"

This girl really knows the right thing to say. "You're right. His high school got the regional title when he was playing, but they didn't win state." I indulge on a bit of showing off. "Nate was the leading scorer on out team, but I made the three pointer at the buzzer which won us the title."

"And what's the leading scorer on last year's state champion team doing at Clarksson? Shouldn't he be at Duke, or UCLA? Another long story, I guess."

"It's all in the book. Do you want to read it?"

"Sure, I'd love to. Are you a good writer?"

"I'm an excellent writer, silly! What do you think? I'll make you a deal. I'll give you a print out of Ravens, but you're got to tell me everything about yourself."

She gives me a sly smile. "Not everything, handsome. Let's say, most things, instead."

There's a catch in her voice, or in her stance. I turn around, put my hands on her shoulders and look straight into her eyes. "You're very lonely, aren't you?"

She seems to shrink into herself, her eyes suddenly shining with tears. In a small voice, she answers. "Yes. You're the first person I've talked to in the past two months, beyond pleasantries. At first it was ok, even restful. But recently, it's become pretty excruciating"

I bring her in for a hug. She resists at first, but then something uncoils inside her, and she melts into my arms. She puts her arms around my me, pulling even tighter, and sobs softly against my chest.

She pulls back, and gathers herself, stepping back and looking me in the eyes. "I'm sorry..."

I cut her off. "There's nothing to apologize for, beautiful. Life is hard enough. Nobody should have to live without an occasional hug."

We continue to walk, but now I place my arm around her shoulders, while she wraps her arm around my waist, and rests her head against my chest. We get to the pizza place, and we sit across one another, ordering a plain cheese medium pizza, wings and soda. I keep hold of one of her hands. Her hands are delicate in shape, nails short and unpainted, strong and very rough. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She sighs. "Actually, I'd like to. Let me start with my dad. I told you my mother left when I was ten, right? He was pretty devastated when my mom left. We became very close, friends and partners, and I took care of him, cooked for him, cleaned and mended his clothes, gave him advice about his cases, and his relationships and he took care of me, drove me around, managed the accounts, payed the bills and meddled in my life. He has been my closest friend for a long time. Two months ago, I left home to come here.

Another stolen childhood. I don't know what's worse, a mother dying or voluntarily walking away. My guess, Maddy and Peyton would both willingly exchange her own story for the other's.

"Did you have any contact with your mother since? "

"No. I'm pretty sure my dad knows where she is, but he can be a seriously closed mouthed bastard when it suits him. I'm sure that any information he is withholding, he honestly thinks it is in my best interest."

"I see. Was he seeing someone when you left?"

"Yes, he has been in a relationship with this woman for over a year. She is very good to him, and, I guess, she is the reason I felt I could move away."

"You talk to him."

"Almost every day. But I lie. I tell him everything is wonderful. What would be the point of saying I'm lonely, sad and angry?"

"And you're afraid, because you know he could be doing exactly the same thing. And you don't want to get back there and check it out, because that wouldn't solve anything. I get it. So, now you lost your best friend. What about your boyfriend?"

"His name is Markus, Markus Raidan, but everyone calls him Mick. His father is a real state developer, who owns half of Santa Barbara. We've known each other since middle school, and he tells me he's had a crush on me forever. For a long time, I just didn't like him. He came across as a spoiled, entitled jackass. On the other hand, he is clever, has always been loyal to a fault, and, in the end, he has a big heart. He is tall, well built, he is a very good surfer and a rocket in bed. When we started high school, he and his friends would be constantly in trouble, screwing every skirt they could find, doing and selling drugs, stealing, beating people up, you know, the works."

"Sounds like a criminal version of my brother Nathan, before Haley." She looks at me, surprised. She begins to see how complicated my story might be.

"He and his boys got mixed up with some street gang, and things began to turn ugly. One of his boys was found shot in his car. My father caught the case, and soon realized that Mick was under serious risk of being killed as well. At one point, it looked like he was either going to get shot by this gang, or spend a long vacation in the state pen. I convinced my father that Mick was a basically decent guy, and that most of the uglier deeds associated with his boys were done without his knowledge. To make a long story short, my father convinced Mick into turning state evidence, and most of the real nasty guys on both sides are currently twiddling their thumbs behind bars. After this episode, Mick decided to mend his ways, and became a regular jackass in school, rather than a dangerous, criminal jackass. We started hanging out, one thing led to another. Suddenly I found I couldn't keep him out of my head, or my hands off him. We've been together for a year and a half now, less the two months I've been here. Dad really dislikes that I'm with Mick. He thinks Mick is irresponsible and self-destructive, and that his love for me is not enough to keep him in check. Trouble is, I know Mick enough to partially agree with my dad. But I spent too much of my life being the super-responsible girl. Mick is my escape. He is a fun, romantic bad boy that makes me feel incredibly alive."

"So, not exactly a friend either."

"Well, a kind of friend. If I kill somebody, I could count on him to help me hide the body, no questions asked. But not someone to have a heart-to-heart."

"Doesn't sound like someone you could sustain a long-distance relationship with."

"I know. I should have broken up with him before moving here. I keep expecting to hear that he did something stupid." It sounds to me that she is here, at least in part, running away from both her father and her boyfriend.

"What about other friends? Didn't you have someone?"

"Of course. But you see, I was always the strong, mature one. My friends brought me their problems. I helped them. My bestie is a martial arts jock, like me, who went into army special forces right after high school. Right now he is in boot camp somewhere in the Nevada desert. For some reason, I've never had many female friends."

"Well, beautiful, it seems that you do need a friend right now. And you got one, if you want. Whatever you need."

She gives me a sly look. "What if what I need is to get laid?" I think she is testing me, but I'm not sure.

"I'll buy you an airplane ticket, and you can go screw your boy toy Mick to your little sluttish heart's content."

She gives me a big smile. Testing. "Good answer, Luke. And a nice way with words."

"I'm a writer, girlie. Words are my tools."

She seems much more relaxed after getting all of that stuff off her chest. We are soon done, and after splitting the check, we leave back to the warm night, holding hands.

"Where do you live?"

"A couple of blocks from you. Why do you call me beautiful?"

"Well, you are."

"I most certainly am not."

I laugh. "All right, Maddie. Here is a glimpse into my thoughts. When I saw you across the street, I thought you were a young boy. I'm sure that's precisely the intention of your little stake out disguise. When I crossed the street, I saw you were a girl, small bodied, close to my age. I noticed that you were pretty too. When I got close, you looked me in the eyes and you smiled. That's when I thought to myself. Wow! Not pretty, beautiful. The word stuck in my mind."

She just stares at me. After a bit. "You can't be serious."

"You're beautiful, and you don't really know it. That, in itself, is pretty charming."

She mulls at that for a while. "Is your girl in LA beautiful?"

"Her name is Peyton. She is very beautiful, and she knows it too."

She holds our joined hands in the air a bit. "She wouldn't like what we are doing here."

"Now, that is an interesting point. What would she think? I'll tell you. It would depend on whether she liked you or not. You see, between, say, June last year, and April this year, we were just friends. I was head over heels in love, and then dating, her best friend Brooke. During that time, if we were walking together, like we are now, we would be holding hands, or I would have my arm around her shoulders. Some horrible things happened to her this year, so, sometimes, she couldn't sleep, and she would come over and sleep in my bed, just to feel safe."

"And this was fine with Brooke."

"Well, not quite. But Brooke accepted it. She knew her best friend and I had a close relationship, and that Peyton needed me too. So, bottom line, if Peyton thought you were some kind of skank trying to steal me from her, she would get more than a little upset. If she liked you, maybe she wouldn't like it, but she would accept it. She would also trust me to know the difference between a skank and a friend."

"And would she like me?"

"Depends on which song was playing when you met."

"What?"

I laugh. "You need to read the book. Then you'll get it."

We stop in front of a small house with a tree in front. "This is me."

"The hybrid is yours."

"Yup."

"So California girl... the color matches your eyes."

"That's what daddy said when he gave it to me." Am I anything like her father?

"Does your father play basketball and has an unhealthy fondness for cheerleaders?"

"One of the two. My father is five foot three, tubby, and he is a football fanatic. The forty-niners, to be precise. My runaway mother was the captain of her cheer squad in high school. My father is the smart dork that got the popular girl pregnant senior year and ended up marrying her." I get the picture. I even start getting the running away thing. She guesses what is on my mind.

"We did a paternity test, jerk. He really is my father." I don't think I ever met anyone who could read my thoughts the way this girl does. I change the subject a bit.

"So, even if it's in your blood, you wouldn't touch cheering with a ten foot pole."

"That's right, baby. She would hate what I do for fun too. Do you run?"

"Sure, three times a week, if I can."

"Let's go for a run tomorrow morning. Be at your doorstep at half past six. Four miles Ok?"

"Sure, I'll try to keep up."

"Before I forget, there's something I've got to tell you. Do you know about the rapist?"

"No, what rapist?"

"They've been trying to keep it low profile. There's been three incidents that the police knows about in the past six months. Three high school girls, walking alone late at night. The guy is middle aged, white, tallish and running to fat. None of the girls managed to get a good look at him. You and Nate should watch out for Haley walking alone at night."

"You be careful too."

"Don't worry, Luke. I can take care of myself."

I don't doubt that Maddie, but be careful anyways. It's been a great evening."

"Thanks, Luke. I've enjoyed it too. More than I can say. Bye."

I get into the house and Nate is standing in the kitchen, a glass of water in his hand. "Haley fell asleep while breastfeeding Jamie, about half an hour ago. I put Jamie in his bed, bathed and with a fresh diaper. We ordered chinese, and there's some leftover in the fridge."

"I'll take the middle of the night shift, little brother, but I'm going for a run with Maddie tomorrow morning, half past six."

"Can I join you guys? I need to find my way around here."

"Sure. I'm doing some job hunting tomorrow."

"Hales was also planning on doing the same, so I'll try to stay around the house. I unpacked the free weights and arranged them in a corner of the back porch. Did you enjoy your date with the hot girl? Given that you're running with her by dawn's early light, I assume it went... well?"

I look at my own shoes. Nate is crazy sharp and knows me too well. "Sure. She is pretty special, that one. You'll see."

"Be careful, big brother. You're a nice guy, but sometimes you seem to have the heart of a slut. Peyton doesn't deserve this, and, if this girl is a good one, she doesn't deserve to be lead on either."

"You know I can be friends with a pretty girl."

"I know, but you grew up with that one. You sure that the deal with Maddie is all that innocent?"

Actually, I'm pretty sure it isn't. "We're both in long distance relationships, and I don't think we have any intention of cheating."

"There are different kinds of cheating, Luke. I believe Haley never got into it with Chris, but I do think what she did was cheating, in some sense, and so does she."

"I hear you, little brother, and thank you. I think I was pretty upfront with Maddie." To be honest, I was not worried that I would seriously fall for Maddie, compelling as she is. There is only one girl I really want. In truth, if I close my eyes, and I ask myself which girl I would like to have in my arms, the answer hasn't changed in a long time. I know she is gone. And I really need to move on.