Disclaimer: I do not, as much as I wish I did, own OTH or any of the songs in this story. All I own is the plot of the story, and I barely own that.

AN: This story takes place after episode 6x16, everything up until this point has happened. Because OTH has such weird timing, and I can never tell whether a day has passed or a month, I'm going to make a few assumptions: Peyton is known to be around 8 weeks pregnant, Brooke and Julian have officially been together for two and a half months. Also, on the show they never really told much about Brooke's life in New York, so I am going to touch on that a bit later as well.

By the way, Chris Keller and Jake Jagielski will be in this story later, so I have taken the liberty of adding in a bit of history for them over the last few years. The two memories Brooke thinks back on in this chapter will be rehashed and explained later.

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Chapter 1: A beautiful Lie

"Keep your eyes closed, Giggles. You're going to ruin the surprise if you keep peeking. Trust me; you're going to love what I've got planned for you tonight."

"Oh yeah?" Brooke rolled her hazel eyes playfully, a smile playing across her luscious lips as he covered her eyes with the blood red blindfold once more and led her forward, her chocolate tresses, curled and resting in tendrils down her back, flirting with the air as she walked forward. Julian watched her intently, stunned that, even without sight, she was the most graceful woman he'd ever seen. "And to what do I owe this surprise, Mr. Sexy Producer?"

Julian leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against the shell of her ear, his natural grin in place, "Just because you're you, my beautiful, charming, and extremely breathtaking girlfriend."

Brooke smiled at his praises and let him lead her toward their destination, knowing that he must have something marvelous planned for him to be so secretive about it. When they arrived, Julian took her tiny hand in his and placed it against the handle of the door; she smiled as she realized where they were – the place where her dreams always seemed to come true…or get lost.

As they entered the room, the scent of freshly picked roses assaulted her senses, adding to her giddiness and love of surprises. She stood their silently for a few moments, just breathing in the calming scent, not asking questions or making flirty jokes, just waiting.

Julian turned her small frame toward him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips but pulled back before Brooke could deepen the kiss, smirking at the slight pout on her lips. She frowned at the loss of physical contact but smiled when she felt him take a step behind her, his fingers barely brushing the back of her neck, "Prepare to be astonished, Brooke Davis." And with those words, he removed the blindfold.

"Oh my god…" Brooke felt tears spring to her eyes immediately at what lay before her, and she whispered her next words, confusion and excitement burning within her gaze, "You did this for me?"

They were standing in the middle of her store, or rather her former store and current 'work in progress', surrounded by hundreds of rose petals, and in the left corner of the room, near the window, an ornate table covered in all her favorite foods and desserts laid in the glow of candle light. On further inspection she realized that all of her sketches and costumes for the movie had been removed, and the only lights in the store were from strategically placed candles, reds and purples that shined throughout the room in a radiant glow. And for a second, the awareness that she was standing in the dark in the very place where her final layer of innocence was stripped away had her feeling numb and terrified.

Julian seemed to sense her discomfort immediately, and he tilted his head as he placed a kiss on the knuckles of her left hand, running his fingertips along the silky skin of her hand. Brooke smiled then, knowing that she was completely safe with him, that he would never let something bad happen to her.

I'm safe. I'm safe. He'll protect me.

She looked around at Julian's handiwork as she released a quiet, calming breath, the look of shock mixing with one of pleasure as her eyes traced the over-elaborate, but shockingly sweet, memorable room before her, and wondering just what it was that made Julian do all of this for her. What reason did he have to do something like this for her? There had to be one, right?

"How did you manage to do all this?" she asked him, her eyes filled to the brim with tears of joy, "This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me." And for just one moment, she let her mind wander to some of her more idealistic moments, moments of romance and love and friendship. She remembered fighting in the rain with Lucas Scott, her first of six real dates with Chris Keller in New York, and the first time she allowed herself to kiss Jake Jagielski without regret, though she would never have mentioned any of these memories to the man before her…or to anyone else really.

Julian smiled at her, his self-satisfied grin taking over his entire face, "A man never reveals his secret talents…or secret helpers."

Brooke giggled at his answer, her dimples popping more in that moment than he had ever seen before, a sight which would never leave his memory, one he would cherish for as long as he was able to keep her in his life. "Shall we eat?" he asked her softly, as he took her hand again.

Brooke looked at Julian for a moment in a way that made him feel as if she could see through every defense he'd ever built, and, for a moment, neither of them spoke; they merely stared into one another's eyes, him thinking about how his words and actions tonight were going to change things forever, no matter the outcome, and her wondering if she had finally found someone she could give her whole heart to, or if she would be let down by yet another man, another lie.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"The bad guys lie to get into your bed; the good guys lie to get into your heart."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Brooke's eyes softened slightly, a little ashamed of where her mind was taking her on this special night, and she looked down at the wonderful food before her, "Yes, let's eat. It all looks delicious. You already know me so well."

Better than almost anyone.

For nearly two uninterrupted hours they sat there, eating their food and drinking their wine, telling stories from their childhoods and teenage years, though Brooke avoided much of her memories from junior year of high school up to this point in time, not ready for Julian to know the details Lucas left out of his book or the details that Brooke herself had avoided telling anyone save Haley. And altogether they enjoyed each other's company, learning things they'd previously not known, like life dreams and biggest fears. But as the night drew to its inevitable end and the candles began burning out, Julian found himself wanting to chicken out and run away from this whole situation. Though he had convinced himself that he could handle any outcome, the fear that he now felt dwelling in his soul was squishing that confidence until all that was left was the pounding of his heart against the silence in his mind. He watched her carefree expression, wondering how someone with so much baggage could keep such a bright smile on her face at all times, and he wondered if he could be like that…just shrug this moment off if it ended in an undesirable manner. No, he thought as he gazed at her, I can't.

"Brooke," he said softly, standing with such slowness that she felt a twinge of nervousness grow within her stomach, "I haven't been completely honest with you about what this night means…" She frowned, suddenly worried about the next words that would escape his chapped lips, terrified he was about to prove her theory about men right: they always let you down, "The truth is, there's something about you, the way you yell at me when I'm acting like an ass and the way you take care of Sam like a mother would despite the fact that she's only a few years younger than you, that makes me feel like the world has a purpose, that I have a purpose. The truth is, Brooke, I am completely and irrevocably in love with you. And there's no going back from that. Ever."

Brooke's breath hitched in her throat and she lifted her dainty hand out toward him as if to silence his words, eyes confused and worried, "J…Julian? I…I…"

Julian hurriedly shook his head at her, bringing her stuttering words to a close, not knowing what she was about to say, but unwilling to let her finish at the risk that he may lose his nerve if she spoke, "Don't say anything, not until I'm finished."

She nodded, though she looked as if she would pass out at any second, "Okay." She swallowed the lump her in her throat, taking in every nervous twitch her boyfriend was exuding and wishing he would just come out with it already, his nervousness scaring her.

"When I was with Peyton," Brooke looked down at that, unable to listen to another man talk about his love for Peyton Sawyer, best friend and expert heartbreaker as Brooke has since silently dubbed her, "Brooke, look at me." She hesitated but did as he asked, her hands shaking slightly in hurt and fear.

Please don't say you still love her..

"When I was with Peyton, I found myself falling in love for the first time, and I was scared, no…I was completely terrified. And when I ended things with her that night in LA, I thought I would never love again because those feelings were so intense and wonderful, but as I look into your eyes now, I really see you, and I realize that what she and I had doesn't even begin to compare. I know the truth now…You're the one for me."

Julian knelt to the ground, looking more like a scared little boy than a grown man, and pulled a small black box from his jacket pocket. Brooke's hazel eyes, a shade of green in that moment, widened even more, and tears sprang to her eyes as she focused in on that tiny box, finally understanding what tonight had meant to him. Finally understanding what tonight meant for them, either a beginning…or an end.

Oh god..

"I know that we haven't been together for very long, and this may all seem a bit rushed to you, but I've never felt this way before. You're the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning and the last thing on my mind before I go to bed. The thing is, Brooke, I'm supposed to go back to Los Angeles once the movie is finished, but I don't want to go back without you. In these last few months, you have become my family, so I want you to come with me when I leave. You and Sam." Julian smiled up at her and opened the box to reveal an ornate gold ring with two yellow diamonds on either side of the large white stone in the center. "Brooke Penelope Davis, will you marry me?"

TBC...

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AN: Please, please, please review. I've only written a few fanfictions before and since no one seemed into them I deleted them. Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, but please no flames. Thanks!