Here Comes Goodbye

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they are property of One Tree Hill, it's writers and Mark Schwahn.

Authors note: This is set directly after the episode "Letting Go" from Season 6. Will try to make the next chapter longer, and introduce more of the Tree Hill favorites.

General Summary: After saying goodbye to Julian in the airport, Brooke tries to move on and let go of all of her feelings for him. It's easier said then done. (sucky summary- but I don't want to give away anything)

Pairings: Brulian, Naley, Leyton

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Brooke Davis was a strong, independent, strong-willed, formerly successful fashion designer. Someone who had a way of always getting what she wanted, and though she had always worked hard, it had never been an incessant struggle; one that was seemingly endless. But that wasn't the way that she felt right now. She didn't feel strong, she felt weak. She didn't feel independent, she felt lost. Brooke Davis didn't feel successful, she felt like an utter failure. And though she was still strong-willed, that meant little to her right now. Because above all, she didn't feel loving- she felt heartbroken and shattered. The twenty-two year old glanced out of the window as she drove around Tree Hill, North Carolina aimlessly. Brooke was unsure of where she should go. Though she wanted to go home right now, curl up in her bed and try to forget about the day, she couldn't find it in herself to do so. Sam was there, waiting for her to return from the airport. And the tears that had been present since the moment that she'd returned their plane tickets to Julian were still there. And the last thing that she wanted was for Sam to see her in the weakened state that she was in. That was the last thing that she wanted anyone to see of her, was her being weak.

But that was how she felt right now. And as though of proof of her exact thoughts, the brunette was forced to pull over her car as tears had welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. "Damn it!" Came Brooke's words, raw with emotion, tears spilling over her cheeks. This entire situation had become a complete and total mess. Truthfully, things had been heading in a good direction for her and Julian. He was the first guy in a long time that was able to begin breaking through some of her walls, even if she denied it all along. Sure, there had been Chase and more recently Owen, but Julian? There was such a sincerity in the way that he spoke to her, an understanding. Because he had been where she was, as well. Julian's situation with his father was strikingly similar to the situation that Brooke shared with Victoria. Julian had been hurt by the same people that she had, he knew what it was like to have to take a backseat and watch someone else's love story before your very eyes, wishing that it was your own. Which was why she found it so hard to be open with him, to be so trusting. And though Brooke had definitely made some major strides, she was far from being trusting, even if she had become so emotionally invested in such a short time. She thought that she was going to have time, time to get to know Julian better. Time to let her feelings for Julian develop more... time to open up. The last thing that she had expected was for all of it to come to a screeching halt when Lucas' movie was canceled and only a few short days later, Julian was on a flight back to Los Angeles.

A flight that she could have been sitting beside him on. But she had made the decision to stay at home, in Tree Hill. But it wasn't a decision that had come easily- it was something that she had spent a lot of time thinking about. Her feelings for Julian were growing... but things had felt so rushed, and she knew that her relationship with Julian wasn't the most important relationship in her life right now. Her relationship with Sam was what was most important to her. It was something that she hadn't expected in the least, especially with the way that their relationship had begun, with Sam stealing from her store. But nonetheless, it had been their beginning and they had grown so much since then. Earlier tonight Haley had been telling Brooke how far Sam had come, that she was becoming more confident, and that she was becoming such a fantastic writer and so much more social. All because she had the security of a real family. What kind of person would Brooke have been to uproot her, or worse, to leave her behind? Especially with Jack being back in her life, it wasn't the right thing. This was the right thing to do, her staying in Tree Hill with Sam. It was. Brooke pulled down her sun visor and looked at herself in the mirror with a light sigh. She really was a mess. Reaching out a hand she brushed the remnants of her tears from her cheeks, blotting below her eyes with a tissue as she looked herself squarely in the eyes. Brooke Davis needed to continue on with her life and find the person that she was supposed to be- without the guidance of Julian Baker.

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"Sam! You need to hurry up and get ready. Do you even know what time it is?" Came the frantic voice of her foster mother, her fist pounding a couple times on the teenage girl's bedroom door. Truth be told, Brooke had never been one for punctuality in high school. It was one of the many things that hadn't mattered to Brooke back then. But she saw things differently for Sam- she had such a future ahead of her, even if she didn't realize it. Brooke not only believed in her future, but she loved the girl as well and wanted the best for her. And how the hell was Brooke supposed to help her, if she couldn't even get her to roll out of bed? "Hurry up!" She added one last time, tapping her hand more gingerly against the door this time before slipping away from it and making her way into the kitchen, but not before hearing Sam's mumbled response about being up.

Brooke shook her head minimally as she made her way into the kitchen of her home, needing to find something quick for breakfast. She was slightly startled by the figure that was sitting at the table, shoveling mouthfuls of cereal into his mouth. Feeling her heart calm she offered Jack a gentle smile, "Well at least one of you is up on time." Pushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear, she poured herself a mug of coffee that was already brewed. Glancing in Jack's direction she sat down beside him. He hadn't been living with her and Sam for all that long, and she truly hoped that she would be able to help him. Brooke had been able to help Sam- been able to give her a strong and loving home environment. And... she was getting there with Jack. But truthfully, having him there brought back memories- ones that she had tried to push out of her mind. Memories of what Jack's older brother had done to her, the bruises that he'd left on her body. But she knew that she couldn't hold Jack accountable for his actions. Because truthfully, Jack had been through just as much, if not more than Brooke had with his older brother. And he was in prison now, where he belonged. And Sam was safe now... Jack too.

"Yeah..." Jack glanced over at Brooke with a slight smile before looking down at the cereal he'd been eating, pushing the Fruit Loops around in circles. The past few days hadn't only been hard or awkward for Brooke, but for him as well. He knew the situation well, knew what had happened, what Brooke had been through. And he knew that it had to have been a hard decision for her to approach him about living with her and Sam. He still found it hard to look at her- because he wondered what she was thinking about when she saw him. Did she still see X's face when she looked at him? Or did she see Jack for who he really was? "I should go finish getting ready..." Jack trailed off, glancing up at Brooke one last time as he got ready to rise from the table.

"Oh no you don't." Brooke spoke after a short moment, motioning for him to sit back down in his seat. Yes, the truth was sometimes it was awkward. But that didn't mean that she was going to let that get in the way of him taking care of himself, or as it would be sometimes, Brooke taking care of him. "Sit back down and finish up, I'm going to go check on Sam. Again."

"No need." Came the familiar voice of the teenage girl as she entered the kitchen, allowing her bookbag to thud to the ground before she wandered over to the refrigerator, pulling the door open. "Eggs sound great, don't they?"

"Yes, Sam, they sound great. But when we have five minutes until we have to leave the house that's not doable. How does a pop tart sound?" The older brunette inquired after a moment, taking a bite of her own pop tart as her eyes studied Sam. After only a moment, Sam allowed a dramatic roll of her eyes as she walked over to where Brooke stood, breaking off a piece of Brooke's strawberry pop tart.

"Are you serious, Brooke?" Sam paused for a short moment, popping the piece of pop tart in her mouth before continuing. "Rimkus wouldn't even know that we weren't there."

"Sam-"

"She's right, Brooke." Came the quiet response from Jack a moment later, his eyes wandering from Sam to Brooke. "Rimkus doesn't even know our names... let alone what grade we're in, or what classes we take."

Brooke let out a heavy, exasperated sigh as she glanced between the two teens. She was aware of the fact that everything that they were saying was absolutely true. She'd heard nothing but horror stories about her since the woman had taken over as the principal of Tree Hill High. From Sam and Jack, and from one of her best friends, Haley James Scott. But that didn't mean that they didn't have to go to school, and it didn't mean that they could change things simply because they didn't like them. Pausing for a long moment, she pulled open the refrigerator. "Alright. Eggs it is. And if anyone asks, my car wouldn't start this morning, and we had to wait for someone to jump it. That's the story. Got it?" Both of them nodded in unison, a triumphant grin crossing Sam's face. The truth of the matter was that this was something that she needed, and she knew it was something that Sam needed- any maybe the extra time that she spent with Jack would help him open up some more. And maybe, just maybe it would help in mending her broken heart.

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