A/N: Okay, so I originally wasn't planning on posting this story until after I was finished with All for Love, but I was just going over my outline for this one and I just got really excited for it and decided to post the first chapter. It's kind of short and it could be better, but I want to see what you all thought of it so far. It's probably going to be confusing at first, but as the story goes on you'll understand more. Basically all you need to know is that everything from season 1-4 counts, but most of the events that have happened since then are different. There will, however, be some similarities in the story to the actual season 5 of the show that you'll notice later on.

For those of you familiar with the band Switchfoot, you'll probably recognize the title of this story as one of their songs. The whole story is sort of based off the lyrics of that song, so check it out if you can. Also, a big thanks to Allie for helping me out with this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, things on the show would be lot different. The title of the story belongs to Switchfoot.

The Shadow Proves the Sunshine

Dark and Frozen Hearts

She is not looking forward to this. As a matter of fact, there are a countless number of other things that she would much rather be doing right now. But it has to be done— she has to go home.

Tree Hill, North Carolina had been Brooke Davis' home for the first eighteen years of her life and the place where, no matter how much she tries to deny it, her heart belongs.

She hasn't been there in two and a half years and the last time she had been was possibly the worst time in her life. It was torture and she never wants to have to experience it again...

Yet here she is, flying first class headed to the place that she'd vowed she'd never visit again, let alone live. So why are all of her things packed in a bunch of suitcases below her ready to be stowed in the new beach house she'd purchased online? The answer is painfully unclear. What is clear is that it's time to face what she's been hiding from. Because her life will never get better if she sits here and ignores all that's happened to her over the past four years and six months.

Everything is just so complicated and sometimes it's too much for her to even think about. Nothing has been the same since she last left Tree Hill and it will be nothing short of a miracle if it ever is again. But she has to be brave in order to fight the battles that are sure to come and Brooke Davis is no coward. She is going to win and she is going to get her life back on track.

That is her goal.

But, as Brooke steps out of the airport and into the warm North Carolina air, her courage starts to fade and it takes all she has not to turn right back around and sprint back onto the nearest flight to New York. But then she stops and rationalizes about why she's here and what she needs to do and she realize that she's being stupid—everything will be okay. Eventually, at least.

Haley is waiting for her, as promised. She looks so happy to see her and Brooke can't hide her happiness at seeing her either. It's been almost nine months since Haley had last visited her and she missed her like crazy. It still kills Brooke that she'd had so little contact with her friends over the past few years. But then again, refusing to come to the place that they lived probably had something do with it. But now that she is back, she can make things right again.

"Brooke, I can't believe you're home!"

Brooke smiles as Haley pulls her into the tightest of hugs and, as much as she hates to admit it, it feels good to be back. Haley then helps lift Brooke's luggage into her big SUV, while the boy she hasn't seen in much too long pokes his head out of the back window and waves.

"Hi, Aunt Brooke!" Jamie says cheerfully.

She drops the rest of her stuff and heads over to see the godson who she loves so much. She doesn't get to spend nearly as much time with him as she'd like to, but the bond she shares with Jamie is still great and it is amazing to be with him again. As she pulls him into her arms, Brooke marvels at how big he's grown in the last year and, when she mentions this to him, he proudly states that he's grown two inches in the past three months.

Then, after everything is loaded, they all drive away towards the place Brooke's been ignoring for much longer than she should have. It's a strange feeling knowing that she is finally home. But it was inevitable that she would eventually end up back here. She's known that for awhile now, although she's tried to block it out of her mind as much as possible.

"I talked to Peyton," she says nonchalantly as Haley drives down the highway, "and she should be coming in later tomorrow. She's pretty pumped up about starting her own label."

"I really think it's going to be great," Haley agrees. "And you're planting the first Tree Hill Clothes Over Bros location. That should be amazing."

She nods slowly, her thoughts getting lost in her work life—her only life for the past few years— for what feels like the billionth time that day. Clothes Over Bros is a success and, although she is incredibly proud of it, it hasn't given her the satisfaction that she's longed for, the satisfaction that she'd had two and a half years ago and that was taken away from her prematurely.

She tries to shake the memories that are sure to come from these thoughts out of her head, but, unfortunately, Haley seems to have other ideas.

"So, um, I told Lucas you were coming."

Brooke tries to hold back a groan and keep some composer as she digests Haley's words. Jamie is in the car and he still doesn't properly understand everything that has happened and so she must try to keep her calm, even if it is incredibly hard.

"And how did he react?" she asks stiffly.

Haley swallows a bit nervously and this worries Brooke more than she wants to admit. "He's…excited."

It's obvious that Haley's lying, but she doesn't know if it's because Jamie's in the back seat or because Haley is trying to protect her. But, for whatever reason, there's absolutely no way Lucas Scott is excited that she's coming home; in fact, she wouldn't even be surprised if he packs his bags and just leaves. No one would blame him at all if he did, her least of all.

After all, that's exactly what she had done.

She turns wearily to look at Haley. "When you say excited, do you perhaps mean enraged?"

"Momma, what does enraged mean?" Jamie pipes up.

"Nothing, sweetie," Haley says, smiling at her son before placing her attention back on Brooke. "And I suppose that you could say he's a bit enraged slash excited. Even though he doesn't really want to admit that he's excited yet. But I can tell he is. It comes along with the being best friends thing—we can read each perfectly. I mean, you know how it goes—"

"Hales, you're rambling."

She smiles guiltily. "Oh. Sorry."

Brooke is desperate for a subject change; this conversation is intensely draining. "So how's everything going with Nathan? Is his rehab going well?"

This is a conversation that Haley apparently isn't too keen on having and, as she sees her smile turn into a very big frown, she feels suddenly guilty for bringing it up.

Haley takes a deep breath. "He's doing okay."

Brooke can tell she's lying; Haley is one of her best friends and, like Haley herself admitted a few seconds ago, best friends can read each other perfectly.

She pats Haley's shoulder in a comforting manner. "It's going to be okay, Haley, you'll see. Eventually everything will work out and then everything will be great again."

Haley just nods, a small smile forming on her face. "The same goes for you," she says. "You know that right?"

Brooke tries her best to look as confident as possible—even though she feels anything but— as she nod quickly. "Yeah, of course."

But really, she isn't sure anything will be great ever again. It hasn't been for over two years and sometimes it just doesn't seem possible to mend everything back into what it used to be, or even into something completely new.

But she has to at least try to fix things.

And that means facing her biggest fear of all: Lucas Scott.

888

She's coming home.

Not only is she coming home, she is moving home.

Sometimes Lucas Scott feels as if the world is trying to torture him.

Brooke Davis always had impeccable timing. For the first time in two years he feels happy with his life and now she's coming home to ruin it all.

He looks down at his laptop, trying to concentrate on finding some sort of words to put on the page, but failing miserably. He sighs, running a hand through his short-cut hair, and continues to think about her. She's probably bringing all of her issues back home with her, ready to unload them onto him and beg him to carry them all away. But he isn't going to let that happen. He is not going to take away all of her burdens and he is not going be her shoulder to lean on. Never again would he be that guy for her. He is over everything and just because she's finally coming to terms with all that has happened doesn't mean he's going to welcome her back with open arms and confess his undying love for her.

He glares at the computer screen, willing himself to find something else—anything else—to take over his mind.

But there is no point; she completely consumes his thoughts.

She probably thinks that he needs her in his life but he doesn't. Maybe he did a few years ago, but he is better now and he is happy. He's moved on without her and he has come to terms with everything without her. In his mind, she has no right to drop in now, of all times, and try to mess up his life.

His face falls into his hands and he starts to calm down a bit. He knows he's being harsher than he should be, but the last time she was here she had hurt him to the point where he wasn't sure he would ever be able to recover. Most of it wasn't even her fault— he knows without a shadow of a doubt that that is true— but the portion of it that was her fault hurt him more than anything else combined. And that is hard to forgive.

"Something wrong?"

His anger subsides as he feels Lindsay's arms wrap around him.

"Nope," he lies. He doesn't want Lindsay to suffer through all of his problems right now—she's stressed enough with her own work as it is.

She looks at him inquisitively and he's pretty sure she knows that he's lying.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Brooke coming home by any chance, would it?"

His face drops as he realizes that Haley's already told Lindsay the news. Twisting his hands in annoyance, he makes a promise to himself to kill Haley later.

"You know what?" he says, jumping from his chair and glaring at nothing in particular. "I don't want to talk about it. Brooke is nothing to me anymore and her coming back will affect me in no way."

Lindsay rolls her eyes. "If you seriously think that, then you're not as smart as I give you credit for."

His eyes shift over to her and narrow even more. "I don't want to talk about this."

And then he stalks out of his bedroom and into the living room, Lindsay right on his heels. He truly doesn't understand why she is so intent on getting out his feelings on this issue.

"Lucas, you can't hide from her like this. You two have been through so much together and I respect that, but you've barely had any closure and sometimes I think that there's a small part of you that still holding onto to her and that makes me nervous."

Her words make him reel in anger and he struggles to hold back a scream.

"God, Lindsay, I hate her! How could you ever think that I would ever want her again? Me and Brooke, we're done and if I never see her face again then that'll be just fine with me. She almost ruined my life and I'll never give her that chance again."

Lindsay's eyes soften and she reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder. Lucas shrugs it away quickly, flinching at her touch.

"You don't hate her, Luke."

His face crumbles and he knows she's right; he could never hate her.

But Brooke hurt him and he's only just recovered. Now she's back to reopen old wounds and he's angry at her for it.

"Why are you encouraging me to talk to Brooke?" he asks, his shoulders sagging as he practically collapses onto the couch. Lindsay sits with him. "You're my girlfriend; you shouldn't be encouraging me to talk to my ex-girlfriend about something like this."

"It doesn't matter that I'm you're girlfriend," Lindsay says softly, "because I'm you're friend, too, and I love you. I want to see you happy and in order for you to be happy you need some closure with Brooke. Because, let's face it, you two never got any."

He looks down at his hands and he knows that Lindsay's right, as much as he may hate to admit it. But him talking to Brooke about everything is a scary thought. It'll just bring back painful memories and dreams of what could have, what should have, been, and he's not sure he can handle that right now.

He takes Lindsay's hands in his own and smiles weakly. "Thanks, Linds. You've been so supportive through everything and I really don't deserve a girl like you."

And he really doesn't. Because if one thing good has happened with this whole mess with Brooke, it's that it brought him and Lindsay closer together. And that is one thing he will always be thankful for.

Please review and let me know what you think!!!