Title: The Broken Road Home

Author: Yesterday's Love

Subject: BL NH. Four years can change anything and sometimes, nothing at all.

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with One Tree Hill. Author's Notes: Takes off four years after season four ends. This story isn't based on what happened on the season five premiere but will include several storylines that I will tweak to my liking. This story is BL but I am going to take my time setting up the back story. NH will be included as well other couples but primarily just BL & NH.

Chapter One

"Home is not where you live but in fact, where they understand you."

The decision had been easy; one quick swipe of her credit card and Brooke Davis was on her way home to Tree Hill. The urge to return home had gotten the best of her and she ignored the thoughts in the back of her mind. She knew that there would be hell to pay, her mother would kill her and the company that she had struggled so hard to build would suffer in her absence.

But Brooke's life had taken too many turns that she didn't expect. She didn't realize that at barely 21, she'd have the dream life she always envisioned. There had been fancy parties and endless social gatherings, surrounded by beautiful models who wore her designs and handsome strangers that struggled for her attention.

Her mind drifted back to a different time, remembering a project her junior year of high school. "There are two tragedies in life; one is to gain your hearts desire. The other is to lose it." The words replayed over and over in her mind as she exited the airplane, now safely landed in Tree Hill.

It took her less than twenty minutes to rent a car and grab her things from the baggage claim, something that she normally dreaded during trips to Los Angeles or New York. As she lifted her bags into the red convertible, the warm summer air of Tree Hill surrounded her.

Home.

As she drove into town, her eyes wandered from building to building, taking in the sights of the town she had left behind without a seconds look. She passed her grade school, memories coming back to her of times she spent chasing Nathan and Peyton around the school yard.

Several minutes later she passed the high school, the place where she had ruled over any and everyone. The place where Haley James Scott had become her best friend and Lucas Scott had broken her heart. She flipped the radio on, choosing to ignore all thought of Lucas and their relationship.

Next was the mall, millions of memories threatened to enter her mind. In the distance she could see the clothes over bro's billboard and she smiled with pride. It was the one good thing that she had done for herself, the one thing that no one could take away from her.

When everyone else had been struggling to find themselves, to figure out what they wanted out of life and how to have it, Brooke Davis had done it on her own.

The high school cheerleader, the class president, the prom queen…

She had become somebody.

Somebody successful and determined, with an entire business empire on her shoulders and nobody by her side.

Brooke wasn't sure how she wound up there but she pulled towards the familiar basketball court and turned off her car. Barely in Tree Hill for an hour and Brooke Davis was once again on the river court, a place that never belonged to her but she loved as if it were her home.

Getting out of the car and running her hand down the silk material of her dress, Brooke pulled off her favorite pair of Jimmy Choo's and tossed them into the passenger seat of the car. She walked in the grass barefoot, something she had done countless times before. It wasn't long until she was standing on the basketball court that had her friends names faded on the concrete. She could make out the faint outline of her name, followed by Peyton's, and Haley and Chase.

Deciding that there was no place else she'd rather be, Brooke lay down on the warm concrete. She stared up at the sunny sky and smiled. It felt good to be home, to be back in Tree Hill. A giggle escaped her lips as she thought about her mother and how she would react to knowing that Brooke was laying on a basketball court in a silk wrap dress.

"Brooke?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Mommy?"

Haley James Scott hated to do the dishes; she hated it more than she hated taking out the trash, or vacuuming or pulling weeds out of the flower gardens. When she had first gotten married, Nathan had promised her she would never have to done a dish again, yet another promise that Nathan had failed to keep.

The thought made her slam the dish into the sink and it cracked at the impact. "Damn it," Haley groaned out loud.

"Mommy," the little boy repeated, this time pulling on his mother's pants leg.

"Jamie I'm a little busy right now…" Haley said, instantly regretting her choice of words. She was never too busy for her son but right now, her house was a mess and she still had only an hour to get him dressed and fed before dropping him off at the babysitter.

Jamie pulled at her pants leg again and smiled up at her. "Mommy I made you something. See, it's a picture of you and me and daddy." Haley glanced down at the photo of the three of them and smiled sadly, blinking back tears that she was tired of shedding.

"It's beautiful," she said as she scooped him into her arms. "How about we paste it up on the fridge with your other ones?" The little boy nodded his head and Haley found the tape from a cluttered drawer. Once it was placed on the refrigerator, Haley turned to her son. "What do you think? It's a masterpiece," she laughed, lifting up her arm to give him a high five.

Jamie nodded his head and slapped her hand before beginning to laugh at his mom. "Uncle Luke said he was going to play basketball today. Could I hang out with him instead of Carrie?"

"Jamie, your uncle Luke is really busy…"

The little boys smile fell and he nodded his head. "I know he is and so is daddy, I just thought it would be fun to place some basketball."

Haley's heart broke as she listened to her son's confession about wanting to play basketball. She knew that Lucas would be willing to play with the little boy but it upset her that he was doing the things that Nathan was supposed to be doing.

She knew that it wasn't entirely Nathan's fault, after all Nathan had been injured only a few months ago and still was recovering. But she didn't feel as if that should have changed the amount of time he played with his son.

Or her for that matter.

"Tell you what munchkin," Haley said as she put him back on the floor. "You let me finish up this mess and we'll go for a walk, just the two of us. Would you like that?"

He nodded his head a grin once again appearing on his lips. "Okay mommy," he said before turning to run out of the room. Haley turned her attention back to the dishes and began to clean up the mess. The phone rang a few minutes later and Haley cursed out loud. "Damn it," she said as she reached for the phone. Clearing her throat, she said hello.

"Hey Haley."

The girl's voice on the other end of the line was one she hadn't heard in quite a while. Haley rolled her eyes but began to speak. "Hello," she said dryly.

"Listen, I just wanted you and Nathan to know that I am in town for a few days."

Haley sighed. "That's great but if you want Nathan to know you might want to track him down some other way. He's not here."

"What?" Her estranged friend's voice filled with concern as she struggled with what to say next. "What happened between you and Nathan?"

Jamie entered the room again and Haley leaned against the counter. "Nothing exactly but that's the problem. It's not something I want to talk about over the phone okay?"

"Maybe I should come over…"

Haley shook her head no and continued. "No, it's okay. Jamie and I are getting ready to go out for a walk anyways. I'm going to have to let you go."

"Haley…"

Haley silenced her friend. "Goodbye Peyton."

She hung up the phone and turned towards her son, struggling to smile. "Are you ready for that walk?" She asked her son as he nodded his head enthusiastically.

"What about the dishes?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders.

"Your dad can do them."

TBC...