Chapter 1- Boycott Love
-x-o-x-o-
"Luke has another new girlfriend" I announce as I walk into the messy apartment of my twenty six year old sister. Who I honestly can not deal with and try to see as less as possible because she's just so screwed up. If I didn't have a niece that I loved more then anything in the world, I'd probably never see her.
Speaking of which, here she comes "Aunt Haley!" She screams in enthusiasm, flinging herself into my arms.
I can't hold back a giggle, "A.J, how's my favorite girl?" I ask, scrunching my nose at her fondly.
The five year old tightens her arms around my neck, "Good, I missed you where have you been?" She asks, she talks about a mile a minute.
I feel a pang of regret, since getting this new job I haven't been as attentive lately. "Busy sweetheart" I ruffle her dirty blonde hair, before walking towards my sister's bedroom, "Where's your mom baby girl?" I ask, peering in the kitchen on the way.
A.J shrugs a shoulder, "I think maybe the shower?" She responds, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She's so cute I just wanna eat her up. She's the only reason I ever visit Taylor.
I nod, "Did you know Uncle Lucas is coming today?" She chirps, playing with my hair, "And Mommy says he's bringin' a new girlfriend, mommy called her a really bad word" She tells me gravely. So Taylor knows that Lucas just scored Ms. Fashion Designer Brooke Davis. Well that should make things easier.
Me and Taylor have never been on the same side for anything. Not even gym class. But when it comes to Lucas's girlfriends, we're always on the same page. No one is ever good enough for my big brother and trust me she feels the same about her little brother. Lucas is just about the most amazing person I've ever met and most girls these days are just after his money. I mean he's the CEO of the biggest commerce company in New York. So can you see why we'd be protective?
Taylor emerges from the bathroom with a towel in one hand and the phone in the other, "Daddy's gonna pick you up tomorrow" She says to her daughter, towel drying her hair.
"Hey Hales" She smirks. Ick, god I really don't like her.
I roll my eyes and put Aly back on the floor, "Taylor" I greet curtly.
Taylor mock frowns, "Well that was cold" She says sounding satisfied.
I didn't come here to fight with her, "What are we going to do about Brooke?" I ask, not bothering to hold back my distaste when I mention her name.
Taylor grins her evil grin and this is when I like seeing it. It means that the screws in her twisted mind are turning, coming up with a plan "Invite her over to dinner" She says simply.
I stare at her confusedly, "What are you talking about?" I think she's gone soft.
She just laughs, "Haley bub, have any of Luke's girlfriends survived a dinner with us?" She asks with a gleeful twinkle in her eye.
And I know she's right. But the dinner thing is usually a last resort, we don't do it right of the bat, but I don't complain the sooner she's out of his life the better, "It's a plan" I agree.
"We'll do it tomorrow, when I send Aly with her Dad" She continues. A.J's dad, a guy I can stand even less then Taylor. He's a bartender; can you see why my sister picked him? Word has it he has a new girlfriend but I don't think that Taylor knows that.
I snort through my nose, "Owen? And where's he taking her, a tattoo parlor?" I don't have a lot of confidence in Owen's parenting skills as you can see.
Taylor rolls her eyes at me, "Don't be like that, he loves her" She tells me tiredly. I'm not as quick to believe that as she is. I mean he probably does love her but I'm really protective of my family, you can probably tell. So honestly whenever Aly goes with him, I'm uncomfortable.
"Oh and get this, Brooke has slept with like—
I'm cut off by a loud knock on the door, "Taylor, open up!" It's the familiar voice of my brother.
Taylor gives me a look that says Not another word and goes to open the door for him. "Is that Uncle Lucas?" A.J looks up at me optimistically. She loves Lucas just about as much as we do. He's so good with her that sometimes I think she might like him better then she likes me. This is saying a lot since she likes me pretty damn much.
The second I nod, the girl sprints down the hallway and I follow behind her. Lucas has just entered the apartment when Aly throws herself on him, "I missed you!" She shrieks excitedly.
Lucas chuckles, "Hey Aly J, what's goin' on?" He asks fondly, kissing her forehead.
She shakes her head, "Nuthin, mama and Aunt Haley were talking about your new girlfriend." Fink. She totally ratted us out.
Lucas looks from me to Taylor, "Seriously? You guys are unbelievable" He scoffs in disbelief. I look away sheepishly but Taylor doesn't.
"What Alyson means is that…we're inviting you and Brooke to dinner" Taylor's slick, I'll give her that much, "Here, tomorrow okay?" She doesn't really give him much of a choice. When he refuses, she's gonna play the "I'm your older sister" card. Watch.
Lucas shakes his head, "I like this one, so I think I'll pass" He puts A.J back on the floor and stares at Taylor defiantly.
Taylor looks at him ruefully, "Lucas Eugene Scott, I'm your older sister and I want you to have dinner with me tomorrow!" She demands and ouch, she totally middle named him there.
He looks like he might just say no again but she gives him her patented Taylor Marie Scott death look, I've been on the receiving end of plenty of those. "You're coming, and it's final" She says conclusively.
Luke can hardly refuse now, "I—Taylor!" He groans in frustration, "God, fine but the second you guys try any of your old tricks we are both out of here!" He threatens, and boy does he look serious this time. He must really like this girl.
Taylor's face softens, "You got a deal" She smiles, hugging him.
I see Lucas give me an annoyed look over her shoulder, he's so not happy. "It's gonna be so fun Luke, we're gonna have a blast" I wink.
Lucas glares at me, "I'm not kidding, both of you need to stop interfering in my life!" He exclaims desperately, "I mean, this is getting ridiculous" He wriggles out of Taylor's grip. Oh, looks like a second wind.
I knew this wouldn't be easy, "Luke, we just wanna meet her that's all" I say softly, "Swear" I add, crossing my fingers behind my back.
He looks at me and Taylor skeptically, "The second I feel like you're scaring her away, I'm leaving" He warns.
Taylor ruffles his hair, "That's my baby brother" She kisses his cheek.
Lucas wipes it away childishly, "C'mon Aly Jane, we're going to the park" He extends his hand out to her.
Her face lights up, "Lemme go put on my shoes!" She runs past me like the energizer bunny on speed and I can hardly hold back my smile.
Taylor stares at her too and as many things there are wrong with Taylor, I have to say she's a really good mom. Some people are born to do things, I think for Taylor, being a mother is the only thing she can do. "Light jacket too Alyson, I don't want you catching a cold" She sounds so…mature. But in every other aspect of her life, Taylor is completely and totally unorganized and pretty much chaotic.
Lucas grins at her, "I got it Tay" He assures her, "Why are you so quiet?" His question is directed towards me.
I take a few tentative steps forward, "I dunno" I shrug a shoulder.
Taylor and Lucas both look at me then at each other, "Well gosh, can't a person just think to themselves with out getting the third degree?!" I ask defensively.
They exchange glances again, "Get Alyson out quick, the men in the white coats should be here soon" Taylor jokes and Lucas laughs. I on the other hand don't find it funny, I never find their little "jokes" funny.
"Awe, Hales you goin' back so soon?" He adds on and they both laugh again.
I cross my arms over my chest and continue to feel disconnected, "Okay let's leave baby Haley alone now" Surprisingly it's Taylor that says that but it's probably because of the fact that we have a common enemy. For now.
Lucas just continues to grin, "C'mere bub" He calls me over fondly, holding out an arm.
I sigh before nestling in to the crook of his arm, "You been busy huh?" He asks, and it's as if he's talking to a four year old. Because to them I'm always gonna be baby Haley you know the one no one takes seriously.
I nod stiffly, "Yeap"
A.J prances back into the room, "Ready, ready ready!" She announces, she's so hyper all the time. You can see a lot of Taylor in her.
Lucas chuckles, dropping his arm from my shoulders "Park time?" He asks happily.
She nods vigorously, holding her arms above her head signaling that she wants Lucas to pick her up, "And you gotta push me high, high kay Uncle Luke?" She instructs.
While she's distracted Taylor grabs a light blue velour sweater and coaxes Aly into putting it on. In a way only a mother would be able to, "And then the slide, but not the baby one this time either" She chirps animatedly to Lucas and I almost want to go with them. But me and Taylor have to stay here and scheme.
It's probably a little hard to understand why Taylor and I seem to chase away all of the women in Lucas's life. I'm not really sure what her reasons are but they're probably pretty close to mine. Whenever Lucas has a girlfriend he sees me and Taylor less and less. His frequent dinner visits become less frequent and then he's late to birthday parties and lunch dates. That's when we propose "dinner" and basically scare away the poor girl.
I guess it's pretty selfish and almost cruel because Lucas deserves to be happy. But, what would we do if Lucas wasn't in our lives any more. Wasn't in my life anymore? I really don't even want to think about it because he's so important to me. And he's the buffer that keeps me and Taylor from killing each other. He always has been. Girls always steer him away from his family and I hate it. Why can't me and Taylor be the only women in his life? Right?
It sounds possessive I know, but its just hard to let go of someone. Especially when you don't wanna let them go and I really don't wanna let Lucas go. I love 'em too much and he's been there all my life. It's probably the same way with Taylor but I never feel like I'm going to loose her because she's not going anywhere. Taylor's track record with men is pretty, well, sporadic. She's with one for two weeks and then she's not, so really I have nothing to worry about.
Plus Taylor's always gonna be in my life whether I want her there or not. She always has been and I know I'll always have her. She depends on me for way too much. But me and her both depend on Lucas and him…well I don't know how much longer we're gonna get to keep him all to ourselves. Because Brooke Davis, while maybe just another girlfriend, seems like a force to be reckoned with.
-x-o-x-o-
I carefully strap Aly Jane into the booster seat that's been in my car since I can remember. I don't think I've ever taken it out because I always need it. I then go around the car and sit in the driver's seat. Carefully planning my apology to the woman sitting next to me.
Awe the hell with it, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I apologize profusely, "My sister's just get so…" I trail off in aggravation.
My girlfriend opens her mouth to say something but gets cut off by my niece, "Who's this?" She asks unabashedly from the back. That's the one thing about kids, they'll say whatever's on their minds with out feeling rude or embarrassed.
I turn my neck, "This is my girlfriend Brooke Davis" I introduce and Brooke turns to face Aly too. She's really good with kids so I'm sure Alyson will love her.
Aly stares at her for a moment as if she's trying to figure out if meeting Brooke is a good or bad thing. She looks so much like Taylor right then I almost choke, "I'm Alyson-Jane, but you can call me um A.J or Aly or Alyson or even Alyson-Jane" She gives Brooke a smile, "But you can't call me Aly J or Aly Jane because only my Uncle Lucas calls me that" She adds strictly.
Brooke laughs in her raspy voice, (that I find incredibly sexy) "Nice to meet you" She says and I breath out a sigh of relief. At least Alyson doesn't hate her.
I start the car happily, but when Brooke turns around to face the scowl on her face makes the smile drop off my face instantly. Clearly she's still a little angry about the fact that I made her wait in car for so long, "I'm sorry Brooke" I say again.
She just glares at me, turning on the radio so Aly doesn't hear us fighting "What took you so long?!" She seethes.
I look at her from the corner of my eye, "My sisters were both there and they were you know talking to me" It's a really weak excuse, I know.
Brooke rolls her eyes unsympathetically, "So you could've called me in!" She shoves my shoulder, "I mean seriously Luke we've been dating six months already, when do I get to meet your family?" She asks tiredly, I just wish I could tell her that after meeting my sisters she'll probably break up with me. And Brooke's the first woman that I really don't want to break up with me.
See usually when I tire of a woman and I don't want to see her anymore, I let her meet my sisters. The two of them always devise a plan to chase her away and I let them think I'm completely oblivious to their schemes. They do all the dirty work and I just have to feign hurt and anger when the poor girl storms out. Then I get in my car and delete her from my phonebook. It's a pretty good system and practically foolproof.
But I haven't taken Brooke to meet Haley and Taylor for a reason; I don't want her to leave me. I don't want her to go, she's brought so much into my life. It's crazy but I can see myself spending the rest of my life with Brooke Davis and honestly it doesn't scare me one bit. Maybe that's the crazy part.
"Lucas!" She snaps her fingers in front of my eyes, even though it's a pretty bad idea since I am currently driving, "Are you listening to me?"
No. "Yeah baby, yeah of course I am" I say smoothly, "In fact Haley and Taylor suggested that we come over for dinner tomorrow" Oh god, I really hope Brooke can survive dinner with my sisters.
Her hazel eyes soften, "It's a plan" She says decisively and I feel a strange sense of De Ja Vu, as if someone's said that already. Anyway, she looks so happy as she says it because she's finally meeting Haley and Taylor. I just wish she knew that tomorrow's dinner will probably be the last meal she'll ever want to share with me. Life's a bitch.
"Are you the Brooke Davis with the clothes?" A.J yells over the music.
Brooke chuckles and turns down the radio, "Yes I am, why you want somethin'?" She asks playfully, "Coz I can hook you up" Isn't she charming?
A.J looks skeptical, god what has Taylor done to this girl? "I dunno, don't you make clothes for old people?" She asks inquisitively.
Brooke laughs again and I'm so glad that she isn't offended. Any other girl probably would have been, "Well my line is for adults, yes" she answers, "But I could make you whatever you want, I've been thinking about launching a children's wear line for a while now" She says honestly.
Aly's eyes light up and it makes my heart feel warm (but I wouldn't admit that, ever) "Well in that case…" She trails off cutely.
Brooke looks proud of herself and honestly I'm proud of her too. It's not easy to get on A.J's good side, she's a tough kid "You can come over whenever you want kiddo, we'll make a day out of it" She proposed.
That made A.J's smile even bigger and now I'm super relieved. Thank God. "Yeah, and Uncle Lucas can come too" She looks at me with her big green Taylor eyes and smiles sweetly, "He can even try on some dresses" Okay now that's where I draw the line.
I shake my head, "Uncle Lucas will not be trying on any dresses" I contradict, pulling into the parking lot of the park. Heh, parking lot for the park. Kind of funny.
Brooke giggles, "Awe c'mon Luke, you've done it for me before" She winks mischievously and feel the heat rise to my cheeks.
"I thought we agreed not to talk about that Brooke" I mumble.
Brooke laughs even harder and I just get out of the car. "Awe c'mon baby, you looked cute" She says through giggles as I work on getting Aly out of the car.
See another thing, Brooke has like this power over me or something. When no other woman has ever been able to tell me what to do (with the exception of my sisters, sometimes) she can get me to model dresses for her with just the quiver of her bottom lip. That's gotta mean something, right?
I hold out my hand for A.J to take but she shakes her head, "Why not?" I ask her confusedly.
She puts a small finger to her chin, "I think…" She continues to ponder, "I think I wanna hold Brooke Davis' hand" She nods her head decisively and if it wasn't the most adorable thing I'd ever seen, I'd be offended.
Brooke looks completely surprised but extends her hand out with a smile, "Girls gotta stick together huh?" She wrinkles her nose playfully.
Aly bobs her head up and down in agreement, "Besides Uncle Lucas's hand gets sweaty" Okay now that's not true.
Brooke laughs, "Oh believe me I know" She's kidding, I can tell.
I catch up to the two of them, walking on the other side of Aly. They're getting along really well and that makes me incredibly happy, as I've stated numerous times. If it was any other girlfriend, Aly probably would have never even met her because I don't want Aly getting attached to someone who wouldn't be permanent. But I really wanted Alyson to like Brooke because like I've said before, Brooke to me, is permanent. While I maybe only 25 I still know what I want and that's Brooke Davis. For the rest of my life.
"Stop brooding" Brooke says over Aly's head, she knows me so well it's almost scary.
I grin at her, "I can't help it" I shrug a shoulder.
Aly immediately runs towards the swings, "Slow done Aly Jane, you might fall!" I call after her, because I am a little afraid she's gonna slip. She'd gotten a scraped knee with me once before and it was when she was first learning how to ride a bike. And even though it bled for only about two minutes and she cried for only about five, I still made a promise to myself to never let her get hurt again. It sounds stupid because scraped knees and bruised arms are inevitable when you're a kid but I just can't see her in pain. Not even for a second. She's the most important thing in the world to me right now, though Brooke is a very, very close second. Along with both my sisters, but they're pretty much givens right?
"High, high, kay Uncle Luke?" She instructs again as I get behind her to push.
Brooke leans against the pole and watches fondly as I push my niece. Her giggles are music to my ears and I'd pretty much do anything to keep her smiling. I think Brooke notices too because even though she hasn't said anything, I can tell she knows. She's heard me mention Aly and my sisters a lot, they're really important to me, that's probably why she's been so anxious to meet them. What's important to me is important to her and that's one of the things I love most.
Like for example, aside from cheerleading in high school, Brooke has never been a sports person (and don't really even consider cheerleading a sport, sorry ladies), she's never been into football or baseball or my personal love—basketball. Yet every Sunday she makes an effort to watch an entire game with me, just so she can enjoy something I enjoy with me. She usually only gets through about half an hour before she gets bored, but the fact that she makes an effort is what counts. For me anyway.
I can feel her staring at just me now, "What's up?" I ask, without even looking at her.
Her eye brows arch, "You didn't even look at me, how do you know something's up?" She asks.
I look over at her, "Brooke, what is it?" I ask her, I don't have to look at her to know when something's not right.
She bites her lip, "What if your sisters don't like me?" She asks and if I wasn't pushing Aly I'd go hug her right now. She looks adorable when she's vulnerable like that.
"C'mere" I call her over softly.
She runs a hand through her raven locks before shuffling over to me, I tuck her underneath my arm, "Listen, Haley and Taylor are well they're a little judgmental" I know, that's basically the biggest understatement of the year but I'm trying to make my girlfriend feel better here, "But, they love me and I love you so they're gonna love you" I tell her conclusively.
She looks up at me, "And if they don't?" She asks, its the question I've been dreading for a very long time. And its something I don't know the answer to. How can I choose between my sisters and my girlfriend. I mean its my family and then it's a girl that I hope will someday become my family, I just don't wanna be placed in that situation.
"Lucas" She prods me in the ribs, "C'mon, tell me" She insists.
I kiss her forehead, "How about, we cross that bridge when we come to it hmm?" I murmur into her hair.
She looks like she's about to press it but she doesn't, "Okay, but I love you Lucas" She says and she sounds a little scared.
I don't hesitate with my reply, "I love you too, pretty girl" I give Aly one last push before taking Brooke to the side and kissing her.
:-:
A/N: So it's different I just really like the idea. It 's just a light, funny, romantic story that's probably going to be about ten chapters (maybe eleven), I just think the idea is cute.
Read, Review and Enjoy!
P.s- Chapter name comes from a line in a Fall Out Boy song (Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes)