Past Indiscretions

By: Sari

Summary: One Shot. Post-4x14. Brucas. Leyton. Naley. Some things done in the past, are better left in the past.

"Oh Nathan, I can't believe we're doing this! Peyton's going to kill me!"

Brooke smiled as she led Chase inside the beach house, but stopped once she heard herself on the TV. "What the hell…?" She muttered dropping Chase's hand and pushing her way through the crowd. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the sex tape she and Nathan had made one drunken night when she had been pissed off at Peyton. Brooke closed her eyes and wished she wasn't seeing this but she was and even worse she was hearing it in surround sound due to the frigid silence perpetuating the party.

Suddenly Peyton's voice sliced through the air with a vicious vengeance and Brooke had to thank whatever God there was up there for Peyton. "Turn it off!" Peyton shouted. "Skills turn it off!"

It was too late, Brooke could already see. Haley had already turned and fled; Chase was looking at her in utter disgust; Peyton was too busy with damage control to react, but if she could she knew she'd be staring at her with those sad eyes; Nathan was running after Haley, as he should; and Lucas…Brooke didn't want to look in his direction. She didn't want to see if she would find hurt or just nothing, she didn't know which one would hurt worse.

Taking a deep breath she made her way outside, not even bothering to go after Chase. That was a lost cause. He was a clean teen and she was Brooke Davis. The two didn't go together, no matter how virginal she wanted to act.

"Are you really going to stand out here and mope?" Rachel asked her sitting down beside her. "Because really, it's not necessary, so you had a little sex tape with Nathan. What number were you? Wasn't he a player before Haley came along?"

"And wasn't I a slut before Lucas came along?" Brooke added bitterly. "It doesn't mean anything Rachel. We could all be in our thirties and everyone would remember that Brooke Davis slept with her ex-boyfriend's brother even if it was ages before she met him. People here pick and choose what they see. And it's rarely the truth."

"Look, take it from someone who understands how it feels to have everyone disappointed in you. They don't matter. The only thing that matters is how you view yourself and how the people that count view you. Don't worry about the rest of Tree Hill, they don't know Brooke Davis. Worry about the people that do."

Brooke looked at Rachel with new eyes. Every day this girl impressed her with how deep and how caring she could really be. Brooke couldn't understand why she chose the façade of a bitch. She was far from it. Brooke stood up and smiled at her friend. The only girl who could actually understand. "Thanks Rach."

"Hey no problem, I saw Lucas heading out back by the way." Rachel said pointing to the gazebo.

Brooke stared. "Rachel…"

"Don't thank me, but if you're going to feel better about this anytime soon you need to talk to him. So go talk to him."

She needed to write down how many of her children she owed Rachel. The girl was just too helpful for her own good.

Brooke saw Lucas in the gazebo and was immediately stricken with fear. She had avoided looking at him so she could delay finding out the opinion of the only person that mattered. Everyone else in that room was nothing compared to Lucas. She still loved him, maybe she wasn't in love with him, but she loved him and it would kill her to see this hurt him.

"Hey…" Brooke said sitting down next to him. "Have room on this bench for two?"

He shrugged. "It's not my property."

"I'm sorry for what you saw in there. You didn't need to see it."

He smiled ruefully at her. "It's not my place to be angry about that Brooke. Why aren't you going after Chase?"

"Why are you sitting out here moping alone?" She countered. "Don't bullshit me Lucas, I know you better than that."

He sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I feel guilty because I'm not supposed to feel anything about that video. I'm not supposed to feel hurt or betrayed. I'm with Peyton, not with you."

"Who are you trying to convince?" Brooke asked him softly.

Lucas gave her a look. Brooke couldn't help but smile. "That happened long before I met you."

"I know." Lucas answered her nodding.

"I know it still sucks to find out at some dumb party that I've slept with Nathan, but you're the only guy I've slept with and had feelings for." She continued. "You were the person that taught me the difference."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Between having sex and making love." She continued. "You were that person for me."

"Brooke…" Lucas trailed off; clearing his throat he tried again. "Brooke, thank you."

She smiled, taking his hand in his and they sat together amidst the chaos of the party, soaking in the night.

THE END.