A/N: Okay, so this came to me a few days ago, and I've written... well, I don't know how many different versions of it, but I like the way that this one turned out the best. I hope you all enjoy it- and, yes, I do plan at least one sequel to it; Angie meeting the rest of Jamie's family. Let me know what you think! -Jess
Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any characters that you may recognize.
Jamie Scott squeezed his girlfriend's hand gently as he led her to the double glass doors of his aunt Brooke's store- well, the Tree Hill branch of it, anyway- Clothes Over Bros. He knew that Angie was nervous about meeting his family later that evening for dinner at his parents' house since, in the seven months that they'd been together, she had only met a couple of his cousins and his younger sister Libby- one of three of his younger siblings. He hoped, though, that meeting his aunt would show her just how little she had to worry because his family was going to love her.
Though he hadn't realized it until about a month ago, when Angie had been talking about how she had been in foster care as an infant and how she had stayed with an amazing woman- her words- when she'd had heart surgery. He'd been stunned then, thinking that it wasn't possible- not after twenty-two and a half years. But then, much later that evening when they'd been looking through her photo album of her family, she'd shown him a picture of herself as an eight-month-old little baby, having just been returned home to her parents. He'd known the baby in that picture- his aunt Brooke and uncle Luke had a picture of him holding that little baby on the mantle in their house. He'd been absolutely floored but had somehow hidden his reaction from Angie pretty well- it had been right about then that the wheels had started spinning in his head and he'd asked Angie to come home with him for the holidays. Not only was he absolutely loving the fact that he was going to be the one to give Angie- his girlfriend, the woman he loved- the chance to say thank you to two people she didn't remember but who had helped to give her the chance to have a long, healthy, and happy life, but he was also going to be the one who gave his godmother the reassurance she'd been waiting for some many years to get that Angie had, in fact, had a great life and grown up to be a beautiful young woman- both inside and out.
He pulled open one of the doors, smiling at the sight of his aunt Brooke talking to her personal assistant- and his honorary aunt- Millicent at the register. Both women looked up when they saw him enter and grinned widely. "Jay-Luke!" Brooke squealed with a smile that showed her dimples as she rushed toward him and wrapped him in a tight hug.
He laughed and returned the embrace, happy to see his aunt again. Of all of his aunts- and he had plenty- he had always been closest to the woman his parents had appointed as his godmother. "Hey, Aunt Brooke," he greeted with the Scott smirk he'd inherited from his father as he stepped back and tugged Angie in front of him. "I want you to meet someone."
Brooke's eyes widened as she realized that, for the first time since he'd moved to New York City, Jamie had brought a girl home to meet his family. She'd known from almost the first phone call, when Jamie had first told her that he had a new girlfriend, that this would be the woman he brought home- that he had finally fallen head-over-heels in love. She reached out and hugged Angie, saying, "It's so nice to meet you, Angie," as Jamie cleared his throat and gave her a look she'd come to know very well over the course of his life- the look that said he had something he wanted to tell her. She quirked one dark eyebrow at him and waited for her godson to talk.
"Actually," he began, holding tight to Angie's hand once again as he took notice of the curious look his girlfriend was shooting his way, "you should really be saying that it's so nice to see her again." His aunt's eyes clouded with confusion and he elaborated, his heart pounding in his chest with the excitement of getting to be able to be the one to give her this gift- to give both Brooke and Angie this moment. He looked from Angie to his aunt as he spoke. "Angela Grace Brewer, meet Brooke Davis-Scott."
Before him, three pairs of eyes widened in disbelief- Brooke's, Angie's, and Millie's. Brooke's chocolate gaze darted from her nephew to his girlfriend and back again several times, her mouth opening and closing as she fought to form words. Finally, she sputtered, "Oh, my God. You... You're all grown up." Tears filled her eyes, as well as Angie's and Millie's. Millie gestured to him to let him know that she was going to the back of the store and Jamie nodded while Brooke reached forward and brushed a stray lock of hair from Angie's face.
"I... I don't know what to say," Angie said with a small smile, amazed by the fact that she was standing before the woman who'd helped to give her a second chance at life before she'd ever even really had a first. Her gaze turned to her boyfriend, tears spilling down her cheeks as she asked, "When did you...?" She shook her head in disbelief, unable to even finish her question.
"When you showed me the picture of you as a baby with your parents," Jamie said with that Scott smirk, looking smug as could be. "Aunt Brooke and Uncle Luke have a few pictures of you around their house, and there's one of me holding you sitting on the mantle above the fireplace in their living room."
Again, Angie merely shook her head. Sometimes, there were no words to say how absolutely perfect her boyfriend was. She turned her attention back to the dark-haired woman in front of her and smiled- the same smile that had drawn Jamie to her in the first place, the smile that he'd fallen in love with. Angie took a step forward and wrapped her arms around the woman she owed so much to. "Thank you," she whispered as more tears fell from her eyes and mixed with Brooke's.
Brooke couldn't speak. She'd prayed for twenty-two years that Angie had grown up, healthy and happy. But... she'd never expected to see the baby she'd loved all grown up and in love with her godson. She'd never thought she'd be given such an amazing gift and now she felt as if her heart might just explode with happiness as she embraced Angie. A part of her heart- and a part of Luke's- had always belonged to that precious little baby who had helped to bring them back to one another, and Brooke couldn't wait until Luke saw the beautiful young woman that baby- their angel, as they'd always thought of her- had grown into.
Over Angie's shoulder, she met Jamie's gaze- the cool blue eyes he shared with his father and uncle- and saw the thoughtful smile reflected in them. And she smiled back tearfully when he mouthed, "Mark." Brooke's chest swelled as she thought of the man who had operated on Angie so many years ago, who had really and saved her life- and the man who had helped one of Brooke's best friends turn her life around, the man who had fallen in love with and married Rachel- and she couldn't wait to see the look on Mark's face when he saw Angie, when he realized who she was.
As Angie clung to Brooke, she realized that she had nothing to worry about when it came to Jamie's family. They'd welcomed her with open arms years before, loved her and cared for her, and she knew that now wouldn't be any different.