Another Brucas oneshot! It's slightly AU, cause they never dated in high school. They did know each other, but never really talked. It takes place five years after S4. It was written for a fanfic exchange on Tube.alicious 911 forum!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I do own the verses in italic, as I was the one who wrote them:P I thought they fit well with what I had in mind for the story.

Anyway, enjoy and review!

Blue skies
Watch the sun as it rises
True lies
The waves come in all colors and sizes

She'd been sitting there since morning. She had a lot to do, her cell phone wouldn't stop ringing, so at some point she just tossed it into the sea. She wasn't sure if the silence brought her comfort or even more desperation. When it was broken by the sound of the crashing waves, she didn't hear anything else. Nothing but her own thoughts. And that was what she feared the most.

She was 23 years old, and she had pretty much everything a girl her age could've asked for. So young, and already powerful, famous, rich. And not rich because of her parents money, for once. No. Every dime she had now, she'd earned it. But only she knew how much it'd really costed her.

Feel the wind
Brush through your face, mess with your hair
Feel the tears
Can't wipe them off, lost in your stare

All around her, people walked, and some of them looked at her, even pointed. But no one dared to get too close. They were used to her cheery, happy, or angry self. That's what they wanted to see. The magazines wouldn't sell if they showed her like this. Not unless it was because of some great scandal. Otherwise, they wouldn't have anything to write about. She was relieved that they let her be.

Her face showed fear, to anyone who cared enough to look. Unfortunately, no one did. As long as they got their paychecks by the end of the month, as long as they could buy their perfect clothes that she designed, as long as they could open up a magazine and see her flawless beautiful face smiling back at them. They looked up at her, and seeing her real self would destroy their illusions. Her life was perfect, they had to believe that. Hell, even she believed it, for the longest time. But she knew now, you can't run forever. God knows she tried.

Think of the past
It catches up, you can't hide
When it's you and the ocean
Your only companion's what you feel inside

She thought of high school, so far from LA, in a small town, and she remembered how scared she was of the real world. But what she wanted the most back then was exactly what she feared the most now: she didn't want to be forgotten. She was popular, and everybody knew her, and she was afraid of it all ending. She wanted to be remembered. And she certainly would be. At some moments, though, she wanted nothing else than to just be alone. Just be anyone else, a stranger in everyone's eyes, walking around the streets, unnoticed.

Fame had its good moments, she had to admit. But when she was 15 and read about celebrities complaining about the flashes and the lack of privacy in magazines, she thought they were overreacting. But she knew now, it wasn't about the fame, or the cameras. It was about loneliness. It was about feeling this way, and having to pretend, not only for classmates now, but for the whole world, that she was happy. It could ruin her whole career if they knew the truth. If they knew how close she was to give it up, and just run back to that small town, back to her friends she'd once considered her family.

Keep staring
Lost, confused, but calm
Look for hope
In the horizon, all alone, at dawn

She didn't notice him coming near her till he was sitting beside her. She was startled, at first, but there was something about his face, something that made her smile.

"Lucas Scott", she finally remembered the guy she went to high school with. Who joined the basketball team in junior year, who caused a lot of drama with Nathan. The guy she'd talked to only a few times, in between games or pep rallies, the guy she even came on to once, at a party, but he realized she was too drunk and, instead of taking advantage, he simply took her home. That's who he was, that's who she remembered him to be. She quickly wiped the tears away and put on her smiling face again. Only this time the smile didn't seem too hard to put on.

"Brooke Davis", he smiled as he looked at her, sending shivers down her spine. For when he looked, she felt as if he saw more than anyone else. It made her feel weird, uncomfortable, even. "I'm surprised you even remember me"

"I didn't know you were in LA", she starts a conversation, happy with the company. Happy. The word had a strange ring to her already.

"Moved here a couple of months ago. My editor thought it'd be good to get some fresh air and leave New York for a while"

She chuckled at his words. "Fresh air? You're more likely to suffocate here"

He saw her dimpled smile. The same one he'd seen so many times in the magazines. And it was even more obvious now, how unhappy she really was. He was surprised no one else saw what was so clear to him.

She retreated when she saw the genuine concern on his eyes and realized what she'd said. She'd admitted, even if it was very subtly, how she really felt. There was something about him that made her feel more at ease. Maybe it was the memory of simpler times, maybe some glimpse of their pasts and their hopes back then. She wasn't sure. But there was definitely something. And that scared her. She was afraid of the closeness, of breaking her walls. So she got up. Seeing that, he did the same. She barely knew what she was doing since she got there. She wasn't hungry or cold, although she knew she should be.

Keep walking
The water invites you in
Don't think
You wouldn't know where to begin

"So…" she starts talking again when the silence becomes too much for her to stand, "You're a writer?"

"Well, kind of… I wrote a book, back when we were still in school. It wasn't a big hit, but it didn't do so bad, either. I'm trying to work on the second one, now"

"Uh… trying, huh? I'm thinking… writer's block?" she bit her lips.

"Huge writer's block"

"I know the feeling. Last year I went through a couple of months when I didn't like one single design I did"

"And how did you get your inspiration back?" he walked beside her, with his hands on his pockets. He thought of how comfortable and safe it felt. Anyone walking by would think they were old friends. No one would imagine that was the most they ever talked since they met.

She hesitated, and he noticed. "Seclusion", she answered a complicated question in the simplest way possible. He smiled. That was the Brooke Davis he remembered. Little did he know what this simple word meant. Brooke wasn't one to be secluded. That time was when her downfall started. It was when she realized how little she had in life, inspite of what people thought. It was when those dark thoughts that now consumed her first started making an appearance on her life. It was what brought her to that shore, that day, that moment.

"Yeah, that didn't really work for me", he laughed nervously. "So I thought that coming to the beach, today, maybe the sea and the waves would give me some sort of inspiration, something worth writing about", he noticed Brooke shifting uncomfortably, so he kept talking. He noticed the silence scared her for some reason. "How about you? What were you looking for when you got here?"

"Something worth living for", she replied faster than she could think, and immediately regretted. Why was she telling him all these things? It didn't really matter, cause she'd been standing there all day long and she couldn't find a thing. Not one single thing. So, eventually, she'd made her choice. As she walked closer and closer to the water, though, the certainty she'd felt a few minutes ago was starting to fade.

Be free
Forget the things you fear the most
Let it be
The past will haunt you if you run from its ghost

He wasn't sure what to make out of her words. He'd felt something for her since the first time he'd met her. He'd had a crush for her best friend at the time, Peyton Sawyer, since he was 12. But when he joined the basketball team and met Brooke, he saw something in her, something he wasn't sure anyone else could. He saw so much more than the rich and beautiful cheerleader. He could see in her eyes, she was so much more than that, and he wished that, one day, she'd realize it herself, everything she could do. As she changed throughout those two years, and started trading the drunken one night stands for a serious relationship with Chase Adams, he knew she was finally finding her way. A way she was meant to follow, a way to success. If anyone could do it, it was Brooke Davis. Only thing he didn't like about it was that he wasn't the one next to her while it happened. He never got the guts to get too close. But now, now that she seemed more vulnerable than ever, it reminded him of that party. The day she was so drunk and lost, and he did nothing but take her home, and make sure she was fine. He thought something had changed that day, but then they both went back to school, she thanked him, and never brought it up again. He knew he could give her so much, but he was starting to wonder if now was too late for that. She was too broken, maybe beyond repair.

Just walk
Find the peace you need so much
Feel the sand
Being replaced by the water's cold touch

She felt the cold water on her feet, and stopped. When she lowered her head, she let one single tear fall, but soon felt his hand on her chin, making her look up again and wiping it off. She looked deep into his blue eyes, and let herself get lost there for a moment. He didn't try anything, and she knew he wouldn't. She was vulnerable again, and he wouldn't take advantage, as much as he wanted to kiss her right now and make all her problems disappear, make her as happy as she deserved to be.

"So… I take it that you didn't read my book", he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

"No", she replied, almost apologetically, "There was never time, really. Plus, I don't think I'd like to read about all your friends and how they were destined for greatness… No offense, it's just not easy to think about high school and remember what I used to be. I thought those things were so important, when actually I was just this stupid girl who no one really knew". She looked at him and he was smiling. "What? God, I can't believe I'm saying these things, I'm starting to sound like Peyton, she's the emo one, not me".

Close your eyes
Close your eyes and be prepared
Trust the tides
Whatever you're destined, they'll take you there

She took one more step into the water, but he stopped her. With a book on his hands, he looked for something under the dim light of the sunset.

"Lucas, what are you doing?" she furrowed her eyebrow.

"Read this", he handed her the book. She watched it, took a look at the cover and saw it was his book. An Unkindness of Ravens.

"Nice title", she smiled softly, "You always walk around with your own book?"

"Not really, just today. I figured since I needed inspiration, maybe the first one could help me out, somehow. It's the first edition, the first book out, the editors gave it to me a day before it was on the stores"

She looked at it one more time, when he opened it again, on the same page. "Read this", he repeated, but his tone wasn't demanding, it was kind.

"She was fiercely independent", she started, "Brooke Davis". She lifted her eyebrow and faced him when she read her own name on the book. He looked away, blushing, and she went on, "Brilliant and beautiful and brave", her eyes started to water, and her voice was shaky, "In two years, she'd grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is gonna change the world someday. And I'm not sure she even knows it"

She finished reading the words out loud, but her eyes never left the pages. She read them silently over and over and over again, before looking back at him.

"You've got so much to give to the world, Brooke. And you've already started it, you just need some balance now. You've already started changing the world, and it'd be a shame if you gave up now"

Her mind was racing at his words, and she couldn't help but step back, go back to the dry, safe sand. She sat back on the spot she'd been before, and watched the sky again. One more time, Lucas sat beside her. She let her head rest on his shoulders and they stood in silence. Only the silence this time wasn't as scary anymore. She watched the sun, it had a different tone now, almost brighter.

"I'm tired", she whispered. It wasn't just physically, she was tired of it all. And, when he talked about her giving up, she wasn't sure if he knew how close she was to actually give up, not just on her clothing line and fame and success, but on life itself.

"I believe in you. I believe you can do this"

"Suddenly I really think I should buy this book and find some time to read it", she whispered.

"Take this one", he gave his own copy to her.

"No, I can't… you just said it was the first copy…"

"Please", they remained in the same position, as she took the book from his hand, the contact between them giving her all the comfort she'd been wishing for for so long. He had no idea, but at that moment, he saved her life.

To his smile, she turned and gave him a light kiss on his lips, only to pull away again and get up. "Thank you".

They both knew the words meant way more than anyone ever could've thought. But, for the two, it was all that needed to be said.

"You're gonna be ok?" he turned to see her leaving.

"Yeah, I am", she smiled back at him, "You just gave me a reason to."

Blue skies
Watch the sun as it finally fades
True lies
You'll be free, whatever it takes