Brooke pulled the sleeves of her jacket down to protect her hands from the frigid early morning air. Chills ran down her spine. She shivered. She didn't know if it would be colder outside or inside. Her reception wouldn't be warm.
Brooke contemplated the door she'd walked through more times than she could count. This time was different, though.
There was a time when she was always welcome in Lucas' house. She was more comfortable in his house than she was in her own home. That time was almost 16 years ago.
Brooke knew she wasn't welcome here anymore. Not in the small town she'd left behind without looking back and definitely not in Lucas' home.
Prepared for the worst but daring to hope for the best, Brooke opened the door and walked into Lucas' bedroom with determination and purpose. She didn't stop until she reached Lucas' bed. She sat down beside the body that was completely buried underneath the covers.
Half-awake when Lucas left for practice, Lindsay had sought sanctuary from the cold in the depths of the bed. She felt the bed shift with the weight of another body. Was Lucas back? Or was it Natalie? She reluctantly poked her head out from under the covers. She screamed when she saw that it wasn't Lucas or Natalie.
Brooke felt Lucas' body moving under the covers. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to emerge. The anticipation was almost worse than the worst that could happen. Slowly a blonde head popped out of the covers. To Brooke's surprise, it wasn't Lucas' head. Brooke didn't know why she was surprised. It had been 16 years. She didn't think Lucas had been celibate for all of them. The owner of the head screamed and sat bolt upright in the bed. The shock in combination with the scream caused Brooke to scream as well.
"You're Brooke Davis." Lindsay's breathing slowly returned to normal. She wasn't in any immediate danger, but she knew Brooke posed a threat.
Brooke gave the blonde a once-over. As much as she hated to admit it, the blonde was beautiful in a classical way. "Yeah. And you're wearing me."
Before Lindsay could introduce herself, Natalie burst into the room. She'd been in the bathroom putting make-up on when she heard the screams. She dropped her eyeliner on the floor and ran toward the source of the sound. "Lindsay, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Natalie froze when she saw Brooke. They locked eyes. Natalie had Lucas' dark, soulful eyes. Brooke didn't need an introduction to know she was looking into the eyes of her daughter. A complete stranger would know there was a relation. Their hair was the exact same shade of brown. Brooke's was highlighted and fell in waves about 2 inches past her shoulders. Natalie had straightened hers; without any curl, it was a little longer than Brooke's. They both had porcelain skin.
This wasn't what Brooke had wanted. She wanted to talk to Lucas first. The last thing she wanted was to ambush her daughter. She didn't know if her daughter even knew who she was.
"What do you want?" Natalie asked. Her angry tone told Brooke she knew exactly who Brooke was.
Brooke had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She hadn't known if their 1st encounter would be peaceful, but Natalie was looking at her like she was the enemy. She needed to talk to Lucas before she tried to make peace with her daughter. "I was looking for Lucas."
"Why?"
"I want to talk to him."
"He doesn't want to talk to you. You should go."
"Natalie, can I talk to you?" Lindsay asked.
Natalie followed Lindsay into the hallway, leaving Brooke alone in Lucas' bedroom.
Brooke looked around the room, searching for clues that would tell her who Lucas had become in the last 16 years and who Natalie was. Brooke had always been curious. Even when their relationship was new, she'd wanted to know everything about Lucas.
She recognized pictures from when they were in high school-there were pictures of Lucas with her, Peyton, Haley and Nathan. Pictures of Karen, Andy and Lily traveling the world brought a smile to her face. She liked Karen. Pictures of Lucas with Lindsay were conspicuously absent.
Brooke pored over pictures of Lucas with Natalie-there were pictures of them at birthday parties and basketball games, all of which Brooke had missed. She'd missed too much. She didn't want to miss any more. She moved closer to the door, hoping to catch Lindsay and Natalie's conversation.
"Try to be the bigger person," Lindsay said.
"I'm not the bigger person. I'm 15." Brooke's lips curved into a bemused smile when she heard Natalie's response. Karen raised Lucas to be the bigger person, whereas Brooke could be childish when they were in high school. Apparently Natalie got some of her personality from her mom even though Brooke wasn't there.
"Figuratively, not literally. I'm threatened by her, too, but I'm trying to be nice." Brooke's lips formed into a smirk. She knew she shouldn't be happy that Lucas' girlfriend felt threatened by her, but she couldn't help it.
"Why are you threatened? My dad loves you." Natalie's tone softened. She wasn't fighting against Brooke now; she was fighting for Lindsay.
"Because there is a part of his heart that will always belong to Brooke. You're going to be late for school. I'll talk to Brooke."
Brooke backed away from the door. Her eyes fixed on the door, she ran into the bed. She hastily sat down and tried to look nonchalant. She didn't want Lindsay to know she'd been eavesdropping.
After several seconds Lindsay returned to the room. She forced her lips into a polite smile. "I'm Lindsay."
Lindsay extended her hand. Brooke clasped it. She shook it firmly as she would a businessman. This wasn't business; it was war. They were fighting over Lucas. She wanted Lindsay to know she was a worthy opponent.
"You just missed Lucas. He's at practice." Lindsay offered the information freely. She wouldn't fight dirty.
Brooke felt like she was reliving the past. Her 1st stop was Lucas' house and her next stop would be Tree Hill High School. She'd frequented both when she was in high school. The one big difference was that she'd been on top of the world when she was in high school. She was captain of the cheerleading squad and she was dating one of the stars of the basketball team. She was pretty and popular. Until the world as she knew it crumbled around her. The day she found out her boyfriend had been sneaking around with her best friend. The betrayal of the 2 people she trusted most was a knife in her back. In the aftermath Brooke was pregnant and the baby was Lucas'; it was salt on the raw wound.
Brooke walked through the deserted hallways. She walked slowly and cautiously, as though she was walking through a minefield instead of a high school. The gym was empty. The basketball players were already showering. She continued into the depths of the school until she reached Whitey's old office, which now belonged to Lucas.
Brooke's presence cast a shadow over the playbook Lucas was studying. He looked up. He was shocked that Brooke was in Tree Hill. She should have been there for the last 16 years. He'd long since given up hope that she would return home to him and their daughter. The shock didn't register on his face. He narrowed his dark eyes. They were unusually cold. "Brooke. What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you."
"We have nothing to talk about."
Brooke stared at Lucas incredulously. "We have everything to talk about. We have a daughter."
"The daughter you didn't want." Lucas looked at Brooke the same way he would look at a dangerous criminal. Her crimes were numerous. He and Natalie were the victims.
"I know I haven't been there for her. I want to change that."
"You left. Why now? Why after all these years?"
"I have my company, but it still feels like something is missing. I want a family. I want to be a mom. I need my daughter."
"And it took you 15 years to figure that out?"
"I know. I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say. I just want a chance to fix things with her."
"You can't fix things."
"Will you at least let me try?"
Lucas shook his head. "I can't do that."
"You gave Dan a chance even though he didn't want you."
"Yeah, and look how that turned out."
"Do you remember how mad you were when you found out Dan wanted joint custody and Karen told him no? Do you really want to repeat your mom's mistake?"
Lucas had almost forgotten until Brooke reminded him. His mom had given up so much for him. She'd always been there for him. But none of that mattered when he found out she lied to him and prevented him from knowing his father. He lost his faith in her. She'd had to earn his trust back. He liked being the person that was always there for Natalie. He didn't want to lose her trust. "No, I'm not. I'll ask her what she wants."
"Thank you."
The door swung open and Natalie burst in. Natalie was out of breath from running. "Dad-" Natalie stopped when she saw Brooke. She wanted to warn her dad that Brooke was looking for him, but she was too late.
"Natalie, sit down," Lucas said. He pointed to the chair beside Brooke.
Natalie stood stock-still. Her dad should have been up in arms about Brooke's presence. She was a mutual enemy. How could he be so calm and rational when she was there? "Why are you talking to her?"
"She's your mom."
Natalie shook her head. "No. Just because she didn't use protection, that doesn't make her my mom." Brooke was nothing to her.
Lucas' expression hardened. He and Natalie were close. He was usually proud of the daughter he'd raised. He would not tolerate her disrespectful tone. He knew it was directed at Brooke, not him, but he'd raised her to be better than that. "She's your mom." He repeated, but this time his tone was fierce. He was daring Natalie to argue.
"And Dan's your dad." As far as Lucas was concerned, Dan was barely human. Dan had no heart and no soul. He was beyond redemption. Lucas wanted nothing to do with the man who fathered him. His only contact with Dan had been to warn him to keep his distance from Natalie and Jamie. The topic of Dan was off limits in their house. Natalie only knew what had happened between her dad and her grandpa because Nathan eventually filled in the blanks. Natalie had learned at a young age not to bring her grandpa up, but now she didn't care if the mere mention of Dan led to a blow up; she wanted her dad to come back from the dark side and be on her side again. "You of all people should know we can't choose our parents."
Lucas saw through his own anger at Brooke. It could blind him to reason if he let it. Brooke had been spiteful and vengeful, even hateful, during her pregnancy. She didn't accept the consequences of their actions-a baby. She left Lucas to face the consequences alone. But Lucas knew that as angry as he was, Brooke at her worst was nowhere near as bad as Dan. "Brooke's not Dan."
The bell rang warning students to get to class. "I should go." Natalie was grateful for the interruption and the excuse to leave. She needed to take a time-out and think. She needed a game plan. In sports, we rarely know what plays the other team has up their sleeve, but we usually know that the game is on. Natalie hadn't known the game would begin today and she definitely didn't know her dad would be playing for the other team.
Natalie couldn't get out of her dad's office fast enough. She ran into Haley in the hallway. Haley's lips formed into a warm smile when she saw Natalie. "You're late for class, missy. You're just lucky you're my favorite student. Get to class."
Normally Natalie would respond to Haley's light, teasing tone in kind with the sarcasm that ran in her family, but nothing had been normal that day. "Do you have class right now, Aunt Haley?"
Haley's eyes clouded with concern and her lips pursed. She shook her head, her caramel colored curls bouncing against her shoulders.
"Can we talk?" Natalie wanted non-biased advice from the person who had often been the voice of reason in her life. She couldn't have known Haley would bring her own biases to the table. There was a lot she didn't know about their past; she only knew what her dad and godparents shared with her.
The concern spiked into worry. Natalie shared her dad's love of the written word. Under Lucas and Haley's influence, Natalie had always liked school and done well. She had never cut out of class. Haley knew whatever Natalie wanted to talk about must be important. "Sure."
Haley and Natalie walked to Haley's classroom in companionable silence. Natalie was moody. She could be quiet and broody like her dad or talkative and outgoing like her mom depending on her mood. Haley knew she would talk when she was ready.
"Brooke's here."
Haley couldn't believe her ears. No one had seen Brooke or heard from her since she gave birth to Natalie. Brooke coming back to Tree Hill after over 15 years without a word was as extraordinary as a UFO landing in Tree Hill. "Brooke's back?"
Natalie inclined her head. She couldn't expand because she didn't know why Brooke was back. She hadn't given Brooke a chance to explain her mysterious appearance.
"Why?" Haley had never been able to understand how Brooke could leave her child and never look back. She'd always known Brooke would come back some day; she just hadn't expected that day to be almost 16 years after she'd left.
Brooke was a complete stranger to Natalie. She couldn't begin to understand where Brooke was coming from; she didn't know where Brooke had been. "She came to the house this morning. She scared Lindsay half to death. She said she wanted to talk to my dad. I went to his office to warn him and she was there."
"How are you doing?"
"I don't know. I used to want her and she wasn't there for me. Now I don't want anything to do with her and she's here. She didn't want me."
"You don't know everything."
"She didn't want me. She wanted to give me up for adoption."
"She was young."
"That's crap and you know it."
"Natalie Penelope Scott." Haley's tone hardened. She knew Natalie was upset, but Natalie knew she couldn't swear in front of Haley without being reprimanded.
"Sorry. You were young when you had Jamie."
"Not as young as Brooke was when she had you. And there's more to it than that. Nathan and I were married. Our parents were supportive. Lucas wasn't with Brooke and her parents are far from supportive."
"Why is everyone defending her?" First her dad and now Haley. The case should be open and shut. Fifteen years of neglect told Natalie that Brooke was guilty of not wanting her. Why was everyone sympathetic to Brooke's cause? Brooke didn't deserve a 2nd chance.
"Have you given her a chance to defend herself?" Haley knew the answer to her question. The look she received in response told her that Natalie wouldn't hear Brooke out. Not now and not later. Haley spoke quickly to diffuse Natalie's temper. "I'm not saying you should forgive her. I'm just saying maybe you should talk to her."
"I can't do that." It wasn't a hardship for the people Lucas trusted and respected to persuade him to change his mind. He'd initially turned down Whitey's offer to be a Raven, but had reconsidered under the influence of his friends and family. It was damn near impossible to change Brooke's mind once she made up her mind. Natalie's stubborn streak rivaled her mom's. Haley knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to move Natalie.
"That went well." Lucas' voice was ripe with sarcasm. It had gone as well at could be expected. Brooke was starting with nothing. Building a relationship after 15 years of nothing would take time and effort. Lucas hadn't been willing to give Dan the time of day the 1st time Dan tried to build a relationship with him. Natalie was less forgiving and more stubborn than Lucas.
"She hates me." The tears that Brooke had been fighting stung her hazel eyes. She didn't want Lucas and Natalie to see her vulnerable. She had to be strong. She knew she deserved everything Natalie had thrown at her. She just hadn't known how much Natalie's hateful words would hurt. They say sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt. They're wrong. Natalie's verbal attack was more painful than a physical attack.
"There's a thin line between love and hate."
"I don't know." Brooke didn't know if her daughter could ever forgive her. She didn't know if there was any love lost between them. She didn't know if there was any hope for a happy family in her future or if she was doomed to a lonely existence. A tear rolled down her porcelain cheek.
It's programmed into boys to panic when they see a girl cry. Lucas' instinct was to offer his shoulder to cry on. It didn't matter that he had every reason to be angry with the girl crying. His fury was silent; he didn't unleash his anger on anyone. He never retaliated by hurting those who hurt him. Dan had hurt him more than anyone else and he still saved Dan from the fire at the dealership. "Hey pretty girl, don't cry." Lucas wiped the tear away. His rough hands were evidence of a lifetime of hard work, but his touch was surprisingly gentle. Brooke's cheek was soft. His finger lingered for just a second longer than necessary. Her hazel eyes locked with his dark eyes.
The office door opened. Lucas jerked his hand back from Brooke's cheek as though he was touching a burning stove. Brooke tore her gaze from Lucas and looked at the intruder who had ruined the moment. It was Haley.
Haley acted like it was perfectly natural to walk into a room and see Lucas and Brooke talking. Lucas knew his best friend was bad at hiding anything; she would never be able to hide her surprise at Brooke's sudden reappearance this well. "You don't look surprised."
"I heard that Brooke was here." Haley confirmed that the only reason she didn't look surprised was because she wasn't surprised.
Brooke's lips parted in surprise. "What? From who?"
"Natalie."
"Isn't she in class?" Lucas asked.
"About that...I may have told her she could cut 1st period. She was upset and she wanted to talk."
"Is she okay?" Brooke asked. Children were supposed to go to their moms for comfort when they were upset. Brooke was the one who had upset her daughter and Natalie had run to Haley for comfort.
"She just needs time. I have to get to class, but Brooke, do you want to go to lunch?"
The invitation surprised Brooke. Haley was Lucas' best friend. She was supposed to be on his side. Brooke could use all the friends she could get. "Yeah."
Haley and Brooke sat outside at a café. They could see the river from their table. The sight and sound of the water had a calming effect on them in an otherwise uncomfortable situation. They'd never been close and they hadn't seen each other in over a decade.
"How have you been?" Haley asked. It was a polite question to break the ice before they delved into more treacherous territory.
The polite answer to Haley's question was 'I'm fine, thanks. How are you?' Brooke didn't give the polite response she'd been programmed to give; she gave an honest response. "I've been better." Brooke's response would set the pace for their lunch. She continued with her brutal honesty and asked the question that had been on her mind since Haley invited her to lunch. "Why did you want to go to lunch?" Her friendly tone diluted the brashness.
Haley sighed. She was a loyal friend to Lucas. She hated to speak ill of her best friend, but she was going to be honest with Brooke. Too many people had hid the truth from Brooke. "Lucas is my best friend and I love him, but I didn't like the man he was becoming when he and Peyton were together. He was a jerk to you. I actually told him that before the car accident. That's why I didn't want to see him when he was in the hospital. I didn't know if he'd want to see me after what I said."
Brooke remembered the days she'd spent holding vigil at Lucas' bedside while he was unconscious. She'd been the doting girlfriend. She'd been stupid. He'd made a mockery of her. "You knew?"
"I'm sorry, Brooke. I told him he needed to tell you."
"At least someone was on my side." It was the ultimate betrayal. The smart and kind boyfriend Brooke put on a pedestal had been stepping out on her with her best friend, her sister. Brooke's carefree optimism had been replaced with a wary cynicism. She hadn't been able to trust anyone with her heart since then. She didn't think she'd be able to raise a daughter with the boy who hurt her more than anyone else.
Haley nodded emphatically. Her no-nonsense policy on cheating wasn't the only reason she felt for Brooke. "And I've been where you are."
"You're a bitch who ran out on her child?" Brooke's sarcasm tainted the question. She knew what she'd done was worse than anything Haley could have done.
"No, but I left. I went on tour with Chris Keller." Brooke's lips parted in surprise. She couldn't imagine the bookworm she'd known in high school as a rock star. Haley wore a sheepish expression as she made the confession. Leaving was the biggest mistake she'd ever made. Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone. She didn't realize that she loved Nathan more than anything else until she almost lost him. Living her dream had turned into a nightmare without him. "I came back. I wanted to be with Nathan. I still loved him. He didn't want to be with me. He wanted an annulment. Peyton was a bitch to me. Everyone at school acted like I was a leper."
"You and Nathan aren't together?" Brooke looked like a child who woke up on Christmas morning with no presents from Santa Claus. It wasn't magic Brooke didn't believe in anymore; it was something even more powerful-love. Lucas had tested her belief, but she'd still had faith because she'd seen true love. She believed in Nathan and Haley's love.
"No, we're together." Haley spoke quickly. "We got past it. We have a son, Jamie." Her lips formed into a smile when she talked about her family.
"That's great. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks. You can have it, too."
"No, I can't. I think Natalie likes me about as much as I like Peyton."
Haley chuckled at the comparison. "She needs you. I think she's just afraid to admit it."