I have really enjoyed watching Brooke's character reveal that she is more than a party-loving girl - and there is a girl hiding her pain, underneath her smile. The story is written primarily in Brooke's perspective. I have written several chapters already, but my final ideas are not concrete. And the relationships are not permanent either, as you will see Peyton is not even in the story - well at least not yet. Please let me know what you think. Peace.

She was beautiful. She was successful. She was empty. Brooke Davis had been in love and out, but the love of the one person she most wanted was ungraspable. She worked her entire life for just some sign of affection and it took a major clothing line to gander some attention. Her parents had always been absent in her life, and she always said that she was surviving just fine. But for years as she lied to her friends, she lied to herself as well. With the reemergence of a parental role in her life, Brooke believed that her mother might possible love her. And she was willing to take that chance just to experience one ounce of love. For it would be one more ounce than she ever received before.

"You have a meeting at 10, lunch with Michael Vincent at one, and dinner at 7:30 before the premiere."

"Thank you, Millicent." Brooke responded to her assistant without her normal forced cheer.

"I can cancel any of them if you want me to, Brooke," noting Brooke's missing smile.

"We can't stop the show, Millie, it must go on, that is what Victoria always says."

"Brooke," Millicent was trying to start, but she was quickly stopped by Brooke's hand.

"The show must go on, I will see you at the meeting," Brooke said as she watched Millicent walk out of her office, and then sat down in her chair. She put her hands on her forehead and let out a huge sigh, but it wasn't of relief, it was to ensure that she was still breathing. She was, but she was just barely hanging on.

The last several months had taken a toll on her, and this was her biggest downfall, and she didn't know if she was going to be able to make it back up.

All of Brooke's fears had come true once high school ended. All of her friends took their successes and moved on and she was left alone to her own vices. Peyton went to California. Lucas went to coach college basketball and Haley and Nathan followed with their newborn in tote. Brooke decided to follow her own dreams and ended up in New York one day, she had nothing to come home to, so she just stayed. No one was calling her back. Tree Hill simply became a place on the map; it was no longer her home. Nearly five years has past since they all separated their ways, and some days Brooke just wondered if they ever missed her, because she sure as hell missed them. What she didn't realize was that her friends didn't find a perfect little life for themselves either. There were high points but there were lows that brought them back to reality. No one is destined to have the perfect life, and it didn't take fame to show them. But maybe home was the place that none of it mattered. Maybe home is what Brooke needed.

Brooke quickly got up from her desk, opened her door, and called out to Millicent.

"Brooke, what is it? What is the matter?" Millicent asked as she ran back in Brooke's office, concerned for her – it was a newly recurrence in the day.

"Nothing, nothing, I just needed to change some of my plans," Brooke said sitting down.

The weight of success had taken a toll on the designer.

"When do you need to change them?"

"Now. I need you to cancel everything for today, and I need a flight to Tree Hill, North Carolina."

"Is everything okay, Brooke?"

"Millie, I am fine, I just really need to get away," Millicent was a sweet girl, always trying to ensure that Brooke was alright. Sometimes Brooke had to laugh at the girl's naivety and her honest concern for her. She had to admit it though, it was nice, Millicent was the only one that ever did – well at least in a long while.

"Have you told Victoria?"

"Victoria doesn't need to know about this, this is between you and me. You have got to promise me this."

"I think that a trip home is what you need right now. I will cover for as long as you need me to, Brooke."

AN: I know this chapter is extremely short, the next chapters will be longer, I just felt this chapter needed to stand alone. Peace.