Author's Notes: I don't know. The beginning just came to me about two days ago and when I sat down to write it the rest just…came out. I really don't know.

(I saw Les Miserables and it was awesome. Definitely worth the watch) Title is a song by The Strokes.

Summary: Stupid mistakes, lies, and betrayal can make it hard to remember the ones you loved, fought for. Under cover of darkness, was where their love lay. It'd take years to peel back the layers and find it again – but who said they were above trying?

Disclaimer: One Tree Hill is not mine, it belongs to its fans (that's what I think happens to a show when it ends. It belongs to the fans now) – true fans, who still support it even after years of crap. Frankly, I am not one of them.


Under Cover Of Darkness

..

Chapter One: The Shame In Your Defeat

He finds her sleeping alone on a park bench, a chewed up lollipop stick hanging out of her mouth. She's wearing a red corset top with a matching skirt that barely covers her butt with high heeled red shoes lying on the ground beneath her. He's never liked her in these types of clothes.

He surprises himself when he notices his eyebrows are furrowed. Why is he worried about her? She left him. She ran away from him and chose this life. Everything that happened to him is her fault. He blames her for everything.

So why is he leaning down to shake her so she gets up? If this was an answer on a test he'd surely fail because he has no control over himself anymore. Not around her.

He takes his thumb and his middle finger and plucks her on the nose between the eyes. "Davis."

She jerks awake, the lollipop stick falling on the ground and rolling into a nearby gutter. Her eyes look glazed from the second he saw them before she closes them, and her hand goes to her head. She is hung-over. But he doesn't care.

Her eyes don't open for a long time while she holds her head, slightly rocking back and forth on the bench. She can tell he is here but doesn't want to look at him yet. Too afraid to face the reality of him actually being able to find her.

"Davis." He repeats firmly.

Her eyes finally snap open and land on him. He finds himself straightening up once she looks at him.

She takes in his appearance. His tousled blonde hair that obviously needs to be cut, his long sleeve blue shirt sticking out of his pants, his black pants that look like they just got ironed. Then her gaze travels to herself and she remembers what she's wearing, what she did last night.

A sigh escapes her lips as she slumps on the bench. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Then you should've trusted someone that would hide you better, maybe even dye your hair."

Her eyes squint in confusion. "I did dye my hair."

He studies the black locks for a moment before returning his gaze to the front. "Yeah well not dark enough. I mean you were already a brunette and going a shade darker doesn't exactly make you unnoticeable."

He takes a seat on the bench but stays near the end. He doesn't want to be too close to her. "What did you do with him?" he asks once the silence gets unbearable.

"Gave him a home with a special lady. She likes him."

It's his turn to sigh now as he studies the dirt on the ground beneath him. "Fernando wants to kill you."

"He's still got three more years." she mutters.

He turns toward her, his blue eyes ablaze. "I wasn't planning on saying it again but Fernando wants to kill you." He states slowly, giving her a few minutes to let it sink in. "You need to come with me."

She shoots up. "No chance in hell."

"Did you somehow get mentally deficient in the last five years?" he questions, his voice now rising in volume. He stands up too; matching her stance, because sitting down with her towering over him makes him feel like her lackey. "Just because he's in prison, doesn't mean he couldn't just call up one of his lovely friends and ask for a favor. And it only took me a day to find you so I'm sure it'll take them even less time to get to you." he seethes vehemently. He no longer tries to be nice. Nice doesn't work with her.

She studies his face for a few moments to see if he's telling the truth. "How the hell did you find me anyway?"

"I'm not exactly going to reveal much but you've always wanted to go to China. You kinda fit in with your dark hair and squinty eyes." He laughs a little before recovering, realizing he's showed too much emotion.

"But how did you know exactly where to look? I'm pretty sure Zhangjiajie Hunan never came up in our conversations." she accuses.

"I'm pretty sure you're pronouncing that wrong."

"Just answer the question!"

He rolls his eyes. "I followed the stench of a slut. Can we get going now?"

She crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm not going with you."

"Fine. Have fun in hell."

He's close to the end of the park before he hears a "Wait!" call out to him. His body turns and he sees her walking reluctantly behind him. He tries not to stare at her legs but he finds it incredibly hard. He had no idea she still had this much control over him after five years.

She finally reaches them and they stand there in silence. "How long till we find him?"

He lifts a shoulder. "About a week. Maybe two. I have to make sure I have everything ready."

She shakes her head.

"What?" he asks in annoyance.

"I don't want you to hurt the lady. She's really nice and doesn't deserve to be killed."

He tries his best to look sincere. "I won't. I'll just be very persuasive."

She contemplates his plan before nodding her head. "Okay. A week – or two – then we find him."

"Wasn't exactly planning on making this a 'we' thing…"

"If you think I'm gonna let you find him on your own then you're hugely mistaken." She thrusts her finger into his face and gets that fierce look in her eye. He's transported back five years.

"If you think I'm gonna tolerate this any longer, you're hugely mistaken!"

"Brooke calm down–"

"I will not calm down! You are ruining my life!" she'd yelled.

"It won't be like this for long, I can make this all bet–"

But he never got a chance to finish his sentence. He never got a chance to promise her that it would all get better. That they wouldn't be in this situation for long. Because right at that second, the police had burst through the door.

"Plus it's not like you would even know where to look."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "You think I haven't done my research? Think all this was planned on a whim?" The laugh he lets out sounds almost cynical and she feels her skin shudder. "You've clearly underestimated me."

She shakes her head and her hands begin to tremor at the thought of losing him. "Don't do this to me Lucas, don't take him away from me."

"Why should I do anything for you? Remind me exactly what you've done for me?"

She throws her hands up and begins to pace. "So why did you find me then? What were you hoping to achieve?"

"I found you so Haley would stop crying every time she'd visit. I found you to get you out of the horrible line of work you've put yourself in." he says glancing down at her attire. "I found you to tip you off about your impending execution and give you the option to live instead."

"Why do you care whether I die or not?" her voice shakes as she talks and she hates that weakness comes out so easily when she's around him.

"I don't." he denies. "But I'm a big believer in chances, especially since I never got one so I thought it was only fair."

She doesn't have a response to this and they stand in silence. He takes her in. Nothing about her appearance makes him want to hurl but nothing about her appearance makes him want to jump her either. He's mad – madder than he ever thought he could get at someone. He wants to smack her senseless and ask her why she left him. And he wants to get down on his knees and beg her to take him back. He's positive he'll do none of that right now but it doesn't suppress the urge.

Then she does something that sets him off. She stretches her arms above her head and the tight corset top lifts just a teeny little bit. Still, he can see the patch of skin that resides right above her skirt – looking fresh and creamy as he remembered five years ago. Suddenly, he gets the urge to jump her. It's been way too long anyway.

But he internally fights with himself and suppresses that urge too. This is neither the time, nor the place.

"Look," he starts. "my car's at the end of the block and Nate's got his jet waiting at the airport. I even brought you a change of clothes." He smiles sarcastically and she shoots one right back. "You coming or not?"

"Lucas, you know I hate planes–"

"Yeah yeah, you can't ride in a plane because you're claustrophobia acts up, blah blah blah – it's the only way Brooke!" It's the first time he's said her name in five years and he tries to act like it doesn't affect him. "How the hell did you get here anyway?"

She shrugs. "By boat."

"You didn't get sick?"

"I was already sick from the pregnancy, you ass." she snaps and walks ahead of him to the black maxima waiting at the end of the block where she assumes his car is.

It's not until she looks back and sees him walking in the opposite direction toward a black jeep before she realizes he never specified what block his car was at exactly. Stupidly, she turns on her heel and stomps toward the jeep, ignoring the slight smirk of triumph on his face.

xxx


Yes? No? Maybe so? Let me know.

The world did not end. I'm still here, at least. You suckers.